killebrewlover

And why the Twins are a mediocre team with many inconsistencies...

Regardless of what happens tonite, it's quite clear now that the Twins are the best team in the worst division in baseball. Which is basically the same as saying they haven't proven that they can play with the best teams outside of their division yet. And please don't blame it on injuries! It's a tiring excuse.

Every game is important. Wins are always better than losses. But imho it's the timing of those wins and losses that can sometimes have the larger impact. In a team's momentum. In it's psyche. In it's outlook. Tonight's game is important in its timing. Detroit beat the Rangers today. If the Twins lose, they will be 1 game ahead of the Tigers for the divisional lead (with Cleveland potentially 3 back if they hold on against the Orioles). We all knew that this race would tighten (didn't we??). The moment is upon the Twins. How will they respond? Put another way, champions aren't made by winning more games than losing. Champions are made from responding to those critical moments when they need to respond. And repeating that response, over and over, until the goal is met. So, let's see what this team is made of tonight, shall we?

Hmmm... Okay. But don't rule out the Tigers in this discussion. They're right there with the Twins and Cleveland.

Pretty pathetic...

LOL funny.

I seem to recall this same argument last year about mid season. "Don't worry. It's an awful division. The Twins will win in the long haul." I know the teams are not the same as last year. I don't think the situation is any different....

The title of this entry is stealing a line from a movie, which escapes me for now (Aliens 3?). Twins lose their home opener to SF after a 2-4 road trip, following a 4-2 home stand, which followed a 2-4 road trip, which followed a 5-2 home stand, and so on. As a result, the Twins stand at 25-23 a quarter of the way through the season. Are we relegated to this level of inconsistency for the rest of the season?! There is plenty of talent on this ball club. Loads of it! And yet here we are at only 2 games over .500 and the lead in the Division in jeopardy with every passing day. We have yet to play Detroit. And Cleveland is leading the series 1-2 so far. Does anyone really think these two teams won't take advantage of the situation with the Twins so far this year??!! I suppose the only silver lining is that we are in the Central Division. Otherwise we'd be 9.5 back in the East, and 4.5 back in the West. So, I repeat. Is this all there is? Is there nothing more? Despite all the platitudes and excuses surrounding a "bad luck" set of scenarios, such seems to be the case. This is not a rant. Simply an observation. And one that will reset my expectations for the remainder of the Twin's season. Time to get revved up for the college football season...

Someone once told me, you make your own luck. I understand that baseball is a team sport. And GJ's numbers certainly belie his real potential and capabilities. But in Trumanesque style, IMHO, the attitude of any player should be that "the buck stops here." In other words, take responsibility of your actions (even if it's questionable that it's yours to take). Learn from your mistakes. And constantly improve on your results. So, let's stop making excuses for players play, and let's start expecting production that's worthy of their level of (proposed) talent. I'm sure Mr. Jax agrees. So how about we follow his lead.

We can continue to make excuses for losses. OR... we can hope that the Twins actually fix some of their issues. That is, assuming you think they have any chance at all to make the playoffs...

Go Louie! Happy Mothers Day to all Moms everywhere.

Loved the quote by Buxton after yesterday's loss. “We can’t change what we’re doing. We’re hitting the ball too hard...Things will change for us. When things change, we’ll get clicking. We’ve got to ride it out. It’s baseball.” Maybe some truth to that. But in the mean time, could someone please explain to me "when things [are supposed to] change"?

So let's see. Cleveland loses. Detroit loses. And the Twins have yet another chance to put some distance between them and the others. And they lose, at home, to a sub-500 team. I think what we've learned in the first 39 games is that it doesn't matter who wins the Central Division. They all stink.

Gotta give credit where due. He did his job. It's just difficult to watch this team at times.

Oh no! It's Jax in the box!!! God help us.

Bunting is a lost art in baseball. Alas.

Meh...

How many chances does Baldelli get before he's given his hat? I can't believe the Twins can't find someone better. Maybe it's time?

Where is that massive earth ending meteor I ordered this evening?

First four in our lineup tonight are 0 for 11. Ain't gonna cut it....

I hope you're right. Time will tell...

So there are reasons to believe that the Twins may have turned a corner, if you compare it with last years progressive decline over the 2022 season. This year, they started the season by beating the heck out of divisional foe KC (6 wins, 1 loss). And for the first time in many years, they took the season series with the Yankees. The starting rotation has been better and despite Maeda's injury (and Pagan's inconsistency), the pitching (in general) is doing their job. Offense has been respectable, but inconsistent, especially at key moments where run support was essential. Defense is a meh, but there's hope that it can improve with time. So, on the surface, we should be happy the Twins are in 1st place in the Central and 2.5 games in front of the nearest team. Right? But then again.... You look at the last six games on the road. Losing 2 of 3 to divisional rival Chicago. Then another 2 of 3 to Cleveland. It's these games early in the season that can make the difference late in August and September when the race really ramps up. I really want to believe in this team. But my gut tells me we still have a long way to go. (Then again, I've had some indigestion lately watching the close games go the other way!). I'm worried that once the Tigers and/or Guardians get their acts together, we'll be relegated to a repeat of the slow inexorable decline of 2022. Someone convince me otherwise. Please!

It's not about being loud or yelling. It's about accountability. I can calm down after my initial statements. Can the Twins find their way to a divisional title? Based on what I've seen so far, I have my doubts.

Okay. So we agree. They're not a Championship caliber team. What does that have to do with playing to your team's (or as an individual's) full potential, which they don't seem to be doing right now? Accountability isn't reserved to Championship teams. Players and coaches need to start being accountable. Period.

Time to get the broom ready. Pretty sad. 😒