h2oface

That's right. Shame on Gray for giving up 3 total hits in 6+, and giving up two meager singles in a row finally. We got lucky that Thielbar or the next up didn't give up a first batter (or first pitch, even) hit to drive in at least one of the runners. Real lucky. 92 pitches. It was a fair call either way, tonight, but at 80 pitches it is not, and who is to say that Sonny wouldn't have added to his 10 Ks? No one knows now. It is nice to see Thielbar being effective. I am glad you are impressed by Sands, because his AAA results and his MLB results are still poor. He has had a couple of good, relaxed outings though. And I agree, that is needed and looking good. His command is still spotty.

I loved what Sonny Gray didn't say in the pregame short interview, and how he didn't say it. I have more respect for him now. Somebody needs to push back against the sad way the staff has been handled. Of course Sonny isn't not commenting on when he needed to be pulled, but he is (not) saying (with words) that the way the starting staff has been being pulled early is not what he wants. It is too bad the staff and FO have reverted to misuse of the starters and bullpen in their formulaic approach to baseball. I am all for utilizing advanced stats, but not being ruled by them. It seemed to wake Baldelli out of his chart trance tonight, and I am all for it.

Sometimes, in games like this, I wish the guys could save the hits for when they need them......

Fulmer could use some intensity.

Leon seems to be a surefire bunter. I would have called a suicide squeeze just for pratice.

Good job, Thielbar. He has come a long way since the 10 ERA in April. One more clean inning, and he will be under 4! Gray might have done the same - after all he had 10 Ks - but this will work just fine.

I give Gray at least the next batter. 3 hits total so far. You can't say the pitchers don't want to go longer. It is not them that pulls them.

There were several reasons Correa was not signed until he was last year, and that most teams didn't want him at his price. I don't want him either. There will be several shortstops on the market again, and Trea Turner is one of them, but not for the Twins. Correa is not performing at anywhere close to his salary this year. Maybe not even half of it. If Correa is not coming back, they should play him everyday. Why rest the guy that is leaving, anyway? Plus, he is highly motivated to perform better so when he opts out he can get other teams to ignore his cheating track reacord and sign him long term face of the franchise that he wants. Can a "clubhouse leader" really be the guy that was one of the top cheaters and least reticent about it? Correa could change that and make his decision early to not opt out for 2023 (still could for 2024), but he won't. So quit treating him like value for the future, and use him up! I hope they go for pitching. And Verlander will be opting out. I would have much rather have had Verlander with Correa's current contract than Correa of 2022. Verlander is one of the only ones that will be looking for a shorter term contract. High dollar, short term. Kershaw too, but he will stay with Dodgers if he continues. Kershaw should do the Clemons, and start gearing up in June, and play July Aug Sept and postseason, and save his back and go shorter seasons but not miss the postseason. It would be really ironic if Trea Turner signed elsewhere, and the Dodgers signed Correa! If it wasn't telling how the Twins fans had short memories from the booing last year to the fawning now, it would really be interesting to see how memories changed and how hypocritical Dodger fans might be.

I thought KC showed the baseball world in 2014 and 2015 how important the bullpen was with Herrera/Davis/Holland. Others started going for the lockdown last 3 innings and paid for it. And were successful. The starter was still usually going the first 6 instead of maybe the first 5. To ignore the last 3 innings and just have a hope and a prayer, and you will likely hover around .500 at best.

I agree, except it is not their choice when they are pulled at 80 pitches in the 5th, and they have the 2 run lead with 2 outs and a runner on first and third. I am sure many of them many times would have rather continued, worked out of the inning themselves, pitched the 6th, too, instead of watching the blowpen come in and give up a hit or a homer to the first batter or even on the first pitch and blow their game and the teams lead up in one careless pitch. They want to step up. They don't get to make that decisison.

I had to laugh. Brains can be stubborn. Immediate resistance, but the learning curve is happening. I see a guy with one of the highest posting totals on the site spell names wrong all the time. Still can't figure out the double l in Kirilloff, and others, like the e in Duffey, and that really doesn't matter anymore, and we all know who they are talking about. At least for the challenged, Presley/Pressly duo is long gone and that is over.

One game winning streak! Is that a streak? It's a start. 4 games over .500. Nothing a nice 10 game winning streak won't fix. Now is the time. Lopez sure is scary. Seems every batter can make good contact, and he is giving up a lot of hits since he has put on the TC uniforms.

WE WIN!!!

Lucky. Lopez is scary. And not in a good way. Scary for the team he is on.

Way too much contact against Lopez...........

Way too much contact against Lopez. Seems everyone can make some kind of contact.

Still not excited to see the new guy. One game only he looked great. 2 out of 5 he was Pagan.

Too Sandusky sounding for me.

How do you get this team out of rally killing mode. It is just sickening.

Left him in for 110 against Dodgers.... down 6-1 he pitched the 5th. He only threw 80 against San Diego when Baldelli let him get humiliated and give up 10 runs, already down 4-1 and struggling, Baldelli made him pitch the 5th and let him give up 6 more. Unbelievable.

???? what the hell does that even mean?

Good job Thielbar. Thank you....... for this one.

HORRIBLE throw by Gordon. Got lucky he didn't run.

Pitching well, pull him at 80 pitches. Last game not so well..... leave him in to suffer for 110. Makes so sense to me at all. Give him a chance to get out of this. Thielbar will let them score with the first batter too often anyway.

I think Sanchez calls a horrible game for Ryan. Sets up hitters to succeed, not his pitcher.