Game Thread: Twins@Rays 4/24 12:10PM

[Riverbrian]

Game-time forecast: Clear. 0% PoP. Winds 8mph from the south. Temperature around 95.

 

Twins:

SP, Nolasco

 

Dozier 2B

Mauer 1B

Plouffe 3B

Colabello RF

Pinto DH

Suzuki C

Fuld LF

Hicks CF

Florimon SS

 

Rays:

SP, Bedard

 

Zobrist 2B

Jennings CF

Joyce LF

Longoria 3B

Loney 1B

Myers RF

DeJesus DH

Escobar SS

Molina C

 

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Things to Think About:

 

1. Birthday Presents -- I absolutely tickled that Chris Colabello hit a home run. I think it's even better that it happened on his mother's birthday. I think it's even better that it happened while she was being interviewed. I think it's even better still that it was specifically suggested that he hit a home run mere seconds before it happened. This just ads to the incredible story that is Chris Colabello. I'm starting to feel like I know him. After listening to his mom... It's clear that he is part of great family and these are just great people that I can cheer for collectively. However... I am concerned about the bleeting noises produced by Mom. I didn't recognize them as the part of normal human speech patterns.

 

2. Chris Colabello -- Not just a home run... A game winning single to drive in two. 4 RBI's on the night just add to his top of MLB Total. Colabello... is becoming my favorite Twin.

 

3. Rubber bands -- We still have that rubber band strapped around .500. We get game below and we win. We get a game above and we lose. I'm going to be ok with that rubber band if it lasts until July. Then it can snap... umm... in a positive direction please... because I don't want to get hit in the eye with it.

 

4. Sam Fuld -- Nice debut for Sam... He put the ball in play and he helped us win. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets going forward and how much playing time Aaron Hicks gets if he continues to struggle.

 

5. Gas Station Bathrooms -- I had to use a gas station bathroom the other day. It was locked... I had to stand and wait behind a bunch of customers just to ask for the key. I walked into the bathroom and it was filthy. I wondered why it was locked in the first place. They must have been afraid that someone would break in and clean it.

[Winston Smith]

Glad the wind isn't bad that tends to screw with our pitchers for some reason.

[Brock Beauchamp]

After the first game, I had a nagging feeling the Twins would get swept.

 

Now they have a legitimate chance to win the series.

 

But damn, this pitching needs to get on track. It's been so much worse than it should have been over the first four weeks of play. Their ceiling is probably mediocrity but their floor *should* be higher than we've seen thus far.

[Squirrel]

I know. I really expected no offense, but thought we'd be ... okay ... in pitching. Glad the offense has been able to compensate for the pitching thus far but it would be nice if the pitching finally came around to at least mediocre.

[jokin]

I kind-of liked Fuld in that #9 spot last night in front of Dozier and Mauer, but having 2 defensive OFers out there with Colabello has to make Nolasco happy. Meanwhile, Escobar and his "powerful" .608 OPS in the #8 spot was also refreshing, too bad it was just a one-day deal, back to 2 automatic outs at the bottom of the order- it's amazing the Twins offense is as productive as it is, with those 2 in the lineup, plus Mauer struggling to this point.

[Brock Beauchamp]

it's amazing the Twins offense is as productive as it is, with those 2 in the lineup, plus Mauer struggling to this point.

 

Baseball is a strange ****ing game.

[stringer bell]

Who's available today? I presume Thielbar, Tonkin, Burton and Perkins. Anyone else? Maybe Deduno?

[Boom Boom]

It looks like Gardy is doing a left/right platoon with Florimon and Escobar.

 

If only there were fewer left-handed starters.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It looks like Gardy is doing a left/right platoon with Florimon and Escobar.

 

This "platoon" word you keep using... What does it mean?

[TheDean]

It looks like Gardy is doing a left/right platoon with Florimon and Escobar.

 

If only there were fewer left-handed starters.

 

...but then he's doing it the wrong way?

Florimon had a .459 OPS vs. LHP last year.

Escobar owns a career .712 OPS vs. LHP.

 

If Gardy was platooning the right way, I'd hope for more lefties!

 

Edit: The reason I went last year for PFlo and career for EddieE was so that they'd have similar admittedly small sample sizes from which to judge Gardy's platooning (~100 PA).

[jokin]

Who's available today? I presume Thielbar, Tonkin, Burton and Perkins. Anyone else? Maybe Deduno?

 

No matter, stringer. Nolasco is going 8 today.

[Boom Boom]

This "platoon" word you keep using... What does it mean?

 

It's kind of a weird phenomenon. I'm not sure I quite understand it myself, but I think it means that Florimon starts against Erik Bedard and David Price, while Escobar starts against Yordano Ventura and Jake Odorizzi.

[ashbury]

I wonder if Hicks will look at the batting order and say "man, I'm hitting behind a guy who was picked up on waivers?" and have it motivate him positively.

[Boom Boom]

...but then he's doing it the wrong way?

Florimon had a .459 OPS vs. LHP last year.

Escobar owns a career .712 OPS vs. LHP.

 

If Gardy was platooning the right way, I'd hope for more lefties!

 

This correlation of platoon statistics does not imply casuality, post hoc ergo propter hoc.

 

Florimon has obviously become a lefty masher and Gardenhire is way too smart to platoon "the right way".

[ashbury]

Glad the wind isn't bad that tends to screw with our pitchers for some reason.

 

The guy who made that choice of words after a Spring game is no longer with the team, not even for a player in return.

 

A reasonable conclusion would then be that the Twins front office doesn't care for the attitude among their employees either. But sure, go ahead and hang the attitude around the necks of "our pitchers" anyway.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Sure didn't take long for Gardy to experiment with a defense-first lineup.

 

I assumed that we'd see Hicks and Fuld on the field together at some point, but I wasn't thinking it would be this soon.

 

I wonder if this will be typical against lefties until Willingham is back...

[Winston Smith]

it's amazing the Twins offense is as productive as it is, with those 2 in the lineup, plus Mauer struggling to this point.

 

If you look at the offense it is likely better in run production because of all the walks they've been getting. 8.4 hits per 9 in 14 against 8.3 hits last year. 9.2 k's in 14 against 8.8 last year.

 

Runs 5.3 this yr and 3.8 last yr. Why is that when they aren't getting more hits? Walks! 5.1 walks this year and 3.3 last year. A plus 1.8 walks per 9 innings vs. a plus 1.5 runs per 9 last year. You know the saying walks will kill you. It's likely only some of these extra walks are from better at bats more likely many are from running into some wild pitching. If we were getting a lot more hits I'd feel better long term but I think all these extra walks might even out over time.

[Winston Smith]

The guy who made that choice of words after a Spring game is no longer with the team, not even for a player in return.

 

A reasonable conclusion would then be that the Twins front office doesn't care for the attitude among their employees either. But sure, go ahead and hang the attitude around the necks of "our pitchers" anyway.

 

JOKE they are playing in a dome!!

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

One more Colabello anecdote, his next Run Batted In will make him the Twins' all-time leader for RBI in the month April.

 

Think he gets it today?

[ashbury]

JOKE they are playing in a dome!!

 

Of course. It's the nature of the joke that seemed more like just a chance for a cheap shot. Here's mine: I'm calling Florimon's first HR of the season, now that he doesn't have the wind blowing in to prevent it. If that's a shot against Florimon's batting prowess, so be it - but I don't think it's especially cheap.

[ashbury]

Think he gets it today?

 

I don't think the wind conditions are favorable for that.

[Squirrel]

Game-time forecast: Clear. 0% PoP. Winds 8mph from the south. Temperature around 95.

 

 

Correction: it's currently 93 degrees F, with scattered clouds, winds at 7 mph from the SSE, and still 0% PoP. Where in the world .... ???

[twinscowboysbulls]

This "platoon" word you keep using... What does it mean?

 

Alright guys, jokes over. Tell me how to like that post, now!

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I don't think the wind conditions are favorable for that.

 

That's funny, magic 8 ball said "reply hazy" so maybe there's something to the weather report.

 

I think the bigger question is how many RBI does Colabello have by May 1st?

 

He's already passed his season total from last year (55 games).

[Gibby]

Lucky me. I just wrote my last check to the U of Wisconsin....and I get to write my first to Augsburg today.

[ashbury]

Alright guys, jokes over. Tell me how to like that post, now!

 

Read it several times and the wisdom it contains will eventually be imparted, and then you will like it.

 

If you mean how to click "Like" on the button just below a given post, I guess we need to know what kind of device you are using or which browser, if it means you are not even seeing a Like button.

[ashbury]

Lucky me. I just wrote my last check to the U of Wisconsin....and I get to write my first to Augsburg today.

 

Yeah, we made the mistake of spacing two of our children 3 years apart, and there was that one year which was painful.

 

Our third child arrived 5 years after the second, so there was that one blissful year of no tuition payments....

[twinscowboysbulls]

Read it several times and the wisdom it contains will eventually be imparted, and then you will like it.

 

If you mean how to click "Like" on the button just below a given post, I guess we need to know what kind of device you are using or which browser, if it means you are not even seeing a Like button.

 

I'm currently posting from my Sega genesis.

[twinscowboysbulls]

Yeah, we made the mistake of spacing two of our children 3 years apart, and there was that one year which was painful.

 

Our third child arrived 5 years after the second, so there was that one blissful year of no tuition payments....

 

No offense, but you could've just let them pay their own way, no?

[Gibby]

Yeah, we made the mistake of spacing two of our children 3 years apart, and there was that one year which was painful.

 

Our third child arrived 5 years after the second, so there was that one blissful year of no tuition payments....

 

I cant complain. We had enough saved up to pay for our first kid at the U and she blessed us with a full ride. Add that to my ride, and we wound up with a nice nest egg we didn't expect