Game 80: Sometimes the other guys are just better

Sometimes in professional sports the other team makes the play and wins. And, sometimes, the error of a ref can change things in a hurry. In today's Tigers game, I think we saw a little of both.

-I want to first point out what we all know already. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are really, really good. Like, really good. Mauer only went 1 for 3 but he has a presence at the plate that is undeniable and a sweet swing like few others have in the game. And Morneau went 4 for 4 in a game in which we could not do much about his brilliance. Edwin Jackson threw a good pitch that Morneau crushed for a home run. Later on in the game we brought in Bobby Seay, arguably our best reliever, to face Morneau and just like that the Twins had tied the game with a Morneau single. It happens. Both of those guys are superstars in MLB and one of the top 10-15 position players in the game. Miguel Cabrera can say the same thing about himself but we do not have two hitters like they do and that does give their middle of the order an advantage over ours.

-Over the course of a 162 game season, there is bound to be one game where a call or a non call by an ump alters the course of the game. In the 8th inning today in a tie ballgame, that moment happened to us. With a runner on first, Brandon Lyon threw a perfect breaking ball over the middle of the plate for strike 3 on Morales. Instead, the ump called it ball 2. The very next pitch Morales moved Tolbert into scoring position. Then, Nick Punto came up and continued his great play in this series (don't get me started on that) and drove home the winning run. If the right call is made on the strike, we have a 3-3 game going into the bottom of the ninth and who knows what happens. Oh, well. It happens.

-Jackson was a little erratic today but he again showed All Star form. He technically allowed 3ER in 6.1 IP, but the only runner he left was on first base so it is hard to fault him for that. Cuddyer just barely got his shot over the wall for a home run and Morneau simply put a good swing on the ball. It was hard to fault him for those, and he did manage 9 K's so it was not a completely wasted effort despite the fact that he did not get the win. More than anything, I would have liked to see a more efficient outing by Jackson. He only threw first pitch strikes to 12 of the 29 batters, and it took him 122 pitches to get through 6.1 IP. If he is going to throw that many pitches, it should be enough to get him through at least 8. He needs to work on his control in the next start.

-Seay and Lyon did not do their jobs today but I cannot blame them much. Seay got beat by two of the best left handed hitters in the game, and Lyon would have got out of the 8th inning unscathed if strike 3 was called on Morales. Still, he needs to get Punto out. He may a good defensive player, but Punto is NOT a good offensive player. He should not hit a game winning RBI.

Position player performances

Granderson- Ouch. Completely dominated all game. 3 K's in an 0 for 4 game. Liriano owns Grandy.
Polanco- 0 for 4.
Cabrera- 1 for 4. He's been outshined in this series by Mauer and Morneau.
Thames- 1 for 4. Our top 4 hitters went 2 for 16. We are not going to win many games when that happens.
Raburn- 1 for 3 as he keeps putting some good swings on the ball.
Inge- O for 4 with 3 K's. See comment on Granderson.
Ordonez- His best game of the year? A double in his first at bat, a lazer down the line in his second at bat that was foul, and then a 3 run home run. He has always had good numbers against Liriano and at the Metrodome so it is really not surprising. Kudos to him. Another 10-15 games like this and we might be on to something.
Ryan- O for 2 with a walk. He's only hitting .143 up here and he is capable of more.
Everett- 0 for 2 with a K and a BB. Good defense, as usual.

-If we win tomorrow, then this game is completely forgotten. Can Rick Porcello rise to the challenge? He gets the Twins "ace" tomorrow in Nick Blackburn. It should be a fun one.