Game Thread: Sunday, 8/16/2015, 1:10 p.m. CDT Indians at Twins

[JB_Iowa]

Greetings from a cooler Northwest Iowa to a cooler Minnesota!   So glad the heat has broken for a few days.   And for those of you living elsewhere, you’ll soon be missing the best – I love fall in the upper Midwest!

 

Gametime Forecast: 82°F • Drizzle • 32% PoP    Thunderstorms should be scattered so I assume they’ll get this game in.

 

Line-ups:

 

CLEVELAND INDIANS

 

Pitching for the visiting Cleveland Indians:   Right-hander Carlos Carrasco

1. Jose Ramirez (S) 2B

2. Francisco Lindor (S) SS

3. Yan Gomes ® C

4. Carlos Santana (S) 1B

5. Ryan Raburn ® DH

6. Giovanny Urshela ® 3B

7. Abraham Almonte (S) CF

8. Jerry Sands ® RF

9. Mike Aviles ® LF

 

MINNESOTA TWINS

 

Pitching for your Minnesota Twins:   Left-hander Tommy Milone

1. Aaron Hicks (S) CF

2. Brian Dozier ® 2B

3. Joe Mauer (L) DH

4. Miguel Sano ® 3B

5. Trevor Plouffe ® 1B

6. Eddie Rosario (L) RF

7. Eduardo Nunez ® SS

8. Kurt Suzuki ® C

9. Shane Robinson ® LF

 

Since I lack the creativity of Hrbowski and some other posters,  I have just a few random thoughts on this Sunday morning:

 

1.  Wild Card, .500 or worse?    I saw this morning that the Twins are still only 2 games out of the 2nd WC spot so given a good run, they have a chance at the playoffs.   Making the playoffs would be a nice farewell for Torii Hunter (really, retirement would look good on you, Torii) and a great experience for the younger players.   It would also boost expectations for next year.   I could use some fun this fall but I hope it also comes in the form of seeing some of the prospects in September --- I want to “have my cake and eat it, too.”

 

2. Today’s Game – Carrasco is looking really tough right now.   In his last 3 starts, he has a 1.04 ERA in 26 innings pitched.   Meanwhile, Milone is coming off the DL after a mild flexor strain.  Let’s hope Carrasco has a bad day (he’s due) and that the Twins get Milone some run support.

 

3. Silly Season – we have now officially entered “Silly Season” a/k/a politicking in Iowa.   Yesterday the politicians flooded the Iowa State Fair.   One of the headlines was that Donald Trump was flying in by helicopter.   Since he was, he offered to give helicopter rides to kids – oh, yeah, that’s just what Fair officials needed – having to organize kids (and presumably a parent) to get decapitated.   Sensible Iowans put on the kibosh.

 

4. Food on a Stick – speaking of the fair, what is this obsession with food on a stick and with deep-frying everything?   Stick a fork in it.

 

5. Road Trip – the Twins head out on a tour of the A.L. East.  We know how that went in Toronto so we’ll hope things improve in New York, Baltimore and Tampa Bay.    Pitching, pitching, pitching --- get it together, boys and don’t eat any bad seafood.   (Although good seafood is what attracts me to Baltimore and Tampa Bay.) 

 

 

Have a good Sunday!

[stringer bell]

Great job, JB! Kind of an important game for the Twins. Before the home stand, I thought four of six was essential for them to be serious about playing for the Wild Card. A win today would be four of six.

[DaveW]

Robinson should not be playing this much. Go bring up Arcia or Buxton or Kepler or someone for Petes sake! Or sign Garett Jones.

[DaveW]

And yeah, huge game for the Twins. Hopefully the offense can give Milone a nice little lead early.

[David HK]

Good work, JB, well done on the opener.  I've gotta go to bed now, early AM ahead, so I'll miss the game.  That Sunday lineup almost makes me glad I'll be sleeping through it.  However-----

 

I checked out the Vikings game for a while just for the fun of it, and cuz I kind of missed 'em- and here's my random thoughts:   (Heh, oops, somehow I managed to hit 'post'- I take it all back.)

 

OK, here's my random thoughts:

    It might just be due to the baseball/football mentality dichotomy- and I've heard plenty of healthy debate and witty commentary about it.  I'm a fan of both sports, although I do prefer the Lord's Game, the National Pastime, etc.  It's just that... well...

 

OK, here it is.  I could barely hang on to the broadcast because the announcers were just one long stream of stupid.  I mean, just downright stupid.  To paraphrase Basil Fawlty, they're masters of pointing out the bleeding obvious, for one thing, and willfuly mangling the English language, for another.  Dick and Bert get plenty of well-earned criticism, but my gawd, I'll take that crew any day over having to listen to the drivel on the Vikes side of things.  

 

They seem to think they have to talk down to some kind of earthy level to communicate the action and their 'profound' thoughts, and the verbiage the PBP guy uses- holy cow, he seems to have a 3rd grade level thesaurus by his side to keep coming up with really dumb ways to describe somebody hitting another guy.  

 

There's talking to your audience and there's condescending to them.  You don't have to speak at a level barely above grunting to show you're 'one of the guys' or whatever they're attempting.  Have some respect for your audience.  Shine your shoes for the fat lady, fer Chrissakes.

 

Anyways, there it is, my midnight confession.  Have away.  And go, Twinkies.

[USAFChief]

Thanks JB!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

...

4. Food on a Stick – speaking of the fair, what is this obsession with food on a stick and with deep-frying everything?   Stick a fork in it.

...

Have a good Sunday!

Ya know, it just occurred unto me... A fork is nothing more than a W on a stick. Often they are even more literal, and it is a UU on a stick.

 

I like epiphanies... I think i'll try to have them more often. If i ever open an institute of higher learning, that will be the driving principle. And i shall call it Fork University...

 

Anyway, i's looking forward to a game, and all the excitement the word implies. I hope we win!

[twinsnorth49]

Glad someone turned off the oven up here as well, it's been crazy hot, not a fan, bring on the Fall.

 

Hoping Milone has a nice bounce back today, have a feeling he will. Needs those bats to come alive though.

[DaveW]

The broadcast on the Vikings game was actually a simulcast, which means that PA and company were describing the game like it was on the radio (which it was) which is why so many "obvious" things were said if you were watching the game versus listening on the radio.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

 

Ya know, it just occurred unto me... A fork is nothing more than a W on a stick. Often they are even more literal, and it is a UU on a stick.

I like epiphanies... I think i'll try to have them more often. If i ever open an institute of higher learning, that will be the driving principle. And i shall call it Fork University...

Anyway, i's looking forward to a game, and all the excitement the word implies. I hope we win!

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 

FORK U! Wooooo

[Craig Arko]

Fork all of us, everyone. -- Tiny Tim

 

In the tulips -- Tiny Tim

[Squirrel]

But JB, I LOVE food on a stick! I mean Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce is the best! And shish kabob? Yum! Oh, and let's not forget Dove bars! Food on a stick … best ever!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

FORK U! Wooooo

Well done! Good ol' Robert Frost.

 

Reminds me of this quantum mechanical parody thereof...

 

Two slits diverged in a yellow plate,

And sorry momentum spurred me through,

I could not stop and choose my fate,

But loped on with unwavoring gate

And which I took, I never knew.

 

Observers always heave a sigh

Confronted by the evidence.

Two slits diverged in a plate, and I -

I took them both as easy as pi,

And that has made the interference.

 

Some day i'll figure quantum out... Probably when i finally do homework.

 

I hear a main stumbling block is statistical mechanics, so i'm sure following baseball is good practice.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Fork all of us, everyone. -- Tiny Tim

 

In the tulips -- Tiny Tim

Who throws a fork ball these days?

 

Or has it gone out of fashion? Or is it just called a splitter, as nickel curves are now sliders, which taste good when thrown out by white castle?

 

That said, food on a stick sounds pretty good. My memories o' the Minnesota state fair strongly feature the boxes of fresh french fries too hot to handle...

And i always wanted to see how far i could go with the all you can drink for a quarter milk stands, served in shot glasses too cold to handle... But my folks perhaps knew better than to let me indulge so just before a long drive home.

[70charger]

 

2. Today’s Game – Carrasco is looking really tough right now. In his last 3 starts, he has a 1.04 ERA in 26 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Milone is coming off the DL after a mild flexor strain.Let’s hope Carrasco has a bad day (he’s due) and that the Twins get Milone some run support.

 

Hoo boy.

 

Well, we'll see.

[Halsey Hall]

Great play by poof!

[70charger]

Bad whiff, Joe. That didn't look like vintage Mauer.

[Blake]

Yesterday, in order to celebrate the beginning of the silly season, I purchased a flat nose shovel. Seemed appropriate.

 

Go Twins!

[Blake]

 

 

Bad whiff, Joe. That didn't look like vintage Mauer.

Unfortunately, that kind of whiff seems to be part of the Mauer 2.0 we've come to know this year.

[70charger]

[Halsey Hall]

PGA has also got my interest today, but I do want to see Sano meet a 97 mph fastball.

[70charger]

Milone looks, I dunno, kinda bad. I know we've generally figured that he'll have some trade value in the offseason, but how much?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

PGA has also got my interest today, but I do want to see Sano meet a 97 mph fastball.

What'ya think he'll do with it?

 

Whatever it is, we need it.

 

1-0 after 1.5 innings, courtesy of a double, sac bunt, sac fly.

[Ultima Ratio]

ZOOOOOOK!!!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Sano gets a hit through the left side of the infield. 2 outs later, Nunez doubles of the shortstop's glove, with some tight baserunning by both he and Sano.

 

Suzuki knocks 'em in for a 2-1 lead!

 

Life is good.

[70charger]

Good to be on the board.

[GCTF]

Go, Black Holes!

[big dog]

Let's go Tommy!  <clap, clap, clap clap clap>

 

[Danchat]

Is it just me or is Shane Robinson in a platoon with Torii Hunter in RF? It seems like this is his 4th start this week.

 

I know Torii needs his rest, but we should have somebody better than Robinson to replace him...

[Gibby]

Sano is good at baseball.