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rv78

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Everything posted by rv78

  1. rv78
    Not really sure you can say he is "full-time" DH when he isn't playing everyday. Why does someone who is DHing need extra rest beyond the already scheduled days when the team doesn't play. Seems he can play 3 days straight then can't play, or won't play or they don't let him play. 2 days off and 2 losses. Both 1 run games in which he could have made the difference between winning or losing. There is a huge difference between being 8-2 or 6-4. Let's allow Rocco to keep managing to be average instead of going for a win every game. In all reality Buck will probably continue to be the full-time DH until he gets hurt running the bases, then he'll be the full-time IL guy again.
  2. rv78
    Totally agree with there is no "A" lineup or "B" lineup etc. This is the team Falvine put together. Now the calls for Rocco not putting his best team out there are already screaming. Like it or not it's what you are going to get with the current regime in play. Think Correa, Gallo and Kepler would have made a difference in this game, yeah if they would have played it might have been 4-0 or 4-1 instead of 4-3. Look at how those three have been doing this year so far. Outside of Gallo's HR's it been pretty pathetic. No one expected Taylor or Castro to be difference makers or Larnach to even make the team. Wallner isn't suppose to be here. Yet he's had 6 plate appearances and scored 1 run, Kepler has had 17 and scored 1 run. Correa has had 36 and scored 2 runs. Let's call for Wallners head and give the three $53M men a pass. Buxton needs to play. If he can't play then put him on the IL. Pinch hitting is not playing. 2 occasions the Twins have faced the opposing teams Ace and both times Rocco pulls his best player out of the lineup. That is just poor management no matter how you slice it.
  3. rv78
    For some, the glass is half full, others it is half empty. Until this organization wins meaningful games in October, the glass is half empty. Until the FO proves it can construct a roster of players that can produce hits AND runs, the glass is half empty. Until the Manager can prove he knows how to use his players effectively every day without resting his better players needlessly, it is half empty. So far they have scored 2 runs or less in 4 of their 7 games. They have over $52M invested this year in Correa, Kepler and Gallo and they have a combined batting average of .166. Yes it is early, but until they get what they paid for, the glass is even less than half empty.
  4. rv78
    Didn't see the game but from the sound of it, they got lucky with the wild pitch in the 6th to score the tying run. Otherwise the game doesn't go into extras and they lose 1-0. Only scoring 3 runs, 1 on a wild pitch, on 11 Hits and 4 Walks isn't going to cut it most of the season.
  5. rv78
    So then we should assume he's just a lousy hitter and leave it at that. I can't see where striking out more like Gallo will make him a better hitter unless you think Gallo's .199 career BA is actually an improvement.
  6. rv78
    So we are not to criticize the almighty Rocco. This is the same Rocco who couldn't figure out how to rest Buxton and Correa on different days last year when their "scheduled" off days happened to coincide onto the same day. Moving one of them 1 extra day was too complicated for him to figure out. If Buxton's knee is still an issue then why is he playing at all? Buxton could rest for a week and then pull a hamstring in his first day back. What should be looked at is how many games does Rocco throw away by NOT putting his "A" lineup out there every day. They lost by 1 run the day he rested Buxton. Buxton is very capable of producing 1 or 2 runs or more in any given day that he plays. I get so tired of Rocco throwing games away. If they miss out on the playoffs by 1 game who's going to take the blame? I'm sure Rocco won't and I'm sure you won't blame Rocco, when in fact that is where it should be directed.
  7. rv78
    The usage of players is much of what I expected but I don't see Rocco sticking with it for the entire season. Unless Buxton is going to be the permanent DH, usage of players through the DH role will rotate and the positional fielding roles will as well. The return of Polanco, Kirilloff, Lewis will require even more changes. My biggest gripe so far was resting Buxton on Tuesday. There was an off day on Friday and another shceduled off day this week Thursday. Can't he play 6 days in a row? Is DHing that strenuous? How much of a baby does he need to be treated like? There's only one explanation for it and that's just Rocco being an idiot.
  8. rv78
    I think the exact opposite of what you just said is the problem. Most every time Kepler swings he does try to murder it and his swings are too hard. Much like Sano was. You can't be a good hitter if your only instinct is to swing with all of your might and pull it every time. Good hitters use the whole field, slap the ball the other way. When was the last time you saw Kepler take something off his swing and hit singles to LF? Only by accident when he is fooled and is late with his swing, not making good contact, does his ball end up on the left side of the field somewhere. Last year with the shift, if he would have known how to bunt he could have pushed the ball towards 3B and walked to first everytime he came up to bat, but failure to adjust and not take what the defense is giving you led to a worthless season. Who's fault is it that he struggles? His own. The organizations by not teaching players how and when to bunt. The managers by not using the bunt, especially last year when it was obvious you could have easily made it to first base. I've heard it said too many times..... He's a pull hitter so you don't want to take that part of his game away from him, he'll lose his aggressiveness. So instead, let's let them be mediocre at what they do. His approach at the plate hasn't changed since 2019 when the juiced ball made him better than he actually is. The mindset that he needs to change is... to hit to all fields. Don't try to hit a HR every time. If you want to become a good hitter and improve your average and worth to your team the last thing you need is to be a free swinging all or nothing hitter. The Bomba Squad did nothing in the playoffs. It's time to give up on the dream that HR hitters will win you Championships. You need players that can hit for average, get on base, manufacture runs, and hit the occasional HR. "Complete" hitters, not one dimensional hitters.
  9. rv78
    I still don't see a problem. It's not like either one has to play SS every day. Can't they play 2B or 3B too alternating certain days at one or the other until one of them outplays the other at SS? Isn't that what the minors leagues is about? Finding out who is better at a position? Or should they wait until the next level or the majors to see if they have what it takes? This is just dumb.
  10. rv78
    Why is this a conundrum? Does having Correa, Lewis, and Lee all able to play SS at the big league level very soon a problem? Sorry, I don't see it.
  11. rv78
    The first game of the season against KC he swung at the first pitch and hit a lazy fly ball to CF. I said to myself, that's exactly what you DON'T want your leadoff hitter to do. Comparing anyone especially Kepler to how Ted Williams hit is like asking someone to be a rocket scientist or brain surgeon when all he is good at is cleaning out horse stables. Really? Generally speaking, some guys can't be fixed. Kepler has never been much of a hitter for average. His entire career is .232. Take away the juiced ball in 2019 and it drops to .227. Maybe everyone should quit trying to make him into something he isn't!
  12. rv78
    Yep, some of them definitely are. Gallo is an all or nothing hitter. Kepler continues to flounder. Correa isn't half as good as what they are paying him, off to an abysmal start hitting barely above the mendoza line. Rocco gives his best player a rest day in yesterdays game so he can theoretically make it a throw away game. Had Buck played they might have been able to win a close 1-0 ballgame but not a chance with Rocco running the show. Yep, there are exactly what we thought they were. Had it not be for playing and sweeping the weak Royals the first 3 games of the season this team would be .500 at best, which is where they will finish the season if they are lucky. Now on to some real competition against the Astros, WhiteSox and Yankees.
  13. rv78
    Rocco needs to have a different lineup every day, if possible. Putting players where they aren't needed accomplishes this.
  14. rv78
    Can anyone explain the reason for NOT playing Buxton. Is DH that demanding that playing in 3 games straight warrants rest already? Rocco needs a kick in the head. You play your best players against the other teams best pitcher or else it looks like you are throwing the game away. Which may have been exactly what he did. At the DH spot you get what?.... 20 minutes of actual game time? How can anyone need rest after 3 days in which you did your job for a total of 1 hour? Quit babying him and play the man.
  15. rv78
    It's the "HITL" watch, which means, holes in the lineup. Two worthless hitters (IMO) that are being paid $19.5M for what? The what is the numbers posted as we go thru the season.
  16. rv78
    First real true test for the lineup against a quality top-notch pitcher. They failed. Thumbs up to a great outing by Maeda. Pablo verses his old team tomorrow, We'll see if he can return the favor.
  17. rv78
    4 games in and they've face a weak KC team and a washed up sore armed Cueto who was replaced by a rookie pitcher. A real test for this lineup happens today against Alcantara with a rehabbed Maeda going for the Twins. One good thing, the strong arms in the bullpen are rested. Hopefully Duran will be available if they need him. After the Marlins series the Twins have 19 games against much tougher competition before facing the Royals again to close out April. Those 19 games will tell us more about this team than the first 6. Kepler/Gallo HITL watch;. 187-BA, 6-K, 2-BB, 4-HR, 8-RBI, 13-LOB.
  18. rv78
    I'm not sold on Buxton in the #3 spot. Typically you want your best hitter there to not only score runs but to drive them in. Gotta have someone on base first before you get an RBI unless all you're doing is hitting solo HR, which is what Buxton did a lot of last year. If his power is going to be his forte going forward then he needs to go to the cleanup spot. I move Correa to the #3 hole and either Gordon, Farmer, Solano in the #2 spot until Polanco comes back. If Larnach continues to rake he should go to the #1 spot in the order especially against righties. It surely looks like he's a WAY better option right now than Kepler. It appears that Rocco has a hard time seeing a game, understanding it and making adjustments. Evidently his spreadsheet still says Kepler is a leadoff hitter even though that hasn't been the case for 3 years now.
  19. rv78
    Using Kepler or Gallo in the leadoff spot is totally brainless. I'm not looking for the guy who can just get on base, I want my best hitters at the top of the lineup so they get the most at bats. Like someone said, the guy hitting 1st in the lineup is only guaranteed to leadoff once per game. Kepler and Gallo need to be in the 7, 8 or 9 spots or on the bench. Get a clue Rocco.
  20. rv78
    Bats break loose finally. All or nothing Gallo gets the point for the Game 3 victory on the offensive side of the ball. Ryan gets it for the pitching. Kepler/Gallo HITL watch thru 3 games: .130-BA, 2-HR, 4-RBI, 6-K's, 2-BB, 13-LOB. Off to Miami to see Arraez torment the Twins pitchers.
  21. rv78
    2 games in and the Twins have a whopping 4 runs against a lowly Royals staff. I'm not overly impressed that the pitching staff has thrown 2 shutouts as well again against a lowly Royals lineup. If they were playing one of the better teams in the league they are 0-2. 2 games on the base paths and it looks like it is only a matter of time before Buxton is injured running the bases. He gets the game ball on the offensive side for both victories. Buxton = 2 points. Pitching has PLopez for 1/2 point and the Bullpen 1/2 point for Game 1. Gray =1/2 point and the Bullpen1/2 point, now at 1 point total. Kepler/ Gallo "2 holes in the lineup" watch, 2 games in = 0-15, 5-K's, 7-LOB.
  22. rv78
    Until Kirilloff is ready, Gallo's the main option at 1B. Doesn't mean we have to like it or even that it is the best option. One thing is for sure, the Twins don't give a guy $11M to sit on the bench and Gallo won't be an exception. If he isn't at 1B he'll be in the outfield. I doubt we will ever see him at 3B with Miranda, Farmer and Solano on the roster. Besides all 3 of them hit much better than Gallo. So, if/when Kirilloff comes back and if/when he starts hitting with reckless abandon, Gallo will take playing time away from an outfielder or two, and if that is Kepler who is just as inept at hitting, then nothing will be lost. If it is Larnach, Gordon, Lewis, or Martin then someone will need to have their head examined. The Gallo/Kepler watch line is 0-7 with 2-K's, 0-BB, 0-HR, 0-RBI and 5-LOB.
  23. rv78
    Literally speaking, the Twins are carrying 8 pitchers in the pen. I suspect and hope that "The Plan" this year is not to use the starter for 5 innings and then 4 relievers every night. That would require each reliever getting used at least every other day. = Recipe for disaster. It also exposes your weaker pitchers in the bullpen to be used as often as your good ones. = Recipe for disaster. Assuming Rocco has changed his plan and the starters will now go 6 innings possibly 7 or 8 is what would be needed on a daily basis if all you are going to use your relievers for is 1 inning at a time. I think the goal here should be, not to use the long reliever just in blowouts to save the rest of your bullpen but to also pitch much needed innings in high leverage situations to rest the bullpen, especially if the high leverage arms have pitched in back to back games. A long reliever that can come in and effectively throw 3 or 4 good innings at a time at least two times a week dramatically changes and improves the workload on the bullpen. Just filling a mop-up role shouldn't be the only priority. If you have a long relief guy and the game is close with your high leverage arms used up from the previous 2 or 3 games played then having one who can finish the 7th, 8th and 9th innings effectively is only a win/win situation. Think how good it would be to have a guy like Duran, (not saying it IS Duran but another pitcher like him), be able to do that twice a week. A long relief pitcher doesn't have to be, or even should be, a mop-up pitcher.
  24. rv78
    I understand that. However that doesn't change the fact that the same decision can end up being a mistake as well. They scored 1 run due to it. If KC would have scored 3 runs and they needed the lefties in the lineup for better matchups to make a comeback, it would have been the wrong decision. Maybe Rocco got lucky.
  25. rv78
    It worked out and the trend is for managers to pinch hit in the middle innings to break open a game. I don't like using up half of the bench with a small lead, especially when not improving the defense. It could be argued that Farmer/Solano is as good or better than Gordon/Gallo, but having Farmer and Solano face a tough righty in the 8th or 9th in a tie game is the scenario I fear. Totally agree with this. It worked out because the Twins scored 1 more run using this strategy, (which really isn't breaking the game open), and luckily he didn't need the left-handed hitters later in the game. The need for those hitters that he pulls in the middle innings, in a late game situation, will eventually happen and then, when Rocco makes the same move, it will be a mistake.
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