Hmm...starting to think that yickit has moved on from baseball or something. (But seriously, yickit, if you have something ready go ahead and edit this).
Floyd vs. Pavano.
Category Archives: Gamelog Archive
Archive for game logs from previous seasons.
2011 Game Logs Game 66: Chicago (AL) @ Twins
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Let's warm up for the first game of the series against the White Sox with a miniature version of The Nation Has Problems, sound good? Great.
On Saturday a Twins starter retired the first 12 batters he faced.
On Sunday a Twins starter retired the first 19 batters he faced.
The last time the Twins opened a series on a Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox the Twins starter did not allow a single hit.
How many batters will the Twins starter, Carl Pavano, face before allowing a hit tonight?
Sadly, there is no spoiler button for when you are writing a post. It seems each of you will have to watch 9 innings of baseball to find out. Oh crap, I hope I didn't give it away.
Let's keep this streak of butt-kicking alive. Win Twins.
Game #65: Twins 6, Rangers 1
Twins record: 26-39
Fangraphs
MLB Game Wrap
[Picture of a giant exploding mushroom cloud, the resulting effect of the dropping of the F-BOMB on the Texas Rangers Baseball Club on the afternoon of June 12, 2011]
Hitter of the Week: The Team MVP, soon-to-be W.A.S.T.E. 2.0
Co-Pitchers Aces of the Week Team: Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano
Game 65: Rangers at Red Wings
No, this isn't the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a baseball game. And it is an opportunity for the Twins to win their third straight series. I would have to say I would be satisfied with a split giving the minor league nature of the lineup, but a win would sure be sweet.
The mound matchup is Matt Harrison vs. Francisco Liriano. So, another lefty to pitch against the Twins, the third in the series. Probably a good time for Justin Morneau to get a few days off, if there is such a thing. Harrison had little margin for error with a below-average K rate and he doesn't help himself much by walking more than average. His groundball rate is only average, but despite all this he has a shiny 122 ERA+. His stats show that he has gotten a ton of popups and double plays and has allowed few line drives, so it looks like he has had pretty good command despite the excessive walks. FWIW, the Twins have hit him well, but most of those in the lineup today weren't in the lineup the last time he pitched against the Twins. Harrison also has been trying to pass a kidney stone, so don't be surprised if he collapses in pain during the game.
Liriano was solid in his last start and hasn't allowed more than two runs in his previous three starts. Hopefully, he's getting ready to start dominating again. For the Twins to continue this run of good play, the starters will have to lead the way. It's difficult to imagine that this lineup will continue to score runs like they have of late. However, I've got to say, Ben Revere is quickly moving up my list of favorite players. GO WINGS!!
Game 64: Red Wings 8, Rangers 1
Something amazing has been going on in the Upper Midwest.
The Minnesota Red Wings are starting to makes some noise. They were originally the Rochester Red Wings, the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, until they were promoted en masse earlier this season to replace the original big leaguers due to injuries, bad attitudes and general suckitude.
"We just figured we would give some other guys an opportunity and see what happens. It's not like they could be much worse," said Wings manager Ron Gardenhire, who's team at one point had dropped to 20 games below .500 and had allowed the most runs and scored the fewest in the American league.
The Wings have cut a 16 1/2-game deficit down to 10 games in a little over a week as they have won eight of 10 games just as the red-hot Cleveland Indians finally started to cool off. The Wings are surprising many with their surge in the mediocre AL Central, but Jim Mandelaro, a baseball writer and blogger for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, is not one of them.
"We joke in the press box about how players do BETTER in Minnesota than Rochester, but it’s true. I’ll never know why, but it’s true," Mandelero wrote in his blog.
The Wings still have a long ways to go to give their fans real hope of pulling off a comeback to trump all the comebacks of recent years that their parent club has pulled off, but they at least are showing that they are capable of playing a much better brand of baseball, the kind of play that might just allow them to earn their Twins name back.
Game 64: Rangers at Twins
I had a post where I went over the team's possible All-Star representatives. That proved to be somewhat ridiculous. I mean, I suppose Span has a case - 3rd in the AL in bWAR, after all, but almost all of it is tied up in his defensive ability, and it seems kind of unlikely that that will sway anyone. Blackburn has been doing pretty well, he could be our own slightly more deserving Mark Redman.
Cuddy or Kubel will probably get it, though. Kubel's probably a bit more deserving, but Cuddy's got the rep and the 8HR. Who knows?
Today's pitcher probably doesn't really factor in the conversation, but he's been a kind of bright spot in an otherwise dour season.
My little netbook is having a hell of a time keeping up with any research I'm trying to do right now, and since my main computer's motherboard is fried, I'm out of time.
Colby Lewis vs. Scott Baker - I don't like this matchup for Baker, but I'd still rather see him on the mound than anyone else.
2011 Game 63 Recap: Lone Star Rovers 9, North Star Dopplegangers 3
Weather: 60 degrees, overcast
Wind: 10 mph, in from LF
Time: 3:07
Attendance: 38,907
Box Score
Fangraphs
It was a cool and cloudy night in the Twins Cities, the kind of night when the impending rain is a foregone conclusion and a shot of rotgut whiskey is the best way to warm up fast. The name's Twayn. I'm a shamus.
I was halfway through a pint of Kentucky's Apologies with my feet propped on the desk when I heard the knock on the door. I was in no mood for company after a day of hound dogging a cheating husband, trying to get the pictures his wife needed to squeeze a nice fat divorce settlement done with the help of Richland child custody lawyers, out of the louse, so I ignored the knock, hoping whoever it was would make like the wind and blow. When the doorknob started to turn I reached into my jacket, wrapped my fingers around the butt of my Colt .45, and pulled it from the shoulder holster. The dame walked in, took a look down the business end of my gat, and gave a little wide-eyed gasp.
Continue reading 2011 Game 63 Recap: Lone Star Rovers 9, North Star Dopplegangers 3
2011 Game 63: Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
Things are looking brighter. The Twins swept a mediocre team, won their first three game series against a better team, and did well against Texas.
Texas sends another lefty to the mound tonight, since it worked so well last night. Let's just not give up the game-tying homer this time, okay?
Game 62 Recap: Twins 5, Rangers 4
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 4
Record - 24-38 (2.5 games out of 4th place)
Highest WPA - Chuck James (0.2 IP, SO), Casilla (2 for 5, GWRBI) and Cuddyer (2 for 4, HR, 3 RBI)
Lowest WPA - Mijares (2 batters faced, 2 hits), Revere and Morneau (both 0-4)
Fangraphs
MLB Recap
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Alexi Casilla in the last month - .325/.400/.410
Will it continue?
Probably not.
Is it fun while it lasts?
It was tonight.
2011 Game 62: Rangers at Twins
The Twins return from a road trip that turned out to be pretty respectable, particularly because of winning six of their last seven. The team isn't that good, but they weren't as bad as they played up to that point, either, so whatever.
Now the Twins host the West-leading Rangers in another chapter in the ongoing saga of Josh Hamilton vs. Jason Morneau. Who will they be jacking 28+ dongers against tonight?
Derek Holland 5-1, 74.1 IP, 4.36 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 3.72 xFIP, 1.1 WAR
Nick Blackburn 5-4, 75.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 3.85 xFIP, 0.5 WAR
Some similar numbers there, but Holland's value comes from his ability to strike some punks out (60 in 74.1 innings, while over the same workload, Blackburn has negative three strikeouts). Holland is a lefty who tends to wreck lefties, so it's all up to Cuddyer and pals tonight. Ahem.
I'm feeling a little better about the Twins after the last week, but the Rangers could easily bring that to a screeching halt if our team continues to lose at home. Let's avoid that, Nick "Big Game Ace Superstar" Blackburn.