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It's just very discouraging to see yet another pitcher go in the tank when they get here, and pitchers that have been here and have gone other places get better - the common denominator??? Andy and Gardy!

A little negative, eh Nick - ? Playoffs??? Even the mention of playoffs with this team is laughable

Oh Man - can we please call an end to the Chris Parmalee experiment? Yeah, he hit a homer in one of the games so far, and had an RBI single, but if his confidence has major swings like it's suggested by Gardy, he will be just another poor fielding, .230 hitting corner outfielder. I've seen the home games so far - watched Vargas put on a power display in BP that rivals the fireworks after the game last night, seen the CF run in an arc to miss a fly ball that was over his head! I'm thinking that Hicks has ONLY Mastro to worry about - Oh and Gardy's recollection of the massive blunder it was last year to bring him to Target Field directly from Ft Myers last year. So - I agree with Plouffe, Florimon, Dozier, Mauer - Suzuki has some very rough edges - saw him flat miss a pitch last night, and was unable to hang on to the ball a couple of times - but he gets the job - I like Thrylos' 50%-50% call, and also his suggestion that it will be more Pinto by August. Now the outfield - this gets interesting - we'll be suffering with Willingham in left - he's a lock, I'm going to say Pressley in center, although I think he's a temp until Hicks finds himself in Rochester and makes the jump, and Parms in Right - Gardy likes him too much for me to think he would get left behind. Bartlett will be the utility guy, Arcia will be there along with Herrman and Escobar. Sounds like another 80+ loss season. Now, if Hughes and Nolasco each win 14+, and Pelfry has a decent June and July it would be interesting. Only thing is, I can't see how they're going to score runs. I'll be looking for the coming pitching roster discussion. For now I'll go with 76-86

Twins next move should be to move Willingham; then make the decision that your DH is going to be Colobello/Kubel. That being done - task #2 should be to sign Cruz - now you have room for him in the everyday lineup. Outfield would be Arcia-Hicks-Cruz. Now you can dump Mastro and Parms - keep Kepler and Pressley. Bat Hicks 7th, - Nice power potential in the outfield.

"So much of why some of us cut Ryan more slack and others are harshly critical stems from our amazing ability to see the "facts" so differently, or to create a fact set that supports our agenda." Great Article, John - but this is what TR does with maddeningly regularity. He creates facts to support his agenda - that being to run this ball club as cheaply as possible, while BSing his way to explain why we have 3 consecutive 90+ loss seasons.

Really like the fact that they are making the effort WITHOUT AAAA pitchers! Would NOT like the return of Pelfry!

Hilarious - and you really nailed it on Mauer - I wish he wasn't so vanilla - how about a little fire, Joe?

Go back to critiquing podcasts. Oh wait - you're not good at that either!

They already have people who can strike out!

Anthony Swarzak Vance Worley Samuel Deduno Scott Diamond Virgil Vasquez Eduardo Escobar Alex Presley Trevor Plouffe Chris Parmelee SERIOUSLY??????? Go Cubs!

He left US! He's the enemy - Get over it! Signed - Not a Torii fan -

Any one in the Twins front office paying attention? No - I suspected not.

A chance????? AAAAAAKKKKKK NO HE DOES NOT!!! And neither do Correia, Pelfry, Walters, or De Vries.

Seriously - Who on the Twins long list of "starters" would be in the "bigs" if it weren't for the Twins? Yeah - that's what I think, too. Nobody! Put them all out there on waivers - they will all pass through - Maybe it's time to put "Andy" on waivers, too!

Almost makes me wish I lived in NY, . . . Pretty sure I'd see better baseball there than at Target Field in 2014!

I get so angry when I think about management and their style - angry because: * TR would rather be known as someone who once found a reclamation project and it actually was brilliant - his constant trips to the bargain bin are very trying - and soon will be reflected at the gate. * The organization has pissed away three years in the career of the best hitting catcher in MLB history, with minor league pitching. If the Twins get a quality start, they are competitive Why are we so satisfied to see Mauer surrounded by a AA team - yes - AA - that is NOT a typo! * If you go to the ball park - you are paying major league prices for minor league baseball? As a season ticket holder I feel as though I have been misled. For 3 years we have broken camp with pitchers who are fortunate to be Twins - they would not be on any other teams 40 man, let alone on the MLB roster.

If the questions is stated in the last sentence of the first paragraph - I'm guessing crickets!

Ha! Bottom Line - *Twins third base coaches ever since Gardenhire have been HORRIBLE - Ulger???? Liddle??? Vavra?? Really? * Hicks HAS to slide - any close play at the plate Hicks HAS to slide. Mellow game? or not schooled enough to know when to slide.

Much more fun to watch these kids with potential than retreads form the bargain bin year after year! DFA Pelfry - send Diamond down and bring 'em on - they can not be worse!!!

The Best! Congrats to all who have a hand in putting this all together. Thanks!!!

All agreed - love the stats - don't mind Bremer - getting real tired of Bert just reading the stats sheet, and describing EVERY base hit as "dropping the barrel of the bat on the ball" - Nice work, Parker!

Good article - I would love to mute Bert and Dick, and just go with Provus and Gladden (even though Danny forgets to tell me about some of the things happening as they happen). But here's my dilemma - when I watch the game in HD there is a delay between what I hear and what I see. Thanks to Comcast, I can hear what happens, and then look at the screen and see it happen. OK for a while, but hard to do it for the entire game.

Under - I'll take the under - I'm thinking it will be closer to 88. I'd take the over on 87, though

I bet the over - Never been a big Sox fan, but they are still better than KC, Cleveland, and the Twins - . . . so they'll be playing those teams and that should guarantee at least 80

Aaron Hicks - very impressive