Gonna be another hot one out there today, citizens. Have a cold drink and some cool jazz. Chill, baby, chill.
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)
Loading... I put in to work the first game of the Yankees series but didn't get scheduled. Just as well, it was a downer of a game. Last night was much better, and televised in a manner that allowed me watch, a rarity these days. It was a mirror image of the first game, really, competitive until the later innings when one of the bullpens caved in. So far the hometown nine have held their own against the top of the AL East, winning the Toronto series on the road and facing a rubber game with the Yankees tonight to decide this series. We'll see what tonight and the weekend tilts against Tampa Bay hold, but so far we've gone toe-to-toe against the East and held our own. Taking two of three from the best team in baseball right now would make a real statement, and I'm hoping the Twins end this one with a bang, not a whimper.
Dylan Bundy, the Pride of Tulsa, takes the mound for the Gemini tonight. He's started nine games this year, winning three and losing three with no decision in three. His ERA stands at 5.57 and his WHIP at 1.45 so if he can give the team five innings and hold the Yanks to 2-3 runs I'd consider that a mostly successful outing. Gerrit Cole gets the start for the Yankees. He's good, he's always been good, a first-round draft pick twice over with a .656 career winning percentage. Cole is 5-1 in 11 starts this year with a 2.78 ERA (2.03 over his last 8 starts), 0.96 WHIP and 81 punch-outs in 65 innings pitched. And he's coming off one of the most dominant performances of his career. The ass-bats must be given no quarter tonight.
Play ball!
With the second quarter of the season underway the Twins find themselves sitting in the proverbial catbird seat, 10 games over .500 and 4.5 up on the Pale Hosers in the AL Central. Luis Arraez, who turned 25 just as the season was getting underway, leads the major leagues in on-base percentage and ranks 4th in batting average. As a team, the Twins lead the American League in OBP, rank third in batting, sixth in slugging, and fourth in OPS. The Twins have the fourth lowest team ERA in the league and only the Astros and Yankees have allowed fewer runs. The caveat, of course, is that it's a long season and we know full well that injury and mayhem can easily derail a team that's on a winning track.
With the increasingly clean-cut Joe Ryan on the IL with COVID, the remarkably shaggier Devin Smeltzer gets another call-up and another trip to a big league mound. He's 1-0 in two starts this year and carries a miniscule 1.74 ERA, the thing is so small it gets lost in his hip pocket. He's performed admirably and I hope he gets a longer look in the bigs this year (unless it's because of illness or injury). The Royals send southpaw Daniel Lynch to the hill with the pill tonight. He's 2-3 on the year with a 4.01 ERA and and 31 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. The Twins offense was noticeably lacking in the Detroit series and that resulted in a disappointing loss of a thoroughly winnable game yesterday, they'll need to step it up at the plate against KC if they want to maintain their feline-avian throne.
Play ball!
It appears that the Twins replacement players are not quite up to snuff when facing a team that's appeared in three of the last five World Series. Here's a log for the game that wasn't postponed last night...already in progress.
Play ball!
I recall several years ago when the Twins were good and we would go on these fairly long winning streaks, but we also managed to limit our losing streaks to no more than a few games. That trend seems to be repeating so far this year, with the team's longest winning streak hitting seven games, and their longest losing streak ending after two mere defeats. We had four of those two-game losing streaks in the first two weeks of the season, and none since. The pitching staff has been outstanding, the offense is scoring more than four runs a game, and the defense has been solid. One has to wonder, just based on historical precedent, when the feces will eventually impact the rotary oscillator. We're already starting to see some injuries whittling into the roster, and I guess if that's what it takes to get a guy batting .090 out of the lineup I'll take it. But despite my natural inclinations I'm trying cockeyed optimism on for size. Maybe this will be the year after all.
Chris Archer on the mound tonight for the Twins, he's in his tenth major league season. He has no decisions in four starts, a respectable 2.93 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. He needs to limit the walks, he's given 9 free passes so far, but otherwise the status quo is just fine by me.
Baltimore sends Spenser Watkins out to sling for the final matchup of this four-game series. He also has no decisions in four starts, a 2.55 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 8 strikeouts. The only Twins hitter to ever face Watkins is Gio Urshela, who faced off with him once and did not record a hit.
Play ball!
If you'd told me two weeks ago that on this day the Twins would be in first place riding a 6-game winning streak and have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, statistically speaking, I would have scoffed, perhaps even guffawed at such a foolhardy notion. Yet here we are. Joe Ryan is absolutely, undeniably ridiculous. He's 3-1 in four starts and has only given up 3 earned runs on just 10 hits in 23 innings pitched, good for a 1.17 ERA. He's struck out 25 and only walked 6 batters, giving him a 0.70 WHIP. Ridiculous, I say.
If Joe Ryan is ridiculous, Dylan Bundy is absurd. He's undefeated in three starts with a 0.59 ERA. Chris Archer, one of the more veteran arms, has no decisions nor gaudy numbers, but he's got a respectable 3.18 ERA and he's holding hitters to a .209 batting average. Chris Paddack and Sonny Gray have been the hard luck kids of the rotation with 3.68 and 5.68 ERAs, respectively.
That brings us to today's Twins starter, Bailey Ober, 1-1 in 3 starts, 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 13 Ks in 16 innings. You know, middle of the road. He goes up against southpaw Tarik Skubal for the Tigers. He's 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 16 strikeouts. I'd say we should maybe expect a pitcher's duel today but the Twins are swinging some hot bats, so maybe not. Either way, it's a fun team to watch right now.
Play ball!
Today's cuppa rightfully calls out the ass-battery the local nine have been displaying pretty much since the season opener. We've seen a few flashes of high-octane offense here and there, but that certainly has not been the trend. Miguel Sano is batting for a paltry .091 average, and I'm tired of waiting for him to turn into the David Ortiz we didn't throw away. Today's starting lineup features four players batting below .200, and only one batting above .300, and he doesn't have quite enough at-bats to qualify for the leader boards. So yeah, it's been cold here all spring and the bats are still in hibernation, but they will wake up one of these days. I'm hoping the return of Buxton to the lineup (DH today) will provide a much-needed offensive spark.
On the mound, young Joe Ryan will take the ball for his third start this year. He's got a split win-loss record with one apiece, sports a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and has 11 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. Not bad for a rookie. I can recall many seasons past when we collectively bemoaned the team's reluctance to rely on young starting pitchers, but this is a different FO and manager. If the Twins are to go anywhere this year, it will be on the arms of a rotation that averages just 28 years old. Here's a tip for the rookie today from an old observer of the game who turned a year older today -- don't throw a single pitch to Salvador Perez, just point to first base. Every. Fucking. Time.
At the other end of the career spectrum today, KC sends to the mound an old, familiar nemesis in Zack Greinke, who at the ripe age of 38 is pitching in his 19th major league season this year. I simply have to tip my cap and applaud a guy who has spent half his life as a major league pitcher. Zack has had no decisions in his first two starts of this campaign but brings an impressive 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP to the hill with him. He's recorded just one K in 11 innings and strikeouts aren't as much of his game as they used to be, but his VSI (veteran savvy index) is off the damn charts.
Play ball!
I didn't see a cup of coffee so I made another pot, second one this morning. It should pair well with the scrambled eggs, bacon, and blueberry muffins. After that we'll get started on the real meal deal. I'm thankful for the love and support of my family and friends, my good health, and the new job, of course. How about you?
This Joe Ryan kid looks like the real deal. Let's get the Tommy John surgery pool going now because it seems almost inevitable. The Twins take on Toronto today with Big Mike Pineda and Steven Matz getting the call. That's all I got. Play ball!
Game Time - 6:10 p.m. CT
After winning in spectacular gut-wrenching, extra-inning, bomba-blasting fashion to even the series in Boston last night, the Twins seek to win their fourth series this month by taking tonight's rubber game. Rocco seems determined to see if John Gant can be turned back into a starting pitcher after two years of bullpen duty, so he'll be pitching the initial frames for the Twins tonight. The Red Sox, 7.5 games back of the Rays and 3 behind the Yankees, are feeling the pressure to win games and at least secure a wild card berth in the playoffs. They'll be sending Chris Sale to the mound for just his third start in two years following Tommy John surgery. But they've been really good starts. He's 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings. Play ball!
