Just thought I'd post a few links to Twins-related stuff that I've been reading today.
Recap of Last Night's game
StarTribune
MLB.com
Twins 2, Tigers 0: Play of the Game (TwinsGeek.com)
Span Ejected, Throws Bat (yahoo.com)
Previews of Tonight's game
Twins vs. Detroit (ESPN.com)
Twins vs. Detroit (MLB.com)
Notes on Morneau
Morneau Leaves Game with Stiff Back (MLB.com)
Morneau is Cleaning Up (Nick's Twins Blog)
Morneau Leaves in Fifth Inning (ESPN.com)
Kubel's Slump
DH a Problem Spot for a Number of Clubs (ESPN.com)
Liriano's Electric Start
Strikeouts and Grounds: Francisco Liriano is Dealing Again (AaronGleeman.com)
How Ridiculous is Liriano's Slider? (Over the Baggy)
Oh My Goodness! (sethspeaks.net)
Francisco Liriano's Great Start (FanGraphs.com)
Other (Non-Twins) Interesting Stories
Howard's End (Joe Posnanski)
If you have any other links to add, please do so in the comments.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
A New Swagger
The Twins have been walking around with a bit of a different attitude this year. It's no surprise really when you look at their record (11-5) and realize that they still haven't really clicked on offense yet. They've beaten teams that expect to be in the playoff hunt come September (Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago) and they've beat up on the teams that they need to (Kansas City, Cleveland). They've won five straight series and look to continue that trend on their upcoming 9 game road trip.
Perhaps the biggest difference between this year and years past is the extra money spent on acquiring quality players that will hopefully be the rest of the puzzle for this young Twins team. Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and Jim Thome are adding a veteran presence to a strong core of players in Kubel, Cuddyer, Span, Mauer and Morneau. Francisco Liriano has looked sharp in his two most recent outtings and while he may never return to 2006 form, he could be a dark horse ace for the Twins. Kevin Slowey has also looked sharp in the starting rotation.
Last year when the Twins won the division, needing a 163rd game, they spent only 9 days in first place the entire season. This year? Well they've almost doubled that total (16 days) and it's not even May yet. They haven't lost 2 games in a row yet this year and already have 2 team shutouts of their opponents (compared to 7 all of last year).
The Twins beat up on the division last year, which is generally a good indicator of a playoff contender, to the tune of 46-27 and are off to a strong start this year going 6-3 so far. They also posted another impressive inter-league record at 12-6 which they hope to build on this year.
It is only three weeks into the season, but so far this Twins team is living up to expectations. When the offense finally gets going, watch out for them to take the next step and maybe even take 2 out of 3 from the Yankees in New York (My bold prediction for the year).
Perhaps the biggest difference between this year and years past is the extra money spent on acquiring quality players that will hopefully be the rest of the puzzle for this young Twins team. Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and Jim Thome are adding a veteran presence to a strong core of players in Kubel, Cuddyer, Span, Mauer and Morneau. Francisco Liriano has looked sharp in his two most recent outtings and while he may never return to 2006 form, he could be a dark horse ace for the Twins. Kevin Slowey has also looked sharp in the starting rotation.
Last year when the Twins won the division, needing a 163rd game, they spent only 9 days in first place the entire season. This year? Well they've almost doubled that total (16 days) and it's not even May yet. They haven't lost 2 games in a row yet this year and already have 2 team shutouts of their opponents (compared to 7 all of last year).
The Twins beat up on the division last year, which is generally a good indicator of a playoff contender, to the tune of 46-27 and are off to a strong start this year going 6-3 so far. They also posted another impressive inter-league record at 12-6 which they hope to build on this year.
It is only three weeks into the season, but so far this Twins team is living up to expectations. When the offense finally gets going, watch out for them to take the next step and maybe even take 2 out of 3 from the Yankees in New York (My bold prediction for the year).
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Indians at Twins - 4/22
Scott Baker will look to win his third straight decision in the final game of the series while taking on the Indians' Mitch Talbot who is coming off of a complete game effort of his own.
Talbot is not a strikeout pitcher and will need to attack the strike zone early against a patient Twins lineup. Jim Thome will likely get the start in the DH spot while Jason Kubel will take over left field for the final game of the current homestand. No Twins hitters have faced Talbot at the major league level.
The Indians will get their first look of the year at Scott Baker who has gotten a bit roughed up by the Indians in the past. Travis Hafner has hit .387/.441/.935 against Baker in 31 at bats, including 4 HRs and 5 2Bs. Mark Grudzielanek has also had success against baker, hitting at a .471/.471/.647 clip against the righty in 17 ABs. Baker will look to draw upon Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano's success against the Indian line-up as each were able to go 8 innings. The Twins pitching staff has only allowed 1 ER to the Indians throughout the first two games in 18 innings pitched.
The Twins have won 5 straight series to enter the season, but are looking to make their first sweep. They begin a 9 game road trip after the game this afternoon. The weather looks beautiful outside and it should be another great day of outdoor baseball in Minneapolis.
Talbot is not a strikeout pitcher and will need to attack the strike zone early against a patient Twins lineup. Jim Thome will likely get the start in the DH spot while Jason Kubel will take over left field for the final game of the current homestand. No Twins hitters have faced Talbot at the major league level.
The Indians will get their first look of the year at Scott Baker who has gotten a bit roughed up by the Indians in the past. Travis Hafner has hit .387/.441/.935 against Baker in 31 at bats, including 4 HRs and 5 2Bs. Mark Grudzielanek has also had success against baker, hitting at a .471/.471/.647 clip against the righty in 17 ABs. Baker will look to draw upon Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano's success against the Indian line-up as each were able to go 8 innings. The Twins pitching staff has only allowed 1 ER to the Indians throughout the first two games in 18 innings pitched.
The Twins have won 5 straight series to enter the season, but are looking to make their first sweep. They begin a 9 game road trip after the game this afternoon. The weather looks beautiful outside and it should be another great day of outdoor baseball in Minneapolis.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Tale of Two Francisco's
Francisco Liriano has made two starts for the Twins so far this season: one not so good and one not so bad. Luckily he's trending the right way. Here's a look at the two different Liriano's we've seen so far this year:
Walks/K's
In his first outting, Liriano was erratic and had trouble finding the plate, throwing 92 pitches and only 56 for strikes (60.8%). He walked 5 and only struk out 3 for a terrible BB/K ratio. In his second start, Liriano fared a bit better, throwing 96 pitches, 64 for strikes (66.6%). He struck out 8 while only walking 2. If Liriano can cut down on the number of walks allowed, he's going to be a dangerous fifth starter for Minnesota.
WPA
One of my favorite stats, WPA measures a players win probability added. This is on a scale of -1 to 1 where 1 would mean the player was solely responsible for the win and -1 meaning the opposite. In Liriano's first start, he posted a -0.120 wpa comapred to a 0.341 effort his second time around. This is a 0.461 swing which is pretty impressive, but also a bit concerning since there is such a large gap there. His third start will hopefully give us a better idea of where he's at this year.
GB/FB
One of the more telling stats between Liriano's two starts is the number of ground ball outs compared to fly ball outs that he was able to get. In his first start Liriano was only able to get 7 ground ball outs compared to 10 flyball outs. He turned this around in his second outing, getting 12 outs on the ground and only 5 in the air. If Liriano can continue to get outs on the ground, he will be able to pitch much more effectively. (In 2006, Liriano's break out year, he posted a 1.93 GB/FB ratio compared to last year, maybe his most disappointing year, when he posted only a 0.95 GB/FB ratio)
Liriano will face an Indians line-up that struggled against right-hander Kevin Slowey last night, but is heavily left-handed. He'll look to repeat his successful start his last time out and continue to give Twins fans a reason to hope that he can return to something near his dominating 2006 form.
Walks/K's
In his first outting, Liriano was erratic and had trouble finding the plate, throwing 92 pitches and only 56 for strikes (60.8%). He walked 5 and only struk out 3 for a terrible BB/K ratio. In his second start, Liriano fared a bit better, throwing 96 pitches, 64 for strikes (66.6%). He struck out 8 while only walking 2. If Liriano can cut down on the number of walks allowed, he's going to be a dangerous fifth starter for Minnesota.
WPA
One of my favorite stats, WPA measures a players win probability added. This is on a scale of -1 to 1 where 1 would mean the player was solely responsible for the win and -1 meaning the opposite. In Liriano's first start, he posted a -0.120 wpa comapred to a 0.341 effort his second time around. This is a 0.461 swing which is pretty impressive, but also a bit concerning since there is such a large gap there. His third start will hopefully give us a better idea of where he's at this year.
GB/FB
One of the more telling stats between Liriano's two starts is the number of ground ball outs compared to fly ball outs that he was able to get. In his first start Liriano was only able to get 7 ground ball outs compared to 10 flyball outs. He turned this around in his second outing, getting 12 outs on the ground and only 5 in the air. If Liriano can continue to get outs on the ground, he will be able to pitch much more effectively. (In 2006, Liriano's break out year, he posted a 1.93 GB/FB ratio compared to last year, maybe his most disappointing year, when he posted only a 0.95 GB/FB ratio)
Liriano will face an Indians line-up that struggled against right-hander Kevin Slowey last night, but is heavily left-handed. He'll look to repeat his successful start his last time out and continue to give Twins fans a reason to hope that he can return to something near his dominating 2006 form.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Post Game: Twins vs. Indians 4/20
Final Score: Twins 5, Indians 1
Recap:
Overall it was an ugly game for the Indians who committed 2 errors which combined with erratic starting pitching gave the Twins an early lead that they would not give up. Kevin Slowey looked sharped and the 5 runs (3 unearned) that the offense mustered were plenty.
Twins
Kevin Slowey looked good on the mound, pitching effectively and efficiently limiting the reigning AL Player of the week Shin-Soo Choo to 0-3 with 3 K's (0-4 total on the day). He looked very sharp, pitching 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and only 1 run. He had 9 strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Brian Duensing wrapped up the 9th with a 1-2-3 effort.
Justin Morneau got it done at the plate going 2-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI while Joe Mauer was held hitless. The bottom of the order (Hardy and Harris) each had an RBI while the Twins' struggles with runners in scoring position continued as they went 1-7 and left 6 runners on base. Jason Kubel also had a tough day at the plate going 0-4 with 3 K's.
The Twins can clinch their 5th consecutive series victory with a win tomorrow.
Indians
Justin Masterson was erratic and poor defense behind him led to the Indian loss. Masterson needed 96 pitches to get through 4 innings, giving up 5 runs, only 2 earned. His 5 walks, including one with the bases loaded, helped spur a Twins rally in the 3rd that put the Indians in an early hole.
Travis Hafner provided the lone run for the Indians, connecting on a deep blast to right in the 2nd inning off of Kevin Slowey. Asdrubal Cabrera had a 2-hit night, but that was it for the Indians who looked off-balance all night at the plate.
The lone bright spot for the Indians was their bullpen. After Masterson's early exit, three cleveland pitchers (Jamey Wright, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis) combined for four innings of one-hit ball.
Recap:
Overall it was an ugly game for the Indians who committed 2 errors which combined with erratic starting pitching gave the Twins an early lead that they would not give up. Kevin Slowey looked sharped and the 5 runs (3 unearned) that the offense mustered were plenty.
Twins
Kevin Slowey looked good on the mound, pitching effectively and efficiently limiting the reigning AL Player of the week Shin-Soo Choo to 0-3 with 3 K's (0-4 total on the day). He looked very sharp, pitching 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and only 1 run. He had 9 strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Brian Duensing wrapped up the 9th with a 1-2-3 effort.
Justin Morneau got it done at the plate going 2-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI while Joe Mauer was held hitless. The bottom of the order (Hardy and Harris) each had an RBI while the Twins' struggles with runners in scoring position continued as they went 1-7 and left 6 runners on base. Jason Kubel also had a tough day at the plate going 0-4 with 3 K's.
The Twins can clinch their 5th consecutive series victory with a win tomorrow.
Indians
Justin Masterson was erratic and poor defense behind him led to the Indian loss. Masterson needed 96 pitches to get through 4 innings, giving up 5 runs, only 2 earned. His 5 walks, including one with the bases loaded, helped spur a Twins rally in the 3rd that put the Indians in an early hole.
Travis Hafner provided the lone run for the Indians, connecting on a deep blast to right in the 2nd inning off of Kevin Slowey. Asdrubal Cabrera had a 2-hit night, but that was it for the Indians who looked off-balance all night at the plate.
The lone bright spot for the Indians was their bullpen. After Masterson's early exit, three cleveland pitchers (Jamey Wright, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis) combined for four innings of one-hit ball.
Preview: Twins vs. Indians 4/20
Pitching Matchup - Justin Masterson (0-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Kevin Slowey (1-1, 3.48 ERA)
This should be a good match up between two hot teams. Cleveland is coming off of a four-game win streak and will face three tough teams in succession on the road. The Twins are coming off of a tough loss to Kansas City in which they left 11 runners on base and came up short in the clutch.
Key Matchups
Jason Kubel vs. Justin Masterson
In a limited sample, Kubel has gone 2-3 in his career against Masterson with an RBI
Joe Mauer vs. Justin Masterson
Mauer is 3-5 liftetime against Masterson and has 5 hits in his last two games.
Russel Branyan vs. Kevin Slowey
Branyan is coming off of the DL and will make his first start against Slowey who he holds a career .417 avg against with 2 HRs in 12 ABs.
Grady Sizemore vs. Kevin Slowey
Sizemore has hit Slowey at just a .250 clip in 16 matchups with 1 HR and 3RBI
What to Expect
Another beautiful day in the Twin Cities in mid-April with a first pitch temp of around 70 degrees.
The Twins have won the season series the last two years 10-8 and look to get off to another good series start by taking the first against a hot Cleveland team. In the last week Shin-Soo Choo has hit .545 with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. Kevin Slowey will do his best to contain him. Should be a fun one to watch.
Interesting Notes
Nick Blackburn's next start will be pushed back a day to deal with some elbow soreness.
Pat Neshek has still not thrown a bullpen session after injuring a finger on his throwing hand. Ron Gardenhire likely won't wait much longer before making a move to give him some more flexibility in his bullpen.
Nick Punto will be a game time decision, but don't be surprised to see him sit one more as a precaution to his injured groin. It's early in the season and Gardenhire won't push his luck.
This should be a good match up between two hot teams. Cleveland is coming off of a four-game win streak and will face three tough teams in succession on the road. The Twins are coming off of a tough loss to Kansas City in which they left 11 runners on base and came up short in the clutch.
Key Matchups
Jason Kubel vs. Justin Masterson
In a limited sample, Kubel has gone 2-3 in his career against Masterson with an RBI
Joe Mauer vs. Justin Masterson
Mauer is 3-5 liftetime against Masterson and has 5 hits in his last two games.
Russel Branyan vs. Kevin Slowey
Branyan is coming off of the DL and will make his first start against Slowey who he holds a career .417 avg against with 2 HRs in 12 ABs.
Grady Sizemore vs. Kevin Slowey
Sizemore has hit Slowey at just a .250 clip in 16 matchups with 1 HR and 3RBI
What to Expect
Another beautiful day in the Twin Cities in mid-April with a first pitch temp of around 70 degrees.
The Twins have won the season series the last two years 10-8 and look to get off to another good series start by taking the first against a hot Cleveland team. In the last week Shin-Soo Choo has hit .545 with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. Kevin Slowey will do his best to contain him. Should be a fun one to watch.
Interesting Notes
Nick Blackburn's next start will be pushed back a day to deal with some elbow soreness.
Pat Neshek has still not thrown a bullpen session after injuring a finger on his throwing hand. Ron Gardenhire likely won't wait much longer before making a move to give him some more flexibility in his bullpen.
Nick Punto will be a game time decision, but don't be surprised to see him sit one more as a precaution to his injured groin. It's early in the season and Gardenhire won't push his luck.
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