insagt1

This is a great thread! So, many here may know my story, but I feel I am sort of a 'unique' Twins fan. I live in Rochester, NY. I am 75 years old and have been a baseball fan since the late 50's. The Red Wings were affiliated with the Cardinals back then (1929-1960) and many stars filed thru Red Wing Stadium. I watched Bob Gibson pitch here...too young to see Stan Musial do his short stint as a Wing!) The relationship strained and in 1961 the Wings changed affiliates to the Baltimore Orioles, and stayed with them until 2002. Thru those years the O's gave us many all-stars, and some HOFers. Cal Ripken won rookie of the year award in 1981 and also played in the longest professional game on record...a 33 inning affair against Pawtucket. (Wade Boggs played in that one too, for the Pawsox). We watched Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Al Bumbry, Paul Blair, 'Blade' Belanger, Jim Palmer, Moby Mike Epstein, and a host of others. I was a tried and true O's fan as were many in Rochester over those 4 decades. But by 2002, the organization was in shambles and it was Rochester who asked for the divorce! And it was Minnesota who answered the call. An agreement was finalized and in 2003 the Twins became our daddy! Yes, it was very hard breaking away from the Orioles, but it was time. While Minnesota never developed the following the Orioles had here, they did win over many, including myself. They provided us with some pretty decent talent along the way and the relationship was a good one. Little by little I started following the Twins more because I was interested in seeing our young talent graduate. I didn't like that I now had two 'favorite' teams in the American League and when they played each other, I didn't know who to cheer for. All I knew is one of my favorites would win (and one would lose) I grew to like the Twins. And in 2004 I lost my most favorite team, the Expos. I lived in Montreal, as a student when they were born and they became my favorite National League team. When the season was cancelled in 1994, the Expos were the best team in baseball. I will never forgive Bud Selig for being such a pansy, and it killed baseball in Montreal. In fact as many will recall, there was talk of contracting both the Expos and Twins. Selig should NOT be in the HOF. In fact he should head up the Hall of Shame as a charter member. As cable became a thing, eventually I was able to watch more Twins games. After COVID, MLB put the hammer down on minor league baseball. And high on the list of 'you shoulds' is that every major league team should aggressively strive to get their top affiliates close to home. So while it was sad for me to part ways with the Twins, it made sense for them to move their AAA affiliate to St. Paul. Still, today I watch both Twins and O's nightly, often switching back and forth. (crazy that both lead their divisions!) As for the Red Wings new parent, the only team left was Washington. On principle, since they should still be the Expos, I can't stand them. I don't cheer for them. Our city couldn't care less about them. this year they have given us some talent...decent hitting and zero pitching..and I still have season tix for their games, because I love baseball. I have no favorite team in the NL anymore. In the meantime, I will continue to hope both my AL teams win their divisions. If they face each other in post season, may the best team win. Neither team has won it all in many years. So they are certainly due! Thats my story

I love Trey Mancini. A huge favorite in Baltimore. But despite his gallant return from cancer, the O's recognized that his skills had been eroding and they made the tough decision to cut the very popular player last year. I can't think the Twins should have a similar 'problem' with the fans if they cut Gallo ASAP. But grabbing Trey is probably not a good alternative anymore. They did go get Luplow from the DFA pile. How that will work out is anyone's guess. Injuries still plague the Twins. Key guys continue to be out for long stretches. They have to be pretty vigilant as to what moves they make. One move I'm surprised they haven't made is giving Stevenson a shot. He seems to have earned it. Why not call him up for a look-see?

Kepler looks much more engaged these days...looks more passionate...watched his reaction to the game tying HR yesterday. Thats a Kepler we hadn't seen much this season. But a hot Kepler in August-September can't hurt! Now if Polo and Correa could follow suit...as both are not up to par at all. With Kirilloff hurt, and Larnach up and down, and Buxton unable to play CF, and Twins suddenly 4 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland, its nice to see some of the guys stepping up. Kepler could go back into the dumper again but for now, its nice to see him really contributing. (unlike Gallo, who is not contributing much of anything at the plate and that has been going on for a long time now)

concerns...Polanco has not provided the offense he needs to provide during this oft-injured season. this is very disappointing because hitting is his 'strength' for this team. Kirilloff's injury may be more serious than anyone has hoped...he may not be able to perform to his maximum the rest of this season. Very disappointing. Buxton is always hurt. And he is never fully able to play for long stretches, be it DH or CF. How much he can contribute going forward is anyone's guess. But what has become clear is the poor guys body is constantly betraying him at every corner. It isn't just one area, its everywhere. This is a major disappointment. So, Gallo. Everyone is trying SO hard to prop up his 'd' to justify keeping him around. When you hit .170; when you are whiffing more than once every 2 AB's; and when the HR's have pretty much disappeared, isn't there anyone, anywhere that can offer more?? Seriously, his last 2 months have been an embarrassment. Its unlikely to improve. If Twins were the Royals or the A's, yeah keep experimenting. But they are actually trying to win a playoff GAME for the first time since WWI. Please move on from him.

We all know Kepler is a streaky hitter...and right now he is hot. Ride him as long as possible! Gallo on the bench. Absolutely. Giving Bux a long rest. Also a good idea. Is it remotely possible that all his ailments will heal? And if so, for how long? Disappointing that Pagan blew a save and Thielbar gave up a crucial 9th inning HR. 4 1/2 lead over scuffling Cleveland is a good look! Twins have lived a charmed life so far in 2023. But this is also a great time to get hot. Would like to see Jeffers become an everyday player down the stretch (as catcher and DH) O's are doing this daily with their 2 catchers.

Its ok to have opinions here I thought? My 'opinion' is that if they can't beat Cleveland, no matter when, they won't win the division. Injuries...won't mean a thing if after 9 innings its not a 'W'. Just my feelings. We'll have to see how it plays out. You certainly don't have to agree or analyze my words. Until they can demonstrate that they can beat their closest competitor, they probably won't succeed. But you and I don't have crystal balls. Maybe they will win, maybe they won't. Based on what I have seen so far, I lean towards they won't, and really hope I'm wrong.

whats weird about it? Last year Twins had their own fate in their hands in September but couldn't beat the team that was challenging them....hardly at all and that was that. So If the same opportunity arises again, can Twins beat the guardians with the season on the line (when it matters most) Its the situation, and yeah because they lost to them last year doesn't mean they will repeat that scenario. But if it comes down to head to head...what will they do? Close games don't mean a thing unless you get the 'W'. You want to be able to beat your closest competitor, right?

quite often when a team starts going bad you can blame it either the pitching isn't working or the hitters aren't producing. In the Twins case, its a total team misfire. Pitching and hitting are letting them down routinely. Some nights they can hit but the pitchers can't get the outs and other nights its the opposite. How can you deal with this? Right now, this isn't a full functioning team but the division is there for the taking. However once they play go head to head with Cleveland its all over. Twins can't beat the Guardians when it matters, and like last September, that will be our undoing. (unless something drastically changes)

Props to Matt for putting it out there. Clearly some here really aren't buying most, if not all the reasons. But thats the reason for this forum. After frustrating loss after loss, a place to vent for the diehard fan is very therapeutic. Its especially important for those of us who can only follow the Twins from afar (either here, on radio or MLB.com). Twins were Rochester's parent team for almost 2 decades, so I became a fan. I won't become a fan of our current parent Washington EVER. Move them back to Montreal and I would change my mind. Unfortunately for us, MLB now has pretty much mandated that their top affiliates be as close geographically as possible so it made sense that St.Paul became the landing place for the Twins. Washington wanted to go to Richmond (currently not in the IL) but Rochester was only option. Rochester is the oldest baseball franchise in the history of the game so MLB did not dare eliminate us. But Washington has zero footprint here and there is zero interest in them. I wish we were still with the Twins as they were gathering some steam here. I hope the Twins win the Central. My other favorite (and former parent) the Orioles could win the AL East. Both can't win it all (right now the O's are a much better team) but I'd be happy if one of them did! So no matter how it shakes out...go Twins....somehow.....

FWIW--is Cano becoming Pagan? He came on to preserve a 2-1 Orioles win against Philly last week (Bautista had the night off) He blew the save and the game. Sunday he came on in the 9th of a game the O's led 9-3...no pressure, struck out the side. Last night he came on in the 8th of a 4-1 O's lead. Immediately gave up a HR and then walked 2 of the next 3 hitters, forcing Hyde to bring in Bautista for a 5 out save. Lately, when it matters, Cano has flamed out. Inability to throw strikes besides right down the middle has really hurt Cano. He is no longer a reliable late set up man in close games. Twins hardly need anymore pitchers like that.

Gallo has 17 HR's but how many have come in crucial spots over the past 4 or 5 weeks? His defensive abilities can't remotely compensate for his terrible plate appearances. How hard is it to find an major league ballplaer who can hit more than .175 and not strike out once every 2 AB's or worse. If Twins do nothing else (and I hope thats not the case) they must part ways with Gallo and open up the roster spot.

for a short while we had that 4 game lead over cleveland and looked like finally we were going to pull away. Then in a flash, it was gone.

next few days (heck hours) should be fun! For me, injuries have played a big role in what may or may not happen. Lots of key guys are out or can't play to the level expected. So if you unload Kepler now, who realistically takes his place and makes THIS YEAR'S team better. If you feel you can get to post season now, you go for it. (nobody on this planet expected the lowest seed Florida Panthers to upset the NHL's best team in history in round one) Play to get in and you just never know..except possibly the Twins who haven't won a playoff GAME in years!🙄 But I digress. Twins lineup always seems to be just one trip, stumble, tweak or sprain away from losing guys for long stretches. So its good to have replacements ready to go. Other than dumping Gallo, I'll be surprised if Twins do much of anything at the deadline. And of course, I won't be surprised if I'm totally wrong! So--what will be have with Polanco when he returns? Will Buxton ever snap out of his season long malaise? Will Lewis and Gordon contribute? Can Kirilloff stay healthy the rest of the season? Can we expect Julien to hit like he has? Will Larnach continue to be yo-yo'd. FO has a lot on their plate.

no one is talking about Solano. He has been terrible over the past several weeks. Should he be in the discussion? Injuries continue to plague the Twins, so Larnach is still good insurance if they can keep him in the organization. there is no guarantee that Buxton will ever play CF again, for example. Management likes Kepler so I doubt they move him. And if he contributes like he has since the ASG, hanging on to him will have made sense. Gallo however is expendable. I won't miss him if he goes. I would always be VERY cautious about putting any trade together that offers one or more position players for a pitcher. Its high risk. I don't see any relievers on the market that could offer more value than position players down the stretch. Case in point...Cano. He was a first half all-star, but he is not an allstar anymore. He has reverted back to what he has always been. Pitchers are mostly fragile in that they can swing in both directions quickly...good to bad or bad to good. Do Twins have enough pitching? What team does? The Seattle series exposed a lot of holes. fortunately the AL Central is made up of holes!

I made this observation earlier in the thread. the O's really shouldn't trust Cano anymore as their setup man. He has been hit hard just about every time out over the past month. Hitters have figured him out. If O's want to win the AL East, they need to find someone better.

I would sub in 'frustrating' for 'exciting' to describe yesterdays very disappointing loss, following another disappointing loss. Rocco talked about yesterday as though everything was sunshine and roses. I don't like 'leaders' who try and nice away losses. Yeah, I know why he does it, but I don't like it. Fans don't feel good when their team loses games they should be winning and no amount of 'spin' is going to change that. And yeah, you aren't going to win 162 games either, but these kumbaya post game interviews just don't work. Gallo--when you have a lineup of k-men to begin with, you just can't afford to play a guy everyday who can't make contact just because he is 'good' defensively. Can you? Is that enough to compensate for someone who just flails away every AB when there has to be guys who can give you decent 'd' AND who don't give away so many outs? He is a gamer, he tries, but .170 with k's about every 2 AB's isn't going to make you a division champ.

The Nats organization right now does not have stellar pitching, with not much in the pipeline for the forseeable future. At AAA Rochester, just about every pitcher has an ERA of 5.00 or over. Any gem on the big club is probably not available. I'd go fishing in different waters.

If this helps a little, as an O's fan too I can tell you that Cano is fading fast. After an incredible first 6 weeks, he is now being hit hard most every outing. Very very few clean innings. They gave him a shot at closing (for some odd reason) last night and he blew the game in the 9th. So Cano may not be any kind of prize, if this keeps up. He may have topped out.

noticing that Arraez is finally leveling off to the hitter that most felt he always was...a solid .300-.330 hitter who could always be in the race for the batting title. Over the last 30 games he is still a .300 hitter but not the upper stratosphere .400 hitter that some felt he might sustain. Still in the .370's but that will probably continue to fall. Lopez---his first year in Minnesota has been up and down. But a solid finish down the stretch will help the Twins perhaps be a competitor in post season. So that will be good.

Bullpen management aside...when you come in with a nice lead your job is to throw strikes. In both the 8th and 9th, a lot of those runs may not have happened had the pitchers not put 4 men on base, unintentionally. Moran was nowhere near the strike zone, except when he grooved one. Blowing the 4 run lead was a direct function of gifting Mariners baserunners. Back long ago, bullpen aces pitched a lot more. Can begin the debate as to why they are now listed 'unavailable' after appearing in two straight games. (last night O's fans left scratching when Bautista didn't come out in the 9th, after sitting out the previous game, to protect a hard fought 2-1 lead. Instead Hyde called on a shaky of late Cano to close and he couldn't do it.) 18 more k's is completely unacceptable at every turn. If Twins are to seriously compete the rest of the way, they just have to make more contact. We can forget last nights meltdown; only 1 loss, right...but still it shouldn't have happened. Can't give games away by YOU not making contact and YOUR pitchers can't throw strikes when it counts most. Win today, win the series and move on will be fine.

O's aren't in need of making many, if any, changes. Their current team is, uh, pretty good. Best record in the AL; best record in one run games; best road record in the AL (and 2nd only to Atlanta overall) Hays and Santander are having great seasons. Bautista is money in the bank. While they, like any team, have flaws, overall they are a very solid group. Twins aren't that bad either if they continue to produce like that have since the ASG. Thing is, they are winning the close games. They also seem to be willing to do other things besides swing from their heels every AB. Flaws? Yep. But how many moves should they make? I don't think many, especially if the 'moves' to improve will be coming off the IL. Only hitter I'd move is Gallo. Kep has wormed his way back in and finally appears to be engaged again. And public enemy #1 in the pen, Pagan, has pitched well enough to earn a stay of execution. Overall...winning sure is fun isn't it. Especially those nice comeback wins where it becomes a total team effort.

Doesn't happen very much that a team that has been shut out for 8 innings and trailing by more than 1 run, scores enough in the 9th to tie it up. I'm thinking the pre-ASG Twins probably would have hung their heads and accepted defeat. Winning begets winning. Also Sox probably had to feel good getting that sacks loaded no outs DP, so Jeffers GWH was even sweeter. Most of us here have screamed for Pagan to get unloaded this season. But he has really pitched well lately. Almost effectively. In tough situations. Wow. The planets have re-aligned

O's aren't going to move Mountcastle. They are clicking on all cylinders and probably won't upset the locker room. Plus he is young and can only get better. Orioles have become a legit world series contender this season (I have watched most all their games, along with the Twins this season) they have resurrected Aaron Hick's career from the Yankee scrapheap. doubt they will be messing with their lineup.

funny I discussed that yesterday when Bautista came on in a tie game; O's took the lead and Bautista came back and saved his own win. Seems like a 'closer' should be able to get the win (which is mostly irrelevant to a closer) and a save (which is what they get paid to do)

purely anecdotal but Twins offense went back in the toilet when they inserted the automatic out (Buxton) back in the lineup. He is now pushing Chris Davis as the least productive hitter of a season. One thing to go 0-26..another is when 16 of those AB's are k's. Time to shut him down. Whatever he is doing to try and get it all back, nothing is changing. all of his AB's are weak. And yeah, having him and Gallo in the same lineup is simply giving away 2 outs every time (mostly).