h2oface

If I am managing in a virtual playoff game, with no score in the 4th, and Gray holding them almost hitless, my clean up hitter Eddie Rosario lays down a nice bunt toward third base to score that runner..... and get the automatic infield hit with the defense in the shift, and leave it 1 scored, and a runner on first and second and one out. To let him hit into the shift for a double play is just irresponsible.

And Smeltzer warming up. This is kind of a chilling view of the Twins practicing for the playoffs.

Maybe Cruz needs longer naps.........

Oakland loses first game of today's double header with the Mariners.... Twins now tied with them at 35-23 with 2 games to go for both of them.

Hmmm. I'll wait until they win a playoff game.... series..... advance, before I jump on this wagon. That is the proof of the success.

Well that debut was underwhelming, and that is being kind.

Colina was so not inspiring. One day maybe we get the pitcher that comes up and rolls, instead of always having to make excuses and cliche concessions. I guess the positive out of this day for the Twins is..... they still control their own destiny as far as winning the Central. Time for the boys to step up and get some hits with runners in scoring position. Today was brutal.

Can you use Rogers where every inning matters? How about May? or Romo? Or any of the pen..... It is all a crap shoot, now, we will see who can be a star. Here we go.......

I have to tune out all the "There goes the division" "We'll be lucky to even see the playoffs". Hard to do that here. Don't look now... but the Twins are two back of the number one seed, with Tampa playing a highly motivated Philly, and losing 3-1 in the fourth. Anything can happen in these last 3 games, and Cincy is also very highly motivated. This weekend might be better than the playoffs. Hopefully the Twins come to win.... but Houston as the third seed would be OK with me. All expect..... Twins sprinting to the Number One seed, and the Yankees falling to #8, both of which could happen still.

I always hope we find a star at every position. Arraez is, to me, a short term fill, and I hope he doesn't get in the way of finding a better fielding, and higher OPS long term solution.

Theilbar says thanks, Romo. It only took 4 total pitches and let 3 runs in. And Romo gets a save. Stribling got a save by pitching the last 4 innings in a 14-1 Toronto win over the Yankees. He came in the game in the 6th, already ahead 5-1.

What's the story on Cruz. Is he hurt? Is there a reason for being out again?

This will probably be up to Cruz. I would much rather keep him, even if he does decline. You can always not play him. But you can't put him in the lineup if he is not on your team. One decline year won't hurt the Twins at all. I mean seriously.... they put Astudillo on the roster! Cruz is good for the team.

Looks like Cincinnati is lining Trevor Bauer up for the possible opening game of the wild card round. I think it is really because he doesn't want to face Kepler this weekend!

Selling out? Most likely? Ye of little faith. Still to early to resign to second in the division.

Garver is the Rodney Dangerfield of Twins' catchers. He gets no respect. I certainly am not ready to dump him, after what... all of 20 games played so far this crazy year? Not me. Not selling on Kepler, either. Or Buxton......

I hope this works out. I am pretty distressed about it right now. I mean, If Bieber and Cleveland take the Sox today, and we beat the Tigers, we are 1/2 game out of passing the Sox, and only one game back in the loss column. To throw Bailey out there now? We keep coming up with old options instead of young, like I see so many other teams doing. I sure hope it works out. I hope Baldelli starts playing the starters, too. Time to consider this the playoff push, and until we are eliminated from the Division title, to actually play for it. Same goes for home field if we are going to finish second. The Reds are still playing for a playoff birth too. This is no time to split with Detroit and come out the the season a pathetic 5-5 against them, or all horrors, 4-6. I mean, Chicago is 18-2 against Detroit and KC. We are 9-9. There is a 8 game advantage over us right there, 8 game, because they played those games to win, instead of throw away games like Baldelli orchestrated. At least there will be no Astudillo behind the plate. edit: I see Cleveland moved Bieber to tomorrow to go against Giolito, and are pitching Quantrill today (bullpen game?), instead. Even more reason to win today, no matter what.

At least they can't lose more than 2 more in a row to them in the first round.

Well I can't really get on board with the cafe apples to apples....... I can't assume to read Donaldson's mind, but you could be right.... you know.... "unwritten" rules and all.

So what! The umpire has to clean homeplate. He does it graciously all game, even after some batter just kicks dirt on it over and over to get his foot just right in the batters box. After the catcher kicks dirt on it gaurding the plate, or throwing to second. SO WHAT! A little dirt has to be swept off the plate. And the home plate umpire has to do the menial task of taking that little broom out of his pocket and bend over and he gets to get some attention with his own special performance rendition of the little sweep the plate off so he can better see the plate with his aging eyes and hope to guess balls and strikes better. Let's? Let US? Let you. I made my case, and prefer you make yours. I don't agree. Never have, and never will. In my opinion this is funny, creative, and good for baseball. Not a big deal. A tiny deal. And a player should not be ejected for it. Sweeping a little dirt off the plate. I am not one of your us in let's. I guess us don't care that there was no rule infraction that calls for an ejection. Unexpected? Not unexpected, knowing the personality's of umpires. Unjust? I made my case that it is unjust. Thank you for the permission to enjoy and endorse this particular Donaldson performance.

I have to offer a different perspective to the Donaldson behavior and ejection. First, there is absolutely no rule that states and player cannot kick dirt on the plate (In fact, it happens during the game all the time, as part of play). He didn't say anything to the umpire at the time (previous to being ejected), he didn't get in his face, he didn't spray saliva on him, he didn't make a big deal of it. He didn't even look at the guy, until he was already booted, and then he quickly exited the field after two more swift sweeps with his feet after he made sure he the plate was contacted. He didn't cause benches to clear, he didn't delay the game, he didn't threaten anyone, he didn't flip the umpire the bird, and he didn't break any baseball rule. He didn't even look at the umpire as he crossed the plate! The play was over, and other than returning to the plate to make sure he actually touched it, if the umpire hadn't of felt that he had to become the game instead of view the game and make sure no rules were broken and the ones there are are upheld....... Donaldson would have returned to the dugout, as he was doing anyway, and play would have continued uninterupted. Instead, the umpire disrupted play, caused a delay of game, and took a player who had broken no rule out of the game. What Donaldson did was effective, funny, and caused no delay and threatened no one. It didn't cause a teammate to actually break a rule and throw a ball at a player on the other team. It appears some that dislike what he did, and are disgusted with it, also have no admonishment for throwing at a batter in childish retribution for someone admiring their home run or clearing the benches and acting like they are fighting, and delaying the game. In fact, many times I read posts that encourage it and hope for it and suggest they should..... and all this behavior is an infraction. They support "unwritten" rules. This is the behavior that we should be concerned that the youth are affected by, in my opinion. I believe it is even an infraction to touch the base runner before he crosses home plate, and yet it happens all the time on home runs and the home run trot (and it happened on this home run trot at first base and third base). It happens at the plate when the bench all surround the player and contact him before he crosses the plate. I don't find anything wrong with that either. Debris and water and sticky gaterade can end up on the plate after the play is over. Donaldson was funny, creative, and got his point across effectively with nonverbal communication that could have, and should have, just been ignored by a secure, balanced umpire, that is doing his job and keeping the game moving and being as invisible as possible. That is his job. Not to become the game. (And not to make so many horrible ball and strike calls, either.)

This tool originally created to help make umpires better at what they do is a thorn in their side instead. Many umpires have said that they don't even review their work and look at the results and see what they have missed. Pig headed, arrogant and stubborn. They refuse to get better and use tools available to help them. Classic. No wonder they express that attitude on the field. The fact that they aren't accountable daily for what they have missed and are graded is tragic. They could have used it to improve, instead they have used it to make the disconnect larger.

Diaz sending Buxton home..... stunning ineptitude. Some may brag about this pen, and use some stats to back it up. But I know what I have seen. Today it was Romo and Clippard. But it has been others and more than once. This is a bullpen that looks to me like it will get decimated in the postseason. Too many games, important games like this, where they have totally lost the lead and the game. Pressure on. But hey, who thought the Nationals would gel and win the World Series? I gues it could still happen. I know I will be watching.

It is very apparent we feel different about umpiring. And this comes from both having umpired at some level. I come away from it knowing and admitting we guess in that position, and the players are what is important in the game. To say a grown man should be kicked out of a professional baseball came for kicking some dirt on home plate? Just stop? I don't think so. It is a game. Power trips by umpires is not something I will ever stick up for, and has no place in the game as far as I am concerned. No way Donaldson should be ejected from this or any other baseball game for that.

Power hungry umpires change the game.