h2oface

I guess since deGrom got rained out tonight, someone had to get "deGrom'ed" instead of deGrom. Two walks with a wet ball and a slippery mound in the light rain, and a plate umpire that takes his sweet time to call the third strike so the catcher has to throw to second just in case. Simmons should have had that throw from Jeffers, anyway - and he even had another error in the game. Sano is not getting any smarter. I don't know what to say to those that think Berrios is not the best we have. A team does not get better to trade the best they have. We are not a better team with Alcala and Celestino instead ofAll-Star Pressly right now, and we won't be without Berrios. What do you want? More prospects you can call up and have play sloppy, and pitchers that are already 25 and older and still aren't ready? - because that is what our minor league system seems to culture. And our MLB staff now, too. Hell, bring in free agents and they get worse! All those prospect hope and dreams will do is get immersed in the system, and we see how ready they are when they get here. They make mistakes that should be figured out by that time they are in high school or college. May as well blame Garver, too, just for good measure. He had to have been doing something wrong even if he is on the IL. ? And Colome. Seriously Baldelli? Colome?

He sure looked like an All-Star in Monday's game against the Sox!

Every time someone writes about Rogers, they leave out the most important stat for a reliever. Inherited Runners Scored. Relief. When a pitcher comes in and lets most of the runners on base score (and with Rogers, it has more than once been on his first pitch!), that is not my idea of "relief". Those runs all go to his teammates, and he gets by scott free on his numbers. To ignore that when talking about Rogers this year is unsound and cloaks the true story.

Check this. Ohtani's first inning tonight. He walked the bases loaded, followed by a couple singles, a strikeout and a ground out, a HBP, and a walk. With 4 runs in, the bases loaded and two outs, the top of the order coming up again, Maddon had had enough, and replaced him with former Twin, Aaron Slegers, who only needed one out to provide the relief that is his purpose and reason for being in the game. Slegers promptly gave up a bases clearing double on his second pitch to DJ LeMahieu, and all 3 inherited runners scored. I guess it doesn't matter if you are a current Twin, or a past Twin, this is not your year for giving up inherited runs, and it only takes one or two pitches. The Yankees led 8-4 into the top of ninth, but now Chapman walks the bases loaded, and then gives up a grand slam to Walsh! The Angels score 7 in the 9th and win it, 11-8. 19 runs Braves 20-Mets 2 , 22 runs, Brewers 15-Cubs 7, 22 runs, Nats 15-Rays 6, 21 runs, Marlins 11-Phillies 6, 17 runs. 16 runs scored in the 13-3 butchering of our Twins, and it doesn't even make the top 5 in runs scored in a game today. And pitchers all over the place are not finding their command. Unless they perhaps, don't throw it so hard...........? trouble with grip? Anyway, that doesn't explain why our Twins only got 5 hits........

The five year old flipping his bat/stick (was he lefty then, or is the film just flipped)at 5:50 is classic.

I wish we were getting 4 of his best seasons, and there is still time, I guess, for a couple. Cruz is a believer of strong seasons in the late 30s (and 40s so far). I wish he would hire a full time leg masseuse or messeur or PT person to travel with him and keep his legs fit to perform at his peak and not get hurt. But aside from that, I like Donaldson. I find it funny that there is an article like this disparaging all of these guys. I guess anything is fair game in seasons like this. I like interesting complex personalities. I like bite and creativity. And he is saying the truth. I like folks celebrating and having fun and getting in umpires' faces. Most of the time they deserve it. I liked Pierzynski. Funny guy. Real funny. Lynn would be my recent least favorite, and not because I am judging hearsay news about him.... he just was horrible on this team, to me his body language seemed like he didn't like it here, and he mailed it in. I bet Donaldson doesn't have any boring friends.

Pay Berrios and keep him. No trade of Berrios will make this a better team. I am sick of strangers and hope and dreams.

The only wish/ask, when you bring in a reliever with 2 outs and anyone on base anywhere, and especially scoring position -- is to not let the runner score and get the one out and out of the inning. The only wish/ask, so not hard for me (or every fan of said team) to wish for it, at all.

Yes, a runner was on second, and yes, Polanco deflected it, but to me, holding the line does not include giving up what would be the winning run of the game, and that was Coulombe's inherited runner scoring. Sure, you can ignore it and minimize it especailly with all the other plays in the game, and it was charged to Maeda ...... but.... to me, a reliever does his job when he is brought in with runners on and only needs one out, and gets it, instead of giving up a hit to the first batter and the inherited runner scores.

Ha! I have never even heard of Bill James and really don't see his 1976 or so essay as part of the recent discussion here on TD. But thanks for mentioning him. Interesting.

I feel, to assume that a different player would hit the same as said player in the more pressure packed opportunity, is folly. Maybe they would, but so many don't. So many can get hits with no pressure added, and then not deliver when it would count more.

Thank you. I brought up his last 30, 15 and 7 day average and OBP in the game thread claiming he has been hot..... and received the almighty OPS in response during that period, which was .759 or something (which, btw, is still higher than all but Larnach, Donaldson, and Cruz from yesterday's Twins lineup). Some are posting his OPS for the year here, too, which is in the .600s. I believe the best managers pay more attention to the last week and the more recent sss performance than a yearly stat predictor or career stat. I am not saying Eddie should still be on this team, I am saying that to walk the bases loaded with 1 out to get to pitch to him was a poor decision (screamed in real time, and not hindsight - a double play set up with a runner on first already). Average matters. Singles matter. RBI matter, and they have the element of opportunity, sure, but that is when some players perform, and that is why they have a lot of RBI. I believe the ongoing RBI discussion is driven by the statement that "RBI and average are a meaningless and useless stat " and not they, in themselves, are useless or meaningless. Kind of the same thing, but not quite. I will not be a part of the movement to devalue either. Hits are always good, and especially with RISP. Some hit all solo homers, and some hit homers (or singles or doubles etc) with runners on, and runs, in the end, is the most important stat. Scoring them, and not giving them up.

If it is Diaz, yes. He should not be at third base anyway. He holds fast runners and sends guys like Sano. I think he is terrible. Some have been running through his signs...... I just think Diaz needs replaced. He makes bad decisions. We need a coach there that is creating runs instead of stopping them or sending the slow runners and holding the fast ones. Holding Larnach on that freak wild pitch play was brutal, and cost us a run.

"Eddie Rosario broke the game open in his return to target field with a 2 RBI single followed by another RBI single from Bobby Bradley to give Cleveland a 4-1 lead that would hold through the end of the game." Not that it matters, but Bradley's was a ground out and Polanco decided to let the run score and throw it to first for the second out (Rosario was running and the double play ball was mute). Common decision, but I always hate not making the play at home (Ramirez is no speedster) and getting the runner out. Maybe he scores anyway, but it is the 8th inning and being 2 runs down is way better than 3.

And another Berrios start wasted. "deGrom'ed" again. At least his team didn't drop the loss on him. I don't miss Ryan Pressly at all. We have Alcala.

Reds pitchers have fault in 2 of his injuries. Tyler Mahle hit him on the hand and broke it, and Lucas Sims, in September of 2019, beaned him in the head, taking him out with a concussion! His luck there is that he was batting when the Reds pitchers threw the ball where they did.

RBI is Runs Batted In. Already Plural. Redundant and unnecessary to add any s anywhere. (Funny that one of the oldest baseball stat abbreviations is one that is used technically wrong - RBIs - so often). Good luck on your mission. It is so often used wrong, but I know what they mean when they use it with an s. Like ath-a-lete and real-a-tor, as long as the communication is there, it works for me. I know you didn't axe me, but I chimed in just the same.

Also noticed this in the excellent Minors weekly update.... It looks like Duran is not going to be in the near future plans now, either..... " on Sunday he was placed on the Injured List with a right elbow strain. That is the same injury that both Blayne Enlow and Matt Canterino were IL’d with last month." Enlow has already had TJ surgery on June 9.

Good to see some late inning moxie. Too bad we have the pitching we do. But the other thing I noticed was that the Reds batters, particularly in the 8th against Colome, were defensive hitters, and guarded the plate. Naquin, Farmer, and Barnhart all got dink hits by putting the ball in play and relied on the Twins horrible fielding to score the three runs. All of them got hits (or Sano error) by hitting balls low and out of the zone. In the mean time, Arraez was begging for a walk, instead of taking care the plate to end the eighth, even after he was gifted a ball on a second pitch strike. He takes pitch six for another called third strike and Ks to end the rallly.

OK. I am totally against childish retaliation for HBPs to other batters, but would love to see the pitchers have to suffer similar inflicted pain. But for Buxton, I am hearing the call to the dark side. I am sick and tired of the Reds pitchers that can't control where they throw the ball getting by with no consequences. First, it was Lucas Sims beaning Buxton and taking him out as we approached the playoffs in 2019, and now it is Mahle that can't control his pitches and breaks his hand! I say TIME FOR REVENGE! I know the guilty pitchers can't bat in American League parks, and since Sims is a reliever, the chance to make him accountable in the National League park is very low. But Mahle is a starter. So what to do, and how to do it. They both need to suffer, and not mentally, physically. This is sickening. This is not just a Ho-Hum Oh Well That's Baseball. This is Buxton in a massive breakout coming of age arrived year. Something has to be done. The pain and torture they have inflicted upon Buxton is cruel and unusal punishment. And this fan (others?) feeeeels it. They didn't mean to, eh? So what. Actions have consequences. Just kidding. No I'm not. Yes I am...... I can't help it......

Any game that Dobnak pitches that we win is a big deal. Any game that Dobnak AND Colome pitch and we win is A REAL BIG DEAL.

3 in a row. Now when we win the 15th in a row on July 2 in KC we will be at .500 with 9 games to go before the all-star break!

Ho hum. Just another year. Maybe next year. Oh well.

Well stated Cody Pirkl. I am not impressed, either.

Exactly. Like the Minnesota Twins.