Metrodome Memories

You know it’s bad when you have just three guys play in more then 100 games.  The Twins had the second worst offense in the American League behind just the Mariners and I think the big thing for the Twins to improve on is to just get healthy.  Full seasons from Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer would go a long way towards the Twins getting back on track.  Of course Michael Cuddyer could be gone and I don’t see Jim Thome coming back and those two were the Twins best hitters.  Jason Kubel is also a free agent.

No Twin drove in 80 or even scored 80.  Cuddyer, Jim THome , Kubel and Danny Valencia were the only guys to hit double digit home runs.  And pretty much nobody hit better then .285.  This team was just bad.  Tsuyoshi Nishioka was horrible at the plate when he was in therer and Drew Butera hit .167 and he managed to get into over 90 games.

That also brings up the question whether the Twins should focus on the farm system or whether they should go for some quick fixes.  I think the Twins have to think long and hard about any moves they make since you don’t want to throw good money after a mediocre result.

2011 was a stinker for Twins fans and that’s why it’s nice to go to a happier place and time.  The last time the Twins won it all was in 1991 and in that series there were plenty of memorable moments.  And then there was “The Game.”  The Twins won an impressive in eleven innings the night before on a walk off home run by Kirby Puckett to force a game six and that set the stage for Monday’s game seven with Jack Morris on the mound.

With John Smoltz on the other side, these two pitchers went head to head for over seven innings until Smoltz was pulled.  In the meantime, Morris kept pitching.  The game was scoreless after nine and Morris kept pitching.  He needed 126 pitches to get through ten and there was a chance he might have kept pitching had the Twins not put the Braves out of their misery when Gene Larkin had the walk off hit.

You can relive this game now.  A&E has put out a series of “Baseball’s Greatest Games” and this is billed as the best World Series ever.  Be sure to click on this link for all of the details and to find more great titles.  They also have the entire 1991 World Series.

The Twins made one last gasp but August has been a rough month for them.  They’ve lost four straight and they now sit just 2 1/2 games ahead of the last place Royals.  Of course when your disabled list contains a host of position players and pitchers, it’s always going to be tough no matter how good your team is.  What’s worst is they’ve now dropped three games to the Orioles who are one of the worst teams in the American League.

Yesterday was the third straight game they were held to one run.  The lone run came on a Justin Morneau double in the third inning.  He and Jason Kubel were the lone Twins to reach base twice with a hit and a walk each.

Kevin Slowey was roughed up and he fell to 0-2 on the season. He gave up five runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.  The pen pitched solid enough but you can’t get past scoring just one run.

The Twins try to avoid the sweep this afternoon.  Francisco Liriano throws against Jo Jo Reyes.

The Twins finally beat the Tigers, snapping an eleven game losing streak in Scott Bakers return.  The Twins are still in fourth and probably have a tough fight ahead of them but it doesn’t help when you drop all of these games against one of the top teams in the division.  Still, the Twins are near the top of baseball in attendance so someone must be buying Twins tickets.

It was Baker to the rescue though.  After missing a couple of weeks, Baker came back, won his eighth game and pitched five shutout innings.  He struck out five in those five frames and he gave up just three hits.  Joe Nathan pitched a shutout ninth and he picked up his seventh save of the season.

Delmon Young drove in a pair of runs.  Danny Valencia scored two runs and he hit a solo home run.

The Twins try to even up their series with the Tigers tomorrow.  It’ll be Rick Porcello against Francisco Liriano.

The Twins can’t seem to catch a break.  They came from behind against the Tigers today and then blew a two run lead late in the game.  And then there was also the news that Francisco Liriano was put on the disabled list.  When it rains, it pours and the Twins could be sellers for the first time in a long time come the trading deadline.  They’re in dead last with a 17-35 record.  They’re 5 1/2 games back of the fourth place Royals much which might be tough enough to make up so the 14 1/2 games they’re behind the Indians seems pretty insurmountable.

Nick Blackburn lasted six innings today but he was roughed up for five runs.  He gave up most of the damage but he didn’t take the loss because that didn’t happen until the eighth inning when Alex Burnett gave up a run that turned out to be the game winner.  The Twins didn’t even whimper much in the top of the ninth against Jose Valverde so it was another loss.   No other team in baseball has more losses then the Twins right now.  And they’ve been horrible against the East with a 6-18 record.

Jason Kubel has been one of the bright spots.  He’s hitting .305 with a team tying high 5 home runs with 29 RBIs.  Blackburn and Scott Baker have gotten it done on the mound but you can have all the pitching you want but when your team has the fewest runs in all of baseball, it’s going to be tough to win games.

The Twins have a couple more against the Tigers then they have four against KC.  Maybe they can get on a role and at least get themselves out of the cellar.

The Twins locked up infielder Alexi Casilla to a one year deal and avoided arbitration with him in his first year of eligiblity.  The final tally is $865,000 which is a decent amount for a guy who’s played four seasons with the team.  He’s never played in 100 games, but he can play everywhere in the infield and he even picked up a game in centerfield in 2010.  His best season is still 2008 when he hit seven home runs and hit .281.  Of course his time could be limited with the acquisition of Tsuyoshi Nishioka but he plays enough spots to where he should get into close to half of the games the Twins play.

The Twins still have some work to do because they have five players still out there that could go to the arbitration table including Francisco Liriano.  The others include Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Delmon Young.

The Twins got one of their sluggers back today because they signed DH Jim Thome to a one year deal worth $3 million.  Thome will be 41 in August but he had a nice season for the Twins last year.  He belted 25 home runs in just 108 games and he absolutely killed right handed pitched (1.154 OPS).  He even managed to pick up enough votes to finish 18th in the MVP balloting.

If used right Thome is a huge asset even at his advanced age and for just $3 million, this is a nice deal and it gives the Twins a bump in the division.  Now we just need a healthy Justin Morneau on the field.  Also interesting is with 11 home runs, Thome will reach the 600 mark which will make for some nice media coverage.

With the Winter Meetings in the rear view window, it’s now time to look ahead and with not a lot of news, we get a mail bag column by Kelly Thesier.  She talks about the dome collapsing, the backup plan if the Twins don’t nab Carl Pavano and what’s going to happen with the Twins bullpen.

It’s nice to know the Twins have options whether they sign Carl Pavano or not.  Having Pavano in the fold would help in light of the signings made by the White Sox and Tigers, but their front five isn’t all that bad.  Kelly talks about how a Pavano-less rotation would include Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey.

I also liked the fact that Kelly dismisses the Twins going after Orlando Cabrera.  I like the idea of giving Alexi Casilla a shot to play side by side with Tsuyoshi Nishioka.