Twins (SWR) v Jays (Lauer): 8/27, 6:07pm CT

[Chris Hove]

11 minutes ago, Patzky said:

See what happens when you don't have a catcher of the quality of Vazquez..

There's definitely truth to your statement. I haven't pulled the numbers to see how he compares but I have heard a lot of pitchers say how great Vazqy is calling games and working with the pitching staff.

[Patzky]

4 minutes ago, knothole61 said:

Yeah, what a horrible year for a guy with some really good stuff, except unfortunately between the ears at times! I’m pulling for him but he’s his own worst enemy. 

Check out today's game, the guy starts on second for Cleveland, bunt out to move him ahead, intentional walk to set up DP, then a strikeout, then on an 0-2 pitch a 96 middle middle fastball to Manzardo. Yeah him. Game over one ball hit hard. 

[Patzky]

12 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I guess I’d be upset if they were really trying to win. Fitzgerald is what (?) 32 years old. He is magically going to become a competent major leaguer?

Keaschall (23), Lee (24) and Lewis (26) are the present and near future for the Twins. Seeing if Clemens and/or Julien can perform well enough to help next year should also be a priority. That doesn’t leave much time for Fitzgerald. 

Guess he should be grateful to be accruing service time?

[Chris Hove]

13 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I guess I’d be upset if they were really trying to win. Fitzgerald is what (?) 32 years old. He is magically going to become a competent major leaguer?

Keaschall (23), Lee (24) and Lewis (26) are the present and near future for the Twins. Seeing if Clemens and/or Julien can perform well enough to help next year should also be a priority. That doesn’t leave much time for Fitzgerald. 

If they elect to dump Clemens and or Julien, another option could be Anthony Prato as a super utility type of guy.

[Patzky]

3 minutes ago, Chris Hove said:

There's definitely truth to your statement. I haven't pulled the numbers to see how he compares but I have heard a lot of pitchers say how great Vazqy is calling games and working with the pitching staff.

You can tell the difference in how he times mound visits, Just want to also share what Ober said after the game, he mentioned that Mickey Gasper catches all the bullpen sessions for the starting pitchers, 'building rapport'.  Was an interesting comment.

[stringer bell]

1 minute ago, Chris Hove said:

If they elect to dump Clemens and or Julien, another option could be Anthony Prato as a super utility type of guy.

Released yesterday I believe. 

[Patzky]

6 minutes ago, knothole61 said:

Gasper might be a modern day Lazarus? Probably not, but you never know.

Gasperus. Dardanelles, anyone?

[Chris Hove]

Just now, stringer bell said:

Released yesterday I believe. 

Yes he was nevermind that.

[Chris Hove]

1 minute ago, Chris Hove said:

Yes he was nevermind that.

Only 27 he could catch on with a team and be a Willi Castro type guy.

Edited August 27, 2025 by Chris Hove

[stringer bell]

3 minutes ago, Patzky said:

You can tell the difference in how he times mound visits, Just want to also share what Ober said after the game, he mentioned that Mickey Gasper catches all the bullpen sessions for the starting pitchers, 'building rapport'.  Was an interesting comment.

Mickey seems like a nice guy who works really hard with his God-given tools. I think he’s going to end up a baseball lifer and might be a really good manager some day. As a player, he’ll always have August 26th 2025 to remember. 

[Chris Hove]

Let's see how long E-Rod can stay healthy this time. He's back on another rehab assignment at Fort Myers.

[knothole61]

45 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

I can think of a few solutions, each equally likely to happen (read: not happening)

1. Ban sliders.  Even crappy relievers have filthy stuff that's unlike anything hitters in the past have had to face.

2. Lower the cap on pitchers on a roster to 10.  Pitchers would have to pace themselves more, velocity would decrease, breaking stuff wouldn't be quite as sharp

3. Move the mound back a couple feet.  This one feels just wrong for reasons I can't fully articulate

Great One, I like the 10 pitcher limit option! That would also open roster spots up fir more specialized utility players and maybe a speed merchant primarily for stolen base duty.

Regarding the slider ban: might it lead to some consternation over whether a given pitch was actually a slider?  I’ve never pitched and frankly other than a fastball, knuckler, or changeup, it’s hard for me to detect other pitches precisely. I mean, isn’t a slider very similar to a curve ball? 
And yes, I’d never want to move the mound back. 
 

Interesting thoughts…

[Chembry]

52 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Technically today's loss in extras doesn't affect the ERA .. since it isn't counted as an earned run. Another Manfred oddity.

Understood on that.  Just didn’t know if he pitched Sunday, Monday, or yesterday 

[Chris Hove]

1 minute ago, knothole61 said:

Great One, I like the 10 pitcher limit option! That would also open roster spots up fir more specialized utility players and maybe a speed merchant primarily for stolen base duty.

Regarding the slider ban: might it lead to some consternation over whether a given pitch was actually a slider?  I’ve never pitched and frankly other than a fastball, knuckler, or changeup, it’s hard for me to detect other pitches precisely. I mean, isn’t a slider very similar to a curve ball? 
And yes, I’d never want to move the mound back. 
 

Interesting thoughts…

Yep similar in that they both have break to them but a slider tends to move side to side and a curveball tends to start up and then drop vertically. 

[knothole61]

5 minutes ago, Chris Hove said:

Yep similar in that they both have break to them but a slider tends to move side to side and a curveball tends to start up and then drop vertically. 

Thanks…so pretty easy to differentiate by an ump or robo ump? 

[UpstateNewYorker]

1 hour ago, The Great Hambino said:

I can think of a few solutions, each equally likely to happen (read: not happening)

1. Ban sliders.  Even crappy relievers have filthy stuff that's unlike anything hitters in the past have had to face.

2. Lower the cap on pitchers on a roster to 10.  Pitchers would have to pace themselves more, velocity would decrease, breaking stuff wouldn't be quite as sharp

3. Move the mound back a couple feet.  This one feels just wrong for reasons I can't fully articulate

Agree 100% with #2.  Teams would have to go back to building up pitchers to pitch more than 5 innings. As an mlb.tv subscriber I'm often sent a "state of the game" survey, and this is always my top suggestion for improving the game. 

[OvertheHill]

Just heard last night’s post game interview- it’s easy to root for Gasper. Whether or not he belongs on a MLB roster I don’t know. But he seems like the kind of guy I’d have a beverage with. 

[Parfigliano]

29 minutes ago, knothole61 said:

Great One, I like the 10 pitcher limit option! That would also open roster spots up fir more specialized utility players and maybe a speed merchant primarily for stolen base duty.

Regarding the slider ban: might it lead to some consternation over whether a given pitch was actually a slider?  I’ve never pitched and frankly other than a fastball, knuckler, or changeup, it’s hard for me to detect other pitches precisely. I mean, isn’t a slider very similar to a curve ball? 
And yes, I’d never want to move the mound back. 
 

Interesting thoughts…

Slider has more horizontal movement then a curve which moves more vertically.

[S Bart]

Gasper has taken a beating, and is unlikely to be on the roster next spring. Regardless, his talk after the game yesterday was cool. It is meaningful to see anybody reach a 1st HR milestone.

[Tlaker]

I know I said I was done with this team….and I was for about a week….. but after 64 seasons I just can’t! I spent the week collecting my thoughts and all I could come up with was “wouldn’t it be fun to be a fly on the wall and listen in to a conversation between Kepler, Bader and Duran?! I see we play Philly in a couple of weeks….

 

Sorry, all I could come up with….. spent the week in a recreational weed state 

[Parfigliano]

Buxton tater.  Commanding, dare I say insurmountable early lead.

[Parfigliano]

1 minute ago, Tlaker said:

I know I said I was done with this team….and I was for about a week….. but after 64 seasons I just can’t! I spent the week collecting my thoughts and all I could come up with was “wouldn’t it be fun to be a fly on the wall and listen in to a conversation between Kepler, Bader and Duran?! I see we play Philly in a couple of weeks….

 

Sorry, all I could come up with….. spent the week in a recreational weed state 

I live in one.

[S Bart]

2 minutes ago, Tlaker said:

I know I said I was done with this team….and I was for about a week….. but after 64 seasons I just can’t! I spent the week collecting my thoughts and all I could come up with was “wouldn’t it be fun to be a fly on the wall and listen in to a conversation between Kepler, Bader and Duran?! I see we play Philly in a couple of weeks….

 

Sorry, all I could come up with….. spent the week in a recreational weed state 

Final series in the season

[OvertheHill]

Wally base hit off a lefty with 2 strikes. Thats a good sign. 

[Patzky]

5 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Buxton tater.  Commanding, dare I say insurmountable early lead.

Been a bit since we enjoyed that! He enjoyed a day off it seems.

[Patzky]

Wallner SB? What...

[OvertheHill]

I can’t believe that jump he got off 1st 

[Patzky]

Gotta schwing.

Keaschall will have to figure out Lefty's..

[Parfigliano]

Wheels Wallner.  19 more and we got another 20-20 guy.

[OvertheHill]

“And we’ll see you tomorrow night!” 
 

That will echo through eternity.