Spring Training Game Thread: Twins @ Red Sox, 3/27/14 @ 6:05pm CT

[Squirrel]

Gameday forecast: 72 deg, mostly cloudy 1%PoP

 

Twins:

SP, Correia

 

lineup to come

 

Red Sox:

SP, Lackey

 

Daniel Nava (S) LF

Dustin Pedroia ® 2B

David Ortiz (L) DH

Mike Napoli ® 1B

Grady Sizemore (L) CF

Xander Bogaerts ® SS

A.J. Pierzynski (L) C

Will Middlebrooks ® 3B

Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF

 

Thank You ChiTown for the lineups!!!

 

ChiTown and I are gonna team up on these Game Thread starters and see how it works.

 

Thinks to thing about (Intentional juxtaposition):

 

1. Preseason -- Keep telling yourself over and over... It's only Pre-season. Players are still trying to find themselves... It's only Pre-season... It doesn't matter if the Twins are averaging 0.4 Runs per game... It's only pre-season... It doesn't matter if Josh Willingham is hitting .015 with no home runs... Then Click Your Heels (Hold on to your Dog) and the shoes that you have on will take care of everything for you.

 

2. Shoes -- If that Clicking of your heels thing doesn't work. You may want to go look for another pair.

 

3. Jason Kubel -- He's made the roster... OK... Now he can relax and start playing like he made the roster.

 

4. Xander Bogaerts -- Seriously... Who named him that? I do hope he does well this year... I used one of my keeper spots in my fantasy league to keep him. Here's to eventual SS eligibility to go with his 3B eligibility!!!

 

5. The Preparation of Food -- My wife has been out of town for the past week. This means that I'm responsible for keeping my 16 year old alive. He's a great young man and I would never torture him but forcing him to eat something I've cooked for him so it's been pretty easy... I've been letting him choose the restaurant and we've had some quality time together. Yeah Yeah... That's a nice story and all...

 

Here's the main issue. By going out to eat... I've run out of leftovers for lunch. My main job in our household is to finish off the leftovers. I got home for lunch today and there were no leftovers for me to enjoy. I had to step up to the plate and cook something for myself.

 

I looked around and found a couple of cans of Tuna and we had miracle whip and my plan was born... I haven't had a tuna sandwich in awhile so that was what I decided to cook.

 

Umm... Here's what I learned today... At some point... It becomes a Miracle Whip sandwich that is tuna flavored if you put too much miracle whip in. I'll do better next time... I've decided to try again tomorrow.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Twins line up:

 

Brian Dozier ® 2B

Joe Mauer (L) 1B

Oswaldo Arcia (L) RF

Josh Willingham ® DH

Jason Kubel (L) LF

Trevor Plouffe ® 3B

Kurt Suzuki ® C

Aaron Hicks (S) CF

Pedro Florimon (S) SS

[JB_Iowa]

Thanks ChiTown and RB and SSof1.

 

 

2. Shoes -- If that Clicking of your heels thing doesn't work. You may want to go look for another pair.

 

 

It doesn't work barefoot either. Maybe I should just paint my feet ruby-colored???

 

 

I looked around and found a couple of cans of Tuna and we had miracle whip and my plan was born... I haven't had a tuna sandwich in awhile so that was what I decided to cook.

 

Umm... Here's what I learned today... At some point... It becomes a Miracle Whip sandwich that is tuna flavored if you put too much miracle whip in. I'll do better next time... I've decided to try again tomorrow.

 

 

Been there, done that but now I kind of want a tuna sandwich and I don't have any tuna in the house. Oh, well.

[ashbury]

I got home for lunch today and there were no leftovers for me to enjoy. I had to step up to the plate and cook something for myself.

 

Mommmm's gone.

Mommmm's gone.

That's what Campbell's soup's for.

Mommmm's gone.

[Winston Smith]

Never heard of cooking a tuna sandwich. How does that work, in a pan or in the oven?

Sorry Charlie!

 

[ashbury]

Any cook can cook. It takes a real chef to not cook.

[JB_Iowa]

Never heard of cooking a tuna sandwich. How does that work, in a pan or in the oven?

Sorry Charlie!

 

 

 

Never had an open face tuna sandwich on a rusk bun slid under the broiler???

 

I haven't had one since I was a kid but I think it had something to do with "cream of" soup instead of mayo.

[Halsey Hall]

It would be nice to get this game in. Rains coming close by and may just miss us. Saturday looks bad for playing though.

 

Maybe we do have hope, Ortiz is hitting about the same as Hammer.

[Winston Smith]

Looks like our .4 runs won't be enough tonight.

[ashbury]

Looks like our .4 runs won't be enough tonight.

 

You can't expect a run every single game!

[JB_Iowa]

Lackey's ERA this spring is 7.31. Shouldn't the Twins be able to get at least 1 or 2???

[ashbury]

Kubel gets an assist in LF! Smart move to sign him.

[ashbury]

Lackey's ERA this spring is 7.31. Shouldn't the Twins be able to get at least 1 or 2???

 

Yeah, add a few more points to the ERA, then grab him when he is placed on waivers.

[Riverbrian]

Lackey's ERA this spring is 7.31. Shouldn't the Twins be able to get at least 1 or 2???

 

I hate facing 7.31 ERA's... Odds are... That thing has to come down.

[ashbury]

I hate facing 7.31 ERA's... Odds are... That thing has to come down.

 

Too bad we're not in the NL. We never get to face that Kershaw clown, whose ERA is always ripe for a pummeling.

 

/ except, as has been pointed out I think, this spring, where his ERA is 9-something

[JB_Iowa]

The Twins should get a handicap.

 

They shouldn't have to get the runner to home to score, just to 3rd.

 

It probably wouldn't change that many results -- but it would make it a lot more fun to watch.

[ashbury]

The Twins should get a handicap.

 

They already have one. It's their...

 

Wait. Contest. Best answer wins the Internets for +1 day.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

They already have one. It's their...

 

Wait. Contest. Best answer wins the Internets for +1 day.

 

The caps on their heads is pretty handy, isn't it? It keeps their eyes out of the sun.

[JB_Iowa]

On the bright side, Correia having another pretty nice outing (so far).

 

After last year, though, I still don't think we can judge how the pitchers are doing until they hit the 5th & 6th.

[Halsey Hall]

On the bright side, Correia having another pretty nice outing (so far).

 

After last year, though, I still don't think we can judge how the pitchers are doing until they hit the 5th & 6th.

 

If they hit the 5th or 6th that's great improvement. At least this game is worth staying tuned.

[ashbury]

Listening to the Red Sox radio feed. The broadcast team is currently trying to puzzle out Bartlett's role. Pinch run for Hammer with Bartlett then let him take over in the outfield, with Escobar still available for infield duty. I guess that's right. Right?

[JB_Iowa]

Listening to the Red Sox radio feed. The broadcast team is currently trying to puzzle out Bartlett's role. Pinch run for Hammer with Bartlett then let him take over in the outfield, with Escobar still available for infield duty. I guess that's right. Right?

 

 

Well, the way Willingham is going, Bartlett won't be very busy in that scenario.

[LaBombo]

Listening to the Red Sox radio feed. The broadcast team is currently trying to puzzle out Bartlett's role. Pinch run for Hammer with Bartlett then let him take over in the outfield, with Escobar still available for infield duty. I guess that's right. Right?

With Willi, Arcia and occasionally the Jasons out there, there should be plenty of Web Ungems this year. If Hicks can't hack it, they could end up with a historically bad defensive outfield.

[JB_Iowa]

Overall, I hope that the starting pitchers pick each other up this year. Last season it just seemed like they were in such a downward spiral, nothing could jar them from it.

 

This year with Deduno in the wings and what seems like a generally elevated staff, I hope that they can stop the bad streaks.

 

Unfortunately, unless the Twins can find some way to manufacture runs, that doesn't necessarily mean stopping losing streaks. And that's got to be a little demoralizing, too.

[LaBombo]

Well, the way Willingham is going, Bartlett won't be very busy in that scenario.

Ouch.