tony&rodney

This is part of what I used as a baseball coach. When a batter swings the bat there is always a result. The optimal end in my view was a ball totally squared up, hit into fair territory. A foul ball or a swing and a miss are just strikes. A wind blown home run or a ball lost in the sun or misplayed for extra bases is nice but my data recorded the relative manner in which the batter was able to successfully hit the ball. It is a goal of all hitters - hitting the ball. The exit velocity stat is nonsense as is the framing stat among others. Of course individuals have their opinions on a range of plays. I favored defenders getting outs, throwing to the right base, and range. If someone looked awkward but was effective, that worked for me. A guy who steals bases and goes first to third or knows where the fielders are when a ball is hit beats a burner who doesn't know where to go or when. And so forth. Data has always been kept in various forms but data fans now collect information on just about everything so it is true that there is more data than ever. As the specialiststeve argues, the way in which the data is collected and used can be very misleading which creates numbers that make a player seem decent when they are actually not very useful. The job of the front office and field staff is to discern which players put together will produce the best results. The Twins have one of the best records in baseball if you use the expected wins totals. This stat really demonstrates some of the futility of chasing all of the numbers. None of those expected wins count. The games are played and there is a result in the end, either a win or a loss. I sometimes think the Twins actually look at their expected wins to mollify or soften the blow of their mediocre record. You know, process being the point. There is another game tomorrow and the guys who dig through the data can find a stat for every Twin to show us that our guys are in the top ten of something to flash on the screen. But even they get frustrated and put up the RISP stat.

Keirsey just needs to keep putting up good numbers on a consistent basis and hopefully get a boost to St. Paul in July. I'm certainly not holding his age (26) against him and have enjoyed watching him play (via milb.com) this season. I agree he is underrated.

Perhaps the most appropriate response is, who is Derek Falvey?

Grip and rip only works if the pitcher throws the ball in your swing path. A batting practice pitcher or the machines deliver predictable locations ideal for high quality contact. Unfortunately for the Twins, MLB pitchers are not providing enough "grooved" pitches to accommodate the team philosophy on hitting. The Twins will begin to win series when they put the ball in play more often. Until that time, the pitching staff is all that keeps the team from plummeting in the standings. Baseball provides multiple avenues to win games and limiting the options just reduces the odds of gaining wins. The apparent narrow focus on analytics only results in positive expected win totals as opposed to actual victories. In the meantime perhaps the Twins organization might be concerned about attendance in August and September, but then again maybe not. It looks like the team is chasing a .500 record.

July, August, and September are an easier schedule in theory than April, May, and June. 85 wins is possible.

He definitely is, yet he threw more balls in the hit zone than Gray. I would say Gray pitched better.

Pinch hit for Gallo?

Nice tag by AK.

I guess the Twins look at 1-2 as a sure loss, thus Pagan instead of Stewart. Pagan has been decent recently .... it is just his luck.

Kirilloff has had some tough plays to make tonight. He has made a couple and missed several, but every one has been difficult and I'm confident that nobody else that has played in a Twins uniform in several years makes the plays.

Gray has pitched great. Our bats are woeful.

I literally just said out loud, " Don't give in Sonny, Eddie will hit in a DP".

Gray will want to show that he is equal to the task versus one of the top (if not best) offenses in baseball.

When a pitcher puts the ball in Gallo's swing path, Joey can cause damage. I would just throw him waist high fastballs and an occasional change. Stay away from the low ball against Gallo.

This game is a prime example of why it is important to get the bat to the ball. Stuff happens: hits, errors, deflections, bad throws, etc. And .... the fans can actually be entertained, which is important too.

The Twins need to score runs to win. The pitching and defense may let the team dow from time to time but expecting to hold teams scoreless or close is a plan that won't work. I see the defensive blunders, the fails by the pitchers, and mistakes. The Twins will not rise above a .500 record if they just continue to leave runners on base, score few runs in so many games, and strike out at a record pace. So yes, the bullpen has blown a few games, Julien and others are less than stellar in the field, and Pablo Lopez is not throwing shutouts. However, offense is the main culprit. It was the problem last night and has been all season to date.

Kepler has been very frustrating to watch the last few years. This year he has dropped down even further. The Falvey philosophy is totally baffling. Kepler struggles in 2022, Gallo is toast in 2022 - the Twins roster both of them on the same team. Max has been a guy who I have enjoyed watching, but it is time to turn the page.

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.