Mill1634

You did though, a co-owner wrote an entire article talking about how Kepler needs to be better and how wrong he was. He did a thing he didn't know was wrong (whether you think he should've double checked or not is a moot point), removed the post after being informed, and released a statement about how he was sorry and stood with the protestors. What more do you want him to do? He is a German-American baseball player. He doesn't need to have a stance on American politics whether you want him to or not. He is a baseball player, not a politician.

But it clearly turned into him having a stance on the issue. Just because he wore a mask with a blue stripe does not mean that he thought what Derek Chuavin did was right, and I know you're smart enough to figure that out. You can both support police and the protestors at the same time. We need police in our life, but we also need both. It's possible for him to support both, and I am sure that he does. Stop taking things out of context to push an agenda out there.

Nick, I appreciate you having the willingness to put the article out there. Something CLEARLY needs to be done. However, I think it could've been done without taking a shot at Max Kepler. He did release a full statement on instagram talking about racism and how it was a problem and how he stands with the protestors. You clearly didn't include that. I also think this should be moved to a different section. It isn't a political issue, but you knew it would become one. You have a great thing going with TD and I would hate to see that be wiped away because of this article. Also, athletes shouldn't be forced to have a stance on every single issue publicly. Sure, they are athletes and have a powerful word inside of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota, but that doesn't mean they should be FORCED to release a statement. Also, who the hell cares about a simple statement. Words only get so far. What is the difference between Kepler saying something or not? Are rioters gonna simply stop because Kepler said they should? Are leaders in the state and country finally going to rally together because an athlete said something? No.

This is just silly. The MLB does not need to mess with the ASG or any of the events taking place. I do think adding some sort of skills challenge would be cool to showoff the defensive abilities of these players, but I'm not sure there is a great way to do it.

I'm guessing Dyson gets a similar deal to what Pineda got, but no where near the salary he got. I doubt he pitches this year. As a Twins fan would you be interested in a deal like Pineda got a few years ago, something like 1.5 the first year, and 3.5-4 the second year?

My best guesses: Castro gone (FA) Gibson gone (FA) Schoop gone (FA) Perez gone (FA) Rosario gone (trade) Romero gone (trade) Cron gone (non-tender) Stewart gone (outright) Harper gone (outright) Hildy (outright) Dyson (60-day DL) Leaves you with 14 spots open..probably add 8-10, and the rest go to FA

The Twins are still up five games on the Indians, and we are almost halfway through the month of September. The Twins go against two great starters the rest of this series, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them lose the series 2-1. However, they did exactly what they needed to do last night to set themselves up for a victory. The Pitchers Stephen Strasburg (16-6, 3.50 ERA, 222 K's) vs Martin Perez (10-6, 4.75 ERA, 121 K's) This is the first time that Strasburg will have pitched in Target Field, and it will be a treat for the fans there, and watching on TV. Strasburg is one of the best in the game when he is healthy, and that is what he has done so far this year. He makes opponents swing and miss which you can conclude from the strikeout numbers, and doesn't give up a lot of hard contact. This is a good measuring stick for a playoff series, as the next two arms that Nats throw are playoff caliber arms. Perez was fantastic his last time on the bump against the Red Sox, allowing only one run which was a solo shot to the Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts. I expect both pitchers to throw the ball well and have a low scoring affair. The Lineups: Twins LF Luis Arraez L SS J. Polanco S DH Nelson Cruz R RF E. Rosario L 1B W. Astudillo R 3B E. Adrianza S CF LaMonte Wade L 2B J. Schoop R C Jason Castro L Nationals SS Trea Turner R RF Adam Eaton L 3B A. Rendon R LF Juan Soto L DH H. Kendrick R 1B R. Zimmerman R 2B Brian Dozier R C Yan Gomes R CF V. Robles R It is hard to say what the Twins best lineup looks like at this point with all the injuries and September call ups they are currently working with, but I think this is probably a top four lineup the Twins can run out there at this point in time. It is interesting to see Rosario man right field again, a position that I wish he would work in full time with the arm that he is working with. I like Astudillo, Wade, and Arraez against a pitcher like Strasburg that relies on strikeouts. It'll be interesting to see how it works out. Former Twin Brian Dozier draws the start at second base tonight after not getting into the game last night. Perez will need to work his way through the middle of the order smoothly to provide another quality start, as Rendon and Soto are one of the best 3-4 combos in the entire league. Mills Moments 1. Playoff Rotation It is very interesting to see what the Twins will do now with the Pineda news that came out a few days ago. I believe game one starter will be Jose Berrios no matter what happens over the next few weeks, followed by Jake Odorizzi. I am confident in both of those arms. However, my confidence waivers a LOT after those two. Gibson is just returning from his IL stint, and Perez hasn't been great and I was excited to see him come out of the bullpen. I wonder if there is a chance we will see a piggyback start where Trevor May or another bullpen arm starts the game throwing two innings followed by Perez who will need to get through four ideally. Just a food for thought. 2. Pay Pineda Now Now is the perfect time for an extension to Michael Pineda. He was just busted for using a banned substance, and will miss around 40 games next year. Combine that with the fact that he is just a few years removed from TJ, and he is perfect to extend. His price should be around 12M annually, and I'd be willing to pay that if I were the Twins. Ideally he would be the Twins #3 starter next year, maybe even a number four depending on the development and moves made this offseason. This Day in History: 2010 - Jim Thome connects for career homer No. 587 to pass Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time career list. The Twins DH's historic round-tripper, which he blasts in the top of the twelfth inning at Progressive Field, is the lone run scored in Minnesota's 1-0 victory over Cleveland Pick to Click - Jason Castro goes yard Go Twins!!!

HOLY FRICKEN **** WOW. I just got home to watch that. TWINS WIN!!!!!!!!

The Cleveland Indians were just beaten by the White Sox in a one hit game in which was a solo shot, and the Twins now lead by six games. They have a chance to extend the division lead back out to six and a half games with a win tonight against Boston, so please win Twins!! The Pitchers Martin Perez (9-6, 4.89 ERA, 120 K's) vs Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 6.23 ERA, 46 K's) Martin Perez was not good his last time out against the Tigers in which he didn't manager to get through three innings, and gave up eight runs in that outing. However, prior to that matchup Perez strung together multiple good starts in a row, so lets hope that showing was just an off night for him. He did mention that his slider wasn't on that night and we all know how important that pitch is to Martin. If he can get his cutter rolling again he should be a good matchup against the Red Sox. However, we all know this lineup we are going against has a fantastic top of the order. Eovaldi isn't fully stretched out for the Sox, but was really good in four innings tossed against the Angels in which he struck out eight batters in four innings. He was a savior for them in the postseason last year out of the pen, but has since returned to the rotation. If he has his stuff working he will be really good. If he doesn't, he is wild and will issue free passes. It is tough for me to get a gauge on how this game will play out. The Lineups: Twins RF Max Kepler L SS Luis Arraez L DH Nelson Cruz R LF E. Rosario L 3B Miguel Sano R C Mitch Garver R CF Jake Cave L 1B C.J. Cron R 2B J. Schoop R Red Sox RF Mookie Betts R SS X. Bogaerts R 3B R. Devers L DH J. Martinez R C C. Vazquez R LF A. Benintendi L 1B Sam Travis R CF G. Hernandez R 2B Brock Holt L Luis Arraez will be taking the place of Jorge Polanco at shortstop for the time being, as he was removed from the game last night. However, this is just a short term thing and Polanco should be back in the Twins lineup before too long. I am surprised that Ehire isn't getting a start at short as he is a very good fielder, and Arraez isn't exactly that. It is interesting that Cave is in center and Kepler is in right. I wonder if it has something to do with the wacky right field fencing that takes place in Fenway, or if they think this is the better alignment overall. Max Kepler has two homers in six appearances vs the Sox starter. No Red Sox hitter has homered off of Martin Perez, and most of the lineup only has a few at bats against the Twins southpaw. However, Mookie Betts is hitting over .350 in 11 AB's against Perez. That is a matchup that scares me a lot, but Mookie scares me against any Twins pitcher. Mill's Moments 1. Dyson Downtime Sam Dyson was sent back to Minnesota yesterday as he is dealing with a soreness in his shoulder, and this is something that is concerning to me. I am not sure if Minnesota knew that he was dealing with an injury before being shipped over, and if they did that is on them. Why would you trade for someone you knew is dealing with shoulder problems? However, if they didn't know, and it turns out that San Fran did, I wonder if the Twins could alter the deal or receive some additional compensation. I was very excited when we brought him over, and still am if we can get him right. However, if he isn't available to pitch down the stretch here that is a very concerning sign for the Twins bullpen. 2. Playoff Rotation Jose Berrios has been very bad for the past two months, and that makes me question what the playoff rotation would look like when they arrive. There is no way you can run Berrios out there as your ace with the way he is pitching now, so there are two options. Put him on the DL/rest him and skip a start, or hope he figures out what is going on. His velocity was back up last night, which is an encouraging sign. However, he was missing over the heart of the plate and was all over the zone last night. At this point I believe that rotation for the playoffs should be set up to be Big Mike followed by Jake Odorizzi, and then Jose Berrios. I don't know if that is what will happen a month from now, or if the Twins will opt that route, but with the way things are going right now they might not be left much of a choice come October. This Day in History: 2010 - In the top of the ninth, the Twins recover from blowing a 6-0 lead, when Jason Kubel's two-out pop up lands behind the pitcher's mound untouched by the Rays' middle infielders for the go-ahead single in the team's eventual 8-6 victory. The odd play, a result of the ball ricocheting off a catwalk and changing direction 190 feet above Tropicana Field, will prompt a change of the ground rules for postseason games played in Tampa Bay. Pick to Click - Nelson Cruz provides some late inning magic? What kind? I don't know, but I know it'll be magical. Go Twins!!!

HAHAHHAHAHAH I TOLD YALL!!!!!

The Twins are now up 4.5 games on the Cleveland Indians with a month to go in the season, and will have reinforcements from AAA Rochester coming up either tomorrow, or Tuesday after their season has concluded. I predicted the Twins would be up six games at the end of the month, and with a win tonight, and an Indians loss, my prediction can be within half a game. I'll gladly take that. The Pitchers: Martin Perez (9-5, 4.53 ERA, 116 K's) vs Matt Boyd (6-10, 4.47 ERA, 208 K's) The Minnesota Twins send lefty Martin Perez to the mound against the Tiger's best pitcher in Matt Boyd. However, Boyd has not been real good since the all-star break, and I am real surprised he is even on the Tiger's roster at this point. I was certain he would be traded, but here he is. Boyd was rocked last Sunday by the Twins, and I expect something similar to happen this time around. The lefty is basically a two pitch pitcher, and that doesn't stand well for someone facing the same team in less than a week. On the other hand, Perez was really solid his last time out against Detroit, limiting them to two runs in 6 innings pitched. It will be interesting to see where Perez velo sits tonight, as he has been throwing harder his last few starts. The Lineups Twins C Mitch Garver R SS J. Polanco S DH Nelson Cruz R LF E. Rosario L 1B C.J. Cron R 3B Miguel Sano R RF E. Adrianza S CF Max Kepler L 2B J. Schoop R Tigers CF Victor Reyes S SS Willi Castro S DH M. Cabrera R 1B R. Rodriguez R 3B Dawel Lugo R LF B. Dixon R RF T. Demeritte R C John Hicks R 2B G. Beckham R The Twins are rolling with their prototypical left handed lineup with Garver in the leadoff spot, followed by Polanco and Cruz. It is interesting that Kepler has dropped a few spots in the order vs a lefty, but I think that is basically splitting hairs at this point in the season. It is good to see Ehire get a start, but I find it interesting that we haven't seen him start at shortstop in a long time. It is widely accepted that he is our best glove in the infield, but looks very average in the outfield. Schoop looks to stay hot, which will be key against left handers that the Twins will certainly see in the playoffs. Ehire is hitting .308 off of Boyd, while CJ Cron has two homers off of the southpaw. Garver is 4-10 with a homer, and Polanco, Rosario, Sano, and Schoop have all had homers in their career vs Boyd. Kepler is hitting .063 in 16 AB's. I wonder what the Tigers lineup will look like in September, because it is already freaking horrible. Mill's Moments 1. Brusdar Minnesota Bound The Twins most hyped prospect of possibly all time is being called up, and is reportedly joining the team on Tuesday in Boston when the Triple-A season comes to a close. The 21 year old flamethrow has been recorded throwing 103 MPH on the stadium gun, and could become the hardest throwing pitcher the league has ever seen someday. His secondary pitches are still developing, but 100+ MPH plays no matter what level you are at. If Brusdar shows the front office that he has what it takes to get MLB hitters out in September he will certainly make the postseason roster, but it will take a few loopholes to get him there. I will be keeping a very close eye on how Rocco uses Graterol out of the pen, especially with the recent emergence from Trevor May and Tyler Duffey. I wouldn't elevate him above the two previously mentioned, but you have to give him some medium leverage situations to prove his worth, but you also have to win these games in September. 2. Last Nights Bullpen Usage I find it very interesting that the Minnesota Twins did not make a roster move following Thursday's game in which Randy Dobnak threw 53 pitches. This guaranteed that he would not be used yesterday (Friday) and likely in todays game. All year long we have seen a rotating door at the end of the bullpen, other than now which I find very odd. I'm sure it has to do with not wanting to keep Dobnak down for the needed 10 days, but at this point what does it matter? In September you are going to have a handful of options to be long relievers, and it doesn't really matter if Dobnak is in the pen on September 1st, or has to wait until the 8th. He isn't going to be used in any high or medium leverage situations anyway. Instead we used four of the top five arms in our bullpen, instead of being able to throw Lewis Thorpe, Kohl Stewart, or Devin Smeltzer out on the hill to finish off the last three or four innings. This Day in History: 2007 - After walking the leadoff hitter John Buck in the ninth to spoil his perfect game, Scott Baker gets an out, then yields a single to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney two outs shy of a no-hitter. The Twins' 25 year-old right-hander from Shreveport settles for a one-hitter, blanking the Royals at the Metrodome, 5-0. Transaction Tracker: Miller has been very good at stealing bases in the minor leagues, and will have a very limited roll with the club in September. I would be surprised if he made any starts for the club, but he will appear in a lot of games as a pinch runner. I am curious whether or not they create space for him on the playoff roster. Pick to Click: Mitch Garver leads off tonights game with a bomba

The Twins are still up three and a half games on the Cleveland Indians, and for that fact alone you should be ecstatic. They are the second quickest team in franchise history to get to eighty wins, and that should also make you ecstatic. This team has a shot at the world series, and it isn't really that remote of a possibility, either. Sure, they aren't favorites, but nobody was expecting them to be favorites. Where they are now is ahead of expectations, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. The Pitchers: Jake Odorizzi (13-6, 3.57 ERA, 137 K's) vs Ross Detwiler (2-3, 5.51 ERA, 35 K's) Jake took the bump against the White Sox on the hill his last time out, and the results weren't exactly pretty. He was facing Lucas Giolito, so that made things appear worse than they really were. He gave up 3 ER in 5 innings, but gave up five base hits. He did get six strikeouts, and only walked one. However, I never like a pitcher facing the same team in back-to-back starts, no matter who the starter or opposing team is (See Giolito last night). I am hoping Odo makes the adjustments needed to have better success this time out. Detwiler has split time between being a reliever and a starter for the White Sox, and while neither have been pretty, he has been better as a starter. He recorded a career high eight strikeouts his last time out against the Rangers in a victory, but I expect the Twins to be able to hit the White Sox southpaw around pretty easily. The Lineups: Twins C Mitch Garver R SS J. Polanco S DH Nelson Cruz R LF E. Rosario L 3B Miguel Sano R CF Max Kepler L 1B C.J. Cron R RF E. Adrianza S 2B J. Schoop R White Sox CF Leury Garcia S RF Ryan Goins L 1B Jose Abreu R 3B Yoan Moncada S SS Tim Anderson R LF Eloy Jimenez R DH Matt Skole L C W. Castillo R 2B Y. Sanchez S The Twins are rolling with their prototypical lineup against left handed pitchers, with Garver in the leadoff spot followed by Polanco and Cruz. I think it is interesting that Rosario still finds himself in that four hole, but it is probably splitting hairs at this point. It is good to see Ehire get a start in the outfield, and I do think it is sort of odd that Rocco hasn't used him much the past few weeks. Schoop gets his second start for the second straight day after homering last night, and that is a good sign for both him and the Twins. The Twins are going to need Schoop to hit lefties hard down the stretch and in the playoffs. He hasn't been great for the Twins, but he certainly hasn't been a total negative like many fans have made him out to be. Cruz is hitting .714 off Ross with 3 homers in his career. Both Kepler and Sano have also homered off the lefty starter. No White Sox hitter has a homer off of Odo in their career. Mill's Moments 1. Trade Eddie I know it is a little early to start talking about the offseason moves, but I think this needs to be said right now. I know Eddie is always a player that is super streaky, and looks really really good when things are going well. However, when things are going bad they are going really really bad. Last night when the Twins had runners on the corners and Eddie chased a pitch above his hands that he popped up to third base. That play is not good baseball and something the Twins cannot afford to do in the playoffs. I think Eddie Rosario has trade value, and there are teams out their that would give up a good starting pitcher for him. I hope the Twins pursue that avenue this off-season. We have plenty of corner outfield depth waiting in the wings. 2. Backend Bada$$es The backend of the Minnesota Twins bullpen gives me a ton of confidence late in games now, and that is not something that I have said in a long time. Sure, they are going to give up runs, or get in jams, but I am more confident than not in them protecting a one or two run lead if the starter has gotten through five innings. Sam Dyson is good, just like we all thought. Sure he had a bad first two games, but the man is good. Tyler Duffey and Trevor May are both legit middle relievers. Sergio Romo is a very good veteran who is pitching much better than I expected, and Taylor Rogers is Taylor Rogers. That is as legit of a backend of a bullpen as we could've expected coming into the year. Add in Brusdar or Alcala, and it is icing on the cake. This Day In History: 2014 - Yusmeiro Petit, best known for losing his bid for a perfect game against Arizona with two outs and two strikes last September, sets a major league record when he retires his 46th consecutive batter, fanning Charlie Culberson in the third inning of San Francisco's 4-1 victory over Colorado at AT&T Park. The Giants right-hander, both as a starter and reliever, breaks the 2009 mark established by Mark Buehrle, who made 45 batters in a row make an out while pitching for the White Sox. Pick to Click: Boomstick goes boom

SCHOOP SMASH!!!!!!!

WTF Eddie. Gio has shown he doesn't have command, and you chase that on the first pitch.

POLANCO POUNDED!!!!!!

CRON!!!!!!!

Pretty solid outing from Pineda. Threw one bad pitch to Abreu, but was around the plate and put us in position to win (and helped my fantasy team)

NOT THE HOMER I PREDICTED, BUT I'LL TAKE IT!!!!!

CRUZ IS MY FATHER

SQUIRREL!!!!!

CRUZ CRUSHED!!!!!!! LETS GO

MAX MASHED!!!!!!!

Blame this start on me boys

Not a good play by Cave...

Fantastic play by Jake Cave