Please check out my new website!
It can be found at http://dezsays.net
I will ocassionally be posting posts over here to allow for feedback but the most update to date info can be found at the new site.
Dez
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday News and Notes
This post can also be found on my new site: DezSays.net
Friday’s game could not have started out any better for the Twins. The Twins offense was being patient making A.J Burnett throw pitches that they could drive. The offense was getting RISP (Runners in Scoring Position). Scott Baker was throwing a gem through three innings. 
After a HR and some hard hit balls, the Twins found themselves down by one. The next inning, the Hometown kid, Joe Mauer tied the game with clutch a two out HR. Next inning, Gardner singles with Teixeira driving him in next at bat with a single. The bright spot of the bottom of the inning was a beautiful throw by Delmon to nail Teixeira at the plate.
The seventh inning was the most important inning of the game. In the top of the seventh, the M&M boys got it going with two RBIs. The bottom of the inning couldn’t have gone worse for the Twins with a single and then a double. The Twins then walk Teixeira to load the bases for Alex Rodriguez. Gardy decides to bring in Matty Guerrier (who was 4-6 with two HRs A-Rod) to face Rodriguez. Rodriguez gets a ball that hung and drove to left-center to give the Yankees a 7-4 lead. The Twins could not recover after this. This was a huge key to the game. Gardy went against numbers (claiming he never knew them). By putting in the gopher-baller Matty Guerrier, Gardy could have ultimately cost the Twins the game and possibly the series.
Interview: Jeff Manship
This post can also be found on my new website: DezSays.net
Dez: When did you first play baseball?
Jeff: I first started playing T-ball when I was five in a local Little League.
Dez: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Jeff: I played basketball up until high school. After completing my 8th grade season, I realized it was not in my best interest to pursue a career in basketball. Living in the warmer weather in south Texas allowed me the opportunity to play baseball year round so once basketball ended I played with several traveling teams in the fall and winter months.
Dez: When did you first play baseball?
Jeff: I first started playing T-ball when I was five in a local Little League.
Dez: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Jeff: I played basketball up until high school. After completing my 8th grade season, I realized it was not in my best interest to pursue a career in basketball. Living in the warmer weather in south Texas allowed me the opportunity to play baseball year round so once basketball ended I played with several traveling teams in the fall and winter months.
Dez: What do you do when you're not playing baseball?
Jeff: I enjoy fishing, hunting, and playing video games.
Dez: Who was your favorite player to watch when you were growing up?
Jeff: What team did you grow up watching and cheering for?
Ken Griffey Jr. was my favorite player growing up. Since Griffey played for the Mariners, they were my favorite team to watch. During my first spring training with the Twins I got to pitch in a big league game against the Reds in Sarasota. The first hitter of the inning and first big league hitter that I ever faced was Griffey. It was one of the greatest moments getting to face my childhood hero.
Dez: How popular is baseball at Notre Dame?
Jeff: Although we always had a successful baseball team, we still had trouble gaining the same popularity as the football and basketball teams, but that was no surprise really. Kinda hard to compete with such a storied program like the football team. The cold weather really wasn't too favorable for the fans. The first month of our season was played down south, usually in tournaments in Texas and Florida.
Ken Griffey Jr. was my favorite player growing up. Since Griffey played for the Mariners, they were my favorite team to watch. During my first spring training with the Twins I got to pitch in a big league game against the Reds in Sarasota. The first hitter of the inning and first big league hitter that I ever faced was Griffey. It was one of the greatest moments getting to face my childhood hero.
Dez: How popular is baseball at Notre Dame?
Jeff: Although we always had a successful baseball team, we still had trouble gaining the same popularity as the football and basketball teams, but that was no surprise really. Kinda hard to compete with such a storied program like the football team. The cold weather really wasn't too favorable for the fans. The first month of our season was played down south, usually in tournaments in Texas and Florida.
Dez: What is the best part of your baseball career?
Jeff: I'd have to say all the friends I've made. The Twins have an organization filled with great guys and it’s been a pleasure getting to know them. Everybody has gotten along well on every
team that I've played for and that always makes things more fun.
Dez: What is the hardest of your career in baseball?
Jeff: The travel and being away from family for so long is probably the toughest aspect in professional baseball.
Dez: What is your greatest achievement so far?
Jeff: Receiving the call-up to the big leagues and earning my first victory against the Royals were my greatest achievements so far.
Dez: Is there a favorite player that you like to have play behind you?
Jeff: Probably Denard Span. He is a very gifted outfielder and has the ability to run down balls and make plays that many can't.
Dez: What is the hardest part about being a pitcher?
Jeff: I would say pitching effectively even when you know you don't have your best stuff that day. It happens to every pitcher, but you have to find a way to still get the job done. I feel like those are the days that really show what a pitcher has internally. You really have to fight and work so much harder to achieve favorable results.
Dez: If you were not a pitcher what position would you play?
Jeff: I'm not really sure about that. Maybe a DH. I used to play the middle infield and started pitching when I was 10. Once I began pitching, that's all I wanted to do. I would get more frustrated with myself for making an error in the infield than I would if I gave up a homerun. Maybe it was due to the fact that I felt like I was letting the pitcher down if I didn't make all the plays. When I was a senior in high school I played third base and made about five errors in three games. If I managed to catch the ball I'd throw a sinker to first base that usually bounced a foot in front of the first baseman. The coach and I decided it was probably not in either of our best interests for me to stay at third so I moved to DH when I wasn't pitching. I always enjoyed hitting and found some success in that role.
Dez: How was it coming up to the big leagues in August?
Jeff: It was a dream come true. I felt great knowing that I had accomplished a goal that I had set for myself at such a young age.
Dez: Did you learn anything while up in the Majors and if so how would this differ from what you could have learned down in Rochester?
Jeff: I was made aware of how necessary it is to throw more strikes. Hitters are much more patient and will make you work much harder. They don't make mistakes by swinging at bad pitches and helping you out. Also, hitters aren't afraid to hit with two strikes. I still had to make a very solid pitch to retire a hitter even when I was ahead in the count.
Dez: When did you start preparing for the 2010 season?
Jeff: I started working out right after the World Series ended. My workouts started out light and gradually built up over time.
Dez: What are your goals for the 2010 season? Is there an area you would like to improve in?
Jeff: I would definitely like to either make the team right out of spring training or get called up soon after. In addition, I'd like to establish myself as a reliable starter and stay with the team and out of the minors. An area I'd like to improve in would be to get ahead in counts more often and retire hitters with fewer pitches. I felt that I wasted too many pitches last season which prevented me from going deep into games.
Jeff: I'd have to say all the friends I've made. The Twins have an organization filled with great guys and it’s been a pleasure getting to know them. Everybody has gotten along well on every
team that I've played for and that always makes things more fun.
Dez: What is the hardest of your career in baseball?
Jeff: The travel and being away from family for so long is probably the toughest aspect in professional baseball.
Dez: What is your greatest achievement so far?
Jeff: Receiving the call-up to the big leagues and earning my first victory against the Royals were my greatest achievements so far.
Dez: Is there a favorite player that you like to have play behind you?
Jeff: Probably Denard Span. He is a very gifted outfielder and has the ability to run down balls and make plays that many can't.
Dez: What is the hardest part about being a pitcher?
Jeff: I would say pitching effectively even when you know you don't have your best stuff that day. It happens to every pitcher, but you have to find a way to still get the job done. I feel like those are the days that really show what a pitcher has internally. You really have to fight and work so much harder to achieve favorable results.
Dez: If you were not a pitcher what position would you play?
Jeff: I'm not really sure about that. Maybe a DH. I used to play the middle infield and started pitching when I was 10. Once I began pitching, that's all I wanted to do. I would get more frustrated with myself for making an error in the infield than I would if I gave up a homerun. Maybe it was due to the fact that I felt like I was letting the pitcher down if I didn't make all the plays. When I was a senior in high school I played third base and made about five errors in three games. If I managed to catch the ball I'd throw a sinker to first base that usually bounced a foot in front of the first baseman. The coach and I decided it was probably not in either of our best interests for me to stay at third so I moved to DH when I wasn't pitching. I always enjoyed hitting and found some success in that role.
Dez: How was it coming up to the big leagues in August?
Jeff: It was a dream come true. I felt great knowing that I had accomplished a goal that I had set for myself at such a young age.
Dez: Did you learn anything while up in the Majors and if so how would this differ from what you could have learned down in Rochester?
Jeff: I was made aware of how necessary it is to throw more strikes. Hitters are much more patient and will make you work much harder. They don't make mistakes by swinging at bad pitches and helping you out. Also, hitters aren't afraid to hit with two strikes. I still had to make a very solid pitch to retire a hitter even when I was ahead in the count.
Dez: When did you start preparing for the 2010 season?
Jeff: I started working out right after the World Series ended. My workouts started out light and gradually built up over time.
Dez: What are your goals for the 2010 season? Is there an area you would like to improve in?
Jeff: I would definitely like to either make the team right out of spring training or get called up soon after. In addition, I'd like to establish myself as a reliable starter and stay with the team and out of the minors. An area I'd like to improve in would be to get ahead in counts more often and retire hitters with fewer pitches. I felt that I wasted too many pitches last season which prevented me from going deep into games.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday New and Notes
If you decided to take a break from baseball, Saturday was not the day to do it.
The day started with breaking news (which broke on The Twin-Keys Show. We had Seth Stohs and Jack Steal on when the news broke.)that Jose Mijares would be going down to the DL. The Twins recall Alex Burnett who was optioned down to Rochester on Wednesday(Burnett has yet to throw a pitch at Rochester this season).
How often do you see a game go seven hours? Well that was the case yesterday afternoon/ last night. We saw two positional players come into pitch and Kyle Lohse play left field. This game is an instant classic. It took 652 pitches for the Mets to win in 20 innings by a score of 2-1. The last game to go this long was on April 17, 2008 (interesting?) where Rockies came out ontop of the Padres 2-1.
In a much shorter game, the Rockies' Ubaldo Jiménez threw the first no-hitter in Rockies history. Jiménez threw out of the stretch and was still throwing strong in the 9th inning with his fastball being clocked at 95. Jiménez becomes the first player to throw a no-hitter with a first name starting with U. It is also the first no-hitter in Major League history to have a balk in it.
Feel free to email me at dwthegreat@hotmail.com
(AP)
The next event of the day was the Twins game. Nick Blackburn, starter, struggled early going only five innings and giving up five earned. The bright spot of the day was the homer by Orlando Hudson. Jon Rauch came in to close the game out. Despite giving up a leadoff single, Rauch gets the save and retains his title as Saves leader in the MLB with six saves.
In a much shorter game, the Rockies' Ubaldo Jiménez threw the first no-hitter in Rockies history. Jiménez threw out of the stretch and was still throwing strong in the 9th inning with his fastball being clocked at 95. Jiménez becomes the first player to throw a no-hitter with a first name starting with U. It is also the first no-hitter in Major League history to have a balk in it.
Feel free to email me at dwthegreat@hotmail.com
Friday, April 16, 2010
Under the Lights
The Twins will play their first game under the lights tonight when they play Kansas City.
Here are the lineups for tonight.
David DeJesus - RF
Scott Podsednik - LF
Billy Butler - 1B
Jose Guillen - DH
Rick Ankiel - CF
Alberto Callaspo - 3B
Jason Kendall - C
Yuniesky Betancourt - SS
Chris Getz - 2B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Zack Greinke
Span - CF
Hudson - 2B
Mauer - C
Morneau - 1B
Kubel - DH
Cuddyer - RF
Young - LF
Hardy - SS
Harris - 3B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Scott Baker
Keys to the game
Key 1: Patience
When one wise Chinese Proverb says " Patience is a virtue", they must have been referring to Zack Greinke. If the Twins are going to tonight, they need to take pitches, extending not only the inning but also the pitch count. The AL Cy Young winner had a rough last outing giving up four earn through six and two-thirds innings.
Key 2: The Little Things
The need to capitalize on the weak throwing arm of Jason Kendall. This will help move runner into scoring position. The Twins will need men to get runners on and advance them. Small ball could help win this game if that bats don't get going right away.
Make sure to check out my podcast tomorrow morning at 10 Central. We will have Seth Stohs of sethspeaks.net , Jack Steal of Fanaticjacktalkstwins.blogspot.com , Thrylos98 of tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com and Jim Mandelaro who is a beat writer for the Rochester Redwings.
Feel free to email me at dwthegreat@hotmail.com
Here are the lineups for tonight.
David DeJesus - RF
Scott Podsednik - LF
Billy Butler - 1B
Jose Guillen - DH
Rick Ankiel - CF
Alberto Callaspo - 3B
Jason Kendall - C
Yuniesky Betancourt - SS
Chris Getz - 2B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Zack Greinke
Span - CF
Hudson - 2B
Mauer - C
Morneau - 1B
Kubel - DH
Cuddyer - RF
Young - LF
Hardy - SS
Harris - 3B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Scott Baker
Keys to the game
Key 1: Patience
When one wise Chinese Proverb says " Patience is a virtue", they must have been referring to Zack Greinke. If the Twins are going to tonight, they need to take pitches, extending not only the inning but also the pitch count. The AL Cy Young winner had a rough last outing giving up four earn through six and two-thirds innings.
Key 2: The Little Things
The need to capitalize on the weak throwing arm of Jason Kendall. This will help move runner into scoring position. The Twins will need men to get runners on and advance them. Small ball could help win this game if that bats don't get going right away.
Make sure to check out my podcast tomorrow morning at 10 Central. We will have Seth Stohs of sethspeaks.net , Jack Steal of Fanaticjacktalkstwins.blogspot.com , Thrylos98 of tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com and Jim Mandelaro who is a beat writer for the Rochester Redwings.
Feel free to email me at dwthegreat@hotmail.com
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Twin-Keys Behind the Name / April 11-Game 3
In mid-Febuary, while I was thinking for a name for my blog, Twin-Keys came to mind. I felt the name was clever because it not only involved the nickname for the Twins, Twinkies , but also allowed me to do the Keys for the Twins to win, thus Twin-Keys. This post will mainly be about the Keys to a sweep versus the Chicago White Sox.
Minnesota
Span, CF
Hudson, O, 2B
Mauer, C
Morneau, 1B
Cuddyer, RF
Young, D, LF
Hardy, SS
Harris, B, DH
Punto, 3B
Blackburn, RHP
Chicago
Pierre, LF
Beckham, 2B
Quentin, RF
Konerko, 1B
Kotsay, DH
Rios, CF
Pierzynski, C
A. Ramirez, SS
Teahen, 3B
Buehrle, LHP
Key 1- Bulpen
It is no surprise that the bullpen is the key to this game. In order for the Twins to win, the Twins need to get into the bullpen. After two extra-innings, the White Sox bullpen is exhausted.
Key 2- Starting Pitching
If the Twins want to win, Nick Blackburn needs to get the team off to a good start. Blackburn is his last outing went 6 2/3 innings while allowing only three runs. Blackburn needs to throw first-pitch strikes. When doing this opponennts bat .280 against, and it get significantly lower with a 0-2 count, .220.
Key 3- Situational Hitting
In low scoring games, every run matters. That is what the Twins have been faced with these past two games. The "bunt to get the runner over" or "hitting to the right side" could be the difference maker in this game. Pay close attention to both teams and how they advance runner
On a side note, the Twins have the best record in baseball. Let's hope they continue this today as the Tigers are not far behind.
Minnesota
Span, CF
Hudson, O, 2B
Mauer, C
Morneau, 1B
Cuddyer, RF
Young, D, LF
Hardy, SS
Harris, B, DH
Punto, 3B
Blackburn, RHP
Chicago
Pierre, LF
Beckham, 2B
Quentin, RF
Konerko, 1B
Kotsay, DH
Rios, CF
Pierzynski, C
A. Ramirez, SS
Teahen, 3B
Buehrle, LHP
Key 1- Bulpen
It is no surprise that the bullpen is the key to this game. In order for the Twins to win, the Twins need to get into the bullpen. After two extra-innings, the White Sox bullpen is exhausted.
Key 2- Starting Pitching
If the Twins want to win, Nick Blackburn needs to get the team off to a good start. Blackburn is his last outing went 6 2/3 innings while allowing only three runs. Blackburn needs to throw first-pitch strikes. When doing this opponennts bat .280 against, and it get significantly lower with a 0-2 count, .220.
Key 3- Situational Hitting
In low scoring games, every run matters. That is what the Twins have been faced with these past two games. The "bunt to get the runner over" or "hitting to the right side" could be the difference maker in this game. Pay close attention to both teams and how they advance runner
On a side note, the Twins have the best record in baseball. Let's hope they continue this today as the Tigers are not far behind.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Podcast Tonight
We will have a special podcast tonight at 7PM. We will have on Twins Pitching Prospects BJ Hermsen and Bruce Pugh. We will also have guest bloggers Kirsten Brown and Nick Nelson on.
Be sure to tune in!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dwthegreat/2010/04/08/opening-week
Be sure to tune in!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dwthegreat/2010/04/08/opening-week
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)