Doubles

I believe there are two ways to handle the Vargas situation: 1) Hang onto him through ST for as long as possible, using him as an injury-insurance policy in the event anyone ahead of him goes down. "Don't make a decision before you have to..." Release him / trade him to a rebuilding team that doesn't really believe it will contend for post-season play this year. Sooner the better, if they are doing Vargas a solid so he has as much time as possible to catch on with another club. Vargas turns 28 on August 1. He could be the kinda guy that a rebuilding team would take a flyer on, but not someone a contending team would feel comfortable plugging into their lineup.

Hitting dingers in spring training proves absolutely nothing to anybody. How about he tries to be on the field more than 70% of the time during the regular season? Now he's gonna be subjected to missing games this season due to his off-the-field behavior. I should probably know better by now, but the number of people who support athletes unconditionally flabbergasts me. I guess I should keep the root word that 'fan' is derived from in mind.

Congrats on being such a nice human being. Good on you for being so non-judgmental. You are willing to give Sano the benefit of the doubt far longer than I.

Why are you such an apologist for one of the most coveted Twins prospects OF ALL TIME putting less than his best foot forward?

Read between the lines. The manager/coaching staff is the conduit between the players & the front office. And if, in fact, the club is resorting to going public like this, I would fully believe they have tried addressing this stuff with Sano directly, probably multiple times, and have gotten nowhere. Now they're trying another avenue to deliver the message. If your 'concern' is durability, how is it you are giving Sano a free pass on his lack of responsibility / accountability to report to spring training in optimal physical condition yet again? Show me a player with exceptional durability in any sport who does not take meticulous care of himself. And no, pitchers don't count.

From this article by the Pioneer Press' Brian Murphy: *Meanwhile, manager Paul Molitor is still trying to establish a deeper relationship with Sano to help the talented but enigmatic cleanup hitter reach his full potential as a reliable run-producer and professional. "Talented, but..." speaks volumes here. *Molitor said he has enlisted teammates to help Sano focus and hone his craft, but that has produced mixed results. If a player was doing just fine on his own, it wouldn't be necessary for the manager to round up other players to babysit Sano to 'focus'. *“I think the trend has been he’s figuring some things out; some things have been a little harder to get through to him,” Molitor said. “At times I’ve tried to involve people that might be able to provide a voice that will penetrate. We’re just trying to get him to see the bigger picture. “He loves to play. It’s all in front of him. He, as much as anyone in that clubhouse, wants what’s in front of him, but I’m not sure he understands what is required to reap those rewards — of competing, winning, financial security, taking care of his family. We’re trying.” "Some things have been a little harder to get through to him"? To me that's coachspeak for 'No matter what we say, this is someone who has to figure it out for himself, and he either can't or won't do that on his own to this point...' The underlined statements above come across to me as general statements that may as well be red flags. Big ones. Sano has the potential to be a generational big leaguer. These types of talents don't grow on trees, especially for the Twins. I cannot understand why so many people are willing to give him a pass on his lack of conditioning and / or devotion to his craft. The Twins are going to have to decide fairly soon if Sano is someone they want to hitch their wagon to long term. Sano himself is making what should be a no-brainer of a choice for the Twins front office a real head-scratcher.

Well said, couldn't agree more. There seems to be a relief among some that Sano has been mashing in BP. Not sure why anyone would expect anything different from him. It's what he does. But he's capable of so much more, even in the field. He's selling himself, and therefore his team and fans, short by not staying fit enough to be an asset at third base. And I cannot fathom why so many are willing to give him a pass for that.

I'm not sure it's humanly possible for me to completely disagree more with all three points made in this post.

I can be as critical as anyone, especially towards Molitor, but I don't see what he is culpable for when it comes to bullpen management. It's not like there was a clear bridge from the middle to the end of the game, especially after Kintzler was moved. It was all bubble gum & duct tape. If anything, I'd give Molitor props for piecing it together as successfully as they did given the rag-tag bunch he had to work with. I'm not sold on Molitor as a manager, and I realize I may re-think that if someone new is brought on to replace him. But any fault with bully management lies with the front office not only failing to address it, but choosing to weaken it with the Kintzler move. Not that he's Mariano Rivera in his prime, but losing him was a blow to an already existing weakness.

I don't mean to take Granite's quote so literally- I don't believe Granite is afraid, really at all. But that quote just seems to sum up the Twins / Yankees dynamic.

I don't think it was as catastrophic as some, but Granite stepping over first base last night was absolutely confounding to me. Think of all the times a ballplayer has run a ball out. Played ball when I was younger, then some town ball, then finally came to grips with the fact I could no longer catch up to a fastball, and finished up playing slow-pitch. I'm not sure my brain would allow me to over-step first base even if I tried. That's a whole lotta muscle-memory to re-direct. Interesting quote from Granite in Phil & LaVelle's story in the Strib: “I felt his momentum was taking [Kahnle] through the bag, and I was afraid I was going to step on him. And I just missed the base” with an extra-long stride, Granite said. “It was stupid. I should have stepped on him.” Think about that for a second. "I was afraid I was going to step on him." Is that the most accurate metaphor for Twins / Yankees EVER? Twins are afraid to step on the Yankees feet, while the Yankees would prefer to step on the Twins' collective throats, rip their hearts out and eat them, whilst committing unspeakable acts to every single one of their mothers and their wives if it would mean winning a ball game.

I should probably know better, but I'm actually a bit curious about this 'game theory' of which you speak.

Tom- though I was late to the party here, thanks for all your time & effort in compiling these game recaps. Loved reading these & participating in the ensuing dialogue. As I've said, baseball is made for this type of banter. Thanks again & hope to see these return next season. They really enhance the 'fan experience.'

Wondered this myself in the moment last night. Wasn't even sure how I thought about it. I'd have been psyched to get that fourth run across, but I'd probably also bemoaned bunting with a runner on second base. I think a bunt in that particular situation was at least worth debating. And I hate bunts, but time & place...

Good question on Rowson. I think it's also a fair question to wonder if Rowson has any managerial aspirations. Some guys are great assistant coaches, but not necessarily cut out to be the head honcho. We've all seen examples, & I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Could only add one, but tried replicating Seth's poll question here. None of us know if Molitor will be extended, but we can have an opinion. Let's hear 'em...

Sounds like players want Molitor back. Should that influence management's decision at all? Falvine has had all season to ponder this, though the Twins getting into the playoffs is a fairly recent development. If they move on him, they have to know who their target is, don't they?

Okay, Falvine moved on Mientkiewicz quickly so he can 'position himself to get another gig' for next season, right? Same should hold true for Molitor, right? As if they haven't left him hanging in the breeze long enough. Decision has to come quickly, right? What if the guy they have in mind is on the Indians' staff or some other team still in the playoffs? Do they just announce Molitor won't be back, and wait for the playoffs to end to name his replacement?

If Santana is shutting the Yankees down after seeing each batter twice, I could not disagree more with the underlined part of the above statement. The Twins best chance of winning this game would be for Santana to go 7, 8, or 9 innings. I'm not really sure how this could be disputed.

As Craig Arko pointed out to me on a different thread, 11 pitchers would come in handy if the game goes extra innings. I'd probably go easy on the 'Molitor out-managed' takes, at least until the game starts.

I'm okay with Sano not being on the roster. Would be nice to have his bat as a threat, obvs, but it's okay. Had he been on the roster, Molitor would have had to consider pinch-running for him every time he got on base, throwing the rest of the game's lineup in flux. Now the guys can just settle in and play.

Okay, got me there. Looking at the roster, I'd rather see Moya than Mejia. Hopefully this won't even matter and be a moot point.

11 pitchers seems excessive to me. I mean, how often would you have a chance to win using that many?

Let's not forget how good the Twins have been without him. Next man up!