Welcome Game Thread fans, it's me, your host for this evening's matchup between the home town Padres of San Diego and your traveling Twins of Minnesota.  Our Twins come into the series as a team that wins 'em all or loses 'em all since coming out of the break.  The Padres meanwhile, came out of the break to take 2 of 3 from the 1st place Mets and then went ahead and decided to drop 2 of 3 to the not so 1st place Tigers.  Which teams will we see for this series?  

Before I get into more of this game, I think it worth mentioning that today is a National Holiday.  It's not all that well known, but a day of celebration it is indeed!  Forget about Thanksgiving, or 4 of the July or President's Day...it's National Lemon Juice Day!  Now, this seems very fitting for today.  Especially for us Twins fans.  You see lemon juice is sour.  And Twins fans lately, are well, sour...So, at least now we have the nation on our side, wallowing in what is sour.  Lemon juice is a very versatile and useful juice.  It can be used in all sorts of foods from soups to desserts!  I can be used in cocktails from your favorite umbrella drinks to your whiskey sours.  I can be used to tackle tough stains on clothes or to remove tarnish on chinaware!

Accordingly, the sour of Twins fans can be used for many purposes too!  It can used to give an inordinate amount of misplaced blame on the front office or the manager!  It can be used to lash out at our favorite players!  It can make us call for a fire sale of everything that's not nailed down despite being a first place team in a division that is filled with teams that can't get out of their own way (this one included)!  It can even make us...gasp...lash out at the umpires!  And perhaps worst of, it can cause us to lash out at other TD posters!  As the great Bob Casey once yelled over the Metrodome PA system, "STOP IT!"

Now, go find yourself some lemon juice and make yourself your favorite Meringue or umbrella drink and relax!  Let's have some fun!

For the home town Padres, Blake Snell is on the bump.  Opposite him will be Joe Ryan of the Twins.  If a good Blake Snell shows up, this could be a really good pitching matchup.  

And now to the lineups.

Padres:

LF - Profar

3B - Machado

2B - Cronenworth

DH - Voit

1B - Hosmer

C - Alfaro

RF - Mazara

SS - Kim

CF - Grisham

 

Twins:

LF - Garlick

SS - Correa

CF - Buxton

2B - Polanco

3B - Miranda

1B - Arraez

C - Sanchez

DH - Sano

RF - Celestino

 

The game is in San Diego, so I won't even bother to look up the weather and I'll just assume that it's a perfect 75 and sunny!  If I'm wrong, I don't want to hear about it! 

Celestino is back; assume this means Kepler to IL?

N/m, I see Gio is being a dad.

Just now, Craig Arko said:

Celestino is back; assume this means Kepler to IL?

Gio on paternity leave.

1 minute ago, Craig Arko said:

Celestino is back; assume this means Kepler to IL?

I haven't seen anything official, but I have to imagine that is the case.

Edit: @Mike Sixel had the actual answer!  

And the musical lineups continue ... When has Garlick ever been a lead off hitter?  interesting move

 

Blake Snell: either Garlick the unstoppable designated-lefty-killer destroys him to death, or else we trade for him immediately after the game.

18 minutes ago, umterp23 said:

And the musical lineups continue ... When has Garlick ever been a lead off hitter?  interesting move

 

Other than the 18 other times he's done it, never.

1 minute ago, wsnydes said:

Other than the 18 other times he's done it, never.

But only 11 starts.....

I am currently in the land of Lollapalooza ... if you don't know what that is, look it up ... wow ... it's loud tonight.

I like Buxton not leading off.

5 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

I am currently in the land of Lollapalooza ... if you don't know what that is, look it up ... wow ... it's loud tonight.

Free concerts!

6 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

I am currently in the land of Lollapalooza ... if you don't know what that is, look it up ... wow ... it's loud tonight.

Who's on stage at the moment?

12 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

But only 11 starts.....

Fair clarification, but he has done it before.

I won’t watch this game but I hope they can get a win tonight. This 2 game lead could evaporate quickly.

2 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Fair clarification, but he has done it before.

Yeah, I gotcha. Was more of a dig at the posters that come on here and ask questions that they can find the answers to....sort of like you and I do/did.

8 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Yeah, I gotcha. Was more of a dig at the posters that come on here and ask questions that they can find the answers to....sort of like you and I do/did.

In fairness, I'm guilty of that too.  It's usually when I don't have time or only have my phone to find the answer.  Not always ideal.

23 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Yeah, I gotcha. Was more of a dig at the posters that come on here and ask questions that they can find the answers to....sort of like you and I do/did.

There are no answers in life, only questions... right now I'm wondering why I typed this response.

2 minutes ago, Dave The Dastardly said:

There are no answers in life, only questions... right now I'm wondering why I typed this response.

By the powers vested in me by nobody, I dub thee Confucius of the Game Thread!

Don't get me wrong, I'm ready for Sano to move on and find a new home too..But I'll go out on a limb and say he hits a dinger tonight! Hopefully with one or more on base! Twins 5 Padres 4

The Twins better win this series

9 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

By the powers vested in me by nobody, I dub thee Confucius of the Game Thread!

Ahh! Grasshopper! There is another use for rice paper.

6 minutes ago, Mortimerkenny21 said:

Don't get me wrong, I'm ready for Sano to move on and find a new home too..But I'll go out on a limb and say he hits a dinger tonight! Hopefully with one or more on base! Twins 5 Padres 4

Tune into tomorrow's game thread for the rightness to your wrong.

Lemon juice?

4 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Lemon juice?

Too bad that paper cuts are far more rare in a digital format.

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Free concerts!

Hardly free … believe me I pay for it. Although I’m not close enough to hear actual music but close enough to hear/feel the constant bass rumble

 Willians Astudillo  designated by the marlins..Twins could use a back up catcher..Almost forgot..and pitcher for blow outs..

 

1 minute ago, weitz41 said:

 Willians Astudillo  designated by the marlins..Twins could use a back up catcher

Uh, he’s really not a catcher. Just no to that. 

1 hour ago, umterp23 said:

And the musical lineups continue ... When has Garlick ever been a lead off hitter?  interesting move

 

6 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Hardly free … believe me I pay for it. Although I’m not close enough to hear actual music but close enough to hear/feel the constant bass rumble

Ah, the joy of music festivals!

3 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Uh, he’s really not a catcher. Just no to that. 

Bullpen ????