Archived Game Threads

Today is a momentous day. It is the day after the Twins managed to take 2 out of 3 from their nemesis from the Bronx. It is also momentous, because the Whine Line may have signed off for the last time. *Greatest end to a show ever? You betcha! But, that's okay, because we've found a viable replacement: *Sammy Maudlin and Bobby Bittman. What's not to like? Now that we've done that, time for: *next. Some thought from the Twins beating the guys from the Bronx: 1. The Twins beat the Yankees! 2. The Twins beat the Yankees! 3. The Twins beat the Yankees! 4. The Twins beat the Yankees! 5. The Twins beat the Yankees! Play ball!

This is the last scheduled game thread hosted by Minnesota Twins Whine Line in 2018. Given the uncertainty of game threads in the future, it may be the series finale of Minnesota Twins Whine Line. If it is the last game thread, the intern and I have learned very little over the last 4 years! But we wouldn't trade it for anything. Thanks for listening. Hopefully we see you down the road.

Duffey is the opener tonight, which sounds like a recipe to start the 2nd inning down 7-0. 5 BURNING questions: - Most overrated fast-casual restaurant? - Decorative pillows on the bed... Your thoughts? - Best furniture to take a nap on? - Who has the best hair in baseball? - Real or fake Christmas tree? 9/11/2001 a day we will never forget.

Was tonight’s game thread moved to Twins Minor League Talk forum?

Good morning, Twins fans! (game time is late morning where I live. And, since I'm your humble host for this particular thread, good morning it is!) I'm dispensing with my usual video and snark, due to time constraints. Believe it or not, it takes time to hunt down video and then come up with snark. Today features two teams who are featuring players the teams are trying to get to know at the MLB level. Neither team is close to featuring a winning season, so, might as well find out if they have players that can help next year. Last night, and it pains me to admit it, I was rooting for Lopez because I've never seen a perfect game. Lopez was three outs from getting the …

I'm *Hard to believe these old guys can still rock like they do. The Twins: *Took a tour of an ore carrier in Duluth, a small one. Still huge. The cargo hold, one of them, was big enough to play football in. Or, so it seemed. Musical interlude: *For Chi, I mean, Carole. "Danse Macabre." Some thoughts on thinking that I think might be worth some further thought: Some observations from the game last night that I didn't watch, and, therefore, have to crib from the various sources: 1. Football season has started, so why not a football kind of score?2. I'm glad to see Gonsalves get a chance. I'm sorry it appears he's not getting the job done.3. May …

No opener tonight! We’ll see how Gonzalves does without one. I’m at the game tonight. In Fort Myers. Game one of the championship series. You enjoy the Twins game and I’ll enjoy the Miracle game!

If no one starts a game thread, do the Twins bats make a sound when they hit the ball? Odorizzi with a typical 20 pitch first inning. Two true outcomes.

4-0 after the 1st.

Labor day is to celebrate unions, right? How best to do that in a game thread... 1. Sing a Folk or Protest song? What's yer fave? 2. Watch a cartoon about fat cats and quick little rodents. Got any recommendations? 3. Root for the Minnesota Twins and their devotion to team play, be it productive outs, sacrifices, 1 if by ground, 2 if by air. And of course getting each other's back. 4. Jokes. It is important to have a "yes i can, sir!" attitude. Once we even had a "do, sir!" attitude with us. Now the Dodgers do... 5. Last minute heroics. Sometimes minute is right. Oh yeah, line ups and such. My favorite bit is heavy rain and 79% chance there at the bottom…

I like this opener concept. You mean i don't have to do the bulk of the work if i just start it off? It is like being on top of a mountain, slipping, and seeing the few skittering stones upset more stones until there is a full blown avalanche... Or like a game thread in which i just happen to mention something from a popular movie or singer and... On second thought, i think i'm going to be very careful, and not even mention... oops, almost stepped into that one. So if one of you wants to be the primary game threader, supply yer own thoughts! I do got a line up fer y'all! Twins Gabriel Moya (L) 1. Logan Forsythe (R ) 2B 2. Ehire Adrianza (S) 3B 3. Jorge Polan…

'The stars at night ... are big and bright ... <clap, clap, clap, clap> ... deep in the heart of Texas ...' They sing this at the 7th inning stretch in Texas. Let's hope the stars are shining big and bright tonight ... for the Twins! They could ... the clouds will be minimal. Hoping for a bounce back for Berrios tonight. Lineups: TWINS 1. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 2. Logan Forsythe (R ) 2B 3. Jorge Polanco (S) SS 4. Miguel Sano (R ) 3B 5. Max Kepler (L) RF 6. Mitch Garver (R ) C 7. Jake Cave (L) CF 8. Tyler Austin (R ) DH 9. Robbie Grossman (S) LF José Berríos (R ) P RANGERS 1. Shin-Soo Choo (L) LF 2. Rougned Odor (L) 2B 3. Elvis Andrus (R ) SS 4. Nomar Mazara (…

Game thread opener.

1. Are there still barkers in our modern era? Or is it all just slick editting commercials these days? "Ladies and Gentlemen! Step right to the slugfest of the Century as the top two American League Central teams duke it out for a spot in the post season, right in your very own Cleveland! You have never seen anything like the Twins from Minnesota, flaunting the only player to win a batting title while playing catcher in the junior circuit! Streaking Logan Forsythe, the manslaughter's row of Sano, Cave, Kepler, and Austin. And who would have thunk it, they are behind Cleveland in the standings! Some may brush this asside, as not really a race, a contest between haves and…

Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images Following last night’s loss at the hands of Carlos Carrasco and the Indians, the Twins fell to 61-70 and the Indians magic number is down to 18. The Twins are 1-5 against the Indians this month, losing any hope of an improbable playoff run. So, what’s left to do now? Now is the time to watch many players auditioning for 2019 roster spots. Sano, Kepler, and Garver need to prove they belong. Forsythe looks like he’s fighting for his career. Austin and Cave are at career crossroads. Adrianza is hanging on by a thread. Joe Mauer continues his march to 2305 hits. He’s at 2091 and 214 away from passing Kirby Puckett on the all-time Twins l…

Half an hour until game time, full tank of jokes, it's light, and i'm posting a game thread intro on my cellphone. Hit it. At least that is the advice i offer to the Twins line up. Things to look for: (like in Highlights, if you grew up with that children's magazine... In retrospect, i might have appreciated Mad more, but oh well) Good pitching. Good fielding. Hitting the cut-off. Secondary leads. Shifts... not to be confused with capslock. Oh, and bad jokes. and here is the fine print... aka lineups: 7:10 PM ET Twins Kyle Gibson (R ) 1. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 2. Logan Forsythe (R ) 2B 3. Eddie Rosario (L) LF 4. Miguel Sano ( R) 3B 5. Max Kepler (L) RF…

OAK:Chris Bassitt ( R ) 2-3 3.38 ERA MIN:Jose Berrios ( R ) 11-8 3.69 ERA Nick Martini ( L ) LF Matt Chapman ( R ) 3B Jed Lowrie ( B ) 2B Khris Davis ( R ) DH Matt Olson ( L ) 1B Stephen Piscotty ( R ) RF Marcus Semien ( R ) SS Ramon Laureano ( R ) CF Josh Phegley ( R ) C Joe Mauer ( L ) DH Logan Forsythe ( R ) 2B Jorge Polanco ( B ) SS Miguel Sano ( R ) 3B Max Kepler ( L ) CF Tyler Austin ( R ) 1B Jake Cave ( L ) RF Mitch Garver ( R ) C Robbie Grossma n( B ) LF The beat reporter asked Max Kepler how many Germans it takes to change a lightbulb? He said, jost vun, becoss ve are efficient, und also not wery funny. --------- Go Twins!

Twins | 61-67, 39-27 at home, 6-4 last 10 Stephen Gonsalves, LHP | 27.00 ERA, 6.00 WHIP, 1.50 K:BB in 1.1 IP Athletics | 77-52, 38-26 on the road, 6-4 last 10 Mike Fiers, RHP | 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4.00 K:BB in 137.1 IP Additional Notes Gonsalves had a rough debut, but it was under less than ideal circumstances. The game was delayed due to weather and it began to rain again while Gonsalves was on the mound. It was an ugly performance, but it's the kind of thing you give him a mulligan for and just hope things go more smoothly the second time around. This will be Fiers' fourth start for Oakland since coming over in a trade with Detroit. He's been incredible as an A,…

MISNOMER (I Think I May Have Dated Her In College) What kind of name is "Athletics" for a sports team? I mean isn’t every player in the major leagues an athlete? Oakland could’ve just as well named their team the Ipso Factos. No, that’s not a swear word. For one thing, it’s two words. For another, there’s six letters in Facto. All good cuss words are limited to four letters. That’s in the Bible. Ergo and theretofore (I thought I’d go with the lawyer lingo just to make sure no one knows what I’m talking about) Ipso Facto is a non-offensive non sequitur. Sort of like the Twins. Anybody remember Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? The movie, not the real Butch and Sund…

Twins | 60-66 overall, 38-26 at home, 6-4 last 10 Kohl Stewart, RHP | 7.71 ERA, 2.29 WHIP, 0.60 K:BB in 7.0 IP Athletics | 76-51 overall, 37-25 on the road, 7-3 last 10 Trevor Cahill, RHP | 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 3.40 K:BB in 86.2 IP Lineups: Additional Notes: Stewart will be making his third MLB start, first that’s not coming against the Detroit Tigers. He’s had some efficiency issues, throwing a total of 139 pitches in his seven innings of work so far. Max Kepler is hitting .258/.361/.548 (.909 OPS) in 72 plate appearances so far in August. The Twins lefty bullpen duo of Taylor Rogers and Gabriel Moya have been super this month. Moya has pitched the most inning…

Today is a getaway day for the Twins and I'm sure their baggage has been securely and neatly stowed in preparation for getting out of Dodge, I mean, Chicago: *Some images just beg to be used in a game thread. In looking at the game write-up, looks like it was a wild one in Chicago: *It's no Mitch Williams, though. But, for now, our Twins head out on the road, looking for new adventures, and, hopefully, on this road trip: *West Coast road trip coming up! And now for something completely different: And now, for some thoughts on last nights game: 1. That Kopech guy putting 98mph heat on the corner is unfair. 2. It's unfair, because that kid needs to be a …

Good morning, one and all! Yes, I'm here to fulfill my duty as your game thread guide: *It's no "Young Frankenstein" though. Anyway, I've been looking for a reason as to why the team underperformed this year, and came across this novel theory: *About the only part of that particular episode that was any good. You'd think they could have dubbed in some better voices. Sheesh. Since I've gone hopping down the bunny trail, I'll leave this here just because: *Yes, that is Michelle Dockery of "Downton Abbey" fame. Well, enough chit chat, as it's time for me to leave a random image that has nothing to do with anything and on the relevance scale is less th…

Twins | 59-64 overall, 38-25 at home, 6-4 last 10 Stephen Gonsalves, LHP | MLB Debut White Sox | 46-77 overall, 22-38 on the road, 5-5 last 10 Lucas Giolito, RHP | 6.15 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 1.26 K:BB in 131.2 IP Lineups: https://twitter.com/LaVelleNeal/status/1031627532116873220?s=19 Additional Notes: HAPPY STEPHEN GONSALVES DAY!!!! Gonsalves is 12-3 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 between Rochester (100 1/3 IP) and Chattanooga (20 1/3 IP) this season. Opposing batters have hit just .184 with a .586 OPS off him. Gonsalves' control has been spotty, as evidence by his career-worst 4.8 BB/9, but he's been much improved in that department of late, giving up just nine …

Waiting around to march in a parade, i see a lack of game thread... So for old time's sake: Things to think about. 1. Winning. Don't always feel good? Yeah, i know it isn't all about it. But again, maybe it is, just at a different game. Like maybe... 2. Player development. We didn't win yesterday, But Mr. Stewart knows more about pitching in the Majors than he did before, and we know more about him. Maybe not much, but... well... 3. Something. It would be the height of hubris to think i knew what a game thread would end up being about. It could be... 4. Music. Math. Myths... 5. Is right out. Well, pending review on instant replay, which, despite its name, isn…

ANND Welcome back. Today is my brother's bachelor party so I don't have time to type much. For those here, this isn't your first game thread experience. I have faith you can take it from here. Get another win Twins!

ANNND Welcome! To Minnesota Twins Whine Line: Christmas in August Edition! I am your host and gracious elf, Vanimal. Along with my trusty sidekick who does all the work, the intern elf! Guess what?! We're closer to Christmas than we are to the All-Star break! With 130 days until the big day, we're going to cheat and open up presents early! Hopefully we were good this year and Santa Falvine read our letters. Before we do that, let's toss it over to Chief elfeorologist, the intern.... Today is going to be a beautiful day in Minneapolis! Sunny and 85 degrees at first pitch. REAL FEEL of 84 degrees. Wind out of the NNE at 6 MPH. Lineups will come out later.... Who cares a…

Twins | 56-63 overall, 35-24 at home, 5-5 last 10 Ervin Santana, RHP | 6.53 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 2.33 K:BB in 20.2 IP Tigers | 50-71 overall, 18-41 on the road, 3-7 last 10 Francisco Liriano, LHP | 4.42 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 1.38 K:BB in 95.2 IP Lineups: https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1030185712111546368?s=19 Additional Notes: The Tigers have only won three of their last 12 games, though two of those came against the Twins, who they’re 5-4 against this season. Liriano has given up 19 earned runs in 30 2/3 innings pitched (5.58 ERA) against the Twins over his career. The Twins have the fifth-worst OPS against left-handed pitchers in baseball (.667). Logan Forsythe is 5-for-10…

Twins | 54-63 overall, 33-24 at home, 5-5 last 10 Jake Odorizzi, RHP | 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2.45 K:BB in 120.0 IP Pirates | 61-58 overall, 28-29 on the road, 5-5 last 10 Jameson Taillon, RHP | 3.63 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.40 K:BB in 134.0 IP Lineups: https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1029462902850371584?s=19 Additional Notes: These teams should be nice and rested after a day off Monday. Taking a look at the starting pitching matchup, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the winner comes down to which manager has the shortest leash and decides to go to his fresh bullpen early. Both of tonight’s starters have even more extreme trouble getting through a lineup for a third ti…

Twins | 54-62 overall, 21-38 on the road, 5-5 last 10 Kohl Stewart, RHP | MLB debut, 4.47 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 3.06 K:BB ratio in 108.2 minor league IP Tigers | 48-69 overall, 30-28 at home, 3-7 last 10 Matthew Boyd, LHP | 4.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 2.78 K:BB in 122.2 IP Lineups:

Twins | 53-62 overall, 20-38 on the road, 4-6 last 10 Kyle Gibson, RHP | 3.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.41 K:BB in 140.0 IP Tigers | 48-68 overall, 30-27 at home, 3-7 last 10 Francisco Liriano, LHP | 4.37 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 1.43 K:BB in 90.2 IP Lineups: