2014 Twins Game Logs

2014 Game 30: Twins v. Tribe

142 Comments

After Opening Day and Home Opener posts last month, I've been sitting the bench so long I nearly forgot it was my turn to do another game log. Tonight the Twins invade Jacobs Progressive a baseball field in Cleveland to commence a 4-game series with the Indians. The Twins enter the series in second place, 4.5 games behind the Tigers, who stole a 3-game march on the rest of the division last week. A win tonight restores the Twins to .500 on the year.

On the hill tonight, the Twins feature Kyle Gibson (3-2, 4.34 ERA) while the Indians send right-hander Zach McAllister (3-2, 8.82 ERA). Mauer may or may not play and Colabella is turning into a pumpkin, but my non-sexual man crush Brian Dozier will be there to pick up the slack. It's been fun watching this team, because it really feels like a team again. When one or two guys struggle, a couple others step up to carry them. Let's hope that carries through for several more months.

Play ball!

142 thoughts on “2014 Game 30: Twins v. Tribe”

  1. Dozier is fourth in the AL in rWAR for position players. Of course, one of the guys that was picking it up lately is one of just 2 players on the bench. Is Fl0rim0n* really that much better defensively than Escobar? Or how about getting really creative and put Plouffe back in RF and Escobar at third. Then you would have great infield defense for Gibson and Escobar is swinging better than Herrmann right now. They've even talked about having Santana in the OF. I would take his bat over Herrmann's.

    * the zeroes represent Pedr0's OPS+ and WAR.

  3. Well, the Twins radio feed is certainly sub-optimal. Hopefully the play on the field doesn't match it.

  4. I cant remember the last time I saw a wild pitch on strike three when first base was occupied.

  9. Brunansky, Molitor, Steinbach, Cuellar...anyone else really like the new coaching staff configuration?

    2. They seem to be getting different results from the last couple years, so I'm liking it.

      1. Right. I'm trying to figure out how much of the improvement they're driving. I think it could be considerable.

        1. Brunansky, Steinbach and Cuellar were all here last year, but maybe it just takes a while for players to figure out what coaches want them to do. Otherwise, Molitor is a genius!!111!!!

    1. Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino
      Another K for Josmil Pinto, now 0 for 20, 9 Ks in past 21 trips. #MNTwins

      oof

  15. I'm liking Fuld as a backup CF. He's made some nice defensive plays and knows how to steal a base (I'm looking at you, Presley). Wouldn't surprise me if Gardy falls in love with him and plays him in one of the outfield spots every day after Hicks comes back, and at this point I think I'd be in favor of that.

    1. Oof- "ball" 5 to Santana was right where the umps was calling strikes on the righty Twins batters. Yuck.

              2. Its discovery resulted from the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS).

                There is zero chance that the first two letters of that acronym were selected randomly, right?

                1. I would assume not. Like many acronyms, it's probably at least somewhat contrived. I would have gone with Primes Everywhere Now Internet Search, but that's just me.

                  1. I'm trying to come up with one for CRAP- Computing R-something Analyzing Primes, or summat like that. This is what happens to me when the baseball game is scoring no runs.

  20. I'm starting to think that if the manager comes out to argue a close play, it should immediately be a replay review. More time is wasted while the manager stands out there waiting for the other coaches to tell him they should challenge than the actual challenge takes, in most cases.

    2. if they implement this, then manager will come out to ask the umpire about the weather, then only argue the play once they get the nod

      2. I think that if a manager comes out of the dugout and decides not to challenge a call, then he must be required to chug a beer, do 10 spins with his forehead on a baseball bat at home plate, then run to first and chug another beer within 90 seconds. If he fails, then he must make a pitching change.

        1. If he fails, then he must make a pitching change.

          Or a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner if he's on the batting team.

          1. We can work out the details later. The important thing is drunken, dizzy running by fat managers.

      1. We were out bicycling down by Old Saybrook last year - saw a strange foreign object on the ground. I stopped and picked it up. It was a spoon that had been sanded into a shiv. I tossed it, but now regret it. Never know when you'll need one of those...

  27. Stupid sac bunt. That's not how your score 57 bazillionty runs in an inning (I'm pretty sure that was the number GH used above).

    1. Yes, bazillionty is a technical term. I used it at least a dozen times in my dissertation.

  32. God I can't even imagine what his voice will sound like tomorrow. It won't.

    1. Yeah, I don't think Atteberry is going to be calling the game tomorrow.

        1. Twins Union representative Glen Perkins will solve that post haste.

  36. I predict Kubel leads off with a triple, then Gardy pinch runs for him with Tyrion Lannister.

      3. He also lost about 40 mph on his fastball since he had to start pitching left-handed.

    1. His hobbies include sprinting to first and venturing too far off of second.

      1. Huh, is that where that comes from? I really feel like I should have known that already, but for some reason I didn't.

  43. Any chance Mr. Mauer gets called on at some point? I'm guessing not, since he'd have to stay in the game from that point on, but maybe?

  50. Huh. I would not have put money on Eddie being the guy to drive a ball out of the yard tonight. Sweet.

  54. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    ...I've been here for quite some time, but there's not been much to comment on.

  57. Wow, didn't Axford used to be good? Right now he looks like the second coming of Jim Hoey.

      2. I'm guessing it wasn't even his decision- probably had the ol' contact play on, assuming that Cleveland would be trying for the double play.

  60. I've reenabled my GIMPS account and am now searching for new primes.

  66. .500 on Cinco de Mayo, gang. That ain't bad, for this team.

    ...let's ignore, for the moment, that they were .500 halfway into May last year.

    1. The late season month-long skid that almost every Gardy team has gone into once they're out of contention really skews the records.

  69. I know the Clevelanders are not an offensive juggernaut, but a 10 inning, 0 runs given up by this pitching staff game should be cherished.

    1. The last extra-inning shutout by the Twins was May 28, 2011. Danny Valencia singled to drive in Jason Repko with the winning run. Ahh, good times. Anthony Stripsteak gave up 1 hit and 2 walks in eight innings.

        2. I remember it. We were picking up venison-Polish sausages from Kramarczuk's that day and it was still a no-hitter in the 6th on Sleepstain's spot start.
          I told my father-in-law that if Skreestreak completed a no-hitter I would a) buy a personalized "SWARZAK" jersey and b) always use that guy's actual name from that point on.

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