Game Thread Twins vs Dodgers 12:10pm 4/10/2024ad

[wsnydes]

Edited April 10, 2024 by wsnydes
Added Dodgers lineup.

[wsnydes]

I think it's about time they get off the schneid, no?

[CRF]

Gotta find a way to win this one...there's a tough road trip coming up. 

[$tryf4Life]

15 minutes ago, CRF said:

Gotta find a way to win this one...there's a tough road trip coming up. 

If the twins keeping playing as the “team” we have been watching there isn’t a single series coming up that looks easy. Twins needs to decide to start the season soon.  

[wsnydes]

Dodgers lineup added to OP.

[Riverbrian]

Wallner has been struggling pretty hard so it's understandable but yet still big news that he is out of the lineup against a Right Handed Pitcher especially with a left hander scheduled to start for the Tigers tomorrow. So... This means Wallner is going to get two days in a row out of the starting lineup. 

Castro has also been struggling at the plate and he is also out today. So, Martin starts for a 2nd straight day against a right hander while Margot and Farmer break out of the short side platoon. Temporary or permanent for Margot, Farmer and Martin? We shall see.   

Rocco is trying to move some things around to try and get a jump start from someone. It'll be interesting to find out which player ends up with the lions share of Kepler AB's and interesting to see if Castro is going to be replaced for the lions share of Lewis AB's.  

 

[Hubie29]

Got our "A" lineup in there today!

[stringer bell]

Losing the platoon advantage by benching struggling players makes sense to me. 
 

The combined OPS for the 7-8-9 hitters is just over .900, so an average of .300 for each veteran at the bottom of the order. 

[stringer bell]

17 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Wallner has been struggling pretty hard so it's understandable but yet still big news that he is out of the lineup against a Right Handed Pitcher especially with a left hander scheduled to start for the Tigers tomorrow. So... This means Wallner is going to get two days in a row out of the starting lineup. 

Castro has also been struggling at the plate and he is also out today. So, Martin starts for a 2nd straight day against a right hander while Margot and Farmer break out of the short side platoon. Temporary or permanent for Margot, Farmer and Martin? We shall see.   

Rocco is trying to move some things around to try and get a jump start from someone. It'll be interesting to find out which player ends up with the lions share of Kepler AB's and interesting to see if Castro is going to be replaced for the lions share of Lewis AB's.  

 

This is the second time Wallner has sat when a righty started the game, both times Buxton has been the DH. 

[Azviking101]

Must be a split squad spring training lineup, eh?

wait, spring training is over? Oof 

[USAFChief]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

Losing the platoon advantage by benching struggling players makes sense to me.

 

Makes zero sense to me. Rocco can't wait to PH when a LH reliever enters, but now he's going to let 1 week of results remove his best LH hitters from the lineup?

When did he stop believing in the platoon advantage?

Pretty substandard manager.

[MMMordabito]

Lose this one quick and head to Detroit to play in their league.

[Riverbrian]

7 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

This is the second time Wallner has sat when a righty started the game, both times Buxton has been the DH. 

Which is interesting in itself because Buxton as the DH is one less OF to work with. Wallner sitting during those games is two OF down. 

[Mike Sixel]

I have no interest in Margot in over Wallner. Zero. I remain convinced Santana was an error, which they won't admit fast enough. Not thrilled about a lot of decisions right now.

[wsnydes]

34 minutes ago, MMMordabito said:

Lose this one quick and head to Detroit to play in their league.

Why not win it quick and head to Detroit?

[Hrbowski]

20 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I have no interest in Margot in over Wallner. Zero. I remain convinced Santana was an error, which they won't admit fast enough. Not thrilled about a lot of decisions right now.

Wallner looks completely lost at the plate, no matter who he faces. Hard to argue starting him over anyone else on the roster at this point. Margot provides better defense as well, which is especially important with Buxton DH'ing.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

Wallner has been struggling pretty hard so it's understandable but yet still big news that he is out of the lineup against a Right Handed Pitcher especially with a left hander scheduled to start for the Tigers tomorrow...

Castro has also been struggling at the plate and he is also out today. So, Martin starts for a 2nd straight day against a right hander while Margot and Farmer break out of the short side platoon. Temporary or permanent for Margot, Farmer and Martin? We shall see. 

Not sure whether Dodgers starter Bobby Miller's one-year career with 500-some batters faced in the majors is enough of a sample to be truly predictive, but so far, he does have a reverse platoon split:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=millebo06&year=Career&t=p

It looks like he walks more lefties than righties and may have had some BABIP luck with lefties, but overall is an easier assignment for right-handed hitters. 

[stringer bell]

55 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Makes zero sense to me. Rocco can't wait to PH when a LH reliever enters, but now he's going to let 1 week of results remove his best LH hitters from the lineup?

When did he stop believing in the platoon advantage?

Pretty substandard manager.

I think there’s an idea that RH bats are less affected by platoon splits, probably because there are so many more RH pitchers. 

[stringer bell]

53 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Which is interesting in itself because Buxton as the DH is one less OF to work with. Wallner sitting during those games is two OF down. 

Well, Kirilloff has been good and with Buxton at DH, he has to bring a glove. Rocco could sit Santana and play AK at first or else put AK in an outfield corner. He’s chosen Santana over Wallner twice when BB has DHed. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Today's the day!

Twins win. 6-4.

[RpR]

Right now, MLB is showing a video of all 14 Minn. strike outs; some are on the corner or a whiff but too many are down the middle of the pipe.

[Riverbrian]

41 minutes ago, whosafraidofluigirussolo said:

Not sure whether Dodgers starter Bobby Miller's one-year career with 500-some batters faced in the majors is enough of a sample to be truly predictive, but so far, he does have a reverse platoon split:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=millebo06&year=Career&t=p

It looks like he walks more lefties than righties and may have had some BABIP luck with lefties, but overall is an easier assignment for right-handed hitters. 

Paxton had a pretty large reverse split and Rocco loaded up with Right Handers 1 through 9. 

[IaBeanCounter]

Julien had better find his bat, or Martin may be getting some starts at 2nd.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

16 minutes ago, RpR said:

Right now, MLB is showing a video of all 14 Minn. strike outs; some are one the corner or a whiff but too many are down the middle of the pipe.

No confidence and overthinking things. This is where a hitting coach would come in handy...

[Cap'n Piranha]

59 minutes ago, Hrbowski said:

Wallner looks completely lost at the plate, no matter who he faces. Hard to argue starting him over anyone else on the roster at this point. Margot provides better defense as well, which is especially important with Buxton DH'ing.

If the thought really is that Wallner is too much of a mess to be playable, then he should be sent to the east of the Mississippi and give Martin all his PAs.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

In 2019, the Dodgers named Popkins as a hitting coach for the Arizona Dodgers of the Arizona League.^[3] In 2021, he coached for the Great Lakes Loons.^[4]

After the 2021 season, the Minnesota Twins hired Popkins to be their hitting coach.^[2][5]

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Seems like a quantum leap to go from the Arizona League and the 'Great Lakes Loons' to an MLB hitting instructor. Really wish the Twins would just cut the cord. It didn't work in 2022 and 2023. It's getting worse in 2024.

[Mortimerkenny21]

33 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Today's the day!

Twins win. 6-4.

We're due!

[Cap'n Piranha]

11 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Seems like a quantum leap to go from the Arizona League and the 'Great Lakes Loons' to an MLB hitting instructor. Really wish the Twins would just cut the cord. It didn't work in 2022 and 2023. It's getting worse in 2024.

Yeah, I thought this in 2022.  I have no problem with the thought process of swiping someone from the Dodgers org, I just didn't understand why the guy they targeted was about 8th on the org chart.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

1 minute ago, Cap'n Piranha said:

Yeah, I thought this in 2022.  I have no problem with the thought process of swiping someone from the Dodgers org, I just didn't understand why the guy they targeted was about 8th on the org chart.

Yup. And in 2021, the Loons were a below average team offensively. Never quite understood the appeal.