Blackburn, pen lead Twins to victory, prevent sweep

I was actually able to be in attendance at todays game - which was great to see a close victory for the Twins. I overheard several conversations that indicated the Rays fans are THRILLED to have Garza & Bartlett for Young. And I think I agree. He is an okay player - but he is not any thing special - why did the team ever make that trade? Tampa Bay fans think its pretty funny that we were willing to take him.

To understand the trade for Young, it's worth a look at Young's biography in the Minnesota Twins official MLB website. The guy had super star written all over him coming into the majors, and he didn't really disappoint in his rookie season; he drove in 93 runs, which means some clutch hitting, because he hit only 13 homers. And, he batted .288. There are a lot of reasons for Young having a rough time of it; however, it might be better for both Young and the Twins if the Twins were to try to trade him. He's only 23 and a lot of teams might still be willing to take a chance on him.

The happy news has to do with Blackburn's continued solid pitching and a great job by the bullpen. Guerrier is throwing some great breaking pitches, and Mijares has been fairly dependable. Let's hope that the Twins can really stuff Cleveland and go on the road with some confidence.

Mike Redmond is the capable Kenny Sodbuster Jay of baseball.....

Del Young is one of those cats that we will trade and he will come alive and turn out to be a MVP type player.

Gardy never ceases to amaze me by putting in such weak hitters in the #2 spot.

Casilla (.161 average) was 0-5, and 1-9 since the callback. These types of hitters do not belong in the starting lineup, much less batting at the number 2 spot. What good does it do to have an automatic out before the meat of the order is due up.

With Casilla, last year was last year, and this year is this year....maybe the opposing pitchers have got his number...he sure can't hit, and it affects his fielding.

I've been a Gardy fan, but this type of bullheaded management baffles me.

TC Florida wrote:

I was actually able to be in attendance at todays game - which was great to see a close victory for the Twins. I overheard several conversations that indicated the Rays fans are THRILLED to have Garza & Bartlett for Young. And I think I agree. He is an okay player - but he is not any thing special - why did the team ever make that trade? Tampa Bay fans think its pretty funny that we were willing to take him.

Are you saying the Tampa Bay fans were happy to get rid of a 21-year-old, who had just hit .290 and driven in 93 runs in his rookie year?

Before you get too excited about Bartlett, let me point out that he hit .286 last year with one home run--numbers very similar to Punto's.

Young is only 23 years old. Bartlett was in the minor leagues until he was 24. Give Young a chance to develop.

Before we declare Garza the next Cy Young, let's wait for him to put up at least one season above .500. We won't know who got the better of this trade for years.

Bartlett will fizzle out as the season progresses. Garza is another story--not Cy Young quality, perhaps, but definitely a solid career ahead if he isn't injured. Tampa Bay will be overwhelmed this season, but their manager is a great tactician and makes the right moves at the right time. He deserves he a lot of credit for whatever success Tampa Bay has.

What gets me about the Twins' coaching staff is that they don't seem to be able to correct simple problems with their players, their hitters especially. Watching Young whiff a couple times, it was easy to see that Young was looking into left field each time, which means he took his eyes off the ball at the last minute. His head should have been down with the ball. Instead, he is already looking to see where the ball that he missed has gone. If he's not whiffing, he's fouling off a lot of good pitches, another sign that he's not staying with the ball. A little league coach would see this. Casilla can't hit the outside pitch, at least batting left-handed. Pitchers just keep pouring pitches into the outside part of the plate or just off the plate on him. Why can't the Twins' coaches help the players to correct those glitches?

The Twins replaced Matt Garza in the rotation with
a guy named Nick Blackburn who is pretty good him
self. Garza's record last year wasn't much better
than Blackburn's and the bullpen threw away 4-5
wins for him last year. If Gardy had the sense to
play Harris every day, his numbers would outshine
those of Bartlett's handsdown. If Young would ever
show signs of life this trade would be a steal for
the Twins no matter how good Garza gets. He still
looks like a guy who will crumble under pressure
most days. He pitched well in the playoffs but can
he produce every time out. Blackburn looks pretty
poised.

whoooohooooo! 6 road wins, don't look now but we could hit 10 by the 4th of July! Embarassing...

Who'd have guessed that Blackburn would turn out to be the Twins' stopper? It's great to see him taking the mound and pitch with cool confidence. Hope he can keep it up.

If we can get a good trade for Young absolutely trade him. It would be nice to laugh at some other team the way the Rays fans laughed about us taking him. Tampa & their fans were under no illusions that Young would amount to all that much.

brachiosaurus wrote:

To understand the trade for Young, it's worth a look at Young's biography in the Minnesota Twins official MLB website. The guy had super star written all over him coming into the majors, and he didn't really disappoint in his rookie season; he drove in 93 runs, which means some clutch hitting, because he hit only 13 homers. And, he batted .288. There are a lot of reasons for Young having a rough time of it; however, it might be better for both Young and the Twins if the Twins were to try to trade him. He's only 23 and a lot of teams might still be willing to take a chance on him.
The happy news has to do with Blackburn's continued solid pitching and a great job by the bullpen. Guerrier is throwing some great breaking pitches, and Mijares has been fairly dependable. Let's hope that the Twins can really stuff Cleveland and go on the road with some confidence.

I don't agree that Harris would be better than Bartlett but completely agree that he should play on a regular basis. He should be the everyday 2nd basemen. He's not a #2 hitter but will produce at #6 because of his power. SS while Punto is on the DL but 2nd once he returns.

Rick wrote:

The Twins replaced Matt Garza in the rotation with
a guy named Nick Blackburn who is pretty good him
self. Garza's record last year wasn't much better
than Blackburn's and the bullpen threw away 4-5
wins for him last year. If Gardy had the sense to
play Harris every day, his numbers would outshine
those of Bartlett's handsdown. If Young would ever
show signs of life this trade would be a steal for
the Twins no matter how good Garza gets. He still
looks like a guy who will crumble under pressure
most days. He pitched well in the playoffs but can
he produce every time out. Blackburn looks pretty
poised.

TC Florida wrote:

If we can get a good trade for Young absolutely trade him. It would be nice to laugh at some other team the way the Rays fans laughed about us taking him. Tampa & their fans were under no illusions that Young would amount to all that much.
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Yeah, it would be nice to unload him but, trouble is, he's not worth anything. Since he can't be moved, he'll be sent down - to a coaching staff that is dreading this move.

TC Florida wrote:

If we can get a good trade for Young absolutely trade him. It would be nice to laugh at some other team the way the Rays fans laughed about us taking him. Tampa & their fans were under no illusions that Young would amount to all that much.
<quoted text>

As I have pointed out previously--at this point in their careers--Delmon Young's numbers are better than Roberto Clemente's.

At the same age and roughly the same number of at bats, Young's average is .288 compared to Clemente's .275. Young has 27 home runs and has driven in 186. Clemente had 16 home runs, while driving in 137. Young has 28 stolen bases compared to Clemente's eight.

Even though Clemente's numbers are worse than Young's, the Pirates didn't give up on Clemente and he went on to the Hall of Fame. Young is 23 years old. For you Jason Bartlett fans, he didn't even make the major leagues until he was 24. You can't give up on a 23-year-old, who has the potential that Delmon Young has.

Erica wrote:

Who'd have guessed that Blackburn would turn out to be the Twins' stopper? It's great to see him taking the mound and pitch with cool confidence. Hope he can keep it up.

And let's not overlook Slowey's contribution. He is 7-1.

If that happens I am going back to the trop in St. Pete to give those fans payback. Those who laugh last ... I hope you're right about this, but ...

Arrogant American wrote:

<quoted text>
As I have pointed out previously--at this point in their careers--Delmon Young's numbers are better than Roberto Clemente's.
At the same age and roughly the same number of at bats, Young's average is .288 compared to Clemente's .275. Young has 27 home runs and has driven in 186. Clemente had 16 home runs, while driving in 137. Young has 28 stolen bases compared to Clemente's eight.
Even though Clemente's numbers are worse than Young's, the Pirates didn't give up on Clemente and he went on to the Hall of Fame. Young is 23 years old. For you Jason Bartlett fans, he didn't even make the major leagues until he was 24. You can't give up on a 23-year-old, who has the potential that Delmon Young has.