The real Minnesota Twins stood up Tuesday, and we're pretty sure nobody would mind if they'd sit back down.
One night after following a script that flowed as smoothly as Steven Spielberg's latest blockbuster, the Twins lived down to their preseason expectations in a 9-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at the Metrodome with shaky pitching, an AWOL offense and defensive mistakes.
The hoopla of Opening Day took a backseat to the reality of The Next 161. The Twins are still only 1-1, but their second game portrayed all the hope of a mid-August series against Tampa Bay.
"That was just one of those games," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I hope there are not a lot of those. That would be ugly."
A gutsy performance to open the season from Livan Hernandez was replaced by starting pitcher Boof Bonser getting slapped around in the first inning to dig the Twins a 2-0 hole. Boof was throwing consistently above the belt in that inning, and that's no place for a big-league pitcher to live - even if he is 30 pounds lighter than a year ago.
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"It was the first game and I was all jittery and happy and just letting it ride," Bonser said. "I wasn't really hitting my spots in the first. I was just out there trying to get that first inning out of the belt and it didn't go the way I wanted it to."
First night star Carlos Gomez learned this valuable lesson against Angels starter Jon Garland: You have to get on base to disrupt the defense. Los Angeles pounded young Gomez off the outside part of the plate in his first three at-bats, keeping Carlos hitless. He singled in his final chance. The youngster also threw behind the runner after fielding Howie Kendrick's leadoff double in the second inning.
A night after Pat Neshek and Joe Nathan one-two punched the Angels to save Hernandez's 3-2 victory, Minnesota's bullpen failed to keep the Twins in the game. Jesse Crain, Dennys Reyes, Brian Bass and Juan Rincon allowed a 4-1 deficit to become a 9-1 deficit, suffocating any comeback chance for the soft Twins' lineup.
Late in the game, the Twins kicked a couple of defensive plays that gave the potent Angels extra outs.
Abner Doubleday said there'd be days like this.
The trouble with the Twins, 2008 version, is that their margin for error is slimmer than the new Boof. If the pieces fall just so, as they did Monday, they'll compete. If the pieces do not fall just so, like Tuesday, there is no safety net.
It will help when the financially secure heart of the Twins' lineup - Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and particularly cleanup batter Justin Morneau - begins to drive the ball with some regularity. Morneau is 0 for 7 to start the season and did not get the ball out of the infield Tuesday.
"There were too many guys on base, we missed I don't know how many plays where we needed to get an out and once that starts happening guys start running around and things get out of whack," Gardenhire said. "That's when funny things happen."
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No, the fun was Monday night. Tuesday was reality. Trouble is, there are 85 more games like the latter awaiting this team.
Forum sports columnist Mike McFeely can be heard on the Saturday Morning Sports Show, 10 a.m. to noon on WDAY-AM (970). He can be reached at (701) 241-5580 or mmcfeely@forumcomm.com .
