Game Thread: Twins @ Orioles, 6/1/2021, 6:05 PM EDT

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Going Streaking!

After Monday’s 3-2 overtime win, the Twins extended their win streak against the Orioles to 16 games and, one might say, began a new win streak of their own (currently at 1 game). Win streaks all start with that first game, right? 

The Twins had that long sustained streak of winning back in 2006 (yeah we know, 2006 is the only straw we have left to grasp at this point in 2021). 

On Sunday, June 11, 2006, the Twins beat Baltimore 4-0 to bring their record to 28-34 and trailed Detroit by 11.5 games. Starting from that date forward, the Twins went on quite a run, winning 15 of their last 16 games in June, putting their record at 43-35, eight games above .500, and trailing in the standings by only… 11.0 games.

Imagine going 15-1 and only making up a half game.

According to this CBSSports article, the Twins also trailed in the standings by 9.5 games on August 1st, 2006. What I don’t understand is why the writer didn’t go one day further, and point out that the Twins trailed by 10.5 games on August 2nd...   (Pro Tip: Be a wise information consumer and buy local).

Oh by the way, Baltimore is streaking as well: they have now lost 14 in a row. Back in 1988, when Baltimore opened the season 0-21 with a 21 game losing streak, it was the Twins who handed them losses 19, 20, 21. Talk about pressure on the Twins to win those games? 

Five things to watch out for in the game tonight:

1. Swinging at balls out of the strike zone
2. Opposing runners getting too big of leads from their bases
3. Extra innings
4. Streaking!
5. Where the opposing fielders are lined up 

At what point, and how many games back, can we say that a team is truly out of contention? Is there a magic number on a magic date? Sure, we can say “they’re out of it” as a way to express disappointment or lower expectations or commiserate with fellow fans, but at this point, are the Twins really out of it? 

If, give or take, the Twins are 6.0 games back on August 1st (2006, 2017) or even 6.0 back on September 1st (2006, 2009), if that is attainable, then shouldn’t 9.0 games back on July 1st be attainable as well? Or what about 12.0 games back on June 1st? 

Anything wrong with finding out? 

Lineups:

MINNESOTA TWINS

 

Michael Pineda (R)

 

1. Kyle Garlick (R) LF

2. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B

3. Nelson Cruz (R) DH

4. Mitch Garver (R) C

5. Alex Kirilloff (L) RF

6. Jorge Polanco (S) 2B

7. Miguel Sano (R) 1B

8. Rob Refsnyder (R) CF

9. Andrelton Simmons (R) SS

 

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

 

Bruce Zimmermann (L)

 

1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF

2. Trey Mancini (R) DH

3. Anthony Santander (S) RF

4. Freddy Galvis (S) SS

5. DJ Stewart (L) LF

6. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B

7. Maikel Franco (R) 3B

8. Stevie Wilkerson (S) 2B

9. Pedro Severino (R) C

 

Gametime Temp: 73°F

Chance of Precip: 0%

[ashbury]

39 minutes ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

Win streaks all start with that first game, right?

 

[wavedog]

Refsnyder is scratched and Astudillo is in for him in RF, with Garlick moving to CF and Kirilloff in LF thus qualifying this group as a strong candidate for worst outfield defense of the season.   Hope for a lot of Strikeouts and groundouts with some pop-ups mixed in.   

[ashbury]

9 minutes ago, wavedog said:

Refsnyder is scratched

Why can't we have nice uh, satisfactory uh, adequate things?

[bighat]

Against a garbage-throwing lefty Twins go strikeout, strikeout, walk, foul pop-out to start the game.

Not one ball put in play. Unwatchable.

[shortround81]

12 minutes ago, wavedog said:

Refsnyder is scratched 

If this is an IL situation, will the outfield wall pay our work comp claim?

 

(Sorry! I've watched his running into the wall highlight non-stop today)

[shortround81]

Well, we're off to a great start

[lecroy24fan]

If they'd have played Garver in the OF instead he wouldn't have gotten a foul ball off the nuts.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I take it we're not winning yet?

 

The game is long and my attention span is short

 

I'm not worried...

[USAFChief]

Few things in life piss me off more than giving up 0-2 RBI hits.

[h2oface]

Our first two hitters strike out swinging on balls, and Pineda starts by throwing meat in the middle of the zone. 

[lecroy24fan]

To be fair Pineda had been standing around for a few minutes.

[h2oface]

1 minute ago, lecroy24fan said:

To be fair Pineda had been standing around for a few minutes.

To be fair? I have no idea what that even means. Pitchers stand around even when they are pitching.

[lecroy24fan]

Just now, h2oface said:

To be fair? I have no idea what that even means. Pitchers stand around even when they are pitching.

Not usually for 5 minutes without throwing a pitch.

[ashbury]

16 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Few things in life piss me off more than giving up 0-2 RBI hits.

I can think of something that pisses off Mitch Garver more than that, at least at the moment.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

9 minutes ago, lecroy24fan said:

Not usually for 5 minutes without throwing a pitch.

I just stood around waiting for five minutes for someone to make another post. didnt bother me

[lecroy24fan]

Garlick goes yard! Spicy!

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

I just stood around waiting for five minutes for someone to make another post. didnt bother me

Command's a little off after the delay. Needed a capital "D" there.

[ashbury]

GARLICK!!!!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Tie game.

 

Life is satisfactory.

[Danchat]

Holy crap, Garlick in CF and Astudillo in RF? ?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

[ashbury]

Welp, there goes the no-hitter, Zimmerman.

[ashbury]

4 minutes ago, Danchat said:

Holy crap, Garlick in CF and Astudillo in RF? ?

Cats and dogs living together too. Mass hysteria.  Expect a disaster of Biblical proportion.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

GARLICK!!!!

On my phone display, the K starts a new line.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

holy heck that catch 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

i am okay with Sano's out there.

 

It was entertaining.

[ashbury]

Cedric Mullins is a baseball player.

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

On my phone display, the K starts a new line.

I'll have to remember to use 48-pt instead of 72.

[ashbury]

We're being done in by Baltimore's version of the M&M boys.