Minnesota @ Pittsburgh, 6/16-6/18
W 4-2, W 5-3, W 8-2
Oh.
Oh, my.
My word.
A sweep. On the road, even. Without the benefit of a DH, no less. (Though some will say, and others already have, that has been true all season.)
Two sweeps in a row. Nine home runs over the last two series--four for Kubel, three for the Doctor. 31 runs. 54 hits. 26 walks. Staff ERA of 1.42. 53 strikeouts. 11 runs, 9 earned. A seven-game winning streak.
Hit-and-runs were executed, bunts were placed, bases were stolen. Bats went BOOM! And BOOM! And BOOM! again. Pitchers pitched out of jams and sometimes went multiple innings without creating any. Bases were loaded, and runners were then brought home.
Fans were given hope, and that hope was not cruelly crushed. It was not even mildly dented. Tricky plays were executed. Ordinary plays were executed. Third place was snatched from Cleveland's jaws.
Who are these people, and what have they done with our Twins?
Posted by infield at June 18, 2006 05:28 PM.500, baby!
I could go on about some crackpot theory on alien abductions or NYBrian casting some spell over our lads or something, but instead I'm just going to sit here and bask in the glow of the .500.
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades. Yo.
Posted by: FordHoiberg at June 18, 2006 05:33 PMClearly if Silva and Bradke are going to start pitching like they mean it (as they did this past week) the twins could win 90-95 games. If not...well...we know where that road leads...
Posted by: Mark at June 18, 2006 05:45 PM"Who are these people, and what have they done with our Twins?"
Who cares...let's keep this bunch! And let's keep it going in Houston - it's time to reverse the road blues.
Hey Jason Williams....its not over yet! (click my name to read about that)
Posted by: SDave at June 18, 2006 05:46 PMOh, and thanks for the great work in BG's absence, infield!
Posted by: SDave at June 18, 2006 05:47 PMI hope Terry Ryan isn't holding pat with the club. If we can get a veteran third baseman with some pop in his bat, we'll be even more dangerous.
On today's game, I was thoroughly impressed with the two-out hitting in the eigth inning. The boys saw an opening and took full advantage of it. Props to Punto for his ballsy drag bunt to bring Castillo over to second. I have fully regained my faith in this club in the recent week's events and couldn't be prouder to be a Twins fan.
Posted by: Mike at June 18, 2006 06:01 PMWord to what FordHoiberg said. Yo.
Posted by: AT at June 18, 2006 06:31 PM.500!
And for all of Lew's baserunning gaffes, he had an awesome play today scoring from second on a grounder to the second baseman.
And holy two out hits!
And Justin drove a ball into the opposite field gap for 3 key RBIs! Yes! If he starts doing more of that, he'll start getting more inside pitches, and that'll mean more boom boom.
What a fun week of Twins.
Posted by: Will at June 18, 2006 06:40 PMI like these guys! Woohoo .500!
Good job pinch-blogging, Infield!
Posted by: Rach at June 18, 2006 07:48 PMbut who's the boyfriend of the day?! the suspense is killing me!
Posted by: kafumbly at June 18, 2006 08:01 PM1) Infield is wicked great at pinch-blogging.
2) You Batlings have thee greatest quotes.
3) I couldn't be any more proud and/or happy for our boys.
4) Bring on the Astros, because, plainly, it's on!
(5) I've got my wood ready, in case of knocking.)
Megan
Posted by: Megan at June 18, 2006 08:18 PMAnyone notice that:
1) BG goes on 'vacation'
2) Infield pinch hits
3) The wins start reelin'
Correlation ain't causation ... but I'm just sayin'.
Posted by: tgd at June 18, 2006 08:23 PMYAYYYYYYYYY WHOOPPEEEEEEEEEE OOOMMMMGGGGG!!!!!!! This is so much fun I've nearly lost my early season blues. Awesome ball from the B.O.S
Posted by: Todd at June 18, 2006 09:45 PMAnyone else hoping that Mark Prior, whom the Twins passed over in favor of Chairman Mauer (to much chagrin in some quarters), can pitch against the Twins next weekend like he did against the Tigers today? 3.2 innings, 8 runs!
Posted by: Mr. Baseball No. 1 at June 18, 2006 09:49 PMAw, you guys... *blush*
Posted by: infield at June 18, 2006 09:58 PMMr. Baseball No. 1:
My Dad has an aquaintance whose son writes for the sports section of one of the small Chicago newspapers. Apparently, for the past month all of Chicago has been ripping the Cubs for not drafting Mauer instead of Prior. The common complaint is that instead of a pitcher who is always under repair, they could have had a catcher threatening to bat .400.
Ironic, don't you think?
Posted by: BadAndy48 at June 18, 2006 10:01 PMI thought the Twins passed on Prior to take Mauer ahead of him. If that's the case, how could the Cubs have gotten Mauer instead of Prior?
Guess if I had any ambition, I'd go back and look it up.
Posted by: JimCrikket at June 18, 2006 10:43 PMJimCrikket,
Obviously some papers aren't above misplacing the facts if it gets in the way of a good story. Mauer was indeed the first selection overall, by the Twins.
MK
Posted by: mk at June 18, 2006 10:52 PMJC, you are right, the Twins had the first overall pick so Mauer was already gone and the Cubs couldn't have picked him. But since when were the fans in Chicago rational?
Boy, this sure is fun these days. I love that the team stepped up to make sure Johan got the win. That just wouldn't have happened a few weeks ago.
Posted by: Word Smith at June 18, 2006 11:01 PMtqd: I didn't want to say that. Bat-girl's absence can't be the reason for the streak. It can't be. I know, these wins are a present for her on her return. Yeah, that's it!
BG: Wins, and lots of them, and .500, a present -- for you!
Posted by: Brooklynegg at June 18, 2006 11:17 PM"Now, if they should win the series, then by all means do start scanning the horizon for horsemen."
I see the horsemen and they bear the mark of .500. And it is glorious.
Just today the Pioneer Press was talking about the "out of contention" Twins. How rude. We've got a few weeks before the all-star break which is when you can truly call a team 'out of contention.
Until then... I think our .500 team carrying the boom boom sticks, with the hottest major league hitter and best bullpen ERA in the AL can tell the PP to stick it where the sun doesn't shine: Carl Pohlad's checkbook. :)
Posted by: Shelley at June 19, 2006 12:32 AMFor the record, that discussion about Chicago, Prior, and the draft order made my day.
Posted by: Torhu at June 19, 2006 12:33 AMI'd also like to say that infield has indeed been great in relief for Batgirl. She's like the Juan Rincon of bloggers, but I'm assuming much more attractive. Well done, infield, it's been some enjoyable reads.
Posted by: Will at June 19, 2006 01:26 AMAnyone else think it's a tad bit spooky that we make .500 with 34 wins and 34 losses?
Posted by: Nanaree at June 19, 2006 02:27 AMFor awhile, I thought the Twins were planning to pay tribute to Puck by falling 34 games behind three or four months into the season.
I like this better.
Shelley, the "out of contention" crack was exactly what I was referring to in my comment about Jason Williams earlier. It wasn't the first time he's used that phrase when talking about the Twins. I agree with you completely.
Posted by: SDave at June 19, 2006 08:08 AMDon't get too excited. Y'all did this against the Pirates. I live in Pittsburgh and I can tell you, without equivocation, that we suck. Bad.
Liriano and Santana were excellent, but I can't believe my beloved Buccos couldn't do anything against Kyle Lohse. Kyle Lohse!
Thanks to the Twins for showing the Pirates how small-town ball is SUPPOSED to be played... Now, can we trade something to you for Justin Morneau? He'd feel more comfortable on our team with fellow boomin' Canuck Jason Bay...
Posted by: John at June 19, 2006 09:05 AMJohn, One word NO! You can not have the good Doctor.
Posted by: Mary at June 19, 2006 09:18 AMJohn, take comfort. The problem with Kyle Lohse is not that he uniformly sucks, it's that he's not uniform at all: sometimes he sucks very very badly, and sometimes he's really quite good. You just happened to get the "really quite good" version of him. It would be easier if he uniformly sucked, because he wouldn't be with us by now.
Oh, and re trading Justin? Wouldn't it make more sense to trade us Jason Bay? We're closer to Canada, after all....
It's so good to feel that crackle of restored optimism in the air... Does anyone else wonder about where we'd be now if, instead of plugging in the washed-up vets we signed in the offseason, we'd stuck with Bart and Kubes and the rest from Day One? The thing I'm noticing is that, for the first time in 2006, the Twins feel like a TEAM. And ooh la la, whatever else happens this year, right now it feels reeeeeeeeeal good.
Posted by: adidasman at June 19, 2006 09:56 AMUh-oh, I'm torn. I like the Twins a lot since moving up here, but the Cubs are the team I heart. However, the Cubs aren't going anywhere this year, and the Twins have a sliver of a chance to still make something of the season...
Go Twins! It's exciting to watch a team start to play the right way and get rewarded for it.
LTLC
Posted by: likeTwinsluvCubs at June 19, 2006 10:12 AM:claps: Good job, infield!
We won! We reached .500! And the thing is: I know who these guys are that hit .500! I've always known them. I was trying to figure out who those guys were earlier this year.
YAY!
Posted by: JustBeth at June 19, 2006 10:15 AMDoes anyone know any details about the Baseball Unplugged that was scheduled for Wednesday the 28th?? I can't find anything (time, place, etc) on the website. Thanks!!
Posted by: Twins Girl at June 19, 2006 11:26 AMLTLC,
As a fellow Chicago transplant and former Cubs-hearter... I welcome you to the AL! It takes some time but soon you, too, will heart the Twinkies. They give a fan SO much more to feel warm and cozy about. Hang in there!
Cheerfully,
LeftCenter
Uh, John. As much as you may admit that the Pirates aren't paying their best ball, please remember that the Twins came into the series against the Pirates having swept the Red Sox.
Posted by: Torhu at June 19, 2006 12:16 PM34 wins and 34 losses! I don't think it is a coincidence. http://tripl3play.blogspot.com/
Posted by: tom at June 19, 2006 12:21 PMtom, yes.
That would be nice but 87 wins? I think 102 would be better (3 X 34).
The past 9 games have been great! Even the one loss to Baltimore included a grand slam and hope for the Twins offense.
It's great to feel confident that the Twins can and will score runs and will fight to win a game. I agree they are starting to look like a Team now.
We need Radke and Silva to continue the long trek out of the deep dark hole they pitched into earlier this season.
A road sweep by the Twins awsome!
I think what I'm feeling is optimism. Don't look now but here come the Twins.
Win Twins!
Posted by: cal at June 19, 2006 04:08 PMI hate to say I told you so, but...
We all know the Twins are not a sub .500 team.
There is a LOT to be said for playing .500 in the toughest division in all the land!
Fare thee well!
Posted by: kojak at June 19, 2006 04:14 PM
RD grew up going to Cubs games, sitting in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field -- and once watched the guy in front of him throw a crutch at Pete Rose. It took a few years to make the transformation, but it can be done totally and effectively. Cubs Anonymous is a fine organization for those in that struggle. (Thanks for my season-ticket homies for letting me have Saturday's game in the 40-game package, without having to beg TOO much!)
After a week away from the Internet, it's been cool to catch up with all the cheerful chatter. RD also thinks Infield did swell, and also remembers that the Twins have made it easier for him during his times as Batgirl surrogate by winning a disproportionate number of games.
But that's not sufficient reason for Batgirl to remain in exile.
NICE JOB infield in filling in these last few days. Nice job to Goober, but I was hoping for a few pictures of bat-baby!
Definitely a great job filling in this weekend, guys. You kept up the sass... BG should be proud.
SDave, did you read Jason Williams article today? I treated it like a "Where's Waldo" picture, only it was "Where did he write, 'out of contention.'" I found it!
Posted by: Shelley at June 19, 2006 09:27 PMTwins victories are about knowledge. The Mor-u-neau, the most games you win.
Posted by: Taylor at June 20, 2006 01:57 PMcheck out the AL ballot update
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060620&content_id=1514345&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Nice all-star update grace.
It's great to see people respecting the fact Mauer is leading or tied with all catchers in,
Runs
Hits
Doubles
Total Bases
Stolen Bases
On Base %
On base Plus Slugging Percentage
Walks/Strikeout %
Batting Average all of baseball
Also he is one of top 3 defensive catchers in American leagues from his low number of errors and his caught stealing to stolen base %.
If someone like Matsui who's gone pretty much for the year and when he did play was sporting a .261 average has similar amount of votes as Mauer then you know the baseball needs to take all-star voting away from the fans and let the players and manager vote for each position, especially since All-star win affects home field advantage which is crucial for the Twin's World Series chances ;-)
why wouldnt people respect that he is tied or leading with hits, doubles or anything? he has the highest batting average in the major leagues.he has a hot bat and almost everyone likes him.
Posted by: liz at June 20, 2006 04:34 PMI had the pleasure of being in Pittsburgh for the first two games of the series. I'm proud to say there was a healthy contingent of Twins fans in the crowd. And they were the noisy kind, which is nice.
Normally, this wouldn't be much of a feat in Pittsburgh, where sports without violence don't generate much interest. But fireworks nights and bobblehead giveaways make everybody a fan.
@ Liz
I was being sarcastic about the respect Mauer is getting. Obviously people that are voting for the All-star game don't know what Mauer is doing. All Star is a popularity contest for players in big market, it's not about having the best team which it should be since it determines home field advantage. Last year they took 2 catchers, so if the voting ended today Varitek and IRod would be catchers. Posada would probably be voted final man and if they did bring a 4th catcher which would be extremely rare, Ozzie would bring his own catcher AJ.
So this is what .500 ball feels like? I nearly forgot...let's make it one above tonight!