Article: Game Thread: Twins v Cardinals, 5/15 @ 7:10pm CT

[Riverbrian]

Last week the Twins were in St. Louis for a two-game series, and this week the Cardinals are in Minneapolis for another two-game series. These two teams have not played a 3 game series since June of 2009, or since Target Field was built. The reason? It is because of specific negotiated prerequisites in order to secure 392 million dollars of public financing to build Target Field. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, Minnesota State Legislature, Hennepin County and Governor Tim Pawlenty, were insistent that the Cardinals only be allowed in for a couple of games at a time in order to protect the brand new, shiny facility.

It is a well-known fact that after three days of exposure, people from St. Louis lower the value of EVERYTHING they come in contact with. Therefore, the Cardinals are only allowed in for a maximum 2 games in a row. Further protection against St. Louis people was the insistence of no roof at Target Field. This was done so the place could be easily aired out and fumigated afterwards.

Yes… the Cardinals are Uncle Bob. The guy who ruins your chairs by sitting in them and forces you to open the windows after he leaves.

Here are some things to think about:

 

1. Top (Non Trump) News Story of the Day:

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a 1992 federal law banning commercial sports betting in most states was unconstitutional. The 6-3 decision may very well pave the way for legalization of sports betting across the United States. Justice Diana Ross wrote the one sentence majority opinion saying, “I’m sick of going to Vegas. It’s too hot.” Justice Mary Wells wrote the dissenting opinion saying that she was concerned because she had a $1,000 bet that the ruling would be upheld.

2. Our Twins:

As many of you noticed… Byron Buxton is back. After nearly a month out of action due to migraine headaches and a hairline fracture in his left big toe, Buxton returned on Thursday without a rehab stint to ramp him back up to game speed. Placed on the Disabled List on April 12th. Buxton spent the down time in California staying at Glunn’s house in Beverly Hills. No trip to Ft. Myers for rehab was scheduled when it was determined by the travelling secretary that it would be more cost efficient to have him just wait for the team to come nearby and pick him up. BTW… if you were wondering where Miguel Sano is? He’s in Seattle. We should see him back to action on the 25th when the team swings by.

3. The Cardinals:

I got nothing to add since it was only a week ago that we played the Cards. I’m going to re-cycle and ask the question once again. Why hasn’t anyone written the “Kolten Wong Song”?

4. Today’s Joe M Conversation:

Maddon: Hey, Montana… can you help me with the dishes?

Montana: No… I’m sorry I can’t.

Mauer: What ya got going on?

Montana: Nothing planned.

McCarty: Are you going to lie in that hammock all day?

Montana: Yep

Morgan: Isn’t that what you did yesterday?

Montana: Yep… I wasn’t finished yet.

5. Mother’s Day:

The Kids and I took my wife out to dinner for Mother’s Day. Every time we go out to eat, she declines dessert and eventually grabs a spoon and takes bites out of mine. Now she is upset with me because I had her sign a binding agreement stating that if she declined her own dessert she gives up any claims to mine.
____________________

Lineups:

CARDINALS
Tommy Pham(R ) CF
Matt Carpenter(L) 1B
Jose Martinez(R ) DH
Marcell Ozuna(R ) LF
Jedd Gyorko(R ) 3B
Paul DeJong(R ) SS
Harrison Bader(R ) RF
Kolten Wong(L) 2B
Carson Kelly(R ) C

Jack Flaherty (R ) P

TWINS
Joe Mauer(L) 1B
Brian Dozier(R ) 2B
Eddie Rosario(L) LF
Eduardo Escobar(S) 3B
Max Kepler(L) RF
Logan Morrison(L) DH
Byron Buxton(R ) CF
Ehire Adrianza(S) SS
Bobby Wilson(R ) C

Jose Berrios (R ) P

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[USAFChief]

Now she is upset with me because I had her sign a binding agreement stating that if she declined her own dessert she gives up any claims to mine.

 

Can you PM me a copy of that agreement?

 

Asking for a friend.

[Blake]

Excellent opener, as usual!

[Dantes929]

 

Now she is upset with me because I had her sign a binding agreement stating that if she declined her own dessert she gives up any claims to mine.

 

Can you PM me a copy of that agreement?

 

Asking for a friend.

Does your friend have the initials USAFC?     

Just order two deserts.     That way you get one and a half deserts and she feels better because she is only eating the other half in order for food not to go to waste and by cleaning the plate somehow keeping a kid in China from starving.   Win, win, win.

 

Besides which, if I know Riverbrian as well as I think I do (which is not at all) then taking his wife out to eat is just a semiannual (or is it biannual?)  event anyway.

[slash129]

At least Uncle Bob learned how to break wind "the Right Way".

[Platoon]

You used the words "wife" and "binding agreement" in the same sentence? Normally I would have considered this the delirious statement of a newly married. The problem with that theory is that you mentioned having children, and that some old married guy wanted a copy of that unicornish document! This is even more confusing than watching the Twins (not) hit off of LaBlanc.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Re: Point 3...

 

Mr. Riverbrian,

 

You're question of the previous week was limited to someone in St. Louis writing a Kolten Wong song. Not being in St. Louis, i could do nothing about it.

 

Now that you have opened the question up to anyone, i can invalidate it by writing one forthwith.

 

-ssoo

 

(and some day i will learn to spell, promise)

Edited May 15, 2018 by sampleSizeOfOne

[sampleSizeOfOne]

(Take 1: um, 2 guesses what the melody is and the first 3 don't count)

 

Swing swing swing the bat

hardly Kolten Wong.

Tip your cap and that's a wrap for now you've got a song.

[ashbury]

(Take 1: um, 2 guesses what the melody is and the first 3 don't count)

 

Swing swing swing the bat

hardly Kolten Wong.

Tip your cap and that's a wrap for now you've got a song.

Brian asked for the “Kolten Wong Song”. You seem to have written the “Kolten Wong Polka”. (Or maybe it's a Schottische, I can never keep those straight.)

[jtkoupal]

I don't know if any of you buy into this, but I wonder if there is a non-statistical explanation for at least some of Lance Lynn's poor performance. I am as pro-analytics as anybody, but even I cannot ignore the possibility of emotional or psychological factors that could impact a player's performance (something that statistics would have a hard time quantifying)

 

At this point, the short spring training is becoming a far less believable excuse. We thought he may be on the right track after the White Sox game, but then he went right back to the previous Lance Lynn in the Angels game. Lynn has now started 7 games for the Twins. The "late signing/short spring training" excuse is reaching the end of its life span. 

 

Could he just simply be disinterested? In his recent interview with Brandon Warne, Lynn basically said he "[only had one offer, so kinda had to take it.]" This could be interpreted in many different ways, but it certainly isn't out of the question that Minnesota wasn't his preference. Furthermore, rumor was during the offseason that he was unhappy with the Twins' original offer, so maybe he didn't started on the right foot with the organization?

 

I could understand how the lack of demand in free agency would be frustrating for a pitcher who has been successful for most of his career, but ideally, one would like for that frustration to not be taken out on the field. Lynn didn't get the money or years that he expected, and maybe, psychology, that is hurting his outlook and performance.

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that this IS the case for Lance Lynn. However, I am simply pointing out that it COULD be a possible explanation that we will never find by digging through data. I hope this is not the case, but given that his performance through 7 starts is staggeringly worse than his career numbers, it has to at least be a worthy theory. I hope to see him get a few more starts, and he absolutely will, and see him start to pitch more like the "real" Lance Lynn. But if he can't figure it out soon, he had better be worried considering both the emergence of Fernando Romero and the return of Ervin Santana.

 

 

[Riverbrian]

 

 

Besides which, if I know Riverbrian as well as I think I do (which is not at all) then taking his wife out to eat is just a semiannual (or is it biannual?)  event anyway.

 

That's how often she takes me out. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Brian asked for the “Kolten Wong Song”. You seem to have written the “Kolten Wong Polka”. (Or maybe it's a Schottische, I can never keep those straight.)

Can't say i am wise in the ways of either. I was aiming simpler towards a commonly known round.

 

That way it could be sung for a really long time.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Oh yeah. I concur with Mr. Montana: really doing nothing takes unparalleled dedication.

[70charger]

 

Could he just simply be [uninterested]? In his recent interview with Brandon Warne, Lynn basically said he "[only had one offer, so kinda had to take it.]" This could be interpreted in many different ways, but it certainly isn't out of the question that Minnesota wasn't his preference. Furthermore, rumor was during the offseason that he was unhappy with the Twins' original offer, so maybe he didn't started on the right foot with the organization?

 

The problem with this is that the opposite is perfectly plausible too. He's so worried about his upcoming contract year, his last time to cash in, that he's pressing, letting nerves get to him, trying to do too much.

 

I mean, at this point who knows, right? But something needs to change.

[Riverbrian]

 

I don't know if any of you buy into this, but I wonder if there is a non-statistical explanation for at least some of Lance Lynn's poor performance. I am as pro-analytics as anybody, but even I cannot ignore the possibility of emotional or psychological factors that could impact a player's performance (something that statistics would have a hard time quantifying)

 

At this point, the short spring training is becoming a far less believable excuse. We thought he may be on the right track after the White Sox game, but then he went right back to the previous Lance Lynn in the Angels game. Lynn has now started 7 games for the Twins. The "late signing/short spring training" excuse is reaching the end of its life span. 

 

Could he just simply be disinterested? In his recent interview with Brandon Warne, Lynn basically said he "[only had one offer, so kinda had to take it.]" This could be interpreted in many different ways, but it certainly isn't out of the question that Minnesota wasn't his preference. Furthermore, rumor was during the offseason that he was unhappy with the Twins' original offer, so maybe he didn't started on the right foot with the organization?

 

I could understand how the lack of demand in free agency would be frustrating for a pitcher who has been successful for most of his career, but ideally, one would like for that frustration to not be taken out on the field. Lynn didn't get the money or years that he expected, and maybe, psychology, that is hurting his outlook and performance.

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that this IS the case for Lance Lynn. However, I am simply pointing out that it COULD be a possible explanation that we will never find by digging through data. I hope this is not the case, but given that his performance through 7 starts is staggeringly worse than his career numbers, it has to at least be a worthy theory. I hope to see him get a few more starts, and he absolutely will, and see him start to pitch more like the "real" Lance Lynn. But if he can't figure it out soon, he had better be worried considering both the emergence of Fernando Romero and the return of Ervin Santana.

 

I think most pitchers will go through a stretch of average to below averageness. I think it is possible that Lance is just going through that part early and will balance it all out with some above averageness down the road. 

 

Berrios is going through a stretch like that right now. I think he will find it again. 

[Riverbrian]

 

The problem with this is that the opposite is perfectly plausible too. He's so worried about his upcoming contract year, his last time to cash in, that he's pressing, letting nerves get to him, trying to do too much.

 

I mean, at this point who knows, right? But something needs to change.

 

Yeah... it's in his own best interest to not have a 7.34 ERA this year. 

 

If the contract is getting to him this year and making an impact on his performance. His contract next year is really going to bug him. 

[slash129]

 

Berrios is going through a stretch like that right now. I think he will find it again. 

 

Completely agree with this.  Berrios' stuff is filthy, and he does know how to command and control it.  I think his biggest problem is that he has very high expectations of himself that cross-over into some possible obsessive perfectionism at times.  Those expectations are very achievable, but not when he let's a walk, solo shot or missed call by the umpire get in his head.  Then he overcompensates while trying to correct the miscue.  As he matures, I expect him to maintain the personal expectations but also understand that the road to those achievements will have bumps and jogs, etc.  That should lead to the stretches of below-averageness being much shorter during the peak of his career.

[jtkoupal]

 

The problem with this is that the opposite is perfectly plausible too. He's so worried about his upcoming contract year, his last time to cash in, that he's pressing, letting nerves get to him, trying to do too much.

 

I mean, at this point who knows, right? But something needs to change.

Agreed. The opposite is plausible. Beings that I have not spoken to Lynn or been in the clubhouse, my opinion means nothing. However, if he is going to turn it around, he better act fast. Big Erv is lurking right around the corner

[jtkoupal]

 

Yeah... it's in his own best interest to not have a 7.34 ERA this year. 

 

If the contract is getting to him this year and making an impact on his performance. His contract next year is really going to bug him. 

I absolutely agree. It is not in his best interest to have a disastrous ERA. However, the lack of free agent might not change given who is all scheduled to become available this winter. I have not spoken to Lance Lynn, so of course my opinion is not relevant. It was just a possible explanation.

[ashbury]

Can't say i am wise in the ways of either. I was aiming simpler towards a commonly known round.

 

That way it could be sung for a really long time.

Like, ninety-seven or ninety-eight times? Or, perhaps, a bit more? Is that even humanly possible?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Like, ninety-seven or ninety-eight times? Or, perhaps, a bit more? Is that even humanly possible?

Now i wish i'd thought of that melody...

 

Nah, the original lyrics i had in mind are famous for comparing life to a dream... A very poe-tic sentiment if you ask me.

[ashbury]

Now i wish i'd thought of that melody...

 

Nah, the original lyrics i had in mind are famous for comparing life to a dream... A very poe-tic sentiment if you ask me.

I shall try to remember not to audition if they ever bring back Name That Tune.

 

OTOH now I have a nifty idea for a song called Roll Your 99 Beer Barrels.

 

Roll, roll, roll your barrels

Gently, don't spill the beer.

You take one down,

And pass it around,

'Cause the gang's all here!

(repeat ad nauseam...)

[bighat]

 

I don't know if any of you buy into this, but I wonder if there is a non-statistical explanation for at least some of Lance Lynn's poor performance.

 

He's pitching in the American League, against teams that can hit and have mashers hitting the DH position. The Twins have a bad history of taking in guys with NL success (Ricky Nolasco and Vance Worley come to mind). They then proceed to get battered in the AL, because AL teams can rake.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I shall try to remember not to audition if they ever bring back Name That Tune.

 

OTOH now I have a nifty idea for a song called Roll Your 99 Beer Barrels.

 

Roll, roll, roll your barrels

Gently, spill no beer.

You take one down,

And pass it around,

Hail, the gang's all here!

(repeat ad nauseam...)

A couple mild suggestions above which you may a take or not...

 

But we digress from our purpose:

 

A Kolten Wong Song.

 

(At least assuming my initial offering was unsatisfactory)

[Mill1634]

Twins lineup:

 

Molly has no idea what he is doing with so many Mauer DH days, and Garver splitting time with Wilson. Makes zero sense at all. Geesh. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Hey look!

 

Playing first, batting first!

 

Batting second, playing second.

 

But i don't know about this 3rd 4th thing...

[AlwaysinModeration]

I think last night’s game proved a baseball axiom....it is hard to win without scoring any runs.

[Han Joelo]

The spouse/date dessert nibbler should have been a Seinfeld episode.  I mean, he broke up with a girl because she ate her peas one at a time.  "What is the deal with people who don't order dessert, and then take bites off of yours?  What. Is.  The Deal?"

[Puckett34]

 

I think last night’s game proved a baseball axiom....it is hard to win without scoring any runs.

Not with that kind of attitude. 

[ashbury]

The spouse/date dessert nibbler should have been a Seinfeld episode.  I mean, he broke up with a girl because she ate her peas one at a time.  "What is the deal with people who don't order dessert, and then take bites off of yours?  What. Is.  The Deal?"