- Tuesday’s 7-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers has been labeled by Twins’ fans as the ugliest game of the year. The offense was decent; against a below-average National League pitcher and bullpen seven runs is expected. Joe Crede committed his second error of the season, but the Twins’ defense was not what made this game difficult to watch.

That honor goes to Francisco Liriano.

Remember that grouchy lady at family reunions who was always telling you to improve you posture ? She’s not looking too annoying now, is she? Liriano’s body language was atrocious the entire time he was on the mound. Slouched shoulders, sour face, and what seemed like a rotten attitute helped Brewer batters tremendously at the plate. They didn’t have to guess during most plate appearances because they could count on Liriano to feed them a meatball sooner or later.

This patient approach led to three strikeouts looking, but also five walks. Liriano was very lucky to have an effective defense behind him last night, as he stranded tons of runners.

Although this topic has been endlessly discussed and debated, I think a move to the bullpen would be the right thing for Liriano. He could regain his confidence, his slider, and maybe even his future as a starting pitcher.

- Joe Mauer is officially batting under .400. This could be a result of the latest SI cover he finds himself on,  a regression to the mean, or simply a repercussion of his flu. Yes, even Mauer is susceptible to a mortal illness such as the flu. How he got it nobody knows; maybe he simply cranked the AC too high one night.

The Minnesota dugout has seen it’s fair share of illnesses these past few weeks, and some are blaming Mauer for spreading his flu. Most are recovering, though, and the Twins should have a healthy lineup in no time.

Mauer, though, is in the middle of a 3-21 slump. Still quite a few plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title, Mauer is enduring a “mortal” stretch. Am I worried? Not at all.

- Aaron Gleeman touched on this a few days ago and I just want to elaborate. We all know that Luis Ayala was designated for assignment a few days ago, and that he is the “latest in a long line of veteran free agents who didn’t make it to the All-Star break with the Twins,” as Gleeman says. Ayala was brought on to fill the void between the seventh and ninth innings, but simply hasn’t pitched well enough to qualify for a shot at that set-up role.

Instead of trying a different approach, the Twins have opted for lateral movement. Just look at Sean Henn and Craig Breslow. Instead of opting for a fresh reliever, the Twins brought on 27-year old Bobby Keppel and kept the same modus operandi. While I wish him all the luck in the world, I doubt Keppel will be the answer in the set-up position.

Rob Delaney is the consensus answer for the years to come, but his first appearance in Rochester left much to be desired. It’s just one appearance, though, and I’m hoping he bounces back in time for a September call-up.

By the way, anyone miss Pat Neshek yet?

Posted in Game Thoughts No Comments Tags: Bobby Keppel, Craig Breslow, Francisco Liriano, Joe Crede, Joe Mauer, Luis Ayala, Milwaukee Brewers, Pat Neshek, Rob Delaney, Sean Henn

Pat Neshek

The favorite activity of a Twins fan this past season season seemed to be griping about how pitiful the bullpen was. In fact, I don’t know anyone who was all satisfied with the way Minnesota relievers were pitching. At the time, 2009 was looked to with longing eyes because of the much-anticipated return of Pat Neshek.

As 2009 approaches, is Neshek really the savior of this bullpen? Will he alone restore this aspect of Minnesota baseball to its former glory? No, not alone.

There was one reliever in particular who was brought onto the team in September and had a profound impact on the performance of the bullpen. Jose Mijares reduced the scornful comments directed at the bullpen into little more than occasional mumbles. Mijares pitched in ten games this past year for a total of 10.1 innings. He surrendered just three hits and one earned run, which makes his ERA 0.87. Here is a look at his complete 2008 statistics:

Team 2008      W    L    ERA     G     IP     SO    BB   WHIP 

GCL Twins      2    1    2.45    7     11     16    1    1.00

Fort Myers     0    0    2.61    5     10.1    8    3    0.97

New Britain    1    1    2.93    11    15.1   17    7    1.50

Twins          0    1    0.87    10    10.1    5    0    0.290

He obviously won’t have that same success as a full-time reliever, but you couldn’t ask for a better performance from the 23-year old. 

There have been many debates as to why the bullpen was so ineffective in 2008, but it can be narrowed down to three simple reasons; the loss of Pat Neshek, the presence of Boof Bonser and Eddie Guardado, and the struggling of Matt Guerrier. If at least two of those problems can be fixed going into 2009, the Twins will find themselves in great shape.

Pat Neshek is going to pitch next year, but the only question is how dominant he will be. If he can return to his 2006 or 2007 form everything will be great. If he has trouble recovering, though, the Twins might have some struggles.

Boof Bonser will most likely be back, while Eddie Guardado will probably be looking for another team soon. Filling his place is another name that is rarely mentioned among Twins fans. Craig Breslow was picked off waivers earlier this year, and went quietly through 2008 putting up great numbers and keeping a low profile. He pitched just under 40 innings and sported a 1.63 ERA to go with a sub-1 WHIP. He will likely be back in 2009, with good reason.

Guerrier will be a fun storyline to follow this year. His poor performance in 2008 will force the Twins to deal with some tough decisions. His contract is up, so the Twins can either let him walk, offer him arbitration, or re-sign him.

Assuming he isn’t on the roster in 2009, the relieving corps looks something like this:

Craig Breslow, LHP
Boof Bonser, RHP
Jesse Crain, RHP
Pat Neshek, RHP
Joe Nathan, RHP 

This list is assuming a lot of things, and this bullpen is not the one I want to see. I would prefer to see Mijares win a job outright in Spring Training, but that is up to him and his left arm. I would also like to see Bonser traded somewhere, anywhere. His place on this team is almost to the point of being a curse. Philip Humber should also draw a thought or two when planning this out.

When totalling everything up, the 2009 bullpen should be much more solid and less pourous than the 2008 version. Neshek will be back and there will not be a gaping hole in the set-up position. The other pitchers can assume their prefered roles where they can pitch more effectively.

Although I wouldn’t say the 2009 bullpen will be one of the best in the league, I will say that it will be much better than usual. After witnessing the 2008 bullpen debacle, Twins fans should all be excited.

Posted in Statistics, contemplation 2 Comments Tags: Boof Bonser, Craig Breslow, Jose Mijares, Pat Neshek