Thursday Night,
October 7, 2010
Tweeting a Twins Loss
One questionable call. That’s all it
takes when you’re playing against a great team. Of course, a team has to be
able to take advantage of said questionable call. In Game 1, RF Greg Golson clearly caught a line drive that should have ended
the game, but instead it was inexplicably called a single for Delmon Young. The Twins got one more chance, but Jim Thome popped up to end the game and the Twins lost. In Game
2, it was the Twins who were on the wrong end of a very untimely, questionable
call. With two outs in the top of the 7th inning and a runner on 1B,
Carl Pavano got two strikes on Lance Berkman. Then he threw a pitch the was, according to everything available, a strike in
which the baseball was over most of the inside corner of the plate. Berkman took the pitch. Pavano
walked off the mound toward the dugout. But Hunter Wendelstedt,
the home plate umpire, called it a ball. Pavano
handled it well and on the next pitch threw a sinker that dipped several inches
below the bottom of the strikezone. Unfortunately, Berkman went down and got it. He drove a double to left
centerfield to give the lead back to the Yankees. Manager Ron Gardenhire came out to “talk to his pitcher and his
infielders” but it was clear what was going on. He waited for the umpire to
come out and he gave him a piece of his mind. Eventually, he was thrown out of
the game, and rightfully so. The Yankees added another run, and for all intents
and purposes, the game was over. There was some question about what Andy Pettitte would do since he was hurt for about the last
three months, but he was tremendous. He had great control and a very sharp
cutter and slider. He made the Twins hitters look bad, and he got better as the
game went along. Kerry Wood dominated the 8th frame, and then
Mariano Rivera got another save with a scoreless ninth inning.
Throughout the game, I was on Twitter which was a terrific invention by whoever it was the invented that technology. Immediate thoughts on the game, stats, and much more. It
really is something that baseball fans should be following for many reasons.
The immediacy of Twitter can be equal parts amazing and frustrating. To be able
to collect information so quickly is great. To have to hear some people’s
opinions can be frustrating. Typically I’m pretty level-headed, but during the
game tonight, even I got more than a little frustrated. And some of my “followers”
called me on it… Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share with you a
miniature transcript of my Twitter activity from throughout the game with more
information than can fit into 140 characters, when appropriate.
Pregame Fun
PMac21 Craig Sager rocking olive colored pants and shoes today. Interesting.
You have to love the interesting style
choices of TBS’s Sager. Is he good at his job? Not really. But man, is it entertaining
to find out what he is going to be wearing each time he’s on TV.
1st Inning
Maybe
a sac bunt wouldn't have been so bad there? :)
In Game 1, Orlando Hudson bunted Denard Span to 2B after Span led off with a single. In Game
2, Span was again on 1B after a hit. Hudson did not bunt. Instead he grounded
into a double play.
Mauer’s 1st
At Bat
Hey
Joe (Mauer), it's called a Curveball... it's supposed
to do that.
Joe Mauer has
two soft singles so far in these two games. Against the tough lefty starters
for the Yankees, Mauer has looked really, really bad.
Sabathia struck him out twice in Game 1 on sliders,
and in his first at bat of Game 2, Pettitte did the
same thing.
Small Sample Size
@Larjones64 - It’s the beauty of the
small sample size of the playoffs. can't be in a 2-day
slump or you will be bashed, I guess. #Twins
The regular season is a marathon, not a
sprint. Things happen in a regular season game and even if it’s bad, you can
look at the bigger picture. In the playoffs, especially in a Best of 5 series,
it’s all magnified. Every pitch counts. Every at bat is scrutinized. A player
can be great, but if he has two straight bad games, he is called out, called a
choker, or worse. Is that fair? I don’t know, but it is what it is.
Irony
#yankees fans complaining about the strike zone? Wow RT @Ledger_Yankees
Some Tweeps are suggesting that the strike zone is <huge for Pavano>Yankees writers apparently like to call
Carl Pavano the American Idle due to his lack of
health and pitching infrequently in the Bronx during his four years there. I
just found it very ironic when I read some Yankees writers/tweeters complaining
about the Twins getting some ball-strike calls that the Yankees weren’t
getting. Think of the irony of that!
Another Lead
That works!! #Twins grab 1-0
lead on Valencia Sac Fly to RF.
The Twins are 0-10 with Runners in Scoring Position through these two
games. Obviously that isn’t idea. Valencia has been up twice now with bases
loaded, and although he does not have a hit in either of those plate
appearances, he has been productive. In Game 1, it was an RBI walk. In this
game, a sacrifice fly gave the Twins the very early lead. I’m finding it
comical that Twins writers are talking about how the pitchers can’t hold a
lead. In tonight’s game, their lone lead was 1-0 in the 2nd inning. Against the Yankees. I wasn’t really expecting that lead to
be held through nine innings.
Gotta Still Have Fun,
Right?
martyandrade If Carl Pavano
were a character in Star Wars, what character would he be? extra
points for extreme nerdism, expanded universe counts.
Just because it’s a big game and all
doesn’t mean fans can’t have a little fun. Here’s a question that you may want
to consider too!
Limiting the Damage
big BIG pitch by Pavano!!! Great sinker got exactly what he needed!
That was big in that it limited the damage in an inning that could have been really ugly. Nice work by Pavano. Gardy right about him!
Somwhere, Tom Kelly's nodding, saying "This Pavano fella's got moxie."In the top of the fourth, Curtis Granderson led off with a double, and Mark Teixeira singled
him to 3B. Pavano got Alex Rodriguez to fly out to RF
for a sacrifice fly that tied the game. But Robinson Cano singled and Teixeira
went to 3B with one out. With Nick Swisher up, Pavano
threw a first-pitch strike. On the next pitch, Pavano through a terrific sinker that dropped below the
strike zone. Swisher swung and tapped weakly back to Pavano
who started the 1-6-3 double play to end the threat and keep the game tied.
Pet Peaves
"Oriented" not
"Orientated" - sorry, one of my pet peaves!
Again, nothing to do with the game, but
I believe one of the TBS crew said “orientated” and I felt the need to say
something.
Reusse Researches Runs
1500ESPN_Reusse Dozen prior playoff games vs. Yanks for Twins: 3 runs, 1, 1, 1, 2, 6 (in 12 innings), 4, 5, 2, 3, 1 & 4.
1500ESPN’s Patrick Reusse
did a little research to show that the Twins offense has been pretty much
non-existent in the playoffs. We can now add a two to the end of that list.
Just the Start
You know things aren't going
your way when Lance Berkman homers against you!
Despite an incredible career in Houston,
Berkman has really struggled in his two months with
the Yankees. His 5th inning, long solo home run gave the Yankees a
2-1 lead, and Berkman wasn’t done yet.
Lance (Berkman) Love
richardjustice Puma homers for Andy. Two great Americans.
HunterPence9 OMG PUMA!!!! That's serious oppo pop!
A former teammate and a great Houston
writer who covered Berkman for a long time each had positives
to say about Berkman. Justice’s comments are
interesting. Everything about both players says that they’re terrific people,
especially Pettitte.
Nothing New
Yes, TBS and FOX really, really want the
Yankees to win because then their rankings go up and up. As much as Twins fans
would love a Twins/Rangers ALCS or a Twins/Reds World Series, FOX would be less
than happy.
Fan Participation
Pump 'em up, @TwinsGeek
!!!There was a ton of talk after Game 1
about fans who were standing and cheering throughout the game were being told
to be quiet and sit down by other fans or by ushers. The Twins Geek was at the
game, and he gets pumped up, so when there was another big moment in the game,
I implored him to get the Target Field crowd going!
BRUTAL HONESTY OF A CHILD
Ha!!! RT @dotsonc
Little lost kid at the soccer field tonight: "Have you seen my mom and dad? My mom is fat and my dad has gray hair!"A little more
comic relief. This is just funny! Kids are fun!
That Makes Sense!
Which TBS guy just said that
the #Twins
"need more offense to score runs?"
That does make some sense. I mean, this
isn’t football where a Defensive Back can grab and interception and take it
back for a touchdown.
Music to Twins Fans’ Ears
ORLANDO!!!!! AT DAWN!!
With one out in the bottom of the 6th
inning, Orlando Hudson connected with a slider and drilled it well into the
left field bleachers to again tie the game at two. I enjoy watching him sprint
around the bases when he gets a hold of one.
Three Bagger
DELMON!!!! ATTA BOY!! C'MON My Homie!!!
After a Mauer
roll out to 2B on the first pitch he saw, Delmon Young
came up and ripped a triple to right centerfield, just off the tip of Curtis Granderson’s glove. Unfortunately, Pettitte
got Jim Thome to ground out to end the threat.
THE CALL, THE AFTERMATH
How will #Twins/Pavano handle bad call? Ah, RBI double
to LF.
Pavano made two TREMENDOUS pitches there. Deserves better! Go get 'em GARDY!
Alright Carl, now you've got to
strand another one.
So, there was the bad call. Pavano should have had strike three. How did he handled the bad call? He made a great, low pitch, and Berkman still doubled. And then Gardy
went to the mound, and the purpose was obvious. And as you know, Berkman ended up scoring too.
BLAME GAME
The funny thing is there are
still #Twins
fans out there who will blame Gardy for this!
Ridiculous! Happens every year, most games!
Yes, I have heard a lot of people
already say that Gardy should be fired. Yes, I
believe that is ridiculous.
WHERE’S THE FIRE?
I want to see Mauer get tossed here. It's not like he's hitting at all, and maybe it would actually inspire something.
@mookie5 - No, Mauer
ejected, Butera in would not be good for #Twins. My point
was I just want to see some fire from Mauer sometime!
I suggested that it would have been nice
to see Joe Mauer react to the bad call by the home
plate umpire. No, I didn’t really think that Butera
was a better option than Mauer. I just wish Mauer had something in him to show some life, some
intensity… even some frustration. He’s just so stoic.
99.5% of the time, that’s a great trait. But as said earlier, things are
different in the playoffs. It pains me to say that AJ wouldn’t go so quietly.
Clutch!
Speaking of #Clutch, how
about the performance by Jon Rauch right there?! And I loved his excitement
coming off the field!
There was more discussion about the lack
of clutch hitting by Twins hitters. Meanwhile, the Twins bullpen continued to
pitch well. Jon Rauch came in one out in the 7th to replace Jose Mijares who got the first out on a sacrifice bunt and then
intentionally walked Mark Teixeira. Rauch came in and got Alex Rodriguez to
strike out and a pop up from Robinson Cano. Rauch showed great emotion coming
off the mound having kept the Twins within striking distance.
Mismatch
Valencia = Rookie,
Non-Yankee... Pettitte = Pettitte,
Yankee... you think the 3-2 pitch was going to be a ball?
I was still in my bitter stage of the
game. Valencia struck out on a borderline pitch around the outside corner to
end the bottom of the 7th.
Unfair Expectations
Didn't expect them to vs Sabathia/Pettitte. RT @pbm408 @SethTweets
Mauer, Thome, and Kubel have not carried their weight on offense.Not at all. RT @ruck13180 REALLY? so you expected us to lose both games?
Much is being made of Jason Kubel’s struggles in the playoffs in his career. He is now
something like 2-25 with 12 strikeouts. Obviously this is pretty bad, but when
he is a career .236 hitter (with a .666 OPS) against left-handed pitchers
(including the bad ones), how do we expect him to do against the likes of Sabathia and Pettitte, who he has
faced the last two years. So, he may be 0-4 in this series, but I’m impressed
that he has walked three times, so he has been on base 42% of the time!
Likewise, Jim Thome
is a career .238 hitter against southpaws (with a .763 OPS, which is about .280
lower than against right-handers). Thome is 1-7 in
the series with a one walk. Of course, he’s 0-2 against Mariano Rivera and
struck out against David Robertson too.
Now Mauer has
hit .303 against left-handed pitching in his career, although his OPS is about
.180 lower than it is against righties). He is 2-9 in the series with two weak
singles.
So Kubel is
the one of the three that has clearly produced the most in these two games. The
problem is that Kubel and Thome
have to play. Who are the options if they don’t? Jason Repko in RF? Alexi Casilla at DH? The Yankees can play Lance Berkman against righties and Marcus Thames against lefties
while Austin Kearns sits on the bench.
Of course, Curtis Granderson
has hit .215 in his career against lefties with a .621 OPS… and in the
playoffs, he hit the big triple off of Francisco Liriano
in the four-run sixth of Game 1. That is the beauty and the frustration of Small
Sample Size in the playoffs.
Apology
I apologize to #Twins fans for
my frustrations with this game. I'm kind of embarrassed. It's not the usual me.
Twins are just frustrating me
It's not the umps. It's not the
pitching. It's not Gardy. Offense has stunk tonight
through 8. It's all the Playoff Small Sample Size. Uggh!
But anyway, I know a lot of
people follow me here because I generally am a lot more level-headed than I
have been tonight. I apologize!
And I would be really, really
happy if the Twins found a way to beat Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9th!
Yeah, this is where I started feeling
bad about dwelling on the pitch call to Berkman, and
then to Valencia. I felt the need to publically apologize. It took to the 164th
game of the season for me to snap.
Just Bad
JeffPassan Hunter Wendelstedt is abysmal. He made 16 bad calls out of 93 pitches Carl Pavano threw. Eight balls in the K zone, eight strikes outside.
Of course, when I saw the performance of
Wendelstedt put into numbers, I had to retweet it, right? At the same time, it showed that he was
helped eight times and hurt eight times. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really
even things out at the end of the day, does it?
One More Thing, Really?!
It was the play of the game.
For sure! RT @frogtown3 I think it's
ok to suggest that horrendous call by ump had a huge impact on this game.
I was getting some good support from
followers. This one said it was ok for me to suggest that it had a huge impact
on the game. I definitely believe that it was the big play of the game. If that’s
called a strike, it may still be a tie game!
Offensive!
Who knows? Can't remember. RT @StatFreak101 @SethTweets
When was the last time the Twins offense performed well in the postseason?When was the last time the Twins offense
performed well in the postseason? Hard to remember!
Ouch!
This hurts way more than last
year... other years.
I bought in. I truly believe that the team that the
Twins have put together in 2010 is significantly better than even the team in
2009. I do believe that this Twins team can and should be able to beat the
Yankees. I really thought that if nothing else, the Twins would win a few to
even things out a little bit. But here we are, exactly where we were a year
ago. The expectations were a lot higher this year.
It is Finished
Yeah, it's over... (and I'm a positive #Twins blogger) RT @PMac21 OK. Now you can panic. #Twins
The Twins were better this year. They
clinched nearly two weeks early. They got players some rest so they could go
into the playoffs closer to 100% I still want to believe that with right-hander
Phil Hughes on the mound in Game 3, the Twins will be able to score some runs
and get a win. We shall see. The hope is that if they do, they can do more
against CC Sabathia on short-rest in Game 4 and that
Nick Blackburn can have that sinker working well. And if all that happens, then
Francisco Liriano on full rest could take on Andy Pettitte at home and that they would have momentum. I’m not
ready to give up on the Twins yet… but the task ahead just got really, really
difficult.
So there you have a it,
a quick look through the game through a series of Twitter posts.
·
A quick reminder to join the TwinsCentric
guys and a lot of other Twins bloggers at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park for
Game 3. Hopefully we’ll be able to watch a Twins win!