Game Thread: Twins vs. Detroit, 10/1/2017, 2:10 PM CDT

[spinowner]

All right! For the first time since 2010, the last game of the season is not the last game of the year. Here we are, it’s October 1, and we are hoping to get a baseball game in today at Target Field. One or more rain delays would not be surprising but we only need 4.5 innings for an official game if all goes well. I suspect a complete game will be played.

 

A note about the unusual start time: on the last day of the season all games start at the same time. This is done for two reasons. One, to minimize the chances that the outcome of one game would affect the play of another game in the event of postseason matchups not being set. Two, to minimize any disadvantage in travel that might occur in case playoff games are required on the following day.

 

As usual, I’ve decided to open the last regular season game thread with the time-honored 5-item post. My original plan was to highlight 5 significant events of the 2017 season, but at the last minute I decided to highlight 5 emerging players instead. In no particular order:

 

1. Jose Berrios. After looking overmatched during his time in the majors last year his performance improved markedly in 2017. He hasn’t been consistent yet but there’s every reason to believe he will continue to improve and many believe he could become the ace we want at the top of the rotation.

 

2. Jorge Polanco. Many observers were skeptical of his being penciled in as the primary shortstop in spring training, and as the season progressed into June and July it looked like the skeptics’ skepticism was valid. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he became one of the best hitters on the team. While he may be better suited for second base and could very well end up there at some point in the future his fielding has not been a liability.

 

3. Miguel Sano. I include him as an emerging player because of his improvement as a fielder. He’s not a gold-glove caliber third baseman (yet?) but it seems apparent to me that getting regular playing time at that position has allowed him to improve his glovework. He has shown good ability to charge the ball and throw on the run. And then there was this:

 

https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/must-c-twins-sparkle-on-defense/c-1733089183?tid=47078038

 

This leads into:

 

4. Byron Buxton. This is kind of the inverse of what I wrote about Sano. He is probably the best defensive outfielder in the game, but where he made big strides this year is in his offensive game, and from what I have read and heard it’s due in part to a smaller stride in the batter’s box. The overall steady offensive output is not there yet, but there’s every reason to believe he will continue to improve and there’s always a place for a premium defender in center field.

 

5. Eddie Rosario. His plate discipline has improved significantly during the course of the season, and its spite of the occasional confounding plays experience is teaching him to harness what I think may be the best baseball instincts on the team. Everyone who saw this play remembers it, and I think it illustrates what I mean.

 

https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/rosario-causes-drake-to-balk/c-1700410183

 

First, he took advantage of Craig Counsell’s mistake in over-shifting the third baseman by getting a huge lead, forcing the pitcher to watch him closely. Second, he made sure the pitcher had engaged the rubber, and, third, he made sure Castro was in the batter’s box. As soon as Castro stepped in he made his sudden move and he timed it perfectly. Had he waited for the pitcher to stretch and set the pitcher would have been less likely to flinch but he did it before the pitcher had settled in. It was my favorite play of the year and it ranks up there with the best plays that his manager ever made.

 

I’m sure there will be many deeper analyses written and posted on this excellent web site during the upcoming months and I look forward to reading them. I haven’t been this optimistic about the next five years or so of Twins baseball since about 2001. So let’s enjoy today’s game or fraction thereof and then it’s on to New York for the postseason!

 

Weather: A chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. High in the mid-60’s. Southeast winds (blowing from right field to left field) 10-15 mph with gusts up to 30.

 

Starting pitchers:

Detroit: Anibal Sanchez ®, 3-6, 6.46   Twins: Bartolo Colon ®, 6-14, 6.72

 

Lineups and batting orders: Not available yet.

[twinsnorth49]

Good start, let's finish it the same way.

[Squirrel]

 

 

5. Eddie Rosario. His plate discipline has improved significantly during the course of the season, and its spite of the occasional confounding plays experience is teaching him to harness what I think may be the best baseball instincts on the team. Everyone who saw this play remembers it, and I think it illustrates what I mean.

 

Good thread start, spin. But I'm just wondering a bit about this sentence above that I 'bolded.' Um ... did you mean 'and in spite of'? Just wondering.

[DocBauer]

Great final regular season game post!

 

Not sure what else to add...but I'm a wordy fellow so am compelled to try! Lol

 

1) Berrios: Still scratching the surface in his first full season. Only going to get better. Like all of these guys, where would we be without him?

 

2) Polanco: Maybe he's hit over his head as of late, but I think his bat is real. Some budding power is a nice surprise, but nit totally unexpected. Despite a few poor plays here and there, mostly during his slump period, I've been more than pleased by his defense. I'm not so sure he can't thrive as the #3 hitter. He did it a lot in the minors.

 

3) Sano: Absolute stud and getting better and better defensively. I never bought the move to DH or 1B chatter.

 

4) Buxton: We could honestly be witnessing him growing in to one of the top 5 players in all of baseball.

 

5) Rosario: Agree with great instincts, even if he's a bit overly aggressive at times. Scary thing is, he has room to be even better!

 

If we do a list like this next season, I fully expect to see Kepler at the top!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Good thread start, spin. But I'm just wondering a bit about this sentence above that I 'bolded.' Um ... did you mean 'and in spite of'? Just wondering.

I am a fan of despite.

 

The use of which would allow the comma at the beginning to shift to the end of the bolded section.

 

It is important to conserve commas. One never knows when one might need one. For want of a comma the sentence was confusing etc.

[Squirrel]

I am a fan of despite.

The use of which would allow the comma at the beginning to shift to the end of the bolded section.

It is important to conserve commas. One never knows when one might need one. For want of a comma the sentence was confusing etc.

I just was pointing out to the self-proclaimed grammar police, who is also my brother, something seemed amiss there. And yes, the absence of a comma is the second thing wrong in that sentence.

[Craig Arko]

Hopefully none of you ever program computers.

 

Sano DH again. A squad lineup except Kepler is out.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I just was pointing out to the self-proclaimed grammar police, who is also my brother, something seemed amiss there. And yes, the absence of a comma is the second thing wrong in that sentence.

I bet it was some meta comment on the value of Rosario's baseball sense. Despite these glaring grammer mistakes, we still get his point?

 

Yeah, i'll run with that. All the best artists got their numbers mixed up. (to paraphrase a favorite movie)

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Hopefully none of you ever program computers.

 

Sano DH again. A squad lineup except Kepler is out.

Once upon a time i might have done something vaguely akin to that. Binary load lifters count?

[Squirrel]

I bet it was some meta comment on the value of Rosario's baseball sense. Despite these glaring grammer mistakes, we still get his point?

Yeah, i'll run with that. All the best artists got their numbers mixed up. (to paraphrase a favorite movie)

You haven't been following the last several game threads? My original post was in fun, and follows several posts over the last several threads in which spin self-identified as being a stickler for perfect grammar. it's a bit of a gotcha between siblings and has nothing to do with the content.

[spinowner]

 

Good thread start, spin. But I'm just wondering a bit about this sentence above that I 'bolded.' Um ... did you mean 'and in spite of'? Just wondering.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That's what I get for revising my copy about ten times; it's almost inevitable that one of the revisions will miss something. And of course the worst thing is that I now have lost my position of superior authority in editing ChiTown's posts. Oh, the shame!

[Squirrel]

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That's what I get for revising my copy about ten times; it's almost inevitable that one of the revisions will miss something. And of course the worst thing is that I now have lost my position of superior authority in editing ChiTown's posts. Oh, the shame!

Lol, I can fix it for you if you ask your little sister very nicely. Or seek out another moderator if that is too distasteful to you.

[spinowner]

 

Lol, I can fix it for you if you ask your little sister very nicely. Or seek out another moderator if that is too distasteful to you.

That's OK, we'll let it stand as a testament to the fragile nature of self-perceived high-and-mightiness.

[Craig Arko]

Once upon a time i might have done something vaguely akin to that. Binary load lifters count?

Are those like moisture vaporaters?

[spinowner]

Minnesota's lineup and batting order:

 

1. Brian Dozier ® 2B
2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B
3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS
4. Eddie Rosario (L) LF
5. Miguel Sano ® DH
6. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B
7. Byron Buxton ® CF
8. Jason Castro (L) C
9. Robbie Grossman (S) RF

 

Nothing yet posted for Detroit.

I'll be leaving for the hoped-for game soon; anyone who wishes to post the info for Detroit is gratefully encouraged to do so.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Are those like moisture vaporaters?

They are pretty different, functionally speaking, but i have it on good authority they use very similar protocols...

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

I am a fan of despite.

The use of which would allow the comma at the beginning to shift to the end of the bolded section.

It is important to conserve commas. One never knows when one might need one. For want of a comma the sentence was confusing etc.

Exactly why I never liked the Oxford comma!

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Detroit is up 3-0.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Detroit is up 3-0.

I stand corrected...

 

Vikings score a touchdown with about a minute left in the half.

[Craig Arko]

Rain still coming down; just enough to be annoying.

[Blake]

 

You haven't been following the last several game threads? My original post was in fun, and follows several posts over the last several threads in which spin self-identified as being a stickler for perfect grammar. it's a bit of a gotcha between siblings and has nothing to do with the content.

I had no idea thread start content had anything to do with thread arguments. 

 

What a novel concept.

[PDX Twin]

Marney doing nine different positions today. Hah! Watch out for your jobs, guys!

[spinowner]

Marney doing nine different positions today. Hah! Watch out for your jobs, guys!

Now this is a post just begging to be deleted

[spinowner]

The tarp is being removed! The sky is brightening! It's a beautiful day for a ballgame!

[USAFChief]

Now this is a post just begging to be deleted

It stays. Watch yourselves.

[snepp]

 

Marney doing nine different positions today. Hah! Watch out for your jobs, guys!

 

[notoriousgod71]

Laudner may say the dumbest things ever. Altuve is the MVP because he has been around longer than Judge? WTF kind of reasoning is that?

 

Bartolo is easily his Cy Young with that logic.

[Squirrel]

Minnesota's lineup and batting order:

 

1. Brian Dozier ® 2B

2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B

3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS

4. Eddie Rosario (L) LF

5. Miguel Sano ® DH

6. Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B

7. Byron Buxton ® CF

8. Jason Castro (L) C

9. Robbie Grossman (S) RF

 

Nothing yet posted for Detroit.

I'll be leaving for the hoped-for game soon; anyone who wishes to post the info for Detroit is gratefully encouraged to do so.

1. Alex Presley (L) LF

2. Andrew Romine (S) 2B

3. Nicholas Castellanos ® RF

4. Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B

5. Efren Navarro (L) 1B

6. John Hicks ® DH

7. Bryan Holaday ® C

8. JaCoby Jones ® CF

9. Dixon Machado ® SS

[jokin]

 

 

Now that's my kind of moderating...

[jimmer]

Nice play Mauer!