Game Thread: Twins @ As, 6/1 - 2:35pm

[Don Walcott]

Phil Hughes moved to the bullpen because of Pat Dean? Or because Hughes has been terrible? Either way, I agree with the move.

[Blake]

 

What do you call a large, mean dog that meditates?

Chief?

[jimmer]

 

Phil Hughes moved to the bullpen because of Pat Dean? Or because Hughes has been terrible? Either way, I agree with the move.

Because Hughes has been terrible and because he's feeling fatigue after about 70 pitches.  Dick also said it was a huge shock Hughes got moved.

[wsnydes]

 

Because Hughes has been terrible and because he's feeling fatigue after about 70 pitches.  Dick also said it was a huge shock Hughes got moved.

Shock to whom?

[jimmer]

Aware Wolf?

[LaBombo]

 

Right now, the Twins lineup has more holes than a Swiss cheese attacked by a horde of hungry mice.

It's maybe reached the point now where it's passing the "holes" stage and moving on to crumbs of cheese on an otherwise empty plate.

 

Pitching too.    My hope is that a new GM will take the half empty approach at least initially,  and ask the baseball version of the Gene Kranz Apollo 13 question:

 

http://resizing.flixster.com/cfJ-5CdJtV65MEVQGwwSEzxEAQQ=/700x380/dkpu1ddg7pbsk.cloudfront.net/site/10/27/04/10270407_ori.jpg

 

 

"What have we got on the spacecraft that's good?

[Don Walcott]

Shock to whom?

Shock to Dick. Ouch.

[jimmer]

 

Shock to whom?

to him and the tons of people who he believes were also shocked?

[rghrbek]

Anybody want to summarize what just happened?  MLB.com was rather confusing.

[Blake]

 

Shock to Dick. Ouch.

Are we bidding on shock therapy to Dick? If so, I'm in. 

[Riverbrian]

 

You know, I would bat Buxton before Centeno. Get Buxton on base, then follow with our scrappy little catcher banging a double in the gap. Buxton scores from first on anything longer than a clean single. 

 

BTW, anybody else notice that Juan Centeno is a MUCH better catcher than Kurt Suzuki? Centeno hits MUCH better, receives better, frames better, throws MUCH better, and... well, he doesn't field balls in the dirt better, but I bet he can get better at that. I think Centeno does a better job getting Trevor May to keep his heater down, too. Sits right down and pats his glove in the dirt, and May understands that language. Centeno actually establishes his presence in a game. He intimidates runners with his throws to first and his good gun to 2nd. He plays with lots of enthusiasm. I really like the guy.

 

I swear I saw May almost start to laugh on the mound when he saw Centeno sit down and pat the dirt in front of his crotch. You really want me to fire a 95mph fastball at your nuts? I could see May thinking that.

 

 

Based on the small sample size of the fresh Centeno Twins Career. It hasn't been remotely close. 

 

Centeno has been a much better hitter and the much stronger arm and I also love his energy. 

 

Now... for fair consideration... The Catcher position is important beyond personal stats because they call the pitches and must work with the pitchers and this influences the game in ways that are harder to quantify. 

 

I will add without stats to back me that it seems like he Centeno has caught some of our better pitching performances.

 

And just to throw it out there. 

 

The Twins are 

 

4-7 When Centeno Starts

8-23 When Suzuki Starts

 

[jimmer]

 

Anybody want to summarize what just happened?  MLB.com was rather confusing.

runner safe at first, runner from second tried to score and was thrown out by about 20 feet

[LaBombo]

 

to him and the tons of people who he believes were also shocked?

 

They say the person at the end of the chain gets zapped the worst...

 

[D. Hocking]

Is it a sign the season may not be going ideally, when Chief's jokes are a bright spot of the game?

[USAFChief]

 

Anybody want to summarize what just happened?  MLB.com was rather confusing.

I asked a (bad joke) question, Blake missed but made a funny, Jimmer nailed it.

 

 

[scottz]

 

But..... Did we win yet?

Yes...infrequently. But if we're talking about today, I'm in on that question:

 

DID WE WIN YET?!?!

[LaBombo]

 

 

The Twins are 

 

4-7 When Centeno Starts

8-23 When Suzuki Starts

 

On how many teams,   ever,   in any   sport.   could a 4-7 record in games you start be a major feather in your cap/hat/helmet/sweatband  ?

[Riverbrian]

 

Had long term TDY in the Bay area many years ago,   when the A's and Twins were still AL West rivals.    Had only a small amount of household goods,   so the contract storage/moving company sent only two movers,   both of them crammed into one enormous guy wearing an A"s t-shirt the size of a 4 man tent.

 

Watched him from the balcony of my third floor apartment as he loaded up the hand trolley.   My new oak coffee table was clearly wobbling on top,   and predictably nosedived when the cart hit the first bump.    Crash.

 

He eventually got the whole mess onto the service elevator and up to my apartment.   He set the coffee table down first,    and pounded the broken,  skewed surface piece flat against the base pedestal.   "Guys at the storage warehouse can be pretty rough on stuff",   he offered by way of a theory explaining how the mystery damage might have happened.

 

Seeing my eyebrow tilt,  he quickly changed the subject.   Having noticed my Twins shirt he asked "Twins fan?"    I hesitantly answered yes,   and he cheerfully replied "Me and some guys from work got into a fight with a cuppla Twins fans at an A's game last year.   Twins won the ball game, but we beat them Minnesota guys up pretty good!"

 

Having graciously warned me that in addition to being enormous he was also prone to violence and probably not the least bit likely to feel guilty about outnumbering me 2 to 1 if a fight should happen to break out,  he retrieved the rest of my stuff and presented the document for me to sign that acknowledged the receipt of my possessions in good condition.

 

"Don't worry",   he assured me,   "If you find anything is damaged when you unpack it,   you can submit a claim".    The kitchen counter being covered now with boxes,  I bent down and signed the form on my scarred,  skewed,   wobbly,  formerly brand new coffee table,   whereupon the top promptly fell completely off.   He hoisted it back onto the pedestal and smashed it down so hard the floor shook.

 

"Have a good day,   maybe we'll see ya at an A's game!"   he said as he left with the form,  sounding genuinely pleased at the prospect.    Sadly,  though,  he never turned up at either Twins road game I attended.    It was probably just as well, though, since the Twins won both.

 

Great Story!!!

[jimmer]

and we got our daily 'walks are bad to allow' speech. still believing it's all about the pitchers doing something wrong as opposed to, quite often, the batters doing something right.

 

And they aren't any worse than allowing a single.  Often, less damaging.

[Don Walcott]

And errors are bad, too. I'm learning and having fun.

[Winston Smith]

Are we bidding on shock therapy to Dick? If so, I'm in.

I'll chip in if they include a lobotomy. I'm kind of kidding.

[Riverbrian]

 

to him and the tons of people who he believes were also shocked?

 

If you only include the 47 People world wide that were shocked.

 

You could say that EVERYBODY was shocked

[jimmer]

 

I'll chip in if they include a lobotomy.

too late for that

[LaBombo]

Well,   that was sort of a  'where were you when'   moment.

 

I found out the Minnesota Twins have descended into the 10th level of Baseball Hades on the afternoon of June 1st,   2016,    when Dick Bremer suggested that the Twins pitch around Danny Valencia.

 

Not to put the double play in order,   not to get to a lefty batter,  just... to avoid getting beat up by Danny Valencia.

 

White hot offensive juggernaut Danny Valencia.

 

http://meowoof.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/7_BackToWork1.jpg

 

 

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

They say the person at the end of the chain gets zapped the worst...

 

I want to ask how you got that picture. But I want even more not to know. 

[John Kelsey]

How have Kepler's ABs looked?

[jimmer]

 

How have Kepler's ABs looked?

he hasn't struck out and the balls he's put in play are going oppo.

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

How have Kepler's ABs looked?

Pretty ripped and sweet. 

[USAFChief]

 

How have Kepler's ABs looked?

Hard to tell with his jersey on.

[USAFChief]

What do you call a horse and pig dating?