Category Archives: 2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Twins Game Log

Game 33: O’s @ Twins

59 Comments

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?

2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Game 32: Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twin

216 Comments

Hammel
v
Pelfrey

I did not expect the Twins to have more wins than losses at this point in the season. Or any point after game four. They are still in fourth place though, so maybe that's why. The Twins are above .500 and the AL Central has four teams at least .500, most of any division.

Since ending his season starting strikeout streak on April 15, Hicks's batting line is .200/.328/.345. His season stats are a lost cause, but the stats since are comparable to Hunter's first full season at the same age in 1999: .255/.309/.380. Hicks has 14 walks so far while Hunter had 26 in all of 1999. Hicks will probably end up with more strikeouts than Hunter; he's racked up 34 in 31 games compared to Hunter's 76 in 135 games.

I'm feeling better about the season and it looks like Hicks major league experience might not be ruined.

2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Game 31: Twins @ BoSox

103 Comments

6:10 (CDT) start time.

Kevin Correia vs. John Lackey

Watch for rain.

Gleeman has been telling us for weeks that Correia has a history of pitching well in April and then turning back into a pumpkin. That seemed to play out in his last start when he gave up four runs in five innings versus the Indians. Let's hope that history stops repeating itself tonight. And if it does have to repeat itself, let's see it be a repeat of last night.

4 Dozier
2 Mauer
7 Willingham
3 Morneau
5 Plouffe
DH Doumit
9 Arcia
8 Hicks
6 Florimon

2013 Twins Game Log

Game 28: Twins at Red Sox

247 Comments

Even casual fans, with proper coaching and education, are able to see that the Win is a flawed statistic for measuring pitcher performance. We can all take consolation in just how flawed the statistic is as the Twins begin a four-game series this evening at Fenway with Clay Buchholz taking the mound for Boston. Because Buchholz has notched six wins this year in his six starts and will be going for this seventh straight tonight. Earned Run Average is another pitching stat that's been maligned in recent years, though it certainly has more evaluative utility than the Win. So don't put too much stock in that 1.01 ERA that Buchholz will take to the mound with him, either. It's still early in the year, the sample size still small. And the fact that Buchholz is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA against the Twins since 2010 shouldn't matter to you too much, either. Remember, numbers don't win games, players do. If you can repeat that mantra throughout the night about every ten minutes, in Joe Morgan's voice, you'll be just fine (or, ready for institutional commitment). There is still reason to hope for a Twins win tonight. Because just like warm weather in the spring, regression to the mean can come a lot later than you expect.

On the mound for the Twins tonight is Vance Worley, also tossing his seventh start of the year but with nary a Win to his credit and a 7.22 ERA to boot. But again, forget about the numbers. The beauty of this game is that anything can happen. Buchholz might get food poisoning or the gout. Somebody might shoot him in the arm with a tranquilizer dart during warmups. He could slip on a banana peel or some other less trite but equally slippery fruit rind and wrench his back. The point is that there's always hope. For Worley, who the Twins seem to be souring on a bit lately, the best hope is to keep the ball from flying out of the ballpark and to miss a heck of a lot more bats. Let's hope he can figure out how to do that tonight. And remember, hope is a good thing. It's just not a good basis for wagering.

Play ball!

2013 Twins Game Log

2013 Game 27: Twins at Indians

88 Comments

Big Pelf faces Corey Kluber.

I don't want to overstate the healing power of baseball here, but I need this game. The last couple of days since Nayasha's death have been harsh as reality starts to set in. Baseball, though, brings me together with you folks, with my wife (who's been humoring me by watching more games lately) and with Pat Neshek, who routinely helps me board the train to the next level on Candy Crush Saga (really).

Though I'm not totally hopeless, I doubt we'll stick this close to .500 much longer, specifically with Pelfrey up there. Still, I need this game, and I'm anxious for it to start.

Go Twins. Surprise me a little.

2013 Twins Game Log

Game 26: Minnesota @ Cleveland

23 Comments

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)