Game Thread: White Sox@Twins, 4/14/16 @ 12:10 CT

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

 

TL;DR: If we think of baseball season as a marathon, the Twins are basically still at the starting line while the best teams are already over a mile down the course. They can make that up, but they’re starting with a severe disadvantage, and they simply might not have the tools to do so. If we set a baseline goal of 85 wins for the Twins, they have to play .552 baseball for the rest of the year — technically doable, but probably a stretch unless some of those aforementioned breakout candidates take the next step. And, to be fair, those breakout candidates were always going to have to take the next step for the Twins to make the playoffs this year — even before they lost the first eight games of the season. Minnesota isn’t out of it yet. But the odds — and history — aren’t on their side.

Whoever suggested cheating in the past is right on. We just need to get a ride with a guy driving a pickup truck, hide under a bail of hay, get out two miles down the road, hide behind a tree, and spring out in the lead on June 1.

[Puckett34]

This Abad isn't so...terrible

[LaBombo]

 

Dozier is going to 29 years old next month and he hasn't learned to hit a ball up the middle or to right field when the pitch calls for it?

 

It's the hair.    His PH balance has been off since the start of spring training.

[SwainZag]

 

Park finally starts a rally and all Dozier can do is piddle down his leg. This is time to step away from the keyboard and stop watching the Twins. I need a break and am going to start following the Houston Astros for a few weeks. Wake me up when this Twins nightmare finally starts to end.

 

Go for it.  Enjoy the 'Stros.  I'll be here when you get back.

[USAFChief]

 

In Park's defense, the entire state of Minnesota admired the long double.

winner.

[Mike Sixel]

Ya, he has to give Abad a day off here and there. There are other pitchers.

[Hrbowski]

 

I'mma give you the benefit of the doubt and venture to guess that you don't really think this would solve all the offensive woes. 

Firing people wouldn't help any, which is very sad.

[Willihammer]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Ultima Ratio]

 

In Park's defense, the entire state of Minnesota admired the long double.

Guess that's the difference between paying to watch the ball and being paid to hit the ball.... and run... hard... with purpose.

[Mike Sixel]

It appears that May is not the closer. At least one question was answered today. That's nice.

[70charger]

 

Whoever suggested cheating in the past is right on. We just need to get a ride with a guy driving a pickup truck, hide under a bail of hay, get out two miles down the road, hide behind a tree, and spring out in the lead on June 1.

 

Rosie Ruiz!

[Hrbowski]

Frazier was out.

[SwainZag]

 

Ya, he has to give Abad a day off here and there. There are other pitchers.

 

Abad has thrown once since the 8th and that was last night.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Also a misunderstanding of statistics. It doesn't matter when in the season the slump happens, it just looks worse at the beginning.

 

If you want, I can send you a link to a Nassim Taleb book.

 

Is that true? I mean, it is a new team every year, and while some players come and go during a year, most teams stay about the same, I think. Are you saying there is no predictive value to how a new team starts a new year, compared to what happens at a random time of year?

 

It's just a coincidence that no team that lost it's first 8 won more than 85 games?

[Danchat]

Is that another error from Escobar? Are his errors the reason for his banishment to the #6 spot?

[kusko_andy]

 

Also a misunderstanding of statistics. It doesn't matter when in the season the slump happens, it just looks worse at the beginning.

 

If you want, I can send you a link to a Nassim Taleb book.

But my original post was NOT about statistics.  It was about culture.  I'm only bolstering the argument by suggesting that the Twins are "probably" going to have a losing record the year after Hunter left, just like they did the 4 years before Hunter came back.

[USAFChief]

 

Rosie Ruiz!

It saddens me a great deal that I am both old enough, and carrying around enough useless information in my head, that I got this reference without looking it up.

 

Thanks a lot!  Like the game isn't bad enough!!

[SwainZag]

 

Is that true? I mean, it is a new team every year, and while some players come and go during a year, most teams stay about the same, I think. Are you saying there is no predictive value to how a new team starts a new year, compared to what happens at a random time of year?

 

It's just a coincidence that no team that lost it's first 8 won more than 85 games?

 

I doubt many teams have won more than 85 games who had a 8 game losing streak anywhere in the season.

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

Rosie Ruiz!

Julie Miller, from Canada, was in the news last week for having been outed as one of those jump behind a tree cheaters.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Also a misunderstanding of statistics. It doesn't matter when in the season the slump happens, it just looks worse at the beginning.

 

If you want, I can send you a link to a Nassim Taleb book.

 

It also assumes that all teams that start 0-8 or 0-9 are the same, which they're obviously not.  If the Twins lose today, but then put up 9 straight 9 game sets where they go 5-4, they would be at .500.

[70charger]

That call was a huge miss. How did they botch it so badly? Replay is clearly not a panacea.

[Hrbowski]

What a ridiculous call.

[SwainZag]

Wow, they called him safe?  He surely looked out to me.

[Platoon]

Dang! I used up my 'like' quota! I forgot that was a thing. It didn't reset at midnight?

 

Everybody give yourself at least three likes just for showing up.

I wanted to like that also, but I have apparently exhausted my like button. TD is anti friendliness! If I take away my likes from Brock's posts, can I use them for someone who appreciates them?

[70charger]

 

It saddens me a great deal that I am both old enough, and carrying around enough useless information in my head, that I got this reference without looking it up.

 

Thanks a lot!  Like the game isn't bad enough!!

 

I like trivia. Sorry.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Someone needs to do a sage ceremony on Dozier and Plouffes bat's and transfer the spirit of Mauer's bat's to those guys. That or burn them all and order new one's. This team cannot be this bad, neither player has been historically this bad have they? 

 

Aren't you supposed to be breaking down Carlos Correa somewhere?

[Aggies7]

Nah, don't bother holding him on, trevor. We can fall further behind.

[nicksaviking]

 

It appears that May is not the closer. At least one question was answered today. That's nice.

 

Jepsen as the closer? We have different definitions of nice.

[ScrapTheNickname]

Have you seen the little twinkies
Crawling in the dirt?
And for all the little twinkies
Life is getting worse

Always having dirt to play around in

 

,,,

 

In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a damn good whacking

 

[Mike Sixel]

Nice that the question was answered.......not necessarily the answer.