| 09 April 2011
Nick Blackburn turned in another impressive performance tonight, but the offense couldn't string any hits together.
Even with a strong pitching performance to fall back on, a team can't expect a victory when the first six batters in your lineup combine to hit 2-21 in a game. Twins hitters reached base just five times in their game against the Oakland Athletics this evening, more than five times less than the team averaged last year.
Danny Valencia, Luke Hughes, and Alexi Casilla managed a hit apiece, and played about as well as you could expect. No, the problem is found in the top and middle of the lineup. Although expected to be among the league-leaders in offensive statistics, Minnesota has a team batting line of .210/.267/.297 and have scored the fourth-fewest runs in either league.
It's still early, but yikes!
The "small sample-size" label still applies, though things better start clicking soon for the Twins. Each of the 162 games counts towards the final standings, and in the always-competitive AL Central, this early offensive slump could very well prove the difference between first and second.
Let's take a look at each of the top six hitters in tonight's lineup, and attempt to diagnose their problems.
1. Denard Span, CF - .290/.353/.419
Span was hitless tonight against Oakland's Gio Gonzalez, but he's been one of the Twins best hitters through the opening week of the season. In fact, his triple-slash line isn't much different from what you'd expect from him. His on-base average will hopefully go up a few points eventually, but everything else is fairly normal.
1st inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/no outs | Span watched five consecutive fastballs go by in this first-inning at bat, allowing Gonzalez to work himself into a full count. He softly grounded to the shortstop on a ball in the middle, lower-half of the plate for the inning's first out.
3rd inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runner on first/two outs | Gonzalez threw two more fastballs to Span in his third-inning at bat. The first was incorrectly called a ball (according to pitch f/x), and the second was again grounded to the shortstop for the final out of the inning.
5th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runners on second and third/one out | This was perhaps the Twins' only legitimate offensive threat of the game. Span swung at the first pitch offered by Gonzalez -- something he did in just 11 percent of his plate appearances last season -- and popped out to the shortstop. The pitch was a slow curveball left up in the strikezone, a perfect opportunity for Span to get some bat on the ball and give his slugging percentage a boost. Instead, his bat connected with the ball just an inch lower than he wanted, giving the Athletics the second out of the inning. Judging from the pained and frustrated look on Span's face as he left the batting box, he knew he missed an opportunity.
8th inning (vs. Grant Balfour) - none on/no outs | The eighth-inning magic from the night before wouldn't be found against Balfour. Span opened his final at-bat of the game by watching a fastball at chesk-level go by for a ball. Balfour threw another fastball down the heart of the plate, which Span lifted to deep center field. It was Span's best batted ball of the night, but fell a few yards short of the outfield fence. If he'd delayed or sped up his swing my a milisecond, that ball may have reached the seats.
2. Joe Mauer, C - .231/.310/.231
It's been slow going for Mauer so far this season, and it's clear that his lingering knee issues are bothering him. A few defensive miscues proved costly tonight, but Mauer efficiently worked the count in three of his four plate appearances tonight. It's clear that Gardenhire intends on resting Mauer as frequently as possible -- he'll put Mauer in the DH slot tomorrow afternoon -- and that should help the catcher find his groove.
1st inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/one out | The ever-patient Mauer knew the pitcher he was facing struggled at times to find the strikezone, and after watching Span draw a full-count without lifting the bat from his shoulders, Mauer decided it best to wait for Gonzalez to make a mistake. Three pitches went by, two of which were strikes. Mauer took a hard cut at the 1-2 pitch, but was a bit late and fouled it into Oakland's dugout. He then watched two more balls go by, and fouled off a fastball up in the zone. Mauer took a half-hearted swing at Gonzalez's eighth offering, and grounded to the second baseman for the second out of the inning.
4th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/no outs | Mauer again worked the count full against Gonzalez, and was convinced he had drawn a walk after the sixth pitch sailed by. Instead, home plate umpire Tom Hallion called the catcher out on strikes. According to pitch f/x, he was right; Mauer should've swung at that final offering. Instead, the strikeout was the first out of the inning for the Athletics.
5th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runners on second and third/two outs | With the Twins' only real chance at scoring hanging in the balance, Mauer watched a Gonzalez curveball go by for strike one. He must have liked what he saw, because he tried to golf the next breaking ball he saw into the shallow outfield to score a run. Instead, Mauer hit a dribbling ground ball to second base to end Minnesota's scoring threat. It was the fifth-most-costly play for the Twins that game.
8th inning (vs. Grant Balfour) - none on/one out | Mauer had only faced Balfour once previous to this game, but he quickly got a handle on the right-hander's low-90s fastball. After watching two balls go by and fouling off a chest-high fastball, Mauer laced a Balfour fastball to left-center field for a single. It was a great at-bat for Mauer, who made adjustments and knew what pitch to expect from Balfour. Unfortunetly, no one was able to drive him home.
3. Justin Morneau, 1B - .185/.241/.259
It's great to see Morneau back in the lineup every day, but the offensive power-house the Twins missed for the second-half of last season is still missing. Morneau showed great plate vision tonight, with a ratio of 10 balls to just five called strikes, but couldn't make solid contact. Concussions are very scary things, and I don't want to make any indefensible claims, but I'm sure most Twins fans are hoping Morneau will be able to hit the ball with authority this summer.
1st inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/two outs | Morneau took two balls to give himself an early lead in the first-inning battle, but took a poor swing at a pitch well above the strikezone. After giving the dirt a frustrated kick, Morneau re-entered the batter's box and watched the third ball go by. A foul-tip barely kept him alive, and Morneau popped up a neck-high pitch to shallow center field. As he slammed his bat into the ground, Morneau knew he should have drawn a walk.
3rd inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/one out | Morneau got his first real look at Gonzalez' painfully-slow curveball this at-bat, and worked his way to a 3-0 count. The next two pitches were incorrectly called strikes (although Hallion was calling that pitch a strike all night long), and Morneau poked the sixth pitch right back into Gonzalez' glove for the second out of the inning.
6th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/no outs | Morneau watched the first three balls go by, and took a 3-0 pitch for a strike. He then made contact with a Gonzalez breaking ball, but only managed to lift it to deep shortstop for the first out of the inning.
8th inning (vs. Brian Fuentes) - runner on first/one out | Morneau didn't make the adjustment he should have from his previous at-bat, and allowed two pitches just outside the zone to be called strikes. Gonzalez picked up on this, and tossed another to that same location. Morneau wouldn't let another one go by, though, was forced to take the bat off his shoulders. Unfortunetly, he hit a weak, dribbling ball back to the mound. It advanced the runner, but gave Oakland the second out of the inning.
4. Delmon Young, LF - .179/.207/.214
Young has been as consistently inept as any other Twins batter, but he displayed surprising patience at the plate in tonight's game against the Athletics. He didn't manage a hit, but drew a walk and worked Balfour into a three-ball count. Until Nishioka is healthy, I have no problem with Young occupying the fourth spot in the lineup. He has just one extra-base hit on the year, but should be able to put enough power on his swings to justify hitting in the clean-up position.
2nd inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/no outs | Young watched the first pitch of the at-bat go by for a ball, but put a very healthy swing on the second offering. Gonzalez' pitch just clung to the lower edge of the strikezone, and it broke Young's upward-cutting bat. He legged out the ground ball, though, and very nearly managed an infield hit.
4th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/two outs | Young started out the at-bat by watching a ball go by. He then nearly fell over by guessing fastball on the next offspeed offering. The plate appearance was a quality showing for Young, as he swung at the only pitch in the strikezone but took advantage of Gonzalez' inability to throw strikes and was awarded a base on balls.
6th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez ) - none on/one out | Young thought he could drive Gonzalez' 80-mph curveball, and put a good swing on the 0-2 offering. He was a bit late, though, and harmlessly flew out to right right.
8th inning (vs. Brian Fuentes) - runner on second/two outs | After swinging way in front of a offspeed pitch, Young decided to stay away from Fuentes' mid-70s changeup and sit on a fastball. He swung at a 3-1 changeup, but fouled it away. Young then put another good swing on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, but again lifted it to right field to end the inning.
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF - .125/.222/.125
Cuddyer has been the least effective of the Twins' regulars, and is at risk of being moved down in the lineup. He had a wart removed from his foot this spring, which can be a painful process, but he doesn't have much longer before that excuse runs dry. Cuddyer did his best to silence doubters tonight, though, as he enjoyed the best offensive performance of the night for the Twins, singling in the fourth drawing two walks.
2nd inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/one out | Cuddyer fell victim to Hallion's tight strikezone in this second-inning at-bat, with a called third strike coming at the same location that would give Morneau troubles all night. This plate appearance included a poor swing at a pitch a full seven or eight inches above the strikezone.
4th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runner on first/two outs | Gonzalez threw three pitches at the same location that drew the errant swing from Cuddyer in his first at-bat. Cuddyer fouled off the first offering, watched the second go by for a ball, and lifted the third to right field. David DeJesus dove for the ball, but misjudged the filght of the ball, allowing it to fall to the outfield grass. Cuddyer was credited with a hit, and Young advanced to third base.
6th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/two outs | Cuddyer watched the first four pitches of this plate appearance go by, and worked his way to a 3-1 count. After fouling off a pitch in the right-quadrent of the strikezone, Cuddyer watched ball four go by.
9th inning (vs. Brian Fuentes) - none on/no outs | Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, Cuddyer's task was to set the table for the bottom of the batting order. Fuentes tried to paint the corners of the strikezone, but Hallion called each of his first three pitches balls. Cuddyer watched a 3-0 strike go by, and took ball four in the last plate appearance of his impressive night.
6. Jason Kubel, DH - .308/.333/.346
Kubel has the best batting average on the team so far this season, though he hasn't drawn a walk and has just one extra-base hit. Even so, he's done just fine so far. But he came up empty tonight, going 0-4 with two strikeouts against the Athletics.
2nd inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - none on/two outs | Kubel worked deep into the count in this at-bat, fouling off three consecutive pitches and forcing Gonzalez to a full count. Kubel was fooled by the eighth pitch of the at-bat, though, and swung way in front of an 81-mph Gonzalez curveball to end the inning.
4th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runners on first and third/two outs | This was a perfect opportunity for Kubel to be patient and wait for Gonzalez to make a mistake. A simple bloop hit to the outfield would have scored the first run of the game, but Kubel couldn't resist swinging after Gonzalez threw two fastballs. Instead of another fastball, though, Kubel's swing was way in front of a 79-mph changeup, and the ball rolled to the first baseman to end the inning and the scoring threat.
6th inning (vs. Gio Gonzalez) - runner on first/two outs | Kubel watched a fastball off the plate, and a fastball down the heart of the strikezone. Another fastball was fouled off, and a fourth chest-high Gonzalez fastball was swung at and missed to end the inning.
9th inning (vs. Brian Fuentes) - runner on first/no outs | Kubel sat on Fuentes' low-90s fastball for this at-bat, but was fooled by a 74-mph changeup. He waited as long as he could, but couldn't stop his own momentum and fouled it away down the first base line. The fourth pitch of the at-bat was a fastball, and Kubel made good contact. It was his best batted-ball of the night, but it flew to shallow right field as the first out of the bottom of the ninth.
There is clearly some work to be done in the Twins' batting order, but judging from what we saw Saturday night, it may not be as bad as we thought. Span, Mauer, Young, and Cuddyer each had good nights at the plate, even if the results weren't necessarily there. Morneau remains a mystery, but it was nice to see him work a few three-ball counts. Kubel had an off-night, but has been hitting just fine so far this year.
More often than not, Twins hitters were fooled by Gonzalez' offerings tonight. It's unfortunate that five of the first six batters of Minnesota's lineup couldn't get anything going tonight, and it's clear that they will need to kick things into gear sooner rather than later.
The White Sox and Indians keep winning, and the Twins have got some catching up to do. They'll need their entire lineup if they want to get back in the hunt for the AL Central crown.
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