Mr. Brooks

That is why pinch runners exist? To replace your best hitter? Maybe you are right and I just have never noticed it before now, but I'd be curious how often Miguel Cabrera gets replaced late in close games.

Mauer likely doesn't score there, so clearly trying to sac bunt and failing is always the correct decision there. After all, we probably don't score in that inning if the bunt is successful.

Right, so because it worked out this time that means it's the correct decision to take your best hitter out of every game that is late and close? It kinda feels like you are being a bit results orientated. I'll hold you to that opinion just to make sure you aren't.

Even if that is your best hitter? Do you remember all of those huge late inning hits that Sano had last year? I hope you enjoyed them because he won't be getting any when he's sitting on the bench every time it's late and close.

Hopefully this will be the game that Mollie learns to stop taking his best hitter out of close games.

Good article, but a step back from what? Take out an incredibly fluky May last year and it didn't really look any different than the 4 years before it. Last May was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to the Twins. First, because it caused the FO to think we were closer than we actually are. Ryan did nothing to improve this roster over the off-season. Secondly, it guaranteed Ryan and Mollie several more years of job security. After they lose 90 games this year they can claim it's just one step back after fixing the roster, instead of having to explain why they have lost 90 games for a 6th straight year.

Wow. I should stop being amazed at the goldfish level of attention spans kids these days have, but somehow, I still am. 21 years old and 153 mlb ab's erases all his tools and tearing up every level of milb despite being one of the youngest at every level? And his injuries have almost all been of the fluke variety. I wouldn't worry about that just yet.

Except last year he threw a fit when Jepsen kept the closers gig after he came back.

Sorry Seth, the speculation is completely fair in this situation. Here is what we know: 1 Perkins has a reputation as a player who doesn't spend much time on conditioning. That is not speculation, Perkins himself said that he needed to focus more on it in the offseason. 2 Perkins has a history of hiding injuries. Last year he pitched in the all star game, then was terrible in the second half. We would have made the playoffs if Perkins pitched even just ok in the second half. Then we find out he was hurt BRFORE the all-star game. He pitched in an exhibition game at the cost of the real games his team is paying him big money for. Selfish and unacceptable, IMO. 3 His velocity was way down in camp. 4 He spoke to the media after Sundays blown save and said nothing of an injury, had no ice on his shoulder, and seemed fine (LenIII's words). Based on all this information, it seems perfectly reasonable to consider that one of the following happened: He has been hurt for some time now, and hid it. Or, he got lazy on the offseason, neglected to strengthen his shoulder, and is not "technically " injured, but rather needs a few weeks to strengthen the shoulder, something that he should have done over the offseason. There may be a perfectly innocuous explanation, and the team could do him a favor by explaining it, but until they do its legitimate to speculate.

A whole lot of denial going on. Starting 0-7 is NOT the same as a 7 game losing streak in June. When the streak comes in June, a team has already established a baseline of talent/ability/success to put that steak in context. When a team starts the season 0-7 it becomes much more likely that IS their baseline. This roster was going to need a lot of things going their way to make the playoffs anyways. It's essentially the same roster that missed the playoffs last year despite a month long run of good luck so incredible we'll probably never see it repeated in our lifetimes. This team doesn't have the talent to spot the rest of the league 7 games, I'm sorry.

Hey, relaxing is NEVER a bad thing. However, a lot of teams have played a lot of seasons since 1901. Not once have any of them ever started 0-7 and made the playoffs. Maybe, someday, a team will be the first to do so, but it's very unlikely that this Twins team will be the one. Some will say they never had playoff expectations from this team anyway, and that was probably likely. But, it's still a big kick in the groin to be essentially out of it a week into the season.

Terry Ryan chooses how long he will be the GM, not the team. Lifetime contract. Both sides have said as much. Country Club organization. There was never a managerial search, it was just a formality. Molly had the job before Gardy finished cleaning out his desk.

Why was Nunez pitch hitting not Arcia or Kepler???

Do the rules allow a team to substitute a player from the bench to replace the batter? A "pinch hitter", if you will.

That is a product of losing, and getting high draft picks. None of those prospects are from trades. A full rebuild can be done with better results than the 76ers. I'm guessing the Cubs fans are happy with theirs.

As for Perkins, why does it have to be a "huge" return? We've seen poor to mediocre closers decent returns at the trade deadline. Perkins would have gotten a good return. And you take what you can get. There was no reason to keep him on a perennial 90 loss club, and now he's likely no longer an asset with his diminished stuff and results.

We'll have to agree to disagree. How many guys on this 25 man roster are under the age of 28 or so?

What's up with Meyer? I thought the Twins said he'd be starting? Is this a reaction to what's going on with the big league bullpen?

Fair enough, I'll stick to baseball. Why bother bringing in your best pitcher with the game on the line? After all Mariano Rivera is the best closer of all time but he gave up a run one time so it really doesn't matter if you bring in him or Casey Fien, since they will both sometimes give up a run, and will both sometimes not give up a run. I disagree that it's not significant. I think it's many times more likely a guy his size gets hurt playing a position where: A) He's never played in his life. He has to run at full speed many times per game. Something rarely if ever done at 3B. C) There is a chance of him colliding at full speed with another player also running at full speed. Another thing unlikely to ever happen at 3B.

No, the rebuild has not happened, they never committed to a rebuild and that's part of their problem now. Just look at the ages of the starting rotation, while Berrios and Duffy are in AAA and May gets pushed into the bullpen. And the so called competition was rigged from the start. Berrios got something like 8 and a third innings to audition for a rotation spot? Please. 8 innings in practice games is a meaningless sample to evaluate anything. As for Duffy, he was told he didn't have to compete, so instead of worrying about numbers he decided to work on a changeup. Then at the last minute they oh nevermind, actually you are competing against Nolasco for a spot and by the way you are gonna face an mlb squad and he's gonna face a bunch of single a guys. Then they insisted that May was going to be given a legit shot at the rotation, hmmm weird he pitched better than all of them but was put in the pen anyway. Nobody saw that coming. Then they move Sano to a position he's never played to accommodate a couple of 29 year olds who will likely never be anything better than average at their positions. Sano is the type of player you move other guys to accommodate. The Twins are doing it backwards. You can bet Sano and his agent will remember this when free agency approaches. Enjoy him for the six years we'll have him. Then there is keeping guys like Fien, even though we have at minimum a half dozen guys in the minors who could step in today and pitch at least as well, but with upside. And you have the reigning Southern League hitter of the year, who came up and completely schooled the entire roster on what a quality AB looks like, in his first MLB at bat of the season. But yet the team is saying he'll probably be a defensive replacement and spot starter for 2 weeks. There is no room for him in this embarrassing lineup. Right. Finally, the biggest no brainer of all. 4 straight 90 loss seasons and you refuse to trade your elite cost controlled closer?? They could have gotten some pretty good pieces for him, guys who would actually be possible key players once we are competitive again. The fact that Perkins would be toast by then was completely predictable, and now probably wouldn't bring back more than a lottery ticket or two. No the rebuild never started. It's been one foot in, one out the entire time, which is why we haven't made much substantial improvement in 5 plus years.

Come on Seth. You can't honestly believe the statement "all things have risk, therefore all things are equally risky", can you? I mean, why do we even bother with seat belts, air bags, speed limits, child car seats, etc.? After all, some people manage to die in spite of all these things.

Correct. And, outside of a fluky, unsustainable, unrepeatable May last year , there is no measurable reason to think they have even made any improvement the last 5 plus years.

I've seen a lot of posters who, while obviously disappointed with the start, have said it's only 6 games. True, it's only 6 out of 162, but it seemed to me that still is a pretty big hole to dig out of. So, I decided to take advantage of baseball references streak analyzer to see how often teams have started out 0-6, and how they've fared. Since 1900, 46 teams have started a season 0-6. 17 of them have lost 100 (or an equivalent winning percentage in less than 162 games) or more games. 31 of them have lost 90 or more games. 38 of them finished under .500. Only 3 times have they made the playoffs: 1974 Pirates, 1995 Reds, 2011 Rays. Just 2 times have they won their division: The 2011 Rays were a wildcard. None have won a playoff series. So, in conclusion, while still remotely possible, the odds of making the playoffs are now pretty remote, about 6.5 percent. While the odds of losing 90 plus games are at about 70 percent.

Nope, see my second Spieth related post.

The part that is odd to me is that Ryan went into the off season acknowledging that the bullpen was the number one priority, then did nothing to improve it. Those defending him say that it wasn't worth blocking any of the prospects, but if so, that was true before those comments. So, what changed? Why did Ryan so quickly change his mind from top priority to no additions needed? It's hard not to conclude that it's because he didn't want to spend the money. And there is no such thing as over paying for free agents. They cost what the market determines they cost. If you need them you pay that price, period.