Twins Lose 2-0 Lead, Allow 7 Unanswered Runs for Game 1 Loss
by Jesse on Oct 8, 2009 4:22 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
50 comments
Twins 2, Yankees 7
It started off pretty well. Only Derek Jeter's single to lead off the bottom of the first for the Yankees meant the Bombers had a base runner in the first two innings, as Brian Duensing mixed in all of his pitches early to keep New York off-balance. Indeed, it looked like familiar foe C.C. Sabathia might be the pitcher to struggle in this one, at least early on.
Nick Punto singled after six pitches to lead off the third, with Sabathia feeding him nothing but fastballs low and over the plate before Denard Span forced the Twins ro rally with two outs by grounding into a double play. It did show that, at that time, Sabathia wasn't really comfortable. Orlando Cabrera deliverd on a seven-pitch single, and Joe Mauer took Sabathia's I'm-trying-to-walk-you-without-intentionally-walking-you approach and turned it into a double. Michael Cuddyer finally took pity on C.C. and pushed a line drive into right for a single on the first pitch he saw, scoring Cabrera and giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota took a 2-0 lead on a passed ball, when Jorge Posada inexplicably couldn't catch a Sabathia fastball. Jason Kubel backed away quickly and Mauer did score, but Kubel, for whatever reason, never gave Mauer any signal as to what he should do. Joe was momentarily trapped--he took off as soon as the ball got away and then paused, waiting for Kubel to either wave him in or put up the stop sign, but it never came. Finally Joe caught sight of the ball himself and slid around the tag to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.
Of course it all went downhill from there.
Derek Jeter's two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning knotted the score. Nick Swicher's double scored Robinson Cano in the fourth. In the fifth, Duensing couldn't stem the tide, bouncing back to get two outs after walking Derek Jeter but then succumbing to the biggest Yankee outburth of the evening. Alex Rodriguez singled to extend New York's lead to 4-2, and that was the end of Brian's night.
Enter: Francisco Liriano.
Exit: Liriano's 93-mph fastball. 6-2, Yankees.
A-Rod would single in Jeter in the seventh to add one more, but it would hardly seem to matter. After the sixth the Twins had their opportunities and let them slide away. Span and Cabrera couldn't come through in the seventh with one out and runners on second and third; Mauer's leadoff single in the eighth was wasted; Cabrera stranded Punto and Span on third and second respectively to end the game.
Once again it was Minnesota's failure to capitalize with runners in scoring position that forced this game to turn out the way it did. The face of this one could have been much different; not that the Twins would have won, but they would have at least had a chance in the late innings with a closer score. It's hard to keep the Yankees from scoring less than five runs; they scored an astounding 915 times in the regular season. But if the offense isn't going to take advantage of the base runners they either earn or are gifted, then we're in even more trouble.
This one rests as much with the pitching as it does with the offense. It was an incomplete game on all sides of the ball, and while we could let Tuesday night's contest shoulder the blame for fatigue and let-down, but there's really no excuse now. And even if it were true, it doesn't much matter at the end of the day. The dreaded Yankees hold a one game lead in the 2009 ALDS.
Stars of the Game
#3: Joe Mauer (2-for-4, 2B, R, -.023 WPA)
#2: Michael Cuddyer (1-for-4, RBI, .034 WPA)
#1: Nick Punto (2-for-3, BB, .037 WPA)
Tears for You
Brian Duensing (4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 K 1 BB, -.227 WPA)
Francisco Liriano (2.0 IP, 1 R but a 2-run HR, 1 K, 1 BB, -.111 WPA)
Kubel-Young-Harris-Tolbert (1-for-15)
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Well-stated but...
…I am sure that Delmon Young should be added to the tears for fears list since he saw six straight balls from Sabathia in his first two at bats, swung at them all and connected on none. Now those were miserable at bats, hard to imagine even Jacque Jones looking that bad on six straight pitches.
We actually had the live feed from the Yankium, but I had to leave for work prior to los yanquis batting in the bottom of the 3rd. I am only guessing, but I would bet that Duensing started missing the strikezone after the 3rd a bit too often or became fearful to throw inside after the Jeter homer. Once Liriano entered the game, I feared the worse and was rewarded (unfortunately).
"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. See, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it . . ."
by Skippy tastes better than Jiff on Oct 8, 2009 5:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ooops, sorry. Young is already on your list. I guess, I'm giving him a special mention for his absolutely mindless hacking.
"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. See, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it . . ."
by Skippy tastes better than Jiff on Oct 8, 2009 5:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not really.
Duensing wasn’t really missing much or being fearful; he was still attacking the strike zone hardcore, making what I thought were very good pitches. The big pitch that gave the Yankees a 4-2 lead — it was the “mistake” pitch in the strikezone, and even then, all A-Rod could do was slap it for a single. The 5th earned run came from Liriano.
He did good, he really did. He threw 79 pitches, 59 for strikes, and if that doesn’t show some brass to throw that many strikes to this lineup, then I don’t know what does. He’s absolutely beating himself up over this loss, and I hate to see that. We were only down two runs when he left the game; the fault here is with clutch hitting (not all that shocking, given the exhaustion) and Liriano, quite frankly, who came in and immediately horked up a long ball.
Sorry to get emphatic, but LEN3’s got a snippy article today about Duensing not following directions and it ticked me off.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I more or less agree with this
Duensing did about as good as one could expect. One of the things that bothers me about how we talk about these things is the idea that if things don’t go well, it’s inevitably because “our” team did things wrong. The fact is, Duensing is what he is. The Yankees hitters, unfortunately, are just better. He performed, I thought, relatively admirably, but Derek Jeter is a hall of famer. Rodriguez is a hall of famer. Etc.
Sometimes the bear eats you.
by Eric in Madison on Oct 8, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
PS-I have no idea what Kubel was doing on the passed ball...
…I was in shock. He just backed up mindlessly apparently oblivious to the fact that in professional baseball, it is standard practice to help the runner on 3rd.
We have to be sharper than we were today, and as Travis stated, we have to be extremely aggressive on the basepaths, stealing (whenever, wherever) and hitting and running. I thought that when Span was up the second time with Punto on 1st, it was a great time to hit and run as Span was getting good swings on Sabathia’s trash. I was begging for them to try it. The Twins absolutely have to be more aggressive both physically and mentally. We believed we could beat Detroit even when we fell behind; the Twins also have to believe they can take the Yankees out; otherwise it’s going to be 0-11.
"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. See, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it . . ."
by Skippy tastes better than Jiff on Oct 8, 2009 6:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It was the wind.
Off the bat, it didn’t look like the ball was going to carry nearly so far. Kubes didn’t charge in for it because it didn’t seem like he’d need to. From the TV, it seemed the balls looked pretty normal going up, then got caught in the wind tunnel about halfway down. It happened a few times.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, wait, never mind. I was thinking of another play.
I need coffee.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well the day off today should help the Twins
by caluofmn on Oct 8, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And it should help us too.
I feel dead.
I always loved that one.
by FoulJack on Oct 8, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
me too
This week has been the most busy week of the semester in terms of school for me, and with the playoffs on top of everything else I am a wreck
by what_would_gil_thorp_do on Oct 8, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
A 12 inning game, a celebration and then a flight to Mordor without rest didn’t help.
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
—Hasta la victoria siempre. ¡Patria o Meurte! –Ernesto "Che" Guevara
by less cowbell, more 'neau on Oct 8, 2009 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Feel seriously weird
To actually be discussing a Twins lossHaving said that, I guess you have to grant them a mulligan. With a Magic number of Two for the Yankees maybe they will feel sufficiently back against the wall now.
Listening on satellite radio, I actually preferred to listen to the Yankee announcers (who are generally intolerable) rather than the ESPN guys.
Good to see some good AB’s against both Sabbathia and Rivera; perhaps that will be useful in a few more days. At any rate, sweeping the Yankees just wouldn’t have been dramatic enough for these guys.
by Han Joelo on Oct 8, 2009 8:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
To put this in a positive light...
…we won the first game of the ALDS the last two times we faced the Yankees, and look how that turned out for us.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 8:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Time to turn the tables, perhaps?
I like that train of thought.
by Jesse on Oct 8, 2009 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Certainly could be.
At the very least, winning the first game hasn’t been any kind of indication of success for us, so we shouldn’t get too worked out about how our chances have diminished.
So I can say this morning. Last night I drank a lot of beer and might have questioned Derek Jeter’s ancestry and sexual practices. Loudly.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Would have been better if we won.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bench Young
I’d put Gomez in center tonight and bench Young. Those were little league at-bats these last two games.
by wcooley on Oct 8, 2009 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You mean Friday
I wonder if Gardy has convinced himself that Kubel will hit better if he also plays the OF?
I don’t think we’ll see Go Go in CF except in the late innings…
by caluofmn on Oct 8, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You're worried about Young when our DH is Harris???
Kubel is a DH period…. he’s the kid on your little league team you hoped they never hit the ball too. He didn’t play OF all year, Morneau goes down and all of a sudden he’s an everyday starter. Span and Gomez are our two best outfielders. Gomez should be in c, Span in LF and Young in RF. I would rather see Gomez bunt 4 times a game and get thrown out 3 than see Harris standing up there like a deer in the headlights.
Harris as a DH??? He can’t even carry punto’s jock…I mean seriously how did he make it to the majors?
by X-MT Twins Fan on Oct 8, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Honestly, I wonder why we didn't do that last night.
Gomez could have bunted off of Captain Cheeseburger every time last night. Hell, I don’t care if he made it on base — it would have been worth it just to piss Sabathia off.
I actually like Harris, but right now, yes, if he’s our DH, we’re hurtin’ somethin’ bad. Putting Carlos out in center makes more sense when the Yankees are relatively weak against a running game.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Young has had two straight games where he reverted to his early 2009 form: Flailing away at every pitch out of the zone.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
by cmathewson on Oct 8, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stop riding the hot hand
He’s not hot anymore and he needs a day off. Bench Young for Game 2 with Burnett throwing his sinkerballs, play Gomez who might actually beat out one of those infield dribblers. I don’t care if you stick Span in LF and keep Kubel in RF, benching Young (at least until Burnett is gone and then he can DH) is the most important thing.
They lost so he can justify shaking things up. I’d like to see this lineup for Game 2:
Span LF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Kubel RF
Cuddyer 1B
Morales DH
Punto 2B
Gomez CF
Tolbert 3B
If someone gets on base in the bottom 3rd they can get bunted over.
by DJL44 on Oct 8, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking of hands that are no longer hot...
Morales DH
I don’t see any advantage to replacing Delmon’s bat with Morales’ right now, and at least if you start Delmon you can get Kubel out of the outfield.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
by BeefMaster on Oct 8, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Of course, then you have Delmon in the outfield.
I’m not really sure if Young or Kubel have better D. Agree with you about Morales though, his bat’s been cold.
by what_would_gil_thorp_do on Oct 8, 2009 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why not Harris in the OF?
And let Kubel DH? Harris has to be able to play a passable outfield and he has the arm for RF.
by DJL44 on Oct 9, 2009 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Harris's feet are lead-lined
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
by cmathewson on Oct 9, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Morales might take a BB whereas Young, the way he's swinging wouldn't take a BB if his life depended on it.
"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. See, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it . . ."
by Skippy tastes better than Jiff on Oct 8, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Young was probably still thinking about the intentional walk against Detroit...
…and how he probably could should have swung at a few of those.
by Beavers and Twins on Oct 8, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can't get too down after last night
like it’s been said winning game 1 hasn’t done anything for the Twins in past against the Yankees.
I’m not that worried about the team in general. I think on Friday we’ll see a better performance from the Twins. Blackie was huge last Saturday so I am going to believe he can come up big again.
Because Posada won’t be catching I’d like to see GoGo in CF with Span in LF, to create a running game. But that would mean the lineup would bottom out quick with Tolbert, Punto, and GoGo…the Yankees might just put the ball on a tee for the Twins when those three come up to bat and take their chances.
Whatever Gardy decides we gotta live with though so…Win Twins
by caluofmn on Oct 8, 2009 10:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is Molina a downgrade defensively?
I wasn’t under the impression that Posada was all that great a defensive catcher (not that he did much to change that impression yesterday), and that the Super Molina Bros. were generally pretty good. Is that not the case? I’d have thought the Twins would be more likely to run with Posada in the lineup, not Molina, although I would certainly like to know if I’m wrong, as that may be the case.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
by BeefMaster on Oct 8, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
sorry I'm so bad at looking up stats...
but I think he is the weakest of the Molina Bros. He’s not Mario or Luigi, he’s…Meg (sorry I’m a family guy fan)
I think Posada is the better over all catcher btwn the two, even w/ his bad wing. Posada’s bat not being in the gm also helps the Twins tomorrow.
by caluofmn on Oct 8, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The stats
I found their SB/CS numbers on baseball-reference. Posada has thrown out 29% of baserunners in his career, and Jose has thrown out 40%. Both were at 28% this year, although I don’t know if Molina’s was actual decline or small sample size.
League average was 26%, so they both appear to have pretty decent arms.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
by BeefMaster on Oct 8, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting.
All I know is, Posada looked pretty overmatched behind the plate last night. Though, admittedly, we’re used to looking at Mauer.
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
TBS showed a stat of Burnett's avg. against with both catchers
With Posada opposing teams are hitting around .260-.270 against Burnett. With Molina it was something like .224
by montanatwinsfan on Oct 8, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyway...
Disregarding their actual defensive skills for the moment (since I’m not positive about them), I’d probably be more likely to run with Posada in the lineup than without, because of his offense – you might need a few more risks in order to score runs with the bigger bat in the opposing lineup.
But I still agree that Gomez should be starting, with Kubel as the DH.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
by BeefMaster on Oct 8, 2009 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No one is a downgrade over Posada
He is the worst defensive catcher I’ve seen play this year.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
by cmathewson on Oct 8, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1...I think he needs to become a DH or retire. The two innings I saw, he was unimpressive to say the least.
"I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. See, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it . . ."
by Skippy tastes better than Jiff on Oct 8, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well that was an unfortunate game.
But, like everyone’s said, maybe it had to happen. We couldn’t expect an amazing performance from the offense/defense coming off that exhausting 12 inning game (not to mention the celebration after).
Tomorrow is a new day. I haven’t lost faith in the Twins…always time for a comeback. :)
"Baseball doesn't owe me a thing. I owe my whole life to baseball." -Kirby Puckett
by fischean on Oct 8, 2009 11:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
think of it this way
It’s not the 6th inning of the series yet :)
by what_would_gil_thorp_do on Oct 8, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sabathia Devours Twins
That would be my headline for the game, along the lines of my usual humor.
But more seriously, I think the Twins had a real shot this game, it just didn’t materialize. Too many failed RISP opportunities. The Twins didn’t play great, but they didn’t play too poorly either. They were just in a bad situation, with short rest, in Yankee Stadium, vs. Sabathia. I still feel good about the other games of the series. I also agree with RobinG that Duensing pitched well, given the situation.
by what_would_gil_thorp_do on Oct 8, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I thought for sure that scoring first off the great CC Sabathia
would be the kick the Twins needed to take the game. How wrong I was.
Duensing should get a little credit for what he did. His first time in the big leagues and he’s thrust into a playoff game against the Yankees. He threw strikes, even struck a couple out. That’s impressive as hell. I really hope he’s earned a spot on the rotation next year…hopefully he’ll develop into a great starter.
"Baseball doesn't owe me a thing. I owe my whole life to baseball." -Kirby Puckett
by fischean on Oct 8, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Duensing's probably done developing at age 26
But if he just maintains what he has done he’ll see a free agent contract.
by DJL44 on Oct 8, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But he's only 6 years older than Porcello!
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
—Hasta la victoria siempre. ¡Patria o Meurte! –Ernesto "Che" Guevara
by less cowbell, more 'neau on Oct 8, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But he's had very little time at the bigs.
Most development happens early, but there’s still something to be said for how he adjusts to the majors. By the end of next year we’ll know what kind of man he’ll be… barring injuries, of course. (If he’s going to be a starter he needs to adjust his selection. He throws like a reliever for six straight innings, and while that gets results, it’ll break his arm in the long run.)
http://www.realityfish.com
by Robin G on Oct 8, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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