If it wasn't for driver's ED, I wouldn't have missed the game...

"the next couple of weeks has the potential to determine our state of mind for the next few months"

...or maybe until April 2007!

Good to see that the Indians are starting to raise the white flag by dealing their closer to the Braves. Chicago next!

so uh, time for some road wins, eh?

So it's 3 in the morning. I can't sleep. I have some general Twins thoughts I'd like to share if my girlfriend doesn't wake up and tell me to knock off the clackety-clacking already.

The Twins are 4 games out of the wild card with just over 2 months to go. The teams ahead of them are the defending champs and the Evil Empire. The only team within striking distance behind them doesn't have the look of a legit contender. Right now I would take the Twins over the Yanks or WSox in a 3-game series for all the marbles. Chicago has decent pitching but not as good as last year. They make up for it with Jim Thome, who is always a candidate for a season-ending injury. NY, frankly, is mystery to me and unless they add pitching (hard to do via trade this year; all the money in the world can't get you a #1 starter in the last week of July) it seems like they should fade. Their lineup has had almost as much injury trouble as ours, but if we keep winning with the Red Wings' outfield I guess I can't be surprised if the Yanks keep pulling guys out of the hat too.

If the Twins do make the postseason (please don't get on me for jinxing us) I like our chances more this year than in 03-04. Johan looked tired against NY in 04 and I'd imagine he's built up some stamina since then. Liriano has ice water in his veins. Nobody was getting on base then like the 1-3 hitters are now and we didn't have anyone like the Doctor to drive 'em in. The defense is not quite as good, but still good enough, especially with the 06 pitching staff striking more batters out. I trust Nathan more than Guardado even though Eddie did OK in the playoffs.

All of that is moot, though, if the Twins can't gain a little ground. Here is what I think needs to happen for the Twins to have a shot:

1. Go better than .500 in games not started by Liriano and Santana. Somebody who isn't a left-handed fireballer needs to carry some of the load. I think Radke will be helped by being between those two. On the other hand, series that go Liriano-Radke-Santana will have teams feeling like the middle game is their best chance to win and in the last couple weeks of September may try to line up their best starter with Brad. Hitters will either be pressing against him or they'll think his stuff looks like BP compared to the other two.
Silva and Baker will need to step it up and at least keep the team in the game. It looks like Silva is headed in the right direction and hopefully Baker can get there too.

2. Get healthy and stay that way. This is obvious but losing this many key players and continuing to win is a HUGE fluke. We don't have any more Jasons to call up for a quick 5 RBIs in 2 games while a regular watches the game from the trainer's office.

3. Avoid crappy veteran cast-off hitters i.e. Vinny Castilla. Shea Hillenbrand is an OK hitter but a clubhouse cancer, obviously. There will be more of these guys as teams make roster room after the Major Leaguer-for-prospect trades that are going to be coming hot and heavy pretty soon. I really hope TR learned his lesson from the Bret Boone fiasco. Seriously, if a guy ain't hitting in Seattle, why is he suddenly going to hit in the dome? The Twins have already given too many at-bats this year to guys that everybody except TR and Gardy knew were auto-outs. I suppose Matt LeCroy qualifies for this too but I just love him so much.

4. If a guy is hitting, play him. I get pretty frustrated with Gardy's lineup sometimes, although it has gotten better lately. If player A is a young, unproven kid hitting the crap out of the ball and player B is a creaky veteran who used to hit the crap out of the ball, a good manager will write player A's name on the lineup card. Gardy's seeming unfamiliarity with this concept has cost the Twins more than those 4 games we're behind.

5. Win a couple series away from the dome. Maybe even against division or wild card rivals. Please? Just a few? For me?

Other things, even though this post is WAY too long already...

I've never liked Lohse but I'm starting to believe he can carry on the illustrious tradition of crappy Twins starters being magically transformed into effective Twins relievers. I'm sure most of us, if we dig deep enough into our repressed memories, can remember watching games started by the likes of Guardado, Rincon, Romero, and of course Hawkins. It took too long but I predict that the time is nigh when we will actually be encouraged by the sight of Kyle Lohse warming up in the 7th.

Or just trade him for a bag of balls. I wouldn't shed any tears.

This is turning out to be a really exciting year. Twins fans are purebred underdogs and it was a little weird watching them wrap it up so early a couple of years ago. They're playing exciting baseball everyday and no matter what happens, someday we'll look back and tell as-yet-unborn Twins fans about the year that Mauer couldn't make an out and Liriano sat all their bitches down.

OK, almost done. I apologize again for the length of this post but it was better than lying in bed and listening to cars drive by. I'd like to see what you guys have to say in reponse to this and my feelings won't be hurt if you think I'm wrong about everything.

If I may indulge in a little non-baseball-related self-promotion, I'd like to let everyone know that by clicking on my name they can hear four songs from an eight song album that my band just recorded. Recommended only for those who like traditional country music.

Very good ralf. I agree with you.

I dig your sound, ralf. And your insights.

Well, ralf, you make some good, albeit obvious, points; it'd be hard to disagree with most of what you've said. I'm not worried about Radke, though - regardless of where he pitches, or who he pitches against, I think he's found his way back to where he needs to be. In the parlance of our time, he's a gamer, and he'll give the Twins a chance every time he is on the mound from here on out.

I think Lohse has to go, though; his slide into sulking and misery is just a heartbeat away, and we all know that. Oh, and as much as I enjoyed our old friend Matty, bringing him back makes no sense at all. So let's not.

Finally, thanks for sharing the tunes. I thought they were OK; I have to say that I wasn't too keen on the main vocalist or the snare drum tone. The pedal steel is cool, though, and I always admire another musician who's willing to put his stuff out there for the masses to abuse. You gotta have thick skin.

I agree with you, ralf, on 95%. But there is one thing I'd like to say, and I hope that TPTB are listening:

In a three game series, it should be Santana-Radke-Liriano, *not* Liriano-Radke-Santana.

Normally, yes, you want to start your best guy, and though I adore El Presidente, the 'Cisco Kid is doing better than him at the moment. However, if you start Liriano first, after the batters face him (and return to the bench shaking their heads in amazement), seeing Santana afterwards looks... possible. He appears human.

However, face Santana first, get baffled by that changeup, and the opposing lineup thinks they've seen the worse -- until they face Liriano. And then their brains explode.

Basically, I think Santana is hurt by going after Liriano, whereas Liriano is *not* hurt by going after Santana.

And, of course, you need Radke in the middle, just to fake out the opposing team.

RD would have KILLED to pitch between El Presidente and Liriano. He can always look forward to that happening in another life.

I dunno, Carrie. You make a good point, but I think at present El Presidente still has a reputation that The Kid hasn't quite reached yet.

After being humiliated by Liriano in Game 1, the opposing team isn't going to say, "Whew! At least it only gets easier from here!" No, they're going to think, "Well, CRAP, we just got our asses handed to us and NOW we have to face the 2004 (and if there was any justice in the universe, the 2005) Cy Young winner, who's made a habit of shutting opponents down during the summer months."

I just don't think Liriano's been around long enough to have the same aura of "mystique" around him that Santana has.

On the OTHER hand, I will say that if we REALLY need to win Game 3 of a series, I'd much rather have 'Cisco (will Joe Nathan be upset if the nickname "Automatic" gets stolen?) on the mound.

I definately agree with you Carrie. Santana should be pitching before Liriano.

Ralf, I dig the country tune.

Carrie, The best description of a rotation decision I can remember reading.
Unfortunately, unless something weird happens (weirder than exploding brains...), such as a couple of rainouts and a dome collapse; I don't think we'll get to see any 'Exploding Brains' under your preferred pitching order.

Note, if you project the current rotation out a few weeks, it looks pretty good. A couple of unlucky teams get to see the three in a row. Otherwise, the Kid is there to assure a series victory in a couple of cases. Leavin Radke and Santana to take care of winning the next series.

I don't care if they start Groucho-Harpo-Zeppo if it means the Twins make the playoffs this year.

They should probably go with Zeppo-Harpo-Groucho though, don't you think? :D

I say Groucho-Zeppo-Harpo. Break up the lefties.

I'd go Groucho-Harpo-Richard. Much smoother way to end the rotation.

The Twins went Liriano-Radke-Santana against the Rays this week so that's the order it will be for a while now. They probably would (and should) reverse that order for the playoffs, though.

Chico had a longer, more productive career than Zeppo so I'd rather go with him in a big series. Zeppo'd be a great closer.

RD is right. This is exciting. Send that copy to the Twins PR department.

But how do I hold off the dread associated with the following?

BELOVED TWIN Dome Not Dome
JustIn .339 .269
LNP .360 .289
Kubes .371 .228
Castillo .335 .231
DJ Cuddles .297 .230
Castro* .303 .163
T-Phat* .281 .191
Bradke 3.68 6.52
Silva 5.22 9.34 (yes, ERA..)
Reyes 0.63 2.61
WeEyre 1.54 9.82
* Non-beloved former Twin offered to reinforce crazy findings.

Batlings, these stats are crazy enough to require some sass...

(PS Happy to report that The Chairman, El Prseidente, and the Veep are all reasonably immune from whatever disease this is...)

Two theories: The dome is just frickin' weird when compared to the Cell, the Jake, and Comerica. Those places aren't really that different from each other as far as how the ballpark affects the game. After a long homestand it has to be kind of weird to deal with sun, clouds, wind etc.

Also, a good record at home and a bad one on the road is a sign of a good team that's on the rise but not *quite* there yet. See: Milwaukee Brewers, LA Dodgers.

This is the most disturbing of them all,
Castillo .335 .231

And these are a close 2nd.
JustIn .339 .269; DJ Cuddles .297 .230
Are lead off, are clean up and are power, if they can turn it around, I think we will win.

I like Santana, Bradki, Liriano for the post season. And I like Bradki between the 2 lefties It gives the hitters such a different look. And I think ultimately it helps Radki.

I meant "Our lead off" I need coffee.

RD, great to catch up with you. I'm heading to Cleveland tomorrow to watch the Saturday and Sunday games with my dad and brothers. Hopefully my brother is working on the HOF-Bert Belongs sign I designed so you can look for me. I'll tell you all about outdoor baseball and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when I return.

If it's a Marx rotation, I vote for Harpo/Richard/Karl; who's gonna mess with Karl when it counts? Use Groucho out of the 'pen. Zeppo...well, he's never been the same since he had the Tommy Smothers surgery.

If it's Twins we're talking about, I say it should be Liriano/Radke/Santana. I don't care how lights-out the Kid has been, do you want someone with no playoff experience pitching a pivotal game 3? I don't. If they beat Liriano, the other club feels cocky for a sec, then says, "Uh oh - we still have to face Johan. Let's not put the champagne on ice quite yet". I'd actually prefer Radke pitching that game to Liriano...but let's just hope we get to have this debate in October, shall we?

I don't trust Karl. He looked too much like Jeff Reardon.

But Karl is the very definition of a Lefty.

Speaking of Jeff Reardon, Karl does seem more like the closer type.

Ralf, it might well be true that the Dome is weird compared to most other parks. But the Twins haven't always been so horrible on the road. Admittedly, they were far from great in '87, but that year, 85 wins was enough to get into the playoffs. I'd be surprised if we don't surpass that win total this year, but we're gonna need a lot more than 85 to make the playoffs.

That said, let's just turn things around on the road, and we'll be in great shape.

Yeah, Karl would have that vague sense of menace that seems to give the truly great closers their aura of invincibility. And he would certainly be a team player.

My take on any playoff series would be to go Liriano-Radke-Santana if we have home-field advantage and Santana-Radke-Liriano if we didn't. I'd rather have Santana pitch a road game than a rookie, however super he is.

Remember, it's not a 3 game series. You have to consider that in a 7 game series, the guy pitching game one MIGHT get 3 starts. Who do you want pitching game 7?

Put me in the Santana-Radke-Liriano camp.

It's not so much the road record that's hurt the Twins, it's their record against the division leaders: 2-5 against Chicago and 2-7 against Detroit. Move HALF of those loses into the Twins win column and then look at the standings. You'll cry.

Word,

It's a marathon, not a sprint. There are 22 more games against those teams. I want to believe that our guys are just finding their stride. We'll know more at the end of next weekend.

Best, RD

I'd prefer Larry-Moe-Curly, or is it Curly-Larry-Moe??

Curly Joe(?) as the set up man and Shemp as the closer.

You bet, RD. My point was more that everyone is focusing on the road vs. home whereas it's really the record in the Central we should be talking about. I like your forward looking attitude better, though.

Have we played any games against Sox or Tigers without Castro or Batista? I think we should give this new team the benefit of the doubt right now. Just won another game on the road tonight! With Silva being horrible.

My dad just called to tell me that Silva is a "worthless piece of crap" and he should be sent down, especially after his throwdown with Anderson. He got a little quiet when I asked him who would replace him in the rotation. We saw the Boof AAA debacle-brought him up, sent him down. Any bullpen prospects? If they bring Lohse into the starting rotation...don't even THINK about it. I think we'll hang on to Carlos until it becomes really DIRE, in which case I think Neshek could kill. For a few games at least-that unique pitching style really surprises batters. And you can tell me that he's a reliever/closer by trade, but he was master of the strikeout in AAA, and he doesn't suck at strikeouts in the big leagues either.

We just need to hope that Carlos can get better. He's young enough to bounce back from the tough ones.

Nora,
I thought the score in this thing was going to be like 57-45 by the time it was over.

Me too! I think I have grown some gray hairs and I am only 27!

Ok. I'm going against the grain and saying the Division Playoff Series rotation should be Santana-Liriano-Radke. Crazy you say? In the 5 game Division Series, the 1-2 pitchers get 2 starts. Who would you want starting 2 games? I mean, do we want the possiblity of losing to a team without giving Johan and Francisco 2 starts each? If the other team gets 2 wins out of four Santana/Liriano starts (and one against Radke) then they deserve to win. But if we lose Game 5 and with Liriano sitting on the bench, that would make for a most unbearable off season.

Once we get past the Division Series (and assuming there's time to reset the rotation), then in the 7 game League Championship and World Series I would go with a Santana-Radke-Liriano rotation. Santana would then get the Game 7 start (if necessary). Just think, if Santana gets in any sort of trouble in Game 7, Liriano should be available for a relief appearance. Santana - 4 innings, Liriano - 2 innings, then Neshek, Rincon and Nathan = (ok, I won't jinx it).