PDX Twin

And 40 minutes elapsed. On pace for a 4 hour game.

Interesting that the catcher version has the accent on the a on the back of his uniform, but the pitcher version does not.

This game feels like major-league pitching against minor-league hitting.

And that was ball three! Ha!

Yup. The plate ump is "Culp-a-bull."

Tried to double-post on me. Sorry!

That was during the period where I also rooted for the Giants. After the year he played for them, they would have paid to get rid of him! "Cancer in the clubhouse" was one comment.

Every time I think about AJ, it reminds me of Liriano and Nathan, and I just smile. ?

Maybe it was the plate ump. He seems to be miked.

Leon and Gray seem to be using finger signals tonight. ???

We have debated Mr. Mauer extensively, but I think he eventually gets in. He's not on the current roster, of course. Correa has a chance, but not the way he is playing this year and he would not go in as a Twin. It's waaaaay too early to predict, but if Lewis or one of the other top prospects achieves his 99th percentile outcomes, then it's possible.

I hope that the Twins can bring this one home. I'm heading off to one of my favorite places on Earth, Merlo Field, to watch some college futbol. Good luck!

The Giants lineup on MLB.TV is different than the one that I posted from earlier. Here's what they now show (without LaMonte Wade).

Greetings to all from Portland, where (at this time of year) the skies are not cloudy all day. Tonight, the Twins take on the San Francisco Giants, a team for which I used to cheer until Barry Bonds’s biceps grew to grotesque proportions. The two teams have similar records this season, but the Twins are actually within sight of the top of their weak division (4 games back), while the Giants stand 25 games behind the Dodgers. The Giants come into this one well-rested after a day off. The Twins come in well-bested after six straight losses, few of them even close. Injuries! The Twins have been fielding a depleted lineup lately. I was curious what sort of lineup one could assemble with only Twins players who are currently injured. Here’s what I've got: C Ryan Jeffers 1B Alex Kirilloff 2B No obvious candidate, but Polanco has not been fully fit SS Royce Lewis 3B Miguel Sano LF Trevor Larnach CF Byron Buxton RF Kyle Garlick (activated today and in the lineup, but I did the research yesterday...) SP Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Randy Dobnak, Chris Paddack RP Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe, Jhon Romero, Cole Sands, Cody Stashak Would that be a better lineup than the one in blue below? I realize that all teams have injury issues at this time of year, but this situation seems extreme. Most of these unavailable players would surely be part of the Twins’ lineup rotation if they were healthy and a few others, though ideally backups, would rank ahead of some who are currently being used. Perhaps someone with better knowledge of the leagues can tell us whether there are any teams that have been successful this year with a comparable list of casualties. Is it bad luck? Injury-prone players? Or something to do with how the players are trained and used? How many of the players on the list above will be back near 100% fitness next season? Tonight's Game Joe Ryan (9-6, 3.86), who is not yet on the IL, starts for the Twins against lefty Alex Wood (8-10, 4.54). Ryan will be looking to achieve double figures in wins against an opponent who has already reached double figures in losses. Note that our old friend LaMonte Wade, Jr., starts in rightfield for the Giants. Wade has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness this year after breaking out with an .808 OPS in his first season with the Giants. The Twins traded him to the Giants before the 2021 season for a pitcher named Shaun Anderson, who appeared for the Twins in 4 games out of the bullpen in 2021 (with a 9.35 ERA) before being waived, waived again, waived again, and waived again---Anderson was claimed off waivers by an amazing 4 different teams in 2021 after the Twins gave up Wade to get him. Not the finest hour for the Twins' front office as things turned out. Starting lineups are below. Can the Twins win for the first time in a week? Will the Twins win for the first time in a week? ?

Kind of profiles more like a lefty Miguel Sano to me, though he's probably better in the outfield.

Archer is running up his pitch count. One more inning and the Twins' bullpen comes in to hold them down while we come back. Oh, wait. Never mind! See you tomorrow night...

A run! A run!

In non-baseball twins news today: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/08/24/virginia-twins-married-salyers/ Bizarre story about identical twin sisters who married identical twin brothers and now have toddler sons (who look a lot alike). Sounds like the setting for a terrible sit-com!

Had to look up to see where this ballpark is in Houston. I lived there for ~10 years, but back then the team played in the National League and in the Astrodome, a monstrosity of different dimensions. Looking at Google Maps brought back memories ... even a few fond ones, like being there at the opening night of the lovely new opera hall. (Aida with Domingo and Freni = bliss!) Mostly, though, Portland >>>> Houston in almost every dimension. We haven't been back in the 34 years since we left.

This will be a tougher schedule than we have played in recent years. Maybe it's just the losing mentality of the last week, but I see lots of Ls when I look at it.

If, by chance, the Twins score tonight, I recommend listening for a small man shouting "A plane! A plane!"

Algebra problem for tonight: Final score = Houston X, Minnesota 0. Solve for X.

I'm guessing #2.

Sounds like the Twins need the season to be one month shorter. They are staggering toward the home stretch, not toward the finish line.

Doesn't really matter. Unless you think that the Twins are going to score again.