Tough game last night. Best outcome today would be to win the game and avoid the sweep.
Starting Pitchers
Nolasco (5-9, 5.62 ERA)
-v-
Chen (13-4, 3.76 ERA)
Lineups:
1. D. Santana, CF
2. B. Dozier, 2B
3. J. Mauer, DH
4. K. Vargas, 1B
5. T. Plouffe, 3B
6. C. Parmelee, RF
7. E. Nunez, SS
8. E. Fryer, C
9. J. Schafer, LF
1. N. Markakis, RF
2. D. Lough, LF
3. A. Jones, CF
4. N. Cruz, DH
5. C. Davis, 1B
6. J. Hardy, SS
7. J. Paredes, 3B
8. R. Flaherty, 2B
9. C. Joseph, C
Mauer at DH for a third straight day.
Leadoff double with the backup catcher up. Automatic bunt situation, right?
Good thing the Twins brought up this Thompson for the bullpen because Nolasco is not going to pitch a complete game. Even if he was given a 300 pitch count.
That was a pretty epic reaction the FSN camera had of Nolasco giving up the HR. hahaha
PLOUFFDAH
Trevor Plouffe has hit the last 3 HRs for the Twins.
Still had the volume off on the cellphone from church, otherwise MLB At Bat would have woken me from my excellent holiday weekend nap.
Why is fair or foul before it gets to first base not a reviewable play? I know it's hard to tell sometimes, but why not get it right when you can?
*uses standard "Why?" answer from Hughes Aircraft days*
"To confound the enemy."
[seligshrug.jpg]
I'm digging the black socks with orange hoops on the Orioles.
There is no aspect of this game worth watching. Or listening to.
I'm starting to think the Twins may not win this game.
Can't anybody here play this game?
This might be a problem
Can the Twins play the White Sox for the remainder of the year?
I'm not sure if that's a good idea even, at this point.
I wish his uncle Bruce was pitching instead.
I switched over to The Hamiltons @ The McCutcheons
Cutch hitting vs. Cueto is a lot of dreads.
Dazzle talking about Aaron Hicks as a potential September call-up. I'd be okay with that, but I wonder what it means (if anything) that Rochester benched Hicks in favor or Eric Farris in center as they've been in their playoff drive.
It means he's 1 for his last 14. Hicks in there today batting 9th against LH pitcher.
Slamtana
Danny Santana! wooo!
Has he been bestowed a nickname?
Smooth feat. Rob Thomas
For those still around, I'd suggest we go here and find the Elizabethton/Johnson City first round playoff game.
E-Twins get three singles in the first, but lose two runners on the bases and don't score. 0-0 after a half inning.
Johnson City goes down in order in the bottom of the first. Still 0-0 after one.
Oh man, i bet Hardy hits another Grand Slam here.
whew, a strikeout
He could have had a monster day. Has 4 RBIs but left 6 men on base.
Tyler Mautner doubles, takes third on a ground out, and scores on a wild pitch. 1-0 Twins after 1 1/2.
Plouffe! knows doubles.
Johnson City gets a leadoff single in the second, but does not advance the runner. Still 1-0 Twins after two.
Elizabethton gets a leadoff walk but fails to score. Still 1-0 Twins after 2 1/2.
Johnson City goes down in order in the third. Still 1-0 Twins after three.
I left after Chen got taken out. I should probably stop going to Twins games. I've been to 3 this year and have seen opponents hit 4 grand slams.
Stay at home, dude, for all of us.
Oh man. hahahah.
ANOTHER bases loaded Vargas AB.
TWINS BASEBALL!!SEND HIM!!
In the fourth, Tyler Kuresa gets a leadoff double but can't get past third. Johnson City gets a two-out single but can't advance him. Still 1-0 Twins after four.
All Brian Dozier does is score runs.
Jeremias Pineda gets a leadoff single in the fifth, but a double play erases him. Halfway home, it's still 1-0 Twins.
Johnson City gets a two-out single and a stolen base in the fifth, but that's it. Still 1-0 Twins after five.
Vavra'd!
In the sixth, Trey Vavra reached on an error with one out and scored on a two-out double by Jorge Fernandez. 2-0 Twins after 5 1/2.
A big bottom of the sixth for Johnson City. A walk, a single opened the inning, and starter John Curtiss was removed for Cameron Booser. A wild pitch, and a ground out scored the first run. Another wild pitch tied it at two. Two singles and a two-run double by Jose Godoy made it 4-2 Johnson City. C. K. Irby came in and got the final two outs of the inning, but after six, it's Johnson City 4, Elizabethton 2.
Vavra'd *3!
I have to admit, these announcers' accents aren't something I'm used to hearing before.
Elizabethton bounces back with four in the top of the seventh. Singles by Pineda, Pat Kelly, and Tanner English score the first run. A hit batsman loads them up, and Trey Vavra comes through with a bases-clearing double. 6-4 Elizabethton after 6 1/2.
But Johnson City gets one back in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Torres hits a leadoff triple and scores on a wild pitch. 6-5 Twins after seven.
Elizabethton gets a leadoff single and a one-out single, putting men on first and second, but that's it. Still 6-5 Twins after 7 1/2.
And...Vavra'd 🙁
Why is this at Johnson City?
It'd be kind of weird to have it in Tehachapi
I thought it was weird for the East Winner to be at the East Runner-up to start a playoff series.
It's a best-of-three series. My understanding is that game two and game three, if necessary, are at Elizabethton.
Never liked that. I guess it makes sense from a travel standpoint, but it allows the lower seeded team to put all the pressure on the higher seed just by winning at home.
In the bottom of the eighth, Johnson City gets two one-out singles. A strikeout makes it two down, but an error allows the tying run to score. 6-6 after eight.
PawSox pitcher Henry Owens has struck out 4 Red Wings in a row. Scoreless going to bottom of 2nd. Berrios battled control in first but allowed just a one-out walk.
Baseball updates from all directions!
Elizabethton gets a leadoff single in the ninth, but the runner is wiped out by a double play. We're tied at six going to the bottom of the ninth.
Johnson City goes down in order in the ninth. Free baseball in game one! Still tied 6-6!
My cousins live in the city that is right across I40 from Johnson City. If I lived there, and I've considered it, I'd be at App League stuff all the time.
Elizabethton gets a two-out single, but no more. 9 1/2 done, still tied 6-6.
Berrios strikes out the first two batters of the second, but a walk and a double puts PawSox up 1-0. Doug Bernier ends the K streak with a full-count walk and then Pedro Florimon walks. With no outs and slumping No. 9 batter Aaron Hicks batting in a one-run game, the Red Wings eschew the automatic bunt and instead execute a double steal. Hicks then doubles to put Red Wings ahead 2-1 in the third inning.
Whoops. Somehow, Florimon didn't score from second on a double. But Herrmann Munster grounds out to score Florimon anyways.
Josmil Pinto follows with a double to make it 3-1 going to the bottom of the third inning.
Johnson City gets a leadoff double, but the runner is cut down trying to go third on a ground ball to the pitcher and Johnson City doesn't score. On to the eleventh! And at this point, I have somewhere I have to be, so I guess you'll have to follow it yourselves. Or, you can wait until morning and get the result in Minor Details.
Neither team scores in the 11th.
I am loving these updates. Thanks guys.
PawSox get five consecutive two-out singles to score three runs and take a 4-3 lead on the Red Wings after 3.
Berrios may not be long for this game. Trailing 4-3 in the fourth, he just walked the No. 9 hitter to lead off the inning in a must-win game for the Red Wings.
A single follows and Logan Darnell replaces Berrios. He allowed 7 hits and 3 walks in 3+ innings with 3 Ks. 4 runs allowed so far with Darnell inheriting two base runners with no outs in the fourth.
A one-out error loads the bases and Darnell then walks in a run. The Red Wings' last hopes are hanging by a thread this inning.
A single makes it 7-3, still only one out.
A two-out, two-run single makes it 9-3 and pretty much ends all hopes for the Red Wings.
Trey Vavra singles in Tanner English in the top of the 13th. This was after JC walked Nick Gordon intentionally with two outs to face Vavra, Elizabethton's No. 3 hitter. Gordon, of course, is the Twins' top pick in the June draft. Vavra was thrown out trying to go to second on the throw. Keaton Steele pitches another perfect inning to preserve the lead. He pitched three perfect innings to get the win. E-Town now heads home and only needs one win in two games at home to win the series.
The Wings are trailing 10-4 in the bottom of the 7th and the game is being delayed by rain. I don't think they can call the game. It might get suspended, however.
The game resumed and was completed with the Wings losing 10-4 and eliminating them from the playoffs.