DocBauer

Slow starts aren't unusual in baseball, especially for power hitters it seems. Not sure he's a true FB hitter, which is kind of weird for a power hitter. But then again, he hasn't been a true power hitter for his career. And I don't think he's a true cleanup type of hitter. And Molitor has seemed to recognize this, though the slow start probably has some play in this, hitting him 5th-7th which is just fine. His signing was a good one. And I agree he's probably somewhere in the middle, production wise, regarding his bad start and hot streak. He's more than capable of 20+ HR with 20+ doubles and an average in his career arc of around .240-.250. And that is just fine with the lineup the Twins "can" field. He's also been OK at 1B and made a couple nice scoops tonight vs Detroit.

I'm an optimist at heart, so I always have to believe. Unfortunately, wouldn't take much to have faith rewarded. 3 runs in 5 IP. (Shudder)

How I live my life sometimes. You spying on me? Lol

Wasn't so tired, I'd go grab me some KFC just to celebrate!

Didn't see the whole game, to be fair, but the last 3 innings were filled with great pitching, patience, hustle, and some great defensive plays. We should all be smiling!

Dilly dilly!! Lol

Man that was a fun game!!

Great catch!!! Do they give game balls in baseball like in football? He won this game!

Oh crap, hate they just showed Lynn starts tomorrow.

But he read the situation and saw the nonchalant attitude of the OF who expected the easy out.

Agreed. But that was heads up ball there!

Maybe I'm just a fan, but for every bad play he might make, I swear Rosario makes 3 or 4 great plays!

OMG!!! That was amazing!!!

Rosario...my God does he have great hands and great hit ability! Only thing holding him back is some of the crazy stuff he swings at. And then he does something like that...wow!

Still only 1 out! Wrong to cheer for just a decently hit fly ball?

NICE!!

FWIW, always had hopes for Goodrum as a solid bench player. Wish we had been able to bring him back for this year.

Buxton: Only 23. IMMENSELY talented. On everyone's top prospect lists and number 1 or 2 for a couple of years. Started very slow in 2017 before settling in very nicely. Migraine issue, fractured toe and no rehab here in 2018. Give up on him now??? Just saying.

Late to watch after a couple innings on the radio. What I have seen, Berrios has looked Good!

A great point! And let's not forget Pineda next season. Littell also shows potential. But Santana, even if brought back in 2019, is probably here that one more season. Gibson is under team control for one more season. Pines also for one more season. And in Reed, Curtiss, Benitez and maybe even Bard, there are some good BP arms at Rochester. I'm not saying he shouldn't be in the pen, or that he couldn't excel there. Maybe he's even the next great arm there. I'm just a little hesitant to move him there when he could be a quality ML starter. BTW, couldn't your same arguement be made for Mejia? I think he's got enough pure stuff to make an excellent RP if starting doesn't quite work out.

Now if that's true it changes the dynamics quite a bit. He could really stack the pen with Rodney (here for this season at least), Reed, Pressly and Hildenberger. Only problem is, I still believe he could be a quality starter. And I know Santana will be back, and Gonsalves is close. Personally, I think Slegers has the ability to be at least a solid #5. Pineda next season? Mejia still has potential as well. It's a nice problem to have for sure.

I argued vehemently against any of the proposed trades involving Kepler because if his talent/potential. And I felt he would start to break out this season. He has, but I also agree we haven't seen the best of him yet. Despite some struggles, the fact is Buxton is the singularly most athletically gifted player on the roster. Rosario and Kepler aren't that far behind. (Personally, I don't think Polanco is all that far behind in #4). But if you look at the total package, I believe Kepler ranks only slightly behind Buxton overall, with pure speed being the biggest difference.

Agree with you 100% Romero is looking like a phenom. Even in his first "poor" performance the other day he threw some good stuff. Shouldn't we expect a few bad days? Berrios will only be 24 in a couple of days. His stuff, ethic and mentality is terrific. How good can these two guys be when they actually figure stuff out? Odorizzi is flat out good, if not dominant at times. Despite a clunker the other day, there is no longer a SSS regarding Gibson. He has been a different pitcher since the second half of last season. A stud? Nope. But a really solid SP. Better late than never, right? Now....someone to replace Lynn. (Still a smart sign at the time). Where, or where can the Twins find a 5th SP between Slegers, Gonsalves, May or Santana? I am encouraged and frustrated by the bullpen all at once. The weather has heated up, and so has Rodney. Surprise! Pressly has been, mostly, stellar. As has Reed. Hilgenberger has started to look like the guy we saw in 2017. Duke was Jekyl and Hyde but has started to round in to form. As has Rogers of late. But I'm still worried about over use due to Lynn and Hughes providing ZERO value. And if Magill is good enough to be here, then USE HIM. If not, rotate someone else up. The offense, defense and base running all have to improve, absolutely! To my eye, the defense has been better the last week or so. But man, would I like to see Adrianza back in the bench right now. Here's hoping June begins with no new injuries, Buxton getting a groove, (And he looked better today), and Sano back up doing what he does. A short DL for Mauer to put Grossman back on the bench, or other, would also be nice.

A well thought out and well written article Nick, but personally, I feel a bit pessimistic. Yes, the Twins are only 19-23 and absolutely missing opportunities and performing inconsistently at times, I'll be the dead horse beater yet again, but I predicted they'd be around .500 the first couple of months before taking off and playing much better ball. My theory was based on 2 factors: 1] Still so many key players 26yo and younger. All players will be hot and cold at times. And I'm not making excuses, but to be real, most of those guys have 2- 2 1/2 full season's or less of ML service time. 2] Rosters take time to gel, in any sport. Even veterans sometimes need to adjust to new cities, coaches, teammates, usage, etc. We all know the weird spring weather affected a great many teams. So no excuse there, right? Sorry, but not so sure. Not only did the Twins play in awful conditions for the first few weeks of the season, but it was so bad they couldn't even get in fielding drill workouts or batting practice. Puerto Rico was fun and very cool, but also a weird blip on the travel schedule. What frustrates me is the games lost due to mistakes and missed opportunities! Bad weather, bad plays, bad hops, etc, this team is so close to being .500 right now. What encourages me is a 10-8 record in May after that disastrous stretch to end April. And even in the losses, most of them, the games have been close. A few direct responses: Buxton: Anyone who wants to give up on him or write him off is foolish. Slow start followed by injury with no rehab. Just give this supremely talented 23yo some time. Sano: Yes, for health sake, he should WANT to be in better overall shape. Man do I hope he gets it! But don't tell me his recovery and unfortunate off the field distractions didn't affect him at least somewhat. Biggest problem is between his ears. He doesn't need to crush a 450' HR every time when 415' will suffice. And sometimes a BB or good solid hit will be just fine. Morisson: Good signing. He IS hitting much, much better. Dozier: We've seen the slow starts before, and he makes adjustments and kills it. Should we be shocked? Loved him hitting behind Mauer, but now that's an issue. Lynn: Come on, this was a good and smart signing. No excuses at this point, agreed, he's just not performing. It's like he doesn't trust himself and is nibbling. Time to dump Hughes...is there really any debate at this point?...move Lynn to the pen and bring up Slegers, Gonsalves, or May if he's ready before Santana. There ARE options here! My own FO take: I like the FO and most everything they've done, even if all moves haven't worked out. But there were 4 things I felt were an obvious MUST before the season began. They needed a middle INF for Rochester, at least, for depth to protect against Adrianza regression and to not rush Gordon. (This before the Polanco suspension but became heightened after.) They also needed the very best AAAA 3B they could find to protect Sano's recovery, and help free up Escobar. They needed a solid RH corner OF to challenge/compete with Grossman. (Didn't have to play CF with Rosario, Kepler and Granite around). And they needed a 3rd catcher who could play a bit once they parted ways with Giminez. Wilson was an OK signing, but that was it. Inexcusable! We are hurting at SS and 4th OF right now. Maybe Cave can help. Still don't understand the use of LaMarre. Whoever and whatever he is, he was hitting and is still hitting at Rochester. You can't tell me Slegers and Gonsalves would perform any worse then Lynn at this point in the rotation. At least until Santana or May are ready. Hughes brings nothing! I still dont know who Magill is, but in SSS he's at least performed. But if he's worth a roster spot, then USE HIM instead of overworking the guys you have! And if not, then rotate the young bullpen arms at Rochester until you see what sticks. Didn't we do that last season? Off my soapbox. Sorry I got so long winded.

It was a good, well played game overall. Discouraging the opportunities we slept slip away, but a couple key plays and hits win the day! Really stinks Odorizzi couldn't get the win, he really deserved it. I know it's only 1 game, but Buxton looked much better at the plate today, much more comfortable and confident. Sitting yesterday and his talk with Molitor might have actually helped. Rodney has been on fire after his rough start to the year. If only we could have predicted that. (Sarcasm) I'm as frustrated as anyone for the poor/inconsistent hitting and lack of clutch hitting. And there is no way for Escobar and Rosario to carry the team forever by themselves. And we know Dozier runs a little hot and cold, especially to begin the season. Polanco has been lut all year. Buxton missed time. Sano is out. Castro is out and was playing hurt when in. The bench is weaker than it should be, etc, etc, yada, yada. Still, I winning record for May. Believe we are 2 games above .500. Despite poor or inconsistent performances, injuries and the such, this team has been playing much better ball. And even the frustrating losses have been mostly all close games. There was a conversation in another thread concerning the offense, and Riverbrian noted how many other teams have young players as well. Still, I feel it has to be pointed out...yet again...Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Sano and the suspended Polanco are all 23-26yo, (Garver is 27yo rookie catcher with potential), and, overall, have completed less than 3 full ML seasons. I still have a lot of faith in the potential for this offense.