Blackburn Throws Third Complete Game of 2009
by Jesse on Jul 5, 2009 5:53 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
5 comments
So far, Twins starters have logged three complete games this season. Nick Blackburn owns them all.
In 2008, Kevin Slowey tallied a trio of complete games. Johan Santana and Brad Radke each had three in '05, and the Bradke also had three in '03. With half of a year left, Blackburn has the chance to be the first Twins pitcher since 2001 to throw more than three complete games in a season. The last guys to do accomplish the feat were Joe Mays (four) and, naturally, Radke again (six).
It's been a stellar season for Nick to this point, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who realistically thought that Blackburn would not just be the ace of the staff, but more than worthy of All-Star consideration. His ERA is outstanding, at 2.94, and his 116.1 innings should give him the fifth-highest total in MLB. The strikeouts don't look sexy, and the base runner numbers aren't elite, but there's no doubt that he's still been one of the most effective starters in the American League to this point. And it's been a lot of fun to watch.
Sunday afternoon, Blackburn kicked it all off by stringing up eight goose eggs in a row. Well, starting things off...topping them off...it was all the same today. The Tigers did pound a pair of runs across in the ninth, when Brandon Inge (an All-Star in his own right) hit his 19th home run of the year, driving in Don Kelly who had reached when Denard Span dropped one in center. Two runs, one earned, in nine innings for Blackburn, with six strikeouts and just a single walk. Is that good? Yes. Yes, it is.
How did he do it, especially without a single double play? Quick innings for a start, retiring the side with single-digit pitch totals four times. Three pitches per plate appearance will always make for a quick night (one way or the other). But nasty movement on his fastball was a pretty big deal. Check it out.
That's nasty movement. If Nick can continue to get that kind of break on his fastball (a pitch that Brooks believes he threw 36 times on Sunday afternoon), he'll have no problem being consistently effective.
For their part, the Twins landed all six runs of Blackburn's support in one inning. Poor Rick Porcello just couldn't get it together, and even when he made a good pitch he couldn't buy an out. Let's illustrate the bottom of the fourth in bullet points...
- Brendan Harris strikes out on five pitches.
- Joe Mauer singles.
- Justin Morneau homers (2 RBI). He just golfed it into the football stadium seats in center field, no doubt about it.
- Jason Kubel singles.
- Kubel out on the bases. (AARRGHHH!!)
- Michael Cuddyer walks on 10 pitches.
- Joe Crede singles.
- Delmon Young singles (RBI).
- Nick Punto walks.
- Span gets a bases-clearing single (3 RBI, thanks to Adam Everett putting a major sail on the ball).
- Harris out for the second time in the inning.
It just wouldn't stop. Porcello threw 39 pitches in the inning, which naturally was his last. So where the Tigers were forced to go to a short bullpen, Blackburn gave his bullpen two days off.
Another series win in the books, and at 43-40 the Twins are now just two games out of first place. Four series wins in a row under their belts, and things are starting to look pretty good. The boys are off tomorrow, but a mid-week series sees the Yankees come to town before the White Sox close out the first half.
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Stars of the Game
#3: Denard Span (2-for-4, RBI, .066 WPA)
#2: Justin Morneau (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .179 WPA)
#1: Nick Blackburn (9 IP, 7 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 2 R, .268 WPA)
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Blackburn
Blackburn was in total command today. Nobody even really got solid bat on the ball until the 8th. Through the 7th inning, Blackburn had 1 flyball, just 1, then a few popups, six K’s, and a bunch of ground-outs. His stuff was good and he had total command of it today. He was really nailing the black parts of the zone the umps were giving today.
"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 Jul 5, 2009 11:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The key for Blackburn
if you want to look at him getting “lucky”, or truly being in command, is the number of FB and LD. When he has it going, opponents beat the ball into the ground and have trouble elevating the ball. This is what we saw yesterday. Great game pitched by Blackburn. Considering the GB/FB ratio and 6 SO over 9 IP, he probably had an xFIP around 2.00 yesterday.
by Adam Peterson on Jul 6, 2009 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Span and Gomez
Is it just me, or have Span and Gomez had way to many near misses, and in the case of yesterday afternoon, real misses when they play together in LF/CF? It’s almost like Gomez has a hard time taking charge as the CF and calling Span off the ball.
by Adam Peterson on Jul 6, 2009 8:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I have noticed
that Span just doesn’t listen. He will get called off but still come running over to catch it. One time I got so pissed at him cause Cuddyer was settled under the ball in right center field, calling for the ball, and Span came running over, cut in front and made a nice running catch. The point is though that, with a fielder settling under the ball, the CF has no right, even though he is the CF, to take that ball away from him. Span nearly dropped that ball too.
I see the same thing with him and Gomez in LF and CF respectively. Span just doesn’t like to be called off and will come running over and leap in front of Gomez and take a fly ball away from him. This sounds like somebody else who used to man CF a few years back and now mans it in Angel Stadium…he hates to be called off cause he wants to make the flashy plays.
by 33MorneauMVP on Jul 6, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know, 33MorneauMVP,
I have never gotten the ‘glamor hungry’ feel from Span. He has always struck me as one of our more humble guys who has earned everything he has. Gomez on the other hand makes poor decisions on a regular basis, and is consistently called out by his managers as needing to ‘settle down’ and ‘not get too excited.’ If I had to guess, I would put the problems more on GoGo’s shoulders. Unless I can find a way to blame Nicky Punto for all this.
By the way, the sports guy for Fox 9 called N.P. “Little Nicky Punto” last night on the news. I wonder if he is a reader?
If Ozzie Guillen likes Punto that much, I vote we send him down to Chicago. Punto and Guillen deserve each other.
by FoulJack on Jul 6, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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