stringer bell

I imagine Eddie will be more eager than normal to hit when he leads off the third.

Man, what was the exit velocity on Jeffers line drive?

Strider vs. Gallo, what are the odds of a K? Or a home run?

I'm seeing adjustments made with different personnel. Guys like Castro and Taylor can steal bases and perhaps we add Julien and Lewis to that list. Since the season started, Lewis and Kirilloff have become regulars (at least against RH pitching) and Castro is getting plenty of run filling in. Julien is starting against right handed pitching, while Polanco is injured, as well. The team is strikeout heavy and I dread seeing what Strider will do with this lineup. You can't really buy and sell at the trade deadline. Call me Pollyanna, but I think this team can and will be much better in the second half, with the proviso that the current starting pitching stays healthy. I continue to believe that Carlos Correa will "find it" enough to justify his batting order status. I'm less certain that Buxton will do any more than he has offered in the first half of the season. One way or another, they need better production from first base and the corner outfield spots.

Add Michael A to the proficient bunter's club.

As we approach the halfway point of the 2023 season, the Twins hold a small lead in the AL Central despite having a record hovering around .500. Offense has been a culprit, with the Twins scoring two runs or less almost half of the time. There have been several disappointments among the position players. In fact Baseball Reference has pitchers with five of the top six players in WAR. The only player in the top six for the Twins is.....surprise, surprise....Willi Castro. Castro was picked up by the Twins after being non-tendered by the Tigers. He made the 2023 Twins as the final bench player after both Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff started the season on the Injured List. Willi played sparingly in April, logging only 40 plate appearances and hitting .176 Injuries yielded more opportunities in May and Willi picked up the pace. He hit .319 with an .855 OPS in May and also stole nine bases. He's leveled off in June with a more pedestrian .226 average (.596 OPS), but he has continued to provide good defense and good base running wherever and whenever he plays. Overall, Willi has a .256 batting average and .712 OPS, not superstar numbers, but solid and he has continued to play all over the field. Castro has started games at all three outfield positions, third base and second base. He has played seven games at shortstop. He leads the team with 14 stolen bases (successful on his last 13 attempts) and he's played good defense wherever he's lined up. Ryan Jeffers came in 2023 as a bit of a lightning rod. Many in the Twins Daily community thought of him as suspect with the bat, a weak throwing arm and questionable defense. Some saw him as trade bait or simply a backup catcher to play behind Christian Vázquez. Jeffers has shown up well in limited at-bats this year. His 1.3 WAR in 46 games and 138 plate appearances is second best among position players and would equate to about 4 WAR over the course of a season as a full-time catcher. Jeffers has hit much better this year (.824 OPS thus far) and all parts of his defensive game seem improved over last year. The Twins offense has been subpar much of the year but these two guys have contributed much more than they were expect to at the start of the season. Are there other position players who deserve credit for exceeding expectations?

If the Twins had a .300 hitter wth good contact skills and decent power playing a corner opposite three-true-outcomes Gallo, then it would have made sense to take a chance on Gallo. Instead they have a guy with a limited upside who is prone to slumps and has a history of not hitting left handed pitching as the compliment to Gallo. Gallo is going to have moments if he is allowed to keep getting playing time, but he's also going to hit around .200 with very little offensive value besides his power. In the end there is too little production from the corner outfield. If the Twins want to be more than a borderline contender, they need more than Gallo fairly frequent walks and homers.

Despite their oft noted contact problems and persistent flailing with RISP, the Twins are doing pretty well in extra innings.

That brings to mind one of my all-time favorite sports quotes: Tampa Bay coach John McKay, whose team was on the way to a winless season, was asked about his team’s execution during yet another loss. He responded. “Yeah, I’d be in favor of that”.

“Watching” on Gameday, but drawing the throw to second is usually the right play.

Correa—0-5 in three at-bats.

Vázquez with two risky advances. Solano makes it academic if he should have tried.

I checked the Twins’ website and there is an inconsistency. Jorge López I’d not listed at all, while Jorge Alcalá is still listed as being on the 15-day IL. Does this relate to López’ status?

If Rocco is telling the truth, Buxton cannot play in the field. He avoided the question for 40% of the schedule. We haven’t been told the medical details, but his ability to swing a bat and run the bases indicate that he has only a small distance that he can run before being impaired (my analysis).

Key game for the Twins. The rest of the road trip is tough—Orioles and Braves—and a one-game lead over Cleveland. No Buxton (not a surprise), no Kepler and no Kirilloff. I am a big Kirilloff fan, but he hasn’t been hitting for a while. I do wonder if there is still some wrist pain.

De León to the 15-day IL. Winder recalled.

Tough loss. Sad to see what happened to De León. Also Buxton. Can we put Julien on the IL for an ailing glove?

Time for López to get on a roll.

Put one in a gap, Royce.

Slump Buck is back.

Supposedly no restrictions for Maeda.

Hard to not fear a Maeda implosion after the long layoff. More innings like the top of the second would be much appreciated.

The bench (including Baldelli) was chirping about Wentz' set, saying it was a balk move. The HP ump had enough and told Baldelli so, and someone (probably Rocco) said something and the HP ump ejected the manager.

Okay, we should note that Kepler has been out of the lineup vs. LH pitching recently and that he’s currently swinging better than AK. I don’t like it either and hope both guys get early pinch hits and then deliver against a lefty reliever.

Those darned obliques. Always slow to heal. With each time Keuchel has entered the open market, I have less wanted the Twins to consider giving Keuchel a chance. I am totally non-plussed by this move. He's left handed and breathing and has had success before. He hasn't been effective since Emilio Pagán was effective, but stranger things have happened. There are plenty of innings to be thrown at AAA and if Keuchel can be effective there, maybe there's a chance he can do so for the Twins.