July 09, 2008 01:59 am
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This quote from Ron Gardenhire in the Star Tribune's game story after Tuesday's loss got me:
We had the game. Our bullpen doesn't lose one very often."
Oh yeah?
April 14: Twins have a 5-0 lead in the 6th inning, a 9-4 lead in the 7th, lose to Detroit 11-9.
April 15: A 4-1 lead in the sixth becomes a 6-5 loss to the Tigers.
June 9: Perkins turns a 5-2 lead over to the pen against the White Sox; the Twins lose 7-5.
June 30: Perkins turns a 4-1 lead over to the pen against the Tigers; the Twins lose 5-4.
July 8: Blackburn turns a 5-2 lead over to the pen against the Red Sox; Twins lose 6-5.
These embarassments have incvolved every significant middle man this season: Neshek, Crain, Guerrier, Reyes, Rincon. The middle relief crew this year has been prone to big innings. Those big innings have cost this team five games it really should have won.
As I said in Monday's print column, the depth and quality of the bridge from the starters to closer Joe Nathan is not what we're used to seeing.
But perhaps more worrisome is that so far management appears not to have noticed. "Our bullpen doesn't lose one very often," Gardenhire says. I suppose that depends on how you define "very often."
e-mail Edward Thoma
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