Final: Yankees 9, Twins 5: Paddack Done in Early for Minnesota

[JD-TWINS]

22 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

For those who want an electronic strike zone I believe that it is years away due to comments from Manfred and likely the influence of the umpires. 

There really isn't any reason that baseball cannot have the ABS challenge system put into place. The lame arguments of how to cue the strike zone have not shown in AAA. At a minimum, the use of an ABS challenge system reduces complaints about ball/strike calls and rewards or punishes players for their knowledge of the strike zone. 

Two years ago I was not convinced that the use of an electronic zone would be beneficial. There were irregularities at that time which have been totally cleared up. The issues with balls and strikes is virtually nonexistent in AAA. It makes for a cleaner game. MLB could actually use it next year if there wasn't politics involved in the decision.

Am totally unfamiliar and essentially ignorant of what’s going on at AAA with the electronic zone. Do know it’s been used regularly at times (some rotation of human and electronic). My question is, are we assuming there are no problems, minimal problems, based on reality or just much less scrutiny because it’s AAA and not as many eyes on the approach? Am curious. If it’s substantiated as Useful & Highly Accurate, it should be used in Spring Training ‘25 or on Memorial Day weekend next year for a 3-day trial or somewhere in the Show to get everyone’s feet wet.

I guess, umpires are “highly accurate” so the electronics need to be essentially flawless…….that’s a high bar!

[Linus]

33 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Yes a poorly umpires game especially at home plate.  But that didn't cause the loss.  The Twins just have a meltdown when they have to play the Yankees.  Thank goodness Thursday is the last day we play them during the regular season.  What was just as annoying as the Twins loss was listening to Kris Atterberry lament the lack of umpiring skills of the home plate umpire.  It was worthwhile mentioning the poor umpiring but this was his theme ALL game long.  It was obnoxious.  Just like he normally is.

Yea I had the misfortune to listen to a game on the radio. The guy never shuts up. He is really bad. 

[CarpetGuy]

Now that we can’t catch many games on TV, I sure miss the voice and delivery of Corey Provus.

[Aggies7]

My Yankee friends don’t even make fun of me anymore. They just feel bad for me 😂

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, MABB1959 said:

Are they intimated or just bad?

They're pressing and they're mad so they take emotional, unprofessional at bats is my guess.

[bean5302]

Just imagine what fans in here would have to talk about if the strike zone was automated. Nothing. Can't watch the game on TV, can't complain about the umpiring. Game threads would be dead! LOL

[LA Vikes Fan]

9 hours ago, h2oface said:

Remember when after about a 4 week stretch around the winning streak folks were declaring Jeffers the best catcher in MLB, deserving an All-Star vote? Right. Colabello had a good month, too. Now Jeffers looks so lost. Right there with Buxton.

The selfies on the mound are just looking desperate, now. It is a long season.

This is our real offensive problem and it's not just Jeffers. OPS for the last 15 games - Jeffers .568, Kepler .608 (.282 over the last 7 games), Buxton .553 (.126, for the last 7, .640 for the year), and Correa .686 (.424 for the last 7). The expected core of the batting order has been putrid for 2 weeks. The Twins have been carried offensively for the last 2 weeks by Jose Miranda, with help to a certain extent by Willi Castro, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and yes, Manuel Margot and even Santana and Farmer. Makes some of the lineup decisions make a little more sense than they appear at first glance - like sitting Kepler for Margot, dropping Buxton in the order, giving more playing time to Margot, Santana, and Farmer, and making sure Miranda gets 3-4 ABs a game.

It's a long season with ebbs and flows and those top 4 guys hopefully will get it back together.  I have confidence in Jeffers and Correa, not as much in Kepler, and not a lot in Buxton at this point. Just pointing this out because we all seem to react to low output by saying DFA Margot, bench Santana, make the catching rotation 70/30 Jeffers, leave Farmer on the bench, play Kepler against LHs, call up Keirsey, etc., me included. Looking at these stats over the last 2 weeks does make me wonder if Baldelli may be making the only decisions he can because the lineup we thought was the right one with Jeffers, Kepler, Buxton, and Correa in the 2-6 holes looks like a lineup that can't score runs even if we put Lewis in the middle. Get ready for more lineups with Miranda and Lewis in the 3 and 4 holes, and more Margot and Santana in the short term. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

Following up on my last post, here's the lineup I would like to see tonight against a RH starter:

1 - Larnach LF or Castro 2B

2 - Correa SS

3- Lewis 3B

4- Miranda IB

5 - Kirilloff DH

6 - Castro 2B 

7 - Jeffers C

8 - Kepler RF

9 - Buxton CF

Send a message. Hit and you're in the top half. Don't hit, and you're at the bottom until you work your way up. 

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Also I agree with Perking and Plouffe about how he should be hitting 1 - 3 in the lineup.

You can kiss goodbye any first-inning grand slams, in that case. 😀

[garn from vancouver]

big market vs. small market and as long as the grown-ups spend like a small market team we'll never get past the yankees. that line-up of bats is impressive - yes, i hate them but holy cow.

[Mike Sixel]

The Yankees are an elite team. I would expect them to win these games. The Twins did score five runs, so that's progress. But the easiest explanation for the outcomes is that one team is on a historic win pace, and the other is an above average team. 

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

The Yankees are an elite team. I would expect them to win these games. The Twins did score five runs, so that's progress. But the easiest explanation for the outcomes is that one team is on a historic win pace, and the other is an above average team. 

This is just one of he many listed here rationalization excuses, i.e. losers attitude.

Same cancer that seems, on the surface, to infect the Twins when they play the Yankees.

[tony&rodney]

3 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

My question is, are we assuming there are no problems, minimal problems, based on reality or just much less scrutiny because it’s AAA and not as many eyes on the approach? Am curious.

There have been a number of interviews with players and coaches/managers.

My thoughts are based on watching at least an hour of AAA baseball 4-6 times per week via milb.com. My opinion is that MLB is watching the AAA games very closely and discussions are ongoing.

Tuesday-Thursday is strictly electronic and Friday-Sunday uses the umpire with an ABS challenge system. The strike zone used, to the best that I understand (there is no absolute statement that I am aware of), is the one from the rule book. Yes, it changes based on the size of the batter. Strictly from a totally unprofessional viewpoint (mine), the system in AAA is working just fine. Perhaps other people have significant more knowledge or thoughts on this subject.

I will add that several years ago I was opposed to all reviews and believed there should be a higher bar for umpires that resulted in promotion/demotion along with significant pay rewards based on excellence. Reviews are a regular part of nearly every inning, if only for the manager holding his hand up or someone discussing whether the umpires could "at least talk it over", and it seems time to wholly embrace the technology that already exists.

[MABB1959]

If they are a good team they should be able to win the rest of the games in June.  Good time to bring in the AAA guys we want to see.  Let them play for 3 weeks to see what they have.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

Following up on my last post, here's the lineup I would like to see tonight against a RH starter:

1 - Larnach LF or Castro 2B

2 - Correa SS

3- Lewis 3B

4- Miranda IB

5 - Kirilloff DH

6 - Castro 2B 

7 - Jeffers C

8 - Kepler RF

9 - Buxton CF

Send a message. Hit and you're in the top half. Don't hit, and you're at the bottom until you work your way up. 

Always fun to construct lineups and no true exact answer except for the one Baldelli delivers to the umpires before the game.

Castro - 2B

Lewis - 3B

Kepler - RF

Miranda - DH

Correa - SS

Kirilloff - 1B

Jeffers - C

Larnach - LF

Buxton - CF

Defense looks shaky.

 

[Aggies7]

31 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

The Yankees are an elite team. I would expect them to win these games. The Twins did score five runs, so that's progress. But the easiest explanation for the outcomes is that one team is on a historic win pace, and the other is an above average team. 

For 22 years? Cmon. Anyone who watches the twins play the other 28 ball clubs, and then watches them play the scary team in New York….I’m not sure how one draws a conclusion that this has nothing to do with being intimidated. Our last 2 starters were afraid to pitch inside! It was well noted by the Yankee broadcast 

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Just imagine what fans in here would have to talk about if the strike zone was automated. Nothing. Can't watch the game on TV, can't complain about the umpiring. Game threads would be dead! LOL

Well Cade Povich is starting for Baltimore today, so it is possible there will be something else to complain about.

[OvertheHill]

36 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Always fun to construct lineups and no true exact answer except for the one Baldelli delivers to the umpires before the game.

Castro - 2B

Lewis - 3B

Kepler - RF

Miranda - DH

Correa - SS

Kirilloff - 1B

Jeffers - C

Larnach - LF

Buxton - CF

Defense looks shaky.

 

Agree that at this point of his career, Buxton profiles as a great glove, almost no stick No. 9 hitter that refuses to adapt his hitting approach to his skill set that includes great speed. He essentially negates that advantage by being a never-take-a-walk, swing for the fences, jerk everything hitter, but that is what the Twins apparently want from him. He’d be a bottom of the order on most other competitive teams. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Always fun to construct lineups and no true exact answer except for the one Baldelli delivers to the umpires before the game.

Castro - 2B

Lewis - 3B

Kepler - RF

Miranda - DH

Correa - SS

Kirilloff - 1B

Jeffers - C

Larnach - LF

Buxton - CF

Defense looks shaky.

 

I like your lineup. I actually like Castro in the leadoff spot and really like Lewis in the 2 hole. I would switch Larnach and Kepler for now since Kepler's just not hitting right now. 

[Whitey333]

Does anyone know why Lewis isn't in starting lineup for Thursday?

[Swing Batter-Batter]

18 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

Paddack needs a 2-week break

The Twins may as well just concede the wins to the Yankees and take the extra rest so they can be fresh for the teams that they can actually compete against.

Oh and one more thing....

ROYCE F-ING LEWIS!!!!!!!

 

I was thinking along that same line. Just forfeit the games to the Yankees. Save the pitching arms and give the position players some extra rest. Several should consider some time in the batting cage, with the extra time off.

[Aggies7]

53 minutes ago, Swing Batter-Batter said:

I was thinking along that same line. Just forfeit the games to the Yankees. Save the pitching arms and give the position players some extra rest. Several should consider some time in the batting cage, with the extra time off.

Well, they better try figuring it out, because it appears that the American League runs through the Bronx. And probably will for the foreseeable future. They’ve already ended our season 6 times in the last 20 years so I think they better get working on it.

[insagt1]

About the ABS system. As a long time follower of AAA ball in Rochester, I am convinced that the system is working. Just like the pitch clock that was experimented with first in the minors, it has enhanced the enjoyment of the game. The weekend 'challenges' have been fine. I can't imagine, outside of 'politics' why MLB can't or won't implement. Each team gets 3 challenges. Pitcher, batter or catcher can tap his hat or helmet to call for the challenge. If you lose, you lose that challenge. Lose 3 and you can't challenge anymore. It takes seconds to do. They put the 'challenge box' on the scoreboard for all to see.

What it effectively does is eliminate the egregious 'Angel Hernandez' missed calls. Its needs to be a part of MLB ASAP, in my opinion (didnt want 3 sets of initials back to back to back!) It also shows the league which umps are consistently getting the bulk of the calls correct, or not. Its working very well down here and I hope its expanded to more than just 3 weekend games.

The only new thing that I don't like at AAA: they have kept the 6 game series, initially to save travel after COVID. They also decided to split the season into 2 75 game seasons. The playoffs are a joke. You have to win the season, beating out 19 other teams to qualify. The two split season winners play a best of 3 to face the winner of the other AAA league in a ONE game playoff to determine the champion. Meanwhile because weather is foul in April-May many games are canceled because you don't get to play an opponent again in many cases during the 75 game split. The season has an exhibition feel to it now, which MLB feels is OK. that stinks.

Anyway, count me in on the advantages of ABS. It works.