stringer bell

Ehire for Marwin, Cave for Buck, Castro back behind the dish.

It was announced that Martín Pérez is on paternity leave and that Kohl Stewart will replace Pérez. The Twins have a doubleheader scheduled today and no off days in the next ten days. I would assume Stewart will start the makeup game this evening. Berríos could start on Sunday on normal rest and Gibson could go on Monday, but then the team would need another starter for Tuesday unless Pérez is back. With Pineda scheduled to start this afternoon's tilt (and considering his recent struggles) it would seem that suddenly an eight-man bullpen makes sense. Is that why Astudillo hasn't been activated? It appears that Marwin Gonzalez won't miss much time, but with a doubleheader scheduled today, it would be nice if he was available immediately Who will the extra player be for the nightcap tonight? I would assume it is a relief pitcher. What seemed pretty straightforward is now pretty jumbled. I'd hate to see the Twins' roll ended because of substandard play by their temporary callups.

I was going to predict that Odorizzi would struggle and that the Twins would need to rally to win. I guess not. The starting pitcher have been outstanding and makes everything easier for the entire team.

OK. I’ve added Milldaddy35 for 5/21 and 5/28. We have two dates open in May (5/25 & 5/26). I will make a sheet for June sometime next week. I believe this link can be opened by anyone. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pmevQ8SXEb7rvlMCe-XuMyzq6_2IxKtoewurlCCu0zc/edit

I have a hard time passing judgment on a player based on their one worst moment. If there is a pattern, that is a different matter altogether.

Here we are on May 9th and the Twins have the best record in Major League Baseball. They have had some low moments, but mostly everything has gone as well as, or better than, expected. Chatter about the Twins has been positive, especially after dominating a bad Baltimore team and then winning a series (and the season series) against the Houston Astros. A 4-2 road trip, including a dominant sweep in Toronto have put the Twins a season-high 11 games over .500. I doubt everything will continue to come up roses for the Twins, it never does. They will suffer injuries and players will slump or disappoint. Even in the best of years, these things happen. However, it appears that in most respects, the team assembled by the relatively new executive team of Falvey and Levine is set up well to handle struggles and snags when they occur. Let's look at what has transpired in the mostly cold and wet months of April and early May. With the exception of Miguel Sanó, the offense has been healthy and rolling. The Twins are in the top tier in the league for run-scoring, home runs, slugging and OPS. They don't walk much (most of the lineup is comprised of aggressive hitters), but they don't strike out much, relative to the rest of the league. The Twins are averaging well over five runs a game, playing many games in poor weather conditions. They appear set to challenge team records in runs scored and home runs this year. The power is well-distributed, with most of the regular lineup already hitting six or more homers. They have endured slumps from regulars and a slow start from Marwin Gonzalez (who has essentially replaced Sanó) without suffering much on the scoreboard. Pitching has been a surprise. The team is in the top half of many key pitching stats, including runs per game, quality starts, shutouts, innings pitched by starters, and opponent's batting average. Three of the five starters have been outstanding, with a fourth (Kyle Gibson) rounding into form in recent starts. The starters good work has taken pressure off of the bullpen. The bullpen hasn't been spotless, but they've gotten the job done. The late-inning quartet of May, Hildenberger, Rogers and Parker has been satisfactory, if not dominating. Defensively, the team is also doing very well. New acquisitions Gonzalez, Schoop and Crom have all played well in the field and the team has mostly been able to keep it's regular outfielders on the field, all of whom are plus defenders. Individual performances of note include José Berríos ascending to ace or near ace status. Jorge Polanco playing good defense and breaking out with the bat, Martín Pérez finding a few mph on his fastball and coming up with a cut fastball to (so far) become an outstanding rotation piece. The catching duo of Mitch Garver and Jason Castro (with a few appearances by Willians Astudillo) has been outstanding with the bat and has been given credit for helping the pitching improve. On the negative side, Marwin Gonzalez hasn't hit much, new rotation member Michael Pineda has struggled mightily in his last four starts and several relievers at the front end of the bullpen have had trouble getting people out. Many more players have stepped it up beyond those mentioned. Basically, the good play to this point has been a team effort. Can this run continue? Well, I think the competition changes with many more games against familiar opponents in the Central Division--three of those teams (KC, Chicago and Detroit) are in one stage or the other of rebuilding--so the schedule figures to be somewhat more favorable. I doubt the Twins can keep hitting so many homers (they are on a pace to hit almost 300!) and I also doubt the pitching will continue to be dominant, but there is no doubt that they are improved. I think the need going forward this year is adding pitching. A starter to perhaps supplant Pineda and a strong bullpen arm would be helpful and when injuries happen, such improvements might be vital. The Twins are now considered favorites to win the Central, but they need to keep doing what they're doing. Credit for this improvement should be given to Falvey and Levine, who also hired rookie manager Rocco Baldelli. They've shown they pay attention to the metrics that are part of the game now and made good decisions in putting together a team for today without breaking the bank or mortgaging the future. There's a long way to go, but the ride this year promises to be fun and it might be magical.

Yesterday's five hits also propelled Jorge Polanco to the top of the AL in batting average. He's hitting .344 with Michael Brantley second checking in at .340. Great to see a Twin leading the league again.

I predict Gibson will allow at least one more homer, but he might set a career high in Ks, probably next inning.

How did the Twins lose three of four to this team at home?

Too bad they couldn’t break it open in the first. Hopefully it won’t come back to bite them.

The Twins are home for the weekend vs. the Motor City kitties.

Thanks MillDaddy! I was musing about the Twins' best lineup and perhaps it would include both Garver and Castro, at least right now. Mitch has played a few games at first and Cron currently is currently sporting a .206 BA, with a .684 OPS. I realize Castro is probably out until the team gets home on Friday. BTW, I'm glad there isn't a home game today. I swear I saw a couple snow flakes in the constant rain, the wind is strong out of the east and it is miserable outside. The weather can't help but be better by Friday.

Do you mean Injured List for Polanco or are you suggesting a DFA of Adrianza and then a recall of Gordon if Polanco is "nicked"? I don't know if a contending team would want to throw a younger player who hasn't mastered AAA out to be a regular shortstop (not sure if that's his best position either). I'm guessing that Adrianza is considered the superior defensive shortstop and if he is on the roster, that he would fill in for a Polanco injury of short duration. If the injury was longer term, do you call up a rookie who has 0 MLB plate appearances? As far as Adrianza goes, no he's not a great hitter. However, I don't think 50 plate appearances is a large enough sample to project his offensive prowess. Last year, in more than 350 PAs, he had an OPS of .680, substandard but OK for a three-position backup infielder. I would expect similar if he was in the lineup three or four times a week for a month. I don't know what we''d get from Gordon.

It was a hypothetical. Actually, in my mind and using the current Twins roster, maybe the most legitimate scenario would be the trio of first base, catcher and DH. With both Castro and Garver raking, it kind of makes sense to get more in the lineup and if Garver is good enough at first base, perhaps they could get both of their (at least temporarily) hot bats in the lineup at once. Cruz is hitting too well to bench every fourth day, but having some sort of a platoon where a switch hitter covers more than one position could work for some team.

Development. Gordon hasn't mastered AAA, but he is a #1 draft choice. Having him sit on the bench and pinch run or play once or twice a week is not the way for him to develop into what he will be. Ronald Torreyes is currently inactive for Rochester. I don't know the details, but I doubt he will be a recall for the Twins in the near future.

I doubt Adrianza gets DFAed any time soon. Gonzalez has not played an inning at second or short, so the obvious preference is to go with Ehire. Also 46 at-bats is a really small sample size. If Adrianza goes 4-4 or more realistically 6-14, he's hitting .200. Adrianza doesn't hit enough to be a regular, but he's a plus defender and a switch hitter who is accustomed to a reserve role. I'm sure there are many similar players, but they don't exactly grow on trees. The Twins don't want to lose him. (IMHO)

Adrianza has decent speed to pinch run. Nobody steals any more, certainly not a pinch runner unless it is Buxton. Bringing up Gordon for less than full-time play would be a mistake, I think. I would like to see a situation where 12 guys shared 9 positions, each guy getting >450 plate appearances. In my mind, it would be four guys sharing 3 positions in three groupings. #1–catcher first and DH. A guy like Garver could start 40 at each (especially the way he’s hitting). #2–second, short, and third with a Marwin-type starting 40 at each position and #3 the outfield with a “fourth regular” replacing each starter for 40 games. The 13th position player could be a pinch hitter/runner or third catcher who might spend half of his season in AAA if 13 pitchers are needed.

Glad to hear when ex-Twins do well. Liriano has disappointed for a long time, but might have found his niche. I gave up on Hicks, never believing he’d be better than a fourth OF. In a sense, he is like Buxton in that he can be an asset with a BA <.250. In Hicks’ case, it is not only defense and base running, but an elite ability to judge balls and strikes at the plate. He’s been fine as a LH hitter which was a major problem with the Twins.

OK, I found the format for my list above doesn't like editing. I think I have produced one that I can update without messing everything up.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pmevQ8SXEb7rvlMCe-XuMyzq6_2IxKtoewurlCCu0zc/edit

I'll put you down for available dates in the next three series. It'll be on the document I posted yesterday unless I get ambitious and produce a new improved one! Either way, you can check this thread.

Watching Pérez' first couple outings this year, I thought he would be helped greatly by an off-speed pitch. Against right handers, he worked almost exclusively in with fastballs and sliders. He seemed to lose command after 50 or so pitches. Now he's throwing both the cutter and the change and is working both sides of the plate. He's also been solid through 100 pitches. The Twins currently have three of the top 10 pitchers in ERA. One is Berríos, who would have thought the other two would be Odorizzi and Pérez?

I think it is up to Sano how soon he is recalled. If he hits and fields his position, he will be up by 5/20. If the Ks keep coming and the hits stop, he'll be optioned. I don't think there are any guarantees. I just checked BB Reference for something and each day they have assorted photos of player all the way from the 19th Century to today. Right next to each other were two guys who were going to be superstars, Gregg Jeffries and Grady Sizemore. Both had their moments, but weren't all-time greats. Sano was promoted that way as he came up. I just don't know if it will happen for him.

The Twins are averaging the second-most IP per start in the AL (heard on a Twins' broadcast). I don't see the need for all of Morin, Magill and Romero. For now, they can cut to 12 pitchers easy enough. Yes, they have to at some point add Reed and Meíja, but they should be able to do that and someone will suffer some sort of injury. They would have to add a 13th pitcher for the doubleheader next week. My guess is that Romero will be the "shuttle guy"going back and forth from Rochester. If they have to, they would DFA either Magill or Morin before they would lose Meíja or (from the position side Adrianza). If they are forced to go to 13 pitchers for a week or two, it is my guess that Astudillo is optioned.

Here is the listing of Game Thread introductions. I will try to keep this list updated on a daily basis. Please contact me if there is a discrepancy--stringer bell I will post the month of June sometime around May 15th. Please sign up a couple days in advance, if possible. GAME THREAD INTRODUCTIONS [table] Date Assigned Volunteer 5/1 No stringer bell 5/2 No stringer bell 5/3 Yes Milldaddy35 5/4 No stringer bell 5/5 Yes samplesizeof1 5/6 Yes Blake 5/7 Yes Milldaddy35 5/8 Yes Milldaddy35 5/10 Yes Blake 5/11 Yes/td] samplesizeof1 5/12 No 5/13 Yes twinssporto 5/14 Yes twinssporto 5/15 Yes Diesel 5/16 Yes Blake 5/17 Yes Milldaddy35 5/18 Yes Diesel 5/19 Yes samplesizeof1/td] 5/20 Yes Blake 5/21 No 5/22 Yes samplesizeof1 5/24 Yes Blake 5/25 No 5/26 No 5/27 Yes Blake 5/28 No 5/30 Yes Blake 5/31[/table]

It is Cave that goes down. Adrianza is the backup in the middle infield and has a good glove. He isn't a regular and not a big league average hitter, but he isn't an automatic out either.