Game Thread 8/19: Milwaukee Brewers (10-11) @ Minnesota Twins (16-8) 7:10pmCT

[thuuuuney]

Catch-Up
I'm 23 years old, if I think of the most dominant pitching performances I've been alive to watch, a few games come to mind. Roy Halladay's Playoff No-No, "Mad Max's," 20K game, and last night. What Kenta Maeda able to do was simply incredible. It wasn't velocity that got him 8 no-hit innings, it was his cadence, his delivery, and it was his smile once he allowed the hit that I think shows us all what kinda ballplayer he is and we're lucky to have him playing for us. As I said I'm 23 but I'll make this guarantee, I have NEVER seen some many ugly swings in my life and thats all a credit to our "ace," wearing that #18 proudly.

 

Where to Listen

WCCO 830, TIBN, 102.9 The Wolf

 

Where to Watch

Fox Sports North

 

Starting Pitchers

• Milwaukee: Brett Anderson 0-2, 4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP in 3 starts this season.
• Minnesota: Rich "Dick Mountain, Sabormetrics Darling" Hill 1-0 5.0IP, 2H, 2K's, and 0ER in debut.

Milwaukee Batting Order

 

Minnesota Batting Order*

 

*Vargas makes his first start in a Twins uniform after being used off the bench in yesterday's extra inning thriller.

Storylines

1. Rich Hill breakdown via Twins Daily writer Ted Schwerzler (Notebook 8/19),

• In his lone start of 2020 Hill was nothing short of spectacular. He cruised through five innings of work against a good St. Louis Cardinals squad. Throwing 68 pitches, he recorded two strikeouts while walking one and allowing just two hits. Coincidentally that would be the final game for the Cardinals until just a few days ago, and Hill himself is just making a return to the mound tonight.Despite having a bottom of the barrel velocity on his fastball, Hill does everything else at an elite level. Because of his ability to spin the bender, Hill has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for quite some time. Yes, he’s 40 years old, and yes, he’s often injured, but when a team has had him on the bump, they can feel pretty confident about their chances.

2. After the Twins blew their chance to award Kenta his much deserved W, they still rallied late to win and I think it's those two moments that will prove successful for the Twins tonight. Rich Hill's teammate back in LA is here with him in Minnesota and after throwing a gem last night, I'm sure Hill will want to keep up the same drive. 

 

Meanwhile the Twins bats came alive, albeit not pretty, but they came alive late to get the job done and now face a starter who struggles to make it to the 5th inning. My prediction, Twins win 11-2.

[PDX Twin]

Did Arraez pick up a knock last night? He was replaced in the field before the 9th and is not in the lineup tonight.

[BeatTheRich]

My picks to click: Garver and Sano. Because why not? Righties against a lefty. They're due.

[jud6312]

I really wish Max was in instead of Gonzalez.

 

Max isn't hitting lefties this year, but Marwin is 2 for the last week, should've been given that error in the 9th last night and got run for no real reason at a pretty inopportune time. 

[MVP Nick Punto]

 

My picks to click: Garver and Sano. Because why not? Righties against a lefty. They're due.

I pick ByBux with the slump-breaker after going 1/18 & no BB in the last 5 games and Mad Max becomes the first German-born player to hit his 99th & 100th HR in the same game.

*Edit: Should have looked at the lineup closer. Max does that tomorrow.

[USAFChief]

Brett Anderson??

 

Didn't we trade Duensing for him 2 or 3 times?

[jud6312]

 

Brett Anderson??

Didn't we trade Duensing for him 2 or 3 times?

Who were the other 9 players they got for Duensing then? Obviously, these were 1 for 1 trades.

[Channing1964]

Look at that range for the Big Man!!p

[70charger]

That was a really fun half-inning!

[PDX Twin]

Wow. I bet Hiura gets an earful ... and that he's glad that there are three outs and he gets to go out in the field.

[Mill1634]

Wow - What a heads up play by Vargas, and what an embarrassment for the Brewers hitter. He should be pulled

[Channing1964]

what the f--k just happened there?

[notoriousgod71]

That was neat.

[MVP Nick Punto]

When is infield fly called? Could it have been called there?

[PDX Twin]

 

When is infield fly called? Could it have been called there?

 

Only with two runners on. In that situation, the batter can avoid the double play if he chooses to.

[shortround81]

C'mon baby blues! Bring us some '87 magic!

[PDX Twin]

 

Wow. I bet Hiura gets an earful ... and that he's glad that there are three outs and he gets to go out in the field.

 

Oops. He's the DH! (Apparently not the designated runner, though.)

[70charger]

 

Wow. I bet Hiura gets an earful ... and that he's glad that there are three outs and he gets to go out in the field.

 

Ooh, he's the designated hitter! Lol.

[jud6312]

 

C'mon baby blues! Bring us some '87 magic!

But they didn't wear those in '87.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

When is infield fly called? Could it have been called there?

no, ya need 2 runners forced to invoke that.

 

Ya gotta be able to get a double play no matter what, and they assume the batter is always running it out.

[LVTwinsfan]

It’s always annoyed me that major leaguers are too good to run them out. Hiura should be benched and Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Only with two runners on. In that situation, the batter can avoid the double play if he chooses to.

Sorry about repeating ya.

 

Some day i will come up with original material.

[MVP Nick Punto]

 

Sorry about repeating ya.

Some day i will come up with original material.

I thought it was a well established tradition to get ninja'd on these forums & then to acknowledge it with a "ninja'd by xxxx" post or edit?

[USAFChief]

Who were the other 9 players they got for Duensing then? Obviously, these were 1 for 1 trades.

Verlander, Josh Donaldson, Mickey Mantel, Ted Williams, and oddly, Rocco Baldelli are some names that come to mind.

[MVP Nick Punto]

Looks like the Brewers have a tough Hill to climb, tonight.

[LVTwinsfan]

Infield fly rule applies with runners on first and second or bases-loaded and less than two outs

[PDX Twin]

Is anyone else bothered by the American habit of inverting the names of people from (some) countries (Japan, Korea, Hungary) where the surname is traditionally first? It really should be Maeda Kenta, which is (presumably) why his Twitter name is MaeKen.

[LVTwinsfan]

Is anyone else bothered by the American habit of inverting the names of people from (some) countries (Japan, Korea, Hungary) where the surname is traditionally first? It really should be Maeda Kenta, which is (presumably) why his Twitter name is MaeKen.

no it doesn’t bother me, besides if his name is inverted he himself requested it, no one did it for him

[70charger]

 

Is anyone else bothered by the American habit of inverting the names of people from (some) countries (Japan, Korea, Hungary) where the surname is traditionally first? It really should be Maeda Kenta, which is (presumably) why his Twitter name is MaeKen.

 

Not really. It's the standard here. When I was living in Budapest, it was normal for them to use eastern name order on me. I was charger70. 

[MVP Nick Punto]

 

Is anyone else bothered by the American habit of inverting the names of people from (some) countries (Japan, Korea, Hungary) where the surname is traditionally first? It really should be Maeda Kenta, which is (presumably) why his Twitter name is MaeKen.

"When in Rome." He's Japanese playing in America. Could really pick or choose which way to do it unless he's expressed a preference to the U.S. media previously.