Blogs| Final - 7.3.2009 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit Tigers
|
0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
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Minnesota Twins
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0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 1 |
|
WP:
Freddy Dolsi
(1 - 0)
LP: R.A. Dickey (1 - 1) |
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Final In 16: Tigers 11, Twins 9
by Jesse
on Jul 4, 2009 1:52 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
2 comments
Somebody had to win it, eventually.
I'm not really frustrated. Maybe I'm just too tired.
By the time Kevin Slowey finally retired Brandon Inge on strikes to end the top of the third inning, the Twins were down 6-0, and I wouldn't have judged you if you'd given up. An early, large lead that comes about through extra-base hits with runners on base is a really bad way to let things get away from you, but that's exactly what Detroit did to Slowey. They attacked him early, and it didn't matter if they were good pitches or bad ones the Tigers were going to get on base.
The Twins would respond with a couple runs of their own over the next couple of innings, including Delmon Young's third homer of the year, but heading into the bottom of the sixth the deficit was still five runs. Minnesota trailed 7-2 and it was getting late.
Which naturally meant the Twins would put up a five spot to knot the game at seven. Naturally.
Zach Miner, who had come on for Detroit starter Lucas French when the Twins were threatening in the fifth inning, kicked things off by giving up a solo shot to Joe Crede. Crede's 12th bomb of the season was an inside fastball, right in his wheel house, naturally ending up where almost all of Joe's shots go: the home run porch. Young singles (three hits on the night for Delmon), Nick Punto draws a walk, Denard Span triples and suddently it's a brand new ballgame at 7-5. Brendan Harris followed that up with a triple of his own before Joe Mauer scored him on a sacrifice fly to end the scoring, but Minnesota was born anew. Momentum had changed hands, and in a big way.
Over the next seven innings both Minnesota and Detroit would waste hits and walks, putting goose eggs on the scoreboard. The bottom of the eleventh found Span on third base, with Joel Zumaya walking both Mauer and Justin Morneau (intentionally), only to strike out Michael Cuddyer to end the threat. It would be costly.
In the 14th, after the Tigers plated one off R.A. Dickey, the Twins got it back when Mauer scored off a Cuddyer single. Morneau was stranded on third with one out though, with both Cuddyer and Young unable to come through.
Finally, in the 16th, with Dickey still on the mound for the Twins and Freddy Dolci riding it out for the Tigers, the branch finally snapped. A trio of runs gave the Tigers an 11-8 lead, off of a double and four singles. Minnesota would manage one in the bottom half of the inning, but the magic had to run out for somebody eventually. It did for the Twins.
Both of these teams had ample opportunities to win this game, both in and out of the standard nine innings, and it has to be said that after the Twins tied the game at seven it was their game to take. Minnesota had more chances to bring it home, even after the Tigers drew first blood in extra innings. You can't strand guys on third base with one out and expect to win.
Overall, both squads combined to use 15 pitchers, with 35 hits allowed.
Time for sleep, and then time to move on. See you all...well, THIS afternoon.
#3: Jose Mijares (2 IP, 3 K, .286 WPA)
#2: Denard Span (5-for-8, 3B, R, 2 RBI, .236 WPA)
#1: Justin Morneau (3-for-7, 2B, R, RBI, .356 WPA)
2 comments
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Game 81: Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins
by Jesse
on Jul 3, 2009 6:23 PM EDT
in Game Threads
172 comments
First Pitch: 7:10pm CDT
TV: FS-N
Radio: Twins Radio Network
Know Thine Enemy: Bless You Boys
Starting Pitchers
French, Detroit's 23-year old southpaw rookie, is making his first career MLB start after a pair of relief appearances over this week. He's a fastball-slider-changeup guy, almost exclusively, but he's had a great year in triple-A this season: 81.2 innings, 3.16 FIP, great strikeout numbers and good control. As for what to expect tonight it's hard to say; he's always been good with the walks, but all the strikeouts are recent, but ultimately his level of success tonight will depend on his nerves. If he can (cliche alert) "stay within himself" he might be alright, but right now I have to believe he's ripe for the picking. Or hitting. Of course now I've said that, he'll own us...which is the last thing anyone should want. Owned by the French? No, thanks.
Slowey's job tonight? Defeat the French. Kevin had been cruising for a while, racking up the quality starts (five in a row) until a little hiccup early in June. He came back with two more quality starts but was hit hard again his last time out, and suddenly all those hits look like they're taking their toll. The Tigers are on top of the division with a big target on their back, which means this is Slowey's most important start of the season so far. He'll need to step up and deliver.
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
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
172 comments | 0 recs
Keith Law On Twitter: Twins Sign Europe's Best Prospect
German catcher Max Kepler has signed with the Minnesota Twins. Terms aren't currently disclosed, but Law's opinion of Kepler is a good one. We'll see what we can find out about Kepler over the coming days.
about 9 hours ago
Jesse
0 comments
0 recs
Twins interested in Sanchez, Capps, and Grabow
Well hopefully, Bill Smith will at least get Sanchez. Sanchez will require the most players to be given up, but throwing in two more may be a little much.
Runs Batted In: Opportunity vs Execution
by Adam Peterson
on Jul 3, 2009 10:15 AM EDT
in By the Numbers
27 comments
Conventional sabermetric wisdom says that the RBI is a "dinosaur" statistic, less important or telling than other, "better" measures such as OBP, OPS, wOBA, or others. This is primarily due to RBI opportunities being out of the batter’s control. Whether a batter comes to the plate with runners in scoring position or with the bases empty is a result of the batting order and the hitters in front of him. As a result, RBI are often dismissed by the community as shallow; a relatively poor indicator of a batter’s true value to a team as a run producer.
What if we could reassess the RBI as a more meaningful statistic by leveling the playing field? In other words, can we normalize each batter’s RBI opportunities to gain a more accurate measure of the batter’s true success when driving in runs? Using 2008 and 2009 (through 7/1) data, I have done just that. You will see a number of familiar names at both the top and the bottom of the leader boards…
27 comments
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What to do with second base?
by cmathewson
on Jul 2, 2009 8:00 PM EDT
35 comments
With Alexi Casilla's banishment to Upstate New York, the Twins are faced with a tough decision.
We all thought Casilla was the second baseman of the future until he caught Luis Rivas disease and Gardy, who suffered through years of Rivas, has no patience left for lackadaisical play. Add to that the last things Casilla said to Gardy on his way out the door. It's not published, but you can read something like this between the lines.
Gardy: You go down there and learn to play with more consistent focus and awareness. When the scouts say you're ready, I'll bring you back up.
Casiila: I don't need more tine in the minors Man. I'n ready right now to be the guy.
Gardy: No you're not.
Casilla: I'n the best second baseman in this system.
Gardy: Not right now you're not.
Casilla: You don't know jack.
Gardy: Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out of my office.
So Casilla might never be back with this team as long as Gardy is manager. What do the Twins do in the post-Casilla era?
35 comments
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Twins Make Offer to Miguel Angel Sano
It's been mentioned in the open thread, but according to LEN III, the Twins have reportedly made an offer to the Domincan prospect for around $3 million dollars. Age verification by MLB should be completed yet today.
1 day ago
Jesse
0 comments
0 recs
International Signing Period Starts Today, Open Thread
by Jesse
on Jul 2, 2009 8:00 AM EDT
in News
17 comments
How involved will the Minnesota Twins get?
The biggest international signing of this season, at least for this season if not for the future, will be the inking of shortstop Miguel Angel Sano. You remember him, right? We've talked about him recently.
While the Pittsburgh Pirates are still currently the favorites to sign the young Dominican prospect, there've been no shortage of rumors about the Twins being the other front-runner for his services.
Will the Twins swoop in and nab him? Or will the Pirates find themselves a superstar-in-the-making? Stay tuned and find out, because one way or another it appears that someone will be paying a record-breaking signing bonus.
17 comments
| 0 recs
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AL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Detroit
|
44 | 35 | .556 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
Chicago
|
42 | 38 | .525 | 2.5 | Won 7 |
|
Minnesota
|
41 | 40 | .506 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Kansas City
|
33 | 46 | .417 | 11 | Lost 4 |
|
Cleveland
|
32 | 49 | .395 | 13 | Won 1 |
(updated 7.4.2009 at 1:20 AM EDT)
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