"He had a big night," Gardenhire said of Kubel, who finished with six RBI. "I've always said, I really believe this guy can hit. And you know what? He's going to get plenty of opportunities this year. He had 450 [plate appearances] last year, and I think he's going to get more than that this year."
It seems Gardy is becoming aware that Kubel can be a key to the Twins offense now and in the future. Of course, there are still some suspicious moves, like starting Monroe at DH instead of Kubel on opening day against a RHP, that keep me from taking Gardy on his word.
On the downside, Gardenhire called Monroe "a veteran guy," which obviously means his standing is unjustly lifted in Gardy's mind. I don't think I'll ever understand his affection for veterans, especially lousy-hitting ones.
Some other observations from last night's game:
Yays
- Mauer had more two hits, and is hitting .323
- Harris went 3-for-4 with a double
- Lamb had two hits
- Young drew a walk, which set up the Kubel GS
- Brian Bass looked good in long relief
- Gomez flashed some D in CF by robbing O. Cabrera of an XBH
Nays
- Baker gave up three HRs
- Everett failed to get a hit (although that's not what he's here for)
- Twins committed three errors, although they weren't horrible errors
Finally, an update on the Kubel vs. Monroe battle.
Kubel (26 ABs)
.269/.286/.538, 2 HR, 8 RBI
Monroe (15 ABs)
.133/.278/.267, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Yes, they are small sample sizes, but as the season progresses these stat lines will begin to take shape and show who deserves to start every game, and who should sit on the bench.
3 comments:
My opinion on the value of The Veteran Impact is that they bridge the generation gaps and try to keep the game true to its roots. I love the old guys in the clubhouse and in certain high pressure or timely situations but dislike favoritism towards them at the cost of the Teams chances at a W. Kubel is getting some love from the Skip.
They have to keep Kubel in the lineup. If he slows down, fine, bench him, but let the guy get into a groove and hit. He should be playing right field everyday til Cuddyer comes back.
Heck, trade Cuddyer and have Kubel full time.
Offensiveliy Kubes is still writing his book and it should have a good ending. Defensively no way no how he looks uneasy and uncomfortable on a routine popper as he fidgets waiting for the ball as gravity takes place. He makes the easy look hard, the hard tough, the tough challenging, the challenging miraculous, the miraculous not possible as I see it.
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