Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Turnaround time for the Twins?
I've been slacking on this blog, but there hasn't been much to write about. I don't give a crap about the NBA (sorry, Dirk!), I haven't caught World Cup fever, and the Twins have been uninspiring, to say the least. Steve put a link to this site on his new blog, however, so I feel compelled to post, in order to welcome the thousands of his fans that will suddenly find themselves transported to Bang the Drum Slowly.
Jen and I thought about attending the Twins-Red Sox game last night. Santana vs. Schilling had the makings of a classic pitcher's duel, and, thanks to the completely ridiculous unbalanced schedule (and interleague play), Boston's baseball club will only be making this one appearance in the Twin Cities this year. (Barring a playoff matchup between the two teams, of course.) I'll be going to the game Thursday, and two June evenings in a week stuck inside the Dome just seemed like too much, so we passed.
Santana K'd 13 Red Sox in 8 innings, and his only mistake was a solo shot to Jason Varitek. Meanwhile, Cuddyer connected for a solo homer off of Schilling, leaving the game knotted at 1. After Nathan and Rincon held the Red Sox scoreless into the 12th inning, Jesse Crain gave up a run. Nick Punto made a fantastic, diving stop of a grounder up the middle, and flipped it to Castillo. The throw to first was barely late, allowing the run to score.
In the bottom of the ninth, Joe Mauer led off the inning with his 2nd strikeout of the game. [This is only the 5th 2-K game of the season for Mauer, who had gone an amazing 16 consecutive games without a strikeout before Sunday's game.] Cuddyer got hit by a pitch, Justin Morneau doubled, and Torii Hunter was intentionally walked. This brought up Jason Kubel.
Strike looking.
Ball.
Foul.
Ball.
Foul.
Ball.
Grand Slam. Twins win 5-2. (This clip and a few others from the game can be viewed here. Click on the "350K" next to "Kubel's walk-off slam" near the top of the page.)
This is one of those games that seems like it could provide a spark that the team needs. Of course, I would have said the same thing after their big come-from-behind, extra-innings victory over the Angels on April 19. The reality is that the Twins have a lot of ground to make up. Even if the Tigers or White Sox drop off their current pace, the Twins would still be contending with the Beasts of the AL East for the wild card berth.
The funny thing about the Twins' situation is that I think they need to be giving playing time to their young players, to help develop them. At the same time, players like Kubel, Liriano, and Bartlett are significant upgrades over the players Gardy and Ryan have been sending out there.
So the Twins can build for the future, while simultaneously giving it their all this year.
Jen and I thought about attending the Twins-Red Sox game last night. Santana vs. Schilling had the makings of a classic pitcher's duel, and, thanks to the completely ridiculous unbalanced schedule (and interleague play), Boston's baseball club will only be making this one appearance in the Twin Cities this year. (Barring a playoff matchup between the two teams, of course.) I'll be going to the game Thursday, and two June evenings in a week stuck inside the Dome just seemed like too much, so we passed.
Santana K'd 13 Red Sox in 8 innings, and his only mistake was a solo shot to Jason Varitek. Meanwhile, Cuddyer connected for a solo homer off of Schilling, leaving the game knotted at 1. After Nathan and Rincon held the Red Sox scoreless into the 12th inning, Jesse Crain gave up a run. Nick Punto made a fantastic, diving stop of a grounder up the middle, and flipped it to Castillo. The throw to first was barely late, allowing the run to score.
In the bottom of the ninth, Joe Mauer led off the inning with his 2nd strikeout of the game. [This is only the 5th 2-K game of the season for Mauer, who had gone an amazing 16 consecutive games without a strikeout before Sunday's game.] Cuddyer got hit by a pitch, Justin Morneau doubled, and Torii Hunter was intentionally walked. This brought up Jason Kubel.
Strike looking.
Ball.
Foul.
Ball.
Foul.
Ball.
Grand Slam. Twins win 5-2. (This clip and a few others from the game can be viewed here. Click on the "350K" next to "Kubel's walk-off slam" near the top of the page.)
This is one of those games that seems like it could provide a spark that the team needs. Of course, I would have said the same thing after their big come-from-behind, extra-innings victory over the Angels on April 19. The reality is that the Twins have a lot of ground to make up. Even if the Tigers or White Sox drop off their current pace, the Twins would still be contending with the Beasts of the AL East for the wild card berth.
The funny thing about the Twins' situation is that I think they need to be giving playing time to their young players, to help develop them. At the same time, players like Kubel, Liriano, and Bartlett are significant upgrades over the players Gardy and Ryan have been sending out there.
So the Twins can build for the future, while simultaneously giving it their all this year.
