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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Big Mike vs. Matthew Boyd. Well, I hope Pineda is sharp, but also that Cruz and Garver have shaken off all the rust. To me, they both looked less than stellar against Cleveland and Tampa (for Garver).
  2. stringer bell
    While I have shared the concern for the bullpen, what is tough is predicting/projecting performance. We can use Addison Reed as an example or Ryan Pressly as an example of someone who was middling and became a standout. There have been many articles written about relievers who were highly desired and how they panned out. Some guy who has been effective for this year wouldn't necessarily carry that forward if the Twins acquired him. Adding a reliever or two is important, adding the right relievers is the hard part.
  3. stringer bell
    OPS, OPS+, home runs. I'd just say similar, probably in the same quartile for qualifying second baseman. Dozier's current OPS is .731, his OPS+ is 88 and he has 9 homers. Schoop's OPS is .804, OPS+ is 111 and he has 11 homers.
  4. stringer bell
    I really don't think the Twins regarded Escobar as an option at second base, nor has Arizona. There are factors why Esco has received so little play at second the last several years--Dozier's durability, Escobar's emerging as a major league bat that plays on a corner--but I have never viewed Escobar as fluid or smooth. He's got a good infield arm, which played at short or third, but not the range for a plus shortstop.
  5. stringer bell
    I confess to being a big Dozier fan. I still check his line in the box score at least a couple times a week. He is very comparable to Schoop, both have home run power as their calling card. I'm guessing that by midseason, Schoop and Dozier will have similar numbers.
  6. stringer bell
    Of course, Buxton came in after the top of the eighth.
  7. stringer bell
    May and Rogers, great job so far. I don't want to see Parker in this game. I guess I'd rather see Duffey or Morin, but if Rogers has another inning in him, that would be the best alternative.
  8. stringer bell
    Rogers as long as he can go.
  9. stringer bell
    Ugh!
  10. stringer bell
    Wow, I'm getting heartburn after two batters.
  11. stringer bell
    It's "God Bless America", it disrupts everything.
  12. stringer bell
    Maybe Max will get a chance for four. I'd love to witness that.
  13. stringer bell
    Waiting for you Brian!
  14. stringer bell
    Nine outs. Three for Rogers and uh........
  15. stringer bell
    Two 30-year-old natives of Venezuela, both switch-hitters, both came to the majors as shortstops who became utility players and were to become free agents at the end of the 2018 season. I was looking at Baseball Reference and thought I would compare the former Twin with the current Twin. I was surprised how similar their numbers were. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/escobed01.shtml https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gonzama01.shtml While they are very similar, there are differences. First of all, Gonzalez has remained a versatile defender, while Escobar has become a fixture at third base for his new club. Neither are spending appreciable time in the middle of the diamond, this year Escobar has played one game at second base and Gonzalez has played one game at shortstop. Gonzalez has started mostly at third, but with the return of Miguel Sanó, he's started multiple games at first, third, left and right field. Escobar has truly come into his own as a hitter. He hits in the middle of a good Arizona lineup and leads the National League in games, plate appearances and at-bats. So far, he is putting up numbers worthy of All-Star consideration. After an extremely slow start, Gonzalez has put up numbers in line with his career norms. It is intriguing to consider what might have happened if the Twins had somehow managed to retain Escobar. Would he have been able to have the role that Gonzalez is filling? Would the Twins then converted Sanó to first base and not acquired Cron? For what it's worth, it appears that this has worked out for all concerned.
  16. stringer bell
    I missed Smeltzer's first start, but saw most of the game last night. I think he's showed enough to be first in line when there's a starting vacancy (rainouts, injuries), but with less than dominating stuff, he needs to have good command and keep ahead of counts. Smeltzer isn't going to give up four homers every start, but he's a far better pitcher when he's pounding the strike zone.
  17. stringer bell
    I agree with all that was written above with the exception of that Baldelli considers him a utility guy that's will to put on the gear. Astudillo got starts when both of the other catchers were healthy. To me, that indicates he is regarded as part of the catching rotation. With his bat cooling, I doubt Willians gets many starts behind the dish in the immediate future. He would be the candidate to be optioned if there is a need for an additional relief pitcher.
  18. stringer bell
    Who would go when the Twins were back to full strength was debated long and hard by Twins Daily posters. With the return of Mitch Garver on Sunday and the near-certain return of Nelson Cruz on Tuesday in time for the Cleveland series, we have our answer. Luis Arraez was optioned last night after the completion of the series with Tampa Bay. Arraez was outstanding in his cameo appearance. In about 30 plate appearances, he hit .375, with an OPS of 1.050, he hit a home run, stole a base and only struck out once while drawing five walks. He played well in the field, and showed versatility, logging innings at second, short and third. Luis got his at-bats as Baldelli ran an assortment of players through the DH spot in the lineup while Cruz was on the injured list. So, Cruz' return ends Arraez current stint with the big club. Arraez will get Triple A reps and be ready in the event of an injury. He and Jake Cave will provide major-league ready depth in Rochester. The club has no position players on the injured list currently and that will change during the next three months. If the Twins need to add another pitcher, it would appear that the next to go is Astudillo. Willians bat numbers have declined and while he is a satisfactory receiver, he will definitely be the third catcher, a luxury most teams can't afford for a whole season. The Twins' current bench has the alternate catcher and three truly versatile players, who have all started games this year at at least four positions--Marwin Gonzalez, Ehire Adrianza and Astudillo--well set up to provide rest for the nominal starters.
  19. stringer bell
    Seven runs against the bullpen doesn't change my mind at all. Magill got knocked around, all singles combined with a HBP and a walk. Parker is normalizing and it is surprising that he hasn't blown a save. Rogers was great for the second straight outing. The bullpen is mostly going to be okay, but not overpowering.
  20. stringer bell
    Sanó had a nice weekend in Tampa. Good at-bats, and he was rewarded with hits. Let's see how he does against Cleveland. The Tribe has three good arms going during the weekday series. A larger point is that almost all hitters go hot and cold (Max Kepler is Exhibit A). Sanó's "bad" at-bats and games make me think that he just won't improve. Two games where he had consistently good at-bats doesn't change my opinion either way.
  21. stringer bell
    Saving him for the ninth.
  22. stringer bell
    ???????? He's got six scoreless in the books and still would get the win.
  23. stringer bell
    Five.
  24. stringer bell
    This game is reminiscent of the 8-7 win the Twins had versus the Angels about 10 days ago. Crazy games, but good teams win those.
  25. stringer bell
    Parker looks like he's always having an asthma attack.
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