Game Thread: Twins @ Red Sox, 8/26/21 @ 6:05pm CT

[shortround81]

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best

And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life

-“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian; Written by Eric Idle

There are several positive things that can be taken from the Minnesota Twins’ 2021. Okay, some positive things. Like . . . Um . . . Well, things happened this season. Nobody on the current roster was in the film, Cats, so that’s good. 

Being a Minnesota sports fan comes with its fair share of ups and downs. There have been several disappointments over the years, and the 2021 Minnesota Twins season is no exception. However, there is a lingering sense of possibility and optimism Midwesterners (and Midwesterners at heart) hold onto in their cheese-curd-cholesterol-laden hearts! 

So, what do you say, Twins fans? Can we pull ourselves by our Redwing bootstraps? Can we polish this turd until it glows as bright the Northern Star in our wildfire smoke-filled sky? What is one positive you will cling to this offseason until Spring Training 2022?

At least we’re not the Baltimore Orioles!

MN Twins

1. Ben Refsnyder, RF (R)

2. Brent Rooker, LF (R)

3. Josh Donaldson, DH (R)

4. Miguel Sano, 1B (R)

5. Luis Arraez, 2B (L)

6. Ryan Jeffers, C (R)

7. Willians Astudillo, 3B (R) 

8. Nick Gordon, CF (L)

9. Andrelton Simmons, SS (R)

0. John Gant, SP (R)

 

BOS Red Sox

1. Enrique Hernandez, SS (R)

2. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)

3. J.D. Martinez, LF (R)

4. Rafael Devers, 3B (L)

5. Alex Verdugo, RF (L)

6. Christian Vasquez, C (R)

7. Christian Arroyo, 2B (R)

8. Jarren Duran, CF (L)

9. Bobby Dalbec, 1B (L)

0. Chris Sale (L)

Edited August 26, 2021 by shortround81
Updated Line Up

[stringer bell]

Rubber game of a three-game series. Interesting to see the pitchers' lines in small sample size. Everything but earned runs allowed are very similar. 

[RpR]

OK, this should be an interesting experiment; nice if it all works out.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Meh, looked like they might run up Sale's pitch count there for a minute.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Did we win yet?

[Brock Beauchamp]

4 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Did we win yet?

Hard to say until both teams get a look at the other bullpen. I'm putting the over/under on runs in innings 6-9 at 14.5.

[Cap'n Piranha]

2021 Twins positives

• Byron Buxton, when healthy, looking like the best player in the game, bar none.
• Jorge Polanco proving that, when healthy, he is a bona fide top half of the order hitter for a playoff team
• Mitch Garver giving hope that 2020 was the fluke, rather than 2019
• Bailey Ober stepping up and looking like a solid 4th or 5th starter, despite only 40 innings above high A (and not pitching at all in 2020)
• Restocking the farm system at the deadline with potentially a legitimate 1/2 hitter, 2 starters, and 1-3 relievers, one of whom could be high impact.

[LVTwinsfan]

This infield reminds me of the movie, Bad News Bears. They had good days too

[Brock Beauchamp]

Well, can't say I'm surprised.

[LVTwinsfan]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Well, can't say I'm surprised.

He had defense, but he found a way around that

[Brock Beauchamp]

So can the Twins finally admit that John Gant is not a starting ****ing pitcher?

I mean, I didn't think anyone needed more evidence but apparently they did.

[RickOShea]

It's uncanny how often ( or at least it seems) walks end up biting you in the posterior.

[RickOShea]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

So can the Twins finally admit that John Gant is not a starting ****ing pitcher?

I mean, I didn't think anyone needed more evidence but apparently they did.

Yeah, we gert live updates every time he strolls out there.

[Irishman]

Just now, Brock Beauchamp said:

So can the Twins finally admit that John Gant is not a starting ****ing pitcher?

I mean, I didn't think anyone needed more evidence but apparently they did.

No, John Gant is not SP.   

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

Yeah, we gert live updates every time he strolls out there.

I just don't get it. I'd literally try almost anyone before Gant, as I think Gant can be a pretty good bullpen piece but is a trainwreck as a starter.

If you're going to field a trainwreck at starter either way, may as well have a decent bullpen piece to back it up.

[Danchat]

3 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

So can the Twins finally admit that John Gant is not a starting ****ing pitcher?

I mean, I didn't think anyone needed more evidence but apparently they did.

I just don't get what they're doing anymore. Gant is clearly a reliever and should be groomed as such for 2022, the bullpen is full of AAAA guys who won't be around next year... we have pitching prospects at AAA. USE THEM!!!

[Irishman]

The Twins cannot do anything with Sale pitching.   Sale may go for no-hit game tonight.  

[Irishman]

2 minutes ago, Danchat said:

I just don't get what they're doing anymore. Gant is clearly a reliever and should be groomed as such for 2022, the bullpen is full of AAAA guys who won't be around next year... we have pitching prospects at AAA. USE THEM!!!

I don’t see any elite prospects in AA and AAA.   Maybe Ryan would be a good one.   Who knows?

[LVTwinsfan]

Gant can’t

[Brock Beauchamp]

Oh look, a leadoff double.

[LVTwinsfan]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Oh look, a leadoff double.

[RpR]

I just tuned in on gamecast, have the Twins missed double plays?

[Vanimal46]

Just can’t afford losing any of these stellar pitchers with our 40 man roster “crunch”. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Just now, RpR said:

I just tuned in on gamecast, have the Twins missed double plays?

There was one "miss", I guess, at least what I've seen of the game.

But really, it would have been almost impossible for Simmons to get the ball to first quickly enough to get two.

[LVTwinsfan]

Superman hit his 41st homer

[Danchat]

Just now, Irishman said:

I don’t see any elite prospects in AA and AAA.   Maybe Ryan would be a good one.   Who knows?

Jovani Moran and Yennier Cano are certainly not elite, but they're our organization's best reliever prospects, so why not give them a chance? What's to lose when they're giving guys like Juan Minaya, Alex Colome, Kyle Barraclough, and Andrew Albers chances?

And then there's the lower tier type like Ian Hamilton and Andrew Vasquez. Sure, they probably won't succeed, but Nick Anderson was on this tier of prospect and it took another organization to appreciate his talents. Meanwhile this same FO was giving Matt Belisile an infinite number of chances. I was always confounded by that decision of the FO, and I see it has spread like a sickness. They're addicted to older pitchers who they think they can fix, but most of the time they can't.

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Just can’t afford losing any of these stellar pitchers with our 40 man roster “crunch”. 

I don't think they're worried about the pitchers currently on the roster, it's all those pitchers sitting on the IL they care about.

[Irishman]

Buxton play tomorrow?

[Brock Beauchamp]

Wow, current pitchers on the IL. This is ugly.

Jorge Alcala
Edwar Colina
Randy Dobnak
Luke Farrell 
Derek Law
Kenta Maeda
Michael Pineda
Taylor Rogers
Devin Smeltzer
Cody Stashak
Lewis Thorpe

Yikes. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to drop at least a couple of those names without worrying about it much.

[Vanimal46]

Gant’s pickoff throw was juuuuuust a bit outside.