It's now one game in the rear view mirror, but the Twins got through their 12 games against decent teams stretch relatively unscathed (at least judging by wins and loses). Split the 12 games and especially splitting the six with Cleveland basically put the division crown in a stranglehold. Say what you will about this team, but resilient has to be one of the words you use.
Game two against the White Sox, and the Twins catch a break with Giolito being shut down for the season a day before he was about to start against the Twins. Dude's a great pitcher so whew!, but hopefully not a serious injury. Someone named Ross Detwiler up for the Sox with his 6.79 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. Ouch! Martin Perez pitching for Twins and after his nice start against the Red Sox, basically remembered he was Martin Perez and had a lousy outing against the Nats. Hopefully we can get a nice outing today against a White Sox team that's just kinda interested.
6:40p start again tonight. Will be a warm one at the ballpark but I think the rain should hold off until late.
Twins Lineup:
C Garver
SS Polanco
DH Cruz
RF Rosario
3B Sano
1B Gonzalez
LF Arraez
2B Schoop
CF LaMarre
Are the announcers contractually obligated to complain every time someone gets a two-strike hit?
Well, it IS kinda annoying. The 2-strike hits, that is
It is, but every pitch doesn't go where you want it to, and sometimes it does and they still hit it. It happens.
Not exactly an overpowering inning, but a zero in the first!
I stepped away for a few minutes, and it's the second inning. That must have been one quick bottom of the first.
Arraez is amazing.
We've scientifically found that he is pretty dang good.
Heddy!!!!!
Didn't spooky that one
How things change: Dazzle is actually somewhat critical of Polanco's bunt.
You love "In play, run(s)" after an IBB
100 RBIs for Eddie! I know RBIs aren't held in quite as high a regard as they used to be, but it's still a thing.
TWINS BASEBALL!!!
Please keep the doctor in the booth with Cory and Dazzle for several more innings
I really don't like interviews during the game, but if the Twins get five runs every inning they do one, I'll deal with it.
SANO!!!!!!!
482. Wow.
One foot short of Kennys Vargas' record
And the broadcast says it's Thome @ 490'
Give it to JI
JIM THOME.
Well, someone is wrong. Thome is the longest pre-Statcast HR, Vargas is the longest Statcast HR, so seems to me this was the third longest HR at Target
Thatβs a record β 5 players with 30 or more bombas.
That hit was pretty dang good!
Let's limit them to one, Martin.
Just like that.
Martin, you had better not let this thing get away.
Geez, I turn the game on and Perez immediately acts like a turd.
This kind of inning really is frustrating.
Suddenly ball one isnβt strike three.
Dazzle, pitch count isn't going to be Perez' problem.
Bullpen to the rescue
Good job by Rocco to get Perez out of there before it was too late.
Dazzle pleading for dedicated seat where the 490' homer landed for JI
JIM THOME.
And paint _elm_n's O-face on the seat.
Not really written very well, but hey.
FFS.
Good grief. Are we really going to give this game away?
The Twins are going to win this game.
May, or May not, that is the question
NBBW watching Chopped, where they have Nutria in the basket . I'll stick with the 'CCO.
Nutria has been making the rounds lately. Iβve had it in jumbalaya format and it was ... good?
Care for some gopher?
I've wanted to see one with metal filings and sawdust in the basket.
Yankees only one homer tonight. So lead at least two with one game in hand.
May have looked different on television, but from my seat PΓ©rez got dinked and dunked to death. May, on ther other hand,...
The Daz-man saying that all teams need a crazy-ass pitcher for times like this (side-armer, submariner, Eephus??).
Magic zoom ball!
Eephi Fun.
Honest Abe just got JosΓ© Abreu's foul ball strike two. Quite the birthday present from the ball boy.
That is awesome, Pirate.
Awesome!
Tip o' the cap, Duffey!
'Member when he was a project, at best? Yeah, he's been cool this season
Maybe they can develop pitchers.
Bummer. Man.
Rocco worried. Romo knee issues. We're having a Roccoromolimp situation.
Romoβs left knee is not right.
Romo fools them with the Killdeer limp.
Ol' Peg Leg Romo.
Thatβs gutsy hurling.
I'd prefer 2-3 HR in the 8th than a walkoff in the 9th
Snatchy, snatch. Slug bunt, boyo.
OMG. Dazz! Opposing taking the bunt here. You da man.
And then, swinging bunt. π§
Crax.
La Tortuga Time.
Blech
now we get a cruz walkoff!
FFSX2
Cβmon, Rogers. Get the sure out.
This isn't good.
Might consider Romo and Duffey strategies
Huge play.
Ice the batter.
Attebury (?) pretty charged up.
...berry
Huge. Awesome-sandwich! Nothing-burger!
Nada enchilada?
Attebury: "AND THEY GET NOTHING!!!"
Wow. That was quite the Rockford turn.
I always preferred the Rockford scenes in the parking garage. Hair-raising.
heh, garver so excited he asked for a ruling on the check swing from the wrong umpire.
Sauce one, Mitch.
A little Gordovichia there by Attebury.
...berry
Sorry - got the NE deal going on out here-ah.
Dazz just called a Cruz walkoff. Does he know the Spooky Rules?
screw it, calling a cruz donger.
at least he can't get a double play.
first time i didn't lose points on a call at least. or maybe second... whatevs
Screw it, calling a Rosario donger
As I say to the PoissonniΓ¨re when we cross the street, βNow would be a good time.β
Of course, he walked him.
Free Baseball π
Littel perfectly positioned to vulture a win.
...ell
Stannis over here really going for it.
Berryell.
My bad.
Blair Walsh jersey just sat down behind me
Did he hook around you?
Not good.
Bigg outt.
Pale hosiery.
Clean living by the bullpen tonight.
Some mighty fine wigglin' there.
Respect for Sano in the box.
Group in front of me just ended a three-inning debate about investing in bitcoin
What did they conclude?
Converting your change to Bitcoin at your local supermarket is a smart, forward thinking investment.
Hmm. I'll stick with tax-free municipal bonds.
They concluded that neither side was understanding the other, so they hugged it out and left to go find a bar.
Try and spend your bitcoin there
Giants / Red Sox also in extras, also 5-5
Crax.
Sigh.
Fun while it lasted, Littelll.
Someone call a homer
sorry, tapped out.
Sauce me up
Heads-up baserunning by Wade.
Points, laughs.
Nice work, kid. Now letβs blow this thing and go home.
Not gonna lose in the 11th anyhoo.
Umm, we're walking this off, Attellberry.
Well, shit.
That was a lousy pitch
The Twins have been trying to give this game away all night. I think they may have succeeded now.
Not sure why I'm staying up for this sh|t.
Dido.
Because Bombas?
That's why I am staying up.
Screw it. Sano home run. Hopefully a 3 run shot
IBB Sano?
Guess not.
No, because that.
Calling it. Gonzalez walkoff.
I'll take it!
Not a great at bat by SanΓ³.
Nobody wants to win this game...
Okay, boys. Put this away.
MarTIE-ER!
trying to go to bed here, guys...
Luis Arraez, Professional Hitter.
It's been awhile since I professed by love Arreaz.
Man, I love Arraez.
Diazed. π
Oh, great. Bases loaded.
Savvy play there
heh, he hit it too hard.
Is Torreyes taller than Wes Johnson?
BR lists the former at 68 inches and the latter at 67 inches.
arraez and torreyes did the post game interview together. i chuckled at how much larger arraez seemed.
Walk off HBP?
LOL
Hahahaha!
TWINS BASEBALL!!?
hahaha!
That's a heck of a way to win one.
Beating the ChiSox never gets old.
Once they loaded the bases, was there any doubt?
quite an arm on torreyes.
That is unreal.
This shit will not fly in the playoffs though.
Maybe the most Twinsy walkoff in recent history.
This has been one of the more emotionally draining days in recent memory (waiting for antibiotics to kick in and basically, hopefully, save a life is exhausting). I would have preferred a laugher, but this was a good win too. Now sleep.
I guess the positive way to look at this is that good teams find a way to win games like this and bad teams find a way to lose them.
Also, look at this from Cleveland's perspective. They see the Twins get a 5-0 lead, but then Chicago comes back. It's 5-1, then it's 5-3. Now it's 5-5! And now the White Sox lead 6-5 in extra innings! It's 6-6, but now it's 8-6 White Sox! And yet, in the end, it's just another day off the schedule on which they did not gain any ground on the Twins. That has to be discouraging, I would think.
https://youtu.be/_PcWUJj5NMw