tony&rodney

Mahle out of the picture means the rotation will feature guys we hoped would develop, particularly Ober and Varland. We may see a trade for a pitcher in late July but the pitching has been impressive thus far. Mahle was a stretch as a #3 and us fans hoped he would be healthy and prove himself a decent #3. He is a part of the past now. So it goes.

The Twins took two out of three from the team favored to win the World Series this year. San Diego has a good ball club. It has been fun to watch the starters keep the Twins in nearly every game. I know the bullpen appreciates those six and seven inning outings too, as the relievers have done a really good job too. The Cubs have been playing well and getting good pitching, so another tough series begins tomorrow. I think we will see the Twins break out the bats.

The Twins made a trade for Mahle in hopes he would be a difference both last year and this season. Mahle made his living with a variety of pitches located in the right place. While not strictly a finesse pitcher .Mahle never was a power arm. His return will come with hiccups as he must learn to harness his stuff in a slow process. I wish him luck, but there is no reason to spend more money on that shoulder and elbow. Trades are a part of baseball and if a team never takes those opportunities, the organization is handicapped. We all loved Arraez but right now Pablo Lopez is more than a good return as he heads our rotation. Turn the page and look for the next opportunity for a trade.

Buxton taking some walks is a positive. Byron still needs to have a check system to remind himself to lay off the high fastball. He can hit the pitch fully in the strike zone at the top but is toast on any pitch 2+ inches up out of the zone. In other words, Buck cannot hit the high ones and needs to let them go. I'm appreciating his improved control of at bats thus far this season.

I believe a few players (or more) are pressing and trying too hard. Gallo's throw was a little rushed for no good reason, but he has played a good left field. Correa has been great at shortstop but he over estimated the runner and hurried his multiple bounce throw which took a bad last hop or Kirilloff catches it for the out. Correa was barely out at the plate on the hardest throw from the outfiled this season in MLB. Tatis charged the ball and made a fantastic throw. Oh, Correa would likely have been thrown out at third base if he had hustled out of the box. Still the players should run out every play. We saw Polanco nabbed at second base when he thought he had hit a home run. Polanco really hustled on his last double. The pitching has been excellent overall and the bats will come around again. Imagine the concerns that San Diego fans have about Soto and then see how he has found something the last couple of days. It is a long season.

Gallo is an accomplished outfielder and pretty athletic too. Farmer is a solid defender and makes every play look routine. Kirilloff is the best first baseman in the organization and is smooth around the bag. Larnach is a fair left fielder, Gallo plays a real decent first base, and Miranda has had some issues at third base even if those were overstated on this board. Yes, the defense is better at those three positions, which is good. It was all in play tonight

The pitching has been really good day after day and Pablo Lopez was tremendous tonight against an excellent lineup. I was a little surprised that San Diego chose to walk Correa because Kirilloff has looked locked in at the plate, but it does make sense when you factor in reputation and the way Carlos drove the ball deep earlier in the game. The lack of runs is concerning for both teams right now, but you can see individuals working their way back to their game. Soto looks pretty good despite the average and we see some patience from Buxton. Good win for the Twins and Alex Kirilloff wants to play every day. He looks like he is swinging without any concerns which bodes well for the middle of the Twins lineup.

I understand the article as a discussion point but batting coaches are rarely dismissed during the season. The general frustration from a difficult stretch right now by the batters is part of the game. A look around baseball will inform one that the Twins may be struggling but they are both above .500 and in first place. Most folks picked the Twins to win around 85 games. I guessed a AL Central title based on head to head wins with both Cleveland and Minnesota finishing with 84 victories. Despite some head scratching from the odd at bats, I'm actually thinking the Twins will surpass my initial thinking. Kirilloff won't finish the year with an OBP of .555, but neither will Correa hit .200. I am encouraged by Buxton taking walks. Right now a few players are fighting themselves and trying to force the action. Better at bats are coming and likely a few changes too. Along the way, somewhere down the line, Julien and Lewis should help the offense. The batting coach can detect flaws and make suggestions but only the player goes to the plate. I doubt Popkins advises guys to swing at head high fastballs. Basically, the coach just needs to keep low key and keep positive while offering minimal words in the cage.

The jury is still out on whether Alex Kirilloff will hit like we hope he does in MLB. Thus far this year, he looks really good, taking walks after good at bats and hitting line drives. His glove is good, superior to any other option. If AK hits like we expect he might, then first base is only open 10-20 times per season. Miranda was brutal at first base: not understanding the footwork, struggling with receiving throws, and not knowing where to go when due to inexperience. If Miranda still has a bum shoulder and it affects his hitting and/or fielding, then it is time for an IL stint to get healed.

Agree wholeheartedly.

This was a mantra of mine during this past offseason. The fans will embrace a team that plays with flavor and some personality. The system, if there actually is one, is not in tune with the times. To be fair, there have been a few attempts at moving runners and Michael A. Taylor has a few stolen bases. Correa and some others are in horrible slumps. There isn't any harm in bunting runners over with nobody out. It puts some pressure on the pitcher in a close game to have a runner on third base with one out. I don't think having Arraez would change anything at all. We need every player in the lineup to be a more difficult out. On a positive note, Alex Kirilloff looked decent today. He worked hard: a couple of walks and a line drive.

Correa faces and accepts the criticisms. He is in the lineup and still playing very good defense. No doubt he is in a bad slump right now. We are not seeing much of his opposite field approach. I'm not sure that mentioning his salary is somehow important though. Correa, Gallo, Kepler, Miranda, Vasquez, ... actually the entire team is struggling to hit. The team as a whole is not performing at the plate. There were a few good at bats but this was not sustained; frustrating. Louie Varland pitched well. I was disappointed that Polanco didn't make some contact with the hard hit single that scored a run. It seemed like a less than full effort from a player I mostly feel plays hard. The error by Kirilloff will likely become a hit tomorrow. The throw was not great but Jax had his legs all mixed up and reached awkwardly for the ball and missed the bag as a result. Who knows what got into Vasquez on his terrible throw to second base on a steal and then a pointless attempt to pick off Tatis who was basically next to the bag when the ball glanced off of him. When scoring runs is difficult, the team needs to emphasize contact and moving runners. Bunting will not work with Machado playing third base but the players need to alter their swings to a situation. Finally, lay off the high pitches. Let the umpire call you out but swinging at pitches 4+ inches above the zone is a sure fire recipe for failure. Yogi Berra could hit the high pitch. There is not a single current Twin who can, thus there is zero reason to swing at that pitch. The sun will come up tomorrow.

The development of Ober and Varland is being tested right now, so far so good. I'm thinking the Twins will be in a solid position to add one significant starting pitcher at the trade deadline or in the off season. P. Lopez, J. Ryan, B. Ober, L. Varland, S. Woods Richardson, Brent Headrick, and C. Paddack are a fair seven, which allows the Twins to aim high in any consideration of additional guys for the rotation. I do not expect either Maeda or Mahle back next year unless they are on very very inexpensive contracts. Sonny Gray looks outstanding right now and it sure would be awesome if he can make his run last all the way through the playoffs. Gray deserves to look around in free agency. The Twins will not sign him for 2/$50 million due to injury risks and because if Gray has a good year and avoids injury he is looking at 3/$65 million at a minimum and likely more money and/or years. The best the Twins can hope for is the draft choice from offering a qualifying offer.

Just an FYI, but Farmer has looked pretty good at AAA. The pitchers in AAA throw just as hard but have less command and control. Farmer swinging a good stick in AAA seems to indicate that he does not have any residual glitches in facing pitchers.

One thing that may be overlooked, although many may disagree, is that Chicago and Cleveland are fully capable of winning a series against any team in baseball. The Twins have been carried by their pitching thus far, but the bats should come around soon enough. A few players may be shifted around and the lineup in mid June is likely to be different than the one that faced Chicago. The preseason forecasts were mostly around an expectation of 85 wins, some at 78 and others at 93, but nobody was too horribly high on the roster to rule all of baseball. Baseball is a long season. I'm expecting the Twins to have a winning record in May. A 14-13 month will be ok and a 12-15 record will not sink the season. I'm expecting some minor changes and an improved team by the middle of June.

Not sure what you see in a comparison between a player like Farmer and either of Castro or Gordon.

Farmer makes Solano redundant.

Except that the Twins did get Farmer, a far superior defender than Urshela. Injuries are impossible to predict, especially a HBP. The Twins will be fine.

Most predicted the Twins for 80-90 wins. They are on track. Mistakes happen. I am in favor of Julien still as the DH and leadoff batter, but that doesn't work with Byron entrenched as our DH. Gallo is doing what was predicted mol and playing decent defense. Miranda looks nervous. Solano is doing his best, but we see why the Giants, who loved him, had to let him go. Correa is in a slump but still really solid at shortstop. An aside, the comments from anyone/anywhere singling out Correa as a cheater are dated and out of context, making those holding their venom sound bitter, silly, and out of tune. Remember that the Yankees, Red Sox, and as many as ten other teams were actively involved in using electronics to "cheat" and that the Twins quickly embraced Marwin Gonzalez, the player on those Astros teams who benefitted much more than any other player. The pitching has carried the offense thus far this season and we can expect some of the bats to rebound as the schedule moves along. The Twins are doing pretty good, which was the expectation all along.

Kepler gets his name in pen in the lineup until there is someone who is clearly an upgrade. If you were picking teams, he remains the name that is called first among our present outfielders (BB is a DH). The defense and base running, despite a horrible gaff earlier this season, are still ahead of the others and his bat doesn't trail either.

Max Kepler is still the one outfielder who you know will be in the lineup on most days.

These are fun to read. The Twins are sitting pretty at #5 and then (I think) #34. I believe we pick an outfielder or Kyle Teel at #5, but BPA could include another infielder. Great job at putting these together.

Tough to see Larnach optioned to St. Paul, but mechanically (and perhaps mentally) he was a mess. Pitchers were torturing him with breaking balls and putting fastballs right down the middle too. I expect Larnach will be back after a reset. Kirilloff arrives a bit sooner than I expected. He has not torn up MLB pitching in 387 plate appearances. Injuries have interrupted his career thus far. He looked like he was swinging freely for St. Paul and is ready to take a regular lineup spot. AK can hit any pitching when he stays disciplined. I'm hoping he is in the lineup today versus the lefty Logan.

Have you noticed that Ober is a tall human playing baseball. Tall players take longer to get in synch for the most part. Tall pitchers often reach their peak in their thirties. That makes Ober a young pitcher. Ober has looked really good all year and has also not tired very easily. He was very good for St. Paul, despite his disappointment at being cut from the Twins team to start the season. Should we expect ERA's of less than one per nine innings? Well, no. Ober is exactly where he belongs and could manage to blow away his innings totals without any harm. I'm expecting he is watched for how he commands the zone and finishes his pitches more than any other worries. Ober looks strong on the mound and we may be seeing a tall guy get it together both physically and mechanically this season. At least I hope so.

Cinco de Maya and the Twins bats are ready to party. No reason to worry.