Forum Friday: Stormy Weather

[Otto von Ballpark]

It never rains in sunny California, but the Twins' fall from first has left the TD forums wondering, are (Sonny) Gray skies going to clear up?

Community members face the choice of putting on a happy face, or the gloomy mask of tragedy. Either way, almost two months of regular season baseball remains to be played in a close division race, so it's hardly "Bye Bye, Birdie" for baseball talk.

@killebrewlover serenades us with that old meteorologist's torch song, This season's forecast. Darkening clouds. Stormy weather ahead. "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky, stormy weather / Since my team and first place ain't together, keeps raining all of the time..."

@strumdatjag observes the quiet end of a Twins career in Crickets for Sano. Or perhaps, like Mulan, these are good-luck crickets, and Miguel can return for the Twins postseason run he's been destined to lead since 2009? The Twins have previously benefitted from piranhas and goats -- could an insect be next?

Not all is negative: @PseudoSABR shares a FanGraphs article that suggests we received excellent value for What the Twins gave up in terms of prospects at the deadline. Mahle, Fulmer, López, and even Sandy León have already contributed to Twins victories. In fact, León's nickname is apparently "Noah" -- could he help the Twins survive this storm?

@bwillly suggests a potential new role for an under-the-radar Twins contributor: Could Smeltzer be a long reliever? Devin is still starting for St. Paul, but it's only a matter of time before the Twins need his innings again, either in the rotation or the bullpen.

In the minor league forum, @ScottyB kicked off a discussion of This Winter’s Rule 5 Draft. Which players on the farm have earned a 40-man spot after the season? Could any of them help even sooner, as major league reinforcements for the Twins stretch drive?

Lastly, when I find myself in times of Twins trouble, the Other Baseball forum can be a source of levity; but alas, not today. @Steve71 looks around the league and concludes that MLB is Broken. But other than that, how was the pennant race, Mrs. Lincoln?

Whether you're feeling cross and bitterish, or thinking of banana split and licorice, share it in the forums!

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