And pretty tough, all things considered. On the heels of losing three straight to the first-place Tigers, Michael Cuddyer, who was 11-for-21 coming out of the break, goes on the DL, and the Twins come right back and take two straight from the West-leading Angels. Post break: four straight wins, three straight losses, two straight … Read more
How many runners can one team strand? How many decent –and even great– pitching performances can one team waste? How does a team that scored 32 runs in a doubleheader in Chicago turn around and manage just 24 runs in six games coming out of the All Star break? I’ll be good and damned if … Read more
I ran my finger down the schedule –I was pissed off, and in a hurry– and if I’m not mistaken the Twins have now been shutout eight times this season. Three of those have been 1-0 games, two were 2-0, two 3-0. and one 8-0. So, basically if the Twins could have managed any sort … Read more
Remember the Dark Ages? I sure do. Man, do I ever, and, holy shit, were they ever painful. Remember 1996, the season that began with the announcement of Kirby Puckett’s forced retirement? That team went 78-84 (not that bad, really, all things considered), but the pitching staff had an ERA of 5.28, the third straight … Read more
You don’t believe me? All right, well then maybe you’ll believe William Shakespeare: Base men by his endowments are made great. —Richard II Get it? Base men. No shit, Sherlock (or Shylock). And then there’s this all-purpose taunt of opposing batters (useful for whenever The Great Santana takes the mound), from Love’s Labor’s Lost: Thou … Read more
Did you see the All-Star Game home run derby? The derby itself was sort of a snooze –too drawn out, too much digressive commentary, too many commercial breaks– but it was the bullshit beforehand that really had me stomping around my living room and foaming at the mouth. I mean, seriously, doesn’t it chap your … Read more
My, my. Mercy. Yowza. Goodness gracious. Good heavens. For heaven’s sake. For the love of Pete. Holy cow. Holy shit. 59 hits, 22 walks, 11 home runs, six errors, and 46 runs, in two freaking games. An American League contest in which the pitcher for the winning team was actually forced to bat –two times. … Read more
Here are the facts, or at least some of them: the Twins lost five of seven games to a lousy Yankee team. And thus far, they’re 0-5 against the first-place Cleveland Indians. Kevin Slowey didn’t turn out to be the second coming of Francisco Liriano, or even quite the second coming of Brad Radke, circa … Read more
When Scott Baker pitches a game like that, dammit all to hell, you have to find a way to win. Hell, when anybody pitches a game like that for you, you have to find a way to win. The Twins have won eight of their last twelve, and just went in and won two of … Read more
If you’re the sort of fan who has an appreciation for both the home team and the history of the sport, today’s Twins/Jays finale was a pretty fabulous proposition all around, particularly if you were one of the 31,038 folks in attendance at the Dome to see Frank Thomas’ 500th home run in an 8-5 … Read more