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wsnydes

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Everything posted by wsnydes

  1. wsnydes
    I think you're right though. The injuries can't be the reason that this team is playing as poorly as it is. Should there be some expected drop in production as a whole? Sure, but players that are healthy aren't producing either, generally speaking. Dozier hasn't hit since the first week and a half of the season. Rosario and Escobar got hot for a while, but have cooled off. Same with Kepler. LoMo has been fine after a very rough start. Castro wasn't hitting before he was shut down. Garver hasn't hit well enough to compensate for his lackluster glove. Polanco's suspension has hurt them too. The pitching staff has done pretty well without May and Santana. Do the injuries contribute? Absolutely, but that's a pretty small part of the story in my view. The injuries and the suspension are outside of the team's control, but the lack of quality depth on the left side of the infield and a 4th outfielder are hurting this team just as much as the injuries. Those two things are firmly within the control of the FO.
  2. wsnydes
    It would seem that the pain would explain some things, maybe not all of them, but at least some of them for Buxton. I can't imagine that a broken toe is easy to play though. As odd as it is to say, I think this team can more easily absorb Santana's absence than they can Buxton. The rotation has been very solid without him, meanwhile the outfield defense suffers without Buxton. Hopefully both can get back healthy and still contribute meaningfully this season.
  3. wsnydes
    Awesome idea and great article! Thanks for putting this together, Tom!
  4. wsnydes
    At this rate, the Twins should tie the game by in the 11th. So there is hope!
  5. wsnydes
    Did you use the same #2 pencil so frequently that the lead fell off and became ineffective?
  6. wsnydes
    I'm not a fan of sending him down, but maybe sitting a couple of days helps. I'd rather he be working with the big league coaches, but beyond that I'm willing to listen to any ideas. This team needs him to get going.
  7. wsnydes
    Agreed. There's no reason that bunting shouldn't be in the arsenal of someone so fast. I don't think he's as good as he could be with bunting, but I think you're right. He needs to do something different. There's no reason why this can't be one of those things. He does need to get more swinging hits for it to become extremely effective, but you have to start somewhere and if that is what it takes for him to relax and settle in, I'm all for it. At this point, I think he's pressing and trying too hard. He's not in the lineup again today, so maybe taking a step back is a good idea. He seems pretty lost at the plate right now.
  8. wsnydes
    It's hardly a guarantee that things will even out in the long run. Obviously you hope that they do, but there's nothing guaranteeing that it'll happen. The problem with the law of averages is that "average" moves depending on how good you really are. They might start winning close games, but they might not. If they don't start hitting, they won't. That is also predicated on the pitching holding up. As you've pointed out, bullpen reliability has a lot of variability. The situation could actually get worse instead of better! Seattle could keep winning close games or start losing them. You'd hope they even out in the long run, but that doesn't always play out. The Twins have a bigger hole to dig themselves out of for the WC than they do the division. Either way, they haven't been able to capitalize on Cleveland's early struggles due to poor play. Hopefully they can overcome that. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. All of this is why they play the game though.
  9. wsnydes
    Except the Tigers are right there too. I can't imagine what they're doing is sustainable, but if the Twins are included in this discussion, so too are the Tigers. They haven't gone away yet, so it's hard to say that they're any sort of pushover if the Twins aren't. Seattle still seems to be finding ways to win without Cano. Felix hasn't been Felix all season. The M's are 8-2 in their last 10. They're playing pretty good ball and winning the close games the Twins aren't. They might be able to catch one of them, but I don't think they'll be able to catch both - which is what they need to do. If those two are beating each other up, that doesn't really help the Twins. One of them will always benefit at the expense of the other. The Twins are 11 games back in the win column already. I wish that I had your optimism.
  10. wsnydes
    I think there's a bit more to it, but teams that do the little things poorly lose more close games than they win. That does go back to the manager. Execution needs to be included in that discussion too though.
  11. wsnydes
    I don't believe that the pen is more important than the hitters, it's that it's impossible to win a game in which you never lead. However, if you have a lead in a game, you're likely to at least luck into a win now and then. Cleveland's issue is maintaining a lead, not getting one in the first place. I believe that it's easier to maintain a lead than it is to come from behind to get one and then maintain it. I also think that fixing a bullpen on a team who has a good rotation is easier than fixing an entire offense. I realize that you're not addressing just my comments, however you did use my words in that particular case. I felt obliged to elaborate on what I, personally, meant. There is a lot of pessimism here and it's hard to blame anyone for it. Generally speaking, this team isn't much different than I expected going into the season. I'm surprised that the bats are as cold as they are, but I'm also pleasantly surprised by the pitching. I saw this team being about what they were last year, just a more consistent version of it. That was an average team at best that would beat up on the bottom third of the AL and still struggle mightily to beat true playoff contenders. That's pretty much what I'm seeing. I don't disagree that they can't catch the likes of the Rays or Jays or even Oakland. However, they aren't catching the Yankees, M's or Angels. Two of those teams are currently sitting in the drivers seat. This team, even if they're hitting, are not in the same conversation as those teams in my opinion. This assumes no major injuries of course. M's and Angels are an easier get, but I don't think that catching the Yankees is even debatable. I realize that they only have to catch one of them, but I just don't think this team is nearly as good as those teams.
  12. wsnydes
    Unless his toe swelled up or something of that nature, I agree with this completely. I didn't hear anything to that effect though, so it does seem pretty questionable to sit him just for the sake of resting him on a day a lefty is starting.
  13. wsnydes
    You're reading into that one word far too much. As I've said before, there is still plenty of baseball to be played. There is time, no doubt. I'm not arguing that, nor ever have been. However, the bats are showing no signs of coming to life yet Cleveland is already pulling away. This team isn't going to be a wild card team, so they need to catch and surpass Cleveland in order to make the playoffs. That's all I'm saying, and that's all that I meant by using the word "salvage." If they win the division, they salvaged what was a poor start to the season. I would argue that if Cleveland solidifies their bullpen and the Twins find their bats, it's the same season. Neither team gains anything on the other. Which means that the Twins are still in the hole that they've created by not taking advantage of Cleveland's struggles. the Twins are struggling because they can't score. Cleveland is losing because they can't prevent teams from scoring late in games. To me, those two neutralize the other. One team can't hold a lead, the other can't get a lead. I'd rather be the team that can't hold a lead than the one that can't get a lead.
  14. wsnydes
    I wasn't arguing that point and I was at least partially agreeing with you. Please reread my second paragraph. Part of the logic that I think you're missing is that the Twins are closer to the Twins that we've seen in recent memory and Cleveland is not. If not for a 20-10 month last year, that squad was about what we're seeing of this current squad. That 20-10 month is what put them in the playoffs. Cleveland is coming off of back to back playoff appearances, a division title and two years removed from a WS appearance with much of the same personnel. The Twins have been largely irrelevant for much of the past decade. I'll say this though. I think you're trying to align assumptions that aren't necessarily trying to be aligned. It's perfectly logical to believe that the Twins are this bad and still believe that Cleveland will get better. Their recent track records back that up. You are correct though, this could be the real Cleveland and the Twins are the ones that will take off. That's certainly within the realm of possibility. Many, myself included, believe that Cleveland will find their groove and take off. As I said before, I also think that the Twins bats will get better. However, I wonder if it'll be too late to salvage the season.
  15. wsnydes
    I'd say that the Indians are underachieving, but they're still 3 games over .500 and 4.5 games clear at the moment. It's true, if they were performing as expected they should be in a better position. There's still a lot of baseball to be played and I also expect the bats to pick up, but this team hasn't been able to capitalize on Cleveland's early struggles and they may be finding their groove. By the time the Twins bats come to life, if that happens at all, it may be too late. They've been extremely fortunate that they aren't in a bigger hole considering how poorly they've been playing.
  16. wsnydes
    Dumb. Just dumb. Two nights in a row.
  17. wsnydes
    I'm not sure that I can just take your word for it. I may require samples for confirmation purposes.
  18. wsnydes
    Cookies would fit in nicely with all of the high carb diets being discussed tonight, right?
  19. wsnydes
    You too?! He's hogging all of the fun and I'm getting tired of it!
  20. wsnydes
    Did someone say something about a good shuffle? https://goo.gl/images/HAChtj
  21. wsnydes
    Good Gibson is so much less nerve-racking to watch than bad Gibson.
  22. wsnydes
    Buxton, pay attention to what Jay just did...
  23. wsnydes
    Kind of interesting that Glynn held Adrianza on the prior hit but sent Dozier there. Practically identical scenarios.
  24. wsnydes
    That was your pitch, Dozier. Good Dozier hammers that pitch.
  25. wsnydes
    That would also be a problem for me. I like a couple of fingers of whiskey after a long day. It's not every day, but I wouldn't like having to cut it out.
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