Game 6: Twins @ Phillies

Time: 6:05 Central. Vegas Line: -155 PHI / MIN +145

Weather: First Pitch 48°, 90% Chance Of Rain/Showers

Opponent’s SB Site: The Good Phight

TV: FSN. Radio: Dan & Cory with the brotherly love

Today’s Philadelphia starter is the 26-year-old righthander Nick Pivetta. In his first two seasons, he had a strikeout rate of 9.9 K/9. That’s good! He also had an ERA of 5.33. That’s bad. Fangraphs (which has brief player profiles on their pages now, super cool!) compared him to Ricky Nolasco, someone with talent who makes too many “whoops” pitches. Pivetta is both strikeout-and-HR-prone against RHB; facing LHB, he’s more normal. Throws a lot of breaking stuff.

(Note no Buxton, who banged into a wall on Tuesday.)

— It’s Bryce Harper time! The kind of player one seems to either enjoy or loathe. Bleacher Report published a “both sides” article this week, featuring an old quote where Harper said “I’ve never been to the principal’s office.” Like or dislike his style of play, I definitely have nothing in common with somebody who’s never been to the principal’s office.

— F that. Pat friggin’ Neshek is on the Phillies! If you don’t remember who Pat Neshek is, you are either NOT A TWINS FAN or you’re about three years old. (In which case, I’m seriously impressed you’re reading this.) Neshek is a sidearmer who’s been in baseball forever, and gave the Twins some dazzling moments. He attended high school in Brooklyn Park, so he’s “one of us.” In college, he once got hit in the face by a baseball and posted video of it on YouTube himself.

— Willians Astudillo isn’t in the starting lineup, although he’s definitely a top double-switch candidate (I’m looking at you, Jake Cave). Travis Sawchick wrote a fun article about La Tortuga. Astudillo’s grandfather used to have him hit corn kernels with a broomstick. Are you surprised?

— TC Bear turned 19 this week, good for it, but the Phillie Phanatic arrived in 1978, and has still only had two performers. Here’s a cute 15-minute video on the background. Short story? Jim Henson’s people created it, the Phillies wouldn’t pay extra for licensing at first, so Henson’s people made a LOT OF MONEY....