Game Thread - March 16 vs Rays

[ashbury]

Can't see a game thread, and I won't probably post more than this photo, but we're here and enjoying Ryan's start.

[MN_ExPat]

Super jealous!

[FlyingFinn]

Look at that picture. That's as close as the infielders can get without being illegal - SS near 2nd base, 3B in the SS position and both 2B and SS barely in the dirt. Can they leave their position once the ball is released by the pitcher or do they have to be "legal" when it crosses the plate?

[chpettit19]

17 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Look at that picture. That's as close as the infielders can get without being illegal - SS near 2nd base, 3B in the SS position and both 2B and SS barely in the dirt. Can they leave their position once the ball is released by the pitcher or do they have to be "legal" when it crosses the plate?

To get to the core of what I think you're after, there's no real movement that will be taking place to "cheat" the rule at all (in my opinion). The IFers can't be in motion on the pitch so the best you could do is jump across the base as the ball is hit, but that isn't a natural move for a mIFer and would likely throw off their footwork more than it'd help anything.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Look at that picture. That's as close as the infielders can get without being illegal - SS near 2nd base, 3B in the SS position and both 2B and SS barely in the dirt. Can they leave their position once the ball is released by the pitcher or do they have to be "legal" when it crosses the plate?

The new shift.

[twinssporto]

A Game Thread intro would have been nice to see as well....Guess you're too busy being on vacation while the rest of us in the Twin Cities watch more snow flying...

Looks like a great time! Wish I was there!

[tony&rodney]

Watched a couple of innings. It's just March baseball, but a number of non-competitive at bats. Is there any concern with the inordinate amount of Ks? 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

Can't see a game thread, and I won't probably post more than this photo, but we're here and enjoying Ryann start.

Can't see a game thread? You just started it.  🙂  Thank you!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

11 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Is there any concern with the inordinate amount of Ks? 

It's somewhere between Very Concerning and Absolutely Meaningless. Experts tend to disagree.

[Rosterman]

Well, the Twins did beat the Yankees 1-0. So this loss isn't horrible. But, man, so few guys in play that are going north with the team.

 

[mike8791]

I, too, am concerned with lack of offense.  Granted, the paucity of starters in the lineup is obvious, but isn't it time(2 weeks before the opener) to get the regulars on the field?  Others have pointed out the difficulty of the April schedule.  All the more reason to get Bux, CC, Polanco some at bats now.

Also curious about JR's performance?  Not particularly impressive, especially against the Rays' B lineup.  Was he experimenting with new pitches today or just off

[ashbury]

20 hours ago, MN_ExPat said:

Super jealous!

Well I make it a practice to always be jealous of those who envy me, so we're even.   Yes, it's pretty awesome to be back here again for the first time in several years.  Just a short visit this time - the major league game today, some miscellaneous Ft Myers stuff tomorrow, then Saturday will be devoted to the back fields for as long as the young'uns are on the minor league diamonds.  Absolutely beautiful day for a ball game today - a little more wind than usual, which we thought might prevent any home runs but a Ray (SS hopeful Tristan Gray batting third) did manage to poke one out to right field - we thought the wind stopped blowing exactly at that moment.  Our seats were atop the Twins bullpen and that was fun.

Responding now to other posters, we (Mrs Ash, and son Bashbury) noted the modified shift as well; I mostly was watching Brooks Lee, and he stood still until the ball was out of the pitcher's hand.  Among other rule changes, Caleb Thielbar got nicked one time for taking too long and ball-one was assessed against him.  It was mostly a minor-league starting lineup (we're guessing due to a combination of things including the World Baseball Classic) but the pitching was mostly major league.  Joe Ryan had most of the batters befuddled, and he went into the fifth inning so from this showing I'm not worried about him at all - he's rounding into regular season form.

Thanks for the responses, all!

[Nine of twelve]

3 hours ago, twinssporto said:

A Game Thread intro would have been nice to see as well....Guess you're too busy being on vacation while the rest of us in the Twin Cities watch more snow flying...

Looks like a great time! Wish I was there!

The opening post was all the intro that was needed.

[ashbury]

I don't see an article about Thursday's game, so I'll add this tidbit here. 

Caleb Thielbar got a pitch clock violation which resulted in an automatic "ball" call by the ump.  It turns out that the official field timer made an error and turned off the clock when Thielbar momentarily stepped off the pitching rubber with no runners on base, but fortunately Junior Valentine the plate umpire was keeping time in his head and assessed the violation anyway.  It's spring and it's a new rule, so these things are gonna happen, but for those who like to complain about umps, this is an instance that reminds me of their professionalism.  They sweat the details.

[Dave Borton]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

...for those who like to complain about umps, this is an instance that reminds me of their professionalism.  They sweat the details.

With the exception of Angel Hernandez, I love umps. Sorry I didn't go to umpire school while I was finishing my undergrad studies in Boca Raton. Too busy with the books and attending Ft Lauderdale Yanks, then part of the FSL, for $.50/game.