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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Totally agree with the selection of Rogers as the Twins' Pitcher of the Year. I would hope that the team would add a high-leverage lefty to their bullpen mix next year so that Rogers can stay rested and used in the most crucial situations.
  2. stringer bell
    Sanó certainly played his way into the Twins future this year. He's a minor liability at third base, and if he was the only defensive liability in the infield, I don't think there would be a push to move him. I don't blame Sanó for the two big hits in the playoff series versus New York. With four below-average defenders in the infield, I think something has to be done. Moving Sanó to first could improve defense at first and third if Sanó can develop to league average as a first baseman and if improved defense can be supplied at third.
  3. stringer bell
    I agree that the defense must be improved. However, especially when Buxton was on the field, the outfield defense was very good. On the other hand, the infield featured less than average defense at each position. The infield defense needs to be improved.
  4. stringer bell
    I think the Twins strategy was to get the ball to their reconstituted bullpen with a chance to win. Berríos gave four credible innings and Odo five, but the chances of either surviving another full inning weren’t great. I thought Schoop in the first game was a given and Arraez’ lack of mobility cost them in the field. The club gambled on giving Kepler maximum rest and lost. Kepler is prone to snags like he suffered in the playoffs, and expecting him to be sharp after missing most of a month was a bad gamble.
  5. stringer bell
    OK. This series isn’t over. The Twins played and pitched two bad games in a row. They have on occasion put together three “A” games and if they do, they have a chance. I think the 10% number quoted above is about right. I also think that it is far more likely to see a Yankee sweep than anything else, but a win on Monday just might change everything. This has been the most resilient team I’ve ever seen. I won’t give up on them until the final out.
  6. stringer bell
    You gotta throw strikes. Berríos threw too many non-competitive pitches, so did most of the bullpen. I thought Torres was struck out before he got that two-run double. The ump's zone was tight and that hurt the Twins more than the Yankees. Arraez certainly didn't look right and he hurt the team despite also getting a double and scoring the tying run. I thought Kepler looked OK, Marwin played a good game, but the other injured guys (Cron & Arraez, perhaps Garver) did not look very good. Polanco had great ABs, but the Twins need to pressure the Yankee staff from 1-9 in their order.
  7. stringer bell
    The schedule does get much tougher and the Gophers are very fortunate to be 4-0. As of right now, Minnesota will be underdogs at Iowa and at home to Wisconsin and Penn State and will be favored against Illinois and Rutgers, meaning that the swing games will be against Nebraska and Maryland at home and Northwestern on the road. Six to eight wins seems about right.
  8. stringer bell
    If the Twins were to win the World Series, this has to be considered the best Twins team of all time. If not, well they have a lot of offensive records. In order to win the World Series, the Twins will likely have to beat three 100-win teams and not have the home-field advantage in any series.
  9. stringer bell
    Earlier in this thread, I expressed my doubts about Graterol making the postseason roster and deserving a slot. Less than a week later, I will say I'm in on Brusdar. This is mostly because of the ineffectiveness of starters Gibson and Pérez, but yesterday's inning from Graterol also showed what he can bring to the table. I will let true pitching gurus decide what his future will be, but there are plenty of starting slots available for next year.
  10. stringer bell
    Honestly, I don't think Graterol has earned a postseason spot and I don't know if he will get one. I do think he will get a few more chances in the coming eight days. The raw numbers aren't great, perhaps the front office sees metrics beyond the 100+ velocity that tell them that he will succeed in the glare of postseason.
  11. stringer bell
    KC, like Chicago, has some talent at the top of their order and then a big dropoff. Don't let Soler, Dozier, Merrifield and Mondesi beat you if you can help it.
  12. stringer bell
    Neither one of those guys is hitting much right now. I prefer Castro to the Turtle as the second catcher. It would be nice if some of the guys who are scuffling (Cron, Castro and to some extent Cruz and Cave) picked it up in the last 10 days. Combine that with getting Adrianza, Cron and Kepler healthy and the Twins have a very nice offense.
  13. stringer bell
    It's been a while, but in labor-management disciplinary situations that I have been involved in, a procedural error would invalidate everything. Secondly, if there were a procedural error, wouldn't MLB say that the suspension was reduced for that reason?
  14. stringer bell
    Let's say 7 of 10 to be sure!
  15. stringer bell
    In today's game, 100 mph doesn't make anyone unhittable. There are far too many guys that hit 98+ on a regular basis. I'm still not sure that Gratoral should be on the prospective postseason roster.
  16. stringer bell
    Yes, it is a loss and keeps the magic number at 7. The Twins struck out only 5 times in the game and drew 5 walks. Chicago struck out 14 times and drew one walk. From those stats, who do you think wins the game? Chicago's BABIP was 9-20, while the Twins were 3-24. One of those games.
  17. stringer bell
    Joe Mauer was in the majors at 21 and as a 22-year old hit .294 for the Twins.
  18. stringer bell
    Arraez complements this team quite well. There is ample power, but putting guys on base before the extra base hits has to be a high priority. He has great strike-zone disciple combined with great contact skills. Arraez should continue to get on base a lot. For him to be a repeating All-Star, he would have to develop some power or continue to be a top 10 percentage hitter. Luis doesn't have great speed, which would be a helpful trait on this version of the Twins. I've seen his defense as acceptable and would add that he seems to make the proper plays and limits mental mistakes.
  19. stringer bell
    Actually, I still let Arraez hit with the team already ahead and a runner or third and less than two outs. He is so much more likely to make contact and get that insurance run home. Yes, if you are looking for an extra-base hit there, you probably hit for Arraez, not when a single or productive out is needed.
  20. stringer bell
    Pérez and Gibson have been in the rotation for almost the entire season. We've seen a couple of good starts from Pérez and a couple of bad ones recently and Gibson has been pretty bad for a month and a half. I think each should get two more audition starts to see if they can put it together and have competitive starts in the postseason. If so, one or both get starts against Houston/New York, if not we resort to bullpen games and starts from guys who have spent the majority of the season in AAA.
  21. stringer bell
    Agreed. But I would give a healthy, rested Twins lineup a chance against anyone. Verlander, Cole and Grienke is as good as it gets right now, but I'd still give the Twins a sluggers chance against them.
  22. stringer bell
    I don't get the Gibson thing either. Perhaps because of his illness, the brain trust doesn't think he has the stamina to go even five innings, so they want to see what he can do in the bullpen? For a batter and a half, Romero looked like the real deal and Eddie probably should have caught Kipnis' drive to left.
  23. stringer bell
    I'm far from a huge Schoop fan and he had a bad game today, but he is a competent major league second baseman. His contribution has gone up as of late with more playing time because of all the injuries. He quite likely will get plate appearances in the (hoped for) playoffs and is an injury away from playing every day. I kind of scoffed when the commentators were giving him so much credit for his fielding yesterday and today he showed his downside. He has made a lot of errors and his quickness and leg speed is marginal.
  24. stringer bell
    I don't think it is about rest as much as about health. Kepler has made several awkward swings where he is definitely in pain, same for Cron, and probably also for Cruz. Replacing them today with healthier players makes sense for today and for the postseason IMHO. It would be great if Cave and/or Gonzalez are ready to go because those two are big league players who will certainly be on a postseason roster and they probably need plate appearances to get ready. I don't relish the thought of seeing Miller, LaMarre or Wade get at-bats, but whatever it takes to get Kepler, Cron and Cruz as close to 100% as they can be is what is needed.
  25. stringer bell
    While nothing is clinched, I will now feel much better if Cron and Kepler aren't in the lineup tomorrow or for the next series. I do hope that Cave and Gonzalez make appearances soon, which could keep lineups on a par with what they were today. Cruz left early, more wrist discomfort?
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