For the SSI take on the bottom half of the inning, see the articles on Gutirrez and on Figgins - Lopez.  The M's battled Francisco Liriano verrrrry tough. The fever may have broken on this 9-runs-in-7-games delirium.

In the meantime, Doug Fister falls to 3-3 despite a 2.45 ERA that, after fully 10 starts (and 70 innings in only ten starts!) has him #2 in the American League.

While we're on the subject, "Hoss" Fister is also #2 in the AL in innings-per-start.  Let me read that sentence again.

Partly on the strength of his 1+ walk rate, he leads the AL in WHIP (the pitchers' analogue to OBP).

He's ninth in AVG against, which is blinkin' hard to do when you don't strike anybody out ...

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=== Company Line ===

Fister gave up three home runs, accounting for all but one of the Twins' five runs.  In other words, absent the homers, Fister would have had another lockdown game, but of course they did hit the homers.

The company line was twofold:  (A) that Fister's dead arm robbed his pitches of bite, and (B) he got some pitches up.

"Getting pitches up," that is an FKey auto-excuse that annoys Dr. D a little more each time he reads it.  Here are the three homers that Fister allowed:

1. A sharp curve ball, inside black, hand-high, that Delmon Young put a great swing on
2. Fastball, very inside black, 10 inches above the knees, that Michael Cuddyer hit out
3.  Fastball, very outside black, top of zone, that Jason Kubel pulled out to RF

As far as Cuddyer's home run, check GameDay.  If that pitch is too high, then Fister can never throw to any location other than the knees.

Delmon Young's curve ball, I was just amazed.  The pitch crackled into a nose dive, was not high at all, and I was wondering what happened when the ball left the yard.  That was one of the five or six craziest "hitter's home runs" I've seen in a long time.

Cuddyer's home run was a high pitch, granted, but it was also on the black.  Fister has been throwing to different eye levels all year.  If it's on the black, you're not supposed to be able to hit it out.

So, I'm confused.  "He got a couple pitches up," just like when Aardsma gives up homers "he got a couple pitches up."  Is every pitcher supposed to give away the location (knee high) every pitch?

I imagine that "he got a few pitches up" is an FKey to get the writers to go away..... siggghhhhh...

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Part 2