Road trip

There was a lot of angst on this site when the Twins traded Rortvedt. Unfortunately he isn't even coming close to Drew Butera level offense. Still young enough to improve, but I'm starting to doubt he will ever hit enough to even be a backup MLB catcher.

I've said this in other threads, but I'd take Ober instead of Paddock if we are converting another starter to a relief role. Paddock has never relieved in MLB (the same is true of Ober), is recovering from surgery, and has an inferior career track record to Ober (and frankly it isn't that close). I simply don't get the fascination with including Paddock as a relief option. I know some think we need to save Ober to potentially start game one of the next series, but that's putting the cart before the horse. Worry about the next series AFTER winning the first one... Take your best 10 or 11 pitchers for the first series.

Yes, good list. I remember many wishing for McKay (perhaps I did too...not sure). He looked like a Ohtani type of player, but it appears he may neither hit nor pitch much in the majors. I think I'd take Lewis over Greene again... but as good as Lewis has been this year it isn't an no-brainer call. Greene has the stuff to be great if he can improve his control. I suppose Varsho is the best so far in terms of accumulated WAR, but he's already 27 and probably won't get much better anymore. A career OPS+ of 95 for a guy that is mostly a corner outfielder is... uninspiring. Pretty confident both Lewis and Greene will surpass him easily unless their health fails completely.

My heart wants to believe. My head says no, he hasn't been healthy or very productive all year. It's the playoffs. Listen to your head.

arraez.jfif

Nice job Polanco!

Arguably worse...

Yeah, I guess I can see that. They are probably going to be a bit more careful after last night. But it also begs the question, if Julien's legs are that shaky, why is he DHing in a semi-unimportant game when there are a wealth of other options on the bench (Larnach, Wallner, Kiriloff)?

I'd blame Rocco.... but of course he isn't on the bench today. Yes, I'd like to see Wallner hit in the 9th rather than any of the scheduled hitters.

Glad to get one run back, but another missed opportunity to add more. Bats are just not quite there today. One more inning...

While Hawk and Dick can't seem to wrap their brain around the concept, the call reversal was correct based on the rule book. We are all focused on the fact that the Twins got an out from the (non) play. But the correct call is a strike. He offered at the pitch (which makes it a strike), and then got hit on the fingers. The play was dead at that point. We may not like the rule, or like the outcome, but it is correct based on the rule book. If he had bunted more successfully to score the runner, I suspect our bench would have reviewed the replay and may have asked for a review/reversal, hoping to change it to a strike.

Yes, I am not more than mildly concerned about Correa, unlike our other injured players. I've struggled with Plantar Fascitis off and on for the past five years. I'm no longer an athlete in any sense of the word, but I've had plenty of athletic injuries over the years. Plantar Fascitis is absolutely the strangest injury I've ever experienced. Bad pain for one to five days, then maybe a little less, and then a good day or tthree where it is almost absent. But then it comes back... Rinse, repeat, over and over and over. Sometimes it will even disappear for several months, but it is always lurking. In my case at least, it is apparently chronic. There are a hundred tricks, stretches, massages, remedies and treatments, none of which work for everyone, or even work consistently from one bout of Plantar to the next. Rest helps, somewhat, but when it is bad just getting out of bed and taking that first step is pretty painful. It is just odd.. Correa is a gamer. He'll play through pain in the playoffs. He may be less effective though, which is likely what we have been witnessing all season.

Also somewhat anecdotal... take a look on BRef sometime at MLB team roster stats from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In a typical year a team would utilize 15 -18 pitchers over the course of a year. A few teams would be more fortunate, and only need a dozen! For example, 40 years ago, a bad Twins team trying out youngsters, but only used 14 pitchers: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/1983.shtml That's unthinkable today. The Twins currently have a half dozen pitchers on the IL. They've used 28 pitchers this year, and this was a low number. Last year they utilized 39.

I'm absolutely taking Ober. One poster called him one of the Twins "10 Best" pitchers. I'd probably put him in the top 5 or 6. (Duran plus the other 4 starters) I'd roster him, simultaneously hoping events play out to allow Ober to be saved for game 1 of the next series (if the first round goes 3 games), but keeping him available. Ober is the "break glass in case of emergency" pitcher... like an early line drive off of a starting pitcher's ankle. Or an extra inning playoff game. Look, we know Rocco is going to burn through relievers pitching one inning or less. He's done it all year, and he will likely give starters less leash in the postseason. It's not hard to imagine a scenario where it's the top of the 10th, and Varland, Pagan, Jax, Thielbar, and Duran have all been used already. I'd want Ober available for that scenario alone. He can go multiple innings in a potentially long game. Remember, no "ghost runners" in post-season MLB games...

Yes, I suspect this math is correct. My order of preference is pretty much the same, but I fear we will get Gallo. There isn't much time to get Buxton ready, but I suppose it could still happen. I mean, Dick Bremer puts out a daily public service announcement that "The Twins still hope to have Buxton back in center field this year", generally no later than the 4th inning of the game. Hope is not a plan for managing a team, but perhaps these seemingly scripted statements keep some casual fans interested.

They were a mixed bag. Annoying when in your way, but the 2nd decks were so much closer in some of the old stadiums. I got to attend a game in old Tiger Stadium before it closed. We had seats in the 2nd deck of the left field line, but it felt like we were right on top of the action. I'll never be a Tiger fan, but I did love that old stadium.

Possibly not. Given how close the race is for that last wildcard spot, the Astros, Jays, Mariners, and Rangers may be all hands on deck the last couple of regular season games just to make the playoffs. It's plausible that the last wildcard seed will have to burn through their ace pitchers at the end..

In May it looked like a pretty bad trade for the Twins. Today it looks like a pretty good trade for the Twins. It'll probably flip back and forth for a few years, as injuries or ineffectiveness plague either Lopez or Arraez. Arraez's knees have received numerous mentions in the comments. That is fair. He will always be moderately more likely to miss time than a typical MLB 2nd baseman. Less frequently noted though is that all MLB starting pitchers are at risk of arm problems, or sudden downturns in effectiveness. There are a very small number of Verlanders or Scherzers who enjoy long careers of consistent pitching success. There are many flashes in the pan, dominant for two or three years. I hope Lopez is on the Verlander track, but if we are honest it is way too soon to know that, and the odds remain daunting. Take a look at the Cy Young winners over the last 20 years and see all the names that were just short bursts of greatness (eg, Ray, Arrieta, Kluber, Porcello, DeGrom, Webb, etc). Hitters, meanwhile, if they are truly great hitters (and Arraez is) tend to age well. When you trade for a great hitter, you can project with a little more confidence. He may end up a DH, but if Arraez has any legs left at all I'll wager he is still hitting .300 at age 34. I absolutely hope both players have a decade of continued success. And Ted, thanks, this was one of the best reads on Twins Daily this year!

Another goal: Keep getting the kids more at bats, to the degree their health and stamina allow (Lewis, Kirilloff, Julien, Wallner). Combined, these 4 have well under 2000 MLB plate appearances... and they have all played an important role in the gradually improving Twins offense. Every little bit of experience gained will help as they prep for pressure at bats in the post season.

I mean...yeah? But that's kind of like saying, "except for the home runs he gives up, Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray have similar numbers this year". The HR's matter (as do the HBP). Maybe that's not quite what you are arguing...I may be misinterpreting. Look, I'd be quite happy if Larnach breaks out next spring, learns to hit a MLB breaking ball, wins the LF job, and becomes a solid MLB regular or better. I have no faith that his time is now based on AAA numbers. Lot's of guys hit well in AAA. Andrew Stevenson just tore up AAA this year with numbers better than Larnach's. Yet while Stevenson has provided some real value on the base paths and on defense, I don't think anybody wants to see him hit in a playoff game based on what we have seen so far. He's looked overmatched at the plate, just like Larnach did at the MLB level. To me, Larnach remains a future hope, not an October 2023 player barring injuries to the current roster.

That may be the all time bad "run hard to first base" effort.

From the frying pan to the fire. Not sure why we'd be using Floro in a tight game given how badly he has pitched lately.

If nothing else good happens today, at least Wallner is connecting again.

Surprised I guess that he doesn't have more time, as it seems like he has been around forever. In terms of full mlb retirement pay, I doubt he is worried. BRef reports his career earnings as 99 million. He isn't checking out the dollar menu...