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Twins manager Gardenhire says his team played like Little Leaguers

By Landon Hall, The Orange County Register –

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Minnesota Twins have the worst record in baseball, with the worst pitching staff. And they got steamrolled by one of the best pitchers in the game Wednesday night, Jered Weaver.

That was little consolation to the 6-18 Twins, and particularly manager Ron Gardenhire, who dutifully praised Weaver’s no-hitter. But he also ripped into his own players — first behind closed doors in the clubhouse, then in a brief postgame chat with reporters.

“We got dominated by a very good pitcher over there, but we played terrible. We didn’t pitch worth a crap. Not aggressive. Missed a play or two, and got no-hit by a very good pitcher over there. Which doesn’t make it any easier for our baseball team.”

Gardenhire said the Twins “looked like Little Leaguers out there, and that’s a bunch of (expletive).” Then he walked out of the visiting managers’ office. “OK, that’s enough. I’m not going to go any farther. Have a good night. Congratulations, Mr. Weaver.”

When you’re off to the kind of start the Twins are, you’ll blame just about anything: Center fielder Denard Span, who went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, hinted that Weaver might be assisted by the rockpile in left-center, which Span said might interfere with a hitter’s field of vision.

“He kind of throws across his body, and I think his cross-body motion kind of … when he lets the ball go sometimes … the ball’s coming out of the rocks,” Span said. “But there’s nothing to take away from his no-hitter. He still pitched a great game. But over the years, you checked the stats, he’s definitely a better pitcher here than he is on the road.”

In response to a question about whether Weaver was “unhittable,” Span said: “ I wouldn’t say he’s unhittable. I mean, we didn’t get a hit. We made contact, just didn’t get a hit.”

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who went 0 for 3 and saw his average drop to .111, said Weaver had all his pitches going, including his fastball and a cutter that broke away from lefties.

“He’s one of those pitchers where you let him get ahead of you and he’s throwing his pitches for strikes, he’s going to be tough to hit.”

Edmonds encourages Pujols

Jim Edmonds dropped by the ballyard Wednesday, chatting up some of the older Angels who remember when Edmonds was one of the best defensive center fielders the game has ever seen.

He talked a lot with Albert Pujols, his teammate with the Cardinals from Pujols’ rookie year in 2001 through 2007. They were laughing before the game against the Minnesota Twins, and Edmonds was hanging out behind the cage watching Pujols take swings.

They were on the 2006 World Series championship team, and so Edmonds knows a little about Pujols and his tremendous hitting prowess. As for what might explain Pujols’ slump, Edmonds spoke encouraging words.

“He just doesn’t look super-comfortable right now,” Edmonds said. “I don’t know if he’s pressing. He’s in a strange city in a strange ballpark, without his family. … It’s not as easy as it looks sometimes.

“The numbers will be there, when the weather warms up and the ball starts to carry. No excuses, but he’ll be fine.”

Edmonds, 41, was with the Angels from 1993 to ‘99; he played on some good (but not yet great) Angels teams in the late ‘90s. But he truly became a superstar in St. Louis; in addition to his highlight-reel catches, he hit .301 for the NL pennant-winning Cardinals in 2004, with 42 homers and 111 RBIs.

Pujols didn’t get a hit in the Angels’ barrage during the first three innings, when they took a 9-0 lead, but he hit the ball sharply both times during that stretch: a long flyout to center and a lineout to left. In the fourth he ripped a single to center, raising his batting average to .212. And in the sixth, he flew out to right-center — another positive sign that Pujols isn’t trying to pull everything.

TROUT SITS ONE OUT

Mike Trout got a taste of life in the Angels’ revolving-door lineup: He didn’t start Wednesday night after making four consecutive starts since his call-up last Saturday. He played the last three in center field, and led off each game. But he’s hitting only .143 (2 for 14).

“I feel good up there,” he said. “I’m not getting the results I want, but I’m getting good at-bats.”

UP AND IN

You know you’re on a hot streak when the opposing pitcher throws one under your chin. Torii Hunter had gone 2 for 2 in Tuesday night’s game, with his fourth homer in five games, when reliever Jeff Gray hit him with a pitch that grazed his chest.

“I was upset for a second,” Hunter said Wednesday. “But you think about it and you’re like, ‘That’s the way you’ve got to do it — that’s the way you’re supposed to do it.’ … I understand the game. You have to do that when guys are hot.”

Hunter stayed hot, getting two hits in the first four innings to raise his average to .322.

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