insagt1

someone today said, in a battle of 1st place teams...Braves vs Twins. Hee hee.Braves are the top team in the NL and 2nd overall. Twins are in 17th place overall and only 9th out of 15 in the AL. Some battle!!

12 more k's, the last 2 totally predictable. Good pitchers know how to pitch to a hitter's weaknesses. Gallo and Buck have major weaknesses. Anyone know how many games this year the Twins have k'd 10 or more times? I'm thinking, rough guess...a lot.

In 8 of his last 12 starts he has allowed 3 or more runs and often one inning is his downfall. While Twins don't get him many runs for sure, if you are allowing 4 1/2 earned runs on average per game, you need a lot of offense to win. My point remains, he hasn't been the 'ace' (yet) we all hoped for. Will that change? We ALL hope it does.

I really do struggle though with 'several excellent seasons'. One, possibly two? Very low BA; high strikeout ratio, some power, but not extraordinary, OK defense. He just isn't the guy you build your offense around. And yeah, the guy just cannot touch a change-up. Its painful watching him flail away. Other than that, I guess he's fine.

The strikeout is the most useless out in baseball. Nothing happens and you don't give the opposition a chance to make a mistake. You don't hit into that many DP's to justify any 'value' of a strikeout. Twins have blown so many scoring opps with strikeouts by the boatload. Gallo is actually worse than Sano ever was. He needs to be gone by the ASG. Time to give Miranda another shot. Also how about Stevenson? What could it hurt? See what he might be able to do. Kepler can't hit but occasionally he gets a hot streak. The Gallo signing was not a good one, but I guess they were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle...change of scenery has really helped Aaron Hicks for example. But you can't keep playing 2 guys who have not hit over .140 for over a month. (Joey and Buck)

Just an observation or two. First, happy with the win today (Always happy with wins!) Season half over and our guy we got for Arraez has not won a game since May 27 and in that game he pitched 5.2 innings and gave up 4 runs. For whatever reason, he doesn't produce wins for the team. His ERA since his last win is pretty bad and overall it has hovered around 4.50. He gets a lot of k's but he gives up too many runs. Let's hope for a much better result 2nd half. Twins hitters have elevated the strikeout to an art form worthy of the Louvre. The main concern going forward has to be the very lousy performances so far of several key players. Gallo is hitting .139 in June and has fanned 15 of his last 22 AB's. In his career he has hit above .209 only once so what were the Twins thinking? Buxton is hitting .135 in June. Kirilloff is hitting .194 in June and he seems to have lost most of his power. Correa is only hitting .228 in June with 22 k's in 79 AB's. Kepler has perked up slightly this past week but overall is having another awful season. It has become business as usual for Twins to strike out at least 10 times or more every game. For them to even consider winning the division, this has to improve. (says Mr. Obvious) Series with NL top team Atlanta followed by 2nd best team in the AL (O's) will be a real test.

Lopez with yet another non-winning start. Sure he gets the 'k's (doesn't everyone though) but one bad inning seems to be the norm for him and its enough to sink him, given the fact that the Twins can't hit for crap. His ERA is still around 4.50 which is just flat out no good. (for a top starter) Expected more from him. Unrealistic? Its a debatable point 3 months in.

3 k's. 13 total. I hate this team. What an ugly game.

and there's the 2nd 'k'. Is this team so predictable or what?

there's the 1st 'k'...an easy one (Gallo)

ok--how many k's in the 9th will it take to finish off the Twins? I figure minimally 2. (I'd REALLY love to be all wrong on this. It would be so refreshing to see a Twins comeback against this team that really seems to have their number this season)

I have always felt that a relief pitcher doesn't need so many warm-up pitches after throwing so many in the bullpen. Do they really need 8 pitches to 'get used to the mound'? Twins had their shot in the 8th and as usual failed to produce. Even if they manage to hold off the Tigers from further scoring, they will probably go 1,2,3 in the 9th. I would shut Buxton down now for as many months as it takes to get him healed (if thats ever going to be possible) Call up Miranda and give him another shot.

soon as Twins load the bases you know nothing good will come of it. Naturally a 'k' ends the inning which is the Twins favorite AB. So frustrating to get 3 men on base after 2 outs and nothing to show for it. As for Buxton, anyone think he wasn't going to get injured sooner than later? The poor guy just can't stay healthy. So Pagan starts off the 8th with a walk. That too is never good, especially with Pagan on the mound. Twins will pay dearly for not scoring in the top of the 8th.

a Complete Game Shutout!!! Wow..someday that will be as rare as a.....complete game shutout!

agree with above and have voiced same opinion. Right now the trade looks awful but it could change. Also topics like this are good for this website because they do elicit a wide spectrum of comments. Why have forums like this if commentary can't flow..emotional or not. My constant thought for years on any trade has been,...be very careful when you trade an everyday position player for a pitcher. Unless that pitcher is a bonafide game changer, its usually not that hot of an idea. If the everyday player is definitely expendable, then perhaps you roll those dice. So halfway thru 2023 it can be said Miami is getting a lot more out of this trade than Minnesota. Let's see if Arraez can sustain and if Lopez can improve. Will the Marlins make post season and will the Twins also somehow sneak in.

Mike--curious to know how management at St.Paul feels about the ABS system being tested in AAA this season. Here is Rochester our manager (and most hitters) like it a lot. It is used in the 1st 3 weekday games. If you are at the game you really have no idea its being used, because there is still an ump behind the plate. Each team is allowed 'challenges' (I think 5 per game) if they feel the ump got it wrong. Clearly there is strategy as to when to use the challenge. Personally I like it a lot because it seems to be working. It kinda forces the batters to swing at more pitches because they know if it really is a strike, it will be called. And if it means more balls in play, thats a big plus. As for the pitch clock--that is working fine too. There have been very few called balls or strikes because the pitcher wasn't ready or the batter wasn't in the box. The big debate I see is when an automatic strike is called to end a close game. Or a bases loaded ball is called to force in a winning or tying run. It has happened a couple times as you know. But I like the current pace. I also really like the end of the shift. Legitimate balls hit in the hole between 1st and 2nd are hits again, as they should be. One old 'rule' that I was delighted to see disappear was one that should have never happened at all...the 'neighborhood play at 2nd'. I get that it was supposed to reduce injuries but it got way out of hand. Runners were called out with the fielder practically in the outfield when taking the throw. It has been fun in recent years watching AAA ball because we are the league that gets to test out all the new stuff.

I think the 'triple crown' stats have been used for a long time, specially BA. Remember when a HR was was called when a ball bounced over the fence (today's ground rule double)? I believe the gurus of the day determined that none of Ruth's HR's bounced over the fence! Also there was a time when a pitch clock was not needed because the batter stayed in the box for the entire AB, and pitchers who noodled around on the mound were not viewed positively by teammates because they didn't stay sharp when playing the field. Games were played in shorter times partly too because more pitchers threw complete games, meaning fewer pitcher changes. I'd like to think that watching the games today hasn't changed that much. Most of the metrics 'talk' usually comes from watching the games online where these things can be discussed in true time. Do I think 'all' progress is bad? Of course not. When I was a kid we had one televised game per week. You could only listen to your favorite team with a good AM radio. You got your 'stats' in the Sunday paper. You could also subscribe to the Sporting News. Today everything is at our fingertips and you get to watch every game every night if you wish. Thats pretty awesome. Whatever the case, its not working for the Twins this year!! Wish that would change.

I get it guys. I really do. And the above explanation of wRC+ was very instructive to me. I just think that sometimes 'progress' doesn't add to the enjoyment of simply watching a baseball game. Mike-really your comment was not nice. My point honestly was just that Too many 'stats' reduce the game to something that maybe we the fan, don't require while sitting in the stands, having a beer, a dog and enjoying a summer evening at the ballpark. In any event, a little humor here isn't bad. We can't take each other too seriously. As the immortal Sly Stone once said...different strokes for different folks. I got to watch Hoyt Wilhelm pitch a no-hitter against the Yankees (before he was known as a relief specialist of his era) Saw Stan Musials last major league hit. Bob Gibsons incredible 1.12 ERA season. Bill Stoneman's no-hitter in the very first month of the Expo's existence. I didn't have all the metrics, nor did any other fan of that day, but we enjoyed the games immensely, armed with just BA, HR's and RBI. Today its totally different, I know that. And for today's fan, they seem to like all the new metrics. But the day is coming when guys like me won't be around to reminisce about of how the game was in the 'olden days'. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun and many of the players were pretty special. Was it 'better' than today's game? Its all in the perspective of the fan watching the games. And they (we) all have value!

Amazing that despite all the injuries, the guys who are playing seem to be having their worst career year, or close to it. Memory is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember that way back in the day Earl Weaver used to issue fines for stuff like not getting a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs. (and Earl subscribed to the 3-run HR offense) Storm clouds started forming when Twins unloaded the AL batting champ for a 'hopeful' starting rotation 'ace'. Then they cast k-king Sano adrift and added his clone Gallo to replace his k's. They 'won' the Carlos Correa sweepstakes from Mets and Giants and so far all they 'won' was a 3 month struggle and a BA barely over .200. Wow. The strikeouts with runners on, for me, is the most aggravating part of this season. And it isn't close to improving. I would be ready to tell these guys to lay one down with a runner on 3rd. What can it hurt except perhaps a bunch of egos?

one poster tried to justify this trade by instructing us that Arraez is merely a 'one-tool' player. Guess doesn't matter that the one tool is a sledge hammer that Twins sorely miss in their punch-out lineup this season. His average 'd' cannot nullify what he brings to the lineup. (Imagine him being the Twins DH this season...Buxton not withstanding) Always tricky trading an everyday player for a pitcher that will only make possibly 25-30 starts, pitching maybe 6 innings, unless that pitcher is Cy Young. Twins rolled the dice and so far things haven't gone well. Is this Monday morning Q-backing? No--Arraez won the batting title last year. Twins knew what they were giving up. Even if Lopez turns it around and wins 8 or 9 games 2nd half, Twins have not received equal value in that trade. At least not in 2023. Could Arraez come back to earth 2nd half and flop badly? Always that chance, but as a pure hitter, probably not. That would be like saying Gallo will stop striking out beginning July 1. (if he's still on the team) It was a trade that shouldn't have happened.

I always chuckle when the metrics come out. It took me years to internalize the made-up stat OPS as being all that relevant to the overall pleasure of watching baseball. You take two existing stats and you add them together, you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around, and thats what its all about...apparently (I'm just messing with any of you who live and die by these things these days...you have to remember I used to watch Stan, Ted, Warren, Whitey and Willie...in their primes!) Wrc+---Do I need a top-secret clearance to have that one explained, or do I really have a need to know? (my battle station aboard ship was radio central...a lot went on there) Mickey Mantle ---1960 Me: boy did he give that ball a long ride! My buddy: Sure did, that guy can sure hit! 2023 if Mantle was still around. Me: did you catch the launch angle of that HR. My buddy: yeah and the exit velocity was something else. Casual observer: you guys need to have a few beers and just enjoy the game! This year's Twins won't make the playoffs. Trivia: how long has it been since the Twins have won a playoff GAME?

agree with everything you said except your opinion of Arraez's value to this team. If ever a team needed someone like him (a batting champion no less) in a lineup filled with players who strike out regularly and kill rallies on a nightly basis its the Twins. We can forgive Gallo for his shortcomings and yet he has added very little to the success of this team, so far. As of this day, Twins have not gotten value for the Arraez trade, unfortunately...and surprisingly. In your quiet hours I think you would admit that there are probably around 30 MLB teams that would welcome such a 'one tool' player as Arraez, without blinking. Twins were hoping to catch some lightning in a bottle by trading for a pitcher that would do better than an ERA of 4.30 and have just 3 wins so far. It has only been 3 months but if we had to grade his contribution so far, it would not be a good one. But the season is a marathon, not a sprint so we'll see. If I were in Vegas, I'd say as soon as they put Buxton back in CF, he will go down within 1 to 2 weeks. He is already hurt so what is anyone really expecting. Buck only knows one speed so one diving catch, one sprint against a wall, one anything really...and that will be that.

if what the organization feeds us is mostly true, he can't play in the field. He is too banged up. So DH is the only option and they were hoping they would get good value for that move. Instead we are seeing Buck at his worst. He started out OK but in the last month we have watched him become totally impotent at the plate. His 'k' rate is shockingly horrible now. His plate approach appears to be showing us a guy who has lost his confidence. Since coming off the IL, he has yet to get a hit and has only made contact a few times (being generous) Carole King once sang: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes you choose between the two (Sweet Seasons) When Buck isn't hurt, he's our 5 tool star. Problem is he is almost always hurt and we keep waiting for that not to happen. is he salvageable? Only time will tell. Meanwhile the entire team is failing. 1st place under .500 is unsustainable. We all know that. (an aside to all this, if I could undo the Arraez trade, I'd do it yesterday)

Hahaha..shows how useless some stats are!

With Twins now down by 6, its safe to bring Pagan in to mop up. Nothing on the line so he'll probably do OK.