OMG: THE SKY IS FALLING

[dxpavelka]

OMG:  THE SKY IS FALLING.  A team that was 16 games under .500 last year is 6 games over .500 this year and only 3-3  since recess.  Of course, two of those six games have been against an NL Division leader and two more were against the squad that would be the 2nd NL Wildcard if the season ended today.  The reason we're still AHEAD of the Guardians & Chisox is because we've played better baseball.  No reason to believe that won't continue to be the case.  Take a breath boys and girls.  Enjoy the summer.  This is supposed to be fun and entertaining. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Agreed, they’re 5th in the AL in runs scored, 6th in runs allowed and on track for 86 wins.

with some pitching reinforcements they could make waves in the post season.

Without pitching reinforcements this is still a good team and should still be competitive for winning the division. It’s a fun team to watch and I like how this team feels more “team-ish” to me.

 

that being said, everyone can be a fan in their own way, and we should all be critical thinkers.

[ashbury]

ZOMG!!!!1!  EVERYTHING IS RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS!!!!1! A team that won 101 games three years ago and was on nearly that pace in the pandemic-shortened season is now a wee bit above .500 and the recent trend is more like last season's .451 winning percentage.  Everybody!  Come out to the ballpark and enjoy the thrill of watching a parade of five "who he?" bullpen specialists walk the tightrope (or is it gangplank) inning after inning, as the offense takes the remainder of the game off for a well deserved snooze during those late stages.  Help root the team on to a division crown, last chance before the franchise is run fully into the ground, because second place in the ALC this year isn't worth the proverbial container of warm spit in the wild-card race.

I don't fully believe my own take, there.  Anymore than I think you should believe yours.

[LVTwinsfan]

I’m for all for positive thinking and rooting for your team. But this pitching staff will not take this team to the post season….3rd place is my prediction, unless Detroit gets hot. 
 

[Number3]

Third is fine, I hate second place. They have been walking a tight rope for a while now and once again need to win tonight and 4 of the next 6 at home before heading to the Ravine. Guess who they end the season with in October (yes they will play October baseball.). The ChiSox in a series that could mean playoffs or no playoffs. Right now it seems to be a slow agonizing demise.

[LVTwinsfan]

20 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

OMG:  THE SKY IS FALLING.  A team that was 16 games under .500 last year is 6 games over .500 this year and only 3-3  since recess.  Of course, two of those six games have been against an NL Division leader and two more were against the squad that would be the 2nd NL Wildcard if the season ended today.  The reason we're still AHEAD of the Guardians & Chisox is because we've played better baseball.  No reason to believe that won't continue to be the case.  Take a breath boys and girls.  Enjoy the summer.  This is supposed to be fun and entertaining. 

I guess since the Twins have a one game lead on the division, technically we have played better. Even though the last time the White Sox were in town they won 3 of 4, and Cleveland won the last 5 of 8 from the Twins and Cleveland leads in the season series. The Twins have had a losing record for over a month, and they have done nothing to show they can turn that around.  

[LVTwinsfan]

3 minutes ago, Number3 said:

Third is fine, I hate second place. They have been walking a tight rope for a while now and once again need to win tonight and 4 of the next 6 at home before heading to the Ravine. Guess who they end the season with in October (yes they will play October baseball.). The ChiSox in a series that could mean playoffs or no playoffs. Right now it seems to be a slow agonizing demise.

If they don’t make improvements to their bullpen, and maybe allow starters with 79 pitches thrown to pitch into the 6th so the bullpen can get a break, that last series against at the Sox will be meaningless for the Twins

[insagt1]

They were one ahead on July 1 and they are one ahead on Aug 1. but they are certainly on fumes. Not playing good baseball. But they shouldn't throw in the towel. The team is fixable. And you have to think that most of the slumping hitters can't all slump together for two more months can they?  But the numbers are pretty ugly right now.

[nicksaviking]

The Twins could certainly still win this division, but I think that's because Chicago and Cleveland are just as likely to continue their inconsistent ways.

I think the injuries, particularly to the pitching staff, will make it beyond unlikely that the team can make waves in the playoffs. But no, I'm not of the mind that the Twins are rearing these pitchers incorrectly with innings limits and increased velocity; the batters have had more injuries than the pitchers and they obviously aren't impacted by those things. I think they've just been vexed by the wrong witch this summer.

That said, I'm not doom and gloom; I expected growing pains from this young team and overall they're doing much better than I was expecting this spring. My hope and expectations going forward down the stretch are that this team adapts to the diminished roster and they play better with who they have. It would be nice if the Wallners and Steers got some playing time instead of guys like Beckham as I'd like to see them get some reps this season too.

Not that I'm against adding to the roster. It's just seeming more unlikely since half the trade chips have found themselves on the IL the last couple of weeks.

[big dog]

50 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

The Twins could certainly still win this division, but I think that's because Chicago and Cleveland are just as likely to continue their inconsistent ways.

I think the injuries, particularly to the pitching staff, will make it beyond unlikely that the team can make waves in the playoffs. But no, I'm not of the mind that the Twins are rearing these pitchers incorrectly with innings limits and increased velocity; the batters have had more injuries than the pitchers and they obviously aren't impacted by those things. I think they've just been vexed by the wrong witch this summer.

That said, I'm not doom and gloom; I expected growing pains from this young team and overall they're doing much better than I expected this spring. My hope and expectations going forward down the stretch is that this team adapts to the diminished roster and they play better with who they have. It would be nice if the Wallner's and Steers got some playing time instead of guys like Beckham as it would be nice to get them some reps this season toon.

Not that I'm against adding to the roster. It's just seeming more unlikely since half the trade chips have found themselves on the IL the last couple of weeks.

Completely agree. I still hope they win, both each game and the division, and they might stay ahead of the other stumbling franchises in this division. And the future still looks pretty good, potentially very good, depending on whether Kiriloff/Larnach/Ober/Lewis/and-many-others end up with resolved vs. chronic injuries. But we don't have the chips needed to make a major trade, so we have to hope for health and some good fortune.

Did anyone else read the "Teams that have to make trades" column today (mlb.com, I think). The top four or five teams have all sorts of studs, according to the authors and outside rankings. Then they listed the main Twins assets as Steer and Wallner. Nice players for their levels. Maybe solid major leaguers, someday. What kind of game-changer would we get for two months in exchange for them? So I'm not going to light the front office on fire if we don't end up with Montas or Robertson. I'm just going to have to live for the moment and hope for the future.

[Rosterman]

It will be a tough August. If other teams improve and the Twins don't, watch out!

[LA Vikes Fan]

Well said. I'm cautiously optimistic that the Twins can stay in the Division race through the end of the season and I think they have a 50/50 chance of winning the division. That number is subject to adjustment Wednesday depending on the results at the Deadline - I'm assuming they get at least some pitching help. This beats the crap out of last year.  That's the comparison - 2019 is ancient history with a different roster, different ball, and different necessary type of play. Nelson Cruz carried us in 2019 with help from principally Miguel Sano, among others. Last I looked Nelson Cruz couldn't carry his own jock (Father time remains undefeated) and Sano is out. Take that 2019 roster and we finish 4th.  

Hey guys, the Twins are playing meaningful games in August and it looks like we'll be playing meaning games in September. Let's enjoy the ride while we can, before the Vikings tease again before they collapse and crush all of our souls.

[dxpavelka]

12 hours ago, LVTwinsfan said:

I guess since the Twins have a one game lead on the division, technically we have played better. Even though the last time the White Sox were in town they won 3 of 4, and Cleveland won the last 5 of 8 from the Twins and Cleveland leads in the season series. The Twins have had a losing record for over a month, and they have done nothing to show they can turn that around.  

First place is first place. OMG at team had a losing record for a month. 

[LVTwinsfan]

4 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

First place is first place. OMG at team had a losing record for a month. 

Actually it’s closer to two months

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, LVTwinsfan said:

Actually it’s closer to two months

It's over 2 months. They peaked at 11 games over .500 (27-16) on May 24th. 

[dxpavelka]

2 hours ago, LVTwinsfan said:

Actually it’s closer to two months

just quoting you

[LVTwinsfan]

6 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

just quoting you

That’s fine but I wanted to be more accurate so I looked it up, 24 and 29 since May 30. That’s counting last nights win., which was awesome, but few and far between lately.

[weitz41]

The sky has been placed on the IL ...If by some miracle it makes it back before the end of the season it may fall then.. 

[dxpavelka]

47 minutes ago, LVTwinsfan said:

That’s fine but I wanted to be more accurate so I looked it up, 24 and 29 since May 30. That’s counting last nights win., which was awesome, but few and far between lately.

I guess it's a good thing that the season goes from March 30 to September 30 rather than May 30 to July 30.

[LVTwinsfan]

2 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

I guess it's a good thing that the season goes from March 30 to September 30 rather than May 30 to July 30.

Sure, but I’m just disputing your claim that the Twins have played better than Chicago and Cleveland. They have not since the end of May, which is about half their season to this point, they can get it back but not without some help, especially in the bullpen. I don’t see many fans jumping on your bandwagon. The Twins have not been good since May. Continuing to play as they have been will land them in third place, they need to get better, that’s the reality. 

[dxpavelka]

11 hours ago, LVTwinsfan said:

Sure, but I’m just disputing your claim that the Twins have played better than Chicago and Cleveland. They have not since the end of May, which is about half their season to this point, they can get it back but not without some help, especially in the bullpen. I don’t see many fans jumping on your bandwagon. The Twins have not been good since May. Continuing to play as they have been will land them in third place, they need to get better, that’s the reality. 

You can slice it any way you want.  As long as the standings say they're in first place, they're in first place.  Full season standings are not based on any period of the season other than the entire season. 

 

[LVTwinsfan]

39 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

You can slice it any way you want.  As long as the standings say they're in first place, they're in first place.  Full season standings are not based on any period of the season other than the entire season. 

 

They made some moves today that should make them better, I hope it works out. 

[dxpavelka]

3 minutes ago, LVTwinsfan said:

They made some moves today that should make them better, I hope it works out. 

Hope is not a strategy which is probably why they made 4 trades today.