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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Who on the 40-man roster could they recall? It's basically Wallner or Larnach, and neither of them is a better player than Kepler/Gallo/Kirilloff, in the opinion of the manager or maybe the Front Office. I will nominate Matt Wallner as an honorary backup quarterback. Especially with that eight plate appearance on-base streak going for him.
  2. stringer bell
    None of the left handed hitters has hit lefties well and should be a "must start" against a lefty. There's a real problem getting Julien in vs. lefties with his defense and Solano and Farmer available to play second (both better options vs. a lefty). Pedigree and past performance kept Correa in the lineup (he's seemingly found his stroke) and now Buxton.
  3. stringer bell
    Yeah, you can rebuild like the Royals or like the Orioles. It looks like Baltimore is going to be good for a while and Kansas City might lose a hundred games a year until Bobby Witt Jr. is a free agent.
  4. stringer bell
    If the sentiment is playing the younger guys, in 2024 the Twins will probably lose Kepler, Gallo, Solano, Taylor to free agency and might non-tender Nick Gordon (on the position player side). On the pitching side, Gray, Maeda, and Mahle will be free agents. Losing that much salary, they can probably add a notable veteran or two and give lots of guys a chance to play. With less than 70 games to play and a 2.5 game lead, the team should have a duty to try to do something in the playoffs. If Bellinger can be had without losing a top ten prospect, go for it.
  5. stringer bell
    Chicago won twice in Atlanta and the Rays lost yesterday to KC. Sweeps aren't guaranteed even for the best teams, especially on the road. Yes, Oakland is bad, but so are KC and Chicago White Sox. This whole idea that the superior team will win every game against the inferior team is ridiculous. If the Braves play the A's, Royals and Rockies, they probably win seven. The Twins have played KC and Oakland and won them all, that's pretty good. That they were swept in between by Baltimore diminished what they've done, but 6-3 against the three teams is about what can be expected of a team just above .500. Assuming decent health, I expect the Twins to win between 85-90 games (easy schedule!) and win the Central. They should have a "chip and a chair" in the playoffs and that would include Sonny Gray. I really don't see trading him to add prospects when they have a great chance to make the playoffs and get a home series against the last Wild Card in the AL.
  6. stringer bell
    I dunno. I don't have any great expectations for Keuchel, but saving a few innings for Ryan, Ober, Gray and López might make sense. As far as having “only” seven in the bullpen, with a bit better health (Thielbar, Stewart) added back, they can juggle their remaining members and mostly have enough arms available to get through. The tone of posters here is that the Twins are on the razor's edge to make the playoffs. BBRef today has them as having a 84.1% chance to make the playoffs. The surest way for those odds to go down would be to have injuries or ineffectiveness from their starting rotation. If adding Keuchel for 4-5 starts increases the effectiveness and health of the rotation, it would enhance their chances to not only win the division, but also have some playoff success.
  7. stringer bell
    We don't know exactly how long Lewis will be out. I think that might move a third baseman up on the list of possible acquisitions. Castro's recent struggles with the bat and Farmer's so-so at best first half don't inspire confidence for the next month plus.
  8. stringer bell
    I’m neither disappointed or elated by the Twins sweep of the A’s. There were several disappointing performances (Buxton, the starters) but the bullpen and several players got the job done. Just enough big hits to paper over some sketchy starting pitching.
  9. stringer bell
    On the double in the seventh inning, that usually isn't a ball the first baseman is asked to catch. Kepler did have a long run, but was coming in, Solano may have been pulled over towards second and we know that Barrels is not the fleetest of foot. All three looked like they were feeling someone else close to them, so the ball fell with AK the closest.
  10. stringer bell
    Correct, and Michael A Taylor didn't catch the last out, it was (my man) Willi.
  11. stringer bell
    As frustrating as it is to watch Buxton when he slumps, he is going to be the DH unless he is on the IL. That eliminates the best position for Julien. The Twins converted Arraez pretty much on the fly last year. Maybe they can do the same for Edouard. I think the best, most doable move is to move Julien to first base and have Kirilloff get more outfield reps.
  12. stringer bell
    Kirilloff has played in more games than anyone but Correa since his recall in May. He hasn't been a starter vs. some left handed pitching, but it isn't like he's been fully platooned. Donny Barrels has gotten more at-bats of late, but that is a performance issue. Honestly, Farmer, Solano and Castro have deserved at-bats at the expense of Kepler, Kirilloff and Gallo and really all three have played sporadically against left handed pitching.
  13. stringer bell
    The broadcasters were quick to give Willi a lot of love for his defense. I like his game, but the offense is ...........inconsistent. He is playing way more than anyone thought he would and he has provided a spark on the bases and played well in the field.
  14. stringer bell
    I am as big a Kirilloff fan as anybody, but the production in June (.621 OPS) and so far in July (.649 OPS) isn't anything to write home about. Kepler and Gallo can't be optioned and finding a place for Julien needs to be done. If Alex hits like today, he'll keep playing, but if he keeps coming up with a low .600s OPS, he could be back in St. Paul. Kepler's OPS in June and July is better than AK's, and Gallo also has better numbers for the two months (coming into today).
  15. stringer bell
    Two big hits for AK, the oppo double bigger than the homer. They come at a key time for Kirilloff—he could lose playing time or maybe even his spot on the active roster if he continues to struggle.
  16. stringer bell
    I don’t like it, but that’s a possibility. Kirilloff needs to get it going to stay in the lineup.
  17. stringer bell
    Could be Julien, too.
  18. stringer bell
    While I really don't want to add to the Buxton talk, I guess I can't resist. If the Twins are going to do anything in the remainder of the season or postseason, Buxton will be a large part of it (IMHO). He has had this kind of struggle at the plate, but either the full-time DHing or injury may have deepened the slump. Certainly, I'm concerned by the strikeouts, but it seems to me that in about 90% of the at-bats where he makes contact, he is using about 20% of the field--from the third base line to the shortstop hole. He is the most pull-happy player that I can remember. When he's going good, he's driving the ball from the right-center gap to the left field corner. Right now everything is severely pulled, including a lot of hard-hit fouls. I would think he could try to adjust that.
  19. stringer bell
    The manager and pitching coach had better have a better feel than the fans for what the bullpen pitchers can and cannot do. There were a lot of figurative raised eyebrows when Stewart was inserted into high leverage situations, but now it is accepted that Stewart is a high leverage setup guy (hoping that will still hold when he returns from the iL). I don't think Ortega has the stuff that Stewart does, but he might have enough to be an effective middle guy. If memory serves, Jax was warming last week to go into his third straight game (didn't happen) so maybe he'll be available for a batter or two today. Duran is probably not available today, otherwise they should be all right.
  20. stringer bell
    Right now, the injury bug has really hit the bullpen (Stewart, Thielbar, De León) and it might be a while before Jorge López is in a high leverage situation, so others need to come through. Ortega did the job today and actually everyone has in the Oakland series. Ryan is rested and hopefully can give the Twins seven innings today and get the bullpen in a better spot. \ The team won two games when their starters were off--10 runs in 8.1 innings from Maeda and López--I don't think it is the right time to criticize bullpen management.
  21. stringer bell
    A solid game for Jeffers, although he didn't block a pitch in the dirt. Two walks, a hit and a safety squeeze bunt, plus he did his part on the double steal. More production in a day than the club has from Vázquez in a month.
  22. stringer bell
    Wow. All of a sudden.....
  23. stringer bell
    Feel bad for Pablo losing a shutout on a 20 foot bleeder, but Jeffers made the right play.
  24. stringer bell
    The lefty is going to (try to) pitch the majority of the game. Julien is going to start against right handers until Polanco is ready. I honestly don’t know when or where Wallner is going to play.
  25. stringer bell
    Wallner is listed as on the Twins active roster while Miranda is listed on the 10-day IL at 1:15 this afternoon.
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