Game 152: Creme-filled Spongecakes at Indigenous Peoples
Posted by brianS on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Here I am, trying to buck the recent trend of Game Log previews. Enough of the Donald Judd/Carl Andre/Richard Serra stuff already!
First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 Central, 4:05 Left Coast.
Probables:
Scottie Baker (4.28 xFIP, 115 tRA+, 1.20 WHIP, .389 SLGA, 123:39 K:BB in 153.67 innings) vs.
Cliff "Cy Young" Lee (3.64 xFIP, 165 tRA+, 1.06 WHIP, .335 SLGA, 157:28 K:BB in 210 innings).
Can everyone just STFU about K-Rod and the MVP? He's not the best pitcher in the AL, or even the best closer in the AL.
Cliff Lee is the runaway favorite for the Cy Young this year and he deserves it. He has been outstanding. A big part of his (rather unexpected) success this year can be attributed to his newfound appreciation for the ground ball. He's at a career-high 44.8 pct, up from a string of five consecutive seasons between 33 pct and 36 pct of batted balls. All of the gain has been at the expense of fly balls (28.1 pct, compared to 37.3 pct last season; he's never been below 33.8 pct FB before). Additionally, fewer of the balls-in-air are landing over the fence (2.9 pct, compared to 8 pct last year).
I don't know what he's done to conjure up these shifts in outcomes, but I hope he forgets all about his new attitude tonight.
Scottie, on the other hand, is who we thought he was. His GB pct is in the low/mid 30s, as it has been every year, his FB rate in the mid-30s, his ball pct right around 30. All in line with every year of his ML career. One thing is up slightly: his K rate is at 19.5 pct, compared to the 16s in '07 and '06; and one thing is down slightly (for the better): his BABIP of .286 is well below his .325 last season and .348 in '06. I suppose that could just be luck.
So, I'm hoping for a pitcher's duel tonight. Let's keep the tinder in the bullpen tonight, shall we, Scottie?
To accompany tonight's game I'm recommending the Resurrection Ale from The Brewer's Art. Not that I've had it. But we could use a little intervention, you know?? Jeff A, you got any pull??
Not a fan of Minimalism, eh, doc? Just as I suspected. I'd always pegged you as a Jeff Koons fan.
I kid! I kid!
ooooooh, I like that!
It's not that hard to ape being an artist.
I think I went to school with her. She's a hack.
Speaking of Mr. Koons, I find this to be interesting and sad all at the same time.
K-Rod is not even the most dominate closer
thus hew should not even be in talks about a Cy Young award
As for tonights game, well I threw the old scorecard into the bonfire
we are good for a weeks worth of wins now
Enough of the Donald Judd/Carl Andre/Richard Serra stuff already!
I, too, have had enough of those jokers. How 'bout some Janine Antoni to start the game.
Ooh. I like that.
Still, I think the Twins recent play is best summed up by Kiki Smith's Tale.
Man, we must be on the same wave length. I was going to post that Image but wused out.
It was just too fitting to pass up.
I have found that my prayers for Twins victories are answered more frequently if I pray them on nights the Twins hit and pitch well.
This might be a silly questions but does anyone know why the Twins are nicknamed the Twinkies?
I have no idea
because they were creampuffs throughout the 1970s??
nice walk Darnell
lets make this a run
Sorry FTLT, I think that we need to start off with a positive jam.
I will never be upset about anyone posting a hold steady video.... hint E-6, New Guy, brianS...
It's been done once, but we're prolly due again.
The WGOM: No Repeat Years.
big hit for Justin
on the board!
Mountie!
Is it wrong that I was surprised by that hit?
Only if it wasn't wrong of me to not be surprised by the double play.
Oh, I wasn't surprised by that at all.
Okay, Scotty, you got a run. Make it stand up.
That's a start. Only the fifth first-inning run allowed by Lee this year (four earned).
Hi everybody! Long time, no see.
Hello Mr. Popular, a couple of name drops for you on AG's live chat today.
Really? I guess I'll have to go check that out. Maybe I haven't been Earl Battey'd just yet.
Better than Earl Battey'ed than me. I am more of a Adam Johnson.
Only twenty-six outs to go!
Is that Emo Philips who says "I played two more machinessss...and I won two more jackpotsssss." ??
Down to twenty-five outs!
Hey fellas. It's been a weird day today, I could use some Twins winning to help balance things out.
Here's a suggestion, SB....throw some freakin' strikes!
I get the feeling the Tribe has some kind of vendetta against the Twins. It looks like they're trying real hard to beat us, which is kind of unusual for a team out of the pennant race this late in the season. The looked a little bit too happy with that walk-off job last night.
Hey, we're ahead! Only eight innings to go!
Hey guys. I probably won't be around long. I want to go on a run in a bit. We'll see if that motivation carries through to fruition.
Oh, for crying out loud.
Ugh.
Harris, if you aren't going to hustle during a pennant race, just when are you planning to?
Looks to me like he was hustling, and got pushed off of the bag. Bad call.
I'm going by Dazzle, which is always dangerous, but he said Harris jogged out of the batter's box, thinking it was a home run, and then had to go hard to try to make it to second. If that's right, I assume it would not have even been a close play had he run hard initially.
Dazzle is probably right.
But still...the umpire made the wrong call in that situation.
doh
That is one way to get on base....
The umps cost the Twins a run this inning...
Harris was CLEARLY pushed off the bag by Cabrera...bummer.
Big AB here for Denard.
Here's my question. I thought it looked like he was more knocked off balance off the bag than pushed off the bag. Does that make a difference in the call?
It shouldn't, no.
If the defensive player makes any malicious contact with the runner, it's defensive interference; which it clearly was.
Was it malicious, though? Or was he just keeping the tag on (which is legit), or was it the amount of force with which he applies the tag? (Trying to learn the rules here!)
It wasn't a normal play IMO.
He attempted to tag Harris, and in doing so, he "pushed" him with the tag...resulting in Harris coming off the bag.
If the umpire had a second look, he probably wouldn't have called Harris out.
Like this?
Top Ten Twin Moment.
I was at that game! Scott Leuis's GWHR landed a few rows in front of me.
Game 7 my fav game. Knobbers' fake toss disses Lonnie Smith, sweet.
Down to twenty-three outs!
It's kinda like the Doomsday Clock.
Twenty-two!
Only seven innings to go! I have a worship team meeting tonight, after which I fully expect to learn of a Twins victory. Make it happen, guys!
You're the one with the worship team, so you do what you can to make it happen too. But us laity will do what we can as well.
Ditto. I have church tonight (leaving very shortly). I would like to come home to a win, please.
Great catch by Buscher.
Brian, I don't know if you can get any of this stuff, but I decided to pick up a sixer of Capital Brewing's Oktoberfest. If I would have known you were going to recommend the Resurrection Ale, I would have tried to swing by a good beer store and get one.
I'm about due for a trip to BevMo, cheaptoy. I'll look for it.
on the other hand, I just shelled out ~50 percent of my car's Blue Book value to get the chunks of catalytic converter removed from my exhaust system and a new one (cc, that is) installed. So maybe I'm drinking plebian beer for a while.
It's brewed down here near Madison, and isn't very big, so I don't know what their distribution is like. But, if you do see any, it is an extremely solid brewery.
Now, for plebian beer, I highly recommend getting yourself some Mountain Creek if you can. It's about $6/case down here and still has alcohol in it.
Phil Hughes has 57 pitches through 2 innings versus the Sox.
Yikes.
I'm about to start eating my dinner. It's a tense situation. In fact I'd go so far as to proclaim it a...
Big Burrito here for DK.
I hope it ends up as big as your head.
Don't worry, that's physically impossible.
lalalalalalalabamba!
of course, their burritos...well, they're big.
I just saw a commercial for them the other day, so it was fresh on my mind. Of course, now I want a burrito.
+5 Scovilles
Come on Young!!!
I am surprised that he didn't swing.
Here I am, trying to buck the recent trend of Game Log previews. Enough of the Donald Judd/Carl Andre/Richard Serra stuff already
Doc, is that the door to your
root cellarbomb shelter?"Tony Smith, New Piece, 1966, Loretto Park (Houston, Texas)."
It is the exemplar of minimalism at The Repository. But yea, it looks a bit like a bedroom wall I once painted.
What a FANTASTIC plate appearance by Harris.
Lee BB's Delmon on 4 pitches...and he goes up there swinging at the 1st pitch. What a douche.