tony&rodney

I don't believe there is any good that comes from conspiracy theories as the last half decade has proven. Baseball just needs to make a decision on electronics. Yes, use the ABS sysstem or at least a challenge call along with the current other challenges. No, drop all electronics and challenges. Just make a decision. It isn't like there is a block on future tweaks as well.

Two good wins versus Texas. For those who wonder about why the Twins lost games to Detroit or Kansas City, note that both teams have managed to irritate a number of other good teams as well. 90 wins is more than expected for most teams which means 72 losses. MLB is a very competitive league and wins are always pretty tough to pile up. The 12-2 last night was a little unusual. It will be very interesting to see how Joe Ryan returns tonight versus the Texas bats as well as it will be fun to see how the Twins fare against a guy who always pitches with a chip on his shoulder, Max Scherzer.

Gallo was hot at the previous call and that the umpire was chirping at him. Gallo was also yapping. I do believe that batters need a more effective two strike swing approach that protects against very close borderline pitches. However, at no point should that include swinging at pitches well out of the strike zone. Julien has been a victim of numerous egregious strike three calls and we saw how badly he misses on a pitch way outside last night. He needs to stick with his strike zone to remain in baseball.

Lots of runners left on base so far. Sure hope the pitching holds up.

The problem is one of accountability. Folks have stated that we just don't know what consequences umpires face. That is correct on a minor level but we do know that umpires have not been fired or dismissed due to incompetence or suspended for on field behavior. Meanwhile, players are cut, demoted, or dfa'd every day. I think consistency is all the players ask for. Gallo is fighting for his job and the umpire is yapping back between pitches. Tough spot for Joey. There was an article today and several recent articles about the ABS system. It favors the hitters because it is very consistent. Some don't like for a number of reasons but as long as we have replay and challenges that are certainly imperfect, there is zero reason not to implement ABS. FWIW (nothing), I was previously opposed to all electronic decisions. Change happens.

Wallner is fast.

If you are watching the game, know the strike zone, and watch the pitches you can call balls and strikes reasonably well from your couch. Batters rarely worry about the strike zone because they generally are quick to adapt to how an umpire is calling a game. If you look at how the pitches are recorded (plotted) versus what you see, there is a real difference on many occasions. Generally, the plotted pitches are shown as close to strikes if they were called strikes. Not very useful for specifics. A box score doesn't differentiate between a line drive and and a routine slow ground ball that the official scorer rules a hit. In any event, MLB needs the ABS system. I'm starting to enjoy AAA milb games more and more because of that consistency.

The umpire has not called a single pitch that low (Wallner) or that far outside (Julien) a strike the entire game. It was clearly not expected by anyone.

I do believe there is a time and place for a manager to give an umpire an earful and take the expected ejection. I have no idea what Baldelli thinks about that. He has two rookies who both have extremely strong control of the strike zone. They actually may be the best on the team . They also were called out on pitches nowhere near the strike zone. The umpire has not called those on any other batter.

Wow, just Wow. That looked intentional on the umpires' part.

I can agree that Wallner should protect on close pitches but it is insane to swing at pitches well out of the strike zone.

It sure looks a lot like the old time rookie treatment. Their strike out rates were down in AAA because of the ABS/challenge system in place. It wasn't due to the clearly superior pitching at the MLB level. Baseball needs to go to an ABS system next season. I never thought I would agree with that but it is clear that it is needed.

Same old strike outs and failure to move runners. Fundamental baseball is not high on Falvey's checklist.

The optics are pretty unusual. Buxton can still run but apparently pays a high price every time he runs and was not considered at any point this season to be fit enough physically to play in the field despite the open acknowledgment that being a DH was very difficult for Byron and likely affected him. It is what it is. I'm wondering if Buxton is at a point in his life where he is concerned with his ability to walk without pain and where he decides that the debilitating pain and the potential further damage to his mobility has reached the critical stage. I would not be at all surprised if he is facing retirement.

Good topic for the postseason. Expect trades (possibly one or more of your favorite guys) and a reduced payroll.

John Prine - " stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood ..." The game has changed from 2017 to 2023. Baldelli isn't Molitor. The 2023 Twins have a much higher budget and payroll than the 2017 squad. The general consensus is that a strike out is an out, big deal. So there are annoying features of baseball today. Whatever, the pitcher-batter chess match is still compelling for me. There has been some fun Twins baseball to watch this season. Julien found a way to get the runs across today. Pablo Lopez has been terrific. Max Kepler is on a mini resurgence at the plate. Carlos Correa struggles at the plate and still manages to make every play in the field. The Twins were picked to be a .500 team more or less and are hanging above .500 right now. The next fifteen games should be interesting. A record of 8-7 would be fine and a 9-6 stretch would pretty much push the Twins into the postseason. Too many strike outs all year but a 2-0 win and a lead in the division is worth something.

We found our new set up guy.

Sands is real.

.... and Gallo too? I have neither seen either cash a check. Wait, what are checks? I think there might be a minimum wage law somewhere though. On a more serious note - where is Cole Sands?

Lewis needs to learn to play within himself.

MLB has a bit of a problem with umpires. There isn't any system in play to reward or demote an umpire. The games are reviewed and internal discussions occur but consequences are absent. There needs to be a system of financial compensation for excellence and demotion for shoddy work. I struggle to see the positives with challenges, especially when so many are clearly wrong. That said, I do believe that MLB has very good umpires in general.

Lewis looks really good but has a couple of things to fix. Against some right handed pitchers he steps in the bucket. Also, Royce tends to be very pull conscious, which hurts him badly on pitches down. Lewis has good power the other way and needs to trust his opposite field stroke.

There isn't any reason to change the requirements for either pitchers or batters, especially if it doesn't make any difference as a large number of people claim. It is what it is.

Fans have so much more information today on minor league players. I routinely watch various parts of minor league games via milb.com. Fifty years ago, The Sporting News would publish dated milb numbers and then Baseball America began in 1981. BA featured fairly complete coverage of prospects and every minor league team, even if it was a bit dated by the time of being published. The progression of coverage has been outstanding for baseball fans. The Twins have some exciting players worth following in their system. It is also important to remember that experience often defeats youth. There will be roster changes next season, but folks should expect the team to include a number of veterans. I also think the Twins may look to repeat themselves with a trade similar to the Arraez-Lopez deal. There may be a couple of players replaced by less expensive contracts in the utility roles as well. The roster expenditures should be more likely to fall to the $125-140 million range due to a drop in media revenue. I have enjoyed watching the Saints but remember there is a distinct difference between AAA and MLB. I would be surprised if both Kepler and Polanco are dropped. Buxton has a no trade contract, Correa too. Any discussion/suggestions of trading either are useless. We just don't know what is happening with Byron. We hope he returns fully healthy but perhaps he is reaching a point where he is done physically too. We don't know or at least I don't know. Players that could push for full time infield positions are: Kirilloff, Julien, Lewis, Lee, and Martin with Polanco in the picture and Correa fixed at shortstop. Miranda, Castro, Prato, and Farmer could find utility roles. Castro and Martin fit in the outfield too. I don't expect Lewis on the grass. Thus a trade happens.

Fun to think about. Ohtani will get $500+ million this offseason. My guess is either Seattle, San Francisco, or the Dodgers, with my choice (guess) being the Mariners. Sure would be excellent to see Ohtani in a Twins uniform though.