All posts by Can of Corn

2015 Twins Game Recaps

Game 44: Twins 7, Red Sox 2

Yesterday's game featured great examples of the various facets of what makes for winning baseball, and highlighted why it is the Twins (26-18) have moved to only 2 games behind AL Central-leading Kansas City. Their recent improvements on offense, defense and pitching were all on display in the first four innings. To start the game off, we saw:
-a 6-run second inning (12 men batted),
-a diving catch by Hicks in the second to save a run with the game at 1-0, and
-Ricky Nolasco striking out 3 (of his 5), inducing 3 ground outs (one a nifty around-the-horn double play -more defense!- to end a first inning threat) and bearing down to get some important outs in the third after the Red Sox put their first two batters on base to start the inning.

Every Twins player contributed to the 16 total hits and only Kurt Suzuki didn't score a run or notch an RBI.

Ricky Nolasco (5-1, 5.12 ERA) ended up going 7 2/3 innings, scattering 7 hits and allowing 2 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking none. With Mookie Betts standing on second, Aaron Thompson replaced Nolasco and got David Ortiz - he of the .509 batting average at Target Field (prior to yesterday) - to line out. Boyer pitched the 9th, allowing only one hit, and the Twins won for the third day in a row, 7th out of their past 10 games, and for the 16th time in May.*

*Last year, Minnesota was 23-21 after 44 games. The Twins won their 15th home game on May 27th. They'd lost 13 games on the road by May 26 of last year; they're at 12 road losses so far in 2015.

2015 Twins Game Logs

Game 43: Minnesota @Chicago

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After last night's game, Chicago ace Chris has 2 losses on the year and both of 'em have come courtesy of the Twins. Game three will decide who takes the Memorial Day weekend series.

Today's matchup features Kyle Gibson (3-3, 2.98 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) and Jose Quintana (2-4, 4.13 ERA, 1.35 WHIP).

Gibson's coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, though the 2-1 loss against Detroit on May 12 wasn't his doing (5 hits, 1 earned run, 0 BB and 6 K's in 7 innings). He wasn't nearly that good on the 17th against Tampa (8 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 BB and 2 K's in 5 innings). Hopefully, we get a bounce-back game from Kyle.

He'll be opposed by Quintana who's coming off a string of five games where he's allowed 2 earned runs or less while averaging 6.2 innings pitched, 6.1 K's and 2 BB per game. During that stretch, he's 2-3 due to a notable lack of offense (a total of 10 runs scored in those five games). His last start against Cleveland on the 19th wasn't great, allowing 8 hits and 4 BB while only striking out 4. Hopefully, we get another game like that and the Twins can put up some runs.

2015 Twins Game Recaps

Game 26: Oakland 7, Minnesota 8

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I was running errands last night and turned this on to a 4-0 Athletics lead. Thought to myself, "Wowsers, Hughes must have had a rough couple of innings." Then the hometown club comes to bat and I'm wondering how they fared the first time through the order, seeing as how Dozier's up. He leads off the home half with a double and I'm like, "Awesome. One run at a time is how you get back into a game." Only to hear Provus indicate that this was, in fact, the first at-bat for the Twins. Nothing like an opposition grand slam in the first inning to deflate the feelings of optimism built up by taking it to the woeful White Sox.
I continued to listen as I was still in the car, between purchasing dog food, furnace filters, softener salt and weed & pest control (side note: don't like to use chemicals, but I don't have time to pull weeds for weeks and I don't find groundhog/gopher/mole traps to be all that efficient) and low and behold, the hometown nine managed to get the game back under control, scoring four runs to tie it up after two innings!

I then tuned out for a while (set up wasp/hornet trap, smoke bombed those damn rodent tunnels, filled water softener with salt & changed out furnace filter) and turned the game back on with Jordan Schafer up to bat in the bottom of the 8th and the boys up 8-6. Awesome! Schafer takes a walk which puts runners on 1st & 2nd with nobody out and Danny Santana up to bat. This was great - he shows bunt three times and Bassitt won't/can't accommodate the guy; throws four straight balls for Santana's first walk of the year to load the bases. I'm thinking, "Insurance runs would be sweet. I'll take 'em, but I don't think Perk will need 'em." Dozier then has a good at-bat but ends up striking out, and ii follows it with a double play ball to end the threat. I asked the guys if they thought he could've been safe if he'd run hard because the throw from 2nd was bounced to first, bobbled, dropped and picked up by Davis, all before ii even entered the frame. Beau's response,

"That may have been his top speed."

This was confirmed in the top of the 9th as he "hustled" to catch a Billy Butler fly ball to short right field.

He almost didn't get that. In his youth, he could've run there from center.

-spookymilk

Perkins then gave up a double high off the wall in center to Stephen Vogt (he of the first inning Grand Slam) which was only about 10 ft shy of tying the game. With the tying run at 2nd (Sam Fuld pinch-running), Perkins had a pretty good battle with Craig Gentry before striking him out on a nasty back-foot slider.

Everyone was fawning over ii because, admittedly, he hit the three run homer in the 6th to give the Twins the lead. However, I'll contend that Schafer was the player of the game. He had a great night: 3-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 runs scored and a diving catch to end an Oakland threat in the top of the 8th.

Also, after the rough start, Phil Hughes managed to get his first win of the season (1-4) by completing 6 innings, giving up 5 ER on 9 hits and 2 BB. Fear not, he didn't have a great start to last year either, and look how that turned out.

Heard last night that the boys have not won four games in a row to start May in 13 years. Let's hope they keep it up.

2015 Twins Game Recaps

Game 19: Tigers 5, Twins 4

Because the Twins signed you to be the OAFFOTF (once and future face of the franchise), all you really need to do to have a good night at the park is smile.

Because swinging for the fences when a hit to the outfield ties the game shows you're a leader.

Because your former team understands your value and therefore didn't make you an offer ... but your former, former, former team saw something that no one else saw: leadership.

More succinctly:

#VeteranLeader0-5hip

-Zack

Let's be honest, the real story tonight was the Tigers running themselves out of the game (Boyer being the lucky recipient), Joe Mauer hitting his 313th double to move past Kent Hrbek and into sole possession of third place on the Twins career list, the Twins defense playing solid and their offense putting together some decent at-bats and scoring a few runs to make things interesting in the bottom of the 9th. To be sure, Milone wasn't strong and Detroit jumped him early, but the boys kept playing and had a chance there at the end. Unfortunately, Danny Santana was asked to bunt and Dozier wasn't able to do anything against Soria either. ii with a chance to show us what for and failing miserably was just the proverbial icing on the cake.

Go Wild.

2015 Twins Game Recaps

Game 13 Recap: Royals 7, Twins 1

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Kyle Gibson took the loss, going 5 innings while giving up 4 runs (3 earned - more on that in a minute) on 4 hits, walking 4 and striking out none. Even so, the performance saw him lower  his ERA to 5.97 and his WHIP to 1.96...trending the right direction after a horrible start in Detroit on the 9th and a better start against Kansas City last week.

The Twins' offense managed 5 hits and 1 run off of Edinson Volquez, scoring after getting the first two men on to lead off the 2nd inning. A ground ball out and subsequent double play later and the threat was over. In 7 innings, Volquez struck out 5 and walked 1, Brian Dozier, who scored the only Twins run when Hosmer's force attempt went high and wide of second base.

KEY INNING

"Arcia's defense in LF makes me yearn for _elmon Young patrolling that area. wooooof"

-davidwatts

Tied 1-1 in the 6th, the aforementioned error by Arcia in left resulted in Moustakas reaching to lead off the home half of the inning. Gibson proceeded to walk Hosmer; Kendrys Morales slapped a double down the third base line, scoring Moustakas, and Moliter went to the pen. On his 2nd pitch, Blaine Boyer skipped the throw past Suzuki allowing Hosmer to come home and concluded the Perez at-bat with a sac fly, sending Morales home. Boyer managed to get the next 5 batters out, but the damage was basically done.

Thielbar and Stauffer combined for another 3-run inning (the 8th) and the Twins' 4, 5 and 6 hitters sleep-walked through the top of the 9th to end the game with a whimper.

2015 Twins Game Logs

Game 12: Cleveland at Minnesota

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Twins sending Trevor May to the mound to face Glenn Anthony (TJ) House with a chance to secure the second series win in a row. In just over 100 innings last year, Mr. House struck out 80 batters and walked 22. For comparison, Mr. Salazar (yesterday's starter) struck out 120 in only 8 more innings while walking 35...hopefully the boys can put some balls in play today.

Santana is taking a day off and Escobar is filling in at SS - Dozier leading off. Lineup pretty much the same otherwise (Escobar batting 8th, Shane Robinson in Center, batting 9th).

Trevor May

2015 season

0-1, 8.44 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 4 Ks

vs. Indians last 5 years

1-1, 8.38 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 6 Ks

TJ House

2015 season
0-1, 40.50 ERA, 6.75 WHIP, 2 Ks
vs. Twins last 5 years
3-0, 2.01 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 20 Ks
2015 Twins Game Logs

Game 6: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox

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I heard all offseason that the club this year would play insufferable defense and have improved (but still mediocre at best) pitching. The talking heads and conventional wisdom suggested that, based on the performance last year, this team wouldn't have much trouble scoring runs.

The boys had one really nice inning yesterday, plating four runs off of Jeff Samardzija, before he settled in and the Twins' offense went missing. There were a few really nice defensive plays that were key to this, but mostly the Twins just couldn't do any additional damage.

Let's hope that they get it figured out today...unlikely considering they face Chicago's ace Chris Sale (0-0, -.-- ERA ... but 6-1, 2.45 ERA over 16 appearances and (eight starts) against the Twins). On the bright side, this is his first start of the season, recently off the 15-Day DL from a broken foot bone.

He'll be opposed by Minnesota's ace Phil Hughes (0-1, 6.00 ERA), who we're hoping can rebound from an unremarkable start to the season in Detroit (4 earned runs off of 8 hits (including 2 HR's) in six innings of work; 6 K's & 1 BB).