jtkoupal

When the Twins get walked off again, I might just stop watching for the season... OK I'm lying. But for real, can we not get walked off for once?

So you hold Adrianza so as to not test Gordon's arm, but then you send Dozier and test Gordon's arm... not sure I follow... Side Note: Are we sure that isn't Travis Fimmel wearing Alex Gordon's jersey out there?

Have to imagine that Slegers gets the call over Enns. In any case, that would be the perfect opportunity for bull-penning. I know Molitor won't do that, but calling up a minor league starter would be the perfect opportunity to join the revolution even if only for a day. Start the game with Hildenberger. Then bring in your call-up to face NO MORE THAN 18 batters. Then mix & match from there.

Who would you rather have come in in that situation? If you can't count on Rodney to put out a fire, then how can you possibly count on him to pitch in the 9th inning of 1/2 run games? If he is the closer/relief ace, then he needs to be the guy counted upon in high-leverage situations. Use your best reliever(s) in the situations of the greatest need.

Bringing in the closer to put out a fire in the 8th... I like where your head is, Paul. I just hope you did it for the right reason...

On Cue, Junis gives up a bomb... It was Sano's third plate appearance of the game.

Junis gets a lot worse when he faces the lineup for the third time. His pitch count is a bit lower than ideal, but as long as Lynn keeps pitching well, this looks promising.

I like probability. I wish I had access to probabilities of more things than just baseball. Making decisions would be much easier.

The Twins blew a plethora of opportunities in Seattle over the weekend. They easily could have won at least 1, maybe even 2 games. They are headed to KC, a place they could very well find some success. However, if the offense sputters like it has, it doesn't matter who they face. The Twins really could use a sweep, but taking at least 2 is necessary. They can't afford to do worse. At all. Fun with Probability: *Projections via FiveThirtyEight Monday: 50% Win Probability Tuesday: 55% Twins favorites Wednesday: 56% Twins favorites Probability of a Twins Sweep: 15.4% Probability of a Royals Sweep: 9.9% The Twins currently sit with a 16% chance at a playoff berth... mostly powered by the 12% chance of winning the division thanks to Cleveland's run of mediocre baseball. Go Twins, let's get back on track

Let's say, hypothetically, the Twins continue to play mediocre baseball through June and July. At that point, you gotta sell. Would that really be a big deal, though? You always want to compete, but if you don't, it might work out just fine. Here's why. Brian Dozier is a free agent. Let's face it, he deserves to make his money. His bat will inevitably heat up and he will be targeted in July. That would give the Twins a golden opportunity to bring Nick Gordon up and give him some playing time with Polanco, who will be back with the club by then. If that is the look of the near future, it can only help them to get some playing time down the stretch. Fernando Rodney and Zach Duke are on 1-year deals. They are not being counted on for anything past this year. There are a number of arms in Rochester right now that the Twins are counting on for big roles in the years to come. If the Twins aren't competing for anything, might as well give those innings to the kids instead of the crusty ol' vets. The Twins could potentially sell high on Eduardo Escobar. His bat has cooled off, but he has power from both sides of the plate and can be used in a super-utility role. He will have value for a contender down the stretch, whether it be Minnesota or somebody else. Since he is a free agent at the end of the year and might not stay anyway, might as well ship him. Sooner or later, Lance Lynn is going to figure it out. When that happens, it's a win-win for the Twins. Nothing he has done to this point is important, really. As long as he has a stretch of good pitching leading in to the end of July, somebody will snatch him up in a heartbeat while paying a fair price. (Solid pitching is worth A LOT, ya know.) In that case, somebody like a Gonsalves or Jorge will get the chance to pitch some consistent innings in the big leagues before the pressure is back on in 2019. Logan Morrison and his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark will garner some interest. You won't get a harvest, but he isn't a building block, so if the Twins falter, Morrison is out the door and someone else comes up (who that would be, however, is a question for someone smarter than me, as no obvious choices exist at the moment) Bottom line, if the Twins are competitive, then these guys can help win ballgames for us. If not, they can help win ballgames for somebody else. It's a win-win. If we keep them, it means we're competing. If we don't, it gives the kids a chance to get their feet wet, gain some experience, and allows the Twins to add some young talent to supplement what is already in the farm and help us win in the future. We would all prefer the former, but we must all except the latter as the probable scenario (the Twins have a 16% chance to make the playoffs)

I have been tossing this around in my mind lately. I think we need at least 3-4 more weeks before we can really lean too far in this direction, given the weakness of the AL Central and that we have so many game left to play in it. However, the Twins, if they do make the playoffs, don't stack up with anybody. The Indians are going to get hot sooner or later. There is too much talent there for them not to. However, the Twins have a lot of talent themselves and the division race is not over yet. Against contending teams, the Twins are 11-18. Against non-contending teams, they are 10-9. (The separation between the two categories is mostly obvious except that I have the Pirates as non-contenders, as I still project them to fade) The 10-9 will improve, as the Twins have 72 games against non-contenders left. They only have 42 left with contenders, with 17 of those being against the suddenly-beatable Indians. Bottom line, there is still some hope. It doesn't look good right now, but there is still some reason for waiting it out. We play the Indians 7 more times before the end of June and have a series with them at the trade deadline. One interesting caveat here, however, is that we have a lot of division games in September, so there is a lot of potential for a hot September. However, if the deficit is too steep before that, then it doesn't matter anyway. The trade deadline isn't for another 8+ weeks, but the next 4-6 weeks will really be telling. If the Twins can get back to the .500 mark and, probably necessarily, over it, then there is too good of a chance to contend. If the Twins are hovering around .500, they have to sell unless the Indians are also still meddling in mediocrity. In my next comment, I will delve more deeply into the possible moves themselves.

Absolutely putrid offense. Cleveland won today and the Twins lose ground again. The Twins can't take a step forward without taking more steps backwards. The outlook is getting gloomier and gloomier by the day. The Good News: The vast majority of games left on the Twins schedule are against non-contending teams. The majority of the schedule to this point has been against contending teams. They play the Royals 19 times, the Tigers 16 more times, and the White Sox 14 more times. The Indians are mortal, and we play them 17 more times. Those 17 games will mostly determine the fate of the AL Central. However, Cleveland is starting to heat up despite their crappy bullpen, so watch out.

Wrong. Berrios should have come into the game in the 2nd or 3rd inning

Ugh... Berries facing the lineup for the FOURTH time in the 8th inning is... nerve-racking

Off to a great start, guys! P.S. Dozier swinging at the first pitch is one of the laundry list of reason why I've always not liked him in the leadoff spot.

The Twins have already lost more than they can afford in this series. I'm not gonna say that the season hangs in the balance today by any means, but salvaging a win in this series is an absolute must to stay within striking distance. Ideally, the Twins need to go into next weekend within striking distance of the Indians ahead of the already-important 4-game set between the two teams. We can only hope that facing a struggling pitcher (Miike Leake) and then going to KC will help get the quiet bats making some noise again.

The Astros have rallied to take the lead in Cleveland. The Yankees hold a slim 2-1 lead on the Angels Twins, as it stands right now, are getting some help tonight.

The Twins need to take 2 in Seattle. It won't be easy. The Mariner's are a good team and the Twins have had trouble with them in years past, especially in Seattle. The Mariners are favored in every game, per FiveThirtyEight. (61% Friday, 54% Saturday, 53% Sunday) Probability of a Twins Sweep, 8.4% Probability of a Mariners Sweep, 17.5% The Mariners are in the Driver's Seat for the 2nd Wild Card at the moment. Gotta take at least 2 here.

Salvy Perez? A long shot, perhaps. But KC is putting up a "for sale" sign in the near future. So could he be available?

Here we go... first inning runs... this why relief pitchers should start games (a la Sergio Romo) and the "starter" should come in the 2nd or 3rd

Good Morning, Everybody. Today, the Twins go for a sweep of the Tigers to secure a winning homestead. Michael Fulmer provides a worthy foe, but a manageable one. Gibson's sinker is the key to this game. If it's on, he should have no problem shutting down the Toledo Mud Hens... er.. I mean... Detroit For those of you who are nerds like I am, the Twins have a 59% chance at a victory today, as per FiveThirtyEight.com. That probability is calculated by taking a raw team score and then factoring in the starting pitchers, home/road, travel, and rest. A win would get the Twins back within a game of the .500 mark and keep them, at worst, only 1 game behind the Indians, who will send Adam Plutko to the mound at Wrigley Field against Jon Lester later tonight. The Cubs are favored in that game with a 59% win probability as well. Let's get those brooms out and cheer on the Cubbies later, Twins Territory!

All right, so it's another one of those nights where we make a soft-tossing lefty look like Cy Young. Gotcha. Good to know

Twins at home against the Tigers Indians at Wrigley Field Can only hope The Twins are at least tied in first place by the conclusion of play tomorrow night.

Can't say I particularly understand why we need 6 outfielders instead of an extra arm in the pen with Lance Lynn on the mound today, but let's hope Lance gives us 6 good innings and then that doesn't matter.

Oh Terry Ryan's desperation killed us in the long run. Couldn't have predicted the injuries, but could have predicted the decline in production. Good luck, Phil