tony&rodney

It isn't necessary to win a trade if the players fill the voids in their new team. Luis Arraez has a terrific bat and is an instant fan favorite because of how he works a pitcher and frequently gets on base. A number of people were upset to see Arraez go to Miami, which is understandable. Pablo Lopez has stepped into the Twins rotation and been a consistent quality pitcher with occasional starts to hint as to his becoming what so many desire, an ace. The Twins can look to solid starting pitching as the main reason they are currently leading the AL Central. Pitching remains a main barometer of success for any team. While it was understandable that folks were sad to see Luis Arraez traded, the return (Pablo Lopez +2) was excellent at the time of the trade and has made the Twins a better team. Pitching is always volatile and injuries a big concern. Both Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda will be free agents after the current season ends. It makes sense for the Twins to investigate potential trades for an additional strong starting pitcher for next season. This may mean the loss of an exciting fan favorite from the current team, but also result in a more favorable outcome in victories going forward. Free agents are a potential way to add pitching but development and trades are likely to bring a more positive outcome. The Arraez-P.Lopez trade is an example, although these are difficult to forecast.

The Twins definitely need Polanco and Kepler to lead the team throughout September (and October).

Have really enjoyed watching a pile of games via milb.com (Hi-A, AA, & AAA). Wish the Ft. Myers games were on video. Cedar Rapids is having fun. Emmanuel Rodriguez started the year very slowly, working his way back from knee surgery. He has come a long way as a player since June and his bat is tremendous. He still needs to work on controlling his swing at times but has improved in that area since early in the year. He has a tendency to go for home runs in blow out games versus having consistent at bats. He also is better in the field and on the bases than expected. Wichita has lost most of its best players yet continues to win. Ohl has looked good. St. Paul has struggled to hold leads lately but had a fun season so far. Austin Martin has come on and Brooks Lee continues to improve at the plate. His swing looks soft on occasions but the kid is strong. David Festa looked excellent last time out, but might improve much more with room to add some meat to those bones. I haven't seen Walker Jenkins via game feeds yet, just the video highlights. All of Jenkins, Rodriguez, Lee, and Festa could be ranked in any order among the top Twins prospects. They all look really good and they all have plenty to learn still.

Should be a good series. The Twins have a rested bullpen and their three best starters going against a team that battles in every at bat but still struggles to score runs. I would say that it is up to the offense to step forward and whack the ball around the stadium in Cleveland.

Correa, right now, fits best hitting sixth as was stated above. His consistent play at shortstop seems underrated, but the bat and base running are suboptimal due to his physical issues. The Twins could sure use a resurgence of Correa's bat. Those batting in the top five of the lineup need to step forward too.

Brooks Lee has developed his baseball skills at a fast rate. It takes time to hone talent and experience the differences at each level leading up to being a an MLB player. Lee has done a remarkable job of staying consistent and meeting the challenges faced at AA and AAA thus far. He projects as a regular starter in the big leagues but does not have the projection of a superstar. There is quite a bit of value in a player that can be counted on to be routinely penciled into the lineup. Jorge Polanco has been a terrific asset for the Twins and Brooks Lee could have a similar value despite the differences between the two athletes. It may be 2025 before Lee is a regular but he has a bright future.

Platooning and injuries have been around as long as the game has been played. Set lineups work wonderfully if you are rolling out an all star lineup that is always healthy. The manager has to use the players who are able to go each and every game and make adjustments. Right now, Taylor and Julien are banged up, so there are times another player slides in. Taylor was supposed to be a fourth outfielder but has played due to Buxton going down. Julien only gets a chance because Polanco went down, and so forth. The Twins are in better position than many teams. Kirilloff and Castro could be back on the roster in Cleveland. Perhaps Taylor goes on the IL for 10 days and a pitcher (Sands or Headrick) go down. Should be a fun month.

For whatever reason Julien has a bad rep with umpires. We have talked about this before. He lets balls go by and swings at strikes. Forget the box, those three pitches were not strikes and the umpire just called him out. Should he swing at balls out of the zone or expand his zone with two strikes? He doesn't hit those pitches out of the zone but perhaps he needs to work on fouling a few off.

Actually, it isn't at all. Surgery may not be even an option. Cartilage damage can only be fixed so much and then one gets shots, injections, therapy, and another couple of rounds before the eventual knee replacement surgery. I don't believe Buxton will be able to play MLB with a new knee. Not the same at all, but Stephen Strasbourg is going to retire because the time spent attempting to rehab is no longer beneficial or helpful towards returning to pitch in the major leagues. The contract situation has not been divulged yet to my knowledge. It makes sense that the team would just continue to pay Strasbourg and call off the pointless continuation of him coming in for therapy. Although it is far too early to guess or stress that this is the end result of Buxton continual build up sessions, fans should at the very least be understanding that it is the player who is suffering physical and mental pain as they attempt every avenue to get back on the field. The Twins did what they felt was best for Buxton and the team. I believe the fans should rest easy with that idea.

Emmanuel Rodriguez has a ways to go, but man does he possess a wicked bat. The swing talent jumps off the screen. The discipline to keep the swing under control is a work in progress. Easy to see him as the most talented Twins prospect from milb.com (note - no game feed of Walker Jenkins). I'm wondering what Keith Law will write about ERod this fall. Does he get any Arizona Fall League action? sure seems unlikely.

Stevenson has looked good for the Saints, hitting the ball and running the bases aggressively and playing solid defense. He can absolutely help the Twins as a centerfielder and pinch base runner.

Bottom line is that if the Twins cannot win the AL Central this season given their current lead and the remaining schedules for the Twins and Guardians, there is nothing or nobody to blame but themselves. The Twins are in the driver's seat and hopefully know how to steer through these last 28 games. Maybe the Twins should be watching the Cedar Rapids team to see how to deliver a knockout.

It really doesn't matter who fans are willing to trade. What Twins players are appealing to another team? Then the fun starts. Luis Arraez was a specific target of Miami's plans last winter. We received Pablo Lopez plus in return. This was a good trade for both teams. Seattle has some exciting young arms. What would it take to acquire either Logan Gilbert or George Kirby? This will be a topic for the offseason, but these pitchers could be worth any one of the Twins hot young guys. Julien is fighting a leg injury which is probably fairly minor. He isn't missing by much and is still making pitchers work much harder than they want to with a guy at the top of the lineup. I think he has another hot streak in him. Scherzer challenges batters right away and often finishes hitters with well located pitches. Can EJ strike early?

The offense has its turn now. The starting pitching has brought the team to September in a fair position. Now, it is time for C4 and the other bats to bear down, put the ball in play, and score 5 runs or more on a consistent basis. Buxton can get hot, Kirilloff took better swings tonight, and Kepler, Polanco, and the rookies can all be better.

The Twins only play 3 games versus Cleveland. The remaining 25 games are against other opponents. The Twins have a schedule that should be in their favor, in terms of teams faced with records below or above .500. I believe that Cleveland can go on a run of 18-10 to close out the season, but I don't see the Twins below 14-14 in the last month. The Twins have the talent. The AL Central crown should be won. Sure would like to see the Twins end up with 87 wins.

Floro needs luck, that is for sure. The trade allowed Jorge Lopez a chance to be close to family. He has had some stress. Pitchers live on a fine line. If they lose their edge (command and control), they often lose their jobs. Tough business. Both J. Lopez and Floro are still working hard but struggling to get the results.

Nothing wrong with the waiver process. The Angels made a move that was an aberration. The gnashing of teeth will only harm your sleep. The Twins have more than enough talent to win their division. Play ball or go home is September baseball. Does anyone remember the Phillies falling apart down the stretch or the heartbreaking final weekend in Boston in 1967?

The Twins need to play good baseball in September. Despite all ridicule of the AL Central, the baseball season is long and any team on top of the standings in their division at the end of the regular season should revel in the accomplishment. There are 28 games remaining and Cleveland will have the edge on a tie in the standings unless the Twins sweep in Cleveland. There are no playoff games to break a divisional or wild card tie. Head to head is first determination. Cleveland will need to go 19-9 to tie if the Twins go 14-14. The Twins have a more favorable schedule. Whomever wins the AL Central deserves it. Anything can happen, but it would be cause for a drastic change in management if this rendition of the Twins implodes and does not win the AL Central title outright.

Baseball is a confounding sport at times. Texas is a far better team than Cleveland. The Twins took three out of four from the Rangers but dropped two of the three versus the Guardians. It happens. The Twins looked more focused and had better at bats against Texas and their relief pitchers had better luck too. Minnesota is in a good position here, both with the lead and a favorable schedule in September. We shall see how determined and focused on winning the Twins are in the next month. I'm guessing a 16-12 record closes out the regular season for Minnesota, leaving the team with 85 wins. This was the near consensus prediction before the season started and would represent a solid overall campaign.

Looking at the standings we see both Baltimore and Los Angeles with 83 wins before September, a number that should allow the Twins to win the AL Central. Atlanta already has 87 victories and the Twins need to go 18-10 to reach that total. Our friends, the Tampa Bay Rays, could be a real influence for the Twins by sweeping Cleveland and rolling over when they visit Target Field.

No. Sadly, Floro is better at this point in time.

No surprise the Twins did not win a claim. The loss to Cleveland opened a window and now the calendar turns to September. If the Twins can go 14-14 to finish 83-79, Cleveland needs to go 19-9 to finish 83-79. In that event Cleveland wins the AL Central with a better record head to head (unless Twins sweep in Cleveland). The Twins have not managed to rise very far above .500 all season but they should be in good enough position with health and personnel to avoid a collapse. Buxton looked ok last night, but Kirilloff looked rusty. AK did have one good swing to plate a run with a line drive single. Austin Martin looks pretty comfortable playing baseball right now. He would be a worthwhile addition for September. The Twins will need to shuffle some relievers around to find a hot hand or two and especially to give Duran and Jax a break. The big question is how long the Twins roll with Luplow and Gallo. Ignoring the statistics all year and focusing on the last week or two, it seems odd to carry players who are struggling to hit foul balls much less move a runner over. Both look very uncomfortable and overwhelmed by MLB pitching right now. I guess we will all find out tomorrow how the Twins plan to finish their schedule.

Jax

Good game thus far.

I have never umpired above American Legion baseball. I also only did the gig for about four years. I enjoyed it and was pretty good at it. Some of those teenage kids throw fairly hard but don't begin to have the movement and stuff of an MLB pitcher. So I have no idea what it is like to umpire professionals. An umpire sets the parameters of the strike zone and then makes a call based on where they see the ball in relationship to the zone. The catcher's mitt and movement are extraneous. A catcher can miss a ball right down the middle which is called a strike and never move their glove and the pitch is called a ball because the catcher set up outside of the zone. This often draws a "Blue, where was that pitch?" comment. Teenage catchers were remarkable honest about calls and seldom did anyone question a reasonable call. I have always wondered how someone focused on the ball can see a mitt which is below and in front of the catcher, who is in front of the umpire. I could not focus on where the catcher caught the ball and the moving of the glove seemed silly because the call decision has already been made. The analytics make claims on framing which seems somewhat dubious but not worth arguing about either way. I will not dispute that there are numbers collected. Any umpire who has any pride at all in their performance has a system to remind them to ignore comments and actions from others. Of course the umpire is also human. This is just my opinion and others may see the whole deal with umpires differently. I think spending the time making calls had some influence in my playing and coaching views toward umpires, although I do get irritated by blatantly poor calls or professional umpires who lose their composure.