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IndianaTwin

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Everything posted by IndianaTwin

  1. IndianaTwin
    And perhaps I should have added... Does this dichotomy say more about them, or about us?
  2. IndianaTwin
    I am a big Kirby Puckett fan. I also recognize that all of us are human, with most of us not having our humanity exposed to the degree that it is for professional athletes. Yet, I find it interesting that the off-the-field activities of Puckett have largely been pushed back into the collective recesses of our minds. By contrast, the off-the-field activities of Mauer, namely that of cashing a large check appropriately offered to him by ownership, serve as his primary legacy in the minds of too many "fans."
  3. IndianaTwin
    Thank you for mentioning Hughes. I was waiting for the appropriate time to drop his name into the mix. Controllable through next year, and he served well as a closer in Iglesias' absence last year.
  4. IndianaTwin
    Thank goodness they traded Doug Mintkiewiczx and A.J. Pierzinski. I never could get those right.
  5. IndianaTwin
    Thanks, Tom, for bringing the Game Recaps to TD and for the significant work that must go into it. As others have noted, it’s great to be able to get all this stuff in a single place. It’s essential reading, even when I’ve listened to or watched the game. I’m especially impressed with how quickly they get compiled and posted. Amongst the things on TD, the Game Recaps may be the singular best thing here. Of course, that’s kinda like saying that the Scotcheroos are the best thing at the potluck. I love it all, including WPA. Though I don’t know how to calculate it, it’s a nice way to getting a picture of both the big plays and the guys who may not have been featured in the lead. Bullpen usage chart is particularly useful, since that would be the hardest thing to find elsewhere. Only idea I have — in the links at the end of the article, how about including a link to that night’s Game Thread.* *And to continue the analogy, Game Threads are like the potluck’s chocolate fluff. I pretty much dive face-first into both every chance I get.
  6. IndianaTwin
    To clarify, that's using the imperial system. In metric, and after reducing the fractions, I came up with... PMax = CLeVe/LaND
  7. IndianaTwin
    Der Schlagger and some Red Sox guy named Williams are the only two to have two three-homer games in Cleveland.
  8. IndianaTwin
    Tampa Bay is 35-22, and what do you bet that over on Rays Daily, they are saying, “Yeah, but we can’t beat the good teams like the Twins.” Think about how that sounds.
  9. IndianaTwin
    I didn't see the play, but it appears that the play was ruled a fielders choice on the grounder, suggesting that the scorer placed Castro at second in reconstructing the inning. The doink-off-the-helmet error allowed Castro to advance to third and Astudillo to second. But because Kepler and Cron doubled, the runs would have scored anyway, so the error didn't make a difference in the scoring.
  10. IndianaTwin
    Mea culpa! Given that I dropped a "team with the best record in major league baseball" into a totally unrelated departmental video conference today, I should definitely have gotten that right! Of course, the original comment was written during said video conference, so perhaps I can use my mistake to convince my boss that I was paying at least a little attention to what was happening.
  11. IndianaTwin
    I don't think of it as a ploy as much as preventative maintenance in responding to the early signs of an overuse injury (which can be knee as much as arm). But it's also okay to be strategic and say that the schedule makes it make sense to take the rest now compared to trying to force one more outing. I also get the sense that Rocco (and others in management) have the kind of demeanor that would even allow him to go to Pineda (and his agent) and say, "Mike, you're coming back from TJS and the knee issues at the end of last year. Guys in that situation have a tough time getting through the season without missing a start. Sometimes guys try to force it and they end up with a more significant injury. Let's brainstorm together about the most strategic time to take a well-planned rest, and it will benefit us both. You will stay healthier, which makes us a better team, and being able to pitch through the season will help your chances of getting that multi-year contract you're striving for. And by the way, when we get to August and you've indeed demonstrated to us that you're going to be healthy for the long haul, we've demonstrated to you that we are indeed concerned about your long-term health, and we're both lining ourselves up for the playoffs, let's sit down and talk about an extension."
  12. IndianaTwin
    Optimistically, I'm thinking it's a great strategic move that... Buys a skipping of the rotation one time on Pineda, who, as Spycake notes above, is on pace for an innings total that approaches career highs, which is particularly significant when bouncing back from injury. It does the skip when, on the way back from injury, he may building up a backlog of fatigue that could be addressed well with the skip.Picks up an "off day" in the schedule for Perez, Berrios, Odo, Gibson, when there haven't been many off days over the past six-seven weeks.Rewards Smeltzer for the great work he's done in the minors and gives him a taste of MLB.Happens at a time when the bullpen is relatively rested and headed Pessimistically... Wait, at 35-18, I don't do pessimistically.
  13. IndianaTwin
    Name idea -- seems like it ought to include the "weekly" time frame. Perhaps something like "The Twins Daily Weekly Report" or "The Weekly Twins Daily."
  14. IndianaTwin
    During May, the Twins have only had one game in which the starter didn’t go at least five innings, and that was the game when Berrios had a big lead and got pulled an out short.
  15. IndianaTwin
    In the 24 games in May, we are averaging 6.95 and allowing 3.33.
  16. IndianaTwin
    It goes without saying, but nobody's said it yet, so I will. This is a whole lot more fun conversation than, "Who can we get for Dozier?"
  17. IndianaTwin
    To clarify, I mean "after this trip," there are just three more PDT games.
  18. IndianaTwin
    I’m liking that there are just three more games in the Pacific Time Zone, and one of those is in the afternoon.
  19. IndianaTwin
    Comments on Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, and Joe Mauer's contract set to begin soon...
  20. IndianaTwin
    Interesting story from Provus during the game tonight. I'll do my best to recall it, but if someone is listening and can correct details, please do. (Of course, following the story, Gladden tried to offer intelligent analysis of the story, but it was mainly drivel and hyperbole. I digress.) Provus said he was talking to Levine before the game. Perez was signed after Twins Fest, though there were rumors that the signing was coming. Part of the holdup was ongoing conversations they were having with him. Though contract negotiations were well underway, Levine asked Perez if he would be willing to have a conference call (with his agent also taking part) with Wes Johnson and (another pitching guy I can't remember) to talk about things they would like to work on. Perez said, "yes," and the conversation focused on some changes that Johnson wanted to make to his mechanics. Levine asked Perez if he was willing to work at these adjustments if he signed. Perez, recognizing he was coming to a crossroads in his career, agreed. Levine said they would have likely not signed him without this willingness. Perez bought in during spring training. Provus also said that the agent has been encouraging Perez for a couple of years to use the cutter more regularly. Also said that Pineda in particular was also helpful in helping Perez make the adjustments. I don't know how common it is to have this kind of conversation, but it sounds like the front office and Johnson did some great work in building rapport in the negotiation process.
  21. IndianaTwin
    I'm still a believer in Pineda. Even with three walks today, his BB/9 is still second-best among the starters. His K/9 matches Perez and Gibson. He started with three spiffy games, followed by a clunker. G5 looks ugly in the end, but the damage came in the 5th and 6th. Through 4, he'd given up a run on three hits and two walks, striking out three. G6 also looks ugly in the end, but again the damage came in the 5th and 6th. Through 4, he'd given up a run on three hits, an HBP, and a walk, with the walk coming after the inning was extended by an error. And both G5 and G6 were against the Astros. Even today, he looked good at times, with seven strikeouts through three. It was a tough play, but if Polanco gets the out on the grounder in the second, he has something like four hits and two walks through four, with just two runs. Not spectacular, but keeping them in the game. To only get 60 pitches from your No. 5 (which is what he is right now) isn't sustainable, but to me he looks like the guy coming back from Tommy John that he also is. There's usually hiccups for guys coming back from TJS. With an off day on Thursday, they could skip him this time through the rotation. I'd like to see them do that for the purpose of giving him a break, but I suspect they won't with the DH on Saturday.
  22. IndianaTwin
    I wonder the same, but thanks, CardsFan for doing so. Otherwise I would have missed the incredible video tribute linked back in Comment No. 8. Awesome work, Twins video people.
  23. IndianaTwin
    Does being called to be the 26th man for a DH require 1) being on the 40-man; and 2) using an option? If not, I'd be intrigued to see Smeltzer get a shot next Saturday, particularly if his start this weekend in Rochester goes well. He's the same age (a month or two older, actually) than Littell and Thorpe and just a year younger than Stewart. Pitching against the Tigers is pretty much like a facing a AAA lineup anyway, particularly given that a regular starter or two may well be given the second game off with four games in less than 48 hours.
  24. IndianaTwin
    The better results of the starters can also improve the bullpen. So far they averaged 5.6 innings/start. Last year’s team averaged 5.1. Still a small sample, but if that continued that’s about 80 innings we don’t need to come up with from the bullpen, or roughly the innings from one stud reliever many of us (including me) wanted to sign. And while we’re at it, a better offense helps the bullpen in that a few innings become lower leverage, lowering the likelihood of overusing the top relievers. So maybe the team “improved” the bullpen more than we thought. They did it by signing Pérez, Cruz, Schoop, etc.
  25. IndianaTwin
    Raise your hand if you thought the Twins would head into the last day of April a game behind Tampa Bay for the best record in baseball. You’re lying.
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