stringer bell

Official ballgame ladies and gentlemen.

Graterol has slimmed some.

Yes definitely. Probably at least a bit weather related.

That wore well!

Maybe get five out of Archer? Edit to add: Given the way he came off the mound, I’m guessing that was his last batter.

So have Flo (Progressive), Lily (Sprint) and many others.

I noticed Alcala’s velo was down as well. Jax gets the first shot in the bullpen merry-go-round.

Probably a great discussion topic. Many factors involved in whether a game is played. If they had other easy chances to make this one up they definitely wouldn't be playing tonight.

I never, ever, never, ever thought the game would be played tonight. It is raining where I live and raining in Minneapolis according to weather.com. This is the Dodgers only visit to MN, so they apparently are going to extraordinary lengths to get the game in. I hope no one gets hurt. Archer makes his debut for the Twins. Author Posted 4 minutes ago · IP LA Dodgers (1-2) Season HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG M. BettsRF 3-14 2 0 0 .214 F. Freeman1B 2-12 0 0 0 .167 T. TurnerSS 3-13 1 0 0 .231 M. Muncy3B 1-13 0 0 0 .077 J. TurnerDH 3-13 0 0 0 .231 W. SmithC 1-6 0 0 0 .167 C. BellingerCF 2-11 0 0 0 .182 C. TaylorLF 4-7 1 0 0 .571 G. Lux2B 3-8 2 0 0 .37 Minnesota Twins (2-2) HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG B. BuxtonCF 5-15 4 3 1 .333 C. CorreaSS 2-16 1 1 0 .125 J. Polanco2B 4-14 3 1 0 .286 G. Urshela3B 3-9 2 1 0 .333 G. SanchezDH 3-12 5 1 0 .250 M. KeplerRF 1-13 1 1 0 .077 R. JeffersC 3-9 0 0 0 .333 M. Sano1B 0-13 0 0 0 .000 G. CelestinoLF ----- -- -- -- - Pitchers (both first appearance) Archer 0-0 0.00 ERA Heaney 0-0 0.00 ERA

I think those crazy kids are going to try to play in the rain………forcing the issue on days like this is what I don’t like about an open-air park.

Jax is on the 40-man roster, Minaya is not.

The Dodgers are in town for a brief series—night game today, early afternoon game on Eednesday—and according to the forecast I pulled up there is a greater than 75% chance of rain from the afternoon through the night. It does look like the rain will end in time for the day game Wednesday. This will be the Dodgers only visit to Minnesota. I’m wondering if they’ll play through the rain tonight or if they might play a doubleheader on Wednesday, otherwise the Dodgers and Twins would have to play a single game on a mutual off day.

Nelson Cruz .200 BA .623 OPS 1 HR. The Padres optioned Rooker to the minors.

Bremer just called a 101mph pitch a breaking ball. ?

Untidy game. Lots of missed opportunities on offense. Three errors on defense. I guess it will be okay, but I won’t breathe easy until the last out.

Winder will get a chance when the Twins get a short start. 2-3 or maybe 4 innings. The team doesn’t want to use him when someone else is available and then not have a long man the next day.

Okay. The contact play did not cost them.

Tony Diaz is not the third base coach this year. It is Tommy Watkins.

Two balls well played by Arraez. He made the play on the slow hopper and the peeled off when called off by the LF.

So far, the guy I pegged to get the most at-bats as the DH has……….none and now Urshela, Jeffers and Kirilloff have each had a turn hitting without playing in the field. Rocco will do what Rocco will do.

I didn't consider Rooker a prospect either. 27 and up rookies breaking in and making an impact are pretty rare. If the Twins part with Kepler or make Kirilloff an full-time first baseman, I think Contreras would be a good fit to be promoted and I think he would do okay. With the amount of injuries that occur, I would expect one of the three non-roster outfielders getting a chance with the big club at some point this year. Cave and Garlick have the advantage of MLB experience, but if Contreras has performed clearly better than those two, he might get the nod.

Great start for Contreras, but he's 27 and not on the 40-man roster. On a different roster, he might be a good candidate for fourth OF, but it is pretty hard to call him a prospect.

I'd like to see him get it going sooner rather than later. Great swing, good mechanics. He shouldn't have a prolonged slump.

Noah Miller looked outstanding late in spring training. I didn't realize that Encarnacion-Strand was a third baseman. If he is for real, the Twins have an embarrassment of riches on the left side of the diamond in the minors. Why do people limit a starting pitching prospect to "middle of the rotation"? I think Woods-Richardson, Canterino and Balazovic, to name a few, have the potential to lead a rotation, maybe not as rookies but soon. Finally, Martin appears to be off to a tough start in Wichita. I wonder if a permanent move away from shortstop might not help him. I like what I saw of him hitting in spring training, but he looked shaky in the field and he's already committed three errors in three games at AA. I realize that errors aren't the be-all and end-all in projecting a player's fielding ability, but the consensus since Martin was acquired was that he wouldn't be a major league shortstop. There doesn't appear to be room for him to play short at the next level and I'm confident his bat is capable to be advanced.

I was wondering if one of the left handed hitting catchers might end up in Wichita. Godoy and Sisco pretty much fill the profile that Rortvedt provided, although neither is probably as good a defensive catcher as Rortvedt. When the Twins add a 13th position player, one of the two might be added to the major league roster although they would have to create a spot on the 40-man roster.