Mill1634

Throwing your D lineup out there against a HOF is never a great recipe for success.

11 swings and misses against a lineup that simply doesn't swing and miss a lot is encouraging.

I don't blame anyone for assuming that Paddack is bad, or at least below average, until he shows something else. Do I think he's better than this? Absolutely. It's freezing cold, and he's facing the best lineup in the league. But I don't blame anyone for being skeptical about Paddack.

Minor miracle that we got out of that only allowing 2. Still gives you a chance. Hopefully Paddack settles in and can give us 3 or 4 innings.

I think we're seeing who goes to the bullpen when we go to a 5 man rotation

My god. Bad news bears.

Paddack's velo is way down here early. Probably too early to be concerned too much with the weather, but something to keep an eye on.

I bet we could trade this dude for a good left handed reliever.

What a boneheaded play by Gio.

Kiriloff DOESN'T catch that. Fantastic

I'm surprised they gave up on Cotton before they gave up on Romero just because they kept Cotton around all off-season and he got the job over Minaya. Either way, I don't think either is a difference maker. Rodreguiez probably isn't any good either.

Roster Moves: OF Alex Kirilloff heads to the 10-day IL with recurring right wrist issues that caused him to miss time last season. The move is not official yet, but OF Trevor Larnach is expected to be recalled to the Twins. Larnach is currently slashing .105/.182/.105 at AAA in 5 games. Larnach OPS'd over 1.000 in 20 ST plate apperances. Jharel Cotton, who pitched in last nights ballgame, has been DFA'd. The Twins have added Dereck Rodríguez to the 40 man, and called him up. The Pitchers LHP Clayton Kershaw (10-8, 3.55 ERA, 144 K's, 121.2 IP) vs RHP Chris Paddack (7-7, 5.07 ERA, 99 K's, 108.1 IP) The Twins get to see one of the best pitchers in the last decade plus in Clayton Kershaw. This is the first time the Twins will have seen Kershaw in his career. The southpaw has went from being the anchor of the rotation to being the 5th starter used, but there is still plenty left in the tank. Kershaw battled injuries last year, which is causing the Dodgers to be careful with his usage, as they know they'll be playing in October. Kershaw relies heavily on his slider, which opponents hit under .200 on in 2021. The pitch had a whiff rate of 44 percent, and he struck out 108 of his 144 opponents out with the pitch. The fastball is thrown around 35% percent of the time, and at just 90 MPH, it got hit to the tune of a .453 SLUG in 2021. Kershaw's third pitch is a big looping curve, which he primarily throws to RHH. The pitch had similar success to the slider last season. He may throw over a changeup once or twice, but don't count on it. He threw it just 11 times last season. Paddack, who has seen the Dodgers plenty, is looking to bounceback in a Twins uniform. The right hander threw his 4 seamer 60% of the time last season, but it got hit, and it got hit hard. Opponents hit .314 on the pitch, including .531 slug and 10 homers. The changeup, which is easily his best pitch, allowed opponents to hit just under .235 last year. The curveball, which is the key to unlocking Paddack's full potential, took a step forward last year, but still needs to be consistent. The Lineups Twins 1. Byron Buxton (R) DH 2. Luis Arraez (L) 2B 3. Gio Urshela (R) 3B 4. Jorge Polanco (S) SS 5. Gary Sanchez (R) C 6. Max Kepler (L) RF 7. Miguel Sano (R) 1B 8. Gilberto Celestino (R) CF 9. Nick Gordon (L) LF Dodgers 1. Mookie Betts (R) RF 2. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B 3. Trea Turner (R) SS 4. Max Muncy (L) DH 5. Justin Turner (R) 3B 6. Chris Taylor (R) LF 7. Cody Bellinger (L) CF 8. Gavin Lux (L) 2B 9. Austin Barnes (R) C Buxton slides into the DH role today in order to keep him off his feet, with Gilberto Celestino sliding over to CF in todays game. Arraez gets the start in the field against a lefty with Correa taking a day off. Arraez was not clean in the field at third base last night. Polanco gets his first start at SS in a long while, with Sanchez starting behind the dish. Kepler stays in RF even with Buxton out of the lineup. Kepler showed promise with two hits off lefties last night, including a double. Sano, who is still hitless, gets another chance against a southpaw. Nick Gordon slides in for the injured Alex Kiriloff. The Dodger's lineup looks largely the same, with the only change being behind the dish. Will Smith (not him, or him), gets the day off with Austin Barnes calling pitches. Vegas Odds: Dodgers -190, Twins +160. O/U 8.5. On This Day: 1984 - Pete Rose, then playing for the Montreal Expos, gets his 4,000th career hit joining Ty Cobb as the only two players in Major League history to collect that many hits. This hit comes exactly 21 years after Rose collected his first career hit. Pick to Click: Gio Urshella hits another homer. Prediction: Dodgers 7, Twins 3 Go Twins!

Thanks for the Jinx!

Rain came 90 minutes too late

I'd take Buxton (or Correa) out of this game. No reason to have them get injured because of a wet field in a lost game.

Arreaz is terrible in the field.

We were never going to sweep this series (probably anyway). Gotta come out with a split tomorrow.

I'd be surprised if Romero was still on the Twins (and maybe the 40 man) tomorrow.

This ump has been brutal on borderline pitches

Sigh

Pagan is extremely lucky Taylor only tripled after that PA

Get a base hit with RISP for the Twins: Impossible

Have to think they are trying to get through this half inning before halting play until tomorrow morning.

Twins are going to regret all these LOB.

Buxton is about to come through with an XBH.