Hello Game Threaders and welcome to another double header edition of the game thread! Today, your Twins try to remain above .500 on the season and keep their ever fading hopes of staying alive in the division alive.
Before we get too far into this, I'd first like to welcome Matt Wallner to The Show! He'll man right field today as Kepler was put on the IL. At the very least, that gives us something to look forward to today. Good luck in your debut, Mr. Wallner!
Of other interest to many, myself included, is that today is the birthday of my favorite cartoon character! Wile E. Coyote debuted on this day in 1949 in "Fast and Furry-ous". How can you not enjoy the endless fails, antics and crazy schemes hatched by this guy. All to be outsmarted by a road runner. Over. And over. And over. And over again. Maybe it's because misery loves company, but as a Twins fan, I have some sympathy for him. He tries and tries and tries to catch that damn bird, but ultimately comes up empty every time. It's akin to the Twins playoff win drought. ACME may as well be a sponsor!
Since we've got some time before first pitch, or even for the break between games, I've linked a nearly 32 minute video of all 641 epic fails of Mr. Wile E. Coyote below. Enjoy!
Now, on to the contests of the day. In the first game, Louie Varland takes the mound for his second big league start opposite Shane Bieber. This could be a fun and intriguing pitching matchup. In the nightcap, the Twins will send Josh Winder to the bump to take on Konnor Pilkington. Not quite as interesting a matchup as in Game 1, but a relatively even one in my estimation.
Lineups for Game 1:
Twins
DH - Arraez
SS - Correa
1B - Miranda
2B - Gordon
3B - Urshela
LF - Cave
RF - Wallner
CF - Contreras
C - Leon
Indians
LF - Kwan
SS - Rosario
3B - Ramirez
DH - Naylor
RF - Gonzalez
2B - Gimenez
1B - Miller
C - Hedges
CF - Straw
Game 2 lineups will be posted when they're, umm, posted...
Enjoy the games!