Twins to End West Coast Road Trip, team reports
The Minnesota Twins are scheduled for a 3:05 CST game today against the Oakland A's at Oakland Coliseum (BG will not be in attendance, boo.) Let's look at the Twins lineup which, I think, is weaker than last night's lineup, which I didn't think was possible.
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Jason Kubel, RF
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Danny Valencia, 3B
7. Brendan Harris, 1B
8. Nick Punto, SS
9. Drew Butera, C
Random thoughts from the last few games:
1. Tolbert was the hero last night. I pretty much always killed this kid but in his post-game interview he was a kid I now will root for (I know, it's like rooting for Lew Ford but he was really genuine, the slant on him is that everyone from TK on down loves his attitude and effort.)
2. DYoung - Like the production. Not gonna say "I told you so" but . . . Also, another guy in interviews after the game is really likeable. Not that it's gonna win us any games but another guy who you like to root for.
3. Blowing two leads (late) in consecutive games and coming back to win says something, not sure what but says something.
8 Comments:
That line up is brutal. Harris at first? Can Thome no longer play the field in any capacity? More concerning is tha Blackburn got shelled again. That is two in a row since we/I heaped praise upon him. From what I was reading Oakland has his number. He started the wild game last year that the Twins got screwed with Cuddy allegedly thrown out at the plate to end the game.
June 7, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Guys - sorry I couldn't represent at the Coliseum this weekend. I was in Vegas reenacting the Portugal bet. The minor silver lining is that I watched the last few innings of the Saturday game in the sports book at Mandalay.
Without Cuddy, Morneau, Hudson and Hardy, this lineup really sucks. I really hope those guys get healthy soon (at least we know Cuddy and Morneau will be back this week). What's the deal with Hudson? Is the wrist hurt worse than we thought?
BTW, golfing in 104 degrees is pretty brutal...
June 7, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Well, the good news is that if you take four of the top eight hitters off of any team, even the mighty Yanqui, and the remaining lineup is going to be pretty barfariffic.
The bad news is that this is twice in six weeks that we've been told one of our middle infielders is day-to-day and just banged up, when in reality they're going to spend 20 days out. The entire double play combo has missed a solid week now, AND their primary backup at both positions is out, too. Add that to an MVP 1B with a nasty flu, a RF with a death in the family, and a CF who's slumping all of the sudden, and we're just reeling. That's how you go 1-3 at Seattle, the worst lineup in the AL.
I'm also befuddled by Blackburn. How can a sinker go from "really effective" to "meatballs" and vice versa so often and with no warning?
June 7, 2010 at 2:48 PM
How bad does one's leg and back have to be prevent your coach from being able to use in the field on a random occassion? I wouldn't think playing first base would be all that taxing - but then again, what do I know?
Ditto on Blacy's back to back weak outings- really screws up the bullpen when your starter goes 2+ innings against the Ms...not good, not good at all.
Need to get healthy and back on track- 3 at home against KC should be a good time to turn things around.
Former Twins Update: Silva's line through Sunday 8-0, 47SO, 12BB, 2.93ERA and a 1.06WHIP...not even a contract year. M's traded Carlos plus gave the cubs $6MM last year in return they've gotten .211BA, 3HRs and a clubhouse distraction in Bradley. Was there a worse trade this offseason?
June 7, 2010 at 4:34 PM
Probably not, and the funny thing is, going in to the season, I would have predicted that would be the worst trade of the offseason...with the Cubs on the short end.
Welcome to the National League, Carlos Silva. Enjoy.
June 7, 2010 at 4:59 PM
LH, you beat me to it. I posted a link to Silva's ESPN profile under Holy Bejebus prior to reading your comment. It was posted from 8:38 to 8:40. Nicely done.
In the business we call what happened to the M's getting Whipsawed. Burned on the way in and then when you reverse your position burned on the way out.
June 8, 2010 at 7:41 AM
LH - Have you seen Thome run to first? Get your sundial out, he lost a step he never had in the first place.
As you can imagine, Silva is a favorite subject up here in God's Country on this "Talker Tuesday."
Side note: I think as his first post, our new friend Tapani should put together a brief history of Cubs players that have been linked to the Twins over the years. Sure, Kevin Tapani and Silva are good starts but what about the LaTroy Hawkinseses, Jacques Jonesesses of the world. He can put to rest questions like: "Didn't Craig Monroe have brief stints with both clubs?" Inquiring minds want to know.
Sorry, back to Carlos, food for thought:
Carlos Silva, P, Cubs, 2010 All-Star.
June 8, 2010 at 10:09 AM
Re: Thome- who cares if he's slower than molassess, when does a first baseman have to run when fielding?.. a shot hit to the gap,maybe once a game, come'on, there is a reason the fat kid always got stuck playing first base in little league... I'm assuming that he still remembers how to catch a ball.
Carlos being an All-Star would be outstanding- start the write-in campaign.
Favorite Twin/Cub: Ron "Coom Dawg" Coomer.
June 8, 2010 at 2:30 PM
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