Tagged: Twins
Best 1,2 Punch in Baseball?
According to Tigers manager Jim Leyland, that would be the Twins’ M&M Boys –Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
Leyland was asked on Saturday about his decision to have Joel Zumaya walk the two hitters back-to-back with two outs in the 11th inning of what eventually was an 11-9 win in 16 innings for Detroit.
“I think
it’s the best 1-2 tandem in baseball. I believe that, I really do,” Leyland said of Mauer and Morneau. “They’re so good, and they’re so professional and they’re so smart. They
know what to do, and they never panic. And I said I’m just not going to
let them beat me.
“If we get beat, we get beat, but I’m not going to let
them beat me. And I’m not going to do it the rest of the year, if I can
help it. They’re just too good.”
While Zumaya’s control had not been the best of late, Leyland said he was willing to take the risk of the next batter, Michael Cuddyer, drawing a bases-loaded walk rather than seeing either Mauer or Morneau come up with the winning hit.
“I have as
much respect for those two guys during the course of the game,” Leyland said. “They
remind me a little bit, and Gene Lamont talked a lot about them, of
[Craig] Biggio and [Jeff] Bagwell. The tandem of those guys and how professional they
were, they set the tone for the whole team the way they go about their
business with dignity, the way they work
“Obviously, they’re talented.
They’re special. I can’t think of a better 1-2 punch in baseball. One
guy’s going to put the ball in play all the time for sure, and get
hits. And the other guy, you might strike him out once in a while, but
he’s a big-time RBI guy. This team, to me, has never really gotten the
credit. Somehow they seem to get lost in media attention for whatever
reason.”
Happy Fourth of July!
With the 16-inning game not ending last night until after midnight, it’s already been a busy Fourth of July for the Twins. The club now gets ready to host the Tigers for Round 2 of the series and the hope for both clubs is that their bullpens won’t be needed much in this one.
Manager Ron Gardenhire said that his bullpen isn’t in too bad of shape. He’ll try to stay away from Matt Guerrier, who threw two innings, and Brian Duensing won’t be available after throwing 3 2/3. So who is available? Joe Nathan, Jose Mijares, R.A. Dickey, recently called up Anthony Swarzak and even Scott Baker, who didn’t throw a pre-game bullpen session in case he’s needed.
UPDATE: So much for staying away from Guerrier. He’s now pitching the eighth inning. Guess he was good to go.
The real hope is that Francisco Liriano can give the Twins a long outing.
Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are both in the lineup, with Mauer playing as the DH. Gardenhire said that Mauer arrived early to the ballpark to tell him that he was good to go. Joe Crede gets a rest after playing all 16 innings on the turf. So Brian Buscher gets the start at third in his place.
As for Kevin Slowey, Gardenhire said that the pitcher will fly to Baltimore on Sunday and see a specialist there on Monday about his strained right wrist. It’s the same doctor that Slowey saw over the winter about the injury.
While Slowey’s wrist hadn’t affected him on the mound until Friday night, Gardenhire said that it had been sore when the pitcher was doing everyday things — like opening doors. Slowey has been getting treatment on the wrist all season, but now that it flared up while throwing he’ll get it checked out again.
“The kid’s got 10 wins. It hadn’t been an issue,” Gardenhire said. “He’s been throwing great
until the last couple of outings. In St. Louis, he said he was feeling
fine. We were worried about his ribs more than the hand, and whether
either one had an effect just hasn’t been an issue until all of a
sudden now. He said yesterday when we took him out that the ball felt
like a leaded ball. That’s what he told me in the dugout.”
Here are today’s lineups:
Tigers
Curtis Granderson, CF
Placido Polanco, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Marcus Thames, DH
Ryan Raburn, LF
Brandon Inge, 3B
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Dusty Ryan, C
Adam Everett, SS
Pitching: Edwin Jackson, RHP
Twins
Denard Span, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, DH
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, LF
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Brian Buscher, 3B
Jose Morales, C
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Francisco Liriano, LHP
Welcoming the leaders to the Dome
The Twins are opening up a three-game set with the Tigers tonight at the Dome. It’s a big series considering that Minnesota is currently three games back of Detroit in the AL Central standings.
Minnesota will be facing left-hander Luke French in his first Major League start. French has made two previous relief appearances for Detroit and did not give up a run over three innings. We’ll have to see how the Twins fare against a young lefty they’ve never seen before — they haven’t exactly been successful in some of those situations in the past.
Both Justin Morneau (tight left groin) and Nick Punto (tight lower back) are in the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s contest due to the injuries. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that both players were fine and that catcher Mike Redmond’s right forearm is still very sore so he’s unlikely to see any action tonight.
Jason Kubel is coming off the bench for the series opener as Delmon Young gets the start at DH. Gardenhire wanted to add one more right-hander in the lineup against the lefty French. So Kubel could provide a little pop off the bench late in the contest.
Here are tonight’s lineups:
Tigers
Curtis Granderson, CF
Placido Polanco, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Marcus Thames, DH
Don Kelly, LF
Brandon Inge, 3B
Josh Anderson, RF
Gerald Laird, C
Ramon Santiago, SS
Pitching: Luke French, LHP
Twins
Denard Span, LF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Delmon Young, DH
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Kevin Slowey, RHP
Twins recall Duensing, option Henn to Rochester
The Twins announced today that they are recalling left-hander Brian Duensing from Triple-A Rochester and to make room on the roster for him, they have outrighted left-hander Sean Henn to Rochester.
Duensing, 26, was on the Opening Day roster for the Twins but he made only one appearance — allowing two runs on two hits in Chicago– before being sent back to Rochester on April 13. Duensing was 4-6 with a 4.66 ERA in 13 starts at Rochester.
Henn made a strong early impression with the Twins, but posted a 7.15 ERA in 14 appearances for Minnesota.
Duensing will be in uniform for the Twins for Friday night’s series opener against the Tigers at the Metrodome.
So much for a healthy team
The Twins entered Wednesday’s contest against the Royals with what manager Ron Gardenhire called “a healthy lineup.” But three players –Justin Morneau, Nick Punto and Mike Redmond — all left the game due to various injuries.
Redmond left the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning after he was struck by a foul tip in the right forearm. He was having X-rays on the arm, but results were not yet known.
Jose Morales, the Twins No. 3 catcher on the roster, replaced Redmond
behind the plate. Joe Mauer was already in the lineup for the as the
club’s designated hitter.
Justin Morneau and Nick Punto were both taken out of the game after the sixth. Punto left the game with a tight lower back. Morneau left with a tight left groin. Brendan Harris took over at shortstop for Punto and Brian Buscher replaced Morneau at first base.
I’ll have more updates on the injuries after the game.
Goodbye June, Hello July
While May was a notable month for many of the Twins hitters, there is no question that June was so far the best month for the club as a whole. Minnesota went 15-12 in June — their first winning month this season.
The Twins batted .265 as a team in June and scored 112 runs, but what was the biggest difference? The pitching staff’s ERA which was 3.31 — after posting a 4.43 ERA in May and a 5.26 ERA in April. So there is no question that the turnaround of the pitching staff has had a big impact.
The Twins will try to start out July by picking up a win, one that would also cap off a very solid roadtrip for the club.
Brendan Harris and Jason Kubel are both on the bench for Wednesday’s contest. Harris is just 2-for-13 (.154) off Royals starter Gil Meche while Matt Tolbert is 4-for-5 (.800), so Tolbert is at second base and Nick Punto is playing shortstop today.
Kubel is 5-for-24 (.208) vs. Meche but has 10 strikeouts. So with Joe Mauer DHing, it was a good day to keep Kubel on the bench.
Here are your lineups:
Twins
Denard Span, LF
Matt Tolbert, 2B
Joe Mauer, DH
Justin Morneau, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Mike Redmond, C
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, SS
Pitching: Glen Perkins, LHP
Royals
David DeJesus, LF
Willie Bloomquist, RF
Billy Butler, 1B
Jose Guillen, DH
Mark Teahen, 3B
Alberto Callaspo, 2B
Brayan Pena, C
Luis Hernandez, SS
Mitch Maier, CF
Pitching: Gil Meche, RHP
Tuesday Lineups: Twins at Royals
The sun is shining, the temperature is in the low 80s and so the weather could not be more beautiful for a ballgame tonight at Kauffman Stadium. It’s nights like these where you can’t help but get excited about the move to Target Field next season, knowing that there are chances to see baseball in these kind of conditions.
As for news, Joe Crede’s back is better and he’s in the lineup agianst the Royals tonight. Crede said that there will be a few times during the season when his back flares up but he’s thankful for how the Twins have handled it so far. He knows it’s better not to try and push it on days like Monday when he just couldn’t get it loose because that’s when a more serious injury can happen.
In Minor League news, Triple-A Rochester coach Riccardo Ingram has taken a personal medical leave and will be away from the team indefinitely. To replace Ingram, Rich Miller will be moved up to Rochester from Class A
Beloit. The Twins have hired former player Chris
Heintz to take Miller’s place at Beloit. This will be Heintz’s first coaching job.
Here are your lineups:
Twins
Denard Span, LF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, DH
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Joe Crede, 3B
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Scott Baker, RHP
Royals
David DeJesus, LF
Willie Bloomquist, RF
Billy Butler, 1B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Mark Teahen, 3B
Alberto Callaspo, 2B
Miguel Olivo, C
Mitch Maier, CF
Tony Pena Jr., SS
Pitching: Brian Bannister, RHP
Crede scratched
Twins third baseman Joe Crede was a late scratch from Monday’s lineup due to tightness in his back.
The team said that the move was for precautionary reasons.Brian Buscher was inserted into lineup at third base and took over Crede’s seventh spot in the batting order as well.
Prior to the news on Crede, the Twins had been thought to have 25 healthy players on the roster for the first time in quite awhile. Instead, they’ll likely be without Crede for the contest as manager Ron Gardenhire said that he’s hesitant to use Crede in late-game situations if his back is tight.
UPDATE: Crede said after the game that he couldn’t find a way to get his back loose prior to game time so rather than risk anything, the decision was made to have him taken out of the lineup.
“The good thing is, just like last time, there’s no
sharp pain,” Crede said. “I did what I could, but you get to a point
where your back is not going to loosen up. Next thing you know, you’re
pulling something. So better to just take a day.”
Crede hopes to be back in the lineup for Tuesday’s contest in Kansas City. He’ll test the back to see if he’s ready to return.
Greetings from the newly renovated Kauffman Stadium
When I was at Kauffman Stadium last August, it was a bit of a mess trying to get through all of the construction that was taking place around the stadium. But all of that mess was worth it after walking into the ballpark today and seeing it with all of the new renovations complete.
The biggest change for us writers is they’ve moved us to an entirely new pressbox and it’s beautiful. Yet it’s all the new stuff in the outfield and the changes they’ve made overall in the concourse area that might be the most impressive.. They’ve extended the concourse all the way around the ballpark so fans can take a full lap. There is a party deck and sports bar in right field. Kids attractions are also in left center field. I haven’t had a chance to walk around there myself yet but I definitely want to take a look. I say all of this knowing that Kansas City is a popular place for Twins fans to visit. And even if you’ve been here before, it’d be worth coming back to see the new changes.
A local writer this afternoon said that with the new changes at the ballpark, it now plays a little differently. He said that many of the line drives are no longer affected by the wind since the outfield areas have been closed in, and it’s resulted in more extra-base hits this season. The Royals — who aren’t necessarily the speediest team– lead the Majors this season with 28 triples.
As for Twins news, Nick Punto is back in the lineup. He said that there has been a huge improvement in his ribs over the last three days. Punto took early batting practice and told manager Ron Gardenhire that he was ready to play again. The hope is that all of the rib problems are behind Punto, but Gardenhire said that if the second baseman has to leave the contest at all tonight then he’ll be headed for the DL.
Twins
Denard Span, CF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Jason Kubel, DH
Michael Cuddyer, RFJoe Crede, 3B Brian Buscher, 3B
Delmon Young, LF
Nick Punto, 2B
Pitching: Nick Blackburn, RHP
Royals
David DeJesus, LF
Willie Bloomquist, RF
Billy Butler, 1B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Mark Teahen, 3B
Alberto Callaspo, 2B
Miguel Olivo, C
Mitch Maier, CF
Tony Pena Jr., SS
Pitching: Luke Hochevar, RHP
Dickey earning more time in late innings
As the season has progressed and his recent hot streak has continued, R.A. Dickey has slowly been earning the confidence of the Twins coaching staff. And Dickey’s recent string of success led the situation that Dickey was placed in on Thursday — pitching in the seventh inning with the Twins holding a 6-3 lead.
The knuckleballer stepped up to the task as well, retiring all three batters he faced in the one inning of work.
“As I told him today, ‘Son, we’re going to probably be using you quite
a bit, if you keep throwing like this,’ ” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He can go
out there and throw just about every day.”
Dickey entered Thursday’s game having posted a 0.67 ERA over his previous 11 appearances (27 innings). Over that span, he held batters to a .170 batting average while issuing just five walks.
“There hasn’t really been a formal conversation [about a late-inning role],
but you kind of get a pulse of how things are moving,” Dickey said.
“Whether I’m getting outs in the seventh or the third, I’ve still gotta
get outs.”
All of his recent success has allowed Dickey to join Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares and closer Joe Nathan as the pitchers in the ‘pen that Gardenhire now feels confident using when the team is holding a late lead.
“I enjoy that they have confidence in me, and I enjoy pitching in games that we’re winning,” said Dickey. “But I don’t put any more pressure on myself.”
Dickey might not feel the pressure but that’s not exactly true for the Twins catchers, who will now be catching him in higher intensity situations.
“It’s
getting a little easier but it’s still kind of uncomfortable when he’s throwing because it’s nasty,” Joe Mauer said of catching Dickey’s knuckleball. “He’s a guy who’s
been getting a lot of outs, and I’m sure he’ll probably be getting into
some closer situations.”
Based on Gardenhire’s comments, it sure seems like it.
Kelly's Corner 