2019 Twins Game Logs

2019 Game 154: Royals at Twins

47 Comments

What, you think I'm going to step up to the plate to pinch hit and knock one over the fence? Maybe a grand salami? Maybe a walk-off bomba? You've been watching too much Twins baseball. In these situations, I'm generally happy to work a walk and keep the inning alive. Rocco Baldelli is serving up a pitching surprise tonight. We know that Randy Dobnak will get the ball for the first inning, but after that it's an enigma wrapped in a mystery. I'd look for Rocco to ask Dobnak to go as deep as he can, four or five innings, and then see what the bullpen can do to finish it off. Rocco might as well take advantage of all the extra arms in the bullpen, it's worked out well so far this month and it'll be a different story rosters-wise next September. Kansas City is starting rookie Eric Skoglund to take the place of Jakob Junis. Skoglund has only pitched 14 major league innings to date, in part because of an 80 day PED suspension. Enjoy the last weekend of summer, folks. Play ball!

47 thoughts on “2019 Game 154: Royals at Twins”

    1. It's really kind of hard to believe that the franchise has not produced any others in what, 58 seasons?

      1. Ignoring Senators' seasons.
        only two Twins' position players with 8+ rWAR seasons (Carew 1977 and Knobby 1996).

        Only 5 with 600+ SLG seasons (Garver in line to be the franchise all-time leader; also Thome 2010, Cruz 2019, Morneau 2010, Killebrew 1961).

        Garver 6th and Cruz 9th in Twins' history for single-season OPS.

        Miguel Sano is likely to have the top 3 franchise seasons for strikeouts after this year.

        Garver currently first, Cruz second (tied) and Sano 6th (tied) all-time for fewest AB per HR.

        1. During the same period the Twins have only 19 player seasons with an ISO above .250 over at least 350 PA. Before today’s game Garver needed another 7 PA to qualify; once he does, he’ll lead the list by a wide margin: .367 (before this evening) to Cruz’s .327 (before this evening). If Sanó can keep swinging a potent bat, then three 2019 Twins will surpass .318, the record Harmon set…in 1961.

        1. Trying to think of similarly-lived franchises and their respective records.

          The Royals have had a total of ONE with 40+ (Jorge Soler at 45 this year) and 3 more with 35+ (Moustakis 2017, Balboni 1985 and the Rat 1995).

          the Brewers have had one 50+ (Prince Fielder 2007), 7 with 40+ (Fielder, Sexson twice, Gorman Thomas, Yelich, Braun, Chris Carter, Ogilve), and ten more 35+ seasons.

          the Astros: 40+ (Bagwell 3, Berkman 2, Hidalgo), 35+ (Bagwell 3, Alou, Bregman, Carter, Wynn, Ensberg, Springer).

          Padres: 50+ (Vaughn), 40+ (Nevin, Caminiti, Gonzalez), 35+ (Colbert 2, Gonzalez, McGriff).

          1. Mets: 40+ (Alonso, Beltran, Hundley, Piazza), 35+ (Strawberry 3, Delgado 2, HoJo 3, Piazza 2, Kingman 3).

            1. Rangers 50+ (ARod 2), 40+ (JuanGon 5, Palmeiro 3, Frank Howard 3, Gallo 2, ARod, Hamilton, Teixeira), 35+ (Palmeiro 3, JuanGon, Dean Palmer, Teixeira, Beltre, Frank Howard, Soriano, Pudge).

    1. While I’m playing Commissioner:

      - balance the schedule;
      - end Interleague play in the regular season;
      - return to two divisions per league without realignment across leagues;
      - get rid of the Wild Cards;
      - expand the Division Series to 7 games;
      - #2 seed in the one division plays #1 in the other division in LDS;
      - #1 gets home field in the LDS for games 1, 2, 6, & 7;
      - best record gets home field advantage in the LCS for games 1, 2, 6, & 7;
      - World Series host rotates by even/odd year.

        2. I’m not convinced relegation is workable when market sizes of AAA clubs are so diminutive relative to MLB; Greater London has (at least?) 5 EPL teams for a population of 8.9 million, while New York has just 2 MLB teams for a MSA of 20 million & LA just 2 teams in a metro of 13.1 million. It seems like the North American landmass could make things challenging, given the effect time zones could play on relegation-compelled realignments. There are probably also labor considerations — and the anti-trust exemption? — that might prove thorny.

          1. Orioles get relegated and Astros's AAA team is promoted? Do they still get to promote the players to the parent club? So many issues make this impossible.

            1. It does seem like AA is becoming the last level with meaningful development & assessment, given the introduction of the rabbit ball in AAA. I suppose prospects could go directly from AA to MLB, and let AAA clubs complete for pillow contracts, senior/older players, or guys from Indy leagues.

              It’d be interesting to see what an alternate universe MLB where markets were regulated like Congressional districts, with major markets essentially capped by a ratio of 1 team per 4-5 million fans.

          2. Greater London has (at least?) 5 EPL teams for a population of 8.9 million,

            This year in the EPL, there is Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham. Of course, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers are up from time to time, too. Brentford, Charlton Athletic, and Millwall are also in the next-highest tier, but none of them has been in EPL in awhile.

            1. If we assumed Greater London’s EPL teams enjoyed equal support (which I know isn’t true, but for the purposes of the exercise), that’s 1.78 million fans per team. That’d give New York something like 11 MLB teams & LA 7 MLB teams.

  13. Good lord. Can we have back the Graterol who blows everyone away? He might bleed to death from these paper cuts.

Comments are closed.