h2oface

Yeah, Lewis' throw wasn't perfect, but man, I have seen a lot of first basemen dig a throw like that and make the play. I mean, it hit the base of Santana's glove. Ryan deGrom'ed again. They just don't seem to be able to score runs for him. Bummer.

Single handedly? And I thought baseball was a team sport, and the most runs win. Somebody got those hits. And Sonny won game 2. Don't forget Sonny! Thanks for fansplaining me. Welcome back. It has been a combative aggressive name calling re-entrance for you, eh? And you love whine and its derivatives. 6 in 4 comments. "I like my wine too, but I stop drinking it sometimes."

OK. I was a little cruel. Must have gotten over influenced by how horrible he is pitching now with the 7.75 ERA in the last 7 games (31 earned in 36 innings, with 10 walks - still bag worthy), and the now 4.04 career ERA. I don't know that it makes it any better, though. I think Ace's usually even go sub-three. Impressive win. Even Lopez couldn't sabotage it in the end.

Twins are not learning well. Immediately promote Wallner. Utilize him when he is hot. Don't waste it in AAA. He should have started the year, when he was awful in ST, in AAA. He has options. Down quickly when sucking, Up quickly when he starts to hit. He will hit in the show, too, when he is hot. Wasting a hot hitter is just dumb. While he has options, use them.

Twins have no one in the top 5 of all categories. None. If Santana is an all-star for this year, baseball is in a sad state. It isn't. April counts. No. Absolutely not. Even with a tear for the next 3 weeks. No way. No how. NO No NO No.

That was an impressive win, with an unlikely walk-off hero. The upside of Pablo Day Lopez now pitching like he did all career (maybe even worse) except last year, is that now his yellow souvenir jersey comes with a free matching yellow paper bag with the holes pre-cut to watch the games he pitches in style.

All over the league this is happening. Truly not allowed by rule. But the umps don't enforce it, just as they don't enforce where the base coaches roam. I think that the managers don't object because their guys like to do it, too, to get a better grip on the timing, etc as they bat. Someone is going to get hurt really bad before it is reigned in, I fear.

The upside of Pablo Day Lopez pitching like he did all career (just a bit worse, now) except last year, is that now his yellow souvenir jersey comes with a free matching yellow paper bag with the holes pre-cut to watch the games he pitches in style.

Said it in ST when almost all he was doing was striking out. when most were talking about and defending him being a lock and ST doesn't matter, anyway. Send Wallner down to start the season, I promoted. Let him strikeout for a month in AAA until he gets hot later like last year. Slow starter. He just should play year round somewhere so he stays at a keen level. Sure enough............ waste of time to have had him up until about now. Banking on a half year rookie to be there the next year is folly. They have to earn it. Over and over it happens. In the past and in the present. Valencia, Diamond, Miranda, Julian etc etc....

Never liked the trade. I was glad he had an outlier 2023. Lots of innings. Pitched well in the playoffs. I would have kept Gray. I like the trade even less now. His career ERA is 4. That is who he is.

Great to see the guys hit, today. I will really love it when they do it consistently in close games. Can't have too much positivity. 😇 The pitching was horrible. 5-1 to 10-8 after 7. You could think this was a blowout by the final score. Bye bye Caleb. Every pitcher gave up at least one run. You say Duran didn't? Well, inherited runners scored count in my book. (Although Vazquez throwing into centerfield and Correa's boot costing a couple of runs didn't help) 9 runs on the pitching staff. Easy to not pay attention to the need to address when your offense piles on 17 in the rare offensive stat padding burst. But a great day for fans at Target. They deserve it. After Gomber gave up 11 hits and 8 earned in 3 innings, his season ERA is still a run better than Pablo Day Lopez, at .4.26, playing for the Rockies. Maybe he's an ace, too 😵

Took some liberties.. 😇 I totally agree, now.

How is that working for the hitters? Do they get confidence from getting 2 or three hits and then the manager's reward is to sit them the very next game? Or a couple hits early in the game, seeing the ball well, and then get pulled for a guy that is hitting .110, and never getting the chance to hit oppo pitchers? Do they say to themselves "great, at least I didn't have to take another at bat and maybe strikeout. I'm so condident, now."? Would Varland have more confidence, and be way better for it, if he had, this time, while he was pitching well, been rewarded with the opportunity to add the 6th, and maybe the 7th, and DID take the order down the 3rd time? Pulled for Thielbar, and his horrible year, is like Larnach getting pulled for Margot in the 6th, after Larnach had 2 hits early in the game. Really building confidence for Larnach. No one knows if Varland pitched the 6th & shut them down. Now that'd be a flying high moment for Varland. If you baby players, like if you baby children and don't give them the opportunity to fail, they will always be babies, and not grow up. Now Varland is confident the manager has no confidence in him. How is that a good thing for confidence building? This was a time that a player deserves the opportunity to grow, and break on through to the other side. A good manager would see that and take that chance, rather than banking on this year's Thielbar in a tight game, the game he had only given up one hit and one walk on 63 pitches through 5. How did it all work for Thiebar's confidence? What if he brings Thielbar in and he fails miserably again? Right. Who cares, eh?

I was saying it this off season when all writers were declaring Thielbar a lock and a rock for the back end of the 2024 bullpen. His end of season performance and playoff outings convinced me he was toast. To count on him another year was a bad move. I was saying it in ST, I was saying it as the season started. Not bragging. I just knew. I don't know why. And I hope we all know now, including a manager that is really making me sick. 63 pitches and a one hitter with one walk....... through 5. What a _________.

"What's the impact of all this? Well, entering play on 6/8/24, Cleveland is 40-22 and the Twins are 33-30. Based on expected win totals were balls and strikes called accurately and consistently, the ACTUAL win/loss records should be Cleveland at 36-26, and the Twins at...36-27. That reality would feel much different for fans than the one we are living. The good news is we are well-positioned the rest of the way, with one of the easiest remaining schedules in baseball. Cleveland has one of the hardest. With some fair umpires, we just might be able to run away with the division." Wow! Great article! This one is saved and bookmarked. Well, there will always be guys that like to dress up in the umpire outfit and wield the power that comes with it. They love to stay involved and be at the game and on the field, and even get paid handsomely. They want to be good. I truly believe that. Most are. Well, good as they can be, which is always a best guess. They never had to really be accountable, as they proudly double down no mater what with the authority and conviction. Time is far overdue. I really think they want to do the job better, but it is not possible. They guess better than I could, probably, and have a lot more practice. I was never very good at it, even at the low levels I got involved and studied the rules, passed the test, dressed up, and had a power tripping go at it. A lot of bias is subconscious. Many racial studies deal with it. Time to properly assign the human element to the players - the correct calls for the pitchers and batters perfect, ever so close, pitches and takes - the ones they deserve the most because of their special talents - and showcase the players instead of the umpires that are affecting the outcome of every game ever played. Past time...... way past time..... Yes, there is still all the other ways umpires can and will impact the game, and we need umpires for for sure, but this will be the most major step ever to eliminate perhaps the most of the impact.

"Their ace Pablo López ......" Seriously? It is really comical to call him an ace. His career ERA is even above 4 again. He never was an ace. It is unfortunately apparent that his one very good 2/3 of a season last year might be an outlier. I just hope he can be a consistent #3. That would be valuable.

Thank you! I guess the pitching coach has been as inconsistent as the guys he is now coaching. 😇

Yeah, And a lot to credit to give to a pitching coach that doesn't hit the ball. Exactly. I didn't say they couldn't be helpful. I said that they are overrated. You think Miranda's performance now that is similar to his performance before he was injured was more because of his health and his talent........... or a coach? I give it to the talent of the player they pay millions and millions to for that very trait much much much more that a coach? (well, not Miranda, yet, because the union has seen to it that younger players can't get paid for worthy performance years) And the Yankees have rostered talented players that came with the ability to hit for years and years and years, and many coaches before the guy they pay a relative pittance, and most hitting coaches could never really hit that well themselves. That doesn't mean they can't be helpful and notice things in others just because they could never and can't excel at the task also. But they can be very overrated. Kinda like the PT guy really hasn't really stopped injuries significantly. Not his fault, either.

Like not injured? How did the Twins hit the year before they moved on?

Hitting coaches are overrated. They don't swing the bat, ever. And if a hitter is hitting well, they don't do a thing. It is on the hitter to hit the ball.

I don't know about rusty. Whether is it weak or hard contact, batters are making a lot of contact off of Duran. And have been since the second part of last year. Ks are down. More walks. Lots of runners on base. Rarely a 1,2,3 inning. What a waste of two great starts. Jax and Duran giving up insurance runs in the late inning(s). Nelson writes that article about how great the pen is again in the 9-3 stretch after the 7 game losing streak, and then this now 5 game losing streak with the pen giving up runs. Best not to gloat, it appears. Reality is just around the corner.,

"Again, just a reminder. Every pitching coach will tell you, hit the ball hard where it's pitched. Hit the ball hard and good things will happen. Every once in a while, a blooper will find a spot on the outfield grass to land safely, but the more often you hit the ball harder, the better your odds." NOW I see what is going on. We have the pitching coach coaching the batters! 😵 And there is a two walk per inning strategy by the "ace"? That's how your #1 handles the Yankee lineup? On purpose? I hope that was satire.

Lack of respect for the opponent, and higher than earned estimation of the home team. You are your record. This is our team. They need to earn it. Cutting budget was a bad strategy from the top. And players don't get better at hitting both left and right handed pitchers if they don't get at bats.

Just you. Must be a fave. I'll be sure to take it to heart. I'm all for team celebration. The kingly robe that Cruz initiated coupled with a team that was setting the MLB record for HRs in a season was classy. It was fun. But the stuff now, embarrassingly lame. So was the fishing vest and toy fishing rod. (First a rod, and then a sausage. Kind of a theme, eh?) And topping it off with selfies is just...... well, to each their own. I would think that when the 12 game streak is over, the gig is up. But nooooooo. After the embarrassing 6 games against Cleveland and NY, followed by a 12-3 beatdown by the Nats, one would have thought that it had run it's course. And now another sweep from the Yankees with Ober and Paddack and Lopex looking like AAAA players. I'm not close to wanting to kill anyone for it. Just please stop already. Or win 12 more and replace it with a more classy option.

A repeat of a repeat. I don't even know what a Francis is. Not the other times, either. Just as well, because I don't care.