Out West

By David Jensen

Few things are as sweet as a series sweep on the road. Rarely does a team put it all together and play near-flawless baseball for three games the way Minnesota did in Seattle.

The starting pitchers, Ortiz, Silva and Santana did quite well. They went 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA, striking out 11 while only waking three. Seattle hit .277 for the series, but did manage five home runs. Other than a three-run home run off Neshek, the Mariners managed very little against the bullpen. Nathan pitched 1 1/3 innings, gave up three hits and collected two saves.

As usual, the defense was top-flight. The Twins turned five double plays and committed one error. Dorn made the play of the young season in game two. With two on and two out in the ninth, Jose Vidro hit a sharp single to right. Dorn misplayed the ball, prompting the third base coach to send Beltre in to score the tying run. He recovered in time to throw it in to Castillo who relayed a perfect strike to cut down Beltre by five feet to preserve the victory.

At the plate the Twins were stellar. Hitting .315, they scored 22 runs while achieving only one home run. They tied a club record with eight doubles in game one. Joe Mauer continued his march to another batting title by going 4 for 8, driving in three runs and walking four times. The piranhas hit .305 and scored 11 runs. The four, five and six hitters in the lineup complimented them with a .342 average and 15 RBIs. Minnesota kept wearing out opposing catchers, stealing four bases on as many attempts. They’re now a perfect 18 for 18 on the season.

How rare a series this was was made evident the next night when we were hammered by the Royals. It wasn’t all Ponson’s fault, either. The next time the Twins completely out-class an opponent, cherish it, for it can turn sour in an instant.

As a keen observer of all aspects of the game, I take a special interest in the radio commentators. Seattle’s team calls a good game without extreme favoritism. All radio play-by-play announcers are “homers” to some extent, although being a homer is not a bad thing when not taken too far. They complimented Minnesota many times. The obvious: Mauer ruins the Mariners, Morneau is a beast, the Twins play great defense. They also talked about the plans for the new stadium.* They liked it, but called the lack of a retractable roof a big mistake.

I was disappointed when Felix Hernandez pitched poorly. He threw only 24 pitches and left the game with tightness in his elbow. I wanted to see how good he really is. Hopefully I’ll get to see him in person in August.

*Once again: We ain’t getting’ no stadium!

Wish I Were Here

Or Big Series, Big Innings by David Jensen

I was planning to write a column about a road trip to Seattle, and tell you about the Mariners ballpark. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough money. So I decided to listen to/watch the game and write it anyway.

I took my seat, scorecard and pencil in hand, eagerly awaiting the first pitch. I had a plate of rice and two salami sandwiches. (You call this ballpark food?) I would have killed for a Dome Dog and a Lienies. But I did have some Jim Beam sunflower seeds.

Tonight’s game is as important as a game in April can be. Coming off a 3-4 home stand against the AL East, Minnesota needs to start the road trip right. Seattle needs to see newly acquired pitcher Jeff Weaver do what they’re paying him for: shoring up the rotation behind Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn. With the roof open in the first, Weaver did instead what the Yankees paid him to do, which was turn into jelly and give up runs.

Twins lead-off hitter Luis Castillo worked the count, but eventually struck out. Jason Tyner, hitting second and inspired by Tyler’s column, started a good night with a double. Joe Mauer drove him in with a double of his own. Not to be out-done, Michael Cuddyer followed with a drive of the left field wall over the out stretched glove of Raul Ibanez. Mauer trotted home and Cuddyer coasted into third. Weaver was able to stop the bleeding by retiring Morneau and Hunter.

Ramon Ortiz took the hill for the Twins hoping to continue his sterling start. I cringed as Ichiro sent his first pitch into the cool night air and over the wall for his 23^rd career, and second straight, leadoff home run. After giving up a one out single, Ortiz helped himself by starting an inning ending double play.

As the accursed roof closed in the second, both pitchers settled down. Weaver had a 1-2-3 inning and proceeded to pitch well through the fourth. Ortiz hit a batter and induced another double play. With the help of Luis Rodriguez, he retired 10 of the next 11 batters.

Rodriguez played brilliantly. Filling in for Nick Punto, L-Rod* made nine assists with six in a row at one point. He conquered “web gems” with a diving stop and seated throw to rob Ichiro of an infield hit.

In the fifth, Weaver turned into the pitcher who made countless enemies in New York and L.A. Bartlett, Castillo and Tyner hit consecutive singles. With one run in, Mauer showed us again what a great hitter he is by laying down a perfect sacrifice. After striking Dorn out for the second time, he intentionally walked Morneau to load the bases. Hunter came to the plate with a double and a hard hit out on the evening.

The Mariner worked ahead in the count. At 1-2, he grooved a 78 MPH change-up (or a very straight sinker, I’m not sure which) into Torii’s wheelhouse. The result was almost identical to a grand slam I saw him hit off Odalis Perez last year. As number 48 nobly rounded the bases, Weaver was showered with boos as he cursed and wished to God that he were a Big League pitcher.

The bottom of the sixth was an encouraging inning for Twins fans. Ortiz started it the same way he started the first, by giving up a solo home run. With two outs, Jose Vidro singled and Ibanez followed with a double. But Ramon didn’t crack. He got heavy hitting Richie Sexson to ground to third, stranding two.

In the seventh, he again worked out of a Two On, Two Out jam. His final line: 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER. In three starts, he is 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA, exceeding all expectations. He is truly an inspiration to Carlos Silva, who goes up against Hernandez in game two.

The only misfortune for Minnesota on this night was Hunter hurting his shoulder while attempting to make a diving catch. He was listed as day-to-day, like the rest of us, after the game.

It was an all-around outstanding performance. Let’s hope they can keep it up throughout the road trip.

*The term L-Rod was coined by Lee Hulkonen.

BUM

By Tyler Savage
Quick question, without looking at the Twin's season stats, which Twin's starter is leading the team in ERA. whoa...whoa...whoa...not so fast, no his name does not start with S and end in antana. Our ERA leader also does not rhyme with cortiz, poof, and he damn well does not rhyme with wonson. Who does that leave left? Poor old defenseless Silva--the pitcher that has been whipped, beaten, castrated, and thrown in the ditch by the Twins beat writers (especially yours truly).
We are still very young into the season, but let's play pretend (this is great journalism) and think about what would happen if Silva goes 20-1 with a 1.00 ERA. If the Chef (I can't believe I used that nickname) pulls this off, he will not be the first Twin to prove me wrong; in fact, he is one of many on a long list of players whom I have labeled with the bum* card.
Here are two huge examples of me being wrong in the past. Let's start with subject #1: David Ortiz. In the early 00's (?), Ortiz struggled with the Twins. When he left, all I could say was good riddance. I also thought that Matt Lecroy would pan out to be a better hitter than Ortiz. Since these delusions, Ortiz ended the Bambino's Curse and damn near pulled off the MVP for the last two seasons. In this time span, all that Lecroy has done, is get pulled out of a game, halfway through an inning while playing catcher (first time since modern stats began). Well...he also made some good chips onto home plate before a few home games in Cambria's putt-putt challenge.
Let's look at my second blunder: Justin Morneau. After the Seattle series last year, I was convinced that Morneau was the Anti-Christ himself. While drunk at a game last year, I told Jensen that I was done with him. Since those syllables, Morneau went on arguably one of the greatest four month streak in baseball, where he hit-in over 130 RBI (not that they even matter...[another story...another time]). HOW DO YOU LIKE ME KNOW MR. SAVAGE?
So...let's start an experiment and see if this really works. Silva: he's a bum! Boof: Double bum! Ponson: the bummiest bum on bum island!

*In my opinion, calling a baseball player a bum is the lowest/most offensive thing that you can call him. It ranks above scrub, weasel, and a never was.

DL WOES

By: Sam Hansen (Intern)

Twins third baseman Nick Punto appears to be headed to the disabled list for a sprained ankle that occurred in practice. Joining the company of star slugger Rondell White and the pride of Phi Psi in Jeff Cirillo, the Twins deep bench seems to be running thin.
Twins Skipper Ron Gardenhire seemed to be disheartened with the news, but I look at this as a positive time. Punto, one of last years spark plugs that shot us into the playoffs, has struggled this season. Batting well below the famed Mendoza line at .132, this time will be well spent figuring out what he is doing wrong.
To be a realist, all of this would have been a non-issue had the Twins listened to me a few years ago. The Twins drafted an Iowa star catcher by the name of Jeff Clement in the 12th round in 2002. He ended up going to USC because he asked for a few more thousand than the Twins were willing to pay, then became the 3rd overall pick in 2004 by the Seattle Mariners. Though he is not a household name, he is tearing it up in the minor leagues and is a great power threat with great defensive skills as well. You heard it here folks, he will be a star very soon. Twins fans could have had him behind the plate, and Joe Mauer could have been our 3rd baseman easing the stress on his knees. Thus, keeping him more fresh and giving him a better shot at hitting .400.

Cold Piranhas

By the Numbers:
Punto BA after Friday's loss to D-Rays: .132
Bartlett BA after Friday: .087
Tyner BA after Friday: .182
Not to take anything away from Morneau, Mauer, Hunter, or Cuddyer; but I still feel like these three guys--especially Bartlett and Punto--had a huge part in last year's success.
A movie can have the big stars, but you need the supporting cast to get the Academy Award. If things don't change, I don't think the Oscar is possible
-TS

Small Market Blues Part 2

By David Jensen

In case you forgot, I was commenting on how the Twins do business.

And it works. The Twins won the AL Central with a 96-66 record last year. Meanwhile, the perennial big spending LA Dodgers spent almost $38 million more than the Twins to win the NL wild card with an 88-74 mark. Don’t forget that we swept the Dodgers in June. Over the past 6 seasons, LA has averaged 86 wins, made the playoffs twice and won the NL West once, and paid Kevin Brown and Darren Driefort, among others, a lot of money to do very little. In the same period, Minnesota has averaged 90 wins, won four division titles and made very few front office blunders. Damn you Phil Nevin!

Terry Ryan may be one of the best GM in baseball. He’s not a bad college president either. And the Pohlad family is standing behind him guarding the vault, occasionally swimming in it. Never letting us be completely happy. Whether it’s taxing and driving poor people from their homes, or selling us down the contraction river to Bud Selig, they’ll be there. But that should not keep us from securing the cornerstones, Mauer, Morneau, and Santana, at all costs.

Small Market Blues Part 1

By David Jensen

At times like these, when the Yankees come into The Dome and hammer the Twins, you will invariably hear the same sad song; we don’t have enough money to compete with them. It’s a convenient excuse. Even Theo Epstein used it after the Bombers took five in a row over Boston last September. Epstein, by the way, is responsible for the second highest payroll in baseball.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s a lie! For years, we’ve been brain washed into thinking that giving out big contracts would put the Twins into bankruptcy. The truth is there are no small markets, only cheap owners. Do you really think there are far more Padres fans in southern California than Twins fans in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas? Carl Pohlad is the 107^th richest man in America. Net worth $2.6 billion. It would be higher, but he’s given a lot of money to his kids the last few years. Pohlad is richer than Steinbrenner. He’s a true fat cat.

Not only has this robber baron convinced us that he is too poor for the Twins to compete, but he bamboozled Hennepin County into paying the lion’s share of the new stadium*. Consequently, we are resigned to the fact that Johan will be playing elsewhere in two years. There is a silver lining to this. If the Twins are 15 games back at the break, it boggles the mind to think what Terry Ryan could get for Santana. If the Cubs are involved, we could walk away with a whole farm team and a 49% stake in Wrigley Field plus the concession sales. But I would rather see Pohlad pony up the 200 million clams** to have Santana bring more Cy Youngs to Minnesota. The Twins haven’t made a significant productive free agent signing in ten years.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not calling for an all out spending spree on free agents in the off season. I like the way the Twins do business. I prefer the building and harvesting of a quality farm system to the signing of flash-in-the-pan free agents to outrageous contracts. Ryan is the master of the occasional shrewd trade for players entering their prime, rather than draining the minors for players on their way down and signing guys who will round out the line up nicely instead of relying on them to be the line up. To be continued.

*Altogether now: We ain’t gettin’ no stadium!

**If the market stays as it is now, and teams are desperate enough, don’t be shocked if he gets that over a long term deal.