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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    The schedule early is truly brutal. Perhaps the Twins will catch a break because the RSox are in disarray right now, but something tells me they will get well soon, as will the Angels. Certainly, the starting pitching has been below par and prospects aren't that great for the immediate future. I do think patience for the players is in order. A good series can change stats in a hurry. While Doumit hasn't been great, he drove in seven runs on the road trip. Just an example of how numbers even out. Currently, the scapegoats are the bottom of the order--Valencia, Thomas, Casilla, plus Liriano. I think the position players should be given more time, but the lousy starting pitching that Liriano has served up really sucks the life out of the team.
  2. stringer bell
    There are alternatives to playing Clete. I would rather they start Plouffe or Doumit in RF before putting Clete in RF. He should be the fourth OF.
  3. stringer bell
    Ok, I've seen enough of Clete Thomas now. Too many whiffs so far, although he does show decent pop.
  4. stringer bell
    Some good ABs for the Rays hitters. Pavano can't finish them off after getting a lot of Ks early.
  5. stringer bell
    I don't know why Maloney has been put on a list of suspects. I like how he goes about his job and his numbers are okay. As a matter of fact, I think Maloney should be the guy to replace Liriano if Frankie implodes again. Maloney has been a starter through his minor league career, with pretty good numbers. I understand that Maloney was recovering from an injury last year, but prior to that his major league numbers weren't bad either, especially considering the home park for the Reds.
  6. stringer bell
    I think it is just plain tough to figure out pitching. Who ever thought Juan Rincon could come up to the majors and be an outstanding setup guy? How about Matt Guerrier? There is a pretty long list of players who were under the radar and become competent (or better) pitchers, especially in the bullpen. Guerra seems to have found his form in the bullpen. The Twins had several guys that looked pretty good in ST. I particularly liked Casey Fien and Waldrop. Fien has gone down to Rochester and pitched very well, Waldrop was injured. Diamond and Fien have been the best pitchers at Rochester--check their WHIPs, not ERAs. At New Britain, Guerra, Turpen, French and Hirschfield have been very good. I think there is some pitching help in the minor leagues and I don't think the Twins' current bullpen is that bad.
  7. stringer bell
    Valencia is an average third baseman. He hit surprisingly well in 2010, not so much last year. He's got some power, which the team sorely lacks. To give up on him because he has a few bad at bats is silly, I think. He actually hit well in late innings with the game on the line last year. What could be inexcusable is for him to lose his focus, as I believe he did when the Twins were in their doldrums. I don't think Valencia's defense is bad--but I don't think it is above average either. Having Burroughs available to give him some days off, particularly against tough righthanders, is fine. I don't think Burroughs or Carroll are guys that move Danny off third base. That guy might be in Beloit this year.
  8. stringer bell
    Continue to like Burton and Maloney in the bullpen. Added to Capps, Duensing and Perkins, the 'pen could be all right.
  9. stringer bell
    Manship has better stuff than Guerra? Wow--what I've seen of Manship is a pretty good breaking ball and nothing else that is exciting. He only throws about 90 and when with the Twins "works backwards" quite often, nibbling early in the count and often pitching from behind. Hardly the sign of a guy with "good stuff".
  10. stringer bell
    Swarzak is a 5th starter/long reliever. Expecting him to be good every start is folly. It bugs me that the Twins scored early and scored enough runs to win and still lost last night, but expecting Twins starters to be stellar every outing is pollyannaish. Gray and Burnett performed well enough to make the "who gets demoted?" question harder, not easier. It also seems to me that Gray's long outing will necessitate 13 pitchers for the Tampa Bay series unless the FO decides to DFA Gray.
  11. stringer bell
    We have seen this movie before, no? I hope this settles down and doesn't end up 18-16.
  12. stringer bell
    The other side of this question is, "who gets sent down?" Gray is out of options, Burnett has been very good so far, Maloney and Burton have shown some progress. If they hold true to "no scholarships", I think Gray gets DFAed and I think that is the right move. If they send down the guy with the option, it will be Burnett.
  13. stringer bell
    I think Revere is the least likely. Bringing up a third catcher has the added benefit of easing the logjam at Rochester. Bringing up either Dozier or Nishioka probably doesn't make much sense when the starters are playing well. I'm guessing it will be Butera to add "catching depth".
  14. stringer bell
    Yes and no. Cuddyer is my all-time favorite Twin and I thought the Twins should do what they could to re-sign him, but it is probably best for Cuddyer and the Twins that he got three years and the Twins got a sandwich pick.
  15. stringer bell
    Luke could do worse than learn from Cuddy: .370 BA, 1.091 OPS, 2 homers, MLB leading 7 doubles.
  16. stringer bell
    There are a lot of pieces on this team that aren't bound to be here next year. If the Twins aren't in it this summer, I can see some or all of Doumit, Carroll, Span, Pavano, Marquis, Capps, and Liriano leaving in trades. The goal should be simple, if the Twins are marginally in it, they should be trading value for value, but if not (and I think they'll have a hard time competing with that staff) acquire arms and middle infielders. The team as composed right now is pretty good offensively, catches the ball and plays with better defensive fundamentals than last year's huge disappointment. Without a dominant starter and with a lot of question marks in the bullpen, their staff can't and won't be a strength. They should win a lot more games, but moving from 63 to enough to contend is a huge mountain to climb.
  17. stringer bell
    The offense will be better than last year, probably a lot better. The defense will be better because they have competent defenders through the middle of the field. I think there are way too many question marks to consider the Twins "this close", but there is more talent there than TwinsFanLV is saying. I know that it is almost unknowable who will pitch well and who will wash out. The Twins look to have a bunch of 4th and 5th starters in their rotation and unknows in the bullpen. However, given good health to the back end of the 'pen, I think there are some guys who can step in and be proficient--Burton looks like he might be pretty good, Maloney had a nice spring and despite a high ERA, his WHIP is good, Waldrop looked pretty good in the spring and Burnett has been very good so far in low leverage situations. Will all of the new guys come through? Really doubtful, but there is also some help at Rochester, so I think the bullpen will be OK.
  18. stringer bell
    If the Twins had DLed Blackburn, their rotation would be Pavano, Liriano, Swarzak, Hendriks, and Marquis and they now have seven guys in the bullpen. When Blackburn is ready to pitch (and if Perkins avoids the DL), they most likely move Swarzak back to the bullpen and send down a pitcher. So, when the pitching is clarified (barring more injuries) a pitcher will be demoted. That guy most likely is a reliever. Hughes DFA most likely does clear a spot on the 40-man roster, meaning that Dozier or anyone else not on the 40-man could be called up and placed on the 40-man.
  19. stringer bell
    Color me meh on Luke Hughes. A year ago I would have been even less bothered but Hughes has actually grown on me in this past year. Besides, he signed a baseball for me in ST. Hughes is a utility bat--he isn't a great fielder anywhere, but I thought he was passable defensively as long as he hit. He hit a little last year, but struck out a lot. Analysts pointed out that he could hit the fastball but really struggled against off-speed and breaking stuff no matter what hand the pitcher was throwing out of. I suppose, in the end, Plouffe can do what Hughes can do and is a couple years younger. I wish Luke the best. I hope he stays in the Twins organization, but if he moves on, good luck to him.
  20. stringer bell
    I agree that Liriano should go to the bullpen but I don't think or expect that he will become a dominant reliever. It doesn't make sense that a guy who has seemed to melt under the pressure in the early innings would have the mental makeup to succeed in late innings with high leverage. Liriano has often shown great stuff, but he hasn't produced. Perhaps a trip to the bullpen will help him find what works again and be an effective pitcher.
  21. stringer bell
    I think that if Liriano can't be sent to the minors, they should swap him and Maloney at least temporarily. I like the way Maloney pitches and though the ERA is high, it's a small sample size. Liriano can try to get his form back in low pressure situations and I think Maloney gives the tam a better chance to win than Fragile Frankie.
  22. stringer bell
    Blackburn to the DL, I think. Thursday is his fifth day since pitching, so they can DL him retroactive to that. He would be eligible to come off on the 29th and the Twins can roll with Pavano, Swarzak, Liriano, Hendriks, and Marquis. One move not mentioned would be to option Parmelee. I don't know what Morneau's plans are for sure, but if he is the primary 1B, there really is no point in keeping Parmelee around. When the injuries get sorted out, they can go back to 12 pitchers and at that time, I suspect sweet Drew would be on his way back to the majors since Doumit and Mauer will be DHing more and Towles and Rivera haven't hit at Rochester and Drew is on the 40-man.
  23. stringer bell
    The Twins need to fix Mr. Liriano.
  24. stringer bell
    This game might last four hours. Liriano isn't making it easy by any means.
  25. stringer bell
    I don't want to get too worked up over one game, but this was so refreshing. The Twins were the better team. They were more aggressive, hit better, made some plays in the field and appeared unintimidated. After losing a two run lead in four pitches, they put together a couple of good innings. Pavano really settled down and showed what a pitcher can do, even without a 90 mph fastball. If the Twins are going to be competent, they need to score 800 runs, if they are going to contend, they need to score more than that. Their pitching won't be dominant, but it can be competent. I especially like the two fine plays that Casilla made (a good turn of a DP and a diving stop) and the fact that everybody contributed to the win. In New York. Against the Yankees. On national cable.
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