stringer bell

Featuring my favorite floutist Ian Anderson.

Rojas looks a long way from being a consistent contributor. Prielipp might be there or is close. Too many non-competitive pitches from both and if Prielipp wants to stay in the rotation, he needs to almost always go 5 and occasionally 6 or more innings. He’ll need to cut down on his number of pitches

Tough break for Prielipp, allowing the run on a hopper right over the third base bag after he struck out Robert.

Twins are tied for the second best run differential in the AL and could be in first place by the end of play tonight. That is far more than expected. A lot of players have struggled as much or more than Lee or Lewis. Looking at the two most recent opponents, about half of the Reds and two or three of the Mets have worse numbers. That is why things like whiff rate, strikeout rate and hard-hit rate can indicate the struggle should end. Lewis looked pretty good before the injury and Lee had a good week to ten days. One game against a (likely) future star shouldn’t be the sole basis for determining playing time.

Ironic that a lot of guys who have been heavily criticized helped to win the game--Banda, Sands, Topa, Outman, Wallner, Keaschall and Clemens. But there's always someone who makes outs, in this case Lee and Lewis. The Twins faced a really tough young pitcher and he looked unhittable for five innings, yet they put a crooked number on him and got him out of the game. Well done. The bullpen and defense were of major league quality last night and they won the game. The bullpen and defense in the Reds series were not of major league quality and they lost all three games. Baseball is fun, fascinating and unpredictable. Just don't say that aloud to Mets fans right now.

Nailed it.You should head for the nearest casino.

Banda looked very good in his one inning of work. Honestly, it is the first good inning I've seen him pitch this year. More please. Maybe he need the days off.

I've been beating this drum for a while. The Twins need to know if Martin is part of their core or if he's a short-side platoon player. His offense has been great, his defense is improved and he's a fast runner. The speed hasn't translated into value on the bases or stolen bases. Part of that is stealing bases against left handers is a different game. I don't like Bell playing first that much, but with Bell at first and Larnach the DH, there is room against right handers for Martin.

That would allow them to play one game with 14 position players.

Due to performance or poor roster construction, I have some suggestions that could improve the Twins' roster. 1) Dump Banda. It looks like the Dodgers made the right call on Anthony Banda. His velocity is down and he just hasn't been effective in his appearances for the Twins. I know that relievers are volatile, but it appears that Banda has lost it and at 32, he's not likely to get back. I'm sure all teams have acquired pitchers with fairly impressive resumes who flop when acquired. I'm certain the Twins have had their share.--Addison Reed, Sam Dyson, Alex Colome in recent years. 2) Choose one left handed utility guy. Tristan Gray played more first base than any other position in his major league career coming into this season. If he is the superior hitter to Kody Clemens, both guys really aren't needed. Gray could give any of the four infield starters days off or DH days and fill in at all four positions. Having Clemens on the roster with questionable offensive talent and only playing first or second base seems redundant. 3) Make Ryan Kreidler the defensive specialist and last man on the bench. Kreidler fits the roster better as a right handed hitters and by all reports a good defender both in the infield and outfield. In his very small sample size as a Twin, he's also been okay as a hitter. Outman has looked completely overmatched as a hitter and hasn't hit well since 2023. 4) Give Emmanuel Rodriguez a chance. E-Rod has been the most impressive of the prospects playing in St. Paul. He's getting on base, hitting for a decent average and hitting for power. Rodriguez is regarded as a good outfielder who can cover center field and he is out of minor league options. The sooner the Twins know what they have in him, the sooner they can make decisions about current outfielders. Matt Wallner has struggled and has a rib injury. A short IL stint and rehab in St. Paul might get him going again as the demotion in 2024 did. 5) It's probably time to try Kaelen Culpepper at shortstop. If anything Brooks Lee has regressed on defense at shortstop. We've known all along he doesn't have plus range or arm, so to survive at short, he would have to be automatic on balls he can get to and show a high baseball IQ when it comes to decision making. Neither has been in evidence this spring. I really don't think going to St. Paul will help him become a better defender, but perhaps it could unlock his offense and make him a possible alternative at the other infield positions beyond shortstop. With the possible exception of using Gray as a four-position backup and platoon option, all of these ideas have been mentioned at TD. I have stated repeatedly that this is a transition year and the transition should start pretty early. The two left handed rookie pitchers are on the roster so that is a start. It is about time to shake it up.

Gray was placed on the IL as injuries have continued for ex-Twins.

So, Prielipp covers Abel for the fifteen days he (Abel) is on the IL and Rojas is only up for 4-5 days while Fundy is away? I suppose if Rojas impresses, they could send someone else down or DFA somebody. It would appear that 2026 Prielipp is ahead of 2026 Zebby.

Fixed it for ya' (twice).

I don't know if it is true that the Twins "gave away the bullpen last year for 25 cents on the dollar". For Duran, they received Abel and Tait. For Jax, they got Bradley, and for Varland, they got Rojas (promoted today) and Roden. The returns for Coulombe and Stewart were more modest (Garrett Horn and James Outman respectively). What they didn't do is sign or trade for adequate replacements. By every measure, the current bullpen is among the worst in MLB and it didn't have to be that way.

Both guys have barely been big leaguers and I think it's a lot to ask to throw them into a tight game in the late innings. Further, Acton allowed one (1) hit and all runs against him were unearned. The tenth inning is on the defense ten times more than the pitcher IMHO.

Not really a place for this, so I'll put it in the game recap thread--today marks Taylor Rogers official ten years of service time. The players all seem to pay an inordinate amount of attention to this, so it must be a really big deal. Buxton reached the threshold earlier this month and Josh Bell will go over ten years late in this season, although who knows if it will be with the Twins.

It was my understanding that the Twins have been grooming Morris for multiple innings out of the bullpen. I wouldn't think the multiple innings would often be the eighth and ninth. He's got okay velocity, but his fastball hasn't been his out pitch in the minors. I was stunned when Shelton sent him out for the ninth. I know that Sands and Funderburk had pitched two day in a row, but there were other guys who could throw the ninth (Orze, Acton and Banda). I'm currently speculating that Banda is either going on the IL or getting a DFA, but Orze and Acton were rested (Acton had warmed up earlier) and the following day (today) is a day off. I have consistently said that I thought moving SWR to the bullpen would be a waste since he doesn't have overpowering stuff and his strength is mixing three or four decent pitches. However, his struggles the second and third time through a lineup might indicate that he would be better in shorter outings as a reliever. Still not totally convinced of that.

Expecting Gray to be anything more than a replacement player long-term is pretty much like expecting Kody Clemens to be a big league regular. Gray has looked okay at the plate and done a lot of damage with runners in scoring position, but that is an incredibly small sample size and there's not much to suggest he will sustain the good hitting he has done. The reason I didn't think Gray was a real candidate for the utility role was his defense. He made a key error yesterday and he looks to lack range and arm for both third base and shortstop. Kreidler has the bona fides as a defender, but he's never hit. If we purely want defense, Kreidler should be playing somewhere, but he's probably no better than Outman as a hitter.

More than a chance. It would seem that Rojas will be in the bullpen and rested. In the three games, he should get a shot to pitch. It would be nice to have him throw with a nice cushion, but he might come in for a higher leverage assignment. Prielipp's status is murkier. Is there a pitcher who has an injury concern? Are they planning on sending someone (Morris most likely) down? Is there a DFA in the offing? Banda hasn't pitched since the 15th and wasn't brought into the game yesterday after Morris threw 27 pitches in the eighth. He could be a candidate for the IL or maybe they are at the point of DFAing him. He has been hit hard his last three outings and frankly hasn't been impressive all season. His velocity has been down several mph from his past two seasons with the Dodgers.

Lee has hit better, but the hoped-for defensive improvement hasn't happened. He is still below-average as a hitter even with the improved hitting the last two weeks, so at this point if he is moved off of shortstop, his role would more likely be utility than having a full-time spot at third or second base.

Yup, E-Rod will strike out, probably a lot, but he can run and field better than Wallner. Wallner’s last demotion turned him around, so maybe try it again?

Both Rojas and Prielipp are going to NY. Apparently Rojas will replace Funderburk and Prielipp is on the taxi squad. I expect someone else will be. demoted or placed on IL.

BTW, I think the term should not be “recall” since he’s not been on the active roster yet and he’s not coming back to the majors since he hasn’t been there in the first place.

Dan Hayes is reporting that Prielipp is going to New York with the Twins. For now, he’s on the taxi squad, but that could change.

I am not opposed to change. The soft spots on the team are apparent to most everyone. That said, it isn't as simple as "bring up the kids". There has to be a place to play. It would appear shortstop would be available after watching Lee flail I don't know if Culpepper is better or if he's ready, but it probably would be worth the risk. The position for Jenkins, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez would be corner outfield, and that's a bit more complicated. Larnach has hit well, so has Martin and to be honest, neither Jenkins or Gonzalez has done close to enough to show they can help the team. Rodriguez for Wallner and/or Roden for Outman look like moves to be made, but it looks like Roden is injured.