stringer bell

Nice win!

I kinda like this team.

Thanks spycake!

It’s the rubber game of the season series today. Berrios vs. Peacock. I’m on my phone so no lineups. I’ll be attending the game today. 55 degrees and mostly cloudy was the last forecast I saw.

Here are the taken introduction dates for May--May3, May 6-8, May 10, May 13 & 14, May 16, May 20, May 24, May 27, May 30. If anyone wants a game date not listed, please let me know, either on this thread or by message. I will try to keep up with this on a close to daily basis.

The Twins finished March/April with a 17-10 record and hold first place in the AL Central. Tonight is game 3 with the Astros--I'll call it pivotal, with Berrios scheduled to go in tomorrow's finale. Playing with "house money" (a split guaranteed) with the acknowledged ace going on Thursday would be pretty sweet. The Twins have only scored five runs in the last three games after earlier having the most runs per game in MLB. Good pitching beats good hitting, or the other way around. Some of the hitters are slumping a bit--Cruz, Polanco, Rosario, Cron and one hasn't really found his stroke yet (Gonzalez). McHugh has struggled in his last couple of starts and Perez has been pretty good, as a fifth starter. Today will be a good test for him. It is May Day, so it only figures that Trevor should play an important role in tonight's tilt. Hopefully, he is a key part of a victory. Enjoy the game folks. I'm off to the golf course to play on a wet, dreary day, but it's league so we gotta get it in. I'll be attending my first game in person this year tomorrow. That should be fun, No lineups, so if someone could please post them when they become available? Thanks in advance.

Kep to the rescue!

Lineups: Astros LINEUP AB H RBI HR AVG 1 G. Springer RF 112 30 22 8 .268 2 J. Altuve 2B 109 27 20 9 .248 3 A. Bregman 3B 91 25 13 4 .275 4 M. Brantley LF 113 36 18 5 .319 5 C. Correa SS 101 29 15 6 .287 6 J. Reddick DH 86 29 6 3 .337 7 A. Diaz 1B 35 8 8 2 .229 8 R. Chirinos C 66 18 12 3 .273 9 J. Marisnick CF 41 11 3 1 .268 Twins LINEUP AB H RBI HR AVG 1 M. Kepler RF 87 23 16 7 .264 2 J. Polanco SS 98 32 10 5 .327 3 N. Cruz DH 75 23 15 5 .307 4 E. Rosario LF 101 25 24 11 .248 5 C. Cron 1B 78 19 14 5 .244 6 J. Schoop 2B 86 23 11 4 .267 7 E. Adrianza 3B 32 6 2 1 .188 8 J. Castro C 28 6 4 2 .214 9 B. Buxton CF 77 20 10 1 .260 Michael Pineda 2-1 5.63 vs. Gerrit Cole 1-4 4.71

Hurray! The Twins are in first place. We have had a game thread for each game so far, but some of them have started near game time. After a game like last night, there should be interest in this team and probably more contributions in the game thread. Last year there was a game thread procedure featuring a series introduction and then volunteers to introduce the subsequent games in the series. Authoring game thread introductions became both a production and a chore and so it was determined that this year game threads would not be bound by last year's procedures. As noted, some of the threads have been started pretty late and a couple times more than one thread was started, The consensus of the moderators was that a bit more structure would be beneficial, although organizing the threads might become quite an undertaking. I have volunteered (oh-oh!) to organize the daily game thread for now. So let's get down to the fun part--rules! Well, maybe just firm guidelines. The game thread should be posted at least an hour before first pitch. The game thread title should include that it is the game thread, the date and time and also the Twins opponent (Twins vs. ????). It is also recommended that the lineups be put in the introduction. As far as content in the introduction, let's just say it can be pretty free form. If you want to discuss Baldelli's lineup or the quality of the opponent, tell a story about how Twins baseball affected your life or praise the abilities of someone, go for it! If you just want to write a couple of sentences about the game, that is fine as well. It isn't necessary to craft a short story or three page essay, in fact a brief intro might be preferred. We do the game threads as if the assembled game threaders were sitting together at the game. We expect that anyone making comments follow the posting rules for this site. We expect that there is respect for each other, but that doesn't mean that we can't have fun. The introduction just sets the tone and we go from there. This thread will be the mechanism for signups for games during the season. While I would hope that there are 135 requests today, each for one individual game, I will try to fill out a schedule as far ahead as possible. If two people both put in for the same game, the one who asks first will get the gig. I would hope to answer requests within 24 hours of when they are made. Additional tweaks might happen as we go forward, so I will pin this thread and it can be a reference for prospective or confirmed game thread intro starters. If you have any questions, feel free to message me and I'll try to clarify or explain. Thanks in advance!

Game 2 of the four-game series features Michael Pineda versus Gerrit Cole. The Twins currently have the second-best record in MLB while the Astros are percentage points ahead in the AL West. Pineda has been inconsistent so far, while Cole has been disappointing. It would figure that many more runs will be scored tonight in cold, wet Target Field. Today marks the end of April and the Twins, in addition to their 17-9 record, have some good stats going for them. They lead in homers per game, OPS, and are in the top quadrant for runs per game. Pitching is middle-of-the-pack. They have out-homered their opponents by a 50-29 count. Even in good years, the Twins haven't outhomered their opponents often. This year's club is constructed differently, for sure.

Probably better for Marwin to greet his ex-teammates at first base.

OK, let's pick nits. Marwin Gonzalez' worst OPS year where he exceeded 250 plate appearances was 2016, when he had an OPS of .694, his lifetime OPS is .731 and last yer's number was .733. We can probably agree that Gonzalez had a career year in 2017, but his stats in the other years since 2014 indicate he is a slightly above average offensive player, with defensive skill and flexibility. He just turned 30, so he's probably in the second half of his career, but he's not at an age where players usually fall off a cliff.

This validates what I have seen from Schoop so far. His contribution has been pretty inconsequential. He's hit in games where the Twins won big. It also shows how early in the season we are. I think that in time the quirks in these stats will be ironed out. The guy will the +.800 OPS is pretty likely to help the team more than the guy with an OPS barely above .500.

In addition to all of that is the fact that Adrianza is out of options, so if the Twins want to send him down he must be DFAed and likely lost. The last point is that Ehire is a switch hitter, which also gives him an edge over Cave. Two of the three guys that Cave could/would replace in a lineup are also left handed hitters. I think Cave is a major league talent. However in an era of 12 and 13-man pitching staffs, he isn't a great fit as a fourth outfielder, particularly when both of the other corner outfielders he backs up hit left handed.

For the record, the Twins made the expected move today, placing Astudillo on the injured list and recalling Jake Cave from Rochester. Get used to the flight Jake. I predict you make it a few times this year.

It's a sad day in Minnesota. After today, the Twins will be done playing the Baltimore Orioles. So far, the Twins are 5-0 vs. the Birds, with a chance to sweep the season series today. They have averaged more than four homers per game against the Baltimore pitching staff. It is tough to win six straight against anyone, but a loss today would be a disappointment. Today's lineups: Baltimore 10-18 J. Villar2B 31-114 10 3 6 .272 S. WilkersonRF 3-16 1 1 1 .188 D. Smith Jr.LF 27-97 19 5 3 .278 R. NunezDH 29-101 18 6 0 .287 R. Ruiz3B 21-84 10 2 0 .250 A. WynnsC ----- -- -- -- -- C. Davis1B 9-62 10 2 0 .145 J. RickardCF 17-80 6 2 1 .213 R. MartinSS 10-62 1 0 1 .161 Pitching: Dylan Bundy 0-3 6.56 ERA Minnesota 15-9 M. KeplerRF 21-80 15 6 0 .263 J. PolancoSS 31-91 10 5 0 .341 N. CruzDH 22-70 15 5 0 .314 E. RosarioLF 25-95 24 11 0 .263 C.J. Cron1B 19-76 14 5 0 .250 M. Gonzalez3B 12-73 5 2 0 .164 M. GarverC 16-40 10 5 0 .400 J. Schoop2B 21-79 11 4 0 .266 B. BuxtonCF 19-71 9 0 6 .268 Pitching: Kyle Gibson 1-0 6.10 ERA

It is impossible to "get off of Trump". He makes it that way. Everything is about him. As for the "border crisis", the president may well have created this crisis and I strongly disagree with his proposed solution. He is the guy that labeled those attempting to get into this country as gang members, murderers and rapists. He is the one saying there is "no room" when there are help wanted signs all over the place. He is the one claiming that his opponents want open borders. As I said above, I don't trust numbers from Homeland Security in the Trump administration. There is ample reason to doubt just about anything this administration proclaims. I do believe there is an immigration problem for this country. I believe the asylum policy is a part of the larger immigration policy's problems. Building a wall solves nothing and sends a message that we don't want brown people in this country. That might make the right-wing base feel like America is great again, but I think they are wrong. Congress and Trump need comprehensive immigration reform. Trump's actions have widened and hardened the gap.

My thought is that when (and if) Sano returns next month that Cave goes back to Rochester. The extra outfielder is Gonzalez/Astudillo/Adrianza (probably in that order). That is assuming that everyone is healthy when Miggy is ready for the majors. 12 pitchers should be enough. Getting length out of the starters is the key factor.

Today marks the last day that the Twins get to beat up on the Baltimore Orioles. Right now, the team is riding high with the top OPS and slugging percentage in MLB. On the position player side, there has been only one disappointment and that is the subject of this thread--Marwin Gonzalez. Let's face it, Gonzalez has been poor at the plate. He's hitting .164 and his OPS (.488) is lower than the team's slugging percentage.Talk in the game threads on this site is to trade him, release him, bat him ninth or bench him. I don't see any statistic (advanced or otherwise) that suggests that Marwin has been particularly unlucky. Yet Gonzalez has been a regular with almost 80 plate appearances in the first 24 games. I liked the signing when the Twins acquired Marwin and I still do. I think that Baldelli is correct in going with him as the principal third baseman and I think his offensive performance will improve. Gonzalez started slowly last year and ended up with a 102 OPS+ for the season. It is early yet, there are 138 games yet to be played. If Marwin were to go 5-5 today with a double and a homer (for instance), his numbers would look OK, that is the way the early season works. Other veteran players have had lousy starts and came back to have good seasons. As a switch-hitter, Gonzalez offers some balance to the lineup and with everyone else raking, the team can afford to be patient. On the other hand, we're not talking about Trout or Altuve here. Gonzalez is a good player with a lifetime OPS+ of 101, enhanced by a career year two years ago. His biggest asset has been his versatility, with the ability to be plugged in almost anywhere and hit and field competently. I don't think the leash should be too long and the Twins do have a third baseman working back from injury right now. Baseball Reference (and my eyes) say that Gonzalez has been good at third base so far this year. When Sano returns, he can be freed to be the guy who starts almost any place and is a solid veteran and a threat at the plate. It can't hurt to have quality depth in a long season and I think Marwin Gonzalez will provide that depth and versatility for the Twins has he did for the Astros.

I don't trust word one from the Trump administration. Every administration tries to put themselves in the best light, but this administration has thrown truth and facts out the window. Trump has put loyalty over competency in every position. He continues to tell untruth after untruth on nearly every topic. He has dumped anyone who dares to stand up to him, including Homeland Security. If truth and facts are not essential to the boss, why should they be important to anyone who works for him?

Not a cheapie. Watching on GameDay. 435 feet!

Back end of the bullpen is rested. Bring it home boys!

I noticed that when Astudillo and Gonzalez were manning the corners, Willians plays first. Finally, there is a choice to makes between Arianza and Gonzalez. Arianza gets third, while Marwin goes to left. That could be reversed as well.

However, get ‘em on and walk home happens a lot!

Get ‘em over, get ‘em in seldom happens in the high homer/strikeout era.