IndianaTwin

2017 Minnesota Twins: 10 pitchers in a nine-inning win. 1917 Washington Senators: 8 pitchers in a 153-game season.

Division titles and the second wild card have to play it off, so they would have to play it off in game 163. If the Twins and Yankees tie for the first wild card, there is no playoff -- Yankees host based on head-to-head. For the gory details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_tie-breaking_procedures

Cleveland WAS 41-2 when leading at home after 7. Twins now 6-1 at Jacobs (whatever) Field this year. Bring 'em on.

There WILL be donuts after the clinch, whether or not it involves a sweep.

All chicken posts are now competing for second-best of the year.

Bucket, nothing. I wanna buy me an entire dadgum KFC.

Daughter, yes. Dog, perhaps. Mother-in-law, not so much.

Reach the playoffs = Big-time celebration after a 162-game season. You've helped eliminate 20 teams. Win the WC game = Regular-season win celebration, ratcheted up a bit. It was just one game. Maybe at the level of a regular-season walk-off win. Win the ALDS = Hug-fest on the mound. Win the ALCS = Pig pile on the mound, being careful not let to Bartolo jump on last. Win the WS = Bigger-time celebration, complete with parade.

Right. Technically I should have said, "Offer him a new deal that makes it worth his while to move upstairs." Point is, that would avoid the PR challenge of a sour ending, AND take advantage of his strengths.

This is a pretty insightful article. If the part at the end of the article about the percentage of bunts that turn into hits (or reach on error) is anywhere close to accurate, that changes the equation dramatically. The numbers we've been looking at have only been comparing what happens on a "successful sacrifice bunt" (i.e. runner on first with no out vs. runner on second with one out). But if a significant number of the attempts end up with "runners on first and second with no out," that's even better. (And that number also has to be better than "nobody on base and two outs, because of a double play," of obviously.) There's another factor that I wonder about. It sure seems that when batters show bunt, pitchers throw a lot of balls, hoping to get the batter to bunt a bad pitch. Maybe I'm nuts, but it seems like a lot of times guys with a good eye get to a 2-0 count pretty quickly. If showing bunt for a couple pitches often gets guys into a good hitters count for swinging away, that's also a tipping point in favor of a possible bunt. That's dependent on batters having a good eye, of course, but that's also a learnable skill and would seem to be in Molitor's wheelhouse.

I'm fine with extending Molitor. But unless I've missed it, I haven't heard anyone specifically mention the easiest way to replace him if that's what they want to do. Buy him out. Make it worth his while to step upstairs. Say to him, "This year, we paid you $1 million to manage the team. (I couldn't find his actual salary, but according to this list https://www.boydsbets.com/highest-paid-mlb-mangers/ and the others on the list, it's hard to imagine it's more than that.) We liked how you did this, and this, and this (maybe... taught baserunning in spring training, showed Buxton how to bunt and steal, whatever). However, we weren't enamored with how you did that, and that, and that (maybe... used the bunt too much, didn't manage the bullpen well, whatever). We also know how much the fans (other than some of those on Twins Daily) love you, and how popular you are on the Winter Caravan. "Thus, we'd like to name you Special Assistant to the President, and have you do this, this, and this, using your excellent teaching skills. You can do that this, this, and this in the six weeks of spring training and on three two-week trips throughout the minors spread out over the regular season, with HOF Weekend guaranteed to be off. We'll meet weekly to get your input and insights on how players are doing, by conference call if you prefer. You'd still be a hit on the Winter Caravan, but you won't have to worry about doing that, that, and that. You also won't have to worry about the headaches of day-to-day managing. AND most importantly, you have permission to chime in as much as you want on Twins Daily, perhaps under the username 'I'm Not Really Mollie.' "And to do all that, we'll give you the same $1 million." That's chump change, folks. If they're paying Nolasco $4 million to not pitch for the Twins, isn't it reasonable to pay $1 million to have Molitor not manage, particularly if they still get to tap into his considerable strengths? But I'm still fine with extending him.

I’ve written a number of these “How Things Stack Up” documents, with the plan to write another at the beginning of each series. On one hand, it now seems pointless, since the circumstances are so cut and dried. On the other hand, it seems appropriate, for two reasons. First, my personality is such that I hate to leave things undone, and a promise is a promise. I said I was going to do it, so dad gummit, I’m going to do it. Second, I think it’s worth looking at what really happened the last few days and celebrate. Things aren’t done yet, but things are looking really good. So I’ll compromise and write a briefer one. I waited until after Monday night to get nearly everyone back to the same number of games played. What a last few days. Not only have the Twins continued to do what they’ve needed to do – play at least .500 ball – the teams behind them have not. While the Twins have gone 5-5 over the last 10 games, the six teams behind them have gone a combined 20-40, with none of them better than 4-6. So, to summarize, let’s take a look at where the standings shape up now compared to when we headed to Detroit to take on what amounts to the Kittens. Before: NYY +7.0 Min --- LAA -1.5 Tex -2.5 KC -3.5 Sea -4.0 TB -4.0 Bal -5.5 After: NYY +5.0 Min --- LAA -5.0 KC -6.0 TB -6.0 Tex -6.0 Sea eliminated Bal eliminated Admire that, folks. We actually picked up two games on the Yankees and kept our hopes of hosting the Wild Card game mathematically alive. Keep in mind that the tiebreaker (I think) for determining who hosts a Wild Card game is head-to-head play and the Yankees have the advantage at 4-2, so the Twins are effectively 6 games behind with six to go. That means they have to win out and have the Yankees lose out. Probably not going to happen. But on the other side, we picked up 3.5 on the Angels and Rangers, the two teams closest to us. We picked up 2.5 on the Royals and Mariners, eliminating the Mariners. We picked up 2.0 on the Rays and Orioles, eliminating the Orioles. Two teams eliminated, a magic number of 1 on the Royals, Rays, and Rangers and 2 on the Angels. That’s a pretty good five days! If we were flipping coins, there would be a 0.0244 percent chance of us getting the home game against the Yankees. That’s one chance in 4096. But similarly, that’s the chance of the Royals, Rays, or Rangers catching us. The Angels are at one 1 in 2048. I wasn’t a math major, but I think I have this right in saying that there is a 5 in 4096 chance of one of those four teams catching the Twins. That amounts to 1 in 819.2. So I’m saying there’s a chance. Rather than a full snapshot, I’ll just list the... Remaining games: YANKEES: vs. TB (3), vs. Tor (3).TWINS: vs. Cle (3), vs. Det (3)LA ANGELS: @ CWS (3), vs. Sea (3).RANGERS: Hou (2), Oak (4).ROYALS: Det (3), Ariz (3).RAYS: @ NYY (3), Bal (3).MARINERS: Eliminated.ORIOLES: Eliminated.

It also doesn't show... the times when the defense goes for the out at second and doesn't get itthe times when the batter beats it out for a hitthe times when the defense commits an error

Told ya' I had it covered. We wer just toying with them.

Checking in from Comerica Park I'll do my best.

Nah, just no life.

Who is next, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Justin Haley, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... He's a Rule 5, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Give a chance, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... Send him back, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Cleared a spot, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan.... Need a LOOGY, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Taylor Rogers, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... He's a keeper, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Let's try Chrissy, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... He's a catcher, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Oh yeah, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... Still need help, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Trading Kintzler, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... What the heck, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... We're out of it, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... We want Red Wings, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Here comes Hildy, dear Twins fan, dear Twins... He's a stud, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Let's try Dillon, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... Who's the closer, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Matt Belisle, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan... Still a hole in our bullpen, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... (repeat ad nauseum)

He stinketh, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... We'll release him, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan...

With what will you fix it, dear Falvey, dear Falvey... Here is Breslow, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan...

We will fix it, dear Twins fan, dear Twins fan...

Great job, as always. Recently on TD there have been threads debating whether to offer extensions to guys like Gibson and Mauer. I have another contract issue. From his profile, it appears that Tom Froemming is finishing up his second season on TD. Have the owners/moderators considered giving him a long-term contract to buy out his arbitration years and perhaps the first couple years of free agency? The last thing we would want is to have him bolt for YankeesDaily and force us to go back to reading the crappy stuff from MLB.com.

This is a tangent, but when I looked up Mauer's career rank in hits among active players (13th), I saw that Nick Markakis has 2030. He's only 33, so he has an outside shot at getting to 3000 if he plays past 40. I would not have expected he'd have that many.

The Rangers also have a better run differential than the Angels with a slightly easier remaining schedule. They may actually be a tougher team to put away than LA.

If this score holds, the Tigers will have averaged giving up 7 runs per game during September. That's not very good. Oh, and have scored less than 4 per game. That's not very good either.

Another difference is that Houston has something to play for the top seed. Besides home field, the top seed still has that mathematical chance of getting the Twins (or Angels) if they get lucky and win the Wild Card game.