Game Thead: Twins@Mariners 7/10 Freaking late again!!! 9:10PM

[Riverbrian]

Game-time forecast: Sunny. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature near 80.

 

ChiTown will have those lineups for you once released to the general public. Lineups can also be purchased through Ticketmaster... Along with Creedence Clearwater Revisted Tickets.

 

Sorry for my tardiness ... I was at a special dinner for the orchestra ...

 

TWINS:

SP, Pino

 

Dozier 2B

Suzuki C

Parmelee 1B

Morales DH

Willingham LF

Arcia RF

Plouffe 3B

Escobar SS

Fuld CF

 

MARINERS:

SP, Wilhelmsen

 

Chavez LF

Jones CF

Cano 2B

Seager 3B

Hart DH

Morrison 1B

Saunders RF

Zunino C

Bloomquist SS

------------------------------

 

Things to Think About:

 

1. Pacific Time -- C'mon... I can't stand it... I'm blinking out after the 7th inning. I'll blink back in and say to myself... "How did those runners get on base". My wife will come by and shut the TV off and that will wake me up so I blurt out "Hey... I was watching that". She says "Oh Yeah... What's the score"? To which I reply... "Yeah it's... Umm... I suppose I should go to bed". Why do we have to play another night game in Seattle on getaway day?

 

2. Relievers in the 1st inning -- Normally when you see a reliever in the 1st inning... Things have gone horrible wrong. Seattle has decided that they don't have a starter ready to go tonight so they are going to patch together a bunch of relief pitchers to get through the game. I do admit that there has always been a part of me that wondered if a team could do this more often. Most relievers are pretty good for an inning or two. One time through the lineup and put in the next guy. You don't have to worry about setting hitters up for the next at bat... You just bring the gas and let it fly. You won't see that hitter again so you attack him. The only team that I recall doing anything like this was the Colorado Rockies a few years ago. Well at least kinda like this... They got frustrated with their starting rotation so they set a hard low limit on pitches thrown and used the bullpen to finish up... It failed miserably.

 

3. Hughes/Gibson -- There have been a few times this year when Hughes and Gibson back to back have made up a nasty combo. The past two days were one of those times. I am starting to get excited about both of them. The consistency isn't totally there yet but both pitchers are exhibiting worthwhile talent often enough that I'm liking the idea of them in the rotation for a few years. Raise your glasses and toast to their health.

 

4. 7.5 -- The Mariners hold the last wild card spot right now and the Twins are 7.5 back from that final wild card spot. Many of us assume the Twins will be sellers come the end of July. I'm not assuming anything yet because the Twins still haven't had a real decent hot streak yet. If the Twins could time a big hot streak before July is up... Who Knows... (Pause)... Yeah I know... I was dropped a couple times as a child.

 

5. Baths -- I shower every morning and I like my showers. I clean up and I have uninterrupted time to plan my day ahead. I hadn't taken a bath in quite some time... Multiple Years... Maybe a Decade and Change... There wasn't a real need or desire to. When I got back from my road trip over the 4th after 10 hours in the car. I just had a feeling that a hot bath would feel good so I took one. I got in the tub... the water was warm but... I just sat there. Nothing to do... and I thought to myself... This is boring and the warm water isn't doing anything spectacular. I thought about my youth... I remember when I used to like taking a bath but then I remembered why... I had bath toys... a boat... a rubber duck... a toaster and a radio that my mom threw in.

[stringer bell]

You're the best RB. Are you going to be at the get-together on Monday?

 

I'll provide the lineup because I want to comment about it--per LEN3:

 

 

Twins (41-49)

 

Brian Dozier, 2B

Kurt Suzuki, C

Chris Parmelee, 1B

Kendrys Morales, DH

Josh Willingham, LF

Oswaldo Arcia, RF

Trevor Plouffe, 3B

Eduardo Escobar, SS

Sam Fuld, CF

 

Yohan Pino P

 

Mariners (49-42)

 

Endy Chaves, LF

James Jones, CF

Robinson Cano, 2B

Kyle Seager, 3B

Corey Hart, DH

Logan Morrison, 1B

Michael Saunders, RF

Mike Zunino, C

Willie Bloomquist, SS

 

Tom Wilhelmsen, RHP

[Brock Beauchamp]

You're the best RB. Are you going to be at the get-together on Monday?

 

He's not invited.

[glunn]

5. Baths -- I shower every morning and I like my showers. I clean up and I have uninterrupted time to plan my day ahead. I hadn't taken a bath in quite some time... Multiple Years... Maybe a Decade and Change... There wasn't a real need or desire to. When I got back from my road trip over the 4th after 10 hours in the car. I just had a feeling that a hot bath would feel good so I took one. I got in the tub... the water was warm but... I just sat there. Nothing to do... and I thought to myself... This is boring and the warm water isn't doing anything spectacular. I thought about my youth... I remember when I used to like taking a bath but then I remembered why... I had bath toys... a boat... a rubber duck... a toaster and a radio that my mom threw in.

 

I have had an awful day. Thanks for #5. It helped. I will read #1-4 later.

[stringer bell]

Parm rides the bench for a couple days and now he hits third. Colabello seemed to be swinging well and get bench duty. Let's hope they score enough off the Seattle bullpen.

[ashbury]

He's not invited.

 

Yeah I'm unavailable that day as we---, wait, what?

[JB_Iowa]

5. Baths -- I shower every morning and I like my showers. I clean up and I have uninterrupted time to plan my day ahead. I hadn't taken a bath in quite some time... Multiple Years... Maybe a Decade and Change... There wasn't a real need or desire to. When I got back from my road trip over the 4th after 10 hours in the car. I just had a feeling that a hot bath would feel good so I took one. I got in the tub... the water was warm but... I just sat there. Nothing to do... and I thought to myself... This is boring and the warm water isn't doing anything spectacular. I thought about my youth... I remember when I used to like taking a bath but then I remembered why... I had bath toys... a boat... a rubber duck... a toaster and a radio that my mom threw in.

 

I'm generally a shower person but I occasionally like a soak in the tub. But when I'm done with the soak, I have to take a shower.

[ashbury]

Parm rides the bench for a couple days and now he hits third. Colabello seemed to be swinging well and get bench duty.

 

Lefty versus righty thing? Have to ask Gardy about that, I think there is a name for that concept.

 

/ edit - nah, that doesn't explain Chris Young who is a righty, on Tuesday. I looked and he doesn't have a very large platoon split. But maybe Jack Goin teased something out from the data and gave Gardy the heads-up. Yeah, that's it.

[Bark's Lounge]

No matter how Seattle's Bullpen approach works this evening. Lloyd McClendon will age 5 years in the span of a 3-4 hour game, 10 years 4+.

 

I would like to hope it would work to the Twins advantage, but I am not setting myself up to be disappointed.

[big dog]

I've been happy with Esco in the field. But I'd like to see Santana play short for a while when he comes back. I think the Esco-coach is starting to turn into a pumpkin, at least when it's at the plate. I haven't given up on him, but it would be nice if he shook this slump off.

[Bark's Lounge]

I have had an awful day.

 

That sucks. I hope it turns around.

[D. Hocking]

I thought about my youth... I remember when I used to like taking a bath but then I remembered why... I had bath toys... a boat... a rubber duck... a toaster and a radio that my mom threw in.

 

As a kid I spent a fair amount of time playing in the tub. While I never had my Mom try to pull a Patsy Ramsey (allegedly) with a toaster, my older brother would come in and throw a bucket of cold water on me. Sometimes I would sense his evil presense outside the door before the attack, but there was no where to escape - time would sort of stand still.

 

Also, before every bath, my siblings would tell me about our lost brother who got sucked down the drain when the water was let out. Needless to say, I was happy when I could start taking showers.

[Circus Boy]

Two observations:

 

1. When I can't follow a game to the end during Western Division swings, I tend to read the TD posts the next morning. For unknown reasons, I read them backwards, last page to first. It all makes sense. Scary.

 

2. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sirius cranked up "Rubberband Man" at different times of the day on the 70s on 7 channel, and I saw that as a good sign. And it was. Heard that dang song again today. A Twins victory awaits.

 

Adios for now.

[snepp]

6. One hundred seventy dollars later I can poop, and flush, with confidence again.

[Circus Boy]

As a kid I spent a fair amount of time playing in the tub. While I never had my Mom try to pull a Patsy Ramsey (allegedly) with a toaster, my older brother would come in and throw a bucket of cold water on me. Sometimes I would sense his evil presense outside the door before the attack, but there was no where to escape - time would sort of stand still.

 

Also, before every bath, my siblings would tell me about our lost brother who got sucked down the drain when the water was let out. Needless to say, I was happy when I could start taking showers.

 

Sounds pretty "Psycho"-esque. Me? Just trolls under bridges. And older guys chasing me after school. They were not telling me what purdy lips I had, either.

[Bark's Lounge]

6. One hundred seventy dollars later I can poop, and flush, with confidence again.

 

Congrats. I bet it was $170.00 you were glad to part with in order to have your facilities working again.

 

Most of the time, when I am out and about and nature calls, I would pay that fee in order to avoid public restrooms. What the hell is wrong with people and their away from home bathroom etiquette... (stuff) on the toilet seat, on the floors, on the walls, used sanitary paper discarded into the sink, etc., etc.

 

That is why I never leave my house anymore.

[JB_Iowa]

6. One hundred seventy dollars later I can poop, and flush, with confidence again.

 

Sounds like a bargain to me.

[Squirrel]

... a toaster and a radio that my mom threw in.

 

This explains a few things!

[Circus Boy]

6. One hundred seventy dollars later I can poop, and flush, with confidence again.

 

You sound like a regular guy.

[zchrz]

Damn just got called into work for the 3 hours the game is on, its like they know!

[snepp]

You sound like a regular guy.

 

What you did there, I see it.

[Winston Smith]

This explains a few things!

 

His toast is always soggy?

[WLFINN]

What you did there, I see it.

 

 

I don't wanna see it.

[Tibs]

I don't quite understand why they are making this a bullpen game, but we'll see how it works out.

[JB_Iowa]

Well, Twins 1/2 of the first flew by.

[Bark's Lounge]

Well, Twins 1/2 of the first flew by.

 

Who knows. Maybe this game will educate the baseball public on how a 9 man closer rotation is needed?

[snepp]

I don't wanna see it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/fdOOEJl.png

[Bark's Lounge]

http://i.imgur.com/fdOOEJl.png

 

You poop like a hamster.

[stringer bell]

I don't quite understand why they are making this a bullpen game, but we'll see how it works out.

With the All-Star break coming up, McLendon wanted Felix to face division rival and playoff contender Oakland. They adjusted their roster to have nine bullpen arms, so they will burn a bunch of the 'pen in advance of their ace.

[JB_Iowa]

Who knows. Maybe this game will educate the baseball public on how a 9 man closer rotation is needed?

 

Might be better to plan for it rather than stumble into it by accident or necessity.