Game Thread: Twins v Royals 1:10pm cdt 09/12/2021

[Matthew Lenz]

Royals Killer

Max Kepler will look to add to his career .826 OPS against the Kansas City Royals in 322 plate appearances over 78 games which equates to roughly half a season of games played. If we extrapolate that to an entire season, he is slashing .266/.376/.826 with 18 homeruns, 96 runs scored, and 58 RBI. This season alone he's hit two homeruns with an OPS of .891 after Saturday night where he went 2-for-4 with a 2B and HR.

Twins Killer

Royals backstop, Salvador Perez, enters today with 576 career plate appearances over 141 games against the Minnesota Twins which is almost perfectly the equivalent to playing one full season. In "one season" of plate appearances against the Twins he is slashing .297/.325/.843 with 28 homeruns, 77 runs scored, and 98 RBI with a "great" strikeout percentage, per Fangraphs definitions. He's in the midst of a career year at the plate and that includes an OPS of .879 with five homeruns in 15 games played against the Twins, although he's just 1-for-9 in this current series. Lineups are not yet out for Sundays matchup against Bailey Ober, but if he's in the lineup...he could be looking to rebound from the first two games.

Conversation Starter

Who are some other "Twins Killers" you recall and remember watching throughout the years? Or, who are some Twins that would seemed to shine against a certain opponent? I'll share one of mine below!

[Matthew Lenz]

Started following the Twins in the late 90's/early 2000's, so my Twins Killer was probably David Ortiz...in more ways than one. I'm not going to look up the stats because I'm trying to enjoy my Sunday but it seemed like he just owned the Twins every time we faced him, which we didn't even do in the playoffs when he was at his best!  Just salt in the wound after dealing him early in his career.

On the flip side, Mauer versus the White Sox was always fun to watch. Again, didn't look up the stats so just going off observational memories but he's one I remember dominating the White Sox.

[Brock Beauchamp]

58 minutes ago, Matthew Lenz said:

Started following the Twins in the late 90's/early 2000's, so my Twins Killer was probably David Ortiz...in more ways than one. I'm not going to look up the stats because I'm trying to enjoy my Sunday but it seemed like he just owned the Twins every time we faced him, which we didn't even do in the playoffs when he was at his best!  Just salt in the wound after dealing him early in his career.

*pours a bag of salt on Matt*

Yeah, as it turns out, he ****ing killed the Twins in his career. Ouch.

Opponent

I	Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+
	Minnesota Twins	73	73	321	283	43	94	23	0	21	58	0	1	37	44	.332	.408	.636	1.044	180	9	0	0	1	5	2	.333	123

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/12/2021.

 

[stringer bell]

This goes back to the 80s, but John Butcher, who was acquired with Mike Smithson before the 1984 season, owned the Baltimore Orioles. Lifetime he was 6-1 and he had a winning record against only one other team (Oakland). In Butcher's two full seasons with the Twins, he was 5-1 vs. the Os.

[Squirrel]

Lineups:

ROYALS

1. Whit Merrifield (R) 2B
2. Nicky Lopez (L) SS
3. Salvador Perez (R) DH
4. Andrew Benintendi (L) LF
5. Carlos Santana (S) 1B
6. Adalberto Mondesi (S) 3B
7. Ryan O'Hearn (L) RF
8. Kyle Isbel (L) CF
9. Sebastian Rivero (R) C
   Kris Bubic (L) P

TWINS

1. Byron Buxton (R) CF
2. Rob Refsnyder (R) RF
3. Luis Arraez (L) 2B
4. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
5. Miguel Sano (R) DH
6. Brent Rooker (R) LF
7. Ryan Jeffers (R) C
8. Willians Astudillo (R) 1B
9. Andrelton Simmons (R) SS
   Bailey Ober (R) P

[shortround81]

4 hours ago, Matthew Lenz said:

Conversation Starter

Who are some other "Twins Killers" you recall and remember watching throughout the years? 

Front office decisions. 

[stringer bell]

Lots of traffic on a Twins site, with the Vikings opener at the same time. First and third, nobody out in the top of the first. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Byron Buxton is really good at baseball. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Bailey Ober doesn’t look great today. 

[Matthew Lenz]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Byron Buxton is really good at baseball. 

PAY THAT MAN

[wsnydes]

Score one...give it right back...

[Matthew Lenz]

6 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Score one...give it right back...

Then strikeout three in a row ?

"Interesting strategy cotton, let's see if it works out for them",

[Matthew Lenz]

Also an easy inning for the camera crew

 

[wsnydes]

Just now, Matthew Lenz said:

 

Some exciting baseball right there!?

[Matthew Lenz]

Astudillo being the hero by just grounding out on the 1st pitch instead of getting into a situation where he could strikeout.

3 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Some exciting baseball right there!?

 

[Nine of twelve]

When there is an infield fly the batter is out and the runners can advance at their own risk. The thing about that in this case is that it removes the force play at third and second. On the play neither runner was tagged out so they should have been placed at third and second.

[wsnydes]

JA Happ 5.1 of shutout ball today for the Cards.

[Matthew Lenz]

50 minutes ago, Matthew Lenz said:

Astudillo being the hero by just grounding out on the 1st pitch instead of getting into a situation where he could strikeout.

 

And another 1-pitch AB!

[Squirrel]

If they can find a way to get Alcala mad before he goes out to pitch, no one would ever hit him

[PDX Twin]

3 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

If they can find a way to get Alcala mad before he goes out to pitch, no one would ever hit him

It worked for Al Hrabosky ...

[PDX Twin]

One of the times I wish Sano would just strike out and let the next guy try.

[stringer bell]

Tough to win games when Sanó and Donaldson are struggling. 

[h2oface]

Solid. Cellar Dwellers.

[LVTwinsfan]

The Vikings, starting with Cousins, are not clutch. Same old story.

[Rick Blaine]

12 hours ago, Matthew Lenz said:

Who are some other "Twins Killers" you recall and remember watching throughout the years? 

Craig Monroe with the Tigers