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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. I think "long reliever" is a different track from the other seven spots. Headrick is in the long reliever track and Moran is with the rest of the bullpen. If the Twins want a bullpen arm to replace Moran, I don't think it will be Headrick.
  2. I don't think Buxton and Correa are exempt from criticism here on TD. However, particularly with Correa, I think there is confidence that the production will be there.
  3. Interesting lineup. No Buxton, Castro at third, Gordon in center with Michael A. getting his first day off.
  4. I do believe tomorrow's matinee is important for the psyche of the club. A second winning road trip, this time against New York and Boston really bodes well for the future. The club is getting healthier and the pitching continues to be outstanding.
  5. The Twins have completed 1/9 of the regular season, so multiply all the counting numbers by nine. Gallo is on track for 36 homers, Larnach is on track for over 100 RBI, of course Miranda is on track for zero homers, and Lopez, and Mahle are on track for nine wins each, while Joe Ryan is on track for 36 victories. More relevant is that the team is on track for 99 wins, that's a great number especially considering many thought the April schedule would bury the team.
  6. Polanco played tonight at St. Paul and Kirilloff did not. The game is in a rain delay in the eighth inning. So far, he is 1-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
  7. This is speculation that will likely be answered in a few hours, but I do believe the Twins will send down Julien before they send out Castro. The reasons for such a move revolve around Kyle Farmer, Nick Gordon and Joey Gallo. Gallo is returning today unless something pops up and someone will need to go. Gallo played a decent first base so that is where he will likely play when he returns. If the Twins want to keep one of their few productive hitters in the lineup, they'll have to move Solano, and second base has been his primary position (he got plenty of work there in Spring Training as well). This squeezes playing time away from Julien, and as a top prospect, I'm sure the Twins want him playing, not sitting. The other side of this is preferred subs. Willi Castro is the preferred backup to both shortstop and third base. Castro hasn't hit much, but he's performed acceptably at four different positions--third, short, second and left field. Nick Gordon is off to a rough start and is not the preferred backup to either Correa or Miranda. Until Kyle Farmer returns from injury, I think the Twins keep Castro around as the 26th man.
  8. Without adding a first baseman while subtracting two guys (Sano and Arraez) who played there a lot in past seasons, I think the Twins were expressing confidence in Kirilloff being healthy for a majority of the 2023 season and for him to be able to put up representative numbers. The Twins brass knows more about Kirilloff's wrist than any of us do. Also in this thought process, there must be belief that AK can and will hit if not impeded by the wrist. Again, being patient while Kirilloff gets ready indicates belief that Kirilloff is worth waiting for. Count me as a believer as well. No one really knows if the wrist will hold up, of course. I firmly believe that Kirilloff will be an outstanding hitter if it (the wrist) does hold up. He isn't entitled to say "I'm ready" and be inserted into the lineup, but if he shows by his at-bats and performance in batting practice etc. that he is healthy, I doubt he'll be in St. Paul long. There is a real need to lengthen the lineup and include more threats in the middle.
  9. None of the hits Boston got were hard hit and Moran struck out a guy who then reached base. Yes, he walked a guy and pitched himself into trouble, but it wasn’t like batting practice.
  10. Gallo is in Boston and will almost certainly be activated for tomorrow’s game. It seems the choices are a)Castro, utility guy hitting .150 b) Julien, top prospect but so far only two hits or c) Garlick, supposed lefty killer. My guess is Julien, but none of the choices would surprise me. I will add that it wouldn’t shock me if Max Kepler was put back on the IL.
  11. Disagree. With a day off preceding, going with four one-inning relievers would have left four available with no one working consecutive days. Due to the fielding misplays, it didn’t work out. I think López and Thielbar and maybe Duran can go tomorrow in addition to those that didn’t work today. Seven innings from Ryan would be helpful.
  12. Defense cost them. Gordon/Vázquez should have made the play at the plate and I don’t think they understood the Catcher’s Interference rule. Miranda pooched the ball to first and Solano made no attempt to tag the runner or hold the bag. Vazquez keeps 90% of those low pitches in front of him, but the one in the tenth got by him. The pitching options were Alcala, Pagán, Headrick and Moran. I would have been on pins and needles for any of them, but Moran absolutely needs to throw more strikes.
  13. The eighth inning run scored as a result of a mental error. Miranda tossed the ball to first and Solano didn’t try to stay on the bag, if he had, the runner wouldn’t have advanced to third. Then Duran would have been trying to save the game instead of keeping it tied.
  14. I miss Marnie. Hope she is doing well. As bad as Gladden is on the radio, I think Laudner is worse on TV. He says basically nothing but uses plenty of chiches doing it.
  15. Lots of pessimistic Kirilloff posts on this thread. I was thinking the same when he didn't make the active roster out of spring training, but that he's rehabbed for about 10 days without a setback and has progressed to playing on consecutive days tells me that he's doing well. I'm more optimistic than I've been since he had his surgery. I do agree that if he can establish himself as a better than average hitter and fielder at first base, it can move the needle on the Twins chances to reclaim the Central and succeed in the playoffs.
  16. Cleveland just lost so the Twins lead by 1.5 games. I think coming home with a lead should be a minimum expectation. Two of three should reasonable, making it a winning road trip and 8-5 against Houston, ChiSox, Yankees and Rose Hose.
  17. The Twins have had a day off to rest, while Boston will be traveling across the country following a series with the Angels and no rest.--not quite. The Sox were playing at home in Fenway Park. I'll be interested in the lineup against Sale tonight. Joey Gallo could come off the IL and somebody would need to be sent to St Paul. Whoever isn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday between Julien, Castro and Garlick would probably be the one to be sent out. I'm pretty sure they will start Garlick against Sale, even if that means delaying activation of Gallo to Wednesday.
  18. Regarding the rehab of Kirilloff and Polanco--Kirilloff played seven innings of first base and seven innings of outfield on back-to-back days. Polanco played a full game at second base and DHed the following afternoon FWIW, Twenty days rehab for Polanco end around April 26, so he'd have to be added to the active roster at that point. Kirilloff's twenty days run out around May 1, but he could be optioned at that point.
  19. Don't forget Josh Winder. He's further along in rehab than Polanco and Kirilloff and has worked multiple innings out of the bullpen in each of his outings. He is on the 40-man roster, so when he's ready to go, he could be promoted directly and save having his option used (for now).
  20. This list is why I'm not overly concerned about the Twins' offensive struggles this spring. It also is why next year when Seth profiles the longest-tenured Twins, the top two from this year will most likely be gone. Kirilloff, Lee, Lewis and Julien could provide a lot of offense for the remainder of the decade.
  21. He's given the Twins every reason to want to keep him here long-term. I don't think there's any doubt that if he stays healthy, this is a great deal.
  22. I don't want to make this sound like a rant against Nick Gordon. However, I've seen it written "Gordon can play anywhere, he's extremely versatile" or things like that. The fact is that he is a second baseman/left fielder who can function in center. His manager hesitates to play him at shortstop, he's played only a couple innings in right field and third base. On top of that he is a left handed hitter with pretty extreme platoon splits. While Gordon runs well, the other utility option (Willi Castro) is faster. As a "do everything utility player", Nick Gordon leaves a lot to be desired. Nick seemed to unlock the hit tool in the second half of 2022 when he got regular playing time. I don't think 40 plate appearances is enough to label last year as a fluke, but if he isn't an above average hitter, he really isn't an asset.
  23. Garlick is under three years of service. He can't reject an optional assignment.
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