2014 Game 6: Northern Gemini Exploiters vs. Cleveland Oh Wait That’s Way Worses

We're still paying attention, right?


Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians
Progressive Field
2401 Ontario Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
12:05 PM CT

Ricky Nolasco
0-1, 7.50
v.
Justin Masterson*
0-0, 0.00

Twins Starting Lineup
Dozier, 2B
Mauer, 1B
Willingham, LF
Colabello, DH
Plouffe!, 3B
Kubel, RF
Suzuki, C
Hicks, CF
Florimon, SS

Cleveland Starting Lineup
Morgan, CF
Swisher, 1B
Kipnis, 2B
Santana, 3B
Brantley, LF
Chisenhall, DH
Gomes, C
Murphy, RF
Aviles, SS

*Dude was born in Jamaica? Huh.

197 thoughts on “2014 Game 6: Northern Gemini Exploiters vs. Cleveland Oh Wait That’s Way Worses”

    1. What worse is he looks like he's trying to explain or justify something. Don't even want to know what idiocy he was spewing (this was from Friday's game, I think).

      1. Believe it's been reported that he was explaining how they are honoring his heritage, or some such nonsense.

        1. I guess that's better in a way than "We don't care about your heritage and we'll use it for whatever," but the lack of cognizance is astounding.

          1. the folks in Chambana used to (and prolly still do) talk about their Chief Illiniwek as an "honored symbol." But this guy definitely takes the cake. I didn't know that the Joker was an Indian.

    1. Also that sweet short he had made for Gardy's 1000th win and a Twitter feed full of his got wife and Lord of the Rings costumes.

  1. Bartlett in for Willingham because Hammer was hit in the wrist/hand area by a pitch. Arcia out with a sore wrist.
    I have a feeling a roster move may be coming before the end of the day.

    1. I'm hoping so- otherwise we're going to be seeing a lot of Bartlett, Kubel and Colabello wandering randomly around the outfield.

  2. I figured the three-spot by the Yankees in the top of the first meant they'd finally hit a homer this season, but apparently not. I'm following this development with much schaudenfreude.

      1. Mlb needs to change the rules so the twins can bring in a reliever for the second inning, then bring nolasco back in after.

  3. I say if a manager comes out to talk the ump and has to look into the dugout to see if he wants to challenge it should automatically be a challenge.

      1. I hope so.
        I can see if the manager wants to discuss with the ump a ruling.
        But if he is stalling and looking into the dugout for a thumbs up or down, I feel that should be penalized.

    1. Gameday only tells me it was an error on Gomes- I'm hoping it wasn't a bunt attempt?

      1. swinging bunt. catcher throws a second too quick as the fielders were not there yet. ball goes into CF

        1. I was hoping it was one of those power-bunts. My brother excels at doing that in slow-pitch softball. It's not really a skill you want to have, but if you're a left-handed bat with good speed, it plays the same as a single to the outfield.

  4. Beautiful day for sitting out on the deck brewing up some beer and listening to the game on the radio.

    I had forgotten how much I enjoy the radio crew - even Dazzle, as he doesn't seem to be GOML about too many things today.

    1. My bottling bucket got contaminated thanks to a well-placed leak in the ceiling and buying a new one keeps falling behind other priorities, but man, today would be a great brewing day.

      1. You could try to bleach it if there aren't a lot of scratches on the inside. Both my fermenters got contaminated last summer and bleaching then took care of the problem.

          1. That's why i mentioned scratches. It can be hard to get bacteria out of them when it's plastic. It's a risk either way since you may not kill it all and lose a whole batch after all that work. At least with a fermenter you know it's ruined before the effort of bottling.

  5. I just found the "color" option on gameday, which is basically Rhett Bollinger live-tweeting the game. Nice addition, I think.

  6. I had thought that Masterson ate the Twins up in the past, but a quick check of bbref seems to contradict that. 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA and rate stats all worse than his career rates.

  7. CLE cameraman completely fooled by that. Pointed directly in the stands until dropping at the last split-second to barely capture Kubel catching the ball.

    1. I know Kubel has his issues in the field, but I didn't think they were that bad.

  8. bS, you're totally right about the deck. Worst thing is, we just stained it two years ago. Such is the way of things with cheap, pigmented stain, I suppose.

  9. Heh, nothing like a song about economic depression and trying (and failing) to scrape by to commemorate a base on balls.

  10. I realize that none of this isn't all Bartlett's fault, but why don't we have someone who's played a single professional inning in the outfield as our backup outfielder? Do we have no minor league outfielders? Are we that afraid to lose a backup infielder with no bat who we aren't willing to use as a backup infielder?

      1. You know, if we had wanted pumpkin, we could have probably gotten it for cheaper at the grocery store.

        1. And after the season, we could've made a delicious pie!

          A Nolasco pie will probably be significantly less delicious.

      1. Dammit Delmon, stopping beating up Jews and get back to running zigzags in the outfield where you belong.

  11. Indians PBP, for real: "What was the name of the great pitcher that Minnesota had who signed elsewhere as a free agent? Was it the Mets?" Long pause. "Santana?"

  12. Passed [Past] a diving Bartlett.... Le sigh. Would have been better off with Willingham letting it bounce.

    1. I don't usually like to brag, but I could have let it bounce and given up a double.

  13. awesome. Steal second to open first base, so the Indians can walk Mauer to get to Bartlett. Fu-uh-yuck.

  14. I'm not gonna name names, but I feel like a certain Indians pitcher is upset with Bartlett for letting the Indians tie that game because now he's going to get stuck with the loss.

  15. Not only is Colabello knocking runs in, but he is hitting for extra bases. 4 doubles and a home run so far this year.

  16. Um...It might be a good idea to get Swarzak out of the game before one of our infielders gets killed with a line drive.

  17. Listening to John+Suzyn on the way back from Middletown - Teh Captain passed Molitor on the hit list.

  18. As long as I'm here in the game log, I might as well say something relevant, right? Let's give this a try...

    TWINS BASEBALL!!!!!!

    1. This bench is ridiculous. I was thinking of scenarios that did, in fact, end with Gibson playing left field that I preferred to Escobar pinch hitting yet again.

    1. He's played 11 innings in the OF. Plouffe has 223. Why not put him in LF and Escobar at third. That would probably improve both positions.

      1. That is an excellent point. Plouffe didn't seem too terrible when he got some time out there.

        Heck, for that matter, I'd feel better about having Mauer play outfield than either Bartlett or Escobar.

      2. Fantastic point. It's very possible that that move would increase the defense in both positions (I don't know about Plouffe or Escobar's outfield range or instincts). It's becoming a little grating to see middle infielders playing the outfield.

  19. I was just about to put an Eddie Guardado Bat Signal out on the garage roof.

  20. Cleveland guy spewing the old line about people drawing walks are "gift runners" who didn't have to earn their way on. They had been doing so well...

  21. Was Gardy "showing confidence" in Hicks, as Dazzle says, or just trying to make sure Hicks didn't hit into another double play?

  22. I will never understand why 2 runs up with guys on 1st and 2nd and no outs you sac bunt there.

    1. Because Suzuki's not that good? Granted, he keeps hitting in important situations, so I'm kind of surprised Gardenhire pulled the trigger on the bunt.

    2. because the win probability with a 3-run lead is much larger than the win probability with a 2-run lead?

  23. Anybody watching? Does Francona have a legitimate challenge? Is there even a replay that shows it?

  24. I hate to say baseball should do something like football, but they really should have an announcement about exactly what's being challenged and on what basis it was either denied or upheld.

        1. Seventh and later umpires can initiate reviews. Managers can always challenge and I think get a refill for extra innings.

  25. I think Bert stumbled across something here. Plouffe crossed the plate and Francona came out to ask about it. After that was settled, the pitcher threw to third to appeal whether Plouffe had left early and was ruled safe. Then Francona came out to challenge the Plouffe crossing the plate again.
    Shouldnt have that been resolved when the pitcher threw to third? Or is it challenge open all the way to the next pitch.

    1. I think Francona is just disappointed that he's about to lose the home opening series to the Twins.

    2. I don't know how the challenge mechanics are supposed to work, but it has always been true that you need to actually throw to the base to appeal if a runner leaves early. To me, it seems like you should do that first if that's your complaint. Then if the umpire signals safe, you can complain that he got the call wrong.

  26. That was some good progression to the mean for Perk.

    Hell, 3-3 in the first two series. Not bad. Not bad at all.

  27. Atteberry just referred to "Brant Uh-LEE-uh". He probably played before Atteberry was born, but we old guys know it was "Brant "AL-yay".

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