Game Thread Twins vs Orioles 12:10pm cdt 5/26/2021 ad

[TouchEmAllGuy]

What an awesome story about Mancini. Pretty amazing that he's back competing (and succeeding) at the highest level already. 

[wsnydes]

So this is what it's like to be on the other side of squandering a prime opportunity!

[stringer bell]

Good job Big Mike!

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 minutes ago, TouchEmAllGuy said:

What an awesome story about Mancini. Pretty amazing that he's back competing (and succeeding) at the highest level already. 

Yeah, he's an easy one to cheer on, that's for sure.

[stringer bell]

The ump missed two pitches to Simmons in the bottom of the second, but didn't give Pineda anything in the third. 

[shortround81]

11 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

If Hawkins keeps saying "Jesus" during his broadcasts, I don't think he'll have a future in the booth.  He's now 2 for 2 during the last 2 games.  It's not a big deal to me, but to those in this PC world, it's a big deal.

Agreed. The Twins' have a pretty conservative fanbase overall, and that won't sit well with Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson

[Dodecahedron]

Lopez looks like Roy Smalley.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

8 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Of course!  Why wouldn't you?

Does this new site have a sarcasm font?!

I don't know...

 

That's how come i asked.

 

(if they get a sarcasm font, i want an innocuous font too)

 

I liked that 2 walk inning though, all said and done.

[RickOShea]

We often make some average pitchers look like Cyrus Young.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It’s so promising that Polanco is still putting that kind of barrel on the ball with his ankle effed up again. 

[Dodecahedron]

Just now, Brock Beauchamp said:

It’s so promising that Polanco is still putting that kind of barrel on the ball with his ankle effed up again. 

I am also impressed with Astudillo's barrel.

[RickOShea]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It’s so promising that Polanco is still putting that kind of barrel on the ball with his ankle effed up again. 

Amen!

[wsnydes]

1 minute ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

I don't know...

 

That's how come i asked.

 

(if they get a sarcasm font, i want an innocuous font too)

Perhaps we should talk to management.  These things are important.

[RickOShea]

No way Kirillof walks a straight line during a sobriety check.

[Dodecahedron]

Sano probably doesn't catch that throw to 1st.

[SwainZag]

A couple hits would be nice to see

[Dodecahedron]

2 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

A couple hits would be nice to see

Lopez is bringing the heat.  

[wsnydes]

2 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

A couple hits would be nice to see

Definitely.  It seems like it would be easier to score runs that way.

[RickOShea]

I find it discouraging that when young players come up to the majors, they already are having a shift thrown at them.  I would hope young hitters would learn to hit to all fields and go with the pitch, while in the minors.  I guess it's the same with pitchers, who don't have an array of pitchers or who can't pitch more than an inning or two.  The minors really have seemed to regress when it comes to teaching the basics.  

[mac098]

5 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

A couple hits would be nice to see

Only slightly. Or at the very least working the pitch count. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

12 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Perhaps we should talk to management.  These things are important.

 

Meh, I bet there already is a sarcasm font.

Just no one knows that's what it is.

 

And i'm bad at choosing formatting or font. One more thing to think about.

 

Someday, maybe i'll even use emoji.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

2 hours ago, Cap'n Piranha said:

Just one, but it takes 2 days, because first they have to compose 100 couplets reflecting on the deeper meaning of light and dark.

a hundred couplets?

easy. the real challange is...

couple hundredlets.

[Brock Beauchamp]

5 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

I find it discouraging that when young players come up to the majors, they already are having a shift thrown at them.  I would hope young hitters would learn to hit to all fields and go with the pitch, while in the minors.  I guess it's the same with pitchers, who don't have an array of pitchers or who can't pitch more than an inning or two.  The minors really have seemed to regress when it comes to teaching the basics.  

Kids in the minors learn the basics, there's more to it than just not being able to spray balls. First, most players will show better results attempting to pull the ball more often. It has a cascading effect of fewer groundballs right to short and other automatic outs. Second, VELOCITY. There's little you can do to prepare players to face 98mph guys, who are so bloody common in today's game... and "deciding" which way to take the ball when guys are hammering the zone with 98mph fastballs is a skillset most players simply do not have because it's really freakin' hard.

I'm all in favor of just banning the shift because I don't see why it should exist. It's not fun to watch, it doesn't add to the experience. And then consider moving/changing the mound to reduce the massive advantage pitchers have in the game right now.

[SwainZag]

5 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

I find it discouraging that when young players come up to the majors, they already are having a shift thrown at them.  I would hope young hitters would learn to hit to all fields and go with the pitch, while in the minors.  I guess it's the same with pitchers, who don't have an array of pitchers or who can't pitch more than an inning or two.  The minors really have seemed to regress when it comes to teaching the basics.  

It's just the way the game has changed.  You see it once in awhile, but pretty rare to see any hitter change his approach, even when staring at an extreme shift.  The same goes with hitting with 2 strikes.  I grew up playing you choked up on a 2-strike count and made sure you made contact.  Now you seem the same swings on 0-2 as you do on 2-0.  

 

With league wide batting averages going down and strikeouts still on the rise you have to assume that we are do for change in philosophy once again.  But who knows.

[stringer bell]

I feel a walk coming for Astudillo. 

[stringer bell]

Just now, stringer bell said:

I feel a walk coming for Astudillo. 

Or a soft single. 

[wsnydes]

Just now, SwainZag said:

It's just the way the game has changed.  You see it once in awhile, but pretty rare to see any hitter change his approach, even when staring at an extreme shift.  The same goes with hitting with 2 strikes.  I grew up playing you choked up on a 2-strike count and made sure you made contact.  Now you seem the same swings on 0-2 as you do on 2-0.  

 

With league wide batting averages going down and strikeouts still on the rise you have to assume that we are do for change in philosophy once again.  But who knows.

One would certainly hope so.  Though, the change in philosophy to beat the shift was to hit it over the shift.  Not the change in philosophy I was hoping for.    

[sampleSizeOfOne]

16 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

A couple hits would be nice to see

Astudillo agrees.

[Cap'n Piranha]

5 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I'm all in favor of just banning the shift because I don't see why it should exist. It's not fun to watch, it doesn't add to the experience. And then consider moving/changing the mound to reduce the massive advantage pitchers have in the game right now.

I'm in favor of banning the strikeout.  It's not fun to watch, it doesn't add to the experience.  And then consider starting every inning with the bases full to reduce the advantage pitchers have in the game right now.

[bighat]

Getting shut out by the worst pitcher on the worst team in baseball is a sign that the Twins' problems aren't over. They need sweeps, and today's game provides them with the best chance they'll have all year for one. Pretty sad display so far from the offense, and not for the first time.

The Royals aren't the Orioles and it's not even close, BTW. They're a better team than the Twins and it would take a real good argument for a reasonable person to be convinced otherwise.

Hope Nelson Cruz has at least one more hot streak in him before the trade deadline. At this rate the Twins aren't going to get much for him - he looks very much his age right now.