Game Thread: Twins v Tigers, 7/23 @ 1:10pm CT

[Squirrel]

As of this writing, the Twins are 49-47 and are 1.5 games behind Cleveland. The Royals have been coming on strong (of course they have, they've been playing the White Sox) and we are tied with them for 2nd in the division. And the WC race is even closer with 4 teams within a game of one another. There has been much discussion about the season so far with a number of people excited, we need to add some pieces, we are close and we could be in it, and maybe (dare we dream?) even make it to the WS. Let's go Twins! And then there are a group of fans who don't think the Twins are quite there yet and are a bit too far to be too excited about the possibilities of maybe, and making trades and adding pieces now won't make the necessary difference, that it's a difference too wide to bridge the gap this year. While the wins are good, they see that the team has gotten this far with the young core, a little luck, but not enough (pitching) around it, that the wins aren't really a strong indicator, and shouldn't be a strong indicator, of hope for the playoffs and beyond. I'd say both are fair viewpoints, extremely fair, but neither are right, imo. Going back to my standard phrase, and how I ready myself for any season, no matter my thoughts on who should be up and who should be down, what the stats imply or don't, injuries, health ... I always temper my viewpoint ... whether a 'positive' or 'negative' viewpoint ... 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.' You gotta have a little of both to make it through this season. Give a little, take a little ... that's the story of ... that's the glory of ... baseball. In any given day, week, month or year, the unexpected can happen. While I'm not an advocate to put all of our eggs in that one basket, I'm not an advocate for holding them all, either. Baseball is just surprising sometimes, goes against the grain sometimes, doesn't bear out the stats sometimes ... and then sometimes it is what is expected, with the grain and with the stats. So, my reality for baseball is trying to remain neutral. Yes, I want to see wins, fight, passion; I want to see the FO make moves (the right moves ... which is another debate), I want to see the 'try,' but I also want to see the long game, too; making the right moves ... at the right time. And just because I don't see any of that play out as I would expect, doesn't mean it's not playing out in that way either. So, let me keep my bubble afloat, but also, don't let it get too far afloat. Thanks.

 

So ... given that ... I'll throw out another overused, trite phrase (how many can I fit into one writing?) ... one day at a time. And today it's the Twins v Tigers. Let's just focus on today and hope for a win. I'll cheer hard for that win, and no doubt curse along the way, no matter what, because it's my team. And when the game is over, win or lose, I'll be happy at what went right and annoyed at what went wrong. Then tomorrow, it will be today again, and I'll reset to neutral and look at just that game. Wash, rinse, repeat until there are no games left to play. That's how I roll.

 

But, back to today ... Mejia is on the mound for the Twins, Boyd is on the mound for the Tigers. I'm giving the edge to Mejia today, but Boyd has done well against the Twins so far this year, so you can't count him out. I'll let you guys dissect the lineups.

 

Lineups:

 

TIGERS

Ian Kinsler 2B
Nick Castellanos 3B
Justin Upton LF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Mikie Mahtook CF
Victor Martinez DH
James McCann C
Alex Presley RF
Jose Iglesias SS

 

Matthew Boyd P

 

TWINS

Brian Dozier 2B
Eduardo Escobar 3B
Miguel Sano 1B
Robbie Grossman DH
Eddie Rosario LF
Chris Gimenez C
Max Kepler RF
Jorge Polanco SS
Zack Granite CF

 

Adalberto Mejia P

 

Weather: Mid-70s, overcast, winds at 11-13mph from the NNW, low chance of rain. The weather in ChiTown is hot and humid ... just came in from playing tennis ... I am drenched, I wish from rain, because ick.

 

Okay, play ball ... go Twins!

[Jerr]

Great opening, but please for us "older fans" Chief etc.; some separations in those great sayings...i.e. paragraphs...your thoughts and typing exceed my ability ( and I assume Chiefs , though he may have lost his fast reading ability) to read w/o really slowing down my fast reading ability ....

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Escobar at the hot corner

 

Makes sense to me.

 

(If third base is the hot corner... does that mean first is the cold corner, relatively speaking? Not necessarily as cold as ice, nor willing to sacrifice. but still...)

[Squirrel]

Great opening, but please for us "older fans" Chief etc.; some separations in those great sayings...i.e. paragraphs...your thoughts and typing exceed my ability ( and I assume Chiefs , though he may have lost his fast reading ability) to read w/o really slowing down my fast reading ability ....

It was all the same paragraph, though. I thought about where to divide it, but it seemed related, so I left it as one paragraph.

[USAFChief]

It was all the same paragraph, though. I thought about where to divide it, but it seemed related, so I left it as one paragraph.

tl,dr

[Craig Arko]

tl,dr

.

[Squirrel]

 

tl,dr

Well, I'm glad you dr it instead of dnr it despite being tl.

[Craig Arko]

It's always nice to see the 87 group again.

[jimbo92107]

A-Bert's command looks a bit shaky in the first inning. 

 

...but he got through it. 

[Riverbrian]

The Twins need to avoid NOT jumping all over Boyd. 

[Riverbrian]

Love that opposite field stuff from Dozier. 

[Riverbrian]

#automatethestrikezone

 

 

[Suicide Skweez]

Robbie Backwards K Grossman. Always good for one of those a game.

[Jerr]

 

.

I hate acronyms almost as much as I do math    

NOT gonna look 'em up....     

[Riverbrian]

 

I hate acronyms almost as much as I do math    

NOT gonna look 'em up....     

 

Two Legs Don't Run?

[PDX Twin]

So, after 40 minutes, we have 3 half-innings with no runs?

 

I'm keeping an eye on the grass growing outside my door ... pretty much on pace with the game.

[Circus Boy]

 

So, after 40 minutes, we have 3 half-innings with no runs?

 

I'm keeping an eye on the grass growing outside my door ... pretty much on pace with the game.

Gracious, why can't pitchers get the ball, get the sign, throw the ball, repeat? Their slow mechanics hurts their defense and fans' enjoyment.

[Danchat]

Holy cow... that was a middle school caliber mishap. Ugh.

[PDX Twin]

 

Gracious, why can't pitchers get the ball, get the sign, throw the ball, repeat? Their slow mechanics hurts their defense and fans' enjoyment.

 

The defense demonstrates how focused they are with the slow play.

[drock2190]

Cabrera is really struggling

[Danchat]

ESCOBAR!!!!!

[Circus Boy]

Thank you very much, Eduardo.

[glunn]

[USAFChief]

Checking in from the drive from Tucson to LA.

 

Lots of nothing, but Provus and Danny help pass the time.

[Circus Boy]

Now a quick half-inning by Mejia would be swell. Something less than 40 pitches and 30 minutes. I know it's in him.

[PDX Twin]

I guess that was a little quicker, but man ... I think Mejia may threaten the Pelfrey Lower Bound for pitching pace.

[Circus Boy]

 

Checking in from the drive from Tucson to LA.

Lots of nothing, but Provus and Danny help pass the time.

Everytime I see the word Tucson it reminds me of when I was a kid and always pronounced it Tuck-son. And Iowa was I-owe-way. And LA was, uh, El-lay. That is all.

 

[Circus Boy]

 

I guess that was a little quicker, but man ... I think Mejia may threaten the Pelfrey Lower Bound for pitching pace.

Throw strikes, Change speeds. Miss bats. I mean, how hard can it be?

[Twodogs]

Lead off walk

[Puckett34]

Stop bunting