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darwin22

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Everything posted by darwin22

  1. darwin22
    Fair point on Moran's performance in 12th, but the DP was greatly aided by Anderson jogging (at best) to 1B. Maybe his legs were sore from booting Miranda's ground ball in the top of the inning?
  2. darwin22
    Late getting tuned into the game as "golf weather" here in KC area was too good to stay inside---especially after the last 2 frustrating losses. My "top 3" hero's of the game: 1. Brock Stewart: Pitched his way out of a huge jam in the 10th---striking out the side after starting the inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Very impressive! 2. Nick Gordon: By far his best 3-game stretch of the season! His double to the gap extended the lead to 4-2 (should've been 2 RBI if not for Jeffers being the trail runner at 1B). With a plethora of bats know struggling---nice to see Gordon break out of his season long funk in this series------3 for 7 (2 HRs and todays double) with 3 RBI. 3. Pagan: Yes! The Human Sacrifice, Emilio extended the game to the 12th with a scoreless 11th with 2 Ks. Pretty frustrating losing this series to the Sox, who have been pretty awful all season. Can't be surprised losing 2 of 3 when the offense as a whole did literally next to nothing over 3 games AB: 106 Hits: 16 AVG: .151 K's: 38/ almost 13 per game RISP: 5-27/ .185 avg. Hoping the new surroundings in CLE will get the bats of Gallo and especially Larnach going.
  3. darwin22
    Two pretty simple reasons for loss: 1. Offense goes 0-11 with RISP. Pathetic. 2. Walks will haunt---both leadoff walks in 8th (Jax) and 9th (Duran) both scored. Also, sure don't understand Rocco's thinking pitching to Perez in 8th with 1st base open. Not only has Perez demonstrated he's a monster at Target Field for years, but he was 5-7 lifetime against Perez prior to his AB. Very frustrating loss which hopefully will motivate Baldelli NOT to trot out the JV lineup tomorrow! Absolutely zero reason, with an off day Monday, to see multiple hitters sitting vs. Brady Singer.
  4. darwin22
    Very concerned about potential DL stint for Mahle. With Maeda likely headed to IL it appears that not only Ober, but Varland will be back in rotation by next week. Good to see bats start early tonight and add on runs. Confused by Baldelli's use of Duran in 9th with a 6-run lead?
  5. darwin22
    Late to join the conversation, but after the strong performance today by Headrick (5 IP/ 83 pitches....allowing only 2 ER on 3 hits and 2 BB to go with 8K's, imo, he's the man for the job. I have zero faith in Sands. Winder, though, merits strong consideration if Headrick moves higher in the pecking order as #2 LH RP behind Thielbar. This could be happening very soon as Moran needs to be demoted to SP. Moving Maeda into a long relief role is a pretty much a moot point now after getting lit up trying to pitch hurt. I expect a long absence is coming.
  6. darwin22
    Always....repeat ALWAYS a good day when the Twins beat the Evil Empire! Beyond the amazing (bulldog) performance by Sonny Gray, Polanco is showing how important he can be to this lineup. Also nice to see Kepler hit the ball with authority tonight. Can't remember the last time Mad Max had a 3-hit game. As mentioned earlier, I thought the biggest positive from our offense tonight (minus Correa) was patience and taking good ABs throughout the early innings. This was most evidenced in the 3rd inning as Vazquez worked a walk on 7 pitches. Michael A. Taylor followed with the best AB of the night singling up the middle on the 8th pitch of his AB off Brito. Later in the inning, Larnach worked his 2nd walk of the night (12 pitches), which knocked Brito out of the game. If this offense can continue to work counts like tonight they MIGHT be able to survive the miniscule production their getting from Correa, Buxton and Miranda. Correa's 2nd and 3rd ABs----both whiffs---came in key spots with RISP---bases loaded and runners on 1st and 3rd. Just horrible! His (gift) triple in the 9th was his only productive AB of the night. Will finish with this. I hate to do this on Moran's birthday, but it must be said. He needs a reset NOW in AAA. I love his pitch mix, but his command is brutal. With Thielbar and Headrick as LH RP's what is the downside of demoting him to SP with the intent to get his mechanics/ confidence improved?
  7. darwin22
    Complete embarrassment.
  8. darwin22
    Glad to see the bats come alive tonight! I must admit I didn't watch as I needed a serious "mental health break" after watching every minute of the last 3 games. Will be interesting to see how long Headrick stays up considering the recent command issues that Moran has suffered.
  9. darwin22
    Echoing the comments of many as prior to this series I would've been elated with a split considering our horrendous record over the years vs. the Yanks. Saying that, pretty deflating last 2 games---scoring 1 run. This offense, collectively, is not very good as evidenced by the fact that they rank 12th in the AL with 63 runs scored--outscoring only the A's, Tigers and Royals. Being in 1st place just shows how strong our starting pitching (minus Mahle) has been. Today marked the 7th game (of 16) that the offense has produced 2 runs or less. Overall, 10 of 16 games (62.5%) with 3 runs or less. Getting Gallo back this week and hopefully Polanco within the next 10 days will spark the offense. Got to believe that Miranda will get his bat going soon. Buxton looked totally clueless the last 2 games. Just brutal. As for Kepler, what is there to say? I know just off the DL, but 2-22 (.091) speaks for itself. Time to move onto Boston and find a way to win a series.
  10. darwin22
    Thanks for your information and insight. Hopefully Gordon can get "it" figured out. Its getting late early concerning his future in this organization.
  11. darwin22
    Agree with your assessment of replacements--namely Kepler replacing Wallner and Gallo replacing Garlick. My follow up question is who to demote when Polanco is ready to be activated? IMO, the easy answer is Castro or Julien. Saying that, how much longer does Nick Gordon have to get going? Does he have an option remaining? If so, I think the front office has to give serious consideration to sending Gordon down to find his stroke/ getting his confidence going. Gordon is now 4-40 on the season. 4 for 40. I know Castro doesn't offer much more.....hitting .118 (2-17) and is the likely player to gets demoted to SP when Polo is deemed healthy. Saying that, IF Gordon has a option remaining, he's in desperate need of a "system reset" at St. Paul. Gordon needs a 10-14 day stint in AAA getting consistent (and productive) ABs. Although Castro offers little more than Gordon offensively, he can revert (soon) to being a bench player. Assuming Gordon can get his batting stroke worked out at SP, he can easily brought back with Castro taking his place at SP.
  12. darwin22
    12-8-1-0-0-0 For those wondering what those numbers mean----it was Pagan's line tonight: 12 pitches 8 strikes 1 K------Volpe on swinging strike three to end the inning 0 hits allowed 0 BB 0 Runs As much as criticism as I've voiced (rightfully so) about Pagan's failures----tonight--at least tonight in Yankee Stadium of all places he was very successful and worthy of being a key contributor to a Twins win.
  13. darwin22
    I agree with the majority of opinions expressed as its far too early to become overly concerned with Correa's slow start. As mentioned he experienced a similar start last season in April. Saying that, I do believe its important to note that despite an excellent end to his season in September--.345/.405/.600 with 7 HRs and 18 RBI---by that time the Twins had fallen out of contention as CLE took control of the division as the Twins floundered down the stretch. What many fail to point out was what Correa did during the months of July and August when the Twins were still leading the division and trying to hold onto their lead with a plethora of injuries. Correa's stats over July and August 2022: AB: 179 Hits: 42*/ 31 of which were singles .AVG: .235 EBH: 11 Slug %: .369 With the current rash of injuries---this team cannot afford Correa to have a ANOTHER mid season 2-month slump if they have any desire to play meaningful games in September or October.
  14. darwin22
    Considering we had a "C" team (not even JV) lineup against Cease, I was surprised to lose by 1-run. Sure didn't think by 10th game of season we'd have a lineup missing 4 starters that were in opening day lineup. Other than a center cut spinning slider that Alberto crushed for a 3-run bomb, I thought Maeda pitched ok. Despite some command issues, I was pleased to see Moran throw 2 shutout innings. Hopefully certain players are healthier and rested and in lineup tomorrow night.
  15. darwin22
    I hope your correct as Moran has "the stuff" to be a key component in our pen. His issue (as with most younger pitchers) is command and consistency. None of the potential bullpen arms in SP right now---Dobnak, Winder (hurt), DeLeon, Rodriguez or Headrick (only LH)---are that appealing.
  16. darwin22
    Hope that is not the case, but with ANOTHER day game on Monday, I doubt Baldelli uses Duran as threw 19 pitches Friday and then had to reload in the pen as Moran was unraveling in the 9th. Assuming Mahle can go 5+ (hopefully more) tomorrow, I can envision Baldelli going to Alcala first followed by Thielbar. If that can get us into the 8th, then a combo of Jax (25 pitches) and Lopez (22 pitches last two games, but only 8 today) to finish what is hopefully another W.
  17. darwin22
    Agree with your assessment 100%! Saying that I've been a fan of Moran since I saw him pitch for the Wind Surge in Wichita a couple of years ago. He has a fantastic changeup, but has struggled with his consistency. That was evidenced today as he got Alvarez to fly out in the 9th and then whiffed Tucker after Abreu's infield single. Really disappointed he failed miserably in the match up with Pena, who had been struggling to make contact all day. Just wondering at this point how many more outings Moran will get should his struggles continue. IMO we absolutely need another LH in the pen beyond Thielbar. Should Moran get demoted soon is Megill his replacement? Cant say I'm excited by that.
  18. darwin22
    Lots of hits left in that bat---I'm hoping as Correa took another collar (0-5) today with 3 Ks. Am I in the minority camp of being concerned about him? Everyone likes to point to his excellent September last season--and it was very good. Saying that, not much of any mention is made of his AWFUL numbers post ASB through the end of August. That just happened to be the time period when we really needed his bat with Buxton (and others) out injured.
  19. darwin22
    Ugh! Very deflating end to this road trip after a 4-0 start. On the positive side I was very impressed with the outing of Lopez. Also, Larnach continues to be a key part of lineup getting the game-tying hit off of Luzardo. On the flip (negative) side a couple of things: #1 Easy to lay blame on Thielbar for giving up go ahead run and then the game-ending BOMB by Soler. Thielbar has demonstrated his effectiveness for a long period and got a huge 2nd out whiffing Arraez. Saying that, am I the only Twins fan wondering why our BEST RP---Duran was not brought into the game to face Arraez? Duran hasn't pitched since opening day. I know he was unavailable in KC on Sunday, but hadn't heard anything that would've kept him out today. I would've preferred to see Duran against Arraez and DeLaCruz instead of Thielbar. #2 I know only a small sample size-------but in 4 of our 6 games this offense has only produced 6 runs. Collectively in those 4 games the following numbers are horrible---remember 2 of those were against Zack Greinke & Jordan Lyles Avg: .184 (24-130) EBH: 3---------2 doubles (Buxton & Jeffers) 1 triple- Buxton HR-0 Slug Pct: .215---------yes .215-----that is beyond awful! LOB: 26 K's: 34*--including 12 today with every batter whiffing at least once. Our starting pitching has been excellent all season. Bullpen, other than today, has been very good. Buxton, Gallo and Larnach need our other "core hitters"----namely Correa, Miranda and Kepler---to get their bats going. Those 3 have combined to go 10-61 (.163) with only 5 RBI and 2 extra base hits.
  20. darwin22
    Game script was fairly easy to predict especially with Buxton & Kepler out of the lineup. Alcantara is an absolute stud, who proved it tonight. Just thankful we don't have to face him again this season. Not the Cardinals have struggled over the past few seasons, but looking back on it now I bet they wished they had held onto him----as well as Zac Gallen--- when they traded for Marcel Ozuna in December 2017. Very encouraged by Maeda's start tonight and hopeful his arm issue is nothing serious. I know Ober is waiting in the wings at SP, but his first start wasn't too successful. With all our main BP arms rested with an off day TH, I would think Rocco will be aggressive in pulling Lopez at the first hint of trouble. Saying that, I expect Lopez to be ready to roll giving us a strong 5-6 IP. The key is getting Luzardo's pitch count up early to get into Marlins bullpen. I'm assuming Rocco will rest Kepler, which will likely keep Gordon in the lineup in LF. I would fully expect Donovan Solano to start at 2B as he's 4-7 (.571 avg) against Luzardo. Buxton will be back tomorrow. Would be great to see the bats heat up early allowing Lopez to take control.
  21. darwin22
    Nate: Excellent summary of the game tonight! I realize its only game #4, but its been very satisfying the last two games seeing our hitters "add on" runs after taking a lead. Far too many games last season when the failure to do that resulted in a loss. Seriously tough match up tomorrow for our hitters tomorrow vs. Alcantara. Will be interesting to see how Rocco alters the lineup (leadoff) if Kepler is unavailable. I could venture a guess that Gordon could leadoff starting in LF with Larnach moving over to RF. If that happens, either Castro or Solano could get the start at 2B as Farmer is 0-6 against Alcantara. Will be interesting to see what Maeda can deliver tomorrow night. I'm hoping for 5 IP with 3 or less runs. Will need multiple bullpen arms to cover the last 4 (or more) innings. Hate to quote the immortal Ebbie Calvin LaLoosh----but....."Man, I love winning! It's like better than losing" Go Twins!
  22. darwin22
    Count me in the minority here----thats fine, but if, as fans, we're going to be forced into watching Max Kepler's continued ineptitude at the plate----can we at LEAST see him moved down to the bottom third of the batting order? Kepler is 0-13. This is not a knee-jerk reaction to three bad games. His hitting woes have been well documented over the past two years. I realize Kepler is not the only regular not hitting (Correa 2-13, Miranda 2-11 as well as others), but a move down in the lineup MIGHT get him going. If this team has aspirations of playing meaningful games in September, how long is the leash for Kepler being our everyday RF?
  23. darwin22
    I wasn't surprised to see Lopez get the 8th inning as he only needed 8 pitches yesterday to lock down the 9th inning. I was pretty certain that neither Jax nor Thielbar would get called on. What shouldn't be surprising was Rocco going to Pagan in the 9th. The time has long passed to have to spoon feed Pagan's confidence level. It took Pagan only 4 pitches to serve up a ringing double and a scorched line drive for a single to force Rocco to get Jax warming up. Pagan did recover, but luckily it was the Royals at the bottom of their lineup. Hopefully, somebody in SP bullpen will pitch well enough over the next month to force a roster move resulting in Pagan getting dfa'ed.
  24. darwin22
    Seth: Thanks for the insight/breakdown of the Wind Surge roster. As most fans are, I'm most excited to see how Lee develops this season. I'm hoping he gets off to a strong start and forces management into moving him up to SP by the middle of July (or earlier). Also quite interested to see the progression of Festa as I saw him pitch in Cedar Rapids last year. Wil Holland is also high on my list. Great speed and bat made strides last season. Keirsey and Soularie need an injury free season as both could be realistic MLB options by 2025. The most pivotal player, imo, career wise is Sabato. His OBP has been good along with the occasional power production, but his propensity to whiff at a "Sano-esque" rate is alarming. Another poor season could result in a DFA.
  25. darwin22
    Accurate comment as he's 7-19 (.368) with 2 HRs......but would ask if the majority of those hits came in Kepler's fraud of a season in 2019?
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