Game Thread: Twins vs. A's, 5/4 @ 12:10PM CT

[twinssporto]

 

 

 

Good morning and welcome back to another fun filled Twins Daily Game Thread!

 

I don't know if its because the Twins are winning baseball games or if its the beautiful spring day here in Minneapolis but I have a little bounce in my step today.  This ball club is starting to look like the real deal.  Yes, we all know the starting rotation has some issues along with the bullpen.  However, there are some wonderful things blooming at Target Field.

 

I see a team that's starting "gel"...Sano, Buxton, Vargas, Dozier, Kepler, Polanco, Ervin, et al.  There is some deep talent within this club and it's just starting to develop.  I'm truly enjoying watching this team play!

 

Let's go back to that bounce in my step.  Maybe its the Twins, maybe its the weather, maybe its the music I have playing too loudly in my office.  Regardless of the cause it does have me thinking of music playlists.  In that spirit I thought it would be prudent to come up with a top 10 music playlist that describes the Twins team at this very moment.  Of course, things in life change regularly but this is how it feels to me now:

 

10.  "Winning" - Santana

  9.  "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" - McFadden & Whitehead (Classic 70's)

  8.  "Good Feeling" - Flo Rida

  7.  "Let's Get It On" -  Marvin Gaye

  6.  "Don't Stop Believen" - Journey

  5.  "Let's Get it Started" - Black Eyed Peas

  4.  "I Feel Good" - James Brown

  3.  "Thunderstruck" - AC/DC

  2.  "Good Times" - Chic

  1.  "Another One Bites The Dust" - Queen (Because we are gonna sweep the A's today)

 

Go Twins!!  Bring out the brooms!

 

Lineups:

 

TWINS:

 

1.  Brian Dozier - 2B ®

2.  Jorge Polanco - SS (S)

3.  Miguel Sano - DH ®

4.  Kennys Vargas - 1B (S)

5.  Eduardo Escobar - 3B (S)

6.  Eddie Rosario - LF (L)

7.  Chris Gimenez - C ®

8.  Danny Santana - RF (S)

9.  Byron Buxton - CF ®

 

SP Kyle Gibson ®

 

A's:

 

1.  Matt Joyce - RF (L)

2.  Jed Lowrie - 2B (S)

3.  Khris Davis - LF ®

4.  Yonder Alonso - 1B (L)

5.  Ryon Healy - 3B ®

6.  Stephen Vogt - C (L)

7.  Chad Pinder - DH ®

8.  Jaff Decker - CF (L)

9.  Adam Rosales - SS ®

 

SP Jharel Cotton ®

 

Weather:  Beautiful Spring day.  64 degrees and sunny.  0% chance of rain.

 

 

[Vanimal46]

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! 

Also, Happy National Star Wars Day! 

http://memecrunch.com/meme/KLW5/yoda/image.png

[Mike Sixel]

Nice intro!

[GP830]

This team is gellin' like felons.

[ashbury]

 

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! 

Also, Happy National Star Wars Day! 

http://memecrunch.com/meme/KLW5/yoda/image.png

In honor, thall we all thpeak in lithpth?

[Vanimal46]

 

In honor, thall we all thpeak in lithpth?

 

Intheet, we thall. 

[twinssporto]

http://goodlucksymbols.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Broom-superstitions.jpg

 

I think this will be a fun game to watch.  Interesting to see how Kyle decides to step up.

[gheggs42]

No Kepler today with a lefty scheduled to be on the mound tomorrow night for Boston and again on Sunday with Sale(?) I think, doesn't make sense

[Mike Sixel]

 

No Kepler today with a lefty scheduled to be on the mound tomorrow night for Boston and again on Sunday with Sale(?) I think, doesn't make sense

 

Unless Kepler is hurt, this is plain bad managing.

[gocgo]

Silly question, but with Vargas in as a DH/1B, and knowing that Grossman isn't playing any outfield, how does it make sense to keep Grossman?  Not saying Grossman is bad, just saying, why keep both on the roster?  I don't know that anyone would trade for him, but he seems like a man without a home on this roster.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Silly question, but with Vargas in as a DH/1B, and knowing that Grossman isn't playing any outfield, how does it make sense to keep Grossman?  Not saying Grossman is bad, just saying, why keep both on the roster?  I don't know that anyone would trade for him, but he seems like a man without a home on this roster.

 

Grossman should DH and play the occasional OF, imo.

[Dr. Evil]

This game is a win-win. If Gibson stinks yet again, we win if they finally make some sort of a move with him. If the team wins, we win. Maybe he will stink, get yanked, and we will win on a late inning comeback!!

[Mike Sixel]

Gibson is not getting yanked, imo. 

[Blake]

 

Silly question, but with Vargas in as a DH/1B, and knowing that Grossman isn't playing any outfield, how does it make sense to keep Grossman?  Not saying Grossman is bad, just saying, why keep both on the roster?  I don't know that anyone would trade for him, but he seems like a man without a home on this roster.

I believe Grossman provides something the Twins have lacked over the last few years: A bench bat that takes professional at bats. I think Grossman came up as the DH with the idea he'd eventually be relegated to a bench role if and when either Park or Vargas started getting the job done at Triple A.

[Don Walcott]

Wasn't Castro supposed to benefit Gibson most with his framing wizardry?

[Mike Sixel]

 

Wasn't Castro supposed to benefit Gibson most with his framing wizardry?

 

that was the theory of the board, yes.

 

 

[Blake]

 

Wasn't Castro supposed to benefit Gibson most with his framing wizardry?

Hard to frame a pitch that doesn't make it to the catcher's glove...

[Jerr]

This game, will Twins win...Yoda................

[Danchat]

Oh goody, we've got Gimenez and DanSan in the lineup today... don't think we'll have another home run derby today.

[Jerr]

 

Oh goody, we've got Gimenez and DanSan in the lineup today... don't think we'll have another home run derby today.

Lineup reminds me of those Sunday "get away" games...May 4th be with us!!!!!

 

 

[Don Walcott]

I do like 1-4 of this lineup.  Maybe that will be enough today.

[Don Walcott]

I like the psych-up music theme.  Are they still playing Prince during the 7th inning stretch?  if not, why not?

[jimbo92107]

Good intro, twinssporto.

 

This does look like a good Twins lineup, at least the first four:

 

1.  Brian Dozier - 2B ®
2.  Jorge Polanco - SS (S)
3.  Miguel Sano - DH ®
4.  Kennys Vargas - 1B (S)
5.  Eduardo Escobar - 3B (S)
6.  Eddie Rosario - LF (L)
7.  Chris Gimenez - C ®
8.  Danny Santana - RF (S)
9.  Byron Buxton - CF ®

SP Kyle Gibson ®

 

Kennys Vargas has been a pleasant surprise for me - I feared his tater mashing power had been eliminated by constant reminders to work the count and hit to all fields. Then Kennys stepped up in an indisputable "green light" situation, and he belted a homer to center that cleared all doubts as easily as it cleared the fence. Vargas is the man that should hit behind Miguel Sano.

 

Certainly Kepler will continue to develop his home run power, but Vargas has developed plate discipline that he lacked early on, and his power still is there, tho in a more compact package. Basically, he swapped out his roundhouse softball swing for a baseball swing. Kennys Vargas 2.0 now is a mature switch hitter with power, and he plays decent first base. The man should be in the lineup a lot more. 

 

 

[blindeke]

With Jaff and Ryon, "the new Moneyball" is players whose names are spelled one letter different than they're supposed to be.

 

Where's Jhonny Peralta these days? How about trading Kennys for a starting pitcher?

[amjgt]

Righty on the mound?

 

SIT THE LEFTIES!!!!!

 

#MolitorLogic

[John Kelsey]

Kepler sitting against a righty eh?

 

I would say how dumb this is but I'm sure DanSan will go 3-4 now today. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

Kepler sitting against a righty eh?

 

I would say how dumb this is but I'm sure DanSan will go 3-4 now today. 

 

Would not make it the right decision....anymore than getting home safely while driving drunk would. 

[Don Walcott]

So far this season, Cotton's better against lefties than righties.  SSS, though.

[John Kelsey]

For those like me who are trying to make sense of this, righties have a .833 OPS against Cotton this year while lefties have a .698. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

For those like me who are trying to make sense of this, righties have a .833 OPS against Cotton this year while lefties have a .698. 

 

anyone making a decision based on that sample size, probably should not be a manager, IMO, of course. Even then....DanSan over Kepler? That's the "good" option?