mikelink45

I have to wonder what an up and down season like Larnach has suffered does to confidence and performance? Wallner seemed to handle his demotions well, but I think he is the exception. The Twins getting the AAA team next door has not been a great success for some players.

My theory is that every ball player wants to be on a record setting team and this team has been convinced that fans are in during our record hot climate year. I live 110 miles north of the Twin Cities and still feel the air movement coming up 35 or is that hot air from the FO?

If not, what are all our hitting coaches here for?

Unfortunately for all the congestion in the OF, Buxton, Kepler, Gallo are not quality starters at this time and we all know Taylor is supposed to be a reserve. That means Larnach and Wallner have the potential to be our starters and to produce. I know the team will not give up on Buxton, but should give up on the DH only idea, but the others should be taken away as obstacles. If Larnach is not going to be given the opportunity here I would like to see him go where he can play everyday.

Put him in CF, fix the DH spot, and if he cannot survive CF for the rest of the season what do we lose?

I am not concerned about losing players like Celestino, Miranda, Gallo (Pay them to take him), SWR, Sands, Winder, Larnach, Kepler, Stevenson... but we are probably overrating Lane and I fear we will do what we did with Lopez last year and buy into a strong start only to get a bad finish.

Gallo has lost speed and his fielding is no longer the asset we bragged about. Drop him.

I love the way that Julien approaches the game. He is the Twins ROY no matter what else happens.

I could not finish my post, but I think the Wallner versus Gallo comparison is done - Gallo is a waste of a roster spot yes he finally got a hit and 2 more ks. I am so pleased to have Wallner, Kiriloff and Julien giving us such a lift. If Lewis can come back we have four cornerstones for the future. I will go back to an earlier posting with a link to mlb.com. Let's put Buxton in CF. If he doesn't make it to the end of the season are we any worse off?

I asked this last game - is Ryan worn out, is this a blip, or has the league caught up with him. We need him to be the strong and successful pitcher of the first half of the season. I Date Tm Opp Result App,Dec DR IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP WP IBB PO BK BF Pit Str StL StS GB FB LD PU Unk GmSc IR IS WPA aLI cWPA acLi RE24 2023-07-21 MIN CHW W 9-4 GS-6, W 4 6.0 7 4 4 1 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 26 104 64 13 15 4 7 2 2 0 51.0 0.011 0.57 0.01% 0.60 -0.926 2023-07-16 MIN @ OAK W 5-4 GS-6 6 5.1 5 3 3 3 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 24 91 54 10 14 1 6 4 1 0 50.0 -0.123 1.01 -0.08% 1.03 -1.054 2023-07-09 MIN BAL L 2-15 GS-5, L 5 4.1 5 5 5 2 10 2 1 0 0 0 0 21 98 61 15 14 3 4 1 0 0 41.0 -0.168 0.94 -0.10% 0.93 -1.363 2023-07-03 MIN KCR W 8-4 GS-6 5 6.0 6 2 2 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 25 94 62 16 19 3 5 5 2 0 60.0 0.151 1.13 0.08% 1.00 1.088 2023-06-27 MIN @ ATL L 2-6 GS-3, L 4 3.0 9 6 6 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 18 82 57 10 9 5 5 2 1 0 22.0 -0.387 0.43 -0.21% 0.39 -4.355

Not very exciting, but then the lines on our pitching prospects are not exciting overall. What next?

I have a daughter in emergency surgery for two cancers so I know the mental strain, but I really cannot comment on this trade and what it means. Good luck to Jorge, but I do not see this moving the needle in the BP.

I have read the comments and all my thoughts are redundant. As a critic of Gallo from day one and years before I just cannot stomach the Ks - 18 for the team - Gallo 2 in 2 at bats, and this valuable bat gets PH for by Solano - even Rocco knows we cannot depend on him. Looking at his last five games he is 0 for 12 with 8 Ks. that is a K average of 750! That is a stat - does the FO limit the stats they look at? Of course 18 Ks for the team means that Gallo is not the only one flailing. Larnach just cannot grab hold of his chances like Kiriloff and Julien and Wallner. I am disappointed in him. As a team we are far ahead of the second place Mariners in the race to strikeout more. We are the only team over 1000. 1065 and Joey only has 109 and he is just above Byron Buxton 106. Yesterday on MLB.com there was this conversation about Buxton - Buxton conversation. Play him in the OF. If he gets injured it is something that we have dealt with and what he is doing as DH is not acceptable. This conversation covers my thoughts. Good look at Kiriloff in this video too. On the pitching side I am like the rest of you - why is Cole Sands on the team if we are afraid to use him? Pagan only gets 1 run charged against him, but the HR drove in more that he does not get charged with. Of all the stats RP era is worthless. This is old Pagan - key situation - HR. Let's hope it is only a one game blip because he has actually done well overall this season. Moran is a real disappointment. I thought he had real potential, but he has a -0.2 WAR on BR. And a 1.388 WHIP.

I am discouraged by Larnach - he has had three seasons to show us something and he continues to fall short - he has fallen into the strikeout vs hit category and maybe it is time to see someone like Stevenson.

As a ghost runner? That is some accomplishment

My first reflection is on the WPA ratings. Gallo third??? He is a ghost runner and not a good one. He comes home when the inept White Sox fielder falls down. Now I have to say that the White Sox should have taught the Twins a strong lesson - their defense and overall play is like watching the Keystone Kops (I know I am dating myself) or the three stooges. They basically played themselves into a loss and that includes their BP. Good for Jeffers. But I thought Rocco was overthinking in the last innings (thanks for saving him Sox). Vasquez for Wallner who was 2/2 with a walk and HBP? Gallo in as ghost runner meaning he had to stay in with his 179 BA. This meant no bench left. Lucky we won as we did. But we did win and it feels like the Twins are about to take off! I know, weak competition, but just keep beating them.

I do not see Larnach or Wallner having much trade value. I would certainly choose Larnach if one has to go, but do we expect Gallo back next year? That would be awful. (I almost wrote Offal - negative feelings coming out). I also wonder if Kepler has increased his trade value and will be gone next year.

Any game that has Buxton and Gallo both in the lineup is a mistake. The 2 HRs by Buxton are not enough to erase the impact that he has had on the lineup. But this week has been a good one for getting fans to start believing again. Against poor teams or not this is what was needed. Wallner was 2 for 2 and hitting 308. I will take him over Gallo/Buxton.

Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and left-handed pitcher Steve Hajjar for Mahle - that is a bad trade. I agree with all the other ideas too. A lot to choose from. I also agree with Arraez for Lopez looking bad right now, but wait and see (even though I expect things won't change a lot).

These are the victories a first place team needs to have. I am starting to believe in them again. Is that good or bad? Buxton's one game 2 HR barrage was great, but is it an anomaly? I am really curious about his future.

Joe seems to be tiring, his last five games included 4,5,6 runs for the opposition and 3 negative WPAs. Is this something to be concerned about? Date Tm Opp Result App,Dec DR IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP WP IBB PO BK BF Pit Str StL StS GB FB LD PU Unk GmSc IR IS WPA aLI cWPA acLi RE24 2023-07-21 MIN CHW W 9-4 GS-6, W 4 6.0 7 4 4 1 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 26 104 64 13 15 4 7 2 2 0 51.0 0.011 0.57 0.01% 0.60 -0.933 2023-07-16 MIN @ OAK W 5-4 GS-6 6 5.1 5 3 3 3 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 24 91 54 10 14 1 6 4 1 0 50.0 -0.123 1.01 -0.08% 1.03 -1.054 2023-07-09 MIN BAL L 2-15 GS-5, L 5 4.1 5 5 5 2 10 2 1 0 0 0 0 21 98 61 15 14 3 4 1 0 0 41.0 -0.168 0.94 -0.10% 0.93 -1.363 2023-07-03 MIN KCR W 8-4 GS-6 5 6.0 6 2 2 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 25 94 62 16 19 3 5 5 2 0 60.0 0.151 1.13 0.08% 1.00 1.088 2023-06-27 MIN @ ATL L 2-6 GS-3, L 4 3.0 9 6 6 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 18 82 57 10 9 5 5 2 1 0 22.0 -0.387 0.43 -0.21% 0.39 -4.355

I have no opinion on this. It takes a real inventory of needs and options. We have to have the best available.

Mariners and Twins both playing like 500 teams. Jorge Lopez is just awful, and Pablo is not the ace material we have read about. But the Ks! Buxton and Gallo should not be in the same lineup at any point. Brutal to have these two well paid vets performing so poorly. Let's hope the White Sox are not laying an ambush. They have been playing a lot better.

No. We have waited for Kiriloff to be healthy and right now he and Julien are our consistent bats. Goldschmidt is a great player, but when teams invest in older players because of what they once did they handicap the future. Look at Pujols with the Angels, the Mets, the Yankees with Donaldson (so glad we got rid of him), Miquel Cabrera is a shadow of himself with Detroit. Scherzer and Verlander are not the great pitchers they once were. KC is paying for what Greinke was a few years ago. Pay and play the young and talented. Until he got hurt again - Lewis, Julien, and Kiriloff were the building blocks for the future. Will Correa be worth our investment, is Buxton worthy of his contract or his he a fast Sano? Develop what we have, sign free agents, but don't send prospects.

I was not impressed with the Oakland series, but this series is the kind of ball that inspires. Great overall game in all three facets.