jimbo92107

This is fun because Buxton turns an at-bat into a cat and mouse game, distracting the pitcher.

Check it out. Gibson's "best inning of the year" happened mostly because he stopped throwing his fastball. He got almost all his whiffs on off-speed stuff. Coincidence?

Man, talk about hitters getting themselves out. Gibson clearly has zero command of the outside corner, so every Orioles hitter should look only middle in. Yet they're still swinging at Gibson's outside pitches. That's just brain damaged.

Gibson looks like he's throwing his curve better than before. Slower, more overhand. But he's still yanking pitches he's trying to throw to the outside corner. Too far outside! Give hitters a reason to swing!

A lot to unpack here, but the main point about Zach Granite is valid. He's hitting well (.293), and he's a legit sub for Buxton in CF and on the bases. Meanwhile, how to replace what Esco does? My own definition of "super-sub" doesn't really require starter-level quality, more like positional flexibility and a decent bat, which Esco brings. Depending what areas of the field you want to back-up, you could go with any of Palka (DH, 1B, RF), Granite (OF, pinch runner), Vielma (3B, SS, 2B pinch runner), or Goodrum (IF, OF, pinch runner). The closest to another Escobar probably would be Goodrum, who can play anywhere but pitcher and catcher.

Has any intrepid reporter chatted with Murphy on his apparent improved approach at the plate? Might be an interesting read.

If the Twins move on from Eduardo Escobar, it's because they have talented young players that need to get a shot, not because Escobar sucks. Esco would indeed be snapped up immediately if released, for he is a versatile super-sub with pop in his bat. There's always a market for guys like that. That said, Nico Goodrum is a super-sub type, good glove with some pop. His AAA average is unimpressive, but he might round out well at the mlb level. Engelb Vielma is another option, but he's too much like a clone of Adrianza. Slick glove, slap hitter. Could Nick Gordon survive at the mlb level? Sure, but the Twins are being extra-careful with their top prospect. They don't want Gordon to suffer the kind of frustrations Buxton is going through, so they're letting him get lots of at-bats in AA to solidify his confidence. On the other hand, if Gordon goes on a tear, like jacking his average above .350, then we might see him pretty soon. Hey kid, wanna cuppa coffee? Start mashing some baseballs.

The Twins can backfill the bullpen a lot easier than they can promote starting pitchers right now. Gonsalves is coming off injury. Stewart and Jorge both have ERA's north of 4, in AA. Hurlbut or Slegers might be possible. Meanwhile, the system offers at least a few good bullpen candidates, but maybe one of the best options would be to bring back Gibson to the pen, and try starting Duffey again. Relief work seems to have helped Duffey improve specific areas of his game, especially his effectiveness against righties. Maybe the same could happen for Gibson, whose 'stuff' has never been in doubt, but whose approach seems somehow lacking.

Mejia: Mid-rotation horse? Looked like it today...

Yank Mejia? Tempting, even with only 89 pitches. He can bank a win, let the pen clean up the rest. If it's like Torii says, Mejia just needs to settle down and get comfortable. He's got the build of a serious mid-ro horse.

I'd like to put a portable EEG on Meyer's head when he pitches. What the hell is going on in there??

Hey, did anybody find out the velocity of that game-tying Vargas screamer to center field? It looked like about 118 mph to me.

BTW, if the Twins assemble a light-out bullpen by adding prospects like Tyler Jay, Nick Burdy, Mason Melotakis, Jake Reed, and Trevor Hildenberger, then their pitching staff might resemble Kansas City's when they made their championship run.

Honorary pitcher of the day to Gonsalves. Welcome back, kid. Now, start mowing 'em down in AA.

Good points, and your first point might be the most important. Duffey right now is the safety valve for Twins experiments with starting pitchers. If and when Mejia, Gibson, etc. implode, you have two guys to pitch three or more innings - Tyler Duffey and Justin Haley, with Taylor Rogers the third choice. I should add that Tyler Jay could probably walk into that mix, as soon as he's off the DL. Sadly, most of the Twins' best pitching prospects are either on the DL or not ready for their debut.

Tyler Duffey is one of my favorite Twins, I won't hide from that fact. His mind-bending array of curve balls has my tender heart all aflutter. At the same time, I admit he's not a perfect pitcher. As much as his benders bend, his modest heater tends to be straight as a ruler, and his two-seamer is so-so. However, something has changed since Duffey retreated to the bullpen. Mainly, he discovered that he could increase the angle of his pitches to right handed batters by starting from the 3rd base side of the rubber. Suddenly his benders sweep almost impossibly far, like we see from legendary lefties. Suddenly he can throw his curve right at the front knee of a hitter, and it breaks past the plate, to the far side. Most hitters cannot make themselves keep their knee in the path of a ball traveling over 80 mph. The result is some gloriously clumsy swings as hitters are bailing and flailing helplessly. It's hard to cover the plate when your butt is flying the other way. Duffey's new trick also helps his fastball, which still isn't amazing, but now, when he throws it inside, the hitter has to wonder, will it bend a foot, or go straight? Is this ball going to hit my knee? This makes Duffey's inside fastballs much more intimidating. The overall impact of this change is that Duffey appears to have solved the problem that was preventing him from being a successful starter. He now appears to be reasonably effective against hitters on both sides of the plate. So, should the Twins test the waters of letting Duffey start, one more time? I believe they should. On the other hand, Duffey also is the team's most flexible relief pitcher, so maybe he's this season's Trevor May. Also, I have noticed another relief pitcher that is starting to look like a possible starter: Taylor Rogers. This young man appears to be filling out his frame, and his stuff appears more and more like something you might like in a starting pitcher. For the same reason as Duffey, Rogers may wind up sticking in the pen for now. The team needs reliable relievers as much as good starters.

"[Max] Cordy walked three batters, hit two more and threw a wild pitch. Wisconsin scored six runs while he was on the mound (four earned) and he recorded just one out." [Twilight Zone continuation] Cordy then felt pain in his elbow, exiting the game to have an emergency MRI. On the way to the hospital, his ambulance was t-boned by a fully loaded gasoline truck, which exploded, killing everybody. See? It could have been worse! Hang in there, Max!!

I was just going to gush about the courage of that young man, living his dream despite the lack of a pitching arm!

Wow, beautiful setup, just as Torii said. High fastball inside, then a curve that broke from the knee to the plate.

Tyler Duffey's curve can make good hitters look awfully bad.

The way the Twins are using Tyler Duffey is exactly the way they should use Tyler Jay, as soon as he's healthy enough to pitch.

I see Santana, Berrios, and behind them I see several other guys just trying to get by, including Santiago. Maybe he's your #3, but not by much. I'd rather see Tyler Duffey get another shot, now that he's found a better angle to pitch to righties. I group Santiago with Mejia and Gibson as contenders for #4 and #5, if Duffey does just a little better as a starter.

Now that Duffey has figured out how to get a better pitching angle against righties, the Twins should try starting him again. I can't wait for Duffey to show Berrios how he throws his curve...

Santiago watched Sano's throw to first. "I wish I could throw the ball that hard," he was thinking.

I still take Greene. Aim high, gentlemen. Hunter Greene has by far the best name (it's an actual color!), and by far the highest ceiling. And if for some reason he flops as a pitcher, you still have a chance to make him into an outfielder that can hit. I reject the timing argument (Sano to the Yankees? For shame!), and I don't think the Twins will lose their young core players within three years. In fact, it's more likely they will be at their personal peak just about the year Greene comes flying out of Chattenooga. Starting five: Greene, Berrios, Gonsalves, Romero, with Stewart, Mejia and Jorge competing for the fifth spot. Not bad.