PDX Twin

If my photo-editing skills were better, I'd have suggested the Milwaukee Bremers and pasted Dick's face into every player on a team picture.

This is my first game thread and I’m a little intimidated. There’s such a rich tradition of creativity here! I shouldn’t be nervous, it’s just words. I like words. I like to play with words. For example, in the car I’m always playing with the 3 letters on the license plate in front of me, looking for the shortest word that uses them in the given order with as few intervening letters as possible. (Try it, it’s fun.) One of my favorite “word games” is taking familiar phrases or quotations and adding, omitting, or changing one letter to make something interestingly different. For example, I routinely pass up the sample carts at Costco by invoking the maxim “Taste not, want not.” For another example, if Elizabeth Barrett Browning (supposedly my ancestor) had written a sonnet about the Twins’ 2016 season, she might have had Paul Molitor say “How do I lose thee? Let me count the ways.” Finally, Sir Walter Scott might have commented on a certain Southern politician’s Argentine tryst with “O, what a tangoed web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” But this is a baseball site, so let’s have some fun with the names of major league teams. Change, add, or omit one letter to make something interesting and maybe appropriate. (Creative spelling is allowed.) I offer five selections and invite you to add to or improve upon them in the comments. 1. Philadelphia Phollies. 34-63? Really, some of these just write themselves. 2. Pittsburgh Pilates. They’d bring a whole new look to between-inning warm-ups! 3. Boston Red Pox. Think measles, poison ivy, and mosquito bites. Boston is my least favorite team not from New York, partly because my son and son-out-law (not yet married) are both avid Boston fans … and we usually lose to them. 4. Miami Merlins. There must be some magic involved for a team with a .469 winning percentage to have won two World Series in its 34-year history. 5. What about our favorite nine? “Twinks” has been used too many times to be interesting. “Minnesota Wins” would be great but we’re not there right now. There aren’t too many choices. I like Minnesota Twines only because I’d love to hear Dick and Bert call a game-tying homerun with “the Twines tie it up.” [bonus thought: If Houston ever gets a women’s baseball team it just has to be named the Houston Estros.] Tonight is the second game of the series against the team with the best record in baseball after what seemed like a winnable contest slipped through our fingers (or perhaps soared over the fence) last night. Señor Berríos takes the mound for the Twines against Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda. Minnesota fans will hope that LA manager Dave Roberts has Maeda mistake with his Dodgier pitcher selection. Lineups will be forthcoming when available …

At least we won't need Kintzler. I apologize for tuning in. Got home from marimba and turned on the computer to find the Twins winning. I guess it's all my fault. I'll go to bed now so maybe they can stage a comeback.

No.

Wish I could watch tonight if only for an opportunity to see Colon "run" the bases if he puts the ball in play. Alas, off to marimba band rehearsal. I'll check in for the late innings.

Sounds great! One of our favorite meals! We used to get same-day-fresh Columbia River Chinook from a Native American fisherman at our local farmers' market and grill on cedar. A couple of years ago the old fisherman died and apparently the tribal fishing rights do not get passed down, so his family's fish stand has disappeared from our market.

But this knocks Kintzler out for tomorrow, I presume. And we are behind... Of course, if Colon starts tomorrow we'll likely be so far behind we won't need him.

The grass has taken a slight lead over the game ... by a nose, if games or grass had noses. But of course a lawnmower could change the whole complexion of this race in an instant!

Oh Eddie.

I guess that was a little quicker, but man ... I think Mejia may threaten the Pelfrey Lower Bound for pitching pace.

The defense demonstrates how focused they are with the slow play.

So, after 40 minutes, we have 3 half-innings with no runs? I'm keeping an eye on the grass growing outside my door ... pretty much on pace with the game.

I agree that relievers' performance has a big influence on a pitcher's ERA. (Witness Gibson's last two starts.) But it doesn't seem like this would matter so much for catcher's ERA because teams rarely change catchers in the middle of an inning when the reliever comes in. If the reliever gives up a bunch of inherited runs, that's on the same catcher's watch.

Yup. Who woke them up?

The Tigers look to me like a team that's waiting to lose. The managed to hold on last night behind a veteran hitting a couple of home runs, but tonight? Either Gibson is having his best game ever (possible) or the Tigers are just mailing it in now that they are behind.

Big OUT for Gibson right there!

Nice save in that inning. Gibsie even had a few swings and misses.

Speaking of eponymous Hall of Famers, does anybody know if the Ty Cobb that Trump just hired as a lawyer is any relation? Or were his parent just being clever?

Granite might be better suited to the National League? It seems like there are more speedy singles hitters over there.

He may strike out just as often, but I'll be shocked if he hits that many home runs.

Gordon seems to be the most obvious asset to trade. He is the closest to the majors of quite a few promising middle infielders. It seems fair to assume that (at least) one of Palacios, Javier, Marte, and Lewis will be as good as Gordon eventually, so all we are doing by trading him is delaying the arrival of a good infielder by a couple of years. Looked at that way, the question becomes whether Dozier, Polanco, Adrianza, and Vielma can bridge that couple of years. I'd say yes, so I'd be willing to part with Gordon for the right return.

Probably not a fair comparison. When Killebrew came up there was a rule requiring that "bonus babies" had to stay in the majors. He accumulated a lot of AB when very young. It would be like Rooker or Lewis having to be on the Twins active roster now.

Now, now ... We have lots of relievers capable of 4-pitch walks.

Is it possible that Eddie is sitting because of his stupid throw last night, not because of a LHP on the mound? Lots of posters were calling for him to be yanked (making him a yankee???) immediately in the middle of the game. Much man-management goes on behind the scenes that we never see ...