Win Probability: 45.4%
Momentum is coming off the All-Star break, beating Cleveland in the first two games to start the second half, and having Jose Berrios lined up to start the third game. Not that it won't be a contest as Cleveland has Shane Bieber on the mound. The two are pretty well matched. Both have eight wins on the year, Berrios has the lower ERA (3.00 vs. 3.45) but Bieber has more strikeouts (141 to 104). The Twins' division lead is back up to 7.5 games with a chance to make it 8.5 with a series sweep. After today, the Twins and Indians meet just ten more times. The Indians were on a pretty good roll before the break, making up ground at a fairly alarming rate, and a Twins win today would put a nasty hitch in their giddy-up coming out of the second half gate. Play ball!
game is on.
Cleveland seems to have cornered the market on pitchers who can't hold still when not in the stretch. Although the Biebs isn't as bad as Clevinger.
I dunno. Taylor is pretty twitchy, IIRC. [who am I thinking of? Reliever who really does a whole lotta something something getting set in the stretch?]
Warning Track Power.
Berrios with a little help from blue
Forgot it was a nooner. Picking Sano
A lot of movement on Berrios' pitches. Unfortunately, it's movement outside the zone to lefties.
Also doesn't help that he's getting squeezed in the inside.
No help from Blue on pitch 2 to Ramirez.
But help on pitch 4.
Damn. That pitched missed his spot. Up in the meatball zone.
So, went to Scheels in Fargo and finally got a quality replacement for my aging Twins hat:
That's the same as mine! Good taste!
Ok, let's get a take-back.
Would help if they'd stop swinging at frickin everything.
Damn.
Bases empty, two-out doubles are NBD.
Looks like Jose is settling in. It would be nice if the offense would show up for him today.
Eventually the Cleveland bullpen will make an appearance.
Uhh, maybe
I’m going with Garver.
Berrios Day is Assbat Day. 🙁
Does Dick always drone on and on about bunts (he asks knowingly)?
You say you ask knowingly, but it's so much worse than you can imagine.
Crap.
Indians' tv guys talking about how Naquin likes the ball low. Berrios pitched to his strength.
They've been reaching for (and hitting) a lot of crap today
Time to get the bats going, boys.
Marwin is locked in. But that was a risky choice to try for two.
And his safe signal made him look like a dork.
Good time for a mistake to Sano. Please.
Two strikes now. This only ends one way.
Yuuuuup
Two thirds of the way to a sombrero. Great sequence by Biebs.
If you could score with a leadoff double....
I'd even take a wild pitch or a balk at this point.
So it's gonna be like that, huh.
Toy Story 4 doesn't suck. Just got back. Empty theaters on Sunday one of the perks of living in Utah and putting up with all the damn Mormons.
I looked it too. Not as good as 3, but at least it wasn't a gut punch. Key and Peele were hilarious.
Yes - it was great writing and Key and Peele were awesome. I hadn't had any spoilers prior so I quite enjoyed the story.
I took the kids (4.5 & nearly 8yrs) to see it yesterday. We were (mostly) happy with it, though Niblet (4.5) seemed bored by the 80% complete mark. The other choice was Aladdin, so I’m not going to complain too loudly about any shortcomings. One question:
Thanks G!
We saw it yesterday. There were sniffles. Very, very good flick.
If we can get Bieber out of this game and pull off a sweep that would be something.
The way they aren't taking any pitches, though, they're gonna have to hope for a hang nail or something.
70 pitches through 6 innings - yeah thats not good to see.
Glad Kepler still made it to first - don't like seeing that lack of awareness/effort.
Pay attention, Max. That was doubly lucky.
That's the way it's going today. Sigh.
This is a must win for Cleveland after losing the first 2 - a definite success for our Twinkies regardless of today's outcome.
Big 9 game home stand - hopefully we can pull out a 6-3.
I do worry this is the kind of game we are going to see come October. Our starter does a solid job/quality start level appearance but our bats are shut down by the other teams ace.
that's gonna happen sometimes. And vice-versa.
Anyone would have taken a 2-1 series considering how both of these teams went into the All Star break. But if we can somehow get the bats going over these last 9 outs we have a chance to really bury this Cleveland team and make them sellers into the deadline.
This would be a great time to make mags a winner.
Blue kind of missed that one on the HBP.
So did the replay guys it seems.
I thought it looked pretty clear that it hit his finger on the slo mo.
Is there an order of operations angle to this call? If it hit the finger at all it was clearly (to me) after hitting the knob of the bat.
No, if it hit the bat first it would be a foul. I just thought it looked like it only hit his finger.
Prove me wrong here Sano but you are the last guy I want to see up in this situation.
That a boy!
Marwin owns Biebs, but he's living in a low-income area compared to Max's real estate on Bauer.
Sano hit that too hard.
Let's keep it rolling, fellas.
Heh. Cave actually got hit.
Now that hit Cave IMHO.
100%
I can see how the ump missed it though.
Let's see Tito bust a gut on this.
Might be time to switch MLB.tv feed over to the Cleveland guys for some schadenfreude.
oh, it's some good bitchin.
Can haz salami?
Make me proud Schoop.
I am not proud.
dammnit, Schoop. Was a good pitch, however.
I Gordo'ed that foul ball.
brians Book of Face no-hitter (perfecto) alert: 24 Orioles up, 24 Orioles down by two Tampa pitchers
What year?
I...I...I deserved that.
Well struck.
THE ASSBATS ARE RETIRED
Texasiche?
I think we will look back at this series as a tipping point.
wow - bad at bat there Polanco
Boomstick time.
bullpen vs bullpen time
Crap. Yyyuuuuge missed opportunity. I mean, we got three, but it could have been a ball-busting inning.
It could have been a season busting inning.
Nah. Just one game. That's a great "just so" story if the Twins were to win and then run away with the title. But....
You are probably right - but given where things were - a 3 game sweep here goes a long way to killing any momentum Cleveland had built into the break.
Hot team losing the series at home goes a long way to that.
Well...it's a ballgame now
so nice to come back from commercial break to hear a chunk of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
Leadoff single for Orioles on first pitch in the bottom of the ninth
Boo! At least it wasn't Lindor.
0-2 meatball. Sigh.
Hanging a curve on 0-2
Nice restraint. 🙂
Only base runner allowed by Twins bullpen in the game.
Definitely worth noting.
The bullpen pitched very well in general this series.
Three great curveballs to Bradley. Too bad he threw that hanger to Santana.
We were going to need another run anyway. Lets get a couple right here.
Love me some Arraez
Arraez!
That pitch to Arraez was in the exact same "crush me" spot as the pitch to Santana
I demand Sauce!
I'm loving this guy
Man, that was smashed. Nice play by Ramirez.
You know what's a good feeling? Looking at a big load of laundry to fold and realizing 50%of the volume are bath towels.
It's the little things.
too much air, not enough boomstick.
Prove me wrong again sir.
Dang it.
Hakuna Matata means no worries, Cimber.
I don't know who's seen the video of that scene that recently dropped, but.... Ooooof
??
There's a clip on the internets of that song from the upcoming live
actioncgi version. It is just terrible.It's a film that has no artistic purpose, because the original was pretty much perfect. Pure cash grab.
Totes. I am not at all here for these live action remakes.
"Live action."
Let's Talk to the Hand, boys.
Adrianza is a step up from Cave, but that's not saying much.
Wow. We'll take it.
One thing watching with no game sound: ball hit weakly to 2nd baseman, so I look down to iPad. Look up 20 seconds later and there’s a guy on 1st no outs. Huh?
Your basic Little Leaguer floop.
That was a nasty s/o pitch.
Hand has retired 29 of 41 first batters. Gordo says that's "really low". That's a 292 OBP. Not exactly terrible for Hand.
Gordo?
Shhhhh, he's on a roll
err. Who's the tv PBP guy?
Jack?
Remind me not to take Schoop anymore.
Ugh, Max. Ugh.
Oh, max.
Wow - guys making Hand look better than he is.
Their strategy this game has seemed to be seeing at the crap or of the zone and watch the ones down the middle.
Swing. At. Everything.
Ugh. It should be 3-0 right now.
Well,