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Wow – the combined AL/NL Central division had 7 teams in the 16 team post season mix. That must be a great division so we can take great pride in all our wins, right? Maybe not. Let us look at the division record for the first round. This is for those of you who have decided not to watch any more baseball until spring. The game does go on even if the Twins do not. And if you did see other series you would see something that we missed in the Twins series, besides relief pitching, batting, and f
Yes, the number in the title is not an exaggeration. The true odds of the moment we find ourselves in at the close of the Twins 2020 postseason campaign, brief as it was, comes to one in 69 billion. Somewhere in the galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox fired up the Improbability drive and Minnesota got caught in the wake. Let's do some math, shall we? Setting a baseline Now, there's a very good chance you've seen the number 262,144 floating around Twins Twitter in the last day or two, and that's beca
A lot of you probably won't like this, but I'm ready for a big shakeup this offseason. Being a great regular season team that does absolutely zero in the playoffs doesn't sit well with me. At some point, they have to accept that maybe these guys just don't have what it takes to perform on the biggest stage. I'd make everyone available (offensively) except Donaldson, Arraez, Buxton, the catchers, and maybe Sano. Other than that, I'd make a full blown effort to resign Cruz and usher in the Royce
Well, it looks like yet another post-season let down is in the works. That's the thing. You are either "get busy living or get busy dying". Too bad. They had so much going for them.
Whew! We made it! I know I can’t be the only person who wouldn’t have bet much money a couple of months ago on the chances of MLB even having a Postseason in 2020. It looked pretty bleak when the Marlins and Cardinals started things off with a bunch of postponed games. But here we are. The American League starts their first round on Tuesday and the National League gets going on Wednesday. And, yes, the Minnesota Twins will be participating in this rather strange endeavor, having squeaked t
The non-injury injuries: why the Twins might have trouble against Houston The Minnesota Twins completed the whirlwind COVID season atop their division. They are a different team than the one that won over 100 games last year, and probably much more likely to make an October run, thanks to improved starting pitching. On paper the Twins are a better team than the Houston Astros this year. From starting pitching to bullpen to lineup, Minnesota is just superior.* But one significant issue could
While it did seem like we would struggle to have baseball in 2020 for a period of time, Sunday marked the culmination of the regular season. Major League Baseball overcame outbreaks and adverse conditions to reach its destined conclusion. Now, as a member of the IBWAA, I needed to look back and hand out some votes. Just like the BBWAA, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America votes on all major award categories on a yearly basis. The results will be tabulated and revealed at a late
Welcome to this week’s What I’m Reading. This is a collection of interesting or insightful articles that you might enjoy. The Brilliance of Brad: Facing American League-favorite Oakland in the opening round of the 2002 playoffs, the Twins got off to a horrendous start. Radke issued a one-out walk in the first inning to Scott Hatteberg and Pierzynski’s error on Eric Chavez’s two-out single would ultimately lead to two runs scoring. The Twins got a run back in the top of the second inning
- Kenta has been an Ace so far this year. I'm pretty sure the Nationals had Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin. They went up against Cole, Verlander, and Greinke. We need Berrios and Pineda to be dominant. - Buxton has been the player all the Buck truthers have hoped. He has 10+ defensive runs saved plus 13 homeruns. He is the MVP of the Twins along with Cruz. - Rookers injury hurts this team. He came up and played really well. I Think it is too late to call up Kiriloff which is unfortunate.
All offseason the talk was that the Minnesota Twins needed an ace. Someone that could slot into the rotation at the level of Jose Berrios or higher would fit that bill. There was plenty of consternation when it took moving Brusdar Graterol to land the piece, but Kenta Maeda is here to stay. The Dodgers signed Maeda out of Japan and his first season in the majors came at 28-years-old. Despite being relied upon for over 500 innings while with Los Angeles, Maeda was often shuffled back and forth
I've had a lot on my mind as we head into the 2020 MLB postseason, and have been sharing my thoughts over on my YouTube channel. This short season resulted in the playoffs sneaking up on me, but I found some time to get things off my chest. First up ... ATTN: Pissy Twins Fans
Yes, I'm calling you out!!! This was recorded shortly after the White Sox series, and I was fed up with the way a lot of Twins fans were throwing shade at the White Sox while also dumping on the Twins at the same tim
Nelson Cruz has been everything the Twins could have expected for 2019 and 2020. He's stayed relatively healthy, hit both with power and for average, he's been available to play except for two ten-day stays on the Injured List and he has been a team leader and mentor for all players on his team. Cruz has been far and away the best hitter both last year and this year. Despite all of his contributions, I am not sure my favorite team should bring back Nelson Cruz for the 2021 season. There is a t
I hear the Pint commentators, I see the bloggers and TD writers and the posts saying the 16 game losing streak to the Yankees does not count - there are Twins who were not even born when this began - okay I exaggerate. But some were pretty young. It is a different team, different players - and that is true. I think we have said that in every playoff appearance. Don't tell me that the players don't know about this - heck they might even read this rambling essay. Fans know it, the media knows it
No, the season isn't over, but in terms of winning the division, it almost certainly is after a disheartening series loss in Chicago. The Twins were overwhelming favorites to win the Division, at least. The FO came thru this offseason by signing Donaldson and greatly strengthening the rotation by trading for Maeda and signing Hill and Bailey. Results in an improved rotation are self-evident to the point where this can now be considered the strength of the team. But what happened? Sure the
Welcome to What I'm Reading. This is a collection of interesting or insightful articles I’ve read this past week. Behind Nelson Cruz’s Maniacal Preparation: From his Seattle Mariner days but a reminder of how much work the 40-year-old Cruz puts in to maintain his elite level of play. Nap time can vary, but it’s daily. “If we play at home, I like to do it after BP,” he said. “If we are on the road, I do it before BP.” Post nap will include a dip in the cold tub for about five minutes, fo
The Minnesota Twins begin a four-game set tonight in Chicago, and it’s arguably their most important series of the year. How much importance lies in the amount of weight put on Postseason positioning, however. After sweeping the Cleveland Indians over the weekend Rocco Baldelli’s club has all but put a nail in that proverbial coffin. Terry Francona’s squad has another tilt with the White Sox yet to play and cannibalizing divisional foes shouldn’t help them climb back into the race. That leaves
It is universal that you have to beat everyone to win the World Series. I get that. But is there a playoff seeding that might be more preferable than even one or two seeds higher? That is the question. As it stands (games through September 10, roughly 15 games to go), the AL standings show: Rays A's White Sox Twins Blue Jays Astros Indians Yankees We know some things are pretty certain - the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the AL Central are likely to be the #4 and #7 seeds (best secon
The Twins head to St. Louis for a doubleheader against the Cardinals. St Louis will be hungry after winning a series in Chicago against the Cubs, seeking revenge from earlier in the season against the Twins. It has become evident that the Cardinals are one of the tougher teams coming out of the NL Central. Having home-field advantage against the Twins is critical, Ballpark Village is no joke. The pitching match-ups are interesting, as Carlos Martinez squares off against Jose Berrios, and Danie
Troy's Twins Thoughts - Jake Cave has no business being a regular replacement on this team. He ranks near the bottom in all categories and offers no upside. - Call up Alex Kirilloff already. He isn't getting real at bats in St Paul, let him come up and play ahead of LaMonte Wade Jr. - Brent Rooker is ready and able to replace a guy like Cave in the lineup. He has had better at bats and overall looked better at the plate than Cave and Wade. - Rocco needs to stop resting perfectly healthy players
The Twins host the Tigers in game four of their five game series, Rich Hill faces off against Casey Mize. This is anyone's game as the Twins are sitting Buxton and Donaldson. However, with game five tomorrow and a doubleheader against St. Louis on Tuesday, one would say resting them is warranted. The top five of the Twins lineup is deadly and it is nice to have Arraez back. This game comes down to context; baby blue jersey's, 75 degrees and sunny, and home field advantage. Detroit has lost the
It is the seventh inning stretch of the 60 game season and I thought we might have to alter the baseball anthem just a little bit to make it work; Katie Casey was baseball mad Had the fever and had it bad Just to root for the hometown crew EVERY DAY In the baby blue On a Saturday her young beau Called to see if she'd like to go To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No I'll tell you what you can do:" You can’t take me out to the ball game Or take me out with the crowd; But you can buy me some
Kenta Maeda faces off against 23-year-old Tarik Skubal as the Twins take on the Tigers tonight at 6:10PM. Maeda looks to rekindle his fire after dropping a tough one in Detroit. Maeda had eight strikeouts on three runs in six innings of work, but was outmatched by Casey Mize who gave up two runs in three innings of work. This is a revenge game for Maeda, and Detroit knows it. Twins fans will see a peak performance from Kenta tonight. Kenta is much more mechanically sound than Skubal. Maeda has m
The Twins will pitch Randy Dobnak against Matt Boyd today as the Twins take on the Tigers in game one of their doubleheader. Dobnak enters the season at 6-2 with his last start being an 8-2 loss (against the Tigers), giving up six runs on 12 hits. In Boyd’s last start (against the Twins), he gave up two runs on four hits, in six innings of a seven-inning game.Other than being the home team, I do not like this matchup. First off, Boyd is a lefty and Dobnak is a righty, as an ex-left-handed pitche
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.
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hello Seth......you'll wanna correct the date in headline of today's minor league report. :-) Brad· 0 replies
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.· 1 reply
