And so, the Twins pushed their losing streak to...
Wait.
They won?
Would you look at that...
All posts by nibbish
Game 46: Twins @ Tigers
The losing streak has reached double digits! Can the Twins press on toward the greater glory on a 30 game losing streak? Can P.J. Walters make some sort of difference against a Tigers lineup that looks like they're having way too much fun in this series? Will Doug Fister give up fewer hits today than Anibal Sanchez did last night? Will Bioshock Infinite prove to be too tempting for me to resist?
Tune in and see - or watch QVC or something.
Twins on Leaderboards
Position Players rWAR - Mauer, 6th (2.2)
Offensive rWAR - Mauer, 10th (1.7)
Batting Average - Mauer, 5th (.337)
OBP - Mauer, 5th (.412)
Hits - Mauer, 9th (58)
Doubles - Mauer, 3rd (17)
Triples - Dozier, t-6th (2)
Walks - Willingham, 6th (27)
OPS+ - Mauer, 9th (143)
Times on Base - Mauer, t-6th (80)
Hit By Pitch - Willingham, 1st (7)
Hit By Pitch - Plouffe, t-3rd (5)
Sacrifices - Dozier, t-10th (2)
Sac Flies - Morneau, t-3rd (4)
Sac Flies - Doumit, t-7th (3)
Intentional Walks - Mauer, t-4th (4)
Caught Stealing - Dozier, t-5th (3)
Stolen Base % - Florimon, t-1st (100%)
BB/9 - Correia, 3rd (1.405)
Games Pitched - Fien, t-4th (23)
Games Pitched - Burton, t-10th (22)
Saves - Perkins, t-10th (8)
Games Started - Worley, t-2nd (10)
Hits Allowed - Worley, 2nd (82)
Hits Allowed - Correia, 8th (66)
Losses - Worley, t-5th (5)
Earned Runs Allowed - Worley, t-2nd (39)
Games Finished - Perkins, t-8th (14)
Friday Music Day: Pinch Hit Edition
I didn't see anything in drafts or scheduled posts, so I'm going to step in and make the post.
I was going to pick up the new National CD, Trouble Will Find Me, but Target and WalMart did not deign to supply it, so... yeah.
Luckily, High Violet is still a great album.
Drop 'em.
Game 39: Red Sox @ Twins
Well, they're back in last place again (then again, in the rough and tumble AL Central, that's not as bad a thing as it might otherwise appear).
After golf on Thursday, a group of people were sitting around talking about baseball, when the subject of Joe Mauer came up. I was expecting the worst, but the near universal consensus was that we're watching a Hall of Famer do Hall of Fame-y things. The couple dissenters were looked upon with a sort of cocked eyebrow pity. I got the sense that maybe all isn't lost. There are people - even those who aren't so statistically inclined - who can see that Minnesota's in the midst of watching one of the very best to ever play his position.
Those that can't see that? Well, they can choke on their own tongues when Joe is inducted into the Hall of Fame as they lie and say they were with him every step of the way.
Diamond vs. Dempster today (I didn't realize Dempster has been around as long as he has). Hopefully, Diamond bounces back from his last start (5 2/3 innings, 6 runs on 3 home runs), while Dempster expands upon his (5 innings, 6 runs on 3 home runs).
Twins on Leaderboards
rWAR (position players) - Mauer, 5th (2.0)
Batting Average - Mauer, 3rd (.349)
OBP - Mauer, 3rd (.431)
OPS - Mauer, 7th (.931)
Hits - Mauer, t-7th (51)
Doubles - Mauer, 3rd (16)
Triples - Dozier, t-5th (2)
RBIs - Morneau t-10th (28)
Bases on Balls - Willingham, t-3rd (25)
Bases on Balls - Mauer t-10th (21)
OPS+ - Mauer, 6th (157)
Runs Created - Mauer, t-4th (33)
Times on Base - Mauer, 4th (72)
Hit By Pitch - Willingham, 1st (6)
Hit By Pitch - Plouffe, t-4th (4)
Sacrifice Hits - Dozier, t-9th (2)
Sac Flies - Morneau, t-1st (4)
Sac Flies - Doumit, t-4th (3)
Intentional Walks - Mauer, t-4th (3)
GIDP - Dozier, t-9th (6)
Caught Stealing - Dozier, t-3rd (3)
Joe Mauer. Good at baseball? You decide.
BB/9 - Correia, 4th (1.342)
Games Pitched - Fien, t-3rd (20)*
Games Pitched - Burton, t-9th (19)
Saves - Perkins, 7th (8)
Games Started - Worley, t-1st (9)
Hits Allowed - Worley, 2nd (72)
Hits Allowed - Correia, t-10th (58)
Losses - Worley & Pelfrey, t-7th (4)
Earned Runs - Worley, 8th (31)
Games Finished - Perkins, 7th (14)
* I would expect (injury excepted of course) Fien to be high on this list at season's end.
Game 33: O’s @ Twins
I didn't expect that the Twins would break even on that road trip. That was actually pretty fun to watch. Now the work begins. In order to be a properly mediocre team (as opposed to a wretched one), the home team is going to have to follow up that perfectly acceptable road trip with a slightly better home stand. That started poorly yesterday, but what do you expect when the only give Josh Roenicke a three run lead and one inning to keep it?
None-the-less, today, the faithful must press on, confident in the knowledge that the opposition has a rookie on the mound, whereas we have a winless ace going on our side. Plus, the Twins have noted folk heroes Joe Mauer and Oswaldo Arcia in the lineup (I assume they do, anyway, I'm writing this up before the lineups have actually been posted).
It's like we can't lose.
Twins on Leaderboards
rWAR (position players) - Mauer, 10th (1.6)
OBP - Mauer, 10th (.396)
Doubles - Mauer, t-2nd (13)*
Triples - Dozier, t-3rd (2)
Bases on Balls - Willingham, 2nd (24)
Hit By Pitch - Willingham, 1st (5)
Hit By Pitch - Plouffe, t-2nd (4)
Sacrifices - Dozier, t-7th (2)
Sac Flies - Morneau, t-1st (4)
Wins - Correia, t-10th (4)
BB/9 - Correia, 5th (1.350)
Saves - Perkins, 7th (8)
Hits Allowed - Worley, 3rd (55)
Losses - Worley, t-5th (4)
Earned Runs - Worley, t-7th (26)
Earned Runs - Pelfrey, t-10th (23)
Games Fished - Perkins, t-6th (13)
* Yeah, that Fenway series was fun, wasn't it?
Game 26 Recap: Last Chance at .500
Correia fell to earth today. Let us take a moment to commemorate this moment. Gleeman be praised - he tried to warn us.
This feels like the last game we'll see this year where the Twins could've hit .500. Hey, about 10% of the comments in the game thread were about that idea - sounds about right.
Also, I've got to take a moment and mention Aaron Hicks' first MLB home run. I just happened to come into the room at the perfect moment, so it was one of the very few things I saw from the game.
Oh well, they'll get 'em next time (but, as mentioned, probably not the time after that).
Game 26: Minnesota @ Cleveland
The restaurant Linds and I were at switch the channel from the Twins to the Wild right after Parmelee's home run. I figured they had it in the bag. Oh, well. Today is a chance to pull to .500 yet again.
I have to be honest, I thought the days of hanging around .500 were going to be done in mid-April, but the team is been surprisingly able, and I find myself actually optimistic about them. Not so much this year, because I don't think this is anyone's idea of a playoff team, but come next year, there's the workings of a solid team here.
Today's Pitchers
Correia vs. Kazmir
I know Correia's bound to come back down to earth sometime, but Kazmir has been really beatable these last few years (and this year hasn't really done anything to change that so far), so I hope it doesn't happen today.
Twins on Leaderboards
OBP - Willingham, 10th (.407)
Triples - Dozier, t-3rd (2)
Base on Balls - Willingham, t-6th (17)
OPS+ - Willingham, 10th (155)
Hit By Pitch - Willingham & Plouffe, t-3rd (3)
Hit By Pitch - Parmelee, t-10th (2)
Sacrifice Hits - Dozier, t-7th (2)
Sacrifice Flies - Dozier & Parmelee, t-7th (2)
AB per HR - Willingham, 9th (14.2)
WPA -Escobar, 7th (1.0)
Pitcher bWAR - Correia, 6th (1.4)
ERA - Correia, 8th (2.23)
BB/9 - Correia, 3rd (1.239)
Saves - Perkins, 8th (6)
Starts - Worley, t-5th (6)
Hits Allowed - Worley, 3rd (46)
HR/9 - Correia, 9th (0.495)
Losses - Worley, t-3rd (4)
Losses - Pelfrey, t-10th (3)
Earned Runs - Worley, t-4th (23)
Games Finished - Perkins, t-6th (10)
ERA+ - Correia, 10th (181)
Game 14 Recap: .500 Again!
Good game by Worley. Extra innings. It really is Opening Day, Part II.
Game 14: Twins @ White Sox
Baseball's back! Again!
Did you miss it? I'll bet you did.
Worley takes on Jake Peavey today. The Vanimal has been pretty dreadful so far, but that .455 BABIP will probably come down at some point. Even if it doesn't, he's only affecting one game out of five. The guy we traded him for isn't doing a lot better, and he's in every game.
I'm predicting a 13-0 away team victory.
Twins on Leaderboards
WAR (position players) - Mauer, 10th (0.9)Batting Average - Mauer, 4th (.386)
Hits - Mauer, 7th (22)
Triples - Plouffe & Dozier, t-7th (1)
Base on Balls - Willingham, t-3rd (10)
Strikeouts - Hicks, t-6th (20)
Singles - Mauer, t-10th (15)
OPS+ - Mauer, 10th (176)
Runs Created - Mauer, t-9th (14)
Hit By Pitch - Plouffe, 2nd (3)
Hit By Pitch - Willingham, t-3rd (2)
Sacrifice Hits - Dozier & Florimon, t-6th (1)
Sacrifice Flies - 5 tied for 10th (1)
Caught Stealing - 5 tied for 5th (1)
Pitchers bWAR - Correia, 8th (1.1)
Wins - Pelfrey, t-10th (2)
BB/9 - Correia, 4th (1.266)
Saves - Perkins, t-7th (3)
Hits Allowed - Worley, t-7th (25)
Losses - Worley, t-7th (2)
Earned Runs - Worley, t-4th (14)
Wild Pitches - Burton, t-3rd (2)
Games Finished - Perkins, t-7th (5)
Game 11 Recap: The Rest of the Story
The Mets are sending out Matt Harvey, who looks something like the exact opposite of the type of pitcher the Twins batters want to be facing right now
-- nibbish, 2:38pm 4/14/2013 - Shortly before Matt Harvey proved himself to be an extremely good pitcher.
Matt Harvey is good, and Scott Diamond could use a few innings under his belt. At least Morneau crushed a home run, so I have a happy wife.
Also, I found it humorous that Chrissy Chrissy Parm Parm switched up his walkup music two days after he got a D- for "Thrift Shop". I do have to disagree with the article, though. No way Plouffe's is a mere C+. The snippet of "When The Levee Breaks" he has is all about that foreboding drum beat. Imagine you're the opposing pitcher, and you've just loaded the bases, and you hear those drums (well, after that, you have to face a batter whose most consistent way on base is through getting hit, but for at least a couple seconds you're freaking out).
According to RhuRu, we're going to win the next ten though (that is what you meant by the LWW theory, right?), so it's all gravy.