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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    I do like the contrast with 1987 pitching staff. Thanks for the Les Straker reminder. There is no doubt in my mind that we will wrap up the division quickly, but the fact that we are playing the worst teams is not as comforting as it should be. The Royals are 4 - 11 vs Twins and average 4.9 runs per game! And they are 2 - 4 at home against us and score 5 runs a game. Mondesi going down hurts them, but we sure have not put them away as I would have expected. Versus Detroit the Tigers are 5 - 11 against us which exceeds their over all percentage. While neither team is a threat, they have also not laid down for us either.
  2. mikelink45
    Wow - Perez has officially joined Gibson as pitchers we do not want to see in the post season. KC has to wonder why the Twins have the winning record and not them. We sure make them feel good about themselves. Berrios really did not do well no matter how we twist the facts in his last outing and Odo cannot go more than 5. Then we have the independent league pitcher and no one else. Does anyone feel good about this going into the playoffs? The Brewers tried to BP the games last year. It does not work in the playoffs. Now the question is - who fears a Berrios, Dobnak, Odorizzi trio in the playoffs?
  3. mikelink45
    We really need young arms like Dobnak to come through this year and next. Odo and Berrios are the only locks for the playoffs - but would the team dare trust a rookie arm in that pressure? I like it when the team can win the close, old fashioned style of ball game. Give Sano credit for putting in the effort and the speed! That is the highlight of the week.
  4. mikelink45
    By this time of year it would seem that this should be academic, but given injuries and performances this roster challenge is a real puzzler. Since the playoffs have every scouting advantage possible I do not look at Miller or LeMarre as real potential additions, but then if I look back into an old and dusty crystal ball I remember a player named Dusty Rhodes who came out of nowhere and returned to nowhere, but boy did he do a job for Leo Durocher in the world series. As Sabr says - four swings of the bat made him famous. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/4503f4ca Who can be our Dusty? “You know what Rhodes was?” his manager, Leo Durocher, asked years later. “He was a buffoon, and I say that affectionately. I loved having him on my ball club because of his personality and the funny things he did that kept everybody loose. But I couldn’t have stood two of him.” - I think I will nominate LaTortuga. Astudillo is the kind of player that can suddenly jump into the spotlight. And for all we know 2019 could be the pinnacle of his career. “I ain’t much of a fielder and I got a lousy arm,” Rhodes said, “but I sure do love to whack at that ball.”2 For a single triumphant season, he was a devastating hitter, and for three autumn days Dusty Rhodes was king of the baseball world.
  5. mikelink45
    It is sad, but Gibson has pitched himself off the post game roster as far as I am concerned. There is no sentiment in the post season.
  6. mikelink45
    Nice story, move on. Gibson has always been a pitcher of promise, but seldom have we seen him as the guy we want to pitch a crucial game. It is a heartless profession and we need arms that can deliver.
  7. mikelink45
    The challenge to Rocco is to keep the intensity. Yes we probably will win the Central division, but now I want more. Damn the Yankees. And that means that the players have to be sharp and hungry. A little let down now is okay, if it does not develop bad habits and if the team can get the edge that they will need in the playoffs.
  8. mikelink45
    Starters are essential. With our current situation no one knows what to expect next year. The difficulty with relief pitchers is to predict how much their arms will respond to a year of hard use.
  9. mikelink45
    I'll take him. In this era the HR stroke is over rated and the batting eye is under rated. He is a disciplined hitter who provides a constant on base presence. In addition, in this era of shifts, who know what a 2B should look like? I will be rooting for Luis for a long time - hopefully as a Twin.
  10. mikelink45
    wins like this are fun and a W is always good, but the workload on an overloaded bullpen is a problem. What would we have done if the limits for September had been in place this year?
  11. mikelink45
    After the double header with nine RP put in to the games - he better be ready to go.
  12. mikelink45
    Time for a contrarian. Pineda lost my respect. Does anyone not know that they test players now?
  13. mikelink45
    I can only celebrate! Excellent
  14. mikelink45
    Dream on
  15. mikelink45
    The entire league is wrestling with relief pitcher overuse. When Starters only go 5 innings per game - that is 810 innings in a season (162 games) and 1458 innings if they all go just 9 means that 648 innings must go to relief pitchers. Since most go only 1 inning, that 648 appearances would be spread over 8 (on average bullpen arms). That means 81 appearances per arm (every other game). Not sustainable. Stat heads its time to figure out how to apply your data in a way that fits with the human arm and shoulder. If the starters went 7 innings we have half the bullpen stress. Of course if you have what we have left in the rotation we have to double the usage - and next year in September there will be limited call ups.
  16. mikelink45
    I have to jump on the list that is still holding back judgment - for at least two more years. This has been a fun year, but I would add that it is not just the Yankees who have joined us in the injury parade - so has the Dodgers and a number of other teams that are not ready for contention. On ESPN they quoted this stat - "According to Spotrac.com, the teams with the most injured list days on the season are as follows: 1. Yankees; 2. Padres; 3. Phillies; 4. Pirates; 5. Angels. The site also expresses this as "$ Spent on DL Players," which has this top five: 1. Yankees; 2. Mets; 3. Phillies; 4. Red Sox; 5. Mariners." NOTE - We are not on the list. And it you look at what they did to fill the holes and compare it to the Twins there is another lesson to ponder. Crisis management is key to success and our squad is crawling to the finish line. Lets see the results before we start worrying about Boston raiding our office - this off season I am more interested in what we will have left of a rotation!
  17. mikelink45
    With TBD starting the second game of the series I am shocked that you did not go for a sweep.
  18. mikelink45
    There is a reason we all say - Damn Yankees - and it is not because of the musical of that title. Their team has caught and is now passing us for the HR title, our two man starting rotation is not on a par with their less than great rotation and if I was in desperate need of a reliever and had both bullpens available I would turn to the Yankee threesome over the Twins. But beyond that the big stage is Yankee stadium. It is intimidating and scares me. I know ancient history is not accepted, past teams do not count, those were Gardy's teams, not Roccos...but I am still nervous, cautious, and not optimistic about this series. Of course, in reality, the only thing I am really concerned with right now is getting through the end of the season.
  19. mikelink45
    I have a hard time reading "That said, there were some positive things to note." I looked at the score, at the runs given up, the walks and all I can say is that Gibson looked good walking to the mound! Sorry, I know health issues are devastating and I have great sympathy for him, but as a Twin Fan this is not how I want to see him used. Nor do I see why Stewart is here and has been given many opportunities all year. With an open roster and the players in today's Minor League Hitter of the Year article as well as the Pitcher of the year before that I cannot see why we do not have the best here and ready to step in. And I do not mean Ryan LaMarre. or Torreyes in the OF, but rather Larnach, Kiriloff... I have tried to think of something classy like the old Boston Braves - Spahn and Sain and pray for rain to cover Berrios and Odorizzi but I can only rhyme it with dizzy! I will add one thing about Pineda - I do not want him back, talk about letting down your team. Such terrible timing and devastating impact.
  20. mikelink45
    The Wahoos playoff does not matter to me - only the MLB season. I guess I am heartless, but whoever had been performing well fills my roster.
  21. mikelink45
    I am so disappointed with Pineda that it is hard to be reasonable. The only reality in this post to me is Odorizzi and Thorpe. Then good luck.
  22. mikelink45
    I do not like the move. Kiriloff, Rooker, this move has no upside. I know some of you are ok. I am not. This is reminiscent of past dumpster moves. I am not interested in feel good stories at this point in the season.
  23. mikelink45
    I am confused - it is like a mirror image where left is right and right is left. Perez wins a pitchers duel after Berrios continues to look like a back of the rotation starter. The turtle comes through like it is the beginning of the season! Happy for the win. Got to think about the results.
  24. mikelink45
    Any chance we can face the Orioles and Royals? The Tigers play us to hard. The question is - how many expect us to beat the big guys?
  25. mikelink45
    What a puzzle and challenge - Berrios - no longer our ACE and annually doing an August Swoon. What happens? Tired? Tipping pitches? Too predictable? Where are all the analytics? We really have to have Berrios in the playoffs. Pineda and Odorizzi will pitch, but they will each go five innings, we need one pitcher to rest the BP with just one or two more innings and Berrios was that guy.
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