stringer bell

Dozier's first triple of the year!

Twins into Tigers' bullpen in a tie game. Supposedly, advantage Twins. Pretty sure five runs won't win this game.

I am very happy that the Twins are staying away from the PCL. Southern League for Eastern is probably OK because they should have better weather.

I guess not.

Two outs, fast runner on first. Probably will score, one way or another. That seems to be the story for Gibson.

Back to the game. The six guys whose batting average starts with a "2" for the Kitties are 2-14 (both singles) with one walk and two strikeouts. The three guys hitting over .300 are 5-7 with a double and two walks (1 K).

Well, for one thing, he didn't have to face the 3-4-5 hitters.

All right, Mauer. Tying run on, lead run at the plate, put one in orbit. Or more likely, take a walk so Vargas can fan.

Gotta ask, Chief, is your part of the state under the gun for a deluge?

I guess he thinks he owes it to the Royals.

Here's a Captain Obvious thought: if Gibson is going to beat the Tigers, he needs to dominate everyone not named Cabrera and Martinez. then limit the damage from the middle of the order.

I'm with RB on this. For better or worse (I think worse), Gardenhire believes that Suzuki is the superior alternative to Pinto. After probably his biggest slump, Zuke has come back nicely lately.

Oh snap! One hit away from a really big inning.

Break this sucker open!

Hey, Gibson, your club got you back to even against a Cy Young pitcher. Go out there and shut 'em down.

Except Miggy and the Martinezes.

Blooming Prairie Blossoms. Audubon Zephyrs.

I am anxious for Gibson to finish strong. Tough assignment vs. the Tigers, but he has the stuff to get anyone out.

In the postgame presser, Gardenhire says that "things are going to get better in a hurry" and cites examples of the Twins battling back and the notion that they are bonding as a team. I suspect this has a lot to do with the growing Hispanic presence on the club. http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/275396261.html Meanwhile, columnist Patrick Reusse says that changes must be made: http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/275383741.html Sounds to me like Gardy wants to keep his job. It also seems to me that Reusse, as usual, makes a lot of sense.

Ricky Nolasco, Mike Pelfrey, and Tommy Milone have all had disappointing seasons for the Twins. Glen Perkins is having a rough finish to his season. The four pitchers named have all had injuries disclosed after they struggled. The cynics among us would all be of the opinion that perhaps the pitchers were using injury as an excuse for poor performance. Pelfrey started the season in the Twins rotation. He had a couple outings where he looked sharp, but would lose it and not be able to battle through tough innings. He was disabled with what seemed like a convenient and questionable groin injury. On rehab, Pelfrey had discomfort in his pitching shoulder, then had surgery and was lost for the year. Nolasco was a member of the Twins rotation from the start and ranked near the bottom of starters in hits per inning pitched, runs allowed and ERA. Nolasco mixed in a few good starts with a couple of so-so outings and a handful of no-chance disasters. Ricky was placed on the DL after a no-chance start in July with forearm and elbow tightness. Nolasco rehabbed and has been much better since his return, with three fine starts and one OK performance in seven outings. Milone was acquired from the A's for Sam Fuld after having a nice half-year with the A's, despite and early July demotion to the minors. He has had one decent start (his first for the Twins) and since hasn't been able to pitch five innings in a game. It was disclosed after his last disappointing start that Milone had a "dead arm" and needed to miss a turn. Since then, he has been slowed by a neck ailment and has missed his second turn. With only 11 games remaining, he may not get another chance to earn his first Twins victory. Glen Perkins was very good the first half of the year. He made the All-Star team for the second year in a row and has stayed on the leader board for saves while pitching for a last-place team. Perk has struggled mightily in the last quarter of the season. He has been unavailable after high pitch counts in consecutive games and then missed time with a sore neck. After his bad turn, Perkins' numbers aren't very good for a closer. According to sources, Perkins might be done for the season after allowing three runs in the ninth to the Tigers last night. Which brings me to the topic--were all of these injuries things that players deal with or were they used as excuses? The next question is, can we expect improved performance from these guys in 2015? It appears that Nolasco might be OK, given his last two starts. Pelfrey will have to prove himself in the spring and has no guarantees of a spot in the rotation. Unless Milone throws a couple of gems, he will be in a similar position to Pelfrey, but with having more recent big-league success. Finally, there is Perkins. For the last three years, Twins fans have had reason to be confident when he got the ball with a lead. Now, that will be an anxiety to be dealt with early in 2015. This assumes that all four will be pronounced "healthy" in spring training. Not a sure thing.

Just watched Nathan on "Twins Live" and he was a little defiant, but pretty classy. He defended Carrera's aggressiveness. I still really like Nathan, my favorite relief pitcher of all time for the Twins.

I think it's a combination of factors. He is probably beat up, hitters have figured out his pattern, and he seems to be pitching in terrible luck. The velocity looks okay, but I don't think he's right. If the Twins shut him down, that is fine. If he wants to end the season with some success, maybe he'll try again. Who is the Twins' most reliable reliever right now? Pressly, Burton? It is a total mess and while bad starting pitching is poison, a bad bullpen is torture.

Some happy fans in KC about now.

"Winning Pitcher" Glen Perkins. Physics Guy beat me to it, but I did you the quotes.

This is the game thread right? Nolasco has pitched a fine game and is approaching 100 pitches. One would think he would be done, but since the bullpen has suffered so badly, would Gardy consider having Ricky go one more inning?