Thoughts on the low point of the season

By: Kris Richardson

Published: Jul 21, 2009 5:17 PM

The Twins surrendered a 10 run lead largely thanks to a poor start by Nick Blackburn and an even worse showcase by Brian Duensing, Bobby Keppel and Jose Mijares. This has to be the lowest point of the season so far.

The combined failures of those 4 arms erased brilliant performances at the plate from Justin Morneau (2 HR, 7 RBI) and Jason Kubel (1 HR , 4 RBI).
Despite a good stretch the past few weeks from the bullpen, there's still weakness in that area. This game was a clear reminder of that. Not to mention, the rotation is inconsistent all-around. Blackburn had been the rock this season, but now has 2 consecutive starts where he was quite hittable.
Yes, the Twins should have tied the game in the 9th when Michael Cuddyer was incorrectly called out at the plate, but that miscall by home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski pales in comparison to what the Twins managed to screw up on their own.
Before the game Ron Gardenhire jokingly wished for 14 runs while explaining the reason for Joe Mauer's day off. They came just one run short.

Topics: Nick Blackburn, Jose Mijares, Brian Duensing, Bobby Keppel

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