2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game Logs Game 84: Rays @ Twins

260 Comments

James Sheilds

@

Scott Baker

The Twins are in a pretty good position right now. If they win the next two Minnesota will go into the All Star Break riding an 8 game winning streak, setting themselves up nicely for a second half run.  What? Is it too soon to just chalk up every game against the White Sox as a win?

Without getting too New Guy-y here I predict the Twins will be in third place in the AL Central before the Mid Summer Classic.

260 thoughts on “2011 Game Logs Game 84: Rays @ Twins”

  1. Good news, guys! I think I found a buyer for my home gym. He was supposed to come tonight, but flaked out, so I'm a little worried, but I'm still starting to take it apart!

  2. Wow...I thought Cuddy was supposed to hold the bag, miss the bad throw by three feet and then chase after it

    1. Oy, I hadn't looked at Hughes numbers yet this year. Is an OPS+ of 70 even replacement level for 1B?

  7. Little does good again. It seems we haven't had many bonehead outs at home this year.

  13. Rays' announcers are convinced that Longoria is playing through an injury.

  17. You know, I really enjoy a Danny Valencia who gets less unlucky on his batted balls.

    1. BLT with sriracha and avocado, cucumber and tomato salad with a vinaigrette and goat cheese, and some homebrewskis.

        1. Indeed, I tried it based on you mentioning it. The rooster is my own addiction, but its terrific too.

    1. If I was a contradictory type person, I would disagree. Wait, I am contradictory, but I agree that Kubel healthy would be awesome.

    2. I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause what's a hero? But sometimes there's a man...

        1. Thanks. Uploading pictures and adding them as embedded images isn't the easiest thing to do with a phone

      1. Do you think if we sent Repko to the field instead of Delmon anyone would notice? Delmon could bat, Repko could field.

  26. I'm going out on a limb to say Dazzle probably accused Johnson of nonchalanting his throw.

  29. When Kubel and Span come back I think the best batting order would look something like this:

    Span CF
    Revere LF
    Mauer C
    Cuddy 1B
    Kubel RF
    Thome DH
    Valencia 3B
    Nishi 2B
    Casilla SS

    I'm not convinced either Nishi or Casilla can play SS, but Casilla has a stronger arm.

    1. I'll live with the occasional odd steal of second, but Cuddy should remain pretty much planted on 2B or 3B when he gets there until the ball is in play, you ask me.

  39. dicknbert have used some variation of the phrase "left it up" in regards to baker about 10 times in the last 15 minutes, with no real regard to the accuracy of said statement.

      2. Let's put a new coat of paint on this lonesome old town,
        You set 'em up, we'll be knocking 'em down...

    1. How many times do you see it, a guy muffs a play in the field only to lead off the next half inning with a strikeout.

    1. The White Sox walked off on a balk last night.

      One of the saddest sights I ever did see.

    1. I didn't see Shield's pickoff, but if what happened last night in Chicago was a balk, so is everything.

  47. Hey, so, I think Gameday is busted, it just said Dumatrait was coming in? WTF?

    1. The way this season has gone, I'm gonna guess either rickets or the boogie-woogie influenza.

  52. Dazzle clears everything up, "Baker left with an illness or something wrong with his pitching arm."

    1. Knowing the Twins' medical staff that means he probably just popped the ligament and will be out for 18 months.

      2. Actually, a team can't move a player to the 60-day DL until they are out of 40-man roster spots and need to add someone. Now, of course the Twins would wait as long as possible before adding someone to the 40-man.

        1. You and your facts.
          (Actually, did not know that.)
          It'll be the 56th day: August 30th, so they can add someone for September call-ups.

          Alternately: even though Baker is at 55 days, the Twins refuse to move Baker to the 60-day and they instead expose Chuck James to waivers, so he's picked up by the White Sox and he strikes out Morneau, Thome, and Kubel, (while walking Cuddy to load the bases) in the eighth inning of all three games, which the Sox sweep, each game won by one run.

  56. just got back from the last softball game of the season. I'd say that it looks like Light Rail is dealing tonight, but not exactly. Still.

    2. That sounds like very wishful thinking. Dude's gotta be busted out of the pen.

      1. Since it seems he's just too intelligent for Gardy to like him, he should just listen to Rick Sutcliffe for a couple hours. I listened to him today for 20 minutes and dropped 10 IQ points.

        1. I listened to Sutcliffe once and failed my next actuarial exam, two months later.

  59. Still get a kick out of the running gag with the radio guys of making up the residence of the fan(s) catching the foul balls. "Hey, nice catch by Apple Valley there on that foul! That ball's heading south of the river tonight after the game."

  60. Scoreless inning from Nathan. That should about seal it. There's no way they can score off of that guy who pitches the ninth.

    1. Number of scoreless innings after today to get ERA below..
      5.00: 5
      4.00: 11.1
      3.00: 21.2
      2.00: 42.2

      Doesn't even have to break Hershiher's record to get it to a normal level.

    1. Everything has been right down the middle so far. Except for the one that missed the zone entirely.

  75. I'm gonna be pissed if the Rays end up winning this and I don't even get the minor relief of a fantasy win for Shields.

  80. Jesus with outs like that, he's going to give up the game in the next 2 pitches.

    1. That's not the worst advice I've ever heard for a pitcher.

      Wait. Yes, it is.

  86. I'm guessing Capps is setting it up so Johnny freekin Damon pisses me off again.

  88. What we need here is a double that doesn't score a run. Then, bring in Perkins for the end of the game.

  94. Were I an ump, I'd be reluctant to end the game on a checked swing strike call.

    1. Looked pretty close to a swing to me. I thought he went, but they didn't show the side angle on TV.

    2. If it were me, I'd go back to using Nathan in the 9th right now and keep using Perkins more like a left-handed version of Crain last year. Have Capps pitch in Burnettian situations for a while.

      3. That's my feeling as well. Part of the dumbness of the closer role is the reluctance of the manager to pull the closer when the situation warrants it. Put Capps in a spot where Gardy has no trouble pulling him.

    1. Well, I only paid attention at the end here, but it sure seemed the strike-balls evened it out.
      Perk pitched out of the zone, because that's where the strike zone was.

    1. It truly is. Damon angers me greatly. For him to be out on a safe was the best of all worlds.

      Also, Capps is done as closer. Even Gardy can't stop that now.

    2. The Twins aren't going to release him with the amount of money he's owed, but can he even be used as mop-up at this point?

    2. Awesome. Pierzynski up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th losing 5-3 with a man on first.

  112. Capps has at least been an upstanding guy.

    Happier and probably too optimistic note: Reincarnated Glen Perkins reminds me of Billy Wagner. I think he's our closer for the next 5 years.

    1. Yeah I kind of felt sorry for him with all the booing. Minnesota crowds don't usually turn on a guy like that. But it was more or less booing the manager's call.

      1. Team trades its top prospect for you. Team keeps you at salary that might have kept two other useful bullpenners (Guerrier and Crain) or JJ Hardy. You cap off blowing a 7-run lead. Yeah, fans will turn on your appearances. It's not like there's a long history of good memories from the guy.

  115. According to the TWITTER, Gardy sez: "Capps is still our closer". Is he just trying to fuck with us?

    I've been a huge defender of Capps, but even to me this seems insane. Nothing wrong with just shuffling the roles around a bit.

    1. He better be doing some sort of passive-aggressive ploy.

      You know "he's still our closer" but you don't see him until after the All Star break in the 6th inning of a 10 run game.

    3. He is what he is -- a decent reliever in a really rough stretch. I just don't want to see him in an important spot for awhile.

      1. Well, he did qualify it by saying "we have to get him right." So the next save opportunity that comes, I'm guessing Capps isn't the guy.

        Capps throws a ton of strikes (almost too many). I do think he could benefit from some middle inning lower leverage work for now.

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