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

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!

Happy Birthday–May 29

Bob Hope (1903)
George McQuinn (1910)
Loel Passe (1917)
Fred White (1936)
Fay Vincent (1938)
John Kennedy (1941)
Blue Moon Odom (1945)
Jamie Allen (1958)
Mike Stenhouse (1958)
Eric Davis (1962)
Charlie Hayes (1965)
Trever Miller (1973)
Jerry Hairston (1976)
Matt Macri (1982)

Comedian and actor Bob Hope was a long-time part-owner of the Cleveland Indians and was on their Board of Directors.

Loel Passe broadcast Houston Astros games from the team’s inception through 1976.  Along the way, he worked with two Hall of Fame broadcasters, Gene Elston and Harry Kalas.

Fred White broadcast Kansas City Royals games from 1974-1998.

Fay Vincent was the commissioner of baseball from 1989-1992.

Third baseman Jamie Allen was drafted by Minnesota with the tenth pick of the 1976 draft, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. brianS.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 29

Game 48: twins @ mariners

Winning streak!

We might not get a whole lot of these this season, so it's worth getting excited over them, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

You know what would go nice with that winning streak? A long winning streak.

Hughes tries to make that happen tonight. Wade Miley tries to stop him, but other than having a pretty full beard in his bbref photo, I'm not convinced. The Twins weren't supposed to win last night, and they dominated, surely they can take on Grizzly Adams and his 4.51 FIP, right?

Twins on Leaderboards

On Base Percentage - Mauer - 10th (.389)
Base on Balls - Mauer - t-3rd (29)
Base on Balls - Sano - t-6th(26)
Strikeouts
 - Sano - t-2nd (67)
Stolen Bases - Santana - t-4th (10)
Stolen Bases - Nunez - t-9th (8)
Hit By Pitch - Park - t-5th (5)
Hit By Pitch - Núñez - t-10th (3)
Hit By Pitch - Dozier - t-10th (3)
Sacrifice Hits - Murphy - t-6th (2)
Sacrifice Hits - Rosario -  t-6th (2)
Intentional Walks - Mauer - t-3rd (5)
Caught Stealing - Santana - t-3rd (5)
AB per HR - Park - 8th (15.2)

BB/9 - Hughes - 7th (1.664)
BB/9 - Nolasco - 10th (1.904)
Games Pitched - Pressly - t-3rd (24)
Games Pitched - May - t-7th (23)
Complete Games - Hughes - t3rd (1)
K/BB - Nolasco - 10th (4.182)
Losses - Hughes - 1st (7)
Earned Runs - Nolasco - t-8th (32)
Wild Pitches - May - t-2nd (6)

Happy Birthday–May 28

Spider Baum (1882)
Jim Thorpe (1887)
Warren Giles (1896)
John Allyn (1917)
Bob Kuzava (1923)
Frank Saucier (1926)
Kirk Gibson (1957)
Bill Doran (1958)
Duane Ward (1964)
Mike Maksudian (1966)
Mike Difelice (1969)
Jhonny Peralta (1982)
Lester Oliveros (1988)

Spider Baum won 325 games in the minors between 1902-1920.  267 of those wins came in the Pacific Coast League.

Warren Giles was president of the National League from 1951-1969.

John Allyn was the owner of the Chicago White Sox from 1961-1975.

Frank Saucier is the player Eddie Gaedel pinch-hit for in 1951.

We would also like to wish a happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Philosofer.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 28