Twins 11, A's 8: Connor Prielipp Sharp In Return, Twins' Bats (and Legs) Win Sloppy Slugfest Late

[HarmonK03]

Today was a great game and fun to watch despite Sands blowup.  But I am greedy, I want more games like this and a lot less like last weekend against the Cubs.  But until they come up with a plan and decide who is going to play where.  And if they don't have a position filled, fill it with talent not a cast off and hope you get something out of them.  If that means bringing up your top prospects, then play them, otherwise bring in major league talent that has been productive in their career and not looking to rebound.

The list of hope to find something is long and is not a way to produce a consistent winner.  This year alone, you have had Gray, Arcia, Kreidler, Outman, Bell to a lesser degree. Those players are reserves at best or organizational filler.  Bell is miscast as a clean up hitter.  He would be better hitting in the 6th or 7th spot, but that is where we are at because of a lack of talent.  

You move Lewis to 1st then play him all over the infield, then when there are defensive changes you swap him and Clemens from where they have been playing.  Is Keaschall better in the OF or 2B, find a position for him.  And if you need upgrades do it this offseason.  But this riding the middle ground is just running on a treadmill.  I know we are supposed all roses and sunshine but like I said I am greedy I want more days like this and I don't see it happening with this current front office.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

I think Kriedler's closer to a .225 -.240 type guy with occasional power. 

That’s Kody Clemens with a better glove.

Kreidler has a ton of plate appearances in AAA and his average at that level is .238.

[Andy MacPhail]

IMO, it's crazy bringing Sands up so quick when he needed a lot more time to cook, especially when he didn't pitch that great before this season. We need someone who can help us not drag us down in the BP.

[RpR]

[JD-TWINS]

4 hours ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Anyone else annoyed at the timing of Prielipp being pulled? Let him finish the inning. I understand hes on a limit but he was dealing and looking darn good. That decision cost us 6 runs and completely undermined the dominating start from Prielipp. 

And why does Sands automatically get a spot on the roster while a guy with an ERA under 3 gets sent out? Because he had 1 decent season 2 year ago? Dude is overrated. I do understand why he was put in the game in that spot. It Should've been a low leverage spot but he completely imploded. 

Nance and Funderburk are looking decent at the moment. Adams was on a nice run before today. Hopefully just a hiccup and not the start of something bad. 

I am fully over Royce Lewis at this point. Why is he ever batting cleanup? .208 average for the season and his numbers are even worse over the past couple weeks or so. Its been 3 years since hes done anything. Its well past time to let go. 

Is Buck ok? He has been struggling pretty bad for a couple weeks. I hope that hip isn't holding him back still. If it is, he needs to let that heal up. 

Clemens with 2 triples today. What a difficult feat.

Kriedler with 3 doubles and 2 stolen bases. He and Clemens have been stepping up on both sides of the ball. 

3 hits and 3 RBIs for Jeffers, showing hes healthy. I sure hope we keep him. Probably a top 5 Catcher in the league. We need to keep guys like him. 

A's were kicking the ball all over the field today. Very nice to see the team take advantage of those opportunities. 

On a side note, I wasnt too pleased to see Arcia released from AAA so Gray could have a roster spot. Arcia is a better player in an every aspect of the game. It was a puzzling decision for sure and I just cant understand why the team has been sticking with him so much. He kept getting starts in the ML over better players and now hes taking a AAA roster spot over a better player. 

How did the one batter Prielipp didn’t pitch to in the 6th “…..cost us 6 runs”? Sands sucked for sure but it looked to me he would have been knocked around if he came in after 5 2/3 or after 6 innings.

They were up 7 runs when Sands came into the game…….he should be able to navigate through a few outs w/o giving up 5 runs. They picked him to rest other guys as he was fresh - he was just not sharp!

Prior to today, Kreidler hit .160 over previous 10 game stretch with 5 total hits.

Including today, Clemens has hit .150 over last 10 games …….2 HR the other day and 2 triples today, but only 6 hits over last 10 games.

Lewis has 8 hits and 2 HR in last 10 games with 8 runs scored ….. & with a .229 avg.

[RpR]

4 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

Anyone who takes two wins of the Oakland as a sign that this team is playoff competitive is sadly mistaken. Check out the strength of schedule after the trade deadline.... 

They did beat the Dodger, 7-1.

[Danchat]

3 hours ago, HerbieFan said:

If they don't lose Paredes....and have to use Rojas for four innings yesterday I'm not sure Sands even gets activated.  Guys like Jack Anderson and Eric Orze might give them a better chance right now, so could Sands be sent back to St.Paul to basically continue his rehab???

I believe Sands was at the maxmium rehab days? They either had to activate him or put him back on the IL if I'm not wrong.

[stringer bell]

Coming into this season Kreidler was among the absolute worst hitters given even a minimal number of PAs in recent years.  He’s been better than that even including the July slump. His body of work for the Twins is pretty good—positive WAR, positive defensive ratings at key positions and an OPS+ of around 100. Given the defense, that’s a regular player. We can’t predict that he’ll keep his hitting numbers acceptable, but at the two-thirds milepost, Kreidler has been pretty decent.

Sands hasn’t been the same since ‘24. Velocity is down, chase rate is down, Ks are down, walks are up. I don’t know if he can be optioned, the Twins haven’t used one for him in years. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he went right back on the IL, but maybe he was just rusty. Regardless, he would fall behind atleast five.guys on the bullpen trust meter—Gómez, Morris, Nance, and lefthanders Rogers and Funderburk. 

[knothole61]

7 hours ago, wesnewy said:

awesome watching the rookies show out in back to back starts! Only one game back of .500 🤞🏻

Shhhhhhh!

[knothole61]

8 hours ago, Saxophone Joe said:

- Buck’s RISP struggles, dang. It is in his head, full stop. Elephant in the room…

Oh well, hope he snaps out of it. These past two games were all about living to see another series as playoff contenders. Not exactly impressive but mission accomplished. Go get at least 2 out of 3 from KC and head to Seattle with a .500 record (or better).

-  Kreidler is a Sunday afternoon game-changer!

PS that was my wife & me with the “Circle Me Pablo” signs they showed in the 8th. Pablo: “That’s so nice of them.” Filmed at yesterday’s game though 🤣

Joe, a handsome couple and seated right on the rail...very nice! 

[TL]

12 hours ago, bean5302 said:

I think it's fine to keep playing Keaschall every day at 2B so he can play a position his bat might be good enough to stick at. That's not likely going to be corner OF, though.

 

We’ve very likely seen the last of him at 2B. I’d be interested to know how his defense in CF compares to Jenkins and Emma since it may be about time to have Buxton serve as mostly DH. I agree he may he may not have the power to hand him a corner spot long-term but he’s already plays good outfield defense and is likely to reduce the glaring mistakes as he gains experience.

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

12 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

I am not ready to put Abel in pen, I think he is going to have to show he is healthy and that he can throw strikes consistently.  I am guessing he will start in St. Paul.  I still believe in Matthews, he is consistently giving them 6 innings in his starts and giving up 3 or 4 runs.  That is what you want from your fifth starter.  Now if Rojas can pitch like he did yesterday and Abel can pick up where he left off then we will have a nice problem.

Good points. I think Abel definitely stays in the rotation when he is able to pitch again. 

[HarmonK03]

49 minutes ago, TL said:

We’ve very likely seen the last of him at 2B. I’d be interested to know how his defense in CF compares to Jenkins and Emma since it may be about time to have Buxton serve as mostly DH. I agree he may he may not have the power to hand him a corner spot long-term but he’s already plays good outfield defense and is likely to reduce the glaring mistakes as he gains experience.

There is no way Buxton should be full time DH.  His defense is not what it was 10 years but he is still above league average.  And he has never done well as DH only.  The first conversation is when should he transition to one of the corners then maybe DH.

[HarmonK03]

6 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Coming into this season Kreidler was among the absolute worst hitters given even a minimal number of PAs in recent years.  He’s been better than that even including the July slump. His body of work for the Twins is pretty good—positive WAR, positive defensive ratings at key positions and an OPS+ of around 100. Given the defense, that’s a regular player. We can’t predict that he’ll keep his hitting numbers acceptable, but at the two-thirds milepost, Kreidler has been pretty decent.

Sands hasn’t been the same since ‘24. Velocity is down, chase rate is down, Ks are down, walks are up. I don’t know if he can be optioned, the Twins haven’t used one for him in years. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he went right back on the IL, but maybe he was just rusty. Regardless, he would fall behind atleast five.guys on the bullpen trust meter—Gómez, Morris, Nance, and lefthanders Rogers and Funderburk. 

Kreidler had a career month in June and July he came back to his career norms.  He started playing regularly middle of June and in July has been playing on a regular basis.  And this is when his numbers have fallen off the cliff.  I think it is more than a slump, this is who he is.  He is not a regular on a team that wants to contend, you need an upgrade over him if you want to be considered a contender.  I want the Twins to put quality on the field, stop running out the I hope they have something types.

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

26 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

There is no way Buxton should be full time DH.  His defense is not what it was 10 years but he is still above league average.  And he has never done well as DH only.  The first conversation is when should he transition to one of the corners then maybe DH.

Totally agree. Until the wheels fall off, keep him in the outfield ... somewhere. 

[JD-TWINS]

13 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

Anyone who takes two wins of the Oakland as a sign that this team is playoff competitive is sadly mistaken. Check out the strength of schedule after the trade deadline.... 

55 games remain:

17 games v. AL West ……no Lions there.

17 games in Central Division

3 w/Baltimore & 3 w/Giants 

15 games v. some good Clubs!

Schedule doesn’t appear daunting to me. Everyone is playing other MLB Teams.

Moves made across baseball (including Minneapolis) will shift odds for Twins schedule to increase or decrease in difficulty. Whoever Team plays, if they aren’t sharp, they have no chance…….. essentially the same story across all competitive sports.

Oakland Series, to your point, wasn’t exactly a confidence builder! 0 - 2 - 11 runs is not the sign of a “good team”……they were fortunate.

 

[JD-TWINS]

7 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Coming into this season Kreidler was among the absolute worst hitters given even a minimal number of PAs in recent years.  He’s been better than that even including the July slump. His body of work for the Twins is pretty good—positive WAR, positive defensive ratings at key positions and an OPS+ of around 100. Given the defense, that’s a regular player. We can’t predict that he’ll keep his hitting numbers acceptable, but at the two-thirds milepost, Kreidler has been pretty decent.

Sands hasn’t been the same since ‘24. Velocity is down, chase rate is down, Ks are down, walks are up. I don’t know if he can be optioned, the Twins haven’t used one for him in years. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he went right back on the IL, but maybe he was just rusty. Regardless, he would fall behind atleast five.guys on the bullpen trust meter—Gómez, Morris, Nance, and lefthanders Rogers and Funderburk. 

Unless Joe’s arm is too fatigued to continue on, Rojas is squarely in the PEN and ahead of Sands in pecking order as well. Gotta give Cole the nod over Adams …… at least at this point.

6 scoreless in AAA before coming back up, hoping this was just a blip. ……can’t do much for one’s psyche when a routine fly ball that should be an out, drops for a double due to Martin’s sun troubles……. that didn’t help his outing & easy to overlook.

[bean5302]

9 hours ago, Danchat said:

I believe Sands was at the maxmium rehab days? They either had to activate him or put him back on the IL if I'm not wrong.

Sands started his latest rehab assignment on 7/7. So he could have been on the rehab assignment until 8/6. Still, he was clearly healthy, and MLB has made an example out of teams who use rehab assignments for roster management in recent seasons. 

 

[terrydactyls]

11 hours ago, RpR said:

They did beat the Dodger, 7-1.

When was that?  In the 2010's?

[Linus]

Very fun to watch Prielipp pitch so well. Pitchers that utilize multiple pitches effectively are fun to watch as it becomes a chess game of what pitch is coming next. It seems like improving his change up could make him elite. 

[TL]

3 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

There is no way Buxton should be full time DH.  His defense is not what it was 10 years but he is still above league average.  And he has never done well as DH only.  The first conversation is when should he transition to one of the corners then maybe DH.

Well in my defense I said “mostly” not full time. As players get older many seem to be able to better embrace the DH. If Keaschall, Emma and Jenkins play the same or better defense than a mid 30s Buxton I can see him spending 60+ percent at DH to keep his bat in the lineup more often as opposed to the IL.

[HarmonK03]

54 minutes ago, TL said:

Well in my defense I said “mostly” not full time. As players get older many seem to be able to better embrace the DH. If Keaschall, Emma and Jenkins play the same or better defense than a mid 30s Buxton I can see him spending 60+ percent at DH to keep his bat in the lineup more often as opposed to the IL.

I think we are a few years from this conversation, it would probably be with any new contract discussions.

[David Maro]

After Sands had a hard time to get 1 out in the 6th inning why would you think it was a good idea to send him back out in the 7th inning. The lead had been cut basically in half and the momentum was now in the A's favor.

There has to be something going on with Buxton because he was terrible in the whole series. Maybe he hurt his hip again making the catch stepping over Martin and hitting the fence. 

They can't look past the Royals just because Witt is on the IL. The next road trip has the Mariners and the Brewers as well as the Royals again and Witt could be back next week. It's all hands on deck for the next 12 games or they can look to 27.

[stringer bell]

5 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Sands started his latest rehab assignment on 7/7. So he could have been on the rehab assignment until 8/6. Still, he was clearly healthy, and MLB has made an example out of teams who use rehab assignments for roster management in recent seasons. 

 

I think rehab is limited to 20 days. Sands started a rehab, but was shut down IIRC.

Edit to add: I was wr-wr-wr-wrong. 20 days for position players. 30 days for pitchers. 

[stringer bell]

11 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I think rehab is limited to 20 days. Sands started a rehab, but was shut down IIRC. 

 

[Saxophone Joe]

13 hours ago, knothole61 said:

Joe, a handsome couple and seated right on the rail...very nice! 

haha!.. My wife, who adores Pablo, was annoyed because Provus thought we were "honoring" Bert Blyleven. Which was not the intention. Also, it's weird to see yourself on TV "live" from a clip that took place the night before. I was watching myself like the DiCaprio gif:

[RpR]

5 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

When was that?  In the 2010's?

July 1, 2026 - try living in the present.

[HerbieFan]

18 hours ago, Danchat said:

I believe Sands was at the maxmium rehab days? They either had to activate him or put him back on the IL if I'm not wrong.

Could be.  Hadn't thought of that.

[terrydactyls]

7 hours ago, RpR said:

July 1, 2026 - try living in the present.

Interesting.  Both MLB.com and ESPN.com show the Twins losing to Houston 8-3 on July 1st.  I thought they had beaten the Dodgers in game one of their series but, again, both sites showed the Twins losing all three games.  I don't know who to believe.

[terrydactyls]

8 hours ago, RpR said:

July 1, 2026 - try living in the present.

I've checked two more websites and they show no wins in 2026.  The Twins took 2 of 3 in July 2025.

Statmuse.com

Baseball-reference.com