Game thread: Twins (SWR) @ Pirates (Mlodzinski); 6/8 @ 3:10pm CT

[Irishman]

15 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Because this franchise isn't concerned about winning. 

As long as fans keep coming, owner don’t care.    I’m angry with Pohlad, FO, Rocco, his staff and current players.    Looks like they don’t want to play at all.   IMO Rocco has to go.   

[Aggies7]

7 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Like not injured?

How did the Twins hit the year before they moved on?

Before they moved on from rowson? They were 2nd in mlb in ops in his last year (2019)

[SteveLV]

I am OUT, folks.

First, the built-in inequity of MLB is just terrible.   Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers, etc., have too many inherent advantages and it is not a level playing field for mid and small market teams.  Complete opposite of the NFL system.  

Second, the Pohlad's do not appear to be interested in fielding a top team.  They want a decent team, not a championship team. Why should I support that?

Third, this team is not competitive with the top teams.  They have a .200 win percentage vs. the Yankees last 20 years, including multiple playoff sweeps.

Fourth, I HATE watching losing teams.  I invest too much emotionally.  I know this is my flaw, but it is what it is. This team is going nowhere, even if they sneak into the playoffs.  The 12 game streak gave me some hope, but they suck ever since.

Good luck guys!  I will monitor from afar but can't invest time and energy into this lousy and inequitable product. It just eats me up inside.

[Aggies7]

I will say, as a matter of principle, I don’t call for another man’s job. But I see a very streaky team who seems to all go comatose at the same time for extended stretches. I’ve got to believe that’s where the coach(es) need to step in. We’re currently on a 22 inning scoreless streak, and that’s not even the longest of the year! It’s June 8!

[Peter]

It's sucks twins are losing but we need to and must support them now more then ever!!! With a win tomorrow and sweeping homestand it’s 8 game winning streak ahead!!! The twins need our support more than ever!!!! Don’t be a bandwagon rider!!!

[Winston Smith]

5 minutes ago, Peter said:

It's sucks twins are losing but we need to and must support them now more then ever!!! With a win tomorrow and sweeping homestand it’s 8 game winning streak ahead!!! The twins need our support more than ever!!!! Don’t be a bandwagon rider!!!

I'll start caring again when I can watch the games on TV again.

[Irishman]

13 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

I am OUT, folks.

First, the built-in inequity of MLB is just terrible.   Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers, etc., have too many inherent advantages and it is not a level playing field for mid and small market teams.  Complete opposite of the NFL system.  

Second, the Pohlad's do not appear to be interested in fielding a top team.  They want a decent team, not a championship team. Why should I support that?

Third, this team is not competitive with the top teams.  They have a .200 win percentage vs. the Yankees last 20 years, including multiple playoff sweeps.

Fourth, I HATE watching losing teams.  I invest too much emotionally.  I know this is my flaw, but it is what it is. This team is going nowhere, even if they sneak into the playoffs.  The 12 game streak gave me some hope, but they suck ever since.

Good luck guys!  I will monitor from afar but can't invest time and energy into this lousy and inequitable product. It just eats me up inside.

I agree with you 110%.    I felt same way, too.   

[KirbyDome89]

11 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

 

They’ve gone from #24 in ops to #1. That’s a heck of a lot of work to lay on injuries

Miami was consistently bottom third, they ranked 23, 29, and 27th by OPS, during Rowson's tenure. You could argue that he was the bench coach and not explicitly the hitting coach, but Detroit finished 28th by OPS last season with Rowson as their hitting coach. 

Judge and Soto are each at an OPS above 1.000 as everyday players. That's nuts. Nobody else in their lineup is north of .800. Honestly, they have just as many guys underperforming; Rizzo, Cabrera, and Torres (LeMahieu in limited ABs) are all struggling. NY has two MVP caliber players carrying the lineup. I think it kinda starts and ends there. 

[Schmoeman5]

37 minutes ago, RpR said:

After this game, I wish we had Taylor, although, he has 1 less rbi than Margot.

He leads all of the majors in defensive runs saved. I'm sure that's worth more than 1 rbi

[Irishman]

8 minutes ago, Peter said:

It's sucks twins are losing but we need to and must support them now more then ever!!! With a win tomorrow and sweeping homestand it’s 8 game winning streak ahead!!! The twins need our support more than ever!!!! Don’t be a bandwagon rider!!!

Peter, Are you f kidding me?  You nuts!   Why must I support them?   We the fans of Minnesota do not deserve this.   

[RpR]

2 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Miami was consistently bottom third, they ranked 23, 29, and 27th by OPS, during Rowson's tenure. You could argue that he was the bench coach and not explicitly the hitting coach, but Detroit finished 28th by OPS last season with Rowson as their hitting coach. 

Judge and Soto are each at an OPS above 1.000 as everyday players. That's nuts. Nobody else in their lineup is north of .800. Honestly, they have just as many guys underperforming; Rizzo, Cabrera, and Torres (LeMahieu in limited ABs) are all struggling. NY has two MVP caliber players carrying the lineup. I think it kinda starts and ends there. 

The New York infield was making dfficult infield plays, the Twins infield was not.

[Aggies7]

7 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Miami was consistently bottom third, they ranked 23, 29, and 27th by OPS, during Rowson's tenure. You could argue that he was the bench coach and not explicitly the hitting coach, but Detroit finished 28th by OPS last season with Rowson as their hitting coach. 

Judge and Soto are each at an OPS above 1.000 as everyday players. That's nuts. Nobody else in their lineup is north of .800. Honestly, they have just as many guys underperforming; Rizzo, Cabrera, and Torres (LeMahieu in limited ABs) are all struggling. NY has two MVP caliber players carrying the lineup. I think it kinda starts and ends there. 

Of course players matter too. He must have been doing something correctly though to be hired by the toughest organization in baseball, even after his recent stints.

I was just responding to the idea that hitting coaches don’t matter much. Yet we have 3 of them. I hear the same thing about manager’s not mattering either. I think it’s a bit of nonsense IMO. Pro ball players need coaching just like anyone else who plays the game. Its alarming when the entire roster goes into the tank for long stretches all at the same time and nobody knows when it will end.

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, Schmoeman5 said:

He leads all of the majors in defensive runs saved. I'm sure that's worth more than 1 rbi

But - Twins Daily is a bat first site - ☠️

[KirbyDome89]

3 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

Of course players matter too. He must have been doing something correctly though to be hired by the toughest organization in baseball, even after his recent stints.

I was just responding to the idea that hitting coaches don’t matter much. Yet we have 3 of them. I hear the same thing about manager’s not mattering either. I think it’s a bit of nonsense IMO. Pro ball players need coaching just like anyone else who plays the game. Its alarming when the entire roster goes into the tank for long stretches all at the same time and nobody knows when it will end.

Yeah I'm not suggesting he's a bum. 

I wouldn't say coaches/managers are irrelevant, but I think their impact is overrated. Too many fans (not saying you're in this group) think you can just make lemonade out of lemons. Good coaching can give you and advantage on the margins, i.e. masking certain weaknesses or attacking others ect, but no amount of coaching in the world is going to make Vazquez a passable hitter. A watchful, or objective set of eyes can certainly steer guys in the right direction, but they can only lead a horse to water ya know? 

[AussieG]

Rocco just said the players mentality is to blame for the struggles more than the physical

[bigdave]

When are the sharks going to start swirling around Rocco, or at least the hitting coaches? It's ridiculous to see the Twins shut out again versus marginal pitching.

[AussieG]

2 minutes ago, bigdave said:

When are the sharks going to start swirling around Rocco, or at least the hitting coaches? It's ridiculous to see the Twins shut out again versus marginal pitching.

Sounds like he (Rocco) is trying to excuse the coaches/analytics from any responsibility of the current slump. He basically said it has become a mental issue, that they are expanding the strike zone and trying to do to much

[bigdave]

2 minutes ago, AussieG said:

Sounds like he (Rocco) is trying to excuse the coaches/analytics from any responsibility of the current slump. He basically said it has become a mental issue, that they are expanding the strike zone and trying to do to much

I'm hoping the front office is getting tired of the excuses. The Twins have the talent to win this division, they just don't have the guidance.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

29 minutes ago, AussieG said:

Sounds like he (Rocco) is trying to excuse the coaches/analytics from any responsibility of the current slump. He basically said it has become a mental issue, that they are expanding the strike zone and trying to do to much

That's a bunch of crap, Rocco. It's the fifth or sixth time he said that this season. 

[Tlaker]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

It's sucks twins are losing but we need to and must support them now more then ever!!! With a win tomorrow and sweeping homestand it’s 8 game winning streak ahead!!! The twins need our support more than ever!!!! Don’t be a bandwagon rider!!!

Thanks for responding Peter instead of just giving thumbs down, which doesn’t add anything to the conversation.

Two things can be true however, those of us that can’t stand to see this product on the field fail repeatedly, can still be supportive and asking for changes.

But to put one’s head in the sand and hope and wish for any other outcomes other than what we have witnessed under this leadership, will lead to disappointment after disappointment.

[USAFChief]

4 hours ago, CRF said:

Are we gonna get effing blanked by Pitt doing a BP game?

We know who to blame.

 

[Craig Arko]

3 hours ago, Patzky said:

Pen will be shot tomorrow. 

At dawn or high noon?

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Tomorrow's pitcher is the best of the three that the Pirates roll out this series. If they're shut out again, the front office needs to take some action. Right?!

[RpR]

20 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Tomorrow's pitcher is the best of the three that the Pirates roll out this series. If they're shut out again, the front office needs to take some action. Right?!

Outside of professional ball players, playing like professional ball player, not a college B team, just what miracle do you expect them to conjure up?

[cmoss84]

Maybe Rocco Despirito instead of this one? Some bomb ass food everyday might change player mentality?

[h2oface]

8 hours ago, Aggies7 said:

 

They’ve gone from #24 in ops to #1. That’s a heck of a lot of work to lay on injuries

Yeah, And a lot to credit to give to a pitching coach that doesn't hit the ball. Exactly. I didn't say they couldn't be helpful. I said that they are overrated. You think Miranda's performance now that is similar to his performance before he was injured was more because of his health and his talent........... or a coach? I give it to the talent of the player they pay millions and millions to for that very trait much much much more that a coach? (well, not Miranda, yet, because the union has seen to it that younger players can't get paid for worthy performance years) And the Yankees have rostered talented players that came with the ability to hit for years and years and years, and many coaches before the guy they pay a relative pittance, and most hitting coaches could never really hit that well themselves. That doesn't mean they can't be helpful and notice things in others just because they could never and can't excel at the task also. But they can be very overrated. Kinda like the PT guy really hasn't really stopped injuries significantly. Not his fault, either.

[h2oface]

7 hours ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Miami was consistently bottom third, they ranked 23, 29, and 27th by OPS, during Rowson's tenure. You could argue that he was the bench coach and not explicitly the hitting coach, but Detroit finished 28th by OPS last season with Rowson as their hitting coach. 

Judge and Soto are each at an OPS above 1.000 as everyday players. That's nuts. Nobody else in their lineup is north of .800. Honestly, they have just as many guys underperforming; Rizzo, Cabrera, and Torres (LeMahieu in limited ABs) are all struggling. NY has two MVP caliber players carrying the lineup. I think it kinda starts and ends there. 

Thank you!

I guess the pitching coach has been as inconsistent as the guys he is now coaching. 😇

[Patzky]

9 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

At dawn or high noon?

I'm all for it!