This bullpen is fantastic

I don't really know that this needs to be said, but I love the Twins bullpen. Sure, sometimes they'll screw up and Juan Rincon will have a stretch like he had recently, but then they do something like they did tonight, and I'm right back in.

5 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 W

That's beautiful. And excellent managing of the bullpen as well. They used Reyes for one out, then went with the best guys. Neshek pitched 1.2 innings of good work (even though he did allow a sac fly), Joe Nathan was then brought in for 2 shutout innings, and then Juan Rincon pitched a scoreless inning. Great management of the pen, great pitching by the pen, and a nice win.

And a round of applause for Scott Baker. In my last post way back when, I wondered if it could be Baker's last chance. Well, he has come back and had 2 straight solid starts, including a really good win on Tuesday. 7+ innings, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K. I'll take that.

Also, another brilliant managing move bringing in Jeff Cirillo in the 12th to pinch hit. This isn't even hindsight bias, as I thought it was an excellent move at the time. Cirillo is a very solid hitter against lefties, and it just made perfect sense to bring him in there. Sometimes managers don't do what seems to make perfect sense, but the Twins did here and it worked out, with Cirillo delivering the game-winning single.

Twins now stand at 39-36, 5.5 games back of the Indians and Tigers... but for some reason, I just have a really good feeling about these guys.

Splitsville

I was out of town over the weekend, which is why I didn't write anything at all, but here are some of my thoughts from the weekend split with the Rays:

- I don't have the numbers to back me up right now, but doesn't it just seem like Joe Nathan is a lot less effective when he pitches in non-save situations? Not just this year, but last year as well. That was certainly the case in this series, as we know what happened yesterday, and he also got lucky to survive on Thursday.

- Throughout the 4-game series, the pitchers that had the best lines for the Twins were Sidney Ponson and Carlos Silva. The worst lines belonged to Johan Santana and Boof Bonser. Baseball is a funny game.

- I know why Gardy puts Redmond in the 3 spot, but it's still a really bad idea. Seriously, are Cuddyer-Morneau-Hunter going to really get messed up moving up one spot in the order for a day? I doubt it.

- Jason Bartlett uses a 3/3 day to get the averaged up to .214. Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

- Jason Kubel basically has to play everyday because of injuries to other guys, but that's a good thing. Now, even with an 0/4 day Saturday, he was back in the lineup Sunday and went 2/4 including a nice RBI double.

- You can't say enough about Matt Guerrier... the guy just gets the job done, no matter the situation. He's a great asset on this staff.

Twins Win Season Opener

W: Johan Santana (1-0)
L: Erik Bedard (0-1)
S: Joe Nathan (1)

Johan Santana wasn't great (which tends to happen in April), but he didn't really need to be, as the hitting more than made up for it with a solid day leading to the 7-4 opening day victory.

It was a familiar script for the Twins... Santana with a win, Mauer with a hit, Morneau with a HR, the bullpen was great, and Nathan finished it off with the save. That's basically the way they won the Division last year, so it's not a bad thing to pick that up right where they left off.

The thing I was most impressed with was the hitting of Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter, each of whom hit a HR.

Last year, the thing that propelled Morneau's game (in my mind) was that he was so much better hitting against lefties, and so much better taking pitches and going with them the opposite way. Well, on the first two ABs for him he went the opposite way and got hits against a solid lefty, including a HR in the 2nd inning. If he can continue to do those things there's no reason why he can't improve upon last year's numbers, in which case, well, look out American League.

Game 2 of the season features Boof Bonser going against Daniel Cabrera... hopefully we can get our first Sabean Special of the season.

2006 Final Count for "The Sabean Special"

If you're not familiar with "The Sabean Special," you can click on this link. Basically, anytime Francisco Liriano or Boof Bonser started a game and got the win, combined with Joe Nathan recording the last outs of a game... that was a Sabean Special (created in the spirit of this blog). Anyway, here's the final tally and games where it occurred:

Francisco Liriano:
April 25 - Twins beat Royals 2-1
May 19 - Twins beat Brewers 7-1
May 26 - Twins beat Mariners 3-1
May 31 - Twins beat Angels 7-1
June 11 - Twins beat Orioles 4-0
June 16 - Twins beat Pirates 4-2
June 22 - Twins beat Astros 4-2
July 23 - Twins beat Indians 3-1

Liriano Count: 8

Boof Bonser:
June 24 - Twins beat Cuubs 4-0
September 4 - Twins beat Devil Rays 4-0
September 9 - Twins beat Tigers 2-1
September 25 - Twins beat Royals 8-1

Bonser Count: 4

Total "Sabean Special" Count: 12

And hopefully there will be many more to count next season and beyond!

3 Reasons We Lost This Series

Obviously things can be broken down deeper, but in my mind, there were three key reasons that not only did we lose, but we got swept. I hate to harp on negatives at the end of the year, but I'll just do it quickly.

1) Pirahnas have no bite
Cheesy headline aside, the so-called "Pirahnas" did little to nothing this series. Luis Castillo, Nick Punto, Jason Bartlett, and Jason Tyner combined to bat .200, with a .289 OBP, and a .225 SLG. Pathetic effort over the 3-game series.

2) Bad hitting with RISP
I don't even know how things finished up here, and it's too depressing to look. All that you need to know is the Twins were 0/18 at one point, and their first hit with RISP was in the 6th inning of Game 3.

3) Bullpen Mismanagement
Joe Nathan, one of the best relievers in the MLB, pitched 2/3 of an inning this series. In Game 1, he should have come in in the 9th instead of Jesse Crain. In Game 3, he should have come in in the 7th inning when there were 2 on and 2 out. Although I suppose I can't blame Gardenhire... he's just doing what all managers do. And It's logic I can't understand. Biggest situation of the game, the Twins had to hold Oakland, and they go with their 4th or 5th best RP. But hey, at least Joe Nathan's rested!

Anyway, not a good series all-around. Oakland played very well, but the Twins practically handed them this on a silver platter. A disappointing end to a great season.

Twins/Athetics Position-by-Position

Looking at the teams position by position probably doesn't give us a great indication of who is actually going to win the series, but it does provide a nice overview and preview for what is to come. So let's do it:

Catcher: Joe Mauer vs. Jason Kendall
Jason Kendall isn't necessarily a bad catcher, but Joe Mauer is the batting champion, the best Catcher in the MLB, and a legitimate MVP candidate. Joe is much better offensively, much better defensively, and that makes this the most lopsided difference between the 2 clubs.

First Base: Justin Morneau vs. Nick Swisher
Nick Swisher is a very solid, patient hitter with a little bit of power. But Justin Morneau he is not. Morneau is the better all-around hitter... he hits for a higher average, and his slugging is a bit higher than Swisher as well. Add in that Morneau is an above-average defensive first basemen, and Morneau gets the clear edge.

Second Base: Luis Castillo vs. Mark Ellis
Luis Castillo is not as good defensively as he once was, and he doesn't hit for much power at all, but I give him a slight edge over Ellis. Castillo is very good at at taking pitches at the top of the lineup, and gets on base at a respectable rate of .358. Even with his declining range, I give the edge to Castillo.

Shortstop: Jason Bartlett vs. Marco Scutaro
Once again, I give the slighest of edges to Bartlett and the Twins. Bartlett has very good range and a good arm at SS. Offensively, both are similar players. They have some patience at the plate, but aren't going to be supplying a lot of power. Bartlett gets on base at a slightly better rate, which is why I give him the edge.

Third Base: Nick Punto vs. Eric Chavez
I like what Punto has brought this year, but Chavez gets the edge this year even though he hasn't been his normal self at the plate. Both are getting on base at a similar rate, but Chavez does hit for more power. Also, while I think Punto has been very good defensively at 3B, Chavez is still the class of the American League when it comes to that category.

Left Field: Rondell White vs. Jay Payton
The Twins have sorta had a mismatch group and you're never really sure who's going to be out there, but I think Rondell is the most likely. As we all know Rondell was just absolutely atrociously awful to start the year, but he hit very well in July and hit very well in September, showing why the Twins went out and got him. Which Rondell White will show up? Good question, and that's I give Jay Payton the edge here.

Center Field: Torii Hunter vs. Mark Kotsay
Both are excellent defensive outfielders, and with Hunter being a step slower because of injury, things may be pretty equal in that department. So it comes down to offense. Kotsay is the more patient hitter, but Hunter hits for a lot more power. After 9 HR in September, Hunter has the edge here.

Right Field: Michael Cuddyer vs. Milton Bradley
They are actually very similar players. Neither guy hits for a great average, but they both hold their own. Both have pretty good plate discipline. Neither has great power, but both can hit it out of the ballpark. In the end, I think that the fact that Cuddyer hits so many doubles, and that he has a great arm in the OF gives him an edge over Bradley.

Designated Hitter: Jason Tyner vs. Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas has the edge here by about a million bazillion miles. Not even worth really talking about.

#1 Starter: Johan Santana vs. Barry Zito
Zito has been solid this year (though don't look now, his ERA is 4.55 since the AS break), but Johan is in another class from all pitchers.

#2 Starter: Boof Bonser vs. Esteban Loaiza
If you'd have told me earlier this year Boof would be starting game 2, I would have laughed. But he's earned it with his pitching over the last 2 months. For Loaiza, he is also pitching well after a horrid first half, and has a 4.01 ERA since the AS break. If he can keep the ball down and get the Twins pitchers swinging early in the count, he can be effective. I call this one about a draw. I think if either guy goes 6 strong innings, their team will be happy.

#3 Starter: Brad Radke vs. Rich Harden
Both pitchers have been effective when healthy, but that has been a problem for both. For Radke, the problems with his shoulder have been well documented and this is his last hurrah, as he will retire at the end of the year. For Harden, he's always had some of the best stuff of anyone in the Majors, but he can't seem to stay healthy. He's made 3 starts since coming off the DL, with 2 of them being solid, but he struggled in his last start. Still, when he's on, he's on, which is why I give Harden the edge. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if Radke gives the Twins a great outing... what he's done this year is unlike anything I have seen in sports.

#4 Starter: Carlos Silva vs. Dan Haren
If Carlos Silva pitches in this series, that will be a good thing, because it means the Twins will be leading in this series 2-1. However, I don't like his odds against Dan Haren, a very solid SP.

Bullpen: Joe Nathan vs. Huston Street
Out of all playoff teams, I'd rank these teams 1 and 2 in this category. But as I've said before, I think the Twins have the best bullpen in the MLB. If they can get the lead after 6, they're in very good shape, especially with Joe Nathan anchoring things down at the backend. Plus, I'm not sure Oakland has anyone that can consistently get lefties out.

So what does this all mean? Well, maybe nothing. But it gives us a little better idea of what we're dealing with.

For the record, I've got the Twins in 5.

19 wins for Johan Cy-tana

There shouldn't really be any doubts in anyone's mind that Johan Santana should be the AL Cy Young, but it was good to see Johan put an exclamation point for win #19. 8 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, and 0 BB. Not bad.

Since this was almost certainly his last start of the regular season, his season will probably finish at 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA. No complaints here.

As for the game, well, the Twins were in a little bit of a cruise control mode, but those are the things you can sometimes afford to do when facing the Royals. Joe Nathan struggled a bit (but got the outs when it mattered), and the Twins got just enough offense for the win. With the Tigers having won, this was necessary if the Twins are going to have any shot to win the division.

Torii Hunter also crept closer to 100 RBI, as he got #96 on the year.

So order your "You Can't Handle the Boof" shirt, check out Pulling a Blyleven, and go Twins!

Carlos Silva takes on the "All-Star" Mark Redman Wedneday. With 5 games left and the division still in sight, every game is a must-win!

Magic Number: 2

First off, my apologies to my 1 or 2 readers for being away so long... I'd like to say I was unavailable to post, but if you read Complete Sports, you'll know that wasn't the case. But in all honesty, I was super busy with school and work, plus just weekend laziness. But I'm back, the Twins are playing well, and almost all is right with the world.

After taking 2 of 3 from Baltimore to go 7-3 on the roadtrip, the Twins finish out the road season at 42-39, which is certainly respectable. Overall, they stand at 93-63 with 7 games remaining, with the Tigers at 94-62 with 6 games remaining.

In other words, the Twins are 1.5 games back of Detroit for the division lead, and 5.5 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox for the Wildcard, and could clinch a playoff spot as early as today. Um, wow!

Boof Bonser will be sent to the hill to try to have the Twins do their part, and he's been very good lately. For the year, he is 6-5 with a 4.36 ERA, and if he has a couple of solid starts, that will secure his place in the playoff rotation, whether Brad Radke is able to come back or not. The White Sox will start John Garland.

Elsewhere, we all know how amazing Joe Nathan has been this year (Thank You Brian Sabean!), but now everyone else does as well, as Nathan is a finalist for the Delivery Man of the Year Award.

Twins back in the Wildcard lead (with The Sabean Special)

Well I'm back from vacation, and just in time to see the Twins re-take the Wildcard lead with a comeback victory combined with a comeback victory from the Red Sox.

The Twins comeback came in the 7th inning of their game, when Rondell White hit a 2-out, 2-run HR to give the Twins a 2-1 lead, which was all they needed. The Red Sox comeback was complete after Carlos Pena hit a solo HR in the 10th to beat the ChiSox.

But none of this would have been possible without a great pitching performance by starter Boof Bonser. 6.1 solid innings from him, giving up just 1 ER while striking out 6. If we can get performances similar this from the back of the rotation, things will be looking very good.

At the backend of the game, as always, is Joe Nathan. And with Bonser getting the win and Nathan getting the save, we have yet another edition of The Sabean Special. And that's always exciting. Joe pitched a perfect 9th, striking out 2, to get his 29th save of the year while lowering the ERA to 1.74. Meanwhile, Dennys Reyes appears to be firmly back on track, as he got the only man he faced out to lower his ERA to 0.85.

All of this brings up Johan Santana starting against Tampa Bay on Tuesday going against Jae Seo. The Twins really need Santana to bring his best stuff every night, and that's basically what he's been doing all year. Hopefully that trend can continue. With the Twins 0.5 games up on the Sox and still 5 GB on the Tigers, here's the pitching matchups for Tuesday:

Twins: Johan Santana (16-5, 2.95) vs. Jae Seo (D'Rays)
White Sox: Javier Vazquez (11-8, 4.98) vs. Kason Gabbard (Red Sox)
Tigers: Jeremy Bonderman (11-7, 4.01) vs. Jake Woods (Mariners)

Twins Bullpen = Best in the MLB

And I have the numbers to back it up!

For one thing, they have the best bullpen ERA in all of baseball at 3.10. But even beyond that, they're just so effective because they don't walk batters and they strike a lot of guys out. And that's generally a pretty good formula. Here it is broken down, with the MLB rank in parenthesis:

ERA - 3.10 (1)
WHIP - 1.23 (1)
K/BB - 3.38 (1)
K/9 - 8.34 (3)
HR - 25 (1)
OBP Against - .304 (2)
SLG Against - .361 (2)
OPS Against - .665 (1)

Not bad. Looking at them individually almost makes things more impressive.

Joe Nathan - 51.0 IP, 1.59 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 72/10 K/BB, 12.71 K/9
Juan Rincon - 56.2 IP, 2.22 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 50/17 K/BB, 7.94 K/BB
Denys Reyes - 34.1 IP, 1.05 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 33/7 K/BB, 8.65 K/9
Pat Neshek - 20.0 IP, 0.90 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 30/3 K/BB, 13.50 K/9
Jesse Crain - 58.2 IP, 4.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 47/15 K/BB, 7.21 K/9
Matt Guerrier - 40.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 23/16 K/BB, 5.13 K/9

And when you consider that Willie Eyre and his 6.48 ERA is not pitching any more high-leverage inning, and the fact that Crain had an awful start to the year but has been very effective in the past couple of months, the 3.10 ERA doesn't even do justice to how good this bullpen is right now.

Take a look at Pat Neshek's numbers. Hardly anyone knows about this guy, but in 20 IP he has struck out 30 guys, walked 3, and allowed just 6 hits. 2 of those were solo HR, and that's the only runs he's allowed this year. If I was playing a video game, I'd be hard-pressed to replicate these numbers. And he's 25 and in his first year of service. Not bad.

Minnesota Twins: Wildcard Leader

We've got a lot of season to go, so the fact that the Twins have a 1/2 game lead in the Wildcard chase isn't overly significant. However, with the way the first two months of the season went, I never thought I'd be able to write that title (and the fact that I didn't have this blog at the time!)

But either way, after a dramatic 4-3 comeback win on Wednesday, the Twins own a 1/2 game lead on the White Sox and a 1.5 game lead on the Red Sox. For the second straight day, the Royals pulled out a win against Boston, this time using 9th inning dramatics, scoring 2 off of Papelbon in the 9th to win 5-4.

The big story, at least for the Twins, is that we finally have another 30 HR player, for the first time since 1987. Not only was it HR #30 for Morneau, but it also gives him 101 RBI for the year. Perhaps most impressive, since he had a .248 career average coming into the year is that his average currently stands at .322. I'm kinda beating this over the head, but Morneau is definitely an MVP candidate, especially for hitting one of the most memorable Twins HR since that AJ Pierzynski one in the playoffs.

Johan was dominant for 6 innings, but just lef that one pitch up to Inge, which was crushed out of the park. But he still went 7 strong innings, struck out 10, and was rewarded with his 13th win. For the 2nd straight night, Rincon/Nathan shut down the door in the 8th and 9th, although Denys Reyes did come in to get Granderson out. Nathan now has 25 saves on the year.

After all the struggles on the road for the Twins, they finish up this roadtrip at 6-1. Sure, 4 of the games were against Kansas City, but now that we see what Kansas City is doing to Boston, they begin to look more impressive. And taking 2 of 3 from what has been the best team in baseball? Well, that's always nice.

Now the Twins head home for a 4-game set with the Blue Jays. The Jays have been struggling lately, but they're still a dangerous team. Although one piece of good news, Halladay pitched on Wednesday for Toronto, so hopefully that means the Twins will get to avoid him in this series. Although with a couple of rookies starting Friday and Saturday, they won't be able to take anything for granted.

This was a nice surprise

So I'm just checking to see who's been checking this blog out, and I see there's a link here from SI.com, which was a nice surprise. So anyway, welcome to all of you coming over from there, comment, and I hope you enjoy it.

And if you're looking for any Liriano news, he's expected to make his next start either Sunday or Monday after learning that for the second straight month he's the AL Rookie of the Month. So he has that going for him, which is nice.

And that other guy we got in the trade, Joe Nathan? He's doing pretty well too, with a 1.60 ERA and 22 saves in 23 opportunities.

So thanks for stopping by, and go Twins! They start a 4-game series with the Royals in about an hour.

Once again, The Sabean Special

We got our 5th example of The Sabean Special as the Twins beat the Indians 3-1 on Sunday, to take 2 of 3 from Cleveland in the series.

Liriano was only able to go 5 innings, as his pitch count got up to 95 quickly, but he did strike out 10 batters while giving up 1 run, to put his ERA at 1.93. Pat Neshek came on after him, and his impressive run continued with 1.2 shutout innings in relief. Dennis Reyes pitched to 2 batters and struck out both of them, Juan Rincon got 2 batters out in the 8th, and then Joe Nathan finished the job in the 9th.

Nathan allowed a leadoff single in the 9th before getting Joe Inglett to fly out. After that, he had had enough, and struck out Ramon Vazquez and Grady Sizemore to end the game.

The Win for Liriano pushes his record to 12-2, while Joe Nathan picked up his 19th save. All in all, when you can take 2 of 3 on the road against a talented team, that's something I'll take anyday.

The Sabean Special Count: 5

Johan struggles; Twins couldn't care less

By Johan's terms, he struggled in the opener against the Royals. Just 5.2 innings, but he gave up 4 ER, walked 3, hit 1, and struck out 7. When he left the game, the Twins were down 5-3. "Tonight I failed to do my job, but they picked me up big time," Santana said. "We found a way to win the game and that's all that mattered."

But I think the Twins appreciated the challenge.

After a wild 8th innings in which the Twins scored 3 runs thanks to some wild pitches and poor throws from the Royals, the Twins led 6-5. And then came Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan, who shut the door. Nathan now has 15 saves on the season.

Offensively, Justin Morneau continued his onslaught, knocking out his 22nd HR of the year. He also had a key hit in the 8th to extend the inning, and now sits at 71 RBI for the year. He's also creeping closer and closer to that .300 mark, with the average at .298. Raise your hand if you thought you'd be seeing those number from Morneau at the halfway mark.

And finally, Joe Mauer, playing sick, got another HR. Although the average dropped as he was only 1/3, he sits and .391, far and away the best in the Majors.

On the holiday the Twins will send Boof Bonser to the mound to take on Jimmy Gobble of the Royals. The Twins have now won 11 straight and 19 out of 20, putting them only 9 behind the Tigers for the division lead and 6.5 behind the White Sox in the wildcard race. Let's keep it going!

Once again, business as usual

A dominating effort from Johan Santana? Check.
A multi-hit game for Joe Mauer? Check.
Just Rincon being a good teammate and sacrificing his ERA so Joe Nathan could have a chance at a save? Check.
Joe Nathan striking out the side for the save? Check.
Justin Morneau upping the slugging percentage? Check.

As I said, business as usual for the Twins in their 6-3 win.

Johan's now 9-4 with a 2.59 ERA, and he now has struck out 124 batters in 118.1 innings with only 20 BB.

Of course, despite winning 17 of their last 19 games, the Twins have gaied only 1/2 a game on the Tigers in the Central. For the record, here's how things stand in the central:

Detroit Tigers: 54-25 (9-1 in last 10), -
Chicago White Sox: 51-26 (9-1 in last 10), 2 GB
Minnesota Twins: 42-35 (9-1 in last 10), 11 GB
Cleveland Indians: 35-42 (4-6 in last 10), 18 GB
Kansas City Royals: 25-51 (7-3 in last 10), 27.5 GB

I'll have The Sabean Special with that

You can push that Sabean Special Count up to 4 after Saturday night's Twins win over the Cubs.

In the 3-0 shutout victory for Minnesota, Boof started things off right, with 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Twins. As the Boof Blog mentions, Boof only struck out 1 Cubs hitter in those 6 1/3, but he did get a good number of ground ball outs. To complete The Sabean Special, Joe Nathan worked a scoreless ninth for his 12th save of the year, and 100th of his career.

I saw a stat on ESPN, the Twins are 13-2 in their last 15 games with an ERA of a miniscule 2.43. Of course, much of that is becuase of the Santana/Liriano duo, which is 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA this month. That right there is the best duo in baseball.

On the other side of the ball, the young guys continue to produce. For a change, Monreau did not leave the ballpark, but the others picked up the slack against Mark Prior. Jason Kubel, Terry Tiffee, and Jason Bartlett all had RBI in the win. Joe Mauer also had a hit, though his league-leading average did drop a little bit down to .368. I'll still take it.

On Sunday, Twins go for the sweep at home as they send Brad Radke out to the mound to take on Sean Marshall. Hopefully they can win and get a little bit of help, which hasn't been quick coming, as Detroit and Chicago keep on winning, both in extra innings. As of Saturday, the Twins still stand 11 game back of the Tigers and 10.5 back of the Sox. But as usual, they just need to worry about themselves and keep winning, and things will fall into place.

Hopefully that can continue for another sweep.

Francisco Liriano outpitches one of the top 3 pitchers of all-time

Ok, so it was Clemens first game back from his "retirement." But how many times am I going to get the chance to write that headline?

Anyway, it's all true. In the 4-2 Twins win, Liriano dazzled for 8 innings, giving up only a 2-run HR to Jason Lane in the 8th. Meanwhile, 'The Rocket' was only about to go 5 innings (but threw 100 pitches), and gave up 2 runs in the 3rd, as he got saddled for the loss. Joe Nathan came on in the 9th to finish the game for The Sabean Special.

You know, if it wasn't evident before, it is now: Liriano really needs a nickname. And I think I've finally got it. Considering the focus on this game - which was pretty darn high for a regular season game in the middle of the year - with Clemens return, Liriano's first game on national TV, etc. and the fact that Liriano absolutely did not disappoint, I'm calling him "The Iceman." That's with all due respect to George Gervin.

There you have it - Francisco Liriano = The Iceman.

Look at the confidence he already brings the team. As Batgirl wrote, despite the circumstances, was there any doubt in Twins fans minds who was going to win this game? Not for me. Maybe he's already got unreasonable expectations, but I think The Iceman can handle them all. Oh yes, he's that good.

Maybe my favorite stat of the night was the fact that despite pitching 8 innings and giving up 2 runs, Francisco's ERA actually rose to 2.17. I think we can forgive him for that.

Introducing... The Sabean Special

I got to thinking, and in the spirit of this blog, I found that it is only appropriate that we have a simple nickname for a certain situation - When Francisco Liriano or Boof Bonser starts the game and gets the win, and then Joe Nathan comes on to finish the game.

Hence The Sabean Special.

By my count, it's happened three times so far this year:

5/26 - Liriano pitched 5 shutout innings, Joe Nathan finishes it off with a perfect 9th. Twins beat the Mariners 3-1.
6/16 - Liriano pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out 11. Nathan pitches another perfect 9th for the save. Twins beat the Pirates 4-2.
6/22 - Liriano pitches 8 innings, giving up only 2 run on 4 hits, and Nathan pitches a scoreless 9th. Twins beat the Astros 4-2.

So let's start it now:

"The Sabean Special" Count: 3

A win is a win is a win

It wasn't the prettiest win of the year, but at the end of the day, all that matters is the result, especially when you're trailing 4-1 after 6 innings.

The Twins originally took the lead after a passed ball brought in the go-ahead run. Unfortunately, Joe Nathan blew his first save of the year in the 9th, giving up a solo HR to Preston Wilson, tying the game at 5. In the top of the 10th, however, it was Dr. Morneau hitting his 17th Quadrangle of the year (which has him on pace for some nice numbers) which gave the Twins the 6-5 lead. After that, Joe Nathan wasn't going to blow it twice, as he struck out the side in the 10th, getting him his 5th win of the year, and putting the Twins over .500, and have them looking like a whole new team.

The only negative here is that the Twins can't really catch a break in the standings, as Detroit and Chicago just keep on winning. On Tuesday, the Sox beat St. Louis 20-6 while Detroit beat Milwaukee 10-1. As of now, the Twins have won 8 in a row while the Sox have won 5 in a row and Detroit has won 6 in a row. They stand 11 games behind the Tigers and 9.5 games behind the White Sox.

Regardless, they just have to keep focusing on taking care of themselves, and eventually they can make up some ground. It's a marathon, not a sprint. For now, they just have to focus on Wednesday's game, which features Carlos Silva on the mound vs. Wandy Rodriguez.

How do you spell S-W-E-E-P?

Well that's a nice surprise. After another Kubel HR, the first good outing of the year for Carlos Silva, and Joe Nathan getting the Twins out of some late trouble, the Twins earned the sweep over the Boston Red Sox with a 5-3 victory Thursday.

The most encouraging thing about the game, by far, was a sign that maybe Carlos Silva is ready to get back into the form that made him so effective last year. His 6 scoreless innings lowered his ERA from 7.73 to 7.07. Granted, 7.07 still isn't good, but it's a heck of a lot better than 7.73. He gave up 7 hits and struck out 2, but again, true to last year's form, didn't walk anyone.

Grady's been criticized by me and others in the past, so it's only proper to give him credit when credit is due. I love the fact that he brought in Nathan in the 8th when the bases were loaded. Sure, it wasn't a conventional save situation in which Nathan is usually saved for, but regardless of inning, it was the most important part of the game, with the bases loaded, no out, and the 4-5-6 hitters coming up. Bravo to Gardy for bringing Nathan in there, which eventually resulted in Nathan's 8th save.

Also congrats to Jason Kubel, who homered in his 3rd straight game. He's now batting .291 with a .321 OBP and .506 SLG in 79 AB. He could stand to take a couple more walks, but it's great to see a little bit of power from him. Once again, I beg you Gardy, leave him in LF when Stewart comes back!

Anyway, the sweep puts their record at 31-34, 11 games behind the Tigers. They now head to Pittsburgh for a 3-game set.

As an added note, I'll be gone for the weekend, so I apologize to both of my readers when I say that the blog won't be update until Sunday or Monday! Maybe this will bring the Twins more good luck!