Game Thread 4/25: BOS (15-13) @ MIN (14-13) 1:10pmCT TWINGO Day at Target Field

[thuuuuney]

Promotion
I started this off yesterday and luckily for everyone who wasn't there yesterday, nobody won Twingo. I have made today's cards a bit easier in the hopes someone can win this shirt given to me by SotaStick Co. As I mentioned yesterday one of the things I have been wanting to do with these streams is bring a real feel to them and what better way to celebrate some baseball at Target Field than with a promotion. So today it's TWINGO Round #2 and on the line for the winner is this shirt from SotaStick Co.

• Brief Rules: Linked here will be five cards. Comment in Twitch chat which of the four cards you are playing with and then you are stuck with that card. Let's say you pick card #3 and you win but three other people pick card three and win as well, I will draw a random name of said three people.
• Link for TWINGO Cards: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t94Ajsn-YRACuXNu_yySn2xA161f70a0zsMslpt3uoo/edit?usp=sharing
• Apparel being given away courtesy of SotaStick (Sizes S-4XL). https://sotastickco.com/collections/mn-baseball/products/homer-t-shirt

Catch-Up
With the "rain out," on Thursday the Twins held a doubleheader on Friday and split the day with a 5-2 win over Seattle, followed up by a heartbreaker, a 2-1 lose to Boston. With Cleveland continuing to slide down, it'll be up to Homer Bailey to try and help Minnesota inch ever closer to the AL Central lead.

 

Pre-game
12:45pm (Cutoff for entry for Twingo is after the first pitch so if you want to play be there early).

 

Where to watch
https://www.twitch.tv/thuuuuney/

 

AL Central Standings

1. Cleveland 17-12 
2. Kansas City 14-12 
3. Minnesota 14-13 
4. Chicago 11-17 
5. Detroit 7-20 

 

Starting Pitchers

• Boston: Nathan Eovaldi 2-3, 2.93 ERA, 30.2IP, 37 K's
• Minnesota: Homer Bailey** 0-1, 2.30 ERA, 27.1IP, 25 K's

**= Homer Bailey: 5th in AL, WHIP (0.91).

 

Boston Batting Order

1. RF Alex Verdugo .287 BA, 0HR, 5 RBI
2. SS Xander Bogaerts* .368 BA, 6 HR, 18 RBI
3. 3B Rafael Devers .253 BA, 4HR, 17 RBI
4. DH J.D. Martinez** .336 BA, 8 HR, 21 RBI
5. LF Andrew Benintendi .191 BA, 2 HR, 5 RBI
6. CF Jackie Bradley Jr. .153 BA, 1 HR, 4 RBI
7. 2B Jose Peraza .250 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI
8. 1B Mitch Moreland .153 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI
9. C Christian Vazquez .160 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI

*= Xander Bogaerts: 3rd in AL Batting WAR, (1.8). 22-game hitting streak.
**=J.D. MArtinez: 1st in AL, Runs Scored, (23).

 

Twins Batting Order

1. RF Max Kepler .216 BA, 5HR, 8 RBI
2. SS Jorge Polanco .286 BA, 3HR, 16 RBI
3. C Mitch Garver .262 BA, 6 HR, 11 RBI
4. 3B Josh Donaldson .273 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI
5. DH Nelson Cruz .255 BA, 4 HR, 15 RBI
6. LF Eddie Rosario .258 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI
7. 1B Marwin Gonzalez .300 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBI
8. 2B Luis Arraez .298 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI
9. CF Byron Buxton .250 BA, 5 HR, 9 RBI

Bomba Tracker
- 2019 through 27 games: 49
- 2020: 36

 

Storylines
1. With the Yankees off to a torrid start, 19-9, the Red Sox will lean on their hottest starter in the hopes of taking the series in Minnesota and moving to within 4 games of the AL East lead.
2. Meanwhile in somewhat unprecedented action, the Twins will lean on their hottest started in Homer Bailey to try and even the series while the offense will look to finally light the fuse and awaken the Bomba Squad.
3. Tomorrow's contest will feature former Twin, Martin Perez, going for Boston and one of the best strikeout artists in the American League in Kenta Maeda.

[thuuuuney]

Preface

I have a number of people who rely on the post-game wrap because they can't be there for the livestream and I appreciate all of the people who have tuned in thus far, with that being said my online classes for college have ramped up and I am behind but I will work to have them up every night going foward.

 

Miss the game? https://www.twitch.tv/videos/602409597

• Want to skip the pre-game? Time Stamp 32:20

After losing game of the series 2-1 in an all out pitcher's duel, the Twins looked to come back to Target Field and even the series up behind the surprisingly strong performance of Homer Bailey. Bailey entered the game in the top 12 in the American League for ERA as well as top three in WHIP and would have to prove it today against some of the best bats in baseball with Boston. But before the game, your broadcaster donated to the #OneMN campaign and thanks to that, our Virtual Twins got a shoutout from the real broadcaster of the Minnesota Twins.

• https://clips.twitch.tv/GlutenFreeGoldenMacaroniKippa

So after your broadcaster freaked out for a little bit, there was still baseball to be had and boy did we have another great on tap today. After Homer Bailey would set the first two men down, the 3B Rafael Devers would make Bailey pay for a center-cut heater.

• https://clips.twitch.tv/SuperHelplessFlyOpieOP

Throughout today's broadcast you'll hear mention of "Twingo," and this was something I wanted to do to bring Target Field-like promotions to those in the viewing audience and today we were giving away an awesome shirt from SotaStick. There will be more promotions in the future for those who missed out. But back to our ballgame the score would hold at 1-0 for a good while, but then Mitch Garver stepped in the home-half of the 4th, trying to break his cold streak.

• https://clips.twitch.tv/UnsightlyExquisiteWebJonCarnage

Offensively the day would belong to Mitch Garver, as he would register Bomba #2 and put the Twins in front.

• https://www.twitch.tv/thuuuuney/clip/CloudyTriumphantMoonAllenHuhu

We would then venture all the way to the 8th inning, where Trevor May, after a lead off walk, was in a battle with Alex Verdugo with the game on the line. The tenth pitch of the at-bat coming from May the 2-2...

• https://clips.twitch.tv/CovertVibrantBadgerPanicVis

The Twins tight rope out of danger as they so often do and would head on the 9th inning looking for some insurance runs. After getting the lead off man on, the Twins would ground into another double play and we headed to the top of the ninth...

• https://clips.twitch.tv/SwissSpoopyBeaverM4xHeh

Rodgers would not break that chain and he would hold steady, and the Twins win game two of the series the same way we scored game one, 2-1.

 

Twins (15-13) defeat Boston (15-14), 2-1.

 

Box Score

 

Boston

1. Verdugo, RF: 1-4 .285BA
2. Bogaerts, SS: 0-4, loses 22-Game Hitting Streak .351BA
3. Devers, 3B: 1-4, HR .252BA
4. Martinez, DH: 0-3, BB .327BA
5. Benintendi, LF: 0-3 .183BA
6. Bradley Jr., CF: 0-3 .145BA
7. Peraza, 2B: 1-2, BB .256BA
8. Moreland, 1B: 0-2, BB .149BA
9. Vazquez, C: 0-3, 2K's .154BA

Batting

HR: Devers (5)

RBI: Devers (18)

GIDP: Verdugo (3), Moreland (2)

 

Minnesota

1. Kepler, RF: 1-3, 2B,BB .219BA
2. Polanco, SS: 0-4, 2K's .275BA
3. Garver, C: 2-4, 2 HR .272BA
4. Donaldson, 3B: 0-2, BB .267BA
5. Cruz, DH: 0-3, 2K's .247BA
6. Rosario, LF: 0-3 .250BA
7. Gonzalez, 1B: 0-2, BB .281BA
8. Arraez, 2B: 2-3 .310BA (Leads Twins in Batting Average).
9. Buxton, CF: 0-2, K .244BA

Batting

2B: Kepler

HR: Garver 2 (6)

RBI: Garver 2 (13)

GIDP: Garver (4)

 

Baserunning

SB: Buxton 2 (7) 1st in American League

CS: Donaldson (1), on hit and run.

 

Boston Pitching

• Eovaldi 4.0IP. 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K's, 2.85ERA
• Hernandez 1.0IP. 1BB, 2K's, 5.25ERA
• Hembree (L,1-1). 1.0IP, 1H, 1ER, 2K's, 2.81ERA
• Brasier. 1.0IP, 1BB 6.90ERA
• Taylor. 1.0IP, 1BB, 1K 7.10ERA

Minnesota Pitching

• Bailey (W, 1-1). 7.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB, 4K's, 2.09ERA 
• May (H, 5). 1.0IP, 1BB, 3K's 0.71ERA
• Rodgers (S,7). 1.0IP, 1K 5.68ERA