I am just playing the averages here but Liam Hendricks is due, you guys.
Category Archives: Gamelog Archive
Archive for game logs from previous seasons.
Game 72 Recap: Chicago White Sox 1, Minnesota Twins 4
twins win handily. or at least that's what i'm told. i'm simultaneously cleaning for a birthday party and packing for NY.
anyway, twayn was right about that "white stocking" thing. in other news, the white sox are still (pale)hosers.
2012 Game 72: Stacker of Wheat at L’Etoile du Nord
First Pitch - 7:10 p.m. CDT
Television - FSN
Game Notes
When you search the internet for images, you get a lot different results with "white socks" than you do with "white sox". But you might want to set your search engine filters accordingly if you search on "white stockings".
If there's a better way to wrap up this round of interleague play than by taking on our most universally despised divisional rival, the Chicago White Sox, I don't know what it is. Oh, wait. Yes I do. Sweeping a series against said Sox would be better. Much better.
The Pale Hose are coming off a weekend that saw them move into first place in the division and acquire Kevin Youkilis from Boston for Brent Lillibridge, Zach Stewart and some cash. Youkilis is expected to be starting at third base tonight, where he will be frequently mistaken for Yukon Cornelius.
ON THE HILL
Francisco Liriano: 1-7, 5.74 ERA, 69 ERA+, 4.36 FIP, 4.18 xFIP, 0.5 WAR
Jake Peavy: 6-3, 2.74 ERA, 155 ERA+, 3.25 FIP, 4.07 xFIP, 2.5 WAR
Play ball!
Game 71: Twins 4, Reds 3
Well boys, I was scheduled to work from 10-8 today but when I got there to start my shift they said I could head home until 2 if I wanted. I could use the money, but I could use the family/study time more so I accepted. Studied for a bit, hung out with the wife and kid, took the dogs for a walk and brought the old transistor radio along. Heard the first 4 innings as relayed by Provus & Dazzle, watched bits and pieces of the last 5 innings when I got to work. Was able to wander into the bar to watch the big Willingham at-bat from first pitch to big boy swing. But more on that after the jump.
2012 Game 71: Twins at Reds
Today, Scott Diamond goes up against Mike Leake, an okayish righty. On the upside, I should be able to see this entire game unless it's another crushingly long rain delay like last week. Sadly, though, this will be the end of me being able to listen to the Reds feed unless I switch allegiances. I like the Reds pretty well and all, but that ain't happening. After this series, the Twins tangle with the White Sox, so it's a precipitous drop in announcer quality.
If it seems I'm too infatuated with announce teams this year, well, it's because the home team has been at the bottom of the standings all season long. Still, 28-42 seems like a best case scenario considering where they were a month and a half ago, and after all, they're the only Minnesota Twins we have. Here's hoping a few more slightly-above-.500 months can get this team to 81 wins somehow. Hell, that could win the division...
Game 70 recap: Reds 6 Twins 0
The Twins were shutout for the 7th time this year as the Reds beat the Twins 6-0. It wasnt a fair fight to begin with as the Reds threw out ace Johnny Cueto, while the Twins were trying to get by with a Duensing/Swarzak tandem and pray for some offense. The offense didnt happen as Reds pitchers limited the Twins to 3 hits and a walk.
Duensing wasnt that bad, but ran out of gas in the 4th inning and the meat of the Reds order came up and did all the damage. Brandon Phillips blasted a 2 run HR to straightaway center and Scott Rolen added a RBI double.
The Twins still have a chance to win the series Sunday afternoon, and after that finally get back to playing American League teams.
Notes:
-Joe Mauer's double gives him 15 on the year. He is third on the team in doubles behind Willingham (19) and Span (17)
-Justin Morneau had the day off. He has 11 hits in 53 plate appearances since June 8th, the start of the extended interleague part of the schedule.
-Anthony Swarzak pitched 4 innings of relief. He has now pitched 35.2 innings of relief. Alex burnett lead the team with 36 relief innings.
-Josh Willingham was hit by a pitch for the 10th time this year. The last time a Twins player had 10 or more HBP in a season was Denard Span in 2009 (10). The club record is Chuck Knoblauch's 19 in 1996.
-Matt Capps pitched. He has not been traded for a ham steak yet.
Game 70: Twins @ Reds
10 starting pitchers before the All-Star break. I wonder how often that happens (idle question... don't anyone look up how common this occurrence is, or anything).
It seems like it's probably Brian Duensing's destiny to be a starter. By all means, he's a much better reliever, but he ends up being the type of pitcher who's just good enough at starting every once in a while that he get more and more looks at it. Also, to be honest, I'd prefer him in the starting rotation to Blackburn. We already have two late inning guys (Burton and Perkins), and Duensing's got to be a better option in the starting 5 than Blackie, right? (right??)
Duensing (1-2, 4.44 xFIP*) vs Cueto (8-3, 3.73 xFIP) today. Not many strikeouts, not many walks, not many home runs. Seems like a good time for Revere to be up to some shenanigans.
* He does has a pretty nice 3.03 FIP. Getting lucky on some fly balls, it seems (only 2.3% have left the park).
My buddy is a huge Reds fan, so after the game last night, he of course had to send me a text...
Sweep the Indians. Sweep the Mets. Lose to the freaking TWINS?!
I reminded him that a Dickey-free sweep of the Mets only counts as a half a sweep, and that he shouldn't expect to win any more games until the Twins leave town. Here's hoping they can make that slightly exaggerated trash talk come to pass.
2012 Game 69: Minnesota Twins at Cincinnati Reds
Nick Blackburn
v
Homer Bailey
Unfortunately, as is the case with bad teams, the hot streaks are short lived. The Twins are below .400 again, ensuring Seattle remains easily in 13th place. They are ahead of Colorado now though, so they've fallen out of a top-three draft pick.
Game 68 Recap: Sandwich
I did not watch or listen to the Twins at all last night. Here's a link to the official mlb.com story, which I'm guessing nobody will click on because who cares? Instead of recapping the game, let me recap the sandwich I made for dinner.
I'm traveling to Europe next week and I'm endeavoring to use up all my perishable food before I leave, so I basically emptied the fridge for this bad boy. I started with two slices of whole wheat bread. One one slice, I spread a thick layer of extra-garlicky hummus. On the other slice, an even thicker layer of 2% cottage cheese. After that, the ingredients as follows: diced red onion. Finely chopped green pepper. Shaved carrot. Sliced grape tomatoes. Cucumber slices? Of course. And a big heap of fresh spinach. Topped off with a pile of mesquite-smoked deli-sliced turkey breast. Then I drizzled it with Italian salad dressing, and doused it with Frank's hot sauce because #YOLO.
And, my friends, let me tell you... it was
Game something or other: Twins at Pirates game 3.
Ben Revere is going to so something awesome tonight. And the Twins will win.