stringer bell

Edouard Julien goes deep vs. Skubal, as expected.

Unlike Skubal's start in Detroit, the Twins are making contact.

Ober looks to be in command so far.

Credit where credit is due—Funderburk and Topa have stepped up since the bullpen selloff. I’ve noticed that Topa’s velo is up recently, and with the funky delivery, he’s got a pretty good chance to be effective. Fundy needs to throw strikes and he’ll be fine.

Two nothing pitches and a homer and a double.

Ruh-roh.

I was thinking "avoid the triple play".

While the Twins weren't very good against lefties before the fire sale, losing France, Correa and Bader makes them really weak from the right side. Winning tonight would be like Vanderbilt beating Alabama in football.

Wallner reinstated, Pareda sent back to St. Paul. Gasper is the backup catcher.

It seems to me that Correa aged rapidly during his tenure with the Twins. He may be 30, but he plays much older and slower than he did during his first stint with the Astros. The Twins wanted him as a shortstop when it was already time for him to move to another position. The economics of the trade are a recurring theme--selling of an inflated contract and eating part of it--and it is sad to see the Twins do this. I think there is some level of confidence in the Twins front office that Lee will do well eventually despite having a poor start in his career. Lewis seems to be healthier and I trust that he will hit well above average again, if healthy.

It's hard to trust small sample sizes and defensive metrics, but Lewis certainly looks better than last year at third base. I've commented that his Baseball Savant page looks pretty good (lots of red).

Most probably know this, but Buxton was activated today and McCusker optioned back to St. Paul.

I'd like to see both Bradley and Abel. The official word is they are "working on things" at St. Paul and things could get jumbled when some or all of López, Woods Richardson and Festa return from the IL. It's a lost season in terms of wins and losses, but it would be encouraging to see the guys they traded for.

Comments on each item: 5) Lee, Keaschall, Roden. Lee is the default shortstop for the rest of this year and most likely to start 2026. He will get almost all the playing time, if healthy. It would be nice for him to finish strong for his confidence and to settle the nerves of fans who don't think he's the answer at SS. Keaschall--stay hot and healthy! I said on another thread it looks like his hitting success is more sustainable than Lewis'. Good approach, good swing, enough power and enough speed to be a factor on the bases. He looked pretty good on defense this weekend and having a complete player in the lineup every day in '26 would be a big step towards team success. Roden--He's probably Trevor Larnach's replacement in 2026 if he shows enough in the last seven weeks. Nothing outstanding about him, so I think he needs to hit much better than he has thus far. 4) Quad A: I've commented elsewhere about Gasper. The sand is running out of the hourglass. He just hasn't been a threat as a hitter and being a switch hitter who can catch isn't enough if he hits like a pitcher. Austin Martin and Julien will get some chances, although Julien may not see much time at second base due to Keaschall. That means that Eddie has to hit way better than he has since April of 2024. I'm skeptical, but the selloff gives him another chance. I think Clemens has earned a contract for 2026 and may well be the regular first baseman. He's been really good and actually has shown a pretty good glove, especially at first base. 3) Bullpen: Yeah, all five of the guys mentioned might have a chance to help next year and they've shown something. Adams and Ohl have options and likely will shuttle next year. Hopefully the Twins can get some run out of Kriske or Hatch. I believe Fundy will be out of options next year, so it is now or never for him. He's had three consecutive scoreless outings, so maybe.....For continuity and a trading deadline chip, I would think the Twins will bring back Topa, who has basically been healthy and has been okay this year. Sands was very good in '24 and has fallen off, but he'll be cheap yet in 2025. 2) Buxton and Ryan: It sound like Buck will be back tomorrow or the next day (we have heard that before and waited for weeks!). I would love for him to put up his best season as a platform for 2026. There's no reason to push Ryan from here on. He's been very good all year. I hope he gets a career high in innings, although I don't think he'll have his best strikeout year. 1) Sell the Team! It seems the Pohlads are mailing it in in most respects. They want to lower payroll and aren't concerned about winning. New owners might be more committed and certainly can't be any worse in treating the fan base. It might set up turnover in the front office and the field staff and with the disappointments of the last several years, there is justification.

I don't think Culpepper should be ruled out from being the Twins regular shortstop in 2026, but it is a foolish plan to bank on it IMHO.

"Not everyone is making the most of the opportunity being put in front of them. Austin Martin had a nightmarish series in the outfield in Detroit, reinforcing the skepticism around his capability in center, which is essential to his staying power as a big-leaguer. The bat just doesn't impress – Martin did pop a solo homer in Detroit but otherwise had just three hits in 19 at-bats. He also hasn't proven to be much of an asset on the basepaths, where he made multiple sloppy mistakes." There is some improvement evident in Martin's play IMHO. I don't know if it is enough to salvage his career or not. Offensively, he needs to get on base more and defensively......well I don't know how much a person can improve instincts. "Gasper has the chance to get some substantive major-league playing time here in the final weeks of the season, and if he doesn't do anything with it, probably his last chance. He got four starts against Detroit and Kansas City – two at DH, one at first, one at catcher – and went 1-for-15. His week ended with a strikeout on a bunt foul with the winning run on second base and no outs. I guess you might as well keep feeding him plate appearances to see if any of that production from Triple-A can materialize, but Gasper has shown very little in the major leagues." I thought Gasper played well in the field both yesterday and today, although I missed one of the steals and the throw on the other one was not pretty. It looked like he received the ball well and worked well with the pitchers, some of whom he was familiar with and some not. He played a sound game at first base on Saturday as well. In light of the abuse he received on TD this week, I thought it should be pointed out. However, he really hasn't looked like a hitter and given his skill set, he needs to hit. It seems his minor league success has bought a trial, but with no indication that he will break out, he might be out of time.

Between the front office and the field staff, the Twins have been pretty unimpressive in developing position players. The jury is out for some (like Lee and Lewis) but it is safe to say that Larnach hasn't developed into even a full-time player, Kirilloff failed (mostly due to injury), Miranda and Julien flashed (Miranda in two different seasons) and faded. All except for Julien were high draft choices. Depending on how one looks at his production, Wallner has developed and Ryan Jeffers is a good offensive player for a catcher. It is a checkered record at best and IMHO is the most compelling reason to change managers and field staff.

It is a long, long season. At the end of June, most were saying that Brooks Lee had shown major league chops and was a decent bat and glove, then July happened. July was a good month for Lewis but now he has slumped noticeably in August. Jeffers has put together a good couple of weeks to bring his numbers up to a good level. Keaschall looks like the real deal. I think his hitting success is a little more sustainable than Royce's. Also, he's looked pretty good in the field since he returned. Leave him at second for the rest of the season and maybe just leave him there for the rest of the decade.

Speed, in and of itself, isn't much of a thing as Martin has shown in his brief major league career. I agree that Martin does look better at the plate and I think he can do a better job of utilizing his speed in the field and on the bases, but I also think he only has seven weeks to do so.

Only the third K for Keaschall.

I’ve seen about half of Gasper’s PAs. I’ve seen him hit about three balls hard. AFAIK he richly deserves his batting average and OPS. He’s raked at AAA and actually hit with some power, but looks like a pitcher trying to hit in the majors. He’s approaching the point where you can’t blame a small sample size for his results.

Who else do they have? They did trade five relief pitchers.

I saw the performer in Rochester many years ago. Third row, no poncho and no damage.

Rocco is using the best he has from the bullpen tonight and they've put up two zeros.

Topa at 96 mph. He's healthy 70% of the way through the season.