LaBombo

Play a spring training game there in early March and that ratio reverses...

Escobar has gone from utility enigma to "we're not screwed at shortstop for a change" this year.

Or the fearsome avalanche of dozens of boos from the stands...

"Say again Blazer 1, all after 'optimism about Boyer'." http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-39482811324711/get-to-da-choppa-47.gif

Only from movies:http://www.wingclips.com/system/movie-clips/rudy/rudy-rudy-rudy/images/rudy-movie-clip-screenshot-rudy-rudy-rudy_large.jpg I very much wanted to like Punto the ballplayer as much as I liked Punto the story, but in the end it was like trying to appreciate Rudy if he had won a starting role just by constantly rubbing dirt on his uniform and bloodying his own nose.

Agreed. I was just guessing at their methodology, not defending its validity. I was hesitant to even comment without looking at the numbers more closely, but RD has been a concern pretty much all season. And yes, its value as a predictive tool declines after trade deadline moves and roster expansion, and with the decreasing sample size of games remaining. The battle for the second AL wilcard spot is shaping up to be a knife fight in a phone booth, and matchups have more to say about the outcome than aggregate stats.

My least favorite thing about Punto was his 'fake hustle' baserunning. On a popup he would run hard until the out was recorded, with total disregard for where he'd have ended up on a misplay. What friggin' good does it do to get thrown out at second on the off chance that a fielder does muff a routine play?

On the mound, alone again...http://d250ptlkmugbjz.cloudfront.net/images/covers/81/44/0698458874481_600.jpg

Rays leave bases loaded three innings in a row. That should perk up the Twins pitchers' strand rate a bit.

It's both encouraging and frustrating to think that in just a couple of years the Twins rotation has gone from needing Duensing to not needing May.

My daughter is still at that 'learning to read by sounding out' age. She liked her mispronunciation of Plouffe's name so much that she made up a rhyme for it: "HIs name is Pluffy, and everyone boos him 'cause he can't hit enoughy".

I know it doesn't make sense, but I'm almost positive John Jaso did the transmission fluid flush on my car this morning at Midas.

In 20/20 fan hindsight it was too close to take in any case, but maybe I'm not giving the home plate guy enough credit tonight.

Don't have a picture of my dog handy, but the lower half of this picture pretty much captures the essence of every nap I have ever attempted with my pug in the house:

Chris Archer is a tremendous pitcher, but he's gotten help here and there from the umpire. Where is pitchtrax tonight? Called third on Mauer looked outside.

Interesting bit of baserunning by Robinson there. For a guy whose speed is pretty much the only thing keeping him in the league... Oh well, he eventually did get around to scoring the tying run, but c'mon, man...

He's definitely got room to improve in that area. But the good thing is that control of the strike zone is probably the last tool to develop in most young hitters. Shane Mack was a fairly nondescript outfielder until he learned better plate discipline in his late 20's, and it turned him into an All Star-caliber player at his peak.

After enduring years of outfield statues like Kubel, Willingham, Doumit, and the like, it's going to be a real treat to see Buxton, Rosario, and Hicks out there together. And the only people who will enjoy it more than Twins fans will be the Twins pitchers. The effect of great outfield defense on a pitcher's confidence was perfectly illustrated by Duffey's reaction to Rosario's throw. Having a teammate erase a baserunner can alter a game as surely as a big hit.

I posted this in the Sano thread, but since he just scorched another ball it's worth repeating here. Sano's Fangraphs line drive percentage is over 26%, which would rank 8th or 9th among qualifiers. And Fangraphs also ranks contact as Soft/Medium/Hard. Plouffe leads non-Sano Twins with a 35% Hard contact score. Sano's is 49%.

I vote we go with Bill James' assertion that the word 'assist' is too passive for the game changer throws that outfielders make to take away extra base hits. He suggested the phrase 'baserunner kills'. That suits Rosario perfectly.

Brian Dozier 1st half: .256/.328/.513 Brian Dozier 2nd half: .214/276/.400 Brian Dozier August: .207/.255/.370

Archer is 4-0 in his four career starts vs the Twins, with a 0.79 ERA.

Run differential, maybe? The Twins have trailed the other wildcard contenders consistently in that stat, and even with the recent hot streak they still trail three other WC teams

I've only seen a couple of mentions of it, but his position and defensive value will play a big role in determining his value as a player. If he can play even a passable third base, that's a much more valuable player than someone who DH's their whole career. Right now it's almost impossible to accurately assess what Sano is, let alone will be, as a hitter, either. That .413 BABIP isn't going to last forever. He stands to lose a good fifty points off his slash line if his BABIP declines to, say .360 or so, which is still high but sustainable for a season. That would give him something like a .240/.350/.550 line, which is still phenomenal but would require him to contribute defensively to project as a HOF-caliber player. Then again, Sano may not be in as much danger of a batting average crash as a typical player hitting over .400 on balls in play. His high home run rate doesn't inflate his BABIP, but will help sustain his batting average. And even when the ball doesn't leave the yard, Sano hits the snot out of it. His line drive rate of 26% would rank ninth among qualifiers. And the subjective but still useful Fangraphs Soft/Medium/Hard Contact rating has Sano hitting the ball hard an otherworldly 49% of the time when he puts the bat on the ball. To put that in context, the next highest hard contact hitter on the Twins roster, Trevor Plouffe, has a rating of 35% So between Sano's crazy high BABIP, high K rate, advanced plate discipline for his age, and his unbelievable power, I have no idea what to expect from him. The only certainty seems to be that he'll be fun to watch.

Not sure the world will rotate correctly until the Twins offer you a contract that matches Ervin's.