In the words of S. R. Hadden, why build one when you can have two at twice the price?

After getting rained out on Friday night, I again made the trip from DC to Baltimore to see the Twins play in person on Sunday. Although they lost, it was a fun game to watch. Being at Camden Yards always gets me excited for outdoor baseball in Minnesota. I've posted some pictures [...]

Rasner vs. Slowey
I have become comfortably numb? Not sure if it's still shell shock from that 10-run inning, but I'm having trouble caring much right now about the team or finding anything worthwhile to say about the team. All of these guys were with the team in spring training. My opinion of [...]

Mussina vs. Blackburn
2008 Twins Starters and Mike Mussina by xFIP:
3.60 -- Mussina
3.92 -- Baker
4.16 -- Slowey
4.25 -- AL avg. xFIP
4.40 -- Blackburn
4.44 -- Estimated AL avg. xFIP for starters
4.46 -- Boof!
4.75 -- Livan
4.92 -- Perkins
5.80 -- Liriano*
Misc. Stat:
4.43 ERA -- AL starters
3.88 ERA -- AL relievers
*Obviously, small sample size caveats apply here.
[SBG: Yesterday, I [...]

Ponson vs. Perkins
I don't know what it is, but I have this impression that pitchers heading to the Yankees--whether through the minors or in a trade--seem to regress when they put on the pinstripes. Ponson, for instance, had a fairly respectable 4.47 xFIP in Texas this season, but now has a 5.09 xFIP in [...]

SBG takes a look at the week that was in the WGOM Polls.

Pretty much a non-story, I know, but I'd love it if Bonds ends up wearing pinstripes.
High-ranking Yankees officials gathered for meetings at their spring training complex Thursday, a day off for the team before it begins an important three-game series Friday night in Boston.
Missing injured sluggers Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada, the Yankees discussed ways [...]

Perkins vs. Mussina
Coming off of a 2-day break, the Twins head into their LAST GAME EVER AT YANKEE STADIUM (EVER!!!!1oneone!!!1111!!!), with Perkins and his 4.80 xFIP facing off against a borderline (or better) Hall-of-Fame candidate in Mike Mussina, sporting a 3.67 xFIP so far this year.
But! The Twins' two-day break will hopefully allow them [...]

Slowey vs. Rasner
Slowey's got an edge of about 0.3 xFIP on Rasner.

Blackburn vs. Ponson
Sidney Ponson is apparently an asshole, but posted a very respectable 4.38 xFIP (and 3.88 ERA if you're into that) with the Rangers. Nick Blackburn, on the other hand, has a 4.24 xFIP. So, the pitching matchup is really pretty even, talent-wise.

So says the rumor. Sexson hit .218 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs with Seattle this season. However, he hit .344 vs. lefthanded pitching. Yankees manager Joe Girardi recently said that a right-handed hitter was the team's greatest need.
Boy, the Twins could sure use someone who kills left handed pitching.

This quote made me laugh out loud:
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "They need to grow up and join the 21st century."
The "growing up" part of the comment aside, I actually think that Steinbrenner has a point here. The National League [...]

Andy Pettite vs. Livan Hernandez
Livan has been a totally wacky pitcher so far this year. With 24 K's, 13 BB's, and 1 HBP, 89% of the hitters who have faced Livan Hernandez have put the ball in play. The major league average is for 74% of hitters to put the ball in play. [...]

Darrell Rasner vs. Nick Blackburn
I think Darrell Rasner stole Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy's mojo. He's way closer to a 5.00 ERA pitcher than he is a 1.80 ERA pitcher, but he's had a good first four starts of the season. Inability to miss bats is probably his biggest weakness, so hopefully the [...]

Chien-Ming Wang vs. Boof Bonser
Wang's GB% is lower than it was last year, but is still very good at 56%. His strikeouts have been rising a bit as his ground balls have been going away, though.
The Yankees have been more or less the third-best-hitting team against right-handed pitching so far this year. The [...]

Mike Mussina vs. Glen Perkins
Today, Joe Posnanski has proposed the Dayton Game.* Basically, how many tools are there on your team that are 60 tools. 60 is a rating on the typical scouting scale, and well, I'm not a scout. Posnanski suggests that a 60 tool is an All-Star caliber tool and [...]