stringer bell

I presume you mean the starting pitchers. Both teams have pretty much performed to expectations. It would seem today will be a big news day on the injury front. Buxton and Correa were nicked and basically missed the last two games, Miranda could be off the IL as soon as tomorrow, Martin and Farmer could come off IL this weekend and we’re due for updates on Stewart (rehab) and Topa and Kirilloff.

The asking price for Taylor, Kiermaier and Hoskins was out of the Twins’ self-imposed budget restrictions. For the dollars spent, the Twins got good value for Santana and probably have done okay so far with Margot. The front office also decided to keep Farmer for $6M+, which made further or more expensive additions impossible. I’m not overly critical of the decisions, but it hasn’t been a clear win.

Zack Weiss has been moved off the 60-day IL and outrighted to St. Paul. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/twins-outright-zack-weiss.html

Good for Matthews and (I think) good for the organization. I will believe he is ready to help the Twins if he has continued success with the Saints. I'm not sold on Varland in the bullpen either. The sample size is too small to guarantee he can come up and dominate major league hitters.

Boushley accepted outright assignment to St. Paul. He stays in the organization as depth. Adding Zebby to the Saints rotation might cause someone to lose their job, but I guess it won't be Boushley. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/caleb-boushley-accepts-outright-assignment-with-twins.html

I think the head-to-head games between the Twins and Guardians will determine the Central champ. The Twins would have to win seven of eight against Cleveland to get the tiebreaker, but six of eight would make up almost all the ground between the two clubs. Health and pitching will determine if they can overtake Cleveland.

Oh, I think it does. Football fans all except for the really terrible teams, are convinced this year is their year.

The other topic in this thread has to do with diminished attendance. It probably deserves its own thread, but since others have commented, I guess I'll weigh in as well: 1) Fear of going to the ballpark in Minneapolis. While I admit, I haven't gone to many night games in the last couple of years, it has more to do with driving a substantial distance late at night with aging eyes. I don't think going to Target Field is particularly dangerous and I've seen plenty of law enforcement around before and after games. It seems that perception becomes reality, especially when there are votes to be had by portraying urban areas as blighted by crime. 2) Public relations. The TV situation has been an epic fail. To promise only one thing (no blackouts) and then not deliver on that is feeble and weak. Taking the higher dollars (and then not spending it) from Bally is a PR nightmare in and of itself. Combine that with the Comcast snafu and it is a toxic mess for fan interest. Proclaiming that payroll will be cut and following that up with comments about "right sizing" future payrolls is plenty to suck optimism from a fan base looking for a big winner. 3) Baseball itself is losing popularity. Compared to the early 2000s, attendance is down quite a bit. Maybe it has to do with COVID, maybe with popularity of other sports. I thought the "speed up" adjustments of the past couple of years would help, but growth (if any) has been slow. 4) Minnesota isn't a baseball hotbed. Well, there are other things to do and follow. This remains an area that is more Vikings than Twins and both the Wild and Timberwolves get good interest. 1991 is a long time ago and people want to support a champion, or at least a team they think can get there.

I'll add that if somehow the Twins could get rid of Kyle Farmer's contract, they'd probably acquire someone who makes about the same amount of money. An even more remote possibility would be trading Max Kepler and then spending what the Twins had remaining of his contract.

As they did at the end of the off season, the Twins won’t spend much, if any, money on acquisitions. Perhaps they can find a rental reliever for less than $1M, but don’t expect any player with significant salary to be added.

DFA for Keuchel, release waivers for Sanó. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/brewers-designate-dallas-keuchel-for-assignment.htmlhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/angels-release-miguel-sano.html

Injuries come in bunches and the infield is being hit hard now. Key guys Correa, Buxton, Miranda and Lewis injuries are all concerning. It is a good thing to have Brooks Lee available and also have Castro available to help in the infield.

Not good news. PF seldom gets better on its own. If he’s out for an extended time, I’d bet on Lee taking over at shortstop.

Boushley DFA’d to make room for Castillo on the 40-man. It wouldn’t surprise me if Castillo is DFA’d as soon as tomorrow.

My daughter and another Joe moment.

Yes, the Twins really only need to worry about themselves. In the last 60 games, they'll play the Guards eight times. Whoever wins a majority of those games probably wins the Central.

It's another "Meatloaf" rubber game. While I think the Twins have a decent chance, they've won a bunch of deciding games in three-game series. At some point, they'll lose one. I assume Castillo will get the start somewhere (second base?) depending on Correa's health and if he got to SF at a reasonable hour.

It appears (with an extremely small sample size) that Lee is the second best defensive shortstop and the best defender at both second and third base. Slotting him at second, but moving him to short or third in the event of a Correa or Lewis injury makes sense. Lewis’ injury history makes it essential that there is a guy to step in.

The other Diego Castillo is being called up. A 40-man move will have to be made with the active roster move of Miranda going on the IL.

So, two days of basically running in place. Cleveland, KC, Detroit, Boston, Houston and probably Seattle all split the first two days this weekend, not changing the standings.

When the Twins were en route to SF, the most banged up player was probably Jeffers. There seemed to be enough depth that adding Camargo would allow DHing of Jeffers/Vázquez plus allow running for Jeffers or hitting for Vázquez. But the baseball gods seem to have a sense of irony (or humor) so we have scratches of Miranda and Correa in consecutive days with Buxton also being out today. If any of the three can’t play tomorrow, it would make sense to place any of them on the IL with five days off after Sunday.

Ward was a good all-around player who got a late start in major league baseball, still a rookie at age 27. He was the best position player on the Twins when they moved to the Metrodome in 1982. The Twins made a savvy move trading him when they did and getting two starting pitchers in return.

That’s my daughter giving Joe a high five.

As we approach the All-Star break, Arráez has not been a difference maker since the Padres acquired him from Miami. He was quickly switched to first base and with the return of Bogaerts, looks to be the team's primary DH. Arráez' BA is .305 and his OBP is .338. His slugging is .372, lowest among the top 50 qualifiers in MLB. His OPS is .710, 89th among batting qualifiers. As mentioned before, Arraez' walk rate is down considerably (3.7%, less than half of the league average of 8.5%) and he's hitting with even less power (career low ,067 ISO) so that .300+ average is pretty empty. His next arbitration contract should be fascinating. It wouldn't be surprising if Arraez wins another batting championship, but with his limited defensive and base running skills and lack of power, he's a bit of a one-trick pony. He's the best contact hitter in baseball and it's not even close,

I believe they ran for Jeffers. I don't think he was pinch-hit for. Yes, it looked like he was limping a couple times in the past ten days or so. Having Camargo will allow substituting for either Jeffers or Vázquez. the Twins do face two left handed starters from the Giants and then there is the All-Star break. I wouldn't be surprised if Camargo is up for the three days only.