John Bonnes

The Twins can do their best to limit the Yankees lineup, but the Bomba Squad will need to outslug the Bombers to win the ALDS. So what weaknesses can one find on the Yankees pitching staff? There are at least a couple.The Yankees Are Not A Great Pitching Staff We’re sweating the Twins pitching staff, which ended the regular season with a 4.18 ERA, fifth best in the American League. The Yankees staff is a touch further down the ladder, with a 4.31 ERA and sixth best in the AL. And like the Twins, the starting rotation (which had a 4.51 ERA) has some big question marks as it enters the postseason. The biggest has to be Luis Severino, the 25-year-old phenom whom Twins fans might remember from the American League Wild Card game – provided they didn’t show up fifteen minutes late and miss the entire out he got. His postseason experience would normally be the big question mark, given that he has a 6.26 ERA in six postseason games, and has only made it through the fifth inning once. But there’s a bigger concern. Severino has only pitched three games this year after missing most of the season with a shoulder and lat injury. He only started making rehab appearances a month ago. A couple of his games have been very good, a couple he’s had trouble keeping people off base, and in every case he’s had a short leash, topping out at 80 pitches. Masahiro Tanaka, the likely Game 3 starter, has been equally enigmatic. He finished the regular season with a 4.45 ERA. He can throw a gem, such as a complete game shutout of the Rays on June 17th. Twelve days later versus Boston he didn’t get out of the first, and a month later he gave up 12(!!!) earned runs in a single game. His biggest strength is that he usually provides innings; he lasted through six innings or more in 21 of his 32 starts. That could be important in a series where so much could depend on the bullpens performing well. His biggest weakness? He shares it with a few other Yankees…. The Yankees Give Up Home Runs The Yankees starting rotation gave up 152 home runs this season, third worst in the American League. The Bomba Squad hit the most in the history of MLB. Unstoppable force, meet … pretty movable object. The Yankees probable Game 1 starter is 30-year-old southpaw James Paxton, who is a helluva good pitcher with two limitations that keep him from being among the game’s best. First, he has never pitched more than 160.1 innings in a season. Second, he gives up a lot of home runs to right-handed hitters. This year he gave up 23 home runs in 150.2 innings, which is slightly better than average this crazy year. But of those 23, 21 of them were to right-handed hitters. The Twins, of course, have a lot of right-handed hitters that like to hit home runs. Miguel Sano. Nelson Cruz. Mitch Garver. Even Jonathon Schoop and CJ Cron will likely find themselves in the lineup against Paxton. The Yankees, of course, are also aware of this. One reason Paxton might be lined up to pitch Game 1 and Game 5 for the Yankees is that they’re both being played at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is known as a ballpark that gives up a lot of home runs, but the truth is the shortest porch is in right field, favoring left-handed batters. The Yankees might feel Paxton has a better chance keeping big right-handed bats in check in Yankee Stadium than in Target Field, where the ball tends to fly out down the left field line. Paxton is not alone. Tanaka has had trouble with home runs his entire career. J.A. Happ, the left-handed starter whose role in the ALDS has yet to be determined, gave up 34(!) home runs in 161.1 innings. CC Sabathia was even worse this year, posting double the league-average home run rate. The bullpen is another story, but a little top heavy. The Yankees top three relievers, Aroldis Chapman, Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton are extremely stingy with the long ball. But the guys likely to eat up some middle innings, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle, have been susceptible. So the strategy is similar to facing just about any MLB team. When the Twins get a couple of ducks on the pond versus the starting pitcher, they need to take advantage. If Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulls a starter early, feast on the middle innings. There will likely not be much available late in the game. In other words, when you come at the king, don’t miss. The Bomba Squad for most of the season, hasn’t. Click here to view the article

For those looking, Howard Sinker (STrib web editor) spells out that you can get a free 7-day trial from YouTube.TV. https://twitter.com/afansview/status/1179187189135138818 Might be a good option.

Achilles has his heel. Samson has his haircut. Superman, his kryptonite. We build our myths with their weaknesses, and so it is with baseball’s myth, the Yankees. A high-level overview of the Yankees lineup reveals some strategies for approaching the Evil Empire. For even more detail I highly recommend Andrew Thares' excellent deeper dive into several of the Yankees hitters.The Yankees Lineup (Also) Looks Like The Walking Wounded Twins fans who are lamenting the injury bug that has afflicted their lineup can take some consolation in the Yankees travails. Like the Twins, their starting center fielder (Aaron Hicks) is out for the season. Twins fans are wondering if Max Kepler and Marwin Gonzalez will be at full speed since they missed the last series of the season. Yankees fans are wondering the same about designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who has 34 home runs this year, suffered an oblique injury, and was held out of the last Yankees series. There’s more. While Twins fans wonder if nagging injuries might limit some of their better players, Yankees slugging catcher Gary Sanchez just returned last week, played in two games and went 1-6 with four strikeouts. Finally, Twins killer Didi Gregorius, who went 8-10 with 10 RBI in two games this year at Target Field (read that last fragment again), seems to be wearing down as the season goes on after returning mid season from Tommy John surgery. He’s batting just .190 in September. That raises questions about the #3, #5 and #6 hitters in the Yankees lineup, which isn’t to say this isn’t a killer lineup. But recognizing that some players might not live up to their previously established reputations makes it easier to concentrate on match-ups. Which is handy because…. The Heart Of The Lineup Can Be Navigated Using Match-ups Overall, the Yankees offense has been pretty effective versus both right-handed (.823 OPS against) and left-handed (.852 OPS against) pitching. But that high-level balance is a result of a lot of blending of extreme splits. Leading off is right-handed batting DJ LeMahieu. The 31-year-old is having one of his best years, hitting .327 with an .893 OPS. That includes a respectable .830 OPS against right-handed pitching, but in insane 1.066 versus left-handed pitching. Next up is Aaron Judge, one of the superstars in MLB right now. The 27-year-old also bats right-handed and features similar splits: .847 OPS (including a .247 BA) against right-handers but a .343 BA with an 1.124 OPS against left-handers. Likely batting fourth will be Giancarlo Stanton, who has had a legitimately crummy year due to a variety of injuries, posting just 72 plate appearances. But the (stop me if you’ve heard this before) right-handed batter has crushed left-handers in those 72 plate appearances to the tune of 1.055 OPS. Against right-handers, he loses 200 points of slugging percentage, with an .844 OPS. This is fairly consistent with the rest of his career. It goes on. Seven of the nine regulars in the Yankees lineup will be batting from the right-handed side of the plate, with two left-handers. One is the previously mentioned Gregorius, who has killed Twins right-handed pitchers over his career. The other is center fielder Brett Gardner, who posts similar crazy splits, but the opposite way: right-handers must be very careful against him, while he’s posted just a .654 OPS against southpaws. So expect to see a lot of right-handed relievers on the Twins roster on Friday. Before you get too giddy, limiting the best players to a mid .800s OPS doesn’t ensure victory. For comparison purposes, the Twins lineup as a whole posted a .832 OPS this year. But to take the heart of the Yankees lineup and downgrade it to “better than average” is a trade the Twins should gladly take. Of course, they’ll still need to score some runs. We’ll take a look at how they might be able to do that in Part 2 tomorrow. Again, for even more on the batters I mentioned above, check out Andrew Thares' breakdown of how the Twins will likely approach LeMahieu, Sanchez and Stanton. Click here to view the article

Update: Comcast just announced they will be offering MLB Network's free preview in the Twin Cities. See their tweet for more details. Friday’s Twins' game at Yankee Stadium will only be broadcast on the MLB Network locally. While MLB Network is offering a free preview through some providers, for Comcast, the dominant cable TV provider in the Twin Cities, the free preview is not available in this market. The availability of MLB Network locally varies by provider. For Comcast, it is a premium channel and requires their “Digital Preferred” or higher package. If you would like to check if you receive it, I can tell you on my Minneapolis-based TV, it is channel 733 and 873 (HD).When MLB announced the playoff schedule on Monday, it included news that MLB Network would be providing a limited free trial over several TV providers, including Direct TV and Dish Network. It included Comcast for selected markets, but apparently, Minneapolis-St. Paul is not one. To find out if you currently have the MLB Network available, you can look up your system at www.FindMLBNetwork.com. Since the free trials began Tuesday, you should be able to verify today if you will get it for Friday’s game or not. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that if you can’t get the game, you can watch it with literally hundreds of other Twins fans, and Twins Daily will buy you a free 612 Brew beer too. Get more details and your free ticket right here. Or if you have any other (legal) advice to Comcast subscribers or subscribers to providers who either don't provide or upcharge the MLB Network, feel free to share them in the comments after you register. Click here to view the article

Sorry about that. I fixed earlier this afternoon.

Act fast! We're almost sold out! Today we're adding two new giveaways for anyone that registers early. First, you get a BOGO card for a free craft beer at 612 Brewery's taproom. Also, if you're among the first 300 people to show up at Brothers, you'll get a Twins Daily or Gleeman and the Geek pint glass. That's all on top of the free 612 Brew craft beer, and chances to win a Rod Carew autographed bat and Tony Oliva signed hat! But there are only 30 tickets or so left so reserve your tickets now!From Wednesday Another great prize added and 120 more tickets released! We sold out, so we're bringing a fifth 612 keg, plus you can win a Tony Oliva signed Twins hat if you wear Twins gear. But remember, you only get the free 612 craft beer and a chance to win the Rod Carew autographed bat if you get a ticket, and there are only 120 left. Reserve your tickets now! From Tuesday The game time has been announced, and Twins Daily members have already claimed half the available tickets - and why not? Yesterday we announced a free 612 Brew craft beer if you sign up and show up. Today, we're announcing a Rod Carew autographed bat, because Rod told the Yankees to stick it. (That story is below.) Tickets are free, but you have to get one before they're all gone to get the beer and to win the bat! Game time has been announced as 6:07 PM, so the event will start around 5:30 in the basement of Brothers Bar & Grill. All you have to do is check-in to get: 1. Your ticket for a 612 Craft Beer 2. Your raffle ticket for the Rod Carew signed bat 3. If you're wearing Twins gear, you can win a Tony Oliva signed hat! 4. Yet more tomorrow! GET YOUR TICKETS Rod Carew was courted by the Yankees back in 1979, after he was traded to the Angels. That was the time right after free agency had started, so owner George Steinbrenner was collecting all the big stars, like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter. But he didn't get Carew, who re-signed with the Angels for five years and $4 million. Steinbrenner tried to blame Carew, saying he didn't understand the privilege of playing for the Yankees. He also tried to trade for him before he went to the Angels, when he was still with the Twins. Ironically, to escape all the trade talk at that time, Carew went to stay with his mother - in Brooklyn. He read about being traded to the Angels in La Guardia Airport. From Monday I don’t know if we’ll win or lose. I don’t know if we’ll get 50 people or 500. But I know we’re going to be watching Game 1 versus the Yankees together. (And Twins Daily is buying the kegs.) Tickets are FREE. Just signup here, and you can join us at Brothers in Minneapolis and get a free 612 Brew craft beer, courtesy of Twins Daily. We’ll watch the game, and share the highs and lows with other Twins fans. Plus, there will be some giveaways and other stuff that we will announce the rest of the week. Join the writers of Twins Daily and hundreds of other Twins fans at Brothers Bar & Grill in Minneapolis to watch the Twins finally stick it to the Yankees. You can also just show up that day, but then you don’t get the free beer or any of the other goodies. Also, given that we’ve had 500-600 people show up for our Winter Meltdown parties, there is at least some chance that we could sell out and not be able to let people in who haven’t already reserved a ticket. So be safe and grab one now. Bring a friend, or a spouse, a family member or the folks from work who you just discovered are also Twins fans. But whatever you do... GET YOUR TICKETS Click here to view the article

I think primarily, they both put the ball in play. That certainly has it's uses in certain situations, and now Astudillo can be available off the bench for those situations. Otherwise, I don't know if he would've made the roster.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins winning the AL Central and look ahead to another playoff matchup against the New York Yankees. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. Click here to view the article

We are Minnesotans. So we will apologize for a lot, but we will NOT apologize for the revelry inspired by being the 2019 AL Central Division Champions. We will start, of course, with our own Parker Hageman’s Starship-inspired montage. Click here to view the article

Carol, to address some of your concerns, I clarified in the story what we know about the Twins investigation into this matter. I think it's worth pointing out though, that there is nothing in Neal's story that suggests the Twins are moving on. Maybe they are. But all that is being reported is that they have investigated and not found anything yet.

Please note that I have added an update to the end of this story and detailed the changes to a specific paragraph that was not explicitly state in La Velle E. Neal's report. It might be a distinction without a difference, but it's important in situations like this to be as accurate as possible.

Aaron and John talk about the state of the Twins' bullpen (good!) and rotation (bad!) heading into the playoffs, Ron Gardenhire playing a weird part in all of this, Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sano crushing in tandem, and what an ideal playoff lineup might look like. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

Twins Daily is excited to announce we have partnered with FanHQ to get a lucky reader tickets to meet Twins rookie Luis Arraez. Just sign up here for your chance to win. Arraez will be appearing at the Ridgedale Fan HQ store this Saturday, September 21 at 10 AM. This will be his first public autograph event as a big leaguer. If you would like to learn more or purchase your tickets, you can do so here, but you can also enter to win them courtesy of Twins Daily and FanHQ. Winner will be announced Friday morning. Good luck! ENTER HERE ENTER HERE Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' big series win in Cleveland, losing Michael Pineda and Byron Buxton for the season, Brusdar Graterol getting loose, Miguel Sano's knockout blow, and the latest on the Twins' many injured hitters. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

The Twins lineup for Monday’s 5-3 win over the White Sox looked like a potential starting nine for the postseason, with the exception of Lamonte Wade Jr playing center field for a recuperating Max Kepler. But that substitution changes everything as far as batting order. Here was the lineup:Facing a right-handed starter, which dominate both the Astros’ and Yankees’ rotations, Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Cave are better fits than CJ Cron (684 OPS vs RHP) and Jonathan Schoop (737 OPS vs RHP). Both started Monday night. Garver has also seen more time at catcher lately, even versus right-handers. The rest of the lineup are the everyday players But if Kepler is in the lineup, he is likely to lead off. Kepler has been the leadoff hitter for the Twins 105 times this season, versus just eight times for Arraez. So what does the batting order look like if one adds Kepler? Turns out, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has written that combination of nine names – last night’s 1-8 hitters plus Kepler - into the starting lineup just one time all year. Like last night, it was against the White Sox at Target Field. And like last night, it was against Reynoldo Lopez. Last month on Tuesday, August 20th, the Twins scored 14 runs and beat up the White Sox. (Here's the box score.) The starting lineup looked like this: (L) Max Kepler-CF (S) Jorge Polanco-SS ® Nelson Cruz-DH (L) Eddie Rosario-LF ® Miguel Sano-3B (L) Luis Arraez-2B ® Mitch Garver-C (S) Marwin Gonzalez-1B (L) Jake Cave-RF Does Kepler’s health change things? Does Cave need to show he can hit like he did before the injury? If he does, does he switch places with Gonzalez? Do Sano’s back problems mean he switches places with Garver? These are additional questions for us to explore and the Twins to work out over the next two weeks. But you’re welcome to share your ideal postseason lineup in the comments. Click here to view the article