Article: Game Thread: Twins @ White Sox, 8/21@4:10pm AND tbd

[Riverbrian]

Greeting from Morehead, Kentucky. That was quite a weekend for our Twins. It wasn’t a sweep of the D-Backs, it was a high powered leaf blowing of the D-Backs. It was snake handling at the expert level, scoring 27 runs on what was the 2nd best team ERA in baseball. The Twins get to follow that with a 5-game series in Chicago starting with a big, Monday doubleheader. The White Sox are not run by Bill Veeck anymore. You can tell that those days are gone because I can’t find anything special happening at Guaranteed Rate Field during the solar eclipse, other than a start time of game 1 that is well past the 1:18 event. Eighty-seven percent coverage of the sun is expected in Chicago with maybe 26% coverage of the game by the media. Bill Veeck would have at least invited everyone to the ball park early and gave away free optometrists to the first 10,000 fans.

Myself, I didn’t make plans to view the eclipse but I will be driving from Kentucky to Georgia today and my car will be crossing the center line path on the way, so I’ll probably stop driving somewhere in Tennessee, find a nearby park and watch a total eclipse of the park. After many requests that I do so over my lifetime, it’s a chance to finally stick it where the sun don’t shine. After it is over… I will attempt to finish my drive to Atlanta like Stevie Wonder would. Which will only be a slight decline from my usual inattentive driving style.

At first I thought it was going be a total ellipse... and with my overuse of that punctuation... it made sense that I was there. Turns out... it's just an eclipse... but... I'll take a look anyway.

[NOTE: If you use a welder's helmet to watch the eclipse, as seen in the photo of the article, make sure the glass is #14 glass.]

Here are some things to think about:

 

1. Carbondale – In extreme Southern Illinois lies the city of Carbondale. I’m out of things about which to make fun of Chicago, and since a large chunk of Chicagoans will be in Carbondale for the eclipse, I thought I’d focus on this place of mainly Cardinals Fans. Nearly 26,000 people live in Carbondale year round but they estimate 60,000 people will invade the city today. Oddly enough, Shawn Colvin grew up in Carbondale, talk about “Sunny Came Home.” Carbondale was named after a nearby coal deposit by Daniel Brush who was the first area landowner. That’s how close the city came to being named Coaldaniel.

2. Our Twins – It was a great weekend and I hope it leads to a great week and great month of September. In Today’s doubleheader we have a couple of interesting pitchers. Dillon Gee and Tim “Call me Ishmael” Melville will throw for the Twins. Gee has been pretty good out of the pen for us so I am hopeful for a decent start today. Melville I know very little about; all I know is that he has spent a little time in the majors some years ago, never mind how precisely. I hope he has a whale of a game.

3. The White Sox – After many years of trying to win with expensive free agents, the White Sox have gone the opposite direction and the youth is starting to bubble to the surface. The Twins will get to see Yoan Moncada, Carson Fulmer and Lucas Giolito during this series. The cool thing about rookies is that they make the minimum. They are paid a minimum guaranteed rate at Guaranteed Rate Field.

4. Today’s Joe M Conversation:

Maddon: Joe… do you alter your approach at the plate depending on the pitcher you are facing?

Mauer: I do… When I face Kluber for example… I like to see as many pitches as I can to get a feel for what he is throwing.

Morgan: That’s smart because Kluber has 5 different pitches that he can throw effectively.

McCarthy: What about a left hander like Chris Sale?

Montana: Yeah… Sale… with that big slider from the left side.

Mauer: Exactly… with Sale you have to be aware of that slider. So with him… I like to see as many pitches as I can.

Maddon: What would you do against one of my guys? Jake Arrieta for example.

Mauer: With Arrieta you got treat him a little differently. He’s got that cross body style that can be a little confusing because it’s unique. So… I like to see as many pitches as I can.

5. Explanations – My youngest son asked me “Dad… can you explain what an eclipse is?” Naturally I shook my head and replied, “No Sun.” And I dropped the Mic.

Yes... I use a Microphone when I talk to my kids.
____________________

Lineups:

TWINS
Brian Dozier 2B
Joe Mauer DH
Byron Buxton CF
Eduardo Escobar 3B
Chris Gimenez C
Eddie Rosario LF
Mitch Garver 1B
Max Kepler RF
Jorge Polanco SS
Tim Melville P

WHITE SOX
Leury Garcia LF
Yoan Moncada 2B
Jose Abreu 1B
Nicky Delmonico DH
Avisail Garcia RF
Holmer Sanchez 3B
Tim Anderson SS
Omar Narvaez C
Adam Engel CF

Carlos Rodon P

Weather: 80s, humid, cloudy ... rain is coming, but let's hope it hits after the 2nd game tonight. But even so, it shouldn't be so much to cancel/postpone a game.

Click here to view the article

[Han Joelo]

That is a mic dropper.

 

I'll be at work today, concocting witty retorts to people who asked me if I saw the eclipse, and what percent of total it was and so forth. This is a good start.

[Blackjack]

Great leadoff picture again!!!  Two little munchkins all 'goggled' up for the eclipse!!  

 

Love it!!

[Blake]

[Craig Arko]

My Dad had welding helmets similar to those. And his youngest son used them to observe the Sun.

[Squirrel]

 

My Dad had welding helmets similar to those. And his youngest son used them to observe the Sun.

Make sure you note the note about using welder's helmets ... make sure they have #14 glass in them.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I know i'm a bit premature...

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=D4Ta5w8iqzs

 

But i like to say that's a good thing... Being mature before everyone else. That means when every one else has to be mature, i don't. I can be like, been there. Done that.

 

Two games!

[Darius]

Buxton has a 1.2 OPS over his recent 10 game hit streak. Wow.

[Squirrel]

 

I know i'm a bit premature...

https://youtube.com/watch?v=D4Ta5w8iqzs

But i like to say that's a good thing... Being mature before everyone else. That means when every one else has to be mature, i don't. I can be like, been there. Done that.

Two games!

This was more apt than maybe you realized ... it's also Beatles Night at Guaranteed Rate Field tonight ... today ... er ... this afternoon ... um ... the first game.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

This was more apt than maybe you realized ... it's also Beatles Night at Guaranteed Rate Field tonight ... today ... er ... this afternoon ... um ... the first game.

Premature and overapt.

 

Gosh! And on a Monday no less.

[jimbo92107]

Twins starters will be Tim Melville, then Dillon Gee for the second game. I guess they're waiting for September to bring up Gonsalves.

[Craig Arko]

Tim Melville, then Dillon Gee.

Sounds like a couple of British poets.

[Squirrel]

 

Twins starters will be Tim Melville, then Dillon Gee for the second game. I guess they're waiting for September to bring up Gonsalves.

Gonsalves also pitched last night, and got hit pretty hard. If he wasn't going to get a taste earlier than this, I'm fine with waiting until September, but I'm not sure he'll get a taste even then. We'll see how his next few starts in AAA go.

[SweetOne69]

 

Twins starters will be Tim Melville, then Dillon Gee for the second game. I guess they're waiting for September to bring up Gonsalves.

 

I had assumed that Melville was going to 26th man, but it looks like he is going to be our 5th starter for the time being.

 

Sano was officially placed on the DL and Vargas recalled.  Also Turley was optioned to make room for Melville and was designated the 26th man so he will go to Rochester after the DH.

 

[stringer bell]

 

I had assumed that Melville was going to 26th man, but it looks like he is going to be our 5th starter for the time being.

 

Sano was officially placed on the DL and Vargas recalled.  Also Turley was optioned to make room for Melville and was designated the 26th man so he will go to Rochester after the DH.

I was thinking about Melville's situation. He is most likely out of options, so the Twins can simply send him back after today's game. That will shorten the bullpen a bit after the DH today. I hope Turley gets to pitch and does well.

[Guest]

When Melville was in high school, his friends called him "Villickers." That means that the Twins' today are starting Gee-Villickers.

[Squirrel]

 

My vantage point for today's games. $60 total for both. That's a real fire sale.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

This was more apt than maybe you realized ... it's also Beatles Night at Guaranteed Rate Field tonight ... today ... er ... this afternoon ... um ... the first game.

With a disco demolition between games? 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

IMG_0308.JPG

 

My vantage point for today's games. $60 total for both. That's a real fire sale.

Congrats!

 

Just glad no actual fire was involved.

[GCTF]

 

Sounds like a couple of British poets.

Sounds like?

[CampQ]

Chapter fifteen of Moby Dick is all about chowder. Too bad Melville isn't starting in Boston

[Puckett34]

 

Chapter fifteen of Moby Dick is all about chowder. Too bad Melville isn't starting in Boston

It's a whale of a problem that the game is not in Boston

[notoriousgod71]

It just continues to defy all logic that the Twins can remain in postseason contention when they are running these guys out there time after time.

[Darius]

Giminez batting 5th?

 

Let me get this straight: We're fighting for our playoff lives and we're pitching Tim Melville and Dillon Gee....and Chris Gimenez is batting 5th? I don't care if the pitches with his left leg....Chris Gimenez might be he worst hitter in the AL right now.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Chapter fifteen of Moby Dick is all about chowder. Too bad Melville isn't starting in Boston

But then they would be searching for the red whale, no?

[Craig Arko]

Giminez batting 5th?

Let me get this straight: We're fighting for our playoff lives and we're pitching Tim Melville and Dillon Gee....and Chris Gimenez is batting 5th? I don't care if the pitches with his left leg....Chris Gimenez might be he worst hitter in the AL right now.

Except for yesterday.

[Craig Arko]

But then they would be searching for the red whale, no?

That's New York.

[Craig Arko]

Sounds like?

Sounds Like.

 

[Pardon My Dinger]

When Melville was in high school, his friends called him "Villickers." That means that the Twins' today are starting Gee-Villickers.

And that might explain Gimenez's inclusion in the lineup for today. Got ourselves a Giminy-Gee-villickers combo to look forward to.

[Darius]

Except for yesterday.

I watched the game yesterday. He had to get 3 hits in a game to get his average over .200. Still the worst hitter in the AL.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Darius