h2oface

Just had to write an article about him, eh? ? Didn’t do him right today. ?

At this point it doesn’t matter. The team needs way more than Buxton. And a lot more. Best to have Buxton healing for August and September, if possible.

The top prospect on the list isn't even signed, and was out all of last year recovering from surgery, and the others have difficulty staying on the field, and Balazovic is getting worse. One hell of a pipeline, eh?

Happy for any pitcher in the first couple of rounds. Happy for a lefty. I hope they get him signed.

Just what we need. Another shortstop that won’t be a shortstop. No pitcher. Some things never change. At least they took a gamble on a pitcher at 48. I hope Lee is more than a DH and the bizarre leg injury isn’t too restrictive in his future.

Mediober. Ober is not an answer. He can’t even ever stay on the field. But he is a Dobnak fools gold and will turn into a liability anyway. Smeltzer. Bundy. Archer. All low price liabilities. They may have a good month or two. So did Nolasco. Amazed folks think Ober will be a savior.

Cheer up! Sano is almost back!

Atlanta was 44-45 at the break last year. They were devastated with injuries. Anything can happen, and probably will. Unlikely trades didn't seem that great. Unlikely heroes emerged. Defending WS Champs. Go figure.

I am not a Devon Smeltzer apologist, but I totally agree with him here. Baldelli's "gut" told him that Gray would be fine after taking a batted ball on his pitching tricep at over 100 mph early in the game, pitching with no command before, and less after, and it seems to me, and I posted in real time, that he had to come out. Instead, history on the way to the 12-2 massacre, and the inevitable Slam. But today, Smeltzer was hoodwinked and deception was the MO. And the carousel of inept bullpen place holders get the call. No start the inning and at least give him one batter with the parade of 6 innings to the finish in cue and up and ready in the pen. Just the merciless yank. Add me to the miffed list.

No. Because I read, and Duran said so himself as late as 4 days ago. https://www.mlb.com/news/how-twins-are-managing-jhoan-duran-workload But did Duran ever imagine himself becoming this sort of closer-type late-innings arm? "No," the soft-spoken right-hander said, simply. Well, does he enjoy blowing up radar guns and locking down the finishes of games out of the bullpen? "In reality, it’s OK," Duran said through interpreter Elvis Martinez. "I don’t think about it that way, but I always liked to be a starter. I always liked that." Duran said, "God willing," he hopes to return to a starting role in the future, if the team would be open to it. But for now, with his 2.54 ERA, 48 strikeouts and seven walks in 39 innings, he has been -- and will continue to be -- the focal point of a bullpen that has otherwise been the weakness of a first-place Twins roster.

DPC Double Play Correa. Fits on offense and defense.

If it was up to Duran, the answer would be yes, as he still wants to be a starter. If he was on a better team that knew how to roster a decent bullpen, I bet he would be starting. And I bet he could go at least 5 a game.

At this point, I could care less if we get one more o-fer with 3 Ks from Buxton, or miss them. If the other players and managers are crazy enough to name him al all-star this year, so be it. Let him play in it. It is our pen and pitching that is the problem.

It would seem prudent to trade Sano, especially since word has it, because of his girth and growth, he will now require 2 roster spots instead of the usual one.

"The All-Star who came under Twitter scrutiny the past few games for his ‘lack of hitting’ silenced the haters and keyed up the crowd after landing on third base cuing the “Buck Truck” horn. Buxton stayed on third base through three hitters and never got a chance to come home. One of the most fun moments of the game was being able to witness the “Buck Truck”, something that Buxton does in honor of his father who was a truck driver and his teammates have joined him in the dugout. To watch it happen as he got a standing triple was something really neat." I, for one don't find the trucker horn thing that I did as a child on the highways even close to "fun", and find it sad that it can be considered one of the most fun moments of a baseball game, But whatever. To each its own. I even found it lame as a kid. I mean really, what kid didn't do the truck horn thing? And every parent taught it to them, regardless if the father drove a truck. It just looks desperate when you are batting all of .200. And nobody "hates" Buxton. We all just want him and hope for him to find consistent success, and not this sad repetitive streaks of failure. And Buxton had many chances to score from third base through the three hitters. Especially when Chicago's third baseman was about 30-35 feet from the base. Rod Carew would have stolen home in a heartbeat. No reason that a player with Buxton's speed doesn't ram it down the opposing teams’ throat when they shift like that with a runner with Buxton's speed on third. And it doesn't even take a runner that fast to score, if they just time it right. If the pitcher speeds up and balks, they score anyway, They should fine and suspend players that leave the bench like in the NBA. So tough of them. Tough guys. They weren't going to fight anyway. They just wanted attention. It is just ridiculous how these "men" puff their chests for nothing. Game was over anyway. Such tough guys.

But Cueto does, He has looked great today. Lot's of movement on his fastballs. Froze Polanco. Great command. And he has been good all year so far, really. I would take him over Archer and Bundy.

Well, today he got hit on the pitching arm or the ribs at 100+mph...... and kept pitching. I'm sure that his body wasn't optimum after that, and it showed. And, definitely not the same since return from IL.

Hmmmmmmmmm What a waste of a game by the manager......

Carew would have had 20 plus steals of home a season if the shifts we see today were used then. Buxton should definitely steal home in those situations.

No way Gray should stay in here, regardless. ICE ICE BABY! Maybe to let him give up a couple more hits/runs while trying to be macho. I get him out of there.

Buxton's best chance to score is just to steal home here! Nobody close to third. Induce a balk or steal home.

Definitely not Urshela. Does nobody include Buxton, or is this a rhetorical nobody, and I should ignore all the triples to the corner I have seen over the years?

And then a slide that was not deceptive and thrown out. Can't even score on the tag/sac fly. We are terrible on the bases.

How did Urshela not get a triple on that hit? Then he can't score from second on a single. Sloooooooowwwwww? Or just poor baserunning. Conservative. OK. But this is how runs are wasted.

Yes. Couldn't resist.