Archived Game Threads

The Twins’ “post-season” continues tonight in Kansas City. This isn’t to be confused with the official name that MLB gives to what the rest of us call the playoffs. It’s the “playing out the string” part of the schedule that happens after the season of serious contention for the World Series has ended. The Royals’ season effectively ended a month ago (or maybe they didn’t really even have a season), but the Twins kept some hope alive until the Great Guardian Collapse left only smoldering embers to see us through the last two weeks. The Twins really are in misery, as well as in Missouri. One thing that provides some interest for Twins’ fans is watching some of the you…

Greetings and welcome to the game thread du jour. As we all know, game threads involve baseball only to the extent that comments are posted in conjunction with that day's game. There is no requirement that these comments have anything to do with anything. With that in mind today's opening post will consist simply of some some quotes attributed to Steven Wright. No, not the 8/30/1984 Steven Wright who is a pitcher in the Pirates organization. I'm referring to the 12/6/1955 Steven Wright. If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you. I went to a general store but they wouldn't let me buy anything specific. If you were going to shoot a mime, w…

Twins: Brian Dozier 2B Joe Mauer C Ryan Doumit DH Justin Morneau 1B Trevor Plouffe 3B Oswaldo Arcia LF Chris Parmelee RF Aaron Hicks CF Pedro Florimon SS (Kyle Gibson P) Rays: Desmond Jennings CF Luke Scott DH Ben Zobrist 2B Evan Longoria 3B James Loney 1B Matt Joyce RF Kelly Johnson LF Jose Lobaton C Yunel Escobar SS (Chris Archer P)

Shouldn't it be the Non-All-Star break? If it is broke, how should we fix it? Granite! Get the jokes out of your system now. You'l need them when that one pitcher gets called up. Better done, than done well... Baltimore Orioles: P. Ubaldo Jimenez (R ) 1. Seth Smith (L) RF 2. Manny Machado ( R) 3B 3. Jonathan Schoop ( R) 2B 4. Adam Jones (R ) CF 5. Mark Trumbo ( R) DH 6. Trey Mancini ( R) 1B 7. Hyun Soo Kim (L) LF 8. Caleb Joseph (R ) C 9. Ruben Tejada ( R) SS Minnesota Twins: P. Kyle Gibson (R ) 1. Brian Dozier ( R) 2B 2. Robbie Grossman (S) DH 3. Max Kepler (L) RF 4. Miguel Sano ( R) 3B 5. Jason Castro (L) C 6. Kennys Vargas (S) 1B 7. Eddie Rosario (L…

Going Streaking! After Monday’s 3-2 overtime win, the Twins extended their win streak against the Orioles to 16 games and, one might say, began a new win streak of their own (currently at 1 game). Win streaks all start with that first game, right? The Twins had that long sustained streak of winning back in 2006 (yeah we know, 2006 is the only straw we have left to grasp at this point in 2021). On Sunday, June 11, 2006, the Twins beat Baltimore 4-0 to bring their record to 28-34 and trailed Detroit by 11.5 games. Starting from that date forward, the Twins went on quite a run, winning 15 of their last 16 games in June, putting their record at 43-35, eight g…

Twins: SP Kyle Gibson Mariners: SP Erasmo Ramirez Things to think about: 1. Think about Sam Deduno... His ERA is now down to 3.18. At some point... you have to consider him as a legit stopper. Of course that doesn't do us much good today but I think it's worth thinking about. 2. Think about Kyle Gibson... He's still trying to recover from a real bad start against the Yankees. He's been OK apart from that real bad start. His ERA will remain some inflated until he can get some more decently thrown innings under his belt. Hopefully he can continue to chip away at that inflated 5.72 ERA this afternoon. 3. Think about the Twins Offense... Still not impressing us ve…

*knock knock knock* "Is this thing on? Are we live?" Given the Miami Marlins fiasco the past few days, I had my doubts that the season would be able to continue just a couple days ago. However, the Twins will continue to fight for one of the million postseason spots available this year. The last game thread I was supposed to do was actually cancelled, but not because of COVID-19. A team that won't be named killed off the Twins' World Series hopes in quick fashion. However, it is a new year, and as we have all seen, ANYTHING can happen in 2020. For example, did I see myself working 40 hour weeks while having a full college schedule online for 2 months at the beginning …

Twins start a three game set against the Angels tonight at Target Field. This is game #40 for the Twins this season. So far, the Twins have gone: 6-4 7-3 6-4 6-3. So if my powers of sequence divination are correct, the Twins will win this game to wrap up a 7-3 record in their fourth ten game set. Or go 13-7 in their second score, looking at it another way. On the hill tonight, José Berrios. He’s 3-0 with 20 IP, 4ER, 18Ks, 0BBs in his last three starts. Going for the Angels, leftyTyler Skaggs. His last 3: 2-1, 15.2 IP, 9ER, 14Ks, 8BBs. Lineups: Twins, 25-14 Garver DH Polanco SS Cron 1B Rosario LF Marwin RF Willians 3B Adrianza 2B Castro C Buxton CF Angel…

You Can Never Go Home Again (Thomas Wolfe) I don’t know if Tom hit that nail on the head with that one. I thought home is where the heart is. So if we can’t ever go back where our hearts are what’s that make us? Zombies? I’m grasping at straws here for a lead. That makes three cliches already. I’m sounding like a professional athlete. Time to step up. Pull together. Swing for the fences. Take one for the team. Leave it all out there - well maybe not that last one. Sounds more like something a pervert might encourage. Maybe Dorothy, a Minnesota native and she of the red baseball spikes, said it best; “There’s no place like home.” Okay, enough dithering. I was in …

It’s the rubber game of the season series today. Berrios vs. Peacock. I’m on my phone so no lineups. I’ll be attending the game today. 55 degrees and mostly cloudy was the last forecast I saw.

LINEUPS: Pirates RF Gregory Polanco LF Starling Marte CF Andrew McCutchen 3B Aramis Ramirez SS Jung Ho Kang 2B Neil Walker DH Pedro Alvarez C Francisco Cervelli 1B Travis Ishikawa SP Francisco Liriano Twins 2B Brian Dozier CF Aaron Hicks 1B Joe Mauer DH Miguel Sano RF Eddie Rosario 3B Eduardo Nunez SS Eduardo Escobar C Kurt Suzuki LF Shane Robinson SP Ervin Santana I think it's time for everyone to take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. RELAX. I'm going to try hard not to play the role of "It's Cool No Matter What" guy here, because I don't find that to be particularly interesting or compelling (or honest) writing. The fact of the matter is, the Twins aren'…

Lineups: Tigers: Austin Jackson CF Torii Hunter RF Miguel Cabrera 3B Prince Fielder 1B Victor Martinez DH Don Kelly LF Jhonny Peralta SS Alex Avila C Omar Infante 2B (Rick Porcello P) Twins: Aaron Hicks CF Joe Mauer C Josh Willingham LF Justin Morneau 1B Ryan Doumit DH Trevor Plouffe 3B Chris Parmelee RF Jamey Carroll 2B Pedro Florimon SS (Mike Pelfrey P)

Last night, the Twins...never mind, that's all in the past, let's look to the future, the Twins playing KC at Kauffman Stadium. Whenever I think of Kauffman Stadium, I think of the days when KC wasn't good and the stands had as many Twins fans as Royals fans. Then, KC became a baseball powerhouse, sort of like the guy who was turned into a newt and got better. For a bit, it looked like KC was turning back into a newt, and their record indicates this may be so. However, the last time Twins played KC...oh wait, that's in the past and we shall refrain from looking back. Forward, ever forward. Currently, the Twins have almost the opposite record of KC: Twins are 4…

Lineups: Twins: Jamey Carroll 2B Joe Mauer DH Josh Willingham LF Justin Morneau 1B Ryan Doumit C Trevor Plouffe 3B Oswaldo Arcia RF Aaron Hicks CF Eduardo Escobar SS (Scott Diamond P) Whities: Alejandro de Aza LF Jeff Keppinger 2B Alex Rios RF Paul Konerko 1B Adam Dunn DH Alexei Ramirez SS Conor Gillaspie 3B Tyler Flowers C DeWayne Wise CF (Gavin Floyd P)

Game-time forecast: Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 70. Twins: SP, Correia Santana SS Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Arcia RF Suzuki C Escobar 3B Fuld CF Red Sox: SP, De La Rosa Holt LF Bogaerts 3B Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Napoli 1B Nava RF Drew SS Pierzynski C Bradley CF ----------------------------- Okay, Brian ... I'm back home. And am prodding your thinking, so go to it! Trips are fun but it's always good to be back home unless it's someplace like Illinois. Things to think about: 1. Boston -- Bwoast'n is a city along the Atlantic Coast of Massachusetts. It's like the worst city to be driving…

The Twins finished March/April with a 17-10 record and hold first place in the AL Central. Tonight is game 3 with the Astros--I'll call it pivotal, with Berrios scheduled to go in tomorrow's finale. Playing with "house money" (a split guaranteed) with the acknowledged ace going on Thursday would be pretty sweet. The Twins have only scored five runs in the last three games after earlier having the most runs per game in MLB. Good pitching beats good hitting, or the other way around. Some of the hitters are slumping a bit--Cruz, Polanco, Rosario, Cron and one hasn't really found his stroke yet (Gonzalez). McHugh has struggled in his last couple of starts and Perez has …

Last Monday a conductor wore a T shirt with what i presume was a profile of Leopold Stokowski, holding baton up towards his chest such that the tip had behind it what presume were meant to be fancy collars or ruffles. This might be an apt insight on how i think, but as it was an old cheap shirt, i couldn't help but think he had a flaming marshmallow on the end of his baton. Needless to say i had a fun rehearsal and hope a few lighthearted camp ditties will help ease the tensions associated with following a wild card race in this here game thread... 1. He'll be swinging at the first pitch when it comes! (try yer own verses!) 2. My eyes have seen the folly of a batter…

O Buxton Where Art Thou? "Muse! Sing in me, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in the ways of contending, a wanderer, harried for years on end …" My Hair! Er, i mean... I'm awake. I got to get dressed but it is just as important to empty my pockets of random cruft so as not to get in trouble with security. I got to drop by an ATM for ticket funds, as friends got a 9 person group, then wend my way through the complexity of the Boston area subway system to the stop known as Kenmore where we are to meet by 1pm for said tickets, brave crowds and the Fenway security, and finally land in our seats (high up along the first base line, spot known as s…

The Weather will be hot and gusty... Temps in the 90's. People will leave the park smelling bad from all the sweat. Twins SP: Phil Hughes CF Santana LF Fuld 2B Dozier DH Willinghammer 3B Plouffe C Suzuki 1B Colabello RF Parmelee SS Nunez Royals SP: Danny Duffy RF Aoki 2B Infante 1B Hosmer C Perez LF Gordon DH Butler 3B Moustakas CF Cain SS Escobar Things to Think About: 1. Kyle Gibson -- He was magnificent last night. 7 Innings of work and not a run scored against him. We certainly hope to see more of that from Kyle Gibson in the future and we certainly hope it's a long future with the Twins. We need more pitching performances just like that. He has these f…

Good afternoon Twins fans and welcome to the place where the best banter and humor exists on Twins Daily. That place to see and be seen is the one and only Twins Daily Game Thread! Tonight our Twins take on Cleveland after a nice win yesterday against our central division foes. Big Joe Ryan takes the mound tonight for Minnesota. It will be fun to see how he performs and how well that long hair holds up. I think this kid could turn into a decent pitcher in the near future. He looks confident on the mound and throws with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Go Twins!! Below are tonight's lineups: TWINS: 1. Luis Arraez, 3B 2. Byron Buxton, CF …

Game-time forecast: Partly cloudy. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Temperature around 60. Twins: SP, Hughes Dozier 2B Mauer 1B Plouffe 3B Parmelee RF Suzuki C Kubel LF Santana SS Hicks CF Hughes P Padres: SP, Ross Cabrera SS Smith LF Headley 3B Alonso 1B Gyorko 2B Venable RF Maybin CF Rivera C Ross P ------------------------------------- What will Brian reveal tonight on the inner workings of his mind? Check back if you dare. Scary stuff! ------------------------------------------ Dang Right I'm scared... I gotta get to the baseball diamond and coach some Babe Ruther's in a half hour and I still gotta grab some food before I go and I've wa…

The Twins return to action Friday after taking a very much needed 2 day break from baseball because of the doubleheader played Tuesday, which was originally a normal 2 day series. However, things start to heat up in intensity as the Cleveland Indians, who are behind the Twins by half a game in the division, who are a game behind Chicago, come to town. This is as important of a series as you can have in a 60 game season. The Pitchers: RHP Shane Bieber (7-0, 57.2 IP, 1.25 ERA, 94 K's) vs RHP Kenta Maeda (4-1, 48.2 IP, 2.77 ERA, 56 K's) Shane Bieber has easily been the best pitcher in the entire America League, and the entirety of MLB this season. The right hander averag…

GOOD MORNING TWINS FANS!! What a great day to be a fan of this Minnesota Twins team. They are finally the darlings of Pythagoras (I never thought he'd come around), and they have come through like a Labor Day Santa Claus for Always in Moderation's wishes. (Couldn't he just once not be in Moderation? I mean, given the power of his wishes, couldn't he have been Over the Top just once, and wished for us to win the World Series . . . five times in a row?) Twins Daily topics that used to be about who to drop are now about who to re-sign. Topics and comments about Mauer are now about whether he's finally back on the path to the Hall of Fame, as opposed to . . . not being nic…

After today, the Twins will be halfway through the regular season, with a record of 20-10 or 19-11, and on top of an increasingly competitive AL Central. While the White Sox have powered their way into contention, the Indians have pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Looking at the roster, Cesar Hernandez, Jose Ramirez, and Franmil Reyes are the only above-average hitters. However, the Indians' rotation is preposterous to think about. Even without Clevinger and Plesac, the Indians still have a Cy Young contender in Shane Bieber, future All-Star Aaron Civale, vet and cancer survivor Carlos Carrasco, and rising star Triston McKenzie. Lineups Minnesota Twins Startin…

Whew. What a week. There was so much Twins news, our heads are spinning. There was good news. There was bad news. There were bombas. There were games (ok, game) without bombas. There were opposite field singles. There were lots of opposing team singles. It kind of reminds me of that classic children’s book by Remy Charlip, “Fortunately”: Fortunately, my friend lent me an airplane. Unfortunately, the motor exploded. Fortunately, there was a parachute. Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute. Fortunately, I landed on a haystack. Unfortunately, there was a pitchfork on the haystack. In honor of that timeless book and the head spinning Twins goings on, tod…

Pun noun a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings. (courtesy of google search) I fogured i'd just encourage folk to get them out of your system now before the game starts. If people can mean several things with the same word, well, how do we know what they mean to mean? That way leads to chaos and anarchy. Did you hear about the Twins new pitch combining a slider with a sinker? It slinks. I'll show myself out. But not before sharing the lineups, and pointing out that Buxton is in center, so all is right with the world. Tribe: 0. Aaron Civale (R ) P 1. C.…

RED SOX: Betts CF Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Ramirez LF Sandoval 3B Napoli 1B Victorino RF Bogaerts SS Hanigan C Porcello P TWINS: Santana SS Dozier 2B Mauer DH Hunter RF Vargas 1B Plouffe 3B Arcia LF Suzuki C Schafer CF Santana P --------------- I have nothing to add. But I am looking forward to Riverbrian's activation just in time for Monday's Opening Day game! He's spent the off-season regenerating so I can't wait! (Mostly I'm just really antsy for 'real' baseball to start)

Complete the following sentence: "Revenge is a Dish best served ____" They knocked us out of the playoffs last year. True, it was crazy time season only 60 games long and extra special post season, but shouldn't that just make it easier to do something different than we normally do? Well, they have come all the way up i35*, the least we can do is show them some proper hospitality! Take a peek at the line ups. See anything in the following to pique your interest? Peak specimens, all! Astros: 0. Jose Urquidy (R) P 1. Jose Altuve (R) 2B 2. M. Brantley (L) LF 3. Alex Bregman (R) 3B 4. Yordan …

After the nail-biter of yesterday's game, divisional rival KC come to town. This is a team the Twins beat, well, didn't lose to, earlier this year. Now, later in the season, the Twins are a legitimate MLB powerhouse and KC, well, KC is not. Are there some cracks in the Twins machine? Yes, but they are limited to the bullpen and, with Seattle being one of the best hitting teams in the league, it made a 10-5 game a bit closer than the score would otherwise indicate. Now, on to KC. KC has fallen on hard times. With a record of 22 and 46, and a winning percentage of .324 (checked twice this time!) KC is very beatable rather than a "didn't lose to" team. The Twins shou…

ANGELS (2-3) 1. Maicer Izturis, SS 2. Howie Kendrick, 2B 3. Albert Pujols, 1B 4. Torii Hunter, RF 5. Mark Trumbo, DH 6. Vernon Wells, LF 7. Alberto Callaspo, 3B 8. Bobby Wilson, C 9. Peter Bourjos, CF Starting pitcher: RH Dan Haren (0-1, 8.44 ERA) TWINS (1-4) 1. Denard Span, CF 2. Jamey Carroll, SS 3. Joe Mauer, C 4. Justin Morneau, DH 5. Josh Willingham, LF 6. Chris Parmelee, 1B 7. Danny Valencia, 3B 8. Ben Revere, RF 9. Alexi Casilla, 2B Starting pitcher: LH Francisco Liriano (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Let's make it two in a row!