Darius

The way this team is pitching, the 96% number to make the playoffs is way too high. 90% to win the division while being 2 up on Cleveland (after we lose another to the Yankees tonight)? Who is coming up with these statistics? My prediction: We get the second wildcard behind Oakland and get steamrolled out of Yankee Stadium. Same old story.

The record since June 1 don’t lie.

Why did this team have to start the season the way they did and create so much false hope?

And Odorizzi is painting and can’t get a call. This a joke.

Cave is awful.

More bad baseball. Does Baldelli do anything with the club other than pregame Yoga?

You’re right. There may be another angle in New York. To me, I didn’t see one that clearly showed his hand touching the bag before he was tagged. It’s not an assumption, it has to be totally clear to overturn the call.

Firs then strike zone last night. Now overturning that call. Are there still people denying the Yankees are treated differently than the Twins? There is no evidence to overturn there.

Falvey, I’m sure as a result of the considerable and deserved backlash for their gross mishandling of the bullpen, spoke in regards to the Twins plan at the deadline today. IMO, reading between the lines of purposefully convoluted GM speak, he’s basically saying don’t expect any high-end arms. They’re going after depth, and the current roster is good enough to propel this team to where they want to go. This approach, as a lifelong Twins fan in his 30s, has gotten so exhausting. How much fun can it possibly be when we know this is over already? Without supplementing this roster with trades/free agents, we stand no chance. I wonder if the Brewers have comparable season ticket packages and prices. At least they aren’t scared to go after it. I’m really tired of griping on here. But this inaction is infuriating. We have a Workd Series lineup and solid starting pitching that will be largely disbanded after this season. We have a real shot at a title. It’s dissolving in front of our eyes. The most frustrating part to me is that ownership is making a killing this year. I’d understand if the place was still empty. At least the Vikings, maybe the only team in the State that has ownership willing to take a risk to win, start soon.

There is nothing accurate about that last paragraph. Besides pointing out that a seller will sell for what they’re willing to sell for. Saying they’d need to trade the equivalent of Royce Lewis for Matt Capps if they wanted to make a trade today is just gross absurd hyperbole. The market is what the market is. It’s economics. Are people suggesting that if we have to pay slightly more than we’d like to, we should just flush this season and try again next year? Because that’s what will happen. The Yankees and Indians can probably afford to stick with their current bullpens. If we do, the season may be over before 2-3 weeks from now. Keep in mind, the opportunity cost is going to be one marginal prospect that likely will never see the majors. The, “it’ll have to be Royce Lewis for Matt Capps,” is just plain absurd and inaccurate. And who cares if we slightly overpay, causing someone else to slightly overpay? And how does anyone know what “overpaying” is anyway? You pay what you pay. Prices of everything from milk, to gasoline, to houses fluctuate all the time based on market conditions. Things are worth what people are willing to pay. If there is a milk shortage, people pay more for milk. It’s not overpaying. It’s paying. Overpaying would be if Kansas City said they’d take Nick Gordon, and we said we’ll give you Nick Gordon and for good measure, we’ll throw in Duran as well. I couldn’t possibly disagree with this excuse any more than I do.

People can make all of the excuses they want for why a move hasn’t been made. But, that’s all they are. Bad excuses that are bordering on delusion/denial at this point. The lack of attention to the pen during the off-season was a giant mistake. There should be no pass given there. That’s a decision they made. Didn’t the think this team could win? Well, that was an awful evaluation (and why spend the cash on Gonzalez, Cron, etc, then?). Bringing in Blake Parker as a late inning guy after he was cast off by a worse team? Wonderful idea. The market hasn’t been set? Does anyone even know what that means? That is such a Pohlad Pocket Protector-esque meaningless excuse. The market exists while the window is open. It always exists. Nothing has to be “set” by another team in order to make a trade. If the market wasn’t set, how did the Yankees, Athletics, and Red Sox all address needs via trade already? Bunch of hogwash. But, let’s say that excuse holds any water whatsoever. You have to make a trade first in order to set the market. Why is it illegal for the Twins to the pull the trigger first? We must wait until the choice relievers are gone to know what to pay for the leftovers? What does that even mean, “the market isn’t set?” Infuriating excuse. I’m starting to wonder: What good moves has this FO made? Bringing in Cruz? My 4 year old could tell you that Nelson Cruz is a good player and should be signed if affordable (let’s not act like he didn’t fall in their lap, either. If any of about 15-20 other teams wanted him that’s where he’d be). Cron? He came here by default, basically. Nobody wanted him. Anyone else worth a damn is a holdover from the Ryan/Smith regimes. There’s a pretty long list of awful evaluations piling up (Morrison, Lynn, Schoop is awful, Parker, etc.). These guys are given way more credit than they deserve. What good are these numbers they’ve been crunching doing now? They’re watching what is possibly the best chance they’ll have to win a World Series slip away.

You must have missed Chapman and Ottavino getting inches off the edge despite not being able to locate in any way. Meanwhile, Kohl’s Stewart got the zone pinched (I can think of two of his pitches that were strikes on the bottom half that were uncalled). Roy Smalley even commented on a few of these calls. I know the pen blew it, but it’s the story of the game for me. There is a reason why the entire bench was nearly ejected. We’re at home and getting and ump treatment like that? Might as well roll up the tent now, because that can swing an entire playoff series.

This does not amount to only grapes. It’s a fact a legitimate gripe. I sat and eat the Yankees relievers get calls that the Twins didn’t in huge situations last night over and over again. Two come to mind as particularly egregious. Look at strike 1 to Rosario vs Chapman. I don’t recall who was up against Ottavino. But, he was given multiple gifts when he couldn’t find the strikezone, one up and away that was clearly not a strike (Roy Smalley even commented, “not a strike, that’s up and away.” Did the Twins bullpen suck? Sure, they’re a disaster. That doesn’t change the fact that the Twins win that game if balls/strikes were called evenly on both sides. These two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Youre not really painting an accurate picture here. Buxton is a 9.5 WAR player in 381 games. Hicks 11.7 in 646. Buxton is nearly doubling up Hicks in that regard. Hicks is also going to be 30, Buxton 26, on their next birthday. The Yankees fleeced the Twins in one of the worst trades I’ve ever seen since I’ve been alive. But, the Twins aren’t losing the CF battle. I’d bet there isn’t a single person in Major League Baseball that would consider taking Hicks over Buxton if given the choice. The question really is, would you rather have Hicks in a corner OF spot or Rosario/Kepler?

Why is Kohl Stewart even pitching in this situation in a playoff race against the Yankees? This is just getting absurd. I really wish the media would start to tar and feather Falvine about this bullpen instead of kissing their rear ends.

The ump has also robbed Stewart of 2-3 low strike calls that were given to Chapman multiple times.

I just can’t believe this bullpen hasn’t been addressed.

Well, considering they’ve won more games with a tougher schedule, less bad baseball. I’m not sure why would anyone would argue against blowing a 6 run lead in 3 innings, then walking the 9 hitter with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th followed by a grooved fastball to a RH batter, being bad baseball, but to each his own I guess.

What the hell is Rogers doing? Blow the 9 hitter away. This team plays really bad baseball.

I also want everyone who’s ever doubted Sano fired.

From this day on I want Falvey, Lavine, and Baldelli canned. I also want the ump canned for costing us the game.

That ump should be canned tomorrow. That’s one of the worst calls I’ve seen in a situation like that. That’s going to cost us the game.

Should’ve been out of there already. Come on Baldlli. I’m less and less impressed with him with seemingly every game.

You gotta get someone warmed and get him out of there, IMO.

This team has some hideous ABs in big situations routinely. Rowson deserves a ton of credit, and gets a boatload if it. But why doesn’t he ever take any heat for that? It’s always the individual player getting berated. But, when a player, like Sano for instance, turns things around it’s all because of his genius. Great coach, but that part of it is starting to annoy me.