Posts Tagged ‘pat neshek’
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Return to NormalcyApril 24th, 2008
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About a week ago, I wrote an article on the Twins’ failings in the bullpen. But a lot changed in a week, and that angle had to be ditched– well, not completely. I’m still going to bring up what happened, but we now have light at the end of the tunnel.
Things were looking scary for the Twins when, in the span of one week, the Twins’ mighty setup men managed to blow three big divisional games. The culprits: Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain.
Neshek began the mess by giving up a grand slam to Joe Crede in the opening game against the Chicago White Sox on April 7 to spoil a 4-3 lead in the seventh. The Twins went on to lose 7-4. Guerrier started the inning by loading up the bases for Neshek, so we can’t give Neshek all the blame, but he did give up the shot to bring them all in.
Then on the following Monday, Guerrier and Neshek managed to blow a five-run lead and eventually, the game, to the slumping Detroit Tigers 11-9.
Crain followed suit the very next night, spoiling a solid start by Scott Baker by giving up a rocketing two-run homer to Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a 6-5 win and two-game series sweep.
The result of rough week for the setup corps was a combined nine runs given up and three losses in just 3 1/3 innings pitched, ballooning their combined ERA to 8.95 on the season to go along with their 0-3 record.