Tag Archives: MLB.TV Free Game Of The Day

2022 Game 123: Minnesota at Houston

Chris Archer has started 21 games for the Twins this season. In not one of them has he pitched more than five innings. Not one. He'll take the mound again tonight, but if want to see him pitch, try not to blink. Archer squares off with Luis Garcia, who is 10-8 with an ERA just north of four and 127 strikeouts in 124 innings. If momentum is tonight's starting pitcher, advantage Astros, I guess.

The Guardians keep collecting wins while the Twins squander their opportunities and pile up the losses with lackluster defense, baserunning, and an offense that is only days away from an official MIA designation. The main thing that keeps me hanging on is that I love watching Luis Arraez play baseball and feel compelled to watch every plate appearance and track his batting average on a daily basis. So, I have no idea how you turn this team around and get it playing up to its potential again, that's Rocco's job and that's why he makes the big pile of dough. It doesn't strike me as an easy task, though.

Play ball!

2022 Game Log 75: Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Spiders

Not sure who thought Minnesota and Cleveland would be duking it out for first place of the division, but here we are. Don't have too much time to go into the importance of these games, but I don't think I have to either.

Sonny Gray* takes the mound against the youngster McKenzie. Hopefully the Twins left their assbats at home. Here's to a good series!

(*Whenever I hear the name Sonny Gray, I sign it to the tune of "Nite And Grey".)

Oh, MLB's free game today for those not in the blackout.

2022 Game Log 57 – Yankees at Twins

You hate to say it but the Yankees have been really good this year, especially its pitching:

Team ERA: 2.74, first
WHIP: 1.04, first
Opponent average: .210, first

Twins come in feeling pretty good about themselves after winning two of three in Toronto with a depleted staff and now some players coming back from the restricted list, Covid list, and injuries. It's not a full squad yet, but getting closer.

Jamison Taillon on for the Yankees and like the rest of the staff, he's been lights out this year. Looks like the Twins will use Cole Sands with his 7.88 ERA and 1.63 WHIP tonight. Maybe both pitchers can regress to the mean and we get a Twins victory.

First Pitch at 6:40

Twins Lineup
1B - Arraez
DH - Buxton
2B - Polanco
RF - Kepler
C - Sanchez
LF - Larnach
3B - Urshela
CF - Celestino
SS - Palacios

2022 Game 13 – Minnesota Twins at Sally’s House

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 Game 127: Twins at Red Stockings

Game Time - 6:10 p.m. CT

After winning in spectacular gut-wrenching, extra-inning, bomba-blasting fashion to even the series in Boston last night, the Twins seek to win their fourth series this month by taking tonight's rubber game. Rocco seems determined to see if John Gant can be turned back into a starting pitcher after two years of bullpen duty, so he'll be pitching the initial frames for the Twins tonight. The Red Sox, 7.5 games back of the Rays and 3 behind the Yankees, are feeling the pressure to win games and at least secure a wild card berth in the playoffs. They'll be sending Chris Sale to the mound for just his third start in two years following Tommy John surgery. But they've been really good starts. He's 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings. Play ball!