DocBauer

Really bummed out about Maeda's performance. Guy allowed 2 runs. He looked so perfect the first few starts. [sarcasm!] Maeda may not be a stud, a #1, etc, but the guy is GOOD. Actually seems like Johnson and the Twins staff may have taken his performance up another level with some tweaks. I didn't get to watch every pitch, but the Thorpe I saw last night was more in keeping with what I have seen before and expected. Is he sent over now? Or does Thielbar go first? So nice to see multiple innings of run production and not necessarily with bombas. The whole game felt like I was watching the team I expected to see.

Really bummed out about Maeda's performance. Guy allowed 2 runs. He looked so perfect the first few starts. [sarcasm!] Maeda may not be a stud, a #1, etc, but the guy is GOOD. Actually seems like Johnson and the Twins staff may have taken his performance up another level with some tweaks. I didn't get to watch every pitch, but the Thorpe I saw last night was more in keeping with what I have seen before and expected. Is he sent over now? Or does Thielbar go first? So nice to see multiple innings of run production and not necessarily with bombas. The whole game felt like I was watching the team I expected to see.

All I know for sure is he's looked better the past few games. I think Seth summed it best of all, there is a thin line between patience and aggressiveness. Garver has been caught a little between those 2 points right now. Timing is off. Good hitters make adjustments. He has always been a good hitter.

I agree with Rocco's usage, even though it's backfired once it twice from being a close game to not so close a game. And Ash is correct that if the offense starts to perform to more expected standards, that may shift some of Rocco's thinking and usage. But 2 quick points/comments: 1] The Twins 6-9th best arms are better than most any team can throw out to the mound. 2] Used to drive me crazy Molitor would burn through our best arms to "keep it close" and then have nothing left for winable games.

I hope that isn't the case for his sake. But the Twins had an opportunity for a depth move and I honestly don't recall if Gordon has even been cleared to head to St. Paul yet. Even then, it will take him time to ramp up and even be an option.

Agreed not worth lamenting Hendricks as it was so long ago and a different staff. I think they did make a mistake in not taking a look at Anderson over others. Hate to say it, but even smart coaches and FO get it wrong sometimes. But then you pick up a Wisler and suddenly have what looks like a power arm middle reliever for nothing.

I don't even pretend to be an expert, but I think the analysis provided by Parker and Matt are BOTH correct. Better mechanics can lead to increased velocity, which is a good thing. Better mechanics can also lead to better control of your stuff. And I suspect Berrios is struggling with some of those mechanics and trying to find consistency. I think the Gibson reference is a good one considering Berrios is trying to tweak some things on the fly. But, while not true for every pitcher, it's also true that taking something off of pitches can also lead to more movement and even better control at times. Perhaps adjusting the velocity of his 2 and 4 seam pitches could make a difference?

I would slide Donaldson back only because the lineup, despite struggles currently, is good enough. Marwin and Adrianza help cover the position. Blankenhorn COULD help, and now we have another utility option with the Vargas move for depth. Pick a pitcher for #1. Oddo back and at least throwing would probably slide him down a spot. Hill back and ready for half of a half season and the playoffs is probably my #1.

I believe he's in St. Paul to continue developing and to build towards 2021. He is a "break in case of emergency" option at this point. But agree something just isn't right with Thorpe right now...very disappointing...and Smeltzer's future is best as a swing/long guy. If the Twins were to give him a shot, I'd like to see it while the pen has 16 guys. But despite some disappointments and frustration, Berrios, Maeda, Dobnak and Odorizzi is not a bad 4-sum to have right now. Does anyone really believe Berrios won't settle in? Or that Odorizzi won't do the same with some innings? And at some point, hopefully soon, Hill and/or Bailey will return and Pineda is in the back pocket in a few more weeks. We need a 5th starter and I don't really want to see a bunch more bullpen games. Only the Twins know how close to ready Hill and Bailey may be, or how good Duran is doing. But again, if they're going to do it, do it while you have the extra pen depth.

Interesting question! Considering the Twins supposedly "liked him for a while" and costs only $ and not even a single prospect, I suspect they make the move anyway. No offense to anyone, but I think it's safe to say he is a notch above a couple of the AAAA guys they have for depth over in St Paul.

Sorry, should have been more clear. Just meant more infield depth so Marwin can stick at 3B if Donaldson remains out. And so far, no Gordon yet either, yes? Wouldn't mind seeing what Blankenhorn can do.

Infield insurance in case Donaldson doesn't rebound?

My only question is why not the 6th inning for Dobnak? Is it getting everyone a chance to pitch and stay sharp? Is it to keep confidence up for the SP, Dobnak in this case?

Not going to further debate whether Berrios is a pending ACE or not or what constitutes what an ACE is. And to be real, this entire season has been so weird and probably will end up being so weird, that I'm not sure we can or will ever be able to conceptualize the entirety of this season. IMO, I believe Berrios did deserve his 2 All Star appearances. I believe we still have not seen the best of him. I believe be was beginning to make adjustments at the end of 2019 to maintain his stuff for a full season and would have continued to do so if this was a normal year. I am making NO excuses for a poor/decent but not great start to 2020. But each and every player is still an individual. And each and every one of them has had to deal with an interrupted ST and a short summer ramp up. And there just is no way to explain or quantify each and every player and how they have been affected. If Berrios is average for the first month with velocity and poor control but settles in and finishes really strong, will we be happy and re-visit this arguement later?

Time to right the ship and forget the past 4 games. It's up to the coaches and players to forget and look forward. Can they do that? I think from injury and performance, it's obvious the short ramp up proves how important a normal ST is. Guys all over baseball are still trying to figure stuff out while playing games that count. Who settles in quickest may determine how this season turns out.

I'm in the majority here, and guess I was before the season even began. With a short season, so many teams looking to be hot and have a shot at the playoffs and any season suddenly shoved off the rails due to injury or illness, I just don't see many moves. And I don't see the Twins or anyone renting a player for 4 weeks. I think most teams are what they are, and have what they have, unless they are willing to over pay for 4 weeks and a couple seasons beyond of which only 2021 is more or less locked in as to actually happening.

I'm not upset the Twins blew the 4th game against Pittsburgh. What little I saw, which was only late, if memory recalls, nothing got hit hard and 2 of our best relievers had bad days. It happens, we win 3 of 4 Despite not playing great, you won't play great all the time. You will lose games. Losing all 3 to the Royals stinks! To be fair, I am not worried long term about IF, but they always play the Twins surprisingly tough. And I commented about that in a thread before the season began in relation to the schedule. Now that 4 game losing streak has happened, it's time to move on. The problem is, are we ready to move on? Offense is down across baseball. Every team, not just the Twins, are dealing with injuries. But this team has better depth and talent than most to overcome those injuries. And there is no Redmond to walk naked through the clubhouse, no Hunter to lead a dance party. And guys have to play to get in a groove. But it's up to Rocco and his staff to find a way to jump start the lineup. Shuffle the lineup? More batting practice? Less? I have applauded Rocco's usage of the pen. But I am confused about some of his usage the past few days. Nobody has been overworked. But it feels that with Hill, Bailey and Pineda out and Odorizzi just coming back, he is "saving" his best arms for ties and leads and letting the "rest" of the pen pitch while behind. But the Twins don't have just 2 or 3 really good arms, even with Littell out. Even with the offense struggling, could a game or two have been different if the game had been kept closer despite being behind? I don't have the answers. Alcala is looking like a keeper, so him pitching is not the reason we have lost, as an example. We have been in all of these games but never gotten over the hump. Despite massive mistakes of walking or allowing a regrettable single to a speed guy who ran rampant on the basepaths and created something few teams can...and speed will come back to the game again one day...the biggest problem, IMO, has been such a poor performance from a lineup that should almost accidently score 4-5 runs. We are still in 1st place and have a talented team. I am not upset or panicking, but I am disappointed. It's a weird season for EVERYONE. But we don't care about EVERYONE, we care about this ONE TEAM. There is a lot of this short season still left. There is so much talent here, and guys who will come back healthy at some point. But this is where Rocco and his staff will earn their stripes. What do/can they do in this weird season to get guys untracked?

Do you want to be a pessimist after losing 3 in a row? It's easy to be one right now. And believe me, I'm NOT HAPPY choking 1 to the pirates and then losing 2 in a row to KC. Not happy at all! (Deep breath) The Twins are still 10-5. Points to consider: 1] As good as the pen has been, not everyone will be perfect all the time. Witness the last Pirates game and tonight. Do we bail on Romo, Rogers and Stashak because they suddenly had a couple bad appearances? Absolutely not. 2] No matter the Twins pitching depth, at some point you get nailed when you have 3SP on the IL along with a RP you were counting on. Yes, Oddo is back now. But I'm not surprised his first game back was poor. 3] I am very disappointed in Thorpe so far. I think he needs to go down/over and work on his stuff. Something just isn't working right with him right now. On the other hand, Alcala was supposed to be the 8th or 9th option out of the pen, if not the 11th or 12th. (Dobnak, Smeltzer, Thorpe ahead of him with a full rotation). But we have seen flashes that can't be denied. Is he here to stay? 4] The hitters are still not producing as they should be. Guess what? Offense all across MLB is down so far. Buxton is getting in to a groove and hit a HR in 3 straight games for the first time in his career. Arraez had a good game. 5] Despite disappointment and frustration and injury, the Twins are still 10-5. BTW, despite some wildness, I've seen enough pure "stuff" from Poppen to think he's going to make it once he settles down. Sort of reminds me of Littell when he first came up. I appreciate Rocco working with the lineup and mixing things up. For the most part, I think he's handled the pitching staff as well as be can considering some rotational issues. As stupid as it may sound, this team needs something "silly" to happen to make everything come together. There is no Redmond to walk naked through the clubhouse and I doubt there will be a Hunter dance party anytime soon. But it feels to me as though this 10-5, deep and talented team is just waiting for a "spark" to just jump start them going forward. (FWIW, I commented before the season began that I thought the Royals would be a thorn).

In an era of power arms, HR swings, high SO totals, it would make perfect sense that a bulldog with heavy stuff would/could succeed by being different. Dobnak just seems to know how to pitch. He's got good control, decent velocity, and his stuff is heavy and low...generally...creating that weak contact. He seems to be the type who will be durable and be able to consistently hit 90-100 pitches per start. He doesn't have to have high SO numbers to be successful as long as the BB and HR numbers stay low. What is key for him though, IMO, is refining his stuff just enough to avoid those long AB where the batter just fouls off pitch after pitch. The ability to put those guys away quicker will determine just how successful he can be.

Pretty sure I saw a couple FB above 90 his last time out, but tend to agree it looks like his velocity is down somewhat. Of course I'm concerned, but I'm not worried. And I won't be until 2021. Why? Simply because there are so many outliers in 2020 that it's really hard to quantify any sort of regression for a young player. Did his missed time in ST 1.0 and a short ramp up in ST 2.0 have an affect on him? Will we see increased velocity again later in this short and wacky season? It's just too hard to predict. Right now, I'm more worried about control/command. Forget some of his final peripherals in 2019 as there were games he was extended to take one for the team. There were at least a couple appearances he looked really good but didn't seem ready to handle that 3rd or 4th inning. But the guy I saw in his 1st start didn't look like the guy I watched last year. Command was way off and it looked like he was pitching tentative or nervous. Did he need to work out some anxiety? I hope that's the case. I've always felt his floor was a really good bullpen piece. But I think he's got the ability to be a really nice back of the rotation starter. But 2020 could end up being an outlier for a lot of guys.

I watched both Twins WS victories and a trio of Husker football national championships. Never saw any of them in a loud bar setting. Watched a couple with family and friends. Never attended a parade. Didn't need to. My team won and I was overjoyed! I've even shed a few tears of happiness at the conclusion. I expect more of the same if the Twins do it again this year. With everything going on in the world right now, it might even mean more.

The old axiom that you can't judge a trade for a few years, though tired and worn, is still accurate. I was not in favor of the trade at the time as I felt the Twins were in good shape to rebound in 2019 and would need Pressly. The pen could used him the 1st half for sure, though they held together via duct tape and wire and did OK. Was he needed the 2nd half? Not really. But would it have been nice to have him. No doubt. Would Pressly have re-signed? Could the Twins have afforded him and still made all the other moves they've made? Interesting questions that none of us have the answer to. And any injuries that Pressly has had really shouldn't be brought in to the equation as those are completely unpredictable. Now, if it becomes chronic, we could re-visit that point. Finances are part of the equation. With the moves made, the emergence of some arms, a hopeful re-signing of May, the addition of a pair of young talents, I have a hard time knocking the trade at this point. Alcala has a way to go, but the talent is there. How good could he be in the next year or two? Perhaps good, perhaps really good. Talent, potential, rankings and a strong finish to 2019 have me excited about Celestino as, at worse, a versatile 4th OF and legitimate backup in CF. Right now, there is no winner. By 2022 I think we may able to declare one.

Tremendous read. Thank you. But I want to know more about how the kids are doing, etc. Love my Twins, but also a fan of the minors and really missing that part of baseball right now. But I will take what I can get.

Agree 100%. Absolutely worst guy you could walk. But as much as losing stinks, do you blame Romo for that run? Do you blame Rogers for not being perfect? Do you blame Maeda for one bad pitch? Stinks. But again. 60 or 162, you can't win them all.

First, TREMENDOUS article Matt! Instead of vacant wonder or doom and gloom, you offer up both sides of the situation. Sincere applause. Secondly, offense is down across baseball. It's not just the Twins. While pitchers are clearly not at the top of their game yet, it seems the batters are further behind league wide. It's more obvious than ever how important ST is relevant despite it's length. Third, I think everyone just needs to stop with the borderline panic that "we've already played 20% of the season. Oh my!" So what? Because it's a short season, slumps should be shorter? The ramp up to get in a groove or make adjustments of any sort should automatically be shorter? How in the world does that make any sense??? With all respect and deference to the amazing Cruz, what would you rather have; a deep and talented winning team not firing on all cylinders the first couple of weeks who could explode at any time to finish the year? Or a team with no shot who might be a little hot/lucky early? (See Detroit). We just need to stop this whole % of the season BS. Especially because we are winning. Fourth, and most importantly, this team can EASILY be SO MUCH BETTER and very soon. They've still hit bombas. They've still had some great clutch hitting. They've still chased SP early in almost every game. Garver and Arraez have ALWAYS hit at every level. They will make adjustments, sophomore slump or not. (Yes, Garver is more or less a junior, but you get the point). Buxton and Sano basically had a couple days to get ready. Weird they don't already have their timing down and taking, right? My point is, the positive side of the OP is what I am focusing on and believing in. Not just out of optimism, but based on talent and previous results. Donaldson is the one outlier that concerns me. They say he is OK and they are just being cautious. Fine. I will buy in for now. His defense has been as advertised. His offense has been poor, but he's seen pitches and hasn't exactly embarrassed himself at the plate. And he's been notorious as a bit of a slow starter. What concerns me is running slowly to 1B. He looked great in the field. Has be been slow out of the box to be conservative? Is that just him, devoid of speed, being safe when it seems an obvious out at 30+yrs? Or is there something more going on? Donaldson brings a lot to this team. I think, from an experience perspective and tutorial perspective he brings a lot and already has, much like Cruz. And barring some massive regression due to age and injury, I think he's going to bring a lot to this team over his contract. And the Twins, as they are constructed, can survive and perform well without him right now. How many teams could plug Marwin in at 3B and Adrianza on occasion and barely miss a beat? But this team is so much better, over all, with a healthy Donalson in the field and at the plate. I hope this latest injury is as mild as stated. I hope he is back soon and ready to go. But somewhat like Hill in the rotation, I want him 100% and ready to go for the second 30 games!