Back over .500

Starting off tonight's post with the fact that I now owe Mr. Morneau two, yes two, cans of BBQ Pringles. If I had known this was all it was going to take to get him to start hitting home runs again I would have started offering to buy them a long time ago! Perhaps I will offer can three tomorrow and see what he can do. If I had a way to get them to him I would be all over actually going to the store and buying him some, but he would probably look at me like I was nuts. Perhaps I'll just save it for our potluck.

So we have come to the end of June (where is the year going?!) and we walk away with a record of 15 - 12. At least we can end June on a high note with a win and an overall winning month. We are also back to being one game above .500 and tied in the standings with our "favorite" team, that being the lovely Chicago White Sox. Some of the losses this past month were hard to swallow and could have been avoided with better performances from our bull pen and better at bats from our position players, but what's in the past is in the past and hopefully they will learn from things that happened and go into July with the gusto to have yet another winning month.

A good performance tonight from Baker, yes he may have had a high pitch count, but a win is a win in my book. Another awesome save from Joe Nathan, in all honesty, the more I see him the hotter he gets!

Betsy and I were discussing during the game tonight items that we could offer the guys to give them incentive to actually get out there and do what we want them to do (i.e. the whole BBQ Pringles thing with Justin). Also this will be a good thing to know for the pot luck at the end of the season. So far we have established the following list (with help from K-Bro and last years favorite things baskets):

Justin Morneau: BBQ Pringles
Joe Mauer: Jimmy Johns or a sleeve of golf balls
Jason Kubel: Gummi Bears
Scott Baker: Sour Patch candy
Joe Nathan: Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whiskey
Michael Cuddyer: Skittles
Kevin Slowey: Betsy (herself)

If you have anything you'd like to add to "the list". Comment below!

For some reason I can't help but laugh at this picture:


Tomorrow: Papa Perkins takes the mound again (at least he doesn't have to attempt to bat again). He is up against Gil Meche.

I make good on my promises

I know, no post from Sunday's game, but there really wasn't much to report on other then I'm happy Frankie had a good outing.

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So last night while watching the game (I'm not really sure that was even a game, but whatever), I made the comment while at Betsy's that I would buy Justin a can of BBQ Pringles if he would please do us the honor of hitting a homerun. And amazingly moments later he had hit that ball out of the park and gave us all a glimmer of hope that we might be able to come back and beat the Royals.

Look at those chipmunk cheeks!

But then again coming back and winning the game would have put us at 2 games above .500 and that apparently is not acceptable for the Twins this season. I know we tend to do better after the All Star break, but I would like to see us get 2 games above .500 before the break to go back to St. Louis with a good and positive attitude.

I was also holding out thinking maybe, just maybe Gardy getting kicked out of the game last night would light the fire under the guys asses to make them go out there and play baseball like they get paid to do. This isn't the minors anymore, that shit's only going to fly for so long before Rochester is calling someones name.

You know when the hat comes off...he's outta here!

Tonight: Scottie Baker is taking the mound against Brian Bannister. Here's to hoping that the guys remember to show up tonight and play ball like they are supposed to.

If you can't stand the heat...

First off, I am stepping up to the plate (no pun intended) and saying that I will take the blame for the game today. I had to leave at the end of the first inning and then it seemed that all hell broke lose for Kevin. I also say let's blame it on the heat as it messed with his mechanics and just threw him off balance. We all know he's better then what we saw today, hoping it's still enough to get him back to St. Louis for the All-Star game.

I really have no point to today's post, but some random observations that I took note of during the parts of the game that I did see:

* I am proud of Cuddy for being the bigger man in the 5th inning. Casey is going to have quite the role model growing up. He should be proud of his daddy.

* I believe that Molina needs to grow up. Even my brother, in high school, was taught to aim for the glove when trying to make a play at home.


*Albert Pujols could just go away for the game tomorrow, that would be good, k, thanks :-)

* Sean Henn looks like Hulk Hogan... at least from the back with the hair.

* After seeing Keppel pitch today, the jury is still out.

* I totally had to laugh at Kevin today and the farmers tan he was rocking under that jersey.

Rumor has it that Steve Tolleson might be on his way up from Triple A if LNP doesn't show he's healthy enough to play. I've been waiting in this series to see if Cuddy will get his chance to start at 2nd base that everyone has been talking about. I really do feel bad for Nicky, but maybe this will teach him to stop diving head first into first base.

Tomorrow: Frankie gets the start. Hopefully the heat won't get to him and we can get 7 quality innings out of him and give our bullpen another little breather.

Meet me in St. Louis

Tonight's game = Wow

Glen Perkins = amazing

Joe Nathan = Words can't describe him.



I do have to say that his "catch" tonight was mighty impressive. I couldn't help but laugh a little when they showed him digging it out of his jersey, but at the same time I was hoping he was okay and didn't get hurt taking that one in the stomach. I know they said tonight during the game that Joe was in the running for the All-Star game again this season and I really hope he makes it so that way everyone has the chance to see just how good our closer is.

I think as a whole (and I'll probably regret saying this later) our bull pen has been pretty strong lately. It does help when lately our starting pitchers have been going 7+ innings every game. But our combination of Matt, R.A. and Nate seems to pack quite the punch. I don't wanna judge Bobby until I actually see him take the mound and Jose can be hit or miss. The only lemon is Henn, but I'm not even going there.

I did have to laugh tonight before the game when I was reading La Velle's post and he said that our home plate umpire tonight was Todd Tichner. Now for those of you playing along, Todd is the same home plate umpire that threw out Gardy, Red-Dog, Jason Varitek and Terry Francona. Everyone over at my house tonight for the game were taking bets on how many players would get kicked out with him back there, thankfully no one did.

Tomorrow: Slowey gets to take the mound tomorrow in a scorcer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good showing, as I won't be home for most of the game and a chance to pass Halladay in the numbers of wins this season. Hopefully the heat won't get to the guys and we'll be able to pull it off!

I received the best present ever today at work and that is tickets to the July 8th game against the Yankees. I must say free tickets are the best kind of ticket :-)

"Since the day I left Milwaukee..."

I was hoping I would get to use that title with a win today!

I really think today's game spoke for itself. The guys went out there and got after it and it worked to our advantage. The more and more I see it, I'm really love the Dickey/Guerrier/Nathan combination. I feel some sort of, I don't wanna say safety, but that's what it is,with those guys in that order.

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Now the real heart of what I wanted to talk about in this post and that would be our outfield situation.

I know we have 5 very talented guys that can work in the outfield and can do their jobs very well. with Span-man being on the DL and GoGo taking over the lead-off spot, he really impressed me with how he handled it. Triples, singles, etc, he can do it all and proved he can. Plus I think he's really trying to fill in that void that we lost when Torii left. The catches that he has made are amazing and he's swinging the bat good.

Span-man knows how to really test the pitcher we're against and he's amazing in the outfield as well. He's made his fair share of amazing catches since we called him up last season.

And then of course we have Kubel, Cuddyer, and Young, all are amazing in their own way and I always feel bad because someone gets the short end of the stick when we're home and especially when we play NL games. I would think at this point in the season these guys would know that they are going to get to play each day.

Who knows, this whole post may make no sense to anyone, but I think my ideal outfield right now would be Cuddyer, GoGo and Span-man with Kubel and Young rotating the DH (I don't know about Young yet, but we'll see). And who knows, these guys could really pick up the performance too if they knew exactly what position they would be playing every day.

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Tomorrow: It's on to visit the great city of St. Louis and a trip to the mound for Papa Perk. We need to go in and go one game at a time and show the Cardinals what we are made of!

Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal?

Who knew a ball game could hurt so much. I can only imagine what Blackie was feeling last night. You could tell by the look on his face (I think that broke my heart more then anything) when he was in the dug out, he knows he effed up and it was a big one. I just wish I could figure out what he was doing, what would posses him to even attempt that.

I still love ya Nick and it's going to take a lot more then what happened tonight for you to make my shit list, just ask Alexi and Jesse.

But to make light of the situation in the 8th inning when Nick was batting I offered him a cookie if he hit one out into the outfield. Apparently he didn't want a cookie because he struck out, which is probably a good thing because I don't know what kind of cookies he likes since there is no favorite things baskets this season.

Jason Kubel going BOOM was the best thing of the night (apparently GoGo's triple was lovely, but I missed that one).

Hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong with Punts. I do tend to worry about him when he dives head first into first base. I'm hoping it's just a deep bruise and he'll be okay with a couple days rest and be back in time for the St. Louis series or even hold off until Kansas City.

Today: We have Scott Baker taking the mound. I do love to have a change of scenery and seeing our pitchers in their batting helmets, but I just want a good solid start and a win would be icing on the cake!

We can't get the sweep, but that doesn't mean we can't win the series.

Back at .500

Yet again the "American Idol" graces the cover of this weeks Sports Illustrated. According to the Star Tribune the guy has a bowling alley in his house. I wish, how about a bowling party at Joe's? I'm also going with the theory that since he was on the cover in 2006 and won the batting title, he can do that again this year. I could be totally wrong, but that's what I like to stick to.

At this point, I kind of have a love/hate relationship with Frankie. He got the win tonight which is great, hopefully it will boost his confidence, but I'm still concerned with how he's pitching. And now with all this new information coming out about Ayala, the idea of sending Henn back to Rochester, sending Frankie to the bullpen, and bringing Swarzy up to start sounds better and better. Once Frankie gets it all under control then bring him back as a starter.

Overall I was happy with the way the game came out, especially since we are 4 for 4 against the Brewers this season and that Matty hit one of their players (I was secretly hoping that we would get redemption for them hitting Joe and Joe when they were here).

So Long, Farewell and a battle at .500

I think a lot of Twins fans weren't surprised with the news yesterday that the Twins front office, once again, screwed up. What everyone was surprised with, was who the Twins front office cut loose this time. Last time was Jesse Crain, this time Luis Ayala.

I figured for sure when I started hearing reports yesterday that Bill Smith (who I didn't think knew how to work) was making a trip to Rochester to look at the pitching staff out there, that we would be saying so long to Sean Henn, but apparently I don't know this team as well as I thought.

Instead we're DFAing a guy that was experience to bring in a guy that doesn't really have the experience.

What exactly is the game plan if Keppel comes in and sucks more then Ayala or Henn? Oh that's right, the front office probably doesn't have a game plan. Apparently they don't seem to really care what's going on. Way to go!

And while I'm on the topic of stuff I've been reading online. I have been reading a lot of stuff about how this club won't be anything more then a .500 club this season. Last season when the club rolled into Milwaukee for our boarder battle, we were 32-35, this season rolling in we are 35-36.

I strongly think this series could be the turn around this club needs. With the All-Star break right around the corner, they will find the momentum they need to be more than a .500 team.

1...6...3....what?

Before I get into the recap of that series, Happy Father's Day to any father's that read this. Also Happy Father's Day to the guys on the team with little ones. I was so happy that they showed some of the little ones on TV during the game, the guys on this team made some adorable kids! It's always fun watching them try and walk around out on the field when they are so young, yet some of them are getting so big!

Hopefully next year they do it the same weekend as the autograph party, because if they do early ticket sales for Territory Members, I'll be getting tickets for this game.

Also, plans are under way for the meet up for the bloggers, you can see all the info here.

Now onto the weekend recap...

The home runs this weekend by our guys were out of this world. Brandon, Delmon, Joey, Jason, and then Cuddy today. Awesome job guys. It's just too bad all those home runs couldn't chalk up to wins yesterday or today. I think Brandon's gets the gold star out of all of them seeing how it was only the second pitch thrown in the first inning.

One again we have the bullpen to thank for missing the wins (today not so much). It was a rough first inning for Papa Perk, but I was hoping we could pick up the mess offensively, but no such luck. Saturday's outing for Scottie was all the bullpen. Thanks Henn, or as my ex-boyfriend calls him Henny-Penny. He needs to be the next one back to Rochester, more so then Ayala.

Amazing stuff out of Scottie yesterday too with the deflected balls back up with middle over to Harris for a few entertaining single outs! You'd think they way they were played they were double play balls, but nope! It was good to see him get a chuckle out of that when it was happening.

Congrats to Slowey on win number 10 this season! With Halladay going on the DL hopefully Kevin will be able to get ahead of him with his number of wins and secure his start in the All-Star game. It would be amazing to see him get that start! I'll admit I did get a little nervous with the number of walks that Kevin had going in that game, but out of our starting rotation, he's the one guy that I don't tend to worry about that much.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Gardy put Nathan in for the 8th inning, what's that? The second time this season he's done that? It would be nice if he would do that more often. I know he doesn't want to, cause he doesn't want to have to rely on Joe for 4 outs every time and just stick to his three, but there are some cases where it just has to be done I think.

Now it's on to Milwaukee where I wouldn't mind a repeat performance of what we did when they were here.

ETA: Just when I think I have our starting rotation figured out and think I'll actually get to see Kevin start a game in person, they push his next start back a day (or two, depending on what you read) so I probably still won't get to see him pitch in person.

Hardy...har...har...har...

So I realized I never did my recap of the Pirates series so I'll work on that now while I watch the guys take on the Astros.

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First off, what I think was the biggest thing in the series, Nick Blackburn pitching a complete game. Way to go Blackie! I was so hoping he could get the shut out, but after that wasn't going to happen, I was hoping for a complete game and boy did he deliver! I didn't get anything done during the 9th at work, I just sat there and listened hoping he'd finish it up.

Great to see some balls going deep for our guys. Especially Cuddy and Buscher. I do feel bad for Brian that he doesn't get to see the plate more, because I wouldn't mind seeing that a little more often from him.

Overall this whole team is really starting to come together, from the starting pitchers, to our offense and our defense.

I'm going to end this by saying "Dome Field Advantage". That is all ;o) Our guys don't seem to have any issues catching balls in the out field.

Tomorrow: It's Twins Family Day tomorrow at the Dome (I really wish they would announce this sooner because I would have loved to have gone to that game, any one wanna go?) I do love seeing those kids run around and play their little game of ball with Daddy.

I'd like to apologize...

After tonight's game I feel I need to apologize to Delmon Young for everything nasty I have ever said about him. That catch tonight was amazing, I so thought that one was going out of the park. I right along with Nathan was breathing a sigh of relief when we came up with that one.

So Delmon (not that he'll ever see this) I'm sorry for being so mean to you and keep doing what you're doing.

Official Twitter/Blog Meet up Post

Since the planning has already started for everyone to meet up for a game, I figured this might be easier to get it all figured out.

Thank you to Oh, It's THOSE Girls for offering to help out with this.

I know that July 11th has been floating around as the day. Myself and Besty (http://girllovesbaseball.blogspot.com/) already purchased cheap seat tickets for that game as it is the Faith and Family night as well.

So everyone can post their thoughts of what we want to do here.

Baseball Unplugged

I am so glad I decided to go to Unplugged tonight. It was so much fun meeting everyone from the blogs and from Twitter. We must do this again soon because I had an amazing time! It's tough when you don't have a whole lot of friends that love the game as much as you do, so it was a nice change to get together with a group of girls that love the game as much as me!

We did discuss going a day game where all the girls from Blogger and Twitter would be able to come out for the game. I really think we should work on this girls! Someone needs to be in charge. I volunteer my credit card to order them if we can come up with a weekend to go!

No pictures, which is a bummer because it was so dark in there my pictures didn't turn out the best, but just being there was enough for me!

They cut off the autograph line at 9 so no one from our group was able to get anything signed, but For The Love of the Game got something a little special, but I won't spoil it here and let her share with everyone!

So again, thanks girls for making this night amazing and let's all do it again soon (this time with everyone!)

Tweet ups

So this post is coming earlier then I expected only because tonight I've decided I'm venturing to Maple Grove for Baseball Unplugged 1) to see Cuddy again and 2) to meet some of the lovely girls I have met through Twitter. I'm a little disappointed that Kevin isn't going to be there tonight, as I was looking forward to seeing him but alas we get Cuddy, Papa Perk, and Scottie. It's a win/win situation!

I will have pictures from tonight I'm sure at some point.

This series recap post will probably come tonight after I get home or sometime tomorrow!

Who's the weakest link?

I have to admit I was surprised this afternoon when I read that Jesse Crain was sent to AAA Rochester. I didn't think they had it in him to actually send him down, but I personally couldn't stand to watch him pitch one more inning. This season has been brutal to him to say the least. Hopefully Papa Perk has a good start tonight and shows us all what we know he can do!

I also read this morning that the Twins signed Derek McCallum on Sunday. He was our 4th round draft pick. He's going to make a great addition to the team as a 2nd baseman. He was headed down to join the team in Fort Meyers and then he's going to join the Elizabethon team on Tuesday. Congrats Derek and welcome to the Twins organization!

Random thoughts

I was so looking forward to a sweep this weekend, but I suppose since we were playing in the friendly confines of Wrigley we should let them win one, it's the Minnesota nice thing to do after all.

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There really is no theme to this series post, so here are some random thoughts that I have on the weekend:

* We said goodbye to Alexi (again) & Swarzy and hello to LNP & Jose (again). Alexi going back to AAA didn't surprise me, but after his performance on Saturday, saying goodbye to Swarzy is tougher then I thought. He has proven he can pitch against the best of them and I'm already set to welcome him back when we get extra roster spots in the fall (if not sooner).
* Joey's power and performance this season still amazes me. I'm not sure where it's all coming from (not that I'm complaining). I did have to laugh in Friday's game when they were talking about the garage door and the next thing I know I'm seeing Joey's ball go right over the garage door.
* I was impressed with all our starters for this series and our relief pitching had actually picked up a bit.

Now the guys get to come home for a week, they are all probably ready to sleep in their own beds, I know I would be!

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Random funny item for the weekend, I purchased the 2009 Official Team Yearbook today at the Pro Shop while out shopping and was reading Ernie's page (Justin) and he said his biggest fear was flying. I wonder how that works out for him?

We need a pitcher...

At least I'm not coming here going "And there went another losing series on the road." I was ready to be all excited over a winning series on the road, but alas, no such luck.

We saw some really good pitching by our starters on this series, Swarzy tried, again he's only 23 it has to be tough, Scottie was amazing, Frankie had some rocky moments but pulled through, and Blackie was hanging tough until the 8th inning (but he can't be perfect all the time, what fun would that be?)

Yet we went 2 for 4 in the series, it wasn't lack of runs (we had some homers, singles, just good base running), it was mostly the bullpen and a player, who shall remain nameless, but just got sent back to Rochester this afternoon to make way for LNP.

It would be nice if we could get some help from the pen and not have to rely on the same people every time we go to there.

Now it's on to Wrigley Field, I don't think I've ever been more excited for a series then I have been for this one, just because it's Wrigley Field.

Keep swinging the bats boys and the rest will fall into place.

I smell a draft...

I started working on this last night before that mess that was the 9th inning, so I'll finish what I started now and add a little to it :-)

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So seeing how this is the first year I've really tried to keep up with the draft (as much as a crazy day at work will let me), I decided tonight to sit down and do some research on some of the top guys that we drafted in the first two days.

~ 1st round: Kyle Gibson - RHP

I think he could make a good addition to a starting rotation. I heard so much about this guy when the draft talks first started and I was surprised to see that he was still available when we had our 22nd pick. Once his stress fracture heals and if he signs with the team, I think he could make a really good addition to our pitching staff. I've been reading good things about his fastball.

~ 4th round: Ben Tootle - RHP

I think Ben would make a good addition to our bullpen (which we all know needs some work) Everything that I have read has said his slider is probably one of his better pitches against right handed hitters. Now this the bug he had for a month has passed and he's getting back into his rhythm, he has a lot to show.

~ 5th round: Derek McCallum - 2nd base

A home grown guy coming out of the U of M and hometown of Shoreview. It's always a good feeling to see the Twins pick up some of Minnesota's talent. He was drafted by the Twins as a last round pick in 2006 I believe. He had a batting average of .291 in 2008 and 32 RBI and 3 home runs. He can play either shortstop or 2nd (as the Twins drafted him for)

~ 27th round: Eric Decker - OF

Yet another homegrown ball player out of the U, Eric comes from Cold Spring. In 2008 he had a .329 batting average, 28 RBI, 3 home runs, 9 stolen bases and an on base percentage of .439. He was also drafted before to the Milwaukee Brewers as a 38th round pick in 2008. He has decided though that he wants to play football at the U this coming school year before he makes his decision concerning his professional career.

Overall I love the number of pitchers the Twins are trying to pick up, as we all know our bullpen needs some work. Obviously most of these guys will probably never see the Majors, but it's nice to see the Twins trying to make something happen.

Tonight's what the heck moment brought to you by...

I was going to wait and do a post after this series, but after tonight's...interesting...performance, it's getting it's own post.

I was all excited and ready to come and do a "Yay Scottie Baker with the shut out" post, but oh no...we let it come down to a save situation with a 10-0 lead in the 9th *head desk* If my parents weren't already asleep I'd be going on a one women rampage. Thank God for Natey.

There were positives during the game today, yes it wasn't all so odd, it was nice to see some magic from the bottom of the lineup. We can’t rely on the M&M boys all the time to get the runs for this team, two people can’t support this entire organization, and we have some really good hitters that just need to find their rhythm. Example, Harris was really good tonight, it was nice to see Delmon get back into it as well.

I liked seeing some homeruns in there too…I thought for awhile we forgot how to hit those. Justin and Jason reminded me what those were again. Thanks for that boys :)

I end tonight's post with a question, with Little Nicky Punto coming off the DL Friday, what are your thoughts on what will happen with the lineup and the roster? Who will go back to Rochester and where will everyone play?

I have my thoughts on that question, but I'll save that for my post on Thursday.

Thoughts?

This is going be a shorter post, but I have been trying to catch up on my Twins news and articles from the weekend since I was MIA for most of it (Monday came way too quick for my liking), but the articles are turning up again about Mauer, his contract and his chance at MVP.

Apparently Bill Smith has said Joe's contract will end up being more like Justin and Nathan's and nothing like a certain Twins player who used to wear number 57.

I know myself and the Twins fans on Twitter have talked about this in the past, but I want to know what everyone's thoughts are on Mauer's contract status and what you think will happen? And what your thoughts are on Joe's chance of being MVP this year?

Random Stuff

It's good to be home from the wedding, it's been a long and exhausting weekend.

First off, thanks to my Twitter Twins fans for tweeting during both games this weekend. It was nice to be able to know what was going on while I was away!

More then likely there will be no baseball post this weekend since I missed two of the games, so I will return after the series with Oakland.

Thanks for your support

It's a little odd doing this before the series is over, but tomorrow night will be spent packing for the wedding I have to attend this weekend (I'm in the wedding so I really have to go). Twitter girls...I'll be tweeting on and off via my cell so I'll be checking in for game updates Friday and Saturday!

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At least tonight's game wasn't a shut out, we got that going for us. This game was depressing to say the least.

~ Slowey's performance from last night was amazing as usual (even with the walk and runs). Swarzy tonight, poor Swarzy. So many people that I have talked to since his first start have been expecting that every game since. He's young, he's still learning. I still love him even though he had an off day today. It happens to the best of them, he can learn from this and move on to his next start against Oakland on Monday.

~ I'm not sure how much more of Ayala I can take and I really hope to God when Papa Perk comes off the DL, Ayala goes back to Rochester. I do agree with K-Bro, I miss the days when we had the best bullpen in the league. What happened to that team?

~ Homerun number 12 for the baseball boyfriend last night. I do love watching him hit those homers! I also love that I get a phone call from my nephew after each and every one going "Auntie Katie! Did you see Joe hit that one?!" Skyler wants to be Joe Mauer when he gets older, I think it's adorable.

~ Carlos Gomez, you are the honorary baseball boyfriend of the series. One with that catch you made on Tuesday. That was a work of art, simply priceless! Second for getting into it with the cocky Cliff Lee tonight (I really do hate that guy). You really should have just smacked him and I would have chipped in to help pay the fine. But also for getting that single off him the next time you saw him. Take that Cliff Lee.

~ Oh and I remember tonight why we sent Little Lexi down to AAA.

Overall tonight's game, we had no offense, no defense, no bullpen. It's like they just forgot to show up.

Boys a suggestion for you all...

Go home tonight and sleep. Actually remember to show up tomorrow, go out there and at least win the series.