Game Thread Twins @ Royals 6:05pm cdt 8/8/2020ad

[Aggies7]

 

I can't say I liked using Thorpe here, but Stashak has been throwing fire lately, no reason to expect him to suddenly implode.

hard when you have to fill 6 innings.

[Mill1634]

Rocco seems content with just getting into the playoffs (which is almost 100% at this point) but seems content with keeping everyone fresh, not throwing on back to back days, and using everyone in every situation. I don't mind this, but I would think seeding would be somewhat important. 

[Twodogs]

It would be nice to actually have a guy like Dobnak as the long guy. I think that was the original plan with Berrios, Odorizzi, Maeda, Hill, Bailey, Pineda as the starters. Thorpe and Stashak shouldn't really be put in during high leverage innings. Also who's to say they can't bring May in during the 4th instead of these below average starter guys? Sometimes it's just better to get yourself out of the inning and get back up and hit. What if the twins scored another 2 - 3 runs and had expanded the lead then it's not such high leverage for a Thorpe or a Stashak type of guys. I don't know, I guess hind sight is 20/20.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Gotta admit Zuber is a cool name!

[bighat]

 

Rocco seems content with just getting into the playoffs (which is almost 100% at this point) but seems content with keeping everyone fresh, not throwing on back to back days, and using everyone in every situation. I don't mind this, but I would think seeding would be somewhat important. 

This is actually a good question about seeding - I mean, with everyone and their grandmother making the playoffs this year, and a best-of-3 coming up right off the bat for most teams, and with NO FANS in any of the stadiums....I don't see home field being a huge advantage right now.

 

You just don't want to face Gerritt Cole or Shane Bieber right out of the gate, so as long as you don't play the Yanks or Indians in the 1st round you're OK.

[bighat]

Gaver's average down to .100

[sampleSizeOfOne]

So what is a rally cap in the Covid era?

 

Do i wear my face mask on my elbow?

[Aggies7]

 

This is actually a good question about seeding - I mean, with everyone and their grandmother making the playoffs this year, and a best-of-3 coming up right off the bat for most teams, and with NO FANS in any of the stadiums....I don't see home field being a huge advantage right now.

 

You just don't want to face Gerritt Cole or Shane Bieber right out of the gate, so as long as you don't play the Yanks or Indians in the 1st round you're OK.

the twins should avoid the yankees like covid

[Mill1634]

If Thorpe was right handed he wouldn't have ever made it past AA ball

[ashbury]

Gotta admit Zuber is a cool name!

There was another major leaguer, Bill Zuber, from Iowa who played for four AL teams in the 30s and 40s. Guess what his nickname was? Goober.^*

 

I can't look at this guy on the Royals without thinking of that nickname.

 

 

^{* _{He died in 1982, and the only reason I know about him is that the Twin Cities SABR chapter went to visit his grave during a roadtrip one summer a few years later.}}

[IndianaTwin]

 

Gotta admit Zuber is a cool name!

 

I grew up near the Amana Colonies in eastern Iowa. Yankee pitcher Bill Zuber was a native and came back home to run Bill Zuber’s Dugout Restaurant.

 

https://www.zubershomesteadhotel.com/about/history/

[sampleSizeOfOne]

There was another major leaguer, Bill Zuber, from Iowa who played for four AL teams in the 30s and 40s. Guess what his nickname was? Goober.^*

 

I can't look at this guy on the Royals without thinking of that nickname.

 

 

^{* _{He died in 1982, and the only reason I know about him is that the Twin Cities SABR chapter went to visit his grave during a roadtrip one summer a few years later.}}

I can see such a nickname sticking.

[ashbury]

So what is a rally cap in the Covid era?

 

Do i wear my face mask on my elbow?

 

[bighat]

Good opportunity right now for Alcala to leapfrog a couple of the guys who are typically in front of him in the 'pen.

[70charger]

Alcala looking better and better.

[Mill1634]

Alcala strikes out the side in order (all on offspeed)...very impressive

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Alcala strikes out the side in order (all on offspeed)...very impressive

Just be clear, all strike 3s were off speed, not all 9 strikes?

[blindeke]

His offspeed stuff is faster than some fastballs tho.

[bighat]

This version of Sano is extremely hard to watch.

[Don Walcott]

Rosario with another walk. Very 2020.

[Danchat]

You know it's been a weird season when Rosario has more walks than strikeouts.

[blindeke]

Rosario WALKING like Mauer. I never thought it was possible.

[ashbury]

This version of Sano baseball is extremely hard to watch.

FTFY

 

[70charger]

 

This version of Sano is extremely hard to watch.

 

He made good contact on that one that went foul, and that last strike was a tough pitch. He's always been a feast or famine kind of guy.

[ashbury]

Rosario WALKING like Mauer. I never thought it was possible.

 

[70charger]

Ooh, profanity in Spanish! It's bilingual fun for the whole almost none of the family

[USAFChief]

 

We score 12 next inning. It's geometric series: they score 2, we get 4 to make it 4-2. They get 6 to make it 8-4. The next step is 16-8, so we need 12 runs.

yeahbut...that only gets us to the 7th. There's another leg to that sequence.

[70charger]

The profanity would've been better used on that hit on the knee. Ouch!

 

Really hope Marwin's good to go.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Zuber faces his 3 batter minimum...

[USAFChief]

 

 I can't say I liked using Thorpe here...

If you can't trust Thorpe against the 7-8-9 hitters in KC's lineup, two of which are LH hitters, I don't know where you can trust him.