A's is for ...

Monday: Twins 2 - Oakland 3
Tuesday: in progress (final: Twins 13 - Oakland 2)

Yesterday, I really wanted to give Nick Blackburn a hug (ok, I can't really think of a time when I don't want to give Nick Blackburn a hug, but even more so yesterday). It kind of sucked that his first pitch was smacked for a homerun. I can imagine that put him in a bad mood from the get go. I know it put me in a bad mood from the get go. But he wound up pitching pretty well, and went eight innings. A little more run support would've been nice.

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I have to keep reminding myself that yesterday's loss wasn't the end of the world. For some reason, some losses are harder to take than others; I don't know why that one was. Was it because the A's are so awful that we really should win? Was it because I disagreed with the umpire for about three-quarters of the game? Was it because the Twins looked so blah? Was it because the White Sox were playing, and beating, the Mariners to take the lead in the division? Was it because I think I can play left-field better than Delmon Young? Was it because Brendan Harris really needed to take the stinking bat off his shoulder?

Yeah, pretty much all that.

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Well, crappola. Here we go again with giving up a lead-off homerun again. STOP IT!

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Speaking of disagreeing with umpires, I have some things to say...

Last night: How do you call Joe Mauer out on strikes? Don't you know who he is? He's Joe Freaking Mauer! He doesn't take strike three. He knows the strike zone better than you do, moron.

Tonight: Wow! I respectfully request that you give my pitcher that call. I mean, if Justin Morneau can't reach it, and you're calling it a strike, I bet Kevin Slowey would appreciate that same advantage.

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So the Twins' preferred hand specialist must be enjoying the job security afforded him by the boys. Poor Adam "Adam" Everett got plunked in the hand by a foul ball while he was sitting innocently in the dugout. I'm telling you... Oven Mitts for everyone.

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Botton 2nd: Nice jack, BuschMan! And nice RBI triple, D-Span!
Top 3rd: And sweeeet play, Li'l Nicky!

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Will someone please cast a hex/jinx/spell/curse on the White Sox? I mean seriously, they aren't really this good, are they?

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Bottom 3rd: Run Randy, run! Good job, Randy. Now go get some oxygen.

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Bottom 5th: Ha! Go-Go hit a Ho-Ho!

(I hope that didn't come across too creepy. I meant it in the most innocent way possible. Really.)

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Mid 7th: So with all the hitting, and the running, and the scoring and everything, the superhero of the game is K-Slo. Twelve Ks in seven innings. Nice job, honey. And nice game, guys.

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Blog Update: I'm going on a business trip for the rest of the week. I'll be back Sunday. Dear Twins, please please please, take care of the California teams, 'k?

It's Nice to Know...

Friday: Twins 4 - Indians 5
Saturday: Twins 11 - Indians 4
Sunday: Twins 4 - Indians 2

Twins take series 2 - 1

After a potentially demoralizing series against the Yankees, it's nice to know that the Twins can get back on track against Cleveland. Of course, there's a ginormous difference between the Yankees and the Indians, but I prefer to remain optimistic (I just hope I'm not being delusional).

It's Nice to Know...

• That both Go-Go and D-Span will be ok after attempting molecular fusion with the outfield wall. (Turns out that spines don't really respond positively to collision energy).


• That Justin still has his swell homerun swing.


• That we don't have to face Casey Blake any more. (If we can't have him back, I'm glad he's in the National League.)


• That patience at the plate in the first inning pays off.


• That Brian Buscher likes to collect RBI.


• That Nick Blackburn didn't let a horrible outing in New York get him down and was able to tap-dance through an ultimately solid start. (He even earned some love from ESPN's BBTN.)


• That D-Span must be feeling ok because he made two ridiculous catches in centerfield. (He earned a ton of love from ESPN's BBTN.)


• That the Twins still play well in the ninth inning.


• That Justin likes to make pitchers pay for hanging a breaking ball.


• That Joe Nathan likes being The Nathanator.

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Franchise the Franchise Savior Watch:

Here's his line from Sunday evening's game in Rochester:

6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR, 102 pitches - 64 strikes, W (Red Wings win 10 - 5)

Hmm. Not as amazing as his last couple starts, but still pretty solid. The Big Team had better hurry and call him up so he can start performing miracles.

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It's Also Nice to Know:

That Manny Ramirez is totally willing to allow the Red Sox to trade him.

Ok, I'm being sarcastic. I've been watching the Yankees - Red Sox game for about an hour now, and I've heard that Manny won't block a potential trade or, if that doesn't work out, requests that the Red Sox inform him that they won't pick up his option yada yada yada about 359 times.

This happened earlier today, and I'm already extremely weary of hearing about it. But, Manny-Being-Manny is such a princess that I just know I'll hear about it for the next several days. Lord, he makes me want to puke!

On another note, however, I am slightly enjoying watching Sir Sid get spanked by the Sox. Just cuz.

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So the White Sox are coming to town, and I'm totally stressed out by it. Fortunately, I don't have a whole lot going this week so I'll have time to watch the games. I'm just afraid that I'll re-aggravate my ulcer watching them.

I'm just hoping for a split or better. Please. Pretty Please...

It's a Sweep Hat Trick!

Tuesday: Twins 3 - Padres 1
Wednesday: Twins 9 - Padres 3
Thursday: Twins 4 - Padres 3

Twins sweep another series in 3
(I'm curious, have they ever swept three series in a row before? I'm too lazy to look it up.)

Well, aren't we just having fun! The pitchers are pitching super. Batters are hitting great. Our defense is solid. Guys are picking each other up. We're beating good pitchers. I can't stop beaming. Yay!

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The big talking point about this series before it started was how Petco Park is hard to hit homers in (I know that was a poorly formed sentence, but I don't care because I'm still beaming). So it was a blast (no pun intended, or maybe it is) to see Harris, Buscher, Monroe, and Morneau hitting some. Especially Brendan -- where did he get all that power all of a sudden?

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Who knew?: The Twins are leading the American League in batting with runners in scoring position and in batting with runners in scoring position with two outs. Seriously. And here I thought they were still leaving men on base all over the place. But it's true -- you can look it up here and here.

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Did you see the "Go Sit In The Corner" corner? Usually, I'm a pretty optimistic person, and I rarely criticize. However, once in a while, I feel a little snarky and want to give someone a time-out for bad behavior. I got the idea in my last post when I scolded Delmon Young. Sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.

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.

Weekend in Milwaukee

Saturday: Twins 9 - Brewers 4 (12)
Sunday: Twins 2 - Brewers 4

Well, to be honest, I didn't really watch a whole lot of either of these games. I was at the lake again, so I was hanging with the family and sending the kids on snipe hunts. Good times.

Since I caught the games in bits and pieces, it seems fitting to break out the bullet points.

• Thumbs up to Cuddy for the triple-with-an-error that looked a whole lot like an inside-the-park-homerun. That was a ton of fun.
• Another thumbs up for Brian Buscher for the timely hit that won the game on Saturday.
• A consoling pat on the back for Joe Nathan for blowing the save on Saturday. It's ok honey, you'll get 'em next time.
• A high-five for Scotty Baker for striking out FOUR in the third inning on Sunday. According to John and Dazzle, he's the first Twin to do that and only the 20th in the American League. (In case you didn't catch it, the second batter he faced, Prince Fielder, struck out but reached first because the pitch was wild).
• Speaking of Prince Fielder, watching him run makes me laugh. Like a bowl full of jelly.
• A little scolding for Brendan Harris to remind him that just because you ask for time while you're in the batter's box, doesn't mean you actually get time so you can step out of the batter's box. Although, it seemed a little like the umpire may have been kinda bratty about the whole thing.

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And finally, this is pretty cool: ESPN is sponsoring a "Battle of the Bands" performing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to celebrate the song's 100th anniversary. They have a nice mix of musical styles scheduled to perform, and viewers will vote for the best. Info here.