jimbo92107

Nunez is still seeing basketballs. Why?

Hughes looks about ready for the slaughter.

Anybody here foul more than one ball off your foot during a single at-bat? I did once. Not fun.

Something went wrong with my chicken bone talisman. The magic wore off right after I ate the meat.

My chicken bone talisman worked!! I shall wear it always!

See why a guy like Phil Hughes is no longer effective as a starter. He came up throwing mid to upper 90's heat. By the time he came to the Twins, he was down to 93-94. Now, Hughes brings his heater between 89 and 92. Thing is, he's having trouble mixing it up the way a guy like Pat Dean, who has never had a big heater. Dean is an expert at mixing it up. Hughes throws too much flat stuff, which used to work when he had an extra few mph. His off-speed stuff isn't good enough to dominate like Duffey's curve does, and he doesn't move the ball around as well as Dean does. Hughes can still get guys out, but I think his place is now in the bull pen, where he can cut loose a harder fastball without having to pace himself for a theoretical 7 innings. When was the last time he pitched a quality 7?

Trade Sano. Trade Sano. Trade Sano... Beetlejuice, what are you doing here?

Congratulations to Pat Dean. Nice pitching. This should really be a morale boost to all the hard-working pitchers in AAA. Even if you don't have the most amazing stuff, you have a chance to make it if you really know how to pitch. Dean was spotting the ball around the zone, changing speeds, avoiding patterns, doing all the things a pitcher needs to do if he doesn't have overwhelming stuff. Next big question: If Hughes and Nolasco look bad again, is it time to start Taylor Rogers? Rogers is supposed to be better than Dean, if the prospect list means anything (just barely). Maybe it's time to let the veteran AAA guys start replacing the worn out, over-priced veterans.

Bring out Pressley again! It's only a 5-run lead!!

Has Ryan Pressley been wrestling with a greased pig? The man is filthy!

Miguel Sano... Mister Entertainment!

I'm leaning more towards a cutter because it arrived at 85mph, and I think Dean's slider is more like 82mph.

These are not the Twins you were looking for. [Waves hand] Move along.

That last pitch from Dean to strike out Cruz looked like a high slider. Definitely not what Cruz was expecting. Odd place for a slider, but it worked. Most pitchers spend all their time trying to make their slider almost hook into the ground. Dean purposely spun it or cut it high. Good mix of pitches.

Dang, I've been watching for ten minutes, and I just realized that the score is 6 to 2, IN FAVOR OF THE TWINS. My eyeballs literally assumed they were behind 6-2. Double take city!

Snidley Whiplash!

What makes me nervous is tall pitchers that don't play other sports at a competitive level. You bring me a tall guy that played forward in basketball, I'm fine with that. Or a tall guy that played wide receiver or QB in football, winger in hockey or soccer, etc. Guys that already have excellent balance and coordination don't need remedial work on their body control. Alex Meyer is a good example. He looks like he needs to learn to do a hand stand, a cartwheel, to stand on one foot with his other leg pointing in any direction, to stand on a balance beam, a tightrope, ballroom dancing, etc. Why? Because he looks awkward on the mound, like he lacks fine control of his balance. That's why his command lacks consistency. He needs to have better control of his whole body. In contrast, this Manning kid is the son of an NBA basketball player. Think his body control will be better than Meyer's? Um, yup. In fact, from just that one small video clip, I can tell you that Manning's body control right now is far superior to Meyer's. If the Twins are lucky enough to have him available, then absolutely they should grab him.

At least a couple teams would jump all over Trevor Plouffe. He's a solid hitting and fielding 3rd baseman. Nunez is hot, so a real contender could use him as their utility guy. Don't trade Trevor May. The team that grabs him will instantly make him a 5th starter, and then he'll work his way to the middle or top of their rotation for the next eight years, winning between 12 and 15 games each year. We must see the difference between Twins mismanagement and May's ability. He can be very good, if the organization doesn't screw him up. Same goes for several young players. Hi, Alex Meyer! Oswaldo Arcia wouldn't get much, but he looks like a far better player today than he did a year ago. Some team might want a young lefty corner outfielder with some power who is improving all aspects of his game. Agreed that Hughes and Nolasco wouldn't get much of anything right now, which is why it's better to stash them in the bull pen and figure out something in the off season. Gibson should be worth something in trade. He's still looks the part of a useful middle ro guy. Most of these contemplated moves are not an attempt to grab a pirate's haul of prospect booty. This is just flushing out the bilge of a stagnant roster. Har, bring me a bucket of fiery new blood, so we can have a round of fresh new misadventures! Har!

Well, in my job at the missile silo, we all use "Twins2016" as our passwords because really, who would ever guess that?? Actually I'm pretty upbeat about the Twins. Now that any post-season chances are thoroughly blown, players and coaches can relax. It's a practice season, a four month scrimmage. You can start looking for sales on golf clubs early. For the guys with a future, this is a golden opportunity to get experience at the level you need. Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, all the guys in AAA now can work on their games, then come up when they look ripe. Twins management appears to understand this, which is why they've called up Rogers and Dean as starters/relievers. Both look mediocre, which on this team means OUTSTANDING! Juan Centeno has looked decent behind the plate, certainly better than Kurt Suzuki, whose professional career ended sometime last year. Sadly, the FO has yet to acknowledge his shift from professional player to enthusiastic amateur. Maybe that's because he still digs balls out of the dirt? Both Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco have ceased to be top ro starters, now looking more like 4th and 5th guys, which is usually reserved for rising rookies or innings eaters, but they can't do that, either. Both actually would serve better in the bull pen, if the Twins had anybody better to start. At the moment they might actually do better with a rotation of Duffey, Dean, Rogers, Santana and May. With Hughes and Milone in the pen, that gives them a couple relievers that can go two or three innings, while the younger starters have the stamina to get through six or seven before pooping out. Meanwhile I've got my doubts about Dozier being a team leader. Seems more like a borderline head case with very little plate discipline. Around the All-Star break I'd trade him and Plouffe, stick Polanco at 2B, Sano back at 3rd, then see what we got in AAA for the outfield. The transition year will not be a winning year. Peace be with you.

One more month, baby. If he can keep doing what he's doing until July, then you call him up and let him get his at bats in the show. Let's bear in mind that there should no longer be a sense of urgency. It's practically impossible for this team to get to the playoffs right now, so this is a training season. Let all the young players get reps at the level that's best for their development. Hopefully they'll solidify their skills and be ready to attack the division next year or the year after that. That goes for Buxton and every other riser.

James Beresford's dilemma is a combination of misfortunes. 1. Eduardo Nunez, for the first time with the Twins is playing really good baseball, and hitting better than anybody else on the team. Bench Nunez to play Beresford? No way. 2. Plouffe is playing solid 3rd and hitting solid. When he was injured, Nunez. 3. Molitor is loathe to bench Dozier for long, and Nunez is first up as his sub. 4. Escobar has been playing solid SS and hitting well. Again, when injured, Nunez. 5. Danny Santana fills in for Nunez when he can't go. 6. Robbie Grossman fill in for Santana in the OF. Beresford's only chance is if Nunez goes down for an extended time, or if the Twins trade Nunez, Plouffe, or Escobar. With Nunez hitting and fielding like the Yankees hoped he would several years ago, Beresford has zero chance of getting on the 25. One good note for baseball fans is that we may finally be seeing the blossoming of Eduardo Nunez. With little pressure to be great, on a completely irrelevant team, Nunez is getting plenty of relaxed repetitions at various spots in the field and at the plate. This is much better than getting reps in AAA. In an odd way, this already blown season could be very productive in developing players on the verge of being good. Danny Santana, Eduardo Nunez, Sano, Park, Arcia, even Grossman all are in a position to get lots of reps under very little pressure. These opportunities may help them hone their games in a way that will pay off next year. Meanwhile, future possible stars like Buxton, Kepler, Walker, etc. are in AAA working on more basic aspects of pro baseball, and the Twins can be patient, then consider calling them up when it's best for their development, with no illusions of a playoff chase.

Lottery in June...

Congratulations to Kurt Suzuki for not striking out four times!

Twins pitchers continue to refuse to work inside. Ni.

Okay, from now on when I start to write innuendo, I'll just say, "Ni."