tough loss/ Trade talk

Tough loss today for our guys, Something about it doesn't sit well with me I feel like that should have been our game.

I want to take the time to talk trades with you readers today, I know not as many people see this blog as I would like but I know there are still some of you out there. This is your time. I am calling on your opinions on who or how we should trade. Comment or message me on twitter @thetwinsnerd
Let me know what you think we should do. are we a buy or sell team? Is Michael Cuddyer untouchable?

Please don't let me down nerd Followers!

scott baker

I may be a little late in this observation but Scott Baker is a beast!

It's beginning to be more and more apparent  as this quirky  twins season rolls on  that Scott Baker is nearing or has hit his prime.

 Baker pitched 7 and a 3rd with 9 strikeouts today, making him 6th in the American league in that particular stat.
I look forward to seeing him pitch more than any other Twin right now.

Tim Lincecum to sharp for Twins

It's funny how a world class arm like Tim lincecum can make a previously surgeing lineup like the Twins look like a bunch of single A scrubs.
Which is unfortunetly exaqctly what happend today loseing 2-1. Lincecum pitched 7 shutout innings with 12 K's and only 3 hits.

To the Twins credit, no one in the lineup had previously faced Lincecum in the past. Bryan Duensing also Pitched a respectable outung with 6.2 innings pitched and only 1 year given up.

Look for the Twins to bounce back tomorrow in Milwaukee with the addition of Big Jim Thome and Joe Nathan back to the lineup!

sorry for the absense!

My apologies  for my absence twins fans!
I would equate it to any equal amount of being super busy, the website being screwy and the Twins sucking it up.

Now however, all of those reasons are a thing of the past!
Tonight the Twins win their 7th of their last 8 games! with a vintage walk off hit by Alexi Casilla!
I'm not sure what to say about the team that you guys haven't seen with your own eyes. They look like they are having fun out there on the field, it definitely shines through in the box score.

With a good chunk of our injured players just around the corner.
 Things look very positive for our guys! it's time to get excited about twins baseball again!

well what do ya know?

Ever heard the saying hitting is contagious? The Twins sure proved that right today winning their 3rd game in a row today, which is most welcome after a 9 game slide!

It's great seeing guys like Mourneau and Kubel step up and drive in the big runs they are expected to!
it's equally satisfying to see the like of Plouffe and Revere let there future potential shine through!


 The boys are expecting Big Jim Thome back this weekend, which is good timing. he will be a perfect pinch hitter for the National League trip the team is next to take!

NERD RAGE!

What can you say about the last 3 games at target field?
If I had to search my nerd vocabulary to use just one word to describe the whole series. I would have to choose  ugly.
That one word encompasses all aspects of what I saw from the twins the past 2 days.

I realise I promised eternal optimism on this blog, but sometimes what the people need to hear is brutal honesty, so lets dive in shale we?

First of all I'm not sure how other Minnesotans feel about the subject, but personally I was truly embarrassed to see snow falling in late April on the most beautiful ball park in America! You may have heard a Minnesotan boast about how they love living in Minnesota because they get the privilege to fully experience all four season of the year. But what they don't mention is how long each season tends to last! seems like we are in for about a 3 week spring. WHAT A JOKE!

Secondly I was equally embarrassed to see how the home town team ( especially the pitching) preformed in said cold weather. the fact that we were completely outplayed by an indoor team from Tampa Florida just added a cherry on top of this disgraceful sundae.

I'm not sure who the man that took the mound yesterday for the Twins was, but he definitely wasn't the Francisco Liriano I know! he had zero control over his pitches, and for the 3 innings he managed to stay out on the mound he seemed to want to be doing anything else but be there defending his home turf.

It was a similar story with Nick Blackburn this afternoon. he could not manage to throw quality pitches. any pitches he did manage to get over the plate were clobbered by Ray batters that weren't fooled in the slightest.


All in all the starting pitching was ugly, and with a depleted offense, it made the lack of quality pitching  magnify x100. When your team is fighting tooth and nail to muster up  just 6 runs in three games.
 giving up a combined 29 runs in 3 games is a just never going to cut it. Especially in the place you call home!

Now by this point your either jumping on the bandwagon with me and condemning the Twins pitchers.
Or your thinking " This is pretty harsh for the so called eternal optimist"
both sides would be right in this situation, so I believe I owe it to you all who have read this far to offer up some of this optimism.

  The freakish injuries and illnesses that have plagued the Twins so far seemed to have gotten even worse. More and more of our sluggers are riding the bench on the DL as a disappointing April comes to a close.
Needless to say we have only seen a glimpse of this team at full strength. That to me is some food for thought.

Be prepared for your fair weather fans and your everyday baseball rubes to come out of the wood work now with the twins weakness being shown so brightly.
I implore you not to listen to them gab about how they could run the team better and how Mauer should do nothing but DH from now on. We are truly blessed to have the manager of the year to help us see this rough patch to the end!

thanks for baring with me in this rant!
 As always follow me on Twitter, Subscribe! AND DON'T BE SHY WITH THE COMMENTS!

Thanks again -The Nerd

Closer issues?

At this point I would call that an understatement, my heart goes out to Joe Nathen.
He has been waiting a whole year to be back with the team and closing games with ease.
He blew two saves in a row yes, but it's not time to stick a fork in him just yet as a pitcher.

Capps will move in as the closer for now so Joe can get his confidence back and not be afraid to go after hitters and throw strikes. which is exactly what he needs.

Hang in there twins fans, this is certainly a rough patch but I promise there are better games to come!

Twins lose thier first 3 series.

I honestly never thought I would have a Post with that title, yet here we are.
thing have gone from bad to worse for the twins this past week  with Nishioka going on the DL, to the lack of pop in the twins bats.

It looks to me that the guys are wanting to do to much and not waiting for the right pitch, which can be really frustrating to watch. Rest assured it is still very early and its far from time to hit the panic button.
Nerd's honor!

the twins frist series

I'm sure most of you are wondering what i thought of the twins' first series against the Blue Jays.
Truth be told games one and two had me pretty demoralized and I completely missed our first win yesterday due to work.

the highlights showed me that 1. Nishioka made another error at second base, hopefully it is just nerves 2. Denard Span is knocking the cover off the ball so far! and 3. that my have been the scariest bottom of the ninth save I have seen. Needless to say Joe Nathan may have to shake of the cobwebs a little quicker because that is not going to fly in NY.

 followers!! Please give me your thoughts!

My life makes sense again!

Thats right! it's that time of year again, opening day for most of the league starts tomorrow!
fortunately for the Twins, the Tigers played this afternoon and lost to the Yankees 6-3.

Giveing the Twins a half game lead over the Tigers before they even take the field!
My observations show that the twins are at full strength and ready to go tomorrow evening in Toranto.

Though the entire twins fan base assuredly  will be keeping a close eye on Justin Mourneau and Joe Nathen throughout this week week of ball.

I litirally couldn't be more excited to watch this year play itself out.
Who is with me?

Farwell to a minnesota native

I just got word that Pat Neshek, was claimed on waivers by the San Diego Padre's.
Truth be told I didn't even know that the twins had put Neshek on waivers, so this news to me as we speak.

 Neshek undoubtedly saw his best year In 2007 where he threw 70.1 innings with 74 Strike outs and an opponent batting average of just .183!
since then Neshek has suffered some pretty big set backs with injuries and never really got back to his 2007 form.

The interesting twist to this story is  since Neshek has left for San Diego, the Twins have neglected to add someone to the 40 man roster in his place. This leads me to believe a trade has got to be in the works.

I will be sure to keep you all posted as always!

Truth told from a nerd.

I my be a little behind in my knowledge of any "recent developments" in all of the "injured players" on the Twins roster, and yes those quotations are meant to be as sarcastic as possible.

Seems like the past week or so people have been not so subtly pressing the panic button on Joe Mauer.
Why? because he hasn't caught a bullpen session yet?  Don't be ridiculous! Joe Mauer's knee, Morneau's Noggin or anyone Else's ailments for that matter have simply been blown out of proportion. so much in fact that  it's beginning to rival the Brett Favre "will he wont he" non sense.

Most sports writers are required to write something every if not almost every day.
so I suppose constantly going back to hot button issues like Mauer's knee is easy picking for them.
But take it from me The Twins Nerd. the M & M boys are coming home healthy, and with big sticks!

Nathan back to business

Just a bit of an update for you all out there, apparently Delmon Young has suffered a set back with his case of turf toe. All fantasy football fans should know that turf toe is actually a fairly serious injury and could keep Delmon out for the next few weeks, possibly missing opening day on April first. my guess is Jason Repko would be first in line to take Delmon's spot in left field.

I also want to mention how great it is to see Joe Nathan getting back to what he does best. In the 2 full innings Joe has pitched so far he has been perfect, giving up zero hits, one walk and one strikeout.
Needless to say very encouraging for a guy at his age coming back from surgery!

Twin win spring training opener!

the Twins win the their first game of the grapefruit league  8-4 over the Boston Redsox.
Now I will be honest, I didn't listen to the whole game. By the time guys named "Dinklemen" and "Parmelee"
were hitting the field for the twins, I was fairly confident they had it in the bag. So what I gathered from the Box score is Carl Pavano was sharp, as was Nishioka. the twins are off to a good start. only about 7 months till the playoffs!

Twins Avoid Arbitration!

Well it's now official, the Twins are done with all of their arbitration players and successfully avoided going to arbitration with them all .For those who don't know, arbitration happens when the two sides (the player and his agent, and the team's general manager) can not agree on a contract. The last twin to work out a deal was Delmon Young, and boy it will be nice getting to see him play again for at least one more year.

Last year Delmon exploded offensivel, hitting a respectable .298 with 21 homers and was 5th in the American league in RBI's with 112!
Delmon still has some developing left to do as an outfielder, but for what we saw of him last year, he has gotten himself into great shape and is taking the gig seriously.


On a side note, spring training is just around the corner and this nerd couldn't be more excited.
This team has more question marks on it then possibly any other.
Will Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan be back and 100%?
How will the rest of the Bullpen Shake out?
Will Tsuyoshi Nishioka be brilliant or bust?
and many many more. Only time will tell, but you can bet I'll be here to put my spin on it throughout the season!

Please don't forget to follow me!

Don't make a nerd angry...

I'm so sick of listening to all these rubes and old curmudgeons on the radio talking about how Ron Gardenhire doesn't deserve his job anymore because of his record in the playoffs. Don't be ridiculous! The man has pulled off some modern day miracles in managing by turning average looking teams into division champions. We were all there for '09. Don't let the fact that he has had trouble winning against the Yankees in the playoffs detour you. Nobody wins against the Yankees in the playoffs! That may have something to do with their 27 world series wins! Open your eyes, please, "Common Man". We have the best manager in the league period.

Starting rotation

A topic I believe deserves a little attention, I want break down each player and they're outlook for the season.
 First is Francisco Liriano, I think last year he showed us that he is getting back to his 2006 form, which was basically lights out. Franky is still a bit of a head case, who seems to create to much pressure for himself in big game situations, and that seemed to hold him back a bit throughout the 2010 season. 2011 should be even better than his 201 K's last year. with his nearly untouchable slider, he is a shoe in for Cy Young discussion. I think the sky is the limit for Liriano in 2011.

The number 2 spot goes to recent free agent sign, and my favorite Twins pitcher Carl Pavano. What can a twins fan say about this guy that people don't already know? he is a crafty veteran who's stuff isn't overpowering with velocity , but he makes up for that with perfect pitch selection and speed changes.
They don't call him " the inning eater" for nothing either Pavano was 6th among American league pitchers last year in innings pitched with 221. Which is exactly the kind of impression we needed him to set for our younger pitchers last year.

Scott Baker will make for a solid #3 starter this year if he can overcome to two big problems with his game. One being annoying little nagging injuries. Now lets get this straight, I'm no pro athlete, I don't know what it's like to strain your body day in and day out. Still for some reason I feel like Scott Baker's workout plan found a way to find every little nagging sore elbow and knee out there. That also may had played a roll in his second problem. Lack of consistency in his delivery. the first few starts of the year for Baker in 2010. One could only guess which type of delivery you would get to see on that given night. This was very frustrating to watch as you saw it lead to easy hits for the opposing batter.
I know I'm being a little to hard to Baker but I feel it's just for the man who was our opening day starter last year. Though one stat I can't take away from Baker is his walks. He was 5th Among AL pitchers in least walks allowed last year.

# 4 is Brain Duensing. I have perhaps to many positive things to say about this guy. He is a solid lefty, good control and presence on the mound. My reason for having so much faith in this guy is how much he has stepped up and proved himself in big situations ( game three of the ALDS excluded of course).
Duensing spent most of the season in the bullpen last year where he shined just as much as he has as a starter.
I would like to see more innings pitched and less home runs this year, and Ihave nothing but faith  that he can deliver!

Rounding out the bottom of the rotation in Kevin Slowey. who yesterday was given a brand new 2 year contract. Slowey's game is location,location,location and he uses that to it's full potential. He has been compared to over the years as our new Brad Radke. In my opinion he still has some work to do to live up to that name, but as long as he stays healthy throughout the year and stays calm in tough situations, there is no reason he can't.


Yes I know I didn't mention Nick Blackburn. And to be frank it's because I think he is the odd man out in this equation, Blacky has been so up and down over the years, I think it's time for people like Duensing and Slowey to step up and contribute  more to the rotation.
This scenario will play itself out more soon with spring training just around the corner. I will be watching closely to see it progress.

New twins faces.

It seems like there are actually not that many worth noting, Tsuyoshi Nishioka our new Japanese shortstop being the one exception. It would be an understatement to say I'm excited to see this guy play in person. From what I have seen of him so far ( on YouTube ) he has a very quick, nearly perfect swing. Similar to Ichiro's in a way but with much more power behind it! My guess is he will be Perfect in the #2 spot. This guy Is no slouch on the bases either, Very quick and aggressive which again is exactly what the twins need in their new younger faster lineup!


I'm looking forward to keeping everyone up to date on whats happening with the Twins down in Fort Myers, but in the mean time if there is any topic someone wants my take on, please feel free to comment  or shoot me an email at Thetwinsnerd@gmail.com  Thanks!

First post!

Hey twins fans, thanks for checking out my first post!

I started this blog because I'm a life long Twins fan, who follows anything and everything involving the team. Listening to sports talk radio one day got me thinking, people deserve a positive look at the twins that isn't ruined by years and years of disappointment that comes with being a Minnesota sports fan, I'm 23 years old, so I was born the year of the 87' series, and only about 4 years old in 91' needless to say, I don't remember either of them. I grew up in a very underwhelming age of Twins baseball, with the team finishing below .500 year in and year out, yet I am not forever scared by it, I am an eternal optimist and I like to think I apply that to my views on baseball.

All that being said, I think Twins fans have a lot to look forward to for the 2011 season. The team has a year of experience in the new ball park under their belts, and they have alot of the same talent coming back (which I will go into in my next post ) to give it another go at the playoffs.

Thanks again for reading the first blog and be sure to follow me throughout the up coming season, I promise to make it interesting!