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moores2

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Agree. Seems like the Twins can't get good performances from the two pitching units in the same game. Dyson being back helps. Hopefully with Cruz and Buxton off the IL next week it will help them get on a roll.

Buxton is currently not partaking in baseball activities. Going to be a while longer than next week for him. Cruz should be back for the next series.
 
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BoxsterCy

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Agree. Seems like the Twins can't get good performances from the two pitching units in the same game. Dyson being back helps. Hopefully with Cruz and Buxton off the IL next week it will help them get on a roll.

End of the season schedule is still leaning hugely in favor of the Twins and they should be able to get on a roll soon. What should get them going is finishing this month with 13 games against two of the worst teams in MLB (Detroit is MLB bottom and Sox are in the bottom 5 or 6). Twins should rake the last two weeks. The same is true for the end of September with 13 straight games against three of the worst teams in MLB (Tigers, Royals, Sox).

Cleveland is playing great baseball but I don't see how, on paper, that they can be favored schedule-wise as they have 16 games with the bottom dwellers and the Twins have 26. Not unfair, they both had their near 60 games against these teams although if I had to pick who to play the last two three weeks it would be who the Twins have. If Twins play decent the Indians will have to play out of their ass just to stay close and will have to just own the Twins in their 6 remaining games against each other.


#disimpassioned_hot_take
 
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BoxsterCy

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One of the overlooked things about last night's game was that Dyson was very effective in the inning he pitched. And it sounds like Boomstick might be ready to go by the time the Twins get back to Minny.

@BoxsterCy.....please do us four huge favors this weekend!

Hey, SCyclone, here's your Cleveland Watch Thursday lunchtime update: Yanks are going with an opener tonight. Not all bad as they have a pretty good record in "opener" games this year. Yanks CC Sabathia is going to be activated and start Sunday rather than the 16-2 German. That's not optimal cause CC is pitching on one knee and has been awful. Not even sure he will be on post season roster.
 
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SCyclone

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Hey, SCyclone, here's your Cleveland Watch Thursday lunchtime update: Yanks are going with an opener tonight. Not all bad as they have a pretty good record in "opener" games this year. Yanks CC Sabathia is going to be activated and start Sunday rather than the 16-2 German. That's not optimal cause CC is pitching on one knee and has been awful. Not even sure he will be on post season roster.

Wonder if they will be monitoring Sabathia pretty closely during warm-ups....pitching on one knee can't be effective. They might keep German in reserve in case CC can't go.

Smeltzer tonight for the Twins....he's been up and down, but in fairness the poor outing was against the Indians, who were playing out of their minds at the time. He has good stuff and pretty good command. The key is if he can throw the slider for strikes (or at least what batters think are going to be strikes!).
 

jcyclonee

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Wonder if they will be monitoring Sabathia pretty closely during warm-ups....pitching on one knee can't be effective. They might keep German in reserve in case CC can't go.

Smeltzer tonight for the Twins....he's been up and down, but in fairness the poor outing was against the Indians, who were playing out of their minds at the time. He has good stuff and pretty good command. The key is if he can throw the slider for strikes (or at least what batters think are going to be strikes!).
I think Pineda's starting tonight.
 
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CTTB78

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I heard he was coming off the IL....they had Smeltzer in the paper this morning. I think he's better in long relief anyway.

I know you're saying, but if the Twins are to win the division, and have a chance in the playoffs, Pineda has to start and be effective.
 

SCyclone

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I know you're saying, but if the Twins are to win the division, and have a chance in the playoffs, Pineda has to start and be effective.

Agree....I was talking about Smeltzer pitching in long relief. Pineda's last few outings have been pretty good.
 

BoxsterCy

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Yanks not helping. Down 5 nothing and still only one out in the 1st. Opener concept not so good tonight. Think this one is over already.

And mock cheers, as I type, from the Yankee fans on the TV after they finally got a 2nd out. :rolleyes:
 

kentkel

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Apr 12, 2006
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Ugh. Yesterday was brutal. Gibson did what we asked him to do and the bullpen sucked balls.
As a Brewers fan, both days were brutal. Our offense finally clicks and Hader gets torched on day 1. Yesterday, we rally again, get 2 outs in the top of the 9th, and nearly snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. If that pitch had been even a centimeter or two lower, I think Cron hits a grand slam. Also, for as much as Romo may have seemed like the heel for you guys yesterday, it may have been a totally different inning had your shortstop gotten Braun out at first. Also, Perez put a bat on a good "out-of-the-strike-zone" pitch by Sergio. The pitch to Grisham was definitely not executed well. Still, your ball club looks MUCH MORE consistent than my Crew -- sigh. Anyway - good luck the rest of the way.
 
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mj4cy

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Ugh the one time I have to root for the stupid Yankees, they get destroyed by the tribe.
 
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SCyclone

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So, damn.....the only bad thing about last night was Cleveland's slaughter of the Yanks. Pineda pitched well - he seemed to throw harder as the game went on - and ran out of gas eventually, which was probably to be expected.

Didn't hurt that the Rangers ran the bases like Little Leaguers.

Big Jake tonight, and hopefully the bats stay hot and product lots of bombas.
 

mj4cy

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Looks like we were able to get the win without the bullpen having to pitch. I'll take it. Need to get today's game.


and of course for the third time this season I'm headed to Minneapolis and the Twins are on the road. Boo.
 

BoxsterCy

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Ugh the one time I have to root for the stupid Yankees, they get destroyed by the tribe.

The previous 11 games where Yanks had used Chad Green as an "opener" this season they were 10-1. o_O

Maybe better luck tonight with Tanaka pitching but he gives up a few homers and Indians are bombing right now. Hopefully not see a repeat of a rookie 1st baseman pitching the final two innings. :oops:
 

JM4CY

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When was the last time the twins were neck and neck the last eight weeks of the year? I know one of those 163 game years they closed a big gap late but I don’t know which one. Seems like those years in Joes prime the division was ours from the get go.