Nashvilletwin

Love it. Great suggestions. Thank you. Btw, they seem to mostly revolve around managerial style….

Another blame it on the cheap Pohlads comment. Sheesh, it’s the oldest bellyache broken record in the book. First, there is no doubt that the EQUITY value of the Twins has grown exponentially since the team was purchased. You are 100% correct. However, given the current environment, it’s not clear that such growth will continue. There are risks to the former model of an ever rising tide raising all ships. Just because it happened in the past does not mean it will continue in perpetuity. Smart investors know that trees don’t grow to the sky and the Pohlads have been pretty shrewd investors over two generations now. Second, you will notice that I “suggested” that it may be “possible” that the Twins over the entire franchise might be losing tens of millions annually on a CASH basis. If so, how are those cash losses funded? Do they take from their auto or property businesses to put into the baseball business? What if the ROI for capital in the other businesses is higher? What if the other businesses actually don’t have the cash? Where does that cash come from and how much should be put in annually to fund baseball over the “possible” tens of millions they are already fronting the business? Maybe the decision is already to invest $___millions in annual losses to make $____ millions in future equity value. In other words, the Pohlads may actually already be employing the strategy you are implying, but just not to the extent you wish. Third, you need to get over it. The Pohlads are not going to become vanity spenders on baseball. They never will. So until they sell, which they seemingly have no intent on doing, please come up with constructive ideas as to how to build a consistent winner (which by the way, the Twins have pretty much done over the past half decade anyway) given the business model under which they operate. At the end of the day, you really have four choices: 1. Continue to harp about how cheap the Pohlads are (which is fine if that makes you happy); 2. Find another team where that isn’t an issue; 3. Stay a Twins fan and enjoy cheering for your favorite team while carping about things that could possibly be changed; or 4. Earn enough money to make the Pohlads an offer they can’t refuse and then you can spend all you want (with whatever results that may or may not bring). Personally, I’m choosing #3 and working on #4.

Best comment of the day - by far!

I 100% feel your disappointment. Sadly, I will watch the last few games right up until the end. Hope springs eternal as they say. Just out of curiosity, other than “spending more money” what would you like to be see done to improve the “business model and product” to reignite your enthusiasm for this organization?

For some, if not a vast majority, of us TDers, the answer always comes back to the penury and/or avarice of the Pohlad family (other posters can be pedantic as well, lol). Once again, no one on this site really has a clue as to how the finances of the Pohlad’s businesses operate. It has been suggested by some, myself included, that it is entirely possible that the Twins - across their entire franchise - lose tens of millions of dollars on a cash basis annually. If true, how those losses are financed (debt, support from other family businesses, selling assets, or just plain vanity personal contributions) is for the Pohlad family to decide. But given the business success of this family over two generations (which, it should be pointed out, is not easy), it should be assumed that the Pohlad’s apply some degree of financial discipline (i.e. ROI and comparisons to other investment opportunities) in how they commit capital. Disappointing as it is for many TDers, the Twins are not a vanity asset for the Pohlads. But the Pohlads are not blame free for the disappointments of this season. The buck should stop at the top and the Pohlads are not absolved from Harry Truman’s now age old adage. It’s very clear this team lacks confidence in themselves and in their leadership. Yes, the trade deadline, even though assets were expensive, was a missed opportunity. However, which young player on the Twins is not virtually a shell of himself at this point of the season vs. earlier? Wallner and, possibly, Larnach - and they comprise the entire list. Julian, Alcala, Duran, Lee, Lewis, Jeffers, Kiriloff, etc. They are mentally shot. It’s sad to watch. That is on Rocco and his staff. And Rocco still at the helm is 100% on the Pohlads. Put another way, if the Pohlads are interested in seeing a return on their assets, why have they allowed their most dear and important assets - their players - to remain underdeveloped? If they are going to insist on a lower spending model, then they sure as hell need to get a higher return on those less costly assets. That is the entire strategy on which the Twins model for success is based. Yes, we can all wish the Pohlads were free spenders. They have been willing to invest, but free spenders they will never be. No, the bigger issue with the Pohlads is that they dawdle in making personnel changes when the writing is on the wall. We’ve seen this for decades now. We will see how long, if at all, it takes to bring in new leadership on the field. So this season may end a week early. Sad, yes. But if that result clearly exposes the changes needed to move this franchise forward, then we as fans should be counting our blessings. But those changes won’t involve the Pohlads going on a spending spree or selling the Twins. Let’s hope instead that the changes start with better on field leadership and the family can make those calls.

Well, I guess the plan is to just keep doing the same things with the same people…..finish up the year and hope for the best. And then make all the right comments when we come up short. Or, alternatively, the Nephew could make a statement to try to instil some urgency and accountability into this franchise while there is still some time. Will he? Doubt it. But it’s not a silly idea. Besides, he probably will make the move early in the off-season anyway. This team has lost its confidence and it is not getting it back without some drastic action.

Seriously though, we really do not have the bullpen to compete.

Big changes on the way for next year - an epic collapse like this, regardless if they make the playoffs at this point, merits action. It has to happen and the Nephew will need to have the fortitude to see it done. Buckle you seatbelts. Btw, I was going to comment on the decision to let Santana bat in the 10th (0-4 at that point with RISPs and looking lost in each at bat), but it doesn’t really matter - the Guardians would have scored as many as the needed anyway.

Epic collapse. 100% correct.

Up to and including Alcala tonight, three of our previous six relief pitchers have walked the first batter they faced. Is there anything really more inexcusable and frustrating for a team than that from a relief corps?

In the instance to which I referred, Duran faced the bottom of the order in the eighth, leaving Jax to theoretically face the top of the order in the ninth. I was implying that this move by Rocco - putting Duran in ahead of Jax in a non save situation against a weaker lineup - suggested a little more confidence in Jax and a little less in Duran , at least on that particular day.

Agree and disagree. Jax is definitely one of the best relievers, but the number of times Duran has come in to pitch in front of Jax this season can certainly be counted on one hand I believe.

Fans aren’t the only ones in a “panic” over Duran. As we all remember, after Ober’s sterling seven inning, 83 pitch, one-hit outing last week, Rocco brought in Duran to pitch the eighth and face the 6-7-8 hitters, saving Jax theoretically to face the top of the order in the ninth. Seems Rocco is in a bit of a tizzy too over his star closer.

Martin scores………runs are important to this team.

Actually, thought Rocco pulled most of the right levers last night: yanking Matthews early, leaving Jax in for the 8th, timing on pitch hitting Farmer for Julien. Thought there was an opportunity to sacrifice bunt (or hit and run) with Lee at the plate, no outs, up by one, and runners on first and second. Lee was coming off a double in his previous AB, but that GIDP could’ve been huge turning point without Lewis’ double.

Let’s get there first.

Well, I agree and kind of disagree. That loss at Texas was a big mojo killer and things haven’t really been the same since. Hopefully, we are getting it back.

Like I implied, Rocco should get credit for wins and losses. Maybe last night he rallied the hitters and that is what caused the barrage at the plate. Maybe it was leading off Julien followed by Wallner. Maybe it was starting Farmer. Maybe it was (finally) giving Lewis a night off. Maybe he brought back the sausage. Who knows? Let’s give him credit for a good, important win. But let’s not pretend Rocco is infallible or not meriting criticism as well as praise at times. And (rightly or wrongly) he very well might be managing for his job over the next three weeks. I wish him luck.

I appreciate this comment, but I’m not sure I fully understand it. Did Rocco do something extraordinary tonight that I missed? Was it that he left Lopez in to finish the seventh (with which I agree) with a big lead, having given up 7 hits (several hard hits at that) and a walk, and over 90 pitches after pulling Ober last week after 83 pitches and one weak single? Or maybe it’s just Rocco deserves the credit for the wins as well as the losses. Regardless, it was a good win tonight in so many respects (Pablo recognition and performance, bats woke up, plenty of fun). Hopefully, we get back on track. Btw, anyone notice the liquor bottles behind Rocco in his office while giving an interview? How the Twins have been playing, it’s easy to understand having a quick snort close at hand.

100% another Rocco loss. Ober - 83 pitches, #6-8 coming up, one weak hit, no walks. Can’t pitch the 8th though. Geez. Also, so tonight he switches things up and brings in Duran in front of Jax. Hmmm. Most of us friends on the TD are Rocco lovers. He seems like a nice guy, but it’s hard to believe the Nephew brings him back next year if the Twins don’t make the playoffs or don’t win a playoff series. Rocco very well should be managing for his job over the rest of the season..

Not Jax’s best obviously, but he gets out of that inning if the ump calls a perfect pitch the strike that it was. If the ump had called the game correctly in the first, we would have scored two on walks alone and then who knows how many. The automated balls/strikes can’t come soon enough. The count is virtually everything in baseball and balls deserve to be balls and strikes deserve to be strikes. The technology is there. Today’s home plate ump was atrocious.

3-9 since that debacle in Texas. That disaster of a loss could end up being the turning point of the season. Huge swing in mojo that day. And they haven’t gotten it back.

The offense had been moribund from the day before up until his AB. That’s the kind of effort that sparks a team. The team needed that. Badly.

No much commentary tonight about Martin. His heads up double was a big spark this team needed. He’s starting to show signs of being that true pirahna ballplayer so correlated with much of the Twins’ most successful years over the past couple of decades. He’s fun to watch too.

‘26-‘28 outfield: EmRod, Jenkins, Wallner, and Buxton. Speed, power, glove, arm. A lot of k’s, but super fun to watch. Infield: Lewis, Lee, Keaschall, Julien, Correa, and Miranda. See above. Hope they all stay healthy and I live that long.