THE TWINS ARE (almost) .500!!!

I really want to express my joy for my favorite sports team from my favorite sport. The Twins (31-33) sit two games below .500 64 games into the season. Last year, they were 30-36 at 66 games, and two years ago, they were 26-39 at 65 games. Bluntly, this is a much better team, to the relief of Ron Gardenhire and the fans alike.
However, the thing that I like about the Twins the most this year is the pure excitement of their games. It always feels like they're in every game, even against the Yankees, whom the Twins scored six runs in the ninth inning against. From Oswaldo Arcia's spastic cheering to the slight smile of Eduardo Nunez, this team is clicking on a personal level. They have life. They have spirit. And they have tenacity. Only a tenacious team pulls off numerous comebacks from multiple run deficits, and only a tenacious team can claw its way to the playoffs. So far, unexpected sources have kept the Twins close to .500:

The Twins have thrived on their offense this year, which provides a more exciting brand of baseball, with plenty of runs and tense late innings. It might be the little kid in me, but I always thought scoring runs was much more exciting than a well-pitched game.

The Twins are clearly not a playoff team on paper, but the continuous contributions of newly signed Kurt Suzuki and Phil Hughes have kept then within striking distance. However, the excitement of this team and the hype of Byron Buxton should drive fans back into Target Field in years to come. The playoffs are a possibility. Tenacity will achieve it.

(I didn't even mention Mauer! I must be the first blogger to do that in a general Twins post!)

Additionally, a new thing I'm going to try to do is a "Video of the Day". Basically, it'll be a video of something pertaining to the subject of the post. Enjoy-

At least the excitement at Twins games these days is more baseball related.

Hiatus

Visitors to this blog in the past year may have wondered why I stopped writing so soon. The answer is twofold. Firstly, I did completely forget about this blog for months on end, which is kind of embarrassing.
However, the second reason had to do with support and my own desires. When I started writing this blog, I wasn't expecting much. But, I was expecting at least some returning views, and none of that really happened. I will try writing again for a while, but I just want to emphasize how important it is to me to show that you care about this blog, if you even do care about it. Thanks a bunch.

Tom

Twins- Is Gardy's strategy not working anymore?

So, as the Twins play the Nationals tonight, I'd like to talk about manager Ron Gardenhire. He has had lots of success since he was hired in 2002, leading the Twins to a 958-882 record, good for a .513 winning percentage. At first glance, this indicates that Gardenhire can consistently win games, and that makes him a good coach. However, there are two weird stats that are worrisome for his coaching future.

Number 1: Playoffs

Gardenhire is 6-21 in the playoffs. This is a fact that is well known by Twins fans across the state, and has led to a belief in a jinx of sorts against the New York Yankees. However, it isn't because the Twins just magically can't beat the Yankees. It's due to the fact that it's in the playoffs. This has to do with Gardy's management and team-building style.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when the Twins face a pitcher like Justin Verlander, that Gardy tends to rest players such as Joe Mauer? Look for it from now on. It happens quite a bit. Take this afternoon's 7-0 drubbing by the Nationals. Jordan Zimmerman was pitching, and he now has a 2.00 ERA, which, in most people's minds, makes him an ace and a vital member of the Nationals' rotation. So, Gardy did his usual switch and rested Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, and Jamey Carroll. Naturally, the Twins didn't even score a run. However, this is a great strategy for winning games at a decent rate in the regular season, as it means your players are fresher, healthier, and have a better chance to win games against less dominating pitchers.
But, if you look at the playoffs, players are almost always well rested, and it's hard to give games away in the playoffs, especially against high-tier competition, so Gardy usually enters the playoffs against players with more talent, but the important difference here is that both teams have well rested players and benches, so the Twins usually end up losing in the playoffs, and that means the season ends in a failure, and usually with a first round exit. There is a point where this just can't be tolerated any more, and that may be approaching.

Number 2: Recent Seasons

Gardenhire has gone 156-226 since 2010, his last playoff year, and that could be a sign that his strategy just doesn't work as well anymore. Pitchers have progressively gotten better over the past few years, and there have been many new aces introduced to the league in the past couple years. These guys include Stephen Strasburg, Yu Darvish, Matt Harvey, Michael Pineda, and Chris Sale. Due to more dominating pitchers, Gardenhire can't employ his strategy as much, as the guy the next day might be just as deadly, so he has to decide to play players both days, eliminating the rest factor for his team, and making the Twins play just about as well as expected.

These points don't necessarily mean Gardenhire should be fired, but it does mean that he may have to change his management style to continue his success with the Minnesota Twins.

Recap- Minnesota Twins vs. Washington Nationals, 6-9-13, Game 1

I guess they were due for an embarrassing game, as they recovered so nicely from the ten game losing streak.
The Twins were absolutely destroyed by the Washington Nationals this afternoon, losing 7-0. Scott Diamond was not helped by his defense today, but he was still largely ineffective, giving up 10 hits and six earned runs. Even still,  some of those runs should have been unearned, as the official scorer credited several Twins defensive miscues as hits by the Nationals. This is a stark contrast to my previous article, where I praised the Twins' proficiency defensively.
The game wasn't even out of reach until the fifth, however, as the Nationals used Diamond to score five runs in the fifth.
The offensive didn't help either, scoring zero runs, but the important difference here between the past few game is that no runner even got past second base.The Nationals even put five men on base for the Twins, with two errors and three walks, but they still could not buy a run.
The lineup manager Ron Gardenhire put out today was simply not designed to score many runs. Clete Thomas was batting second. SECOND. This is the guy who struck out 16 times in 28 at bats last year. Needless to say, Thomas went 0 for 4, and is batting .111 on the season. Chris Parmelee (2 for 3 with a walk) and Aaron Hicks (1 for 4) were the only Twins who got a hit.
In order to win the nightcap that starts at 6:05 Central Time tonight, Gardenhire needs to put together a better lineup with Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham in it.
With a pitcher like Nathan Karns (6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) up for the Nationals, the Twins offense should be expected to put up more runs than the first two games combined. If they do, they can still take this series.
Samuel Deduno (2-1, 3.44 ERA) will pitch for the Twins.
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My take on the Twins so far

So, I was looking around at some blogs, and I came across this from Nick Nelson, a premier Twins blogger.
All of these are great points, and probably contribute a lot to the Twins' good start this season, which has actually gotten better since his post.
His second is what I think is the most significant, and it alludes to the great defense provided by the Twins this year. First off, I'd like to point out that Tsuyoshi Nishioka is no longer on the roster, and Trevor Plouffe seems to have figured out how to consistently throw to first. These players produced a total of 46 errors through the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Considering how much they played, these are awful numbers, and cost the Twins run after run. These dumb errors are not happening nearly as often, and the Twins as a result have the fifth fewest errors in the MLB. They even nearly broke the team record with a streak of eleven straight game without an error!
Admittedly, as Nick says, the Twins have caught a huge break with injuries this season. They have only had two major stints on the DL, one by backup Darin Mastroianni, and the other by Plouffe. Last season, they had to use so many different starters that it was hard to keep track of who was who and who was even in the rotation. Maybe the pitching would have been horrible anyway, but with all of the turmoil, it didn't even stand a chance.
In summary, the Twins are in a great position relative to the past couple years, and while the defense is helping out, the lack of injuries will probably not continue, and the validity of the Twins' backups will truly be tested.

Recap- 6/8/13, Twins vs. Washington Nationals

Well, that was interesting.
In a day where two games went past the 17th inning, when the Twins and Nationals went into the 11th, I, along with many of you, were probably nervous that this game was going to go a while, considering the Nationals' recent offensive output (The Nationals had eleven runs in their past six games), and the Twins hitting with RISP (1 for 21 in the KC series.).
However, in the eleventh, Ryan Doumit came through (again), hitting an RBI single in the eleventh for a 4-3 win against Washington.
Now, this win is not only significant as a rebound game after the series loss against the Royals, but it was very important to squash a dangerous and underachieving Nationals team, although they were without standouts Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. This team was predicted to win the World Series by some, and remains a good team who can lash out at any time. If the Twins get a series win tomorrow, it will be a huge confidence booster going into another interleague series, though this one will be played with AL rules.
Glen Perkins was his usual self today, allowing one hit in an inning of work to get the save. Perkins has been a revelation in the closer role. Never a great starter, when he was switched to the bullpen, he was able to get his velocity up and become a very good reliever. He is a very underrated closer.
Joe Mauer also went 3 for 5 and got his 100th home run this year, which is his sixth of the year. Mauer has never been known for power, but it is nice that he can occasionally hit a home run, especially as the best hitter in this lineup.
Tomorrow, the Twins face off with the Nationals in a day-night double header to make up yesterday's game, closing out the series. Hopefully Samuel Deduno will allow less than four walks. If he can do that, I like the Twins' chances in the afternoon game.

Lynx- 6/6/13, Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury

The Lynx are officially back.
For those who know nothing about women's basketball, the Lynx won a championship in 2011. After a Finals loss last season, they are looking to make it two championships in three years, and they got off to a 2-0 start with a 99-79 win over the Phoenix Mercury, which is a TON of points for a WNBA game.
The Mercury, for those who don't know, were expected to win the Finals this season. They drafted Brittney Griner, and were immediate favorites. Well, that prediction looks silly now, with the Mercury starting out 0-3, and the Lynx 2-0. Maya Moore scored 22 points, whereas Griner scored 16 and Diana Taurasi scored 21.
Overall, the Lynx once again look like the team to beat, not because they have a superstar comparable to LeBron, but because they are a deep and talented team, much like the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. The important difference here is that the Lynx will never be called a boring team to watch. They play exciting basketball, even if you dislike women's basketball. And that is the most important thing for the Lynx this year, as they need to expand on their fanbase. With another championship, they may do just that.

Recap-6/6/13, Twins vs. Royals

Well, even Ryan Doumit couldn't save this series.
Doumit hit a two run homer in the first to give the Twins a 3-0 lead, but the Jared Burton gave up four runs in the eighth to give Kansas City a 7-3 win and the series win. For some reason, the Twins can't beat the Royals this season, going 1-5 against them. The Twins once again could not buy a hit with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 8.
More worrying, however, was Jared Burton's outing. Given, every pitcher has bad stretches (I'm looking at you, Justin Verlander), but if Burton loses the touch he has had since he signed with the Twins last season, the Twins will be losing a lot more games in June. The Twins' bullpen has been outstanding, and was the best in the American League before yesterday's game. Given, that probably will not continue, but if Burton starts giving up runs, at least they can turn to other dominating bullpen pitchers that will hopefully shut down most offenses. Regardless, Burton is an important part of the bullpen and if his performance goes down, the Twins are in trouble.
 By the way, the Twins game scheduled today has been postponed until Sunday. It will be part of a doubleheader. Speaking of that, due to how many games were cancelled earlier in the season, the Twins don't have an off day after September 5th, and only have two off days in the second half of the season. An important factor to be considered due to the schedule is player health. If the Twins are still somehow in a playoff position, they will need to have a deeper roster in order to rest players and still win games.

Vikings- Postseason Summary

Well, I would title this "What Went Wrong", but not much went wrong for the Vikings. They made the playoffs when they were expected to muster only three or four wins by most experts. Adrian Peterson, well, we all know what he did. Christian Ponder was effective enough when he needed to be, and the Vikings squeaked into the playoffs with a 10-6 record. They have made important strides this season, and are set to be a good team for a while, providing a few things go their way.
The one thing I would say that went wrong last season was their lone playoff game. Everything went wrong for the Vikings in that game. Ponder was injured, forcing the Vikings to use Joe Webb, who, bluntly put, failed miserably. He was unable to complete passes and unable to run and scamper, which is what he does best.
Anyways, the Vikings have a bright future after the past season, and they are sitting in the offseason in a good position for years to come, despite a bad loss in the playoffs.

Recap- 6/5/13, Twins vs. Royals

Well, it was bound to end sometime.
No, I'm not talking about the Twins' recent success. I'm not talking about school. I'm not even talking about the ice cream cone I ate yesterday. I'm talking about the Royals' futility at home. The Royals had lost eleven straight at home until last night, when they beat the Twins 4-1. I hate to say this often, but the Royals were practically given this game. The Twins didn't get a single hit with a runner in scoring position, and after getting many chances in most of the innings, they, for the most part, didn't even hit the ball remotely hard. P.J. Walters did not pitch the greatest, despite not allowing an earned run, and the defense allowed three runs in the first inning.
This was probably the best chance for the Twins to take the series and make a statement. Mike Pelfrey will be starting the series finale in about half an hour, and it would be a miracle if he gave a quality start. The only way to take the series as the Twins is to find the offensive power that was lacking in last night's game. If they can even bat .250 with RISP, they have a great chance of taking their second straight series.

Lineup tonight-
Jamey Carrol, 3B
Joe Mauer, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Ryan Doumit, C
Chris Parmelee, RF
Clete Thomas, CF (first game since being called up)
Brian Dozier, 2B
Pedro Florimon, SS

Mike Pelfrey, P, 6.66 ERA vs. Wade Davis, 6.16 ERA