A's 7, Twins 4: Twins' Hot Start Goes Up in Smoke in Another Late-Inning Collapse

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

17 minutes ago, RpR said:

Arreaz has 3 batting titles, a better glove than Keaschall and gets sold off Often. No they would not love to have Keaschall.

absolutely, lets ignore he was traded for a 26 year old pitcher with 8.6 WAR and Byron Chourio, then traded from a 62 win Marlins to a 93 win San Diego team that lost 3-2 in the Division series to the eventual World Series champion for 4 minor league players (one being Jakob Marsee), Then traded from a terrible Giants team to Philly who moved guys around just to get him into the lineup for one of their top prospects and other one.

[Maybe Next Year]

Here's a novel idea. Keashall couldn't play 2nd base because he lacked range going to his right. He obviously is not fit to play CF. Why don't you move him to 3rd and move Lee to 2nd. There is no real need for  Keashall to have a lot of range to his right playing 3rd base. Lee has range in both directions. Thoughts?

[RpR]

7 minutes ago, Maybe Next Year said:

Here's a novel idea. Keashall couldn't play 2nd base because he lacked range going to his right. He obviously is not fit to play CF. Why don't you move him to 3rd and move Lee to 2nd. There is no real need for  Keashall to have a lot of range to his right playing 3rd base. Lee has range in both directions. Thoughts?

Because 3rd Base is the only place Lee is actually good at.  It would make no sense to move Lee from his good position to have an Iron Glove at 3rd.

IF bringing up Jenkins puts Keaschall on the bench with his glove locked in a safe, Jenkins should be here now.

[Woof Bronzer]

3 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Center field is the easiest outfield position to play. It's the most demanding from a physical skill set, but it's the easiest to play. Least positional awareness needed, least ball tracking or predicting skills needed. It's basically just run to where it looks like the ball is going right off the bat, open and close the glove at the right time.

Corner outfield balls don't fly straight, they hook and slice like crazy golf shots. 50% of the time, you're running directly at a wall.

Lol.  Yes, every ball hit to center is just a straight simple can of corn.   All you gotta do is open and close that glove.  Maybe that's why Keaschall is struggling so much, nobody asked him "Hey Luke, are you remembering to open and close your glove at the right time?"  I think you're on to something!

[mnfireman]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Center field is the easiest outfield position to play. It's the most demanding from a physical skill set, but it's the easiest to play. Least positional awareness needed, least ball tracking or predicting skills needed. It's basically just run to where it looks like the ball is going right off the bat, open and close the glove at the right time.

Corner outfield balls don't fly straight, they hook and slice like crazy golf shots. 50% of the time, you're running directly at a wall.

Balls to both gaps hook/slice depending on batter handedness, balls hit right at you can freeze you for a split second, often the difference between an out or a hit (maybe for extra bases), and despite the CF being the supposed captain of the OF, other fielders often fail to yield/back off and collisions can and do happen. 

CF is real easy to play from the bench or your La-Z-Boy....

[bean5302]

17 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Balls to both gaps hook/slice depending on batter handedness, balls hit right at you can freeze you for a split second, often the difference between an out or a hit (maybe for extra bases), and despite the CF being the supposed captain of the OF, other fielders often fail to yield/back off and collisions can and do happen. 

CF is real easy to play from the bench or your La-Z-Boy....

Many MLB players disagree with the expert opinion you're presenting from your La-Z-Boy. Then again, I'm sure you researched your opinion thoroughly before your presented it as fact. 

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Maybe Next Year said:

Here's a novel idea. Keashall couldn't play 2nd base because he lacked range going to his right. He obviously is not fit to play CF. Why don't you move him to 3rd and move Lee to 2nd. There is no real need for  Keashall to have a lot of range to his right playing 3rd base. Lee has range in both directions. Thoughts?

Keaschall wasn't moved off second because of range. He was moved off second because he has hands of stone. He can't reliably field ground balls.

He's also got one of the weakest arms you'll ever see in MLB, but that's a secondary issue. 

Putting him at third doesnt solve anything, it would just amplify the arm problem.

 

[Woof Bronzer]

19 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Many MLB players disagree with the expert opinion you're presenting from your La-Z-Boy. Then again, I'm sure you researched your opinion thoroughly before your presented it as fact. 

Ah yes, nothing says "I've researched my opinion thoroughly" and "I am interested in facts" like copy-pasting AI slop.  

 

[Woof Bronzer]

25 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Many MLB players disagree with the expert opinion you're presenting from your La-Z-Boy. Then again, I'm sure you researched your opinion thoroughly before your presented it as fact. 

My AI slop disagrees with your AI slop.  See how easy and meaningless this is?  When you post AI slop and accuse others of being lazy, seriously dude, look in the mirror.

 

Why Center Field is Hardest

• Vast Territory: Center fielders must cover the most ground, patrolling both the left-center and right-center gaps. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Deepest Area: The center field wall is usually the furthest point from home plate in a ballpark. [1]

• Leadership Role: Center fielders act as the "quarterbacks" of the outfield, calling off the left and right fielders on fly balls to avoid collisions.

• High Workload: According to MLB.com Statcast data, center fielders are expected to make significantly more plays per season—and cover more difficult ground—than any corner outfielder. [1]

Comparing the Outfield Positions

• Left Field (Easiest): Generally regarded as the least demanding outfield spot. Left fielders cover less ground on average and typically do not require as strong of a throwing arm, since the throw to third base or home plate is shorter. [1, 2, 3]

• Right Field (More difficult than Left): While right fielders may cover slightly less total range than center fielders, right field requires a premier throwing arm to make long throws to third base or home. Fielders also deal with the tricky "slice" spin on balls hit to the opposite field by right-handed batters. [1, 2, 3]

• The Defensive Spectrum: In baseball analytics, center field sits much higher on the defensive spectrum than the corner spots, meaning it requires rare speed, elite tracking instincts, and a high level of athleticism. [1, 2, 3]

[JD-TWINS]

13 hours ago, Saxophone Joe said:

Difference in the game was the A’s CF saving two runs on a nice running catch on Larnach’s liner to right center with two outs. And…Keaschall not making a similar play. 

What was the bullpen’s ERA on this road trip? It had to be over 10. The bullpen was arguably this team’s strength a week ago!

Also, by my math: since Aug. 1, this team has lost 8 (!!) games when leading/tied going into the 6th. When we write the season obit, that will be a crucial stat. Conversely, this month we’ve won just one game when trailing in the 6th or later. Bad, bad baseball.

Need to win at least 10 of the next 15. Good luck!

Steep hill! ………….. how do they go 18-10 over remaining games?

 4 of 6 v. Tigers

3 of 6 v. White Sox

2 of 3 v. Guardians

…….Plausible but not very likely, to put it mildly……..particularly since KREIDLER is the only “CF” on the 26-Man. They cannot send Keaschall back out there! ….. Buxton has to sit for a week plus to somehow become effective.

Buxton hasn’t hit a Home Run for over 2 months & his absence is sort of the norm for his Teammates.

After Division foes, Yankees for 3 then 7 games with two Teams that will be toast mentally in Giants & Angels…….then a poor road Team in Texas to wrap in Minneapolis ………gotta go 9-4 over last 13……..wow.

Must see Jenkins added to Roster tomorrow for Buck for next 9 games at a minimum ……..cannot wait out Buxton’s hip & its ability to rebound! Assuming Buxton is back in 10 days from yesterday, Jenkins is in the mix and Roden is kept up with the Roster Expansion next week.

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Many MLB players disagree with the expert opinion you're presenting from your La-Z-Boy. Then again, I'm sure you researched your opinion thoroughly before your presented it as fact. 

Digging deep with the Steve Selsky quote …. who???

The ball tailed away from Keaschall in the Left Center Gap ……. he should have caught it …,,… they showed the path of the ball on the replay from somewhere near the announcer’s viewpoint. It was obvious - being left handed would have helped a bit in this one specific.

Bottom line is Keaschall can’t throw at all and may not be smart enough to play RF (continually misses the cut-off) …….he certainly doesn’t have instincts in CF, for sure ……… to me, from my Lazy-boy, without any anecdotal quotes from a couple guys…….Luke’s only future is learning how to play Left Field.