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Twins were missing more than just Cliff Lee

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When a team loses playoff game after playoff game after playoff game, it’s pretty tough to point a finger at just one player or thing and say, “That is what went wrong.”

Cliff Lee

Cliff Lee is being Cliff Lee again in this postseason. Associated Press photo

The Minnesota Twins will take a 12-game postseason losing streak into the offseason. Team meetings will start taking place in the next week or so, as management discusses what needs to be done.

The Texas Rangers keep on playing. They eliminated the New York Yankees on Friday in the American League Championship Series to earn their first-ever trip to the World Series.

And by securing that World Series berth in Game 6 on Friday, the Rangers were able to save their ace Cliff Lee for Game 1 of the World Series, which will take place Wednesday in either San Francisco or Philadelphia. The Giants and Phillies play Game 6 of the National League Championship Series tonight, with San Fran leading 3 games to 2.

Lee has been his usual self in this postseason. The free agent-to-be is setting himself up to be the most coveted player on the market this offseason, with apologies to Carl Crawford. Lee has started three times in these playoffs, allowing one run in 16 innings to Tampa, then pitching eight shutout innings against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS. His K-to-BB ratio in the postseason is an incredible 34-to-1 in 24 innings!

Because of this, I’ve seen and heard no shortage of Twins fans on Facebook or Twitter or, can you believe, through verbal communication, saying how great Lee would have looked in a Twins uniform. There’s no doubt he would have. There’s no doubt he wins Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees, a game that saw the Twins squander a three-run lead en route to a loss and an eventual three-game sweep at the hands of New York.

Lee’s presence would have made a huge difference. Maybe they should have paid the price, though I seem to remember at the time that the Twins were just a couple games above .500 when Texas acquired Lee from Seattle in a trade earlier this season.

I’m just not sure if Lee alone would have gotten the Twins to a World Series. The problems from this postseason and the ones before it go well beyond adding another starter, albeit a dominant one.

As I’ve stated before, the Twins have scored a total – a TOTAL! – of 20 runs in their last nine playoff games. To put that in perspective, the Rangers scored 18 runs in a two-game stretch against the Yankees in the ALCS.

I’ve also heard some say, “If Lee wins Game 1 against the Yankees, then the Twins will believe they can beat them.” I disagree with that.

First off, this is a big league team that consistently makes the playoffs. We’re talking about the Twins, not the Bad News Bears. If they don’t “believe” they can beat another team right now, there are some real problems there. These aren’t the little-engine-that-could Twins anymore. This team had a $100 million payroll this season.

Secondly, even if Lee’s presence gets them Game 1, you could argue that it would only mean the Twins believe they can beat the Yankees when Lee is pitching. When it’s Francisco Liriano or Brian Duensing starting, would they really have a different mentality?

The problem with that argument is you could argue until you’re blue in the face because you really don’t know what’s up with the Twins and their playoff woes. I’m just not sold that Lee’s inclusion alone would have been enough to change things.

ALCS, NLCS preview time

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The American League Championship Series kicks off tonight, featuring two teams with very different histories.

Vlad Guerrero

Big Bad Vlad Guerrero is back, but will it be enough for the Texas Rangers? Associated Press photo

The New York Yankees are in the ALCS about as often as they aren’t in it. This is familiar territory for the Evil Empire.

The Texas Rangers hadn’t won a postseason series in franchise history prior to this year. They have never been to the ALCS.

The NLCS has the two-time defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies facing the Barry Bonds-less San Francisco Giants.

I’m really looking forward to this series, which kicks off Saturday. Outstanding pitching matchups to watch.

I’m happy to say I did pretty good with my ALDS picks. I came within a game of getting all four of the LDS winners right, but Texas took Game 5 from Tampa Bay.

Time for some LCS picks:

  • ALCS: Yankees vs. Rangers. The Rangers have a balanced roster and, for once, a pretty solid pitching staff. Combine that with home-field advantage, and I could see why a lot of people would like the Rangers here. I don’t. They’re in a tough spot right away in Game 1, where the Yankees can “steal” home field if CC Sabathia out-pitches C.J. Wilson tonight. I’d have to think he will. Then, it’s Phil Hughes vs. Colby Lewis in Game 2, with the Rangers avoiding getting swept in the first two games before going to Yankee Stadium. The series just doesn’t shape up well from the get-go. I know Cliff Lee will pitch twice in this series regardless if it goes seven games, but I’m sure Texas would have rather had their ace going in Games 1 and 5. But the five-game series with Tampa was a detriment. Yankees in 5.
  • NLCS: Giants vs. Phillies. I’ve liked the Giants in the NL West all season long. The offense isn’t anything to write home about, but that pitching staff is potent. Facing San Fran is an equally potent staff in Philly. Look at these matchups: Game 1 is SF’s Tim Lincecum vs. Philly’s Roy Halladay; Game 2 is SF’s Jonathan Sanchez vs. Philly’s Roy Oswalt; Game 3 is SF’s Matt Cain vs. Philly’s Cole Hamels, etc. It doesn’t get much better than this. I’m not too quick to dismiss the Giants offense. Rookie catcher Buster Posey is a man-child. Aubrey Huff has resurrected his career. Cody Ross had a nice NLDS. Andres Torres … well, I didn’t know who he was before this year, but he’s been great hitting leadoff. Philly has plenty of firepower too, with familiar household names Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. I said Yankees vs. Giants in the World Series before the LDS series started, and I’m sticking to it. Giants aces out-pitch Phillies, and San Fran gets just enough offense. Anyone else think it’s easier to root for the Giants now that Bonds isn’t there? Giants in 7

So there you have it. Feel free to drop your predictions in the comments section.

Cliff Lee shows what he’s worth

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The Texas Rangers made some history Tuesday, and at the same time shut the door on the Division Series portion of the Major League Baseball postseason.

Cliff Lee

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee would have looked good in a Twins uniform, but would he have made that much of a difference? Associated Press photo

The Rangers won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history, defeating Tampa Bay in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS. It also marked the first time in history that the road team has won every game of a series.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee kept the Rays at bay all night Tuesday. He improved to an impressive 6-0 in his postseason career.

The Minnesota Twins were among the teams rumored to be interested in Lee as the trade deadline approached this year. I thought the Yankee Slayer himself would have been a good fit, but I admit I was reluctant to give up too much because at the time Lee was traded from Seattle to Texas, the Twins weren’t playing very well.

The difficult thing about any trade for Lee is it would have done nothing to improve the usual dormant offense the Twins march into the playoffs with, no matter how formidable the lineup looks.

I mentioned this stat on “Dizzo’s Den” tonight, but it’s worth repeating. In their last nine playoff games dating back to 2006, the Twins have scored a grand total of 20 runs. That’s barely over two per game. I don’t care if your rotation is Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson in the playoffs. You’re just not going to win playoff games scoring that few runs.

By comparison, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies have each scored at least 40 runs in their last nine playoff games. The Boston Red Sox have scored 33 in their last nine postseason games. It’s a big difference.

There’s no doubt Lee would have helped the Twins out a lot. Maybe they win Game 1 at least. But Minnesota’s postseason woes run a lot deeper than just the need for a bona fide ace. Sure would have helped though.

Twins locked in familiar October setting, and a must-see video

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October in these parts means a lot of things. The air is cooling (though not lately for some reason). The leaves are falling. And the Minnesota Twins are losing.

For the 12th consecutive playoff game, the Twins lost. That’s one short of the big league record. And Saturday’s loss not only extended an incredible streak, but it ended a season so full of anticipation.

A season that started with a new stadium and a payroll reaching new heights ended much like many previous seasons for the Twins, and that’s by losing a first-round playoff series to the hated New York Yankees.

Let’s forget about how that happened again for one second, and instead focus on what the Twins can do to change it. I mean, at some point, you start to wonder if there’s something wrong with that clubhouse. Twelve straight postseason losses.

Do you replace manager Ron Gardenhire, who might win AL Manager of the Year, yet I’ve heard a few people suggest firing him? Is it time to gut the roster pretty significantly and try to get some different pieces? What can be done?

Or are you willing to accept that the 12 straight playoff losses are coincidental? Are they simply the result of bad luck combined with teams that were overmatched?

But it’s not like the Twins are the Minnesota Timberwolves of the late-1990s. That team was frequently overmatched in its playoff series and I don’t think they ever lost a series I thought they should have won.

These Twins and the ones in 2006 got swept, and both teams had home-field advantage. The 2006 Twins were red-hot entering the playoffs only to lose three straight to an inferior Oakland A’s team.

While the 2006 loss may have been the most inexplicable, the 2010 sweep has to be the most disappointing. The bump in payroll was supposed to transform the Twins from the “Little Engine That Could” into a legitimate World Series threat. The bar was raised this year, and the team failed to rise to the occasion.

I really don’t know what can be done. To me, firing Gardy would be like when the Wolves let go of Flip Saunders. I hated that decision at the time, and look at how far that franchise has fallen since his dismissal. People can be upset, but things could be a lot worse.

But at the same time, every MLB team’s goal is to win the World Series. And if there’s a culture within the clubhouse that’s preventing that from happening, then something has to change. Because let’s face it, if  you’re going to win the World Series, you’re probably going to have to win three games against the Evil Empire. They’re not going away. Teams with $200 million payrolls rarely do.

Finally, I leave you with a must-see video. From the guy that brought you Ric Flair, I give you the intro video that Alaska-Fairbanks uses prior to its men’s hockey games. It’s epic. Check it out.

Twins take the field tonight, and weekly NFL picks return

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Brian Duensing takes the mound tonight trying to extend the Minnesota Twins season. The Twins are down 0-2 in their best-of-5 first-round series to the New York Yankees.

Brian Duensing

Minnesota Twins pitcher Brian Duensing. Associated Press photo

At the very least, I’m sure Twins fans wouldn’t mind seeing the unreal 11-game postseason skid come to an end.

I’m left thinking how even if the Twins win tonight at Yankee Stadium, what are their chances tomorrow with No. 4 starter Nick Blackburn going against Yankees ace CC Sabathia?

I guess that’s the benefit of going with a three-man rotation in the playoffs. Pitch Carl Pavano in Game 1 and on short rest in Game 4, and have Francisco Liriano pitch Game 2 and be on full rest in Game 5. The rationale for flipping Pavano and Liriano is that Pavano is probably better suited to pitch on short rest.

I was out of town for about four days last week and didn’t get around to making my weekly NFL picks. So the record is 8-7 heading into Week 5.

  • Lions by 3 over Rams. Lions
  • Bears by 3 over Panthers. Bears
  • Falcons by 3 over Browns. Falcons
  • Saints by 7 1/2 over Cardinals. Saints
  • Chargers by 5 over Raiders. Chargers

Pavano getting headlines, but Twins’ offense is more needed

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Prior to the 2005 season, the New York Yankees signed starting pitcher Carl Pavano, hoping the 2003 World Series champion would help bolster their rotation.

Four years and $40 million later, the Yankees and their fans were left feeling cheated.

In reality, it’s the Yankees – not Pavano – who will be looking for revenge when New York tries to eliminate the Minnesota Twins from postseason play on Sunday night.

The Twins send Pavano to the mound hoping to avoid a three-game sweep in the American League Division Series, and hopefully put an end to some pretty disgusting statistics:

  • First off, the Twins have lost eight straight postseason games. Their last win was in Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS against these Yankees, when Johan Santana led the Twins to a 2-0 victory.
  • The Twins have not scored more than three runs in a playoff game since that 2004 series. That’s a streak of five straight games, in which a grand total of 12 runs have been scored.
  • Finally, the Twins have not won a playoff game in which Santana did NOT start in since Game 1 of the 2002 American League Championship Series. Joe Mays did not allow an earned run in eight innings of work, and Eddie Guardado shut the door in a 2-1 Minnesota win.

The one prevailing fact when looking at Twins postseason games in this decade is the lack of runs scored. Yeah, it’s important that Pavano pitches a good game today, but I found myself saying all night on Friday, "Just once, it would be nice to see the Twins bust out for eight runs in a playoff game." Other teams do it. Why can’t they?

Here’s a look at total runs scored by the Twins in each of their playoff series this decade:

  • 2002 ALDS: 27 runs in 5 games (5.40/game)
  • 2002 ALCS: 12 runs in 5 games (2.40/game)
  • 2003 ALDS: 6 runs in 4 games (1.33/game)
  • 2004 ALDS: 17 runs in 4 games (4.25/game)
  • 2006 ALDS: 7 runs in 3 games (2.33/game)
  • 2009 ALDS: 5 runs in 2 games (2.50/game)

The grand total is 74 runs 23 playoff games this decade, an average of 3.21 runs/game. That, obviously, is awful. You’re not going to win many games like that, and the Twins haven’t.

So while it’s important to get a good start from Pavano, it’s much more important the Twins get to veteran Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte on Sunday.

Pettitte is nothing like previous starters CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Yeah, Pettitte has the ability to make hitters look silly, but not by blowing high fastballs past them.

Power arms burned the Twins in the first two games. The task on Sunday will be to solve "the pitcher’s pitcher," as Bert Blyleven would say.

Twins slide into 0-2 hole after 11th-inning homer

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Not surprisingly, the Minnesota Twins are in an 0-2 hole in their best-of-5 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees following Friday’s loss.

But somewhat surprisingly, the Twins had as good a chance to win as they could ask for during their 4-3 loss in 11 innings.

The Twins had plenty of baserunners, but they continued to struggle with runners in scoring position. They left 17 baserunners on base in Friday’s game alone.

Carlos Gomez‘s baserunning gaffe stands out among the Twins’ mistakes Friday, but their inability to produce with the bases loaded in nobody out in the top of the 11th proved to be their undoing.

Yes, the left-field umpire can be blamed for blowing the call on what should have been a Joe Mauer double but instead was ruled foul (Mauer later singled). But nevertheless, bases loaded an nobody out, and you can’t get a run? That’s not the fundamentally sound Twins that fans are used to hearing about.

Joe Nathan‘s inability to close the door in the ninth burned the Twins too.I’ve mentioned before that something just doesn’t seem right about Nathan since that 50-pitch outing against Kansas City in August. That’s now six homers allowed since his lengthy Aug. 21 appearance, which as I’ve stated before would be a career-high for a whole season for him since joining the Twins. And he’s given up that total in just six weeks or so.

My guess is after the season something will come out regarding Nathan’s arm, like some sort of an injury or something.

Now the Twins head back to the Metrodome, no doubt feeling deflated by two straight losses following their thrilling victory in the one-game playoff.

While it’s no surprise the Twins are in this spot, they definitely left some runs on the table on Friday.

Twins turn to Blackburn for a big-game effort

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While some – jokingly or not – refer to Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Scott Baker as "Big Spot Scott," fellow starter Nick Blackburn is probably more deserving of the title as a big-game pitcher.

And the Twins have got themselves a big game tonight against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. The Yanks lead the best-of-5 series 1-0.

Blackburn put himself on the national scene last season with his stellar performance in the Twins’ 1-0 one-game playoff loss to the Chicago White Sox. And last Saturday in a must-win game, Blackburn tossed seven innings against the hapless Kansas City Royals, allowing two runs on four hits as the Twins defeated probable Cy Young winner Zack Greinke 5-4.

The Royals are the Royals, but if you can outduel Greinke, you’ve got a chance against anybody.

The Yankees are most certainly not the Royals. The Yankees sport a formidable lineup that will test Blackburn in a way that no other team did during the second half. The Twins bat Matt Tolbert eighth in their lineup. The Yankees have Nick Swisher. Case closed.

So it’ll be up to Blackburn to keep this New York lineup in check, at least contain the Yankees long enough so the Twins can get to Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. Burnett has all the stuff in the world, but his tendency to allow walks and get strikeouts can often lead to short outings.

Blackburn – like most of the Twins – has struggled in his career against the Yankees. He’s had four starts, posting an 0-1 record with a 5.89 ERA. He’s faced the Bronx Bombers just once this year, back on May 16 at Yankee Stadium. He tossed 7 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits in a 6-4 loss. In that start, he gave up a three-run homer to Mark Teixeira - following a pair of walks – in the second inning, but settled into a groove after that.

Not surprisingly, Burnett’s numbers against the Twins are much better. He’s had six starts, going 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA.

Burnett is the polar opposite of what you typically find with Twins pitchers. When he’s on, he’s as unhittable a pitcher as you’ll find in the game. When he’s not, he’s his own worst enemy. He was eighth in the American League in strikeouts this year. But his 97 walks were far and away the league-high total in the AL, 18 more than Tampa’s Matt Garza and Toronto’s Ricky Romero.

The key to Burnett, obviously, is to make him work early. Figure out whether or not he’s finding the zone and react to it. Because chances are, he’ll work himself into trouble just as quickly as he can work himself out of it.

As for Blackburn, he has to limit the damage. The one lesson to be learned from that May 16 start is that you’re going to give up a homer or two - Yankee Stadium hosted just one game all season that didn’t see a home run hit. But you can’t allow baserunners in front of them. Walks are unacceptable.

This is as good of an opportunity as the Twins will have in this series to steal one in the Bronx. If they don’t seize it, their unlikely comeback story could come to an end.

AND FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT …

If you thought Tuesday’s Twins-Tigers one-game playoff game was intense, check this out: