Coming Out Flat (Again)

Looking at the above picture, taken when the umpires used baseball’s new instant replay system to (correctly) change a Carlos Pena double into a home run, I wonder if some of the Twins players/coaches/fans didn’t feel like taking an early exit as well.

After the exhilarating late-inning win on Thursday night, one would think that the Twins would come out fired up and ready to rock.  Unfortunately, no one relayed that sentiment to starter Nick Blackburn, who got pounded for six runs over the first inning and one third before being removed.  Faced with that large deficit, the Twins’ bats could not muster any of last night’s magic, only scoring in the sixth inning on a Joe Mauer sacrifice fly.

Any more technical details about the game would just be depressing.

Notes:

-Just when I thought that the Twins finally had their bullpen sorted out, now the starting pitchers stink.  Maddening.  Blackburn and Perkins have been horrible as of late, and I read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune today that Perkins’ spot will likely be skipped due to Monday’s off-day.

Preview (83-71, 2.5 GB CWS): Kevin Slowey (12-10, 3.66) vs. Scott Kazmir (11-7, 3.50).  Slowey has been my favorite guy to watch all season (because he reminds me so much of old stalwart Brad Radke), so I am looking forward to seeing him try to pick up a crucial late-season win tomorrow.