USAFChief

Well to be fair, most hitters have different spray charts for ground balls and fly balls.

When it rains it pours.

2 seam fastball.

I'd like to see him ditch the 2 seam, go almost exclusively to the 4 seam, and have a better chance of putting it where he wants it.

Arraez' lack of power is really costing him in the ol' BABIP category.

All this talk of the 70's reminds me of my ... wilder days. I used to visit this little bar on Lake Street to meet girls. I'm reminded of a particulalry unsuccessful trip one night, and I still to this day don't understand what went wrong. I spied these two girls, at the bar, who were talking in what I thought were obvious Scottish accents. I sidled up, offered to buy them both a round, and asked "Two girls are from Scotland, right?" They both piped up immediately, "No, Wales." "Well I don't know about that," I said. "Don't be so hard on yourselves. A little overweight, maybe, but...

And the count was 1-2. :)

Underrated.

Make a pitch, Jose. EDIT: Or not.

Mrs Chief and I just got back from a trip to Rome. Before we went, Mrs Chief was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded: "Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?" "We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!" "Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser. "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?" "We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste." "Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced. So, whatcha' doing when you get there?" "We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope." "That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people are trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it." Well, like I said, we just got back, and Mrs Chief went back to the salon. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome. "It was wonderful," said my lovely Mrs, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!" "Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope." "Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand, I knelt down, and he spoke a few words to me." "Oh, really! What did he say?" "He asked me where I got this awful hairdo'"

Dunno, but I've seen teams actually shift more radically on LH hitters with two strikes. They'll sometimes leave the third baseman in place to take away the bunt, vacating SS. But with two strikes and the bunt not in play, they'll move that guy over to SS and leave 3rd undefended.

In the long run, it's much more important to be able to hit than to be able to run, but...there are times it sure would be nice if the Twins weren't a perpetually station to station base. We've seen in the past week what speed on the base paths adds.

FTFY>

Well, for example, Dozier punched a 2 run single through the shift in the first inning. Against a RH pitcher. It was Dozier's first AB of the season. What better indicator of hitting were the Twins using? Last year? Shifts are in vogue, and in many cases, will probably be here for a while. But IMO they're being overused. Not every situation calls for a shift, nor every hitter against every pitcher. These are opinions, of course. There's no easily provable right or wrong answer. One can argue about probabilities and likelihoods, but there's zero doubt shifting has hurt the Twins in this specific game. I would like to see smarter usage. Drawn in infield, for example. Makes no sense to shift, if you ask me, particularly when your out pitch to a RH hitter is a slider down and away.

A couple points: Individual hits, no. But "bunches of hits?" Then you're no longer putting your defenders where they're hitting it. That might not be coincidence. Sano took a step or two toward the ground ball, and gave up when he decided he couldn't get to it. I'm pretty confident he knew where Arraez was positioned and that had nothing to do with it. That was an attempt to K Solar, but yeah, down and away it was a good piece of hitting, and would only go to the right side. And let's refrain from calling others "dumb," please.

At the least, don't walk the leadoff hitter.

Yes. Nebraska.

LOL.

Terrible slider there from Berrios, got lucky that wasn't hit to Omaha.

Way to buckle down once the offense ties the game, Jose.

That depends on how fast Kepler is...would that have been a triple?

WOW, Leo Kottke. How old ARE you anyway?

Nice rip, Kep.

I know he ended up walking, but I'd want Avila swinging 3-1, and probably 3-0.

Personally, from my playing days, there is no way I could have stopped myself from reaching out for the ball. Happens too quick, instinct takes over.