HarmonK03

But Roden will be 27 before next season begins. At some point he has to show more. Right now there may not be better options but that could easily change. And if he doesn't show more soon, I don't think he should be blocking younger guys with more upside. Shelty is actually treating him like a vet right now in my opinion. But Toronto obviously did not see enough in his debut to keep them from trading him. He is quickly moving past prospect status.

He needs to be the September callup if he can shake the rust the next three weeks.

I don't know, I have been told Kreidler is our best CF, which may be a pretty low bar to meet.

What about the other 2 stints in the major league he has had, he didn't have success in those either. He started fairly regularly for Toronto for the first month of last season before being demoted. He is running out of time.

And the two active players at the bottom are in the lineup tonight. And they wonder why they are struggling offensively.

I have to admit I thought they would move Wallner at the deadline even for a bag of balls. It feels like the organization has made their determination on him and I understand why. But why is he even in the organization anymore, it's not like we have a shortage of outfielders. I actually still think there is something there, but if there is, it needs to happen with another organization.

The Brewers basically have two guys they move around the infield, Ortiz and Hamilton. Bauers does play some in the outfield. Not quite as much movement as it appears.

We need to plan for stability first, then plan for contingencies. Meaning find positions for players, that will help you fill out your bench with what you need. The first plan always seems to be positional flexibility, it isn't helping our defense. Get players set and comfortable, then figure how you can back them up with the right mix on the bench.

Lewis does not look comfortable at 2B, you can see the difference when he plays there vs. 1B.

The Kreidler/Caratini love affair continues tonight. This is what is real frustrating about watching this team, they can be exciting to watch and they don't give but the line ups are totally mind boggling. Twice they didn't think Kreider was one of the best 26 players for the roster earlier in the season. What has he done this season to earn consistent playing time. So at one time he is not even good enough for the roster, but now they are playing him 4 games in a row. Yes we need him as our backup SS for this year but why keep running him out there, he hasn't earned it. And you keep moving your hottest hitter in Lewis around just to get Caratini in the lineup. He is average at best defensively at first and he hasn't hit lefties this year or previously in his career. At some point your players have to be given a position and the role players find their way in the lineup not the other way around. They are treating Kreidler and Caratini as core players, what team would do that other than the Twins.

Agree on Festa, pitchers struggle to come back from this type of injury. Until we see him on the mound, I don't think you can count on him for any role.

The only reason I would want Wallner is as a late pinch hitting option, and this may be a low bar but he would have more potential to do damage than anyone else we have been running out there. And Shelty refuses to use Jackson for anything. I know you like Roden, but if one of the younger prospects like Emma is ready, I don't really want him blocking anyone. His savant page may look good but he has yet to be productive in three different stints in the major leagues. His time is running out to make an impact and show he deserves a spot on the roster.

I agree, this is another case to get Jenkins up here, he has to be able to match any of those numbers. And I really wish they would keep Lewis at first, he is not comfortable at second and you can see it. Be careful bringing up Jackson and the need for him, the pitchforks will come out.

Their main channel you have to subscribe separately to and it streams only.

All sports are doing this, moving games as much as possible to the streaming services. They are throwing a lot of money at them to do this. And they think they will get the younger crowds, maybe some sports do but I don't think baseball is. The death of the the regional sports network was hastened by the growth of streaming services which I don't think was a good thing. For me, the only thing that saves me, I piggyback on my kids streaming services so I can usually get most games thru them. Had to get something for all the tuition money I have shelled out.

No but a good defensive team makes that throw more times than not and at least makes it close but we are not a good defensive team. The emphasis has been on offense first, which is fair but then plays like this are not made enough. I would prefer more emphasis on defense but others may appreciate how the Twins do it and that is fair.

I do agree with the stark contrast, but they are a fun team to watch, just not when they are playing us.

A small nitpick, but their two catchers I do not believe have that sprint speed or does Yelich any more. But the point still stands that we need more speed and athleticism.

The Milwaukee series was a fun series to watch, it's disappointing that we couldn't come up with one more win but they went toe to toe with Mis yesterday Yesterday's game I think showed the differences between these teams and how they operate. The Brewers had a starting outfielder go down with injury and they put their young prospect who was called up a week earlier for a struggling veteran into the lineup. When the Twins have Buxton go on the IL three days later, they call up a backup infielder who showed that he had not earned a spot on the major league roster and asked a player who recently moved to the outfield to learn CF on the fly. Thus giving more AB's to another player, Roden who is quickly moving past prospect status. Now I do not know all the inside information about why Milwaukee made the decision but the optics sure are a stark contrast. Shelty and his staff seem to have made improvements with the team on the field and has them not giving up. It would be nice to see them get more support and help from the front office. This is my hope is that Tom P. is looking around the league at how different organizations are run and what is successful and what may not work. And by the end of the year make an objective assessment about Zoll and his ability to run the baseball operations. I know we all say they need to make changes and become more athletic and improve the defense. But can the personnel who have been supportive of the way this team was built and the philosophies behind it change enough. I am skeptical, but hopefully that is what Tom P. is assessing. We will see, but it was fun watching the Brewers play and I would like to see more baseball and use analytics as a tool.

So because expectations were low, we can't have expectations now. You are correct this team has been more enjoyable to watch then the past two years. But they raised the expectations at the trade deadline with the moves they made. You don't trade Hill for a rental relief pitcher if you don't think you have a chance to make the playoffs. And I agree with the trade. But don't stop now, help the roster out, the margins for error are getting smaller every day. Yes they played well this weekend. But the if game goes both ways, they were two strikes from being swept by KC at home. That is what is frustrating they just can't seem to turn the corner and get any consistency going. And if they weren't fun to watch, a lot of people would have tuned them out by now, but a lot of us want them to do well but doing the same thing every day is leading to this inconsistency. So why not try something different to see if that provide a spark or some life to the team.

I haven't said it was all Kriedler's fault but in two key situations the #9 hitter was left in without pinch hitting for him. I have said multiple times, there were many poor at bats. But in the context of having someone that can pinch hit on the roster would be beneficial because most teams would have pinch hit for their #9 hitter in those situations. Read the posts, not just the part you want.

I get that he wouldn't debut against Rogers but when he comes up I really hope they don't ruin him by platooning. He needs to play every day. Resting against the tougher lefties like a Skubal is one thing, but I hope they don't platoon him.

But this roster needs help, Kreidler came up in two key situations and they needed someone to pinch hit for him. Wallner could be in that role of a pinch hitter, he can run into one and I would rather take a chance with him than Kreidler. You can't keep losing games like today this time of the season. And any moves they make may not work, but they have a player sitting on the bench not being used. If they are truly a contender that they say they are, you don't stash a player on the bench. And if not Wallner, than try something. To do nothing is more discouraging than trying something and it not working out. There are other options beside Wallner and they may not be optimal but this is the time to stop being conservative and back up the talk and try something.

Dan Hayes said it was a planned day of rest. He had played 5 days in a row including at St. Paul and coming off the injury, they wanted to give him a day off. But they also said he was available so I am not sure why he didn't pinch hit.

A lot of assumptions about why he is out, it would be nice to get an update.