tony&rodney

Home runs are a good way to score runs. Signing Gallo was doubling down on that strategy. Unfortunately, hitting two solo shots every game still means the scores will mostly favor the opposition. The Twins have become a parody with their inability to advance runners or plate teammates. The swing from the heals approach is fine until a batter reaches two strikes. At that point a player needs to cut their swing down and just flip the ball somewhere. Gallo is the poster child of three massive swings. If he cannot adjust, rostering him is pointless. Like many I was very surprised that Gallo was signed by the Twins. The fit was unclear to me but I'm just a twins fan who follows the games and tries not to look back because Falvey will do whatever he wants anyways. Gallo is who he is and 2022 was not bad luck for Joey. Nobody can say that he wasn't given a full opportunity if he was released today.

Good home run cut and Lewis is working hard, but wouldn't it be nice to see some contact with runners on base?

Cabrera has a beautiful swing.

Clark at #5 and either Carigg or Sykora at #34. But for sure, let's not get cute with the first choice.

The Guardians released Zunino and the Reds would release Myers. Sometimes a team just needs to understand that players do reach a point where they are no longer capable of filling a roster spot. The Twins are struggling with what to do with Kepler and Gallo right now. Myers is done. He has nothing left to offer. So, no.

All of the articles and comments re Arraez remind me that I should have bought Microsoft in the summer of 1986. I'm not aware of anyone who hated Arraez, but he is a Marlin now. It's in the past (Jim Kaat, Rod Carew, etc.).

Julien isn't the problem. That ball was a rocket, ruled a hit immediately. Now that infielders start with both feet on the dirt there will be a number of similar hits. In fact, we have already seen a number so far. No player had a shot at that ball except by sheer luck. The hitters haven't hit and now the pitching has fallen off.

Audra had a brief update on Byron tonight on TV and he told her he feels great, but is just in a slump (or however he put it). If Buxton is indeed healthy, it is time to let him play centerfield.

Watkins made the mistake when Solano was out at third base. He held him up and then waved him to go.

The baseball season is very long, which I like. Last year the Twins were looking pretty decent in late July and were swallowed alive by August and September. This year the team is playing poor baseball and treading water at a .500 mark. The negatives are glaringly apparent as Nick Nelson so adroitly pointed out, and the Twins are frustrating right now to their fans and to themselves. The positives are strong starting pitching and the hope that the talent on the team can get it together and make a sustained run. A decent winning streak could be the tonic needed for the players to shelve their doubts and move forward with confidence. The Twins are trying to hold the middle ground of keeping all of their experienced players and thinking that a return to some past successes is possible. It may be possible. More likely, the front office may need to swallow a contract or two and let the fortunes of 2023 play out with a few younger guys.

This topic draws so many strong opinions and we get repeatedly told by some that an out is an out, making a strike out the same as a pop up and better than hitting into a double play. The thing is that this is only true out of context. If Farmer hits into a double play with the bases loaded the Twins have a run in and a runner on third base with two out. In this case with the infield playing back a double play is better than a strike out. BTW, I agree with the idea that a batter should get an RBI when a run scores on a double play. Additionally, it is actually possible to have a two strike approach. We actually saw Byron Buxton take such a swing (awkwardly) when he hit a fly ball to right field in his only at bat where he both cut down on his swing and coincidently did not strike out last Saturday. Gallo always swings from his heels and can only hit the ball if the pitcher puts it in the narrow path of that severe upper cut. At this point he would not fare any better versus a Senior Mens League pitcher with pinpoint control. There is nothing wrong with swinging as hard as one can but there is also a time when the batter must make an attempt to put the ball in play.. The Tigers used two pitchers in the recent series who have strike out "stuff". All of the others have been hit hard or soft, but hit often thus far this year. The idea that strike outs never matter is plain silly. While extra base hits are certainly valuable, not putting the ball in play a third of the time will never be successful on a sustained basis. What is more curious to me is why this was not addressed in Spring Training or actually in a club or system wide meeting immediately following last season. I do think that the Twins are discussing this now, but I don't know.

Sadly. Joey Gallo is a 2022 Dodger/Yankee player. He seems to really be working but it ain't happening for him. Buxton? A few oddities by any stretch were pinch hitting for Kirilloff, although he is also struggling, and the inexplicable pinch hit appearance by Buxton for the weak hitting Vasquez, a player who would likely at least flip the ball to right field. So many odd occurrences though, such as Solan not going to second base (made no difference) and then not scoring on a ground ball to centerfield (again, just makes it 5-6 so no difference?) when he had to run when the ball hit the ground right off the bat. Baseball is a long season but the players often seem disconnected and unfocused. How many outs are there? Where do I go on every play? Poor routes, transfers, and sailing the ball home from short left field. Lately there have been too many misplays to count and it may be fair to say that 85 wins is too ambitious for the Twins in 2023. Luckily (maybe), there is another game tomorrow.

Mauer was severely diminished due to the concussions yet still played a good first base and could hit. Mauer no longer was the catcher or extra base threat yet he never fell to automatic out DH only status. I feel real bad for whatever Buck is going through right now. I haven't lost all hope that his career is over but I also have no idea what is going on with him. It seems like an IL to regain some strength is needed, but without any first hand knowledge it is only a guess that Byron is even injured or unhealthy in any way, shape, or form.

Yes, it is the offense that needs to turn it around. The pitchers are starting to feel the stress of always trying to throw shutouts. You could see how careful Varland was pitching in a 1-1 game. This leads to problems, although Varland still needs to make the pitches.

Can we all just dispense with any idea that Gallo is still a good defender. Clearly the Tigers had zero respect for his skills.

Polanco has been fine, although he has been pretty crippled the last few years. Kepler and Buxton have each had one good year and a host of glimpses of their talent. Sano? Too bad.

Both Farmer and Kepler reacted very poorly on that carom off of the concrete. Kepler has played outstanding defense out there and made an uncharacteristically poor judgment. Farmer should have been on a dead run as soon as that ball hit the wall. Kirilloff has to be the cutoff.

I might agree but don't feel like I know what exactly is the situation with Buxton. I mean, it is really very odd that Buck has yet to put on a glove this year. I heard he hasn't even taken fly balls, but don't know about that either. I just feel sorry for him because he is helpless right now. He looks like he is suffering.

You are totally correct that both of Lewis and Julien are unfinished defensive players with rough edges. They did not, however, throw any pitches that gave up runs. It doesn't always follow that an error or misplay is why a pitcher makes a bad pitch. As a former pitcher I can say that great defense is much appreciated but it was also on me when I grooved a pitch after an error by a teammate.

I'm not concerned at all about Ober's physical condition or injury. While it is true that he has had an assortment of injuries in the past, Bailey is a very big strong man. His pitch counts have been very conservative and he has not been stretched in any game thus far this year. Ober should get another 15 plus starts this year and if he maintains a solid routine between starts he would end the season with around 150 innings. Throwing strikes and avoiding stressful long innings is the key and he has done that quite well this season to date. Ober is not a guy just growing into his body like Marco Raya, David Festa, or even Louie Varland. Right now, Ober's routines and outings are going smoothly. Let's hope the ride continues.

Solano has returned to hunting base hits recently after hitting some long fly ball outs earlier in the season. He is a consistently good bat who belongs at DH most of the time.

It was an ugly game.

The Pohlad family runs the entire operation. If attendance craters in August and September, they will notice. The development of players is a key part of a front office task, but the philosophy of play is also important. There have been instances where we see a few differences this season in approach, yet the Twins still lack in fundamental areas. The strike outs have been discussed and occasionally we do see different two strike swings. The guys who have the salaries have been a great disappointment to me. Correa plays a great shortstop but might benefit from hitting in the five or six hole. Buxton is, sadly, a shadow in the last month plus. If Taylor didn't have the ninth spot in the order locked up solid, Buxton belongs there. Gallo is working hard to make contact with too many holes in the bucket. Can he become functional again? Only if the pitcher puts the ball in his one small zone. Polanco has been hurt too often to know what anyone can expect later this year much less next season. Finally, Kepler and Vasquez have lost their bats. That is six guys with real struggles holding them down, which makes wins tough to collect. Things can always change and we hope it does but the best lineup right now would likely include more inexperienced players: Julien, Solano, Kirilloff, Lewis, Wallner, Correa, Larnach, Jeffers, and Taylor/Castro. Something has gone wrong, for a fair period of time now, with the guys we wanted to lead the team. The performance is not there and the energy seems inconsistent too. What responsibility is on the shoulders of Falvey and Baldelli is unclear. The Pohlads put out more than $20 million more in salaries than the ceiling from the Twins Daily charts last winter. The product has produced good starting pitching and half of a bullpen with weak support most of the time from the offense. I'm guessing that the patience of the Pohlad family will be tested if August and September are a repeat of last year. It is pretty hard to fire all of the players.

Emmanuel Rodriguez finally has the average over .200. He has cut the strike outs down a little bit but he has a long way to go and much work to accomplish with the bat.

Who are you confident in? Is Royce Lewis an adequate defender? Solano? Gallo? Castro? The Twins have three really good defensive players: Farmer, Kepler, and Correa. The others are all adequate to varying degrees. Vasquez has 5 errors, Miranda 4, and Correa, Farmer, Solano, and Lewis have 3 errors each. The Twins are just average defensively, which is not a bad thing. When I watch the games I see the other teams defense as similar in almost every series. I'm more concerned about the consistency of the bats.