GAME THREAD 8/9/2020: Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals 1:05 CDT

[Diesel]

Is it time to panic yet?

 

Of course not! Honestly, after the last three games, I am just as confident in this team being a contender than when the team had a sparkling 10-2 record. However, these last three games have me concerned for the first round of playoffs. Any team in baseball can win a 3 game series, as clearly shown against the cellar-dweller Royals. In basketball, having 16 teams make the playoffs work, as star players can play huge parts of every facet of the game. Baseball is my favorite sport because of the opposite of that. Even if you are one of the greatest players of a generation, you may still end up without a playoff win a decade into your career. Jacob DeGrom has had a combined record of 21-17 in the past two years, yet has 2 Cy Young Awards within the same time period.

 

Minnesota Twins

 

Jose Berrios (1-1, 4.80 ERA)

 

RF Maximilian Kepler

SS Jorge Polanco

DH Nelson Cruz

LF Eddie Rosario

3B Marwin Gonzalez

1B Miguel Sano

2B Luis Arraez

CF Byron Buxton

C Alex Avila

 

Kansas City Royals

 

Brady Singer (0-1, 4.80 ERA)

 

CF Whit Merrifield

RF Jorge Soler

DH Salvador Perez

1B Hunter Dozier

SS Adalberto Mondesi

LF Alex Gordon

3B Maikel Franco

2B Nicky Lopez

C Cam Gallagher

 

Even though Berrios is still probably the best pitcher on the team, it absolutely infuriates me to watch his starts at times. When he is on, Berrios is a legitimate Cy Young contender. With a combination of a 95 MPH fastball and a devastating curveball, he can tease hitters and then make them look ridiculous. Against the Pirates, I saw a bit more of that from him. However, when that curveball has less movement, Berrios is lucky to get out of the 5th. It seems as if Berrios is coming back to his 1st half of 2019 peak, but it is still concerning what version will be seen every time he pitches.

 

Mitch Garver gets a needed off day, and hopefully can use it to find his swing again. Marwin Gonzalez, slotting in as the 3rd baseman, continues to impress, currently sporting a .935 OPS. After the huge scandal this offseason, it intrigued me to see how the utility-man would respond to the scrutiny, and so far, so good! Byron Buxton still continues to be underrated across baseball, and if his bat continues to improve in the next few years.... man. 

 

Brady Singer still has not seen a lot of professional baseball, with only 26 starts in the minor leagues. It is worthy to note that Singer has already given up 4 home runs this season. The No. 59 overall prospect in baseball definitely has elite stuff, but young pitchers tend to struggle. AA to the majors is a BIG jump, as seen by many of the Twins' top prospects over the years.

 

Today, I see a win for the division leaders, but not without some stressful moments. While the Royals are still not a good team, they certainly aren't the pushovers of last year. Good things will come for the Twins in the following weeks, the top one being Morneau returning to the booth in September. It certainly isn't the same with Morris in the booth. Great pitcher, but the announcing can't be described in a positive manner.

 

Let's play ball!

[PDX Twin]

Morris definitely has a personality and is not always easy on the ear. He was a little rough around the edges at times as a pitcher, and that same attitude comes through in the booth. That said, I appreciate a lot of his comments about pitchers and pitching. I feel like he gives us more professional insights than, for example, Bert. (Though maybe that's a low bar.) And I don't find him as off-putting as Torii.

[70charger]

Is there a delay? I expected the game to have started, but all mlb.tv gives me is a notice saying "this event will begin shortly."

[BeatTheRich]

Yes, rain delay.

 

It pains me to say this, but I'm starting to think of today's lineup with Avila in it as our A lineup. We need Mitch to get it going.

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Let the hunt begin!

 

Some bad joke about reign delayed on account of game... Well we got game. At least i think we do, and it is time we nicked that crown the royals seem to be wearing as they play us. Or at least put a dent in it.

[ashbury]

We could have had Brady Singer, the Royals' pitcher today, if we hadn't won so many games in 2017 and had drafted just a little higher. (He went #18, we picked 20th. Would you rather have Larnach, or this guy?)

[sampleSizeOfOne]

We could have had Brady Singer, the Royals' pitcher today, if we hadn't won so many games in 2017 and had drafted just a little higher. (He went #18, we picked 20th.)

Who'd we end up picking instead?

 

Too lazy to do my own research...

[bighat]

What a catch by Gordon on that Cruz liner.

[bighat]

 

 

What a catch by Gordon on that Cruz liner.

"Cruz Liner". Heh.

[ashbury]

Who'd we end up picking instead?

 

Too lazy to do my own research...

I edited my post but you were too quick. Larnach. Of course it wasn't "instead", for us, but it's still interesting to wonder, which would you prefer?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

What a catch by Gordon on that Cruz liner.

Concur!

 

Nice sprawling catch!

[USAFChief]

 

Who'd we end up picking instead?

 

Nope, Who was drafted decades ago.

 

We took Rolls Royce Lewis.

 

EDIT: whoops. Per Ash, Larnach. I'm off by a year. Often the case.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I edited my post but you were too quick. Larnach. Of course it wasn't "instead", for us, but it's still interesting to wonder, which would you prefer?

Good on for anticipating both my question and laziness!

 

I guess i'm just not lazy enough.

 

I'm not sure how i feel about that...

[70charger]

Twins hit a couple balls hard and get nothing. Royals squib one to nowhere and immediately get a hit.

 

That's baseball...

[USAFChief]

Tremendous LF defense already.

[ashbury]

Twins hit a couple balls hard and get nothing. Royals squib one to nowhere and immediately get a hit.

 

That's baseball...

It may seem like bad luck, falling in like that, but the pitch caught an awful lot of the center of the strike zone.

 

[70charger]

 

It may seem like bad luck, falling in like that, but the pitch caught an awful lot of the center of the strike zone.
 

 

Well there was no doubt on the next one, anyway

[ashbury]

And now another fat pitch to the second batter.

 

/ edit - and another to the third. I'm going to stop wasting fresh posts in a vain attempt to keep up.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Our fielder dupes their runner and a wall ball. Silver linings...

[USAFChief]

Rosario got caught flat footed on that fly ball.

 

Show us something, Berrios. K this guy.

[USAFChief]

Well this has started well.

[ashbury]

Wow. Wow wow wow. Where is our ace?

[bighat]

Ooof.

 

Royals are just kicking the Twins' butts this series. No luck or quirky stuff involved. This is just what you call getting schooled.

[Mill1634]

Not encouraging from Berrios

[Aggies7]

Going nowhere fast with this rotation, folks

[MNT1996]

Berrios is not an ace

[Don Walcott]

 

Morris definitely has a personality and is not always easy on the ear. He was a little rough around the edges at times as a pitcher, and that same attitude comes through in the booth. That said, I appreciate a lot of his comments about pitchers and pitching. I feel like he gives us more professional insights than, for example, Bert. (Though maybe that's a low bar.) And I don't find him as off-putting as Torii.

He just suggested throwing at Soler. You don't hear that from announcers too often.

[ashbury]

Not encouraging from Berrios

It seems to me that when Berrios has lively stuff, his command fails him. Today, I guess he's got command, because everything's in the strike zone, but it's not moving.

 

It may be that Peak Berrios depends too much on things coming together perfectly. Something a pitching coach maybe could try to iron out? I don't know.

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

He just suggested throwing at Soler. You don't hear that from announcers too often.

"Make him move his feet"

 

Makes me think of "Dance magic, dance!"

[Danchat]

I've never believed Berrios was an ace, but I thought he was at least a #2 starter... he just hasn't looked right this year.