June 29, 2003
[TWINS GO DOWN 1-2-3 IN THE FIFTH]
Aaron: Johan is coming in - and it's a 6-0 game. The next time Gardy starts talking about needing Johan in the bullpen for important outs, someone should slap him.
Aaron: C'mon Johan, don't embarrass me!
[JOHAN STRIKES OUT EDDIE PEREZ]
Aaron: God I love that changeup.
Al: Johan's almost unhittable when he's on.
[JOHAN STRIKES OUT CLAYTON]
Al: Wow. Ball dropped about a foot.
Aaron: I truly believe, besides Mark Prior, Johan Santana is the best young pitcher in all of baseball.
Al: Speaking of Prior, have you seen his pitch counts? He's going to end up rehabbing right next to your friend, AJ Burnett.
Aaron: Yep, I watched his 16 K game, although Dusty took him out after 8...and they blew the game.
Al: 127 yesterday, over 120 several times. I get mad when Sheets goes over 115, and Mark's just a baby compared to Ben.
Aaron: Yep, but he's still not in Burnett territory - yet.
Al: If they stay in the race, we'll see them get higher though. 120+ in April, Wood going 140 in April, they'll be left out there to rot in August.
Aaron: I am more worried about Wood for whatever reason.
Al: I think Ben McDonald threw 181 in college, and his coach argued it was no big deal. Nice brief career for McDonald.
Aaron: Yeah, the guys in the College World Series had some huge pitch counts this year.
[BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH, KOSKIE AND HUNTER HIT BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLES, 6-1 MILWAUKEE]
Al: Geoff almost got Hunter at 2B.
Aaron: Yeah, Jenkins has a great arm in LF.
Al: He should be in RF. Anyone can play LF, my wife can throw better than Luis Gonzalez for example.
Aaron: Yeah, I heard she has a great arm. 🙂
Al: My son has her legs. She's 5'0" and I'm 6'2", but with a 30 inch inseam. He's going to be a short guy, as his legs seem to be about one third of his body.
Aaron: How old is he?
Al: Turned 1 June 2nd. Born in St. Paul, Children's Hospital. Just started walking a week ago.
Aaron: Is he switch-hitting yet?
Al: I've tied his right arm behind his back so he will be a lefty reliever. He'll be pitching in 2052, ala Jesse Orosco.
[TOP OF THE SEVENTH]
Aaron: 22,000 tonight, thats not bad.
Al: But on a Friday night in June, with a few thousand Brewers fans, should be at least 30K in the house. We had 25K at Miller last Friday, I believe.
Aaron: Yeah, I agree. And it's not even that nice outside today.
Al: I'll be the first to say the Dome is horrible though.
Aaron: Yes, it is.
Al: The St. Louis fans at the game a couple Mondays ago said they couldn't believe how nice Miller was. They hope the new SL park is a lot like it, they said.
Aaron: The OF looks weird to me. The whole window-look.
Al: It's unique. Different because of the retractable roof. Never heard anyone say anything negative that's seen it. Just idiots like Caple putting it down.
Aaron: I just rip it because it leaks (or leaked)...
Aaron: ...and because I am jealous, mostly.
Al: And it's Bud's park, right?
Aaron: Right
[PODSEDNIK HITS A CHECK-SWING SINGLE TO THIRD AND JENKINS BLOOPS A SINGLE INTO LEFT]
Aaron: Ugh, Johan is getting unlucky.
[SEXSON HITS A THREE-RUN HOMER TO RIGHT, 9-1 BREWERS]
Aaron: See, now that sucks. Johan got Podsednik to hit a weak little squibber to 3B on a check-swing, but he beat it out. Then Jenkins hits an opposite field single.
Aaron: And then Sexson goes deep.
Al: Luck never hurts a thing.
Aaron: If he gets Podsednik (which he should have), the inning is over. Now he's given up 3 runs and Gardy just yanked him.
Al: I thought Sexson might drive one to RF, he had some good swings up there.
Aaron: I don't know why he wouldn't just leave Johan in. He's pitching well, a couple cheap singles and a homer.
Al: Me neither.
Al: Of course, now that he's allowed a HR, and the score is 9-1, is he saving him? If that's the case though, why bring him into a 6-0 game?
[BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH, 9-1 BREWERS]
Aaron: We're gonna be at .500 very soon, it's depressing.
Aaron: Heck, we're only 8 ahead of you guys after tonight!
Al: I wouldn't concern myself with KC. I picked CHI, and still think they could make a run. They are underachieving on a grand scale.
Al: What's KC at right now?
Aaron: 41-34 and winning tonight, which would be 5 in a row.
Al: So, since they were 16-4, they are 25-30. I doubt if they'll win 75 games, honestly. Maybe I'm underestimating them.
Aaron: I agree, but it's getting tougher not to believe.
Aaron: Kinney is at 94 pitches, I wonder how long he'll go.
Al: I'd guess one more inning.
[TWINS GO DOWN 1-2-3 IN 7TH AND BREWERS START 8TH WITH 3 SINGLES]
Aaron: Bases loaded. Jacque and Cristian just let it drop right between them. Nice "single."
Al: Not a game the Twins will put in their time capsule, is it?
Al: Remember, the roof's white.
Aaron: Off-white, thats the problem!
Al: I believe it's called "dirty white."
Aaron: It's very dirty actually.
Al: Tough to clean.
Aaron: That's true.
[JENKINS STRIKES OUT ON A 3-2 PITCH AND HIS BAT FLIES INTO MILWAUKEE'S BULLPEN]
Aaron: That bat had some distance on it.
Al: Jenkins saw 6 balls, but he swung at 3 of them. Pitiful discipline.
Aaron: Bases loaded, 9-1. He wanted to hack.
Aaron: Nakamura gets some wicked movement.
Al: First time I've seen him, does he ever throw a fastaball?
[SEXSON SINGLES TO RIGHT, 11-1 MILWAUKEE]
Aaron: There was the fastball!
Aaron: Nakamura has had awesome minor league numbers.
Al: Lots of AAA guys are there because they can't hit breaking balls, so that makes some sense.
Aaron: Well, yeah. But he's done it at every level, I think he can be a good pitcher.
Al: Is he still a prospect, or a minor league vet?
Aaron: He's like 25 or 26 I think. Before tonight he had 8 Ks in 9.1 IP with the Twins.
[BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH]
Al: Two things I gotta touch on before this game is over. First of all, have you looked at and chuckled heartily at the Cubs' bench? Lenny Harris, Paul Bako, Troy O'Leary (never hit outside of Fenway), Tom Goodwin...
Aaron: Yeah, I wrote an entry about the Harris/Bellhorn situation a little while back.
Al: I'd have trouble putting together a worse bench if I tried.
Aaron: Their bench looks just like Dusty's bench last year in SF.
Al: I said the same thing. He just needs Shawon Dunston's .220 OBP to round out his group of veteran leadership and overall suckiness.
Aaron: It gets better when Choi comes back, but not much.
Al: Tony LaRussa always puts together a bench of like 5 Denny Hocking types, they can all play 5 spots, and none of 'em can hit a lick.
[TWINS GO 1-2-3 IN THE EIGHTH]
