yarnivek1972

The biggest problem with improving the outlook of the bullpen is the fact that so many potential pieces are hurt. O'Rourke is out for the year. He was one of the best loogys in MLB last year. Reed and Chargois are both hurt. Those two flame throwers would look pretty good IMO. Tyler Jay was being converted to the bullpen and now he's hurt. I personally believe that Buddy Boshers is better than Craig Breslow, but I'm not the one in charge of roster decisions. Trevor Hildenberger is probaby the next guy in line for a shot. He's not so much "upside" as much as he is funky delivery that may or may not fool MLB hitters. As I have said before, Pat Neshek still has a job. Hildenberger might stick too. He started off well in AAA, but hasn't been so good in his last couple outings. I would probably give him at least until the end of May before evaluating him again. He likely ceilings as a serviceable specialist type. Possibly a ROOGY when the team is a contender. But he is a guy who can also be used in longer stints if needed.

Not really. If the roof is leaking in several spots, you would probably fix the entire roof. You probably wouldn't patch the holes.

It appears that there is a lack of clear direction. It appears the brain trust hasn't decided if this team is contending or rebuilding. A rebuilding team puts Byron Buxton in the 3 hole. A contending team probably taps Nick Tepesch over Jose Berrios. I suspect the next 6 weeks will tip the scales. If the Twins get through the next 6 weeks above .500, they have a shot to stay above .500 all year. Personally, I don't see that happening.

He last pitched for Rochester on April 20. If he starts Saturday, that would be 15 days of rest. Calling that poor roster management would be kind. It also re-emphasises that the front office is being less than truthful to the fans that are ultimately paying the bills. The Twins were supposedly so concerned with Berrios' layoff due to the WBC. Yet, they are perfectly content to throw a guy out there that hasn't pitched in a real game in 15 days. It shows that what they said about Berrios in March was less than truthful and therefore causes anything they say going forward to be viewed with skepticism.

Next up would logically be Trevor Hildenberger or Mason Melotakis.

I think you have to count Johan Santana. He had only pitched at low A ball before the Twins. And Johan himself gave Edmonton pitching coach Bobby Cuellar a lot of credit for developing the change up that made him who he was.

You seem to be missing the point. He DID "get" the third out. That's what an error usually means. An out should have been recorded. That out would have ended the inning. Turley would have faced the next hitter under completely different circumstances. I'm not trying to prop up Turley. He definitely pitched poorly. Perhaps so poorly that his defenders were on their heals. Just a general skepticism.

How do you figure that? Gibson can't be recalled for at least 10 days.

If it's someone on the 40 man, the choices are Haley being taken off the DL, Berrios, Mejia, Melotakis, Fernando Romero, Randy Rosario or Felix Jorge. Of those, only Berrios and Mejia are in AAA.

Oh, I'm sure the injury itself is real. The timing of Haley being affected by it enough to land on the DL seems awfully convenient IMO though.

The boxscore said only one of Turley's runs was earned. Here is a good example of why I am skeptical of "fielding independent pitching era". An error made behind Turley should have resulted in the third out with the Red Wings in the dugout. Instead, the inning continued. Turley allowed another hit and two more unearned runs. But hits count against FIP. Is it really accurate to assume that Turley would have given up that hit in the next inning anyway?

I personally think Gibson's problems are being unable to locate his pitches. His G/F ratio has trended the wrong way two years running. He has to keep the ball down to have any chance because he simply does not have "blow it past 'em" stuff. He KNOWS he has to keep the ball down. But he has been unable to do it consistently for nearly two years.

I'd rather have him up here learning from Ervin Santana. IMO he learns more from him than Stu Cliburn, Neil Allen or Eddie Guardado.

I don't think they can because they didn't HAVE to send him down. They could have sent anyone down. As I said, it could be that Justin Haley finds a miracle cure for his elbow "impingement". I personally would call up Trevor Hildenberger, call up Adrianza and DFA Danny Santana. But that's just me.

I still have no illusions that this team will contend. Twins record vs current above .500 teams: 5-10. Twins record vs below .500 teams: 9-2. The Red Sox come to town this weekend. The only reason they MIGHT not get swept is because Ervin pitches Sunday. But, it's against Chris Sale. He's only 2-2, but the Sox scored 1 run combined in his two losses. Quite frankly, Ervin is overdue for a subpar start. He isn't the second coming of Sandy Koufax. He isn't going to post a sub 1 ERA all year. After that, the Twins go to Chicago and Cleveland. Then they play Colorado, Kansas City and Baltimore. Let's say the Twins go 5-13 during that stretch, which I see as extremely possible. That would make them 19-25. Would you be ready to let Berrios pitch even if he hasn't mastered command?

I guess the big question is will it be Berrios who starts next Wednesday.

Praise be to allah. Hard to say who they might call up, especially with Buxton's status unknown. But if Buxton has to go on concussion protocol, that would allow for a roster move as well. Could be Adrianza. Could be Palka. Don't think Granite is quite ready yet. I would assume the Twins wouldn't call up another starter until whatever day they want him to start. Perhaps Haley will magically be healed. Can't be Boshers. Could be Mejia I guess. Really no one else on the 40 man at the AAA level.

The clinical definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results. You know, like sending Kyle Gibson to the mound and expecting him to pitch well. Or more accurately, better than he has for nearly the last 2 years.

We're not talking about my credentials. We're talking about the credibility of those making the decision. They obviously weren't truthful in March. What makes you believe they are being truthful now?

I still think Berrios will "get it" better by being around Ervin Santana than he will by listening to 60 year old Stu Cliburn. Where exactly is the "firm ground" the organization is standing on in this decision? In March, the story was "he needs to be stretched out". That's the company line told through the media and presumably to Berrios himself. Now, all of a sudden, it's command of the fastball. An extremely vague and abstract concept. Made even more puzzling by the fact that the Twins continue to trot Kyle Gibson out to the mound every 5th day despite command of his fastball being his biggest issue. Does it really make sense to anyone that Nick Tepesch is a better choice to face the Red Sox? By the time Saturday roles around, he won't have faced live hitters in 3 weeks. Also, he allowed almost as many baserunners in his 3 starts at AAA (24) as Berrios has in 5 (26). The other issue many of you who are accepting the company line bring up is the fact that the Twins are winning. So there is no rush. "We are contending, we aren't really rebuilding". Do you really believe that? Have you seen the teams the Twins have played? They haven't played the Yankees. Red Sox or Orioles. They haven't played the Astros or Angels. They have only played Cleveland 3 times. I still don't believe the pitching the Twins have will keep them in contention once they start facing these better teams. So, when the Twins are buried in the standings in July, will you all bemoan the time Berrios wasted at AAA that could have been spent working it out against MLB hitters under the guidance of Ervin Santana - who might very well not be around in July?

You mean untrustworthy like saying "Berrios needs to be stretched out" in March and then giving another excuse to not bring him up in May? Got it. Untrustworthy it is then.

Sorry, not buying "unlucky" for Mauer. You can point out babip and exit velocity and all that. Meaningless. Teams shift against him. Is it "unlucky" that he hits the ball into a shifted infield or outfield or is that simply who he is? Also, saw something that he was swinging at like 45% of pitches in the zone, when the MLB average was 67%. Good hitters attack pitches in the zone and drive them. They don't watch more than HALF of them for called strikes, putting themselves into a defensive swing mode. Mauer does. Because that is what his game is. He has zero desire to drive the ball. He is more than happy to slap a single to left. That's not the attitude or approach I want rewarded with at bats.

What is the point of giving at bats to a non productive hitter who is clearly not part of this team's future? That would be like having Nick Tepesch or Kyle Gibson start instead of Jose Berrios. Oh, wait.

He can have all of Mauer's at bats as far as I'm concerned.

And here's another pro call up argument: IMO Berrios is going to learn a lot more about what it means to pitch at the MLB level watching Ervin Santana go about his business than he will from his AAA pitching coach, 60 year old Stu Cliburn. He's been with the Twins so long he predates Terry Ryan's tenure as GM. Too long IMO.