Game Thread: Twins @ Astros, 7/16 @ 1:10 CT

[Jerr]

 

phew.

 

commercial breaks always get me to thinking.

 

I think blackboards and dry erase boards are two truly remarkable inventions.

Concur

[diehardtwinsfan]

Sooo, some not so fun math.

 

Houston's lowest OPS today is Aoki at .667.  They have 3 guys with an OPS north of .900. They have 3 more with an OPS over .800 and two more over .750.  These guys can hit.

[Circus Boy]

I wanna see a Dozier homerun now because he didn't produce in his first at-bat.

[Craig Arko]

phew.

 

commercial breaks always get me to thinking.

 

I think blackboards and dry erase boards are two truly remarkable inventions.

Indeed. I need to get a blackboard. Nothing quite like breathing real chalk dust while doing math.

[Danchat]

Strat-O-Matic Report
Top of the 5th

 

Vargas strikes out swinging.
Escobar reaches 1st on an errored pop-up to C McCann.
Rosario flies out to deep right, Escobar advances to 2nd.
Gimenez walks.
Adrianza singles, bases loaded.
Dozier doubles, Escobar and Gimenez score.
Grossman singles, Adrianza and Dozier score.
Sano flies out to center.

 

And just like that, the Twins are only trailing 6-4! Dozier with another bases loaded double in this series!

We now have two close games.

[Jerr]

 

Sooo, some not so fun math.

 

Houston's lowest OPS today is Aoki at .667.  They have 3 guys with an OPS north of .900. They have 3 more with an OPS over .800 and two more over .750.  These guys can hit.

Not so fun math, unless its your team putting those up     

[Cap'n Piranha]

Maybe it's an overreaction, but what does Gimenez do that Garver cant?

Correctly spell his own name with a Z.

[Puckett34]

 

It worked for a half season in 2015 and another half season in 2014. Does that count?

Well of course it does.  But it hasn't really worked consistently for nearly 2 years.  He's been Jekyll and Hyde even within a start. 

[PDX Twin]

 

Maybe it's an overreaction, but what does Gimenez do that Garver cant?

 

Pitch the 9th inning?

[USAFChief]

Anybody else catch the end of the inning, with Dick telling a story just as the ground ball to short end the inning?

 

"...a really good inning for Gibson...it happens about once or twice per year..."

[ScooterDance]

 

Anybody else catch the end of the inning, with Dick telling a story just as the ground ball to short end the inning?

 

"...a really good inning for Gibson...it happens about once or twice per year..."

Hahaha I came here specifically to call this out. 

 

Hahahahahahahaah

[Craig Arko]

Dick: "A real good inning for Kyle Gibson."

 

"It only happens once or twice a year."

 

He probably didn't even know he did that.

 

A good ninja, it was...

[Blake]

 

I'm going to need to think about this for a while.

don't you mean "nap on it?"

[USAFChief]

 

Dick: "A real good inning for Kyle Gibson."

"It only happens once or twice a year."

He probably didn't even know he did that.

A good ninja, it was...

maybe not, but I did.

[Monkeypaws]

I thought I heard this exchange at the end of the inning.

 

Torii: Really good inning for Gibson there.

 

Dick: Happens about twice a year...

 

Did I imagine that? Right after DB bragged about taking down "the bear" in the home run derby.

 

Dick is getting a big head.

 

Whoah Craig, you beat me to it.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Well of course it does.  But it hasn't really worked consistently for nearly 2 years.  He's been Jekyll and Hyde even within a start. 

 

Technically, it hasn't worked consistently at all   In all seriousness though, I'd really like to know what he did the second half of 2014/2015. If it's a feel thing, I'm not sure there's much hope, but Kyle was very good down the stretch those years. I've got to think there's something he can fix to allow himself to be a decent ML pitcher.

 

Remember when TD blew up because Ryan and company kept Gibson down due to consistency issues...  There is some rather sick irony there given how inconsistent Gibson has been in his time in the majors. Of course I say that as he's a donut away from a QS, for what little that is worth.

[Danchat]

Strat-O-Matic Report
Bottom of the 5th

 

Gonzalez grounds out to short.
Bregman singles to left.
Aoki walks.
Marisnick flies out to center.
Springer walks, bases loaded.
-Matt Belisle now pitching-
Altuve singles, Bregman scores (HOU 7-4)
Reddick flies out to left.

 

Why did I just have Belisle come in with the bases loaded? Maybe I secretly wanted him to give up a grand slam.

[USAFChief]

It's amazing to me a major league team can abandon the right side of the infield, and a hitter like Dozier can't take advantage of it.

 

One reason teams can shift more now than in the past is, teams put a premium on training hitters how to handle a bat.

 

It's not all that hard to intentionally poke a ground ball the other way.  You just have to be willing to put in the work, and put away your pride.

[Blake]

 

Strat-O-Matic Report
Bottom of the 5th

 

Gonzalez grounds out to short.
Bregman singles to left.
Aoki walks.
Marisnick flies out to center.
Springer walks, bases loaded.
-Matt Belisle now pitching-
Altuve singles, Bregman scores (HOU 7-4)
Reddick flies out to left.

 

Why did I just have Belisle come in with the bases loaded? Maybe I secretly wanted him to give up a grand slam.

You're hoping to DFA Belisle from Strat-O-matic?

[Craig Arko]

maybe not, but I did.

Nothing slips past an Air Force guy.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

You're hoping to DFA Belisle from Strat-O-matic?

 

Nah, Strat-O-matic wants him gone like the rest of us.

[PDX Twin]

Torii has made some interesting comments today about (1) reading pitchers tipping pitches and (2) hitting the ball away from the shift. We played well in 2015 when he was on the club. Maybe he should be in the dugout. (At least that would keep him out of the TV booth.)

[USAFChief]

 

Nothing slips past an Air Force guy.

when we're not napping.

[Danchat]

Strat-O-Matic Report
Top of the 6th

 

-Luke Gregorson now pitching-
Kepler strikes out swinging.
Vargas grounds out to second.
Escobar reaches on error by 1B Gurriel, reaches 2nd base.
Rosario strikes out swinging.

 

HOU leads 7-4

[Puckett34]

 

Technically, it hasn't worked consistently at all   In all seriousness though, I'd really like to know what he did the second half of 2014/2015. If it's a feel thing, I'm not sure there's much hope, but Kyle was very good down the stretch those years. I've got to think there's something he can fix to allow himself to be a decent ML pitcher.

 

Remember when TD blew up because Ryan and company kept Gibson down due to consistency issues...  There is some rather sick irony there given how inconsistent Gibson has been in his time in the majors. Of course I say that as he's a donut away from a QS, for what little that is worth.

Oh absolutely.  I've wanted to like Gibson since he's came up and obviously want to see him succeed. Like you said, good Gibson is really good.  The problem is, he doesn't show up very often.  

[Monkeypaws]

 

It's amazing to me a major league team can abandon the right side of the infield, and a hitter like Dozier can't take advantage of it.

 

One reason teams can shift more now than in the past is, teams put a premium on training hitters how to handle a bat.

 

It's not all that hard to intentionally poke a ground ball the other way.  You just have to be willing to put in the work, and put away your pride.

 

Funny thing is, it looked like Dozier was on his way to being a more complete hitter in his second half last season. He was shooting the ball to right, and the average was a career high .268. I thought he had matured as a hitter and was gonna be a force going forward.

 

Shows what I know.

[PDX Twin]

Got the DP, but kind of the opposite of "making it look easy."

[USAFChief]

Commercial break again...

 

Anybody else hear the Swedish Navy is experimenting with putting barcodes on their warships?

 

The theory, as I understand it, is that doing so will allow them, when the ships dock, to Scandinavian.

[wavedog]

There is the grounder we were looking for - nice DP

[Danchat]

Strat-O-Matic Report

Bottom of the 6th

McCann flies out to center.
Gurriel grounds out on a dribbler to catcher Gimenez.
Gonzalez singles.
Bregman flies out to right.

 

Belisle just had a clean inning... who woulda thunk.