Game Thread: Twins vs. Red Sox 12:10 am GMT 6/19/2018

[diehardtwinsfan]

Welcome to tonight’s game thread where the three people that tune in to watch the game will be treated to what most certainly will be the battle of the aces. Our Twinkies will bring their young and up-in-coming ace Jose Berrios to the mound to face the established Red Sox ace of Chris Sale. It’s a classic David vs. Goliath, except that our offense of late has made most pitchers look like Chris Sale. I hate to think what they can make Chris Sale look like. Could the strike out record be in play here? Kerry Wood, Roger Clemens*, and Max Scherzer all hold the record at 20Ks in a game. Fortunately for the Twins, Sano and Buxton won’t be in the lineup, so Sale won’t be assured of 6 or so Ks on about 20 total pitches before the game starts. That said, gamethreaders need to be on a strikeout watch. My proposal: a shot of your favourite bourbon each time Sale notches a K.

 

Things to think about:

 

Denial – Sano cannot be in Fort Myers. It’s not possible that the Twins hitters are this bad. That cannot be a home run, it was too high. Donald Trump and Bill Clinton treat women with the utmost respect.

 

Anger – I hate the Red Sox. I hate the White Sox. I hate the Yankees, instant replay, the unbalanced schedule, and the DH. I hate Falvine. I hate the Pohlads. Why do they have to run this team that I somehow manage to still care for? 

 

Bargaining – There’s always next year. Let’s restock the cupboards. I’m looking forward to Vanimal’s used car threads at the end of July. Should be a good one. Lance Lynn for Forrest Whitley. You heard it here. Dozier to the Dodgers for catching prospect Will Smith.  We might have to throw in Rodney to make it work, but LA eats ALL The cash.

 

Depression – I looked at standings, and I’m looking at my life. It’s kind of like the Twins’ season right now. Uninspiring. Sano really is in Fort Myers. He’s never coming back. Buxton will never learn how to hit. Polanco’s season last year was all a drug-induced hallucination. Nothing will ever be the same. The Twins will never again win a ring.

 

Rest in Peace 2018 Minnesota Twins Season – OK, I’ll admit to doing a similar theme last year, and then they went on to make it to game 163… so perhaps this is a reverse jinx. Or perhaps I’m still in denial. I think there’s a paradox forming here.

 

There, I’ve said it. Kubler-Ross, for what it’s worth was named by Twins outfielder robbie gROSSman after facing Indian’s ace Corey Kubler… It has something to do with Robbie’s approach towards Kubler given his career .400 ish OPS… or at least, that’s what I’m going with. Sounds better than some academic nerds with psychology backgrounds.

 

Lineups TBD.

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Distracted by softball this afternoon.

 

Fortunately anyone discussing local sports ball round me should also be referring to this game, which usually isn't he case...

[ashbury]

I took the liberty of editing the thread title to say "vs." instead of "@", since the Twins are nowhere near my neck of the woods this game.

[Nine of twelve]

The term Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) has been superseded by the term Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It's the same thing on the clock, though. But that's not the big error. The big error is that tonight's game starts at 12:10 AM UTC, 6/20/2018.

[Han Joelo]

It may be time to change your handle to "diehardertwinsfan" or even "diaanotherdaytwinsfan"--that went from gallows humor to just gallows pretty fast! I feel your pain though, but I won't take that bourbon challenge. Too rich for my blood.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Five stages of a no hitter:

 

• 1. Early innings
• 2. Middle innings
• 3. Late innings
• 4. Last inning
• 5. Last hitter

 

 

[Craig Arko]

With all that pent up anger and hatred, perhaps it's time to find a new and better hobby. Something easier on the nerves, like, say, Twitter.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Sasquatch is real, by the way...

[USAFChief]

Three June games still needing a game thread vol:

 

6/22, 6/29, and 6/30.

 

Plenty of July opportunities as well.

 

Do it! Do it NOW!

 

http://gifimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/arnold-schwarzenegger-gif-18.gif

[wsnydes]

 

Five stages of a no hitter:

 

• 1. Early innings
• 2. Middle innings
• 3. Late innings
• 4. Last inning
• 5. Last hitter

 

So simple.  Why are these so hard to accomplish?  I mean, five easy steps!  Nothing to it!

[gil4]

 

Five stages of a no hitter:

 

• 1. Early innings
• 2. Middle innings
• 3. Late innings
• 4. Last inning
• 5. Last hitter

 

 

 

So simple.  Why are these so hard to accomplish?  I mean, five easy steps!  Nothing to it!

Those all sound like coin-flip propositions.  The odds of heads coming up 5 times in a row is 1/32. Therefore, our pitchers should be throwing 5 no-hitters a year. I think we need to fire the pitching coach.

[ThejacKmp]

Woof. That's an ugly looking lineup. Woof.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Those all sound like coin-flip propositions.  The odds of heads coming up 5 times in a row is 1/32. Therefore, our pitchers should be throwing 5 no-hitters a year. I think we need to fire the pitching coach.

And five other games with no-hitters going down to the last batter.

 

 

_{/no more math...}

[ThejacKmp]

I always thought that the Twins had Chris Sale's number (as much as one can have Chris Sale's number). They are one of the top large-enough-sample teams (#4 in OPS) but the three teams ahead of them are the rest of the AL Central. Who knew that Chris Sale wasn't "good" in the division?

 

I guess it's better when we get to ERA. He has a 4.21 ERA against the Twins with only Cleveland (4.78) higher. Hopefully the trend continues and we get good Berrios.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Woof. That's an ugly looking lineup. Woof.

I agree - since Ortiz retired, the Sox are just not the same  

[ThejacKmp]

 

I agree - since Ortiz retired, the Sox are just not the same

 

Ha.

 

Adrianza sixth is scary to see.

[70charger]

You threw me with that Greenwich time, seeing as I have tickets tonight.

[USAFChief]

 

Those all sound like coin-flip propositions.  The odds of heads coming up 5 times in a row is 1/32. Therefore, our pitchers should be throwing 5 no-hitters a year. I think we need to fire the pitching coach.

pfft. We're aiming to be average?

 

I want more than that. 7 or 8 per year.

[VATwinsFan]

I've never really hated the Red Sox.  I remember the Twins consistently beating the snot out of them in the 60s.

 

Except for that unpleasant weekend at the end of the '67 season of course.

[VATwinsFan]

Hey look!!  The Red Sox catcher, first baseman, third baseman, left fielder, and center fielder all have lower BAs than ours.

[yarnivek1972]

Twins have three hitters in the lineup with double digits in HR.

 

Red Sox have three hitters in the lineup that don’t have double digits in HR.

[PDX Twin]

 

Twins have three hitters in the lineup with double digits in HR.

Red Sox have three hitters in the lineup that don’t have double digits in HR.

 

If only they were playing with only four men ...

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

The term Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) has been superseded by the term Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It's the same thing on the clock, though. But that's not the big error. The big error is that tonight's game starts at 12:10 AM UTC, 6/20/2018.

 

good catch. For the record, I initially had UTC on there. But yeah, I missed the point that tonight's game starts tomorrow.  

[DocBauer]

Twins have three hitters in the lineup with double digits in HR.

 

Red Sox have three hitters in the lineup that don’t have double digits in HR.

So let me figure this out. 3 times 162, divided by nine, goes in to 6 times 162, divided by 9, carry the two, kick the dog, take a shot, curse word..."get off my lawn!"...second curse word, times PI, (hmmm... pie!)...divide by the average age of batboys between both teams...equals...

 

Oh crap! We lose again!

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

It may be time to change your handle to "diehardertwinsfan" or even "diaanotherdaytwinsfan"--that went from gallows humor to just gallows pretty fast! I feel your pain though, but I won't take that bourbon challenge. Too rich for my blood.

 

I'm drinking in advance... it's been a bad day. I'm not quite sure what the bartenders here are serving, but I'm guessing I'm somewhere between shots 5 and 7... if that's predictive, it means we will be striking out a lot. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Twins have three hitters in the lineup with double digits in HR.

Red Sox have three hitters in the lineup that don’t have double digits in HR.

 

(not so) fun with numbers?

[Brandon Brooks]

 

I took the liberty of editing the thread title to say "vs." instead of "@", since the Twins are nowhere near my neck of the woods this game.

 

Speaking of that neck of the woods, I was at Fenway Park for this exact Berrios v. Sale matchup right around this time last year.

[Vanimal46]

 

Motter in RF. WTF?

[yarnivek1972]

Anyone else think Berrios might be a better hitter than 2 or 3 of the guys in the lineup?

[Platoon]

Motter in RF. WTF?

When they coined the phrase 'Muderers Row', I don't think this is what they had in mind? Well if nothing else, the clamor to move Dozier into a middle of the order hitter has been assuaged.