Doctor Wu

I'm at the point where I think the Twins might as well sign him and bring him up. With the recent injuries to some of the bullen arms, plus Ryan's poor recent performances, it wouldn't hurt to have another capable arm in the rotation, or even to use in the bullpen. Not sure if the "veteran factor" will help us that much, but Keuchel has an impressive resume, and I think it's worth a try.

I was hoping for an extra bullpen arm, but honestly, I'm not sure if even an addition like that would have helped us that much. So, I'm frustrated, but basically content, and still hopeful. If this team can stay healthy (and get guys like Kiriloff, Lewis, Stewart, etc, back in action), and if the high-priced vets start performing better, and if the starters start pitching like they did at the start of the year --- yeah, that's a LOT of ifs --- then I think we could, just maybe, hold our own in the playoffs. Maybe it's not quite like the '87 Twins, but magic could still happen.

I agree. As things are looking, I'd want him pitching the first game of a playoff series.

Excellent article and interview. Needless to say, I hope his recovery goes quickly and successfully, If possible, I would like more articles about rehabbing players, both in the minors and majors. I have no idea on the status of guys like Paddack, for example.

Thanks for another comprehensive report. I love reading about the minor league action. A bit worrying that Woods-Richardson is still walking a lot of batters, Yes, nice that he limited the number of runs, but all in all, not a very encouraging sign. But great to see E-Rodriguez hit a couple of homers. Keep 'em coming!

I'm also concerned about Joe Ryan's recent outings. What happened? Early in the season he looked rock-solid, but I can't remember the last time he had a quality start (might have been that shutout?). What do the advanced pitching stats say about his performance in the past 6 weeks? Something clearly seems different with him lately.

Not sure is the right category for this post, so please move it if deemed necessary. Anyway, the new album by those baseball-loving musicians known as the Baseball Project was recently released. This one is titled "Grand Salami Time", and in one of the songs, a current Minnesota Twins is name-checked in the lyrics. This song, "The All or Nothings" (co-written by Peter Buck from R.E.M.) makes references to those "legendary" players of years past who would swing for the fences and sometimes connect, but frequently strike out. Such immortals as Gorman Thomas, Chris Carter, Rob Deer, and Adam Dunn are mentioned. But then comes the last lines of the song: "There's a party at the Mendoza Line ... and Joey Gallo is fine." Well, hey it rhymes! The new album also has songs about Shohei Otani, screwball pitchers such as Mike Marshall, the infamous Disco Demolition night in Chicago (written by Steve Wynn, the ex-Dream Syndicate singer-guitarist), Steve Blass and his case of "the yips," and Vince Scully. Another song, "Stuff" (written by yet another R.E.M. member, Mike Mills) name-checks substance-loving pitchers such as Gaylord Perry and our old friend MIchael Pineda. If you are a contemporary music-loving baseball fan, you might want to check out this album or their three previous baseball-themed collections. On their 2011 album, "High and Inside," they had a song titled "Don't Call Them Twinkies" that was obviously about our Twins. That name-checks Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Jack Morris, Tom Kelly, and a couple of newer guys (well, they were newer when this album came out) named Justin and Joe. That 2011 album also has the songs "Buckner's Bolero", "Panda and the Freak", "Ichiro Goes to the Moon", "The Straw That Stirs the Drink," and "Pete Rose Way." Others albums by the Baseball Project had tunes about the likes of Ted Williams, Dock Ellis, Pascual Perez, Robin Yount, Cy Young, Satchel Paige, Harvey Haddix, and much much more. These musicians obviously are hard-core fans and have a lot of fun with the songs. Highly recommended~

Well, that didn't last long, but nice that he got some playing time this past month. With all the trades the Angels made last week, they sent Cabbage back down to AAA.

Another fine pitching performance by Lopez. Let's hope he can consistently string together some more like this one. With our anemic batting, we are going to need some sharper pitching. On another note, good hit by Solano. He has been quietly productive for the team this year.

Very true, and I can't imagine that he much if any trade value at this point.

I didn't either. Not sure how long that experiment will last. Bradley started off great for the Rays but has had some rough starts the past month, so he's due for a re-set in AAA. I'm sure that the just-acquired Civale will get put in their rotation ASAP. If they are starting Littell, I would think it's only a one time thing. Then again, if he somehow lasts a few innings and isn't shelled, who knows? The Rays tend to think outside the box more often than not.

I didn't know where to post this question, so this thread is the winner. What is the latest on Chris Paddack? I had assumed that he might start pitching again about now (August) at least some sort of rehab assignment. Has anyone heard any updates about his status? It's looking like he might not pitch at all this year.

Really? Well hell, then I certainly do need a new clock, or pay closer attention to the deadline!

Well, unless my clock is broken, the trade deadline came and went. I didn't expect much action from the Twins, but nothing at all? (I'm not including the Lopez-Floro trade earlier in the week). A bit puzzling, and more than frustrating. Maybe, just maybe, if all our "star" players stay healthy and start performing better, we have a chance to win a playoff game or two (assuming that we can even win this lame division), but I'm feeling very pessimistic right now.

"Return of Dobnak." If nothing else, that would be a fantastic title for a new horror movie!

Well said. It's been a very, very inconsistent season. The team goes on a run, starts scoring some runs, or we shutout another team, and suddlenly we are looking like world beaters. And then comes the next week and just as suddenly we fall apart and can't even win a single game against one of the worst teams in the league. Hard to work up any enthusiasm for the team at this point.

Back to the original article, being swept by the lowly Royals. Yes, as has been said already, this was VERY embarrassing. We have single-handedly turned Bobby Witt, Jr. into a star player. Is it too late for a wake-up call? Will anyone snap out of their slumber in any event? This has been yet another frustrating season. So much potential, but very lackluster results. I look at this current club and I just don't see one that will be competitive in the playoffs. It's just not clicking the way it needs to.

Meanwhile, the Orioles won yesterday, defeating the evil Yankees, closing out the game with 2 scoreless and hitless innings from our old buddies Danny Coulombe and Yennier Yano.

In a surprising move, the Orioles sent Tyler Wells all the way down to AA for "a little bit of a break", according to manager Brandon Hyde. The article I read also cited his "uncharacteristic" recent outings, plus the number of innings he has pitched this year (113-plus so far, as opposed to last season when he threw 106 innings (combining his stints in the majors and minors). Not sure what sort of "break" he is going to get in AA, but I hope he can return to the Orioles soon.

In retrospect, we DID give up too many prospects last year, some of whom have gone on to produce well for other teams this year. But at the time, I thought all of those deals were fine. But this year? I'm with you? I don't want to give up any more valuable prospects. Sure, an extra bat like Larnach is expendable, but I don't think we'll get much for him.

I think having Keuchel ready and waiting in AAA is the current plan to give the starters some added rest. Based on recent performance, they need a lot more rest or some sort of extra something.

At least Correa has shown some value with the glove this season. Overall, he's been a disappointment, but his batting average has been inching up since the All-Star break. However, he still seems to have this uncanny habit of hitting into double plays too often.

I'm not sure about exciting, but there may be a transaction or two. Could be interesting if nothing else!

Is August 1 still the opt-out date for Keuchel? I thought I had read something earlier in the week about some sort of "agreement" with his agent that they would extend that date, thus no urgency in making a decision.

Thanks for that. I hadn't noticed the high walk total. Hmm... maybe not such an encouraging performance after all.