Twins 5, Royals 1: Late Home Runs Back Taj Bradley’s Strong Outing

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Taj Bradley - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. 100 pitches, 65 strikes (65%)
Home Runs: Matt Wallner, Kody Clemens, Royce Lewis
Top 3 WPA: Taj Bradley (0.40), Kody Clemens (0.12), Kody Funderburk (0.11)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

The Twins wrapped up their series with the Royals on Thursday, playing a 1:10 PM finale after a late finish the night before. With a different-looking lineup and a quick turnaround, the focus was simple: get more length from Taj Bradley and find just enough offense.

They got both.

BRADLEY SETTLES IN
After an inefficient first outing that saw his pitch count climb quickly, Taj Bradley looked much more in control this time around. He worked six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and just one walk while striking out three. More than the line, though, was how he got there.

Bradley was far more efficient early, needing just 27 pitches to get through two innings. He mixed in his cutter effectively and did a better job getting ahead, even if his first-pitch strike rate still wasn’t perfect. When he ran into trouble, he adjusted. The fourth inning was his biggest test, as he loaded the bases with two outs. But he reached back and got a swing-and-miss on a cutter out of the zone to escape.

It wasn’t as dominant as his first start from a pure stuff standpoint. He generated fewer whiffs and gave up plenty of hard contact. But this was a different kind of outing; one built on navigating traffic, limiting damage, and giving the Twins exactly what they needed after getting just four innings from Joe Ryan the day before.

And this time, it held up.

SCRATCHING EARLY, BREAKING THROUGH LATE
The Twins didn’t exactly jump on Royals starter Cole Ragans, but they made him work. A 24-pitch first inning set the tone, and multiple long at-bats followed, even if the runs didn't pile up.

Their first run came in an unusual way. In the second inning, Kody Clemens reached base and eventually scored on a failed pickoff attempt by Salvador Perez, who threw the ball into center field. It wasn’t pretty, but any runs in a game like this matter.

From there, chances were limited. There was some traffic, but nothing consistent enough to break things open. It felt like a one-run game that could flip at any moment—until the endgame. A Josh Bell walk, a Royce Lewis double and a Byron Buxton sacrifice fly got a run home in the top of the eighth, and after the bullpen avoided letting the lead slip away in a nervous bottom of the eighth, the offense gave them some breathing room in the top of the ninth.

Matt Wallner got things started with a missile to right-center, a 405-foot drive that came off the bat at 107 MPH. A few batters later, Clemens jumped on a backdoor slider and sent it into the bullpen in left. Then Bell made it three in the inning, launching a hanging slider into the seats in right field.

Just like that, a tight game turned into a comfortable one.

BULLPEN SLAMS THE DOOR
With Bradley through six, the Twins turned it over to the bullpen, and they delivered.

Kody Funderburk handled the seventh cleanly, working around a loud foul ball to post a zero. Cole Sands ran into some trouble in the eighth, allowing a run on a sacrifice fly, but limited the damage and avoided a bigger inning.

Taylor Rogers came in to finish the frame, stranding a runner and picking up a key strikeout, and Justin Topa closed things out in the ninth. Even with a little traffic to start the inning, Topa induced a double play and ended the game with a strikeout.

It wasn’t flawless, but the bullpen was effective. Despite some iffy defense, they held the lead.

There were a few smaller moments that stood out along the way. Victor Caratini was active behind the plate, successfully challenging multiple calls early in the game. Luke Keaschall made one key, unorthodox defensive play, picking a low throw as he arrived at the keystone for a pivotal out in the eighth. And while the lineup wasn’t the usual group, it found a way to produce when it mattered most. That’s what this one came down to.

What’s Next?
The Twins head to Minneapolis for their home opener tomorrow, where they’ll open up a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Bailey Ober is set to make his second start of the year, and Joe Boyle will take the hill for the Rays, with the action getting going (after some season-opening pomp and circumstance) at 3:10 PM CT or so.

Postgame Interviews
Coming Soon!

Bullpen Usage Chart

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	THU	TOT
Abel	0	81	0	0	0	0	81
Kent	0	0	0	0	47	0	47
Funderburk	13	0	26	0	0	15	54
Laweryson	0	0	0	0	36	0	36
Banda	15	3	0	0	12	0	30
Topa	12	0	10	0	0	13	35
Orze	21	0	0	0	0	0	21
Sands	16	0	0	0	0	11	27
Rogers	0	0	14	0	0	4	18

 

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[AceWrigley]

The Twins offense is a ninth inning monster. The rest of the time?  Not so much.

[Patzky]

Unexpectedly an enjoyable end! 

[UK Twin]

Really need to stop with the baserunning blunders. Caratini trying to get to 3rd was laughable - only Buck would have had a chance there and even he may have been thrown out. And Clemens caught a huge break when Perez threw the ball into CF. A decent throw and he was out on the bases too. 

Having said that, Bradley's stuff is so good. Loved it when Witt could only watch a 100mph heater down the middle for strike 3. Only 3 K's but not much hard contact off him. He's too prone to a 25-30 pitch inning but his upside far outweighs that. Better command and he can become an ace. 

Love the ABS challenge system. Think it's been long overdue.

One of the best swings I've seen from Wallner going oppo for a HR.

2-4 sounds a lot better than 1-5, especially from a tough road trip. Certainly stuff to work on but also positives from the first week of the season,

[tony&rodney]

Kody Clemens is somewhat representative of our Minnesota Twins. He plays hard, has some skills, and is likely grateful to be on an MLB team. Today, alone, Clemens was quite a show. In the 2nd inning Clemens singled but smartly moved up to second base when Caratini (thinking he was invisible) tried to go to third base. Then Kody seemed to lose track of the number of outs and was going to be picked off second except for an errant throw that caromed away into the shallow outfield, allowing Clemens to scamper home with the first run of the game. Clemens dropped a foul ball pop up where he called off the catcher, Caratini, in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning Clemens couldn't scoop a poor throw. In the 5th inning Clemens smashed his face in a caught stealing. It was a crazy reckless headfirst slide. In the 6th inning Clemens could not scoop a poor throw by Royce Lewis and nearly sacrificed his body and life by falling directly into the path of a hard running Salvador Perez who neatly and politely stepped over Kody. In the 9th inning Clemens hit a sweet home run and then could not bail out another crappy play by Lewis. All in all Clemens was a huge part of the game. I hope I remembered it fairly well.

I really appreciate how hard Clemens plays but am sometimes a little befuddled by his actions too.  I believe it is possible to recognize the positive contributions of players while also being aware of their limitations. Until such time as the Twins field  players who possess above average skills in the field, on the bases, and at the plate I'm going to admire the small things and begrudgingly accept the lesser displays of talent. Clemens was a show today.

[ashbury]

The Michael A Taylor trade continues to pay dividends to the Twins!

[bunsen82]

Josh Bell is having a really nice start.  2 home runs back to back game -1 Left handed, the other right handed,  both hit a mile.   .222/.400/.667  7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP - (8 SO).   He is putting up some counting stats,  doing some damage and overall being a very productive DH/1st base.   Get that batting average up a bit - and he will look like a steal.  Ultimately if he can provide an OBP over .350 with increased home run potential - we will be very very happy.  

[USAFChief]

Bradley was pretty impressive again today.

He seems to occasionally battle his command, but so far at least his stuff has been way more than enough to combat that.

 

 

[cheeseheadgophfan]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Kody Clemens is somewhat representative of our Minnesota Twins. He plays hard, has some skills, and is likely grateful to be on an MLB team. Today, alone, Clemens was quite a show. In the 2nd inning Clemens singled but smartly moved up to second base when Caratini (thinking he was invisible) tried to go to third base. Then Kody seemed to lose track of the number of outs and was going to be picked off second except for an errant throw that caromed away into the shallow outfield, allowing Clemens to scamper home with the first run of the game. Clemens dropped a foul ball pop up where he called off the catcher, Caratini, in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning Clemens couldn't scoop a poor throw. In the 5th inning Clemens smashed his face in a caught stealing. It was a crazy reckless headfirst slide. In the 6th inning Clemens could not scoop a poor throw by Royce Lewis and nearly sacrificed his body and life by falling directly into the path of a hard running Salvador Perez who neatly and politely stepped over Kody. In the 9th inning Clemens hit a sweet home run and then could not bail out another crappy play by Lewis. All in all Clemens was a huge part of the game. I hope I remembered it fairly well.

I really appreciate how hard Clemens plays but am sometimes a little befuddled by his actions too.  I believe it is possible to recognize the positive contributions of players while also being aware of their limitations. Until such time as the Twins field  players who possess above average skills in the field, on the bases, and at the plate I'm going to admire the small things and begrudgingly accept the lesser displays of talent. Clemens was a show today.

Those are all plays/scoops that a major league first baseman should make.  The throw from Gray was a high-school level pick.  The throws from Lewis were tougher but still should have been caught.   The Twins seem to think you can put any live body at first base and it won't matter. 

[TheLeviathan]

Taj looks like a lot of fun.

He just needs 3-4 solo homeruns every game and we'll be good.

[arby58]

1 hour ago, bunsen82 said:

Josh Bell is having a really nice start.  2 home runs back to back game -1 Left handed, the other right handed,  both hit a mile.   .222/.400/.667  7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP - (8 SO).   He is putting up some counting stats,  doing some damage and overall being a very productive DH/1st base.   Get that batting average up a bit - and he will look like a steal.  Ultimately if he can provide an OBP over .350 with increased home run potential - we will be very very happy.  

If he has an OPS over 1.000, the BA should be the least of our worries.

[Old Twins Hat]

I don't mean to be negative, but, the Twins didn't play a good game today.  Three homers in the 9th is what people will focus on but prior to that, except for Bradley's pitching, they were pathetic.

The Twins scored a run when Cody Clemens looked for all the world that he lost track of the count to Royce Lewis, thought he had struck out and was reaching to remove his batting gloves and walking toward third when Salvador Perez threw the ball to 2B to pick him off.  Cody realized that he had made a mistake and broke toward 3B, the throw was high and glanced off the 2nd baseman's glove and Clemens scored.  Clemens' mistake was trumped by Perez' bad throw or this would have been a totally different game.

Tristan Gray played SS for Lee, who has been poor at fielding and not great at the plate.  Results:  Gray struck out three times and popped out, made one bad throw to 1B  allowing Perez to reach, and in the 7th, made a terrible throw on a Perez ground, which, without a stellar reaction play by Keaschall would have been a game changer.  Clemens by the way dropped a pop-up off Witt's bat with the tying run on base, and muffed the poor throw by Gray, and, as well, bloodied his face in an awkward slide into 2B.

Caratini made a stupid baserunning blunder in the second and was out by a mile at third.  On and on.  They don't look well-coached.  They don't seem to know the most basic things about how to win at this level.  WTF?  

They haven't had a lot of luck to start the year, but they aren't creating and cashing in opportunities either.  Hope something changes or this team will rise to the level of their talent, which in this case means:  no-wheres-ville.

[GNess]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Kody Clemens is somewhat representative of our Minnesota Twins. He plays hard, has some skills, and is likely grateful to be on an MLB team. Today, alone, Clemens was quite a show. In the 2nd inning Clemens singled but smartly moved up to second base when Caratini (thinking he was invisible) tried to go to third base. Then Kody seemed to lose track of the number of outs and was going to be picked off second except for an errant throw that caromed away into the shallow outfield, allowing Clemens to scamper home with the first run of the game. Clemens dropped a foul ball pop up where he called off the catcher, Caratini, in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning Clemens couldn't scoop a poor throw. In the 5th inning Clemens smashed his face in a caught stealing. It was a crazy reckless headfirst slide. In the 6th inning Clemens could not scoop a poor throw by Royce Lewis and nearly sacrificed his body and life by falling directly into the path of a hard running Salvador Perez who neatly and politely stepped over Kody. In the 9th inning Clemens hit a sweet home run and then could not bail out another crappy play by Lewis. All in all Clemens was a huge part of the game. I hope I remembered it fairly well.

I really appreciate how hard Clemens plays but am sometimes a little befuddled by his actions too.  I believe it is possible to recognize the positive contributions of players while also being aware of their limitations. Until such time as the Twins field  players who possess above average skills in the field, on the bases, and at the plate I'm going to admire the small things and begrudgingly accept the lesser displays of talent. Clemens was a show today.

He is an adventure, I like it. At least he's not just playing it save afraid to make a mistake.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

2 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Josh Bell is having a really nice start.  2 home runs back to back game -1 Left handed, the other right handed,  both hit a mile.   .222/.400/.667  7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP - (8 SO).   He is putting up some counting stats,  doing some damage and overall being a very productive DH/1st base.   Get that batting average up a bit - and he will look like a steal.  Ultimately if he can provide an OBP over .350 with increased home run potential - we will be very very happy.  

He is due for a gold glove at 1B.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I thought Shelton did  a good job of subbing. Especially when he let Bradley pitch the 6th inning. Rocco would have never allowed that.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, cheeseheadgophfan said:

Those are all plays/scoops that a major league first baseman should make.  The throw from Gray was a high-school level pick.  The throws from Lewis were tougher but still should have been caught.   The Twins seem to think you can put any live body at first base and it won't matter. 

Agree - mostly. The foul ball and lack of instinct for getting after the ball as a part-time OF seemed puzzling. Dropping the ball with the 1B glove was equally puzzling……..my thought a few times today was that “they resemble a high school team”. The one hop scoops, two of them, need to be caught - one would have been an out and one I saw Gray double clutch and still leave it 8 feet short of 1B - still should be picked by a reasonable guy at 1B.

I don’t understand why a “veteran of 1B” - Bell, does play there 80% of the time. His best has to be at least as good as Clemens & Caratini - right?

[arby58]

2 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Josh Bell is having a really nice start.  2 home runs back to back game -1 Left handed, the other right handed,  both hit a mile.   .222/.400/.667  7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP - (8 SO).   

He leads the team or is tied for the lead in most offensive categories: Runs, Doubles, Home Runs, RBI, Total Bases, Walks, Slugging Percentage, OPS. Yes, it's only 6 games, but the Twins will take it.

[JD-TWINS]

9 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I thought Shelton did  a good job of subbing. Especially when he let Bradley pitch the 6th inning. Rocco would have never allowed that.

Took 6 games for me to hear/reas from someone what a piss poor Manager Baldelli was - longer than I thought it would take. Can we move on?

[tony&rodney]

4 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

I don’t understand why a “veteran of 1B” - Bell, does play there 80% of the time. His best has to be at least as good as Clemens & Caratini - right?

I'm sure others or you will think otherwise but the answer is no. First base is an adventure for all three guys.

[JD-TWINS]

Clemens got a hit v. LH pitching - cool

Gray, as a lefty bat, started ahead of LEE - cool

Wallner didn’t strike out looking and hit a HR that had a positive effect - cool

The move with Gray seems to signal to me that the organization is fed up with Lee’s mediocrity……..IMO, if Culpepper hits for another 2 weeks in St. Paul, he and Lee will exchange spots prior to end of April.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, cheeseheadgophfan said:

Those are all plays/scoops that a major league first baseman should make.  The throw from Gray was a high-school level pick.  The throws from Lewis were tougher but still should have been caught.   The Twins seem to think you can put any live body at first base and it won't matter. 

You may be correct but Bell or Caratini aren't any better. All are bad options. We have to hope they work hard and play hard.

Maybe the infielders could make better throws too .... but they also are all limited. 

My view is the boys are doing their best but have some limitations that show .... quite often.

[Riverbrian]

I love the start of baseball season. Been waiting for it. Every year... the first couple of weeks of the season is like the springtime return of an old friend. 

At the same time... I hate the start of the baseball season. All of these day games... you want to be watching the game the usual way on my 140 inch television at home... Instead... I'm watching at work while trying to get some work done on a 2 inch screen on my phone. I may be off on both of those measurements. 

From what I could see on that tiny screen with my need a bigger screen old person eyes. 

TAJ BRADLEY looked great again... The guy has stuff!!! 

As Joe Shoes Jackson once said back in 1979. Cause if my eyes don't deceive me... Something is going right around here.

 

[stringer bell]

Most of us didn't realize until he was gone that Ty France played a really good first base for the Twins last year. He was especially adept at scooping low throws. Clemens didn't make plays that often are made by first basemen today, but he grades out decently on the defensive metrics, certainly better than Bell.

I didn't see Caratini's error last night, but prior to that (SSS) I thought he looked okay at first. He looks okay behind the plate as well IMHO.

 

 

[DocBauer]

Just a few observations as the Twins come home:

1] There have been some very poor mistakes that have hurt, and the team absolutely needs to clean up some things. But while 2-4 in 6 games doesn't sound great, but the Orioles and Royals are both projected to be above .500, and possible playoff teams. I think the Good Guys blew at least 1 game they should have won, and 3-3 would be a lot better. But they've basically been IN all 6 games. I'm not overly disappointed so far.

2] Is it my imagination, or has the pen been a little better than expected so far. SSSS I know, but it hasn't quite been the disaster I half expected. I still can't wait for a couple young, live arms to make their way to Target Field later this season, but the usage and results of the pen have been subtly OK thus far.

3] Martin has been really solid at the plate so far. I think he deserves a chance to see what he can do against RHP. You don't hit .300+ like he did in 2024 with St Paul if you don't hit decently against RHP. When he came up to the Twins that season, he actually hit better against RH than he did against LH. He reversed those splits with the Twins in 2025, but he wasn't terrible against RH. And this appears to be a more developed Martin. So maybe he should get a legitimate shot against RHP?

4] DESPITE what I just said about Martin, I still think Keaschall should be the primary #1 in the order. But I appreciate Shelton playing with the lineup and batting Keaschall behind Buxton. I see why he's doing it, at least against LHP, and I can see the logic in what he's doing.

BUT, the Twins aren't going to be seeing LH starters almost every day going forward. And when I see a roster spot being handed to Outman to basically ONLY be a PR and defensive replacement...and CLEMENS batting leadoff against RHP i just want to scream WHOA! Roden is a solid defensive player. He had a great ST. He's off to a great start with St Paul getting OB. 

Why in hell are we wasting a roster space on Outman ONLY for an extremely limited role when we could have a younger, almost certainly better hitter in Roden, who could do the same job, and form a quasi platoon with Martin? 

You want Martin to bat #1 against LHP and have Keaschall hit #3? OK.

IF Martin gets an opportunity to show he can hit RHP, well then Roden could hit #3 behind Buxton at times, depending on that days lineup. Or maybe Roden hits #1, and Martin hits 9th, or even sits. Maybe Keaschall hits #1, Roden #2, and Buxton hits at #3 in a sweet spot because he's got 2 good OB guys ahead of him.

I am beyond the poor roster construction at 1B. But not having MORE and BETTER options to construct a better lineup with a player like Roden vs holding on to a 29yo OF who's ONLY role is PR and late inning defensive replacement is ridiculous use of your position player roster!

5] I am NOT digging anyone's player grave. But is Abel one of the most important Twins for 2026? 

You simply DON'T replace someone like Lopez. But success was at least partially based on Lopez, Ryan, and Ober leading the rotation, with SIM almost a virtual lock. Suddenly, unexpectedly, Lopez is gone. And despite being reportedly healthy and not being bothered any longer by a troubling hip that ruined his 2025, Ober suddenly doesn't have a FB that can rise above 90 mph. And reportedly by him, he was consistently hitting 90 before he took a couple weeks off before camp. And suddenly the velocity wasn't there. He's ALWAYS been a "mechanical" pitcher based on his length. So MAYBE his mechanics are still out of whack and he's going to get to 91-93 again with a few more starts?

How many 30yo pitchers have you heard of who suddenly lost 3 mph while being 100% healthy? But Ober says he feels great. So is he quietly hiding an injury? Or are his mechanics out of whack and maybe without even realizing it, he's stuck in 2025 mode?

This is why I ask if Abel might be one of the most important 2026 Twins.

Again, you just don't replace Lopez. But Bradley is starting to look like he's taking another step. And SWR took a major step forward late in 2025, and hasn't done anything to suggest he's not a solid, quality SP. But there's a real, unfortunate chance that Ober might only be the Twins #5 SP this season. That's depressing and unexpected. But with Ryan on top, and Bradley looking like he's ready to take the next step, and SWR still as solid as ever...if not improved...if Abel can actually prove that he's ready, if his great STUFF and a very good ST prove he's taken a step forward...NOT talking crazy All Star, Cy Young performance...just turning the corner to being a really good, young SP with an upswing potentially in the near future, the rotation can survive the regrettable loss of Lopez. And it can lead to even better depth and results in 2027.

Sorry gang, I just had a TON of thoughts the last few days. Bless you if you spent time reading my ramblings.

[knothole61]

5 hours ago, Old Twins Hat said:

I don't mean to be negative, but, the Twins didn't play a good game today.  Three homers in the 9th is what people will focus on but prior to that, except for Bradley's pitching, they were pathetic.

The Twins scored a run when Cody Clemens looked for all the world that he lost track of the count to Royce Lewis, thought he had struck out and was reaching to remove his batting gloves and walking toward third when Salvador Perez threw the ball to 2B to pick him off.  Cody realized that he had made a mistake and broke toward 3B, the throw was high and glanced off the 2nd baseman's glove and Clemens scored.  Clemens' mistake was trumped by Perez' bad throw or this would have been a totally different game.

Tristan Gray played SS for Lee, who has been poor at fielding and not great at the plate.  Results:  Gray struck out three times and popped out, made one bad throw to 1B  allowing Perez to reach, and in the 7th, made a terrible throw on a Perez ground, which, without a stellar reaction play by Keaschall would have been a game changer.  Clemens by the way dropped a pop-up off Witt's bat with the tying run on base, and muffed the poor throw by Gray, and, as well, bloodied his face in an awkward slide into 2B.

Caratini made a stupid baserunning blunder in the second and was out by a mile at third.  On and on.  They don't look well-coached.  They don't seem to know the most basic things about how to win at this level.  WTF?  

They haven't had a lot of luck to start the year, but they aren't creating and cashing in opportunities either.  Hope something changes or this team will rise to the level of their talent, which in this case means:  no-wheres-ville.

Old Hat, I'm not as pessimistic as some but I do agree that shortstop will be a black hole until management sees fit to bring up Kaelen Culpepper or makes a blockbuster trade which, of course, is not likely. I fear that Lee has hit the peak of his career already and is fading fast. He could end up as just a memory soon, like Miranda. And I certainly don't want to see him back at short. Caratini made a laughable base running blunder, but do we know if the new coach urged him on? If so he needs a talking to. Gray is, I feel, simply not ready for primetime. Clemens, on the other hand, has too much value as a gritty player with some power and a good attitude to forsake at this point.     

[knothole61]

7 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Josh Bell is having a really nice start.  2 home runs back to back game -1 Left handed, the other right handed,  both hit a mile.   .222/.400/.667  7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP - (8 SO).   He is putting up some counting stats,  doing some damage and overall being a very productive DH/1st base.   Get that batting average up a bit - and he will look like a steal.  Ultimately if he can provide an OBP over .350 with increased home run potential - we will be very very happy.  

When Bell hits 'em, like Killebrew in the day, they go high and long and are gone without a doubt. We had to urge the homers by Wallner and Clemens out of the park in the ninth last night but on Bell's shot we just sat and appreciated it.  

[Peter]

Huge huge huge bounce back win!!! 2-4 is way better then 1-5 although we should be 5-1! Bradley is real deal and pitched great game and 3 home runs in 9th inning!!! Let’s build off this win and take series against the rays!!! Sooo glad Twins baseball is back!!!

[AceWrigley]

10 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

You may be correct but Bell or Caratini aren't any better. All are bad options. We have to hope they work hard and play hard.

Maybe the infielders could make better throws too .... but they also are all limited. 

My view is the boys are doing their best but have some limitations that show .... quite often.

It's hard when your limits are limitless. 🙃

[AceWrigley]

10 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Took 6 games for me to hear/reas from someone what a piss poor Manager Baldelli was - longer than I thought it would take. Can we move on?

All Tarheeltwinsfan was saying is that he thought Rocco wouldn't have let Bradley pitch the 6th inning and he's probably right. He didn't say Rocco was a bad manager. And 6 games in with a new manager I think comparisons are and should be expected.

[Bodie]

10 hours ago, GNess said:

He is an adventure, I like it. At least he's not just playing it save afraid to make a mistake.

I'd change "save" (sic) to "passive", but agree 100% with the sentiment. 

Lot easier to root for a guy going all out, even if it doesn't always work out.  His talent level means he is likely to be a relatively short term Twin, but I'll appreciate all he has done with what he has, as long as he's here.

A "dirtbag" in every (baseball) sense!  Give him anyone's glove, and a random bat and turn him lose!!!