insagt1

Actually no. I switched to watching the orioles crash and burn. I only had the twins score on GAmeday handy. Didn't watch. Honest!

Vintage Twins-Yanks. Twins always find ways to lose and look bad doing it. Yanks only had to play just good enough to win the game. Even when tied, Twins had no shot at all. The Yanks are in their heads and it doesn't matter who fills out the unis..its always the same. When the games mean something, Twins just run and hide. If they truly wanted to win, they don't pitch to Judge. Its strategy, not ego. Judge can beat you with one swing, and today was Exhibit A of how thats done. Pagan and Megill have become the dud duo of the AL. Both are disasters....with 'good stuff' that gets hit all over the inhabited earth.

This is all so predictable. I hate games like this.

WHY do they pitch to Judge with game on the line? WHY? They aren't getting him out.

There is zero chance the Twins will win this game. When they see the pinstripes they just shrivel up and die. It's rarely ever worth watching the team struggle so much.

Even though Yanks are playing real poorly and not scoring runs...when they face the Twins they flip the switch unfortunately. They are kryponite for Twins. And as injured and messed up as Twins are now...I think if they steal 1 game it will be amazing. And I REALLY want to be wrong on this gloomy prediction!

O's fans were initially upset..but then realized the 'closer" in waiting was Bautista...and he has been lights out awesome. So far I think he has been a disappointment mostly because of the high expectations placed on him. He was a failed starter who simply hit a hot streak as a reliever during the surprise re-awakening of the Orioles. He just isn't that good. Might turn out to be eventually but certainly not the bullpen 'savior'.. his last outing was really bad..including the ill timed deflection that prevented a game saving DP. Twins really don't have a 'closer' but the weak division remains up for grabs

The clarification needed was the backdating of when the 60 days started for each guy. They still have to spend 60 days on that list before they can return...which was my response. More info was needed for my old brain!

According to the definition of the 60 man IL, they have to remain on it for a minimum of 60 days before they can return. So that would mean both guys are out. yes it clears space on the 40 man, but the players can't come back if or when they are ready if it hasn't been 60 days. You can look it up and refute if you like, but thats how I read it.

Billy Hamilton has made two bad moves already. Getting nailed at 3rd killing a rally and ultimately probably may have cost the Twins an important game. then today, spinning out and failing to score on a real 'gimmie'. Fortunately Miranda bailed him out, but not a particularly good start. I had commented a couple days ago that it looked like Larnach and Jeffers were done for the year when added to the 60 day IL. Someone said, no, it was only to get them off the 40 man roster, but they could return to play anytime before the 60 days. I don't think thats correct. Definition: 'players placed on the 60 day injured list must remain on it for a minimum of 60 days...and are temporarily removed from a club's 40 man roster'. Based on that, sure sounds like those two aren't coming back.

Two disasters so far against Chisox. Lopez blew the Friday game all by himself and yesterday was simply a cover your eyes and hold your nose game. And the injuries keep coming. Polanco on the IL now, looks like Jeffers and Larnach are done for the year being shipped to the 60 day IL. Mahle is probably done. Who knows what lies in store for Buxton. Twins have looked terrible again. As for the AL Central---if the Orioles were in that division they would be in 1st place. Think about that one.

Lost a little in all of this was the totally unexpected 'game save hit' by jake Cave. I never expected him to deliver a game tying two out in the 9th base hit. Correa finally showing some REAL enthusiasm lately. Maybe playing against his old team jazzed him up? Having a motived Correa surely can't hurt. Still, Twins have major problems on a daily basis. Now two of their most consistent hitters are really in bad slumps...Arraez (who is frittering away the AL batting title) and Miranda (who has been SO good in his rookie year) Would really help if they got back on the tracks. Sidenote: any here noticing that ever since the O's traded Lopez (their closer) to the Twins, the heir apparent Felix Bautista has turned into Mariano Rivera! He has been scary good. Guess the O's knew what they were doing. And so far ex-teammate Trey Mancini has not hurt them in these past two games. Can't expect them to beat Verlander today, but taking 2 of 3 from the Astros on the road is a pretty decent achievement. Actually O's have won 5 straight games in Houston. We can only hope that the Twins are in enough games to test the value of Lopez, who they figured would be their closer for the rest of the season,

Up to now I have remained silent on our manager and just focused on the players. But Rocco's latest speech basically giving the players permission to just go out and have fun, when they were still in contention, was the last straw. Losers are quick to pivot and just tell their charges that playing hard, intense ball isn't necessary when they start to fall apart; but rather just take the pressure off and have fun. That just doesn't play in my theatre. You are paid professionals and until its mathematically impossible to earn a post season spot, you go out there and bust your tail off and not cheat the fans who buy the tickets. And if the players support the 'fun' philosophy, you can tell they don't care anymore too. Not willing to put out the extra effort to battle out of the malaise that has dogged this team for over a month now. The 3 games against Houston were carbon copies of themselves. Astros only had to play hard enough to beat a disappearing team. To be somewhat fair, look at the lineup the Twins are rolling out. Injuries have drastically hurt who they should have been coupled with overall failures of the guys who still can play, but who are having miserable seasons. But if the leader doesn't care anymore, how can the players care? No, we can't crawl into their heads, I get that, but the 'eye' test is what we have and that test tells us this team just doesn't have it anymore. Can they turn it around if some of the players come back? Maybe, but I'd like to hear and see the manager show us the passion he had with the overturned out at home ahwile back.

Says a lot when Twins pinch hit for a guy hitting .080 with a guy hitting around .140 (and who had just fanned 4 times in 4 AB's the night before) Twins cupboard is sure bare. Neither catcher can hit a lick. They got Sanchez for his bat. Where is it? The usual cast of suspects failed again. budding rally snuffed quickly with a killer DP and then the final out. You are not going to beat Houston in the 9th trailing by 4 every night. Even Arraez (.154 last 7 games) and Miranda (.214 last 7 games) are slumping again. Guardians meanwhile are building up a lead the Twins won't be able to catch anymore. Its over.

I believe if Buck can physically get out there, he will play. The bigger issue is, will he contribute enough to make a difference? He really isn't our 'best player' if you look at his overall performance. He should be our best player. In fact many touted him as one of the best players in MLB before season started....IF..he stayed healthy. He didn't. His situational hitting has really taken a nosedive. His defensive skills have been short circuited to an extent because of his fragile body not allowing him to do the things that continue to astound us all. He has killed his share of rallies with k's with the best of them this year. My best guess is he is out for 2 weeks. By then Twins may know whether its worth rushing him back. If they are under .500 and more than 5 games behind, they will need to re-evaluate their options. Twins should ALWAYS be a better team with Buxton in the lineup. For the better part of the first half, that was very true. Not so much anymore. And I just have to think that the reason for his less than stellar season at the plate is that he has played the entire year hurt. And the compound effect of the daily grind has caught up with him. Meantime, the Twins are sinking slowly like the setting sun, and it certainly isn't all buxton's doing. But he is an accomplice.

Twins have so many weak hitters right now, but in the 8th and 9th, could they have been more unlucky to have the likes of Celestino, Cave and Sanchez up with the game on the line. 1st and 3rd no outs...Cave fans for the 3rd time and Sanchez, who can't hit sand on the beach hits into a weak DP. Just like that, another rally snuffed. 9th inning. Celestino fans with two on. And then with two in and sacks juiced, who has to bat next? Cave. 3 weak strikes and game over. I have to think almost anyone else could have done better. Twins are going nowhere with this lineup. And I agree with anyone who has said shut Buxton down. His chronic injuries are not going to heal. His offense hasn't helped Twins win too many games over the past couple months. Dude wants to play, but his body keeps saying uh-uh..no. Watching these guys flail away inning after inning is just plain sad. I couldn;t even get excited about the 9th inning because I knew it would come down to Cave and Sanchez...and that was totally hopeless. (of course those extra two runs AStros got to double the score sure didn't help the cause much.) We are watching the demise of the Twins 2022. Don't see any light at tunnel's end.

Read today someone wrote (maybe the beat writer) something to the effect that Buxton has all together managed to not be on the IL for first time since 2016. That is totally not true correct? He goes on the list every year, correct? He pretty much lives there, sadly. Every year, it never gets better for the guy. His body just does not allow him to be what he wants to be. Having said that, as have others--Buxton is not having a good season. His situational hitting, along with most his teammates, has been pretty sad, and as a result, the team is floundering. It isn't one player not getting it done. Its pretty much all of them from game to game, when it counts most. Even Arraez has come up short since the all star game when it comes to those necessary key hits the Twins aren't getting. Wish things were better, as we all wish. Let's hope they don't really fall apart completely vs Houston.

They mustered nothing in the final 2 innings in a game that was there for the taking (Pagan didn't pitch!) No way they win any of the games against Houston. Buxton exiting again is just putting another nail in his season of perpetual injury. But realistically, his offense has been terrible, especially with RISP. Kepler is lost. Polanco is invisible. Why is beckham on the team? The Orioles had one like him...Phillips. Couldn't hit sand on the beach. Finally DFA'ed him. Twins probably won't finish .500. But the AL Central winner may be fortunate to end up a few games over .500, the way its shaping up. Right now though, our team is dead, lifeless and going thru the motions. Looks a lot like 2021 actually. The boos we heard in the 8th inning were out of total frustration. While directed at Kepler, they should have been directed at the whole team. For those here who really care about this team, the season is collapsing. For those who just follow metrics and enjoy beer and hotdogs, none of this matters.

Sad to say, but when the likes of Eddie and Cruz were in town, they kept the team hopping. They had the enthusiasm and Cruz had the leadership. Not sure any of us expected so many of our 'stars' to have such rotten seasons. Then factor in the injuries. Sano probably wouldn't have added much. Kirilloff might have helped, but he was never really healthy from the get-go. Jeffers was terrible offensively and just a tad better defensively. His replacements have been terrible. Sanchez's bat has turned into a wet noodle. Buxton has been a terrible disappointment. What is keeping the torches and pitchforks away are the 28 HR's. But he hasn't had very many 'big' hits in a long time. His 'k' count is Sano-esque and, well, I think he's having a lousy year. Oh yeah, and of course the poor guy just can't stay healthy. Polanco is playing like he is in a trance. There is nothing there this year. Nothing. Kepler too is basically a wasted spot in the lineup. Correa is having an OK year, if his name was anything other than Correa. He's a gifted fielder on most nights, but his offense, when it matters, is MIA. So, this is probably a 3rd place team in baseballs WORST division. (name one worse than the AL Central) How badly does this outfit want to win the division? The 'eye test' says pretty clearly...not very badly. However, with 45 to play, there is still time to suddenly get it right. If they want to.

Awful AB for Sanchez; Kepler is totally lost and Buxton with another miserable night at the plate. Great catch in the 10th but offensively he just isn't there this season. Twins AB's in extra innings were disgusting. Orioles were not dumb in offloading Lopez. Pagan just doesn't have it. He should have been released along with Duffey. This was a real bad loss. The kind teams that aren't going to win divisions suffer routinely. Ugh. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

You see hockey players constantly playing thru injuries. They never want to sit. Baseball is a daily grind, which is different. With Buxton, its a different injury every season. His body is just not compatible with the way he wants to play. This is not a small sample size. He has been hurt every single year of his baseball existence. This year his knees have hurt all season long. Maybe he does need to just sit it out for 2 or 3 weeks and then get him back in CF for the duration. Twins need him, but they don't need an off and on Buxton who is striking out every 2 1/2 PA's and who can't patrol CF. Its not working.

So they lost both games to the Dodgers...but realistically I didn't expect to win either of them. Dodgers are playing .700 ball...a totally unrealistic clip for mid August. I doubt they will win 2 against the Yankees. Evil Empire is struggling now, but they never struggle against the Twins! Out last go-round with both Sox and Guards did not go well at all. Can that change? It must if Twins are to have any chance. Want to be optimistic..but have to throw in a dash of realistic. It will be an uphill battle for Twins to win the division now.

I don't think 30-22 will get it done. Hedging that bet, if the top 3 in the Central just beat each other up, and its still a close horse race on Labour Day ....then maybe it could do the job.

Wasn't it the Dodgers who didn;t have their games televised for the local fans? How can that happen? In baseball almost every year there are surprises. The AL East has every team over .500. The 'awful' Orioles of the past 4 years are suddenly wildcard contenders. Great for the fans. Every year in MLB there are real bad teams. This year we have 4 teams playing under .400 baseball....The Reds, A's, Tigers and the uber awful Nats. Two division leaders might not even qualify for the post season if they played in the other 4 divisions. Division leading Yanks, Mets, Astros and Dodgers running away with their divisions. (thank goodness for the wildcards...or there would be little interest in most cities right now) The World Series does matter.. Isn't that what you play for? For the top tier teams, anything short of that is considered a failure. For the others, making post season is a worthy goal. If the Orioles make post season it will be a wildly exciting thing for their fans, who have had nothing to cheer for in recent years. Same with Seattle. No team in MLB has dominated winning it all like the Yankees used to do, in many many years. I wish owners would resist handing out ridiculously long contracts, knowing full well that only 2 or 3 years of those contracts will be remotely meaningful. Giving a pitcher a 10 year contract is just plain stupid. It would be an interesting thing if contracts were actually structured performance based. For the old timers here, you might recall that way back in the day (dark ages for the modern fan) it sorta was based on performance, and it was usually year to year. You sat at the owners desk and he looked at your just completed season and determined whether you merited a raise or not. Before everyone goes ballistic on me...I'm not saying that it could ever go back to that, or even should...but when a guy signs a 7 or 8 year contract for a few billion dollars, and then basically falls off the map after a year or two, I think there should be clauses in the contract. I don't have all the answers but I think it would help. I also don't think that tanking should ever be a part of pro sports. Ever. You play to win. The fans pay money to see their team win. There should never be ANY incentive whatsoever, to lose. I can't stand even the thought of that. OK--I'm done. My team just ended a 19 game losing streak in Rochester. Let me tell you how much fun that was!

Twins have been trending down for a long time now. Too many key players are having off years. You can usually compensate when one, maybe even two key players struggle, but Twins have several, in the lineup and on the mound. Rocco stated he isn't focused on the standings or post season. Thats totally Bull. Of course he and the players are focused on making post season. If not, why even play the games when you have been in 1st most the season. I assume he is simply saying 'all the right things' publicly, even though we fans know its crapola. Buxton's knee issues aren't going to go away by giving him a day or two off. This is now a chronic problem...added to his litany of injuries that have robbed him of his incredible skills. While its not fair to ignore the 27 dingers, its also not fair to ignore the strikeouts, the low BA and OBA and his diminished value on the bases and in CF. Correa has not been a bust, but he has been quite a disappointment, especially offensively. Polanco hasn't come out of his season long funk yet and we're running out of time. Kepler has been a disaster. There has been little offense from the catchers. Even our bright light Arraez wasn't Arraez for an entire month. (he does seem to have snapped out of his slump) Playing teams under .500 in the final 6 weeks isn't always a free pass to victory. Twins need to figure it all out pretty soon or all those head to head games in September will be meaningless. If you are 5 or 6 games back by then, its really lights out. If this team finishes a tad over .500, it will have been a decent improvement from last year. But after a 4 month tease in 1st place, it wont seem like an improvement at all. They must be gnashing their teeth in Chicago these days too. That team has yet to wake up. That leaves Cleveland. Are they the favorites now? But what we have seen of the Twins these past several weeks does not in any way engender confidence that they can turn the corner. guess we'll just have to see.