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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Nice quick pick by Royce but he has to play that play ahead of time in his head. Slow runner (Raleigh) means go to second base for the force out and get the return throw for a double play. Tough ending. This team plays hard. It is difficult to fault their efforts. Go Twins.
  2. tony&rodney
    Little disappointed in Caratini. Victor was so good when Jeffers was out but is struggling now. He is still a good catcher.
  3. tony&rodney
    Matthews will be back next week.
  4. tony&rodney
    C'mon bats, score a few.
  5. tony&rodney
    You can't be serious.
  6. tony&rodney
    Wonder if Connor comes out next inning? He has been pretty much rolling since the first inning.
  7. tony&rodney
    ? Joe and Tom are brothers. Unless you know something that is not public knowledge The Pohlad family owns the team. Jim Pohlad remains the main executive. Tom was elevated in the decision hierarchy.
  8. tony&rodney
    No worries about Matthews. They can recall him when someone (Anderson, Adams, Rojas, etc.) go on the IL. They will play that game.
  9. tony&rodney
    Which means the Twins will be playing the injury game. Rojas goes too many innings, he goes on IL and Matthews is back up or Adams has a bad game and he goes on IL with Matthews back up. The Twins just did this recently with Marco Raya. He was on IL and then sent on "rehab" to Saints. A player can be recalled before 15 days if there is someone put on IL.
  10. tony&rodney
    My view on Marek Houston has changed quite a bit since early last year. He looked overmatched and frankly weak at the plate. His much lauded defense was decent but not anything overly impressive. There was quite a reckoning for Houston to consider when he reflected on his performance at Cedar Rapids last season. Something changed over the offseason. My guess is that Houston got quite a bit stronger but maintained his flexibility. Houston is noticeably better all around this season. He hunts pitches to torch, generally shows good discipline on pitches, and plays smart on the bases. His focus seems more complete than his peers at AA Wichita; he appears to be more mature in his approaches to the game. Houston is looking more athletic this year. There may be many factors involved with this transformation but the change has been really a big deal. Houston is built like Ryan Kreidler. They are both really athletic and the Twins need athletes. The skills have progressed much faster and likely beyond what people expected. The defense is smooth and most importantly very consistent. Marek turns batted balls meant to be outs into outs. The only question is whether the Twins will push him all the way up next year. I will continue to tune into Wind Surge games to watch Houston and Winokur.
  11. tony&rodney
    The Twins have moved on from a number of pitchers who struggled in their roles and contributed to the current bullpen season long ERA. Things have changed though. I don't see how those who follow the Twins cannot see that there is clear improvement. A quick check of July results shows: ERA, IP Anderson - 0.00 in 4.1 IP Morris - 0.64 in 14 IP Funderburk - 0.77 in 11.2IP Rogers - 1.04 in 8.2 IP Adams - 1.69 in 10.2 IP Gomez - 1.74 in 10.1 IP Nance - 2.57 in 7 IP Rojas - 3.65 in 12.1 IP Gone are: Sands, Orze, Go, Paredes. I did not include the good, but small samples from: Jackson, Laweryson, Raya. We can only hope that the bullpen is as good in August and September but it bears no resemblance to the unit from May.
  12. tony&rodney
    No way the Twins trade Quick and Culpepper for Greene. I watched Greene last night before the minor league games started and he is not that impressive. Yes, Greene was a stud for two years but that was yesterday and yesterday is gone. People making judgments on some of the minor league players need to watch then play a few times. Riley Quick goes tonight. A comment on Barr by DataNerd was right on. Barr does look good. He is working on balance and command right now. There is no hurry for him to add pitches or work on other stuff while he gets comfortable. Conversely (mentioned in another place) Dasan Hill was pretty much only throwing breaking balls and changeups.
  13. tony&rodney
    Maybe if the Twins added Travis Adams or Jack Anderson? I don't think so. Crane has the final say. He is involved more than most owners.
  14. tony&rodney
    The late game in Seattle allowed me to watch two minor league games at a time last night. I started with Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids but switched to Wichita and St. Paul after the rain in Iowa and after Matt Barr was finished in Florida. Barr looked good. He is raw and there is talent there. The bats looked young, nothing to really note from this game in Ft. Myers. Dasan Hill had an odd outing. He threw strikes and his outing was a success but he is clearly working on his breaking stuff and changeup. The batters were geared up for the high 90s fastball but I'm not sure Hill even threw a dozen fastballs last night. I didn't count but there were several instances of five non fastball pitches. It was interesting to watch. Houston had only one bad plate appearance. He seems more focused than most of the other players at AA. Marek also made a couple of smooth plays in the field. Only the Twins know if there is a chance for Houston to move up to St. Paul. That move would complicate who is next at shortstop. A month ago it seemed like Culpepper might get called up but he has has setbacks and is rusty now. Winokur is a dangerous bat. He has (mostly) cut down on his swing and is more in a crouch this year. One can see that simple contact for Winokur can be a HR as the video shows. Finally, it seemed like Walker Jenkins was pressing a little last night. I think he knows he is only a short hot streak away from being called up and certainly is aware that Max Clark made his debut. He did hit a hard line drive double.
  15. tony&rodney
    Matthews looked pretty good last night after a rough first inning. Zebby is also capable of long starts. I think the Twins will roll Matthews out as a regular starter unless he falters. Prielipp starts today and we shall see what he brings to the mound. His stuff has been ticking up and when he throws strikes he can also go 6-7 innings. Yes, the Twins are watching Prielipp closely for any signs of struggles or fatigue but there is not any research or information that links innings pitched to injuries. Forget about the totals and focus on the individual inning pitch counts and tough situations, especially in back to back innings. If Prielipp sails through seven innings on 90-100 pitches in a start and his work between starts is clean, he is good to go. Kendry Rojas has looked good in short stretches. He may be the guy sent down. That would be a tough call because he has great stuff. Hard to know how the Twins view the bullpen. Anderson and Adams may be sent down despite both pitching well. Ryan has been off recently but the defensive glitches cost him two runs last game and he is still the guy the Twins are counting on for solid starts. Bradley has been an amazing surprise all year and looks strong. Ober is the wild card only because his starts are somewhat unpredictable. Everyone's best guess is about as good as the next person's thoughts. I think Kremer is used as a long reliever.
  16. tony&rodney
    Running a baseball team cost money. Yes, they are serious. There have to be solid options before spending and then the expense has to be a positive over what it replaces.
  17. tony&rodney
    The odds of this being true are as close to zero as one can get. Have you seen Reyes play? Do you think Tom Pohlad is familiar with the DSL, GCL, and FSL rosters? This was a move made by the front office to strengthen the roster now. There will be more moves, most likely later with a couple of minor league players called up. The Twins are trying to win because the American League is wide open, not because this is a favorite to win it all.
  18. tony&rodney
    That was a fun game and the summary was a fine mirror of the game with solid humor. Thanks for the writing. The bullpen was nails. Funderburk, Nance, Morris, and Gomez looked good. We have been witness to the pen rising from the ashes of those debacles early in the season. This new group is pretty fearless. One can only hope that their demeanors and skills holds through a tough schedule in August.
  19. tony&rodney
    Twins fans have wanted the org to add players at the deadline using prospects, i.e - strengthen the 26 person roster. The trades for Minter and Kremer do add. Reyes is relatively unknown but not exactly low ranking. At least one list had him at #10 in the Twins organization. Trades can be tricky as seen when Junior Caminero was acquired for a pitcher. We need to understand that the front office is trying to thread the needle by acquiring a few decent players without giving up prospects such as Jenkins, EmRod, Tait, Culpepper, Houston, Quick, and Hill. They may also not want to lose Winokur, Diaw, Soto, Bohorquez, or Mercedes. My preference was for a couple of big gamble trades. However, I do know that these are extremely difficult and mostly impossible to pull off. I'm more concerned with the bats and defense than I am about the pitching. It will be interesting to see who gets sent down when Minter and Kremer are added to the roster. It seems like the two to go might be Anderson and Rojas but both have been very good lately. The one thing to keep in mind is that there is still nearly two months left in the season. After Monday, additions are from waiver lists and the minor leagues. Despite the record only being 56-55, the vibe with this club is super positive. They are a fun, if not occasionally maddening, team to watch.
  20. tony&rodney
    Watched Reyes play tonight. He is an athlete. Not sure this helps the Twins.
  21. tony&rodney
    The Twins wanted to add a veteran pitcher to their bullpen. They did, so good. The players going the other way can become MLB players but I don't think that is a concern. There are plenty of higher rated prospects in the system which allowed the Twins to make this trade. Billy Amick has some skills. First he hit for average with no power and now he is hitting with power but a low average. Amick could put the power and average together in time. I enjoyed watching Amick compete and wonder if those who state he has no future have watched him play. The trade seemed fair to me and a plus for the Twins 26 person club; hope it turns out well.
  22. tony&rodney
    Let bygones be bygones. It doesn't matter who is right or wrong, the future is now and the past is gone. We all loved Louis Varland and still do. I'm excited to see what Kendry Rojas can become. He is capable of shutting down any team for three innings now and there is still plenty of improvement left in his game. I'm not sure what to think about Alan Roden. Maybe he is the throw-in on a consequential trade this Monday. Sure the trade was a disaster but I have moved on and can get behind Rojas and Roden as decent players right now. I'm also hopeful the Twins are not shy about taking further gambles.
  23. tony&rodney
    The 9pm games are good for me because I'm really old, retired, and can do other things that need my attention all the way up until game time. I'm watching baseball most nights until midnight anyways. Also my wife appreciates the baseball not interfering with her evening since she is an early to bed and early riser. I'll sleep when I get in my 90s.
  24. tony&rodney
    Greene would be a big gamble. He would cost a ton. Additionally, Greene has either been really tough or he gets injured. It would be interesting to know what type of prospect haul Cincy requires for Hunter Greene.
  25. tony&rodney
    The report today was very thorough. I was watching two minor league games at a time last night and can attest to the reports. There is quite a difference in play from league to league and even within the games themselves depending on the pitchers. We see how good these players are at baseball but also see the split second decisions, hesitations, and mistakes that separates guys. We can also see the minor footwork and swing details that need repetitions to iron out the flaws before a player can advance to meet the challenges of the next level. Vahn Lackey has a slight hesitation in his footwork on throws. However, I was totally impressed by his overall talent and maturity at the plate. You could see he wanted to hit and swung at a few balls out of the zone trying to get his first base hit. The pitchers were not inclined to favor him, so Lackey stayed disciplined enough to take two walks. Defensively Lackey looked good. He catches the ball very quietly and his arm is delicious.
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