2016 Twins Game Logs

2016 Game #49: Twins (14-34) at Mariners (28-20)

31 Comments

First Pitch - 3:10 pm CDT

Ricky Nolasco (1-3, 5.54 ERA, 46 K)
Taijuan Walker (204, 2.70 ERA, 47 K)

Cowabunga! The Twins are riding the crest of a winning wave, three in a row now with a chance to notch a sweep against a pretty good Mariners team. You wouldn't think that winning two games in a row on the road would be a big deal, but this year we have to find our pleasure in the small accomplishments. Nunez continues to be a lot of fun to watch, Joe Mauer is hitting again after slumping for a few weeks, with Plouffe! sidelined with a sore knee we may get to see Sano play a little third base and an outfielder play right field. Buxton has been tearing it up in Rochester; with Mastroianna on the DL and Rosario shipped down, we could see the kid back in the show before long. Grossman has been a nice edition and gives Molitor more outfield flexibility. His slash line (.375/.500/.625/1.125) is a short sample size fluke and he's bound to regress before too long, but it's nice to see while it lasts.

On the mound today, the Twins Ricky Nolasco squares off with Taijuan Walker. Nolasco had a very good April but he's had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad May, posting an 8.14 ERA. He lasted less than three innings in his last start, giving up six runs to the Royals on Monday. At just 23 years old, Walker is having a solid season, though he is 0-4 with a 3.96 ERA in his last five starts, but with eight unearned runs in that span he's had some bad luck and/or some bad fielding behind him. Walker has faced the Twins once, throwing a complete game one-hitter against them at the end of last July.

Play ball!

31 thoughts on “2016 Game #49: Twins (14-34) at Mariners (28-20)”

  2. I think Nolasco's go to move when runners are on third is to throw curve balls about 50 feet.

  7. I don't think the ñ is there, but Dazzle pronounces it anyway. Still, Centeno hasn't been a bad fill-in, particularly with what we'd been dealing with at catcher this season.

    1. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. Consistency in pronunciation has never been one of Dazzle's strong suits as a broadcaster. I mean, I'm not sure what his strong suits as a broadcaster are, but consistency in pronunciation isn't one of them.

  8. double steal with Sano at the plate? Huh.

    also, 2 Ks and 1 HR for Joe today. Huh.

  9. sitting here enjoying a homemade Thai Iced Tea. Mmm. Needs actual cream, however. Half-n-half doesn't have the right amount of fat.

    1. recipe: 3 bags black tea (I used Oolong, but any black tea should work fine), 3-4 cloves, 2 star anise, 1 green cardamom (cracked). 4 cups boiling water. Sugar to taste. Splash of vanilla. Cream, coconut milk, or sweetened condensed milk.

      lightly toast the spices. throw 'em in a pan or measuring cup large enough to hold the water. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and spices and let steep for at least 10-15 minutes. Stir in the sugar. I don't like my tea sweet, so I used only 2 tablespoons for a quart of tea. Remove tea bags and spices, stir in vanilla and let cool. Will keep a couple days. To serve, pour over ice, leaving an inch or so of head room for the cream. Gently pour in the cream and enjoy.

  10. I hope the Twins score a run or 8 in the 9th so Kevin Jepsen doesnt come into the game.

  11. On the grill tomorrow: marinated tri-tip, smoked spicy green beans, grilled flat bread. I think I'm making margaritas too.

  13. isn't there anyone on the bench who could have been subbed in to improve the outfield defense at this point?

    1. Actually, no. The only reserves were Arcia, Suzuki, and Plouffe (who was presumably not available).

  20. The Twins have 15 wins. They have two two different 4 game win streaks. Crazy

  21. Hope the boys can keep up these extra base home run hits! We're still on track for 128-34!

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