Game 160: Twins at Boston
Posted by ubelmann on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Kevin Slowey vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka
I've been swamped at work lately, and I don't have a whole lot to say about the Twins. I'm going to try to watch at least one of the two games this weekend, because the off-season is always too long, but for tonight I'm getting dragged to the Mariners game. (And I"m kind of disappointed, because I'd like to see Daisuke, but I suppose I'll probably see him in the playoffs anyway.)
To put things a little bit in perspective with Gardy, you should check out some of the fine, fine work being done by John McClaren in Seattle. Adam Jones--clearly the team's top prospect--was called up earlier in the summer, presumably because someone thought he could help the team make the playoffs. And it's easy to see why you might think that. Jones mashed in AAA this year, hitting .314/.382/.586 as a 21-year old, while playing center field. Nate Silver (by way of PECOTA) had Jones as the 26th best prospect in baseball going into the season, Baseball America had him as the 28th best prospect in baseball going into the season, and Kevin Goldstein had him as the 44th best prosepct in baseball.
As of September 17th, BP had the Mariners' odds of winning the playoffs at less than 1%--they were done. Since then, Adam Jones has gotten precisely 16 plate appearances. I've been a bit frustrated with Casilla's playing time, and to a lesser extent, Brian Buscher's PT, but Casilla didn't really knock anyone's socks off in AAA this year, and definitely has some things to work on. But taking a player as good as Adam Jones and not finding ways to get him into the lineup is just plain dumb.
they dont call him 'Pacman' up there in the Great Northwest?
Scorecard
J. Bartlett ss
J. Kubel lf
T. Hunter cf
J. Morneau dh
M. Cuddyer rf
G. Jones 1b
M. LeCroy c
B. Buscher 3b
N. Punto 2b
Somebody needs to tell Kubel to take off the clogs and put on some cleats.
If a game is played in Fenway, but nobody comments on the thread, did it happen?
You totally ruined it by commenting. Now we'll never know.
I'm prepared to show leadership by taking full responsibility for the poor performance of the Nation in this game thread.
the site was broken earlier
that's no excuse for my not working harder to get th' Nation ready!
The DeMystification of the Terry Ryan Era has begun. Dazz bagging on TR for not financing scouting Japan back in the mid-1990s when
Joe MorganDazz was pushing for it after his own return from Japan.Who's the Twins equivalent of Tina Cervasio? Kelly Thesier? Cyndy Brucato?
we still coudlnt (ermm wouldnt) sign the player because of the posting fees
AFLAC Q: Only one Red Sox playah in th' roster who has hit two home runs in one inning.
I vote for the obvious: Big Papi.
AFLAC A: Julio Lugo.
I would of said JD Drew
and he got to bat against brother Ruddy a few days ago when the Athletics were in town!
that Jones kid! I'm tellin' you, he runs well and has intriguing power potential
and stuff.
I don't usually watch the Twin. Mr. LeCroy has some salt'n peppah in the devil beard there.
mebbe just some gravy from the pre-game spread?
Heh.
He dyed his hair in Rochester this year because he was sick of being referred to as "coach."
Buscher really seems to be fitting in well with the Twins' concept of offense.
I'm almost wishing I'd left the office early to attend Sukkot services with the wife and kids. Almost.
Shake your lulav.
I don't understand why that KC & Sunshine Band song wasn't a bigger hit.
Papi in the queue. Man, he's icing me!
According to U'mann splits, Punto will get a double here.
And get stranded, of course.
Er, a triple - that is, 3 strikes.
Slowey could have a long career by having the opponents continually frustrated by them "just missing it." It seems like he has a good combination of control and movement so hitters have a hard time putting the barrel of the bat on the ball despite Slowey not throwing very hard or having a strikeout pitch per se.
Kubelski!
Hunter works on the patina. Misses.
Lowell smacks Slowey fastball for double.
Slowey earns Twins Pitcher of the Week honors by getting Ortiz to actually make an out.
Punto would have gotten an Oscar would he have caught that ball. Wow.
No luck at all for Slowey tonight. Three two-out RBI hits all off the end of the bat, one butchered by Kubel, and the other run scores on an infield out that Buscher could have gone home with and gotten Manny. This after Punto fell down fielding a ball for an "infield single" to lead off the inning.
Morny!
Dice-K knew that ball was gone as soon as Morneau hit it. He didn't even watch.
Weird - no ump has called DiceK on that stutter step.
I'd call it a balk.
HELLS YEAH!
Homer!
Damon smacks one for parity 'gainst th' O.
Nip it in the bud.
Might have lost a run there when the ball hopped over the fence. Of course, with LeCroy, he might have gained a base there.
NESN: Catch Garnett in Celtics uniform later.
I'm happy for Garnett, but my two favorite NBA teams are the Sixers and the Wolves. I really hate McHale.
He looks so different wearing green
SoCal: You in SoCal?
Yup
Do you live in a micro-climate?
Sorry, NBB. LA is a micro-brewery wasteland.
how So are you?
San Bernardino, which is pretty much due East of L.A. (a little North).
KuBBel!
NL EAST update: Phillies winning, Mets losing
holy cow
Now or never, Hunter.
double play, naturally
Crax.
Homer
Whatever happened to that David Arias guy? He looks a lot like Ortiz.
of course it will go as a hit. Punto ==== spectacular glove
Jeterific!
this needs to be on a t-shirt
On the bright side, I got me a Sierra Nevada 2007 Harvest Fresh Hop Ale tonight. 24 oz of wet hop goodness.
Worthy of Sukkot.
serendipitously.
At least it was quick.
Anyone got some slow-match?
how's this?
Tom Toles rules the Op-Ed page. Love that guy's work. And his drawings are ace.
M11 whiffs - Cano easily out at 2B.
Rivera (Seal) lets one out of the bag.
A-hole(Rod) gets one in the till.
Ruh-roh. Ouch.
9-6 seems like a cinch, but late season jitters I guess.
Crax. O!
Nice. Hernandez smokes one.
Beaut!! O-power!
9-9 Yanquis vs. O. Rivera is a loser (vs. closer).
Bradford sidearm hi-jinx not working against Jeter.
Wow. IBBs for ARod and Godzilla. 1 out.
...and NBB sets the WGOM record for consecutive comments.
Woot!
oh-ree-oh
oooooooo ho
way to come back
Molina fly out. Ha.
Steroid-man blinks 1000 times, FB.
sweet
go O's!
M11 sharp there.
Ruh-roh. Oops, I forgot to catch th' ball.
Tejada getting th' fluff!
bases loaded one out.... hopefully the O's dont go Twins offense right now
O-power!
Fenway beer-sales up 1000 percent.
awesome!
Ha. Yanquis reemed.
You guys realize that you've almost doubled the thread length by talking about the Yanquis????
*shakes head sadly*
Technically it's the same game.
Boston has to be bouncin tonite!