Oakland wins hard-to-believe, hard-to-take game, 14-13 over Twins

by Jon Marthaler on Jul 21, 2009 10:06 AM EDT in Game Recaps

Forty years ago last night, man walked on the moon for the first time. It's something most folks thought they'd never see, and yet it happened.

So too, last night's Athletics victory, a 14-13 Oakland triumph in a game Minnesota led 12-2 after three innings, that ended on - of all things - a blown call at home plate, as Michael Cuddyer scored from second base on a wild pitch but was incorrectly ruled out by home plate umpire Mike Muchlinksi. (See the picture above, which was snapped at the moment the tag was applied. Note how Cuddyer's right foot has already crossed the entire plate, and his left is now touching home.)

All that said, it's a game the Twins did not deserve to win. The Twins pitching staff gave up 14 runs and 22 hits to a team that regularly goes entire series without matching either one of those totals. Matt Holliday led Oakland, hitting a pair of home runs, including a game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning off of the heretofore-unimpeachable Bobby Keppel. In a night of horrid pitching performances, Keppel's might have been the worst; he allowed two inherited runners to score, plus gave up three runs of his own, all without getting an out.

Nick Blackburn was awful, giving up seven runs in five innings. Brian Duensing gave up three more. Jose Mijaresneeded only one pitch for the loss, giving up a solo home run to Jack Cust with his first pitch in the seventh.

And so Minnesota dropped a game it led by ten runs, a game in which Justin Morneau hit a grand slam AND a three-run homer, a game that took until the small hours of the morning for Twins fans.

We went back to the moon only a few times after July 20, 1969. Let's hope the Twins never play another game quite like this one.

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Twins

Blackburn should never have started the 4th inning. Ron sure slipped on this one, he had the game won @12-2 and gave it away by mismanagement.
Burt needs to get his eyes fixed, the night before he was blowing about how well Lariano pitched, heck he could not find the plate and was throwing the ball every where but over it.

by puttz on Jul 21, 2009 11:11 AM EDT reply actions

bb-ref Stat-of-The-Day

baseball-reference picked up the game.

Evidently Gio Gonzalez’s game score of -8 is by far the worst for the starting pitcher on a winning team and the second-worst for a pitcher who didn’t get tagged for the loss.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/1993

(Caveat: They’ve only scanned game logs back through 1954).

by DavidRF on Jul 21, 2009 11:16 AM EDT reply actions

I blame Gardy

He sure threw some bad pitches last night. It was like he was throwing batting practice.

by wcooley on Jul 21, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

In the post game press conference

Gardy pretty much said they got robbed on the Cuddyer play, but that they should have never been in that position and that the pen had a major meltdown, which was unacceptable.

He is came off as pretty intense, reporters in Oakland seemed scared to ask the first question.

by guinness junky on Jul 21, 2009 12:33 PM EDT reply actions

We wuz ROBBED! Cuddyer was safe!

That being said. The pitching was awful. Defense didn’t help much. The bats suddenly stopped during 6th-8th innings, but how can you blow a lead like that? While we still had a big lead, why not take out an inneffective Blackburn and give Mulvy a try? That should’ve been a Twins blowout, not the A’s greatest comeback of the season.

"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett

by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jul 21, 2009 12:35 PM EDT reply actions

while gardy doesn't pitch

it was apparent Blackburn didn’t have anything…i know its tough on the bullpen to pull a pitcher early, but Blackburn was left in much too long..Oakland already had 7 runs by 4th inning i believe….

by justintime on Jul 21, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions

I KNEW this was going to happen

Blackburn simply cannot pitch on extended rest, which is why I was outraged that he didn’t start the first game after the break.

Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get. ~Homer Simpson

by thewild_viking_twins on Jul 21, 2009 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions

"outraged"?

I hope you don’t own any guns.

by montanatwinsfan on Jul 21, 2009 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Bash Gardy as much as you want...

But he did admit that the game should have never come down to Cuddy’s tag (though he didn’t admit that he could have handled the pitching situation better…).

I still just can’t seem to wrap my head around the game last night. We had a TEN RUN lead. Ten! And lost it, to the A’s! Talk about adding insult to injury. I am hoping tonight’s game is not nearly as embarrassing and much quicker, in our favor.

Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. More democratic. -Bull Durham

by fischean on Jul 21, 2009 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

Blame goes all around

Blame Gardy for pitching Blackburn through the 5th to see if he can get him a “W”. Blame Bill Smith for stocking the bullpen with Brian Duensing and Bobby Keppel even though Gardy has been complaining for months he needs another real bullpen arm. Blame the umpire for blowing that call.

by DJL44 on Jul 21, 2009 1:20 PM EDT reply actions

That ump was in horrible position

I mean he had enough time to get into a good position to actually see the play.

Instead he’s looking at the pitcher’s butt.

by Timothy De Block on Jul 21, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

I noticed that too...

The ball beat the runner and since he was in a bad position and it happens so fast he missed the fact that the runner beat the tag.

by DavidRF on Jul 21, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

WTF

I am SO GLAD I was in bed while this game was being played. If I wasn’t in the UK, I’d have been watching this game, and pretty sure I would have lost my frickin mind. What the hell, pitchers??

by Jesse on Jul 21, 2009 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

Yup.

13 hours later I am still a bit rageful about this game.

Baseball is the soundtrack to my summer.

by FoulJack on Jul 21, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions

While we are venting

I was looking this morning. You know, the Twins have 3 of the top 4 players in the AL in OPS+, and they still are 6th in runs scored in the league?

You are getting absolutely the best seasons you can possibly get out of Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel, and failing to take advantage of it because of the replacement level play you are getting elsewhere.

Argh. I say, Argh.

by Eric in Madison on Jul 21, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I know

and its not lost on the players — see Morneau’s comments regarding resigning Mauer.

by guinness junky on Jul 21, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I was thinking about that earlier. Why would Mauer want to stay with a team that actually lost a game in which they had a ten run lead? It’s sad, but I can understand it.

Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. More democratic. -Bull Durham

by fischean on Jul 21, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Losing this kind of game happens.

Anyone who formulates a decision like that on the basis of one contest wouldn’t be in baseball. They’d lose their minds.

by Jesse on Jul 21, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions

This game...

In addition to the other managerial/pitching issues. I am just saying, I can’t blame Mauer if he wants to win a WS at some point in his career—and this is coming from a person who would HATE to see him leave. :\

Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. More democratic. -Bull Durham

by fischean on Jul 21, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I dont think

he would make such a decision based on one game. But the bigger issue is the players around him and the chance to win/play for World Series championships.

by guinness junky on Jul 21, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree ^

Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. More democratic. -Bull Durham

by fischean on Jul 21, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Wasn't that PART of the reason

Torii Hunter left? I know he’s said he misses the fans here, but frankly, he has a better chance of getting a ring with the Halo’s than with the Twins right now. That’s not lost on Mauer. I wish that weren’t true but…

"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett

by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jul 21, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe...

However, I think there were about 90 million other reasons why Torii left, and they have George Washington’s picture on them.

"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 Jul 21, 2009 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Contract length too...

Torii wanted those 4th and 5th seasons…

by DavidRF on Jul 21, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

When was the last time the Twins blew a 10 run lead?

I should know, I was listening. it was in late September in 1984 in Cleveland. The Twins actually had a chance to win the Division that year, thanks to a little fire hydrant of an outfielder named Kirby Puckett.

Anyway, I believe the Twins were up 10-0 in the 6th or 7th, but their bullpen was not great. And anchoring it all was a guy named Ron Davis. He had a good fastball but it was pure meat, and when bats met it, it was rockets all over the park.

Well, sure enough, the Twins started shedding runs like no one’s business and pretty soon it came down to Davis in the 8th or 9th. He got rocked. The Twins lost the series, and the Division. But you know what? They were a better team for it in the long run. By 1987, they were world champs.

BTW, that was the game when Gary Gaetti’s throwing error led directly to the winning runs. The Rat’s money quote in the paper the next day: “It’s kind of hard to throw the ball when you have both hands around your neck.”

We will survive, but I am sure glad I turned the game off after Morneau struck out in the 9th. Hearing the terror in John Gordon’s voice on that last play must have been excruciating.

by Old Twins Cap on Jul 21, 2009 3:36 PM EDT reply actions

10-0 after 2.5

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE198409280.shtml

Twins were down two games to the Royals with three to go. Twins were a half-game back three games earlier but had already lost three straight (season would end on a six game skid).

Twins led 10-0 in the middle of the third.

But Viola was pitching on three day’s rest.

Indians scored 2 in the bottom of the 3rd.
Indians scored 7 in the bottom of the 6th chasing Viola (3 UER because of the Gaetti error)

Davis came in the game in the 8th for a five out save. Gave up a HR to Joe Carter to blow the lead. Then in the ninth Davis walked two of the first three batters and was pulled for Hodge who gave up a pair of singles and we lost.

by DavidRF on Jul 21, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

think the next game is important

if the Twins bounce back as if that was just another lossor not..the Twins have had a number of blown leads this year..this one just got more attention; I don’t know how many losses like this a team can take before it takes an affect…i noticed the #2 position was hitless again..the Twins have now gone over half the season (All Star break) and still haven’t filled the holes of relief pitching and 2nd base. I’m waiting to hear that Blackburn is hurt or was sick, that’s usually what we find out after the SP sucks.

by justintime on Jul 21, 2009 4:37 PM EDT reply actions

Of course the number 2 position was hitless...

F’ing Punto played there. Man he sucks. I think they should investigate Gardy for betting on the games. There is no way a sane rational person would trot that sack o’ crap out there every day. What is he thinking? No only is he the worst position player in the league but in Minnesota he gets to bat second once and a while. He is a nine hitter. In fact in the NL some managers would probably bat their pitcher ahead of him. What the hell? I can’t do this much longer. I went to sleep last night in the 5th inning and when I woke up this morning to find that they lost I almost puked.

Founding member of the Dick Jauron Fan Club.

by taskersd on Jul 21, 2009 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions