jimbo92107

I'm a little concerned by the power outage. I'm also concerned that my right shoelace is slightly loose.

You're right. Somebody muscle up the courage to tell that man, Eat A Sandwich! Then tell me to stop eating sandwiches....

Gibson today performed at a level equivalent to an average Kohl Stewart outing. So, let a fresh Kohl Stewart take Gibson's next slot, and let Gibson stretch and hot tub for a week. Same with Berrios, but for a different reason. I don't think Berrios is wearing down so much as drifting out of his best mechanics. Still, same prescription: Let Smeltzer take his turn while Berrios works very carefully on his mechanics. Everybody happy. Everybody wins!

Best thing the Twins can do is stomp the Tigers into the dirt. Give them the first pick in the draft. Good teams are supposed to beat up on bad teams. Skol Twins!

That reminds me...Could a guy like Duffey have another shot at being a starter? Wes Johnson's advanced coaching techniques have Duffey burning the zone at mid- to high-90's now. Duffey has become a power pitcher with a dyno curve, rather than a curveball guy with a so-so heater. Could he build himself up to throw that heat for 6 innings every 5 days? Adventures for later...

El Cherubo brings a certain flair that seems to sweep the clubhouse. I hope he's on the 25 come playoffs. It's nice to have a teammate for whom defying the odds is an everyday activity.

I'll take one of Smeltzer / Thorpe...probably Smeltzer for long relief, to eat innings with shockingly few runs allowed. Smelt is a little more Show-ready. Then I'll take one of Graterol / Alcala, probably Graterol because of that nifty heater and sub-2 ERA as a reliever in the minors. Gotta have a hot arm to blow away pesky batters in close games. Otherwise, I like this bullpen. They're not perfect, but they're all veterans, and I have seen each of them dominate. I was worried earlier about May and Duffey, but both men have made excellent adjustments after mid-season. Romo is a wizard, Dyson is a bully, and Rogers just blows hitters away like there's no chance. Hat tip to Littell, Dobnak, Stashak, and Poppen. Each of these guys could be a very good mlb pitcher. Littell impressed the most early on. Dobnak has the look of a long-term pro.

I totally gave up on Trevor May after one of his bad appearances early in the season. Me of little faith... I also was about ready to give up on Sano around the All Star Game. Let's see, who else... Oh yeah, and Cave was just a flash in the pan, a AAAA player at best. And of course Schoop fades after looking good for a while. Now it looks like Buxton is made of tissue paper. I better give up on him... Lucky that these guys don't give up on themselves as much as I give up on them. It's a season of multiple redemptions!

The problem with hands is, you only have room for two major points before you have to switch to feet. On the other elbow, if joints don't sound right, you could have problems. On the other knee, I suppose they are transitions between bones, which, if we require several, are much more numerous than hands. If we carefully scrape out the marrow of this topic, it's about options. We could chew the fat for days about that. Anyway, Big Mike looks like he could plow snow with fastballs. I like that in a man.

Twins did to Romero what they did to May, only they screwed him up BEFORE he got to the bigs. Trade him for some other team's sputtering prospect pitcher. There are lots of them around. You'll have all winter to decide. Romero needs a change of scenery, a chance to reset his pitching career in another organization with different coaching. Best organization for a guy like Romero would probably be the Rays. I wish more teams had the integrity to admit when they've screwed up a player. How many careers are floundering for that reason?

Starters, relievers, bats, and gloves. At one point or another this season, one of those areas has carried this team. I agree with Brock that they need to give the starters a break. Thorpe and Smeltzer need to come in and soak up some innings. Maybe Stewart, too. Berrios needs time off, and so do Gibby and maybe Perez. Big Mike looks like he could plow ahead forever, and Odo still looks solid.

It shows that SDI hits the mark like an old shotgun hits the side of a barn. Lots of scatter, but from a short distance, it'll do.

The extraordinary thing about Sano is....He still has the same problems at the plate. He still puts too much waggle into his bat. He still waves at balls low and outside. He still swings under too many pitches. But in each of those aspects, Sano has improved, and the results have been extraordinary. To me this suggests that Sano could get considerably better than he is right now. A little less waggle, and he could be pounding baseballs like a hammer pounds nails. A little more willingness to go oppo late in counts, and he could become a monster oppo homer hitter. A little narrower vertical zone, and he could get even more walks. Best of all, all these things are achievable. If Sano keeps refining his technique, he could reach superstar status.

A strong support system allows individuals to shine. The Twins do their minor leagues about right.

I'm fine so long as the Rally Rattlesnake stays out of the dugout. The last place we want to see Nature show up is at a baseball stadium.

In an RBI situation...hmmm... First I'd go Arraez, because of bat control. He'll barrel it up almost every time. Second I'd go Gonzo, for he is super hot right now. Third I'd go Cruz, for he's a perfect blend of power and bat. Fourth I'd go Sano, because he's got nightmare power, and his approach has improved immensely. Sano has the potential to be the scariest bat in the lineup, but he's not quite done refining his approach. He still has trouble with high pitches, and I still see him flail at the low outside curve, tho nowhere near as much as a couple months ago. Taking walks has greatly improved his game. If Sano continues to bash outside pitches oppo, and then learns to turn on inside stuff....ohboy. Meanwhile he could still get rid of more of that extraneous bat waggle, and keep working on quickening his hands. Short to it, long thru it. Like Garver, plus 50 pounds of muscle.

There are signs of destiny (density?) in this 2019 Twins squad. They have a special mix of skilled veterans, talented youth, core strength, and very flexible position players. It has allowed Baldelli to make out a roster every game that looks competitive, if not dominant. I can't wait to see Astudillo get back and spell our two regular catchers, then stand in for Cron, then give Sano a break at 3B, etc. The Twins were tearing up the league when Astudillo was rotating around the infield.

Best thing of the game: Tie between Dyson and Schoop. Twins desperately need Dyson to be what he was for the Giants, and today he got close. Schoop meanwhile has been riding the bench a lot lately as Sweet Luis wows the league with his rookie debut. Schoop looked very...well rested, and he played with happy enthusiasm. Adrianza and Sano also were good things, but not so surprising. Kepler...well, he's just looking like a core player for this talented wave of Twins squads. Each new season he appears to get noticeably better.

Another game, another homer for El Cherubo. With just a pinch more plate discipline, Torts could make the jump to AAA!

I thought the Twins were being more intelligent this season with the Injured List, but it looks like they're pushing it too much with Cron. If the man's thumb ain't right, then let him rest it until it is. As mentioned, Sano can play 1B while several other guys can play 3B at least as well, and Sano's glove at 1B seems about even with Cron's right now.

How about they just play the damn game and not deliberately try to injure each other? I don't buy tickets to watch umpires come center stage, and I don't buy tickets to watch grumpy men express their false machismo. Most of all, I don't buy "rules" that are so shameful that brave men are too chicken to write them down on paper. I believe in specialties and division of labor. Let boxers and MMA guys punch and kick each other for money. Baseball players are supposed to play baseball, period. We don't need them to remind us of the good old days of barbaric social ineptitude.

From my cloaked orbital chalet, I sipped a squeeze bottle of pinot noir while considering whether to obliterate Milwaukee. Bad beer, bunch of hooligans... burp. On paper this 2019 Twins squad looked potent at the plate, but dubious on the mound. They proceeded to launch enough missiles to trigger my automatic shields and laser retaliation drones, but I calmed the drones...good doggies, just the mailman. Meanwhile, this particular mix of players in April produced a startling burst of great baseball. Flashing in the ultraviolet were Perez, Odo, Berrios, Cron, Schoop, Buxton, Rosario and Polanco. Sparking high-energy neutrons were Kepler, Gonzo, and some surprisingly effective relievers. I'm still a little incredulous about Harper, but he still gets a generous assortment of awkward whiffs. Now in the dog days, some things have become clear. The illusion of a good bull pen has evaporated. Perez has returned to earth. Gibson continues to gyre and gabe. Schoop has practically disappeared in the shadow of a new star, Luis Arraez, who appeared in a basket one day on the Twins doorstep with a note: "Play Him." Among the pleasant surprises is Sir Gonzo, a utility player of the same magnitude as Eduardo Escobar. How did Houston let him escape? Also pleasant has been the gradual development of Miguel Sano's hitting game, replacing his long, loopy swing with an almost Garver-like quick to the ball flick. They still go over the fence... Questions remain, of course. Can the Twins regain a lead in the Central? Can't really blame them for losing it, given Cleveland's incandescent run after the mid-point. Almost no way so many Twins hitters could remain that hot. Now it will come down to a more normal mix of good hitting with good pitching. The FO has been playing musical chairs to find good arms in the minors...a couple more rounds of music to follow...Graterol? Thorpe? Duran? All of them? Whoops, now I'm floating out of range. Running low on beer and wine, might send a laser drone to fetch some... Oh, and monkeypaws, I forgot to mention, your blimp has a little leak just above the left tail fin. You should consider switching to helium gas. Hydrogen has a bad rep!