Game Thread: Twins @ Red Sox, 8/26/21 @ 6:05pm CT

[RpR]

Baldelli does.?

[GCTF]

1 minute ago, a-wan said:

Call me reactionary, but I don't think Garcia is very good.

He's only been previously cut by sixteen teams. Give him a chance.

[Irishman]

Now it is 7-2.   I am done for tonight.   

[Aggies7]

I’d rather have jerry Garcia pitching right now 

[Longdistancetwins]

Just now, Irishman said:

Now it is 7-2.   I am done for tonight.   

Me, too.  Although the double play was pretty.  Not so much what followed.

[Cap'n Piranha]

4 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I mean they don't have room for several non-position players, of which they already have too many.

So someone would probably have to go.

I mean, their non-position players are...who?  Rooker and Arraez?  If you assume the roster next year is Garver, Kiriloff, Polanco, (new shortstop), Donaldson, Larnach, Buxton, and Kepler, with a bench of Arraez, Jeffers, Sano, Miranda, and one more, why not Rooker (assuming in this scenario he's hitting).  You have flexibility to rest Kiriloff or Larnach by playing Sano at first, Arraez/Miranda can spell Polanco and Donaldson, and 1 of the 5 (except the catcher) is DHing every day anways--may as well be a Rooker that's hitting, especially because you can thrown him in left on days you have a righty facing a left-heavy lineup.  Once you have any injuries (not exactly unlikely, given Buxton, Donaldson, Polanco, and Arraez' presence), it becomes even easier to find a spot.  If there's 40ish PAs a game, that's almost 6500 PA's, which means 13 players can each get 498 (502 is enough to be qualified).  So if one guy misses 12 games (4 PAs a game), but the other 12 all stay completely healthy, all 12 of those players will qualify for the batting title.

[Aggies7]

The only way this road trip could have gone worse is if Sunday’s game wasn’t a rainout

[Danchat]

Garcia now has a career ERA of 10+ for 3 different teams... now that's hard to do! Of course, that only covers 17.1 total innings between those 3 teams.

[Longdistancetwins]

2 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

The only way this road trip could have gone worse is if Sunday’s game wasn’t a rainout

Although I’m a huge glutton for punishment, as I’m making plans to go to Yankee Stadium for the make-up (“my friends”—mostly Yankee fans—are pushing me into this)

[jun]

Twins now has a collection of great pitchers with double digit ERA. Congrats to its wonderful FO. No other major league team can match that. Keep all of them and make history.

[Aggies7]

1 minute ago, Longdistancetwins said:

Although I’m a huge glutton for punishment, as I’m making plans to go to Yankee Stadium for the make-up (“my friends”—mostly Yankee fans—are pushing me into this)

Don’t do it, man

[a-wan]

7 minutes ago, GCTF said:

He's only been previously cut by sixteen teams. Give him a chance.

Just give him a chance, he'll turn it around just like Jake Reed.

[twinssporto]

4 hours ago, shortround81 said:

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best

And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life

-“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian; Written by Eric Idle

There are several positive things that can be taken from the Minnesota Twins’ 2021. Okay, some positive things. Like . . . Um . . . Well, things happened this season. Nobody on the current roster was in the film, Cats, so that’s good. 

Being a Minnesota sports fan comes with its fair share of ups and downs. There have been several disappointments over the years, and the 2021 Minnesota Twins season is no exception. However, there is a lingering sense of possibility and optimism Midwesterners (and Midwesterners at heart) hold onto in their cheese-curd-cholesterol-laden hearts! 

So, what do you say, Twins fans? Can we pull ourselves by our Redwing bootstraps? Can we polish this turd until it glows as bright the Northern Star in our wildfire smoke-filled sky? What is one positive you will cling to this offseason until Spring Training 2022?

At least we’re not the Baltimore Orioles!

MN Twins

1. Ben Refsnyder, RF (R)

2. Brent Rooker, LF (R)

3. Josh Donaldson, DH (R)

4. Miguel Sano, 1B (R)

5. Luis Arraez, 2B (L)

6. Ryan Jeffers, C (R)

7. Willians Astudillo, 3B (R) 

8. Nick Gordon, CF (L)

9. Andrelton Simmons, SS (R)

0. John Gant, SP (R)

 

BOS Red Sox

1. Enrique Hernandez, SS (R)

2. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)

3. J.D. Martinez, LF (R)

4. Rafael Devers, 3B (L)

5. Alex Verdugo, RF (L)

6. Christian Vasquez, C (R)

7. Christian Arroyo, 2B (R)

8. Jarren Duran, CF (L)

9. Bobby Dalbec, 1B (L)

0. Chris Sale (L)

Great intro!

[LaBombo]

5 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

I’d rather have jerry Garcia pitching right now 

Some smelling salts and a J to get him warmed up and I think we'd have a worthwhile upgrade.

[Aggies7]

1 minute ago, LaBombo said:

Some smelling salts and a J to get him warmed up and I think we'd have a worthwhile upgrade.

That half inning was as long as one of the Dead’s jam sessions 

[RpR]

WHY is Garcia still pitching?

LOL, Jeffers and Astudillo are the only two with hits.

[Brock Beauchamp]

18 minutes ago, Cap'n Piranha said:

I mean, their non-position players are...who?  Rooker and Arraez?  If you assume the roster next year is Garver, Kiriloff, Polanco, (new shortstop), Donaldson, Larnach, Buxton, and Kepler, with a bench of Arraez, Jeffers, Sano, Miranda, and one more, why not Rooker (assuming in this scenario he's hitting).  You have flexibility to rest Kiriloff or Larnach by playing Sano at first, Arraez/Miranda can spell Polanco and Donaldson, and 1 of the 5 (except the catcher) is DHing every day anways--may as well be a Rooker that's hitting, especially because you can thrown him in left on days you have a righty facing a left-heavy lineup.  Once you have any injuries (not exactly unlikely, given Buxton, Donaldson, Polanco, and Arraez' presence), it becomes even easier to find a spot.  If there's 40ish PAs a game, that's almost 6500 PA's, which means 13 players can each get 498 (502 is enough to be qualified).  So if one guy misses 12 games (4 PAs a game), but the other 12 all stay completely healthy, all 12 of those players will qualify for the batting title.

I also consider Sano a non-position player at this point because Kirilloff would be better at first.

And then there’s Larnach, who’s a bit of a trash fire in left.

Lots of hitters, too few gloves. 

[RpR]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I also consider Sano a non-position player at this point because Kirilloff would be better at first.

And then there’s Larnach, who’s a bit of a trash fire in left.

Lots of hitters, too few gloves. 

Lots of wannabe hitters for the past month.

[RpR]

I know they left Garcia in so he can raise his ERA

I said yesterday if they won today it would look good for the rest of the season but now we know what the rest of the season will look like.

[a-wan]

3 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I also consider Sano a non-position player at this point because Kirilloff would be better at first.

And then there’s Larnach, who’s a bit of a trash fire in left.

Lots of hitters, too few gloves. 

Whatever happened to good ol' days of Twins Baseball©?

And the good defensive guys get hurt a lot.

[Rick Blaine]

Garcia will be DFA'd after the game.  Makes room for Buxton. 

[Aggies7]

20 minutes ago, Longdistancetwins said:

Although I’m a huge glutton for punishment, as I’m making plans to go to Yankee Stadium for the make-up (“my friends”—mostly Yankee fans—are pushing me into this)

This was the only twins/Yankees game I ever went to, back in 1995. What a lineup https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199507160.shtml

 

Knoblauch

Becker

Puckett

Cordova

Masteller (???)

Leius 

stahoviak

Walbeck

Meares 

 

trombley started vs MARIANO RIVERA

 

 

[Monkeypaws]

Wow, stop paying attention long enough to see the Twins roll out these pitchers:

Gant

Barraclough

Garcia

Garza Jr.

Whobie whatie?

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, Monkeypaws said:

Wow, stop paying attention long enough to see the Twins roll out these pitchers:

Gant

Barraclough

Garcia

Garza Jr.

Whobie whatie?

Unrecognizable. Even as a relative diehard of this team I barely know who these guys are. 

[LaBombo]

Twins have taken over sole possession of third worst run differential in the American League, and with a 5 run cushion.

Sorry, that should read "negative 5 run cushion".

 

 

Now that I think about it... probably doesn't really enhance the overall Game Thread experience.  Back to the drawing board.

[Aggies7]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

Unrecognizable. Even as a relative diehard of this team I barely know who these guys are. 

And it’s not even the worst staff in the last 6 seasons

[mikelink45]

48 minutes ago, Irishman said:

Barracough needs to go.    His ERA is about 10.00.  He is not that good!  

This year the Twins pitching is a mess.   Wondering how FO will fix the pitching for next season.   

He and Gant and Garza and Garcia are the FO solutions so far.  What do you expect next?

[RpR]

Bases loaded, the great Arraez sinks.

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

He and Gant and Garza and Garcia are the FO solutions so far.  What do you expect next?

Certainly not a prospect they’ve drafted and developed. 

[RpR]

Astudillo does not want to be pitching, I do not blame him.