Article: Series Preview: Tigers @ Twins, 4/1

[Guest USAFChief]

Earlier I mentioned the music during introductions. Perhaps for the Twins it should've been "Keystone Kops."

[Physics Guy]

Butera would have stopped it.

[Riverbrian]

I love Mauer... But stay down... Use your chest protector.

[ashbury]

Earlier I mentioned the music during introductions. Perhaps for the Twins it should've been "Keystone Kops."

 

Benny Hill style Yakkity Sax would also work.

[Riverbrian]

Butera would have stopped it.

 

He would have... Most catchers wouldn't have stood up. That was very bad fundamentally.

[Guest USAFChief]

Discuss: Rookie jitters for Jamie Hersch? Just cold? Or another Telly Hughes in the making?

[snepp]

Benny Hill style Yakkity Sax would also work.

 

That would require obtaining usage permission from the Astros.

[snepp]

Discuss: Rookie jitters for Jamie Hersch? Just cold? Or another Telly Hughes in the making?

 

No one can gargle a mouthful of stones quite like Telly.

[TheLeviathan]

Discuss: Rookie jitters for Jamie Hersch? Just cold? Or another Telly Hughes in the making?

 

Just finished saying to my wife how hard it must be to be a rookie with the spotlight on you and your teeth are chattering through everything you're supposed to say. I guess I went with pity initially.

[ashbury]

No one can gargle a mouthful of stones quite like Telly.

 

Careful, there are 12-year-olds reading this site.

[glunn]

Clutch walk by Hicks! Now Joe needs to keep it going.

[TheLeviathan]

With the way it worked out, I almost would've rather had Mauer leading off the ninth.

[glunn]

With the way it worked out, I almost would've rather had Mauer leading off the ninth.

 

Welcome Leviathan! I feel the same way.

[Physics Guy]

Just finished saying to my wife how hard it must be to be a rookie with the spotlight on you and your teeth are chattering through everything you're supposed to say. I guess I went with pity initially.

 

I think she's done a good job during post game for the Wild, so I'd blame weather and first game.

[Guest USAFChief]

Down 2, one on, two out. 2-0 count, sitting fastball...and slice it softly to the LF corner. Sad. And a demonstration of why he isn't "one of the top 5 hitters in the game."

[LaBombo]

So it sounded like everyone was ready to bury Worley on Twitter early in his start... but he managed to go 6 IP and only give up 3 earned... Obviously not an ideal start... but out of a 3rd starter that's not bad.

 

To that I would add that he was facing what is widely considered in the non-TD baseball world to be one of the better offensive lineups in MLB. Pretty encouraging outing...

[Riverbrian]

Down 2, one on, two out. 2-0 count, sitting fastball...and slice it softly to the LF corner. Sad. And a demonstration of why he isn't "one of the top 5 hitters in the game."

 

I can't even get mad about that. I'm still bothered by that 4th run. That one was on Joe. Maybe even more so than on Duensing or Roenicke.

 

That's a big run... It was important.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Down 2, one on, two out. 2-0 count, sitting fastball...and slice it softly to the LF corner. Sad. And a demonstration of why he isn't "one of the top 5 hitters in the game."

 

Softly? If he hits that just a bit harder or a bit softer, it's a hit.

 

Sometimes (most of the time), a ball hit in the air is caught.

 

Unless you really want to argue Joe's .920 career OPS with men on base.

 

How much would you be bitching if he rolled it over to second? He put the ball in the air and didn't get great wood on it. Even 1941 Ted Williams failed 59.4% of the time.

[GCTF]

That's one loss.

[Riverbrian]

Ok... And we'll see ya Wednesday night.

 

Worley kept em in the game. Something to build on.

[Ultima Ratio]

Agree with the chief, sometimes Mauer needs to try to pull the ball an hit a homer.... not usually but in some instances like this -- with two outs and 2-0 count. Sit dead red and go for it.

 

Gonna be a long season

[Brock Beauchamp]

I can't even get mad about that. I'm still bothered by that 4th run. That one was on Joe. Maybe even more so than on Duensing or Roenicke.

 

That's a big run... It was important.

 

Agreed. That was a much worse play than the opposite field fly out.

[Brock Beauchamp]

And are we really going to start bitching at Mauer for only getting on base 60% of the time in a game?

 

Come on.

[Guest USAFChief]

Softly? If he hits that just a bit harder or a bit softer, it's a hit.

 

Sometimes (most of the time), a ball hit in the air is caught.

 

Unless you really want to argue Joe's .920 career OPS with men on base.

It was hit softly. Looping fliner. That's why the LF got to it easily. You can quote OPS all you want (although you downplayed it earlier in this very thread, when you claimed if we "properly weighted OBP" Mauer's much better), but in that situation, a good hitter doesn't settle for that. He looks for his pitch, and if he gets anything close to it, he takes a shot at the RF seats. That's what's expected. That's what dangerous hitters do. This was weak.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It was hit softly. Looping fliner. That's why the LF got to it easily. You can quote OPS all you want (although you downplayed it earlier in this very thread, when you claimed if we "properly weighted OBP" Mauer's much better), but in that situation, a good hitter doesn't settle for that. He looks for his pitch, and if he gets anything close to it, he takes a shot at the RF seats. That's what's expected. That's what dangerous hitters do. This was weak.

 

I "downplayed" OPS (which I really didn't do) and Mauer's OPS is still .920 with men on base. If you weight it properly, he looks even better as a hitter.

 

Joe went 2-4 and walked once. You need to reevaluate what you expect from the man. Jesus.

 

How about we lay some blame on the other eight guys in the lineup who combined for a fearsome five hits over nine innings?

[Riverbrian]

Yeah but it ranks way down on the list of bad. Morneau's at bat when we needed a base runner was 10 times worse.

 

But the play behind the plate... Is worse yet. That's fundamentals... Ball in the dirt... Get down and block...

 

Standing up is something a third grade catcher does and I'm not exaggerating. 3-2 game bases loaded... Two outs.

 

He should seriously be docked a million from his salary for that.

[ashbury]

Looks like the Twins' vendors won't be selling bottled beer this year.

 

/ For the twelve-year-olds reading this: it's because the Twins LOST THE OPENER! Memorize this one, you can use it pretty much every year.

[jokin]

It was hit softly. Looping fliner. That's why the LF got to it easily. You can quote OPS all you want (although you downplayed it earlier in this very thread, when you claimed if we "properly weighted OBP" Mauer's much better), but in that situation, a good hitter doesn't settle for that. He looks for his pitch, and if he gets anything close to it, he takes a shot at the RF seats. That's what's expected. That's what dangerous hitters do. This was weak.

 

Joe Mauer =Wade Boggs as a slightly more powerful Catcher version? Joe will join Wade in the HOF, but both are not Cabrera, Hamilton or Pujols, they are low ISO- but yes, still HOF, tablesetters, therefore, by definition, much less dangerous.

 

Wade Boggs- wOBA-.381/BABIP- .344/wRC+ 132/BB%- 13.1%/Singles/Hits 74.8%/OBP .415

Joe Mauer- wOBA- .377/ BABIP- .345/wRC+ 133/BB%- 12.2%/Singles/Hits 71.6%/OBP .405

[Brock Beauchamp]

Boggs is a decent Mauer comp but it can't be ignored that Boggs played a ton of games in Fenway while Mauer is stuck in Target Field.

[Mike Sixel]

So, how did the team do on the little things? Not well, again. So sad.