Twins 6, Mets 3: Twins Survive the Battle of Attrition Against the Mets

[stringer bell]

2023 Willi Castro played three or four positions pretty well and was passable at a couple more. He hasn't been nearly as good defensively in '24 or '25 IMHO. I don't think SS is a position where Willi can thrive, but he does have the necessary arm for that spot. Despite not having a lot of experience at third, Lee looks pretty comfortable there, but with Willi's misadventures at short, I guess I'd rather see the more surehanded guy at shortstop.

A little bit off-topic, but I wonder if the Twins will end up rescinding the option on Miranda and place him on the IL. He didn't get injured playing for the Saints and it would save the option. 

[JD-TWINS]

47 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Yes, he needs to execute but the fault isn't on him it's on management for only playing him sparingly the last 2 years. Only 23 ABs spread out in those 2 yrs,! This year he hasn't even MiLB experience to draw from. A bench pinch-hitter is a very demanding role because a hitter who is used sparingly is called to come in & execute. Only a very seasoned veteran can do that & even most of them can't. You can't expect a newly exposed MiLBer to execute in those adverse conditions. 

It took over 175 regular ABs  for Mike Trout to break out. How can we expect Keirsey to accomplish anything with only 23 very irregular ABs? I just hope that Keirsey can show Baldelli enough to reconsider his bias in this small window of regular ABs. I know it's a lot to ask but for the good of the team I pray that it happens.

Executing a sacrifice bunt has nothing to do with “breaking out”. His role as a fringe player is doing the little things right. He could have another 150 PA’s and not be asked to bunt once. It’s not about MLB reps to bunt. He needs to be smart enough to take a pitch letter high and inside edge…….he didn’t get it done! That happens……….no fun to watch. No reason to try and rationalize his pop up bunt to somehow being the fault of “many others” as you elude…….management’s fault? Come on.

Not being able to execute a bunt - creating a free out for the defense doesn’t give the Manager any reason to change his mind - guys that execute and produce get played more………..not give a bunch of AB’s to a guy and hope he comes around. Why not let Gasper hit everyday then?

[tony&rodney]

13 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

A good first baseman catches Castro's throw.

It was immediately ruled an E3 (missed catch).

[BrokenCompass]

First save of the year? Yikes. Even when they win, it doesn't look easy. 

If Correa and Wallner are out for a long period of time, I think that everyone in this organization should take that as a sign that it's time to start the rebuild in earnest. Let's see Keachall, Lee, and Kiersey in every game. Get the paperwork in order and prepare to trade Lopez, Bux and France at the deadline and take what we can get for Correa and Larnach.  Starting in July let's see Emmanuel Rodriguez in the OF along with Walker Jenkins for the rest of the year. 

Denying the inevitable doesn't help anyone. The Twins are only cheating themselves and their fans by pretending they're going to compete with this lineup. I don't mind the Twins losing, but I am aghast at the product and strategy they are rolling out there every night here in 2025. Go ahead and lose, but let's lose while our prospects get experience, at least. 

[tony&rodney]

A little surprised that the squadron of Julien fans have not noted his play in the field recently. Fair?

[JD-TWINS]

59 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Yes, he needs to execute but the fault isn't on him it's on management for only playing him sparingly the last 2 years. Only 23 ABs spread out in those 2 yrs,! This year he hasn't even MiLB experience to draw from. A bench pinch-hitter is a very demanding role because a hitter who is used sparingly is called to come in & execute. Only a very seasoned veteran can do that & even most of them can't. You can't expect a newly exposed MiLBer to execute in those adverse conditions. 

It took over 175 regular ABs  for Mike Trout to break out. How can we expect Keirsey to accomplish anything with only 23 very irregular ABs? I just hope that Keirsey can show Baldelli enough to reconsider his bias in this small window of regular ABs. I know it's a lot to ask but for the good of the team I pray that it happens.

Kiersey AB’s 2022-2024 …..425 - 490 - 443 ……he’s got nearly 1400 AB’s of Professional Baseball in last 3 years, plus 10 years or more of baseball prior……..gotta be able to bunt by now if you’re a speed OF.

[jorgenswest]

41 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

A good first baseman catches Castro's throw.

Concur. To add… mlb gameday reported as a missed catch by France.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

As bad as the twins have played this year , tonight's game had some excitement  , twins were gifted a runner on lindors  error ...

Ober pitched consistent pitches and pitched into the 7th inning , solo homers don't usually hurt , he allowed 2 tonight , Ober and bullpen were efficient  , minimal base on balls  ...

And to recap , when was the last time we had  players with multiple hits  ( bader , buxton and jeffers ) in a game this year ...

Keirsey Jr first hit was sweet going to left field  , Rod carew I'm sure was proud  ...

 

I love a Rod Carew reference. 😁 The good ol’ days.

[jmlease1]

47 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

A little surprised that the squadron of Julien fans have not noted his play in the field recently. Fair?

He's been ok? I mean, I think a positive result for Julien in the field is for him to be unmemorable. If he's steady and consistent while swinging the bat well, that'll be just fine. Good to see him with no errors the last 2 weeks, and hopefully it continues.

[David Maro]

What I saw last night was Buxton finally doing what he should be doing. He had good at bats and not swinging for the fences. When he is on base he makes the other team nervous. 

The other thing was getting the leadoff hitter on inning after inning and to 3rd base by stealing 2nd and hitting behind the runner. With Wallner and Correa probably out for awhile this is the kind of baseball that has to be played.

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, jmlease1 said:

He's been ok? I mean, I think a positive result for Julien in the field is for him to be unmemorable. If he's steady and consistent while swinging the bat well, that'll be just fine. Good to see him with no errors the last 2 weeks, and hopefully it continues.

Yes, he has been ok. Note .... not special. However, in fairness to Julien there isn't anyone on the current 26 person roster better at 2B. 2nd however .... he needs to have good at bats on a consistent basis. It may be totally anecdotal but when Julien is real bad at the plate for numerous trips to the dish, he takes it out to the field. Worth an addition is that Keaschall, who is not having many good plate appearances looks quicker and stronger at 2B than was expected. He turns the DP pretty decently and has a fair arm. We will almost certainly see him if those above cannot stay healthy or play good baseball, but right now I am not seeing much evidence that LK is ready. He does not lack for confidence though and can bust out any day.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Yes, he needs to execute but the fault isn't on him it's on management for only playing him sparingly the last 2 years. Only 23 ABs spread out in those 2 yrs,! This year he hasn't even MiLB experience to draw from. A bench pinch-hitter is a very demanding role because a hitter who is used sparingly is called to come in & execute. Only a very seasoned veteran can do that & even most of them can't. You can't expect a newly exposed MiLBer to execute in those adverse conditions. 

It took over 175 regular ABs  for Mike Trout to break out. How can we expect Keirsey to accomplish anything with only 23 very irregular ABs? I just hope that Keirsey can show Baldelli enough to reconsider his bias in this small window of regular ABs. I know it's a lot to ask but for the good of the team I pray that it happens.

What has he done to show he deserves more time? I like his speed and defense, but he hasn't hit. And please, let's not talk about Mike Trout in the same discussion as Kiersey. Putting down a bunt when asked to is the sort of thing that a player like him needs to execute on to earn more opportunities. He's got good speed and a track record as a baserunner, so when he's asked to pinch run, he needs to take the extra base, swipe a bag when the steal is on, and not get himself thrown out when running. he needs to show good range and a steady glove when he's an as a defender. 

So far, he's been good enough defensively. But missing that bunt was a moment for him to earn more time and he didn't come through. I'm rooting for him, but he's a fringe player who isn't going to get tons of chances absent injury and needs to come through to earn more time. Missing a fundamental play like laying down a bunt doesn't help him.

[mikelink45]

1 hour ago, laloesch said:

they were the story last year, and the year before, and the year before that.

I agree - what can be done to reduce all these injuries - it just seems that with all the advances in medicine we should have some means to keeping these athletes healthy and on the field. 

[jmlease1]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Yes, he has been ok. Note .... not special. However, in fairness to Julien there isn't anyone on the current 26 person roster better at 2B. 2nd however .... he needs to have good at bats on a consistent basis. It may be totally anecdotal but when Julien is real bad at the plate for numerous trips to the dish, he takes it out to the field. Worth an addition is that Keaschall, who is not having many good plate appearances looks quicker and stronger at 2B than was expected. He turns the DP pretty decently and has a fair arm. We will almost certainly see him if those above cannot stay healthy or play good baseball, but right now I am not seeing much evidence that LK is ready. He does not lack for confidence though and can bust out any day.

I think that's right. It certainly did look like Julien got in his head last season when struggling at the plate and instead of just making the play in the field, he was thinking about it. That's when he starts double-clutching on throws, etc. So far this season I think he's been doing better, and if he's hitting he doesn't need to be a special defender to be valuable.

Keaschall is almost certainly going to be a better defender. It will be interesting to see where everyone fits when Royce comes back especially if Lee & Julien are hitting.

[TwinsDr2021]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Yes, he needs to execute but the fault isn't on him it's on management for only playing him sparingly the last 2 years. Only 23 ABs spread out in those 2 yrs,! This year he hasn't even MiLB experience to draw from. A bench pinch-hitter is a very demanding role because a hitter who is used sparingly is called to come in & execute. Only a very seasoned veteran can do that & even most of them can't. You can't expect a newly exposed MiLBer to execute in those adverse conditions. 

It took over 175 regular ABs  for Mike Trout to break out. How can we expect Keirsey to accomplish anything with only 23 very irregular ABs? I just hope that Keirsey can show Baldelli enough to reconsider his bias in this small window of regular ABs. I know it's a lot to ask but for the good of the team I pray that it happens.

Can we stop with the silly comparisons? You are trying to compare a 20/21 year old Trout to a 28 year old Keirsey, it is beyond silly.

I have seen just about every Twins player/prospect compared to a All Star or HOF player (remember when EROD was a Soto type player or Wallner to Judge) Can we stop, No current player or prospect on the Twins should be compared to anybody but decent regular everyday players at best, until they prove otherwise. Even Jenkins only has 491 minor league plate appearances in two plus years.

[Blyleven2011]

9 hours ago, RpR said:

Castro is horrible at 3rd and Lee is good there.

Castro is in his walk year , he better do better because he hasn't looked great in the field and he's off to a slow start on offense like everyone else  ...

Funny really that Lee spent the few games in rehab at the ss positions and Rocco puts him at third , he is a good fielder  , he probably will be our utility man next year as he can play 3rd , ss and 2nd base ...

[Doctor Gast]

57 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

What has he done to show he deserves more time? I like his speed and defense, but he hasn't hit. And please, let's not talk about Mike Trout in the same discussion as Kiersey. Putting down a bunt when asked to is the sort of thing that a player like him needs to execute on to earn more opportunities. He's got good speed and a track record as a baserunner, so when he's asked to pinch run, he needs to take the extra base, swipe a bag when the steal is on, and not get himself thrown out when running. he needs to show good range and a steady glove when he's an as a defender. 

So far, he's been good enough defensively. But missing that bunt was a moment for him to earn more time and he didn't come through. I'm rooting for him, but he's a fringe player who isn't going to get tons of chances absent injury and needs to come through to earn more time. Missing a fundamental play like laying down a bunt doesn't help him.

We hold Mike Trout to a very high standard & rightly so. I'm not remotely claiming that Keirsey will be the next Trout. I'm saying that if it took super star Trout over regular 175 ABs to show promise, how can we expect a nobody Keirsey with only 23 irregular ABs to do anything? We need to give him some patience & a fair chance.

[Doctor Gast]

46 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Can we stop with the silly comparisons? You are trying to compare a 20/21 year old Trout to a 28 year old Keirsey, it is beyond silly.

I have seen just about every Twins player/prospect compared to a All Star or HOF player (remember when EROD was a Soto type player or Wallner to Judge) Can we stop, No current player or prospect on the Twins should be compared to anybody but decent regular everyday players at best, until they prove otherwise. Even Jenkins only has 491 minor league plate appearances in two plus years.

We hold Mike Trout to a very high standard & rightly so. I'm not remotely claiming that Keirsey will be the next Trout. I'm saying that if it took super star Trout over regular 175 ABs to show promise, how can we expect a nobody Keirsey with only 23 irregular ABs to do anything? We need to give him some patience & a fair chance. & please take what I say in context & not get so bent out of shape.

[RpR]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Yes, he needs to execute but the fault isn't on him it's on management for only playing him sparingly the last 2 years. Only 23 ABs spread out in those 2 yrs,! This year he hasn't even MiLB experience to draw from. A bench pinch-hitter is a very demanding role because a hitter who is used sparingly is called to come in & execute. Only a very seasoned veteran can do that & even most of them can't. You can't expect a newly exposed MiLBer to execute in those adverse conditions. 

It took over 175 regular ABs  for Mike Trout to break out. How can we expect Keirsey to accomplish anything with only 23 very irregular ABs? I just hope that Keirsey can show Baldelli enough to reconsider his bias in this small window of regular ABs. I know it's a lot to ask but for the good of the team I pray that it happens.

That is wishful thinking based on nothing.

Cave and Sano did far better than Trout in their first year up; there is nothing that says Keirsey Jr. is not another Cave , much less a Trout.

[Doctor Gast]

2 minutes ago, RpR said:

That is wishful thinking based on nothing.

Cave and Sano did far better than Trout in their first year up; there is nothing that says Keirsey Jr. is not another Cave , much less a Trout.

Again, I'm not remotely comparing Keirsey to Trout. But we can safely say that Cave was a much worse fielder than Keirsey, yet Cave was given every opportunity to look bad in CF.

[Jeff K]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

A little surprised that the squadron of Julien fans have not noted his play in the field recently. Fair?

I've been extremely critical of Julien.  I am thrilled that he is hitting but remain unconvinced that he can play 2B.  That said, he's certainly our best bet now with all the injuries.  Gasper can NOT play 2nd.

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Again, I'm not remotely comparing Keirsey to Trout. But we can safely say that Cave was a much worse fielder than Keirsey, yet Cave was given every opportunity to look bad in CF.

That is true, but the Twins are not a good enough team, now, to be able to afford, wannabes based on hope as regular players.

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

I've been extremely critical of Julien.  I am thrilled that he is hitting but remain unconvinced that he can play 2B.  That said, he's certainly our best bet now with all the injuries.  Gasper can NOT play 2nd.

Well I might be the only guy defending Julien. I don't think he particularly a good baseball player but he is better than the alternatives at this time. Worth noting that I suggested that both Julien and Lewis be traded in October of 2023. So I hope they both do well because they are Twins. Those who suggested Gasper was ok in the infield were under the influence.

[RpR]

8 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

I've been extremely critical of Julien.  I am thrilled that he is hitting but remain unconvinced that he can play 2B.  That said, he's certainly our best bet now with all the injuries.  Gasper can NOT play 2nd.

Gasper is a far, far better 2nd base fielder than Julien.

Gasper has a 2nd base fielding average in the Minors of .991 vs Juliens .963

 

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, RpR said:

Gasper is a far, far better 2nd base fielder than Julien.

He almost broke someone's leg in Spring Training because of his incompetence at the position. I'm sorry but that's just not true. 

[Jeff K]

3 minutes ago, RpR said:

Gasper is a far, far better 2nd base fielder than Julien.

We are all entitled to our opinions; however, what I've seen of Gasper has been terrible at 2nd.  

[Jeff K]

Just now, NYCTK said:

He almost broke someone's leg in Spring Training because of his incompetence at the position. I'm sorry but that's just not true. 

I was at the spring training game against the red sox when Gasper was spiked.  It was entirely his fault as he jumped in front of the SS who was about to make the play.  He also threw a ball into the dugout; same game.

[tony&rodney]

6 minutes ago, RpR said:

Gasper is a far, far better 2nd base fielder than Julien.

And a better shortstop than Ozzie Smith, in your humble opinion.

[RpR]

6 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

We are all entitled to our opinions; however, what I've seen of Gasper has been terrible at 2nd.  

The Yips, although he had better cure that or he is done in the majors.

[RpR]

6 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

And a better shortstop than Ozzie Smith, in your humble opinion.

Hmmm, Gasper does not play short stiop, never has , never will, but he is not as good a catcher as Farmer was.