Game Thread Orioles @ Twins 4/28/19 1:10 PM CDT

[stringer bell]

It's a sad day in Minnesota. After today, the Twins will be done playing the Baltimore Orioles. So far, the Twins are 5-0 vs. the Birds, with a chance to sweep the season series today. They have averaged more than four homers per game against the Baltimore pitching staff. It is tough to win six straight against anyone, but a loss today would be a disappointment.

 

Today's lineups:

 

Baltimore  10-18

 

J. Villar2B 31-114 10 3 6 .272
S. WilkersonRF 3-16 1 1 1 .188
D. Smith Jr.LF 27-97 19 5 3 .278
R. NunezDH 29-101 18 6 0 .287
R. Ruiz3B 21-84 10 2 0 .250
A. WynnsC ----- -- -- -- --
C. Davis1B 9-62 10 2 0 .145
J. RickardCF 17-80 6 2 1 .213
R. MartinSS 10-62 1 0 1 .161

 

Pitching:  Dylan Bundy   0-3  6.56 ERA

 

 

Minnesota   15-9

 

M. KeplerRF 21-80 15 6 0 .263
J. PolancoSS 31-91 10 5 0 .341
N. CruzDH 22-70 15 5 0 .314
E. RosarioLF 25-95 24 11 0 .263
C.J. Cron1B 19-76 14 5 0 .250
M. Gonzalez3B 12-73 5 2 0 .164
M. GarverC 16-40 10 5 0 .400
J. Schoop2B 21-79 11 4 0 .266
B. BuxtonCF 19-71 9 0 6 .268

 

Pitching:  Kyle Gibson  1-0   6.10 ERA

[Dave The Dastardly]

Sad days are quite common in Minnesota. In fact if you look up "pessimist" in the dictionary you'll find a sorry looking guy in a Twins cap standing next to a guy in a Viking helmet. The dufus taking a knee in front of them in the photo is wearing a Timberwolves jersey.

 

But hope springs eternal. This is spring and it's... twenty degrees below average and it snowed yesterday.

 

Forget I mentioned it.

 

Live in the moment, however brief.

 

 

[drock2190]

It's been fun watching the Twins beat up Baltimore but the O's are terribly boring to watch. Being an O's fan must be painful.

[stringer bell]

For the record, the Twins made the expected move today, placing Astudillo on the injured list and recalling Jake Cave from Rochester. Get used to the flight Jake. I predict you make it a few times this year.

[jtkoupal]

Gotta hope Gibby can keep that ball down in the zone. That's always his key. He gets crushed when he elevates the ball, as the Villar double indicated.

 

[mrtwinsfan]

Over -=Under on twin home runs today? 3-- going over

[mrtwinsfan]

Geez= Max

[snotboogie]

First. Pitch.

[VATwinsFan]

Noch ein mal fur dem Schlaggmeister!!!

[ashbury]

Marwin can play 3B, I must grant that.

[USAFChief]

 

Gotta hope Gibby can keep that ball down in the zone. That's always his key. He gets crushed when he elevates the ball, as the Villar double indicated.

My personal opinion is just the opposite. He's a better pitcher when he's throwing the 4 seam fastball, up in the zone, early and often.

[ashbury]

BUXTON !!!!

[VATwinsFan]

Byron the Magnificent!!!!

[Jerr]

And Buxton gets on the HR board!

[ashbury]

Only a first-impression, but Dwight Smith Jr looks brutal out there in LF. He should drop the Jr. from his uniform, so as to not embarrass his dad.

 

/ edit - oh, THAT Dwight Smith. I checked baseball-reference, and just going by numbers his dad wasn't an asset in the corner outfield positions, either.

[USAFChief]

For some reason, I've been thinking today of my courtship of Mrs Chief. I remember asking her father for his permission to marry his daughter. It took me a long time to work up the courage to do this, since he had been incredibly hard on me the entire time I was dating Mrs Chief. Finally, I just decided to go for it, and asked him one night.

 

"So, young man," he said, "you want to be my son-in-law, huh?"

 

"Well, no," I replied. "I can't say that I do. But if I want to marry your daughter I don't have much choice, now do I, jerk?"

[Brock Beauchamp]

Good god. At what point does someone take the Orioles behind the barn and shoot them?

[ashbury]

Did Marwin step in the bucket on that 2-0 pitch? It was an ugly swing on a hittable pitch.

 

He didn't do a lot better on that popup on 2-1, but it worked out.

 

How many times do we have to say, "I'd hate to have to root for this Orioles team"? It's one thing to not have good fielding on a team that mashes, but they have neither.

[Blake]

I'm starting to feel bad for Baltimore fans.

 

Two balls in left field that should have been caught, along with the foul popup.

[jimbo92107]

Nice way to start a baseball game. Kep still popping up those easy fly balls, and then Buxton with that nice, easy swing to the second deck. Not a big fan of Bundy. Bury him, Twinkies!

[Blake]

 

For some reason, I've been thinking today of my courtship of Mrs Chief. I remember asking her father for his permission to marry his daughter. It took me a long time to work up the courage to do this, since he had been incredibly hard on me the entire time I was dating Mrs Chief. Finally, I just decided to go for it, and asked him one night.

 

"So, young man," he said, "you want to be my son-in-law, huh?"

 

"Well, no," I replied. "I can't say that I do. But if I want to marry your daughter I don't have much choice, now do I, jerk?"

Who said diplomacy was dead?

[Blake]

 

Good god. At what point does someone take the Orioles behind the barn and shoot them?

Release the entire team and bring up the entire AAA farm club?

[ashbury]

Over -=Under on twin home runs today? 3-- going over

You didn't specify which inning you wanted.

[Blake]

 

Sad days are quite common in Minnesota. In fact if you look up "pessimist" in the dictionary you'll find a sorry looking guy in a Twins cap standing next to a guy in a Viking helmet. The dufus taking a knee in front of them in the photo is wearing a Timberwolves jersey.

 

But hope springs eternal. This is spring and it's... twenty degrees below average and it snowed yesterday.

 

Forget I mentioned it.

 

Live in the moment, however brief.

Don't forget the occasional tornado.

 

I was living close to where the 50th & France tornado touched down and tossed the Lake Harriet band shell roof into the lake.

 

Then, a few years later, I was living close to the area where a thunderstorm downburst knocked down over 100 trees in Edina. Living room window looked like it was under water.

 

Moral: Living near Blake when he lives in MN is hazardous to the health.

[ashbury]

For some reason, I've been thinking today of my courtship of Mrs Chief. I remember asking her father for his permission to marry his daughter. It took me a long time to work up the courage to do this, since he had been incredibly hard on me the entire time I was dating Mrs Chief. Finally, I just decided to go for it, and asked him one night.

 

"So, young man," he said, "you want to be my son-in-law, huh?"

 

"Well, no," I replied. "I can't say that I do. But if I want to marry your daughter I don't have much choice, now do I, jerk?"

See, this gentleman had no such mixed feelings.

[USAFChief]

As game thread regulars know, I like to stop by my favorite little neighborhood beer joint on the way home. There's this Irish fellow who's also a regular there. and most days when I pop in, he's either there, or he shows up shortly after I do. He plops down on a barstool, and the 'keep brings him three pints, all at the same time. Same order every day. He downs one, then the second, then the third. All of us regulars know he does this in honor of his two brothers back in Ireland, who he never has the chance to share a pint with any more, due to the distance between them.

 

Well, Friday I stopped by the bar, and sure enough, he showed up minutes later. Only this time, when he sat down, he told the 'keep "make it two pints today, laddie. Just two."

 

All of us in the bar fell silent, out of respect for what surely must be the cause of this change. Finally, I walked over, and told him how sincerely sorry I was for his loss.

 

"Yeah," he said. "Tis a sad day lad. Me doctor told me I had to quit drinkin."

[VATwinsFan]

Cron for the catch!

[USAFChief]

Great catch Cron. Not at all easy. Mauer doesn't catch that.

[Blake]

Cron is looking like a solid pickup and I would expect he'll probably get even better.

[Blake]

Looking at Gibson's pitch count, dare we hope for 7 innings from him?