Game Thread: Royals@Twins 8/29 12:10PM

[big dog]

Last week Deduno talked about how nice it was that Hermann told him to go ahead and throw it in the dirt, he'd block it. Hermann's just got to be rethinking that whole thing right now. It's almost like Deduno is saying "OK, fine, you blocked that one. Block THIS!!!"

 

I don't blame Gardy for getting tossed- what's the point. And if I were Deduno, I'd plunk Maxwell in the ribs and get in the AC too.

 

-edit: not that I think Deduno can hit anything on purpose today.

[mikeee]

Deduno is the wild man.

[Winston Smith]

I guess if the players have given up Gardy may as well.

 

I wonder when we'll need a new stadium so we can compete again?

[Squirrel]

Think I'll just go take a nap instead.

[Mike Sixel]

Just checked teh box.....70+ pitches in three innings? Wow. does that count as fun with numbers?

[glunn]

I am glad to be busy at work today. This game is putrid.

[ashbury]

Just checked teh box.....70+ pitches in three innings? Wow. does that count as fun with numbers?

 

Not my idea of fun.

 

I've been cleaning the shower in between posts. More fun and less toxic.

 

Deduno with soreness, coming out after a decent third inning and only 70+ pitches?

[big dog]

I suppose Doumit's going to blame Morneau for not telling him to slide there, too. There would have been a close play at second if he hadn't run straight into the tag.

 

Willingham's got to be praying that the Orioles make a decent offer right about now. This is just terrible baseball. I'm glad that Ryan's at the game. Let's see what he does about it.

[ashbury]

Last week Deduno talked about how nice it was that Hermann told him to go ahead and throw it in the dirt, he'd block it.

 

Doumit caught him the previous game. Pointed comment?

[Mike Sixel]

Ryan should be required to sit in the non-air conditioned stands, for every home game....if he expects others to pay for this, he should have to watch it.

[big dog]

Doumit caught him the previous game. Pointed comment?

 

Doumit's catching this game (I thought it was Hermann when I posted), but it was Hermann when he beat the Indians. Here's the quote from Lavelle: "Deduno mentioned after the game that Herrmann tells him to not shy away from throwing his breaking ball into the dirt when he's trying to get a batter to chase. And that helps Deduno's confidence."

 

Anyway, the point was that if you tell Deduno to go ahead and throw the ball in the dirt, you may have unleashed something that shouldn't be let out.

[mikeee]

yeah Dozier!

[stringer bell]

I haven't checked Twins stats lately, but reading and hearing about them breaking the team strikeout record in August, I thought I 'd take a look. With Mauer sidelined, Gardenhire is putting out brutal lineups. They have strikeout machines in several positions and nobody who is above average. Morneau, Arcia, Willingham and Dozier sit between .700 and .750 in OPS, Plouffe, Herrmann, Ramirez, and Doumit check in between .650 and .700 and anybody else is even below that. If they 500 at bats, everybody would strike out over 100 times, including Mauer. Colabello, Thomas, and Arcia strike out on over a third of their at-bats and several guys aren't far behind that. I see Dozier just homered, tying the all-time 2B record for homers in a single season. Good for him.

[big dog]

Dozier's a bright spot, no question. It is astonishing to look at the stats in the lineup. I still believe some of those guys are better than that, but perhaps my hopes are getting the best of me. I sure don't want to believe Morneau's done.

[ashbury]

Ryan should be required to sit in the non-air conditioned stands, for every home game....if he expects others to pay for this, he should have to watch it.

 

He should also be required to watch all nine innings of every rainout, plus extra innings if need be.

[ashbury]

I haven't checked Twins stats lately, but reading and hearing about them breaking the team strikeout record in August, I thought I 'd take a look. With Mauer sidelined, Gardenhire is putting out brutal lineups. They have strikeout machines in several positions and nobody who is above average. Morneau, Arcia, Willingham and Dozier sit between .700 and .750 in OPS, Plouffe, Herrmann, Ramirez, and Doumit check in between .650 and .700 and anybody else is even below that. If they 500 at bats, everybody would strike out over 100 times, including Mauer. Colabello, Thomas, and Arcia strike out on over a third of their at-bats and several guys aren't far behind that. I see Dozier just homered, tying the all-time 2B record for homers in a single season. Good for him.

 

Anybody looking back fondly at the Vavra Era? Me either, but whatever Bruno is calling his counterpoint to Pitch To Contact is not resulting in many runs. They've gone from near bottom of the league in strikeouts to around the top, and Bruno looks like the main difference. They also walk a decent amount so it's not pitch selection per se - it's more like Bruno is telling them not to worry about strikeouts, just pick out a pitch in the zone and let fly.

[big dog]

whatever Bruno is calling his counterpoint to Pitch To Contact

 

That's very funny.

[ashbury]

Dozier's a bright spot, no question. It is astonishing to look at the stats in the lineup. I still believe some of those guys are better than that, but perhaps my hopes are getting the best of me. I sure don't want to believe Morneau's done.

 

Dozier is probably the poster boy for benefitting from the approach I expressed above. I know Parker gave a great fundamental explanation of the change in Dozier's swing, but just from the stat line it looks like a trade of more strikeouts for extra pop to go with a low batting average, and for Dozier it's working.

 

Others like Plouffe aren't reaping the benefits of accepting a few more strikeouts - a possible difference is that strikeouts weren't previously part of Dozier's game while with Plouffe they always have been.

 

To be clear, I'm not talking about Adam Dunn levels of whiffs here.

 

OK, too serious for a game thread, I know, I know.

[big dog]

I still believe in Caleb Thielbar. Also Casey Fein, and maybe in Josh Roenicke. I just needed to put that out there- testify, you know.

[ashbury]

That's very funny.

 

Thanks. I hope part of the humor is a kernel of truth: that if you buy into PTC, then from the batter's point of view you adopt what Bruno seems to be advising. (Unless, maybe I've got the logic backward.) Now whether you should buy into PTC, either in whole or in part, welllll... that's an argument for some other thread I suppose.

[glunn]

You know things are bad when people are actually talking about baseball strategy in a game thread, and when I am hoping that ChiTown tells us more about cleaning her bathroom.

[Alex]

Ugh. 18 minutes. A new record for how short a time it takes for me to lose interest in a game. Looks like I'll have to do some work today instead.

 

You must not have watched much this season?

[stringer bell]

Dozier is probably the poster boy for benefitting from the approach I expressed above. I know Parker gave a great fundamental explanation of the change in Dozier's swing, but just from the stat line it looks like a trade of more strikeouts for extra pop to go with a low batting average, and for Dozier it's working.

 

Others like Plouffe aren't reaping the benefits of accepting a few more strikeouts - a possible difference is that strikeouts weren't previously part of Dozier's game while with Plouffe they always have been.

 

To be clear, I'm not talking about Adam Dunn levels of whiffs here.

 

OK, too serious for a game thread, I know, I know.

Really, I don't think it is Bruno so much as bringing in players who K a lot. The Twins two CFs have combined for about 160 strikeouts. Parmelee and Arcia over 150, Florimon is at 90, Dozier is over 90. Carroll had over 500 PAs last year and I doubt he K'd 70 times. Span and Revere were regulars who didn't fan much. Add in bit player like Colabello and probably a full season of swings and misses from Plouffe and that is most of the reason for the increase. Strikeouts are way up all over MLB and the Twins don't get to face their own staff, which would slow the "K Train".

[Winston Smith]

Terry is busy watching the game today or maybe it's counting the Pohlads money not sure which.

http://fasab.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/mister-scrooge-magoo.gif?w=499

[ashbury]

You know things are bad when people are actually talking about baseball strategy in a game thread, and when I am hoping that ChiTown tells us more about cleaning her bathroom.

 

While cleaning the shower, I noticed the sink drainhole needed cleaning out. We have two sinks in our bathroom, and it was remarkable contrasting the very different nature of the grossness coming out of hers versus mine. Neither was "better", just different.

 

/ edit - Chief is not here so I felt safe in writing this, plus I tried to establish the very clear antecedent of "sinks" before the part about grossness coming out.

[Alex]

Anybody looking back fondly at the Vavra Era? Me either, but whatever Bruno is calling his counterpoint to Pitch To Contact is not resulting in many runs. They've gone from near bottom of the league in strikeouts to around the top, and Bruno looks like the main difference. They also walk a decent amount so it's not pitch selection per se - it's more like Bruno is telling them not to worry about strikeouts, just pick out a pitch in the zone and let fly.

 

It surprised me when I found out that a high strikeout rate doesn't historically correlate to runs scored. I guess, though, when you can't hit anyway, they make things worse.

[ashbury]

the Twins don't get to face their own staff, which would slow the "K Train".

 

Troo dat.

[Winston Smith]

All the strikeouts has cut way down on our grounded into double plays. Bright side! Stay positive!!

[Alex]

Twins don't get to face their own staff, which would slow the "K Train".

 

It almost sounds like an immovable object meets irresistible force type question...

[Alex]

Jeez, this team has become almost unwatchable. You can basically stop paying attention when the opposing team scores its second run or when the Twins score their one (if you have a bet on who will account for it). Or, the more sadistic thing to do is watch the whole game in hopes that they'll get two runs and you'll believe in miracles again...