MIN 4, HOU 1: Odorizzi, Twins Battle Their Way to Victory

Really can't wait for it to warm up. All these walks due to lack of command are KILLING me. Also, fun little fact, Robbie Grossman got his first hit tonight... In his 10th AB of the season. Sometimes life is just too funny.

Overall, solid win.

Really can't wait for it to warm up. All these walks due to lack of command are KILLING me. Also, fun little fact, Robbie Grossman got his first hit tonight... In his 10th AB of the season. Sometimes life is just too funny.

 

Overall, solid win.

Robbie got his first hit on opening day. He tied the game with a pinch hit single in the 9th against the O's. 

.925 OPS   Aside from Escobar has twice as many RBI as anyone else on the team.   I think .250 with and about a .350 or better OBP is about what we can expect from him.   Its fine having that guy in the middle of the order.   Not so great to have Morrison next to him the way he has been batting.    He'll go on a tear when Mauer and Dozier come back to earth.   5-4 is still on pace for 90 wins.    Overall, I am pretty happy with the start.     

Side note.   I have seen Buxton batting numerous time but have not seem him try to bunt for a hit yet.    Did I just miss it?    I still think he should be trying it at least once a game.   I believe his bunt hits kept him afloat though a bad start last year.   Even when he is going well it is a great weapon.

The final score should have been 9-1, not 4-1. That said, we'll take the 'W'. Let's win the series!

.I have seen Buxton batting numerous time but have not seem him try to bunt for a hit yet.    Did I just miss it?    I still think he should be trying it at least once a game.   I believe his bunt hits kept him afloat though a bad start last year.   Even when he is going well it is a great weapon.

I was thinking the same thing last night...where's the bunt?  But he's been in a strange place in the batting order and has come up with men on base a lot, and he seems to come to the plate with 2 outs a lot of times as well. But I do think he should start trying more often.

Is his bunting ability below-average? I don't remember him being a particularly skilled bunter, alas.

Great gut check win for the Twins last night.  At 5-4 with little consistent production from anyone not named Dozier, Mauer or Escobar is solid.  Let's hope that as the temps warm, so will the young bats.

I have never in the entire 50 year history of my life (so, about 40 following the Twins carefully) seen anyone swing and miss as much as Miguel Sano.  There.  I said it

Yeah, the strikeouts are brutal... I want to love Sano. He has all the talent in the world to be a complete player. His plate discipline is killing me... Right now he looks more like Adam Dunn then a perennial all star.

I'm not quite ready to stick a fork in Sano because he's Dunn.

Robbie got his first hit on opening day. He tied the game with a pinch hit single in the 9th against the O's. 

Instructions:

Step 1: Open mouth.

Step 2: Insert foot

Step 3: Try to Dance

Thanks for the correction.

Yeah, the strikeouts are brutal... I want to love Sano. He has all the talent in the world to be a complete player. His plate discipline is killing me... Right now he looks more like Adam Dunn then a perennial all star.

I'm not sure it's just plate discipline with him since he's proven he can draw a lot of full counts and walks. He misses a lot of pitches in the zone as well. That makes me think he's up there guessing a little bit, and he simply doesn't have great bat control to adjust when he guesses wrong.

I was saying at the game yesterday that Sano just looks petulant at the plate. I wonder how much the cold gets to him, but also, I wonder if he is the type of guy that gets so in his own head that it's deleterious to the rest of his game. There are a few guys that just seem to shut down in cold weather. Sano, Eddie Rosario especially, but Rosario seems like he has the capacity to self correct. and didn't have the offseason Sano did. 

don't worry, June's coming in a couple months, and we'll probably even be in the 60s by then 

I have never in the entire 50 year history of my life (so, about 40 following the Twins carefully) seen anyone swing and miss as much as Miguel Sano.  There.  I said it

You mean this year?   I remember long stretches of Cuddyer swinging at pitches no one could hit.    Then he would have a series where he walked 8 times and pitchers would have to start throwing strikes again.   I do think Sano swings too hard and probably causes some of his check swing strikes.    I would prefer a little situational hitting when he has two strikes but you take the good with the bad.    His homer was the difference in the home opener.    If he hits 40 homers its not going to be one every 4 games.    He will have his streaks.    Your cleanup hitter should probably be about OPS and RBI.    Ok, he's not the cleanup hitter but he is that guy.

I was thinking the same thing last night...where's the bunt?  But he's been in a strange place in the batting order and has come up with men on base a lot, and he seems to come to the plate with 2 outs a lot of times as well. But I do think he should start trying more often.

 

Is his bunting ability below-average? I don't remember him being a particularly skilled bunter, alas.

I think he is a pretty decent bunter.   I would prefer he go down the 3rd base side a little more but I think his average when putting it in play is good.

Sano has been better offensively this year than any year in his career..... I'm not sure I understand the complaints.

Sano has been better offensively this year than any year in his career..... I'm not sure I understand the complaints.

By what measure? He's made some big hits and is drawing walks, but the .462 BABIP and early homerun binge is masking a lingering problem. His current production isn't sustainable if he doesn't considerably improve his contact rate. He's already left a small army on base because good strikeout pitchers tie him up so regularly. Molitor clearly thought the same thing because he's getting a mental break with McCullers pitching today.

Go to fangraphs and look. His current strikeout rate won't continue either. I don't know why people assume it will.

I don't assume it will. It'll probably sink back down to 35% which is still too high for the top 3rd of the lineup. Unless he's going to mash 50 taters and carry a .450 BABIP.

Until last year, 35% was the highest rate for a single season in many years (other than Sano) and it was hardly even close. Sano is over 36% for his career. Last year 3 guys were around that: Chris Davis, Joey Gallo, and Trevor Story. None regularly batted higher than 4th. Even Judge and Stanton keep it around 30% or less, and they're poster boys for the strikeout vs. power argument.

Just checking in but the Miguel Sano we're railing on is the one with the .925 OPS for the season, right?

 

Sure, he's looked bad at times. He also has all of 41 PAs on the season and the weather has been utter crap in almost every game he has played.

Hey, some are still taking shots at Mauer (like in the game thread, for example) and his OPS (I only use that stat cause you did) is tops on the team.