Now It Can be Told

Editor's Note: I planned to get this posted a week ago but I was feeling poorly. All stats are current as of April 30th. I am deeply sorry for depriving you of this world-class information.

By David Jensen

The first month of the season is in the books. It was a strange April for the Minnesota Twins. The good news: The Twins rank at or near the top of the American League in several categories, and are in second place in the central which is quickly shaping into the toughest division in baseball. The bad news: Several key players have been inconsistent and it just seems like the team should be doing better.

For starters, the Twins have stayed fairly healthy thus far. Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau have not been injured. Hunter has had several close calls. He missed two games with a strained shoulder, and somehow only needed stitches after taking a pitch to the face. Luis Castillo has missed 11 games already due to his aching legs. Jeff Cirillo and Rondell White played in two and three games respectively before heading to the DL within the first week of play.

Offensively, Minnesota is third in the league in hitting, with a .271 average. The Twins hit only 15 homeruns while their opponents slugged 31 off Minnesota pitching. Joe Mauer is first in the AL in batting average (.369), fourth in on base percentage (.465), and seventh in walks (15). Torii Hunter is off to a great start. Hitting at .326, he leads the AL in doubles with 13. He also is best on the team in total bases (56), RBI (18), stolen bases (4) and slugging percentage (.651). He is on pace for another 30 home run, 100 RBI season. Cuddyer is hitting .290 with 17 RBI and 11 extra base hits, but has struck out 21 times.

The results have been mixed with the part-timers. In 17 games, Jason Tyner is hitting .313 with nine runs scored. Mike Redmond is at .259. Not a strong average, but he’s come through in some big spots and has 10 RBI in 14 games. In 20 games, Jason Kubel is hitting .261, six doubles, 12 RBI and no home runs.

Offensively, the infielders have been a major area of concern. Jason Bartlett is hitting a meager .239, but he’s always been what you might call a “defensive shortstop” with lower expectations at the plate. On April 19^th, Nick Punto was hitting a woeful .143 with an OBP of .217. Since then, he’s hit .300 with an OBP of .391. Overall, he’s at .220 with more strikeouts than (11) than walks (10). Let’s hope he continues to heat up with the weather.

Overall, Justin Morneau had a good month. He has a .271 average, six homeruns, 50 total bases, 13 walks, 13 strikeouts and a .521 slugging percentage. His trouble has been his inconsistency. Here is a timeline of his April: 2^nd and 3^rd; 4-7, 1 homerun, two RBI. 4^th-10^th; 2-17 (.118), one homerun, three RBI, four strikeouts and 4 walks. 11^th-21^st; 14-40 (.350), two homeruns, seven RBI, seven extra base hits, one strikeout and five walks. 22^nd-29^th: 6-28 (.214), two homeruns, three RBI, six strikeouts and three walks. If the Twins want to succeed in the central, he’ll have to limit these slumps as the summer progresses.

Probably the biggest concern coming into the season was the starting rotation. Surprisingly enough, the top three have come through in fine style. Johan Santana went 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA. He leads the AL in strikeouts with 45 and is second in innings pitched at 40. He hasn’t always been sharp, but history shows that he doesn’t become unstoppable until about Memorial Day. Minnesota’s best starter in April was new acquisition Ramon Ortiz. Posting a 3-1 record with a 2.57 ERA, good for seventh in the AL, the veteran has become a solid number two.

It’s been a very encouraging month for Carlos Silva. He’s 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA. He hasn’t looked like Cy Young, but he does resemble the reliable number three form 2003-05. Averaging 5.2 innings per start, he hasn’t given up more than three runs in a game. He’s given the Twins a chance to win every game he’s started.

Following the likes of Juan Castro and Tony Batista as a veteran pickup who hasn’t produced is the loathsome and greasy Sidney Ponson. This latter-day Moe Green limped to a 1-3 record with an 8.44 ERA. He did not record a quality start* and pitched a full six innings only once.

As it has been for the last six years, the bullpen is among the league’s best. As a unit, they’re 5-3 with an ERA of 3.48 which is second in the AL. Juan Rincon led the bullpen with an ERA of 1.86. He went 1-0 with a .256 batting average against, six walks, 12 strikeouts and allowed a run in only one of his ten appearances. Pat Neshek posted a 2.25 ERA. The league hit just .140 off him while he struck out 12 and walked four. In 12 games, he gave up three runs, all on one swing by Raul Ibanez.

Matt Guerrier performed well in the middle innings. Opposing batters hit a mere .111 off Matt as he struck out seven and walked three. He pitched at least two innings in five of his ten appearances.

Joe Nathan is another player whose inconsistency is troubling. He has a very respectable 2.19 ERA, but has given up 16 hits in 12.1 innings. In 2006, he gave up just 38 hits in 68.1 innings. Last year, he wouldn’t give teams even a small chance to win. In April, he had four 1-2-3 innings and just one in a save situation. With a 1-1 record, he hasn’t collapsed often, but he is walking a very thin line.

In the field, the Twins are the class of the AL. They top the league in fielding percentage (.989), put outs (678) and fewest errors (11). Seven position players did not commit an error. Dorn has an astonishing six outfield assits.

Minnesota finished the month at 14-11, 7-7 at home, 7-4 on the road. The top four teams in the central are within 2.5 games of each other**. If Minnesota can play the quality baseball they’re capable of consistently, there’s no reason why they can’t hang around all summer.

*A quality start is defined by the low standards of 6 innings and 3 or fewer runs allowed.

**Won’t someone please help the poor Royals?

Devil Rays Series

-Quick Stat from D-Rays series: In a three game series, the Twins had 42 hits. They only scored 16 runs from these 42 hits--9 of which came in game 1.

-Other D-Ray news: Sadly, you can no longer shop for furniture at Tropicana Field.
Saddest News: We appear to be back in the 2005 season.

-Carols Silva Still making the Twins beatwriters look foolish.
-TS

Knicks Beat Writer

By Tyler Savage

So…the Twins have been so boring to watch in the last few weeks that it has come to this--I have actually started watching the NBA again tonight.

Why did I stop watching the NBA you might ask, well…I am a Knicks fan. Since I graduated from high school, we have been having some rough years, and we encountered a small bump in the road (Isaiah Thomas).

Sadly, the Knicks had a huge meltdown at the end of the year and we missed the playoffs again. However, there are still many enemies of the Knicks who made the playoffs that we need to rally against, let’s take a look at a few.

Out of the mix:

Indiana Pacers: Did not make playoffs (I think)
Rivalry History: The Knicks have met the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals twice, and in the Eastern Conference Finals three times.
High Point: ’98, beating the Pacer’s in the Finals as a #8 seed.
Low Point: ’95, Ewing missing a lay-up at the buzzer to loose game 7! (Honorable mention: same year, Reggie Miller scoring 20 points in the last .08 seconds of game 1 of the series, and going in the stands and choke slamming Spike Lee [that's what I remember]).

Miami Heat: Lost to the Bulls!
Rivalry History: Late 90’s, met in the playoffs four times.
High Point: ’98, round one, Allen Houston buzzer beater from the free-throw line to win the series.
Low Point: ’97, loosing to the Heat in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis. The reason: we were looking ahead to the Bulls, Jordan was scared…

Still in mix: Cheer against!

Houston Rockets: Game 7 tonight against Utah
Rivalry History: Met once in the 1994 NBA Finals.
High Point: Leaving NY after game 5, up 3-2, John Starks is our savior
Low Point: John Starks game 7 (never recovered)

Chicago Bulls (biggest Foe of 90’s)
Rivalry History: Met 5 times in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the 90’s
High Point: After years of hell, Jordan retires, and we take out the Bulls in 94
Low Point: TIE: Jordan dunking over Starks at the Garden/Jordan coming out of retirement

DAMN IT TWINS…GET IT TOGETHER!

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE!!

By Tyler Savage

On Saturday something happened in baseball that was one of the evilest things that threatens the integrity of our great sport. No…it was not when Barry Bonds hit his latest homerun to continue his pursuit of raping the homerun record (note: this is an evil that I have come to accept in life, it is kind of like smoking and gambling). The evil occurred in the game played between the Orioles and the Indians at Jacob’s Field.

The travesty occurred in the 6^th inning of the game, but it actually started in the 3^rd inning. Here is the scoop, the Orioles have a man on third and on first, the guy at the plate hits a good shot to right field that is caught. The Oriole on third base then tags up and scores by crossing home plate. However, the man on first base makes a huge folly, he leaves for second base without tagging up and is thrown out at first. The key point is that the Oriole’s player on third crossed home plate before his teammate was picked off of first—by rule, the run should have counted.

The fun really begins after this play takes place, because the umpires get the call wrong, and do not reward the birds with the point that they should have earned. This should not be a shock to any of us who follow baseball. Umpires get calls wrong all the time (not to this extent of course, but it does happen).

The evil that I have foreshadowed about occurred in the 6^th inning of the same game between the O’s and the Indians. The Orioles manager bitches and points to the replays, and the umpires actually go back in time, and reward the Orioles with the point that they should have gotten in the 3^rd inning. Last time I checked, this is not the NFL, and there is not instant replay in baseball. In fact, this may be the first time in the history of the game that an umpire has changed a call after an argument with a manager.

Umpires and managers fighting to resolve absolutely nothing is one of the many things that makes baseball great and unique. Earl Weaver did not get thrown out of countless number of games to get a call reversed. He did it for the sport, his despise for umpires, and to just argue like a child as an adult. If more calls get reversed like Saturday nights, the tradition of the game is at stake.

Cardinals reliever dies in car crash

Josh Hancock, a key cog at middle relief for the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals has died in a car crash. Hancock, a Cleveland native and Auburn University alum pitched for the Red Sox, Phillies, and Reds before joining the Cardinals last season. He was 29 years old.

Tonight's Cardinals/Cubs game has been postponed.

Dateline Venezuela: Blogger not missing, not dead...

By Scott Doucette

Before I start I have to clear something up. Contrary to common belief I was not kidnapped because of the value of my kidneys on the black market, but rather, because of my derogatory comments about Venezuelan phenom Carlos Silva. I wish to offer a public apology to Carlos and his family. That being said, lets blog.

First of all I'd like to thank fellow bloggers Tyler and Dave for holding down the fort while I was otherwise engaged. And no, I'm not upset about your attempt to replace me with an "intern".

My Venezuelan captors Enrique and Luis have been surprisingly kind and even though I was forced to marry their youngest daughter (it was a beautiful wedding), I've actually been enjoying myself down here. My farmer's tan is in full effect and I've had more than my fill of undercooked goat and wild rice. Needless to say, a return to the states is not expected any time soon and now that I've gained access to the town computer I will be blogging regularly from my new home. Oh yeah, the people here seem to think Johan Santana is pretty good. They love their baseball, and believe it or not, most are big Twins fans. I watch all the games at a local Fuddruckers with Enrique and I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in the bats lately.

Going into the season I was skeptical of a lineup that has done nothing to prove me wrong. Of course our big guns are producing: The Big Baby Jesus, Joe Mauer, continues to hit and Cuddy continues to "smell em", while Morneau and Hunter are where they need to be, but at this point I'd like to trade in a couple of our Little Piranhas for one big damn Killer Whale. Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett have yet to show the talent that won them starting jobs last year while a platoon system at DH of Jason Kubel, Jason Tyner, and Mike Redmond, somwhow, does not seem to intimidate opposing pitchers. The offense has been affetive at times but it now seems that the pitching staff everyone was questioning going into the season might be just fine whereas our fun little lineup might be just that. Little fun to watch.

Prove me wrong fellas. Prove me wrong.

Pitfalls, Quicksand and Footholds

By David Jensen

April 19^th, Minnesota is an AL best 10-5 and in first place in the central by one game. Behind them was a road sweep of division leader Seattle. Ahead of them is a stretch of 10 straight divisional opponents, five against the lowly Royals. On April 26^th, the Twins are 11-10 and searching for answers. In six days, they lost twice to Cleveland and three times to those Royals and slipped to fourth in the division. Such is baseball. In a game based on failure, losing streaks are inevitable.

When a team is riding high, the trap door can open suddenly and seemingly without reason. Since leaving Seattle, Twins starting pitchers are 0-4 with a 6.03 ERA. The bullpen has continued to perform well, but with so much extra work, the dam is bound to break, i.e. the 11^th inning versus Cleveland on Monday.

Coupled with poor starting pitching, one would think that Luis Castillo’s injury has played a major role in Minnesota’s struggles. He hasn’t played since straining his left quadriceps April 19^th. His replacement, 22 year-old Alexi Casilla, has batted .393 and committed one error. As a team, Minnesota committed four errors, as many as their opponents.

Casilla isn’t the only one swinging a hot bat. In the last six games, Torii Hunter is hitting .360 with four doubles. Joe Mauer is hitting at a .435 clip. Nick Punto has batted .304, raising his season average 57 points.

With the table setters getting on base, we come to the four and five hitters. Dorn has hit a measly .208 with two RBIs and two extra base hits. Somehow Morneau has managed to do even less. He has one hit in his last 17 at-bats. Since leaving Seattle, he has just one RBI and one walk. With that kind of production from those two, the Twins will have little chance of overcoming a poor pitching performance.

The Twins had one last chance to salvage some respect before going to Detroit. Remembering the old cliché “momentum is today’s starting pitcher”, I listened and hoped. Boof wobbled, walking a career high seven Royals, but never fell in five shutout innings. He helped himself with eight strikeouts, tying a career high. Zack Greinke had the same type of day, giving the Twins many chances, but he always found a way to squirm out of trouble before leaving after the seventh. Greinke started the second by beaning Hunter in the face, sending him to the hospital for stitches. Neither bullpen gave up much through 10 innings.

Dorn led off the 11^th by grounding out to short. Morneau came up next with no hits in four at-bats on the day. But, like the warrior he is, he put the slump out of his mind and lined a long single off the baggy. He advanced to second on a seeing-eye single by Tyner. That set the stage for Mike Redmond. Predictably, the best hitting catcher in the game came through with a single to drive in the winning run. When the reigning MVP hits, good things happen. Like Dan Gladden said on the broadcast; “I don’t care what caliber of hitter you are, you’re gonna go through some one-for-twenty-one slumps”. Let’s hope it doesn’t follow him to Detroit.