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VivaBomboRivera!

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  1. VivaBomboRivera!
    The Chief has it right. Think about it. The Yanks got Encarnacion and the Mets got Stroman cheap because they knew what they wanted, they knew how much they were prepared to pay, and they acted on their own timetable, doing business early before things heated up as the deadline loomed. Because they took the initiative, their moves also influenced the rest of the market, taking valuable pieces coveted by other teams off the table, raising prices on what remained. We should have done our shopping in April and May.
  2. VivaBomboRivera!
    Caveat emptor. Regardless of how urgently the arm is needed, any team can stipulate that a final deal is subject to results of examination by the team doctor/trainer and the pitching coach. Soft tissue or no, trained professionals will likely spot a twinge if motion as simple as putting on a shirt or lifting an object is causing pain. Management has an obligation to carefully evaluate every player before paying. Dyson was needed to help stiff-arm (sorry, couldn't resist) the Cleveland push to catch-up in the division. Net result so far is that we are at least a game worse off. The Twins _should_ be 5W - 2L through 7 August, not 4 - 3. A case could be made that were Dyson healthy Perez could have been pulled after the Donaldson walk to stop the bleeding and give our bats a chance to win with the 7 runs they pounded out. Instead we ran up a white flag for fear we'll be short of arms over the weekend. Shame on Dyson if he was faking it. He'll have to get with the program to earn his teammates and fan trust. But as far as the team's performance goes, this screw-up is 100% on the front office.
  3. VivaBomboRivera!
    Tom Froemming and I have both noted that of late batters are frequently laying off the curveball. Tom tracked down the Chase-Miss stat that validates this. It is possible that something in Berrios' delivery is tipping hitters off to this pitch..
  4. VivaBomboRivera!
    Bright note is that Jake Cave has had much better at bats in these last two games. Now has his average above .200. Is the International League hitting monster finally making his transition to pitchers in the Bigs? Couldn't happen at a better time...
  5. VivaBomboRivera!
    Way to track down the Chase-Miss stat. I had been looking for some validation of what I thought I had been seeing. Batters are not waving at it like they used to do.
  6. VivaBomboRivera!
    Four wasted dingers. They're pretty but they don't mean a thing if the team can't get opposing batters out. The contrast between the two starters was stark. Folty-whatzit, who is _not_ a world beater, threw strikes and worked fast. Bottom of the 5th was impressive - Margo and Cron K'd on three pitches each, then he got Kepler to pop-up on a 2-2 count. Only eleven pitches needed to bag three 'savages.' And he was zipping them in there: Strike, back to the rubber, another strike, ball back to the mound and immediately in the windup. One after the other, not giving batters time to think. Foltynewicz actually threw slightly fewer pitches for strikes (64/101, 63.4%) than Berrios, but he faced 6 fewer batters (2 of those due to the difference in BB). Just watching Berrios labor through the top of the 5th and 6th was tiring. He plodded through long counts fueled by first-pitch balls. Batters continued to lay off his curveball (which he throws 30% of the time). An achingly slow delivery that allowed runners and batters to anticipate added to the agony. Those last two issues apply to the entire staff. Compared to top-tier hurlers past and present they are taking _forever_ on the mound. This is a drag on the fielders (cools the bats, too) while opposing batters feast on it. Please leave the "first-pitch strike" broken record on the turntable until we see signs that someone is listening.
  7. VivaBomboRivera!
    "I look at this place as one refuge where fans can bitch and moan and celebrate together-without resorting to personal beefs, and keyboard warriors are not something we have to deal with. (That's what twitter's for). My kudos to the admin's, and to the people on this board itself. I gotta say, these past few days-- my country is grieving and tearing itself apart, and Hong Kong where I live, is literally tearing itself apart. It's incredibly scary here right now; yesterday and last night were some of the worst hours of my life. I needed this couple hours of respite for my very soul today. I'm happy for the Twins win. And I'm happy to share it with folks like you." Minnesota nice. Hong Kong strong. Mandatory baseball content: Happy with the outcome. Our staff allows 4 walks, at least one was a lead-off (thankfully erased in DP). Theirs? 1. Mark my words - This team's post-season hopes will be made or lost on the staff's (both starters and relievers) ability to throw more first-pitch strikes. They must play up to the level the team's offense deserves. Repeat - Happy with the outcome. "Let it Sano."
  8. VivaBomboRivera!
    In spite of today's blown lead I stand by my position above.
  9. VivaBomboRivera!
    Dyson has just 7 walks, 3 HR and 14 ER while recording 47 SO in 51 innings this year (FIP 2.74). Astonishing WHIP of .902. "Falvey added talent in the most necessary part of the roster without giving up a single top 20 prospect." This. No Jack Morris this year, but we can win the last game of the season with this. Play ball.
  10. VivaBomboRivera!
    As long as he throws strikes often enough - especially on the first pitch - to make the hitter worry the next pitch will be a strike, as well.
  11. VivaBomboRivera!
    Did somebody keep count? How many pitches did Sano see today? 2 AB, 1 double, _2_ walks, 1 SO, 1 RBI These are veteran plate appearances - not the someday hitter of earlier seasons. It's like Rowson took off a blindfold _and_ Hernandez removed wax from his ears.
  12. VivaBomboRivera!
    Now when opposing batters step in the box, Castro and Garver can say, "I don't know where it's gonna go. Swear to God."
  13. VivaBomboRivera!
    And not for the first time am I proven wrong. ;-)
  14. VivaBomboRivera!
    Smeltzer stays unless he stops going after hitters and throwing first-pitch strikes. Either make him the long reliever or (more radically) put him in the rotation and shift Gibson/Perez/Pineda to that duty. The second option would have the added benefit of giving the first two a chance to think real hard about what it means to contribute to a contending team and find their focus, or it could reduce the wear and tear on Pineda 's aging body.
  15. VivaBomboRivera!
    I stand by my report yesterday. ;-) The team should be buying Smeltzer's drinks tonight. Nice to see first-pitch strikes.
  16. VivaBomboRivera!
    I said my piece here. Absolute shambles of a staff. Silver lining: Sano continues to mature, and our guys do not lie down.
  17. VivaBomboRivera!
    I see what you did there...
  18. VivaBomboRivera!
    From Al Newman to Denny Hocking to Nick Punto and then eventually Eduardo Escobar the Minnesota Twins have always employed a scrappy utility type of player that draws the praise of fans everywhere... Fixed yer lede. ;-) Nice article.
  19. VivaBomboRivera!
    Five dingers aside, you could say the defense won this. Double- and triple-plays were the difference. Yanks had a hideous 2 of 12 RISP. No errors - nice to see a much sharper team take the field. Quick tip o' the cap to Holder for backhanding that Arraez comebacker in bottom of the 8th.
  20. VivaBomboRivera!
    Happily proven wrong today.
  21. VivaBomboRivera!
    OAK hitters were not looking fooled much at all. Is something in Berrios' delivery giving away his breaking ball? Only Hermann and Laureano went down swinging at it, and they came back later for much better at-bats. Every other A's batter was laying off the breaking stuff and working long counts. Sano works a full count into a bomba and goes 2 for 3. Much improved swing and overall hitting approach. Never seen a hitter mature so much in a month. Kepler is a big talent but today receives the Darrell Evans Award for his inning-killing base running error. A potential run lost that could have left the game tied, or maybe just made the Athletics lie down a little more in the top of the 9th. I feel like Steve McQueen: "I was home! What the hell happened?!?!"
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