Red Sox 6, Twins 1: Ryan Jeffers Homers in Sisyphean Loss

[saviking]

11 hours ago, miller761 said:

How much longer do I have to watch Alcala and Julien. Neither are MLB ball agree

Agree, along with several of the veterans we just signed. 

And this is the time of year I usually rag about Correa and his slow starts along with a small market team investing 36 million of its presious cap for one player but .. there's nothing new tobsay and it doesn't matter anyway. 

[FargoFanMan]

8 hours ago, Lasorda_This_Out said:

At what point do we dumbies suck it up and admit we are following a really crappy MLB team?

I’ve already admitted that. I’m waiting with the clown car running in the driveway and the door open for everyone else to get in.

[Vanimal46]

21 minutes ago, FargoFanMan said:

When are we gonna hear Rocco be honest?

Short answer: Never 

Long answer: Never, because that’s what coaches in every sport does if they want another job in the sport they coach in. There’s nothing for them to gain by throwing players or other coaches under the bus, even if it’s true. That’s why they stick with meaningless cliches like “We need to look at the film” 

[FargoFanMan]

Free McCusker!!!

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, Aggies7 said:

I said in the game thread that sometimes I’ll watch some twins games on YouTube from their better years. Just to see how the organization played at one time. I watched a spring training game of theirs from 1988 yesterday. Gagne laid completely out to make an incredible catch in the 8th inning of a meaningless game. Our current guys are devoid of the fundamentals of the game and have been for years.

 

TK was him

[D.C Twins]

The FO needs to approach Buxton about waiving no-trade for a select group of teams and then quietly start the process. 

[NYCTK]

8 hours ago, Lasorda_This_Out said:

At what point do we dumbies suck it up and admit we are following a really crappy MLB team?

Last year's trade deadline. 

[JD-TWINS]

11 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Rocco - maybe the pen needs a rest. Varland is over worked, the top 5 have been in 12 - 16 of the games.  That is not sustainable.  And Alcala just does not have it.  Put a SP in the pen, someone who can piggy back and give us innings since you don't like the SP to go 8 or 9 (and most of the time 6 or 7).  Too painful.  I just don't have the words.  The SP have now gone 164 out or 276 innings.  

How about McCusker - I know how stubborn execs can be, but let's get someone who has the potential to sting the ball.  Do something Twins or there will be no one in the stands by the end of the season.

McCusker can’t be a lesser option than Kiersey - Clemons - etc. ……..why not! Frankly, tired about hearing of Emma’s talent and his OK play and waaay toooo frequent injury issues. Move on to McCusker.

Alcala and Varland both have good (stuff) velocity and they are both clueless - emotional - lack command. The rest of the PEN is just fine.

Our pitching is NOT the issue! Scoring 1 - 2 - 3 - 1 runs over the last 4 games is a slice of what’s been happening all season - no run production!! Can’t score 11 in a couple games against no talent pitching and think that anything is solved.

Going out of last season - through the winter - and now through 1st 20% of the Season - the Offense is not potent enough!! Lewis - Wallner - Keaschall will all help (Castro a bit) a bunch when removing our bottom 3-4 guys on the 26 man but they needed to add a real bat (with NOW potential, not a prospect with credentials) in the offseason.

Disgusted with the inability to get more than 6-7 hits per game, often the norm. They can still be at .500 without wholesale changes by mid-June and I really expect that result.

The manager doesn’t step into the batter’s box and if a guy that’s in the SHOW needs to be motivated daily to have the right approach at the plate, the players need to be changed out and Manager as well to start a fresh culture. Still 2 months plus away from that approach. Team is FOR SALE so change will be non-existent until that actually takes place, IMO.

[JD-TWINS]

5 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

The FO needs to approach Buxton about waiving no-trade for a select group of teams and then quietly start the process. 

What solutions does trading Buxton, finally (seemingly) healthy at $15M/year, bring? Correa - OK ……..big spread between $15M & $37M.

I keep both and make a big swing with trading Duran & one of the Top AAA starters (or like guys) for a real bat - not a Brooks Lee or Austin Martin - somebody else’s “maybe” prospect ……i.e., high draft picks with potential - a real, proven MLB bat.

[FLtwinfan]

49 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Julien is not a major league player, the guy has zero baseball IQ. Way too many mental mistakes, horrible defense. His only skill, his hitting, has disappeared. He's hitting under .200. send him down. Wait, we can't, we have nobody that can replace him. We need Lewis back ASAP to play third, Lee at second. Then we need Castro back as bench guy because Julien, Bride and Clemens are nothing but warm bodies. As far as Alcala I know he's out of options, but would any team even claim him off waivers at this point? I say try to send him down, if we lose him so what. Opens up a roster spot for someone else. Funderburk and Tonkin have been rocked so far. Too bad we let Blewitt go. Maybe give someone like Morris, or Raya a shot pitching in the pen. Might be useful having someone who can go multiple innings for when Paddack and SWR are pulled in the 4rth or 5th inning every time they start....

Funderburk hasn’t given up a run in 10.2 innings with a WHIP of .56. Wouldn’t call that “getting rocked”. Tonkin on the other hand….

[JD-TWINS]

Alcala to AAA - Festa, Morris, Matthews or preferably PADDACK to the Pen for duty twice a week for a couple innings at a time and max effort. One as 5th starter.

Gotta get better results this way than Alcala on the roller coaster of effectiveness. …..5 hits and 3 runs OR 2 walks & 2 strikeouts …..hard to watch & harder to support keeping him on current staff!

[jorgenswest]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Rocco - maybe the pen needs a rest. Varland is over worked, the top 5 have been in 12 - 16 of the games.  That is not sustainable.  And Alcala just does not have it.  Put a SP in the pen, someone who can piggy back and give us innings since you don't like the SP to go 8 or 9 (and most of the time 6 or 7).  Too painful.  I just don't have the words.  The SP have now gone 164 out or 276 innings.  

How about McCusker - I know how stubborn execs can be, but let's get someone who has the potential to sting the ball.  Do something Twins or there will be no one in the stands by the end of the season.

Agree on McCusker.

As for bullpen use I think there are several teams with similar or more extreme use of the pen this year. The Twins are 7th in bullpen games and 15th in bullpen innings. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball and go to their bullpen more than any other team. Other winning teams also make frequent use of their bullpen. Teams can win going to their bullpen frequently. They can’t win when they score two or fewer runs in nearly half their games. They need more offense and McCusker might be the best hope right now.

[Galen]

At some point...if a team plays terrible baseball...over a long period of time...I  mean terrible baseball...shouldn't we fire the manager?

[bean5302]

Alcala needs to be off the MLB roster. I don't think he's tradable anymore, and with his stuff, I'm hesitant to DFA him and watch him turn into the next Yennier Cano.

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, CRF said:

We need a 2nd baseman that can actually field the ball and make accurate throws to 1st. Julien ain't that guy. He's got Roberto Duran's "Hands of Stone" at 2nd. If he comes up with that hot grounder, which was an entirely makeable play, it could have been a different game. I say "could". Probably not though because Rocco would have still used Louie and Alcala at some point. We are not a very good team and I doubt we can turn this Titanic around. If it wasn't for the White Sox, we'd be in last place easily. 

Yeah, would have ended the inning 1-1. Tough not to find fault with that play by Julien. The long standing conventional technique would be to lean over and field the ball on the run or dive for the stop because it prevents the ball from getting past the fielder, period. Julien's technique, that I've seen him use many times, is to knee slide while fielding. It puts him in a bad position to view the ground ball and at what seems like an awkward angle to field it, but it's kind of a combo move. It provides him with a somewhat better chance of stopping the ball from going into the outfield if he mishandles it (didn't work here) than fielding the ball on the run, and it provides him with a faster throw than a full dive. Devers was out by a mile even if Julien dove. Bad instincts, bad technique, bad situational awareness in this case. Does the fault lie with Julien or the Twins' coaches for having Julien use that technique?

[shimrod]

12 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Alcala needs to be off the MLB roster. I don't think he's tradable anymore, and with his stuff, I'm hesitant to DFA him and watch him turn into the next Yennier Cano.

If our choices are continuing to watch him struggle for the Twins, because we can't straighten him out, or watching him excel with some other organization because they can, I vote for letting someone else straighten him out. 

His performances (or lack thereof) are demoralizing for the whole team. There are other culprits but if we're going to start holding players accountable Alcala is a good place to start. 

 

 

[bean5302]

3 minutes ago, shimrod said:

If our choices are continuing to watch him struggle for the Twins, because we can't straighten him out, or watching him excel with some other organization because they can, I vote for letting someone else straighten him out. 

His performances (or lack thereof) are demoralizing for the whole team. There are other culprits but if we're going to start holding players accountable Alcala is a good place to start. 

 

 

If there's no fixing him, I'd rather he succeed elsewhere. If he can rebuild some value, I'd like to see it happen. Low leverage only at this point, though. With a quick hook, too.

[AKTwinsFan]

Shoulda coulda got a hitting coach that doesn't just swing for power but also play some small ball. I've been following the Mariners since they dropped their long time coach and went with Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez as their hitting coach. Now they play small ball as well as hit for contact. Less swing and miss off power swings, more putting the ball in play and manufacturing runs. It's exactly what we need. New strategies, new coaches.

[laloesch]

13 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Rocco - maybe the pen needs a rest. Varland is over worked, the top 5 have been in 12 - 16 of the games.  That is not sustainable.  And Alcala just does not have it.  Put a SP in the pen, someone who can piggy back and give us innings since you don't like the SP to go 8 or 9 (and most of the time 6 or 7).  Too painful.  I just don't have the words.  The SP have now gone 164 out or 276 innings.  

How about McCusker - I know how stubborn execs can be, but let's get someone who has the potential to sting the ball.  Do something Twins or there will be no one in the stands by the end of the season.

 

12 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I am ready to get rid of Rocco, though about 4-5 hitters on the roster don't belong there. Fundamentals and lack of hustle is my problem with Rocco. At least Gasper hustled and hey he forced an error. Go outside the box with a new manager, Brian Dinkleman from the minors. His teams have always played well and he knows many of these players with the Twins.

All reasons to get rid of Rocco.

[laloesch]

30 minutes ago, Galen said:

At some point...if a team plays terrible baseball...over a long period of time...I  mean terrible baseball...shouldn't we fire the manager?

And DFA the players under performing or send them down to AAA.  The manager is a big part of the problem but so are the players.

[thelanges5]

What’s Nelson Cruz doing these days? Hire him as a bench or hitting coach. Was a good leader when he was a Twin. 

[S Bart]

12 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Time heals most wounds, and most people find him likable even if he took steroids sometime during his 24 year career. But the HOF voters had to make a point and blacklisted 90% of the stars that hooked me on baseball as a kid in the late 90s. 

I agree and find it sad that even Pete Rose (betting on his own team) still is being excluded. The lack of considering these individuals is one reason baseball has fallen so far behind the NBA, and the NFL in fan support. Pretty soon, pickleball will surpass baseball.

[jkcarew]

7 hours ago, Mark G said:

And as overworked as some of us believe the pen is (count me in that group), if my memory serves me correctly we have lost 13 road games where we never pitched the 9th inning at all.  That is 13 games the pen was spared at least another inning…

That’s a bold strategy, Rocco!

[1985Fan]

Almost ashamed to admit I’m one of the few people watching this team. It will be interesting to see if young Pohlad cares about attendance. If he does, we should see either urgency to sell this disaster or make major improvements/changes. I can’t see anyone wanting to buy at their lofty price in the current condition. 
I’m torn on when to fire Rocco. If they keep him until end of season, he would have influence on the young guys that are hopefully coming soon. Probably better to flush him and many of the coaches now. Falvey has to go as well so he doesn’t screwup the trades and roster rebuild. I give him credit for the apparent pitching pipeline, but nothing from the position side. The coaches in the minor leagues have failed to teach fundamentals and he is responsible for that problem. 
I think young Pohlad is too beholden to Falvey. I fear that Falvey will continue to run the baseball operations. The disaster will continue……


 

[S Bart]

The Pohlads set a high sale price for the team. I am curious. Do you think that the value of the team is going down in price based on the team's performance? Attendance is down a good bit from last year, and I question if many people are buying merchandise. 

[Bob Twins Fan Since 61]

I was watching MLB channel Yesterday and they had segment on greatest Cleveland players all-time.  The #2 player was Lou Brodreau.  Who was a player/manager for 10 seasons.  Which gave me a wild thought.  What about making Correa a player/manager to replace Rocco?     I definitely think it's time to move on from Rocco, but likely replacement is Jayce Tingler.  Doubtful, that will be anything but more of the same.  Being a season ticket holder it's downright depressing to attend games now.  Correa is a smart guy and has done lot winning in his career, what do we got to lose?

[laloesch]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

What solutions does trading Buxton, finally (seemingly) healthy at $15M/year, bring? Correa - OK ……..big spread between $15M & $37M.

I keep both and make a big swing with trading Duran & one of the Top AAA starters (or like guys) for a real bat - not a Brooks Lee or Austin Martin - somebody else’s “maybe” prospect ……i.e., high draft picks with potential - a real, proven MLB bat.

I wouldn’t.  The Twins have two highly paid players that have a consistent pattern of prolonged offensive droughts, sometimes 2 months in length ( this is not the first time either one has done this with the Twins), and one is getting paid 30+ million a year.  That’s not sustainable for a middle market franchise like  the Twins.  In fact, it’s a handicap.  

While Buxton has been decent lately he too had a very slow start to the season and throughout his career with the Twins has also had massive prolonged droughts and has failed to stay healthy for much of it.

If I’m front office I’m trying to trade both as soon as possible.  At some point this team needs to move on.  You can’t have a roster full of streaky offensive players and very few consistent hitters, especially when before mentioned streaky players consume 1/3 of the payroll.  It just isn’t going to work.  I would be working overtime to move Correa out as soon as possible and that’s not going to be easy considering how poorly he’s played.  

If Buxton can hold things together for a few more weeks and is willing to wave his no trade clause to a select few teams for a chance at a World Series you bet your bottom dollar I’m moving him to clear cap space and bring back some prospects.  
 

Correa I think, (and this is pure speculation) has checked out.  He knows he got duped by the owners with fancy talk about building a World Series caliber franchise around him.  If the Twins could find a trade partner to take him I would do it.  While you can’t exclusively blame Correa he IS a big part of the problem. 
At this point moving him is gonna involve the Twins paying a good chunk of his remaining salary but I don’t see any other way barring a big turnaround from him later in the season and should that happen I’m scrambling to move him while the fire is hot.

[Dave Borton]

4 hours ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

He’s Canadian, thank his people for Poutine, heap oil,

...Gordy Howe, and me Großvater from New Dundee, ONT.

.

[Danchat]

14 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Remember back when Leslie Frazier was coaching the Vikings before he was fired? After every game he’d tell the media “We got to look at the tape.” on our way to a 3-13 record? That’s how it feels right now each passing game with Rocco leading the way. We are just wasting time until someone in a position of power notices and makes changes.

This team has no answers right now

And to continue this comparison, the Rick Spielman equivalent was just given a promotion and I don't foresee them hiring the Mike Zimmer equivalent who will get them to be "good not great", since this roster and organization needs a reboot. Those Vikings squads would at least go back and forth between overachieving seasons and disappointing ones, compared to the Twins who are on track to have 4 of the last 5 years be major disappointments.

Rocco would do well to follow the Leslie Frazier path of being an important coach on a really good team (Bills DC) after getting canned. 

[Fatbat]

I remember when we used to win most games with the oft injured Buck in the lineup. That torch has now passed to Keaschall. We won’t win until he is back from the fracture.