Short seasons are done, the others will conclude over the three-day weekend. Elizabethton is in the playoffs, Beloit will be.
Tag Archives: Minnesota Twins
Minor League Team Leaders: Fort Myers
Josmil Pinto has been moved up to New Britain.
2012 Game 128: Mariners at Twins
First Pitch - 7:10 p.m. CDT
Television - FSN
Poor Liam Hendriks. Just his second game back in the show after spending most of the summer in Rochester and he's pitted against King Felix, who rolled a perfect game just a couple of weeks ago. Twelve strikes in a row, a Thanksgiving turkey. But Felix wasn't just the king for that one game this season, he's been pretty awesome throughout. In just his last 13 outings he's won eight and lost none while holding hitters to a .184 batting average. Yeah, the dude has the unique abilitiy to turn everyone he faces into something worse than Drew Butera or Danny Valencia with a bat in their hands. Hernandez has led something of a second half surge for the Mariners with team going 25-16 since the All-Star break. Hendriks is also going into tonight's game without much in the way of backup. The bullpen is pretty gassed after throwing a ton of innings in the Texas series. So I wouldn't expect much from the Twins' pitching staff tonight, and not much from the offense, either. If you need a reason to watch, we might see Joe Mauer break the franchise records for games caught if he crouches behind the plate tonight. I used to know who holds the record, but I Earl Battey'd the guy. That's got to be worth tuning in for one inning, anyway. Is it football season yet? Basketball? Hockey? Bueller? Anybody? Bueller?
Play ball!
Where They Stand
Two teams are in the playoffs, two are a game out, one has an outside shot, two have been eliminated. The major league team, of course, will make the playoffs with a record of 89-73.
2012 Game 121: Funnyball vs. Moneyball
First Pitch - 9:05 p.m. CDT
Television - FSN
Lineups
Oooooow, look at all that foul territory. The Twins will feel right at home there, they've been playing pretty foul ball lately, winning just one game in their last ten and riding a five game losing streak. It's so bad I wandered over to Cot's today to see what our payroll situation looks like for next year. The good news is a lot of money is coming off the books, about $35 million, give or take a nickel. So Terry Ryan should have some money with which to play ball this winter. Let's hope he doesn't decide to bunt.
On The Hill:
Brian Duensing vs. Brandon McCarthy.
I'm not going to bother with their stats at this point. I'll just say advantage Oakland and leave it there. With this late start, I'll be down for the count after three innings. It won't surprise me if The Dunce is, too.
Play ball!
Where They Stand: Through August 16
Minnesota is 50-67, fifth in the AL Central, 15 games behind Chicago. The Twins have lost two consecutive games and are 3-7 in their last ten games.
Rochester is 65-61, fourth in the IL North, 13 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. They are tied for third in the wild card standings, 3.5 games behind Pawtucket. The Red Wings have won three consecutive games and are 6-4 in their last ten games.
New Britain is 67-57, second in the EL East, 5 games behind Trenton. They are 1 game ahead of Reading for the last playoff spot in the division. The Rock Cats have lost one consecutive game and are 5-5 in their last ten games.
Fort Myers is 51-69 overall, 23-30 in the second half, fifth in the FSL South, 5.5 games behind St. Lucie. They are 5 games behind Jupiter for the last playoff spot in the division. The Miracle has lost five consecutive games and is 4-6 in its last ten games.
Beloit is 67-55 overall, 28-24 in the second half, third in the ML Western, 3 games behind Clinton. They will be in the playoffs due to their second place finish in the first half. The Snappers have lost one consecutive game and are 8-2 in their last ten games.
Elizabethton is 37-16, first in the AL West, 8.5 games ahead of Johnson City and Greeneville. The Twins have lost one consecutive game and are 8-2 in their last ten games. The Appalachian League season ends August 28.
The GCL Twins are 27-25, second in the GCL South, 2 games behind the Red Sox. They are third in the wild card standings, 4 games behind the Pirates. The Twins have lost two consecutive games and are 2-8 in their last ten games. The GCL season ends August 25.
The DSL Twins are 28-35, sixth in the B. C. B. C., 9 games behind the Diamondbacks. They are twenty-second in the wild card standings, 10.5 games behind the Pirates1 and the Rangers. The Twins have lost three consecutive games and are 3-7 in their last ten games. The DSL season ends August 25.
Game 115 Recap: Detroit Tigers 3, Minnesota Twins 9
2012 Game 115: Panthera Tigris v. Gemini
First Pitch - 7:10 p.m.
Television - FSN
Lineups
No, we don't really have the Tigers by the tail, we're 11.5 games behind them in the standings and from here you can't even see their tail, although you can catch a faint whiff of what's directly beneath it. The Detroit Tigers have been disappointing their fans lately by struggling to gain ground on the division leader, losing four of their last ten games. The Twins, on other hand, have been adding glory to their franchise history by proving triumphant in five of their most recent ten contests and remain poised to surpass both the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians before the season draws to a close.
With this season well on the downhill side, the non-waiver trade deadline in the rearview and a few weeks to go before September call-ups, there's not much for Twins fans to get excited about except playing spoiler, the face-crushing demotion of Nishi, and the glorious return to the lineup of Trevor Plouffe!. Even the chance to play spoiler to the contending Tigers is tempered by the realization that beating them does nothing except improve the chances of the White Sox winning the division. Boo dat.
On The Hill:
Anibal Sanchez - Who cares about his stats, he's named Anibal. This guy is one vowel substitution away from losing a testicle.
Samuel Deduno - His middle name is Lake. I got nothing.
Neither of these pitchers has a record against their opponent, so who knows what to expect. But I would be pretty surprised to see an old-fashioned pitchers' duel tonight.
Play ball!
This Week in Twins Transactions
Jeremias Pineda was acquired by trade for Danny Valencia and assigned to the GCL Twins.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka was recalled to Minnesota from Rochester.
P. J. Walters was sent to Rochester on a rehab assignment.
David Bromberg was promoted from New Britain to Rochester.
Anthony Slama was sent to the GCL Twins on a rehab assignment, then was activated from the disabled list by Rochester.
Carl Pavano was sent to Fort Myers on a rehab assignment.
Jose Berrios was promoted to Elizabethton from the GCL Twins.
Byron Buxton was promoted to Elizabethton from the GCL Twins.
Where They Stand
Minnesota is 49-62, fourth in the AL Central, 11.5 games behind Chicago. The Twins have lost one consecutive game and are 6-4 in their last ten games.
Rochester is 60-59, fourth in the IL North, 5.5 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Red Wings have won one consecutive game and are 7-3 in their last ten games.
New Britain is 63-55, third in the EL East, 7.5 games behind Trenton. The Rock Cats have lost two consecutive games and are 5-5 in their last ten games.
Fort Myers is 51-64 overall, 23-25 in the second half, tied for fourth in the FSL South, 1 game behind Bradenton. The Miracle has won three consecutive games and is 4-6 in its last ten games.
Beloit is 63-53 overall, 24-22 in the second half, tied for second in the ML Western, 5 games behind Clinton. The Snappers have won five consecutive games and are 8-2 in their last ten games.
Elizabethton is 31-15, first in the AL West, 6.5 games ahead of Johnson City. The Twins have won two consecutive games and are 6-4 in their last ten games.
The GCL Twins are 26-20, first in the GCL South, one game ahead of the Red Sox. The Twins have lost two consecutive games and are 4-6 in their last ten games.
The DSL Twins are 26-31, sixth in the B. C. B. C., 7.5 games behind the Rockies. The Twins have lost three consecutive games and are 4-6 in their last ten games.