It was a clunker in more ways than one. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, after the tape recorders were off last night, said blowouts like Monday's happen when, in addition to pitching, the defense breaks down. And there were breakdowns everywhere.
Playing clean defense is something this team prides itself on, but some of the stuff that went on Monday was flat out comical. Nishioka looked like he was being blown up by ground balls. And Trevor Plouffe showed his how raw he is as an outfielder. And where was Delmon Young throwing?
Now the Twins have to remind themselves that it was just one loss, not two, and try to regroup tomorrow.
But how?
The Twins have three relievers they can use - righthanders Joe Nathan and Matt Capps and lefty Glen Perkins. Gardy said everyone else in the bullpen was gassed.
``We have three guys left for tomorrow's game basically. Capps, Nathan and Perkins," Gardy said. ``And hopefully we'll be able to use them in the right situation, and that would be at the end to finish off a game. That's what we're hoping for."
He was asked about possible help at Class AAA Rochester.
``They are all doing the same thing if you paid attention to their games. They have been pitching probably more than us. So there's not much help there," he said. ````This is what we have. Our bullpen guys are sucking it up as best they can. They have thrown a lot of pitches in a lot of games, and everything the Rangers hit fell in."
