Game Thread: Twins @ Tampa Bay, 9/3/21 @ 6:10pm CT

[twinssporto]

Good afternoon Twins fans and welcome to the Twins Daily Game Thread! I hope everyone is getting ready to relax and enjoy the long weekend celebrating Labor Day! For those of you that have to work on Monday try to take Tuesday off. You should get a day off for your labor as well.

Tonight our beloved cellar dwellers will take on the Tampa Bay Rays. I lived in Tampa/St. Pete for almost 7 years and loved the area. I was there when the Rays started. The stadium is as bad as the Metrodome was by the way. Not a great place to watch MLB baseball...Regardless, the area is very nice and St. Pete has gone through a transition that rivals a lot of other cities around the country. Great restaurants, attractions, etc.  

Tonight big Randy Dobnak takes the mound after a long absence due to injury, I'm hoping he throws well tonight as he will need to start building confidence for 2022. Before Randy was put on the IL he posted a 1-6 record with a 7.83 ERA...Yikes! I'm betting Randy throws a decent game tonight against a great team. Hopefully Cruz doesn't light him up.

Anyway, here is tonight's lineups. 

GO TWINS!!!

TWINS:

1. Luis Arraez, 3B

2. Byron Buxton, CF

3. Jorge Polanco, 2B

4. Josh Donaldson, DH

5. Max Kepler, RF

6. Miguel Sano, 1B

7. Nick Gordon, LF

8. Ryan Jeffers, C

9. A. Simmons, SS

P - Randy Dobnak (R)

 

TAMPA BAY

1. Brandon Lowe, 2B

2. Joey Wendle, 3B

3. Nelson Cruz, DH

4. A. Meadows, LF

5. R. Arozarena, RF

6. K. Kiermaier, CF

7. Sandy Diaz, 1B

8. F. Mejia, C

9. Taylor Walls, SS

P - Michael Wacha, (R)

Weather: Dry inside 

[Unwinder]

I seem to recall Wacha being pretty bad last time we played the Rays. This bodes well for Dobber.

[Brock Beauchamp]

[RickOShea]

Good evening, Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, and Children of all Ages.  Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth, the Minnesota Twins!!  

[Squirrel]

Lol on the game announcement at the top of the page

[Squirrel]

ooo ... POLANCO!!!

[RickOShea]

Is Bremer's depth perception, gone?

[Squirrel]

Well ... since he's not actually there (right?), it's probably not the best

[Squirrel]

A very typical Dobnak inning ... 3 ground ball outs

[Squirrel]

woohoo Kep! Now get him home!

[wabene]

A grown man in white glasses, not my cuppa.

 

Other than that go Dobber!

[Squirrel]

I'm okay with it ... I'd play tennis in white glasses  

[RickOShea]

1 minute ago, Squirrel said:

I'm okay with it ... I'd play tennis in white glasses  

If he can pitch, He can wear pink glasses, with yellow daisies.

[wabene]

That's a nice look for a lady on the tennis court, just sayin. I know it is a completely stupid complaint! I'm down with the 'stache

[RickOShea]

Just now, RickOShea said:

If he can pitch, He can wear pink glasses, with yellow daisies.

Of course, his wearing a uniform is assumed.

[Squirrel]

ugh ... that wasn't a good play

[RickOShea]

Jeffers would have had to have a 12' arm to reach Meadows.  He was way too far in front of the plate.

[Squirrel]

2 minutes ago, wabene said:

That's a nice look for a lady on the tennis court, just sayin. I know it is a completely stupid complaint! I'm down with the 'stache

My sunglasses are red. I've played tennis in them before. Unfortunately, I once had to play tennis with them indoors. I forgot my regular glasses and my contacts, so I was stuck with my sunglasses (which are prescription) ... I might have looked 'cool' playing in my red sunglasses ... but it wasn't great for indoor tennis

[Squirrel]

1 minute ago, Squirrel said:

ugh ... that wasn't a good play

And mistakes will haunt ... 

[MMMordabito]

This whole inning is on Sano.

[Squirrel]

1 minute ago, RickOShea said:

Jeffers would have had to have a 12' arm to reach Meadows.  He was way too far in front of the plate.

It was a bad decision to even throw to him ... doesn't matter where Jeffers was ... Sano should have taken the out at first

[RpR]

9 minutes ago, wabene said:

A grown man in white glasses, not my cuppa.

 

Other than that go Dobber!

I do not know where that, now,  too common fashion kitsch came from but I will be glad when it crawls back into it hole.

[gunnarthor]

This was pretty predictable 

[gunnarthor]

1 minute ago, MMMordabito said:

This whole inning is on Sano.

Not the pitcher who can't miss any bats?

[MMMordabito]

2 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Not the pitcher who can't miss any bats?

Nope, it's on the first baseman that doesn't understand his pitcher's game or fundamental baseball.

[wabene]

Some mediocre and bad defense but Dobs isn't quite sharp. Maybe he'll pull it together.

[RpR]

They call them wild pitches but I am sure other teams are happy when Jeffers catches as he could not block a Turtle pitch bounching in at 10 mph.

[RpR]

I see we have another umpire who creates his own strike zone.

[Irishman]

This season Twins pitching is mess.   And too many players are injured.    Pitching coach, strength and.conditioning coach should be replaced. 

[RickOShea]

Nice to see the old Buxton is back.  I don't have to worry about missing his at bats, again.