Game Thread Twins @ Royals 6:05pm cdt 8/8/2020ad

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1. Dedication: If i were clever, i would dedicate this game thread to the pioneers of Twins Daily. But i wasn't around in the before times, when Godwin's law was the only thing keeping people civil on the internet. And many of the folk from my first baby steps in these pages are still around. So i'll say thanks for the hard work, and hope ya reminisce or otherwise toot your own horn as ya feel inclined, as that's better than aught i could say.

 

2. Kansas City. They're a stuborn bunch of gutsy players, ain't they? Speed, Pitching, and fielding. Gotta admire them. Real pioneer values. Isn't KC somewhere near the beginning of the Oregon trail? Though i suppose "you have died of disentary jokes" hit a too close to hoke these days, it was still an interactive educational game from my youth.

Anyway, everything is up to date in Kansas City.

 

3. Odorizzi. This is his 2020 debut, right? We get to see if he was able to sort out them back issues. (That was why he went there?) Having back issues of a comic book or magazine is a good thing. Not being able to bend as much as you need to, well, not so good.

 

4. Sano. No i don't know how finely everyone is pitching him, and border line calls going against him. But last night i was happy to see runners getting called out for going out of there base path and making contact with him. Happened twice last night, on the first inning pickoff, and later on a bunt play when the batter was still in fair territory, and contact knocked the glove off in a close play.

 

5. Weekends. If you are already home, what is the point of weekends? And if i am just going to follow a stream of consciousness writing style, what is the point of making points? That's a good point. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

 

 

(in my best pro wrestling monster truck rally announcer voice, which sounds so much better in my head than in real life)

 

This Saturday... turday... day...

 

In Kaufman Stadium... tadium... um...

 

In the this Dugout, weighing and 307 bombas, Central Division Champion of the MLB!

 

The Minnesota Twins:

0. Jake Odorizzi (R ) P

1. Mitch Garver (R ) C

2. Max Kepler ( L) RF

3. Nelson Cruz (R ) DH

4. Miguel Sano (R ) 1B

5. Eddie Rosario ( L) LF

6. M. Gonzalez ( S ) 3B

7. Luis Arraez ( L) 2B

8. Byron Buxton (R ) CF

9. Ehire Adrianza ( S ) SS

 

And in that dugout, weighing in at a mere smeer 162 bombas 4th place Central Division team...

 

The Kansas City Royals:

0. Danny Duffy ( L) P

1. W. Merrifield (R ) RF

2. Jorge Soler (R ) DH

3. Salvador Perez (R ) C

4. Ryan O'Hearn ( L) 1B

5. A. Mondesi ( S ) SS

6. Alex Gordon ( L) LF

7. Maikel Franco (R ) 3B

8. Nicky Lopez ( L) 2B

9. Brett Phillips ( L) CF

[stringer bell]

OK. 6 PM game tonight. Let’s get this party started!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

OK. 6 PM game tonight. Let’s get this party started!

Maybe i gave it too much gas and flooded it... Sorry

[Mill1634]

Kepler in the 2 hole vs a lefty is odd to me

[Squirrel]

It's a warm, but breezy, lazy afternoon here ... good time for a game

[stringer bell]

Garver's K gives him 14 strikeouts in 28 official at-bats--not good.

[70charger]

 

Garver's K gives him 14 strikeouts in 28 official at-bats--not good.

 

Ouch. Bad start. 

 

Normally I'd say small sample size, but that's all this season is. 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Maybe i gave it too much gas and flooded it... Sorry

I speak of xourse of getting this party to crank.

 

If it is too much gas for the Twins, that would be Duffy's fault.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Hit batter...

There goes Jake's perfect game.

[70charger]

Too many pitches there to go up 1-2 and hit him. Odorizzi wasn't known for going deep into games, but early indications are that might not change.

[IndianaTwin]

 

OK. 6 PM game tonight. Let’s get this party started!

 

Says a person in Central time. But hey, I'm glad for a 7 p.m. start!

 

-IT

[Aggies7]

Sigh

[70charger]

Well played there by Sano

[stringer bell]

Some rust showing for Odo.

[Aggies7]

Ugly ugly start

[stringer bell]

Big at-bat early for this game.

[PDX Twin]

More Odor than Easy tonight.

[Nine of twelve]

LOL, just noticed that the Marlins guy has a cutout behind home plate. It's not in the first row where he would be if humans were allowed but still well within range of the center field camera.

[ashbury]

[70charger]

Whew. Limited the damage.

[Mill1634]

Odo blew through about half of his pitch limit in the first inning. Hopefully the nerves are behind him and he can go out and give us 3 more innings.

[stringer bell]

Let's hope the next inning is a bit better. Holding KC to one run in the first is a small victory.

[rickybeathard]

 

Garver's K gives him 14 strikeouts in 28 official at-bats--not good.

 

I say this seriously. At some point do with think about bringing in Willians Astudillo? Or at the very least rotating him in to see if he can get on base regularly? 

[Nine of twelve]

 

Whew. Limited the damage.

Yep. Seven batters faced, one run allowed.

[ashbury]

It's a warm, but breezy, lazy afternoon here ... good time for a game

But I wanted it to be time for a good game!

 

[Mill1634]

 

I say this seriously. At some point do with think about bringing in Willians Astudillo? Or at the very least rotating him in to see if he can get on base regularly? 

Astudillo will be up eventually, but he isn't a catcher, and certainly not an every day catcher. 

[Nine of twelve]

We are 10-4 in spite of many of our players not firing on all cylinders. If baseball is still being played in October I hope everyone is in midseason form. If so we have a good chance to win the Golden Asterisk Trophy.

[70charger]

 

I say this seriously. At some point do with think about bringing in Willians Astudillo? Or at the very least rotating him in to see if he can get on base regularly? 

 

He had to self-quarantine, and he's been working his way back for awhile. I don't know that he's totally ready just yet, but he can't be far away. 

 

That said, Garver's upside is so much higher. If he's injured, then the team needs to address that. If he's slumping, he's slumping.

 

Unfortunately I don't know.

[70charger]

Where would we be without Gonzalez? Seems like he's almost the only guy hitting the last few games.

[ashbury]

"Capitalize on scoring opportunities"??? They lost yesterday because they got 5 freaking hits, not because they didn't "capitalize".

 

Maybe he meant to capitalize ON SCORING OPPORTUNITIES.