Category Archives: 2011 Twins Game Logs

Game 93: Royals at Twins

Felipe Paulino vs. Brian Duensing

The Royals may have finally found a good one in Paulino. He's averaging nearly a strikeout an inning and has kept his walk rate low, although he's been rather hittable. Paulino has 24 strikeouts his last three starts but has somehow managed to give up 29 hits so either he's been pretty unlucky, or he has good stuff but has had trouble with mistake pitches.

I like throwing a lefty against the Royals. As long as Duensing doesn't let Billy Butler beat him, he should be OK.

The Twins need to take advantage of playing the Royals at home. Splitting a series with them would be pretty disappointing. GO TWINS!!!!

2011 Game #92: Royals at Twins

I had a post written up about how much Matt Capps sucks, but I wrote it while angry and somewhat inebriated. Today when I read it, I realized that it wasn't even quarter-bakef. We can't have substandard stuff like that, so instead, I'm going to half-bake it on the fly.

Carl Pavano (6-6, 97 ERA+)

Jeff Francis (3-10, 84 ERA+)

The 'stacheless 'stacheman has been pulling it together as of late, that one game in Milwaukee excepted. We've beaten Francis around a little bit in couple of times we've played him this year, so I'm feeling pretty good about tonight's game. I predict Ben Revere will hit an inside-the-park home run in which he will run the last 80 feet backwards.

Matt Capps sucks....but we'd better score a few more runs tonight than we did last night.

2011 Game 91: Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

Luke Hochevar vs Nick Blackburn

This has to be a perfect way to start the second half for the Twins. First, a warm-up against the Royals. Four games, more than enough to find the mojo and remind everyone about owning the AL Central. Then, taking on the first place Indians with another four game series. After that, yet another four game series against the other first place team, the Tigers.

I had some stuff written about the four consecutive series against AL Central, breaking down some possibilities. Someone decided to steal it for the game recap though. Instead, I'll close with Win Twins!

2011 Game 90: Royals at Twins

The "second half" gets underway tonight in the best way possible, save for maybe the Hosers coming to town. Tonight, the Royals visit a team that's gotten some much-needed rest, as they've faced a total of one pitch since Sunday.

Bruce Chen 5-2, 60.2 IP, 3.26 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 4.37 xFIP, 0.7 WAR
Francisco Liriano 5-7, 83.2 IP, 5.06 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 4.26 xFIP, 0.6 WAR

You know, I expected Chen's basic numbers to look better than Liriano's, but even the advanced stats? Well, huh.

Chen's year has been a success (in Royals terms) mostly because his walks are way down and his homers are down. Standing in his way, though, is the fact that he is Bruce Chen and is a thoroughly mediocre-at-best starter. Still, he's a lefty, so...

Liriano, meanwhile, has crummy K/BB stats on the season, but they've been stumbling toward respectability since his pitch-to-contact nonsense. I'm predicting, not so New Guy-ally, I don't think, that he gets the "second half" started with a bang, leading to the Twins finishing no worse than .500.

So let's get healthy at long last and do this thing, eh?

Game 89: Twins @ Pale Hose

Hi Everybody! I don't see a game log slated for today so here is an emergency post.

A. Sleetstack (1-2) 3.71 ERA, 108 ERA+
V.
J. Peavy (4-2) 4.83 ERA, 84 ERA+

Lineups:

Twins
1. Revere CF
2. Casilla 2B
3. Mauer DH
4. Cuddyer 1B
5. Valencia 3B
6. Tosoni LF
7. Nishioka SS
8. Butera C
9. Repko RF

Sux

1. Juan Pierre LF
2. Alexei Ramirez SS
3. Paul Konerko 1B
4. Adam Dunn DH
5. Carlos Quentin RF
6. Alex Rios CF
7. A.J. Pierzynski C
8. Gordon Beckham 2B
9. Mark Teahen 3B

Go Twins!

Game 88: JETER GOT HIS 3000TH HIT (Also, Twins and Sox)

The greatest player in Yankees history hit his 3000th hit today. The good Yankee Captain, as he is called worldwide (even by those who are otherwise oblivious to baseball) because the first player ever to use nothing but willpower and intangibles to guide the ball over the fence for the milestone (the other player to hit a home run for his 3000th hit, Wade Boggs, used some combination of shoe polish and eastern mysticism). Ray's pitcher David Price wept openly, and joyfully ran to give the heroic shortstop a hug, thanking Jeter for allowing him to be used for his higher purpose.

Commissioner Selig decreed July 9th to be "Jeter Day" for 'as long as baseball is played, both on earth and into the stars above'. "Today, he truly has made the intangible 'tangible'" he said in a pre-recorded speech to the President and his Cabinet. In less well-received news, the commissioner's office has decided to continue playing the rest of the games on today's schedule, in blatant disrespect to the All-Star Shortstop's acomplishment. Certainly, there will be a 30 minute mandatory silence period between each inning to reflect on what this moment in history means, but there are many who believe that the rest of the month's schedule should be nullified in favor of the planned month-long Jeterbration to be held nationwide, beginning Sunday.

You are all encouraged to immediately begin making your pilgrimage to New York to pay homage.

For those who prefer to watch Brian Duensing take on Mark Buehrle in today's meaningless contest between two flyover teams, do so knowing that you spit in the face of history.

2011 Game 87: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox

Nick Blackburn vs Gavin Floyd

The last time the Twins have lost a series against Chicago was May 19-21, 2009. There was a two game split on May 11-12, 2010, but there's no doubt the Twins would have won the series if given the chance. Overall, the Twins are .732 against the White Sox from 2009 through today.

Blackburn has done his part this year, abusing the White Sox with a 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings. His FIP is probably quite ugly though, since he struck out only two while walking five. Could you try to keep the ratio above two one today?

2011 Game 86: Twins at Hosers

Hey, the White Sox! This should be fun.

Carl Pavano 5-6, 4.19 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 4.13 xFIP, 1.5 WAR
Philip Humber 8-4, 2.69 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 4.02 xFIP, 2.1 WAR

Well, that looks like a personnel decision that hasn't worked out for the Twins, but I suppose we knew that when Santana was traded in the first place.

Humber strikes out a lot more guys than Pavano at this point, but he walks considerably more, too. It would appear that this very good year is thanks in part to a .222 BABIP, but his 103 innings aren't an insignificant sample, so it looks like Humber might just be a better than average starter.

Pavano, meanwhile, continues to look more like Blackburn, striking out nobody and being prone to the occasional shelling. The Twins have been owning the White Sox in recent years, but I'm not all that comfortable tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to see it - the internet at the place in Phoenix isn't great. Hopefully Dumatrait and Burnett won't get anywhere near it, either.

2011 Game 85: TB visiting MN

21-9 just feels so much better than 17-37. Twins are looking to sweep the Rays at home for the first time in six years. Wade Davis versus Francisco Liriano in the Twins' most important game of all time.

Lineups:
Twins
1. Revere         8
2. Casilla        4
3. Cuddyer        3
4. Homie        DH
5. Valencia    5
6. Tosoni        7
7. Repko 9
8. Rivera        2
9. Nishioka    6

Rays
1. Damon        DH
2. Zobrist        9
3. Longoria    5
4. Upton        8
5. Rodriguez    4
6. Kotchman    3
7. Ruggiano    7
8. Shoppach    2
9. Johnson        6

GO Twins!

2011 Game Logs Game 84: Rays @ Twins

James Sheilds

@

Scott Baker

The Twins are in a pretty good position right now. If they win the next two Minnesota will go into the All Star Break riding an 8 game winning streak, setting themselves up nicely for a second half run.  What? Is it too soon to just chalk up every game against the White Sox as a win?

Without getting too New Guy-y here I predict the Twins will be in third place in the AL Central before the Mid Summer Classic.