rv78

No need to go out and get more veterans and it really isn't that complicated at all. You just need a Manager and FO willing to throw the deadwood into the fire. Solano-1B, Julien-2B, Farmer-SS, Castro-3B, Lewis-3B if/when he returns would handle the infield on a daily basis. Move Kirilloff and bring up Wallner to play the 2 corner spots. If Buxton can't play defense he goes to the IL and you stick with Taylor in CF. Jeffers back to full-time catcher with a day off only when a day game follows a night game. Gallo and Kepler get bench time unless they are needed for defensive purposes late in a game that you are leading. If they don't like that scenario, they get DFA'd. C4 to the bench for pinch hitting and late game defense as well. When he starts hitting, if ever again, then he gets slotted back into the lineup in the 8 or 9 hole where hopefully his penchant for hitting into a DP does the least amount of damage. Give Polanco the DH spot. He can't hit any worse than Buck and if you are going to try to protect someone from injury it should be someone who at least can hit. Isn't that what the DH guy is suppose to do? Buck has been a total failure there. Miranda, Vazquez and Larnach are the next set of bench players that must prove they can hit before being in the lineup. Fire Rocco and get a Manager that will set the same lineup more than 1 day in a row and give these guys consistant at bats on a daily basis and see if that doesn't help them. It sure as hell can't hurt. If at the end of the year the club isn't any better than it is now, fire the FO and everyone else in charge and start over. Currently, this FO should be totally embarrassed by what they have put together and it just not fun for anyone to watch.

Was an article on Twins Daily a few days ago that suggested the Twins had finally matched the Yankees in the offensive department. I replied that it should have read, the Yankees finally matched the Twins. Well, when you are that bad some clubs take action, which we have now seen the Yankees do. How long will it take the Twins? Really when it come right down to it, any action at this point would be better than accepting what we are seeing and continuing with this ineptitude. Common fans can see the changes that need to be made. Are the powers that be that blind or just too proud to admit they have made monumental mistakes? I think the latter, which is why they will continue with the crap we are seeing.

So tell me, faithful reader of Twins game recaps, no matter the result, what is your honest assessment of the club at the break? They stink. Can it get any worse? Yep. We are seeing signs of the ''great starting pitching" coming apart. Can it get any better? Not with the current Manager and Coaches in charge. Or is it where things are just about right and not ripe for change any time soon? That's up to ownership and the fans. Yeah, quit going to games and hit the Pohlads where it counts. It's the only way they'll notice.

Buyers or sellers I have no faith in this FO to do the right thing. Think they will cut or trade away the dead weight (Correa, Gallo, Buxton, Kepler) that has been choking them all season? No! That would reflect a mistake in their direction. They'd rather go down with the ship than solely take the blame. I laugh how most here think this pitching staff is really good. Sure, they can rock the Royals or Tigers or any other alsoran team but on any given day against the better teams they struggle like an average joe just to make it to the 6th inning. I'd like to see this organization make a full fledge committment to the young core of players, (Kirilloff, Larnach, Miranda, Lewis, Julien, Jeffers, Wallner). It's time to move on from the likes of Buxton, Kepler, Polanco and the others who have proven they don't have what it takes to take this team to the next level. As for Correa and Gallo, those are 2 mistakes that should have never happened to begin with.

Too bad the Twins can't play the lowly Royals every day. They actually make this team look good. Well, that series is over, back to reality.

Amazing! Gallo hits a HR and Kepler makes a great catch. Ummm.... isn't that what they are getting paid for? Let's celebrate what has been expected of them all season. On the other hand, an even better job by Ober who started the season in AAA and wasn't expected to be but a fill-in pitcher. Who do we thank for that? Mahle or the FO who went out and got damaged goods in the first place?

No matter who you compare this Twins offense to, I will not celebrate it. The headline should read "The Yankees have Finally Matched the Twins Offensively"

Kremer for Baltimore is hardly a measuring stick for this offense. He was trending in the right direction but lapses occur and he had a game that isn't out of normal for him. 11 K's does not indicate to me anything different than what we haven't seen before. 3 HR's that lead to a win isn't anything that we haven't seen before. A 1 or 2 game offensive outburst isn't anything we haven't seen before. Let's see them sustain a productive offense for a month before we get all giddy.

Looking at his 8 year career to date, Correa has been an All-Star 2 times and has 1 Gold Glove. If anyone thinks he's a superstar and is worthy of superstar money, which he got, they are fools. Buxton is even worse with only 1 All-Star appearance and 1 Gold Glove, How about Kepler, NONE. Gallo? 2 time All-Star and 2 Gold Gloves. Polanco? 1 time All-Star. Thus lies the problem. Expecting your main core of players to play like All-Stars when they very seldom if ever have been one is beyond foolish. The FO got exactly what these players are... over-rated, and they are the ones guilty of turning a blind eye to what they really are. Here's the picture we were painted by the FO and the Twins organization, Correa will lead the team since he is the best SS in all of MLB. We got a steal when the Giants and Mets backed out. Buxton will be healthy and Taylor was signed to be a backup, just in case he got injured, even though they had no intention of playing Buxton there. Then we were told using him in the DH spot will keep him in the lineup the entire season even though his last 2 injuries were not from playing defense. Ha Ha! With the shift being banned Kepler will hit better since more ground balls will make it through the right side of the infield, since Kepler doesn't know how to hit the ball to all fields. Gallo will regain his form from his successful Texas seasons. He'll provide super defense at 1st base and in the outfield and his strikeouts won't hurt the team since he can hit an occasional monster HR. Polanco will recover from his injury and will be in the lineup shortly after the start of the season. He's now been a non-factor for half the year. Vazquez will be the primary catcher pushing Jeffers to part-time duty and guess what, now we've got the better hitting catcher not playing due to Vazquez being the veteran. How has Rocco handled all of these situations? Has he held any of these guys accountable before his rant after the Braves series? He was quoted as saying "That's not good baseball". Has he finally opened his eyes? Is he finally seeing what we the fans have seen for the last 2 plus years? Waiting for 2 plus years to start holding the players accountable for poor play is terrible leadership. How does a player get confidence when his Manager doesn't play him everyday? Or pulls him for a pinch hitter every time an analytical number says something different? Right now, Correa, Buxton, Kepler, Vazquez and Gallo all should be on the bench or DFA'd for anyone who can play better. Otherwise all the ranting in the world by the incapable Manager doesn't mean crap.

Unfortunately, he's never been much more than a slightly above average hitter. Great Glove = Yes). The FO has ignored offensive numbers in almost everyone they have spent big money on and it shows. Correa was a DP machine last season too, and the FO ignored that as well. Most times you get exactly what a player is and that's not the same as something you want him to be. The biggest part of the lineup, Correa, Kepler, Gallo, Buxton, Vazquez, Taylor have NOT been productive and outside of Vazquez the other 5 have never really been that good offensively except for a season or two in their entire careers. I said at the beginning of the season this team would need to win a lot of low scoring games to be successful. Many believed the bullpen was over-looked during the off season. The offense, after trading away Arraez became the weakest part of the team.

I believe it was Ted Williams that said, see the ball, hit the ball. How's that for simple?

The big 4 (Correa, Buxton, Gallo, Kepler) didn't get a hit today and the Twins won. I think this means they can win without them, or that they really aren't that important to this team and should be traded/DFA'd, or they aren't worth what they are being paid, or it's better if the other guys get more at bats, or the other team gave the game away, or they got lucky, or.........ALL OF THE ABOVE!

This is huge and explains how this FO does not see the entire picture but only what they WANT to see. How many seasons for each have been productive? Gallo: 2.5 (2017, 2018. and 1/2 of 2019) Kepler : 1 (2019) Buxton: 2 (2017, 1/2 of 2019, 1/2 of 2021) All 3 have 25 seasons combined under their belts and have been productive in 5 or 6 of them total, but this FO thinks they are going to lead the team to the playoffs and beyond. Who looks like a fool?

The Joey Gallo Reclamation Project Has Been a Failure LOL! Big surprise there! In 2019 he hit .253 in 70 Games. Not even half a season. What was going on in 2019? A juiced ball. In 2021 in 95 Games for Texas he managed to hit .223. Is that really worth $11M? Or the 40 HR's he hit in 2017 and 2018 when he barely hit .200? That's been 5 and 6 years ago. Hardly worth expecting him to be able to hit at that level again. It's impossible for me to see an upside in signing this type of player at this point in his career. 8 years in, his career BA is below .200. Didn't the Twins let Sano go because he was the same type of hitter? A power threat that striked out a ton. The failure was signing him in the first place. I say keep using him as much as possible so the Twins FO can see how much of a mistake they made. Maybe it will force a change in the FO, or at the least it will get ingrained into their heads how stupid a move like that is. Outside of playing 1stbase defensively Wallner would have been the much better option. Could he be hitting any worse? I doubt it and he wouldn't be at a cost of $11M. Not matter how you look at it, before he even played 1 game for the Twins, this was a terrible move. Why is it the Twins think they can resurrect someones career? Most of them regress once they come to the Twins and their own players usually perform better after they leave the Twins.

Play of the game goes to the fan holding a baby and catching Lewis's Home Run ball bare-handed. I hope he got Lewis to sign the ball and eventually gives it to his kid.

Unfortunately this can be said about the Twins a lot this year. Byron Buxton catalyzed the action, poking a double off the right-field wall Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while before Max Kepler—in what must be the first time in his career—found a hole through the infield with a chopping single, Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while Twins win with a single Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while They had as many hits as strikeouts Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while Maybe the secret to winning is to NOT have Rocco around when the game is on the line.

They are eliminating seats so eventually 22,000 will be a sellout. It's easier to make the capacity of the Stadium less than it is to field a good team that actually fills all of the current seats.

No need to look at who is gone, look at who is here.... Wallner is available and probably a much better option than Kepler but the Twins won't make the move that is so glaringly obvious. This FO is so narrow minded that they need to go down with the ship and yes that ship is sinking.

Unfortunately this team is exactly what I thought and said it would be at the beginning of the season... CRAP. Signing Gallo and Correa were huge mistakes and this organization gets to pay for 6 years for some of that crap. The one player they went out and got that I am disappointed in is Vazquez. It seems he has regressed to become just like the other worthless veterans on the team. Maybe father-time has caught up with him but regardless Jeffers needs to play more. All of the youngsters need to play more. As for Rocco, he's never had a smart reply for any tough question ever asked. I'll never forget the time he was asked about Buxton and Correa having scheduled rest days happen to fall on the same day. He couldn't figure out how to solve that problem. Hey. if he isn't smart enough to do that, he isn't going to solve anything. As for "A Plan", they have a plan, you are seeing it. Go out and get guys that hit HR or strikeout. Swing for the fences and if you miss, oh well, They don't want a single when a guy is on 3rd, or 2nd, they want a HR, and they usually end up with a K. That's the Plan. It is more than ironic that they let Sano walk instead of exercising his $10.5M option for 2023 yet they went and spent $11M for Gallo who is just as bad or worse than Sano. Brilliant!

Yes they need to go out and get a veteran for at least $11 or $12M who better fits their profile of a .190/homerun/strikeout hitter that plays superior defense.

Why do they need help? Look at who they brought in or back this off-season. Correa - a highly paid, high defensive talent that is an average hitter when he's at his best. Gallo - another overpaid defensive type player that is an all or nothing HR/K hitter. Taylor - a superior defensive outfielder to cover for the lack of Buxtons ability to stay on the field, when he hits it is considered a bonus because no one expects him to do so. Lopez - a slightly above average pitcher exchanged for a batting champion in his prime that was a fan favorite. Who else did they "bank" on? Kepler - who hasn't hit in 3 years, oh yeah, they eliminated the shift so now he can. Buxton - who's fulltime move to DH will keep him in the lineup, even though last year he became the 2nd coming of Miguel Sano and still can't stay healthy and probably never will. When over half of your lineup is defensive first type players, offense is ignored and you trade away your best bat, you create an even bigger problem. Note to Falvine: you have to score runs to win. Add in the fact you sign, keep and extend a Manager that uses paper instead of his eyes and his brain to manage and the place this organization really needs help at is in the FO.

Are any of the pitchers happy when they get pulled? Why is it that just Gray that gets talked about? Because he voices his displeasure or shows it through his body language when Rocco makes the move. My guess is very few pitchers like getting removed from the game. Some just don't "show" it like Gray does. Blyleven was notorious for saying in the broadcast booth that he wanted to finish what he started everytime he went out there, meaning .... pitch a complete game. Now that happens how often? Never for the Twins, and using the analytical approach, it never will again. The biggest thing I see going on with Rocco and not just his pitchers but all of his players... is "confidence". Rocco shows little to none in any of them to do their job beyond what his analytical spreadsheet says. As soon as they show one instance of struggling to get hitters out, and if it is in his spreadsheet danger zone he makes the move. He has no confidence in them rising above the analytical BS that he uses. He does it on the hitting side as well, pinch-hitting or shuffling the lineup daily because he thinks they can't hit a pitcher that throws right-handed one day and one that throws left-handed the next day. You know what? Most of them are proving they can't hit period and the reason for that is the same....... If your Manager shows no confidence in you, why would you care? And this team plays exactly like THAT! Look at the picture at the top of this article. Other than Gray they all have their heads down, dejected and none of them are looking at each other. Rocco is dressed like a bum, at least tuck your shirt in and look respectable if you want to be respected.

This is the problem = Even Popkins went on the record, and was available to the media recently to talk about the Ks. Admitted they may be overwhelming players with too much info. And This is the solution = I think the Twins need to focus on the practical a bit more and the analytical a bit less It's not too difficult to know where the problem is coming from and how to solve it. Fire the FO and Rocco.

You touched on it briefly when you said 'he wanted out". Berrios knew this team, with this FO, and this Manager, are never going anywhere. Making the playoffs with them is a stretch much less doing something IN the playoffs if they ever get there. Look at 4 of the veterans they think so highly of, Buxton = can't stay healthy, now can't play defense and can't hit. Kepler = can't hit, hasn't for 3 years now. Gallo = can't hit, never has, never will and was given $11M as if he was going to be a savior. He isn't worth $2M. Correa = has injury issues that the Giants and Mets didn't ignore that the Twins FO did, also can't hit, never has been a hitting phenom and never will be, and now has 6 years of making superstar money and can play like an average Joe due to their stupidity.

LOL! And there's some here that still think this team is good. Gallo is exactly what they got, a poor hitter that's going to strikeout a ton. Worst $11M ever spent. Kepler still taking at bats away from Wallner or Larnach who at least have some upside possibility but no opportunity to stay with the club long enough to prove it. Kepler is just too good to be replaced by anyone else, even if they are better. How's Buxton doing since his recall from injury? He looks more lost than Sano ever did. Good job there Rocco going to him as a pinch hitter to end the threat. I'm sure Detroit was glad to see Buck and his lost approach come to the plate. Why was Kirilloff pinch hit for in the 6th? Using Solano and his .284BA would have been better used in the 8th instead of a lost Buxton. Poor Managing, Poor Hitting. 14 K's.... well at least these guys are good at something. LOL!