Recovery day. Can the Twins win three of four against the Tigers or will Scherzer force a split? Will the Twins return to scoring double-digit runs without Twins Daily pub crawl attendees in the stands? Will we see the good Gibson or mediiocre/bad Gibson today? Why am I asking so many questions?

 

Can someone post the lineups when they become available? I have to run some errands.

TIGERS:

SP, Scherzer

 

Rajai Davis CF

Ian Kinsler 2B

Torii Hunter RF

Victor Martinez DH

J.D. Martinez LF

Nick Castellanos 3B

Alex Avila C

Eugenio Suarez SS

Don Kelly 1B

 

TWINS:

SP, Gibson

 

Danny Santana CF

Brian Dozier 2B

Joe Mauer 1B

Kennys Vargas DH

Oswaldo Arcia RF

Trevor Plouffe 3B

Kurt Suzuki C

Eduardo Escobar SS

Jordan Schafer LF

To compare how far we've come since last year, here's the lineup from 8/24/13....
Dozier-2B

Herrmann-C

Morneau-1B

Willingham-DH

Doumit-RF

Arcia-LF

Plouffe-3B

Thomas-CF

Florimon-SS

P Hendriks

 

We have sure come far. Danny Santana is an awesome leadoff hitter. Dozier, Mauer, Vargas, Arcia are all much better than Herrmann, Morneau, Willingham (while slumping), and Doumit.

We may not have many more wins, but the Twins are seriously much better than last year even if our record doesn't reflect it.

I think we can definitely be .500 next season if we can avoid major injuries to our key players.

Not in the sequence most would have projected, but the Twins have graduated a couple of players (Vargas and Santana) while guys with even higher ceilings have languished because of injury.  This weekend gives us reason to be optimistic and while wins and losses will depend more on pitching and execution, I think there is reason to be optimistic about the offense and the prospect of a more consistent lineup in 2015 and beyond.

Here is Detroit's Lineup (Twins posted earlier)

 

8.  Davis

4.  Kinsler

9. Hunter

    Martinez, V

7. Martinez, JD

5. Castellanos

2. Avila

6. Suarez

3. Kelly

 

1. Scherzer

 

No Miggy.  It will be crucial for Gibson to not let V-Mart beat him.

Edited August 24, 201412 yr by stringer bell

to see how they are doing down on the farm today

 

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?cid=&lid=&org=142&sc=&sid=milb&t=affiliate&ymd=20140824

Today's vantage with glunn, Mrs. glunn, RB, Bark, Mrs. Bark and me.

Today's vantage with glunn, Mrs. glunn, RB, Bark, Mrs. Bark and me.

image.jpg

Gonna catch home run #10,000? or 10,001?

Today's vantage with glunn, Mrs. glunn, RB, Bark, Mrs. Bark and me.

image.jpg

Looks like a decent crowd for a hot and sticky day.

?

Boneheaded play there Martinez

Bad play, Dozier.

Gonna catch home run #10,000? or 10,001?

Yes

 

(a la Chief)

Bad play, Dozier.

Really didn't cost them because of the DP, but Hunter wasn't going to allow them to turn it.

Escobar could have bailed him out too. Great example of a play winning teams make. Certainly not an easy play though. Gotta make plays with runners on base.

In

 

Bad play, Dozier.

Not watching the game but came in for a break from the heat and saw the play. You could argue that he should have gone for the easy out instead of hurrying a bad throw.

 

But you could also argue that Hunter was out due to the slide.  When you miss the bag and go for the leg whip, you're making an argument for the rules committee to crack down on this play the way they did with stopping all-out assaults on catchers making the tag at home.

Is there any chance that Schafer could amount to something?

I am liking this offense!

Is there any chance that Schafer could amount to something?

You mean like, as a ballplayer, or...

 

He'll turn 28 in a week or so, but he sure seems like a better bet than Fuld to contribute in the future if they retain him.  If they don't, it will be interesting to see what the plan is.  The last two plans for CF haven't worked out so well.

In

 

 

Not watching the game but came in for a break from the heat and saw the play. You could argue that he should have gone for the easy out instead of hurrying a bad throw.

 

But you could also argue that Hunter was out due to the slide.  When you miss the bag and go for the leg whip, you're making an argument for the rules committee to crack down on this play the way they did with stopping all-out assaults on catchers making the tag at home.

I thought the slide was borderline. While Hunter didn't touch the bag, he could have.

If Vegas put the over/under for number of Twins runs scored in a series against the best rotation in baseball at 40, is there any material possession you would not have wagered on the under, short of or possibly even including your house?

 

That's why I don't gamble, and why I still am having a hard time processing what we've seen.

Too bad that Dozier couldn't have stolen second before Vargas rolled that one through.

You mean like, as a ballplayer, or...

 

He'll turn 28 in a week or so, but he sure seems like a better bet than Fuld to contribute in the future if they retain him.  If they don't, it will be interesting to see what the plan is.  The last two plans for CF haven't worked out so well.

He doesn't look hopeless at the plate and he has really good wheels.

C'mon Gibson!

I thought the slide was borderline. While Hunter didn't touch the bag, he could have.

Bert defended it and the ump let it go, so that's two professionals who confirm that it was within the existing rules.  And I get the old school take that you do everything you can within the rules to break up the DP, because that's hustle and grit and playing the game The Right Way.

 

That being said, the only reason that the play probably won't draw rules committee scrutiny in the off season is that Escobar wasn't seriously injured.

 

Attempting to knock down an opponent by sliding so far out of the baseline that you can barely reach the bag doesn't add anything to the game for me, and it certainly contributes to injuries.

 

The fact that Hunter could have touched the bag but didn't just emphasizes the fact that the rule needs to be changed to allow runner contact with the fielder only when the fielder is blocking the runner's most direct path to the base, rather than allowing him to deliberately run into another player.

 

Middle infielders deserve the same level of protection as catchers, even if it's more difficult to implement.

Edited August 24, 201412 yr by LaBombo

Nice at-bat by Schafer.

I can't see Max going more than five. Then, it's the bullpen!

Gotta get Hunter here.

He doesn't look hopeless at the plate and he has really good wheels.

There's definite potential in his background and he seems to be working hard at salvaging his career.  He's not going to hit for average or power, but if he can draw walks like he's been doing, and play passable defense in center, there's some value there.

 

With the shortage of alternatives, especially if the Twins commit to playing Santana at short, he has a decent shot at coming back next year if he continues to play well the rest of the way.

Ruh-roh

Gotta get Hunter here.

He did, in a way.

 

It was almost certainly an accident given the situation and the nature of the pitch, but I prefer to think of it as payback for the slide.