Twins drop heartbreaking game 1 of ALDS to Yankees
[picappgallerysingle id="8493544"]It was a heartbreaker of a night for Minnesota Twins fans as the Twins lost the first game of the ALDS series against the New York Yankees 6-4 – at home. I mentioned earlier that home field advantage doesn’t actually matter much in the ALDS or ALCS, and it would seem that’s true – both AL home teams lost yesterday. I just hope the Twins don’t bring last night’s heartbreak into tonight’s game two and lose to the Yankees again.
I thought last night’s ALDS game one was played fairly well, and I thought that the Yankees and the Twins were well matched, despite the negative press toward the Twins prior to the start of ALDS game one. It’s just that the Yankees came through when they needed to, and the Twins didn’t. I still think the Twins can win the ALDS. It might take five games, but they can do it.
The Francisco Liriano who came out on the field last night was the one Twins fans wanted to see. Liriano gave a terrific performance — that is, until he had a meltdown in the sixth inning, which is weird for Liriano. If he gets through the first two innings unscathed, he’s usually fine. How frustrating.
C.C. Sabathia, whom I had never seen play but have heard much about, just didn’t look that great – for the playoffs, anyway. The Twins did a good job of roughing Sabathia up early, when Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run homer to take an second-inning lead in the game. And when they needed to in the sixth, the Twins roughed up Sabathia again – Danny Valencia drew a four-pitch walk that scored a run to tie the game.
Sabathia was a little mad in the dugout. A walk that score a run to tie up a game is a bad feeling for a pitcher, I guess. For all the talk about C.C. Sabathia and how terrific he is, he was the least of the Twins’ problems in game one of the ALDS.
I felt coming into the game that if the Twins could turn last night’s game against the Yankees into a bullpen game, the Twins would win. Not so. Jesse Crain, who has been lights out for the last couple of months, completely blew it for the Twins by giving up the game-winning, two-run homer to Mark Teixeira in the seventh inning. Alex Rodriguez followed with a single, and that was the inglorious end to Crain’s appearance in ALDS game one.
I feel bad saying it because I like Crain so much, but he really, really blew it, and the Twins never recovered. Crain just needs to brush it off — he’s got the stuff, he just can’t leave it up over the plate. And to be fair, the Twins should have scored in the seventh, and they didn’t.
I have to give a shout-out to Jon Rauch. After I suggested that he not make the playoff roster in favor of Scott Baker (who did make the team instead of Kevin Slowey), Rauch went out and threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Excellent work, Jon Rauch. And while I’m at it, Brian Fuentes looked great, too.
And that was it. There was no life in the bats of the Twins after Jim Thome struck out in the seventh inning on a 3-2 count pitch with two outs, stranding the tying runs at second and third base. I love Thome, but that was brutal.
So, the Minnesota Twins did what everyone feared – they went and dropped game one of the ALDS to the New York Yankees. It’s a difficult spot to be in – the statistics don’t favor the team that loses the ALDS game one. Fifteen of the last 16 teams to head to the ALCS won the first game of the ALDS, according to STATS LLC.
It was brutal night. Let’s hope the Twins can turn it around before they head off to Yankee Stadium. I think the Twins can win tonight, but no meltdowns, please — and stop stranding runners in scoring position, okay?
Twins’ Justin Morneau not playing this postseason
[picappgallerysingle id="9187088"]Things got exciting for a few days when we heard that Justin Morneau was working out with the Minnesota Twins, but alas, Justin Morneau will not be on the Twins playoff roster for the ALDS, the ALCS, or the World Series, should it come to that. It’s been announced that Justin Morneau will not play with the Minnesota Twins for the 2010 playoffs – in fact, he won’t even travel with the team.
It seems that Morneau has not had a symptom-free day while working out with the Twins, so the Twins are going to scale back his workouts once again. Instead of preparing for the Twins’ 2010 post season, Justin Morneau will prepare for 2011 spring training.
Bummer.
Justin Morneau has been out since he was kneed in the head while breaking up a double play against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 7th. We can only hope now that Morneau is able to recover enough to play next season. In case anyone was still wondering, it seems a concussion is pretty scary stuff.
Will Twins final playoff roster spot go to Rauch or Baker?
[picappgallerysingle id="9187090"]The Minnesota Twins have one final playoff roster spot left, and it’s pretty much down to two pitchers for the job: Jon Rauch or Scott Baker. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announced that right-hander Kevin Slowey and lefty Jose Mijares will join the Twins roster in the bullpen, so that leaves one spot left for either Rauch or Baker. Who will it be?
Jon Rauch is the likeliest candidate, but for one problem – a bad knee. Rauch received a cortisone shot in his left knee, which was also drained of fluid. Rauch was unable to pitch during the last of the Twins and Toronto Blue Jays series to end regular season play, but Rauch is expected to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday.
Ron Gardenhire has said that a decision about the remaining playoff roster spot for the Twins – and the fates of Jon Rauch and starting pitcher Scott Baker – will wait until after Rauch throws his bullpen session Tuesday.
The last playoff roster spot was believed to be up for grabs between Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, and Glen Perkins (why?), with Jon Rauch’s spot secured. That was until Rauch’s knee took on fluid and needed to be drained. Gardenhire said that Rauch has been bothered by his knee for awhile, but that he’s been able to pitch through it. This is the first time Rauch has needed a cortisone shot in that knee.
Now, with Rauch potentially disabled and Kevin Slowey already on the playoff roster, will Scott Baker make the Twins playoff bullpen? I certainly hope so. Baker has great stuff, and with his tender right elbow (he’s had two cortisone shots in it over the course of the regular season), the Twins don’t need to worry about stretching Baker out since he’d be in the bullpen.
I like Jon Rauch – I do. He’s got a commanding presence on the plate (naturally, since he’s 6’11”), but I am more confident and comfortable with Scott Baker. Baker is rattled less easily than Rauch, as Rauch showed us during his tenure this season as the Twins closer (he was replaced at the trade deadline with Matt Capps). And more than that, I think that Baker has better stuff than Rauch does.
Basically, it comes down to this: who’s going to be able to keep their head on straight against the Yankees? If the Twins beat the Yankees, I think they’ll go all the way. But they’ve got to get past the team that’s given them three playoff series losses in recent years. The Yankees have proven unbeatable to the Twins in the post season, and not particularly beatable during the regular season, either.
So, who has the mental game to get past the Yankees, Baker or Rauch? I’m inclined to say Baker. But if Rauch’s knee is stable enough to allow him to pitch, the question will be moot.
ALDS: Twins lineup vs. Yankees, game schedule announced
[picappgallerysingle id="8493792"]The playoffs are finally here, and we know who will be playing for the Minnesota Twins, and what time they’ll be taking on the New York Yankees. Manager Ron Gardenhire recently announced the Twins lineup that will debut on Wednesday night at 7:30 against C.C. Sabathia and the New York Yankees. It’s exactly the lineup that I (and probably everybody else) expected, with the only aberration from my mental Twins lineup in the cleanup spot.
Here it is: Denard Span (center field), Orlando Hudson (second base), Joe Mauer (catcher), Delmon Young (left field), Jim Thome (designated hitter), Michael Cuddyer (first base), Jason Kubel (right field), Danny Valencia (third base), J.J. Hardy (shortstop). Francisco Liriano will pitch for the Twins.
I had thought it might be Jason Kubel hitting cleanup, but Gardenhire moved Delmon Young to the cleanup spot to protect Joe Mauer. Either way, the Twins have a very strong lineup against the formidable C.C. Sabathia.
Let’s remember, though – Sabathia looked woeful against the Tampa Bay Rays in their last series together, which was an incredibly high pressure situation. So, here’s hoping that Sabathia feels the same kind of heat – with the same kind of results – on Wednesday night against the Twins.
It’s also worth remembering that C.C. Sabathia was at Tropicana Field when he pitched that game, and he’ll be at Target Field on Wednesday night against the Twins.
I, for one, think it’s the Twins’ year to pummel the Yankees. Somebody else thinks it’s going to be something to watch, too, because the Twins and the Yankees will play their first three games in prime time (Wednesday at 7:37pm, Thursday at 5:07pm, and Saturday at 7:37pm). Pretty awesome.
By the way, check out my latest article about the Minnesota Twins for Minnesota Public Radio, here.
The Yankees are coming to Target Field
[picappgallerysingle id="9775098"]The AL Central champion Minnesota Twins lost today to the Toronto Blue Jays, but more importantly, the New York Yankees (yuck) lost to the Boston Red Sox 8-4. That means the Tampa Bay Rays will be the number one seed by clinching the AL East, the Twins fall to number two, the Yankees (yuck) get the wild card spot, and the Texas Rangers are bringing up the rear.
The upshot? The Twins will host the New York Yankees (yuck) at Target Field beginning Wednesday for the ALDS. Good news is, we’ll probably get the prime time slot. Bad news…well, there is no bad news. I think that the Twins will beat the Yankees in the ALDS. That’s right, I do.
That means we’ll see Francisco Liriano battle it out opposite C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees have lost nine straight games against a left-handed starter, and I think the Twins should extend that streak to ten. And then eleven when Duensing starts game three.
But whatever happens, here’s to a terrific regular season for the 2010 American League Central champions, the Minnesota Twins.
