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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Austin Martin went down in a heap after reaching for his hamstring and hopping for a few steps. He was in quite a bit of pain and had to be helped off the field. We should wait for the report but it sure looked bad.
  2. tony&rodney
    Carson McCusker is looking good.
  3. tony&rodney
    Apparently, Baldelli explained in the post game press interview (did not see) that Ober was not used to getting up and down that many times. Ok? My reaction was ... wow. I will say that i have a ton of confidence in the bullpen, but Ober was cruising with 7,8,9 due up. I'm a little surprised that Ober didn't say something, but maybe he did. I'm sure that would stay in house as it should.
  4. tony&rodney
    Festa is pretty good and looked fine in his last start. The Twins think an extra day helps both Paddack and Woods Richardson, so it will be Festa tomorrow instead of Matthews on Sunday. I guess we shall see how this plays out, but we are wondering quite a bit lately. Still haven't heard any notion of why Ober was pulled in the middle of his game today. Is he injured? You do not replace a dominant pitcher after 73 pitches unless there are weather or injury concerns. Personally it seems like a change may be warranted but then one has to realize it is early April. There is a huge pile of baseball left in 2025. The sluggish start to the long campaign doesn't necessarily require dire actions. One might say there is not any reason to get all crazy and nervous before June. How many teams replace their front office and manager in early April? Still, the jogging on the bases is a definite cringe. Sure hope Detroit brings in some pitchers who throw the Twins batting practice. Maybe we get to see Zebby Matthews next Monday.
  5. tony&rodney
    Was there any official word about why Ober was lifted so early in the game when he was rolling along so easily?
  6. tony&rodney
    Good weather and winning baseball will help. Agree that the team seems to be poorly marketed.
  7. tony&rodney
    I'm not much of a fan of sports other than baseball as far as tuning in often. Sometimes I wonder if those people who are big football fans struggle with the long baseball season. Baseball has plenty of failure where even the superstars go 0-10 and the best pitchers get hit around. Combine the length of the season with the expected inexperience of young players and especially those in the minor leagues and it is easy to see folks looking for change and seeing faults in the prospects. Whatever, I just wonder about that sometimes.
  8. tony&rodney
    This is what I was wondering as well as I watched Andrew pitch last night. He was facing a lineup that has had a considerable number of MLB plate appearances though. He did have a number of swings and misses and seemed to strike people out when he needed it a couple of times. For sure, Morris still needs to be a little sharper with all of his pitches, but he has not been scored upon in either ST against MLB players and in his first two starts for St. Paul. Keep an eye on him.
  9. tony&rodney
    True I do know that, but when did Martin ever play an entire week of games for the Twins? What is his role going forward? Do you think he has a place?
  10. tony&rodney
    True. There will never be an answer though or it doesn't seem like there will be. We have watched Bobby Witt Jr. play every play like it is Game 7, sprinting full out every single time and diving headlong on the field and on the bases. He plays with more abandon than anyone I can recall and yet he has over 2,000 plate appearances in 3 season of games. He plays every single game. Meanwhile some of the Twins (and other players on other teams to be fair) routinely jog on the bases. We see players go faster on home run trots than they do in live action when they could be going first to third or second to home or running out a routine ground ball. Comments are made that the players must reserve themselves and avoid injury. I actually no longer question the effort. And yet, there is Bobby Baseball making everyone else look OLD. Injuries happen is my conclusion.
  11. tony&rodney
    Matthews has been uber dominant and it is almost certain he pitches versus Detroit this coming Sunday. Morris has been very good. He keeps the ball off the barrel and controls the plate appearances. My sense is that Morris is emerging as a talent but still behind Matthews and Festa. Morris looks like he is just getting by on either deception or control but then he blows hitters away with a 95 mph fastball. Morris is fun to watch pitch. Speaking of barrels .... nobody hits the ball harder than Carson McCusker. He had an absolute rocket single to left field and catapulted a 98 mph pitch for a home run. McCusker is not a polished outfielder but covers a ton of ground with his long strides. He made at least three catches routinely that would have fallen with Severino out there. In Severino's defense, it was a little ridiculous to put him out there. Emmanuel Rodriguez covers center really well and had a few hits. He has been struggling. Keaschall looks fine at second base but is missing his pitches at the plate and went down looking a couple times. Brooks Lee had his best swing that I have seen from him this year, a single off the wall. Lee is so slow, but he is looking healthy. Rodriguez was trapped between second and third because Lee didn't score from second on a long single. Cody Lewis must be a nightmare to hit against. Nearly all of his pitches are between 85-89 mph, but the batter gets anything from a fastball to a knuckleball with sliders, curveballs, and a changeup in there as well. He was pretty solid. Austin Martin is working hard to make a case he belongs with the Twins. A beautiful throw again last night and he has played a strong left field. At the plate Martin has been a tough out. I'm not sure why the Twins are down on Martin.
  12. tony&rodney
    Most people could care less who owns the team. Who owns the Texas Rangers? The Twins could actually increase attendance and wins by playing a better brand of baseball. Good weather and winning helps draw people to the games. It is probably too early in the schedule to make predictions or pronouncements concerning the 2025 attendance, but the total numbers do make a difference when October rolls around.
  13. tony&rodney
    Shohei Ohtani is the most famous, Juan Soto the highest paid, and Aaron Judge the most ferocious slugger, but if I'm picking a team I pick Bobby Baseball #1. Witt Jr. is the most exciting player in the game. His sprint from home to third and subsequent dash home last night was electrifying athleticism. He had third base stolen and then got up and nearly turned it into a close play. Who else is all out on the chopper back to the pitcher and the hustle against all odds back to second base? He has a motor like Kirby but hustles like Pete Rose. Bobby Witt Jr. is a must watch player. I find myself keeping an eye on Royals games to catch his plate appearances. It has been fun to watch the Twins compete against Jr. What a player. He and Elly De La Cruz are something splendiferous.
  14. tony&rodney
    I understand having hope that the Twins are changing some things such as base-running. However, they are not. Larnach, Vazquez tonight in Kanas City, Brooks Lee and Camargo tonight in St. Paul are just the latest examples. Is Larnach still having problems with turf toe? He never really runs at close to the speed of prior years and he wasn't swift at any time. I hope he avoids further problems because the Twins need his bat, but oh my, he is slow or really hurt.
  15. tony&rodney
    Ryan was good. Defense was good. Twins win.
  16. tony&rodney
    Yes. This. No problem.
  17. tony&rodney
    Disagreement is good. I respect different thoughts and opinions. Here is what I saw when Simeon pitched. The defense was poor. Misplays and errors go as earned runs, but more importantly run up the pitch count and stress pitcher's arms. While I'm not real big into looking up stats, especially when I have watched the action in question, I did look up his pitching logs for his first two games. Take a look at what someone puts down as FIP (fielding independent pitching). Look it up. The numbers suggest that Woods Richardson is doing his job. I do think Simeon is a #4 or #5 pitcher and expect better from him next time out. I'm also not expecting the same performance from SWR as I do from our top three starting pitchers.
  18. tony&rodney
    A Keirsey Jr. sighting and Bader gets to play his regular position. Twins win.
  19. tony&rodney
    The Pohlad family has received more criticism than anyone else. I will not argue the fairness of that. Falvey and the Twins front office has received very little criticism that I have read. The relatively recent statements that the Twins have outspent their divisional opponents during the Falvey era has opened a few people towards examining how resources have been allocated. There have been criticisms after the fact, such as Joey Gallo or Manuel Margot, but by and large Twins Daily has been very supportive of this front office.
  20. tony&rodney
    I'm pretty much a Twins homer. However, I retain my senses and am able to discern the differences between players. The Twins outfield is not that good. Buxton can still go get the ball on occasion but he doesn't rank up with the best any longer. Wallner and Larnach are playing because they provide thump. They do the best they can in the outfield. Bader has been a terrific centerfielder in his career but had never played in the corners. It has been clear that his reads are a work in progress. Keirsey Jr.? The Twins don't even let him play. I wish they gave him a chance on occasions. It is true that the Twins infield makes the Twins outfield look better than they are in reality. Finally, those who choose to differentiate between Castro, Miranda, France, and Julien are just exposing their bias based on internal factors. Gasper? I'm glad he he got a hit in MLB and that his parents were there to see it.
  21. tony&rodney
    Actually, in fact, Simeon Woods Richardson has been decent. The defense behind him has been deplorable.
  22. tony&rodney
    The Twins roster was specifically and consciously built to outscore other teams even though the players rostered would often concede runs because of below average defense. Thus, when the team does not score 4 runs or more the Twins will lose more often than they will win. This was The Plan (Falvey). However, the Twins do have a good pitching staff and there will be times when there are often going to be low scoring games. In the low scoring games, but not exclusive to these games, making routine plays is important. I am not referring to strong defensive plays but just expecting a very high ratio of success on the easiest of plays. Even poor defensive teams should be expected to make the simplest of plays. Right? One must acknowledge that it is actually possible to win games 1-0 as well. You are correct when you note the Twins record last year when scoring one run (I didn't check it but take your word for it). Still, games can be won by a score of 1-0. Once upon a time I pitched and won three 1-0 games in a week. Credit to the defense. It is possible. The Twins need to have a minimum expectation for their players but I'm not sure what that will be right now. I guess we should expect everyone to start hitting.
  23. tony&rodney
    Here is my take since last October, which became a certainty in my mind once I saw the Opening Day roster. The Twins need to win the AL Central and draw 2 million in attendance or there is a new POBO, who hires a new manager. This is whether the team is sold or not. Just my take which means .... absolutely nothing. Baseball has a long season with many twists and turns. I'm not sure how the season progresses or ends except for my guess in the paragraph above.
  24. tony&rodney
    Carson McCusker is his name. A polished outfielder is not part of his resume. However, McCusker is pretty much similar to Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner out on the grass. Twins fans, including me, have grown to like our current guys and thus put a little shine on their actual play that we might not if these players were wearing a White Sox uniform. In any event, all three of the boppers are bat first baseball players. I'm not privy to what the Twins think about McCusker. Simply based on my watching him from the beginning of last year until the present, Carson has made massive gains in pitch recognition, swing decisions, and overall play. Nobody hits the ball harder. Will he continue to progress enough to require an MLB uniform? That is hard to determine but currently there isn't any reason to use others in the system while Carson sits. McCusker should be in the lineup every day he is healthy, batting in the fourth or fifth spot. McCusker can DH and play right field when the Saints need others for the DH. On a darker note, I wish the Twins would just release players who have some promise that this (Twins) organization/front office does not believe in. At least these players might get a shot in another organization. I was happy for Ronny Henriquez and Brent Headrick. They are now earning MLB wages.
  25. tony&rodney
    The Twins can put a team on the field next year with a $100 million payroll and be as competitive as the team will be in 2025. The major question is who puts that team together. We have not seen much from the current front office group.
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