Twins Postseason Thread

[pikehunter]

Well boys, it just doesn't get much better than this (at least when you're not on the lake) ... What a great day. Game one at Yankee Stadium ... I can't wait!
Go Twins!!!!

[The Grebe]

Gents, what could be better then giving the Yankees a black eye in their own back yard?

You go onto their turf, with all their home boys howling from the stands and kick their butts right in front of everyone! It's gonna be great! Can't wait! GO TWINS!!!

[Mudcutter]

What a GAME!!!! Santanna without his nasty stuff still was able to get the victory with some serious help from the positoning of his infield to the incredbile plays of Hunter and Stewart. A-rod's frozen rope off Rincon was a homer taken away by Hunter. That's a catch B.Williams doesn't make. Hunter's throw to Blanco to cut down the "fleet-footed" Posada was a run taken a away. B.Willams doesn't make that throw either. Wasn't it nice to see a closer come in a shut down the opponent 1-2-3 unlike EddieG of previous years??? I was like WOW, this guy has got great stuff and is a GAMER!!!!

+++ for the TWins---- DEFENSE,,- BLANCO (huge game for him, he did the little things right) Jones (must be a relief playing a GAME after going through what he is.) Santanna, must feel good after pitching decent and not having his best stuff. Stew- is healthy and handled Moose like he usually does. Nathan- See Bottom of the 9th.

--- for the Twins.. Morneau-- looks lost at the plate and a bit shaky at first. Wonder if he can come through when the game is on the line.

TWins need to keep the hammer down and pull out a tight game tonight. Radke pitched very well in the bronx last year until the 7th. That's got to be enough for your team to win. It comes down to Romero tonight. Bet on it. Yanks aren't going to be shut out 3 games in a row in the postseason, so we need to score 4-5 runs to have a chance.
Man, I Wish I had tickets to either game 3,or 4. The dome should be going bonkers.
GO TWINS-----

[soldoncass]

That's one- put it on the board!
Santana and defense SHUT OUT yanks without his GOOD stuff- incredible!
Mussina had GREAT stuff and lost because of it- incredible!
That should get Santana the cy-young for sure- good exposure- how about a unanamous vote
Morneau will be fine if he can lay off those SUCKER pitches- they don't like to throw him strikes- gotta help the hitters around him
MC- I hope you are wrong about tonights game being on J.C.'s shoulders- I have NO confidence in him right now. Let Radke do 8 or 9 tonight and the hitters need to help him out with 5-6 runs- oh nuts- they owe him big time- make it 10-12 this time!

[pikehunter]

Nothing better than watching the Twins play Twins baseball and earn a huge win "our way": by playing solid defense and manufacturing runs.
We also had a little help from Lady Luck, which never hurts. The Yankees hit the ball hard in several scoring situations, but right at defenders. I mean, five double plays??!! I guess Cuddyer responded to those who doubted his double-play ability!
Morneau did look a bit like a deer in headlights last night, but I think he'll get his hacks of the rest of this rotation. He's the type of guy who just needs to get on a roll.
I'll be there for game three (go ahead, be jealous) and hopefully we'll be breaking out the brooms!
Go Twins!!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

OK, pikehunter, you got me, I'm way jealous.

Santana goes out, every game, and strikes out at least 7. That's amazing. Maybe my expectations of him were too high last night. But, even without his best stuff, he still managed to beat a very powerfull lineup. Of course, he had help from his friends in the field. That's Twins ball and ya gotta love it.

Fans want to see runs scored and the long ball, but fellas, defense wins games. Twins proved it last night and gave the overhyped Yanks a black eye in the process.

Torii has been talking a little smack but he backed it up last night. Jock strap Jones has been going through his own personel **** and still jacked one. Santana wasn't his best and he had em guessing anyway. Team ball. In todays day of "It's all about me" pro sports it does me good to see the Twins win. Yeah, I'm a fan.

GO TWINS!!!!!!

[Stratosman]

Just think when Morneau and Ford start swinging the bats like they can, we eeked one out with little offense last night, our stellar defense won the game for us hands down. We can hit off Lieber, and Radke is our postseason guru, I just hope he can go 7 or eight innings so we can keep Romero out of the loop, he scares me too. Did anyone notice those two no-calls on A-Rod and Sheffield on not offering at those strike 3 pitches? And that one to A-Rod was strike three anyway. It was very obvious they went around. And what's with the blind umpire at 3rd base? How come every Twin knew it was foul and the guy getting paid to make the call is wrong? At least he got help. Small market teams don't get home-cookin like that!

[Willy]

Good team game. Great defense, great pitching, even though Johan wasn't quite on. It seemed like the yankees had a game plan of trying to swing at Santanna's first pitches.

Mussina pitched really good too. We are going to need more run support to win the game tonight though. The yankees always seem to come out and score a ton of runs the night after they lose a playoff game.

[The Grebe]

Give some of these young guns a few more innings and I think they will come through, hell it's the Yankees they are playing, they are gonna have jitters and try to do to much.

They will get over it and more then likely they will step up and into the fray, like Cuddeyer, Blanco, Jones, Santana, Hunter and some of the others did last night. GO TWINS!!!

[Stratosman]

Okay, great game, very dissapointing loss, I seldom question Gardenhire but here goes. Why did he start Kubel, nothing more that a AAA player at D.H. in a game of this importance? Then why did he not pich hit for him with guys on 2nd and 3rd with one out when he had already gone 0-3, then he proceeds to whiff on 3 pitches, two of which were 2 feet out of the strike zone when all he needed to do was make contact? Lew Ford and LeCroy on the bench, I know Ford has struggled lately, but what the hell do you have to lose? I don't get it, we have to be the only team with a AAA player starting at D.H. in the postseason, it baffles me.

[Mudcutter]

Strato-
Didn't see the game, but listened very intently to Gordo and Dazzle man on the radio. It's all I can do here in IA beforea I goto work at midnight without cable.
Your points I thought of many times. Only thing I can think of is that Kubel had 3 hits off Lieber a week or so ago. That KOwas the game. I don't know if Ford would have done any better, but I would have given him a chance being that he has about 500ab's compared to Kubel 40 in the major's.
Doesn't make any difference, but Newman was saying that some of the pitches to Cairo and Jeter in the 12th by Nathan were strikes. Being that I couldn't see the game, anybody vouch for that???
Dissapointing??? YES---
but IF,,,, HI HO Silva pitches like he's capable off, I see the Twins winning Game 3 and not using Nathan for a game.
GO TWINS!!!! Keep the Faith!!!!

[MNice]

Tough loss, but lets face it. The yankees lineup is a killer, I hope the twins can pull it out, but if they lose they sure have nothing to be ashamed about.

[honker23]

First I have to say what a game. Second, I hope Gardy got a good look at how Kubel was swinging the bat. I think Ford was the obvious choice to PH against Rivera. Most people agree his stuff is twice as tough on the lefties. I think Gardy was hoping to get a lefty in there against Lieber to maybe poke one out to the short porch in right. But after watching him struggle all night, Ford or Lecroy would have been my choice.
Some disagree with the Nathan decision after the fact because we lost, but I think it was the right move. If he doesn't walk Cairo and Jeter, we win and everyone praises Gardy and Nathan for having heart. 2-0 with Santana at the dome would have just about sealed it. It was worth the gamble. Just my thoughts! Go Twins!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Great game, tough loss. The boys showed some serious heart out there.

The decision Gardy made to keep Nathan out there was a good one with the wrong results. They had a shot to go for the jugular, and they took it.

I don't think the Yanks were giving as much thought to the Twins that they should have going into game 1. I'm thinking the boys earned some well deserved respect the last 2 days.

Game 3 and 4 in the Thunder Dome. Hi Ho Silvaaaaa Away!!!!!!!!!!!! It's gonna be good fellas.

[pikehunter]

Whew! Good to see this thread is much more pleasant than some of the others this morning. I think the Natahn decision was solid as well. Not much else you can do, and at least we're not in here this morning complaining about Gardy NOT giving Nathan a shot in the 12th.
Like I said in a different post the only thing I think should have been different is not having a lame Stewart in left in the bottom of the 12th. I really think Ford could have tracked down A-Rod's double.
At any rate, we'll have the Dome rocking for Game Three. And I'm really starting to like the matchup of Silva vs. Yankees. Unlike Radke, he's a groud ball pitcher who shouldn't give up the long ball.
Go Twins!!!!

[bigbucks]

I liked Gardy's decision to bring Nathan out for the 12th just fine & love that Joe told him he wanted the ball. I just wish he'd have pulled him when he walked Cairo. It seemed obvious to me that he'd lost it. As far as some pitches not being called in the 12th that were strikes, maybe 1, but he was basically missing from my viewpoint. I would have brought in Crane to pitch to ARod & Sheffield & only brought in Romero if it got to Matsui. It's easy to second guess, I just felt bad for Nathan, because it seemed he was out of gas & left hung out to dry. I know he wanted to be there, but he was done. Gardy in his heart knew he should take him out, but just couldn't do it. I'm not saying we would have won anyway, I just would have liked our chances better. It hurt to let that one get away, especially after the come back including the hit off Rivera & then the Hunter bomb.

I still like our chances with Silva against Brown. I think we'll knock him out early & like someone else said, Silva's not easy to homer off of & he's been pitching well of late. I don't really disagree with having Kubel DH, I would have preferred Ford, but don't think it was a bad call. I maybe would have pinch hit for him against Rivera, but I wouldn't second guess Gardy on that one.

I know one thing, I got way more upset than I should have over a stupid baseball game, when we blew it. It was tough to sleep after that one...

[Lake Alice]

BB I'm right there with you. I'm badly in need of some perspective today.

Yesterday a buddy sent me and email asking for my prediction. I said if we won last night, Twins in 4.

I also said my realistic prediciton is that we would lose 6-5 last night. Silva will get absolutley hammered friday night--which he will--Santana would dominate saturday, and game 5 back there? No chance.

So we lose 7-6. Is the rest of what I said now bound to happen? You guys tell me.

LA

[soldoncass]

It was a great game with the wrong team winning, but the cocky look was off the pinstripers and fans faces after they got to Rivera. PRICELESS!!!
I said it once, I'll say it again-- J.C. right now nakes the Twins bullpen vulnerable. If he was throwing well right now, the series would be 2-0 for the goodguys. Gardie had to go to Nathan too early and created the whole problem with Nathan. I don't blame him for trying to let Nathan finish, because he didn't have other GOOD choices, against their lineup. Radke didn't have his usual good control and his stuff isn't good enough to get away with that.
Silva needs to soak up some innings (8) and the hitters need to rattle the baggy or clear it a few times, to take some pressure off.

[The Grebe]

The Kubel deal, that was awful! The pitches he swung on were even with his eyebrows! Not once, but twice that I seen, I had to leave the room!

Leaving Nathan in I though was okay, but leaving Radke in for as long as he was, was a big mistake!

I think that the coaches should know by now, as long as Radke has been on the team, that if they start hitting him early, it's gonna go down hill, he is'nt gonna all of a sudden buck up and start nailing them!

This is'nt hind sight, I told my wife right when they did it, that I thought they made a mistake by swapping Borders for Blanco!

And lets face it, for whatever reason, JC has lost his edge? Since his fall from grace, I get the willys every time he comes in!

None of us are on top of our games all the time, even when there is alot riding on it, the coaching last night was not good!

We'll get them on Friday and pound em good!
GO TWINS!!!!

[CALVINIST]

It's pretty simple...

Whoever wins tonight's game will probably (note "probably") win the series.

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Calvinist
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[Stratosman]

I agree, this is a huge ame for Silva, I sure like our odds this year over last year with the Yank's pitching. Silva lives and dies by the double play, he gives up alot of hits but lots of ground balls too, I just hope he's on his game.

[bigbucks]

My prediction for tonight is Twins win 6-4. The Yanks aren't going to clear many fences with Silva's sinkers & although they hit the ball hard their team speed is terrible. I think he'll go 6 or maybe 7. They'll likely bang into a lot of those DP's & they don't take a lot of extra bases like the Twins do. I think Brown is very beatable at this point in time. I don't look for him past the 5th & probably not past the 4th.

If Santana pitches tomorrow, we have to close it out tomorrow. I don't like our chance of winning game 5 in the Bronx with anybody other than Johan on the hill.

[The Grebe]

Calvinist....I don't know bud? These are two great teams, otherwise they would'nt be where they are at right now!

My prediction...we'll be able to give Yankee fans the Raspberries, they will be able to give us the Raspberries and it will come down to the last game and floors through out New York and here at home, will be covered with chewed off fingernails!

[buzzsaw]

Silva is already sucking! 5 str8 two out hits and 3 runs later it's comeback time!
or not... Mauer, I mean stinky 3rd string catcher boy with the ground out and two runners left in scoring position!!

[seamonster1]

Team does not know how to play in a big game! How about a manager that can get them to do that! Why don't we just end this game and right now(7th inning)!
Another Gardy choke! Would Kelly have the boys choking right now?