2012 Twins Game Log

2012 Game 146: White Sox at Twins

110 Comments

Liriano
v
Deduno

Dick'n'Bert talked about how great it is that the Twins have their own park and not having to play early games on Saturday. So the Twins then play.. and early game on Saturday.

110 thoughts on “2012 Game 146: White Sox at Twins”

    1. I didn't even realize there was a game until a little after noon. That's what I get for hiding the schedule.

  13. Duderino's at 77 pitches through 3 2/3IP.
    I'm more sad about pitch counts today than I am most days. I'd like to see him keep going.
    How appropriate that he's facing Liriano. I remember a few of Liriano's early starts were high in pitches, Ks and BBs for a few short innings.

  15. I'm watching the Twins and listening to the Gophers, who may have lost their star player for the season (stop me if you've heard this before for the Goofs). This game sucks, but at least I can laugh at De Aza.

      2. I was mainly referring to the comparison of the basketball team losing Trevor Mbakwe. That's about as much as a star as they get at the U, other than in hockey.

    3. If not, that's the kind of history I can get behind. If the Twins are gonna lose, make it a No-hitter!
      To add to the singularity: and in getting the second no-hitter, eliminated team A from the playoffs.

  17. I gotta get back to repairing my ceiling, but TTO Duderino:
    1 HR, 6K, 5BB
    (plus 4 Groundouts, 1 Flyout, 2 groundball singles).

    2. The White Sox hadn't hit the ball in the air until Konerko's homer sneaked over the wall in left-center. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did considering he couldn't get his offspeed pitches over. That's usually something he can count on.

  18. And the Dunce restores order. I wonder how often the total runs in the game exceed the total hits? Sox with 4 runs on 3 hits, and of course the Twins have nothing.

  22. Apparently, 2-2 borderline pitches are balls, but 3-2 borderline pitches are strikes. Just terrible.

    1. It's always been that way. In hitter's counts, the strikezone expands; in pitcher's counts, the strikezone shrinks. I don't remember 3-2 counts, but probably close to average.

      1. It's beyond ridiculous when it's on consecutive pitches that are in the exact-same spot but get different calls. That's terrible umpiring.

  24. Plouffe ends possible history. I'm not sure if I'm happy he hit a home run or sad that Liriano won't make history.

    1. I'm happy that's the way it was broken. A lousy single and I wouldn't be watching anymore and the Twins probably don't score this inning.

  32. Bert: "The White Sox not concerned with who gets the save, they're just concerned with winning the game."
    Me: "Isn't that what all teams should do all the time?"

  34. Barring extras, this game will be over quite early, and the weather's fantastic. Can they just go ahead and play a doubleheader today?

    1. There is, amazingly enough, a scheduled doubleheader for next year. I understand MLB not wanting many scheduled doubleheaders, but I think a few every year would be a good thing.

      2. I missed that. Who and when?
        Yeah, I know why they don't schedule them: rainout and you've got two makeups.

        1. Rangers and Diamondbacks, in Phoenix on Memorial Day. About the safest place to schedule a doubleheader.

  39. Despite allowing the tying runner on base, Reed cannot get a blown save nor a loss. He gets no hold, as he didn't record an out.

  43. Okay, now Plouffe, Parmelee, and Mastroianni need to get on base without winning the game. Then Butera can get his walk-off grand slam!

  44. Race to the Bottom
    Losses Year(s)
    102 1982
    99 2011
    97 1999
    94 1997
    93 2000
    92 1998 1983
    91 1993 1986
    90 1961
    89 1978
    88 1995 1990
    86 1971 2012
    Race to the Bottom (2 year style)
    Losses Years
    194 1982-83
    190 1999-2000
    189 1998-99
    186 1997-98
    185 2011-12

  46. Situations like today is why I came up with stats like OSOH: Opposition Save Opportunity Held.
    If I ever revisit those, I think I'd have to give Duensing three for today.

      1. Wait, Seattle's E# is one vs Texas, but four vs Athletics, and Tex and As have four games left. So they're out of the ALW race.
        Oh, but they're still alive in AL WC race.

    1. I seriously doubt that there will be a 100 loss season here, but if you look at that 1982 season, wow. The previous Minnesota franchise record was 90. A Beamon-esque leap. Meanwhile the late 1990s were like Carl Lewis, a vastly better collection of losers, but not quite good enough to grab the brass ring, as it were.

      1. The late 90s were way worse than 1982. At least that 1982 team had talent. They were just too young and had really bad relief pitching. The late 90s were just awful. The only highlights were bringing the local old timers in to get their 3,000th hits.

          1. Yes. I am agreeing with you. There seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

            I moved here in 1997 and it was the first time I could watch the Twins consistently. That was probably the closest I have come to masochism in my life.

            1. Like a few others here, I grew up in the 1970s, which was a pretty miserable time to be a Twins fan. Calvin was a crotchety, cheap, increasingly out-of-touch a-hole, unwilling and unable to adjust to free agency. Gene Mauch gave us some upper mediocrity to cling to, but the farm system was unproductive and the talent was being sold for a song.

              Along came Hrbek, however. That was the first sign of great things to come, along with (in retrospect) the debuts of the Rat and Laudner, then the debut of Frankie and the acquisition of Bruno in '82. The mid-80s were good years to be a Twins fan because you could see the talent being assembled and growing.

              I left the state in 1986. DC, San Diego, Champaign, now NorCal. For me, the post-1991 '90s were sad, but remote. It was teh Interwebs (Bat-girl, Gleeman, and the Original WGOM) that brought me back as an everyday fan from afar. It has been a very good decade to be a Twins fan. I suppose that now is our winter of discontent. I just hope it's a short winter.

        2. I stuck through the team through the 90s's, I can handle this little speed bump. At least these Twins have exciting players to watch (Mauer, Revere, Span).

      2. I still maintain the worst Twins team was 1981. As is pointed out above, the 1982 team had some young players who were going to be stars. The late '90s teams always at least had one or two really good players (Knoblauch, Molitor, Radke). Look at 1981. The best batting average among the starters was .268 (John Castino). They had two players with an OPS above .700 (Smalley, .818; Dave Engle, .703). Their rotation was Al Williams, Pete Redfern, Fernando Arroyo, Roger Erickson, Brad Havens, and an over-the-hill Jerry Koosman. This team gets overlooked because the strike saved them from setting records, but this was the worst Twins team ever.

        2. You'll get no argument from me. The whole 1981 season (not just the Twins) was an abomination. Once the strike was settled, baseball decided to have a minor league style split season with the first half winners (pre-strike) and the second half winners making the post-season. This middle of the season change in how the playoffs would work resulted in the best team overall in the NL West, the Cincinnati Reds missing the playoffs altogether. Oy vey.

          But, yes, that Twins team was awful. The 1982 team, the team with 102 losses, was a lot more fun to follow.

  49. Good to see Plouffe may be getting his power stroke back. The Twins seemed all out of sorts that Plouffe took a sudden nosedive after coming back from his injury, but I notice he's still wearing a protective band around his thumb. It would seem to me that he's just now getting to be healthy. Plus, he made a terrific play diving to his left today.

  50. I guess we'll have to settle for 76-86. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I'm starting to think this year's Twins might not be very good.

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