Thursday Night,
August 19, 2010
One to Forget… Quickly!
Carl Pavano did not have a good night, and if he was going to
have a night with poor results, this was the right night. Pavano
gave up seven runs on a career-high 15 hits in just five innings. Although the
results are really all the mattered, I think it is fair to say that Pavano was BABIP’d to death in
this game. What does that mean, you ask? BABIP = Batting Average on Balls in
Play. It basically is a way of saying that once a pitcher lets go of the ball,
if he does not issue a walk, record a strikeout or give up a home run, then
anything can happen. Francisco Liriano has
been the most “unlucky” pitcher in baseball this year. His BABIP is approaching
.350. On this night, Carl Pavano gave
up 15 hits, but an argument could be made that only four or five were actually
solid hits. Yes, the home run to Konerko,
that was hit well. But other than that, there were a bunch of bloopers, a
couple of infield singles, or singles just through the infield. On this night,
the singles are singles and the runs are runs and it all adds up to a loss. But
understanding that it was a very ‘unlucky’ night for Pavano
helps put this game into perspective. Did Pavano
pitch well? No, and I don’t think anyone would tell you as much. But if those
soft hits were a few feet to either direction, the game is much different. Glen
Perkins came in and pitched the 7th and 8th innings.
He allowed two of Pavano’s runs to score, and he gave
up four more, but in my mind, that’s just fine. That is the role that Perkins
needs to fill. In a game like that, you don’t want any of your good pitchers to
have to even warm up. Perkins helped the Twins on this night, even if the
numbers were not good. Also, Jon Rauch pitched the ninth which was good as well
since he needs some work and some confidence back.
The Twins had some base runners, but there is a reason the Mark Buehrle has been good for a long time. He is crafty.
I personally think that an 11-0 loss is much easier to move past than a
tough loss. I know some think that this game will have lasting effects. Not at all. Starting pitching is what will determine how the
Twins play against the Angels this weekend.
The Twins had their top three pitchers (Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano)
on the mound in these three games against the White Sox. None of the three got on
out in the sixth inning. Not great performances at all. Some will tell us that
it is something we should worry about, and if you want to, you can. I guess I
look at it and say that despite three less than normal performances, the Twins
found a way to win a series at home against their biggest division rival. By
winning two out of three, they added a game between them in the standings and
head into the weekend with a four game lead.
Here is a quick glance at what
happened on Wednesday in the Twins minor league system:
Red Wings Report
Kyle Gibson made his second start
for the Red Wings and did well. In five innings, he gave up two runs on five
hits. He walked one and struck out three. He threw just 76 pitches. Tim Lahey
came in and threw two shutout innings. Alex
Burnett pitched a scoreless 8th frame, but he then gave up two
runs in the 9th and took the loss. Matt Tolbert went 3-5. Brian
Dinkelman went 2-5 with his 28th
double. Matt Macri
went 2-4 with a walk and his 20th double. Brock Peterson was 2-4 with his 21st double. Brendan Harris was 1-3 with two walks.
New Britain Notes
The struggles of Deolis Guerra continued on this night, but the team was able to beat
Richmond 7-6. He gave up five runs on nine hits (including two homers) and
three walks in four innings. Tony Davis gave up one run on one hit and
three walks in two innings. He struck out two. Loek Van Mil threw 1.2 shutout innings. Billy Bullock got his tenth Double-A save by recording the final
four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Jeff
Howell went 2-4 with his fifth Rockcat double. Evan Bigley
went 2-5.
Miracle Matters
The Miracle lost
to Charlotte 8-1. The biggest reason, the base on balls.
Miracle pitchers walked 14 batters. Bruce
Pugh started and
gave up two runs on five hits and six walks in five innings. Steve Blevins came in and gave up two unearned runs on one hit and three
walks in his inning. Shooter Hunt
came in and faced four batters. He walked all four. Three of them scored. Jhon Garcia came in and gave up one run on
three hits and one walk in three innings. Nick
Romero again led the offense. He went 3-4 with his 23rd and 24th
doubles. Nate Hanson went 2-3 with a
walk. Tobias Streich
went 2-4.
Snappers Snippets
The
Snappers scored three runs in the top of the 9th and held on for a
5-3 win over Wisconsin. James Beresford
went 2-4 with his 16th double. Danny
Rams was 2-4. Pedro Guerra made
the start for the team and gave up one run on five hits and four walks in 4.1
innings. He struck out five. Brad Stillings then gave up two runs on four hits and a walk
in 2.2 innings. Miguel Munoz struck
out three in two scoreless innings.
E-Twins Talkers
Elizabethton
lost 6-2 to Pulaski. Blayne Weller gave up four runs (1 earned) on
seven hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out three. Dallas Gallant then gave up two solo
homers in his second inning of work. Adrian
Salcedo and Jose
Gonzalez each threw a scoreless inning. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-3 with two walks. Buddy Munroe went 2-4 with his third
home run. Nate Roberts went 2-4 with
a walk. Derek Phillips hit his first
home run.
GCL Twins Topics
The
Twins lost 3-2 to the Rays. Ricardo Arevalo started and gave up two runs on one hit and two
walks in four innings. He struck out six. Luis
Nunez then gave up an unearned run on one hit in three innings. Tyler Herr struck out two in a scoreless
inning. Kelvin Silvania
was 3-4 with his fifth double. Kennys Vargas
went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th double.
Any questions or comments on the Twins or the minor
league system? Feel free to leave
your questions and comments here.