Tag Archives: Joe Ryan

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 5

Jack Chesbro (1874)
Eddie Joost (1916)
Lou Brissie (1924)
Duke Sims (1941)
Bill Spiers (1966)
Ray Lankford (1967)
Mike Coolbaugh (1972)
Russ Ortiz (1974)
Robinson Chirinos (1984)
Jake Petricka (1988)
Dereck Rodriguez (1992)
Joe Ryan (1996)
Royce Lewis (1999)

Prior to beginning his major league career, Lou Brissie served in World War II.  He suffered severe leg injuries, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, but overcame his injuries to spend seven years in the majors.

Mike Coolbaugh was the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers when he was struck on the head with a line drive and killed.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 5 →

2022 Twins Game Logs

2022 Game 45: Kansas City Monarchy vs. Minnesota Duplicates

37 Comments

catbird seat

With the second quarter of the season underway the Twins find themselves sitting in the proverbial catbird seat, 10 games over .500 and 4.5 up on the Pale Hosers in the AL Central. Luis Arraez, who turned 25 just as the season was getting underway, leads the major leagues in on-base percentage and ranks 4th in batting average. As a team, the Twins lead the American League in OBP, rank third in batting, sixth in slugging, and fourth in OPS. The Twins have the fourth lowest team ERA in the league and only the Astros and Yankees have allowed fewer runs. The caveat, of course, is that it's a long season and we know full well that injury and mayhem can easily derail a team that's on a  winning track.

With the increasingly clean-cut Joe Ryan on the IL with COVID, the remarkably shaggier Devin Smeltzer gets another call-up and another trip to a big league mound. He's 1-0 in two starts this year and carries a  miniscule 1.74 ERA, the thing is so small it gets lost in his hip pocket. He's performed admirably and I hope he gets a longer look in the bigs this year (unless it's because of illness or injury). The Royals send southpaw Daniel Lynch to the hill with the pill tonight. He's 2-3 on the year with a 4.01 ERA and and 31 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. The Twins offense was noticeably lacking in the Detroit series and that resulted in a disappointing loss of a thoroughly winnable game yesterday, they'll need to step it up at the plate against KC if they want to maintain their feline-avian throne.

Play ball!

2022 Twins Game Logs

2022 Game Log 24- Twins at Baltimore

40 Comments

So we're back in the Minnesota men's sports abyss. Twolves out of the playoffs after coughing up three 4th quarter double digit leads. The Wild puke up a 0-4 loss in their first playoff game. Vikes look intent on winning between 7-9 games a season. Even the newest team in the market, the Loons, seem to have embraced their Minnesota mens sports team legacy of practicing competent mediocrity. But wait, what about the Twins? Could it be it's the Minnesota Twins that get us out our doldrums? After a slow start, the Twins have won 10 of 11 and look to have a pretty decent pitching staff. Perhaps it's the Twins that take us to the promise land after a 30 year wandering in the sports abyss desert.

Speaking of decent pitching staff, Joe Ryan on the mound tonight with his 1.17 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 25 Ks versus 6 walks stat line. Ryan appears to be the real deal could be a staff ace for years to come. Bruce Zimmerman up for the Orioles but this team is already in tank mode so any numbers he or any pitcher puts up seems silly to discuss.

Game time 6:05.

Twins Lineup:
CF - Buxton
SS - Corea
2B - Polanco
3B - Urshek
1B - Miranda
DH - Shanchez
RF - Kepler
C - Jeffers
LF - Celestino

2022 Twins Game Logs

2022 Game 19: Tiggers vs. Twinkies

26 Comments

If you'd told me two weeks ago that on this day the Twins would be in first place riding a 6-game winning streak and have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, statistically speaking, I would have scoffed, perhaps even guffawed at such a foolhardy notion. Yet here we are. Joe Ryan is absolutely, undeniably ridiculous. He's 3-1 in four starts and has only given up 3 earned runs on just 10 hits in 23 innings pitched, good for a 1.17 ERA. He's struck out 25 and only walked 6 batters, giving him a 0.70 WHIP. Ridiculous, I say.

If Joe Ryan is ridiculous, Dylan Bundy is absurd. He's undefeated in three starts with a 0.59 ERA. Chris Archer, one of the more veteran arms, has no decisions nor gaudy numbers, but he's got a respectable 3.18 ERA and he's holding hitters to a .209 batting average. Chris Paddack and Sonny Gray have been the hard luck kids of the rotation with 3.68 and 5.68 ERAs, respectively.

That brings us to today's Twins starter, Bailey Ober, 1-1 in 3 starts, 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 13 Ks in 16 innings. You know, middle of the road. He goes up against southpaw Tarik Skubal for the Tigers. He's 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 16 strikeouts. I'd say we should maybe expect a pitcher's duel today but the Twins are swinging some hot bats, so maybe not. Either way, it's a fun team to watch right now.

Play ball!

2022 Twins Game Logs

2022 Game 13 – Minnesota Twins at Sally’s House

21 Comments

Today's cuppa rightfully calls out the ass-battery the local nine have been displaying pretty much since the season opener. We've seen a few flashes of high-octane offense here and there, but that certainly has not been the trend. Miguel Sano is batting for a paltry .091 average, and I'm tired of waiting for him to turn into the David Ortiz we didn't throw away. Today's starting lineup features four players batting below .200, and only one batting above .300, and he doesn't have quite enough at-bats to qualify for the leader boards. So yeah, it's been cold here all spring and the bats are still in hibernation, but they will wake up one of these days. I'm hoping the return of Buxton to the lineup (DH today)  will provide a much-needed offensive spark.

On the mound, young Joe Ryan will take the ball for his third start this year. He's got a split win-loss record with one apiece, sports a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and has 11 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. Not bad for a rookie. I can recall many seasons past when we collectively bemoaned the team's reluctance to rely on young starting pitchers, but this is a different FO and manager. If the Twins are to go anywhere this year, it will be on the arms of a rotation that averages just 28 years old. Here's a tip for the rookie today from an old observer of the game who turned a year older today -- don't throw a single pitch to Salvador Perez, just point to first base. Every. Fucking. Time.

At the other end of the career spectrum today, KC sends to the mound an old, familiar nemesis in Zack Greinke, who at the ripe age of 38 is pitching in his 19th major league season this year. I simply have to tip my cap and applaud a guy who has spent half his life as a major league pitcher. Zack has had no decisions in his first two starts of this campaign but brings an impressive 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP to the hill with him. He's recorded just one K in 11 innings and strikeouts aren't as much of his game as they used to be, but his VSI (veteran savvy index) is off the damn charts.

Play ball!

2021 Twins Game Logs

2021 Games 145 and 146

17 Comments

Game 1:
Triston McKenzie
vs
Joe Ryan

This game went well last time and now Ryan only needs to finish seven innings.

Game 2:
Logan Allen
vs
Charlie Barnes

Game one has two right-handed starters and game two has two left-handed starters. Both of their ERAs start with a 6 and are closer to starting with a 7 than a 5. Naturally one team won't be able to score at all this game.

2021 Twins Game Logs

2021 Game 139: Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Guardians

19 Comments

Joe Ryan
vs
Triston McKenzie

Ryan makes his second start tonight and the Twins hope to make it four wins in a row and win the series. Cleveland is also at 68-68 so another lose would put them back under .500. They topped out at 10 wins above .500 a couple times, last on June 24 in a win against the Twins. They then lost two, won once, and lost nine times to back to .500. They've since been at best three games over .500 and at worst three games under .500.