Game Thread: Twins v Mariners, 6/15 @ 12:10pm CDT

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

This afternoon is the final game of a four game series at Target Field. Twins will look to even the series before Cleveland comes into town this weekend.

 

Start time: 12:10 CDT

 

Weather:

 

http://static6.depositphotos.com/1000366/543/i/950/depositphotos_5439919-stock-photo-rainbow-in-the-dark-blue.jpg

 

Today's starting pitchers:

 

Seattle: Ariel Miranda (6-2, 3.67)

 

Minnesota: Jose Berrios (5-1, 2.84)

 

Lineups TBA

 

More on today's pitchers.

 

Ariel Miranda: Other than a very poor outing in early May, looks like Miranda has pitched very well, pitching at least 5 innings and allowing no more than 2 runs in his previous six starts.

 

Jose Berrios: We all know the Berrios story, or at least this season. Well in his previous start in San Francisco, Berrios made Hunter Pence flail like a Little Leaguer, and made Buster Posey flinch on a breaking ball. Yes, that Buster Posey. The All Star catcher guy who has caught thousands of breaking pitches in his career. Let that sink in.

 

***

 

Well, the mailbag idea didn't work last night for a game thread opener, so it was optioned back to the minors immediately after the game.

 

Sometimes there's a good reason things are the way they are, so here's five things to think about:

 

1. Ervin Santana. Coming off an effortless complete game shutout, Erv had a rocky outing last night. Santana surrendered a 2-run homer in the first inning to Ben Gamel on a slider above the belt that didn’t slide much, and then gave up a 3-run home run in the third inning on a mid- to high-80s nothing pitch at the belt to .200 hitter Mike Zunino that any of us could have hit 400 feet. Well, not me, because I only made it up to T-ball.

 

Santana’s next start is scheduled for Tuesday the 20th at Target Field versus the White Sox. The extra day of rest between now and then might do him good.

 

2. Byron Buxton. I’ll be honest, I thought Buxton would be the breakout star more likely than Sano would, who was check swinging at historic rates at the end of spring training. Fortunately, Buxton has finally gotten his batting average back above the Zunino-Mendoza line. While he used the leg kick during his hot streak last September, and has also experimented with a Nelson Cruz type of toe tap, Buxton has now taken to a simple timing step with his lead foot, not even lifting it off the ground in most cases. He hit a home run using that last night. Hey, whatever works. Buxton also runs fast and catches baseballs that start out far away from him.

 

3. Taylor Rogers. The guy’s a great pitcher. He’s a lefty, and he’s tough against lefties, despite not having great lefty splits at the moment. (Hmmm..let me think about that logic...) Also, Rogers throws a curve. Blyleven and Nathan threw great curves. Also Tyler Duffey. Even Ryan Pressly. Good curve balls are hard to hit, they say. I wouldn't know, because I never hit one. Another thing about Taylor Rogers is that he came up the minors as a starter. Is he a candidate to return to the rotation in a future season? Or does he feel at home out in the bullpen?

 

4. Chris Gimenez. Gimenez is catching Berrios today, which is good because I think catchers can go through catching slumps. We’ve seen Castro allow some pitches to skip away from him lately, and maybe the pitching staff implosion — including Santana’s poor outing last night — is partly a result of Castro not retaining the pre-game scouting reports or executing the game plans with his pitch calling. Your guess is as good as mine. The problem is who catches when Gimenez pitches. Is position players pitching the new market efficiency?

 

5. The last player to think abou— OMG shiny thing over there

 

 

Lineups TBA

 

Play ball!

[Mike Sixel]

I'm totally hung over, so please type quietly everyone.

 

Last night we met a winemaker, and he just kept opening bottles for us all to taste....thank goodness we were walking and not driving, that could have been a very expensive LYFT ride.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Good point - It's a bright day here too, so will leave a pair of these here for people

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

3. Taylor Rogers. The guy’s a great pitcher. He’s a lefty, and he’s tough against lefties, despite not having great lefty splits at the moment. (Hmmm..let me think about that logic...) Also, Rogers throws a curve. Blyleven and Nathan threw great curves. Also Tyler Duffey. Even Ryan Pressly. Good curve balls are hard to hit, they say. I wouldn't know, because I never hit one. Another thing about Taylor Rogers is that he came up the minors as a starter. Is he a candidate to return to the rotation in a future season? Or does he feel at home out in the bullpen?

 

 

I hear you... I couldn't really hit a fast ball either.

[ashbury]

I'm totally hung over, so please type quietly everyone.

 

Last night we met a winemaker, and he just kept opening bottles for us all to taste....thank goodness we were walking and not driving, that could have been a very expensive LYFT ride.

HAY MIKE HOW YA DOIN THAT WAS A GOOD GAME LAST NITE TO BAD WE LOST oops sorry didn't see that first part

[USAFChief]

Great job HBD!

[wsnydes]

 

I'm totally hung over, so please type quietly everyone.

 

Last night we met a winemaker, and he just kept opening bottles for us all to taste....thank goodness we were walking and not driving, that could have been a very expensive LYFT ride.

IT'S A GOOD THING I CAN USE VOICE COMMANDS TO TYPE MESSAGES!  THAT WAY I DON'T HAVE TO POUND ON MY KEYBOARD TO WRITE THIS!!

 

Trouble is, it doesn't work very well when you whisper...

[wsnydes]

There aren't many days that I'd rather be at the office than the ballpark, but with the recent weather we've had it would be an awesome day to catch a game today.  But, in the office I sit...

[wsnydes]

Got a rookie ump making his debut behind the plate today.  Do umpire crews have their own rookie hazing rituals like the players do?

[wsnydes]

The streak of first inning runs allowed is dead!

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

The streak of first inning runs allowed is dead!

 

Need a love button for this one.

[wsnydes]

and there was much rejoicing!!

[LaBombo]

 

I'm totally hung over, so please type quietly everyone.

 

Last night we met a winemaker, and he just kept opening bottles for us all to taste....thank goodness we were walking and not driving, that could have been a very expensive LYFT ride.

 

You're gonna need to speak up!  Our fine young men and women in uniform are making some infrastructure upgrades just down the road from me and it's a little bit noisy.

 

And if you're in central Minnesota and need some major yard work, maybe I can send them your way when they're done here!

 

 

 

 

 

[USAFChief]

ESCO-EN FUEGO-BAR!!!

 

Let's hope his establishment features chicken today!

 

[LaBombo]

 

and there was much rejoicing!!

 

[LaBombo]

Stop bunting so much already!

 

But if you're not going to listen to me (and let's be honest, nobody else does either), then bunt like Polanco just did. He could shoot a respectable game of pool with that kind of touch.

[USAFChief]

Not a big fan of a two out bunt with a runner on.  

[wsnydes]

See, pitchers hit home runs too!

[mickeymental]

crazy as hell.

[LaBombo]

Top Gimmy!

[USAFChief]

I like that attempt at driving in a run, though!

 

GIMENEZ!!1!

[wsnydes]

 

Not a big fan of a two out bunt with a runner on.  

I don't mind having the bunt in the arsenal, but you've got to pick your spots better than that situation for sure.

[Circus Boy]

 

The streak of first inning runs allowed is dead!

I was going to mention this pregame as an antijinx post -- "Let's keep the steak! But allow four runs this time!" -- but thought better of it. Baseball gods would see through my gossamer ruse.

[LaBombo]

 

See, pitchers hit home runs too!

 

Helping his own cause at the plate!

 

Every insurance run counts when you could score more than ten runs and still put your catcher on the mound to protect a lead in the 8th.

[wsnydes]

Here you go Buck.  Continue the mojo you had last night!

[Mike Sixel]

These two teams can't play a baseball game, always gotta be football!

 

Unlike the two football teams, that can't seem to score at all against each other.

[wsnydes]

That's how you win games.  Score some runs and then come back and shut their bats down to get your bats right back up again.  

[wavedog]

Sweet!  Always nice to tune in and have a 5-0 lead.   This Mariners pitcher had been pitching good as well.   

[LaBombo]

Servais probably has a legitimate beef with the warning being issued to his pitcher for hitting Dozier on an 0-1 pitch, which oddly just makes watching the umpire ignore him that much more satisfying for me.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Servais probably has a legitimate beef with the warning being issued to his pitcher, which oddly just makes watching the umpire ignore him that much more satisfying for me.

 

Dozier ok?