It's a shred off!
(1 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
Loading... 2. Johan Santana Strikes Out 17
My god that changeup.
15. Rosario Wins Game With Walk-Off Assist
There's probably a bias to 2019 moments in this bracket because I remember them, but also because each moment was amplified as it was the best regular season the Twins have ever had. So this throw, while not the hardest for sure, was pretty amplified.
The Better Moment
Total Voters: 19
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Loading ...The Better Moment
Total Voters: 19
Loading ...The Better Moment
Total Voters: 19
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Total Voters: 18
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Total Voters: 20
Loading ...DOUBLEHEADER ALERT! I figure one game log can serve both easily enough.
Game 1: German Marquez (1-2, 4.88 ERA, 3.37 FIP) vs. Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50 ERA, 4.19 FIP)
Game 2: Tyler Chatwood (3-5, 5.25 ERA, 5.31 FIP) vs. Jose Berrios (1-0, 1.17 ERA, 2.78 FIP)
The Twins definitely have the best combination of starters ready to go for today's day-night doubleheader with Santana and Berrios. Despite the crowded bullpen, not all of those guys are very good so having at least one of the starters go deep into their game will be a big help. The Twins also could really use some good starting pitching after getting a couple of craptacular starts in a row. I think we all knew pitching would be a weakness for this squad, and while maybe it isn't totally dire (Duffey, Breslow, Rodgers and Kintzler look to be mostly bright spots in the bullpen while the starters appear to be about 60% competent) we were pretty much correct as the Twins have accumulated -2.3 WAR from the pitchers so far this year, most of which can be attributed to the bullpen.
Fortunately, the new administration looks to be much more willing to make a change when it's needed. Under Terry Ryan 2.0, I would have expected another few starts being given to Gibson before a move was considered. It will be interesting to see what they do with Phil Hughes, who quite frankly looks like he's at the end of his career. He hasn't been good since his first year here and injuries look to have drained his velocity.
As for the games today, Santana rebounded incredibly well in his last outing coming off of his only bad start of the season to date. While I know he'll have bad games here and there the rest of the way, he looks locked in on the mound and gives the team that top of the rotation guy who can come in after a couple losses and give the team a good chance to keep moving forward.
Jose Berrios had a heck of a 2017 dayview that I wish had happened the first week of the season. But, can't change that. Hopefully he can build on that first outing and keep his confidence up on his way to mowing down some Rockies hitters. I haven't seen a ton of him over his young career, but he looks to be one of those guys that is a lot of fun to watch when he's rolling.
First game is at noon and the second is at 7.
Trevor Bauer (0-2, 8.44 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (3-0, 0.41 ERA)
As I was going to mention in my redundant game 13 game log that never got posted, it seems the off-season meeting between the Cleveland brass and the commissioner accomplished completely nothing as Cleveland is still wearing the logo on their jersey that makes me root against them.
Trevor Bauer takes the hill against the Twins ace and his magical chinstrap, Ervin Santana. So far, they are having basically opposite seasons statistically. Bauer is off to a rought start, although holes a 2.53 xFIP and a 4.00 BABIP, so luck may very well be what's preventing him from his usual mediocrity. I cynically expect the Twins offense to help with that.
Santana, on the other hand, is either benefiting from some luck with a ridiculous .074 BABIP and an xFIP of 3.75, which is right around his career average. Its either luck or the Twins deciding to go with an actual major league caliber defensive outfield is paying off. Probably a little of column A/B.
It'd be nice if the Twins could remember to not grab their ass-bats for this game. They could really use a win after this recent stretch of not beating the White Sox or Cleveland.
