With the exception of Scott Baker's recent trip the DL, the 2011 Minnesota Twins as of tomorrow will be at "full strength" as far as the 25 man roster is concerned - basically for the first time all year! This morning on KFAN, P.A. had Seth Stohs on talking about how potentially potent this lineup could be with everyone back. Currently 9.5 games behind division leading Detroit with 45 games to play, I am not quite ready to relinquish hope of a comeback just yet. Once again, we have 9 games left with Detroit, 9 with Cleveland, and 6 with the White Sox. On Friday our lineup will quickly turn from a lineup filled with Repko, Butera, Hughes, Plouffe, and Dinkleman; to a lineup that is truly "stacked" on paper. Let's take a look at the possibilities!
Showing posts with label Justin Morneau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Morneau. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Looking for a winner: Justin Morneau
Yesterday I wondered if we had anyone on our roster that you could call a "gamer", a winner, a guy that will do whatever it takes to break up a double play, a guy that will run over the catcher to score the tying run, a guy that will make the great play in the field to turn a double play to get out of a bases loaded jam. I'm not sure who that guy would be right now. The obvious idea would be to look to a guy like Joe Mauer (MVP winner, hometown hero, batting champ, etc) to have a Kirby Puckett-esque game to get this team back on track, but Mauer just isn't that personality.
Last night, http://www.twinsbaseball.com/ writer @rhettbollinger tweeted this: "Morneau texted #Twins GM Bill Smith to say he wants to face Lester tomorrow. Smith texted back 'We'll see you in Detroit' according to Gardy." Now that's a little disappointing/frustrating to me. We have a guy that is itching to get back and face one of the toughest pitchers in baseball to try to help get this team back on track, and Morneau gets shot down. Morneau is 9-22 on his current rehab stint in Rochester, including 4 doubles and 5 RBI in his 5 games. I realize the Twins probably want him to get 15-20 more at-bats before returning to the Twins, but when you're team is struggling all the way around as much as it is, will it really matter to Morneau's health whether he is playing in Rochester or in Minnesota? This is the shot in the arm this team needs as the season slips through their fingertips, and our "gamer" gets shot down. That's disappointing.
Last night, http://www.twinsbaseball.com/ writer @rhettbollinger tweeted this: "Morneau texted #Twins GM Bill Smith to say he wants to face Lester tomorrow. Smith texted back 'We'll see you in Detroit' according to Gardy." Now that's a little disappointing/frustrating to me. We have a guy that is itching to get back and face one of the toughest pitchers in baseball to try to help get this team back on track, and Morneau gets shot down. Morneau is 9-22 on his current rehab stint in Rochester, including 4 doubles and 5 RBI in his 5 games. I realize the Twins probably want him to get 15-20 more at-bats before returning to the Twins, but when you're team is struggling all the way around as much as it is, will it really matter to Morneau's health whether he is playing in Rochester or in Minnesota? This is the shot in the arm this team needs as the season slips through their fingertips, and our "gamer" gets shot down. That's disappointing.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Starting at 1B...Joe Mauer?
Over 2 months ago, I wrote about how frustrating it was to see Joe Mauer go on the DL with "bi-lateral leg weakness." At the time in my rage, I would have done anything to see Mauer come back to play at a different position that catcher, as it only seems to bring more days off for #7. Now I hear that Morneau is going to have surgery on his neck to take care of that nerve problem he has been dealing with, and Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune says that Gardy brought up the possibility of Mauer playing some 1B.
Looking back, this was not the scenario I envisioned of Mauer making a position switch, nor was it the scenario I would have picked if I had my choice. It's definitely discouraging to see Morneau go down again. Out of all the guys on this roster, Morneau is the guy you root for to stay healthy. It just seems like it never happens with the big Canadian.
While it's a major bummer to see #33 go down, it's nice to know that the Twins seem to excel down the stretch without arguably our best hitter. Not only that, but it will hopefully give Mauer a chance to stay in the lineup, and ensure roster spots for some of our hot-hitting young kids (see: Luuuuuuuuuuuuuke). We also know that Cuddyer has gotten a head start on his late season run over the last week or two; so if we can get Delmon going like last season, get Thome and Kubel back in the lineup, and watch Nishioka continue to get comfortable, it's going to be a great 2nd half ride Twins fans! Maybe this year, September will be the month that Morneau actually gets to play!
Looking back, this was not the scenario I envisioned of Mauer making a position switch, nor was it the scenario I would have picked if I had my choice. It's definitely discouraging to see Morneau go down again. Out of all the guys on this roster, Morneau is the guy you root for to stay healthy. It just seems like it never happens with the big Canadian.
While it's a major bummer to see #33 go down, it's nice to know that the Twins seem to excel down the stretch without arguably our best hitter. Not only that, but it will hopefully give Mauer a chance to stay in the lineup, and ensure roster spots for some of our hot-hitting young kids (see: Luuuuuuuuuuuuuke). We also know that Cuddyer has gotten a head start on his late season run over the last week or two; so if we can get Delmon going like last season, get Thome and Kubel back in the lineup, and watch Nishioka continue to get comfortable, it's going to be a great 2nd half ride Twins fans! Maybe this year, September will be the month that Morneau actually gets to play!
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