Justin Morneau working out with Twins today; playing soon?
[picappgallerysingle id="8843810"]Justin Morneau is going to be working out with the Minnesota Twins today at Target Field. This is big news. Really big. I’m not saying that it means Justin Morneau will be available to play in the Twins’ post season games (particularly the ALCS), but it’s no longer out of the realm of possibility, it seems.
According to the Associated Press, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says that this is all very encouraging, and that he would love to have Morneau in the Twins post season lineup, but cautions everybody that Morneau’s been off the field for two months (actually, it’s more like three, but who’s counting?) and does not to expect Morneau to play.
I have never thought that Morneau would be back this season, and I don’t expect Morneau to play in the post season for the Minnesota Twins. But what if he did?
First of all, after three months off and with all the symptoms he’s suffered, would Morneau be good enough against playoff teams like the Rays or Yankees? Or would Morneau be too rusty to be of any use to the Twins? I can see everyone rolling their eyes as they read this (don’t get dizzy), but think about it. Even the best in the business need to practice and stay on top of their game. As they say: if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Well, Morneau hasn’t been using it. Doctor’s orders. So, is it likely that Morneau would pick up where he left off, with a .345 batting average, 18 home runs, and 56 RBI? No, probably not. Would a rusty Morneau be helpful to the Twins when you’d have to sub out either Jim Thome or Jason Kubel to make room for Morneau in the lineup? I don’t know about that. The Twins need results right away.
All of that speculation aside, Morneau working out with the Minnesota Twins before tonight’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays – a full practice – is pretty exciting news. If Morneau came back strong, it could give the Twins an extra boost after a five-game slide to two sub-par teams (the Twins snapped that streak last night with a 4-2 win over the Royals).
I think the Twins will get back in the groove anyway, but Morneau would certainly help with confidence.
But that’s only if he’s not too rusty.
Minnesota Twins drop 4 games in a row; pitching disastrous
[picappgallerysingle id="9360284"]This is getting ridiculous. In Detroit, Carl Pavano pitched like a jerk and coughed up a 5-0 lead. Last night against the Kansas City Royals, Kevin Slowey did the same thing and gave up a 3-0 lead. The Twins had better stop coughing up leads like that, or the playoffs are going to be pretty ugly. Like usual.
The sad thing is, I get my hopes up when the Twins start the first inning with two doubles (thank you, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer) and three RBI. And then Jason Kubel homered in the 4th inning, driving in a total of five RBI in the game.
But my hope soon turned to horror as the Twins pitchers allowed ten runs in four innings, lead by Twins starting pitcher Kevin Slowey, who gave up a whopping six runs in 1 and 2/3 innings. Twins reliever Jeff Manship didn’t fare much better, giving up the remaining four runs before the bottom of the 4th inning.
With the Twins driving home eight runs by the end of the fourth inning, it looked like batting practice out there for the first half of last night’s game. But I don’t really care about the Kansas City Royals, or how they are pitching or playing. I care only about the Minnesota Twins right now, and how the Twins are playing.
So, I’m concerned. Why am I concerned? Dropping a game here and there after you’ve clinched is one thing. Dropping four in a row and matching your longest skid during the regular season? That’s a bad thing.
The Twins just can’t seem to pitch out of jams right now – all three post season starters have lost the last game they pitched (Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, and Brian Duensing), with the exception of Nick Blackburn. Now, who thought we’d be saying that?
Anyway, there isn’t a whole lot to say about what’s going on with the Minnesota Twins right now – except to say that it stinks. Nick Blackburn pitches for the Twins tonight, so maybe we’ll come up with a win against the Royals. I hope so.
Which Twins starter gets the axe: Baker or Slowey?
[picappgallerysingle id="8629023"]Minnesota Twins starting pitchers Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey know that one of them is probably on the chopping block and won’t make the 25-man playoff roster. After announcing that Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, and Brian Duensing will get the top three spots (in that order) and that Nick Blackburn will be up for the fourth spot in the playoff starting rotation if it’s needed, Baker and Slowey are left to ponder their respective fates in the bullpen.
And one of them will have a fate worse than that: cut from the playoff roster.
Both Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey have suffered from arm and/or shoulder injuries this season. Slowey recently had triceps surgery, and Baker just received a second cortisone shot in his elbow on September 2nd.
These injuries have forced the Twins to question how long either Baker or Slowey could go in a game, and that uncertainty has harmed their chances to be on the Twins playoff starting rotation. Now, it looks like one of these pitchers will throw for the Twins in the bullpen during the 2010 playoffs, and the other won’t make the roster at all.
Why Blackburn in that starting spot, you ask? After a hideous (and I mean hideous) June and July, Blackburn was sent down to Triple-A Rochester to work on his mechanics – specifically, to find his sinker again so that opposing teams didn’t feel like they were at batting practice when Blackburn was on the mound.
Nick Blackburn did find his sinker down in Triple-A, and he’s been dominant since his return to the major league for the injured Kevin Slowey. With Blackburn so hot on the mound, it makes sense that Twins management would want to keep him around.
As for Baker, I tend to feel that he’s a stronger pitcher than Slowey – especially in the latter half of the season. I also think that if Twins management does cut a starter, which they seem intent on doing, it will be Kevin Slowey. Baker has a stronger track record, and I think he has better stuff than Slowey.
That said, I think that Slowey is better than both Jose Mijares or Randy Flores (who is downright terrible), so despite the fact that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire seems to want to stock the bullpen with lefties, I think they should keep Baker and Slowey in the bullpen and cut either Mijares or Flores (or both).
However, based on everything I’ve read and seen thus far, it looks as though the Minnesota Twins will cut either Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey from the playoff roster. And I’m betting that they’ll cut Slowey.
Twins swept by Tigers; home field advantage in jeopardy
[picappgallerysingle id="9284870"]I’d like to pretend that this weekend didn’t happen. Why, you ask? Because the Minnesota Twins were fully swept by the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Field. I’m not kidding. Seriously. Swept.
Boo.
I understand that the Twins are coasting a little bit right now, despite saying that they weren’t going to. At least, I assume it’s coasting and not incompetence – the Twins haven’t looked this bad since June. I get that the Twins don’t really need to fight to win games right now since they’ve already clinched the division and everything.
But now I’m going to do something uncomfortable. I’m going to point out that the Twins aren’t so great in the post season – at least, they haven’t been the past couple of years (anybody remember getting destroyed by the New York Yankees last year?). So, having home field advantage would be pretty significant – especially for the ALCS.
That means, guys, that we need to try a little harder. And by trying harder, I mean that the Twins need to not get swept by an entirely unworthy opponent again this season. It’s time to pull it back together, Twins. Coasting time is over. It’s time to play for home field advantage. And with such a fabulous new ballpark as Target Field, isn’t it only right that the ALCS be played there?
Come on, Twins. If the Vikings can win, then so can you.
Twins ALDS starter Liriano takes mound tonight vs. Tigers
[picappgallerysingle id="9539962"]Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announced Wednesday that Francisco Liriano will start the first game of the ALDS – effectively making Liriano the Twins’ number one pitcher. Liriano will also start tonight’s game at Comerica Park against Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
Liriano has been the Twins’ ace (with some competition from lefty Brian Duensing) since the All Star break. Despite a rough start to the year, Liriano has gone 8-1 since the All Star break, and before his loss to the Athletics earlier this week, Liriano had a post-All Star break ERA of 2.41.
Liriano’s performance the second half of the season has a lot of folks screaming “Cy Young!” I’m not in that camp. If you look at Liriano’s full year, he hasn’t come close to earning a Cy Young nod – not like C.C. Sabathia, David Price, or Felix Hernandez have.
However, if Liriano begins next season the way that he played the second half of this one, and manages to carry that performance through the rest of the year, there’s no reason Francisco Liriano shouldn’t win a Cy Young next season.
But tonight, Liriano will simply be trying to grow his regular season win column as the Twins take on the Tigers.
The Twins aren’t going to lie down; it’s not going to be a boring run from now until Liriano’s start in the ALDS. The Minnesota Twins, after last night’s Yankees loss to the Rays, currently have the best record in baseball. If the Twins can keep it that way, they’ll have home field advantage for the ALCS.
I don’t expect the Tigers to lie down, either. If I were in their position, I’d play the Twins as hard as I possibly could – see what the Twins are really made of. The Twins will get the very best of the Tigers’ starting rotation in Justin Verlander. Velander is 4-0 in his last six starts, with a record this season of 17-8 and a 3.46 ERA.
Fortunately for us, I think that with their current momentum, the Minnesota Twins can surely handle anything that the Detroit Tigers can dish out – whether the Twins are playing their starters or not.
