Monday, July
26, 2010
Getaway Lineup Dominates
Like I wrote yesterday, I liked the “Gardy Getaway Lineup” for a day. No, I didn’t expect it to
score ten runs on 19 hits, but unlike most, I expect the backups to perform
admirably. That is their role. That is why they are on the team. Now, we can’t
expect Danny Valencia to get three hits in back-to-back games every time. We
can’t expect Alexi Casilla to record three hits in
games all the time, but he has done it before and can again. We can’t expect
Jason Repko to get extra base hits or hit home runs
(I mean, he’s only got 12 big league homers), but we can expect him to play
very good defense. We can’t expect Joe Mauer to catch
every day, especially not in the grueling conditions that Orioles Park provided
for the four game series. We can’t expect Drew Butera
to hit triples and have multi-hit games, but we can expect him to lead a
pitcher through a start, block balls in the dirt and play great defense. We can’t
expect JJ Hardy and Denard Span to play every day,
but again, we can expect their backups to play hard and contribute.
Yes, I get a little annoyed at some of the
discussion of “Gardy Getaway Day Lineups.” I’m not
dumb, and I realize that in taking starters out, it means someone less likely
to contribute will be in the lineup. I get if there are a couple of guys out of
the lineup, it could compound the situation. But maybe I’m weird. Maybe I just
look at things differently. I think that big leaguers are big leaguers. I
believe that backup big leaguers and AAAA types of players are still really
good at baseball and on a given day, they can contribute. I expect that they
will play hard and do everything they can to help the team win because several
of them don’t get many opportunities and simply want to take advantage of it.
The other thing to remember is that even when 3-4
regulars are out of the lineup, 5-7 regulars still are in the lineup and they
continue to be expected to perform. Yesterday, the team got a grand slam from
Jason Kubel and solo homers from Delmon
Young and Jim Thome. One more nugget that can’t be
ignored is that it was against the Baltimore Orioles, the worst team in the big
leagues. And yet, that is a team that has hitters like Miguel Tejada, Luke Scott, Ty Wigginton,
Brian Roberts, Adam Jones and more. That is why good teams like the Twins, the
Yankees, the Red Sox, the Rays have to
be thrilled when they go there and win three out of four.
But it all comes down to starting pitching, doesn’t
it? And the Twins got great pitching throughout the series. Yes, I do tend to
give credit to Drew Butera for his work behind the
plate. And no, I won’t apologize or feel bad for that. I know I took some grief
late last week when I dared to say that he is a better defensive catcher right
now than Joe Mauer. Lots want to say that Mauer is hurt, and I 100% agree with that. I think, when
healthy, Mauer is a very good defensive catcher. But
I added the “right now” part to indicate that Butera
is healthy, and he does a very good job of blocking balls in the dirt, balls
that Mauer likely plays differently if he is healthy.
But back to the pitching. Slowey
looked pretty good yesterday. He still has some work to do. His control is not
there yet. In fact, there were several times in one inning when Butera was set up inside, and Slowey
split the plate. There were times when he was supposed to throw it outside, and
the ball ran over the inner half of the plate. But it was a good outing. It was
something to build on for his next start.
I get the frustration. I want to see the best too.
I would love for Mauer and Morneau
and Hudson to be in the lineup every day… all three are hurt. JJ Hardy has been
playing well of late, but that doesn’t mean that he should not get a day off
too. And frankly, I don’t know that there is a big drop off in production when
you have Valencia at 3B and Punto at SS as compared
to Punto at 3B and Hardy at SS. And although he had
two hits on Saturday night, Span has not been consistent this year, so I have
no problem with him being replaced in CF by Repko who
is very good defensively.
Following the game, Hudson was put on the Disabled
List and Jose Morales was called up to the big leagues. Of late, he has really
started hitting. He raised his average from the .230s to .284 when he was
summoned. I don’t expect him to catch much at all, unless in an emergency
situation. I expect that he will be a solid pinch-hitting option off the bench
who can hit from both sides. There is value in that. It also allows Joe Mauer to be the DH more over time since Morales would be
there as a backup catching option.
To replace Morales in Rochester, Danny Lehmann
will be heading to the Red Wings as Wilson Ramos’s backup.
The Twins now head to Kansas City, which ought to
be good and hot and muggy too. Tonight, they get to face Zach Greinke, so even though the Royals are not a great team,
they can’t be overlooked. They were hurt (literally) by the David DeJesus season-ending injury. He is someone that they could
have received a nice package from a contender in a trade this week. Alex Gordon
is back with the Royals as an outfielder after destroying the Pacific Coast
League. The Twins can’t overlook the Royals.
And, speaking of the Trade Deadline, do you have
your copy of the TwinsCentric Trade Deadline Primer yet? If not, get
your copy today! (Or at least check
out the FREE Sample!)
The Twins didn’t get Cliff Lee, and as of Sunday
afternoon, they did not receive Dan Haren. Instead,
the Arizona righty was shipped to the Angels in exchange for lefty Joe Saunders,
whose 2010 ERA (4.62) is approximately the same as Haren’s
2010 ERA in Arizona, and three minor leaguers. John
Bonnes wrote of the trade here, and is just fine with the Twins not
acquiring Haren, and frankly, so am
I.
By the way, an all-new SethSpeaks.net
Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast will begin at 9:00 central time tonight.
Check it out.
Here is a quick glance at what
happened on Sunday in the Twins minor league system:
Red Wings Report
On Sunday, the Red Wings lots 7-2
to Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Anthony Swarzak
gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. Brad Hennessey gave up
a run on four hits and two walks in the next 2.2 innings. Jose Lugo threw two
shutout innings before Kyle Waldrop pitched a one-hit inning. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4 with his 24th double. Dustin
Martin was 2-4 with a walk.
New Britain Notes
The Rockcats
and New Hampshire were tied going into the bottom of the 8th. With
two outs and no one on, the Rockcats managed
consecutive singles from Chris Cates, Ben Revere, Brandon Roberts, Chris Parmelee and Jair Fernandez to
take the 9-6 lead that they would hold for the game’s final score. Roberts was
3-4 with a walk, his first home run and four runs scored. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 with his 16th double and three
RBI. Ben Revere was 2-5. Jair Fernandez went 2-4 with
a walk and his 10th double. Chris Cates was 2-4. Steve Singleton hit
his 31st double and drove in two runs. Tyler Robertson went the
first 5.2 innings and gave up three runs (2 earned). He gave up seven hits,
walked one and struck out two. Cole DeVries gave up
three runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. Billy Bullock struck out four in two
scoreless innings for the win.
Miracle Matters
Michael Tarsi gave up six runs (5 earned) in the first four innings, and
the Miracle were unable to recover. The team lost 6-3
to Brevard County. Steve Blevins threw three shutout innings. Joe Testa threw two scoreless frames. Evan Bigley
went 3-4. Jonathan Goncalves were 2-3 with a walk.
Snappers Snippets
The Snappers fell 8-4 to West Michigan. Clinton Dempster made his first Beloit start and went just two
innings. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on three hits. He walked five and
struck out one. Nelvin Fuentes went the next three
innings and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. Matt Tone struck out two
in two scoreless innings. Andrei Lobanov gave up two
runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. Aaron Hicks went 1-2 with three
walks. James Beresford was 2-5 with his 11th double and his 10th
and 11th stolen base. Steve Liddle was
2-5.
E-Twins Talkers
On Sunday, the Elizabethton Twins defeated Burlington 7-1
behind the right arm of Adrian Salcedo. The 19 year
old gave up just one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out ten in six
innings. Jean Mijares gave up no runs in 1.1 innings
despite giving up a hit and two walks. David Gutierrez struck out two in 1.2
perfect innings. Jamaal Hawkins went 3-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Nate
Roberts was 2-4 with a walk and his fourth triple. Danny Ortiz was 2-5. Jhonatan Arias was 1-3 with a walk, his third home run and
three RBI.
·
Salcedo has been terrific with
the E-Twins. In his 47 innings with the team, he has four walks and 52 strikeouts.
When he was at Ft. Myers, he held his own, but clearly he is where he should be
now. In 27.1 innings with the Miracle, he walked eight and struck out just 16.
Last year with the GCL Twins, Salcedo walked three
and struck out 58 in 52 innings of work. It’s fun to watch such a young talent
truly succeed at the level he should be at. That’s why I believe that it is
best for BJ Hermsen and Michael Tonkin to be back
with the E-Twins.
GCL Twins Topics
The GCL Twins had the day off on Sunday.
Any thoughts of the Twins or the
minor league system? Feel free to leave
your questions and comments here.