Game 136: Minnesota at Oakland AAAA’s
August 30th, 2008 by FirstTimeLongTime
Right now I have a giant finger splint reaching from the top my middle finger to 3/4 of the way down my palm. There are six stitches on the said finger resulting in making normal typing nearly impossible but always painful. For that reason alone, I am going to keep this relatively short.
To say the least, Liriano hasn't been the pitcher of 2006 since his return to the rotation. Despite his 4-0 record over 5 starts in August many fans have been, to say the least, cautiously optimistic about his numbers. So let’s break these numbers down.
Since August 3rd, Liriano has a WHIP of 1.10, giving up 21 hits and 11 walks in 29.2 innings. Opposing batters are hitting to the tune of .191/.264/.273/.537 against him.
Now, JoPos is saying that Johan Santana has been looking pretty good lately, let us take a look at his numbers over his past 5 starts.
Santana has a WHIP of 1.00 with 36 base runners allowed over 36 innings (I didn't even need a calculator for that one). Hitters are batting a combined .209/.259/.351/.610
Hmmmmm...
Granted, Santana has an advantage in strikeouts (31-23) but other than that, Liriano has the advantage in every statistical category other than the aforementioned lead that Santana has in WHIP. Okay, Johan has a 65 to 61 lead in average game score over that time as well.
Yes, Liriano has pitched against the Indians, Royals, Athletics, and the Mariners twice. What if I told you that Santana's number have come against the equally anemic offenses of the Padres, Nationals, Pirates, Astros, and the Phillies? The combined OPS for Liriano's opponents is .709, which would be the equivalent of playing against an offense full of Brandon Harris'. Teams facing Santana have batted an average .724 OPS; which would be like Delmon Young coming to the plate for every at bat.
For the record, the AAAA's team OPS is .678, which would be like facing a lineup full of Craig Monroe's. Which is to say, to paraphrase SBG from last night, we just need to score some runs.
Is Liriano the same pitcher that he was in 2006? Not right now, no. His velocity is down, as his command. All that I really wanted to say was that in a small sample size, Francisco Liriano is pitching just as well as Johan Santana. The same Johan Santana who everyone's favorite Kansas City Star writer is clamoring for to win the Cy Young award due to his past five starts. I know it is a small sample size, but, c'mon, it is still kind of encouraging, right?
Bonus stat: Lirano has yet to throw a change up to a left handed batter this season.
This entry was posted by FirstTimeLongTime on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 7:00 pm and is filed under 2008 Twins Game Logs, FirstTimelongTime, Guest Writers. It is one of 8 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.
FirstTimeLongTime replied on August 30, 2008 at 7:14:11 pm
I don't think that I will be able to hang around for the game tonight. Apparently blowing off the girlfriend for the Twins on consecutive Saturday night's is frowned upon in the boyfriend handbook.
Hopefully we can put up another showing like last night.
SBG replied on August 30, 2008 at 7:47:55 pm
That's an acceptable thing to do around these parts, but in Buffalo it may not be understandable.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 7:47:17 pm
Red goes ahead of White 7-2. The Twins appear to have a chance to get back into first place tonight.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:01:44 pm
good job Red Sox
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:06:10 pm
Tampa Bay won (again) tonight, and saw 34,ooo+ at their stadium
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:17:24 pm
Excellent intro tonight, FTLT. Hope the finger heals well.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:19:04 pm
Where in the world was that1-2 pitch to Crosby?
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:20:08 pm
I know the Twins would like Liriano to go deeper into games, but let's not start telling him to "pitch to contact". The way he's been going, let's not do anything to mess it up, okay?
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:24:44 pm
All he really needs to work on is controlling the fastball. When he does that well, it sets up the slider and changeup and he can just own hitters.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:28:55 pm
Boston still leads Chicago 7-2. AJ was on second and ran right into an out on a hopper to the third baseman. When the tag was put on, you could clearly see him yelling a notorious Anglo-Saxonism.
Beau replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:30:18 pm
Clayton Richard relieving in the 8th for the palehose. He get demoted?
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:32:37 pm
He's been less than effective as a starter, so it wouldn't surprise me.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:35:48 pm
Pitching to that kind of contact works just fine.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:35:50 pm
Mr. True Outcomes defies his name and grounds weakly to second.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:37:05 pm
Mighty quiet around here tonight. You'd think people have lives or something.
smalls replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:40:06 pm
No life here!
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:37:32 pm
6 up, 6 down for Cisco... 2 FG outs, 2 GB outs, low pitch count.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:40:38 pm
Gameday does not agree with the strike three call on GoGo.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:45:57 pm
Neither did I.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:41:24 pm
Don't blame ya, Gomez... you got hosed on that strike 3 call. That's now 3 calls that could've/should've gone the other way... Mauer's "pickoff," "ball two" to Crosby, and "strike 3" to Gomez.
Maybe that just makes up for the triumvirate of questionable calls the Twins got in the 3rd last night.
Beau replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:42:30 pm
Dustin Pedroia has hits in nine consecutive at bats. He was just intentionally walked. Four more hits tomorrow and he's got the record.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:47:23 pm
Sounds like he's "pulling an Ibanez" on the Sox.
They'll probably be cursing his name after that series just like we were all ruing the day the Twins ever crossed Raul...
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:46:52 pm
The Twins seem to be hitting the ball fairly well tonight, despite having nothing to show for it.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:53:41 pm
BoSox 8, ChiSox 2. I love it when all we have to do is win and we pick up ground in either the division or the wild card.
DK replied on August 30, 2008 at 8:59:02 pm
Man, nobody does "Bumbly McFumbly" like the Gophers. /interjection of non-Twins-related whining
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:03:17 pm
no kidding!
smalls replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:13:04 pm
Go Bison
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:15:59 pm
somehow, the Goofers won that game
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:02:48 pm
Delmon again comes through with the placement.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:02:50 pm
'placement'
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:03:48 pm
double plays are stupid
greenmachine replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:05:03 pm
Eh, do we really need to score runs to win? I guess i should check the rule book
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:04:56 pm
Obviously, Delmon needs to teach placement to Harris.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:09:40 pm
Hey! Did you guys know there's a lot of foul territory in Oakland?
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:12:24 pm
Oakland itself is foul territory.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:15:22 pm
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:16:47 pm
that's not Mount Davis. That's Mount Doom. Orcs everywhere.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:11:34 pm
Man, Liriano's looking as good as I've seen him all year tonight.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:11:58 pm
Okay, this is the inning the Twins are going to score some runs.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:21:44 pm
How about that? I was right!
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:14:30 pm
Laddie gets the party started.
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:14:49 pm
busy signal in the booth?? HOF calling for Dazzle?
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:15:08 pm
I would certainly hope that's an error. I know Casilla hit the ball hard, but this is the big leagues. When they hit the ball right to you, you're supposed to catch it.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:17:12 pm
If Gomez is such a weak batter that we have to have him bunt the runner over to third this early in the game, he shouldn't be in the lineup.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:21:30 pm
I don't know, you pretty much have to have him in the game for his outfield range and speed. I can actually go along with the bunt here. Gets the runner to third and keeps the sac fly in play, gives you a lot of ways to score. And the pitching on both sides has been pretty damn good, so you have to figure it could be a low scoring game and every run could count. I won't complain about that one much, but we do bunt too much - especially in the late innings when conserving outs matters most.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:33:16 pm
I guess I look at it that having him bunt assumes: 1) he's not going to get a hit; 2) the out he makes not bunting won't advance the runner; and 3) the Twins wouldn't be able to score the runner from second. If it was the ninth inning of a tie game, I could see having him bunt, but not in the fifth inning.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:32:04 pm
It wasn't a bad call... it's looking like a pitchers' duel and the Twins have had plenty of opps to scratch with no results. Besides, Gomez has a pretty good chance of getting on with a bunt, so it's not as if you're conceding the out. You're going for a 90 percent certainty of runner on third one out at worst... and a 30 percent chance of runners on 1st and third, no outs at best. I'll take that in a game that's gone like this so far.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:18:13 pm
SPANtastic!
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:18:15 pm
Score BIG runs with Denard!
DK replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:18:21 pm
Spantastic!
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:18:37 pm
Spantastic!!!!
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:19:00 pm
Denard Span is a stud!
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:19:11 pm
Mmmm... nothing like a CRISPy bowl of Span-O's...
greenmachine replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:19:47 pm
D-SPAN2: full coverage!
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:21:08 pm
Greetings from
DallasPlanoGunter TX. I'm going to try and listen here on my wife's cousin's satelite link as long as I can before my wife comes in and scolds me for not hanging out with the relatives.davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:22:11 pm
just in time for some runs!
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:21:09 pm
I can definitely forgive Pedroia passing Mauer in the batting title race since he's doing it against the ChiSox.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:23:18 pm
crap
Jack Cust is turning into Adrian Beltre/Raul Ibanez here
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:23:43 pm
I would suggest that we stop throwing belt-high strikes to Cust.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:25:56 pm
And that time Mr. True Outcomes did live up to his name. Crud.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:24:10 pm
freakin' give-back runs
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:26:55 pm
I did not enjoy that bowl of Cust-turd.
Sorry, I'll show myself out.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:29:18 pm
I wonder if Mauer got a poor grip on the ball on the stolen base. It looked to me almost like he threw Casilla a changeup.
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:29:33 pm
Does Dazz use a dart board to choose terms to describe the action to us?
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:30:54 pm
Actually, that would probably be an improvement. He might get it right once in a while.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:31:46 pm
If so, "drive" is on several of the squares on his dart board.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:32:36 pm
I was speculating on how deep Liriano might go tonight, he's at 70 pitches.
"He should get through at least 7 tonight, and the bullpen is mostly rested," says I.
"But that doesn't necessarily make them good, " says the wife.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:36:08 pm
Twins have now had baserunners on in all 6 innings... the only inning they scored was the only time the leadoff guy reached -- unsurprisingly...
Now Delmon goes to RF for a hit pushing Kubel to 2nd for the 3rd time tonight.
Brendan Harris must feel like it's Groundhog Day.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:37:58 pm
Liriano better on the pitch count tonight -- nice to see him with a chance to go another possible couple innings tonight.
Jeff A replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:38:53 pm
I still say the Twins are hitting the ball a lot better than two runs in six innings would indicate.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:39:37 pm
Disappointing not to get at least one run out of that inning.
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:39:48 pm
Ra-GEE Davis?? Who the hell is that? I know a Rajai Davis on the AAAA's roster...
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:46:43 pm
how does one pronounce his name?
Rah-gee?
Raj-eye?
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:51:09 pm
This site sez "RAHJ-ay"
that's consistent with my recollection of local TV pronunciation.
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:46:31 pm
Hello fellow citizens!
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:47:21 pm
New Guy!!
Is there music in the queue for tonight? I haven't checked.
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:49:53 pm
Yep I put one up.
I'm guessing you weren't a fan of today's video, and I apologize for that. But I'm not sure you will like tomorrow's either
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:53:44 pm
??
to be honest, I haven't listened yet. But I'm a fan of diversity, even if I don't always like the selections per se. It's fun to be exposed to new and different artists. My listening is pretty narrow otherwise -- a classic rock station, NPR, and classical/blues/jazz on the public radio stations in Sactown.
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:59:39 pm
Oh I was just going off of your legendary disdain for girly singers. Today's video was quite girly, but tomorrow's will rock a little bit harder.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:06:05 pm
I thought I was the one with that distiction (although way overstated)...
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:10:48 pm
Aw fishsticks, it's you that doesn't like them? I apologize BrianS! I apologize profusely! And shame on you, Rhu_Ru, gurl singers are teh win.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:18:49 pm
pfffft -- I never said I don't like 'em! It's just overall, I prefer male singers (actually, I prefer instrumentals, truth be told)
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:24:47 pm
I feel a week of a capella coming on....
Banjo replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:56:55 pm
How's that bike treating you, NG?
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:02:42 pm
The bike is working pretty well, but it still needs more work. I took it out on a longer ride west on the Greenway today, and the front wheel started wobbling something fierce. I'm going to take it in this week to get a new one. Other than that though, having a bike is awesome!
I am wondering though Banjo, what are your thoughts on electric bikes? I have been reading about them lately and they sound pretty awesome (and expensive).
Banjo replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:10:48 pm
The bikes sound useful (for some people) and it's likely safer than a scooter but otherwise, not my cup of tea, though.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 9:55:42 pm
not a good night on he basepaths
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:05:03 pm
What a great outing for Francisco tonight.
Dread Pirate Will Young replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:08:17 pm
Safe to say that tonight, the Twins dropped the:
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:08:25 pm
He is night-and-day different from Livan. He might not be as dominant as he was in 2006, but he really seems to be having a similar impact.
Beau replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:10:06 pm
I'll take him in the starting playoff rotation. Slowey, Baker, Liriano, Blackburn. Yummy
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:18:17 pm
What? You don't want to Ride a Pony in the playoffs?
greenmachine replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:15:49 pm
7 IP, 6 K, not bad at all. Usual disclaimer about the AAAAs but nonetheless we've got a chance to win despite only scoring 2 so far.
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:08:50 pm
I don't care if he's not his old dominating self; the results still look pretty fine to me.
E-6 replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:06:30 pm
Gordo: Eight, seven, six strikeouts for Liriano.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:07:58 pm
he's been on the road for too long
Rhubarb_Runner replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:14:07 pm
Huston Street with the doofus mugshot
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:16:52 pm
With that out, Guerrier now at 66.666 IP this season, with a 6-6 record. Significant?
E-6 replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:19:30 pm
The devil is in the details.
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:19:38 pm
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:18:51 pm
Is there an over/under on where King Lear's ERA is going to end up this year? It has been plummeting with each start. Set it around 3.10?
E-6 replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:24:23 pm
Went to college with a world champion skirt chaser. We called him King Leer.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:20:11 pm
Matt picked a really good road trip to get his groove back.
Banjo replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:22:23 pm
Here comes #9.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:23:05 pm
Joe C:
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:32:07 pm
Jose Mijares?? Seriously?
What exactly do we need another lefty in the bullpen for?
I guess they have to figure out whether to fish or cut bait on him??
and Humber sure as hell hasn't earned a callup.
socaltwinsfan replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:53:04 pm
Actually, after Humber was banished to the bullpen for a while, he got another chance in the rotation and has pitched really well for the last month or so. I think it's both that he is pitching well of late and also he has experience pitching out of the bullpen.
Banjo replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:23:54 pm
Or not
Dread Pirate Will Young replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:24:58 pm
So Matt Tolbert, Jose Mijares, Phil Humber, Bobby Korecky, Matt Macri, Jason Pridie, and some catcher named Jorgensen all sound like they are joining the team on Friday as September callups.
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:27:21 pm
Boy, Harris had a really ugly night at the plate.
brink replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:28:13 pm
Deer Joe Nathan: allowing a baserunner not advisable, as it would allow Jack Cust to bat -- with a runner on base to boot.
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:32:25 pm
Dear Brink,
You don't know me! I do what I want!
Sincerely,
Joe Nathan
E-6 replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:30:22 pm
Park the car, Joe.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:32:16 pm
need a double play
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:36:06 pm
oh, cr@p. Joe, Joe, Joe.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:35:06 pm
Jeebus. I don't like this at all.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:35:45 pm
oh...my...god
New Guy replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:35:49 pm
Unbelievable.
twayn replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:36:14 pm
Jesus, Joe. That sucked.
Dread Pirate Will Young replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:36:25 pm
How many times do Twins pitchers throw to 3rd?
(Frequently)
How many times does it work?
(Never)
E-6 replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:36:26 pm
Joe drives the car into the damn house.
Gimme the fuckin' the keys, Joe.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:38:43 pm
brianS replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:37:12 pm
Harris's fault? that's the meme that Dazz is starting to sell.
davidwatts replied on August 30, 2008 at 10:42:05 pm
damn, Dazzle is raking Harris over the coals