Griffey Homers, Bullpen Implosion Count Continues to Climb
by Jesse on May 10, 2009 7:25 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
10 comments
Seven innings of solid baseball erased by the sweetest swing in the history of baseball.
After pounding out two big-offense wins in the first two games against the Mariners, Nick Blackburn did a superb job of keeping them off the board in a close contest. The Twins managed to support him with a pair of runs; Justin Morneau doubled in Joe Mauer in the third, while Michael Cuddyer singled in Morneau in the fifth.
Seattle hitters seemed to be baffled by Blackburn at times. His 90-mph fastball missed a lot more bats than I expected, and he did a good job in general of hitting his spots with all of his pitches. He had a bit of trouble in the second, but it was more about long at-bats (two of which ended in strikeouts) than it had to do with avoiding trouble with men on base.
Minnesota meandered into the eighth inning with a 2-0 lead, and after 99 pitches Blackburn was awarded with two innings with which to watch his bullpen nail down the win. Jose Mijares started the inning, and quickly dispatched Ichiro Suzuki.
Then everything crashed, I blacked out, and woke up in the bottom of the ninth. Here's what happened:
- Four very obvious fastballs out of the zone to Jose Lopez.
- A fifth consecutive fastball out of the zone, ball one to Ken Griffey Jr. The next pitch was down and in, and Griffey absolutely demolished it. I remember screaming something like this: "NOOOO!" It ties the game at two.
- Jesse Crain replaces Mijares.
- Adrian Beltre singles.
- Russell Branyan singles.
- Beltre advances to third.
- A wild pitch by Crain, which looked more like a Mike Redmond passed ball to me, allows Beltre to score. And there's still just one out, by the way. 3-2, Seattle.
- Wladimir Balentien nearly knocks the ball out of the park. Five consecutive fastballs, with three of the out of the zone, ending with a ball bouncing off the top of the baggy. Branyan scores, and suddenly a game well in hand looks lost; the two-run lead was a two-run deficit.
- Matt Guerrier comes in with Balentien on second and retires the next two batters.
Sure, Craig Breslow would give up another gopher ball, this one to Lopez, but the damage was done.
If you were part of the game thread, you saw me tracking the Twins chances of winning. At one point FanGraphs gave Minnesota an 87% chance of pulling off the victory. It's amazing how quickly things can change.
There was some excitement at the end. Nick Punto singled to lead off the inning, and was singled in by Mauer three hitters later. Eight pitches later the bases were loaded with two down, with Morneau and Michael Cuddyer loading them up with Mauer. Brendan Harris battled Brandon Morrow for eight pitches, fouling off pitches near the zone before grounding out to third.
Blackburn earned a win tonight. Six strikeouts, five hits and a walk over seven innings should be good enough, especially when you don't allow a single run. But the story tonight wasn't Nick's great start, and it wasn't the runs the Twins managed to scrape together with timely hits. Once again it was the bullpen, focal points of yet another massive let-down.
Stars of the Game
#3: Justin Morneau (1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, R)
#2: Joe Mauer (2-for-4, BB, RBI, R)
#1: Nick Blackburn (7 IP, 5 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 0 R)
Duds of the Game
#3: Brendan Harris (0-for-3, 2 BB)
#2: Jose Mijares (0.1 IP, BB, HR, 2 R)
#1: Jesse Crain (0 IP, 3 H, 2 R)
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So Griffey's swing is better than Mauer's?
I’d call that defensible since Griffey has the power Mauer lacks. Man, I just have got to laugh at something like this. It’s painful yes, but it’s so absurd you have to. And look, we’re third in the division! Haha.
by MNPundit on May 10, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Mauer's
Mauer’s swing is pretty damn amazing, but watching Griffey’s swing is like the first time I heard the Beatles.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on May 11, 2009 1:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha, I hate the Beatles.
Funny stuff.
by MNPundit on May 11, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What?
I can see saying the Beatles were overrated or you’re not a fan. But to hate them? I’ve never heard that.
I would go deeper into a classic musician though. Like the first time I heard Louis Armstrong, Anders Segovia, Vladamir Ashkenazy, Lester Young, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Bell, or Yo Yo Ma.
Maybe I’m biased, but I like Mauer’s swing better. Griffey’s is not as much under control, which is why he strikes out a lot. It’s also why he’s hit over 600 homers and I’m guessing 100 against the Twins.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
by cmathewson on May 12, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Better? Maybe.
But it sure looks nicer.
What makes a great swing is just as much about what you do with it as it is about how it looks. If Griffey had been a singles hitter nobody would care about the swing. But it’s the swing of one of the game’s greatest hitters, ever.
Joe’s swing is pretty much like he is: fundamental to the “T”. It’s completely by the book. Follow through, roll the wrists, keep both hands on the bat. What makes him stand out isn’t just the results he gets, but it’s how great he makes fundamentals look.
by Jesse on May 11, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nathan
Frustrating to see Nathan used in the 9th inning of a 9-0 game, then left on the bench as the game as decided in the 8th the next day, because he only pitches in the 9th.
by by jiminy on May 11, 2009 11:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
True
But at the same time, we couldn’t just use Nathan because we’re afraid to pitch every other relief pitcher…we’d wear him out. I’m not afraid of bringing him in in high leverage situations outside of the ninth inning, but that can’t be our ony option.
And we shouldn’t be afraid to send out Mijares OR Crain, both of whom should be more than capable of getting a few outs. That’s the problem. It’s not that we should have used Nathan, it’s that we don’t have any other truly reliable options.
If there was a spot to bring out Nathan last night, it was when the game was 2-2 with runners on first and third. Just before Crain’s wild pitch.
by Jesse on May 11, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nathan
I am getting very frustrated by the reluctance to use Nathan in critical situations. There is no excuse for losing the game while your best relief pitcher by far is sitting in the bullpen. If he can’t pitch 3 days in a row, then don’t use him with a 3-run lead the day before, much less an 11-day lead the day before that. He needs to be used with the game on the line, as mentioned- with runners in scoring position in a tie game. I understand not wearing him out, but he’s on pace for 55 appearances, 13 less than the last 2 seasons. And I see the point about not having other reliable options, but that’s all the more reason to use him when you have the chance. The truth is they saved him for the 9th inning, and when the 9th inning came, it was too late and they used Breslow. It’s horrible decision-making in my book. I like Gardenhire but his Joe Nathan usage decisions are just plain horrible.
by mls4 on May 11, 2009 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Walks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I absolutely have apoplectic fits when any of our relievers come into a game and walk batters in the late innings. I really think that all relievers should be on a one walk string (except Nathan). If you walk someone, your inning is over. I don’t care if the batter puts one through the dome ceiling—throw the stinking ball over the plate, so you don’t give up a nine-run homer to Griffey instead (I am sure he was drooling after Mijares fifth consecutive ball). Walks are like driving snowmobiles on the Mississippi River. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Thanks. I feel better.
"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 May 11, 2009 10:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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