Stopper Thread!

 

5. Big Mike is our Stopper. Like a rubber cork in a fine wine bottle, nothing's getting through. I'm glad to get the "first to worst" losing streak over with now when it only had to be 5 games long, rather than later in the season when it would have to be a week or more...

 

4. Sequencing. Really important in setting up a hitter. But if they see it coming, doesn't that defeat the purpose?  Unless... the object is to achieve non-sequitor effect.

 

1. Give the visiting Bostonians credited. They have executed so far. If nothing else, the are fine executioners*. And Boston has seen more than its fair share of historical events, some of which will be celebrated this weekend with Patriot's day.

 

2. Toppers (it looks like stopper, but as 2 seamer takes a dive instead of a hop, the reader swings over it and beats into the ground) Good hats are important to all fashions of er... fasion, just as good shoes to... walking. This is the way to go if you suffer from hair loss. Just think of the 80s "say no to rugs" campaign. You know the one: a picture of a clean frying pan subtitled "this is your brain." followed by a frying pan with roadkill subtitled "this a rug on your brain."

 

5. (3 sir...) To quote Harry S. Truman: "The Buck Stops Here" Tune in to the game to find out what Buck stops.  (I am writing this before i see the line up, so i too might be disappointed...)  Meh, i'm used to disappointment.

 

And now, without further ado, Law & Order, in the form of Line ups:

Red Socks:
0. Garrett Richards (R ) P
1. Enrique Hernandez (R ) CF
2. Alex Verdugo ( L) LF
3. Xander Bogaerts (R ) SS
4. Rafael Devers ( L) 3B
5. Christian Vazquez (R ) C
6. Christian Arroyo (R ) 2B
7. Hunter Renfroe (R ) RF
8. Franchy Cordero ( L) DH
9. Bobby Dalbec (R ) 1B

 

Twins:
0. Michael Pineda (R ) P
1. Luis Arraez ( L) LF
2. Jorge Polanco ( S ) 2B
3. Nelson Cruz (R ) DH
4. Max Kepler ( L) RF
5. Willians Astudillo (R ) 3B
6. Miguel Sano (R ) 1B
7. Jake Cave ( L) CF
8. Ryan Jeffers (R ) C
9. JT Riddle ( L) SS

 

42 degrees Fahrenheit. Which... is like 6 degrees C?

 

* There be Gilbert & Sullivan songs about executions (and with most "affecting particulars") but i shall leave that as an exercise for the reader... as it would be too non sequitor. No one would swing to that. Er... at that.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attend today's game in person. If I have to personally step into this mess to fix it I will. This ridiculous losing streak stops today! 

 

By the way, any TD posters attending today's game let me know. Will buy beer for the first 3 people who show up at the designated location (must be TD members). Let's plan on the 4th inning and I'll figure a place to meet in the stadium. Not sure yet what their Covid protocol is...

 

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attend today's game in person. If I have to personally step into this mess to fix it I will. This ridiculous losing streak stops today! 

 

By the way, any TD posters attending today's game let me know. Will buy beer for the first 3 people who show up at the designated location (must be TD members). Let's plan on the 4th inning and I'll figure a place to meet in the stadium. Not sure yet what their Covid protocol is...

Thank you for your sacrifice. I'd meet for said beer, but I won't be there until 4/30-5/1. I hope that you're plan works and the losing trend is done before I get there.

 

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attend today's game in person. If I have to personally step into this mess to fix it I will. This ridiculous losing streak stops today! 

 

By the way, any TD posters attending today's game let me know. Will buy beer for the first 3 people who show up at the designated location (must be TD members). Let's plan on the 4th inning and I'll figure a place to meet in the stadium. Not sure yet what their Covid protocol is...

Thanks!

 

Glad you've got matters in hand.

These are the kinds of lineups you get when Baldelli spends more time crafting Josh Donaldson's participation medal from Game 2 yesterday than putting together the lineup for today.

Tf? Kepler, Sano, Astudillo, Cave at the heart of the order again?

No Buxton, no Donaldson.

sigh, another game of no Buxton after being told he was supposed to be playing in G2 yesterday and was only held out for "precautionary" reasons. I don't trust a thing this FO/Rocco says about injuries. I'm sure JD is fine as well, but they're holding him out for precautionary reasons as well. 

Well Donaldson did round the bases yesterday. Every Twins player gets a day off for that feat.

 

No Buxton, no Donaldson.

 

Shocker

What is frustrating is when we increase the rest breaks and the players get hurt anyway.   We all aspire to getting paid more for doing less though.   Good thing Astudillo, Cave and Sano don't need any rest breaks or we couldn't field 9.  

Today's Sano pool; my bet, 3 AB, only 2 strikeouts, four praising comments from game announcers how Sano's looking more comfortable at the plate.

 

 

What is frustrating is when we increase the rest breaks and the players get hurt anyway.   We all aspire to getting paid more for doing less though.   Good thing Astudillo, Cave and Sano don't need any rest breaks or we couldn't field 9.  

Cave batting .167. Sano a mind-numbing .079. I think we might be better off going with 7 players.

 

Today's Sano pool; my bet, 3 AB, only 2 strikeouts, four praising comments from game announcers how Sano's looking more comfortable at the plate.

The eternal optimist in me thinks we can get him a 4th plate appearance. What shall he do with that?

 

The eternal optimist in me thinks we can get him a 4th plate appearance. What shall he do with that?

Sac Fly or HBP

 

Sac Fly or HBP

Sac Fly!? That implies we score a run!

 

(Be still my beating heart...)

 

No Buxton, no Donaldson.

I'm sure they'll blame it on the cold. It's a good thing that it doesn't get this cold in October in MN...

 

 

No Buxton, no Donaldson.

I'll take the blame for the former, having jinxed by mentioning it in the thread intro...

 

As for the latter... um... How else would we get Astudillo's bat in the line up?

At least in this lineup, Polanco can't really hurt the squad much. 

Still would rather see him batting 5th...at the highest.

 

 

At least in this lineup, Polanco can't really hurt the squad much. 

Still would rather see him batting 5th...at the highest.

 

Polanco has quietly hit .307 over the past four games and hasn't been striking out like he was early.  I'm hoping that trend continues and that more walks and power follow.

Man, this lineup. I guess there’s not much you can do with Buxton’s body made of glass and Donaldson having the legs of a 60 year old. And then Simmons... ugh.

 

I decided to take matters into my own hands and attend today's game in person. If I have to personally step into this mess to fix it I will. This ridiculous losing streak stops today! 

 

By the way, any TD posters attending today's game let me know. Will buy beer for the first 3 people who show up at the designated location (must be TD members). Let's plan on the 4th inning and I'll figure a place to meet in the stadium. Not sure yet what their Covid protocol is...

The Covid protocol is for you to inoculate the Twins with a winning serum!

 

The Covid protocol is for you to inoculate the Twins with a winning serum!

How long till it's fully effective?

Polanco at 2B, Kepler in RF, Cruz at DH, Sano at 1B.

That's 4 of 9 season openers in the lineup.

And of the 4 remaining only Cruz is pulling his weight.

A lovely day to watch a weak lineup hit pop ups and grounders.

May I be wrong, and the baseball gods bean me!

 

 

* There be Gilbert & Sullivan songs about executions (and with most "affecting particulars") but i shall leave that as an exercise for the reader... as it would be too non sequitor. No one would swing to that. Er... at that.

I wasted the down time before the game youtubin' G&S stuff (so i did my own extra credit... Of course i was referring mostly to Mikado songs)

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see the are productions in the Twin Cities well represented on the youtubes.

 

Sac Fly!? That implies we score a run!

 

(Be still my beating heart...)

Seems I'm even more of an optimist than even you. lol

 

Polanco at 2B, Kepler in RF, Cruz at DH, Sano at 1B.

That's 4 of 9 season openers in the lineup.

Arraez was in the opening day lineup too, albeit in LF.

 

42 degrees Fahrenheit. Which... is like 6 degrees C?

 

* There be Gilbert & Sullivan songs about executions (and with most "affecting particulars") but i shall leave that as an exercise for the reader... as it would be too non sequitor. No one would swing to that. Er... at that.

 

Every degree Celsius is 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, so 6 degrees C is technically 42.8 degrees F.  Therefore, if the temperature is 41.5 to 41.84 degrees F, it's actually 5 degrees C.  If 41.85 degrees or higher, than yes, it's 6 degrees C.

 

Polanco at 2B, Kepler in RF, Cruz at DH, Sano at 1B.

That's 4 of 9 season openers in the lineup.

And of the 4 remaining only Cruz is pulling his weight.

A lovely day to watch a weak lineup hit pop ups and grounders.

May I be wrong, and the baseball gods bean me!

Eh, Kepler has been fine. Not the Kep of 2019, but pretty much the mirror image of 2017, 18, & 20. 

This is who he is. Expecting more is to be disappointed when he hasn't really shown that outside of one career year...and there's a reason it's colloquially known as a career year. 

3 swinging strikes and a foul tip ... Good start, Big Mike!