stringer bell

For the season and particularly since the All-Star break, Josh Bell, Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis should be in the lineup every day. Larnach has been strictly platooned and despite slowing down a bit since the All-Star break, is having a career year. The same could be said for Clemens, although he is currently in a deep slump. I'm sure that the Twins will go with a healthy Buxton before trying to get a spark from a highly touted minor leaguer. What were Roden's numbers at AAA? How about Matt Wallner, Kyler Fedko or Aaron Sabato? If he put up .838 OPS for more than a week for the Twins it would be impressive, but not in St. Paul I'll grant a a deeper look at Jenkins' numbers seem to indicate that he might be able to better handle big league pitching than the guys I listed, but there's nothing that shows he can make this club considerably better or that he or Rodriguez would merit playing time over Larnach or Keaschall. IMHO, the key to getting the Twins offense back in gear wears #25. I am not optimistic that he will hit like he did in the first half of the season and that he'll be healthy for the last seven weeks.

ERod and Jenkins haven't knocked down the door to play for the Twins and both missed long stretches with injuries (Rodriguez the much longer stretch). I don't see either getting recalled this season unless there is an injury and if that occurs after the Twins are eliminated, it would Rodriguez in order to keep Jenkins off the 40-man roster, especially with the likelyhood of a lockout next spring. If Buxton returns as anticipated, there really isn't any place for those guys to play this year, as much as people are calling for it. Neither is a backup catcher or infielder where the soft spots in the lineup are currently playing.

Buxton for Roden, hoefully by this weekend.

The hitting numbers in St. Paul all seem to be inflated. I don't trust production at AAA much at all. Hence my skepticism about Jenkins, but especially Sabato and Wallner. I think the best available RH outfielder is Austin Hays (if healthy). Martin would still fit on the roster until Buxton is cleared to play in the outfield.

Clemens, Caratini, Lee and Kreidler have all been in snags so the manager is starting them against the toughest starting pitcher to hit in MLB. Thanks skip! Actually, maybe facing an ace is what they need. After all Miz is no Noah Cameron or Randy Dobnak. A long road trip followed by a long homestand (with a trip to Dyersville in the middle). I’m sure the players are eager to get home.

IMHO Lewis had two consecutive seasons ruined by injuries and is wasn't the ACLs. The soft tissue injuries put Royce on the shelf and he came back twice when he wasn't ready and was a shadow of himself. The conclusion of 2025 wasn't great, but he was healthier and moving like a young man instead of Giancarlo Stanton. You'll note his sprint speed is up this year and he's 11-11 in stolen bases. The confidence is back and he's hitting very well. I still think there are a few too many moving parts in his hitting approach and that he'll have slumps, but this is a talented guy who has come to terms with what his body offers and he's going to have success for a while. I hope the expectations don't go back to budding superstar and people appreciate what they have. Also, I don't think a return to regular duty at third base is out of the question.

Royce and Fundy are making up for scuffling early this year, for sure. The slumping players need to come out of it. Tomorrow looks like a mismatch, but you never know in baseball.

Second straight left hander. I'll be interested in the starting lineup. My guess is Jackson at first, Lewis at second, Culpepper at short and Lee at third with Martin, Keaschall and Kreidler in the OF, maybe Jeffers behind the plate. The lefty hitters get the Miz on Sunday. Sounds like fun. Bullpen would be Rogers, Fundy, Minter, Adams and maybe Nance.

I dreamed a dream--Cleveland sweeps Chicago, Minnesota sweeps Milwaukee and San Francisco sweeps Detroit. The Twins go home in a virtual three-way tie for first.

Corner OF, pinch-hit. He would replace Alan Roden for now and perhaps Martin if/when there is full health in position players. Speaking of which, injuries to Buxton and Jeffers notwithstanding, the Twins have been extraordinarily healthy on the position player side. Not so much with the pitching unfortunately.

Players have peaks and valleys, some deeper than others. Caratini is deep in a funk and I see no reason to use him just to get a platoon advantage. I’d prefer Jackson to Caratini for offense right now, but it appears the pitchers like throwing to Vic. A whole bunch of guys aren’t hitting, but they’ll get over it.

The White Sox just released this guy today. He's been injured nearly all year but is apparently healthy now. His strength is that he hits left handed pitching, which is something the Twins have lacked, particularly of late.

A bumpy ride on defense today for sure. His dad says he wants Kaelen to win gold gloves, so I guess defense is a priority. I don't think Culpepper is supposed to be a better defender than Kreidler, but he should be an improvement over Gray or Lee.

Two back in the division. Six games left with the Pale Hose, three left (at home) with Cleveland. The easiest way to postseason is to win the AL Central.

I would say that Lewis should be considered at third base. i am a bit surprised that Lee has been given third base for all intents and purposes. IMHO Lee hasn’t done enough as a hitter to be guaranteed a regular spot. He’s been decent defensively there, but he’s Brooks Lee not Brooks Robinson. Regarding Lewis, he hasn’t looked good at second base—reminds me of when Cuddy tried ro play there.