Brock Beauchamp

Kimbrel and his silly-ass pose got out of the jam.

Kimbrel's pre-windup pose is absolutely idiotic.

If you're concerned about Berrios' arm, the 40 man roster space is irrelevant so they are kind of exclusive.

It's kind of amazing when only half the calls are overturned and the team gets to do a quick video review of the play before calling the challenge. That speaks volumes about the quality of umpiring in MLB.

I think umps are too easy a target and are unfairly blamed for losses by far too many fans. And MLB probably has the best refs/umps of the four major sports. Yeah, not all umps are awesome and sometimes they get something so completely wrong you can't believe it happened but I rarely see an ump unfairly call a game. If they squeeze one pitcher, they generally squeeze the other just as hard (though it may impact one style of pitching more than another). I don't see the point in getting too upset about it. It's the nature of sports and you're going to win some bad calls and lose some others. As long as attempts are made to keep everyone honest and accurate, I can get over the occasional screw up.

Yep. The kid has wheels, let him use 'em, even if it doesn't work out every time.

If they're making this decision because they're worried about JO's arm, I'm okay with it. If they're making this decision because they're worried about the 40 man roster, pppbbbbbtttttt.

This is exactly my take on the subject. I don't have a problem with the innings limit or erring on the side of caution when it comes to a 21 year old and arm fatigue. But c'mon... The Twins should have seen this coming six weeks ago. They could have skipped a start or put him on an 85 pitch limit for August... Or hell, don't even skip a start and shut him down on September 10th, as long as he was up here for that spot start in August that ended up destroying the Twins in the Yankees series. They had plenty of options and used none of them. Frustrating.

Yep, we're having some issues. Should be better now, working on a longer term fix.

While we all question the Twins' decision making at times, a Hunter signing - with the idea he'll be a starting player - is so mind-bogglingly dumb I can't see the Twins doing it. If he takes a $2m deal with the idea he'll get maybe 200 PAs, I could see that happening... I wouldn't like it much but I could see it happening. But Ryan has to realize there's no space in the 2016 outfield for Torii Hunter. I don't see how he couldn't.

I never thought that was a real concern in the first place. The Twins have too many outfielders as it is. To me, the chance of Hunter returning was about the same as the chance of Pelfrey returning... Very low.

Win 68. Game #: 2015: 131 2014: 158 2013: n/a 2012: n/a 2011: n/a Three more wins and all teams go "n/a".

So, yeah. Tyler Duffey.

This thread is not about who can say what about whom. If you want to discuss that topic, feel free to do so in the MinnCentric forum. Consider this an informal warning. Keep it on topic.

Seriously? You're gonna go there, huh?

I get the Berrios frustration but I have to admit I'm a bit puzzled by the consternation over Kepler. 1. Twins staff has all but said they're skeptical Kepler is ready for MLB and might struggle with breaking balls. 2. Where is Max going to play? Very soon, the Twins roster is going to contain Buxton, Rosario, Hicks, and Hunter. They're in the middle of a postseason run. Three of those guys either need plate appearances and/or have performed to a level Kepler will have difficulty matching in a cup of coffee. 3. Chatanooga is going to the playoffs. Kepler will not only get regular playing time but he'll get to experience participating in that atmosphere. If the Twins want to call up Max so he can experience MLB after Chatanooga is finished playing but with the realization he won't get a lot of playing time with the Twins, that's fine. If they don't want to call him up at all, I'm not going to get too hot and bothered about it... The guy is going going to miss out on all of 10-20 MLB PAs anyway. There's simply no way to get him much more playing time than that given the roster. The Twins have a starting OF of players no older than 25 years old. Those guys should get the plate appearances, not Max.

9/19. You going to be in town? I'll buy you a beer... and then probably ban you because it's funny.

That's why I said "likely phoning it in". Cleveland is on a nice run but I suspect they'll be out of it in a week or two with a few more losses. Whether they decide to start playing prospects more is up in the air.

One thing Scully knows better than any announcer is silence, which is slightly ironic given his amazing voice and ability to weave a story. He lets the game carry the weight. Watching the ninth inning of tonight's game was wonderful. He barely spoke.

Good to know. I'm going to listen to a lot of Dodgers games next season. Given the time difference, my wife will... not be pleased.

I can't articulate how true this post is. I swear I've launched a one-man campaign over the past 15 years since Extra Innings/MLB.tv launched: Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully.Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. Listen to Scully. He's not the man who made me like baseball but he's the man who made me love it in a way I didn't previously believe possible.

And that's fair but Liriano had been a bad player for quite some time. Ultimately, I believe it came down to the firing of Anderson, which was overdue. I could get over Liriano. I could get over Worley. I could get over Dickey or whatever (fill in name of random pitcher here). But all of them together? No, man. No.

I won't frown upon a sweep. It certainly makes that Astros/Royals road trip a bit easier. Also, the Rangers are losing badly tonight so there's that.

I have to create a thread like this every year. Scully is losing his touch but I'll cut him some slack, as he's roughly 1,946 years old in dog years. But Jesus Christ, if you haven't listened to at least 20 Scully games in your life, you've missed out on one of the most beautiful things to ever happen to the sport of baseball. I listened to Buck (could catch Cards games over the radio) growing up and he was fantastic but for my (non) dollar, Vin Scully is the greatest announcer in the history of sports and it's not even close (I love you Costas but even you'd admit you're no Scully). I don't know when Scully might call his last season but doggonnit, it's basically September and if there's a Dodgers game on MLB.tv, you need to lull yourself to sleep with his dulcet tones because he won't be here forever. I can't count how many nights I've dozed off to the sound of his voice articulating a story how Edwin Jackson drew allusions to Sandy Koufax and they both commiserated over their time in DodgerTown. The man isn't rich with story, as that's an disservice to his 60+ years of calling the game. Vin is saturated with story; most you didn't realize you wanted to hear until the story had permeated your brain and moved something in you; something that fires the neurons why we love the sport. So, take some time this September and listen to ol' Vin. You won't witness the best of the man but you'll get enough of a glimpse to make you realize just how good announcing can be with a truly sincere man behind the mic. Vin Scully is one of the rare men who I actively brace myself in preparation of his death because it will so impact me on a fundamental level. Somewhere deep inside me, summers will remain unfulfilled when Scully leaves the earth. He's that good. Or, at least, he was that good. But you can still catch a glimpse of that greatness and I suggest you take a few minutes to hear it because it will be soon be gone. Just now he said "And it's a 4-4 tie! Of course it is, it's the Giants and the Dodgers!" And there isn't even a lick of false suspense or intrigue in that statement. It's the earnest weight of 60 years of historied rivalry and it's a beautiful thing, a fragment of why we're drawn to this sport in the first place.

Eh, 2/3 at home and splits on the road will probably keep it close. People fret about the Twins' schedule but I see a September with only a moderate challenge: 3 vs. ChiSox: yeah, okay, whatever 3 @ Astros: ooh, tough 3 @ Royals: again, tough 3 @ ChiSox: yeah, again, whatever 3 vs. Tigers: phoning it in 4 vs. Angels: could go either way 3 vs. Indians: likely phoning it in 3 @ Tigers: phoning it in 4 @ Indians: even more likely phoning it in 3 vs. Royals: almost surely phoning it in