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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I don't think so. He has remained on the 40-man roster, so he should be good to go on a post-season roster. In regard to the OP, I don't think Ober was mishandled. The one thing is that he has been denied Major League service time when he has been deserving of being on the roster for the entire season, but since he has a minor league option and other starters did not, he has logged some minor league time. It won't change his arbitration eligibility or when he becomes a free agent.
  2. stringer bell
    Miranda has options available and has shown what he can do when healthy. He is always going to be a bat-first guy which limits his ceiling, but playing acceptable first and third base will help him get and keep a major league job. I concur with those that think that trading him would be selling low. Hang on to him and use the option next year if necessary.
  3. stringer bell
    Base running blunders cost runs, but so does not taking extra bases. Not going first to third on a single or scoring from first on a double subtract from runs scored. Kepler, Solano, Miranda, Vázquez and Correa are all extremely conservative on the base paths.
  4. stringer bell
    A longer look back show the Twins going 8-7 while playing first-place Milwaukee and then Texas and Cleveland both home and away. Not great, but good enough to keep a nice lead and enjoy a softer part of the schedule. They still play Tampa Bay (at home) and Cincinnati (on the road), but the rest of the teams have losing records and are looking to 2024.
  5. stringer bell
    I think the Twins are geared to at least go toe-to-toe with any of their AL Central competition. However, their system is not without faults. I don't see a lot of top line pitching in the minors and most pitchers are volatile. This year's major league pitching has been very good, but with the potential loss of two current starters plus a thin bullpen, next year and beyond could be a concern. I think Cleveland will remain a threat as long as they continue to churn out good pitching. Detroit also has some really good position players plus several young arms that could propel them towards the top. The Twins will need to keep getting better if they want to be Central royalty. In order to consistently compete with the best in MLB, they still need to take a couple steps forward.
  6. stringer bell
    I think it's worth mentioning that BBRef now gives the Twins a 99.2% of making the post-season. ESPN say 98.9%.
  7. stringer bell
    Health and depth are far superior to last year.
  8. stringer bell
    If the Twins win tomorrow, they'll move from 17 to 14 (tiebreaker).
  9. stringer bell
    It looks like the team not making it to the post-season is Texas. They're losing big (again) to Houston. The beneficiary is Toronto, the team I've thought the Twins would play all along.
  10. stringer bell
    Cleveland has suffered injuries, much as the Twins did last year. They've been concentrated in their pitching staff. Then the Guards decided to sell, letting Civale, Rosario and Bell go before and at the trade deadline. They aren't what they were last year and it looks like next year they'll have a new manager.
  11. stringer bell
    The Twins can really take a stranglehold on the division with another win, but today's victory pretty much makes both the current road trip and a fifteen game gauntlet a success. Given the season-long frustration of not quite putting series and opponents away, it won't surprise me if they return home with only a four-game lead.
  12. stringer bell
    I think Larnach is on the trade block in the off season. There are better prospects getting close to the majors and I also believe Max Kepler will be back in 2024.That isn't going to leave any place for Trevor unless there's an injury. He's had three partial seasons and has failed to secure major league status. It's getting late for him. I also like Larnach, but his production just hasn't been there. Of course, an injury could create a place for Trevor and he might thrive.
  13. stringer bell
    I really don't see any place for Larnach for the rest of the season. He has hit below average in AAA and has been passed by Wallner. If someone else was needed to play outfield I think Austin Martin would be a better fit than Trevor Larnach. I'm disappointed that they are slow-walking Kirilloff's rehab and I wonder if it would be the same if the Twins were only or behind by a game or two.
  14. stringer bell
    Sands optioned today.
  15. stringer bell
    Glad to see that Varland will be brought up to work out of the bullpen. He might provide another power arm in September and October. Equally puzzled about the languid pace of getting players back from the IL. AK has played in four games in five days and is 7-18 with two homers in those four games.
  16. stringer bell
    Phil Miller is reporting that Louie Varland is headed to Cleveland to replace Sands on the active roster. Mentioned elsewhere that no move is imminent with Kirilloff, who is 7-18 with two homers on his rehab.
  17. stringer bell
    Phil Miller is reporting that the Twins are not presently considering activation of Alex Kirilloff. He also commented that Correa set a Twins’ record when he grounded into his 29th double play. Phil documented Gallo’s struggles—since his four hit game in Philly, he is 1-25 with 17 Ks and only one ball out of the infield. Before his four-hit game, Gallo had been 6 for 51. In total, he’s 11 for his last 80, with four hits and two homers coming in one game.
  18. stringer bell
    Correa is having a miserable season, no doubt about that. He gets three hits today but hit into the rally-killing GDP. I’m sure his foot throbs a lot more after a loss. Vázquez has been a huge disappointment offensively and certainly no more than good defensively. Jeffers is far superior this year, but alternating seems to be the plan for the rest of the year. Of all the criticism leveled at Rocco, I think the most legitimate is his handling of the last reliever in the bullpen. It’s pretty hard to expect good results when Sands has been active well over half the season and this is the FIRST TIME he wasn’t pitching in a low leverage situation. Royce Lewis would be Rookie of the Year and get MVP votes if he played 150 games at the level he’s played. He might still end up being what many of us hoped Buxton would become. Alex Kirilloff homered for the Saints today, his second in two days. He left the game after four at-bats. I hope he’s on a plane to Cleveland right now. Austin Martin didn’t play—maybe he’s on a plane. Also I hope someone is coming up to replace Sands. Despite Maeda’s five-inning start, the BP is in pretty good shape heading into Cleveland. BTW, Cleveland has the lowest OPS in MLB against left handed pitching, so I think it’s good the Twins have three lefties in the BP for the coming series, although I’d expect Funderburk is out for tomorrow.
  19. stringer bell
    I am snickering as I watch the pregame show before the finale of the Twins-Rangers series and they are promoting a Correa surge. He hit a couple of balls hard yesterday including the go-ahead single off Chapman, but he hasn’t sustained a good stretch beyond a few games all year. He’s been lousy in high leverage situations, with RISP and has hit into an incredible amount of GDPs. He has a great post-season history and a clutch reputation. We can hope that something clicks to help the club win the Central and perform well in the “second season”.
  20. stringer bell
    Castro activated for MAT today. That leaves Kirilloff rehabbing and Buxton pausing at St. Paul. While I'm not certain, I would think Kirilloff should be on a plane to Cleveland sometime today. Due to Taylor's injury, Stevenson will stay on the roster for sure. The next two candidates would be Luplow and Gallo, with Gallo being the one whose position and handedness most matches AK.
  21. stringer bell
    The bullpen has been more burnt out several times this year. The problem is the “A” relievers are all down at once. This will put guys like Floro, Funderburk and Winder (perhaps) in high leverage situations. Using all the guys for short stints keeps them available for a second day in a row.
  22. stringer bell
    I am pretty sure Duran will be unavailable tomorrow and agree that the Twins should probably limit him, but he's the key guy in the later innings and a five game lead is comfortable, but not safe. Jax, Thielbar and Duran have worked two days in a row and all of them might be unavailable tomorrow. It might be nice for Maeda to give at least six innings.
  23. stringer bell
    It looks like the roster decisions are made due to injuries. Castro will be ready tomorrow and my guess is that the Twins will have to put Michael A on the IL. They may need to do something with Julien, if removing him today was due to injury. If they do have to put Julien on the IL, it might open a spot for Austin Martin or perhaps the activation of Kirilloff. The off-season decisions seem to be getting harder. Should the Twins bring back Solano? What about Polanco? It seems that Max Kepler must have played himself into having his option picked up. The emergence of Julien and Royce Lewis seems to render Kyle Farmer expendable, especially if Polanco is brought back. What to do about center field? The Twins are now 5-1 against Texas. Maybe that is the post-season opponent they would want if they win the Central. The Twins have certainly improved against left handed pitching. They scored all nine of their runs today (eight earned) off lefties. I know his numbers don't look great, but Headrick has had a lot of really good quick innings for the Twins. Winder and Funderburk had nice innings today in a close game. Maybe they can continue to see higher leverage situations in the rest of the season.
  24. stringer bell
    Any of the three listed could be a huge bonus in the dying days of the season and in October. I think Louie Varland should be considered as well and what about Bailey Ober?
  25. stringer bell
    Disagree. The Twins just need to take care of business and they’ll be fine. I’d much rather the Twins came into post-season playing well than counting on others to beat their rivals. The Twins have already had plenty of help in that regard.
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