Bleacher Report - Articles by Timothy Boger

Unproductive Starts Put Baker On Twins' Hot Seat

Timothy Boger — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:39:28 -0400

Not much more than a week ago, Francisco Liriano was one bad start away from losing the faith of Twins Territory. Maybe he wouldn't have lost his starting job yet, but it would have certainly been close.

But, after two straight starts in which he pitched seven innings and put his team in a great position to win, his job is safe for now.

Tuesday night's game against the Yankees, however, clearly punctuated another possible hole in the rotation--this time with the team's most veteran starter, Scott Baker.

Baker's problem this season is not necessarily incompetence, though such was the case Tuesday. Baker has been inconsistent at best and most importantly, inefficient. Baker threw 111 pitches and 86 pitches in his last two starts, yet didn't make it to the sixth inning in either game. Tuesday, his 86 pitches didn't put him through the fourth inning, giving up five (earned) runs on nine hits in just three innings pitched.

It didn't exactly set the pace well for the Twins Tuesday, who went on to lose 10-2 thanks to meltdowns again by rookie reliever Brian Duensing, who is still not a solid option, as well as the usually effective R.A. Dickey.

The Twins, despite winning 8 of their last 12 prior to Tuesday, still haven't put together a good string of feel-good wins. Furthermore, Tuesday's loss put them at 0-5 against New York and 6-17 against the AL East, definitely not good precedence for a possible playoff run.

As for Baker, the heat should be on, but not until Slowey returns from his injury. However, another stint for Anthony Swarzak like his last cannot be ignored by the front office. Additionally, with Duensing having started 13 games for Triple-A Rochester this year too, more options are available for the Twins, making Baker possibly expendable.

Whether that will happen remains to be seen. Baker's veteran presence is an intangible one that nobody can define.

Clearly, however, Baker's inconsistency has hurt the Twins. He lost his first four starts and allowed at least four earned runs in each of those outings. He has only had four starts all year in which he allowed less than three earned runs, a difficult standard for the Twins' offense to meet, as Tuesday night showed.

When Slowey comes off the disabled list later this month or next, a decision will have to be made. Baker will probably keep his job over Swarzak. But, without a marked improvement on his ability to retire batters early and keep his pitch count low, the bullpen, the offense, and obviously, the team, will suffer. And the team's ability to contend will too, as proved with Tuesday night's complete annihilation.

Joe Crede's Hitting: Solar Powered?

Timothy Boger — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:47:29 -0400

Joe Crede has had his struggles at the plate early in the season for the Twins. Despite his so-far-perfect defense at third, his bat has been less than satisfactory, no improvement over Brian Buscher or even Mike Lamb of last year.

His bat will eventually come along, but there's something hidden in Crede's batting statistics that suggest maybe he's not too far off from his career numbers.

In the small sample size of 2009, Crede is batting .200 (through Saturday night). His splits are somewhat small: He is .210 on grass and .194 on turf (so far, all at the Dome). Both of his home runs came on the road.

It could be simply a coincidence, but Crede has driven 5 walks on grass and just 3 indoors—making for a large difference in on-base percentage at .375, a nice improvement over his dome numbers.

There's more. With the home run Saturday night, his slugging percent on grass bumped up to .526—another big improvement over his dome number of .290.

How does this compare to his career grass v. turf numbers?

Batting average: .261 (grass) .210 (turf).

On-base percentage: .312(grass) .258 (turf).

Slugging percentage: .460 (grass) .346 (turf).

So perhaps Crede's numbers are just a result of a home field named the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome rather than U.S. Cellular Field. And the margin isn't evident in the home/away split: At home Crede bats .255, on the road he's hit .256.

And if the Twins wanted a power hitter, they'll have to wait until Target Field opens to entertain Twins fans with the bombs: Outdoors, Crede hits exactly twice as many home runs—20.6 at bats per home run outdoors, 41.9 at bats per home run indoors.

Crede will get some time to warm up to the idea of indoor baseball this season. Hopefully numbers this season will improve, but perhaps he'll be a much more appreciated hitter next season in the open air confines of Target Field--that is, should he be still a Twin.

The Arizona Cardinals Made It, No Matter How Illogically They Got There

Timothy Boger — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:35:40 -0500

It's important to understand something before we get all tangled up in the boatloads of storylines of the Super Bowl.

The 2008 Cardinals are the perfect-yet-illogical culmination of five nail-biting, heart-wrenching, lovable yet demonic seasons. They were difficult, exciting, depressing, and encouraging--sometimes separately, sometimes simultaneously.

But, they set the precedent for what has delivered the Cardinals tickets to the Big Show in Tampa.

The Cardinals, as a team, hit rock bottom following the departure of Jake Plummer, the recently named "Greatest Arizona Cardinal" by ESPN.

Following that 2002 season, the Cardinals vested the [immediate] future of their team in one Jeff Blake, who, like other Bengals quarterbacks such as Jon Kitna and Akili Smith, (who?) will be recognized forever for his unquestionable mediocrity.

His career 39-61 record as a starting quarterback certainly was not going to help make the Cardinals contenders. And he lived up to the promise, carrying the team to a 3-10 record before getting yanked late in the season.

It was that season's finish that seemed to plant a new age of Cardinals existence. The team established their long-term status as a talented passing team when a young Josh McCown along with the budding rookie Anquan Boldin created a lot of energy in the Cardinals' old digs at Sun Devil Stadium.

An element of their turnaround—not exactly a cause or a defining moment—was their regular season finale victory against Minnesota in 2003. One could say the Cardinals had no business to win the game; said Minnesota radio guy Paul Allen: "What do you have to play for, you're 3-12!". Moreover, it cost them a high draft pick. But the high intensity and grit of Josh McCown emanated into the team that day (knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs in the process) and one could trace much excitement and promise back to this day.

The win set a precedent for the Cardinals, a precedent that still holds true: Arizona can play with the best, particularly at home. And they can really screw things up for other teams.

The excitement of a proven coach (Dennis Green) in 2004 along with the excitement of a new stadium instilled in the souls of both Cardinals fans and players alike.

Even with the addition of Green, the team still clearly lacked consistency. No one will dispute that. What changed in Arizona? They wanted to win, and sometimes they even did. Sometimes they won without any good reaso.

Four seasons of complete madness followed. There were times the Cardinals were clearly on the brink of greatness, only to be followed mere seconds later by incompetence and idiocy. What Denny Green couldn't get rid of were those nasty 4-12, 5-11, and 6-10 seasons. They just didn't go away.

The 2006 season in particular was the penultimate "shoulda, woulda, coulda" for the Cardinals. In Denny Green's final year, they posted a 5-11 record that, in defense of Green, reflected poorly the real talent of the team. The clear story of the team, of course, was their inability to finish and win close games.

Let's not forget what could have been. The Cardinals were two missed field goals and a fumble away from second in the division. And let us not forget the infamous Bears game, a microcosm of the spontaneous and psychotic changes in Cardinals fortune and performance.

2007 was almost a carbon copy of 2006, but with one clear difference: At the helm was Ken Whisenhunt, a man with a plan. This time, three missed game winning field goals literally meant the difference between the Cardinals making and missing the playoffs.

So along comes 2008. Boldin? On the brink of holding out, though he never really did. Did they solve their running-game issues? Nope, still Edge and this rookie Hightower. Any other new players? Sure, a few holes here and there that filled, but not really.

Who's the quarterback? After nabbing USC pretty boy Matt Leinart, it was thought that, for sure, Leinart is the future of the franchise (and he is). And Matt Leinart really wanted to lead this team (and he does).

So it's the logical choice to pick him over the old, worn out, fumbling and bumbling Kurt Warner, right?

Wrong. 2008 saw Warner beat out Leinart for the starting spot. It seemed inconceivable, almost illogical, that Warner would have the job. Probably another Jeff Blake kind of year.

Well, they didn't miss the playoffs in 2008. Let's dismiss the obvious counter-argument that no other team in the NFC West was competent enough to win besides the Cardinals. They went 6-0 against the division—including two strangely logical victories against the 49ers, a team that seems to elude their grasp year in and year out.

They were 6-2 at home and got to win the division at home, too. They did what they had to.

And not much more than that. Fourth seed firmly in hand, the Cardinals wandered aimlessly around in November and December, dropping a loss to the Giants before getting absolutely dominated later by Philadelphia, Minnesota, and New England.

It was these losses that made the Cardinals a permanent underdog in the playoffs. Rightfully so, being outscored by such margins as 40 will do just that. It made sense to the logical world that these Cardinals were a hapless fluke.

Certainly they were the Cardinals of every other year, but they were out-Cardinal-ed by the rest of their division. Surely they would be one-and-done.

What the press didn't know was that the Cardinals angrily realigned themselves with their purpose and determination after the Patriots game. A solid victory at Seattle was overlooked by some, but the game so clearly turned the Cards around and provided to them the momentum they needed.

And so came Wild-Card Weekend. They were underdogs to the Falcons. Yet they came out on top and the sports world was pleasantly surprised. But okay, it made some sense. And they only won by six.

But the Cardinals had no business winning in Carolina and were already an afterthought for the 2008-'09 playoffs. The numbers? Completely against them. Cardinals: 0-5 on the East Coast. Carolina? 8-0 at home this year, the only team to do it. Carolina had the obvious momentum. Carolina had the obvious advantage.

Five interceptions and a fumble later, the Cardinals took the game right out of Jake Delhomme's hands in a 33-13 victory, a victory so strangely decisive for a Cardinals team who seldom beat anybody (save for St. Louis and San Francisco) by any double-digit number.

It shocked the world in a manner that nearly won over the media. It made no sense, yet was so elegant and beautiful: The Cardinals playing for a Super Bowl.

The Arizona media called it for what it was: a chance to show the world that the Cardinals were ready to be a real football team and were ready to leave the past—Vince Tobin, Jeff Blake, Dennis Green, and the rest—behind them.

The rest of the nation saw it as such: "Aww, cute, the Cardinals are in the NFC Championship."

But surely the Cardinals couldn't mess up destiny, for destiny, thy name is Philly. (at least in 2008/2009!) The 9-6-1 Eagles had so much of it, what great stories could have resulted from McNabb's Renaissance. What's more, what would the sports world enjoy more than a second Philly sports championship. It made so much sense.

Yet the sense of it all seemed to be exactly their downfall on that fateful day.

If the Carolina game was a shock to the world, what happened Sunday in Glendale was akin to an asteroid colliding with a thermonuclear weapon during a magnitude 8.0 earthquake.

McNabb's unshakable talent and relentless attack faltered.

The Eagles defense was left in a smoldering heap almost exclusively by the torching hands and feet of Larry Fitzgerald.

The more-than-typically reliable David Akers missed a field goal and, get this, an extra point, too.

In the midst of the generally professional and conservative playcalling that occurs in the playoffs, the Cardinals pulled off a flea flicker.

And the 32-25 victory was sealed by the Cardinals stopping a horribly executed hook-and-ladder play (is there any other kind?) which exhibited both football's great excitement as well as its great idiocy and hilarity.

Cardinals radio put it nicely: "The Cardinals HAVE shocked the world! Tried and true, they're going to Super Bowl XLIII!"

Maybe they'll go hit up Raymond James Stadium and lay an egg against Whisenhunt's former team. Maybe the Cardinals will come back to earth and show the world how much of a fraud the media continues to claim them to be.

Or maybe we'll see the Cardinals confront the top defense of the past few years. Maybe it'll be as terribly unpredictable and maddeningly tense as the Eagles game was, and then some. And maybe the Cardinals, those 9-7, inconsistent, illogical, Cardinals, can pull it off.

Actually, the way the last five years have gone in Arizona, there doesn't seem to be any other possibly option.

So Long, Reyes? So Long, Punto?

Timothy Boger — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:49:53 -0400

As the 2008 season for the Twins ended Tuesday night, the offseason began. And while the decision doesn't have to be made for quite some time, the questions certainly begin.

Of course, the 2008 offseason will be a silent one compared to the 2007 offseason (we hope). But two Twin staples are up for free agency, and there are some good reasons for letting them go.

First, there's Dennys Reyes. The 2006 left-handed specialist provided the team with a go-to guy whenever they needed an out. He had a remarkable 0.89 ERA through 50 2/3 innings pitched in 2006. But since then, his reliability has decreased, his ERA has been around 3.00 in both 2007 and 2008. Reyes' niche in the bullpen was what one Star-Tribune columnist called a LOOGY (Lefty-One-Out-GuY), and he had some games in 2008 where he was ineffective sometimes to get the Twins out of a jam.

We wouldn't otherwise have this predicament with Reyes if it weren't for the arrival of a better option. Jose Mijares emerged in September and earned his way into the important games—something no other September call-up really got a stab at.

Mijares quickly became the catalyst of the bullpen's resurgence late in the year, getting his ERA all the way down to 0.87 in 10 1/3 innings pitched. The small slice of baseball to judge Mijares certainly places some doubt on his long-term success, but it might be worth the risk.

The 25-man rotation in '09 will have no room for two LOOGYs, so look for this to be a battle in Spring Training. If Mijares wins the battle for the spot, look for Reyes to be traded or released.

It is far less likely that we will see Nick Punto leave, but nevertheless, the Twins will need to reconsider their policy of stuffing the infield (outside of first base) via committee.

In 2008, nine players platooned to create the Twins' lineup at second, shortstop, and third. Punto, Adam Everett, Matt Tolbert, and Brendan Harris each logged at least 11 games played at each position.

Harris's stats definitely were affected by the constant movements—it seemed that as soon as he got comfortable at a position, the lineup was shuffled around and adversely affected his numbers. And while it was excusable for Manager Ron Gardenhire to shuffle around the lineup when things didn't work (see: Mike Lamb's failures at third), it's possible Gardy killed the consistency of his entire team by making some unnecessary moves.

No matter what Gardenhire's love of Punto might indicate otherwise, there's no doubt that the Twins have some candidates to replace Punto in the lineup. Probably the most formidable addition for the Twins next year could be Matt Macri.

Macri was called up twice in '08, once as a replacement for an injured Punto in mid-May and then for good as a September call-up. He batted an impressive .324 this season in 36 plate appearances. He added four RBI and a home run in that short amount of time.

At AAA Rochester, he batted .259 with a remarkable .789 OPS. His power alone should be enough to place him alongside Punto for the running for the starter position at shortstop. Others like Howie Clark or a full season of Matt Tolbert, could be options too.

Or the Twins could forget Punto's absolutely dismal 2007 performance and re-sign him. But again, the Twins have many options beyond simply Punto.

And apart from arbitration, the only other issue facing the Twins is Mike Redmond. As has been said on the Twins blogosphere this week, if Redmond isn't retiring, the Twins will likely pick up his $950,000 option for 2009. A touch under a million is a hard bargain for a solid backup catcher.

Bill Smith is under no real pressure to make a massive trade this year, and these are his only real issues to deal with. Of course, Smith might end up making one anyway.

"Playoff Teams Do Not Have ____ "

Timothy Boger — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:05:12 -0400

If you haven't noticed already, baseball business works a little differently in Minnesota. Any way you look at it, the Twins run the metric system in an otherwise standard system of baseball.

While the rest of the league runs itself on big-name players and big power, the Twins are proud of their piranha heritage, nickel-and-dimeing their opponents.

I mean, why not? Four division championships in the last six years is something to be proud of. Granted, none of these playoff appearances provided much in the way of Series berths, but the success is nonetheless fascinating and refreshing amidst the other MLB teams trying to win with money and power (which does a fine job producing wins in Boston, I suppose).

Let's try an activity now. Fill in the blank. "A playoff team does not have ___."

So what did you come up with? I bet I can name a few, and then we'll really find out how the Twins have fared.

1. A playoff team does not have a player in the everyday lineup that is batting below the Mendoza line (.200).

They really don't. Such a black hole in the lineup just kills offenses. But guess what? Nick Punto was just that man in 2007, and Adam Everett, until recently, was that guy this year.

Punto kept his average below .220 for the vast majority of last year and was at .200 or below for 31 games last year. It would be one thing if he was a bench player. But he played in 150 games. Yeah. 150.

But of course, we mustn't dwell on something that Twins fans are trying to work on getting OUT of their mind. But of course, don't forget Adam Everett this year, who, until recently, was substantially below .200 and didn't re-emerge from the depths of the batting-average ocean floor until Aug. 9.

Maybe, because on Aug. 5, he had hit bottom at .175. And he was starting.

2. A playoff team does not have a pitcher, especially not one they call the ace, with an ERA above 5.00.

Well, that's painfully obvious! A team who scores six runs a game needs to be worried about a pitcher with an ERA of five or worse. Most would consider six to be phenomenal. There's no chance a team with an average runs-per-game of 5.04 would contend with such a pitcher. But Minnesota was that team, at least until Livan Hernandez left town.

Livan was sent packing after giving the team 23 starts with a deplorable 5.48 ERA. Remarkably, he came out ahead in his record, going 10-8 in his stint here. More so because the offense helped him out with an average of 5.7 runs per game in his 10 wins.

3. A playoff team in the AL doesn't put somebody in the DH spot that has never hit a home run.

They've gotten better, but last year, Jason Tyner saw 13 games in that spot. 'Nuff said.

4. A playoff team wins on the road and against teams that they should destroy.

I'll let you figure this one out for yourself.

But despite the seemingly indisputable and obvious rules about how to make the playoffs, the Twins find themselves just a half-game back of the White Sox...because the Twins do it differently.

Twins-Mariners: Twins Find a Formidable Opponent in Last-Place Mariners

Timothy Boger — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:42:21 -0400

When Seattle was in Minnesota two weeks ago, the Aflac Trivia Question on Saturday night was: Who holds the record for most games back at the end of a year?

The answer was the Devil Rays, who were something to the tune of 51 games back in 1999. The question was more of a reference to the Mariners, who might challenge that record. As of tonight, they are 31 games behind Los Angeles for first place in the A.L. West.

But, despite their now 50-82 record, tied for second worst in the league behind Washington (tied with San Diego), their team 4.79 ERA, or their 31-game hole behind L.A., they still can baffle the Minnesota Twins. They did just that again Tuesday night in an all-too-predictable 3-2 victory.

This loss by the Twins puts them at an even 4-4 against the usually laughable Mariners. It also drops them to 1-4 in Safeco Field. What is even more comical is the way the Twins have managed to lose almost every game out on in Seattle. They've been outscored 39-24, giving up an average of seven runs per game, thanks in part to the 11-6 debacle on Aug. 4.

It's also worth noting, of course, that the Twins had notable failures while attempting to retire the No. 3 and No. 4 batters, Raul Ibanez and Adrian Beltre. The two combined to go .488, with three home runs, 15 RBI, and seven runs in the first five games of the Twins @ Mariners season series.

Maybe we can chalk it up to bad luck. Maybe we can chalk it up to the Twins being a poor road team.

But this is a team that can't have any excuses. Minnesota did not come this far only to have their chances of a fifth playoff appearance in the last seven years dashed. Dashed by a last-place team in the west.

These road games against, literally, the worst team in the American League, are games that need to be won. It is the wrong place and wrong time to dabble around and let the Mariners stomp all over them. The pair of losses drops the Twins to two games behind both the White and Red Sox in the division and wild card, respectfully.

So, without a win tomorrow, and at least four or five more wins on this road trip, the Twins are in a bad spot. The odds are good Wednesday, of course, as Kevin Slowey makes his legendary last-start-of-the-month start tomorrow. Slowey, a legitimate contender for the Twins' title of "ace" in 2009, is 3-0 in the last start of each month (May, June, July), giving up only one run through those three.

Let's hope the Twins can give him some decent run support, like they should do against the third-worst pitching staff in the majors. Hope is all the Twins can do.

The Minnesota Twins Are a Step Ahead of Chicago...Seriously

Timothy Boger — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:48:38 -0400

After tonight's disaster, the Twins fall back to a game-and-a-half behind the ChiSox, who will keep first place when this series is concluded.

The effect of Livan Hernandez's veteran presence is being completely offset by his inability to keep his starts winnable. Slowey's six-hit shutout on Monday, immediately following his seven-ER disaster the LAST time he faced the same White Sox lineup, showed just how ready this rotation is.

We don't need this Hernandez character any more, and it's time everybody on the Twins' staff realized that.

But as it may be, the Twins are still very much in good shape—just 1.5 games behind the White Sox. And there's one key stat that might turn the tables towards the Twins.

The Twins are 7-15 against the AL East. That's not all. They're also 0-6 on the road against East foes. The White Sox are 7-12 against the East, but have already played 13 of those games on the road against other foes. They are 4-9 on the road.

But here's the kicker, and here is why the Twins have a humongous advantage late in this season: While we agree that both teams have rotten performances when facing AL East teams on the road, it's a tale of two very different schedules.

The Twins acquired this record through a series at both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, two hallowed grounds with insurmountable home-field advantage. The White Sox? They sport their 4-9 AL East record in the digs of Tropicana Field, Camden Yards, and the Skydome.

And guess what's left for these two teams? The Twins have a three-game series in Toronto, as well as in Baltimore, and a four-game series in the Trop. And the White Sox have another series in Baltimore, but then they have a three-game series in Fenway, and a four-game series in New York in mid-September.

I don't know about you, but if I got the choice between playing the Yankees in July and playing them when they're probably making or breaking their playoff run...I'd take playing them in the Bronx in July, 100 percent.

And if we cross our fingers that the Twins turn out okay after their 15-game road trip, the second half will be a relative breeze compared to the White Sox's schedule.

Stagnant Rotation, Bullpen Keep Twins Down

Timothy Boger — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:08:51 -0400

The recent Yankees trip and that dastardly visit to Boston a few weeks ago might have been nothing but torture to Twins' fans, but it's also put us in our place.

While the Twins have performed just fine on offense—with the exception being the Bronx disaster—the Twins' pitching staff has remained mediocre or worse. What's more, while Gardy fine-tuned the lineup this week (specifically, moving Go-Go outta the #1 spot), the bullpen and rotation staff hasn't been touched. Zip. Nada.

The Twins haven't touched the rotation since sending Boof to the bullpen in May, and they haven't realigned the bullpen since releasing Rincon.

Not bad if you were to think the Twins have the league's premier pitching staff. But that's not so. The Twins are 9th in Team ERA (4.31) and 13th—second to last—in opponent BA at .286.

The Twins' complete lack of oversight about Livan Hernandez might be most perplexing. It is remarkable that they are willing to put up with an ERA north of five just for the "veteran factor." I mean yeah, this is the Twins. But when you have the guy sitting in AAA Rochester who just got done pitching seven scoreless innings with three hits, chomping at the bit to get up here, surely we can pretend that Scott Baker is the veteran on the staff?

Another moment that may have cost the Twins this season was the demotion of Bobby Korecky. He came up for the injured Punto and ended up out-relieving some of the other members of the bullpen. After his shaky debut, Korecky threw 8.1 innings in the bigs, giving up just three runs (3.24 ERA) and striking out six. Of course, there was pretty much no way the Twins could have kept him up, needing a roster spot for Punto. But it's the thought that counts, and it was thanks to him that the Twins beat Texas that legendary night.

The Twins have two priorities for the trade deadline if they want to try and contend this year. Actually, scratch that. They have two priorities if they want to contend at all.

1. Get Lirano up in the rotation at whatever the cost. He is ready. I would stage a boycott of Twins games pretty soon if he's not on the roster. I almost don't care anymore whose spot he takes, here's hoping Blackburn goes bust on his next one. I think some people may have forgotten how dangerous Franchise is. If you need a reminder, go watch that Astros-Twins game, Liriano v. Clemens. It was priceless seeing the young phenom.

2. Get another respectable set-up guy. The Twins have been fiddling around with a bullpen full of nothing for much of the year. Guerrier is the highlight of the bullpen, and even he is less than consistent this year. The Twins should try and put together a package for Fuentes or another reliever. (They won't, of course.)

Minnesota also needs a new situational lefty. There were only so many years that Dennys Reyes filled that spot effectively, and I think his time has passed.

The Twins' lack of action in rejuvenating the pitching staff is gut-wrenching, and it is a key contributor in why it is Chicago, and not the Twins, who are in first place in the Central.

Nick Blackburn in Crosshairs as Francisco Liriano Watches for a Spot

Timothy Boger — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:38:27 -0400

We've all been waiting for it. We knew there was no room for Liriano in the current Minnesota Twins' rotation—they were doing solid. So the Twins fans were stuck waiting for somebody to falter, somebody to string together enough losses to warrant a switch. A switch to the Franchise, Francisco Liriano, for Liriano II: The Return.

Well, Monday night may have shown us the candidate for demotion: Nick Blackburn.

Now, I know they all had a bad stretch in June. But then the rotation showed us something else—a level of performance that has me and many other fans excited for the potential dominance of the Twins rotation in the coming years. Slowey looks like Radke. Perkins and Baker are solid too.

And Blackburn had his good times too. For a good chunk of the season, he's had the lowest ERA on the team. He's been used, and lauded, as a great innings eater. Eight of his starts have lasted seven innings or longer, and only one of those took over 100 pitches.

But while he's had his share of impressive performances, it seems he's had more than the average share of mediocre, or in Monday night's case, just flat-out rotten ones, too. He has allowed four earned runs in five or more games this season. And you can flip that 100-pitch stat around too—only three times has he made it through 100 pitches.

It's too early to determine whether Blackburn is really the odd man out, and it will be several more starts (a la Boof) before any moves are made. But a 1.2 inning outing is no good. And with Liriano itching to get up here, and everybody in the Twins itching for him to be up here too, every little mistake is scrutinized and will be watched carefully.

Blackburn needs a good start next time around, or else there really will be pressure on him.

So I Jumped On The Kevin Slowey Bandwagon

Timothy Boger — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:00:36 -0400

Last year, Kevin Slowey was tagged by some to be the second coming of Brad Radke. His control and poise, they said, was absolutely phenomenal.

Well, halfway through 2008, and particularly in his last four starts, Slowey has lived up to the challenge. Sunday, he pitched a three hit shutout en route to giving the Twins (45-37) their fifth straight series victory.

Slowey is 3-0 in his last four starts, with a remarkable 0.93 ERA, 24 Ks, and 0.72 WHIP, all while walking only two batters through 29 innings. We haven't seen these numbers since Johan.

The thing that impresses me more is his poise. Twice Sunday he found himself facing Prince Fielder, one of the most formidable batters Slowey probably has ever faced, in dangerous situations.

And twice he went right after Fielder with inside-half fastballs that sent the Prince packing.

Slowey's no-fear attitude could have been deadly, especially against a Brewer team with about half the lineup with at least 10 home runs. Not so for Slowey, he pitched to all of them. And he's only allowed one HR in his last four starts--a remarkable stat for a pitcher who has had less than a year's worth of starts to work with.

With every start I see between Slowey, Baker, Blackburn, and Perkins, I see a devastatingly solid rotation forming. In 2009 and beyond, this could be the rotation to watch in the AL. And with Liriano on the rise, the Twins have the caliber of pitchers to finally, finally, have a playoff roster that can go far.

But, they have to get there first. Slowey and the rotation must keep it up; now that we see that they CAN pitch against the best and the worst, let's see them pitch consistently. One might find a turning point in the Twins' season, and more so in the Twins' progress going into next season, if they can manage a series win against the White Sox at the end of July.

There's a lot of baseball between now and then, but look for that series to be the defining series of the season if the Twins are still hanging in there--after their visits to Detroit, Boston, New York, and Cleveland.

No idea on this end who the 2009 Opening Day ace will be, but Slowey, with his patience, poise, and ultimately his resemblance of a Twins legend in Radke, could drop into that role. A remarkable June has shown the talent, and ultimately the potential, of Slowey's performance and future.

Twins Hit Unlikely Back-To-Back Homers Off Trevor Hoffman, Win 7th Straight

Timothy Boger — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:58:16 -0400

So there I was, watching the Twins on TV out west in San Diego. I was just getting over the shock of having seen Dennys Reyes get whatever-lefty-Gardy-had-him-face-in-the-eighth (the usual...) out on one pitch when I realized the Twins were probably going to extras, tied 1-1 through 8.

I mean really, the signs were all there. In the game was Trevor Hoffman, who really didn't have anything to save. This was a Hold situation.

Maybe I'm the only one who's noticed this, but every time Joe Nathan comes in in the ninth, he never loses a lead. You'd have to go to June 16, 2005 to find a game that Nathan lost when he entered a tied ballgame. So I figure Hoffman probably operates the same way.

We even had Dick and Bert jinxing it, talking about how the Padres have played an 18-inning and a 22-inning game this year. (San Diego fans, I'm sorry to hear that.) But I was resigned to extra innings, and that was that.

Hoffman rung up the first two guys fairly routinely, and my mind wandered to how Gardy would handle an 18-inning game, particularly with his bullpen. But that's another topic for another day.

Up came Brendan Harris, and I barely had time to realize he was up when Hoffman had pitched him an inside meatball not unlike some of the "gopher-balls" that we saw out of Boof Bonser. Harris hit a dinger as nonchalantly as if the Twins were always a power-hitting team. And then before I could get over that, Brian Buscher made me feel better about us dropping Macri back down by hitting a homer of his own! Alright!

Nathan made quick work and here we are—the first week the Twins have gone without losing since February (See, haha! I gotcha! You didn't think about Spring Training!)

It's the longest winning streak since July 2006 when the Twins had eight. We've kept pace with the ChiSox and are still a game and a half back. Is this all a dream?

There are too many headlines that an excited Twins fan like myself could write. Feel free to springboard!

•Everett? Lamb? Tolbert? Who needs them? Did you see Casilla's slick play at second? And Brendan and Buscher go yard back to back? How about that!

•Twins starters rock a solid 1.35 ERA combined in the last seven games! In the words of Kung Fu Panda: "Ska-doosh!"

•Twins do fine without the HRs (well, not tonight)

•Dennys Reyes back on track

Et cetera!

But for right now, let's enjoy what we got. Back-to-back dingers are hard to come by. Actually, dingers are hard to come by, for the Twinkies.

But maybe if we all got Hoffman-specialty meatballs, times would change. Maybe. And maybe Gomez will learn how to fly, too. Maybe.

But now, cherish hearing the words "Twins Win Seven in a Row."

Nick Punto, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett: Minnesota Twins' Left Infield Doomed

Timothy Boger — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:49:26 -0400

The left side of the infield has been an absolute disgrace for the Twins so far this year.

Mike Lamb and Adam Everett, both signed in the offseason from the Astros, have proven to be incompetent both in the field and more importantly at the plate.

Of course, Punto's injury doesn't help matters, either.

The Jays and Rockies series displayed a totally flat and un-entertaining Twins team immediately following their weekend destruction of Boston.

In this most recent series, Everett played in four games and went 0-for-8 with one run scored coming off a walk.

Lamb played in five of those six games and went 3-for-16. The combined average of those two players? .125.

For comparison (and this might not mean much), Twins pitchers combined to hit 2-for-6 in the Rockies series and this also included an RBI. Average here—.333.

Last year, I pondered the effect of putting the DH in place of Punto instead of the pitcher (which I later realized was illegal). In this case, it would be illegal because of the advantage the Twins would have at the plate.

This year, batting Jason Kubel as the DH in place of Adam Everett just seems gratifying and magical.

Lamb's and Everett's batting averages this season are .227 and .190, respectively. Twins fans spent all of last year griping about Nick Punto flirting with dropping below .200, and now we have two guys just as ineffective.

Mike Lamb has also done a spectacular job of proving that his game winner against Boston was a fluke. He had two situations this week—in particular Tuesday vs. Toronto—in which he had a great chance of tying/winning the game, and what did he do?

He embarrassed himself in both instances.

In the field, the two have combined for seven errors. Everett is off the hook on this one because his .973 fielding percentage is consistent with is 2007 performance.

Punto, before his injury, was batting .265 (13 for 49) and had only made one error in 21 games—a .983 fielding percentage. Makes you wanna drool, doesn't it? That's what we could be having.

So what's the solution?

Well, it would be nothing short of outrageous for Bill Smith to let both Everett and Lamb continue to weigh down the team's potential.

It was said last year that Punto's presence proved the Twins couldn't make the postseason; rarely does a team make the playoffs with an everyday third basemen batting at or below .200. But two infielders at this mark?

I understand that they are both signed through next season, but maybe a deal could be worked out?

Dipping into the Red Wings' roster and bringing up Matt Macri (batting .259) or Brian Buscher (.290) could provide a little competition, at the very least, for Lamb and Everett.

On Sunday, new call-up Howie Clark did his best to keep the Twins in the game, knocking one of the Twins' four extra base hits.

He was 1-for-4 and also made a pretty slick play to double up a Rockie steal attempt to complete a strikeout-throwout double play. Alexi Casilla's presence also could help keep Everett honest.

Additionally, exploiting the Twins' seemingly never-ending supply of pitching prospects is also an option, and this is something that Bill Smith hinted about during his radio show with John Gordon this morning.

The bottom line is that Bill Smith and Gardenhire need to do something about Lamb and Everett if they are serious about helping this team compete. Twins fans will not put up with incompetence at the plate any longer.

MLB: Money Can't Buy Happiness...or First Place, for That Matter

Timothy Boger — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:25:04 -0400

I made a rough graph in Excel and the result is above. By itself, it is not all that telling, so I'll narrate: The blue dots represents each team (lined up on the bottom) and their payroll as a percentage of the top payroll in the league, the Yankees ($209 Million). The red dots are winning percentages as of Thursday night.

That's right kids, No correlation! Zippo! You want an even crazier stat? The top four teams in payroll—New York Yankees, Detroit, New York Mets, and Boston—have an average winning percentage of .484, or about 19-21. The bottom four—Pittsburgh, Oakland, Tampa Bay, and Florida—have an average of .549 - about 22-18. Yep. Three games back.

Yes, I know I'm using Detroit's 16-25 record to my statistical advantage. But isn't it interesting that among the top four teams, NONE of them are in first place? Heck, two of them are in last. How about the fact that two of the bottom four are in first in their respective divisions—not to mention Oakland, who are just half a game behind Anaheim? Does that statistic make it any more clear?

Barry Zito is a great example of how money is being squandered away by rich ballclubs that don't know what they seem to be getting. There's nothing like making eight figures a year and sitting in the bullpen every day (he has since returned to the rotation, of course). Or even Johan Santana, who until last week did not have a home win.

What a great sport baseball is. I can tell money affects performance so much.