IndianaTwin

I just logged in to read the comments about Shoemaker...

Are you suggesting that no one asked Maeda how he felt after four innings? Just because they didn't mic up Rocco or Wes during the game for a TV interview with Maeda doesn't mean it didn't happen. Particularly coming back from an injury, I'm actually assuming they were checking with him after every inning, including the first.

That’s not a big deal for Sano. Unfortunately, he’s also hitting below Simmons’ weight.

Love this presentation of the lineups, SB.

Nope. Northern Indiana gets Cubs and Cardinals, so it’s another night of struggling through the Gladden Hour.

From the OP... And Rocco didn’t have any regrets over his decisions This one may get me the most. It’s one thing to make decisions that don’t go your way, look back with the benefit of hindsight and admit you would have liked to do things differently. Instead, Rocco said “there’s really nothing that we would do differently.” Uh, okay ... --------------------------------------------- I have zero problem with this response from Rocco. Everyone knows that not every decision a manager makes is not going to turn out right, but I want my manager to be confident in his decis

While we seem to be disagreeing on Shoemaker, I think your point is exactly right. It seems so obvious on the surface that I'm sure I'm missing something, but it seems like the missing link is the true "long man." Relievers are conditioned to throw 60-70 innings for the season. Barring injury, starters are conditioned to throw 160. No one is conditioned to throw 100. Think of the difference it would make to preserving a bullpen if someone is conditioned to give you 30-32 games per year at an average of three innings per outing. I'm thinking of the guy you bring in: in the sixth wh

First, you're not going to have to take any lumps from me. I appreciate your insights. Good thought-through responses like this are the best part of Twins Daily. Please don't make this your last post. You've pointed to what I think is the one of the biggest challenge managers face. You named it as "math" vs. "feel." Sometimes it gets described as the balance between art and science. Needing to find that balance isn't unique to baseball managers -- in the nonprofit world where I work, I've heard it said that the two biggest complaints about nonprofit boards are "they act too much like a bu

I'm not going to debate whether they should have made any roster moves, but let's look at the bullpen decisions: First, based on the pitch chart above, Jax and Farrell are likely not available. More on that later. After five innings, Ober has thrown 75 pitches, has gotten hit harder in the fifth, and is in the third time through the order. He's in position to win, and can leave with confidence in having a solid start. So you go to Alcala. That's a logical decision, though he's pitched three of the previous four nights. Unfortunately, he gives up a run and it's now tied.

I actually like the move to bring in Shoemaker. It made sense to use Rogers to get out of Duffey's mess and keep it a one-run game. But you don't want to overuse Rogers when behind. You also don't want to Robles when behind, and the bullpen is relatively depleted from the last couple days. So try Shoemaker. And now I'd like to see him get the ninth if the Twins don't score two. (LATE ADDITION WHILE TYPING: "...don't score another run."

When he made the move to 1B, I noted that he was following the defensive progression of Pujols and to a lesser extent, Cabrera. Signed as SS/3B type, outgrew the position, moved to 3B and then to 1B full time. That athleticism helped turn Pujols into a Gold Glover, and Sano has that as well. I don't know if Sano will get that far, but to me, it's within the realm of possibility.

I can't watch games, but listen regularly. Sounds like Sano just made a nice play. The TD comments on him have focused on his offense, but how's his defense been? From the games I did see last year, I sensed that he had potential to be a pretty solid first baseman, but was making some mistakes because of inexperience at the position. For example, he could range too far right on groundballs that he should have left for the 2B. Has he progressed in that regard?

Was listening to the game when younger son called me to catch a few minutes of "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" on the Food Network. They were at a barbecue spot in San Antonio that makes a sandwich with brisket burnt ends, mac and cheese, and a couple pear slices on a pretty good looking bun. Thus, I propose taking a detour from Houston to St. Antonio, picking up I-35 there.

I agree. With Lewis having missed two seasons of action, there's no way they can count on him at 2022, even though he's two years older and stronger. It's just too big of a jump. If he does climb the ladder and kick the door in, that's a complete bonus. And there's not really any other options in-house if you don't think Polanco and Gordon are the answer. That's actually why I suggested in another thread that they consider offering Simmons a one-year extension now to beat the offseason rush on shortstops. It could be appealing to him to not have to put himself on the market against all th

FWIW... With the homer tonight, Sano is on pace for 33 homers, even with his atrocious average. By playing tonight, Donaldson is on pace for 128 games. Hitting .280 may be a stretch because it's above his career average, but he'll hit at least .260 the rest of the way. And with tonight's homer, he's on pace With the homer tonight, Cruz is on pace for 31 homers. His OPS is .885, down from the last two years, but above his career average and 50 percent better than the league average. And that's three guys that we perceive as playing poorly. Any of them can carry a clu