6/19/05: Padres/Twins

[Steak]

Twins have a must-win game this afternoon. Twins are now in a hole in the AL Central standings as they are now 6.5 games behind She-ca-go and Cleveland is two games behind the Twins. Twins have been reeling lately and this homestand was not very good. This is a series that they got to win this afternoon. They need to get it together and they need to start playing with some urgency. If today is not an sense of urgency, I don't know what it is. I understand it's June, but every passing game, the Sux chances of winning the division getting better and better.

Johan is on the hill this afternoon. He always comes through when the Twins need him the most. Today is one of those days that they need him badly. They need a pick-me up performance from him. It would be nice for him to pitch a complete game shutout just to make a statement to the Padres. Also it would be nice to get a complete game to save the overworked pen.

Twins luck out not drawing Jake Peavy, the Padres ace. He was supposed to pitch today, but the Padres decided to give him an extra day since he has not been feeling well. That's a break big time. Considering how the Twins fared against a good pitcher last night in Brian Lawrence, they were better off not facing Peavy.

Twins will face Darrell May.

May vs. Cy-tana

[HollywoodLeo]

Darrel May vs Johan Santana has got to be the biggest mismatch in the history of baseball. All we can hope for is luck.

I was really looking forward to Peavy/Johan

[Steak]

This caps off a very lousy week. They haven't recovered from that loss in LA on a Sunday afternoon last week. Today is just example of why this team is just on a tailspin. When the pitching is great, the hitting stinks. When the hitting is great, the pitching stinks. There is absoultely no excuse to look bad against Darrell May. I thought May had crappy stuff today and the Twins just did not get it done. When the Twins can't score for Johan, that's a crime. Anytime Johan pitches, there is no excuse to not score. That's just unacceptable.

You mentioned how you could have hope for luck, Leo. Here is a luck for you. That call was freaking bad by Kevin Kelly, home plate ump. That was a joke. Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven, who does the Twins games on FSN North, called him out today and the fans were on his case for the rest of the game. Those two pitches that Johan threw to Blum was strikes. That idiotic ump decided to reward Blum as balls and Blum got walked to have Johan pitched with the bases loaded. Then when Damian Jackson got the double that clear the bases as the runners scored. After that, Johan confronted the home plate ump as he was begging to get tossed. Gardy immediately took the ball as Johan kept yelling at the home plate ump. Good for Johan. It was nice to see that emotion from him. I am also glad Gardy got tossed as support for his pitcher. Kevin Kelly should be ashamed of himself.

Johan rarely ever argues balls and strikes and he rarely ever gets mad, but today he was hot and you know it has to be bad when Johan had to argue with the ump.

That home plate ump must have been a Whiney Sux fan or a Indians fan because he even had to knew that it was strikes. Shame on him. I hope he is proud of himself because what he did was embrassing. I think Kevin Kelly is an ump that is filling in because I never heard of his name till now. I hope this is the last time he refrees any Twins games. This was simply bad.

Johan pitched well. I thought he did a great job. Too bad the home plate ump ****ed Johan good. That Jackson's bases loaded hit took the sail out of the team, the Twins announcers, and the fans at the game. It went downhill right after that.

The only bright spot was seeing Matty homered to give the Twins lone run

In the beginning of the telecast, Dick and Bert was talking about how this game was a sense of urgency today. Too bad the team did not play like one. Now She-ca-go is up by 7.5 games and the Indians are just a game behind. Twins wild-card lead is now just a half-game lead and Boston or Cleveland will likely surpass them for the wild-card lead tommorow with a win. Of course, the standings are the least of the problems. The way the Twins are playing right now is a huge problem. The starting pitching stinks and the hitters have all of sudden have no clue how to hit.

Bottom line, folks. This Twins team stinks.

[mntwinsfan]

Right now they do stink. I hope they can fix the issues and make this a contending club as it should be. The lack of hitting has hurt us. Johans 4 walks was a major suprise today. Here is hoping things get fixed in a hurry.

[Steak]

The 4 walks was suprising, but let's remember the home ump clearly screwed Johan in some calls out there. I saw lot of pitches that should have been Ks. Dick and Bert really went of on that home plate ump today.

The starters need to get their act together especially Joe Mays, Kyle Lohse, and Brad. Those three are not pitching well. Joe Mays's spot has to be teneous at best IMO. I read where Pioneer Press's Charley Walters saying how Mays need to pitch better for the Twins to pick up his option next year. As far as I am concerned, I do not want Mays back next year on any condition. I don't care if Mays does not lose a game in a row. He has no future here especially with Liriano and Baker waiting in the wings. I am more concerned about the starters than the hitters. Hitters are always going to be hot or cold especially Torii and Jacque. I hope Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau get their act together though. Those two guys need to start stepping up.

Right now, the starters are not pitching to their ability and that's why the Twins are 7.5 games out and in danger of falling to fourth place. Indians are breathing on the Twins necks, but the Tigers are not that behind either.

Tom Powers call the Twins out in today's Pioneer Press:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twinci...s/11931602.htm