Squirrel

Moderator note: To everyone, this is not a Mauer thread. Move it elsewhere as there are plenty other threads out there to discuss Mauer. Or start your own. This is the game wrap up. It was a good game with some much needed good pitching, a pitcher making his MLB debut, ending with a walk-off homerun. If all you can talk about from that is how Mauer wasn’t in the middle of the scrum, post it elsewhere.

He may have been advised by his manager not to talk to anyone until they decide if they will file a grievance. It’s been a tough and disappointing year for all of us but likely more so for him. I don’t blame him for taking some time off and away to be with his family. I also think it better for him to take time and not give out immediate responses in anger or disappointment as that really would be immature. Bottom line, we don’t know if this is a character issue or not so maybe it’s best not to jump to conclusions.

I don’t think that anyone is arguing that his defense cancels out his not hitting, as he has been this year. I think what people are saying that his elite defensive skills can’t be negated as you and many others seem to be saying by only focusing on his hitting. He doesn’t need to be above or well above average as a hitter to provide good value to the team. But he does need to be at least average, which he isn’t right now.

A note or two on the Miracle game. Miranda’s HR was high and deep, landed behind the berm in left field, a no-doubter off the bat. Miranda also made a really nice play at third. And the Whitefield throw was great. That fly out he caught wasn’t deep but it wasn’t short, either. Considering the play before he double/triple bounced a throw to the cut off man, I thought the runner on 3rd was going to score easily. But Whitehead’s throw was a spot on delivery - Rosario couldn’t have done it better. It was a very close play, too. In the 8th, it just seemed to be one miscue after another ... the passed ball on the strike out was the first. And that was the only runner to score. Then the HBP on the first pitch of the next batter. The first out came with runners on first and third when the batter hit a high pop up between home and 3rd. Miranda comes in, he’s under it, and the ball drops right behind him. He quickly picked it up and threw the runner out at 2nd. No harm really, as there were still runners at the corners as before but now with one out; I was starting to get the feeling this might not end well. Then Moran walks the next one to load the bases. Then Moran just seemed to hit a groove and struck out the next two. In the top of the 9th, a high pop up was hit to the 1st baseman. I don’t think he had to move more than a step. He’s under it ... and the ball lands right in front of him. It had the home crowd ‘oh no-ing’ and ‘what the heck-ing’. Then Moran just delivers it. It was petty exciting. But either the Tortuga batters were just over anxious or Moran is a very deceptive pitcher, because there was a lot of swinging at high and in the dirt balls over the 5 strikeouts he got. It also felt like he needed to strike out everyone because the defense didn’t help in a few spots, and neither did Moran himself before he struck out the final two in the 8th. But it was a very good game to be at, and it didn’t rain despite lots of dark clouds all around.

Well, technically, it is, unless you are a DH sitting on the bench the whole game except to bat. A team spends half an inning trying to produce runs, and the other half inning is spent trying to prevent runs. You can argue which is the more important half, and give it a higher percentage of importance to the outcome of the game, but that’s a different discussion. I don’t think Buxton needs to produce as much offensively because of his defense, however, his defense doesn’t make up for where his offense currently sits. He needs to figure that out and there needs to be a positive balance before he provides what this team needs. As for his reckless play in the outfield, I guess I wouldn’t describe it as that, or as haphazard. By definition that implies a lack of care or thought for what he’s doing, that he’s just running randomly into walls. I’d say he cares very much for what he’s doing, maybe too much, that it’s not random at all. You can say his goal to try and catch everything out there is detrimental to his well being and thus to his team, and I might agree, or at least accept, but I’m not so sure it’s either reckless or haphazard. But his injuries this year ... the migraine, the broken toe and the wrist strain ... were not caused by his outfield play. That said ... he does need to work on his hitting. That is undeniable and no question. But how much of a hitter does he ‘need’ to become and does sending him home now help accomplish that? If sending him home accomplishes that, then sending him home was the right thing to do.

Will get to see the Miracle play Friday night after just missing their game on Tuesday! Yay!

Miracles won tonight! Woohoo!

Yes. Even though I can’t say for sure where he’ll end up in the org, I’ve liked the progress I’ve seen so far. It’s very good to see, and against a true, MLB lineup.

I’m fine with letting this experiment run its course to the end of this season, but I just think it’s not ... right ... to all of a sudden make your relievers starters. While I know that all relievers were basically failed starters, they are relievers now. They are accustomed, both physically and mentally, to relieve, not start. Yes, let’s just drop the ‘opener’ name; you are asking these relief pitchers to start. It doesn’t matter if it’s only an inning or two. And doesn’t the ‘need’ for this strategy send a message to your actual starters, that they aren’t good enough to get through Innings like they should? Or, if you need an ‘opener’, shouldn’t that be an indication to you that maybe you need better starting pitching? Or is this baseball evolving to have entire games pitched by relievers? Or maybe this is the strategy trying to compete when you don’t have a Kershaw or a Verlander? Or maybe I just don’t fully grasp the concept? (Which, to be honest, is probably the most likely.) So many questions which is why I am uncomfortably okay with riding out this experiment.

I don’t know who right now as I don’t know everyone available on the FA market, nor do I know who all might make good trading partners. But this team needs impact and I don’t think that is coming from in house. I disagree that the Twins can’t compete financially for Machado, but they can’t compete with being on a coast and being a ‘winner’ right now. We have more room financially than anyone to add someone of Machado’s caliber and if we don’t it won’t be because we can’t but because we won’t. And I think there would still be room to add a good SP and a good BP arm or two. And we will still be needing significant turn-around from a couple of our players that will be on the team next year.

Concur. That lineup is a ‘stand pat’ lineup and is not an upgrade, at all. In fact I might consider it a step back because it’s not a step forward.

Thanks. Good article.

MODERATOR WARNING: Knock it off. You are making your posts personal towards one another. Stop bickering. And if you don't want to respond to someone's post, don't respond to it.

So, are you then saying that if he does figure out a way to stay off the DL and does become an all-star that all this was spot on? And that it will then become worrisome about being able to sign him when he hits FA because of how unfair the FO was in this decision despite the contrary moaning and groaning about the moaning and groaning? (And as a bit of a note ... let's refrain from calling people's differing opinions as moaning and groaning.)

Moderator note: There is a wide difference of opinion on this issues, which is fine. But name-calling is not, whether it's about the player/s themself/ves or other posters, or anyone else, so please don't go there. Posters and players are not mean nor are they wimps. Keep the debates to the subject matter and not resorting to personal jabs, mischaracterizations, and name-calling. Posts have been and will be removed.

I wish Wednesday’s game was at Hammond instead as I don’t arrive in Fort Myers until 7pm Tuesday.

It’s not like we don’t have 15-16 pitchers at this point.

And can we please stop with the opener idea? It’s DUMB! If you don’t have starters that can get through the lineup a 3rd time, maybe they shouldn’t be starters.

Three words for this: DIS GUST ING

And that’s not the first time Molitor has done that this season.

Have you ever had a broken toe? And the big toe at that? It’s painful and debilitating. I’m not saying the FO is all to blame for Buxton’s season, but they had a hand in it, forcing his turn before he was fully healthy, but resulted in a worse situation, And now do this on top of it for their gain at Buxton’s expense. Look, I’ve said before, many times now but posters seem to want to only mention one aspect of my comments to suit their own rebuttal ... if Buxton wasn’t capable or ready to come north, that would be one thing. But that service time manipulation seems to be a primary consideration, not his well being, I have issues with that, especially since they had a hand in his lost season to begin with.

Or, you could also say the FO’s handling of pushing him back to the lineup before his broken toe was fully healed, also had a part in his missed season. They bungled his handling and now he pays an even bigger price for it by them manipulating his service time. I’m glad Falvey mentions ‘making amends’ because as well as Buxton himself, they also had a hand in this, perhaps a bigger hand, but are the only ones reaping the rewards at Buxton’s expense.

Don’t forget Duke, Rodney and Lynn. And they picked up Cave, too. I don’t think it’s really fair to say their spending last off season was unwise; only in hindsight based on results. While I get that results are the end game, most of us were enthused with what was done in the off season. I gave that a pretty high grade, actually. I don’t think it was spending just to spend. If you call the spending that was done unwise, then I think you have to call not spending to outbid the Cubs on Darvish wise.

Bob had some comments about him here that you might find interesting: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/28933-andrew-vasquez-2018/?p=790559

That's what I thought. Even more funny that the guy I talk baseball with at the gym (huge Cubs fan) said that Gimenez screwed up Darvish ... still find that so odd.