2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Game 31: Twins @ BoSox

103 Comments

6:10 (CDT) start time.

Kevin Correia vs. John Lackey

Watch for rain.

Gleeman has been telling us for weeks that Correia has a history of pitching well in April and then turning back into a pumpkin. That seemed to play out in his last start when he gave up four runs in five innings versus the Indians. Let's hope that history stops repeating itself tonight. And if it does have to repeat itself, let's see it be a repeat of last night.

4 Dozier
2 Mauer
7 Willingham
3 Morneau
5 Plouffe
DH Doumit
9 Arcia
8 Hicks
6 Florimon

103 thoughts on “2013 Game 31: Twins @ BoSox”

  4. MLB Scout: John Lackey may be running out of gas after 64 pitches; his fastball has dropped from a high of 94 to as low as 86.

    2. I watched the Community season final and no one commented in the half hour. weird.

  7. So the cleaning lady knocked over a small mirror in the downstairs bathroom and broke it (7 years, baby, on you, not us!!)

    I took it to Pfau's (West Hartford's signature hardware store) and asked them to order a new mirror (circular, have to send it out, will take at least a week).

    A couple hours later Dan calls me.

    Dan: Your mirror is ready.

    Me: No way!!

    Dan: Yeah, we had some material around and one of the guys was able to make a piece to fit. It's ready.

    Me: Wow!! Nothing every happens this fast... Hey... Are you calling from two weeks in the future?

    Dan: If I could do that, you think I'd call you? I'd be calling my broker.

  12. Wow, ump got that call right. I thought the Mountie was out, but no tag made.

    1. I was in Boston several years back and went to a sports bar near the hotel for dinner and to catch the Twins/Sox game by myself. Struck up a conversation with some of the locals, solid fans but rabid homers. One of them even bought me a beer. It was a very fun night.

      1. The announcers (particularly the color guy) are rabid homers as well. It's very hard to prove to the color guy that a call shouldn't go their way. He doesn't get angry - he just literally seems to see it in Boston's favor all the time.

  22. Apropos of nothing, I bought a car for elder daughter today. 1996 Geo Prizm, so basically a Corolla assembled in Cali under the old Toyota/GM joint venture. It's got the Toyota 4A-FE engine (100 horses), four cylinder, 1.6 liter, multiport fuel injection, 16 valve, dual overhead cam. Really clean interior. A few early rust spots, but body, frame, suspension and engine seem really solid. Only 130,000 miles on it, too. Looking forward to tinkering with it, but it looks to be really well maintained.

  36. Evening, folks. This game looks less intense than the one from last night.

        1. I think it'll play at the WGOM. Your mileage may vary elsewhere, depending on how often you want to explain it.

    1. I have found this disheartening. I really liked that Mauer was tough to strike out. I don't think it's a sample size fluke, either. This is way outside what I'd expect a normal 30-game deviation in SO% to be. And in retrospect, last year's 13.7% is pretty far outside his career to that point. Oh well, if anyone can get it back on track, it's Joe.

      1. For strikeout rate, it seems at 150 PA r=.7. Before today's game, Mauer was at 135 PA with a 19.3 SO%. That's really high (career average of 10.7%) and for sufficiently large sample that something has changed.

          1. I forgot that he just had twins. Interestingly enough, he basically has a 10% SO% at home this season, but has a 28% SO% on the road. Last season he had more strikeouts at home than away, though, so that doesn't appear to be a trend. Still, maybe he should bring his family on the road? 🙂

    2. Lackey threw him two nasty 'down and in' sliders(?) on two of the strikeouts. I mean the ball was right down the middle and when Mauer swung the ball was at his feet

      1. Is this the same Joe Mauer who was 5 for 9 in his two games prior to tonight that we are worried about? The one who was .311/.393/.454 on the season and .400/.516/.640 in his last week?

        prior to tonight, Joe has hit .435/.458/.696 (10/23) against Lackey with 2 Ks and 2 HR.

        Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you.

        3. I am amazed at the number of people that criticize Mauer when he hits .325 (not enough homers!) or worry about him instead of appreciating his greatness in the here and now. Kind of like KG. We had an all-timer in his prime right here in our fair city and all people could talk about is what he wasn't. No, we really don't miss Henry Blanco.

          1. Just to clarify -- I don't think we're criticizing Joe for hitting .309 this year (I know I'm not), I'm just concerned that the increase in strikeouts (or the cause of the increase) might be preventing him from hitting .339, say.

            Sometimes neither you nor the bear get each other, but instead you still might be interested in what species of bear it is, and why Jeff A is so fascinated by it.

                1. strikeouts still only count as one out.

                  His BABIP is currently at .391, which would be a career high by 18 points. So maybe he's just substituted a few Ks for can-of-corn fly balls or easy ground balls. Or look at how his ISO is up to .138, close to his career average .144, compared to .127 last year and .081 in 2011. (MOAR PAUER!) Methinks that 139 PA is way too few observations to conclude much of anything yet.

                  1. Also, he's only grounded into one double play so far and his GB% is at a career low 44.7%. His career average is 50%. I wonder if he's trying to trade groundballs for strikeouts/flyballs.

                  2. You leave me out of this. Also, I like your point about a strikeouts v. ground/flyouts. Funny how much the perceived "usual" Mauer out, 4-3 or 4-6-3, annoys me.

            3. Yes, this. I don't know if something is necessarily wrong, just that it's different. Maybe he needs LASIK.

              2. And it's only really news because Mauer has historically been so good at putting the ball in play.

  52. Maybe Twins can keep Ramirez around as the translator when Mastroianni returns.

  53. Thanks for giving us presents on your birthday, Oswaldo. You've kept us on track for 147-15!

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