Game Thread: Rays@Twins 7/19 6:10PM

[Riverbrian]

Game-time forecast: Partly cloudy with a 30-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing from right to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature near 80.

 

Bri: The Lineups are on their way... Being sent Fed-Ex to ChiTown... packaged along with a set of fancy spatulas.

 

Chi: So, I didn't receive the fancy spatulas ... it makes me want to withhold the lineups. But since anyone can look them up, I have no leverage to hold out for the spatulas.

 

RAYS:

SP, Price

 

Jennings CF

Zobrist RF

Guyer LF

Longoria 3B

Loney 1B

Forsythe 2B

Escobar SS

Molina C

Rodriguez DH

 

TWINS:

SP, Hughes

 

Santana CF

Dozier 2B

Plouffe 3B

Morales DH

Suzuki C

Colabello 1B

Parmelee RF

Escobar SS

Nunez LF

 

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

 

Things to Think About:

 

1. Kyle Gibson -- All in all... I'm not concerned but it wasn't the best outing for our friend Kyle Gibson. Too many base runners mixed in with a couple of cookies and the Twins were playing from behind. Getting on base happens and sometimes it happens when you hit your spots and I've seen Kyle wiggle out of some base traffic jams before but last night he picked the worst times to groove a pitch or two. Two big swats... One by Longoria and one by Zobrist and the Rays had all the runs they needed to win. Kyle... Cookies are bad for you... Stay out of that aisle in the supermarket.

 

2. David Price -- Uff Da... Tonight the Twins face one of the best left handers in the game... 28 Year old David Price. That's fairly young for a guy who seems like he's been around forever. David is from Murfreesboro Tennessee... a suburb of Nashville. If you had to live in Nashville... Murfreesboro would be the place to live because you could tell people from other parts of the country that you live there instead of Nashville. If tell them that you live in Nashville... They automatically think that Minnie Pearl and Junior Samples are your neighbors. I've watched David Price pitch and I see no price tag hanging off his hat. However... you can assume that the Rays see a price tag hanging on him somewhere. He's gonna make some money in Arbitration next year and FA the year after that and the Rays simply don't pay the kind of money Price will get. So the trade rumors are swirling and people expect the Dodgers to pony up the prospects to get a deal done. They will have to get into the neighborhood of what the A's paid for Samardzija. The Dodgers can do it but a part of them has to hate that they can do it. Price is impressive... He throws hard and he mixes his speed. Good luck to the Twins tonight.

 

3. Arcia and Willingham -- Against a tough left hander... The lefty swinging Arcia will take a seat and be replaced by the lefty swinging Chris Parmelee. Chris was heard saying... Yeah thanks for getting me in Tonight against Price. Willingham is also taking a seat on the bench. It doesn't seem to matter if he is facing a lefty or righty right now. The Hammer is 4 for 32 in the past 15 games.

 

4. Derek Jeter -- I don't know why Derek Jeter is thought #4... It just seems like I'm supposed to after all the Derek Jeter talk before, during and after the all-star game. So let's all bow our heads and thing about #2. David Price is thought #2... Good Luck to the Twins Tonight.

 

5. Chicken -- Very tasty... I've been a fan my whole life. I was talking with someone who worked at a Chicken processing plant and he told me stuff that almost got me thinking about trying something else that is probably processed in a similar fashion but I don't know anyone who works there so I don't know about it. I think I should stop talking to anyone who works with food.

[Danchat]

I agree with the chicken part.

 

It looks like Colabello's in the lineup and so is Nunez... in LF. I wish we could stop playing our SSs in the outfield.

[JB_Iowa]

1. Kyle Gibson --

 

Seems to have trouble after an off-day. Probably played golf with his infant son.

 

 

5. Chicken -- Very tasty... I've been a fan my whole life. I was talking with someone who worked at a Chicken processing plant and he told me stuff that almost got me thinking about trying something else that is probably processed in a similar fashion but I don't know anyone who works there so I don't know about it. I think I should stop talking to anyone who works with food.

 

I haven't eaten anything from Sara Lee for more than 30 years after talking to someone who worked in one of their plants.

[curt1965]

With these two pitchers-especially Price-first team to 1 wins!

[stringer bell]

I agree with the chicken part.

 

It looks like Colabello's in the lineup and so is Nunez... in LF. I wish we could stop playing our SSs in the outfield.

Nunez is a utility guy. He is swinging better than Hammer and certainly covers more ground than Willingham.

[Winston Smith]

The more Willy plays the less his trade value is. Smart sitting on the bench.

[stringer bell]

Should be a quick game tonight. Nice play by Nunez to hold Zobrith to a single.

[stringer bell]

Longoria with a chance to set a Rays record.

[stringer bell]

Hey, the game is on. Hello. (Crickets).

[stringer bell]

Nice AB Trevor.

[stringer bell]

Phil Hughes regressing.

[snepp]

*breaking up the string*

[ashbury]

I arrived online half an hour late, and found we already have a hit against D Price. Mission Accomplished.

 

And then a band of thunderstorms knocked out my connection to teh intarwebs while I was typing this. Hopefully I have time before the nex~~*#~** FF * NO CARRIER

[snepp]

Utility-type player.

 

 

2 drinks.

[ashbury]

The more Willy plays the less his trade value is. Smart sitting on the bench.

 

Many of us, myself included, were cackling over the money saved by signing Hammer instead of Cuddy. I for one stopped bringing up this sore subject about a year ago.

[ashbury]

Santana talking to himself after misjudging, and barely catching up to, that routine fly by Jennings.

[stringer bell]

Many of us, myself included, were cackling over the money saved by signing Hammer instead of Cuddy. I for one stopped bringing up this sore subject about a year ago.

I am a big Cuddy guy, but he's actually played less than Hammer on his three-year contract. Hammer has a 122 OPS+ and Cuddy sits at 123 OPS+.

[snepp]

Because it's slow tonight...

 

 

Hammer in Minny: 1289 PA, 122 OPS+, 4.7 WAR

 

Mile High Cuddles: 1065 PA, 123 OPS+, 2.9 WAR

[snepp]

Santana talking to himself after misjudging, and barely catching up to, that routine fly by Jennings.

 

He wasn't the only one talking to himself. You should have heard the conversation I just had with, well, me.

[ashbury]

Because it's slow tonight...

 

 

Hammer in Minny: 1289 PA, 122 OPS+, 4.7 WAR

 

Mile High Cuddles: 1065 PA, 123 OPS+, 2.9 WAR

 

That must be b-r.com WAR. On Fangraphs, the total tilts to Cuddy, which I think is appropriate given near equal OPS+ and Willingham's nearly non-existent defense. Cuddy is no defensive whiz either, but at least he would have been willing to "take his talents" to RF, where the Twins had the hole in 2012. Given that the Twins are nowhere near bumping into any financial constraints, I'd rather have Cuddyer even at higher money; part of my delight in signing Willingham was the mistaken assumption the difference would be applied to getting a better starting pitcher that off-season.

[stringer bell]

Because it's slow tonight...

 

 

Hammer in Minny: 1289 PA, 122 OPS+, 4.7 WAR

 

Mile High Cuddles: 1065 PA, 123 OPS+, 2.9 WAR

Probably a topic for a separate thread, but how does the WAR for Hammer exceed Cuddyer by more than 50%?

[ashbury]

And as long as it's just between the few of us, I'll add the point that I actually meant to focus on in the first place: despite Colorado's poor showing in the standings, I don't see any rumors that Cuddyer is being shopped for a deadline deal. (He's on the 60-day DL, does that preclude a trade?) Wouldn't it be interesting if both these outfielders get traded and we can add whatever prospect is obtained to the total WAR calculation? But instead it may be that neither one brings anything in return.

[snepp]

That must be b-r.com WAR.

 

Indeed. I'm not getting paid enough to research multiple sources.

 

 

part of my delight in signing Willingham was the mistaken assumption the difference would be applied to getting a better starting pitcher that off-season.

 

Speaking of sore subjects...

[ashbury]

Speaking of sore subjects...

 

What would be Trolling in any other thread is just us yakking when it's a game thread.

 

/ NB: when not done to excess... and I'm done here

[GCTF]

Two strikeouts by Twins pitchers in the last 16 innings, Smells like wins.

[Winston Smith]

How many extra war is this worth?

 

http://ec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com/canstock5791305.jpg

[snepp]

/ NB: when not done to excess... and I'm done here

 

 

http://media.zenfs.com/en/person/Ysports/kevin-correia-baseball-headshot-photo.jpg

 

 

/thread jacked

[snepp]

How many extra war is this worth?

 

http://ec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com/canstock5791305.jpg

 

Incalculable.

[GCTF]

Incalculable.

 

Working on a formula, .13 runs x # square inches jersey is covered in dirt.

[ashbury]

How many extra war is this worth?

 

http://ec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com/canstock5791305.jpg

 

We need some real magic. Your guy isn't getting after it.