Game Thread: Twins @ Tigers, 4/30 - 6:08pm

[Brock Beauchamp]

Lineups:

 

Twins:

Eduardo Escobar 2B

Joe Mauer C

Josh Willingham DH

Justin Morneau 1B

Chris Parmelee RF

Trevor Plouffe 3B

Oswaldo Arcia LF

Wilkin Ramirez CF

Pedro Florimon SS

(Vance Worley P)

 

Tigers:

Austin Jackson CF

Torii Hunter RF

Miguel Cabrera 3B

Prince Fielder 1B

Victor Martinez DH

Andy Dirks LF

Jhonny Peralta SS

Alex Avila C

Omar Infante 2B

(Justin Verlander P)

[Willihammer]

1. Eduardo Escobar (S) 2B

2. Joe Mauer (L) C

3. Josh Willingham ® DH

4. Justin Morneau (L) 1B

5. Chris Parmelee (L) RF

6. Trevor Plouffe ® 3B

7. Oswaldo Arcia (L) LF

8. Wilkin Ramirez ® CF

9. Pedro Florimon (S) SS

 

1. Austin Jackson ® CF

2. Torii Hunter ® RF

3. Miguel Cabrera ® 3B

4. Prince Fielder (L) 1B

5. Victor Martinez (S) DH

6. Andy Dirks (L) LF

7. Jhonny Peralta ® SS

8. Alex Avila (L) C

9. Omar Infante ® 2B

 

according to this website anyway: MLB Daily Lineups - Baseball Press

[Brock Beauchamp]

Works for me.

[Shane Wahl]

Two things to note:

 

1. Holy hell, Wilkin Ramirez in CF!

2. Why the hell is Mauer playing AGAIN and catching no less. Can't this manager see that he needs a day off??????

[ashbury]

Wilkin Ramirez in CF!

 

Well, he did play CF for the Holiday Inn Express company softball team one year.

[Shane Wahl]

No he played some in the minors in 2011 and some more in 2010. It has just been a little while.

[ashbury]

No he played some in the minors in 2011 and some more in 2010. It has just been a little while.

 

Yeah, he's better than an emergency CF. A total of about a half-season experience in his 9 years.

[SweetOne69]

Two things to note:

 

1. Holy hell, Wilkin Ramirez in CF!

2. Why the hell is Mauer playing AGAIN and catching no less. Can't this manager see that he needs a day off??????

 

My Guess is that Mauer will get Wednesday (Day game) and Thursday (No Game) off.

[Mike Sixel]

Worley better not give up many fly balls/line drives.....that OF is, um, interesting. Good luck tonight gentlemen.

[Top Gun]

looks good to me.

[Guest USAFChief]

Two things to note:

 

1. Holy hell, Wilkin Ramirez in CF!

2. Why the hell is Mauer playing AGAIN and catching no less. Can't this manager see that he needs a day off??????

This will be all of six consecutive games since Mauer's last day off. One of those days was at 1b. There's an off day Thursday. He'll survive.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If your $23m catcher says he's good to go, he's good to go.

 

Mauer will get days off soon enough.

[big dog]

Apparently Mauer has an OBP in the high .400s against Verlander, so maybe this gets him going again.

 

Hard to believe I said that facing Verlander would get someone going, but hey let's see if it works.

[ashbury]

Game avatar for Vanimal is now up, courtesy of Willihammer.

 

Willihammer is invited to discard his current avatar for something a little less disgusting, BTW.

[Riverbrian]

Just guessing... But the lineup may be a little Verlander relief for Hicks.

[Guest USAFChief]

Well, at least we made 'm work in the top of the 1st.

[GCTF]

I blinked and I missed the top of the first.

[ashbury]

Well, at least we made 'm work in the top of the 1st.

 

Batting leadoff against Verlander will tend to bring your batting average down to human proportions in a hurry.

[GCTF]

Time of game...9 minutes.

[ashbury]

2-0. That didn't take long.

[Riverbrian]

Icky start

[Riverbrian]

Note to Worley... Down... Keep the ball down...

 

Everything is up.

[GCTF]

Vance Blackburn, struggling mightily.

[big dog]

Didn't you mean to say that he's battling?

[Riverbrian]

Does Battling mean laying it in there perfectly for Tigers.

[ashbury]

Icky start

 

True, but (not to put a curse on anything) Vanimal has had first inning jitters before. Last game, we noted that he delayed it to the second inning jitters; same diff. He's shown the ability to settle down and make it through 6 innings, so we can hope he holds to form here and gives his team a chance.

[Guest USAFChief]

Can't really blame Plouffe for not swinging at that.

[Guest USAFChief]

Off the bat I thought Arcia got that one.

[Riverbrian]

True, but (not to put a curse on anything) Vanimal has had first inning jitters before. Last game, we noted that he delayed it to the second inning jitters; same diff. He's shown the ability to settle down and make it through 6 innings, so we can hope he holds to form here and gives his team a chance.

 

All he has to do is get the ball down. He can do it.... Ummm... He better do it.

[Riverbrian]

Off the bat I thought Arcia got that one.

 

handle shot to fairly deep right. He's got some strongness.