Thursday (Milton vs. Weaver, Twins vs. Angels no-hitter comparision) edition: Wha' Happened?

Jered Weaver threw a no-hitter against the Twins last night, and frankly if you had watched them the night before you weren't totally surprised by the outcome. Take Justin Morneau out of the lineup -- even a Morneau who is not what he used to be -- and suddenly it can start to look pretty bleak in a hurry.

How bad? Well, Eric Milton fired a no-hitter for the Twins -- against the Angels -- back in September of 1999. It was a quirky game, with an 11 a.m. local time start at the Metrodome to accommodate a Gophers vs. Louisiana-Monroe football game later that night. Neither team took batting practice. And the Angels rested a ton of regulars, meaning the lineup was filled with youngsters. Here is a look at how the Twins' lineup -- full of a lot of regulars, minus Morneau -- compared to that Angels lineup from 1999.

2012 Twins (batting averages post-game)

1. Denard Span (.327)

2. Alexi Casilla (.265)

3. Joe Mauer (.302)

4. Josh Willingham (.325)

6. Chris Parmelee (.220)

7. Trevor Plouffe (.111)

8. Clete Thomas (.143)

9. Jamey Carroll (.200)

On the surface, it doesn't seem that bad, at least 1-5. Span has been consistent all season. Casilla was on a nice roll before the last couple of games. Mauer is a three-time batting champ. Willingham is solid. Doumit is a professional hitter. But 6 through 9? Parmelee looks overmatched right now, and he did even before the beaning. Plouffe is all over the map. Clete Thomas rarely makes contact. Carroll is a veteran, but he's on a Nishioka-like pace for most weak ground balls hit in a season. Also consider: Mauer still looks like he's impacted by that foul tip off the knee; Casilla is 3 for 19 lifetime vs. Weaver. Span is 2 for 19. Willingham is 3 for 14. Conditions were ripe.

1. Jeff DaVanon (was making his first career start)

2. Orlando Palmeiro (a semi-regular who hit .278 that season in 300-plus ABs)

3. Todd Greene (hit .243 with 14 HRs in 300-plus ABs that year)

4. Troy Glaus (was in first full season in the majors. Hit .240 with 29 HRs)

5. Steve Decker (journeyman in his final season, had just 63 ABs that year and hit .238)

7. Brent Hemphill (Had 21 career ABs, all in 1999. Had three total hits)

8. Trent Durrington (Hit .180 in 1999, his rookie season)

9. Andy Sheets (Hit .197 in 244 ABs that season)

OK, as bad as the Twins' lineup might have looked last night, there can be no argument: this lineup was clearly worse. That bottom three makes Plouffe, Thomas and Carroll seem like the middle of the '27 Yankees lineup. That said, the fact that we even thought about a comparison is enough to signal some alarm bells -- especially since Weaver called his trips through the lineup "an easy ride."