Twins

[Steve-o]

The question are, do they keep blaming injuries?  Do they have the wrong hitting coaches?  Or do they just have guys on the team who can't hit or won't listen to the coaches?

This is two seasons in a row they stumbled out of spring training not hitting.   

Jeez...  Maybe I ought to be a Twins Blogger 

This just in... 
Is It Time for the Twins to Shuffle the Coaching Staff?TwinsDaily.com

The Minnesota Twins have come out of the gates for the 2024 MLB regular season in about the most lethargic way possible. The lineup has been every bit the problem it was a season ago. It’s time to rip the Band-Aid off and fix the hitting process.

It hasn’t been the pitching that has scuffled out of the gate. With a lineup unable to score runs, failure to execute with runners in scoring position again, and an overall lack of execution, it’s time for the specialty coaches to come under fire.

It was well-documented just how bad the Twins were a season ago when it came to hitting with runners in scoring position. Failing to push runs across the plate is why the team found themselves hovering around .500 at the midway point, and it wasn’t until the Cleveland Guardians completely fell off that the division tilted in Minnesota’s favor.

It can’t continue to be on Lewis or some other hot rookie to prop up this lineup. The Twins' higher-paid, proven veteran talents need to produce. While Carlos Correa was among the best things going before his injury, Byron Buxton owns a 21/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that would make Miguel Sanó blush. Ryan Jeffers has come on of late, but Edouard Julien has been slow to go, and Kyle Farmer has looked utterly worthless in his expanded role.

Where the Twins turn from here, and if they hire someone with a greater level of experience remains to be seen. The hitting coach triumvirate is not the sole reason for the slow start, but continuing down this path and hoping the slog sorts itself out would be an insufficient way to address the start. It’s time to make a change, in an effort to keep this season from going entirely off the rails. What shape that change takes is up to the front office, but there has to be one.

[Gunner55]

Duran threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday & is expected to face live batters tomorrow, but he's listed as on the 15-day IL as of 4/16. So that would make it ~ 2 weeks before he gets in a game.

[dutchboy]

On the other fishing site I picked the Twins today to win the division by 7 games.

There isn't a dominate team in the central, they are all flawed.

[Gunner55]

 Granted it's just the WSox but it's pretty nice to see some life in their bats!! Been a while ..............since we seen 5 homers in 1 game. Off to LA to play Trout & his buddies..................Ober gets the ball for a 8:38 CDT start.

[LPS]

That was a fun game.

[Steve-o]

Dingers are a good sign, but they're still not getting any clutch hitting with RISP. 

[Gunner55]

  They were 9-30 w/RISP & scored 14 of their 25 runs with 2 out for the series. That'll win a lot of games. But can they do that against teams with better records? We shall see as after 3 in LA & 3 with WSox in Chicago it's a brutal stretch of Boston, Seattle, Toronto, NYY, & Cleveland. Only 2 days off, 5/2 & 5/13, in there too.

[dutchboy]

I think the starting pitching is coming along just fine. I anticipate a loss to Detmers but otherwise they should roll right along. Jackson in bullpen doesn't impress me the couple of times i've seen him pitch but maybe he comes around also

[Gunner55]

It sounds like Correa could be back by the end of the road trip. Jackson went 2 innings & got the W after Lopez's short start against the WSox. Nice win last night, Ober looked great!!

[glenn57]

  MEH....... but the Timberwolves are up 3-0 on the suns!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

  Yeah, I know because I watched a lot of the game ................ it was on the same time as the Twins.............so in between innings I checked it out. Caught quite a bit of the 1st 2 at the Target Center too. Ant man is on a mission!!!

[KEN W]

Bats came alive last night.....16-5 final. 

[Gunner55]

Even Farmer's. Paddack struggled though Lopez goes today @ 3.

[Gunner55]

MEH....... but the Timberwolves are up 3-0 on the suns!!!!!!

They play tonight again...................... you gonna be able to stay up & watch em?       

[dutchboy]

Beat up the Angels again today although Lopez got lit up. He seems to have one bad inning every outing.

Sounds like Correa will be back at some point in the Chicago White Sux series. Maybe that stiff Miranda will go back to St. Paul. 

[Gunner55]

MEH....... but the Timberwolves are up 3-0 on the suns!!!!!!

T'wolves make history & sweep the Suns!!! Did you see it, glenn?  I did!!!!!! Bet not, you were probably in bed before 1/2 time     

[glenn57]

Yeppers,  I was ni-nite. 3:30 comes early enough.

[Gunner55]

The Twins are hitting .238 as a team & that's up nearly 60 points from when they were in Baltimore ~ 2 weeks ago. Miranda just went 5-9 in LA & is hitting .292 for the season, his defense is improved too IMO. So, I don't think it'll be an easy decision for Rocco on the roster move that's needed when Correa comes back. Duran & Topa should be back in the bullpen soon too. WSox just swept Tampa too, so I think this series will be more competitive.

[LPS]

Did you hear about the lucky Cloverdale Tangy sausage in the dugout?  They each touch it before batting.    Makes me hungry.

[mike89]

that ought to be good eating by now!!!   

[LPS]

They have had it for a few days.  One of those that don't need to be refrigerated till opened.  Buxton said he doesn't want to touch it and get any fungus.   

[Gunner55]

They were talking about it on the TV yday & Provus & Hawkins knew what it was. But Plouffe was completely clueless so they had their researcher look it up. They had to tell Plouffe that it's smoked meat & didn't need refrigeration, so it wouldn't be completely rancid because he was talking about eating it.      
 https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10119039-video-twins-rocco-baldelli-explains-teams-home-run-sausage-supers

[dutchboy]

I miss Provus on the radio side. He was so smooth and seemless doing a game whereas Attebury wants to use every cliche' ever associated with baseball.

Who I don't miss is Hawkins. Him and Perkins (who was on the radio this weekend) are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I can't see keeping Miranda when you have Castro to slide over there along with Farmer. Unless of course they release Farmer.

[Steve-o]

I hadn't paid attention to the radio broadcast yet and wondered who was doing it.  Attebury was fine as a post-game wrap-up guy, but if he is calling games the same way...  I'm not looking forward to radio games.

[KEN W]

Moving to Minn Wolves thread.

[Gunner55]

  I used to not like listening to Hawkins much either but he's kind of grown on me the last couple seasons. I thought the 3 of 'em had a good show yday, myself. Even when the score got out of hand, they kept me listening with their chatter. Actually, I thought it was pretty funny some of the stuff they got talkin about.

[KEN W]

Still getting used to not having Dick Bremer after 40 years.

[KEN W]

Win over the White Sox.....3-2

8 game winning streak. First since 2011.

[Gunner55]

Duran is s'posed to come off the IL today , Martin optioned to St Paul to make room for Correa. The young guy, Woods Richardson, goes today @ 6:40, again.

[KEN W]

Twins win!!!!    Twins Win!!!!   6-5

9 in a row....Duran back as the closer gets the save.