Archived Game Threads

The Twins are now up 4.5 games on the Cleveland Indians with a month to go in the season, and will have reinforcements from AAA Rochester coming up either tomorrow, or Tuesday after their season has concluded. I predicted the Twins would be up six games at the end of the month, and with a win tonight, and an Indians loss, my prediction can be within half a game. I'll gladly take that. The Pitchers: Martin Perez (9-5, 4.53 ERA, 116 K's) vs Matt Boyd (6-10, 4.47 ERA, 208 K's) The Minnesota Twins send lefty Martin Perez to the mound against the Tiger's best pitcher in Matt Boyd. However, Boyd has not been real good since the all-star break, and I am real surprised …

I was at a loss as to what to write for this series opener. So, I consulted with my very good friend, Christopher Robin to see if I could find some good insight into the Detroit Tiggers: Quickly realizing that Christopher Robin might not be the best source for information about the Detroit Tiggers, I decided to look elsewhere for inspiration that didn't involve much perspiration. *Yeah, that character was modeled on me trying to come up with ideas for game threads. Yes, we're going to ignore the fact the movie came out long before TD and the web became ubiquitous. After the Twins decided spotting the Sox a couple of games at home was a bad idea, they brought…

Today is August 29, 2019 and the Minnesota Twins are in first place in the Central Division by 3.5 games with a game in hand. We're also 4 games back in the loss column to the Yankees and Astros, with 3 and 2 games in hand on them respectively. We also have the easiest schedule for the rest of the season -- on paper. Of course, games aren't won on paper. We can't just mail it in. Having meaningful games in the last month of the season was definitely the goal before the season started. Back in Spring Training, this is where we would have hoped our team would be in the best case scenario. Of course, Mildaddy pointed this out yesterday, advising that we all "sit back and e…

The Twins are still up three and a half games on the Cleveland Indians, and for that fact alone you should be ecstatic. They are the second quickest team in franchise history to get to eighty wins, and that should also make you ecstatic. This team has a shot at the world series, and it isn't really that remote of a possibility, either. Sure, they aren't favorites, but nobody was expecting them to be favorites. Where they are now is ahead of expectations, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. The Pitchers: Jake Odorizzi (13-6, 3.57 ERA, 137 K's) vs Ross Detwiler (2-3, 5.51 ERA, 35 K's) Jake took the bump against the White Sox on the hill his last time out, and th…

SSO1 was nice enough to come up with some idea for me to crib from, I mean, tossed out as a challenge to use as game thread material. Not one to lightly cast aside ideas for game threads, much like a 10 year old me scrambling for the returnable pop bottle that would be used to buy Tops trading cards, I grabbed that list and set it aside as the treasure it is. In looking at the list, it's hard to decide if I should go in the order the ideas, I mean, challenges, as listed or should I start with the easiest one first? See archived game thread here for list of ideas: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/34601-game-thread-david-twins-vs-tigers-610pm-edt-8242019-ad/ I ough…

It was the June of 1994 and our local lads, the Twins, ripped off 11 wins in 14 games to become briefly relevant in the newly created AL Central after playing .500 ball through the Spring. It was a momentous time. O.J. Simpson was soon to captivate the nation in his white Bronco, our great nation hosted the World Cup for the very first time, and Ken Griffey Jr. was on track to make Babe Ruth a #2. This tale, on the other hand, can only be appreciated by a true Twins degenerate. I shall now regale you all with the story of Jeff Reboulet and Chip Hale swinging some hot bats. It all started innocuously enough on June 4th when Hale came on in relief of the sturdy Pat Meares…

Top 10 rejected game thread intro ideas: 10. Pig latin. 9. Rip Van Winkle 8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 7. Thesis abstract. 6. Propaganda pamphlet. 5. Yoyo Tricks... by Yoyo Ma. 4. Ostrich: bury head in sand. 3. Things to complain about. 2. I spy with my little eye. and the number 1 rejected game thread into idea: 1. a David Letterman style top 10 list... Um... yeah... That didn't end well. Nevermind. Try again. And David said "thy servant shall fight these phillistwins" and Gardenhire outfitted him in a helmet and batting gloves. But David mistrusted it, and took just a ball and a glove out to the mound, glad that he was in the AL. Um... no. For on…

After the Monday game against Chicago, with the attending, shall we say, interesting, strike zone, I thought I'd dust off and recycle this blast from the past: * strikezoid: noun pronounced strike ĕh (tip of the cap to our northern neighbors) zoid antecedent: strike zone Definition: a curious shape that defies normal geometric conventions. This shape, which changes from minute to minute, is designed to drive both batters and fans insane. In fact, this shape, while correctly known as a "strikezoid" is often confused with the "strike zone." However, since strike zones are rectangular in shape, the distinction quickly becomes obvious. (although, someone did point out tha…

A buddy o' mine is flying into the cities Monday, and thought to check out Target field which was a kindly sentiment, knowing he's not much of a sportsball fan. Last thing what got him to fenway was the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition. I looked at the schedule and saw there was no game. So i pointed him at the State Fair. I puttered round online, but in the short puttering i couldn't figure out how to pull headliners out from the more mundane every other hour shows. I read some of them allowed to various levels of ribald mockery, until i got to the lumberjack competitions. Now he has something to share with coworkers. But that being said, i's happy to pass on any r…

The Twins are currently up two games on August 20th, and if you would've told any of us on the site that in February, we would've been thrilled and taken it in a heartbeat. However, the Twins found themselves up by double digit games just a few months ago, and the mood has understandably changed. Thankfully for the Twins they have the easiest remaining schedule in the MLB. Win, and they'll be in the playoffs, and likely AL Central champs. The Twins look to even up the series with the White Sox after falling last night. The Pitchers: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (7-10, 5.29 ERA, 129 K's) vs RHP Michael Pineda (8-5, 4.20 ERA, 109 K's) Lopez has had a very solid six game stret…

After mailing in the last thread (FYI, trying to FedEx electrons to TD is marginally easier than herding cats. Marginally.) I decided to put some thought and effort into this game thread series opener. ("game thread series opener" is a trick to increase word count because, nothing says "lots of thought went into the opener" quite like a bunch of words on a screen) What was interesting about the "mailing it in" start of the game series thread openers was the Twins sweeping Texas, and, apparently, Tony Diaz switching uniforms so he could show Texas the proper way to run their way out of innings. Which brings us to today, Twins taking on the White Sox, a tea…

Deja vu. I think i have been waiting for this parade before, tasked with writing a game thread, not knowing what i would write... But that (or those?) times the Twins weren't leading there division. I could away with substandard game intros. Ha. Jokes on them (you?) I got no standards to hold me down, to pick me up, to make me frown. So this is it. The fire trucks are shining their wheels, all in fine uniforms. Parade might be over by the time the game begins, and i got an opportunity to car pool, so i can post on the game thread... if my phone has charge and signal. They are handing out mucus (he means music...) percussionist asks if there is a triangle part, he …

Baseball: The final frontier. Our 6 month mission to visit strange new ballparks, seek out new plates and new pitches to launch over fences, and to boldly catch what no one has caught before. Coaches log: Stardate* some Saturday out Sirius way. We are in skirmishes along the Ranger neutral zone. We have suffered heavy casualties, with Chief Bomba Office Cruz and Raincatcher Buxton amongst the sickbay residents. It has been a constant trial keeping the crew to their stations, maintaining moral while training replacements on the fly, while not mixing metaphors outside of the genre. But amid this adversity, we persevere. And things are not as bad as all that. Today,…

Game 2 of the four game series between the Twins and Rangers in Arlington. Today it will be Minor versus Odorizzi, a matchup of surprise All-Stars. Runs should be hard to come by at least while the starters are on the mound.Minor had a lousy July (20 earned runs in 27.1 innings), but has thrown fifteen shutout innings so far in August. Odorizzi has similarly bounced back from a tough patch and has won his last two decisions and pitched effectively in his last three starts. Both bullpens have had issues since the All-Star break. The Twins' pen will be rested because Pineda and Smeltzer combined to pitch all nine innings yesterday. There probably will be an additional arm…

Unfortunately, or, fortunately, depending on your view of my game thread openers, this one isn't much more than a "mail it in edition." *Internet 101: When in doubt, go for the kitten. But, when things seem bleakest, there's always music to pick you up: *Recorded at the old Blues Alley, Minneapolis, Good times, good times. The Twins are at Texas for a 4 game series, and, since the race in the Central has heated up, should be a good chance for the Twins to gain some ground on Cleveland. It's crunch time and we've got a barn burner of a race for the division title this year. And, with that, we go to the 5 things that should, or should not, be mentioned: 1. P…

Short and sweet: 1st! Hurrah! 2nd: Hurl That stiched sphere. 3rd: Flash Some leather. SS... 4th: Streaking of win variety. 5th: Who's the Boom King? Line ups: Minnesota: 1. Mitch Garver (R ) C 2. Jorge Polanco ( S ) SS 3. Miguel Sano (R ) 3B 4. Eddie Rosario ( L) LF 5. C.J. Cron (R ) 1B 6. M. Gonzalez ( S ) RF 7. Max Kepler ( L) CF 8. J. Schoop (R ) 2B 9. Kyle Gibson (R ) RHP Milwaukee: 1. Trent Grisham ( L) LF 2. Y. Grandal ( S ) C 3. C. Yelich ( L) RF 4. Keston Hiura (R ) 2B 5. Mike Moustakas ( L) 3B 6. Lorenzo Cain (R ) CF 7. Eric Thames ( L) 1B 8. Orlando Arcia (R ) SS 9. Gio Gonzalez (R ) LHP Did i miss anything? If so, pull a Diaz and send me home! …

Well, the day managed to slip away, because, for some reason, work decided that I should actually work at work, rather than look at baseball stuff and think about game threads. The nerve! I shan't go over history, because it's over and done with. Instead, I plan to take each day, one at a time, put forth my best effort, and let the chips fall where they may. Now that the standard platitudes are behind us, I hope the Twins get after it and battle their tails off the rest of the season. It's a race and the Twins are contenders! And, because things are running way behind, it's time to put some random thoughts down: !. What was Diaz thinking? 2. What was Diaz thin…

Good morning Twins fans and welcome back to another nerve-racking, nail biting game thread! Just to be clear, I looked up the word "nerve-racking" and the way I spelled it is the traditional way although nerve-wracking is acceptable now too. Note to Mods: It would be nice if TD could offer some editorial assistance with our intro's. I know TD only pays me $1,200 for each game thread intro but a little help would be nice for the paltry sum we get compensated for the effort...Just sayin'. Speaking of money, I have to fly to Las Vegas in a few hours for a work event. I do plan on laying some cash down for the Twins to win the whole thing this year. I just looked up the odd…

Fractionally Speaking My wife, who is a freaking genius when it comes to baking, has a helluva time with fractions. So whenever she runs into a new dessert recipe she wants to try, but only after she makes her personal “adjustments”, I have to convert any fractions used in the original recipe to match her planned adjustments. I gave up trying to teach her how to convert fractions about 30 years ago; about the same time she gave up trying to teach me how to bake. So we reached a typical fractional husband/wife compromise on dessert responsibility; 4/5 for her, 1/5 for me. Speaking of fifths, remember when whiskey was sold by fifths? You could buy a pint if you …

I had a nice big, long game thread I worked on all morning with videos and graphs.......and it's gone. So I am going to make this as long as possible before I have to run. What a difference a couple of days make! Monday night we were celebrating Sano's pinch hit HR deep into the Minneapolis night for a walk off win against Atlanta and an 8-2 stretch. Today we come in losers of 3 straight and a single game ahead of Cleveland, who just will not go away. The Indians are riding a stretch of playing .700+ baseball in their last 50 games and a win tonight would tie our Twins for 1st place atop the AL Central. In not so good news, Nelson Cruz joined Byron Buxton on the I…

After the fiasco of the last thread, pro tip: don’t do something that stands out, otherwise people develop expectations, I realized that I needed to see if I could bring a bit more culture to Twins Daily. Well, okay, not so much realized as had a couple of people think poetry was on the groovy side.* ** *By fiasco, I mean something people wish to see more of. Unless they were just humoring me, in which case, the jokes on them! **What do mean it's not culture? Says, "Culture Club" right there! Now, for the groovy part:* *What do you mean Bruce Campbell and "The Evil Dead" isn't groovy? Diamond Dreams I gaze upon a field of shimmering green, And, with…

Are we back? I’m on my way up to the Cities, ready to type away..... and no connection. I panicked. Is my phone breaking down at the absolute worst time? I have to start writing. But alas, the website is back up and firing at full force. (Thank you TD administrators!) The team seems to be on a bit of a roll, the offense still hits lots of bombas, and the World Series still looks like a possibility. What more could a Minnesota sports fan ask for? This is the first of two games I will be up to Target Field for, and I hope the team plays to their potential. Doubleheader for the Indians today, so game reports of those two games are highly encouraged. I’m going to go enjoy t…

After a thrilling walk-off win, the Twins face Atlanta in Game 2 of a three game series. I’m traveling today and drove by Cleveland’s home park in the rain. I predict a weather delay for the Cleveland vs. Texas game, although the rain might pass by game time. I am writing and saving this note without internet access, so no lineups. Berríos vs. recently recalled Foltynewicz.

There once was a guy named Cruz, Who liked his afternoon snooze. And, once his nap was done, He'd hit more baseballs a ton, Yet another pitcher gets the blues! Tonight brings the Braves to town for a three game series and, if recent history is any guide, opposing pitchers need to be brave when facing the Twins lineup. *Our very own Tom Froemming came up immediately when I searched You Tube. The Twins have been putting on quite the power display, to the point it seems like fans would be disappointed with a 10-0 win, if there weren't any home runs hit. (okay, not really. Or, are we that spoiled by this team?) And, with that, I realize I've run ou…

Hello and welcome! I cannot believe it is already August. Here in Montana we had snow on the ground mid-way thru May leaving a very short Spring before really jumping into summer. Today is one of my childhood friends birthdays. Growing up August 4th was always a great time, his parents always threw the best parties but it was always bittersweet. His birthday was always synonymous with the stretch run of the Summer. Montana Fair will be next week and school would always start in 3 or so short weeks. Now that I'm old, things aren't that different. Yes, the party won't be as fun, we will probably meet up for a beer though. Yes, the fair won't be as fun as it was alw…

Good afternoon Twins Daily readers and thank you for making your way back to another exciting game thread! We saw a lot of offensive action last night for both teams...I'd prefer to see a little less offensive action tonight from the Royals. Since we didn't have anyone signed up to open the game thread tonight I told Stringer Bell I would throw something together to kick this game thread off. Since I didn't have a lot of time to plan something fun, I'm just going to spew random thoughts that come to my mind regarding the Minnesota Twins while I write this. Random thought #1: I think we have a better than legitimate shot at going the distance this fall. Consider t…

I was sitting here, in deep contemplation, trying to solve exactly what direction I was going to take this game thread. I was a bit lost and directionless, as per usual. Funny thing, I seem to recall my parents saying much the same to me through the first 5 or so formative decades of my life. But not to fear, somehow, I will soldier on and find a way to work baseball into the thread opener. *Is it dusty in here or is it just me? Because I figure we need a regular dust tornado on TD..... So, now that I've worked baseball into the baseball thread, maybe I should discuss the upcoming series? ...............Nah. KC is in town and the Twins should beat t…

Happy August Fool's day! Some are born, some are made, but y'all have foolishness thrust upon ye! Today's foolishness is taking a look at the big picture instead of the immediate game. Who'd ever think we'd be here back at the start of the season? Rookie manager and all (and see how well he manages rookies!) Did ya agree with the trades? Are well positioned for the remainder of the season? Some people might call it a stretch run, but i have find it difficult to stretch and run at the same time... That said, we're finishing up a little series at Miami. We done pretty good this road trip, even with one designated hitter tied behind our back... Wouldn't mind facing…

ANNNND Welcome! To Minnesota Twins Whine Line: John Wick Edition! I am your host for TODAY, Van Wick... One of the most dangerous assassins in the world! You may be asking yourself why someone would out themselves IMMEDIATELY as an assassin, and why I'm talking about the Twins today! Well, my friends, Derek Falvey hired me to do a very specific job after he learned I killed 77 guys because the wrong guy killed my ******* dog, and stole my car. You'll find out what I did to help the team after the intern tells you about the weather. Uhhh, hi! Long time no chat... Wasn't really prepared for this! They're playing with the roof closed right? Hope so! DYNAMITE drop in, bud…

The Twins get to play the MLB's worst team, but that doesn't mean that they will walk out of Miami with a sweep, or even a series victory. However, if they don't at least win two, it will for sure be a disappointment. However, the roster will, and yes, I say will because I promise you there will be at least one more trade, by Thursday's morning game. Now I'm not sure if they'll have Noah Syndergaard, or Kirby Yates, but they will have at least one new arm. However, let's get on to the series opener. The Pitchers: Jake Odorizzi (11-5, 3.84 ERA, 108 K's) vs Zac Gallen (1-2, 2.76 ERA, 35 K's) Jake Odorizzi has been very bad in July, but pitched like (and went to) an a…