jimbo92107

Well, one thing should be obvious to us all by now: Matt Shoemaker should be our closer! Also, Baily Ober looks like he's going to be a pretty good starter. Also, a few guys are starting to hit.

Hilarious, Maldonado pulled the Japanese little league bunt play. He stuck his bat out right in front of Jeffers' face, blocking his view of the pitch. Then he yanked it away after it was too late to catch it. Good way to kill the umpire.

The best part about this losing season is that the FO is practically forced to try out some of the promising arms in AAA, like Duran and Blaze. Trying out Ober was the safest move, as he's known for excellent control. But now, with the veterans either breaking down or getting hammered, why not let a couple promising prospects come up and see what The Show looks like. Granted, the next round of call-ups may flop and scuffle like a skit from The Three Stooges, but that's what rookies do. Ask Celestino! Rookie goof-ups are a rite of passage. Before the rites are written for this blown

Good thing about Ober is that his stuff is naturally different, coming from that higher release point. Also, he can make adjustments easier than some others because of his ability/willingness to throw strikes with each pitch. Some Twins pitchers seem to go through spells where they can't find the zone at all. I have not yet seen Ober go through one of those spells. Big props just for that.

Yup. Or, they could go with Robo-Ump , like they're doing in the minors. Works great, and they're finding out some surprising things!

Kirilloff underestimated the speed of the ball, reached late and lost his balance. I assume that won't happen very often.

Okay, if not Robo-Ump, how about this: Each team gets 10 chances to challenge a ball or strike, replayed by the guys in New York just like other challenges are. Oh, how embarrassing for these half-blind umps. Oh, how they deserve it.

Sad when the highlight of the game was El Cherubo befuddling the opposition with his 43 mph nothing ball. Actually, there was a better highlight. Congratulations to Nick Gordon's solid 3 of 4 hitting, including his first mlb home run. Sometimes a dream does come true. Good for you, Nick Gordon.

Looks like Unwritten Rule territory at this point. Both teams are swinging at everything, pitchers are throwing nothing but strikes, get this game over with. Kinda hoping Shoemaker is gone soon. Call up Duran.

https://images.app.goo.gl/5wqix318erB65D6o8

Dick Bremmer: Just go ahead and throw the first pitch to the backstop. No Dick, that is stupid. Instead, pick a corner at random, and nail that corner with a fastball for strike one. The Royals are not hitting just any old first pitch, they are hitting uncompetitive first pitches.

Celestino seemed to have a knack for reading hits in CF, plus the speed to go get them. His bat looked promising, too. I have no problem letting him fill in for Buxton. I seem to recall Celestino also had good base stealing skills. Worth watching!

Quick, somebody send one to the Twins! I'm not sure they're getting the idea!

Problem 1: Get strike one. Problem 2: Don't throw strikes down the middle. The strike zone should be likened unto a sugar donut. In the hole is a mean old alligator. Outside the donut is a toxic wasteland. If you can hit the donut without hitting the alligator, life is sweet and good. If you can't even hit the donut, you won't survive long. If you throw it in the hole, you will be devoured immediately. Now, some pitchers are so skillful, they can tease the batter into thinking the pitch is going into the hole, but then it bends to hit the donut, or even better, just misses the