Sherry Cerny

The simplest standard we can apply to umpires is: let the players determine the outcome of every game. This spring, MLB umpires aren't meeting that expectation. Image courtesy of © Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports No Time for Games Umpires take a lot of flak. It’s understandable. As a baseball fan, it’s almost a rite of passage as a baseball fan to heckle an umpire. This season, it seems almost duly warranted. The umpires have, seemingly, no patience for anyone. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is making a habit of getting the heave-ho, and usually, it’s warranted. Let’s be honest: Boone is a whiner. He has been ejected 35 times since 2018 - the most of any MLB manager. But in the game against the Oakland Athletics on Apr 22, 2024, a fan in the stands was heckling the umpires, and home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt gave no quarter. He immediately blamed Boone, and tossed him. It was the oddest of the ejections thus far this season, but certainly not the only one that raised eyebrows. In the Twins' game against the White Sox on May 1, Byron Buxton attempted to steal second, but during the run, he slowed to a jog with a wince of pain. He passed second base, and as the trainer came out to get him, Buxton felt obvious pain and gingerly walked off the field. As he and trainer Nick Paparesta walked off the field, first-base umpire Rob Drake hollered at Buxton, “Let’s go, hurry up,” and “Get off the field.” Like the Wendelstedt incident, it was an unforced error--an example of poor judgment from men whose entire job is judgment. The umpiring staff has been struggling to keep their composure. On May 4, in the game between the Blue Jays and Washington Nationals, Bo Bichette was frustrated at the plate in the bottom of the fourth, after striking out. Fed up with his own struggles and the team's, Bichette threw his helmet in frustration, and umpire Jonathan Parra immediately ejected him. There seems to be an influx of umpires who are either getting defensive and taking it out on players and coaches or who have legitimate concerns about the structure of the game. The game is already shorter, the bases bigger, and the rules keep changing. Umps face the real and justifiable fear of automated strike-calling, so maybe they are feeling the heat, but their handling of it has been bizarre. The Shrinking Strike Zone One of the fans' favorite things to do in the morning after a game is race to their favorite Twitter handle, Umpire Scorecard, to lament the umpire's job from the night before. The most egregious umpire for detrimental calls is Angel Hernandez, but these days, he's far from alone in having some ugly reports coming in. On May 4, Yankees captain Aaron Judge was at the plate with a 3-2 count, and a pitch came in off the plate outside. Judge assumed that to be a ball, and as he started to take a walk to first, the umpire called strike three. Judge did not like that call, and informed the ump of that. In fact, he made clear what he thought of the entirety of the umpire's game, which earned him and Boone (you guessed it) an ejection. The highlight was people pointing out that former captain Derek Jeter never was ejected in his career, and this ejection was a “quick” response from the umpire. Whether it was or wasn’t, the Umpire didn’t have it, and Judge was ejected. Looking at the ejection, let’s look at the umpire in question. Umpire Ryan Blakney has been around for a few seasons. He’s no Joe West, but he has some tenure and is well-known. This game was low-scoring, highly competitive, and frustrating for both sides, and Blakney was adding fuel to the fire. While his scorecard favored the Yankees lineup, it is evident that he had a rough day behind the plate. Of all the strikes that were called in that game, nine were recorded as strikes and did not even come close to the strike zone. It’s no wonder the teams were frustrated, and that tensions were high. No Solution in Sight... or is there? After reviewing the cards and the grading (which is not official, but it is interesting to look at), the umpires are simply losing control—either of the strike zone or themselves. A tour through the scorecards is a trip. There hasn’t been a change to home plate or the strike zone, but the umpires have undergone a change in attitude and comportment. Now, it cannot be easy to be an umpire, and the Minnesota Twins have had some really good umpires this season. With the exception of a few bad calls, there are much more egregious games out there. There are many ways to track and watch umpires throughout the season; this has been an eye-opening experience. One interesting thing is that the umpires are paid, controlled, and punished by their union, and getting fired for “poor performance” is nearly impossible. There were instances in 2012 and 2007 where repeated offenses of the commissioner's office got two separate umpires suspended for a game, but nothing since then. Poor performance is left up to the union's discretion, and is hard to prove. Yes, even in the case of Hernandez, his lawsuits keep him in the game, which is equally frustrating. There is no set time for robo-umpires, and they may never happen, but it’s clear that the current umpire staff is over-compensating through fear or frustration, making the games frustrating to watch for the fans and frustrating to compete in for the players. While human error is a part of the game, it should include controls and checks and balances for the good of the game. What would that even look like? View full article

Some fans--of the Minnesota Twins themselves, and especially of their rivals--have been dismissive of the team's 10-game winning streak. It's true that they've played bad teams for the last week and a half. Then again, that's the schedule. If the Twins had lost half those contests, the narrative would be how bad they are. So, as they head home to face the Red Sox, it will be a chance to silence the haters and show they have the tools to make it to the postseason. Image courtesy of © David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports The Twins get only two days off in May, and one of them is Thursday. After that, they begin a stretch of 13 games without a day off. The grind begins with a visit from the Red Sox, who are surprisingly sturdy contenders in the AL East. Boston hasn’t had an overly difficult season, but they have struggled against teams like the Guardians and the Orioles, which is a dupe for the Twins' struggles as well. They have injuries, but they also have underrated depth from which they have drawn, and right now, their hitting and pitching are red-hot. Pitchers Duels The Red Sox have suffered some injuries in their pitching staff--namely, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Nick Pivetta--but it hasn’t stopped them from getting great starting pitching. Their remaining staff all have a .589 winning percentage. Tanner Houck is having the season of his life right now, pitching to a 1.60 ERA in 39 innings. He may be their most effective starter, but their bullpen is not easy to exploit. To beat this team, the Twins' pitching will need to control the strike zone and the hitters. The Twins' pitching staff has been adequate in the past three series, but there are some concerns with the first two starters starting the series. Chris Paddack, set to start Friday, and Pablo López, set to start Saturday, have had some velocity issues in their past starts, which can range from a mere blip to a red flag for injury, The starters will have to set the tone to start the series. Luckily, the Twins have had an effective bullpen. They added a fresh arm with Caleb Boushley Wednesday afternoon to replace Cody Funderburk, who was sent back down to Triple-A. Boushley, a 30-year-old minor-leaguer, has been successful, but something else is needed. He certainly will be a candidate to spare some of the more heavily used middle relievers on the staff, giving Rocco Baldelli multiple innings, which will be much needed. Giving Boston a pitcher they have never seen before could be an excellent strategic move. What matters is that when, Boston’s pitchers are on the mound, the lineup keeps the contact high and the chase rate low. Keep up Contact Hitting Baldelli is infamous for bringing in different hitters to face lefty or righty pitchers, meaning substitutions in the field. There needs to be more consistency in the lineup, as the constant movement of players can disrupt routines, quirks, and mechanics. The boys are having fun toting around a three-pound sausage as a good luck charm (and it’s working), but there was a change in the second White Sox series that has to be picked up before playing Boston. Monday marked the return of Carlos Correa and the demotion of Austin Martin, and while the Twins won the game, they certainly were struggling again at the plate. Correa is undoubtedly glad to be back, but he hasn’t looked very comfortable at the plate. Maybe he's easing in, getting the feeling of the bat again. In Martin's absence, Manuel Margot was aggressive at the plate during the White Sox series, helping secure some runs. Willi Castro looks to be back to himself, Alex Kirilloff is continuing to wreak havoc, and even Kyle Farmer is finding himself at the plate, which is going to be essential to stay ahead of Boston on the scoreboard. The Sox have scored 4.8 runs per game so far in 2024. They're down a couple of big-name regulars, in Trevor Story and Triston Casas, but Tyler O’Neill is answering all their problems. O’Neill has been one of the best hitters in the AL so far, and needs to be controlled at the plate, specifically in the strike zone. O’Neill can destroy the fastball, but he has a whiff rate of 30.4% against off-speed and 40.8% against breaking balls. That is the norm for the Red Sox. They have many extremely hard hitters, but they lack discipline at the plate when it comes to chasing the offspeed stuff. The Twins match up with them well in that way, because only one team in baseball throws fastballs less often than they do. As it happens, it's the Red Sox. The nood news is that the Twins are playing at home. There is nothing like a good home crowd, and the Twins fans have been loud and fervent (if few in number) this season. The atmosphere at Target Field has been electric. Nothing about this series says the team can’t take two of three and continue on through the season and climb in the win column, even against “good” teams. View full article

You know that I didn't think of Margot, I was seeing red over Martin and not Larnach or Miranda.

Dr, you are making me blush!!! Thank you! I am trying to get better. NOW I do know that his fielding could use some work in the aspect that he is in charge down there but struggled a bit with Buck in the field with him, so I for sure am excited to see his growth.

That is quite okay! I knew this was a stretch for some people. For me last night it was evident that his bat was missing. Some say that this is to keep Margot 'trying'...I am not sure how accurate that is! But, I suppose it could be! Martin will absolutely be back and I am so excited for when that is!

fully agree!!! I just miss him!!!

Finally, here at the end of a month that gave them plenty of bad problems, the Minnesota Twins have to navigate a good one. They sent out a rookie who had earned a better fate this week, to make room for a superstar on an increasingly loaded roster. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports There's no need to rehash the bad start the Twins had, because they have turned it around and the bats are on fire. A large part of that is thanks to rookie Austin Martin, who came up on Mar. 30 and immediately made an impact. Martin was drafted in 2020, and had one of the best bats in the draft. Injuries (plus a developmental detour or two) slowed his ascent to the big leagues, but he came to spring training healthy and ready, and when Royce Lewis got hurt on Opening Day, the club called him up. Martin has been an integral part of the Twins. His bat has been one of the best on the team, driving in six runs and scoring 16 to keep the team above water. While he is not the owner of the sausage, maybe Martin was the magic the team needed, and to see him sent down deserved a moment of reflection. Notably, later call-ups Trevor Larnach and José Miranda stayed put. Neither Miranda nor Larnach have made the impact that Martin has. Miranda certainly made a splash in 2022 when he came up for the Twins, but his 2023 and the start to his 2024 were anything but impactful. Miranda was brought up on Apr. 8, and has been comparable to Martin in the numbers that he has helped drive in, but his at-bats are streaky, with no consistency. There is an argument for Larnach, who certainly has a better batting average, but in the big picture, he doesn’t get on base as much as Martin. Larnach has a .379 batting average, but fewer appearances and fewer at-bats, so he's made less of an absolute contribution. Larnach's RBIs and runs are equal, at seven, and doesn’t have stolen bases or some of the ancillary skills Martin has. Larnach has shown how great he can be in clutch situations, but can’t hit both lefties and righties like Martin can. Martin bats .250 against righties, with only a 21% whiff rate and .167 with a 13.9% whiff rate against lefties. The latter number is ugly, but it would regress upward with time. Larnach is a great hitter; there is no argument there. However, the plate discipline that Martin has is one of the best on the team, and his speed sets him apart from Miranda and Larnach around the bases. He came around to score a staggering 79 percent of the times he reached base during his big-league stint, and while some of the credit for that goes to teammates, his legs deserve to be counted when choosing among fringe options like these. Larnach’s sprint speed is in the bottom half of the league, with Miranda’s speed hanging out slightly above that. Martin has two stolen bases and six doubles on the season. In each of the games where Martin hit into a double, the Twins won. It’s not saying that he is the reason for the win, but his contribution to the team is undeniable in that aspect. Willi Castro and Buxton took a bit to be productive at the plate like Martin was. Martin’s stolen bases equal Buxton and Castro put together. It's the same with doubles and RBIs. Martin’s speed is an absolute necessity on this squad and will be missed. Eventually, Royce Lewis will return to the roster, but that remains far off on the horizon. Until then, perhaps the team feels more comfortable with Miranda defensively than with Martin playing the infield. Still, this move was a bit of a bummer. Being objective as a fan and a writer can be hard at times. Baseball is a business, but it’s also hard to watch the guys to whom fans get attached sent back down or be traded. The good thing is, this is a good problem to have. View full article

There is still no word on Lewis, but I have to think it's getting close??? Because on March 28 it was at LEAST a month. So....I am impatiently waiting. I am HOPING after this Chicago series because May looks atrocious.

Thank you!!!! That means a lot. I am taking more reps to improve! We should NEVER get complacent, ever. I worry about trap games, so I am praying the bats and sausage keep doing what they are supposed to!

While finding out about the sausage has been amazing, I really have enjoyed watching Margot and Santana. I really hope that they keep it moving when the sausage explodes lol. They need one made out of Resin or something!

I am WAY excited for SWR, I really want him to stay. He's been working hard and I really think he is ready, but against these teams is one thing, his resilience will show in May.

Right!?!?! That's my hope! I am praying I didn't dog down on the Sox too much that they actually get a win against us lol

The Minnesota Twins' miserable start is understandable. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have been more burdened by injury trouble this spring. Unlike the Rays, though, the Twins have turned things around--and they're about to start getting healthy. Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Twins suffered major blows with injuries early in the season, especially in the forms of Max Kepler, Royce Lewis, and Carlos Correa. The club started the season against some of the better teams in the league, and playing shorthanded left them sitting ducks. The injuries sucked the life out of the team: the bats died, and they fell into a spiral not only in the Central, but in the American League. Briefly, the Twins were in the cellar, alongside the Astros(?!), White Sox, and Athletics, looking at a dismal, long season. After the first series against the Kansas City Royals, the Twins plunged to a sub-.200 batting average and roughly a .300 winning percentage over the next three weeks. Nothing they could do at the plate made any difference. Their timing was off, their approach was worse, and if guys finally got on base, no one would get them home. Offensively, the guys were a mess. After being swept by Baltimore, with only a few days left in the month, the Twins headed home to play host to the Tigers and White Sox. They weren't able to get right against the upstart Detroiters, and things began to look truly grim. Leading up to the White Sox series, the team's batting average was .179, and the pitching was unable to conjure wins with no run support. Byron Buxton, Edouard Julien, Carlos Santana and Willi Castro looked like they were on a high-school team. The newest acquisitions, Manuel Margot and Santana, were utterly lost at the plate and the only one producing was Austin Martin. The questions of what was wrong were everywhere, but there was no answer. There was something wrong with the bats, and the only way to get better, was to use the White Sox to get their groove back and at least win the series. The Twins did that and then some. They dug deep and plowed right through four games against the White Sox with their first sweep of the season, one featuring both blowouts and big comebacks. The White Sox have never been great. For over a decade and a half, they have been the team you beat when you need to bring your averages up, but only talented and resilient teams actually convert on the opportunity that series presented. The Twins proved themselves to be such a team. It was on to Anaheim next. The Angels aren't a much better team than the White Sox, but they are more dangerous, so if Minnesota wanted to win this series, the bats would have to keep working. The Angels, recently taken over by Ron Washington, are essentially in a rebuild mode, but they still have dangerous hitters. Luckily, their pitching was not nearly as intact as their hitting, and the defense was lacking. The Twins took every advantage they could to expose all the gaps, and ran up the scores. Kyle Farmer, the lone player who had seemed not to shake things loose against the White Sox, got in on the action, getting two runs and two RBIs to help the club fly past the Angels for a three-game sweep. That makes seven wins in a row, back-to-back sweeps, and a record on the right side of .500. The injuries remain a headline for the Twins. Only the Rays (who just got swept on a visit to the South Side this weekend, leaving the White Sox with a bit of newfound confidence as the Twins come to town) have been notably more depleted by the injured list than have the Twins so far. Both Carlos Correa and Jhoan Durán are nearing returns, though, so by the end of this week, opponents will have to deal with a more representative version of the 2023 AL Central champs. In the meantime, they just need to keep Chicago down. The White Sox are the least relevant team in the league, except in that they gave the Twins the capability to start their climb out of the hole they have been in since their home opener against the Guardians. The White Sox and the Angels were simply a means to an end, and now that the team is nearer full strength, they should be able to keep rolling. With a fully healthy roster, April will seem like just a bad dream; the Twins will have everything they need to be in a postseason hunt. View full article

yep! We have editors. :)

Lol, I will let him know :)

lol okay. Some things are also changed by my editor.

It was edited :)

I never said trading polanco was the key to securing the position. it just worked out that way. period.

Okay Brian, we get it. lol. calm down. it's just an article.

Yeah, that wasn't my original sentence. I don't think we got a haul either. In my original I noted that we got those players, but that they haven't worked out quite yet, but that's not the focus of the article. I would LOVE to see him stay in against lefties!!! it's been fun watching him make contact and work

Maybe it was a promotional article. Maybe it was to help people find something good about this team with everything going on. But, it was about baseball, it was about a baseball player. Just because it wasn't stacked with numbers and stats, doesn't mean it's not a baseball article. It's an op piece stating why Julien is a good - or even better - replacement for Polanco.

A larger sample is always better - but if we waited for a larger sample - we wouldn't have any articles in the beginning of the season ;)