Game Thread: Twins (Gray) v Astros (France), 5/29/23 @ 3:10 CT

[wsnydes]

[wsnydes]

Great to see Lewis back!  I hope that he can help spark the offense and hold down 3B.

And also, welcome back Kepler.

[Squirrel]

The pitcher for Houston looks a little like Dobnak in that photo

[wsnydes]

Just now, Squirrel said:

The pitcher for Houston looks a little like Dobnak in that photo

I thought it was at first glance.  It would have been pretty fun to see Dobnak and France duel.  The headshots side by side would have been worth it alone!

[wabene]

Here's hoping Gray has his pinpoint command today. He'll need it against that lineup highlighted by the Monster Alvarez.

[IndianaTwin]

I’ll go ahead and start the Lewis Lovefest. 

Summer of 2018, I was on a work trip to Iowa and decided to catch Cedar Rapids’ game at Clinton. 

(As an aside, the Clinton ballpark was like a scene from out of a movie. Unfortunately, it was “A League of Their Own.” It didn’t surprise me that they got the axe when MLB eliminated minor league teams because of their facilities, but it really was a cool place to catch a game. In a different way, I’d say the same about Burlington, where the handicap accessible seats meant that my elderly parents and I were sitting on top of the dugout!)

Small crowd, so I sat immediately behind the Twins dugouts. All the players were cordial to the bat boys, including the one with Down Syndrome. The batboys switched teams midway through the game, so I think there were four of them throughout the evening. 

Except for Lewis. First time he was on deck, he asked each batboy their name and had ongoing conversation as he got ready to hit. Next time up, he greeted them by name. His interaction and engagement appeared to be very genuine. You got the sense that he felt like, just like he was working hard to do his job well, so were they. I was impressed with the way he treated these kids with dignity, rather than taking them for granted. 

 

[ashbury]

48 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Great to see Lewis back!

Print those World Series tickets.

[wsnydes]

6 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I’ll go ahead and start the Lewis Lovefest. 

 

"Hi, my name is IndianaTwin and I'm a Lewis fan..."

Crowd: "Hi Indiana."

Sorry, that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read your post!  And you deserved a better mental image on my part than that!

Thanks for the story!

[wsnydes]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

Print those World Series tickets.

Tickets?  I've got my WS pennant on order already!

[ashbury]

7 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Tickets?  I've got my WS pennant on order already!

Playing the games is just a tedious formality, when you come right down to it.

[wsnydes]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Playing the games is just a tedious formality, when you come right down to it.

Indeed.  At least the players are getting their exercise.  

[CRF]

I'd rather have Wallner in RF than Kep. I know that's probably unrealistic at this point, because the FO won't do it, but I wish Kep was gone. Trade him for whatever you can get. Great to see Lewis back. Maybe he can give us some kind of spark and plug one of the holes in our lineup. 

[IndianaTwin]

20 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

"Hi, my name is IndianaTwin and I'm a Lewis fan..."

Crowd: "Hi Indiana."

Sorry, that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read your post!  And you deserved a better mental image on my part than that!

Could be worse. You should hear the images of me they have on White Sox Daily.

[Marcos]

33 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Tickets?  I've got my WS pennant on order already!

What is wrong with you… if not for above average SP, this team would have WORST record in MLB

[wsnydes]

1 minute ago, Marcos said:

What is wrong with you… if not for above average SP, this team would have WORST record in MLB

I'm an eternal optimist.  I can't help myself.

[mrtwinsfan]

51 minutes ago, Marcos said:

What is wrong with you… if not for above average SP, this team would have WORST record in MLB

Good thing our Starters are more than Average, might want to look at STATS

[rwilfong86]

I hope the Twins can come out and score some runs, the Astros certainly can 

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, Marcos said:

What is wrong with you… if not for above average SP, this team would have WORST record in MLB

But, the thing is, we DO have above average starters, so not sure your point.

[MABB1959]

Love seeing the difference in optimism and pessimism on this site. It is very interesting.  Yesterday someone sees Buxton as the Twins clutch hitter and all I could see only 1 hit in the entire Toronto series.  Maybe with Lewis coming back we will get more optimism 🤷🏻🤦‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

[wabene]

Out on a limb... PTC Lewis!

[Marcos]

 

11 minutes ago, MABB1959 said:

Love seeing the difference in optimism and pessimism on this site. It is very interesting.  Yesterday someone sees Buxton as the Twins clutch hitter and all I could see only 1 hit in the entire Toronto series.  Maybe with Lewis coming back we will get more optimism 🤷🏻🤦‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

There is NO pessimism. Just honest-to-goodness fact. With Buxton, time to start hitting off the tee again. I’m sure he will bounce back👍

[RickOShea]

The pressures of being a MLB player have to be tremendous.  In a sport, where failure is part of the daily game, any extra pressure is probably not welcomed that much.  I'm going to stay neutral on Lewis.  I hope he prospers, but the guy still needs time and some breathing room.  

[jkcarew]

I find it interesting that the talk of Lewis in CF has kind of gone away. Not that he ever played a ton in center in the minors, but 3B seems to be a waste of his range…and it’s not like we have a star playing CF.

Farmer at 3B and Lewis in CF would be better offensively over the longer haul, no? Maybe not by enough to compensate for the delta in defense?

With Lewis now, and Castro, Gallo, Kirilloff…it’s amazing how many different defensive configurations are possible that would render at least average-ish defense.

So, we have that going for us.

[Schmoeman5]

21 minutes ago, MABB1959 said:

Love seeing the difference in optimism and pessimism on this site. It is very interesting.  Yesterday someone sees Buxton as the Twins clutch hitter and all I could see only 1 hit in the entire Toronto series.  Maybe with Lewis coming back we will get more optimism 🤷🏻🤦‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

Aren't the coaches the same for Lewis as all the "bad" hitters on the Twins? If it's all on these coaches, then shouldn't Twins fan's expect the same results from Lewis?  Why the optimism? In fact I'm not sure why's the Twins even went down to Houston. They surely can't be expecting to win any games there and then they have Cleveland next! Might as well throw in the towel now. Don't tell that to the Celtics who were down 3-0 a week ago. 

[MABB1959]

10 minutes ago, RickOShea said:

The pressures of being a MLB player have to be tremendous.  In a sport, where failure is part of the daily game, any extra pressure is probably not welcomed that much.  I'm going to stay neutral on Lewis.  I hope he prospers, but the guy still needs time and some breathing room.  

I tend to stay neutral only to avoid disappointment.  So much in the last 10-20 years.  

[jkcarew]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

I'd rather have Wallner in RF than Kep. I know that's probably unrealistic at this point, because the FO won't do it, but I wish Kep was gone. Trade him for whatever you can get. Great to see Lewis back. Maybe he can give us some kind of spark and plug one of the holes in our lineup. 

Fwiw, Kepler would figure to put the ball in play much more than Wallner, which seems like a reasonable choice given the lineup’s struggles in that regard. Realistically, I see offensive Wallner as 2024’s version of 2023 Joey Gallo (assuming the Twins don’t resign Gallo). If he continues to improve and can be better than that, GREAT.

[MABB1959]

2 minutes ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Aren't the coaches the same for Lewis as all the "bad" hitters on the Twins? If it's all on these coaches, then shouldn't Twins fan's expect the same results from Lewis?  Why the optimism? In fact I'm not sure why's the Twins even went down to Houston. They surely can't be expecting to win any games there and then they have Cleveland next! Might as well throw in the towel now. Don't tell that to the Celtics who were down 3-0 a week ago. 

Hopefully he can add a spark that is missing.  Put some needed pressure on those being paid like Allstars 

[USAFChief]

13 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

I find it interesting that the talk of Lewis in CF has kind of gone away. Not that he ever played a ton in center in the minors, but 3B seems to be a waste of his range…and it’s not like we have a star playing CF.

Farmer at 3B and Lewis in CF would be better offensively over the longer haul, no? Maybe not by enough to compensate for the delta in defense?

With Lewis now, and Castro, Gallo, Kirilloff…it’s amazing how many different defensive configurations are possible that would render at least average-ish defense.

So, we have that going for us.

If there's some plan for Buxton to return to CF, then Lewis to 3rd makes a lot of sense to me.

Otherwise...you're 100 percent spot on.

[MABB1959]

It will most likely be a punch in the gut to Wallner who IMO earned his spot in the lineup 

[wsnydes]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

If there's some plan for Buxton to return to CF, then Lewis to 3rd makes a lot of sense to me.

Otherwise...you're 100 percent spot on.

Agreed.  I'm hoping that is a tell by having him play 3B.