h2oface

Scary. That will get your blood pressure up.

Such “great stuff” that loads the bases.

Duran is turning into scary Eddie. A hit, a walk , a HBP, WP …….. something combination of two every inning. Add stolen base

Best part about hitting him is Witt can’t advance. Yet.

So much contact against Duran……

say what? Ha! I totally missed that repeated one. I’m always lazy on the Jr’s. too. Thanks for the help. Usually it is the e and i order. Great first public interaction. It makes me a better person.

Both teams gave up 3 walks in the game. The Twins just did it in a row. Twins got 3 hits, 3 walks, and one HBP. 7 baserunners total. No runs scored with Paddack on the mound again. Even getting pulled with the bases loaded and one out, the relief was hoped to induced a double play. Today (both games), the pen inherited 5 runners total, and 4 scored officially (only 3 actually) with Duran (2 of 2) and Varland (2 of 3) on the mound.

Bader is playing through a groin strain, because Buxton is out, especially. (Bader suffered left groin tightness during the second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on May 14, Sat out without going on the IL until the 17th.) They are trying to keep him from having to man center, and run more, to keep him healthy enough to stay in the lineup. Keirsay already does have a walk off hit during the streak, and is fast and can pinch run at the end of games. That's something. He is great in the field. McCusker and Castro both need to get some reps with balls hitting the right field wall. They both let balls hit and get past them in the last two games.

Let me give a more detailed description of the top of the 9th inning, and perhaps get some help from someone on the official scoring, and how runs and consequential stats were created. Ryan gave up a double to Ramirez on a middle fastball just outside the zone on a 3-2 count, and then walked Mazardo on 4 pitches, and was pulled for Duran, who inherited runners on second and first with no outs. Santana was the first batter faced, and only swung at one pitch, a 95 mph splitter on the 6th pitch of the at bat on a 3-2 count that dropped well below the zone, and he was credited with a fielder's choice as one of Ryan's responsibilites, Manzardo, was forced out at second. One out with Ramirez on third and Santana, Duran's batter, on first. Then Jones walloped a 1-2 count 98 mph 4 seammer right down the middle adding another 4 mph to the exit velocity for a crisp single to left, and Ramirez trots in (Ryan's last batter who had a lead off double) and Santana is now on second. Duran then continues make the homies bite their nails, and uncorks a first pitch wild pitch to Arias to advance the runners, who are now both batters that Duran faced, to second and third, before striking him out on the next 3 pitches. Then Naylor, on the 7th pitch of 3-2 count crushes another pretty middle middle splitter that Castro totally misplays off the wall and he has to chase it down as it went right past him. Both Duran's batters score and Naylor stops at second. Would Jones have scored from first, if no WP? Probably, after Castro's misplay of the wall. Both the misplay and the WP are not counted as any type of error in the scoring, of course. After 23 pitches, Duran finally gets the a soft grounder to second to end the disasterous inning. Could have been worse, I guess, as the score is now tied, and we are not behind. So why the detail? The scoring. Ryan was charged with 2 earned runs, WP and misplay aside, and the fact that only one of the batters he faced, Ramirez, scored. Manzardo was eliminated at second. Duran was charged with 2 of 2 inherited runners scored, when only one of the inherited runners scored, and despite coming in the game with 2 runners on, and three runs scoring on his watch, he only is scored as having given up one run. So Ryan gets charged with Santana, as if he pitched to him? because Manzardo was out on a Fielder's Choice? Now Ryan is responsible for giving up the contact to Santana, who he never faced? Duran gets a blown save, and robs the win from Ryan. I guess this is what happened. Perhaps someone can confirm for me. Maybe this is just the first time in all these years I noticed this transfer of a batter to another pitcher. A last aside, here. It doesn't do much good to take 6 walks if the team isn't going to get any of them around to score. Best to get HBP, perhaps, as France's resulted in the winning run in the 9th. And the win is the only stat that really matters for a "team". Clemens sure has been a valuable pick-up so far.

Yes. All good for Castro. And many other teams have their lists of back door all-stars, for sure. Many more than our Twins, perhaps. I don't mean to criticize Castro, as he had nothing to do with it all. But for the writers and announcers who so often talk of him and introduce him as "All-star Willi Castro"....... I think that falls into "the term "All-Star" is diminished" when it is done so cavalierly.

? ?? ? On 5/19/2025 at 5:34 PM, h2oface said: ...was only an all-star by default. That is an important distinction, almost always not considered by the home town writers, announcers, and fans... That was a weird edit of my quote, leaving only Castro out of the sentence...... Castro was only an all-star by default. And then nothing at all about Castro. I get it though, and very interesting data summary, thanks for that, I did show how Correa was involved in the progression that lead to Castro representing the "no real all star available" Twins, and Correa was also the official required administrative pick, and Castro wasn't his official replacement, but Altuve's. Correa will probaly only ever be an administrative pick, regardless of his first half seasons, as fans and players hate him (except most in Minnesota now and Houston) for his choices and not apologizing for it. And in my opinion, he deserves that unwritten punishment, as he got away scott free from any penalty for his long term extended cheating. Plus even a future administrative nod will probably be rare, because mostly Correa has proven to suck at the plate in the first halves, last year being the sole exception since he left Houston. And when his absent second half of 2024 is included......... I have always had a problem with all-star picks only being considered, whether voted by fans, sportswriters, or players throughout baseball's history, .....only being considered according to the months of April, May and June, and a few days in March and July, and all the arguably more important months of July, August and September never even being considered and added on to the first half of the next year for the next all-star game. It always seems that half the all-star teams fielded wouldn't have even been considered on a full years play, and the hot second halfers never get credit for it the next year to go with their first half. All-star Teams fielded are cheapened by it, and we end up too often with too many guys sporting the only 3 month hot streak of their career. And the multiple fan votes - voting 25 times and then using a new sign in and doing it again....... I don't even vote now, I just enjoy the game for what it...... isn't.

Personally, I feel the "all-star" horn tooting for Castro is always over the top. "All-star" Castro was only an all-star by default. That is an important distinction, almost always not considered by the home town writers, announcers, and fans. Correa was the 2024 "required" administative pick to complete the one player from each team rule (he will struggle to be picked by fans or players no matter how he performs now because of his reputation as an unapologetic cheater, and there are so many really good shortstops available to chose from). "Carlos Correa chose to attend the 2024 MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, despite not playing due to an injury. He was named to the American League All-Star roster but was replaced by Corey Seager due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Correa opted to attend the event with his family, allowing his young sons to experience the experience." Castro only got the nod as an administrative replacement pick for, ironically, Correa's former complicite teammate, Jose Altuve (who chose not to play because he suffered a 96mph HBP on the left hand from now former Twin, Josh Winder, on July 5, and wanted to let it rest - and probably avoid the incessant boos that would happen on the national broadcast)! It was known Correa was not going to play, so Castro became the unwritten default pick. His .219/.298/.329 (.627 OPS) post All-star game line failed to keep up on what was already certainly not one of the shining stars that the game is designed for. He did get one at bat. Hyping "All-Star" for Castro always feels contrived, to me. Clemens production is welcome, and I hope it continues and if nothing else, lights a fire for Castro, because Castro's past two years could very well be his finest, and I would hope we can find much better.

Hall of Shame worthy. All sports should include a Hall of Shame in their Hall of Fame for the worthy.

He belongs in the Hall of Fame, in the Hall of Shame room, along with others that deserve it. They are part of the the famous baseball story, Warts count, too.

I wasn’t calling for Gasper, and a 30 year old man is not a kid anymore, for a long time.

The next Mickey Gasper (isn’t he doing great again …. in AAA ball, too?) 2 week experiment? Originally a shortstop that can take the field anywhere except catcher. Of course he can. Wouldn’t it be nice to have REAL depth, instead of “what a great story“ depth?

Topa pretty damn lucky. That last pitch couldn't have been more down the middle.

"Easily" is sure a matter of opinion, and with only 25% of the season on record, not really a thing yet. 2006 wasn't bad.... especially when Santana AND Liriano were peaking before Liriano tragically went down.... Johan Santana, Liriano, Radke, Nathan, Guerrier, Crain, Neshek, Reyes....... that team should have won a championship with the MVP, Batting Champ, and Cy Young winners. If only Liriano had not lost his arm......

Well that is some fuzzy math, and 15 games ago, the Twins were 10-16, 5.5 games behind Detroit, and 15 games later (11-4) they are 21-20 ....... still 5.5 games behind Detroit...... but I get what you are saying. 😇 15 games is real close to a 10-4 record, and it sure seems as if they should have made up a lot of ground.

That can’t be normalized. FIRE BALDELLI! …… and seemingly being “positive” while stereotyping women as negative and downers? 😇

Lewis is nowhere close to being ready. If they don’t pull him back and give him more time, he could face a 50 game or less season. I hope they IL him again until he can play full speed. If the team can get to the playoffs, they will need his …. potential.

Of course I have. I watch all the games. I also saw Greene pitch and hit at Notre Dame High School. Lewis has been lost since the last half of last year. That's a long time, now. I saw Danny Valencia hit for the best part of a year, too. You can't hit if you can't stay on the field, for sure. Potential is cheap. Delmon Young had amazing potential. Enough for the Twins to foolishly trade Matt Garza for him. Potential really doesn't get many wins. Neither does hope and dreams. Or if I just chose to be a homer and just have tunnel vision and not notice what is happening around the rest of the league. Of course I wish the best for him. But I also am not selling out to potential. Win streaks are fun, but this is still the same team, the same team construction. Hey, anything can happen, and will. It is enjoyable right now. Good to be a .500 team instead of in the bottom third of the league.

According to Cody Christie, it would be better to trade Ryan for a bunch of hope and dreams. Right. Very astute. I would rather trade Lewis for ........ Hunter Greene. Correct the original mistake of not selecting him in the draft when they had the chance. What is Mr. "I don't do Slumps"? 0 for his last 35? Ever since he said that, it is all slump. Umpiring. I will never understand why folks still want a human to call balls and strikes. Even if they are consistent. Consistently wrong is still wrong, and cheats all players of the game, batters and pitchers.

Baltimore, with all its hitting this year, has only scored more runs, at 138, than 5 other teams. We just swept them this year. We need their hitters? They sure were good for most of last year...... but suck so far this short year.

I understand all the stats et al, but what I see in the games is an enormous amount of contact. Maybe not the last 2 games, but last year and the beginning of this year, almost every pitch the batters would swing at they would touch the ball. Batters make contact on almost all his pitches. It got to be the feared Eddie G save. At least a hit and a walk every outing with two men on base, and hope for the best. Soft contact too often still results in runs at crunch time, especially with the Twins sad defense these days. If he continues to become "that" pitcher, with his increased offerings, he could be a starter, as he has expressed a desire to do, for his next team, when the Twins are too cheap to keep him.