As a Twins blogger, and particularly as
'just a Twins fan', I am really struggling with how to write about what
happened on Wednesday afternoon. People can talk about how, compared to
football, baseball is not a contact sport. Compared to basketball,
baseball players don't need to be in quite as great of shape. The game
looks so easy sometimes when we're sitting on our couches watching a
single ball game.
And then we get reminded of how anything
can happen in baseball. What baseball has that no other major sport has
is a 162 game regular season. All teams have things happen to them
throughout the year. The great teams have depth and the wherewithal and
the heart and the courage and so many positive attributes that make them
able to fight through the long, grueling season. I know that in the
past, I used to cringe or roll my eyes whenever I heard or read Tom
Kelly or Ron Gardenhire talk about playing one game at a
time. However, as this 2006 season unfolds, I am learning more and more
to appreciate that it is more than a cliché. It is very true. You just
never know what is going to happen.
In
a 162 game season, there are several ups and downs, and the Twins have
experienced so many of each already this year. The first six weeks of
the season, the Twins were one of the worst teams in baseball. Since
early June, they have been one of the best teams. That's on a big scale.
However, take the 24 hour period from about 9:00 on Tuesday night until
about 5:00 on Wednesday evening. Michael Cuddyer and Justin
Morneau hit back-to-back doubles to help the Twins go from down 5-3 to
up 7-5. Soon after, Joe Nathan closed out the game with the save.
The Twins were just 1.5 games behind the AL Central leading Tigers, and
2.5 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card. The White
Sox lost an 11 inning game to the Angels. The Tigers were struggling.
And the Twins had young Francisco Liriano slated to start a noon
game for a shot at sweeping the Oakland A's. He was coming off of a
dominant AAA rehab start, and reports indicated that he was stronger
than ever.
If you watched the first two innings of
yesterday afternoon's game, you saw some vintage Francisco Liriano.
He was throwing hard, his change up was hitting its spots and his slider
was sharp and nasty. He was making the A's hitters really work, and in
some cases look really bad. In his second inning at bat, Frank Thomas
was made to look like a replacement level player.
And then in the 3rd inning, he gave up his
first hit, a bloop single to center field. Up came former Twin Bobby
Kielty. Liriano threw a fastball... and his season was over.
I was sitting at my home computer watching
the game on my lunch break. I was watching his every pitch. When he let
go of that fastball, he fell off to the 3B side of the mound, as he
frequently does. Except this time, he just kept walking, toward
shortstop before turning back toward the mound. 2B Luis Castillo
got to him first and the trainer and Ron Gardenhire were both
there quickly. Within a couple of seconds, Liriano was walking off the
mound. And my stomach sunk, but probably not for the reason you would
think.
Sure, a part of the sinking feeling was
because one of the best pitchers in all of baseball was likely done for
the season. The next thought was that he could need Tommy John surgery
which would then cost him the 2007 season as well. I am one of many who
believe that a playoff rotation that involved both Johan Santana and
Francisco Liriano would be hard to beat in any series. Suddenly, the
Twins pitching rotation is full of more questions. A big part of the
Twins September success was now done, and that is unfortunate.
No, the sunken feeling that I got was for
Francisco Liriano, the person. Not even really the pitcher. Sure,
the "pitcher" is likely a big part of Francisco Liriano as a
person. But, just think about the work that Liriano did to get up to
the big leagues. Think about how much success he had this season. Then
think about the initial injury, and how hard that he must have worked to
get back to being able to pitch for the Twins. And he did it in six
weeks. I am concerned about his left arm, but I am just as worried about
his psyche, his mental well being. Francisco Liriano has experienced
some wonderful high points this season. I'm sure he also felt a huge low
spot when he was initially hurt. But through the hard work, he had to be
feeling very good again following his start in Rochester last week. Now
that his season is over because of this injury, you have to assume that
he is now at a new low point.
I'm sure he'll be ok, but I can only
imagine how down Francisco Liriano is right now anticipating the
results of an MRI. I'm sure thoughts of an offseason of rest and rehab
is not a positive. I am sure that thoughts of Tommy John surgery and no
less than a year of rehab and future uncertainty is completely scary.
Was it a wrong decision to bring Liriano
back? I don't think so. Because of what he did in Rochester last week,
there was no reason to think that he couldn't throw 50-60 pitches. He
said he was strong. He said he felt good. Could he have just been saying
that because he wanted to get back with the Twins? Maybe, but I choose
to believe that he really felt fine, and that he didn't feel elbow pain
until those final two pitches he threw.
The bigger question for me is why Mike
Redmond had Liriano throwing so many sliders. That made no sense to
me either.
So although from the mind of a Twins fan,
it is disappointing that Liriano is out, my thoughts are totally with
Francisco Liriano the person, and I hope that he has the strength to
get through whatever is next in his life and career.
Secondly, when Liriano walked off the
field, and really for the next inning (maybe more, I did have to go back
to work, so I didn't watch after the top of the 4th), the Twins bench
was just somber, quiet. Many had some depressed looks, almost just
staring into space. I am sure that like Twins fans, the teammates were
excited to have someone as electrifying as Liriano back on their team.
Now, I don't mean to take away anything from A's starter Danny Haren
because he was terrific, but you have to ask if the Twins as a team were
just down to the point where they were done for the rest of the game.
Again, this isn't an intentional thing, and you don't want to happen,
and you try to not let it happen, but the reality is that it does. The
fact that the Twins lost 1-0 was really a background story to the
Liriano situation. To me, the game just didn't matter much after the
injury. I will give the team a free pass on this game.
However, the key is for the players, and
for us as fans, to remember that they got to this point, in part,
without Francisco Liriano. Yes, the season turned around, again
in part, when Liriano was added to the rotation. But let's not forget
that when the Twins lost Liriano on August 7th, they were 10.5 games
behind the Tigers and seven or eight behind the White Sox. In other
words, in the five or six weeks without Liriano, the Twins have made up
even more ground. They got to just 1.5 behind the Tigers, and were now
2.5 ahead of the White Sox.
As I have asked and said several times in
the last couple of months, I don't know how they are doing it. But this
is a tenacious team, a young, energetic team full of players who care a
lot. They play with such enthusiasm, and after a rough game mentally
yesterday in which they had to be hurting for their teammate and friend,
I fully expect that the Twins will come back and continue to play the
brand of baseball that they have in the last month or three. They will
be fun to watch.
Oh, and whose spot in the rotation did
Liriano take over? That's right, Matt Garza's. Well, Garza came
into the game to replace Liriano in the 3rd inning. He went the next 5
2/3 innings and gave up just one run. The frustration there is that the
run should not have even happened. Mike Redmond easily threw out
Milton Bradley attempting to steal 2B, but somehow the 2B ump
called him safe. That would have ended the inning, but instead, Jay
Payton doubled him in. I say this, not be be pro-Garza (which I
obviously am), but to say that in reality, they are returning to what
they had for the last month, and the guy that 'would have' started in
that spot yesterday if not for Liriano, pitched very well and should
step right back into the rotation next start.
Wednesday was a tough day for the Twins and
for their fans. The excitement of everything positive happening for the
team and the return of Francisco Liriano was torn down with the
Liriano injury and the news that he is out for the season. Twins fans
and the players too (if they're feeling this way), just need to take in
what all this news means, and then step back and realize where they are
now. They should see that they are still in a great position. They are
still leading the way for a playoff spot, and that does not change with
this news.
Any thoughts on Liriano or the Twins
chances the rest of the season? How big is the mental aspect of the
game, and the 162 game season? I think it's huge. Let me know what you
think. Please leave some comments below, or if you prefer,
send me an e-mail.
