Wednesday, April 11, 2007
OUCH!!! (Part 2)
Since I already posted twice last night, today's posting will be rather short. I mean, really, how much do you want to read about another Twins loss to the Yankees of New York? But, I did want to leave a few comments, and then link to a couple of other articles. So, don't forget to check out the other postings, my American Idol Thoughts and highlights of last night's minor league games.
So, the Twins lost again to the Yankees. They were completely dominated. Here are a few thoughts:
Yesterday, I received some scrutiny for being lenient on Sidney Ponson's Monday night performance. In reality, I don't think as bad as his pitching line showed. Was it a good performance? No. But is wasn't enough to waste a million dollars and drop him right away.
Another reason that I didn't bash Ponson too much was because I knew that Boof Bonser was pitching on Tuesday night. The second year man would have to face that same Yankees lineup. If he was bad, would I have to say that he wasn't really a big league pitcher and should be sent to Rochester? If having a bad outing against this Yankees lineup is grounds for demotion, who is going to pitch in the big leagues?
And yes, Boof Bonser was not good last night. He just fell behind in the count far too often and had to come back with strikes that were just too good. In just 4.1 innings, he gave up seven runs on six hits and two walks. Unlike Ponson, Bonser did not really have a good stretch either.
So... why am I more lenient with the young guys than the veterans usually? That's really an easy question. Because we know what the ceiling is with guys like Ponson and Carlos Silva. And it isn't good. Their career track record tells us what they will be. With the young guys, we don't really know their ceiling. If you were to do a productivity trendline of their careers, the arrows for those veterans are level, or even downward. For the young guys, that arrow still points upward!
He gave up two home runs, and yes, one was to Alex Rodriguez. Seriously, Yankees fans... get over whatever it is that makes you not like him.
As I have mentioned before, I find that Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven can be very annoying, yet can be very entertaining. Bert Blyleven is Mr. Cliche. Does anyone else think it is annoying the way he talks about advancing runners from 2nd to 3rd with less than two outs? Before Johnny Damon connected for his three-run homer that gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead, Blyleven kept talking about how with runners on 1st and 2nd, Damon would probably bunt. I just kept thinking about how stupid that was, particularly with the control issues that Bonser was having. Fortunately, Roy Smalley was also involved in the broadcast last night. When Blyleven asked Smalley if bunting was the right decision there, Smalley actually disagreed, and a pitch later, the three-run homer. I just smiled! Then Blyleven talked about how, when you get behind, even a non-home run hitter like Damon becomes a threat to hit one out. Smalley came back by saying that Damon, in fact, has shown good power in recent years. He did hit 24 homers last year for the Yankees and has hit 20 or more homers in two of the last three seasons.
If you didn't notice, I am a huge fan of Roy Smalley and his analysis in the booth.
Michael Cuddyer is absolutely crushing the ball. Well, when he makes contact, he does.
Another game, another Jason Bartlett error.
Finally, a Chris Heintz appearance. You know, for a 1/2 inning of defense.
How bad is the Twins depth? I mean, really. Mike Redmond has been the team's DH for three straight games! That makes no sense! But in reality, what other options are there? I would actually like to see Mauer DH with Redmond behind the plate for a game. How about letting Alexi Casilla play 2B and have Luis Castillo DH for a day. Or, better yet, keep Jason Kubel in the lineup every single day!
Honestly, Luis Rodriguez would do as well as the team's DH as Mike Redmond! (by the way, he finally got into a game. I'm sure he is thinking, Thanks Gardy for giving me my first AB in two weeks, and it is against Mariano Rivera!)
It was nice seeing Kubel get his RBI pinch hit single. It was a broken bat hit that fell in perfectly. It is only fair because the night before, he hit the ball hard almost each time up and had nothing to show for it.
Have I mentioned that Alexi Casilla has an absolute rocket for an arm?
Dennys Reyes has returned to being Dennys Reyes so far this young season. Last year, he gave up just five earned runs the whole season. After allowing three more earned runs last night, he has given up five earned runs now this season. The primary problem has been simply throwing strikes. It's a long season, and maybe he is a pitcher capable of another solid season. But his season ERAs going back from 2005 were: 5.15, 4.75, 10.66, 5.33. Let's just say that there is a good chance that we will see Mike Venafro at some point this season!
One thing that has always bothered me since I was young was when people don't respect their opponent. I remember in high school (and I'm sure you can share similar experiences), we would face a soft-tosser. The guy would maybe throw 65 mph if he grunted. But somehow, in the 5th or 6th inning, we would have no runs on two hits. People would come back to the dugout saying, "Come On! This guy's got nothing!" I just remember thinking, "Maybe so, but he's doing the job and we aren't!" Well, instead of bashing our hitters, maybe we need to give a little bit of credit to Andy Pettitte. The guy is a great pitcher and has been for a long time. He is younger than you would think, but he is smart, veteran and knows how to pitch.
Here is a great look/analysis of Pat Neshek's Delivery over at The Baseball Think Factory. It is really interesting.
That is enough for today, right? Feel free to e-mail me or Comment below.
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