PDX Twin

In other words, the perfect night to play the guys from Southern California, where it is sunny and 84 at game time!

Rocco's saving the best of his bullpen for ... 2023? I guess it's a good idea to see more of the kids, but this game was within a rally going into the 8th.

The Twins' chances at a high draft pick are looking better and better.

JT Chargois starting today for the Rays. Must be an "opener" ploy?

Lost in the recriminations about the lost season: Rocco managed the bullpen well last night!

Gotta love the soggy doggy smell! We got that a lot in Portland, but are in the empty kennel phase right now.

Ah, yes. The scenic land of the giant parking lot! Brings back memories of Metropolitan Stadium!

The Twins’ “post-season” continues tonight in Kansas City. This isn’t to be confused with the official name that MLB gives to what the rest of us call the playoffs. It’s the “playing out the string” part of the schedule that happens after the season of serious contention for the World Series has ended. The Royals’ season effectively ended a month ago (or maybe they didn’t really even have a season), but the Twins kept some hope alive until the Great Guardian Collapse left only smoldering embers to see us through the last two weeks. The Twins really are in misery, as well as in Missouri. One thing that provides some interest for Twins’ fans is watching some of the young players continue their development at the highest level. Towering Bailey Ober (6’9”) was surprisingly effective over the last half of 2021 and was off to a good start in 2022 before joining most of his teammates on the injured list. This will be only his 9th start of 2022 and just his second since the first day of June, when the Twins were cruising along on top of the division and the “season” was most definitely still on. His numbers look very good with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and nearly five times as many strikeouts as walks. He figures to have three more starts (including today) to solidify his claim to a 2023 rotation spot. On the Royals' side, Ober is one of the few pitchers to whom his 6’6” opponent Daniel Lynch must look up. Lefty Lynch has been a Royals’ rotation regular in 2022, but with somewhat less success than his taller rival: a 4-11 record, 5.15 ERA, and 1.59 WHIP. Lineups are below: The Twins' magic number for clinching third place is now 1. Let's get it done tonight!

Classic Twins baseball! Strikeout on a pitch a foot outside the zone. Caught stealing by a player who doesn't steal because he might get injured. And then an injury to said runner. You can't make this up!

Yay! I love to see a bunt to beat the shift even if it's against the Twins!

Sano would not have (come close to) beating that one out!

Chicken is still in the egg!

Hey, the Twins have clinched a tie for third and can make the spot their own with a win tonight. Not what we hoped. but it's something...

IF (a big IF) history is any guide, these guys will all miss most of next season with injuries. This is the Twins, after all. ?

Nick, I appreciate both the content of the article and its presentation. Highly professional writing, which is not always the case on this (or any) blog.

Nine innings instead of seven???

I agree with this. They are putting in the time, collecting their paychecks, and waiting for October, when they can resume their non-baseball lives. Remember Eddie Rosario firing up Buxton and Kepler with their three-man jump balls to celebrate a catch or a win? Eddie is long gone, Buxton is in the hospital, and Kepler is just going through the motions. Most of the team is kids who are trying to learn how to behave as big-league players. They are being taught (by example) that a hand-shake and a smile is all they need to do to celebrate success and that failure is just "Oh well." There is no fire! They are being taught to suppress the emotions of the game, whether joy or anguish, that they felt in college and high school and probably still have inside of them. Eddie is long gone. Kirby is (sadly) long gone. Maybe the whiz-kids in the back room can re-program Rocco's laptop to tell him to "CHEER" when someone does well or "RANT" when someone makes an inexcusable mistake. But I doubt it. He is who he is, and he reflects the "scientific" rather than "human" approach to the game that seems to dominate our front office. That's why I don't really expect this to change. It's the "organizational culture." (And one that many on this site welcomed.) Boring-ball is, I fear, here to stay.

You mean after losing three must-win games in a row (after losing three must-win games to Cleveland last weekend), there are more must-win games. If they were literally must-win games, then nothing more would matter after losing them. And that's where we are. They are seven games out with 17 to play and two teams ahead of them. There is no chance that they win the division. On the other side, our magic number to clinch third is down to 3!

Neither was the starting lineup, right?

First pitch at 7:10; seventh-inning stretch at 8:55. My kind of game!

70 pitches. Has he done that many in rehab starts?

With a brilliant bullpen, you don't need to push your starters. Then there's the Twins.

Cave spelunked that one!

Double doubles by Miranda, but it's hard for the same hitter to make them back to back.

Still wearing his uniform top, but maybe he'll put on a sweater if it gets colder.