Time: 5:07 CDT
TV: TBS
Radio: TRN, XM 175 (Yankees), XM 140 (ESPN).
Starting Pitchers: Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
vs. Captain Cheeseburger (19-8, 3.37, 1.15)
I'm done. Seriously. I really am.
I'm done giving up on this team. They were supposed to done when they were 7 games out and it was announced that Morneau was out for the season. They were supposed to be done when they failed to sweep the Tigers when Nate Robertson beat Baker at the dome. They really had to be done when they fell to 3 games back with four to play. (although really, it was 2 games back with three to play since the Twins had one more game with the Tigers, so that game was in their control).
Nevermind. ... But wait, there's more.
The Twins were staring at another "postseason" loss at the dome when Miguel Cabrera's homer made it 3-0. This was the formula that had worked so well against the Twins. Hold nervous Twins bats down early and score multiple early runs to take the air out of the dome.
But then the Twins took the lead and then blew it just as quickly. Well, they surely had to be done when the Tigers took the lead and had Fernando Rodney on the mound. He had ONE!!!UNO!! blown save all season and the Tigers had NEVER lost when taking a lead after the eighth inning. (I hope Gary Andersen isn't a Tigers fan).
It didn't matter. The Metrodome ghosts awoke one more time and turned certain defeat into victory.
So, I will never again count this team out. This already is a season for the ages and I know this team will believe it is destined to win and won't stop believing it until it is officially elminated.
Do you believe in magic? I'm beginning to. I am certainly believing in the vagaries of Small Sample Size. How else can you explain what this team has been doing for the last three weeks? Truly unbelievable.
When you're the underdog, SSS is the best thing going for you, so I say "Yay SSS!!!" Let's go SSS! I want to see Derek Jeter cry. GO TWINS!!
FISTED!!!1
Base Hit! He caught it!
All the world's a SSST! Go Twins!
I am heading to the bars tonight, gents. I will order a cheeseburger while there just to show Yanquis' fans how a Twins fan can crush their starting pitcher.
Tyler Kepner on his NYTimes blog about this game:
Wait a second. George Frazier gets a mention, but a certain #11, who won a World Championship in his rookie season in Minnesota and appeared to be headed to an HOF career before being traded to NY (and collecting 3 more rings), completely disintegrating as a player, finding his way onto the Mitchell Report, and is now in jail does not get a mention? Perhaps it's for the best.
Fun facts:
Joe Mauer had more walks this year (76) than Delmon has in his career (74).
After Joe's single in the 7th, he needed to go 0-20 to lose the batting title. Assuming neither team's pitching staffs equally imploded, the game would've ended at noon today.
Gardy, in the pregame, was saying they may bunt a few times early to get Sabathia moving around on the mound and try to rattle him a little. I don't know that it would work, but it would be really neat if it did.
No matter the outcome, it would be funny to watch Cheeseburger lumber around, too.
He always says that, and they never bunt
Because I'm not a fan of Chip Caray or fisting, I'll be willingly listening to Dazzle for the first time in months. Yipes!
He's got to dislike the Yankees as much as I do though, yeah? So I've got that going for me, which is nice.
But don't you want to hear Ron Darling??? Come on, he sounds just like James Woods!
That's who it is. That was driving me nuts, dude.
What happened to rally caps???
My caps lock key exploded after all the excitement last night.
That's it! (It was bugging me, too.)
I've really never had a problem with Chip Caray. For that matter, I've never really had a problem with Joe Buck. I hated listening to Rick Sutcliffe. And I dislike Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan. None of them are as bad as Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler doing Angels games.
I hear bad things about the Angel guys, but haven't heard them. Sutcliffe is numero zero, for sure, but I dislike Buck nearly as much. He adds nothing and is clearly not interested in baseball.
As for Caray and Darling, I have no huge issue but wanted some home cooking.
Hudler is pretty obnoxious.
I'm pretty sure Satan banished Physioc from hell because he was tired of listening to him.
Gordo says "Dustin Morneau." It's bad enough he still doesn't have the right emphasis on "Morneau," but holy dumb.
That first swing by Denard was uuuuugly. I hope that's not a sign of things to come.
That was a much better swing!
GAME ON!
That's how to get it started!
D(ouble)-SPAN
Spantasdimonium!
Can we all agree that it's amazing how far Span has come?
I'm on board.
D-Span 2(bagger)
Is yickit in the house tonight? How are we situated in terms of a contingency plan? (Folks can crash my place, if necessary.)
I'd like to see OCab get on so Joe will have a chance to swing the bat.
I love that Worf is back after yesterday.
Worf was actually back before yesterday, after Sunday. It doesn't always show up right away though because of the browser cache.
It's a truly great avatar.
I wanted to try to collect a bunch of great Worf quotes and do a big rally-caps-lock post with them somewhere yesterday (stuff like PERHAPS TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO
DIEWIN THE DIVISION!) but I ended up not really having time.Let it be known that I think that would be awesome.
All the drama surrounding the supposed snub of Posada by Girardi and Burnett got me thinking - I don't remember Harper ever bellyaching when Junior Ortiz caught Erickson during the ALCS or World Series, despite the drastic drop-off in offensive talent. Granted, Harper wasn't ever going to be a HOFer, but Posada's not exactly a premier defensive catcher these days, either.
Joe will be back with a homer in a couple innings. That was data collection.
Wow. Bad AB by Mauer. Took a 2-0 fastball down the middle and then swung at a ball practically in the dirt to strike out with a runner at third and one out. Relax, guys! Play your game!
I hate captain
americadouchebag.Looks like the jet stream is going to be in play tonight.
Site seems a little zippier tonight, Boss. Host Monster no longer choking their chickens?
Maybe everyone is still at work and not refreshing.
Geez, Yankee are douches about throws to first.
I meant Yankee "fans".
It's all the same.
Geez, Yankee are douches
about throws tofirst.There you go.
Tix was up when I wrote that....
Oh my God the Yankees are so boring. They could go down in order on three pitches and it would still take half an hour.
Has A-Rod really had to feel like it was solely up to him to drive in runs since he's been on the Yankees? I find Darling hard to believe.
Not since MVP Tex has joined the team. Solidified the infield too! Nevermind they have more errors this year than last.
But the TBS Giys are telling me how many errors Tiex has saved the Yanks this year?!?
How can that be when Jeter never makes an errant throw?
Good first for the Dunce man.
I hate Yankee games for a lot of reasons, but the tension I feel every time they're up to bat has to be near the top of the list. There's not one guy on the roster who can't just hit one out. It's seriously an embarrassment to look at all the stars in their dugout. Why do I bring it up when we all probably feel the same? I don't know.
Top to bottom, strongest lineup in baseball. Money talks.
It really is an embarrassment of riches...
Oy, the strikeouts. CC chowing down on Ks so far.
Well, we have been swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone. Hitters are helping him out quite a bit so far.
DIRTY HARRY!
There's just something inherently funny about Matt Tolbert starting a game in the playoffs.
Funny ha-ha, or funny insane?
Also, what I said before about the site being faster? Never mind.
I think it's funny ha-ha, but I'm not sure if everyone would agree with me.
He's just being koi.
Now is your chance to tell your grandchildren that you saw Albert Pojoles and Joe Mauer do everything. Fixed that for the ad agency.
Well, since I don't have grandchildren yet, now really isn't my chance...
Hell, a few days ago, Tigers postseason commercials were running. Poor dopes.
Duensing unimpressed with Yankee lineup.
Dunce!
fear the Duensing!
Duensing not looking intimidated so far... thats a good sign.
Must be the lack of ultra rich people sitting behind the plate. No one to rattle him.
Big bender to get Cano. Tschida's zone is so much better than Marsh's.
That was a gnarly pitch.
PuntO!
Girardi looks absolutely baked.
Isn't it a federal crime if every call doesn't go the Yankees' way?
43 pitches through 2+ for Sabathia. Making him work even with all the strikeouts.
Why can't Yankees fans who say advanced metrics can't measure defense just watch their team play? Jeter and Cano have both already come up short on grounders up the middle that looked to me like they should've been playable (and I know Jeter's fooled the metrics this season, but whatever).
How good has Punto been the last few weeks. Another great AB.
I know that's a rhetorical question, but it pains me to say, "Pretty damn good."
On the plus side, we'll probably get CC to 50 pitches this inning.
So is there any doubt at all who the announcers are rooting for?
Well, you know, the Twins ruined the recovery plan for the city of Detroit.
That's why I've chosen TRN, really.
Why wasn't Punto running on that 2-1 pitch? Seemed like the perfect time for a hit-and-run.
"Tim Tschida has a better eye than the TV does," says Gordo. I know what he's trying to say, but...no.
OrCa on the beach, let's drive that sucker home, Joe!
Almost!
Mauer is so frigging good.
Cuddles! Uno!
Twins strike first!
CUDDY!!! EARLY LEAD!
Hello from Chi-Town fellow Citizens. 1-0 TWINS!
Hello, Andrew! You're just in time!
Welcome home, lad!
Yeah! That's some Yankees baseball!
Cuddy go bloop.
Twins baseball!
Man, the host is fisting the site.
It really is. My first post was real quick. Since then, virtual constipation.
Yes sir! Twins baseball in the big apple!
Doing the little things.
Dang, Mauer. Made that too close!
Enough of this subdued bullshit. RALLY CAPS BACK LIKE COOKED CRACK, EVERYBODY GET UP, WE'RE STORMING THE CASTLE
PREPARE FOR RAMMING SPEED
It's already paid off to have Cuddyer ahead of Kubel in the lineup tonight.
It should/will every game, if only Gardy would do it more often.
The Chairman leads the people!
Caray did it again. Basically, every ball to left field is a "base hit."
That "I'm safe!" shit the Yankmes always pull at first really gets under my skin.
Damnit
Commence hatred.
It would be Captain Douchebag, wouldn't it?
Shit
Don't jizz yourself Chip
Ah, hell.
Now the fans are into the game? I thought these were supposed to be the greatest fans ever!!
You just don't understand how hard it is to root for a team that has to win every year.
I found a ticket online at the Yankees website (not Stubhub) at 11am today for $25. TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS. If I was still in DC, I would have bought it. Bunch of fuckers can't even sell out their stadium.
Shut the hell up Darling, every f'in team talks about the opposing pitcher and tries to make adjustments. (minus elm'n)
The Twins did not do the little things right on that double play ball.
SIT DOWN
MARK MY WORDS: DELMON WILL REVERT TO BEAST MODE DURING THIS GAME
Apparently he needs to be activated by beaning.
Well, I wish it hadn't been Jeter, but I wasn't expecting Duensing to throw a shutout. We need some more runs, guys.
Nice recovery by Duensing after the HR. Rick Anderson is still a miracle worker.
Jeter is an asshole.
That is all.
I can't tell you how excited I am to watch George Lopez' new show. Really, I can't.
You're gonna have to wait until November.
Maybe it'll last longer than 15 episodes.
The only thing Derek Jeter can't do is cure himself of herpes.
or stop infecting every woman within a five mile radius
Is this an intrasquad scrimmage, because all I hear about is the Yankees.
Caray: Twins have six hits in three innings off Sabathia.
Darling: Twins aren't getting many good swings off Sabathia.
Me: Huh??
Well, none of them have a HR like Jeter does.
Yickit has set up another emergency game log if the waiting time gets to be too much...
There won't still be major league baseball after Derek Jeter retires, will there? They'll have to just shut MLB down.
I think my favorite aspect of the TBS announcing team is the fact that they are apparently on a first-name basis with all of the players on the "illustrious franchise." I dare to dream to breathe in such rare air some day.
It Ain't Me, Babe
Louie Louie
Hey Joe
Mickey (You're So Fine)
Dreamboat
AnnieDerekEVANDER HOLYFIELD'S TACO BELL COMMERCIAL GETS MORE EMBARRASSING EVERY TIME I SEE IT
I'm in the enviable position of not having seen any of these commericals yet, so I am only a game or two from complete saturation instead of already sick of them.
If you are curious, then, Evander Holyfield's mom likes Taco Bell as well as Evander himself.
Sabathia at 78 pitches through four innings. Very nice.
That is pretty sexy.
Chip Caray during "interview" with Girardi: Is there anything Jeter can't do, over the years?
my head: Go to his right?
Comcast and Host Monster have teamed up to kick me repeatedly in the balls tonight. But I suppose it's better than a Chip Carey fisting.
He could at least buy dinner first...
Let's see if we can turn the DP this time.
Almost.
Nope.
Whoops. Chip has to change pants again
This series features the top two AL teams in OPS+. I wouldn't expect too many pitchers' duels.
The top four teams in OPS+ are the four playoff teams. Apparently, it's not all about pitching.
Come on. You didn't need a perfect throw to get the out at home. An adequate throw would have done it.
That strikeout would have been nice a batter earlier.
Turning the DP would have made the K moot.
Dazzle was talking about Moneyball and Nick Swisher right before that hit, and it sounded like he was talking about the book positively in that the A's were right on Swisher, but then I thought I heard Dazzle say that Billy Beane wrote the book but I'm not sure. Anyone else hear this?
I did, and he did. Years and years after first making the mistake, he still hasn't been corrected, or else has but doesn't want to publicly admit his mistake.
My Tigger friend assured me that the Twins have no starting pitchers who can make it through the Yanqui lineup twice, let alone three times. So, Dunce must be the second or third pitcher in this game, right?
The only thing Derek Jeter can't do is get to that ball.
Jeter showing off his lack of range tonight.
Derek Jeter is so good, he brought something he didn't have to show and tell.
Cabrera just barely beats the throw there.
Reason #437 why I'm glad my favorite team is the Twins: Few annoying shots of celebrity hangers-on during TV broadcasts. Oh well, nice effort Duensing.
I wish Madonna had infected A-Fraud with whatever it was that killed her career.
GO.
AH NUTS
D'oh. Either Span took a funny angle, or the wind really messed with that one.
Wind is whipping out to right center like crazy.
Cisco Kid was a friend of mine.
He drink whiskey while you drinkin' wine
aww, scheiss.
I'm about to issue my own Amber Alert.
All the cool kids are hanging out at yickit's basement tonight.
Who you callin' a kid? ;)
I hate captain douchebag. I'm going to an opening on friday night where some of my work is featured in my former place of employment and the security staff will be insufferable, all of them are yankee fans.
ABQ MOMA? Got links?
(Congrats, too.)
Derek Jeter is the greatest defensive shortstop ever.
Only because they made A-Rod play third.
What about fill Risotto?
Good evening folks,,,
Cheeseburger sayonara.
Sabathia gets a big lead and then plunks our best hitter. What an asshole.
Span has taken some ugly swings tonight.
Sabathia bending over: creaking sounds, pop, uh-oh.
A threat!!!
wtf?
Spantasm averted. Damn.
I think Tolbert could have scored there.
Orca attack welcome here.
Again with the Joe leading off. That bites.
Ugh, that looked like ball 4.
I'm out. The Boy is Euphoniating tonight with the Concert Band. Bring 'em back, kids.
Heh. NBB had to sit on a stack of magazines to play said instrument in 5th grade.
Cmon mauer - leadership - thank you.
That was the most overly complicated explanation of OBP I've ever heard. How about:
(Times reaching base)/ PAs
The best part was the entire time they were talking about it and showing it they focused on the Captain rather than the guy with the much higher total standing 2 feet away.
Choke rod with a "BIG SINGLE"
Sure, he can do it now when the Yanks are already up by 4, but lets see him do it in a close game.
Hey, things are moving along faster in here.
I'm not sure if I agree.
I had heard they were dating. Now I have visual proof.
That was unfortunate.
up 7-2 and you're going to blow through your relievers? I guess they have a day off tomorrow
There's no way Coke is going to be able to throw again in two days after throwing 1 pitch tonight.
lol
Lots of empty seats tonight at New Yankme. I guess the best fans in baseball are clairvoyant and don't need to pack those $2500 seats.
Looks like some of those are going for as little as $575 on StubHub.
Mariano on for the five run save.
Good, maybe his arm will fall off.
Damn.
Punto laughs in the face of danger
Why is OrCa still batting #2. That's at least twice he's ended the inning, with runners on.
veteran leadership!
In the first inning, Span hit that double and I was surprised that OrCa was not asked to bunt him over
On a positive note, at least I can wash this sweatshirt I've been wearing since Friday.
It sure seems like we had pretty piss-poor infield defense today. (Or just bad luck on infield defense today.) Not sure if it was really the difference, but it could've been a much more satisfying contest with a couple extra double plays (or wiping out Swisher's RBI at the plate.)
Also did today make two consecutive games where an opponent's hit-and-run took a DP away from us? Seems like I don't notice the hit-and-run actually matter very often.