Game Thread: Twins vs. Rays, 6/3 @ 7:10 pm CT

[formerly33]

The curtain rises to a thin man in full team array seated comfortably in a swivel chair in the Twins' clubhouse, right leg crossed over the left to form a triangle between the two, notepad and pen in hand. The numbers 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 24, 25, 26, 36, and 52 have been penned in an orderly row, and his finger moves slowly up and down the line, occasionally pausing to mark a tally by a number. Stepping closer, you can hear him murmuring softly under his breath as he nears the end of this agonizing process and taps his finger back and forth between the two remaining numbers, 5 and 25: "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo ... and you are not it." With a sweeping motion he crosses off the 5 and marks a tally of 9 after 25. As the curtain drops dramatically, you realize to your horror that he is in fact not choosing his Power Ball numbers for Saturday night but rather preparing the lineup for the day.

 

This trial and error method is actually how Paul Molitor determines which lineup to present each game. If it works, he recycles to save time.

 

Things don't look much better in the front office. Indeed, Terry's schematic approach is startlingly similar to Paul's, so I won't elaborate. However, it was after witnessing a few of his moves that I realized I shouldn't get too upset with the players for doing poorly. When you think about it, every single one of them is probably more invested in the game than any of us and therefore more affected by a loss. Of course, they're all out there trying their hardest ... if they lose, it's their fault since they played, but at the same time, it's not their fault since they just play their position to the best of their abilities. If someone puts together a team that can't win, you can't exactly blame the team for not winning.

 

Quite naturally, we're assured it's just a young team which needs to work out a few snags before breaking out next year. In the meantime, in between time, it can be remarkably depressing, but depression often goes hand in hand with youth.

 

Things that were depressing in youth:

 

1. Having to throw away your ice cream at the Dairy Queen because your mom found a worm in hers.

 

2. Rolling your basketball into the street in front of a big four wheeler, consequentially witnessing its demise.

 

3. Bringing home a helium balloon from the grocery store only to have to bid adieu within minutes and watch it float away into history because your brothers didn't have the good common sense to hold onto theirs.

 

Or, if you're my brother,

 

1. Discovering to your dismay that your Audubon squeeze eagle won't sing forever.

 

2. Building an elaborate ice house in dedication of Kalevi Aho only to have it get swallowed up by the pond in spring.

 

3. Joseph Johnson leaving his rank and file position in the Minnesota Orchestra to take up the principal position for Milwaukee.

 

 

Weather:

 

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature of about 70 °F at start time. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 35%.

 

 

Lineups:

 

RAYS (22-30):

 

DH Brandon Guyer [R]

SS Brad Miller [L]

3B Evan Longoria [R]

1B Logan Morrison [L]

RF Steven Souza Jr. [R]

LF Corey Dickerson [L]

CF Mikie Mahtook [R]

2B Taylor Motter [R]

C Hank Conger

SP Jake Odorizzi [R]

 

TWINS (16-37):

 

SS Eduardo Nunez [R]

1B Joe Mauer [L]

2B Brian Dozier [R]

3B Trevor Plouffe [R]

LF Robbie Grossman

DH Byung-ho Park [R]

RF Max Kepler [L]

C Kurt Suzuki [R]

CF Byron Buxton [R]

SP Ricky Nolasco [R]

 

In case you remain undecided, GO TWINS!!

[Bark's Lounge]

 

The curtain rises to a thin man in full team array seated comfortably in a swivel chair in the Twins' clubhouse, right leg crossed over the left to form a triangle between the two, notepad and pen in hand. The numbers 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 24, 25, 26, 36, and 52 have been penned in an orderly row, and his finger moves slowly up and down the line, occasionally pausing to mark a tally by a number. Stepping closer, you can hear him murmuring softly under his breath as he nears the end of this agonizing process and taps his finger back and forth between the two remaining numbers, 5 and 25: "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo ... and you are not it." With a sweeping motion he crosses off the 5 and marks a tally of 9 after 25. As the curtain drops dramatically, you realize to your horror that he is in fact not choosing his Power Ball numbers for Saturday night but rather preparing the lineup for the day.

 

This trial and error method is actually how Paul Molitor determines which lineup to present each game. If it works, he recycles to save time.

 

Things don't look much better in the front office. Indeed, Terry's schematic approach is startlingly similar to Paul's, so I won't elaborate. However, it was after witnessing a few of his moves that I realized I shouldn't get too upset with the players for doing poorly. When you think about it, every single one of them is probably more invested in the game than any of us and therefore more affected by a loss. Of course, they're all out there trying their hardest ... if they lose, it's their fault since they played, but at the same time, it's not their fault since they just play their position to the best of their abilities. If someone puts together a team that can't win, you can't exactly blame the team for not winning.

 

Quite naturally, we're assured it's just a young team which needs to work out a few snags before breaking out next year. In the meantime, in between time, it can be remarkably depressing, but depression often goes hand in hand with youth.

 

Things that were depressing in youth:

 

1. Having to throw away your ice cream at the Dairy Queen because your mom found a worm in hers.

 

2. Rolling your basketball into the street in front of a big four wheeler, consequentially witnessing its demise.

 

3. Bringing home a helium balloon from the grocery store only to have to bid adieu within minutes and watch it float away into history because your brothers didn't have the good common sense to hold onto theirs.

 

Or, if you're my brother,

 

1. Discovering to your dismay that your Audubon squeeze eagle won't sing forever.

 

2. Building an elaborate ice house in dedication of Kalevi Aho only to have it get swallowed up by the pond in spring.

 

3. Joseph Johnson leaving his rank and file position in the Minnesota Orchestra to take up the principal position for Milwaukee.

 

 

Weather:

 

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature of about 70 °F at start time. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 35%.

 

 

Lineups:

 

RAYS (22-30):

 

DH Brandon Guyer [R]

SS Brad Miller [L]

3B Evan Longoria [R]

1B Logan Morrison [L]

RF Steven Souza Jr. [R]

LF Corey Dickerson [L]

CF Mikie Mahtook [R]

2B Taylor Motter [R]

C Hank Conger

SP Jake Odorizzi [R]

 

TWINS (16-37):

 

SS Eduardo Nunez [R]

1B Joe Mauer [L]

2B Brian Dozier [R]

3B Trevor Plouffe [R]

LF Robbie Grossman

DH Byung-ho Park [R]

RF Max Kepler [L]

C Kurt Suzuki [R]

CF Byron Buxton [R]

SP Ricky Nolasco [R]

 

In case you remain undecided, GO TWINS!!

Great Game Thread Start Kid! That made me chuckle pretty good.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Great Game Thread Start Kid! That made me chuckle pretty good.

Quoting the entire intro, Bark? This ain't no Indy ball game thread, brother. Get yer head in the game, we're all counting on you.

[Craig Arko]

Seems to be clear now; hopefully any storming will hold off for a while.

[Craig Arko]

Quoting the entire intro, Bark? This ain't no Indy ball game thread, brother. Get yer head in the game, we're all counting on you.

Warmups.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Warmups.

Warmups? We're talking about warmups?!

[Bark's Lounge]

 

Quoting the entire intro, Bark? This ain't no Indy ball game thread, brother. Get yer head in the game, we're all counting on you.

It's Friday. I am MoFo lazy... you dig brother. Counting on me is like counting on Christopher Reeves to attend a Superman Convention tomorrow.

[Pardon My Dinger]

It's Friday. I am am MoFo lazy... you dig brother. Counting on me is like counting on Christopher Reeves to attend a Superman Convention tomorrow.

Get back on that horse is all I'm sayin.

[Bark's Lounge]

 

Get back on that horse is all I'm sayin.

HOME RUN!!!

[Craig Arko]

HOME RUN!!!

Talking Bruno's inside the park Grand Slam.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Kep is going yard tonight, in case you didn't already know.

[Craig Arko]

Kep is going yard tonight, in case you didn't already know.

Big-a** like.

[Platoon]

I had intended to comment on what appear to be deep and familial issues lurking in the psyche of 33 and her sibling! But then I read the Christopher Reeve/Superman/Horse comments, and it became clear that those matters, troubling as they may be,were in effect minor in comparison!

[Platoon]

I don't know if this will play or not but here's the link to The Chucker getting the two Reeves boys mixed up!

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7XU8zLN4c94

[David HK]

Sheesh...  late night, coupla pints, greeting the morning with a slightly larger hat size-- then have to wake up and see the Dozey-Plouffe show in the 3-4 again.  Welp, back to bed, maybe I'm just dreaming.

 

Seriously, Molly, wtf?

[operation mindcrime]

What an awesome team era!

[Platoon]

e

Sheesh...  late night, coupla pints, greeting the morning with a slightly larger hat size-- then have to wake up and see the Dozey-Plouffe show in the 3-4 again.  Welp, back to bed, maybe I'm just dreaming.

 

Seriously, Molly, wtf?

It's like a recurring nightmare, I used to always dream I fell out of the big door in the hay barn. The difference is I woke up before I hit the ground, Molly doesn't seem to.

[operation mindcrime]

Nolasco in rare form as usual.

[Craig Arko]

Sheesh...  late night, coupla pints, greeting the morning with a slightly larger hat size-- then have to wake up and see the Dozey-Plouffe show in the 3-4 again.  Welp, back to bed, maybe I'm just dreaming.

 

Seriously, Molly, wtf?

Coupla more pints will take the edge off.

[Pardon My Dinger]

What an awesome team era!

Disagree.

[gocgo]

Watching again tonight in FL.  Second pitch was a terrible pitch and the announcers picked up on it.  The guy popped it up, but it should have left the park.  If Nolasco doesn't get it down, there will be lots of hard hit pitches leaving the yard.

[Guest]

Eggs Overeasy on the mound for the Rays.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

We are behind?! What'd i miss?

[operation mindcrime]

We are behind?! What'd i miss?

Nolasco gave up a homerun.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Nolasco gave up a homerun.

Gave up?

 

Perhaps the other fella earned it with a mighty swing...

 

Hard to say sometimes.

 

Hope we got his back. Or get it soon at least.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

If anyone wonders at my intermitent attention to the thread, right now i be busking with tuba on streat corner. When asking for a request, 2 folk in a row asked for my favorite..

[gil4]

 

What an awesome team era!

I think we need one of our vocab nazis to help explain the proper use of the word "awesome." 

[Pardon My Dinger]

Way to go, Bucko!

[Pardon My Dinger]

That's some lead off bleep right there.

[gocgo]

Porsche...there is no substitute.