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Archive for game logs from previous seasons.

2011 Twins Game Recaps

Game 79 Recap: How about them dodgers?

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Twins 1, Dodgers ZERO
WP: Light Rail
LP: De La Rosa
SAVE! Matt "I'll Busta" Capps (13)
Twins record: 34-45, 8.5 games out of first NOT LAST IN THE AL CENTRAL!!ONEOENEOENEOQN!O!NIW

Fangraphs knows scottie baker wasn't looking at the bullpen.

Well, well, well, a save on a wednesday? My goodness gracious, let's take a look at the king of the savers race. The Beard is racking up saves like nobody's business. He currently owns the top spot with 24 saves. We would have to drop six spots on the leader board to find someone in the league that counts but I really don't care that much.

Player A .281 / .304 / .303 / .607 ops+69
Player B .296 / .320 / .336 / .655 ops+79

Just looking at their rookie seasons I'd think these dudes are brothers from another mother. In other news, Scott Baker tossed an absolute gem today. So did De La Rosa for that matter. If you tuned into this one late you missed the scoring action. Sweet Ben hit a lead off triple and was driven in by Nishioka's swinging bunt. That was it. I never doubted the Twins for a second on this one, matt capps excepted. When the camera flashed on Joe Nathan during the ninth I found myself longing for the good old days, and wondering if we'll see Joe back in the closer role before the end of the season.

Go see some art on paper at the walker. 50/50, up 'til July 17, half curated by the unwashed masses, half by experts:

Featuring some 200 works hung salon-style, 50/50 is at once an experiment in crowd curation and an exploration of the Walker’s collection, with each of the two sections filling half the gallery space. This shared exchange sparks a range of questions about the dynamics between “audience” and “expert,” or between curatorial practice and so-called “mass taste.” It also touches on a broader contrast between the act of making aesthetic judgments in an online context and the experience of looking at and thinking about art up close, without time constraints.

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 79: Twins v Trustee aka in re Dodgers

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Late night reports from Target field hint that the hometown 9 25 do indeed have a pulse. But questions remain:

Will the Twins win the series?
Does Jim Thome really watch reruns of the Mod Squad in the clubhouse?
Why haven't Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hugged lately?
If Joe Nathan throws 93 mph from a train leaving Eighth Street, at what time does he arrive home?
Who the hell is Rubby De La Rosa, and why do I feel dirty when I say it out loud?
Will Nishioka eat grits?
Does Scott Baker look at the bullpen out of respect for Bert?
Will these questions ever be answered?

Pitching:
Rubby De La Rosa pitching against Twin's undeniable champion, ace, and all around nice guy, Scott Baker.

Lineups:

Twins:
1. Revere 8
2. Nishioka 6
3. _auer 2
4. Righthanded w/ power 9
5. Thome Bench spot saver
6. Dani 5
7. Hughes 3
8. Repko 7
9. Tolbot 4

Orphans:
1. Gwynn 7
2. Blake 5
3. Ethier 9
4. Dairy Brand 8
5. Lonely 3
6. Uribe 4
7. Thames DH
8. Navarro 2
9. Gordon 6

Go Twins!

2011 Twins Game Recaps, Minnesota Twins, MLB

2011 Game 78: Dodgers 4, Twins 6

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WP: Duensing (5-7, 4.69)
LP: Lilly (5-8, 4.97)
SV: Capps (12)
I love the mojo gumshoe, ballpark views and quick glances at statistics like WPA to tell you a bit about what went down, but none of those things are mine. I tried think of something clever for my first recap since the season opener (glad that fiasco was left in the other basement) but instead I decided, don't over think the thing. I watched the game, took notes, and below is what I saw.

Also, I DVR'd the game so I could cover the recap after bottling my first try at brewing a hefeweizen. Missing the game live for what turned out to be a nice win seems worth it if this brew ends up better than my last one. /Side note: tip of the cap to cheap - letting that last one sit for a few months has improved it enough that I don't expect to boil a huge batch of brats anytime soon/ After watching the game, I read the game log and found that my notes pretty well shadow the conversation...funny how that works.

As I said before, these are my notes. If you didn't see the game and want to know what went down, read on...if you just wanted the score, now you have it.

-Game Notes-

Got off to a good start for both Dunce and the offense. Quick top of 1st and then a nice little single, sac bunt, stolen base (3rd base!  by Revere), and a RBI single by our resident slap-hitting p*ssy DH to get the Twins on the board.

A great catch by Valencia to start the 2nd led to another quick inning by Duensing. Bottom half, Replicant gets on with a single, steals 2nd, moves over to third and then scores on a single by Revere. Revere then steals 2nd while Laddie is batting and scores on Lexi's doubtriple…

I hate to admit it, but I really was entertained watching Laddie smash that ball off the left field wall and get thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple (despite the play being in front of him as he rounded 2nd base). That young man is truly a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…or as Gardy would say, “bonehead”.

5th Inning: watched Dunce give up a home run to Aaron Miles. It was the first HR for the Dodger since 2008 and only the 17th of his MLB career. I thought to myself, “God, I hope this inning doesn’t spiral.” Well of course it spiraled. Dunce was trying hard not to give up hits; instead he managed to walk the 9 hitter Jamey Carroll and, eventually, Casey Blake to fill the bases. With Ethier stepping into the box I thought to myself, “Self, why did you spooky this inning?” Sure enough, RBI # 39 & 40 for Andre and the 3-run lead has dissipated. Then he gets to face Kemp, who (as Dick so kindly informs us) is “a dangerous man at the plate…Kemp with 22 home runs and the Twins active roster with 28 this year.” “Awesome,” says I. Dunce gets ahead of Kemp at 0-2 and somehow finagles a shallow fly-out to keep the score even at 4.

Next thing I know (Holy Sh!t, Dick with the call!), Aussie’s 5th inning donger jack with 2 outs and one on (Valencia) puts the boys back up by 2! That was actually one of the stories tonight: 2-out RBI by Revere, Laddie and Aussie (2).

Following a hit batsman, Burnett comes in for Dunce with no one out in the 6th and promptly coaxes a nice little around-the-horn double play ball out of Thames and a ground out by Miles.

1 out and 1 on in the 7th and Perkins comes in for Burnett. Gets a ground out and then gives up a single to Blake. I laughed right out loud when Rivera tagged Carroll out at home. Took a great tag to "get" him, but the throw from Replicant was there to make it happen (or appear to happen). Jason seemed to be doing it to the Dodgers all night long.

8th starts and Twitchy comes in for Perkins after a hit by Ethier. Strikes out Kemp and should have been out of the inning with a double-play grounder. Though it seemed like a weird distance for an underhand toss from Nishioka, Laddie still had a chance at the out with an on-target throw - pretty tough to do with Ethier sliding hard under him at the 2nd base bag. Nathan next faced a pinch-hitter (James Loney) ending the at-bat with a nasty curve for strike 3, (apparently the first breaking ball of his evening), down goes Loney and we move on.

As has become more typical than I’d like, Crisco makes the 9th inning interesting. Ground out to start the inning, a walk to Oeltjen, Crisco with an “athletic move” to get Navarro for the second out and a walk to Gwynn Jr.  put the tying run on base. Finally, another ground out to Laddie salts it away.

Twins Win !



2011 Twins Game Recaps, View from the Ballpark

2011 Game 77: Dodgers 15, Twins 0

27 Comments

Weather: 74°F, partly cloudy
Wind: 15 mph
Attendance: 39,487
Time: 3:05

Twins' record: 32-45 (last in AL Central, 10.0 GB)
Fangraphs boxscore | MLB Game Wrap

"Highlights":

  • Highest WPA, hitter: Nishioka .026 (2-3, SO) | Highest WPA, pitcher: 3 tied at .000 (3.0 IP, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 ER, 2 BB, SO)
  • The Dodgers have one of the nicest road uniforms in baseball, and looked great when matched with the Twins' throwbacks.

Lowlights:

  • Lowest WPA, hitter: Revere, -.076 (0-4, 2 GIDP) | Lowest WPA, pitcher: Blackburn, -.290 (4.1 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, BB, SO)
  • Everything.

For the last few weekends I've been traveling between the People's Republic and western Wisconsin, working on putting Pops' things in order and attending family functions. Last Friday was no different, other than a buddy of mine who lives in Madison asked if he could get a ride to Winona so he could bring his restored Chevy truck out of storage for the summer. The plan was to leave around noon, after he finished up installing a window for a client.

Well, the day before I had a particularly vindictive migraine. It was bad enough I thought I was having olfactory hallucinations; specifically, I thought I could smell a gas leak in the neighborhood. I even called up the gas company to come out and check. Now, I'm not actually paranoid - the complete gas service was replaced in our neighborhood just a few weeks ago, and there were front-end loaders working out in the street Thursday, making me suspect something had been severed. The guy from the gas company came out and checked the new connection on each house on my street, the mains, and anything else that possibly could leak, all to no avail. I apologized, of course, but I could still smell a decidedly off odor.

Ten minutes before I left on Friday I figured out what I was smelling. I opened the door to a storage area on the second floor. Down in the corner, where I had laid it out months before, was a mouse trap. I've been checking that trap near-religiously, so the mouse that I caught couldn't have been there any earlier than Tuesday evening. But, given that it's summer (and, thanks to a stupid call during renovation, our central HVAC doesn't go upstairs which is why we want a new unit from Kellerman Heating & Cooling), the mouse didn't take long to make things smell pretty ripe. Okay, really ripe.

Mrs. Hayes is a confirmed animal lover, so even though I would be late to my buddy's place, I absolutely had to dispose of the body. First order of business was to remove the corpse from the premises while simultaneously curbing my urge to vomit. The little bugger had soiled himself, I guess. Next was to clean up the greasy mark he left behind on the floor. Armed with a Lysol wipe, a can of Lysol, and enough intestinal fortitude not to make a bigger mess myself, I wiped up the, erm, leavings, washed my hands, and got out the door. I was worried the potency of that smell would still be there when I got back today, but, mercifully, it's gone.

Nonetheless, I am armed with empirical evidence. The egg the Twins laid laid last night smells worse than a mouse corpse laying in an attic for a few days in the summer heat. As a matter of fact, given the choice between the two, I'd rather relive cleaning up that mouse and his leavings than re-experience the 2011 Twins season to date. My mind is already wandering toward 2012. Is yours?

-------

Here's this week's View from the Ballpark:

photo by Flickr user Telstar Logistics

photo by Flickr user Telstar Logistics

Remember, no embiggening.

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 77: McCourtsMLBs at Pohlads

183 Comments

Finally, we get to go home and take on somebody our own size. The Dodgers (35-44) are the epitome of a small-market club, struggling to make payroll, playing their games in an old, rundown stadium with trough urinals.

They do have some Midwestern charm, however:

The Dodgers owe everybody and their mother money:

The team owes a total of $74,121,433 to their players, food and travel vendors, and even the city of Los Angeles.

The team owes Los Angeles $240,563 in taxes. It also owes Levy Restaurants $588,322 for running the concession stands at the stadium, as well as $339,403 to Continental Airlines for team travel.

Some of the Dodgers' major payroll creditors include former players Manny Ramirez ($20.9 million), Andruw Jones ($11.1 million, currently with the NY Yankees), and Juan Pierre ($3.05 million, currently with the Chicago White Sox, who is also owed $3.5 million for his trade). Other players on the list include the current roster, and the LA Times points out that two of the players owed money (Zach Lee and Alexander Santana) haven't even begun playing yet. Also on the list: longtime sportscaster Vin Scully ($152,778).

That would be the best-PBP-voice-in-baseball Vin Scully. Unfortunately, Scully, 82, rarely does away games east of Denver these days. So scratch that from the list of attributes for this series.

Instead, let's just hope Our Boys can get some Mojo back in order to make a run at respectability. They still have a shot at the International League playoffs!!!11one111!!!!

Pitching matchup:
Chad Billingsley (Righty, 4.48 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 3.56 xFIP, 86:40 K:BB in 94 1/3)
Nick Blackburn (3.15 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, 51:27 K:BB in 97 innings)

Billingsley is right at league averages for GB%, FB% and LD%. His 5 1/3 innings against Detroit last Tuesday (6 hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks, one run) was his longest outing in a month. He has given up four or more runs in four of his last six starts. Even better, the Dodgers' bullpen has been awful -- minus 20.7 pRAA on the season (the Twins' pen is only -12.5 pRAA).

Offensively, the Dodgers have been mediocre, with the glaring exceptions of Matt Kemp (327/416/619) and Andre Ethier (317/389/461). If we can avoid Neck Fat giving those guys hanging sliders, we might actually win this series.

2011 Twins Game Recaps

Game #76: Brewers 6, Twins 2

3 Comments

Fangraphs
MLB Game Wrap

I was going to write up a semi-long (for me) recap of the Rockies-Yankees game on TBS, which was actually pretty interesting. But then I saw that wonderful post by meat and decided I don't want to take up too much space with either sincere Twins talk (in brief: we suck) or sarcastic real-baseball-teams talk. Go read that recipe just below here and commence salivating instead.

Hitter and Pitcher of the Week: Sesame Pork Roast

2011 Twins Game Logs, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 76: Red Wings at Brewers

78 Comments

Carl Pavano vs. Chris Narveson

Remember when the Twins thrived in Interleague? Yeah, me neither. The Twins are looking to avoid their second Interleague road sweep this season. At least there's only one more game until Thome can DH.

I'm guessing Drew Butera will start today. Day game after a night game, Pavano starting and the opposing pitcher is a lefty. If Butera doesn't start, I think it's pretty clear who goes if the Twins ever decide to go with two catchers. I think that's why Gardy wants Mauer to play first or third, so he can easily have Mauer catch the last inning or two when he needs to pinch hit for Rivera or Butera without losing the DH.

This will be one ugly looking lineup. Narveson has allowed at least four runs in five of his last six starts, so I'm sure he's looking forward to this start.

Right now, the Twins need to find a way to scratch out a win and find a way to keep from losing much ground in the division for when Kubel and Span return. Otherwise, the Twins might be throwing up the white flag pretty soon. It may not matter since most of their veteran players will be too hurt to trade away anyways.

GO TWINS!!

2011 Twins Game Recaps, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 75: Brewers 11, Twins 1

10 Comments

Another day, another injury.

I didn't get to see much of this one since I was going to an Inland Empire Sixty-Sixers game to get a replica San Bernardino Spirit Griffey jersey. I didn't miss much. For some reason, I didn't like Liriano matching up against the Brewers, but I wasn't expecting this. Add to that Delmon's injury and it's getting awfully hard to be hopeful about this season. Delmon wasn't having a good season on the whole, but he's been hitting better of late. Now it sounds like he's going to be out for awhile. Twins called it just a sprain, but when a guy gets carted off the field, that usually is more than a couple weeks for recovery. I wouldn't be surprised if Morneau returns to the field before Delmon does.