Game 159: Marlins at Twins

First pitch: 6:40 p.m. CT

TV: Bally Sports North

Radio: TIBN

Know Your Enemy: Nothing is active on SB Nation, but Fish On First appears to be going strong

This Thursday, you’re used to a Tawny intro – be it an epic rant, a snarky indifference, or a fan fiction about the Pohlads ripping their faces off Scooby-Doo style to reveal their real origins as expelled Soviet oligarchs .

Unfortunately, today I’m either a little less unconventional or a little less cool – probably a combination of both as usual – to provide this level of content. Instead, my current thoughts on the Minnesota Twins can be summed up in one word: confusion.

(By the way – Electric Light Orchestra performs at the Xcel Energy Center on 9/30/24)

A few examples…

• How can this be the same team that won 12 straight games and was 17 games over .500 at various points this summer?
• How can the bats (except last night) have disappeared? so calm and the bullpen collapsed so comprehensive?
• How can the same fans who spontaneously chanted “Let’s go Twins!” pull it off? In the playoffs this time last year, they now hear “Sell the team!” after every loss?
• How can part of me – which loves baseball and will support the Twins until my last breath – want them to delay the seemingly inevitable collapse to the bitter end, while another part of me just wants the misery to be over , because it’s too painful? to see?

Of course, there are a lot of conflicting feelings in Twins Territory right now. But as Rocco Baldelli likes to suggest, “We do this shhh stuff – every day.” So the games go on, regardless of my say.

It’s not a must-win tonight – but it is a must-win if you don’t want to rely on the Twins doing everything well in the final three days of the regular season to get into the playoffs. David Festa wants to secure a series win over the Miami Marlins with this lineup…