bighat

Pretty obvious that KC is on a different level than the Twins. Twins pitching is bad - but the offense is really, really, really bad. Minnesota had the bases loaded TWICE with less than 2 outs against Keller. The first time was with 1 out in the 1st - they scored one run (walk). They also had the bases loaded in the 4th, this time with nobody out. They scored one run (GIDP). I'll watch a bad Twins team lose 10-9 and at least enjoy a few moments. But watching a team loaded with Donaldson, Cruz, and Sano scrap together 3 runs against a struggling Royals pitcher on a beautiful spring afternoon is a waste of time. This team doesn't feel "cursed" and none of this feels like "bad luck". It's just a bad team full of aging and regressing talent. There's a toxicity attached to it as well.

It's very obvious to me that Nelson has been really out of sync ever since he was hit by a pitch a couple weeks ago. He then sat on the bench for 5-6 games and that really threw his timing off. Cruz needs to play every day - he's getting fooled on almost every pitch and frankly the guy's been terrible since returning to the lineup. Thank The Flying Spaghetti Monster for Rob Refsnyder. Frankly the Twins should have Kirilloff, Refsnyder & Larnach batting 2-3-4 right now. Unreal.

Uff-da. Even the wins are ugly in this disappointing season. I've never seen a team do so little damage with multiple runners on base & nobody-out scenarios. The Twins recent "surge" (if you wanna call it that) is mostly due to mistakes by the other team. Today, the Twins won this game thanks to a gift wild pitch - a run that crossed the plate despite the Twins' failures to take advantage of a very favorable offensive scenario (bases loaded, nobody out in the 4th). Garver also scored on an error by Santana, another gift run that turned out to be needed. Bottom line: the Twins need a ton of outside help to compete. They got it today. Aside from a couple flashes, Kepler and Donaldson have been non-existent offensively for most of the year. I think I'm more disappointed in Donaldson but both have been head-shakingly bad. But hey! Twins win. It's Saturday, Memorial Day weekend, and we can all relax and enjoy the evening. Have a great one, folks!

Good observation and yes I think everyone should temper their expectations with the Royals this weekend. KC is not Baltimore. In fact, Kansas City has looked like a much better team than the Twins this season, top to bottom. I'd be thrilled if the Twins take 2-of-3 in this series. Unfortunately it could easily break the other way. Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler take no prisoners and I wouldn't be surprised if they mash Twins pitching. The key to winning this series will be to put up big offensive numbers, I fear with scoring only 3 yesterday against the worst pitcher on the worst team, the Twins are still struggling mightily with the bats. Spells trouble.

Do you have any examples of that? What's the comedy routine, exactly? I have heard Hawkins discuss his career experiences quite a bit - sometimes it's a bit like "back in my day blah blah blah" but it's not overly annoying in my opinion. He's no Rex Hudler, to use an extreme example, which I'm thankful for. I'd say Hawkins is just about everything you look for in a color-commentator role. Meanwhile Justin Morneau sounds like he's talking to a bunch of 90 year-olds at a nursing home: "Gee whillikers granny, let me tell you about the time Torii Hunter gave me a knuckle sandwich!" - at least LaTroy sounds like he's talking to a group of fans as opposed to Morneau, who should be hosting bingo night at the VFW.

Robby Ref certainly providing spark to this lineup. Maybe he's waking some of the other guys up. Kirilloff is good. Guy is going to be hitting cleanup for this team for years. The Orioles are awful. This is what the worst team in baseball looks like. The Twins still aren't good but it's shameful that they are so close to this team in the AL standings. The birds are just giving games away. Might as well take them and the Twins should go hard for the sweep.

Hmm, 82 MPH from the middle man on a relay throw seems pretty fast. Back to the plate, catch, spin and throw...that's totally different than an outfielder who's getting a running start under a ball.

That 8th inning home run by Stewart was right out of central casting. It was so defeating. A shame for Shoemaker. Glad the Twins said "f this" for a change and got the run back and then some. The bottom of the 8th inning was really something to watch. Need to make hay this week, good way to start. Here's hoping the guys in the Twins locker room are starting to feel like they can win ballgames. We've got a real star in Kiriloff and Larnach's been showing some potential. Fun. I fear the Twins are still too much boom-or-bust offensively. Would love to see a game where they are consistently scoring in many innings, rather than just 1 or 2.

Found this dose of reality on another blog: To get to 96 wins (reasonable expectation for a division win), we'd need to play .681 baseball for the rest of the season. That's a 110 win pace in a full 162-game season. Basically, we'd need to be the best team in franchise history starting right now.

Tonight the Twins face John Means - he of the 4-0 record, 1.49 ERA and the recent no-hitter. Twins counter with Matt Shoemaker. Yeeeeesh. Nelson Cruz might still be out out, Polanco out, Kepler out. Lineup looks like it will almost certainly include Garlick, Refsnyder, Astudillo, Larnach, and Gordon tonight. I just can't get excited about this team, and a 4-4 week isn't going to change my mind. Twins will need to go 11-2 or 12-1 over their next patch of games to even possibly have a chance at getting back in this thing. I just don't see that without Buxton in the lineup, and the current pitching staff (no Pineda, no Maeda, who are they going to roll out there?) is just an absolute train wreck.

FWIW, Baltimore lost today, the Twins are now tied for the worst record in MLB.

Ozzie Guillen said it best. They're done.

Agreed. My only problem is that he missed.

Amazing to think at 4-0 that Sano would hit 3 HR and the Twins would win in the bottom of the 9th. Almost unfathomable. Great night for the Twins, and Sano. By the way, it's a shame to see a guy hit 3 HR and see the score is 4-4. Gimme a break, get some guys on base for crying out loud. But beggars can't be choosers. A win's a win. I think Duffey clearly tried to hit Mercedes, it's too bad he missed. If you're gonna throw at the guy's butt, at least make contact. Weird watching Rocco get thrown out, that's about as passionate as I've ever seen him and he still looked like he was having a hard time getting steamed up. But good for him for trying to fire up his guys. Not sure the enthusiasm can last with a Shoemaker vs. Giolitto tilt today. A loss would be devastating and that trip out to LA could be a disaster. But, that's why we play the games! You never know. Overshadowed in MLB with Spencer Turnbull throwing a no-hitter for Detroit against Seattle. It's the 2nd time the Mariners have been no-hit and they're hitting .199 as a team. Yikes. For the Tigers, with World Series winning manager AJ Hinch and a talented young group of players, it must feel good.

Any talk about the Twins being unlucky this year is just a coping mechanism to help fans deal with reality. It's like telling kids that their 12 year-old cocker spaniel didn't come home from their last visit to the vet because she "went to live on a farm". This is a bad ballclub that deserves to be ranked last in MLB. And that's right where they are. The sooner we all accept the likelyhood of a 107 loss season, the better we'll handle the rest of the season. I don't think kneeling and praying to the BABIP Gods is going to help anyone.

I can normally enjoy baseball for baseball's sake as well. A good example is indeed the 1990 Twins. They were just 3 years off a World Series victory and even when they finished in last, they won 74 games. Aguilera and Scott Erickson were emerging, Puckett was still a superstar and Shane Mack was making a name for himself in the OF. Unfortunately this Twins team was expected to contend for a World Series. The organization hasn't won a playoff game in 20 years. Finally, they are on pace for a 55-107 season. There are some really rotten apples on this squad too. Not fun to watch.

I don't see the Twins winning one game this week. They'll be 20 games under .500 by Sunday. Absolute embarrassment.

This team just gives away runs like Halloween candy on October 31st. And they squander runs on the offensive side. Men on 2nd and 3rd, nobody out? For the Twins, they're lucky to score 1 run in that scenario. They can't score runs in bunches because they can't hit with runners on base. This team simply cannot make contact. Most last place teams are likeable, if not loveable. Almost all last place teams are rebuilding and doing their best - at least you give them respect....not these guys. This is the worst team in baseball, they deserve to be, and it's pretty hard to feel sorry for them the way they are playing.

Except in Yankee Stadium, that's 15 rows up in the upper deck.

Like the author and the other commenters....I'm happy about the win but overall it didn't change my feelings about this team. It was nice to see Sano get fired up, dude sure as heck needed a big moment. Speaking of that big moment, it was the Twins' first lead in 33 INNINGS: This team needs to win tomorrow, or today's win will be forgotten quickly. Here's hoping someone in the locker room (maybe, I dunno, former league MVP, established veteran and highest paid guy on the team Josh Donaldson cough-cough) is ready to step up into a leadership role and tell these guys to pull their heads out already. Bullpen with 2 scoreless innings, that's something I guess?

Yep. Cruz, Buxton, Berrios, Donaldson, and Arraez are all very passionate players. Well known for being gritty, gutty, and sometimes downright fiery. For a team composed of players like that to look so lifeless is baffling. Rocco's putting Nyquil in the Gatorade. This team is miserable. Watching them play is painful.

I dunno - how about they talk to Pohlad and ask if Rocco's on the hot seat? Start at least asking that question. If the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox, or any other team that was predicted to be a playoff finalist were 12-23, we wouldn't just be hearing whispers, we'd be reading detailed articles about firing the manager daily. I think readers and fans are ready for some drastic moves. Someone should start the conversation.

100% Absolutely agree. There seems to be a lot of reporters saying things like "Gee whiz, another bad game for the Twins" and not much else. This is a train wreck and the media is just mailing it in, like the coaching staff. LaVelle did tweet last night that this could be a 100 loss team but he's not really the Twins beat reporter right now. No pressure at all from media or ownership or front office... Now you also mentioned fight. Here's the crazy part: Josh Donaldson: known as a competitor, can be a red-assed hothead. Wants to WIN. Period. Luis Arraez: Battles every plate appearance. Gritty. Gutty. Fun. Contagious attitude. Nelson Cruz: Ageless talent and the one of the biggest cheerleaders in the game. Yells and celebrates and has tons of fun with teammates in the dugout. La Tortuga: If not a competitor, at least he's a fun addition to a clubhouse. Buxton: A huge "LETS GO!" guy who gets fired up when he makes big plays and gets fired up when his teammates do as well. Berrios: Works hard, has the respect of his teammates and is not shy about pumping his fist. Clearly wants to WIN. How on earth can a team with the players listed above be so listless? What on earth is going on? It's like Rocco's putting sleeping pills in the gatorade or something. Not only are the Twins playing way under their abilities, but they are also sleepwalking through the whole thing. It's insane and even crazier is that all we hear is "gee whiz these Twins aren't playing well" from the local media and from Rocco. This is a dumpster fire and I for one want answers.

Seth Rogan just did some hilarious interviews with Howard Stern - including some really funny stories about meeting Tom Cruise and George Lucas. If you're looking for a day brightener, head over to YouTube and look them up. Back to the Twins - we could have all turned off the game when the White Sox took a 2-1 lead in the 1st inning. There is no fight in this team offensively. And, every time the offense shows life, the starting pitcher or bullpen immediate gives up the lead. I'm talking right away, they don't even let the Twins build on a lead for an inning or two. Any lead is just POOF gone. I'm getting antsy for some kind of big move. Maybe it's a firing of someone in management. Or maybe it's a demotion of a big name. But something's gotta happen. Because sitting around and doing nothing is just so pathetically lethargic that it's embarrassing.

Dylan Cease was simply awful - he was wild, ineffective, and throwing up meatballs. If you watched the game, his performance was much worse than his line shows. Yet the Twins' bats are so futile, that Cease actually set a personal record for getting 20 swings-and-misses. That's right: on a mediocre pitcher's worst night, he still marked a personal best against Minnesota Twins bats. I'm not even touching the bullpen, as I have nothing to add that hasn't been said. Rortvedt should be shown the door, he makes Jeffers look like Hank Aaron. Cruz is swinging and missing at 89MPH fastballs down the middle. Simmons' baserunning mistake in the 2nd inning is unforgiveable, just a complete meltdown. La Tortuga is our best option at first right now, I can't even imagine how bad this lineup would be with Sano in it. I'm with most who say the season appears to be over. It's mind-boggling that we are already to this point but the record and performance speak for themselves.