Game Thread: Twins vs. Rangers, 8/22/22 @ 6:40pm CT

[twinssporto]

Good afternoon Twins fans and welcome back to more Game Thread fun! 

Tonight our beloved Twins take on the Texas Rangers. We need a win tonight to split the series with our I35 rivals Texas. Sonny Gray will take the mound for Minnesota while southpaw Cole Ragans will toe the line for the Rangers. Ragans is 0-2 with a 5.02 ERA while our sunny-side up Gray boasts a 7-3 record with an 3.11 ERA. Our lineup (1-7) looks decent tonight with the exception of Tim Beckham at DH and big Sandy Leon batting 9th.

I'm honestly at a cross roads how I feel about the Twins right now. There are so many injuries but there are some bright spots too. Stranger things have happened but if a few of our guys come back and we are within spitting distance of winning the division momentum may take over in October. I just don't know...The Twins are only 1.5 games back from Cleveland. I think we've got this but as they say in the court room..."the jury is still out".

It's Monday night, grab a cool beverage, fire up the grill and watch or listen to some Twins baseball while the weather is nice and cheer for your Minnesota Twins today! 

Let's GO Twins!

Tonight's lineups:

TWINS:

1. Luis Arraez, 2B

2. Carlos Correa, SS

3. Byron Buxton, CF

4. Jose Miranda, 1B

5. Max Kepler, RF

6. Gio Urshela, 3B

7. Nick Gordon, LF

8. Tim Beckham, DH

9. Sandy Leon, C

SP - Sonny Gray (R)

 

RANGERS:

1. Marcus Semien, 2B

2. Corey Seager, SS

3. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B

4. Adolis Garcia, RF

5. Jonah Heim, C

6. Leody Tavernas, CF

7. Kole Calhoun, LF

8. Brad Miller, DH

9. Ezequiel Duran, 3B

SP - Cole Ragans, (L)

 

Weather: 80 degrees and sunny (like Sunny Gray) and 0% chance of rain.

[twinssporto]

Pick-to-click - Miranda and Buxton.

We need some leadership on this team! Who will step up and put up?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

5 minutes ago, twinssporto said:

our I35 rivals

Good term. Not to be confused wtih KC.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Just now, twinssporto said:

Pick-to-click - Miranda and Buxton.

Which one is click?

(and does that make the other pick? or clack?)

[SwainZag]

Some early life in the bats would be extremely encouraging

[RickOShea]

Time to clean house.  Let's get rid of the dead wood and those who don't have a baseball IQ over 80.  We can't do any worse that what we've done the first 4 3/4 months of the season.  Let's use this time to build a team for the future.  Even if we were to make the post season, it would only be a cameo appearance, IMO.

[Parfigliano]

Beckham DH guy has no place being on a Triple A roster

[Tlaker]

Man, it would be so nice to build a big lead early and be able to relax in a laugher for once!

[SwainZag]

7 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

We can't do any worse that what we've done the first 4 3/4 months of the season.  

2021 would like to have a word....

[ashbury]

11 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

We can't do any worse that what we've done the first 4 3/4 months of the season. 

3 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

2021 would like to have a word....

Yeah, really.  I'm no Polyanna, but the first 4 3/4 months have added up to a winning record.  There are many ways to do worse than that.

I'm fine with thanking Tim Beckham for his service, though, and bringing up literally anyone else who has some kind of future.

[RickOShea]

I'm referring to the NOW.

[Squirrel]

7 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Polyanna

Pollyanna ... yeah, I don't think you're her ... I've met you

 

[Squirrel]

19 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

Let's get rid of the dead wood and those who don't have a baseball IQ over 80.

While this community is pretty savvy, I wonder how many of us would actually do better than professional players on such a test

[twinssporto]

48 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Which one is click?

(and does that make the other pick? or clack?)

It's click and clack! Miranda one, Correa two.

 

 

[twinssporto]

51 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Good term. Not to be confused wtih KC.

KC doesn't count. You know that as a Twins fan. 

[garn from vancouver]

if carlos had run hard from the get go he'd have had an in the park home run.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1 minute ago, twinssporto said:

KC doesn't count. You know that as a Twins fan. 

Pretty sure it is on i35 though...

Here it is, stuck in the middle...

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Correa is on third.

Maybe we can get him in?

[Parfigliano]

Time to shine rookie

[flpmagikat]

They heard you Chief!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

12 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Pollyanna ... yeah, I don't think you're her ... I've met you

 

But have you met her? 

[ashbury]

19 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Pollyanna

Thanks for the correction.  I spelled it like she was an Anna with multiple personalities.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Runners stranded at the corners.

Maybe next time it will be better.

[William K Johnson]

Why does Kepler bat fifth instead of Urschela against the left-hander?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

5 minutes ago, flpmagikat said:

They heard you Chief!

I didn't... What he say?

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Runners stranded at the corners.

Buxton took second when Miranda struck out.  Setting up for Kepler to pull a grounder for the final out.

[SwainZag]

11 minutes ago, garn from vancouver said:

if carlos had run hard from the get go he'd have had an in the park home run.

I mean....he still can't make a huge break towards 2nd until the ball is by Tavares or he would have been thrown out if he fields the hop.  

[RickOShea]

Kepler (401K) has cooled off, after his 3 hit game.  Of course, no one expects him to keep up that pace., but it was nice to see.

[garn from vancouver]

2 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

I mean....he still can't make a huge break towards 2nd until the ball is by Tavares or he would have been thrown out if he fields the hop. 

he ran out of the box like he thought it was going to be caught. he was giving up on it. run hard until the out is made. little league baseball.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

Buxton took second when Miranda struck out.  Setting up for Kepler to pull a grounder for the final out.

Oh right. I knew that. I just didn't believe in stealing bases, so i must have imagined it.

 

Some might think stranding runners on second and third would be even worse. So maybe i was just saving them a little anguish...