Clubhouse Guys

Today I read a column reminding that not only is Nick Punto an atrocious hitter, but he's at best adequate in the field. I skimmed over some reader comments, and not surprisingly the Punto Apologists brought forth their final line of defense: He brings the intangibles. He hustles. He's a team leader. He's a good clubhouse guy. I recall one saying he'd rather have Punto than a "clubhouse cancer" like Manny Ramirez. Let me just ask this: As an opposing team, who would you rather see stepping into the batters box for a critical late inning at bat? Even as a Twins fan conditioned to quake in terror of puny middle infielders like Adam Kennedy, I'd take my chances that the Brave Little Toaster hits a dinky foul ball to the first baseman, spikes his bat in disgust, throws his helmet across the diamond, and slides headfirst into the bag to get his uniform dirty. Manny may be suspended presently, but when he returns, he'll still have more RBI's and HR's that Punto.

That'll Show 'em!

The Twins return from their seven game road trip having outscored their opponents 42-35. I'd like to think today's 20-1 means that the Twins marks the recovery from a rough road trip and foreshadows a strong homestand. I'm worried that it will give players, fans, and coaches a false sense of accomplishment about the past seven games.

And guess who had the token ofer (with 3 k's) in the offensive breakout. It was none other than Nick Punto!

Breslow Release

Apparently the Twins released Craig Breslow. Will somebody please explain why they waived him in the middle of May, yet waited until June and September respectively with Juan Rincon and Brian Bass in 2008?

Blackburn's Outing

After Blackburn's struggle in New York last year and his walk-walk-hr sequence, I was tempted to blog about my disappointment. Then he goes and pitches several strong innings after that. Don't be mistaken. Pitching around two batters to give up a 3-run homer is a huge pet peeve of mine. But I like graceful recovery from such incidents almost as much as I hate the mistake.

I'd expect many question Gardy's decision to leave Blackburn in the game. I'm not one to second-guess managers. Heading into the 8th, I thought to myself, "Blackburn's going to get rocked. Oh, well. He can't do worse than the 'pen." Blackburn actually handled the inning respectably. I'm willing to risk a double to Matsui rather than walking him. The Yankees gave an out to move him to third, Damon grounded out, and then a two-out Texiera single drove in the run. That sequence is a considerable improvement over the bottom of the 3rd.

Bad News

The Twins second struggling second-baseman Alexi Casilla down to the minors today. This is bad news for two reasons. First, it means he'll probably return. Let's hope by then he's at least conquered his fear of the ball in the field. Second, the alternative, Matt Tolbert, isn't much of an improvement. Let's no kid ourselves. Gardy will find every excuse he can to play him ahead of Harris. Tolbert will conveniently go 3-4 with a pair of doubles in one of his first games and do nothing after that.

Earlier this decade, I was one of few to defend Luis Rivas when most fans complained about how lousy he was. A second baseman with great defense, a .260 batting average and five to ten home runs would look pretty good right now. That's not to say they should have kept Rivas, but as second-basemen go, he was at least adequate.

Mauer's Return

Joe Mauer returned to the lineup on Friday scheduled to bat third. Many had thought he would bat second, and Morneau and Kubel would remain in their respective positions. I respect Gardy patient confidence in Casilla. The manager's tendency to resist knee-jerk decisions likely pays dividends. But Mauer should be batting 2nd with Morneau and Kubel following immediately. Presently, there is no player who has any business hitting between Span and Mauer. You can't possibly want the team's worst hitter, Casilla, to be getting the second most at-bats. If Harris is at second base instead, he fits nicely into the 6th or 7th spot. He's not going to get on-base enough to justify putting him ahead of Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel, but he has enough power that he can be that extra threat after the middle of the order. Punto is doing fine batting 9th, so just leave him alone. I suspect Gardy sees things similarly, but wants to give Casilla another week or so. I doubt we'll be seeing anybody from Rochester; Matt Tolbert's .225 batting average leads all infielders for the Red Wings.

Walking In Runs

Usually when I sit down to watch or listen to a ballgame, I intend to follow it to the very last at-bat. If it gets out of hand, I may linger on another station for a few pitches after the commercial break or switch from television to radio, but I still have the game on. There are a few exceptional situations in which I allow myself to immediately bail out. Walking in a run is one of them. Walking all four batters to give up a run in the 11th inning is definitely one of them. Just give up the W$%(*&$#(*% Grand Slam if you really want. Throw the ball over the plate. Realistically, you'll still allow a run, but at least you have a good chance of getting an out.