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KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

TransMonk Apr 11 2013 11:42 AM

The Mets head to Minnesota this weekend for only second time in history and for their first ever visit to Target Field which opened in 2010. Target Field was ranked by ESPN as the #1 baseball stadium experience in North America in its inaugural year and will be the site for the 2014 All Star Game. The weather is scheduled to be cold with better than average chances for precipitation and possibly even snow. Target Field had only one postponement in 2012 (4/28 vs. KC due to rain and cold temps (41 degrees)). The Twins come home after being swept by the Kansas City Royals. Their record stands at 4-5 which is good for fourth in the AL Central (2GB of first). The Twins finished last in the AL Central in 2012 with just 66 wins. They won the division in 2009 and 2010. The Twins have a 5-7 record all time against the Mets. The Mets took two out of three during their last meeting in 2010. Probable Starters: Friday, April 12, 8:10 ET Jon Niese (LHP) vs. Vance Worley (RHP) 0-1, 5.73 ERA, 11.0 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, 1.818 WHIP Vance Worley should look familiar as he spent 3 years in Philadelphia before coming to Minnesota in the deal that sent Ben Revere to the Phils. Worley has made 7 starts and 2 relief appearances in his career against the Mets. He is 3-3 with a 5.17 ERA in 38.1 IP lifetime vs. New York. Saturday, April 13, 4:10 ET Matt Harvey (RHP) vs. Scott Diamond (LHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.0 IP, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, 0.000 WHIP Diamond is making his first start of 2013 after being delayed due to surgery on his throwing elbow. Diamond was a surprise success for the Twins in 2012 putting up a 12-9 record with a 3.54 ERA after being called up in May for a disappointing team. Diamond is Canadian, went undrafted out of college and started out in the Braves organization. His fastball rarely tops ninety and he has a cutter, changeup and a decent curve. Sunday, April 14th, 2:10 ET Dillon Gee (RHP) vs. Kevin Correia (RHP) 0-1, 3.14 ERA, 14.1 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 3 K, 1.186 WHIP Kevin Correia has bounced around between a few NL teams (SF, SD, PIT) before landing in Minnesota as a free agent this past offseason. Correia was an All-Star for Pittsburgh in 2011 but has a career ERA of 4.52. He is 2-5 lifetime against the Mets with a 4.01 ERA in 13 appearances and 7 starts. Kevin lost his brother to a hiking accident in 2010. Probable Lineup: CF: Aaron Hicks - S .057/.108/.057/.165, 1 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB Hicks was the Twins’ first round pick in 2008 and is in his rookie season. He has plus speed to go extra-bases and Minnesota is hoping he locks down the lead-off spot for years to come. He is currently in manager’s Ron Gardenhire’s doghouse after not running out a fly ball that was dropped in KC. C: Joe Mauer - L .275/.310/.400/.710, 5 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB Joe Mauer is a former MVP and 2012 All Star who led the league in OBP last season. The Mets have held him in check in the 9 games in which they have faced him. He is hitting just .226 with no homers lifetime against New York. He and Ryan Doumit spell each other at catcher so expect to see Mauer DHing when not behind the plate. LF: Josh Willingham - R .241/.450/.517/.967, 4 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB Willingham has spent time with the Marlins and Nationals, so the Mets have seen him before. He hit 35 HRs and had 110 RBI in 2012 for the Twins and already has two long balls this season. Willingham has a career .942 OPS against the Mets in 241 AB. 1B: Justin Morneau - L .265/.342/.324/.666, 4 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB The Twins other former AL MVP, Morneau has battled injury and faded a bit in the past couple of years, but he is still dangerous. He has played major parts in two of the Twins victories this season with a key 11-pitch AB walk against the Tigers on 4/3 and with the game winning single against the O’s on 4/6. DH: Ryan Doumit - S .167/.211/.250/.461, 3 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB These tricky AL teams and their interchangeable catchers and designated hitters… Doumit was a longtime Pirate before signing with the Twins as a free agent last season. 2012 saw Doumit achieve career bests in HRs (18) and RBI (75). Doumit has been held to a .194 BA lifetime vs. the Mets in 75 plate appearances. 3B: Trevor Plouffe - R .241/.361/.483/.844, 5 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB Plouffe is the Twins 2004 first round pick. He can play several different positions defensively and is currently manning third for Minnesota. While only batting .235, he did smack 24 HRs in just 422 AB last season. RF: Chris Parmelee - L .296/.394/.407/.801, 3 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB Parmelee is the third first rounder the Twins have starting on offense this season (Pick #20 in 2006). Chris came on strong when called up in September of 2011 hitting .355 in limited duty, but he hit just .229 in 210 PA in 2012. He is getting a chance to rebound this season by being the primary rightfielder. 2B: Brian Dozier - R .167/.222/.250/.472, 2 R, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB Dozier has struggled in his short MLB career and he has drawn fan ire during that time. He is currently being relied on for his defense until he finds his bat. SS: Pedro Florimon - S .333/.500/.400/.900, 2 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB Florimon spent six years in the Orioles organization, but only got 4 games with the big club. He finally made a start at short in Baltimore last week…but it was as the shortstop for the Twins. The Twins are hoping that Pedro’s but becomes adequate for a shortstop. In the young 2013 season he has 5 hits and 4 walks in 20 AB. Bench: IF: Eduardo Escobar - S .545/.545/.909/1.455, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB IF: Jamey Carroll - R .143/.250/.143/.393, 2 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB OF: Wilkin Ramirez - R .333/.333/.500/.833, 1 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB OF: Darin Mastroianni - R .250/.400/.250/.650, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB Bullpen: The Twins bullpen has a 2.73 ERA which is third best in the American League as of Thursday and their 3 relief wins lead all of baseball. Glen Perkins - L: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 HR, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.000 WHIP (Closer) Josh Roenicke - R: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 1 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.167 WHIP Casey Fien - R: 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 0 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, 1.750 WHIP Jared Burton - R: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 0.900 WHIP Brian Duensing - L: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.000 WHIP Anthony Swarzak - R: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 0 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, 1.125 WHIP Ryan Pressly - R: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 3 K, 1.250 WHIP Tyler Robertson - L: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.000 WHIP Ex-Twin Mets: LaTroy Hawkins Johan Santana (DL) Tim Teufel (coach) Ex-Met Twins: Mike Pelfrey Ron Gardenire (manager) Rick Anderson (pitching coach) I’m interested to see if they get all three games in this weekend…and if they don’t how they will reschedule…September 5th maybe?

Fman99 Apr 11 2013 12:20 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Good knowledge. I have not heard of many of these guys, and I think on some level I knew Willingham wasn't in DC anymore, I didn't realize where he had gone off to.

MFS62 Apr 11 2013 01:09 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Good job. Memo to Mets pitchers - Don't let Willingham beat you and take chances with the rest. You are as much of a mystery to them as they are to you. Later

Benjamin Grimm Apr 11 2013 01:16 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Scheduled to Play Twins, Mets Face Snow Instead By Pat Borzi MINNEAPOLIS -- Don’t get the Minnesota Twins’ president, Dave St. Peter, started on the decision to build an open-air stadium in a city known for its brutal winters and fickle springs. The Twins have benefited from favorable April weather in their first three seasons at Target Field, but St. Peter figured they would eventually have a problem. They do. A spring snowstorm was expected to dump five to eight inches of heavy, wet snow on the Twin Cities by the time it let up Thursday, jeopardizing Friday night’s game with the Mets, the first in a three-game series. St. Peter said Thursday morning that crews were already clearing snow, and he remained hopeful the game would go on. "Right now, we fully expect to play," St. Peter said. "The reality is, the New York Mets make one trip to Minnesota. There is tremendous pressure on all of us to try to get the game in." The Mets flew in from Philadelphia after Wednesday night’s game and are in town, a club spokesman said. The decision to play will be made Friday morning, St. Peter said. The Friday night forecast is not promising -- a low of 30 degrees with a 20 percent chance of snow, according to Minnesota Public Radio. While St. Peter said the Twins were considering "Plan B’s, C’s and D’s" in case the field was unplayable, those options did not include shifting the series to the Metrodome or to Miller Park in Milwaukee, which has a retractable roof. (The Brewers are in St. Louis this weekend.) The Twins vowed never to play again at the Metrodome, where they were considered secondary tenants to the Vikings of the N.F.L. "Our employees, our fans, our sponsors, nobody wants to go there," St. Peter said. In 2007, snow postponed a four-game series between the Indians and the Seattle Mariners at what was then called Jacobs Field, and forced Cleveland to shift a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels to Miller Park in Milwaukee. St. Peter said an underground heating system, which Jacobs Field did not have, gave the Twins a better shot at playing Friday. The teams could play a doubleheader Saturday. St. Peter said he was more worried about Sunday, when rain is expected to start around game time, at 2:10 p.m. Eastern. "Mother Nature has been kind to us the last three years," he said. "She will be kind to us again." From here, the Mets go to Colorado, where three weeks ago the United States and Costa Rica played a World Cup soccer qualifier in a snowstorm in a northern Denver suburb. The Denver forecast for the Mets series is not as stark as the one in Minneapolis, but it is not exactly balmy, either. The National Weather Service predicts highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s for Denver on Monday and Tuesday, with a chance of rain or snow showers each day. Play ball. This is so strange to think about. It was 86 degrees yesterday in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Zvon Apr 11 2013 01:19 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Good job, thank you.

metirish Apr 11 2013 01:20 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Yeah it's crazy weather....saw a report the other night on the News, while it was 80's in the north east the mid west was getting snowed in...it showed Kansas, the north west of that state was 17 F while over in Topeka on the other side of the state it was high 70's.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 11 2013 01:25 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

TransMonk wrote: Target Field was ranked by ESPN as the #1 baseball stadium experience in North America in its inaugural year and will be the site for the 2014 All Star Game. How does the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Target Field compare to ours?

Fman99 Apr 11 2013 01:30 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

batmagadanleadoff wrote: TransMonk wrote: Target Field was ranked by ESPN as the #1 baseball stadium experience in North America in its inaugural year and will be the site for the 2014 All Star Game. How does the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Target Field compare to ours?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 11 2013 01:35 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Holy hell, that's comprehensive. (And the pictures are HIGHLY helpful.)

themetfairy Apr 11 2013 02:03 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Great work - Thanks TM!

seawolf17 Apr 11 2013 02:31 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Diamond is a SUNY Binghamton grad, so he EXTRA sucks.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 11 2013 02:35 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

So who DHs for the Mets? My pick: Duda.

Edgy MD Apr 11 2013 02:42 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

All three games.

Swan Swan H Apr 11 2013 02:47 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Buck DHs against the lefty. Duda gets the other two.

Frayed Knot Apr 11 2013 02:49 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Benjamin Grimm wrote: So who DHs for the Mets? My pick: Duda. Probably. Otherwise this series could produce a real stand-off in bad-gloved LFers; Willingham is at least as big a defensive menace out there as (not so cool hands) Lucas.

Chad Ochoseis Apr 11 2013 03:06 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Don’t get the Minnesota Twins’ president, Dave St. Peter, started on the decision to build an open-air stadium in a city known for its brutal winters and fickle springs. The Twins have benefited from favorable April weather in their first three seasons at Target Field, but St. Peter figured they would eventually have a problem. I said hey, hey, hey, St. Peter I've got a tale to tell I just flew in from New York town And it's snowing like hell And it's snowing like...hell

Swan Swan H Apr 11 2013 03:09 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Frayed Knot wrote: So who DHs for the Mets? My pick: Duda. Probably. Otherwise this series could produce a real stand-off in bad-gloved LFers; Willingham is at least as big a defensive menace out there as (not so cool hands) Lucas. With this weather they may be out there in mittens.

Frayed Knot Apr 11 2013 03:22 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Swan Swan H wrote: So who DHs for the Mets? My pick: Duda. Probably. Otherwise this series could produce a real stand-off in bad-gloved LFers; Willingham is at least as big a defensive menace out there as (not so cool hands) Lucas. With this weather they may be out there in mittens. I've seen them both field and I thought they both already were. Nice 'Flash and the Pan' reference.

G-Fafif Apr 11 2013 06:21 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

You've given me more than twice as much information as I had previously on the Twins, so you went above and beyond!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 11 2013 06:32 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Is that a tallis on Diamond?

seawolf17 Apr 11 2013 08:20 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Disappointed we're not getting Pelf.

MFS62 Apr 12 2013 07:00 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Is that a tallis on Diamond? Sure looks like one. About who should DH: Buck against lefties - he gets a rest. Duda against righties - we get a rest. Later

The Second Spitter Apr 12 2013 07:02 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

metirish wrote: Yeah it's crazy weather....saw a report the other night on the News, while it was 80's in the north east the mid west was getting snowed in...it showed Kansas, the north west of that state was 17 F while over in Topeka on the other side of the state it was high 70's. Weather's funky here as well , but in a positive way. I took this photo this afternoon. Note the water temperature, in particular. For mid-autumn, that's unbelievable . I went for a swim at lunch -- it was so good, i literally couldn't get out the water. Phoned work and said I was sick. Btw, in case any of you google "tamarama beach" and it comes up as a gay beach, it hasn't been a gay beach since the mid-80's..... nttawwt

Benjamin Grimm Apr 12 2013 07:09 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

We'll have to take your word for it that 22-degree water is warm, because it sounds like it should be frozen solid.

TransMonk Apr 12 2013 07:35 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Is that a tallis on Diamond? I believe that is a pic of him graduating from Engineering School at Binghamton University. http://www2.binghamton.edu/watson/featu ... amond.html

Benjamin Grimm Apr 12 2013 07:54 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

The decision to play will be made Friday morning, St. Peter said. I just checked, and don't see any sign of an announcement. The Twins website is still selling tickets for tonight's game. I'm not sure if that means they've decided to play, or simply haven't yet decided to cancel.

metirish Apr 12 2013 07:58 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

I think St. Peter will meet the fans at the gate tonight , should be interesting.

The Second Spitter Apr 12 2013 08:12 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Benjamin Grimm wrote: We'll have to take your word for it that 22-degree water is warm, because it sounds like it should be frozen solid. Over 70. Air temp was easily over 75 today, and hotter tomorrow. I've been to the beach 5 times this April without a wetsuit.

TransMonk Apr 12 2013 08:17 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

More KTE info: Grading the 2013 Twins' walk-up songs (Complete with YouTubes) Aaron Hicks, CF: “California Love” by 2Pac Joe Mauer, C: “What You Know” by T.I. Josh Willingham, LF: “Your Love” by the Outfield Justin Morneau, 1B: "Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by AC/DC Ryan Doumit, DH: “Mother” by Danzig Trevor Plouffe, 3B: “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin Chris Parmelee, RF: “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Brian Dozier, 2B: “Small Town USA” by Justin Moore Pedro Florimon, SS: “Feo De Dia & Lindo de Noche” by El Batallon

Edgy MD Apr 12 2013 08:23 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

What's general strategy would you go for? You want to get at least two games in, but that might end up being done by playing the most miserable of doubleheaders in front of 440 fans. There's a mutual day off on May 2. The Mets can fly there between Miami and Atlanta. The Twins would have to come home, but they'd be nearby, in between two road series in Detroit and Cleveland. That could... absoultely not work at all. Hey, did the Mets fly into Minnesota dressed as Lutherans? Peanuts characters? Replacements? Gophers?

TransMonk Apr 12 2013 08:33 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Edgy MD wrote: Hey, did the Mets fly into Minnesota dressed as Lutherans? Peanuts characters? Replacements? Gophers? I was hoping for the different personas of Bob Dylan.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 12 2013 08:34 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Justin Turner probably looked like a viking.

Lefty Specialist Apr 12 2013 09:08 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Two pages and still no mention of lutefisk?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 12 2013 09:18 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

TransMonk wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Hey, did the Mets fly into Minnesota dressed as Lutherans? Peanuts characters? Replacements? Gophers? I was hoping for the different personas of Bob Dylan. Or Prince/O(->/"Love Symbol"/TAFKAP.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 12 2013 02:29 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Game on. The Twins will be giving free coffee and hot chocolate to the fans. I'm not sure why the Twins have such a staunch opposition to playing in the Metrodome, but I think if I was a ticketholder, I'd prefer, under such extraordinary circumstances, to return to the old place for a couple of games rather than face potential hypothermia. But maybe that's just me. Hey! Free hot chocolate! Does that offer apply to those of us who watch from home?

Edgy MD Apr 12 2013 02:31 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Probably prohibitively expensive to keep it in baseball shape for one-three appearances per year.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 12 2013 02:35 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

That may very well be. The New York Times article quoted on the first page of this thread makes it sound more like an emotional decision than a financial one: The Twins vowed never to play again at the Metrodome, where they were considered secondary tenants to the Vikings of the N.F.L. But you're right; they'd have to build a mound, restore the infield cutouts, put up two foul poles and who knows what else, and on pretty short notice. It's probably impractical for many reasons.

Edgy MD Apr 12 2013 09:23 PM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Los Gemelos share the Mets' love of sea-green seatery.

The Second Spitter Apr 13 2013 04:03 AM Re: KTE - Minnesota Twins 4/12 - 4/14

Twins LBSs Btw, outstanding KTE, Easy-M.