Twins at Houston. Crooked E's, 5; TC's, 3.
The argument rages on. Was last year's wild card run by the Astros the work of a plucky group of overachievers? Or was it the final pump-and-dump scheme by the masters of Enron Field? With inflated properties such as "the Killer Bees" -- a Fastow shell entity if I've ever heard of one -- and Minute Maid Park itself, it's hard to tell how seriously to take the Astros. But one thing is sure: when a check swing almost flies out of the park, anyone wishing to find the real Homerdome need only get on 35W and drive south.
We can't win them all. I know it's obvious but I'll say it again. We can't win them all. The game is just too weird for that. It all started very well, of course, with the Silvanator back to his Silvanating ways. The ball dove away from the batter's bats. Silva never was far from the strike zone. He wore his pants high and tight like he was starring in the "Chacarron" video. Like they were painted-on denim and he was the first kid in his school to buy acid-washed jeans. Tight and right. But there are just too many variables in baseball, too many unpredicatable moments, to win every game. Eight in a row will just have to do.
Speaking of variables, how 'bout that Kyle Lohse? Now, I've always felt a little bad for Kyle. Not that he hasn't brought it on himself. But for several years he seemed like a nice young man. Quiet. Sort of serious, in a California way. Like Johnny Depp trying to hide his Edward Scissorhands hands. Then the sucking time came. And let no one for whom the sucking time has not come cast aspersions on those for whom it has. Because who knows how you might react. Will it be with a wistful smile and reflections on the Great Wheel of Life? Or with a bat to Ron Gardenhire's door? Hard to know.
This was a winnable game. It never seemed more winnable than in the top of the seventh, when Carlos himself tagged a single to center to start the inning. Standing on first base, he seemed to say, "This isn't so hard. Look at me. El Chacarron stands at first victorious. He compels you to bring him home." And yet there he stood as Castillo and Punto flied out. Mauer walked and Silva -- looking slightly less hubristic -- moved to second. Cuddyer worked the count to 3-1 before poking the ball to the third baseman. El Chacarron stood at second, beached.
And that was that. The game was over, of course, from the second Kyle walked onto the field. The sucking followed him like a giant cloud; you could barely see him through the plumes of sucking. Viewers throughout the five state area were slapping the sides of their TVs trying to clear up the sucking on their sets. And the problem is especially bad in Houston -- a town that knows how to work with sucking. They know that if you paint lipstick on a pig, there are some who might say, "that's dang attractive pig. Turns out I enjoy seeing lipstick on a pig. Indeed, I might like to put the innovators who lipsticked that pig up on the front page of my magazine. And perhaps those very same innovators might like to contribute to my opera hall and planetarium."
It's just a game. And sometimes over the course of a long season, when you're playing in a bandbox, and the home team keeps smacking it into the wall like it's wallyball or something, you lose. And when you lose, you don't take a bat to Ron Gardenhire's door and you don't loaf while backing up home and you certainly don't funnel your losing into off-book partnerships. You take your lumps and come back to work tomorrow.
Kenny-boy knows that now. Maybe Kylie-boy will learn.
This entry composed by Goober, kindly subbing for BG. Thanks, Goober.
Nice, Goober. Very thoughtful.
Hmm, now how can a certain GM find a customer to buy stock in our lipsticked pig?
"You take your lumps and come back to work tomorrow."
Sorry... but it needs to be done. "Your lumps, yourlumpsyourlumpsyourlumps!"
Yes, we had to lose one of these games. It's just a lot more difficult to deal with a loss. You can't just shrug it off. Oh well. I'm excited for the matchup tomorrow.
Posted by: Shelley at June 21, 2006 11:45 PMBased on this headline, I think Sid has a boyfiend! Click on my name to see!
Posted by: RonDavis at June 21, 2006 11:57 PMHaving made the drive from Minute Maid Park to the Twin Cities recently, I want to make it clear that you have to go East at I-40. Just in case, you know, anyone is actually taking their directions from a sassy blog instead of, like, MapQuest or something.
Hopefully, someone in the clubhouse said "Well, I guess we just have to start a new streak." At least now that the streak is over, I can get a hair cut and wash my new lucky Twins shirt.
Posted by: mmmmarkiep at June 22, 2006 12:01 AMVery entertaining, RD! I think the headline guys were amusing themselves at Sid's expense....
Posted by: Goober at June 22, 2006 12:04 AMApparently Kyle was left in Pittsburgh. I believe that was Lyle on the mound in Houston tonight.
Sigh........
Posted by: Dr Jane at June 22, 2006 12:16 AMCan someone please explain to my why Gardy felt compelled to switch releivers after Reyes had gotten 2 outs in 2 pitches during the 8th inning? I know a string of righties were coming up, but he was obviously looking good enough to not let in 2 runs and put the game out of reach for our boys.
Oh well. I guess we'll just have to win the series by outdueling Clemens with the best of the new generation of pitchers.
Posted by: TwinsinBoston at June 22, 2006 12:20 AMI have to agree on Kyle. This year he's sorta turned into the Mays/Romero pitcher that always seems to pitch like crap no matter how important the posistion he's in appears to be in.
This unfortunately puts more pressure on Liriano than we could've gone into Thursday with. I'd rather have seen Clemens come out and pitch well to stop the sweep. But now he's pitching for a series win.
Posted by: Torhu at June 22, 2006 12:34 AMMan, I wish Ozzie Guillen would just go away. The guy thinks he can say or do anything with no consequences whatsoever.
Sorry for that non sequitor, but it's bothering me.
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 01:24 AMSilva's previous outing, within the temperature controlled confines of the Metrodome, ended after 6 innings with a cramp in a hamstring. That suggests to me that Carlos may not be in the best physical shape. Nor is he used to running the bases. One would think that the manager might take that into account on a hot, humid day and either pinch hit (or pinch run) for Silva or have someone warming up in the pen just in case. What are they paying Gardy for? Keeping track of pitch counts?
Posted by: slovenia at June 22, 2006 03:07 AMtwinsinboston: Right on. I'm gonna have to take it to Gardy for tonight, after a succession of well-managed games. I did like Lew in the game tonight against the lefty. He played well, and fast.
But two things: 1) Once Silva got on, if you were so close to pulling him after one walk, you were close enough to pull him so we could move runners around and put up an insurance run. That would have meant mistake #2) Putting Lohse in during a pressure situation, never would have happened. Damn, Gardy gave this one away in the late innings.
Maybe he's not to blame. ESPN, HD, The Kid v The Legend-it had to be for the series. The gods deemed it so, and poisoned Gardy's mind.
clay-
very true. The pitching matchup on paper looks to be the best of the season so far and maybe even the best of the season, period. As much as I'm gonna love watching this game tonight, I would rather be home in MN so I dont have to listen to joe morgan talk nonstop about how great Clemens is and how the Twins should just forefit the game because Clemens is the savior of baseball and is too good to be asked to face the Twins.
It will be really nice, though, hearing morgan's jaw hit the desk in the announcer's booth when he sees Liriano's slider come sailing in for the first time, taking all of the hope of the astros batters along with it.
Posted by: TwinsinBoston at June 22, 2006 07:00 AMWell said, TwinsinBoston! I too tire of the constant babble of the ESPN announcers praising whomever the Twins are up against.
Boys, get out your boom-boom sticks and give Clemens a proper welcome back to the bigs. Liriano will take care of the rest.
Posted by: Mary at June 22, 2006 08:12 AMi agree with twinsinboston and clay jr. i think Gardy should've pulled Silva in the 6th when he visited the mound. Rincon hadnt been used since Sunday. that would've been a perfect chance to use him there for 2 innings.
the fact that Silva got a hit in the 7th is beside the point. i'm going to head over to www.aarongleeman.com and will expect some sort of rant that says something similar, but uses 2500 words (i kid, Aaron).
Again! Again! Eight in a row is fun! Let's do it again! *bounces*
(I never know how to feel about Kyle. If he were always bad, I could hate him. If he were always good, I could like him. He switches between good and bad with no warning and now I've decided I just want to smack him a few times.)
Posted by: JustBeth at June 22, 2006 08:56 AMI believe the ESPN broadcast is being blacked out locally because FSN has the rights to it. That's ok with me tho. I, too, hate listening to Morgan roll on and on about whomever the Twins are playing, with the Twins being nothing but an afterthought. I saw a "Baseball Tonight" episode when the Twins were in Seattle and they did a 5 minute segment on Ichiro, but all they said about Mauer was, "Yeah, he's good." And Mauer was batting 20 points higher than Ichiro at the time.
P.S. Love this site, just found it a few days ago. You all are now part of my everyday routine!
Posted by: davesarman at June 22, 2006 09:01 AMSorry have to inject some Chairman propaganda
"Joe Mauer, the guy is leading the league in hitting, and he has about 460,000 votes, and [position leader] Jason Varitek has more than 800,000," Macha said when asked about recent fan voting results. "That's a disgrace. Let's hope [Mauer] gets picked for the team. There's your small market/big market kind of disparity."
And regarding the game - Kyle - oh Kyle!!
much love
Wonder Woman
I have to agree with a lot above. First all, Gardy wasn't thinking last night. Reyes goes in and get 2 quick outs and we want to play the match up. Knowing its the 8th, knowing that if we go ahead, like we knew we could even Nathan would make another run if needed. But putting Kyle in there, fine, give him a chance, AGAIN, but at least pull him after the walk, not even close and that guy had struck out twice earlier.
Finally, the park, I love the look and the great seats, but thats IT! I think my blind Grandmother could have hit one out last night with a broken bat! Lets start a new streak for Rocket, that's losing to a rookie who wasn't even 1 when he first started pitching.
Heh. For all the talk about "starting a new streak", guys, I think we need to be more particular: specifically, a new WINNING streak would be nice. :)
Posted by: Salt-Man Z at June 22, 2006 10:13 AMGod, don't even get me started on that b******t left field in that park. How ridiculous was Berkman's HR off Bradke the other night? He hit that, I got up to open the refrigator, I turned around and the ball was gone. Pathetic can of corn garbage.
Oh, a streak is going to happen. NL teams and the Royals at home? Gravy. The 2nd half series vs the Tigers and Sox will tell the story of the season.
I was amazed that Gardy pulled Silva when he did. As others have said, if he was only a walk away from getting the hook, why wouldn't you pinch hit for him the inning before? Makes no sense. And don't even get me started on the decision to bring in "Lyle".
Tonight, I'm sure the game will be blacked out on ESPN because apparently Eastern Iowa is in the Twins "local market" despite the fact that FSN is nowhere to be found in local cable systems. So it will be another night at the local sports bar in order to see the kid vs the geezer. At this rate, I'm not only going to get my own personal barstool at that place, but by October, I'll be attending a lot of meetings where we start out with, "hello, my name is JimCrikket, and I'm..."
Posted by: JimCrikket at June 22, 2006 11:28 AMAccording to the Strib (I think?) just before Silva was set to take the mound for his last inning, he told Gardy he felt fatigued -- presumably from standing around on base in the heat in the top of the inning. Gardy didn't have a reliever ready, so Silva had to go out for the first batter while they warmed up the bullpen.
Posted by: Salt-Man Z at June 22, 2006 12:16 PMYep, that was in the Strib, Salt. That explains the seemingly strange handling of Silva, and also means that Rincon might not have been as warmed up as he would have liked.
Bringing in Kyle, however, is still unexplained. It's not like there's a law that lefty relievers can't face righties. Or that Eyre can't be brought in in an important situation.
Posted by: Nick at June 22, 2006 12:46 PMMaybe the Twins were hoping for another decent outing from Lohse to increase his trade value - I just can't see him staying with the team. He's got The Mark, you know. I saw it on T-Phat, I saw it on Juanie...it's been on Kyle a LONG time. Maybe the Astros would like to have him - just leave him in Houston and bring Morgan Ensberg back to Minneapolis, and we'll call it even.
Posted by: adidasman at June 22, 2006 03:39 PMIf the ground opened up and swallowed that f'ing ballpark (and Clemens along with it), it wouldn't be a moment too soon for me.
And I'm also getting mighty tired of Gardy inexplicably taking out my boyfriend, especially for the likes of Lyle Kohse. FREE DENNYS!!
Posted by: LaurieNY at June 22, 2006 06:29 PMDear Mr. Home Plate Umpire,
He doesn't *need* your help. He's Roger Farking Clemens.
Sincerely,
The Twinkies
Posted by: Kris at June 22, 2006 08:06 PMI just looked at the boxscore & saw Kyle's line ....
Bleech!!!!!!!
I guess he'd be OK, though, if someone would just make a friggin' play behind him, right?
Posted by: BD at June 22, 2006 08:23 PM