insagt1

I liked Polo. Was not a fan of the trade, but like any trade gotta let it play out. I don't agree 'it made the Twins better'. But again, we have to see who replaces him and what major league value, if any, comes out of it. As a comical aside, most here know I'm from Rochester and we are stuck with the Nationals as our parent club. I see the Nats signed Gallo. BWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHA.

interesting thread indeed. All good thoughts. Who knows where one will land. The Kirilloff situation I fear is more serious than maybe anyone is letting on. He is slipping into the 'chronically injured' category. All kinds of injuries and they all impede him from being what the Twins want. Buxton is already there. If Twins can get 80 games out of him it will be amazing. And will he get his bat back? He has gone from 'can't miss' to 'boo hiss'. Some athletes just can't overcome injuries especially guys like Buck who must play full out all the time. Blessing and a curse. If I had to guess, it would be that it is 50-50 at BEST that either one will ever reach the potential expected of them and their own expectations. Sure would love to be wrong on this.

It was a total team 'effort'. Can't pin it on any one or two players. They averaged over 12 k's every game. The overall hitting was very bad. Match that with a team that goes to the ALCS every year, and its kind of a mismatch. EVen when they are not cheating, Houston is a very good team, that knows how to pivot, to adapt, and to take advantage when presented with enough opportunities. It was no disgrace losing to them, What it WAS however, was just plain disappointing, because losing sucks!

sadly Kirilloff is heading down Buxton Blvd with persistent injuries. One after another it seems is preventing him from being what the Twins were hoping for. Anyone old enough to remember Nick Johnson? Potential Yankee superstar in waiting. He had it all. But then injuries struck, and struck and struck and suddenly he was all done. He was supposed to be the real deal. These sort of things happen.

Ah, the what-ifs! Both teams hit 2 HR's yesterday.Unfortunately one of Houston's came with a man on; while one of Twins might have had one with a man on, had it not been for an opportunistic DP. I would have pinch hit Buxton for Solano, who was having a bad game. Ironically, Buck was the only guy in the final 2 innings that didn't strike out...and he hit a weak pop out to the 1st baseman. Thielbar didn't do his job. All the rest did. Strikeouts this post season were the MAJOR culprit. Twins fanned a ton during the season but they elevated it to an art form in the playoffs. While Astro hitters hung tough with 2 strikes, Twins hitters just flat out failed. They never adjusted. So, we can all applaud the progress the team made and I would agree. But we can also fine tune the critique where its needed. The strikeouts have to be cut down.

For perspective I was a teenager when the original Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota! And just a bit younger when we got the startling news that 2 NY teams were moving to California. How could that possibly be, we said.

the savvy pitchers paint the edges and get the calls when they know hitters are looking for walks and are swinging and missing. Pressly was very good at hitting just enough corner to get the calls and Twins hitters looked helpless and hopeless to do anything about it. No fight in the final 2 innings. Expected more.

average just over 12 per game. Thats criminal.

So fitting that all 3 Twins strike out in the 9th. And 3 ball counts on all of them. Only Buck put the ball in play (barely) over the last 6 outs. 5 k's and and another 14 k night for the overmatched Twins hitters. The stage was too big for them. Just about all of them couldn't put the bat on the ball. A tough game to lose because after Abreu's HR in the 4th, Twins pitchers totally shut Astros down. Unfortunately after Julien's HR, nobody reached base for the Twins and most of them were busy swinging at air or watching. Houston knows how to win. Be it blowout or close one, they've been there. Pressure? None for them. Plenty for the Twins who over the last 18 innings were schooled, and sent home. right now, nothing makes me feel good about much. Props to the bullpen, but one huge turd sandwich to the hitters. I can still feel the breeze all the way over here in Rochester.

Jeffers and Solano 0-6 with 5 k's. There are no words.

well I called the pinch hitter correctly. I'd kinda love getting the 2nd part right.

6 more outs left. I at least want contact for most if not all of them. Twins getting the pitching. Please don't waste it. OK Hollywood...Buck comes in to bat for Taylor. Swats an 0-2 Kirk Gibson pitch over the wall to tie the game as the crowd goes nuts. In my imagination, I am seeing this. Hey, why not?

If Twins can't pull this one out, this season has to be remembered for all the strikeouts. Its so discouraging to see so many whiffs. Wasted outs. and I know many here don't like Vazquez but wow has Jeffers ever stunk out the joint this post season.

come on Jeffers...make like Mitch Garver

cannot start inning with a walk Jax. Cannot.....fouling off a lot of good pitches....and a k!!! Nice

kepler with a terrible AB. Blew the momentum. That pitch was too close to take. Especially in crucial spot.

Come ON Twins...don't waste this great effort by Paddack (after Theilbar crapped the bed bigtime)

Alvarez wears Hammerin Hanks number...and he certainly wears it well.

sigh...just isn't fair. 2 hits in 5 innings and none after the 1st 3 hitters just isn't cutting it. I'd like to see more 'battle' from these guys. Not hitting the ball hard at all. 4 more shots. Is there a rally somewhere in there?

unfortunately Twins are getting very weak AB's. Why are they making this guy look so good.

OK--a very good inning for Paddock. Lets do some damage in the 5th. Play every inning like its your last. Twins could still pull an upset, but they need to get some hits. Somehow.

Twins just cannot seem to muster hits. AS we head for the middle of the game, they can't continue to waste outs. They are making this pitcher look a whole lot better than he is. Please guys....score some runs. Make this game interesting. All the right Astros are doing their job.

Astros a much better 2 strike hitting team. When Twins hitters get 2 strikes, they start looking for walks or they expand the strike zone and swing at bad pitches. Or they just look at strike 3. Its a conspiratorial comment, but sometimes it just 'seems' like umps know when a team struggles with strikeouts and they tend to give the pitcher the edges a lot more. Not at all scientific, but sometimes it sure looks like that is at play. Anyone else grinding teeth watching Mitch Garver dismantling the Orioles.

1st big key is not giving up runs in the 1st inning, or second. Don't take the fans out of the game early. Houston knows this and they will be super aggressive early to do just that. I agree the stage may be too big for the kids. None of them have performed well offensively. They have piled on the k's...even Lewis. Jeffers has had a bad series. When half a teams 27 outs are k's just about every night, you have to have near perfect pitching to survive. It happened against Toronto. Houston is a different story. Twins still can win tonight. But all hands must be on deck, ready to contribute. Can't be flooding the basepaths and leaving them there. I would dearly love to see a game 5, to see which team handles the pressure. I would not give Alvarez a strike to hit. He's too hot right now. Altuve is always a problem. Truly, there are so many in that lineup that are doing damage....you have to pitch to somebody. Lets put some doubt into the Astros dugout. Let them continue to think they are the better team and losing would be disgraceful. Get into their heads (because they are in the Twins heads right now) Go out there and play the game of the season Twins. Do it.

I had quite a week. First everyone's favorite punching bag in Western NY, the Bills tanked another one in London. Then the Orioles played like total crap against Texas, after that great regular season. And then yesterday when the Twins also played like crap. Sheesh. Over the years,I have gotten used to having my teams 'fail' (recognizing that only 1 team per sport can ever be left standing at the end of the season) My 'home' Red Wings are now affiliated with the Gnats..can't think of a worse parent, with zero footprint in Rochester. We haven't won it all since 1997. My beloved Expos who I watched being born while living in Montreal were unfairly ripped from MLB for reasons too complicated to discuss here. Cubs fans always said 'wait till next year' because there always was a next year. Expo fans never got that chance. The Bills went to the Super Bowl 4 years in a row...something that will probably never happen again in the NFL. And they lost all 4! Our baseball parent for 42 years before the Twins, the Orioles have lost many more World Series than they have won. They finally had a great season with 101 wins and then got completely outplayed in the ALDS. My loyalties shifted, or at least split, to the Twins and hopped on board just in time to see them lose 18 straight post season games, many against the hated Yankees. I have been a Boston Bruins fan since 1960. They have had some brilliant seasons, but when it counts in post season, they choke. Always a punching bag for the Habs for many years, recently they have gone to the Finals 8 or 9 times and managed to win only once. Once. And last year was the real dagger as they choked, at home in the 1st round after breaking all those NHL records. I'm still not over that one. And I'm 75 years old. Realistically not a lot more time to get some joy from at least one of my teams! So yeah, its frustrating to lose! Thats my perspective. Its why I get very passionate when my teams fail to perform. Its why sometimes comments are more irrational than scholarly! At least you know where I'm coming from! Back in 'my day' we didn't have forums like this to share these feelings. I'm grateful they exist. thank you.