Jared Weaver Throws No Hitter Against Former Big League Club

I kid, I kid. Jared Weaver never pitched for the Minnesota Twins. I was referring to the Twins not being a major league franchise anymore…ba-dum…that was a quick drum roll in case you were wondering. Not to take anything away from Jared Weaver and his performance, but let’s be honest, the Twins kind of stink. And since we are being honest, I kind of want to take away from his performance. Who could blame a Tigers fan? After all, he was buzzing our catcher’s tower after giving up a homer to Carlos Guillen. Nevermind Guillen was acting like an idiot. A lot of guys that day were acting like idiots. Oh well…that’s another article for another day, like when Weaver pitches against Detroit, or Carlos Guillen comes out of retirement. 

Just thinking out loud I guess.

I guess I begrudgingly congratulate Weaver on his accomplishment. No matter who it is, no-hitters and perfect games are something you like seeing as a baseball fan, because they are pretty rare all things considered. Weaver dominated a not-so-good Twins lineup to the tune of nine strikeouts and only one walk. Weaver threw 121 pitches, 77 of which were strikes, having a couple of near hits down the line, but other than that, the Twins didn’t really threaten any offense. Probably because Weaver is a heck of a pitcher (that was less begrudgingly said).

Despite Weaver being a real good pitcher however, I wanted to make sure that I made some fun of the Minnesota Twins today as well. After all, the Twins were kind of the bully on the block for a while in the A.L. Central, and it’s fun seeing them in the cellar. Their pitching staff is atrocious, but that lineup isn’t very good either. The Twins are second to last in the American League with just 87 runs scored on the season. The Tigers, who have been quite inept themselves on offense, have 105 runs scored by comparison.

Looking at the Twins lineup, you can see why they got no hit by that fine gentleman from the Angels. No one from the 5th spot on down in the order is hitting better than .243 in last night’s lineup. But batting average isn’t their problem. It’s a lack of pop. The Twins have hit just 14 home runs as a team on the season. In 24 games? Five of those are from one guy in Josh Willingham, who along with Denard Span, are getting sore backs from carrying the Twins anemic offense. Given the Twins luck with injuries the past couple of seasons, I assume that means that Willingham and Span are going on the DL soon.

After the loss tonight, the Twins are 6-18 on the season, and frankly, Twins fans got to be wondering if it’s even possible to get any better. Their farm system is middle of the road at best, and most of the quality of it is in the lower minors. Even if they were to become a seller, who do they have to sell? Maybe Willingham and Span I guess, but after their impending back injuries, they will be useless. They won’t be able to find takers for Morneau and Mauer, and nobody wants their pitchers for eye black or sunflower seeds.

Things are looking bleak in Minnesota.

I wanted to make even more fun of the Twins, but I have to say, it’s not as fun as I thought it would be. It’s more sad than anything, because I miss the days when the Twins came to town and they fielded a real major league club. As a fan of the game, despite their annoying triumphs over the Tigers, you could respect how they played the game. Now, they play the game awfully.

I hope Ron Gardenhire doesn’t have to take the heat for this, because despite what we are seeing, I think he is a good manager.

Who is the Twins GM these days anyway? Whoever he is, I hope he likes a challenge, or at least takes his predecessor out to dinner and slips him something to give him the trots.