Game Thread: Twins vs Orioles, 5/10/16 @ 7:10 PM CT

[Sir_Eugene11]

Twins (8-23, 5th AL Central) vs Orioles (18-12, 1st AL East)

 

Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA) vs Gausman (0-1, 1.42 ERA)

 

Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Forcast: Mostly Cloudy, 59F, 20% of Precip.

 

TV: FS-N
Radio: Go 96.3

 

Minnesota Twins Lineup:

1. 1B Joe Mauer (L)
2. SS Eduardo Nunez ®
3. 2B Brian Dozier ®
4. 3B Trevor Plouffe ®
5. RF Miguel Sano ®
6. DH Byung-Ho Park ®
7. LF Oswaldo Arcia (L)
8. C Kurt Suzuki ®
9. CF Danny Santana (S)

 

Baltimore Orioles Lineup:

1. LF Joey Rickard ®
2. SS Manny Machado ®
3. CF Adam Jones ®
4. 1B Chris Davis (L)
5. RF Mark Trumbo ®
6. C Matt Wieters (S)
7. DH Pedro Alvarez (L)
8. 2B Jonathan Schoop ®
9. 3B Ryan Flaherty (L)

 

Well, it's been a difficult season to say the least. Tracking the Twins every night throughout the early-to-mid 2000's was one of the great parts about growing up in the Dakota's. As a kid, playoff appearances were the lest of my expectations for the Twins on a year-to-year basis all the way through high school. Then beginning college I experienced my first (second, third, and fourth) 90+ loss seasons as a Twins fan, as well as a few other things!

 

I became more detached from Twins baseball as it was difficult to watch and I used my spare time in the summer to pick up extra hours to pay for school. I then graduated in 2015 and moved to Minneapolis, full of nostalgia with meaningful baseball all the way though the last weekend. Despite falling short of the playoffs, our young talent had me, like everyone else, incredibly excited for the 2016 season. Now I've been trying to take some of the micro-positives out of the season like Mauer's early resurgence and Park's impressive start but with the team in shambles it's been tough to stay optimistic. Does anyone have any advice for this depressed Twins fan?

 

Hopefully someone can provide some optimism here! Go Twins!

[Mike Sixel]

I love that this is centered. Very formal. 

 

thanks for starting the thread, nicely done!

[Mike Sixel]

Not a fan of the batting order, I just don't get it at all.

 

If I had to guess, it's all about veterans being trusted, and not putting pressure on Sano and Park, which, imo, is silly at this point.

[alarp33]

Career numbers vs RHP

 

Brian Dozier: .227/.303/.381

 

Trevor Plouffe: .235/.292/.403

 

Oswaldo Arcia: .250/.324/.485

 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[spinowner]

Batting order: try moving 5-6-7 to 3-4-5 and moving 3-4 to 6-7.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Batting order: try moving 5-6-7 to 3-4-5 and moving 3-4 to 6-7.

 

Is this like the puzzle where you have 8 pieces to fill 9 squares, and you slide them around?

[DaveW]

Just to pile on:

In his last 20 games, Park has 6 BOMBS and a 1.027 OPS, the only team he should be hitting 6th (or lower) in the lineup for is the 1927 Yankees.

 

 

Nunez+Dozier+Plouffe > Combs+Ruth+Gerhrig

 

Never-mind. Carry on Paul, carry on.

[James]

Orioles trademarks = 5

Twins trademarks = 6

 

I guess we know which team's players care more about their personal brands.

[Halsey Hall]

"Does anyone have any advice for this depressed Twins fan?"

 

I could use some too, but don't know if there's any thing that can help.

[alarp33]

Molitor will never do this, but let's get crazy...

 

1) Mauer

2) Sano

3) Arcia

4) Park

5)Nunez

6) Plouffe

7) Dozier

8) Santana

9) Suzuki

[James]

 

"Does anyone have any advice for this depressed Twins fan?"

 

I could use some too, but don't know if there's any thing that can help.

[spinowner]

 

Is this like the puzzle where you have 8 pieces to fill 9 squares, and you slide them around?

Except these days the Twins have 2 or 3 pieces to fill 9 squares.

[spinowner]

 

 

Does anyone have any advice for this depressed Twins fan?

 

Go to as many games at Target Field as you can afford. Live major league baseball at a beautiful ballpark is one of the greatest things on earth, even if the home team comes up short.

[Craig Arko]

Go to as many games at Target Field as you can afford. Live major league baseball at a beautiful ballpark is one of the greatest things on earth, even if the home team comes up short.

And beer.

[Mr. Brooks]

Go to as many games at Target Field as you can afford. Live major league baseball at a beautiful ballpark is one of the greatest things on earth, even if the home team comes up short.

Please don't do this.

The Pohlads only care about turning a profit.

There is no incentive for them to field a competitive team if we keeping giving them our money.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Please don't do this.

The Pohlads only care about turning a profit.

There is no incentive for them to field a competitive team if we keeping giving them our money.

I don't know, man. I feel what you're saying, but their deal is all about grabbing casual fans who are looking for a fun thing to do in the summer. I can't stop those people, and I'm not going to stop attending games because that's what I love to do more than anything else. I think they cracked the code. So it goes...

[spinowner]

 

Go to as many games at Target Field as you can afford. Live major league baseball at a beautiful ballpark is one of the greatest things on earth, even if the home team comes up short.

 

 

And beer.

How could I have forgotten the key ingredient? (slaps forehead)

[spinowner]

 

Please don't do this.
The Pohlads only care about turning a profit.
There is no incentive for them to field a competitive team if we keeping giving them our money.

There is a very easy work-around. Buy your tickets second hand. No additional money goes to the owner, and from what I understand prices and availability make it a buyer's market these days.

[Mr. Brooks]

I don't know, man. I feel what you're saying, but their deal is all about grabbing casual fans who are looking for a fun thing to do in the summer. I can't stop those people, and I'm not going to stop attending games because that's what I love to do more than anything else. I think they cracked the code. So it goes...

Hey I'll never tell anyone what to do with their money, it's a free country.

But, we don't get to complain about the product and still give them money.

This would be like going to McDonalds every day and complaining about the quality.

 

And the Twins haven't cracked any code, because a lot of sports owners have a desire to win. The Pohlads have no interest whatsoever in winning.

[Mr. Brooks]

There is a very easy work-around. Buy your tickets second hand. No additional money goes to the owner, and from what I understand prices and availability make it a buyer's market these days.

Not really a work around though.

Those second hand sellers would stop buying them if there was no market for them.

[Craig Arko]

There is a very easy work-around. Buy your tickets second hand. No additional money goes to the owner, and from what I understand prices and availability make it a buyer's market these days.

Even easier workaround. Develop an interest in competitive opera instead.

[spinowner]

 

Not really a work around though.
Those second hand sellers would stop buying them if there was no market for them.

I'm guessing that the vast majority of second hand tickets are originally purchased as part of corporate-purchased season plans. Those tickets will be purchased no matter what the team's record is. They put them on Ticket King or wherever if there's nobody available to use them on a given night. If the team is hot, fewer of those tickets will go unused, so I say take advantage of the buyer's market and don't feel guilty.

[spinowner]

 

Even easier workaround. Develop an interest in competitive opera instead.

I don't know. Easier said than done, I think.

[Vanimal46]

Does anyone have any advice for this depressed Twins fan?

 

Hopefully someone can provide some optimism here! Go Twins!

I didn't realize you were a millennial! Welcome aboard! You're joining some elite company with me, Dinger, always, and Hrb. Slowly but surely we'll decrease the average age here.

 

As far as advice, keep your sense of humor with the bad times. It's just a game, and entertainment for us at the end of the day.

 

When the good times do eventually come back around, hopefully we'll all appreciate them more after watching the last 5 losing years!

[Craig Arko]

I don't know. Easier said than done, I think.

Never know until you try it. Personally, I'd suggest German over Italian.

[Platoon]

Even easier workaround. Develop an interest in competitive opera instead.

Spoiler alert for Chief! Pavarotti is dead!

[Platoon]

I didn't realize you were a millennial! Welcome aboard! You're joining some elite company with me, Dinger, always, and Hrb. Slowly but surely we'll decrease the average age here.

As far as advice, keep your sense of humor with the bad times. It's just a game, and entertainment for us at the end of the day.

When the good times do eventually come back around, hopefully we'll all appreciate them more after watching the last 5 losing years!

With age comes wisdom!

[Craig Arko]

Spoiler alert for Chief! Pavarotti is dead!

I'd see Chief as a Gilbert and Sullivan man.

[Riverbrian]

I didn't realize you were a millennial! Welcome aboard! You're joining some elite company with me, Dinger, always, and Hrb. Slowly but surely we'll decrease the average age here.

As far as advice, keep your sense of humor with the bad times. It's just a game, and entertainment for us at the end of the day.

When the good times do eventually come back around, hopefully we'll all appreciate them more after watching the last 5 losing years!

We will appreciate it in the same way you would appreciate someone pulling that ice pick out of your eye.

[spinowner]

 

Never know until you try it. Personally, I'd suggest German over Italian.

Well, I admit I've always liked this.