insagt1

Yanks were quick to show us the graphics of how bad the Twins have fared over the past 15 years or so against the Payroll. It ain't pretty. Twins just can't seem to gain any traction whatsoever against NY. Not a small sample size. Twins have it a go but just couldn't overcome the early 6-0 deficit. Polanco keeps hitting and Sano seems to have finally found himself at the plate. His 'k' count has dropped and he is getting his hits. Nice to see. Kepler is lost again...ugly AB's. Donaldson not producing much. Is Garver hurt?

Its so much fun to watch a player who is totally dialed in like Polanco is right now. They go up there 'knowing' they are going to succeed. They stay hot for a spell, then its back to normal. But its those streaks that make stats so unreliable for the day by day fan who watches the game for pure enjoyment. A .300 BA or a ..900 OPS doesn't always tell the story of when a player goes nuts for a week and is responsible for all the team's wins. Back in June 1990 a journeyman named Sam Horn had been sent down to Rochester from Baltimore. He was hitting .211 on June 23rd when the Wings faced Tidewater in a double header. On the 23rd, he homered on 3 consecutive AB's, driving in 8 runs..the outburst consisted of a pair of 2 run HR's in game one and and grand slam in the nitecap.. Next day he hit two 3-run HR's. When he came up in the 8th inning the crowd gave him a standing O when he hit a deep fly out to center field. So, in 21 hours he raised his BA from .211 to .345; he went 6-10, scoring 6 runs, drove in 14 and smashed 5 HR's. he was back in Baltimore on July 3rd, Was that fun to watch? You bet it was. Did he ever come close to doing it again? Nope. With Cruz gone, is Polanco our team MVP? Probably. He is having a great second half. Can the Twins catch Detroit and Cleveland? they could if winning is a priority, along with testing the young talent. Would finishing 2nd matter? I believe it would because if would bode well for the team being competitive again in 2022, which is their bigger objective. I think the motivation to win will be strong this weekend when the hated Yankees are the opposition. Twins need to show everyone that they can beat The Payroll, the Evil Empire and whatever nickname suits your fancy. Yanks are hot right now, and playoff bound again, so it would be VERY sweet to slow them down.

Everything matters in baseball because things happen in the moment. If you are 0-5 with 4 k's and then hit a walk-off HR in your final AB..you're the hero. If you don't make many errors, and then you boot a ball in the 9th to cost your team the game....well thats not good even tho the stats aren't going to magnify it. Some errors are insignificant to the outcome of a game. Some RBI don't contribute very much to the outcome of a blowout win or loss. Baseball is played everyday. All kinds of neat stuff happens. You lose 10-0 today and win 2-1 tomorrow. Thats why I love the game and don't get too bogged down in all the stats.

no disgrace to get sent to AAA for seasoning. Larnach isn't ready yet to shoulder the load at the major league level...and thats OK. Sending him down is a good thing. You can struggle for awhile, but if it doesn't end, it means you need some remedial work. If he's the real deal, he will learn, improve and come back strong.

BAseball---I won't mind the Twins cutting Simmons loose. I don't think he has given the Twins full value for his contract. (I guess it can be argued Donaldson hasn't either) Simmons has not hit at all. His fielding has been OK. For the money, can they do better? I think so. I don't think he fits the mold of this team. Has he been 'awful'? No, but I won't be sad if they find someone else. As for the other stuff, I always respect the team approach when you are on a team. I dislike the Yankees but they have a protocol if you want to play for them. No beards or long hair. If you don't like that you play for another team. Rather than promote individualism, they promote team unity. You don't have to like it but they sign your paycheck. And they have created an identity. A team identity. I do like that.

I'm disappointed in Larnach,frankly. He has been a 'regular' for some time now this season and hasn't been particularly impressive. Hopefully he improves to the point where he becomes a factor in 2022. There is still time.

Winning is always more fun! Doesn't matter how or when. Don't think anyone would have bet Twins would win those last 3 series...and look pretty decent doing it too. Will the real Max Kepler please stand up? He has been SO inconsistent this season. When he's 'on'...he is a great asset. I suppose you could say the same of Donaldson too. Twins could still catch Cleveland if they blow them out this week. What does that matter? It would matter that this current collection still likes to play together. I'm not a fan of worrying about a higher draft pick. The talent pool is huge...with tons more misses than hits. Colome is finally earning his paycheck. Is it too late for him? No--no closer likes to lose so its nice to see him bearing down.

Rooker and Larnach need to play everyday to give them both a long look. Larnach has taken steps backward, especially his power, which has not been replaced by getting more 'other' hits. Both guys k a ton. Twins have quite a collection of those types. Rooker has been totally inconsistent. But Twins can afford to start them regularly down the stretch. Buxton also needs to finally get in there and play everyday, if thats remotely possible.

most the fans last night probably were there to see Cruz!. Whether Twins win or lose now seems to be mostly irrelevant. If a player has a good night, thats about as good as it gets going forward. Gotta get Simmons to the bench. gotta get Buxton back in the lineup and playing everyday No sense in babying him. They have to know what they have...if they are to be serious in extension negotiations. Or off season trade prospects. The pitching is lousy and so far a couple of the new starters are doing OK....most of the new pen guys are not so hot.

I see getting the vaccine like getting life insurance. You don't buy it for YOU...you buy it for the ones you love. You get the vaccine to help stop the spread the best way you can. And it has helped. Not perfectly...but imagine our situation today if the vaccine wasn't around. Masking has helped too. For those who work around kids for example...many teachers, bus drivers and school workers noted a distinct drop in getting the flu or even colds over the winter. Thats not magic, it is science. Viruses will always be around. But its nice to see when their effects can be lessened. I will always believe in helping 'the team'. the greater good. My neighbors. The kids. If getting the shot and wearing a mask helps, then I'll do my part. Its not about me me me I , I, I--its about YOU. And I do care about you.

Thats where I sit with both of them. Kinda expected this sort of season from Sano...but I am very disappointed in Kepler. Thought he was much better than this.

OK--I think kepler and or Sano could be traded during the offseason, given the right deal. I doubt its slamdunk that they will return unless they really have a great final 6 weeks. Sano could be untradable given his k-counts. but you never know. Just my thoughts. Donaldson...my personal feeling is we give him a Mulligan this year. Can't give up on him too soon. That said, we must acknowledge he has not had a good season based on what our expectations were when Twins gave him that huge contract. I expected more than one of his poorer seasons of his career. But I'd love to see him play an injury-free season with a strong lineup in 2022. He could still be a difference maker.

Turtle seems to be a real polarizer on this site. Some just don't like him no matter what he does. Others find him perhaps one of the most intriguing members of the roster. Like Forest Gump's proverbial box of chocolates you never ever know what you will get with the turtle. Last night he was the hero. Other nights you grit your teeth when he hits into a weak DP or pop up. Overall he does maintain a serviceable BA and he will contribute a big hit now and again. His versatility is also an asset. I don't think he deserves some of the outright scorn he gets here. There are certainly worse players going out there everyday...and naturally better ones too. Seems to me that anyone who is definitely not in the plans for 2022 should not be playing regularly. Simmons comes to mind. As for the young guys, this is their chance to strut their stuff. Shame that Kirilloff is done for the year. Larnach has been struggling...but getting to play everyday. Not sure he has impressed the way everyone hoped. Rooker came back and started hot. Now he is in a deep funk again. But maybe Twins need to let him play thru it. Refsnyder probably isn't in the plan, nor is Cave. Refsnyder 'might' be considered for utility work next year? Cave...no chance. Celestino clearly not ready yet. Not sure what the plan is for Gordon. Why isn't he getting the same shot Rooker is getting...while Simmons and his .220 BA plays everyday?Kepler and Sano are now playing to either play themselves on or off the 2022 team IMO. Donaldson has clearly not played up to his contract or expectation this year. His 'd' has been OK. His bat has been subpar. Does he get another shot next year? Perhaps. Buxton needs to play. Everyday. Either to validate a contract extension, or to showcase trade value. He needs to demonstrate he can play everyday for at least a whole month. Arraez and Polanco need to play everyday. I won't even get into our pitching. Everyone else here has done a very good job analyzing those guys. What I do know is that relying on prospects is not wise. Anything good you get from any of them is always a bonus. Some will manage to make it. Most don't. Hopefully there are a couple diamonds in rough in the system.

That! If the offer isn't good enough, hang on and see what happens next. Everything is a risk...especially pitching prospects/suspects. Only fly in this ointment is all signs point to him not wanting to stay.

I think we all agree that trading just for the sake of trading is not very productive. So we have to know what the FO plan is going forward. As of now, they are telling us they want to be in the hunt next season. If we take them at their word, you only trade Berrios if it makes the team better next year. Problem is he probably won't re-sign here if we wait. So I guess you must take the very best offer. Trading Buxton is not a good idea...especially now, since they really don't have to. you do everything you can to keep him. Thats one trade I would not make. Anyone else....if it makes the team better, do it. For some its addition by subtraction (any of the pathetic pitchers who have stunk the place out this year) For others, like Cave and Simmons, get what you can and smile. I'd hand on to Kepler unless the deal is too good to not make. Ditto Donaldson. Give him another year to hopefully be in the same lineup as Buxton for more than a week or two. I'd like to see that.

7 HR's; 4 in one inning; nearly coming back from 10-0 and 13-6 deficits; and scoring 14 runs....and we still lost by 3 runs, thanks to yet a third straight 9th inning meltdown. My kingdom for some pitching! Twins pitching, especially the bullpen is a complete embarrassment. And today the starter was abysmal. Inexcusable loss. But this is getting commonplace. What a mess.

I'm surprised more didn't say this. Even though Sano shouldn't have run, the out would have easily been made at 1st base and we still have a runner on 2nd with 1 out...right? The optics weren't good but the result was the same. Twins couldn't get the ball out of the infield. Sano's biggest failures are with his bat. Once in awhile he has a big game...followed by 10's of little, useless games. He has yet to learn game situations that do not call for the big windmill, uppercut swing. Of the big whiffers, like Rob Deer, Chris Davis, Mark Reynolds (all hit lots of HR's but struck out far too many times) Sano may be the worst. Davis is a close 2nd in recent years. Twins are wasting a roster spot hoping that one day he'll straighten out.

You're only allowed one or two real bad decisions when trying to build a ballclub. If the Twins whiff on this one, they will have their fanbase riled up and thats not a good optic given that this year's team could lose 90-100 games. Letting the face of the 'revitalized' team walk is no way to build a winner. Just about everything that has happened to the 2021 Twins has been bad. They never got to field their dream lineup. The pitching staff totally fell apart. Most the hitters were experiencing their worst career year...until a couple of them have tried to salvage their season. And the injuries this year have been brutal. If they can't figure out how to keep one of the best talents in the game....what good will come of it?

Inevitable day. No matter. It sucks to lose Cruz. I hate the Rays. I hope everyone's optimism on the 2 pitchers is justified. If so, its a good trade. You could tell the Twins were going thru the motions tonight. Their heart clearly wasn't on the field as they sleepwalked thru a 3-2 loss to the Angels. I seriously doubt they will try and re-sign him next season. If they want to give the young guys a chance, why sign a near 42 year old DH? It always hurts to lose a popular and productive player. When TB comes to Minnesota in a couple weeks, I hope Cruz hits a ton of HR's and the fans give him a large ovation.

I can see trading Berrios and Rogers now. Keep Buxton. If they trade the two pitchers now, they will get fleeced. But I agree with the majority here. Berrios probably wants out. Not so sure Buxton does. While pitching is our weakness, the problem is trading two of our supposed 'best ones' might not help the team at all. Pitching prospects litter the landscape and many don't make it. But I suppose they have to try.

interesting comment. In the now 'defunct' AAA International League (may it not R.I.P. but come back roaring from the dead when somebody recognizes the name really meant something...I digress), the manager always coached 3rd base, not another coach. So he was definitely 'in the game' bigtime. Haven't been to a game yet this year, but its probably still the same. So AAA managers probably don't have in-dugout flaps with players during the game. They are too busy monitoring the game as it happens.

not necessarily. Strategy is a lot different when you are losing 1-0. .When you are down by 7 late, you know yourchances of winning are very slim and you have to play for a big inning.

thank you ...that is encouraging then. Hope somehow we can keep him AND somehow he can stay healthy.

Maybe someone close to the team in Minneapolis knows more about Buxton. From his stays in Rochester, the lack of a callup a couple years back and even comments this year (for what its worth) that he may have been at odds with Rocco about getting back in the lineup...I have to wonder if he has any interest at all in staying with the Twins? Even if they opened the vaults? Anyone have serious comments about this?

Its a crapshoot Tim, thats all. Trading Cruz has been discussed over and over here. They may well trade him but no one is going to offer what he's 'worth'..a 41 year old DH who can't play the field. It would be a charity move. Historically, teams who offload talent at the deadline rarely get much in return because the buyers know they don't have to offer much. Yes, there are exceptions but overall, for me, I would rather wait to trade our value assets in the offseason when legit bargaining can happen. If someone blows us away with an offer for Cruz...that would be great and they should definitely do it. But I doubt that will happen. Has he requested a move? If so, then that too would be OK. I don't think we are a rebuilding team per se and to capture a few young studs who may or may not ever make the climb...especially pitchers doesn't excite me. But thats just my opinion based on decades of watching this grand old game. Sometimes you win, sometimes not. But I'm in the classroom that says if Twins are trading now to actually improve in '22 or ;23, its a real gamble. Trading for the sake of trading doesn't interest me. But I know others don't share that opinion and thats perfectly fine. I guess we will all have to wait and see.