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mnfireman

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Everything posted by mnfireman

  1. mnfireman
    Like it or not, Baldelli made the right call last night. Despite the perceived opinion that he's left Ryan out there to take a beating and run his pitch count up, Ryan has only topped last nights pitch number twice, 110 on 8/9 and 107 on 8/26 and last night was the only the 7th time he's topped 100. He has also now thrown 129 innings, a career high at any level (132 if you count his 3 inning rehab start). Last year he threw 93 combined innings plus 10 innings in the Olympics. In 2020 he didn't pitch due to MiLB shutdown. He will be counted on to pitch down the stretch (as many posters on here say, pennant race experience is valuable) even if the team falters. Had he been allowed to pitch the 8th, the extra 10-15 pitches may have pushed his next start back a day, and the team has 13 games in 12 days and can't afford a bullpen game, especially against the team they are chasing. I also liked that he was mad or felt slighted, it means he's a competitor and wants the ball. Sometimes having a little chip on your shoulder can be a good thing.
  2. mnfireman
    The biggest thing with the Twins injuries is the drop-off to the next level of player. Buxton, Larnach, Kirrilloff and Kepler become Cave, Celestino, Contrearas and Garlick. All 4 of those players are capable players in reserve and specialty roles, not to run out there daily. Polanco and Correa become Palacios and Beckham, Jeffers becomes Caleb Hamilton, Jose Godoy, and Leon, who was in AAA when traded for. Gordon has been the lone bright spot from these injuries. I don't think I have the time or the want to go into the rotation and bullpen, but both fall off drastically when injuries occurred and/or pitchers had to pitch in roles they were not suited for. Correa and Sano being injured gave the team the opportunity to see what Lewis and Miranda could do, and unfortunately for Lewis he also got injured. It also gave Arraez a chance to play everyday, but I suspect that is also why his numbers have fallen off the last month or so. The IL stints also do not include how many games Buxton, Kepler, Polanco, Larnach, Kirilloff, Jeffers and several pitchers tried to play through injuries, affecting their performance and the teams. Injuries de-railed this team, despite them being able to overcome them and be competeive until recently. They are 39-49 since June 1 and injuries have played a significant role.
  3. mnfireman
    32-43 overall against team with .500 or better winning % is probably an even bigger tell. As well as 8-12 (2-11 vs LA, MIL, AZ & SD) in interleague games and 12-17 vs the AL West (2-11 vs HOU & TEX). The Twins are 10.5 games worse than Cleveland in these 3 categories. They are 12-12 against CLE & CHW, despite how much worse its seems.
  4. mnfireman
    The kids giveth, the kids taketh away. Miranda should have stepped back to get the out, the runner wasn't scoring. And Gordon standing there admiring his hit and getting thrown out at third for the third out, not acceptable. Hopefully there were constructive conversations with each player after their respective misplays. On a bright note, the Twins took 2 of 3 as it looks like Boston's bats are coming to life. And Cleveland also lost.
  5. mnfireman
    I'm sure he thought it was a foul tip that hit the catcher and rolled slowly out in front of home plate. With whatever may be going on with his health or personal life, Kepler is the one Twins whose hustle I do not question.
  6. mnfireman
    Saw this as well. I was hoping it was words of encouragement because Gordon didn't look very happy with being pinch hit for.
  7. mnfireman
    I quit listening due to the rain delay and being at work, thankfully they started playing again and reversed course to grab victory from the certain grasp of defeat. Cave and Celestino, really!! Heroes really to come from the least expected members of the party!!
  8. mnfireman
    I think that Correa's decision will influence the teams decision towards Miranda. If he stays Urshela becomes expendable, but there are still question marks - Lewis, Kirilloff, Larnach and even Polanco, not to mention Buxton and Kepler. The next question then becomes who to trade - Urshela or Arraez?? Urshela frees up $$, but Arraez brings back talent. Good be a tough call whichever way the team decides to go.
  9. mnfireman
    While this has generally been true in years past, the lost minor league season of 2020 has influenced when many players reach MLB. For those that chose to go to college, they are reaching MLB at later ages. On the flip side, it also kept the player's minor league time control clock ticking, resulting in some players being rushed to the majors for fear of losing them to the Rule 5 draft. Under normal circumstances, Wallner would have been called up last season, but he lost that year of development, and wasn't.
  10. mnfireman
    Nobody said reporters were smart....
  11. mnfireman
    Evidently he said again last night, when asked about FA and the possibility of returning to Houston, that he sees himself playing a long time in Minnesota. Take it for what it's worth.
  12. mnfireman
    1. Maybe. However BOTH of them will be back next year, $12MM for Gray is a steal and Mahle is still arb eligible, but will get a raise from $5.2MM. 2. True. His numbers are better with Leon, maybe sub him for Sanchez every time (SSS with both, he is only a 1 inning reliever after all.). 3. True, he seems stuck 2019 when he got bailed out frequently. 4. He does seem lost at the plate, but he is only playing on 1 leg and has publicly stated that he doesn't like to DH, but understands the team needs him (to contribute). 5. Arraez is making $2.12MM, so I don't know where you got that number. But as a whole, Correa, Buxton, Polanco, and Kepler have struggled this year, though with the exception of Kepler, all have an OPS+ of better than 115. I would not include Larnach and Kirlloff among the teams best hitters this year, neither has 200 plate appearances and their OPS+ are 105 & 88.
  13. mnfireman
    Ummm, no. Maybe you get lucky because he is flustered from making the error, but more than likely Correa is out by 10 feet or more.
  14. mnfireman
    Buxton and Correa are 1a & 1b on my list of most important players going forward. Buxton is the de facto face of the franchise and Correa was signed for his playoff experience and performance. Both are showing signs of life recently has Buxton has a .276/.364/.569 = .933 OPS slash line with 5 HR in 16 games since the All-Star break and Correa has quietly put together an 8 game hitting streak with .357/.472/.464 = .937 OPS with 1 HR. After that 2a, 2b, & 2c are Gray, Ryan & Mahle and 3a, 3b & 3c are Fulmer, Duran and Lopez. Fill in the rest with the rest. Cheating? Maybe, but this is how I see it. The Big 3 in the rotation have got to keep the team close through 5 or 6 and the Big 3 in bullpen can't give it away.
  15. mnfireman
    What he has provided so far makes what the team will do with him when Jeffers is due back an interesting and tough decision. Expanded rosters may make it easier to carry a third catcher. Urshela is arbitration eligible next year, making him both a viable choice to stay and a valuable trade piece.
  16. mnfireman
    Maybe Baldelli doesn't use the "B" (or "C") team line-up and Mahle goes 7 tomorrow, only needing Duran and Lopez (or Lopez and Duran, order doesn't matter). I think Gray would have had a longer leash if it was 6-0 instead of 3-0. Fulmer was getting loose when it was 3-0, so use him or lose him anyway for tomorrow. Would definitely have rather seen Pagan instead with a 6-0 lead.
  17. mnfireman
    Have not seen anything about Winder starting BP sessions or rehab assignment, but he was already with St. Paul and is on their IL so information may not be as readily available. Feel free to correct me if anybody has any info. Thanks.
  18. mnfireman
    Totally forgot about Winder...
  19. mnfireman
    Urshela is slugging .630 in August (SSS), but has only started 6 of 10 games. Most teams find a way to keep the hot bats in the line-up, but Beckham has started 3 games ( 2 @ DH, 1 @ 2B) while Urshela has sat on the bench. I understand that Miranda and Arraez are performing well, but Tim Beckham!!
  20. mnfireman
    Not gonna lie, Sanchez and Polanco having such high OPS numbers kind of surprises me. I must only be remembering when they fail.
  21. mnfireman
    Agree with Larnach, Ober and Jeffers, but looking at who's on the IL right now, it is amazing the team has remained in contention at all: Jeffers, Kirilloff, Larnach - Expected starting position players Sano, Garlick - Expected bench contributors Ober, Paddack, Dobnak - Expected starting rotation Stashak, Coulombe, Alcala, Romero - Bullpen arms Maeda, Lewis - September reinforcements Buxton, Kepler - Walking wounded Correa (120 OPS+) and Polanco (118 OPS+) are not underperforming, they just seem to fail in big spots when the team needs them.
  22. mnfireman
    My bad, bro. Forgot it was the 10th inning....
  23. mnfireman
    Regardless of your feelings over today's line-up and the handling of Buxton and his knee, the team was still in position to win and rightfully should have. MLB screwed up badly and I would not be surprised to see an apology from the league office after a review, sort of like what happens in the NFL from time to time. It won't take the sting out of today's loss, but they'll feel better about themselves for the review system that "corrected" a call that was correctly made on the field.
  24. mnfireman
    Like it or not they are going to need Pagan today considering Baldelli's management (or lack thereof) of the BP this weekend and the fact we know Archer is only going 4. 1 of those 4 can fly west with the team (or even all 4, fill that taxi squad).
  25. mnfireman
    Granted he's a part time player, but Celestino has crashed into the wall since July 1 - .188/.235/.219 for an OPS of .454. He's a little young to just be considered defense-only, but he is definitely trending that way.
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