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Game Thread: Twins @ White Sox 1:10 PM 5/13/2021

stringer bell

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stringer bell Cooperstown

stringer bell

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Posted
Posted

The Twins conclude their series against the Chicago White Sox with a day game today. The forecast is for sunny skies and 61 degrees so they likely won't be saved by a rainout. Scheduled starters are Michael Pineda versus ex-Twin Lance Lynn.

In what appears to be a star-crossed season for the Twins, I have a couple of observations. First, they have been pretty luckless--it seems that more bloopers are falling in for the opponents, more wall-scaping homers have been hit against them and more balls falling just out of reach of Twins defenders. The basketball term of winning 50-50 loose balls comes to mind and the Twins aren't winning their share. Secondly, the Twins have been terrible in some crucial facets of the game (and it isn't bad luck) advancing runners, hitting in scoring position, closing games and even making a routine play on a ground ball. In golf parlance, they've missed a lot of three-foot putts. Combine that with key injuries and it looks bad for Rocco's crew.

What to do? Well, I have no financial stake in the Twins, but I've been an avid follower of the club since Calvin moved the original Senators to Bloomington. There probably will be plenty of time to discuss trades releases, maybe an extension or two, and promotions of minor leaguers. I actually believe the front office is pretty sharp and will make some shrewd moves if they continue to struggle this year.

In order to maintain what is left of my sanity, I have pursued my favorite athletic endeavor--golf. I'm not a good golfer by any means but I am an avid golfer for sure. I have played over 40 rounds already and I live in Minnesota. Many of the days have been cold, a few were wet and most were windy, but if the courses are open I'll play. What I have determined is that all sports are "a game of inches", missing the sweet spot of a club is not unlike missing the barrel of a baseball bat, misreading the line for a putt can be as devastating as missing the target on a pitch. Mental mistakes in golf cost strokes, in baseball they cost runs. I also appreciate that I can play and compete in a sport well into my third quarter-century on this planet (yeah I'm really old). 

Enjoy the game today. Something memorable might happen and even if the game is forgettable there's always the game thread for entertainment. Speaking of game threads, there still are openings to write introductions this month for the following game dates: 5/15, 5/20, 5/23, 5/28 and 5/29. If you want to take a shot at doing an introduction (or more than one) message me and we can work out a date. Lineups:

Twins (12-22)

Arraez 2b   

Donaldson 3b

Polanco ss

Cruz dh

Larnach lf

Garver c

Kepler cf

Astudillo 1b

Garlick rf

Pineda (p) 2-1 2.43 ERA

 

Chicago (21-13)

Anderson ss

Lamb 1b

Moncada 3b

Abreu dh

Eaton rf

Vaughn lf

Collins c

Garcia 2b

Hamilton cf

Lynn (p) 3-1 1.52 ERA

 

 

 

 

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wsnydes MVP

wsnydes

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Sano on the bench 2 out of the last 3 games. Feels like this is going to be the status quo moving forward. 

A not unwarranted status quo either.

denarded Draft Eligible

denarded

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

Sano is toast. I'm not going to let a potential 10 game hot streak temper that thought. Big game for Twins to show some fortitude. Big game hopefully from Big Mike

LaBombo Wichita Wind Surge

LaBombo

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

This matinee is a not a good idea.  The Twins are currently playing baseball in a way that's best concealed under the cover of darkness, and they should become more proficient in all facets of the game before they attempt to play in broad daylight.

Cap'n Piranha Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

Cap'n Piranha

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

The crazy thing about this White Sox team?  They have like 2 guys with an OPS over .800, and yet are third in the AL in runs scored.  If they ever get their lineup truly going, they will be terrifying.

LaBombo Wichita Wind Surge

LaBombo

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

The Twins are in the process of transitioning from 'There's no freaking way the team can really be this bad' to 'There's no freaking way the Twins were as good as I thought they were in '19 & '20 '

Brock Beauchamp GOAT

Brock Beauchamp

Site Manager
Posted
Posted

What's so irritating is looking at this list of players sorted by OPS+ and then comparing it to watching the daily performance of those same players...

Team Batting
Rk Pos Name PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
▼ 		TB
1 CF Byron Buxton (10-day IL) 98 92 19 34 10 0 9 17 5 0 4 23 .370 .408 .772 1.180 236 71
2 DH Nelson Cruz 133 119 22 36 2 1 9 22 0 0 9 26 .303 .353 .563 .916 163 67
3 3B Josh Donaldson 90 78 11 23 6 0 3 13 0 0 11 13 .295 .378 .487 .865 152 38
4 UT Luis Arraez* 112 94 17 28 2 1 1 14 0 0 14 13 .298 .393 .372 .765 127 35
5 C Mitch Garver 89 82 9 17 3 0 6 13 0 0 7 32 .207 .270 .463 .733 110 38
6 2B Jorge Polanco# 133 119 17 30 7 1 3 16 2 1 10 26 .252 .316 .403 .719 109 48
7 SS Andrelton Simmons 91 79 10 19 4 0 1 8 0 0 11 17 .241 .341 .329 .670 98 26
8 RF Max Kepler* 99 86 11 17 5 1 2 12 5 0 10 17 .198 .293 .349 .642 88 30
9 1B Miguel Sano 81 66 7 8 0 0 2 5 0 0 15 31 .121 .284 .212 .496 49 14
10 LF Jake Cave* 93 84 8 14 5 0 1 2 1 0 6 35 .167 .239 .262 .501 47 22
    Team Totals 1293 1156 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 309 .246 .315 .425 .740 115 491
    Rank in 15 AL teams   12 6 6 4 8 6   11 1 11 7 5 5 3 4   5
    Non-Pitcher Totals 1287 1151 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 306 .247 .316 .427 .743 116 491
    Pitcher Totals 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 -100 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/13/2021.
Cap'n Piranha Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

Cap'n Piranha

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

What's so irritating is looking at this list of players sorted by OPS+ and then comparing it to watching the daily performance of those same players...

Team Batting
Rk Pos Name PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
▼ 		TB
    Team Totals 1293 1156 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 309 .246 .315 .425 .740 115 491
    Rank in 15 AL teams   12 6 6 4 8 6   11 1 11 7 5 5 3 4   5
    Non-Pitcher Totals 1287 1151 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 306 .247 .316 .427 .743 116 491
    Pitcher Totals 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 -100 0
1 CF Byron Buxton (10-day IL) 98 92 19 34 10 0 9 17 5 0 4 23 .370 .408 .772 1.180 236 71
2 DH Nelson Cruz 133 119 22 36 2 1 9 22 0 0 9 26 .303 .353 .563 .916 163 67
3 3B Josh Donaldson 90 78 11 23 6 0 3 13 0 0 11 13 .295 .378 .487 .865 152 38
4 UT Luis Arraez* 112 94 17 28 2 1 1 14 0 0 14 13 .298 .393 .372 .765 127 35
5 C Mitch Garver 89 82 9 17 3 0 6 13 0 0 7 32 .207 .270 .463 .733 110 38
6 2B Jorge Polanco# 133 119 17 30 7 1 3 16 2 1 10 26 .252 .316 .403 .719 109 48
7 SS Andrelton Simmons 91 79 10 19 4 0 1 8 0 0 11 17 .241 .341 .329 .670 98 26
8 RF Max Kepler* 99 86 11 17 5 1 2 12 5 0 10 17 .198 .293 .349 .642 88 30
9 1B Miguel Sano 81 66 7 8 0 0 2 5 0 0 15 31 .121 .284 .212 .496 49 14
10 LF Jake Cave* 93 84 8 14 5 0 1 2 1 0 6 35 .167 .239 .262 .501 47 22
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/13/2021.

Be honest--you just wanted to show off your table skills ?

Road trip Draft Eligible

Road trip

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

What's so irritating is looking at this list of players sorted by OPS+ and then comparing it to watching the daily performance of those same players...

Team Batting
Rk Pos Name PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
▼ 		TB
    Team Totals 1293 1156 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 309 .246 .315 .425 .740 115 491
    Rank in 15 AL teams   12 6 6 4 8 6   11 1 11 7 5 5 3 4   5
    Non-Pitcher Totals 1287 1151 161 284 61 4 46 153 15 1 107 306 .247 .316 .427 .743 116 491
    Pitcher Totals 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 -100 0
1 CF Byron Buxton (10-day IL) 98 92 19 34 10 0 9 17 5 0 4 23 .370 .408 .772 1.180 236 71
2 DH Nelson Cruz 133 119 22 36 2 1 9 22 0 0 9 26 .303 .353 .563 .916 163 67
3 3B Josh Donaldson 90 78 11 23 6 0 3 13 0 0 11 13 .295 .378 .487 .865 152 38
4 UT Luis Arraez* 112 94 17 28 2 1 1 14 0 0 14 13 .298 .393 .372 .765 127 35
5 C Mitch Garver 89 82 9 17 3 0 6 13 0 0 7 32 .207 .270 .463 .733 110 38
6 2B Jorge Polanco# 133 119 17 30 7 1 3 16 2 1 10 26 .252 .316 .403 .719 109 48
7 SS Andrelton Simmons 91 79 10 19 4 0 1 8 0 0 11 17 .241 .341 .329 .670 98 26
8 RF Max Kepler* 99 86 11 17 5 1 2 12 5 0 10 17 .198 .293 .349 .642 88 30
9 1B Miguel Sano 81 66 7 8 0 0 2 5 0 0 15 31 .121 .284 .212 .496 49 14
10 LF Jake Cave* 93 84 8 14 5 0 1 2 1 0 6 35 .167 .239 .262 .501 47 22
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/13/2021.

Stunning to see Garver and Polanco with positive OPS+ numbers of 110 and 109.  The eye test says they have been pretty bad.  Yet they rate as above average hitters across MLB in 2021.  Scoring is down so badly across the league (except when the Twins bullpen is pitching).

LaBombo Wichita Wind Surge

LaBombo

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

Are we gonna lose to lance Lynn? That would be another embarrassment to write down

Luckily for the Twins, the embarrassment of being owned by Lance Lynn 2021 still pails in comparison to the embarrassment of owning Lance Lynn 2018 and his remarkably terrible season.

Brock Beauchamp GOAT

Brock Beauchamp

Site Manager
Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Road trip said:

Stunning to see Garver and Polanco with positive OPS+ numbers of 110 and 109.  The eye test says they have been pretty bad.  Yet they rate as above average hitters across MLB in 2021.  Scoring is down so badly across the league (except when the Twins bullpen is pitching).

Baseball in general is borderline unwatchable this season. MLB is going to have to take action if this keeps up, and there's really no reason not to expect it to keep up.

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