Hope for the Twins

Apparently there are no relief pitchers available anywhere. Not in Rochester, not in New Britain, not in Ft. Myers, Beloit, Elizabethton, or anywhere else. Because, if there were, Gardy wouldn't be going to the well named Hughes-Burnett-Hoey over and over and over. The Twins are getting the same results time after time with that crew and it is amazing that they can keep coughing it up on such a regular basis. I never thought I would miss Crain, Guerrier, Rausch, and Neshek, all at the same time. Frustration is running at an all-time high with this Twins fan.

There is a way for the Twins to win with this current bullpen, however, I have figured out the answer! Here's the deal: no going to the bullpen. Twins starting pitchers can't come out of the game unless they are pulled out by the team doctor. Their arms need to be falling off. Maybe that means that Kyle Gibson needs to be called up to make a six-man rotation, since the pitchers will be throwing 160+ pitches. No more wasting pitches, no more senseless walks and best of all - no more bullpen meltdowns.

It's not too late!

I Need A Refill

When you've been a Twins fan your whole entire life, it would be easy to say that this year's slide is borderline "normal".  Since the day I was born nearly 28 years ago, we have had 14 losing seasons.  You'd think that isn't so bad, considering there have also been 2 World Series victories sprinkled in there.  But, when only 1 of those 14 losing seasons occurred in the last 11 years, it's a little hard to swallow a record of 15-31 right now - good for last in the Central Division, the American League, Major League Baseball, and probably the world.

As I've mentioned before, my wife says one of my best qualities is my endless positivity.  I have to confess, though, that I haven't had the best feeling about my favorite team lately.  Every time I think we're about to turn the corner (ex: sweeping the Indians, Lirano's no-no, Cuddyer's homer against the Jays = really hard high fives that make your hands turn red - and we give up 6 in the 11th to lose, our offense finally scoring runs in bunches vs. the D'Backs - only to get swept, and Span going 3-5 with a homer and Thome's 2 bombs last night - only to see us blow it in the 8th and 9th again), everything that could go wrong does go wrong.

Frankly, I'm getting weary of hearing about how "that's the Twins for ya'", or "leave it to the Twins to let you down".  I am proud that I have grown up loving the Twins, getting to see 2 World Championships and many division titles.  Sure, we've crumbled in the playoffs lately.  Sure, we're dead last in baseball right now when it seems like our talent should have us right in the mix.  Sure, it seems like every Minnesota sports franchise is in the tank right now (the Wolves can't even get the #1 pick for cryin' out loud!).

What I need today is a refill.  I heard a good friend of mine say last week in an unrelated situation, "It won't matter in the morning."  In the grand scheme of life, will it matter whether the Twins get 1st or last this year?  I think we could (or should) all agree that it won't matter in the morning.  However, it sure is fun to invest my emotions and energy into something I have no control over.  I need a refill of that positivity today.  If you've made it to the end of this post, I sure do appreciate you taking the time to read my rant.  Give me some positivity in the comments and remind me again why "it's gonna be ok".  Go Twins!

No more Minnesota Nice. Hopefully.

Another disappointing weekend for our beloved 9 in Arizona. After an encouraging 3-game win streak on the West Coast got Twins fans (or maybe just me) thinking that we had reached some proverbial corner... instead, we found out we are circling an octagon - there are many corners to turn. The weekend was characteristic of the 2011 season thus far - bullpen issues, poor fielding, inability to come through in clutch places at the plate, and of course the lack of the use of the strike zone. Oh ya, and injuries (see Glen Perkins heading to the ** - I have decided that "DL" is now a swear word, so I don't say it anymore, just **).

This week will prove to be an important week for the Twins. I know, like the previous 7 weeks didn't mean anything?? Well, Jim Thome and Jason Repko return to the team on Monday. One of the crutches that we have been using is the fact that we have these "potholes" in our lineup, and defensively we have looked more like my 6th grade pee-wee baseball team (we had a 4-11 record, struggled against right-handed pitching... and left-handed pitching). My point is, if this team has any aspirations of turning another 6 corners of this octagon soon, well, we're not looking for positive signs anymore. We just really need wins. Really bad.

6 home games this week. Is it 6-0 or bust? No. 5-1 is good, 4-2 acceptable. But if this week goes just as the entire 2011 season has gone... this Memorial Day we may be remembering the 2011 Minnesota Twins. (That of course is a figure of speech. Memorial Day is a very special day. A day each one of us needs to take time to remember those who have fallen for our freedom, and for those who continue to serve our country. God bless America!)

Go Twins!!

Mr. Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew passed away this morning at the age of 74 from esophageal cancer.  Unfortunately I am too young to have ever seen The Killer wear the Twins uniform, but everything I have ever seen, read, or heard tells me that this was an unbelievable man.  I was listening to the postgame show on Sunday as people were calling in telling stories of what they remember from Harmon.  The way he treated others, whether you were a teammate or just a fan, was very unlike most athletes today. 

I heard one story of a guy who caught Harmon after a game and asked him for an autograph.  Realizing he had left his pen up in the bleachers, he asked Mr. Killebrew to wait there so he could run back and get his pen.  When he came back there were 30 people lined up to get his autograph too, in the same spot where he had left Harmon waiting.  He talked to each person in line that day, and probably made 30 memories that will never be forgotten.

I never met Harmon Killebrew, but I sure do appreciate him.  Pray for his family today, as this is obviously a very tough time in their lives.  I hope I will get a chance to meet Harmon Killebrew someday.

Searching for Positivity

Well, it's 38 games into the 2011 season and we are 12.5 games back from the Indians - wait, the Indians?  How did that happen?  To top it off, we are 2 full games behind the next worst team in baseball down in Houston.  It doesn't look good, but my wife keeps reminding me that I am an eternal optimist.  Even though it's next to impossible to show any kind of optimism right now, let's do it!  Here are a handful of reasons for you Twins fans out there to stick with this 2011 season.

And It Gets Worse...

The Twins have now lost 7 games in a row - losing, today, to the Blue Jays 9-3, in 11 innings. Hoey and Mijares faced 7 batters in the 11th inning and managed to get no one out. I have absolutely zero confidence in the bullpen and Twins hitters are incredibly awful in the clutch.

Blackburn went 7 2/3 innings but left in a tied game. Right now, it looks like the starter will have to throw a complete game shutout for the Twins to get a win.

I will leave it at that, because I have nothing good to say.

The Twins Need Your Help

*Note: The following is fiction – or is it?

Rick Anderson and Ron Gardenhire, pitching coach and manager of the beleaguered Minnesota Twins are desperate for some help. They are requesting that anyone with information leading to the whereabouts of the strike zone contact them immediately. Twins pitchers have been unable to locate the strike zone this year at an alarming rate.

Gardenhire insisted that the mysterious disappearance of the strike zone is leading to his hair turning from "white" to "gone." Anderson belabored the fact that his jaw is fatigued from chomping on his gum excessively after being forced to witness walk upon walk issued to opposing batters. He may even need to spend some time on the Disabled List with something called “Bilateral Jaw Weakness.”

The duo even went so far as scheduling tryouts for a group of softball pitchers next week in an attempt to find someone who will “pitch to contact” and won’t issue senseless walks at breakneck speed. In a related story, Gardenhire has recently refused Michael Cuddyer’s persistent attempts at “giving it a shot from the mound.” No word yet, however, on whether Cuddyer will coach 3rd Base.

Please, Twins fans, help these guys out any way you can!

It's Ugly Right Now

The Twins are roughly 20% done with their season, and have little to show for it, other than a laundry list of injuries and a record against the AL East that would make the Timberwolves proud. If you were expecting some great analysis of the Twins, you’ve come to the wrong place. And as far as optimism goes, I trail Brent and Nathan in that category, too. With that said, here is my rundown on the state of the Twins to this point: Ugly. In fact, it’s been as ugly as a long touchdown pass through the hands of Troy Williamson. (Apologies for the Vikings reference).

Now, it’s time for some sobering statistics. For those with queasy baseball stomachs, look away.

Alexi Casilla: The Last Days

Let me just begin by saying that I have always been all for giving Alexi Casilla as many chances as possible to prove himself to be a regular middle infielder for the Twins.  I love the kid and the excitement he brings out in the field and on the basepaths.  In the next week or two, however, we will find out if this is the end of Alexi Casilla in a Twins uniform.  This would be somewhat disappointing to me - up until the last week or two, when I think of Alexi Casilla I think of diving stops and game-winning hits in Game 163.  The start of this season, both offensively and defensively, has been unbearable for Casilla.  Tsuyoshi Nishioka is on his way back here in the next few weeks, and with Trevor Plouffe getting his shot, this could be a life-changing time for Alexi Casilla.  As I write this, I see Luke Hughes is in the lineup today playing second base as Casilla gets the day off.

The Youth Movement

In the starting lineup tonight will be 2 guys making their 2011 debut.  Both Trevor Plouffe and Ben Revere spent a little time with the club last year, and they are back for round 2.  With the slow start the Twins are off to and the slump that everyone (except Kubel and Span) is in, these moves are a positive change in my opinion.  Today Gardenhire said that Plouffe will be the starting shortstop moving forward, and I would expect Revere to get regular playing time until Delmon Young comes back.

The Royal Wedding

Well, it's been a rough couple of days for the Twins.  6 game losing streaks are never fun; however, we were fortunate enough here in the Twins Rubes family to not have to pay attention to this last week of blowouts the Twins endured.  That is mainly because we were immersed by the royal wedding.  No, not the one that happened between that one famous prince guy and his wife, and no I'm not trying to make up some pun about the Royals getting married to the 2011 AL Central crown after the weekend sweep.  I'm talking about one of our own "baakre" who got married this weekend!  We at Twins Rubes do sincerely apologize to all the single females out there who were holding out hope.  So, please take 30 seconds of your time and pass on a quick congratulations in the comment section, and then give me one reason why you are holding out hope that our Twins will turn this thing around and get back to the playoffs and even further this year!