Article: Game Thread: Twins v Rockies, 5/16 @ 7:10pm CT

[Riverbrian]

It is interleague action at Target Field as the Rockies come to town. It's a battle between two first-place teams that were not supposed to be in first place in the first place. Surprised… yes… but we shouldn’t be. After all this time we shouldn’t be surprised by anything in this game of baseball... or in life. If you are surprised following baseball… you have closed your mind to all the possibilities that have been displayed to us over decades of observation. We have enough data now… it should be harder and harder to surprise anyone these days.

I tried to surprise my wife on Sunday for Mother’s day. It was an impossible task… she knew it was Mother’s day and she knew she was a Mother.

Here are some things to think about:

 

1. Little Falls – Right in the middle of the state sits a town of 8,000 plus called Little Falls. Little Falls was voted, interestingly, as the most boring town in Minnesota. The 2nd most boring town in Minnesota is Chuckville located up in the boundary waters area. Chuckville has a population of 2, both residents are named Chuck and both are mimes. The Mississippi River travels through the town and it travels out of town just as quickly as it came. Little Falls is the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh. Charles was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and he did so in a desperate attempt to escape Little Falls. If you are looking for something to do in Little Falls… good luck with that. Little Falls has always known that it lacks activities so it tried real hard to create something. After months of closed-room brainstorming they came up with the Greater Minnesota Two-Cylinder Club Annual Field Days, which instantly became the longest named event in world history. Every year many people swim upstream, jumping over the falls to attend this annual event. They watch an Antique Tractor Pull, check out the flea market and then they turn a bright red, fertilize their eggs and die. More people would attend this event if they were not eaten by bears along the way.

2. Our Twins – After winning the weekend series with the Indians in Cleveland, the Twins sit alone in first place in the AL Central. The Twins currently have a home run streak of 15 straight games and that is just 1 game away from the team record of 16 straight games set in 1979. If the Twins can hit home runs in the next two games… they will beat the record and Roy Smalley will be completely removed from all record books.

3. The Rockies – This team from Colorado can hit, they can play a little defense and this year… they have added some pitching to that mix. They have a difficult bullpen to navigate with Ottovino, Dunn and McGee setting up Greg Holland as the closer. It’s a good combination because the bats can get them a lead and the pen can hold it. The Twins should probably try to strike early… I’m not always certain that is what they are trying to do in some of the games I watch.

4. Today’s Joe M Conversation

Montana: Hey Joe… Are you going to bring that picture back to me?

McCarthy: The picture back to you…

Mauer: What picture?

Montana: The original photo of “The Catch”. I loaned it to McCarthy last week for his photo exhibit.

Maddon: The Sports Illustrated Photo? You have the original?

Montana: Yes I do… Dwight Clark leaping high in the air in the final seconds to beat the Cowboys in 1982.

Mauer: I was born in 1983… that’s probably why I don’t remember it.

Maddon: How did that photo exhibition go? Did a lot of people attend?

McCarthy: Yeah… the place was packed… the photo was a big draw…
everything went great until the building burned down and everything was destroyed including all the photos.

Montana: Destroyed? It was destroyed? Do you have any idea what that picture was worth?

McCarthy: A thousand words?

5. Chess Set - I have a very unique chess set. I bought each piece one at a time and each of the 32 pieces comes from a different chess set. Not one chess piece is the same style. I bought them all at the Pawn Shop.
____________________

Lineups:

ROCKIES
Charlie Blackmon CF
DJ LeMahieu 2B
Nolan Arenado 3B
Mark Reynolds DH
Carlos Gonzalez RF
Ian Desmond 1B
Gerardo Parra LF
Pat Valaika SS
Tony Wolters C

Kyle Freeland P

TWINS
Brian Dozier 2B
Robbie Grossman RF
Miguel Sano 3B
Kennys Vargas 1B
Eduardo Escobar DH
Jorge Polanco SS
Jason Castro C
Byron Buxton CF
Eddie Rosario LF

Phil Hughes P

Weather: Mostly cloudy, 80 deg, wind at 11mph from the SW, but dying down; should get the game in before the rains come, but tomorrow could be a different story.

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[diehardtwinsfan]

Here's to removing Smalley from the record book!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I too hope we win. And would not be displeased if it involved a Twins homerun being hit, seeing as that would increase our likelihood of victory.

[theBOMisthebomb]

Here's to removing Smalley from the record book!

You might be able to remove Smalley from the record books, but he will always remain in our hearts ... and on our TVs boring us to death with his commentary.

 

It will be nice to see a team not from the AL Central for a few days to keep things fresh.

[Winston Smith]

 

Here's to removing Smalley from the record book!

...and the air would be nice.

[Craig Arko]

Pretty good chance at least one of these games is rained out.

[Joe A. Preusser]

First off...watch the Little Falls bashing. I live in the pit OTA St. Cloud and work in beautiful LF. Guess which I prefer?

 

Second - Does anyone else think it will be awkward when Hughes sprints into the dugout between pitches to touch JO's hat?

[Blake]

 

You might be able to remove Smalley from the record books, but he will always remain in our hearts ... and on our TVs boring us to death with his commentary. It will be nice to see a team not from the AL Central for a few days to keep things fresh.

Have you noticed that if the game is close in late innings, Roy talks less? 

[Mike Sixel]

 

First off...watch the Little Falls bashing. I live in the pit OTA St. Cloud and work in beautiful LF. Guess which I prefer? Second - Does anyone else think it will be awkward when Hughes sprints into the dugout between pitches to touch JO's hat?

 

Great last line!

[bighat]

 

 It will be nice to see a team not from the AL Central for a few days to keep things fresh.

 

No kidding!  We've played a very division-heavy schedule this year so far.  While I enjoy watching the Twins play Chicago and KC, I'm not too excited when I see Cleveland and Detroit on the schedule.  This is the Twins first inter-league match of the season, here's hoping we can hit tonight!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Pretty good chance at least one of these games is rained out.

Here's to hoping our young colts (bucks?) need to be reigned in rather than rained out...

[Teflon]

I remember Little Falls beating Robbinsdale to win the 2A high school basketball championship in the 70's behind Frankie Wachlarowicz who went on to be a standout Minnesota collegiate player at St. John's. One of the games Litte Falls won in the tourney that year was over a Hibbing team with a fella named McHale.

[mickeymental]

do the twins have a magic number yet?

[Mike Sixel]

 

do the twins have a magic number yet?

 

42

[Don Walcott]

I've been looking forward to this series, as I can watch the games (even though I have to listen to the Rockies broadcasters).  However, my wife's from Denver and is a huge Rockies fan, so I'll have to keep quiet if the Twins are winning.

[twinsnorth49]

 

Have you noticed that if the game is close in late innings, Roy talks less? 

Here's to close games in late innings!

[twinsnorth49]

Eaten by bears?

 

In Minnesota?

[ashbury]

Montana: Destroyed? It was destroyed? Do you have any idea what that picture was worth?

 

McCarthy: A thousand words?

 

Oy. A well-played shaggy-dog story. Well played, well-player.

[Vanimal46]

Still bitter about Little Falls knocking out the hockey team I was on in the state tournament... 

[John Kelsey]

Colorado is an interesting team. Three of their five starters are rookies still below the prospect threshold for career innings and the two veterans (Anderson and Chatwood) are struggling big time. 

 

Not the greatest recipe for success but they sure can hit. 

[BoofBonser]

How's the weather looking tonight?

[mickeymental]

 

Colorado is an interesting team. Three of their five starters are rookies still below the prospect threshold for career innings and the two veterans (Anderson and Chatwood) are struggling big time. 

 

Not the greatest recipe for success but they sure can hit. 

well, they sure can hit in colorado (home ops .810; away ops .671).

[akmanak]

How's the weather looking tonight?

Looking like they will play tonight, but tomorrow is a different story.

[rghrbek]

 

Looking like they will play tonight, but tomorrow is a different story.

 

Are we wishing for a rain out so we don't have to have that 5th starter?  Or at least it buys us some time to figure out what to do about said 5th?

 

Just throwing Gibby out there because we have nobody else, is not the answer IMO.

[Blake]

 

Still bitter about Little Falls knocking out the hockey team I was on in the state tournament... 

You played high school hockey? Explains a lot.... 

[gocgo]

 

well, they sure can hit in colorado (home ops .810; away ops .671).

Interesting that the Yankees have a home OPS of .871 (I hate that little league park) and an away OPS of .740 (still a good road OPS), but between them and the Rockies, those have to be two of the largest home/road OPS disparities.

 

...and now that I've checked - Arizona with an .886/.608 split.  Impressive!

[nater79a]

 

Pretty good chance at least one of these games is rained out.

 

Wednesday not looking good. What'ya think, double header on Thursday or shoehorn in a makeup game on a Twins/Rockies off-day down the line sometime?

 

Oh, and if a double header on Thursday, who's the callup for 26th man? Our guy Buddy B. called up  for the umpteenth time this year?

[Craig Arko]

Sounds like LaTroy will be making his debut in the booth tonight. Sorry I'm going to miss it.

[Joe A. Preusser]

well, they sure can hit in colorado (home ops .810; away ops .671).

Nice to see the thin air phenomenon is still alive and well. Seriously, why would any pitcher ever want to play for the Rockies? And they should be able to lure big name power hitters for a song.

[spinowner]

 

I've been looking forward to this series, as I can watch the games (even though I have to listen to the Rockies broadcasters).  However, my wife's from Denver and is a huge Rockies fan, so I'll have to keep quiet if the Twins are winning.

If your wife is enjoying herself and you're not, you're still enjoying yourself way more than if you're enjoying yourself and your wife is not.