DocBauer

De-railed The Train!

YES!

With this lead, isn't it the perfect time to see Curtiss?

Going to officially label Buxton a STUD.

But I looked at the past 4 years and how good he looked in those 4 IP and thought...hmmm...what if he just needs to build a little arm strength? Being perfectly honest, I really didn't know or think he would do this. But I did think he could. Glad the could turned to would. My biggest disappointment was not seeing "Big Sexy" on his weekend jersey.

<---hanging head in shame. Lol No crystal ball, but I'm honestly not surprised.

Really? Not saying it's wrong, but with a 4 run lead should you pull Colon with 2 outs. He's looked pretty good.

Why I still wonder about depth with Colon and not feeling urgency to play a prospect...though I like a lot of the kids and can't wait to see them.

Twins collective: "Lost a tough one in Chicago we should have probably won. Then we kinda blew 2 more. No problem! Let's go to Canada and kick a little bacon!"

Personally, though they still need to make the one big trade or FA signing, is like to see Big Sexy back next season. Depth is better than just counting on prospects. Isn't it? I don't know...I'm just a fan.

I thought it was smart and could work out. Man can I be smart about 10% of the time!

Optical illusion, or does the red of the Twins sleeves not match the red if the "Twins" script?

So far, half way through first Stella for supper. (Just off work and at a watering hole here in Omaha).

Remember way back when, when Molitor thought Buck in the 3 hole was a good idea? Well...its been happening as of late and looks pretty good. Does he stay there when Sano comes back?

I'm not certain that the approach has been different with our new FO, but I think the results have been better. And there has been a quicker hook when warranted, and better juggling of the staff and use of the 40 man. Plus some guys have actually received shots. All much more aggressive than the old regime.

Love it! Give me at least half a chicken dinner. Waffles for the other half? Still good!

Not going to blast Melville or Turley for the first game, but just awesome how the team battled back, then beat the White Sox in game 2, still riding the high tide of their recent streak. There is no quit in this team!

Missed the first game, watched most of the second game while posting elsewhere and figuring up checkbook. Loved what I see from Gee. Have to ask, with the big lead and good pitch count, despite losing a bit, was he taken out too early?

I tend to agree with your options. But I believe Slegers will be up again before September 1st. There is opportunity and need, with Mejia out, Santiago out, and Gibson being Gibson. Gonsalves is the mystery man here. He has to be added to the 40 man soon. Would it really mess up his control to add him now and see what he can do in September? I honestly think he's a keeper and part of the future. While there could be growing pains, and a Rochester shuttle ride or two, like Berrios, I think it's time to get his feet wet now. The other question(s) is Reed and Curtiss. Right now, I don't recall their 40 man status. If either, or both, don't have to be added, then I'd say wait. If either, or both, have to be added, then see Gonsalves above for either or both. Agree Garver is here to stay, and both Granite and Palka should be up. Rucinski I'm just not sure about. I'm concerned about a second LH for the pen in 2018 and would love to see someone like Turley claim a role. So he probably gets a shot.

The loss of Sano truly stinks. Especially since it was looking like he was coming out of his recent funk. But the lineup was playing well and producing while he was in that funk. Can they continue? And for how long? That's the biggest question right now. This team genuinely seems to be having fun and genuinely seems to believe in themselves. Going forward, WC or not, that may be the most important thing to take away from all of this.

Nice start for Thorpe at Chattanooga. I know the 4 runs doesn't look great, but considering the past two seasons missed, how he's bounced back this year, and reaching AA with a solid first start, I'm happy for him.

I recognize your points Jim, but will respectfully disagree with you, somewhat. I'm not sure this team needs to sign 2 RP. I believe they should absolutely sign one proven, high quality arm here. Either a closer, a former closer coming off a rough season, or a top set up man ready for his opportunity. Second to that, honestly, my biggest concern is a second LH option to pair with Rogers. Could Perkins actually have enough left in the tank to help? (On a make good deal of course). Could Turley take his FB and curve and make something of himself over the next month and a half? Could Melotakis regain velocity? Could Jay actually come back strong? From the RH side, I'm very encouraged by Hildenberger, Busentiz as well as Duffey, (Despite his mid year slump he seems to be coming out of), and the strong arm of Pressly, (who has been much better as of late despite one bad outing), along with the potential of Reed, Curtiss and Bard. Sooner or later, at least one of the injured arms has to right themselves as well. This team absolutely has to sign or trade for one more quality SP. (I prefer FA to keep the milb system in tact for development, promotion and future trades), but do they really need 2? Said FA, Santana and Berrios should be a nice start, no pun intended. I am impressed with what I see in Mejia, though some rookie vs experience development is still taking place. The 5th spot could go to May, or Gonsalves, or Slegers, or Romero, or Jorge. It seems Melville is going to get a shot and could be a surprise. (We shall see). And what about Colon? A lot of jokes are made about Colon due to his age and physical stature, but the truth is he pitched very well his first couple of starts for the Twins before running in to trouble after 4 and 5 IP. Stretched out, he pitched quite well to very well sans his last start. He also brings vast experience and a great locker room presence to the team. The FO has already talked about maybe brining him back. And while he could fall of a cliff at any time, he's coming off 4 consecutive quality season's, before the start of this one. If he can keep up what he's been doing lately, would it be so silly to bring him back for 2018? And for depth, as well as future replacement we still have all the aforementioned young arms. I think backup catcher will be Garver. But via trade, rule 5, FA, I would do all I could to find the best AAA and AAAA catchers I could find. Absolutely agree on a legitimate 1B/DH bat. Someone who could split time at DH and substitute for Mauer. Improves the lineup and deepens the bench, though it may mark the end of Grossman, who I like as a useful reserve. (Assuming Granite becomes the true 4th OF).

Scoreboard! Something I heard and had drilled in to me years ago. You can take away positives in a loss, true. And woulda, coulda, shoulda all have meaning when you talk about growth, learning and potential for your team. And this does apply to baseball as well. But it is also a very long season, and is played and constructed a bit different than other sports. Run differential would seem to be a strong indicator as to the winning merits and potential of a team, but are made somewhat meaningless when you examine the length of the season and the day after day construction of said season. A stat given out a few games ago had the Twins something like 28-18 vs all the other AL teams in the WC hunt. And they are above .500 and have been for most of the season. So if you have bad stretches here and there, and get hammered by a team here and there, (see Astros-Houston), whether you win by a single run, or get hammered by 6, it still counts as a single win or lose. Again, run differential can be a viable statistic, but it simply doesn't tell the whole story. Despite some poor numbers, which can't be denied, and some ugly performances, which can't be denied and have been easily witnessed, the proverbial "eye test" would also show that pitching HAS been better for this team, with some very, very bad performances equaling out the statistical data. Simply put, if my team pitches and plays well overall and wins 3 games, but gets the snot beat out of them 2 other games, I'm still 3-2 in a 5 game stretch no matter what the data might report. The pitching simply has been better this season. But there should also be no doubt that the defense is also a major reason why this team has looked and performed so much better this season. Sano at his best and most natural position, Planco's surprising performance as a solid and sometimes good SS, (give him a break-he played well-slumped-and has picked it up again), the solid play of Dozier and excellent play at 1B by Mauer, plus quality defense by Escobar and Adrianza. Overall, the OF defense has been excellent, Grossman showed real improvement over last year, and Granite was solid. Don't want to give Castro and Giminez credit? I get it. Should Garver probably replace Giminez soon? I absolutely believe that. But compared to Suzuki and Centeno? No question we are better behind the dish as well.

I've never been worried about Berrios. His stuff is excellent, and despite being a fierce competitor...which sometimes got in his way...he seems to have learned to relax and gain confidence. Everyone goes through slumps here and there, pitchers and position players alike. He was due. I have to wonder if the extra day off didn't help a bit as well. It is, after all, a very long season. Despite some deserved questions about Monitor's bullpen usage, I feel he's done pretty well in handing his starters, including in an extra day of rest here and there throughout the season. I also think his handling of the entire staff has been better as of late. A quick look at Busentiz after tonight. Although the SSS argument can be made. 2017 with the Twins: 13 G/ 18.2 IP/ 1.93 ERA/ .215 AVG/ 1.02 WHIP/ 14 H/ 5 BB/ 11 SO That is a pretty impressive start for the rookie. Despite the unfortunate injuries and delays to Burdi, Chargois, Jay, and even Jones and Melotakis, he and Heldenberger are looking like solid potential additions/attrition survivors. With Rogers and the mostly positive season from Duffey and the arm and recent re-surgance of Pressly, (Despite one horrible appearance), there is some hope for the future of the pen. At least a couple of the injured should rebound in time. Add in Reed, Curtiss, Bard and maybe, hopefully a Turley and/or Moya, and you can see the makings of a nice pen. Especially if we acquire one really nice proven arm at some point. I love the fight and resilience of this team and really wish I hadn't missed this game.

What a great day for the entire organization. I believe Slegers could have been kept on the roster, despite being the 26th man for the double header, as a replacement for the injured Grossman. However, with the double header on Monday, the Twins will need another SP option. I believe Slegers will be back, and soon, but this a move to balance the rotation for the next week. Consider his age, the bump to AAA for his first start, encouraged by Stewart's performance. The 4 good IP out of 5 is pretty solid for a debut. And yeah, sure seems like something has been clicking for him lately. Despite still being a rookie, Rooker is already at A+ ball and performing well. The SO may be high, but he's also hitting .258 with an OB a 100 points higher. 9 doubles and 14 HR with 42 RBI in 52 professional games! Could he be in AA to begin 2018? Great news on Thorpe making it to AA after 2 lost season's! I like all the recent promotions throughout the organization. I just wish they had begun a couple weeks earlier.