Respy

Well, bye Joe Mauer.

I'd rather see the scale of the chart in terms of WAR, instead of the number of players. I could probably make one myself, but I'd rather gripe about it.

"Thank you... I have a terrible cold copy-paste addiction. I blame that."

Twins lineup: 1. Joe Mauer [L] 1B 2. Jorge Polanco SS 3. Logan Forsythe [R] 2B 4. Robbie Grossman RF 5. Tyler Austin [R] DH 6. Willians Astudillo [R] C 7. Max Kepler [L] CF 8. Johnny Field [R] LF 9. Gregorio Petit [R] 3B

Thank you... I have a terrible cold. I blame that.

Following last night’s win, the Twins sit at 73-84 and are 10-13 in September. So what’s there to watch moving forward? Joe Mauer continues his march to 2305 hits. He’s at 2115 and 191 away from passing Kirby Puckett on the all-time Twins list. Does he have enough games left in him in a Twins uniform? The Arizona Fall League starts in less than two weeks and the Twins have good representation with Brent Rooker, Jaylin Davis, Travis Blankenhorn, Hector Lujan, Alex Robinson, Devin Smeltzer, Luke Raley, and Griffin Jax. Willians Astudillo has become his own spectacle. In 82 PA with the Twins, he has walked once (1.2% BB%) and struck out twice (2.4% K%). Interesting fact: In Astudillo’s minor league career (2462 PA) he has almost as many hit-by-pitches (65) as he does strikeouts (81). And did you see the drama last night after Tyler Austin’s homerun? As Austin was rounding first, he was tripped up by Niko Goodrum. Clay Matthews was then flagged for roughing the passer. Series Recap: The Twins (73-84, 2nd in AL Central) are hosting the Tigers (64-94, 3rd in AL Central) for game 3 of a 3-game series. The Twins lost the first game of the series 4-2, and won yesterday’s game 11-4. Yesterday, Johnny Field hit 2 HR and Jorge Polanco had a bases-clearing triple. The bullpen pitched 6 innings of scoreless relief. 1. Notable Baseball Birthdays Mike Schmidt (69): One of the best to ever play, 107 career WAR, 18 seasons with the Phillies, 548 homeruns, 3 MVP’s, 10 Gold Gloves, 12 All-Star appearances.Jon Garland (39): A workhorse for mostly the White Sox, started 32+ games for 10 straight years. His career was cut short by rotator cuff surgery. His last MLB season was 2013 and considered a comeback last year. Won 18 games during the White Sox championship season in 2005.Vincente Padilla (41): I’ve heard he’s not a very nice person…Considered a head-hunter and led the MLB with 17 HBP in 2006. 108-91 career record. Here’s Padilla nailing Nick Swisher with intent, and starting a brawl: And here’s another one about Hawk (White Sox broadcaster) wanting to fight Padilla after he hit AJ Pierzynski twice: https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/video/hawk-recalls-wanting-fight-vincente-padilla 2. Starting Pitchers and Key Matchups Opener: Gabriel Moya (LHP, Minnesota): 3-1 in 34.1 IP, 4.72 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 Primary: Stephen Gonsalves (LHP, Minnesota): 1-2 in 21.1 IP, 6.75 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 7.6 BB/9 1-0 against Tigers with best outing of career on September 19th, 6 IP, 1 hit, 1 BBFrancisco Liriano (LHP, Tigers): 5-11 in 131.0 IP, 4.40 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 6.40 career ERA against TwinsLogan Forsythe versus Liriano: 7 for 12 (.583 BA) with 2 doubles, 0 K’s3. Our Twins: Who’s Hot and Cold? Hotter than a Casserole Hotdish Willians Astudillo: 8 for 17 (.471 BA) last 7 days, .389 BA in September.Ehire Adrianza: 6 for 16 (.375 BA) with 4 doubles last 7 daysJake Cave: 7 for 19 (.368 BA) with 1 HR last 7 days Colder than Embarrass Robbie Grossman: 4 for 20 (.200 BA) last 7 daysMax Kepler: 2 for 15 (.133 BA) last 7 daysTyler Austin: 4 for 20 (.200 BA) last 7 daysLogan Forsythe: 15 for 74 (.203 BA) in SeptemberAlan Busenitz: 27.00 ERA (11 ER in 3.2 innings) in SeptemberTyler Duffey: 9.00 ERA (8 ER in 8.0 innings) in SeptemberTrevor Hildenberger: 5.25 ERA (11 ER in 7.1 innings) in September4. OBP (One Bad Pun) The other day I saw the Wienermobile driving through Minneapolis. We were near the Lowry Hill tunnel, which had one lane closed for construction. I guess the Wienermobile didn’t want to deal with tunnel construction, so it detoured to Lyndale. Apparently, it was an unexpected turn for the wurst. 5. Magic 8-Ball (2018 Prediction Rate: 3-2) Shake 1: “Outlook Good” Shake 2: “Very Doubtful” Shake 3: “My sources say no” My Magic 8-ball says… Twins lose today. --------------------------------- Lineups: Tigers 1. Jeimer Candelario (3B) 2. [L] Christin Stewart (LF) 3. [R] Nicholas Castellanos (DH) 4. Niko Goodrum (1B) 5. [R] Mikie Mahtook (RF) 6. [R] Grayson Greiner ( C) 7. [R] JaCoby Jones (CF) 8. [R] Dawel Lugo (2B) 9. [R] Pete Kozma (SS) P. Francisco Liriano (LHP) Twins Lineups TBA P. Moya/Gonsalves (both LHP) Forecast for Cleveland, OH: 58 degrees F, Clear, Wind 8 mph, Precipitation 0%

I can't speak to his leadership ability, but he handled his entire career with poise and class, and I appreciated that. I wish my kids got to watch him play and watch Joe's example on how to respect the game.

After a 3-game series against the Yankees where Willians Astudillo did not record a strikeout in 10 at-bats, the Yankees officially protested the game on September 12th. Manager Joe Girardi, and pitcher David Robertson, contended that the strike zone should be wider for a batter of Astudillo's girth. Seemingly, David Robertson was frustrated that he allowed his first earned runs since July, and couldn't figure out how strike out Astudillo in a key situation. "The strike zone is normally only 17 inches wide. Are you trying to tell me that someone as wide as that guy should have the same strike zone width? We adjust the height of the strike zone for each batter, so this just doesn't make any sense." After the game, Major League Baseball's Executive VP of Baseball Operations, Richard Alderson, released the following statement: "Major League Baseball, and the office of Baseball Operations, has denied the formal protest by the Yankees on September 12th. MLB Rule 2.00 states that 'The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate...' and is not dependent on the torso width, or fluffiness, of a given batter. Major League Baseball does not discriminate against certain players, including those who are more corpulent than others." MLB pitchers will need to find another way to get Astudillo out, who has only 2 strikeouts and 0 walks in 48 MLB plate appearances, and only 85 walks (9 intentional) in 2462 minor league plate appearances. Astudillo currently leads all of Major League Baseball with a #DIV/0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

"Of all the divisions in baseball, only the NL West has Fogo de Chão locations in every city, meaning likely suitors for Escobar could be the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, or Giants." I'm sure Escobar is delighted to now be part of the Diamondbacks organization!

Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images Following last night’s loss at the hands of Carlos Carrasco and the Indians, the Twins fell to 61-70 and the Indians magic number is down to 18. The Twins are 1-5 against the Indians this month, losing any hope of an improbable playoff run. So, what’s left to do now? Now is the time to watch many players auditioning for 2019 roster spots. Sano, Kepler, and Garver need to prove they belong. Forsythe looks like he’s fighting for his career. Austin and Cave are at career crossroads. Adrianza is hanging on by a thread. Joe Mauer continues his march to 2305 hits. He’s at 2091 and 214 away from passing Kirby Puckett on the all-time Twins list. Does he have enough games left in him in a Twins uniform? Series Recap: The Indians (75-56, 1st in AL Central) are hosting the Twins (61-70, 2nd in AL Central) for game 2 of a 3-game series. The Twins lost the first game of the series 1-8. Jose Ramirez had 2 hits and knocked in 3 RBI, and now has 7.5 WAR on the season. 1. Notable Baseball Birthdays Alex Reyes (24): Highly-regarded phenom for the Cardinals, lost 2017 to Tommy John, came back for one start in 2018 and is out for 6 months with torn lat tendon.Noah Syndergaard (26): 9-3 this year with the Mets. Went 14-9 with 5 WAR in 2016.Chris Taylor (28): NL batting strikeouts leader in 2018 with 152 K’s.Brent Suter (29): 8-7 this year with the Brewers.Roy Oswalt (41): 50 career WAR and 127 ERA+ over 13 years with the Astros, Phillies, Rangers, and Rockies. 3 All-Star Appearances. Helped the Astros reach the World Series for the first time in 2005.Aaron Rowand (41): Drafted in the 1st round by the White Sox in 1998. Played 11 seasons with the White Sox, Phillies, and Giants.Doug DeCinces (68): 42 career WAR over 15 years with mostly the Orioles and Angels. Hit double-digit homeruns for 12 consecutive years. 1 All-Star appearance.2. Starting Pitchers and Key Matchups Kohl Stewart (RHP, Minnesota): 0-1 in 3 starts, 6.94 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 5.4 BB/9 4th career start, never faced the IndiansAdam Plutko (RHP, Indians): 4-4 in 8 starts, 5.09 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 3-1 at home this yearEddie Rosario versus Plutko: Solo HR in 1 AB3. Our Twins: Who’s Hot and Cold? Hotter than a Casserole Hotdish Joe Mauer: 7 for 21 (.333 BA) last 7 daysJorge Polanco: 5 for 16 (.313 BA) last 7 daysOliver Drake: 2.38 ERA (14 K’s in 11.1 IP) in AugustTrevor May: 1.69 ERA (15 K’s in 10.2 IP) in AugustTaylor Rogers: 0.00 ERA (14 K’s in 11.1 IP) in August. 15 consecutive scoreless appearances. Colder than Embarrass Jake Cave: 2 for 16 (.125 BA) last 7 daysMax Kepler: 3 for 21 (.143 BA) last 7 daysEddie Rosario: 4 for 21 (.190 BA) last 7 daysMiguel Sano: 2 for 16 (.125 BA) last 7 daysTrevor Hildenberger: 7.94 ERA in 11.1 IP in August4. OBP (One Bad Pun) Our oldest son is entering kindergarten next week. My wife suggested that we get his kindergarten teacher a present BEFORE the school year starts. I understand wanting to get off on the right note, but doesn’t that seem a bit brown-nosy? Is this a thing that people do? I’m not even sure what we would get her. An apple is too cliché. Maybe jar of Tylenol would be appropriate? Or a bottle of wine? Maybe we should keep it to a cheap/simple gesture. I hear she likes to teach English and read books, so perhaps one morning we’ll just bring her a synonym roll. 5. Magic 8-Ball (2018 Prediction Rate: 2-2) Shake 1: “Very doubtful” Shake 2: “It is certain” Shake 3: “Signs point to yes” My Magic 8-ball says… Twins win today. --------------------------------- Lineups: TWINS 1. [L] Joe Mauer (1B) 2. [R] Logan Forsythe (2B) 3. [L] Eddie Rosario (LF) 4. [R] Miguel Sano (3B) 5. Robbie Grossman (RF) 6. [R] Tyler Austin (DH) 7. [L] Jake Cave (CF) 8. Ehire Adrianza (SS) 9. [R] Willians Astudillo ( C) P. Kohl Stewart (RHP) Indians 1. Francisco Lindor (SS) 2. [L] Michael Brantley (LF) 3. Jose Ramirez (3B) 4. [R] Edwin Encarnacion (DH) 5. [L] Yonder Alonso (1B) 6. Melky Cabrera (RF) 7. [L] Jason Kipnis (2B) 8. [R] Yan Gomes ( C) 9. Greg Allen (CF) P. Adam Plutko (RHP) Forecast for Cleveland, OH: 74 degrees F, Cloudy with scattered rain/storms, Wind 11 mph, Precipitation 40%

Build a dome!

I think it's a good idea. But, can you imagine how much more some of these pitchers will nitpick if they think they are only going 3 or 4 innings? Tell a guy 4 innings, and he might think he can now use 100 pitches over 4 innings. If piggybacking, I think I'd rather give them a pitch limit to incentivize efficiency. Then if one guy goes 5 innings on 70 pitches and another 4 innings on 50 pitches, then great! Bullpen would get a rest that day.

Is it possible? Yes Is it likely or reasonable? It's not unreasonable considering Minnesota's remaining strength of schedule. I, too, was thinking about the draft pick thing. They are 11th from the bottom, and about 10 games ahead of the 5th-6th worst teams. I don't think they could play bad enough to get a 'high' draft pick. So they'll be in the 8-12 range most likely, which starts becoming a crap shoot at that point. I say, play your best and get these young guys some experience and start evaluating for next year.

Many bullpen players for the Twins in the past, during successful seasons, have noted the importance of knowing their role and know which situations or innings they'll be called for. This gives them every chance to be physically and mentally prepared for their outing. I think next year it is important to get back to this model, and I'd expect the Twins to hire a free agent closer for next season. In the meantime, closer by committee is fine to try out different guys in the late-inning roles. That being said, I don't think it should always be a cut-and-dry 7th-inning guy, 8th-inning guy, and closer for every team. Teams without a clear closer should go by committee and leverage situations. Teams with bad offenses might be inclined to use their best pitcher earlier in the game to keep the game close. Etc.

Here's a front-view video in slight slo-mo showing this (@ 13 seconds): https://www.mlb.com/video/hildenberger-ks-jay/c-2097889483

Good analysis. I think the grip may also be visible during Hildy's 'backswing' (not sure if there's a better word for it). He brings his pitching hand way out toward first base where it's very visible. Watching your clip of Makita, he brings his 'backswing' shorter and toward second base to hide the ball the whole way.

Right, so it's up to interpretation of the umpire on 'intent to deceive the runner.' If the pitcher gets into the stretch on the rubber without the ball, certainly a balk. If the pitcher straddles the rubber to make it look as if they are in the stretch while they are not, umpire MAY call a balk. If the pitcher momentarily straddles the rubber in an attempt to walk across the mound and do something else like get the rosin bag, the umpire may (but likely not) call a balk, depend on apparent intent to deceive the runner. I'd say the way De Jong approached the mound could have honestly gone either way.

I remember doing the same thing when I was pitching in middle school. Never leave your bag until the pitcher steps his foot on the rubber! (which the pitcher can't do if the pitcher doesn't have the ball)

Any chance the Twins just dump Forsythe after the trade, similar to what the Rangers did with Austin Jackson?

IMO 1st round pick would have been better. 2nd round pick would have been worse. They clearly think Dozier wouldn't get $50M this offseason, so they pulled the trigger. Raley looks like a good get, but I'm shocked they needed to tie in Forsythe to get the deal done.

Dozier has had a down year and we've been bracing for this move, but it will still be unusual to see someone else at second base after Dozier has spent 95% of the Twins' games there since 2013.

"None of the players Arizona gave up for Escobar are top-10 prospects." per John Gambadoro on Twitter

Now how is Escobar going to get the Twins record for most doubles in a season? On that note, he's going to get a lot more triples at Chase Field.

If someone would be able to post lineups later, it would be much appreciated. I plan to be oot and aboot.

Photo by Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images Following the All-Star break, the Twins find themselves in a bear market, poised to sell. Hot going into the break on July 16, the Twins ‘boosted’ their playoff odds to 3%. Any last glimmer of hope is largely gone, losing 2 of 4 games out of the break and seeing their playoff odds diminish to 1%. The Twins are at 7 games under .500, and 7.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central with 63 games remaining. On a positive note, the Twins finally welcome back Ervin Santana from the disabled list for his first start/appearance of 2018! Santana had surgery in early February on his right middle finger. After 7 rehab starts, there were mixed reviews on Ervin’s performance. But, he posted a respectable 3.72 ERA with a .183 BAA and only 5 walks in 29 innings. Series Recap: The Blue Jays (46-54, 4th in AL East) are hosting the Twins (46-53, 2nd in AL Central) for game 3 of a 3-game series. The Twins won the first two games of the series against the Blue Jays. Yesterday Jose Berrios spun a 7-inning scoreless gem, and Eduardo Escobar hit his 15th homerun and MLB-leading 37th double. 1. Notable Baseball Birthdays Billy Wagner (47): 6th on the all-time closers list with 422 saves.Larry Sherry (1935-2006): Won World Series MVP for the Dodgers in 1959 as a reliever.Alex Presley (33): Currently a minor league free agent, spent part of 2013 with the Twins. Had a solid bounce-back year with the Tigers in 2017 by hitting .314.Santiago Casilla (38): T-87th on the all-time saves list with 144. Recently released by the Athletics.Doug Drabek (56): 155-134 career record, and once victim of a baseball prank over stolen clubhouse equipment: Kevin Kouzmanoff (37): Became the third player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat (and on first pitch seen, at that): 2. Starting Pitchers and Key Matchups Ervin Santana (RHP, Minnesota): 0-0 (first start of the season) 6-7 with 3.84 ERA career vs. Blue JaysCurtis Granderson vs. Santana: 13 for 54 (.241 BA) with 5 homeruns.Yangervis Solarte vs. Santana: 1 for 15 (.067 BA) with 2 strikeouts.Sam Gaviglio (RHP, Blue Jays): 2-3 in 12 starts, 4.59 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 1-0 with 4.35 ERA career vs. TwinsJoe Mauer vs. Gaviglio: 3 for 5 (.600 BA)Eddie Rosario vs. Gaviglio: 0 for 5 with 2 K’s.Brian Dozier vs. Gaviglio: 0 for 6 with 1 K.3. Our Twins: Who’s Hot and Cold? Hotter than a Casserole Hotdish Eduardo Escobar: 7 for 17 (.412 BA) with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 walks last 7 daysJoe Mauer: 8 for 22 (.364 BA) with 4 runs last 7 daysMitch Garver: 4 for 10 (.400 BA) with 1 double, 1 triple, 2 walks last 7 daysRyan Pressley: 0.96 ERA (13 K’s in 9.1 innings) in July Colder than Embarrass Brian Dozier: 2 for 19 (.105 BA) last 7 daysBobby Wilson: 1 for 10 (.100 BA) last 7 daysJake Cave: 0 for 6 with 4 K’s last 7 days4. OBP (One Bad Pun) Our middle child just celebrated his third birthday. Right now he’s obsessed with the We’re Going on a Bear Hunt book, so we had a bear hunt birthday. Our son kept his favorite bear, Teddy, at his side the whole party. Teddy played games, Teddy went out on our trail for the bear hunt, and Teddy joined us for lunch. After lunch we of course had a bear-themed cake. We asked Teddy if he wanted to have a slice of cake, but he said ‘no’ because he was already stuffed. 5. Magic 8-Ball (2018 Prediction Rate: 1-2) Shake 1: “Outlook not so good” Shake 2: “Yes” Shake 3: “Yes” My Magic 8-ball says… Twins win today. --------------------------------- Lineups: TWINS Lineup: TBA P. Ervin Santana (RHP) Blue Jays Lineup: TBA P. Sam Gaviglio (RHP) Forecast for Toronto, Ontario: 79 degrees F (26 degrees C, eh?), Partly Cloudy, Wind 7 mph, Precipitation 15%