Rattling the Snakes

Friday: Twins 7 - D-backs 2
Saturday: Twins 6 - D-backs 1
Sunday: Twins 5 - D-backs 3


Twins sweep series in 3


Wow. Now that was impressive. Apparently the theme of the series was "The Big Inning", and it's swell that the good guys were the ones producing them. It was nice to see the starting pitchers holding things together and giving their team a chance to win. Kudos to our young hitters for not being intimidated and stringing some hits together to score some runs (Brian Buscher is sure swinging a hot bat). And a lucky break didn't hurt, either. [Dang. This paragraph is suffering from a nasty case of "cliché-itis". I'd better quit gushing before it gets any worse.]

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After watching Saturday's game, I think I may be developing a crush on Mr. Nick Blackburn. I truly enjoy watching him pitch. And he rarely disappoints. I was reading the stats in the paper this morning and I saw that he's got a nice 3.68 ERA (second only to Baker among the starters), but has pitched way more innings than the rest of the starters except Livan. And two of his four losses can be attributed more to lack of run support than bad pitching. All the while, he looks mighty fine. Definitely worth consideration for future boyfriend status.

A note to the Baseball Gods: I respectfully request that you do not consider the above endorsement as grounds for hexing, jinxing, cursing, or otherwise poisoning Mr. Blackburn's future performances or health. After all, I am merely considering listing him among my favorites. He's still only a rookie, and deserves every opportunity to perform to his true abilities before bad luck on account of me needs to set in. Thank you.

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***Harshness Alert -- Scolding to Follow***

Delmon! Would it be possible to start fielding your position like you actually care about getting outs? It's bad enough that you don't run over to fly balls like you should, but that error today was practically unforgivable. I'm sure Jason Kubel would love to show you how it's done -- while you're sitting on the bench.

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When Augie Ojeda came up to bat on Sunday, I noticed how little he is. I wondered if he's littler than Little Nicky Punto. Turns out he is; they're both listed at 5'9", but Augie is 20 lbs lighter at 175.

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When ESPN's score scroll shows "CWS", am I the only one who briefly thinks they're talking about the Chicago White Sox instead of the College World Series?

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Speaking of the Chicago White Sox: Hugs and Kisses to the most adorable Chicago Cubs for nicely sweeping the White Sox.

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And finally, the "I Think I'd Rather Get Hit With the Ball Than Touch That" moment of the game: During Sunday's game, one of the Twins batters fouled a ball into the Twins dugout, forcing someone (one of the coaches, but I don't remember who) to dive to the floor to take cover. The camera caught him as he was getting up and brushing sunflower seed shells off himself with a look of disgust on his face. As the camera shot lingered on the scene for a bit, I looked at that floor and wondered, with all the seed shells, spit, used bubblegum, and tobacco juice, is there anything more disgusting than the floor of a baseball dugout? Ick.