When I was in the Navy, one of the mainstays of our damage control training was using Peri-jet eductors to dewater spaces. As you can probably imagine, getting water out of your ship as quickly as possible has benefits...in combat situations, your ship is generally your only way home. Imagine my surprise yesterday at being called on to put that training to use.
All posts by Can of Corn
Game 89: Tigers at Twins
Gibson v. Greene
The Twins started the season in Detroit getting pounded. Hopefully they can finish this first half by returning the favor.
Game 83: Orioles 2, Twins 4 (in 10 innings)
Brian Dozier (.260/.332/.517) didn't make the MLB All-Star game off of the fan's ballot, but those of us in Minnesota know what he's meant to the team this year. Last night, with 1 on and 1 out in the 10th inning, he hit his 17th homer to left to walk-off the Orioles, helped the Twins to move to 44-39 (2nd WC spot), scored his league-leading* 63rd run, 41st & 42nd RBI (third place on the Twins roster) and improved his team-leading OPS to .849. Among Second Basemen in the American League, only Jason Kipnis has had a better offensive first half (.340/.416/.503). I'm hoping fans of Major League Baseball make the right choice and Dozier is voted in. It'll be tough, three of the other 4 options are from NY, Bos & Chi-town, and the Royals fans have shown their ability to get out the vote (Moustakas is the 4th option).
Vote here if you'd like to see Brian accompany Glen Perkins to Cincinnati.
Every run last night was scored via the long ball: Solo home runs from Manny Machado & Adam Jones for the Orioles and Torii Hunter & Aaron Hicks for the Twins, followed by the 2-Run shot from Dozier.
Trevor May, pitching out of the bullpen due to the reinstatement of Ervin Santana, racked up the win after throwing 16 pitches in the top-half of the 10th, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1. Tommy Hunter, in a similar spot for Baltimore, took the loss.
*Tied with Josh Donaldson
Photo: Brad Rempel, USA TODAY Sports
Game 82: Twins at Royals
I've spent a grand total of 7 waking hours inside over the past three days, and as such, haven't watched much baseball. I won't see today's game either. Hopefully the fellas can start the 2nd half of the season the way they finished off the first half, beating the Kansas City Royals at their house.
We finally get the chance to see the Twins' big off-season acquisition as Ervin Santana has been reinstated following his 80-game PED's suspension. Santana spent 2013 with the Royals, going 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA. Trevor May has been sent to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Santana.
Opposition pitcher is Danny Duffy - 0-4 in his past five starts, with an 8.14 ERA and a combined 2 runs of offense in support...hey, I'll take another one like that!
Game 76: Twins 7, Reds 11
The Reds are 5 games under .500 and 4th place in the NL Central Based on how things played out last night (runs in 5/9 innings, 17 hits from the Reds with only the pitcher's spot going hitless), you can forgive me for being in wonder at the game of baseball.
Big Pelf got shelled, turning in his shortest outing of the season with 2 innings completed. His line: 9 hits, 8 earned runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout.
Telling was the line from Billy Hamilton; 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two walks and four steals ... this from a batter hitting .224/.273/.568 in 2015.
Dozier went bananas after striking out in the top of the 3rd, smashing his bat on the rack in the dugout. He then completed the Twins scoring in the 6-run 4th with a 3-run HR to left, his 16th of the season. He struck out two more times in the game, but no more HR's were forthcoming.
Mauer struck out to end the game, despite only seeing 1 strike: a ball he fouled off. In a 7-pitch at-bat, he was nearly hit in the face twice by 100+ mph fastballs from Aroldis Chapman, took 2 called strikes 4-6 inches outside and a final strike swinging at a pitch out of the zone ... exactly where Bob Davidson had called strike 1 & 2. It was a fitting end to the game.
So, I just got here, but I think I've stayed long enough.
-bS
June 28, 2015: If You’re Happy And You Know It…
...Clap your hands!
Sometimes, the things we teach our kids come back to haunt us. Like waking up really early on a Sunday morning to a nearly-four-year-old clapping, stomping and shouting, "Hooray!"
I'm glad she's happy, truly I am, but c'mon.
Game 69*: Cubs at Twins
Game in progress: Arietta v. Gibson (with 2K's already through 1 inning!)
*heh
Go Twins
Game 66: Cardinals 1, Twins 2
Padre’s been telling us that it’s tough to beat the good teams, as evidenced by the recent string of losses to the Royals, Rangers and Cardinals. They showed some resolve and, for the second consecutive day, the Twins beat the team with the best record in baseball; their first back-to-back wins in two weeks.
They did it in pretty dramatic fashion, with Kenny[silent s] Vargas blasting a walk-off homerun with 2 outs in the 9th off of Carlos Villanueva (entered with a 0.75 ERA in 24 innings with only 1 previous HR allowed). It was especially nice to see as Vargas had hit into two double plays in the game, including a bases loaded double play to end a Twins threat in the 7th.
Before that it was Joe Mauer - with a stick - ripping his 3rd homerun of the season to the left field bleachers to tie the game at 1-1 with 2 outs in the 8th. Joe is second on the team with 36 RBI. The two teams combined to go 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 11 men on base. Arguably, the most important part of this game was the starting pitching performances, though neither starter would figure in the decision.
Jaime Garcia stymied the Twins batters for 6 innings, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. After the first two Twins reached to start the inning, Matheny then LaRussa’d the crap out of 7th, 8th & 9th, using 5 different relievers. Villanueva took the loss.
After a 3.2 inning appearance his last time out; an 8 run, 11 hit affair in Arlington last week, Mike Pelfrey (5-3) today returned to his 2015 form with 8 strong innings. He allowed only 1 run on four hits including a double to Matt Carpenter and a 7th inning homerun to Jason Heyward while striking out 3 and walking just 1. In doing so, he dropped his ERA back below 3 (2.97), best amongst Twins starters. Pelfrey is currently sporting the best* ERA+ (127) and WHIP (1.358) of his career. He has allowed only 5 HR’s this year, including the one to Heyward this afternoon.
Blaine Boyer continues his zombie act, wiggling out of a 9th inning jam after a leadoff double by Matt Carpenter and groundout put the go-ahead run 90 feet away. He struck out Mark Reynolds and got Yadier Molina to fly out to end the threat. In 31 innings this season, Boyer is 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA, 175 ERA+ and 1.097 WHIP, also the best numbers of his career.
*He did manage a 169 ERA+ in 2012, but only started 3 games before being shut down to have TJ surgery.
Game 57: Royals 3, Twins 1
We've known all year that the fellas wouldn't keep up the opportunistic scoring in bunches with men on base indefinitely, or even without interruption. Unfortunately, over the past 10 (5-5 record), they have averaged 3.2 runs per game, or just under 1.5 runs less than they averaged through the first 47 games.
Last night, the Twins scattered 8 hits over 9 innings, the lone run coming off a Rosario homerun in the 7th. Their best opportunity to score came with the bases loaded and one out in the 3rd after a couple of infield singles and a Hicks double. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in baseball, the next batter - Hunter - hit into a double play and the inning was over.
In the 5th, Escobar made it as far as second before Dozier flew out and again in the 7th, Escobar was on second with two outs and Dozier struck out to end the home half.
This year, Dozier is hitting .091/.375/.091 with 2 out and RISP (not good) but Hunter is a much more robust .381/.480/1.048 in that spot and is slashing .500/.500/.750 with 1 out and the bases full.
Plouffe was 0-4 last night and is hitting .150/.171/.250 in his last 10 games.
Of the regulars,* only Dozier, Hunter & Plouffe have an OPS+ over 100 and only Dozier (.268 BA) has an OPS over .800. The team leader in RBI is Hunter with 36, with only 3 GDP in more than 200 AB's. As I noted, sometimes the GDP happens in baseball, but you'd like to think that one in the 3rd inning won't end your last, best chance to score.
On the mound, Hughes took his 6th loss of the year, despite pitching 7.2 innings and allowing only 3 earned runs on 7 hits. The last run charged to Phil resulted from Thompson giving up a single to Hosmer and allowing an inherited runner to score. The first runs charged to Hughes came courtesy of a Kendrys Morales bomb in the 2nd. Hughes allowed a lead off single to Hosmer after getting ahead 0-2, and then fell behind 3-1 to Kendrys before grooving a fastball which was promptly deposited in the upper deck in right center. He settled in nicely after that, allowing only 5 hits in the next 21 at-bats.
All in all, it wasn't a bad outing from Hughes, he just didn't get any help from the offense.
End result, the Royals have moved in front of the Twins for 1st place in the Central by mere percentage points. They'll have 2 more games to take the top spot back. They still have the second most wins in the AL, behind only Houston.
*Minimum 45 games played and 150 at bats.
Bear Image Copyright: Gerald D. Tang
Game 49: Blue Jays at Twins
Ricky Nolasco (5-1, 5.12 ERA, 81 ERA+, 2.86 FIP, 1.61 WHIP): A win for Ricky today ties his win total for all of last year.
-vs-
Drew Hutchison (4-1, 5.12 ERA 77 ERA+, 3.73 FIP, 1.31 WHIP): Drew has received an average of 9 runs of support this year...wow.
Other than a hiccup in Detroit, Minnesota has won every series in the month of May thus far. A win today would get them to 8 series wins out of 9 and 20 wins for the month.
LINEUPS
Twins
- Dozier
- Hunter
- Mauer
- Plouffe
- Suzuki
- Rosario
- Nunez
- Hicks
- Santana
Blue Jays
- Reyes
- Donaldson
- Bautista
- Encarnacion
- Martin
- Colabello
- Carrera
- Pillar
- Goins