stringer bell

Waiting for the first Keuchel strikeout.

Borucki is an opener. I believe that is why there is a mixture of lefties and righties. Kepler probably will hit for Luplow the second time through.

Nice defensive play to start the game!

My view for the game!

The team's weaknesses showed up today. 1) Defense--a decent third baseman makes the play on the first hit and some first basemen catch the ball that Polanco threw. Cufoff men weren't in proper position twice (didn't cost any runs this time, one of them was Polanco). It's great that Jorge Polanco is willing to play third base, but he hurts the team over there. Julien probably turns the DP in the seventh if he comes across the bag instead of staying behind it. 2) Fifteen more strikeouts. Yeah, their starter has good stuff, but he wasn't Nolan Ryan. 3) Bullpen--Floro gives up an inherited runner when he came in with two outs and then Jordy Blaze gives up a three-spot in the ninth. Even if it is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, some changes need to be made. Day game tomorrow and I'll be there in the heat. I hope Wallner and Jeffers are in the lineup and Lewis is back at third base. Best wishes to Keuchel and if he gets hit hard, best wishes for his next job.

38 games to go. I think it is time for a true bullpen reorg. First of all, the starters (not counting Dallas Keuchel) have established they can give a decent start almost every time out. Yes, Joe Ryan will be treated carefully when he returns, but it is doubtful there will be a four-alarm fire started by someone in the rotation. What the Twins need is guys to pitch one or two innings every other day to set up what has become a thin and precarious back of the bullpen. We'll call the back end Jax, Pagán, Thielbar and Duran. Floro is just a guy. He gives up base runners, doesn't get a lot of strikeouts and struggles getting left handed hitters out. He is not going to give up big numbers too often, but also isn't the guy you want to shut down a budding rally. He should be the six to eighth guy in an eight-man bullpen. Balozavic has some potential. The fastball isn't dominating, but it is okay when well-placed. The league seems to be catching up to him right now. Send him down. Sands and Winder aren't trusted in any kind of leverage situations. The Twins don't need innings unless they are well-pitched innings. Send them down. Who to recall? I'd give Funderburk a look. He has good numbers with the Saints and he is a breathing left handed relief pitcher. I'd try Oliver Ortega again. His worst outing was pitching multiple innings in a back-to-back situation. His overall numbers were passable and he has been one of St. Paul's best relievers. The eighth guy in the 'pen could be Headrick or Henriquez and maybe Stewart will be back in September to take a spot in the bullpen. Only one 40-man spot would be needed and Alcalá has already been on the IL for more than 60 days, so he could be moved. Eight bullpen guys won't be needed for October. Challenging everybody in the bullpen is something that needs to be done. The team has six weeks to sort it out. They are fortunate to have enough of a cushion to make such moves if they see fit.

I’m going to tomorrow’s game and was disappointed when Keuchel was announced as the starter. It is more than the pitching matchup thankfully. That said, the Twins need a win today and maybe they can open their widest lead of the year. Lots of Rangers and Guardians the rest of the month.

The average OPS in the International League is .800, so let’s cool off a little about St. Paul’s hitters, Martin included. I think Martin’s skill set would fit really well with next year’s Twins roster. That he’s having success at the highest minor league level is great for his confidence and bodes well for his future.

Can the Twins have a roster with utility guys Castro, Farmer and Martin as their bench? There really isn’t a lefty-mashing outfielder and there is no real backup at first base. IMHO, the most expendable is Farmer, but he’s a preferred alternate shortstop and he’s got the best résumé as hitting left handed pitching.

Depending on Ryan’s recovery and Keuchel’s next outing, Dallas Keuchel would be a prime candidate for DFA. If Austin Martin is clearly restored as a prospect, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a DFA for Gilberto Celestino.

I believe there are currently 59 pitchers in MLB that qualify (one IP per game) and the number of qualifiers will probably end up lower than that. I thought for awhile that the Twins might actually sneak four qualifiers in this year, but recent short starts by Ober and Ryan's injury and ineffectiveness might make it only two. I wouldn't be surprised to see MLB lower the threshold for innings pitched to .9 or even .8 innings per game, but the standard for hitters seems to still hold for BA, OBP, Slg and OPS.

I pointed out on another thread that Sands has faced ZERO batters in high leverage situations. I don't know the exact number of days he has been on the active roster, but this is astonishing. Winder has faced five batters in medium leverage (none in high leverage) and a third "long reliever", Bret Headrick, has faced two batters in high leverage and eight in medium leverage. The Twins' starters have given the front office a gift in minimizing the workload for the bullpen and the front office has squandered that gift.

Torkleson and Greene look like keepers, but they don’t have a bunch of next-level guys to step up. They have some pitching talent (notably Skubel and Rodriguez). It appears to me that the vets they brought in (Grossman, Baéz, Schoop) really didn’t work out in the long run. Too many holes to catch the Twins this year, but they could be a lot better next year.

I don't hold out huge hope for Headrick, but I think the underlying numbers are better. He gave up four yesterday in St. Paul, but it's not like he allowed ten hits and a couple walks. Balazovic was horrible in '22 at St. Paul and only had a so-so ERA in ''23 before his recall and he's been pretty good for the Twins.

Since he went only four innings, I suspect the Twins will have Ryan make another rehab start, which means Keuchel will probably get two more major league starts. If Keuchel gets tagged again tomorrow, the Twins could adjust their plans and give Louie Varland a spot start or they could bring back Ryan without another rehab start.

I don't think adding Martin to the active roster (and 40-man) will happen. He's a second baseman/outfielder and I don't know how his defense at any of those positions profiles. The development of Martin will probably effect how aggressively the Twins go after re-signing Taylor or someone else. as well as picking up Kepler's option.

Per BBRef: Sands has faced zero batters in medium or high leverage. Headrick has faced 10 batters in medium and high leverage (2 high leverage and 8 medium leverage). Winder has faced 5 batters in medium leverage, none in high leverage. The Twins have carried at least one of these guys all season and often more than one and they all reasonably could have been replaced by Andrew Bechtold, who could fill in at the infield positions.

To echo a thought from the game thread, much less complaining about Arraez when López has another scoreless outing and Arraez’ OPS is about the same as Julien’s. Rocco seemed to think Wallner was okay, maybe out for a day or two. Lots of times, small fractures aren’t found on that first x-ray. Joe Ryan allowed one hit (homer) in four innings. Two walks and seven strikeouts.

It’s his buddy Shelton in the other dugout. I think that mattered in this case.

Five game lead with 39 to play. I don’t think the Twins were ahead by that much all of last year.

That’s been a hit sine the 60s.

One thing that has bugged me all year is the usage of long relievers in the bullpen. Sands/Headrick/Winder aren’t even considered in a four-run game. Sands has been on the roster almost all season and I don’t think he has thrown a high-leverage inning. To add to my thought, maybe it’s okay for Duran to pitch a medium stress inning considering his struggles lately, but either Winder or Sands should be the second guy getting ready.

Does Rocco still go with Pagán with a four-run lead? I suppose since he was already warmed up.

If Gallo replaces Farmer in the order and Wallner in the field, Rocco is out of moves.

Calling Trevor Larnach.