Game 66: Pirates @ Twins
by cmathewson on Jun 16, 2009 7:15 PM EDT
Email
PrintPittsburgh Pirates at Minnesota Twins, Jun 16, 2009 8:10 PM EDT
First Pitch: 7:10 pm CDT
TV: FS North
Radio: Twins Radio Network
Know Thine Enemy Bucs Dugout
Starting Pitchers
The Twins face the 66th left hander this year, or at least it seems like that. Unlike Sunday's left hander, Maholm doesn't strike out that many guys and he gives up a fair number of hits. So what's the secret to his success? Ground balls. In each of four major league seasons, he's induced ground balls more than 50% of the time. That explains the 4 homers, which creates a FIP of 3.57, the lowest of his career. Let's see how he faces against an American League team.
Nobody really knows what to expect from Perkins tonight. He started out like gangbusters, pitching eight good innings in his first three starts. After that, his next five starts were progressively worse until he landed on the DL with a nerve problem in his elbow. Did Gardy push him too hard too early in the season? Probably. Was his elbow bothering him after his first three starts? Probably. Will he be better now that he's healthy? Probably. But we really don't know. We do know he dominated A ball in his last rehab start. But that doesn't mean much. Tonight we'll find out how he responds with a healthy elbow.
Line-ups:
Crede and Cuddyer are back to help balance the line-up against the left hander. Most importantly, we won't see Tolbert flail at the first pitch as the lead-off hittter tonight. That's something to be thankful for. We could also use Crede's defense at third. Tolbert seems fine when he has time to use his speed to get to a ball. But his reactions are just horrible.
PIRATES (30-33)
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
2. Nyjer Morgan, LF
3. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B
5. Craig Monroe, DH
6. Delwyn Young, RF
7. Andy LaRoche, 3B
8. Jason Jaramillo, C
9. Jack Wilson, SS
TWINS (32-33)
1. Brendan Harris, SS
2. Joe Mauer, C
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Joe Crede, 3B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Carlos Gomez, CF
9. Nick Punto, 2B
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How about a trade with these guys?
Punto and Delmon for Wilson and Delwyn
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Delmon for a bag of bats
and a stick of chewing gum to be named later.
Over under
on the number of times the announcers call one Young by the others name throughout the series?
I’ll take over 5.5
To me,
Ron Coomer will do it twice, to me.
Sanchez
Freddy Sanchez for Mulvey or Swarzak, Young, and Casilla
by Alexi Casilla All-Star on Jun 16, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
what's
“pick to stick” mean?
I voted for cowbell
by montanatwinsfan on Jun 16, 2009 7:43 PM EDT reply actions
It's an FS North thing
Each of the announcers and one fan picks a different player. They get points assigned as follows:
1 point for each total base
1 point for a run
1 point for an RBI
-1 point for a K
-1 point for a DP
-1 point for an error
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Who picked punto??? He should get banned from Twinkie Town for life!!!!
Founding member of the Dick Jauron Fan Club.
No ever emphasizes a statement of fact with consecutive periods.
I think I’m going to start that now….
That'd be me
Will see if he gets one. Who did you vote for?
BetterLaettner
by BetterLaettnerThanRider on Jun 16, 2009 8:08 PM EDT reply actions
I didn’t know the Twins minor league coaches taught players how to grow bad facial hair. Nice beard Perk.
stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)
After getting a closeup of it
It’s coming in really uneven. Like, there’s completely clean patches on each cheek. I really hope he keeps it, so I can laugh after it fills in more and looks even worse.
Somebody give Joe Mauer an MRI
so we can be sure he’s human
by Eric in Madison on Jun 16, 2009 8:24 PM EDT reply actions
Since he's a baseball playing cyborg and all
the MRI would probably rip him apart. So let’s keep him away from giant magnets.
Like Occam's razor
that’s probably the most obvious answer anyway.
by montanatwinsfan on Jun 16, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
You're saying Joe's a chick?
Cause then, you know, I won’t have to talk to my shrink about those dreams I’ve been having.
Frickin' Craig Monroe
Doesn’t hit against anyone but the Twins
Sweet third base coaching
stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)
3rd base coach...
Ullger is basically the assistant manager. They don’t actually expect him to know anything about holding or sending runners. They should have a bat boy do the job instead.
second career homer for Morgan
That’s vaguely like Punto homering.
Or Delmon Young
by Eric in Madison on Jun 16, 2009 8:54 PM EDT reply actions
So are you saying
that in bizzaro world Punto got a 2-run HR?
BetterLaettner
by BetterLaettnerThanRider on Jun 16, 2009 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I think so...
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my ability to think and type at the same time.
21 short of qualifying...
0-21 puts him at .375/0.444/0.659 which would rank 1st/2nd/2nd. So if the season ended today, he’d have the batting title.
Good lord Delmon
he is unbelievably terrible
stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)
and more valuable...
at least that’s what I keep telling my wife.
by montanatwinsfan on Jun 16, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I think hes the stick that should have been picked ... again.
by montanatwinsfan on Jun 16, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions
inhuman...
He’s supposed to be regressing back towards earth after that ridiculous May, but he’s hitting .456 in June.
The radio has that hitting-streak challenge. Why people pick anybody but Mauer is beyond me.
by Evan Nelson on Jun 16, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Can he get to the All-Star break at .400?
by Evan Nelson on Jun 16, 2009 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions
The real question is...
can he get to the All-Star break at .500?
Founding member of the Dick Jauron Fan Club.
“…c’mon Punto…”
BetterLaettner
by BetterLaettnerThanRider on Jun 16, 2009 10:05 PM EDT reply actions
Another great thing about Mauer, and I have to say I think the Twins have
handled this well, is that he has no problems with the knuckleballer. Most teams freak out about knuckers and feel the need to have a special catcher for them, whereas the Twins just….this is our catcher, and that’s it.
by Eric in Madison on Jun 16, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions
So
I’ve completely changed my mind about Dickey. Now that he’s being used correctly (i.e. a game like tonight) he’s actually really valuble to the pitching staff.
I hereby apologize for calling him “Runs Allowed” Dickey for most of the year.
I love 'im.
Eat innings. And he’s not Boof Bonser.
by Evan Nelson on Jun 16, 2009 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
DId Mauer actually only get 4 plate appearances in this game?
How is it possible for a team to get 16 hits and 3 walks and their #2 hitter only get 4 PAs? That seems almost impossible.
by Eric in Madison on Jun 16, 2009 10:49 PM EDT reply actions
Only 8 innings....
24 outs….
17 batting outs, 1 SF, 5 DPs, Kubel out at home…
37 PA
8 runs, 17 batting outs, 1 SF, 5 runners out in DP’s, 1 out at home, 5 LOB
Nice win
Great win for the boys. Mauer is amazing. Ever seen a team score 8 with 5 GIDP before?
"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
13 R with 6 DP
Sorry, feel like looking stuff up today….
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR199604160.shtml
Tigers against the Jays, 9 inning game, 1996
Really?
Did Gardy push him too hard too early in the season? Probably
Perkins went a shade over 100 pitches in his first two starts, but nothing that seemed like he was being pushed too far by Gardy.
Perkins hadn't pitched a full seven inning game in spring training
Then he pitches three consecutive eight-inning affairs to start the season. It’s not just pitches thrown but the number of times you warm up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his elbow started hurting in his fourth start.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
I think
I think it’s more evidence that the short pitchers-and-catchers program the Twins use (only 10 days, among the shortest in the league) is not beneficial. Their pitchers are always not fully stretched to start the year and stuff like this happens.
"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
but still no evidence that this is the result of Gardy pushing Perkins too hard
If there is a complaint to be raised its why didn’t Perkins say something when he started feeling something in his elbow in his fourth start, or if he did, why he was allowed to pitch every fifth day.
by guinness junky on Jun 17, 2009 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, there's never going to be direct evidence
between usage and injury. It’s always going to rely on assumptions.
But I agree, I don’t think in this instance there’s any reason to believe it had to do with Gardenhire pushing him—he really cruised through those first 3 starts; there was very little stress.
Also, I question AdamOnFIrst’s assertion that this stuff happens, or at least that it happens more often to the Twins than other teams. Pitching causes injury. It seems to me that the Twins have been reasonably successful in keeping their pitchers healthy. I haven’t done any research on it, but I haven’t sensed that their pitchers are going down more than other teams.
by Eric in Madison on Jun 17, 2009 8:21 AM EDT up reply actions
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