Jump to content
An AL Central clash with the Royals tonight! Come join our game thread! ×
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Game Thread: Minnesota @ Cleveland 9/7/21, 5:10pm CST

TwerkTwonkTwins

By TwerkTwonkTwins
in Archived Game Threads

Recommended Posts

TwerkTwonkTwins First Round Pick

TwerkTwonkTwins

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

Remember when the Twins traveled to Progressive Park in September of 2019 to decide the fate of the AL Central? Oh how these teams have taken a step back. Minnesota more so than Cleveland, but misery doesn't like to live alone. Maybe I need to stop living in 2019, but man - was that a fun season. 

Gant wait to see how this start goes.

The Twins are throwing John Gant at Cleveland today, for his fourth start as a Minnesota Twin. Gant was effective as a reliever in his first few outings since being traded for J.A. Happ: 

Reliever Gant:

8.2 IP, 13 Ks, 2 BBs, .651 OPS, 4.15 ERA

Starter Gant:

12.1 IP, 12 Ks, 4 BBs, .749 OPS, 7.30 ERA

While starting pitcher Gant hasn't been as effective, his overall body of work shows that he's been unlucky since being traded. FanGraphs values his time as in Minnesota at 0.4 WAR, despite a 6.00 ERA in 21 total inning pitched. While that's an ugly ERA, the underlying stats are positive.  His FIP is 3.50, and xFIP is even lower at 2.99 (the lowest of his career). 

John Gant will be arbitration eligible in 2022, probably making roughly $3 - $4M, a slight raise from his $2.1M mark. I wouldn't pencil him into the starting rotation, but he's not an immediate cut for me. It's important to build depth beyond 5 guys that an organization pencils into their rotation in March. Gant provides some swingman depth, but at a price that's higher than average for that role. Would you bring back Gant for 2022, at $3.5M? He has a few more starts to plead his case. 

Civale shows that you can return from a sprained finger

Gant's opponent on the mound tonight is Aaron Civale, making his first start since 6/21. Civale was having a stupendous season until that point, accumulating 1.2 fWAR over 15 starts with a 3.32 ERA. Civale has been out with a sprained finger, an injury that has haunted the Twins with Randy Dobnak and Taylor Rogers missing significant time with this diagnosis. Ervin Santana was never the same after his finger injury in 2018. 

I'll be interested to see how all these pitchers bounce back. Dobnak had an encouraging end to his most recent start, but I'm doubtful we'll see Taylor Rogers until 2022. On the flip side, that gives him plenty of recovery time to properly heal. Fingers crossed!

Rocco  Papa Baldelli

Bill Evers will be managing today, as Rocco and his wife welcomed Louisa Sunny Baldelli. That is an 80-grade name, in my book. Louisa has been added to the human population's active roster. 

THE LINEUPS

Your Minnesota Twins (60 - 77)

1. Luis Arraez - DH

2. Byron Buxton - CF

3. Josh Donaldson - 3B

4. Jorge Polanco - 2B

5. Miguel Sanó - 1B

6. Max Kepler - RF

7. Brent Rooker - LF

8. Ben Rortvedt - C

9. Andrelton Simmons - SS

SP - John Gant (4-9, 3.98 ERA)

 

Cleveland Soon-To-Be-Guardians (68 - 67)

1. Myles Straw - CF

2. Andrés Giménez - SS

3. José Ramírez - 3B

4. Franmil Reyes - DH

5. Harold Ramirez - LF

6. Bradley ZImmer - RF

7. Yu Chang - 1B

8.  Owen Miller - 2B

9. Austin Hedges - C

SP - Aaron Civale (10-2, 3.32 ERA)

 

  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Dodecahedron Draft Eligible

Dodecahedron

Twins Daily Jail
Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, TwerkTwonkTwins said:

Civale has out with a sprained finger, an injury that has haunted the Twins with Randy Dobnak and Taylor Rogers missing significant time with this diagnosis. Ervin Santana was never the same after his finger injury in 2018. 

I'll be interested to see how all these pitchers bounce back. Dobnak had an encouraging end to his most recent start, but I'm doubtful we'll see Taylor Rogers until 2022. On the flip side, that gives him plenty of recovery time to properly heal. Fingers crossed!

Ouch!

What else could we say at the end there?  Break a leg?  Knock 'Em Dead?

Best Wishes Omg GIF

shortround81 First Round Pick

shortround81

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, TwerkTwonkTwins said:

Rocco  Papa Baldelli

Bill Evers will be managing today, as Rocco and his wife welcomed Louisa Sunny Baldelli. That is an 80-grade name, in my book. Louisa has been added to the human population's active roster. 

She has been immediately placed on the IL due to bilateral leg weakness. Corresponding move will be announced after the game.

Seriously, though. Welcome to the team, Baby Baldelli

jimbo92107 Cedar Rapids Kernels

jimbo92107

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

John Gant has very good form. Good balance, and he finishes ready to pounce on anything in front of him. 

Only thing I'd change is his glove hand. Point the palm forward, fingers up, then pull down into the ribs, like Koufax. That puts the glove out front to distract the hitter. 

sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Still not sure I understand Gant as starter vs reliever.....

When a pitcher opens a game on the mound, that pitcher is starting.

 

If the pitcher takes the place of another pitcher in the middle of the game, that pitcher is said to have relieved the other pitcher, making him a reliever.

Mr. Gant was doing the latter with the Cardinals, as well as his first few outings as a Twin. Now he is doing the former.

Does that help?

sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, TwerkTwonkTwins said:

Rocco  Papa Baldelli

Bill Evers will be managing today, as Rocco and his wife welcomed Louisa Sunny Baldelli. That is an 80-grade name, in my book. Louisa has been added to the human population's active roster.

Hurray!

LVTwinsfan FCL Twins

LVTwinsfan

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

Bremer thinks he knows what hitters are thinking and he’s almost always wrong. Ramirez swung and missed a high fastball and he was visibly upset. Bremer suggested that Ramirez reacted that way because he should have done something with that pitch. No Dick that pitch was high out of zone and Ramirez was upset because he didn’t lay off that pitch.

h2oface Wichita Wind Surge

h2oface

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

I'll take 5 innings of what Gant did today over 5 innings of the usual 3 runs given up in 5 by Pineda just about every outing...... plus... he knows how to wear his hat. :blink:

TwerkTwonkTwins First Round Pick

TwerkTwonkTwins

Verified Member
Posted
  • Author
Posted

I love when Rooker goes deep to the opposite field. This has been his first back-to-back starts since August 28th and 29th.

 

There will always be major contacct concerns, but I hope they find a way to mix him into the lineup down the stretch. 

LVTwinsfan FCL Twins

LVTwinsfan

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, h2oface said:

When balls are called strikes and strikes are called balls..... there is a human calling them.

Damn humans

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund

You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Twins community on the internet.

Become a Caretaker

  • Member Statistics

    20,480
    Total Members
    48,845
    Most Online
    Burr
    Newest Member
    Burr
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...