David HK

Starts and ends with starting pitching. Our rotation has stepped back instead of stepping up, every single one of 'em. Jake O was more lucky than good in the one game they won. Makina showed signs, but somebody needs to step up, and now.

I sometimes check out the oppo team's sbn board, just to see how their fans are reacting- and maybe, just maybe, for a little chuckle of schadenfreude. True to form. Of course, just like folks we know (and are), they're kvetching about their recent bullpen acquisitions not paying off, and I got another chortle about one fan's musing that Twins fans must also be cursing their bullpen for giving up the lead. (True dat). But one thing that I appreciate so much about this board- once Arraez got that bloop, F-bombs everywhere, and after the Sano blast, some of them started personally sniping at each other, going so far as to cut and paste weeks-old posts to rub stuff in someone's face. I look at this place as one refuge where fans can bitch and moan and celebrate together-without resorting to personal beefs, and keyboard warriors are not something we have to deal with. (That's what twitter's for). My kudos to the admin's, and to the people on this board itself. I gotta say, these past few days-- my country is grieving and tearing itself apart, and Hong Kong where I live, is literally tearing itself apart. It's incredibly scary here right now; yesterday and last night were some of the worst hours of my life. I needed this couple hours of respite for my very soul today. I'm happy for the Twins win. And I'm happy to share it with folks like you. Thanks.

Just an interjection here, on the Jaylin Davis watch. He's had a slightly better opening week than the guy we got 3 games with Sacto- 7 for 10, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI. OPS of 2.369 Small sample size, but how long before he takes someone's place in the moribund SF outfield? .

Great report- thanks again! It's nice to catch up and see how the young-uns are doing, plus I got to learn about a couple of names unfamiliar to me so far. But you have to admit- there is simply no better ballplayer name than Willie Joe Gary, Jr! I've been following him all year, and been really impressed! Go get it, young man!

Dyson's first couple of outings- not great, to say the least. Meanwhile, Jaylin Davis 1st game with his new mates? 3 for 3, 2 doubles, 3 RBI. **Edit** Just checked the box score for Sacramento- 1-run game, closed out the last 2 innings by a tall, skinny kid named T. Rogers...

I'm totally fine with Pineda being pulled. I was hoping they'd pull him earlier- nearly every out was a screamer; they were squaring him up big time, but a lot of at-em balls. But Dyson- come on. Yes, he's a pro, and a seasoned vet at that. Yes, he hadn't been out for 3 days or so, so he wasn't overused. But for God's sake, he just got off the plane and to the park in the MIDDLE of the game! He knows the org. gave up a bucket of good prospects, he knows he has to prove himself, Of course he's going to feel added pressure to make perfect pitches and make the team feel justified in getting him. Seasoned vet or no, that's got to amp up the pressure on anyone. And here you go, 9th inning, against a team that's knocked him around pretty good the last couple of years. The fact that May is still doing penance for his latest meltdown(s) is ridiculous. What better place to use him than one inning with a 3 run lead? Let the new guy at least get his uniform sized right. He obviously hadn't even thrown 1 pitch to his new catcher until he took the mound. I don't get the rush to toss him in the pond. Instead, we burn Rogers for the 3rd day in a row, and used 3 extra innings of the BP. (well, technically not a full 3...) This is what good teams do. If the hitters go quiet, the pitchers step up, and vice versa. The Twinks have often done just that many times this year. Houston did their job against the Tribe, taking 2 of 3. We should have swept and picked up an important game. Rocco, I love you man, appreciate the job you're doing, but this one is on you.

Me too. I really liked that kid, but there are so many 40-man questions to answer this year, and we got a good reliever, which is exactly what we needed. It hurts, though, and I wish him the best. But with the Twins OF as it is, there wasn't much room for him on a regular basis. He'll have a much better opportunity in SF.

Long term, I'm more worried about Reyes than Puig. He's awfully young and Sano-sized. Plus, they got 2 good young arms, 1 of them probably added-on compensation for Puig getting in that brawl.

How do we respond to the Cleveland trade? With pitching. Period. We need it desperately. That Yankee series showed it in glaring light. This is a one-and-done team if we succeed in making the playoffs as it is. Well, if anything happens, pitching-wise, it will be welcome. The Tribe picked up a couple of big bats, and they'll get a couple of front-line pitchers back themselves soon. For Dog's sake, we've got a lot of 40-man decisions coming up, and not enough room for all our young sluggers. We run the risk of losing some guys with nothing in return. There is no reason not to find a deal.

I don't know about that no-trade clause. He may be sore at us, because we used to spank him pretty hard back when he was a Royal. Heh....

Good, solid win today. Jeepers, I didn't notice, though, we have 10 games left with the Tribe! 10! Fortunately, 7 of 'em at our park, but that's a lot of time to tell which team is going to finish on top. On another note, I don't get the crying about how Cleve. has a 'soft' schedule these days- all teams play the same sched, and the month of August will be as soft on us as it will be tough for them- so, July and Aug are going to be a wash. Let's see if the boys can make some hay next month when it's our turn through the Chi-KC-Detroit portion, while Cleveland deals with the Yanks, Red Sox, and Rays.

Great list, Mikey! I can't even rank all those games myself, they're all a great jog down memory lane! I went down the youtube rabbit hole for a while after that... My first Twins memory was that 65 season. I remember crying like a 6 year old when they lost that game 7. Cuz... I was a 6 yr-old, I guess... What a sweet list! Thanks for posting this!

Heh... I was watching that playoff game in '87 with the gang at Stub and Herb's in Dinkytown. That pickoff play between Laudner and Gaetti was a dagger! I have never found any video of that game, anywhere, as much as I'd love to see that again.

It does seem rather far-fetched as an option, but.... with this FO, who knows? And as for a dour demeanor-- hell, I WANT my starter to have a demeanor as dour as possible when he takes that mound! I want him to wanna beat the snot out of whoever's in that batter's box!

I don't think I'm going out on a limb here, but I believe that Yankee series would have turned out a little differently with Bux in the lineup all 3 games.