Twins 4, Orioles 0: Twins Push Win Streak to 11, But Lose Buxton and Correa to Injury in Shutout of Orioles

[mikelink45]

It is hard to celebrate until I know the fate of Correa and Buxton our two fragile stars!  But still - 11 in a row is amazing and has been really fun. 

[Doctor Wu]

11 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

At a minimum, most will have to admit that this is the Paddack that the Twins found reason to keep. Even if he regresses, I'm not calling the front office bad for this decision and seeing what he has this year. Wow Paddack, keep this up!

Very nice to see Paddack pitching well the past two games. This is the version I was hoping for the past two seasons. Let's just hope that this time it's for real! 

[HarmonK03]

They played Gasper in the OF yesterday, I think they are preparing to call him up if Bader goes on the IL.  He is a not a major league player, he can hit AAA pitching and that is it.  Call up McCusker and see if he can give a jolt to the lineup.

 

[Riverbrian]

11 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Payton Eeles is on a rehab assignment in Ft. Myers (Mussels). There are options to try. Miranda, Julien, and Gasper won't add anything at this point. 

I'm hoping for a dose of McCusker.

McCusker was 5 for 7 yesterday with 2 doubles. 

[yeahyabetcha]

13 minutes ago, karcherd said:

They played Gasper in the OF yesterday, I think they are preparing to call him up if Bader goes on the IL.  He is a not a major league player, he can hit AAA pitching and that is it.  Call up McCusker and see if he can give a jolt to the lineup.

 

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

[Blyleven2011]

11 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

It was a joke for the Twins to be more consistent. Be a normal team instead of losing 7 games in a row followed by 11 wins in a row. 

I followed you , twins still have no identity  , are they winners or losers , last year they won 12 in arow and a week later they lost 7 in a row  ...

I'm still not quite convinced what the twins are except for the pitching ...

Winning streaks are great , but it's not what Rocco manages for , must be ailing Rocco because he plays only day to day and has been ill and tingler is his replacement , sorry I couldn't resist ...

[wabene]

13 minutes ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

I think it's perfectly natural, especially considering Gasper already got some run, is undersized and underwhelmed. McCrusher hasn't failed in MLB yet and you gotta admit, the size, speed and power potential are intriguing. 

[HarmonK03]

16 minutes ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

Gasper is 29 years old, there is a reason he hasn't had a shot in the majors up to this point.  He is a catcher without a position defensively.  He was a butcher at 2B, he made Julien look like a Gold Glover over there.  I am not saying McCusker would be our savior but give him a chance,  Maybe he could give us a jolt for a couple of weeks, my expectations wouldn't longer than that best case scenario.  But Gasper just doesn't belong up here.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

Having watched most of the Saints games via milb.com, it is fair to say that there is a significant difference between Gasper and McCusker. Gasper has been given an opportunity and there just isn't anywhere to use him. McCusker is hitting the ball hard on a consistent basis.

The Twins seem unlikely to call up McCusker though. The system looks for obstacles, not on 40 roster, Indy ball signee, age, and amount invested, as opposed to performance.

Wallner is out, Larnach is mostly a DH, Bader is hurting, and Buxton is a question mark as a result of yesterday's collision. If not now, when? 

[Jeff K]

1 hour ago, karcherd said:

Gasper is 29 years old, there is a reason he hasn't had a shot in the majors up to this point.  He is a catcher without a position defensively.  He was a butcher at 2B, he made Julien look like a Gold Glover over there.  I am not saying McCusker would be our savior but give him a chance,  Maybe he could give us a jolt for a couple of weeks, my expectations wouldn't longer than that best case scenario.  But Gasper just doesn't belong up here.

I agree, Gasper looked awful at 2b.  He could DH, but I would much prefer they bring up McCrusher.

[Riverbrian]

7 hours ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

 

5 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

 If not now, when? 

I don't know if it was Tony or Rodney who finished with this sentence but in my opinion he has provided the best answer. If Not Now, When? 

I can't speak for "TD for the most part". However... Me, Myself... I don't think they should release Gasper because his scattered 34 AB's don't mean a thing yet. I also don't know if McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA. I don't know and the front office doesn't know. If the front office knew, their job would be incredibly easy. Nobody would ever need to be sent down because the front office knew and the team would win to the point that we were bored with all the winning because the front office knew.  

Right now... I'm watching the ball rocket off his bat since the start of the season and it's still coming off his bat hard. He has been hitting consistently good from day one, no slumps spanning 37 games now.

His current AAA numbers are the best in not only St. Paul but the entire International League and he would be up there in the PCL with those numbers. 

He's 27 years old... There is no reason to wait until he is 28. There is an opening, we could use a hitter, giving a guy from the system a shot is how we potentially find a player that plays a role in 2026. Not giving him a shot is just putting him to sleep.  

If not now, when? 

 

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

He's 27 years old... There is no reason to wait until he is 28.

Small insignificant note - Carson McCusker is 26 years old. He turns 27 next week. Apparently there are people triggered by age. McCusker is not old.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I get that McCusker is the current fascination.  But is Gasper not hitting as good currently?  And he is probably more valuable as a fielder as well.  Yet, TD for the most part would be ok if Gasper was released and seem to think McCusker will just automatically do in the majors what he does in AAA.  

McCusker is better in the outfield. Bader and Buxton are both hurt.

I have no expectations that McCusker will automatically do in the majors what he is doing in AAA. That would make him Teoscar Hernandez.

[Riverbrian]

54 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Small insignificant note - Carson McCusker is 26 years old. He turns 27 next week. Apparently there are people triggered by age. McCusker is not old.

Just in case I forget on May 22nd... I'll get this taken care of in advance. I'd like to wish a happy 27th birthday to Carson McCusker next Thursday. 😉

Some are but I'm not triggered by age. Here's why: 

A player doesn't have to have a full 6 years of great production with the Twins to be worth it. There are plenty of players doing well in their first or 2nd seasons in the major leagues at the age of 27. They don't have to hit like Juan Soto to be worth it.

We all sit here and dream that Walter Jenkins is going to explode into amazingness at age 22 because he was drafted high and Keith Law says some nice things about him. I'm sure the Twins will give Jenkins every single chance possible to develop into what he is supposed to be... however... in the meantime, there are others who just might help. We are going to need players beyond Jenkins. Even if it's just for a year or two.

Players need to compete for playing time and that competition should be constant.   

  

[David Maro]

Paddock is challenging hitters to swing the bat not worrying about strike outs. His last 2 starts his pitch count has been 10-12 pitches per inning. Hopefully this is the new and improved Paddock.

[Riverbrian]

I didn't see this coming and I'm not sure why but Commissioner Rob Manfred just declared the regular season over.

The Twins will be facing the Mariners in the playoffs on Sunday in Seattle. 

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

The Twins seem unlikely to call up McCusker though. The system looks for obstacles, not on 40 roster, Indy ball signee, age, and amount invested, as opposed to performance.

I have huge criticisms of the Twins organization, but this is just nonsense, completely separated from reality. The man only has 850 PA in all of the minors, less than 250 in AAA and you all are acting like he's been in AAAA purgatory for years. 

I remember these same hasty calls about Severino, Keirsey, Prato, et al. 

McCusker will be called up. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But he will get a chance if he earns it, despite the hysterics saying otherwise. 

 

[LambchoP]

If Buxton or Bader are going to be unavailable for even a few games, Mccusker needs to be called up. Keirsey may be useful as a pinch runner and late game defensive sub, but he's not a starter. We can't rely on him as a starter especially if we also have to start Clemens and Bride. Having all three of these guys in the same lineup, especially without Buxton or Correa is going to seriously limit our offense. We're going to need some offensive help somewhere and Mccusker looks like the best and easiest place to get it barring any surprising trades. Good to see Eeles is on a rehab assignment now, but I'm guessing he won't be ready for awhile.

[Danchat]

56 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

I remember these same hasty calls about Severino, Keirsey, Prato, et al. 

Yup, and before that it was Jimmy Kerrigan, Mark Contreras, Tim Beckham. Mickey Gasper is a destroyer of AAA pitching too. I don't have a problem with giving these guys a shot but so often they come up and are completely overmatched by MLB pitching. I know because I used to be the guy who went "we have to call up player XYZ from AAA because they're playing so well!" but I've consistently seen those players underachieve.

[Doc Lenz]

17 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

Have the ones from February, January… August already had an opportunity?

Open to all. Hoping no one gets injured trying to get in line.

[yeahyabetcha]

3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Having watched most of the Saints games via milb.com, it is fair to say that there is a significant difference between Gasper and McCusker. Gasper has been given an opportunity and there just isn't anywhere to use him. McCusker is hitting the ball hard on a consistent basis.

The Twins seem unlikely to call up McCusker though. The system looks for obstacles, not on 40 roster, Indy ball signee, age, and amount invested, as opposed to performance.

Wallner is out, Larnach is mostly a DH, Bader is hurting, and Buxton is a question mark as a result of yesterday's collision. If not now, when? 

I haven’t watched him.  How does he look as a corner outfielder compared to Larnach or Wallner?

[tony&rodney]

13 minutes ago, yeahyabetcha said:

I haven’t watched him.  How does he look as a corner outfielder compared to Larnach or Wallner?

Carson is about the same as Wallner. Wallner has a slightly better arm but McCusker gets better jumps on balls in the air. He is better than Larnach.