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minman1982

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Everything posted by minman1982

  1. minman1982
    The pickoff of Guerrero at second last night was my favorite play of the game. A good heads-up play by Correa and Gray to take advantage of Guerrero's generous lead off. On a 3-2 count, both those runners are going on the pitch and a base hit ties the game. Not only does the pick-off end the threat but it also forced Bichette to start over after battling to get to 3-2. The throw home in Game 1 may be the best throw I have ever seen a shortstop make. I was actually yelling at the TV for him not to throw the ball and concede the run because I was concerned he was going to throw the ball away and let the runner advance on an error. Both of these plays were absolute gut punches to the Toronto offense. These are types of plays I usually expect to happen to the Twins.
  2. minman1982
    Agreed. I thought Taylor was going to end up being Buxton's backup, not the everyday plan in the outfield. Even if Buxton comes back for the ALDS, Taylor has earned the spot and the start in my opinion.
  3. minman1982
    If you look at teams that succeed in the postseason, there is almost always that unexpected hero that emerges. For us who have watched this team this year, Lewis delivering on the big stage is maybe not totally unexpected but the rest of the world is waiting for someone like Correa to be the hero (in fairness to Correa, that throw he made to the plate was a thing of true beauty). Congratulations to Royce Lewis on his performance yesterday. Lewis was certainly the hero of the moment but this was a team effort. Lopez kept them in the game, the previously mentioned Correa play keeping a run off the board, Jax getting out of a little bit of a jam in the 8th, Duran throwing five curveballs in a row before unleashing that 100+ mph fastball making the three Toronto hitters he faced look silly. I hope this team wins a few more games. The main mission (win a playoff game) has been accomplished. Hopefully, they can add some icing to the cake today by winning the series.
  4. minman1982
    My thoughts too. I would go with Lopez, Gray, and Ryan in that order. This also sets up having Ryan start Game 1 of the ALDS if the Twins win the first two games, which would not be a bad way to start that series either. I might consider keeping Maeda off the Wild Card Roster altogether to save him for the ALDS (either game 1 or game 2). They could have Ober come out of the pen in a true jam. I am still curious to see what Paddack can bring to the table. What a position to be in, multiple arms that can be relied on.
  5. minman1982
    Would we rather have the Twins in a spot where they have no choice but to pick up Polanco's option because there is nothing else on the roster? This is a great problem to have. If I were in their shoes, I would see if there is a trade candidate available. Does someone want a couple of years of Polanco at a fairly reasonable price for a few prospects? While I believe Polanco is currently the best option at 2B, this would give other guys a chance to prove themselves at that position. Would Polanco be willing to DH? Maybe this is a place they could put him to give other guys time at 2B. Buxton is never going to be healthy for the whole season so there are a lot of DH plate appearances available.
  6. minman1982
    Let's say that the Twins go 9-10 down the stretch, which would be disappointing given the level of competition that they are going to play. Cleveland would need to end the season 17-1 to claim the division. The Cleveland series last week was basically the last nail in the coffin. Now on to the next task: win a playoff game.
  7. minman1982
    Even if he is "ready" to come back for the playoffs, does it make sense to do so? If everyone else is contributing, why mess with a good thing? As for his future with the team beyond this season, who knows what that will bring. While I dream of seeing a full season of healthy Byron Buxton, I don't think that will ever happen. Unfortunately, I think he will be a uniquely talented player who could never stay healthy enough to make full use of his talents.
  8. minman1982
    You have to like that starting rotation. In a five game series, starting off with Gray/Lopez for Games 1 and 2. Bring in Ryan for Game 3 and Maeda for Game 4. Kuechel is around as insurance or a long reliever, if anyone gets themselves into trouble. Now, can the bullpen support them against a playoff caliber offense? That is is the key question.
  9. minman1982
    Took only 28 pitches to do it. I would call that a successful showing by the pen.
  10. minman1982
    The dumpster fire that is the rest of the Yankees starting rotation is probably helping Cole out here. He is legitimately putting his team on his back. The Twins, on the other hand, have had a solid starting rotation this season. Gray and Ryan are certainly the two best but the others have been better than Cole's rotation mates to start the season. Honestly, I don't care much about the hardware as long as Gray and Ryan keep doing their thing. It would be awesome to go into a five-game series in October knowing that you have TWO guys who you can count on to get in done in game 1.
  11. minman1982
    I don't understand why the "fair" ball double was not reviewable. That seems like it should be. As far as ball and strikes, here is what I would propose. Umpire behind the plate calls balls and strikes. A pitcher, catcher, or batter can challenge a ball/strike call before the next pitch is thrown. Each team gets two such challenges a game. If the player challenging wins the challenge (the call is overturned), the team gets to keep the challenge. If the player challenging loses the challenge (the call is upheld), the team has one less challenge. If the umpire behind the plate has five successful challenges against him/her in a game (calls that are overturned on challenge), they must be replaced by another umpire on the crew.
  12. minman1982
    Totally agreed. I feel the Twins matched up well with the Dodgers last night. A couple of bounces (or calls) their way instead of the Dodgers way and they win this game. A mistake pitch to Muncy early on, the "double" down the first base line late in the game, or the Kiriloff at bat in the tenth, if one of those goes the Twins way, they probably get the W last night. That is baseball though. Time to brush off the dirt from last night and play another one tonight.
  13. minman1982
    Even though it ended with a loss, I am pleased with the outcome of the game. After going down 5-1, it would have been easy for the Twins just to call it a night and it felt like this game was going to be a blow-out. I am happy that the team rallied back and made it a good game. The Dodgers are one of the better teams in MLB and have been for a while. The Kiriloff strikeout in the tenth was just deflating. It felt like they had an opportunity to get another couple of runs that inning or possibly blow the game open. If the first pitch is correctly called a ball, I don't think Kiriloff swings at the second pitch (why would you swing at 1-0 with a pitcher who is clearly having control issues?). I also probably give Kiriloff the green light on 1-1 with a one run lead, bases loaded, and one out in the tenth. The third pitch was an absolute garbage call. Catcher sets up outside, pitcher misses several inches inside, not even close. I have to give Kiriloff some credit for not saying something that would get himself kicked out. They did still have a one-run lead and his glove was needed in the field. Sure, the Twins had plenty of other chances but this at bat felt like the classic gut punch that us Minnesota sports fans are accustomed to.
  14. minman1982
    Twins win 1 and lose 2 than go to Anaheim to win 2 and lose 1. A 3-3 road trip before hosting the Giants next week.
  15. minman1982
    Got to love the starting pitching right now. If my math is right, they pitched 36 innings giving up 9 earned runs and striking out 43 in 6 games this last week. If the offense does its thing, which is showed the last two days what they can do when all the cylinders are working, this should be more than enough to make every games a winnable game.
  16. minman1982
    This is why I am glad that the Twins started 2023 with six or seven good options at starting pitcher. Before they offer Mahle a contract, it would be worth seeing how Ober and Varland do, how Paddack's rehab is going, and/or if someone else in St. Paul really step up. As we are seeing now, depth at this position is never a bad thing.
  17. minman1982
    I really want to say a Twins sweep but I have a feeling that the Sox will find a way to steal one. I will go Twins win series 2-1.
  18. minman1982
    The ERA+ stat is probably the most telling of how dominant Gray has actually been in the month of April. 567 is an absurd number that probably should be on someone's video game system, not a real life thing. It is worth noting that he faced both Houston and New York this season and pitched a combined 14 innings striking out 21 batters while giving up 7 hits, 1 ER, and 3 BB. That is a 0.64 ERA and 0.714 WHIP against two good offenses. I know he is just one clunker start away from blowing all this up and he is simply on one of those great runs that happens to players every now and then. Let's bask in the greatness we are seeing while it lasts.
  19. minman1982
    Only the Oakland Athletics (who clearly are not trying to field a good team) have allowed more runs than the Chicago White Sox. Hopefully, the Twins can get some offense going when they visit the South Side this week.
  20. minman1982
    Isn't this why the Twins went out and got a guy like Pablo Lopez? They knew that Kenta Maeda had some question marks and that Mahle was coming back from a shoulder injury and had question marks too. They needed another arm that they knew could give them five or six innings a game once a week. I would say that the Twins probably have seven guys who could be counted on as solid starters when you include Ober and Varland. If you throw SWR into the mix, there is another arm that can probably get them a solid five or six innings of work. In a pinch, even Headrick could probably start a game and give them five innings. Who knows what Paddack is going to be like when he comes back. If they get really desperate, there is always Josh Winder hanging around (he looked awful this weekend so I would not give him a start unless I was absolutely forced to). The Twins have enough depth that they can weather this storm because they have learned from the last few years what happens when you lack that depth.
  21. minman1982
    I was at work and couldn't watch. What is up with Maeda? Does he need some more time to recover from TJ or is it time to find a new role and let Ober or Varland start in his place?
  22. minman1982
    I agree. Polanco will play tonight. Looks like SWR on Sunday then.
  23. minman1982
    This is great, thanks for the explanation. With someone like Pagan, would the Twins even try to demote him? Even if he absolutely implodes, it seems like he would certainly not agree to go to St. Paul and would rather be released. Would it be better for the Twins to release him outright?
  24. minman1982
    Lopez certainly seems like a guy who number 2 starter is his floor and true ace is his ceiling. To get him locked up for four years at just over $18M/year is a steal.
  25. minman1982
    A week ago, I would have been happy with a win against the Astros and a win in New York (2-5). The fact that the Twins took the series from the Astros and split the series with New York makes me overjoyed. Sure, a series win in New York would have been nice but I am pretty happy with what I am seeing. The pitching has been outstanding. Even on Saturday and Sunday, the starters kept the Twins in the game. If the offense had been able to do something, maybe they win won of those two. Joe Ryan was great in the game on Thursday. We would all be talking about his performance if the Twins hadn't spotted him to a 9-0 lead. I thought Pablo Lopez was outstanding this afternoon. It is a shame that he got no support from the offense. Sonny Gray has continued to look good. Even Varland looked decent. I think it is hard to say who the "ace" is right now because they have three guys in Ryan, Gray, and Lopez who all could fit that mold. The offense needs some help. The Twins are averaging 3.9 runs/game and if you take out the two blowout wins (11-1 in Miami and 11-2 in New York), they are averaging 2.9 runs/game. That is not good enough. Maybe they let Buxton play the field a couple of games and see if that helps him at the plate. Maybe Polanco and eventually Kiriloff coming back will get things started. Maybe C4 is turning it around. Something needs to change.
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