Twins

[KEN W]

Twins do not have ANYONE in the top 20 in ANY hitting category in MLB. That's average, home runs, or  RBI's. 

[Gunner55]

Another quality start from Ryan but Jax allows 2 runs late again, he's 2-6, & the Twins lose. Another late game tonight, 9:00, & Varland gets the ball.

[KEN W]

Between Jax and Moran, might as well give them the game. Jax especially lately can't hold a lead. Losing to many games in the late and extra innings.

[Gunner55]

  But then Moran only needs 9 pitches to get out of the 2 on/nobody out jam in the 6th yday.  He has good stuff but he often struggles with his control.

[dutchboy]

Couple of observations on relief pitchers.

1) They have a short shelf life.
2) The other teams hitters get paid to hit and win games.
3) Giving the same guy the same situations game after game won't work.

Send down another position player or two and bring another pitcher or two up. Position players need to play daily and not be utility / spot players to stay sharp. Pitchers need to pitch but not in high leverage situations day after day.

Twins pitching this year far exceeds what I expected. The hitting is far underachieving, so who's really to blame for those losses?

[KEN W]

Buxton said when the Twins were playing Kershaw from the Dodgers last week that the Twins hitters are Nasty.....

Twins batters have struck out 63 times in the last five games. Only the Angels (65) have struck out more in the past week of MLB action, though they've played one more game so the Twins are striking out more times per game since Buxton's "nasty" comment than any team in the majors.

[Gunner55]

Of the 54 outs in the last 2 games, 29 were strikeouts. The game they won against the Angels, they only struck out 7 times. 

[KEN W]

Getting to be tough to watch.....Hitters not hitting. tonight losing because the bullpen gives up TWO bases loaded walks. 

Pretty tough with 10 players on IR. Larnack added yesterday.

[Gunner55]

The Twins are the MLB leaders with 486 K for the season , followed pretty closely by the Astros & the Braves.

[LPS]

My brothers and I did a bet for total wins.  I took 79 one brother took 84 and one took 86.  SO I have up to 81 and my brother has 82-85 and the other everything over that.

[KEN W]

Finally get the win. Though sloppy play by San Fran helped quite a bit. Bullpen did their job. Could tell Doran was well rested. Flame throwing at up to 105 mph.

[Gunner55]

Ryan had to throw 107 pitches in 5 innings but was at his best with RISP. Julien gave 'em a spark & they played some pretty solid D.  Stole home too. 

[Gunner55]

Varland takes the mound tonight, 7:10 1st pitch against Toronto.

[Steve-o]

A two game lead in the AL Central is the same as being 10.5 games back (last) in the AL East or 5.5 games (second-to-last) in the AL West. 

[KEN W]

Yeah......Twins are in the worst division in Baseball. They are the only ones above .500.

[KEN W]

Friday is a big day for the Minnesota Twins because it could be the day when $200 million shortstop Carlos Correa goes on the injured list.

Correa missed games Tuesday and Wednesday due to what the Twins originally said was a sore heel, but it turns out that he's since been diagnosed with a muscle strain in his left foot arch and plantar fasciitis, according John Shipley of the Pioneer Press.

“I think we get to Friday and some of our decisions might be made for us,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said

What's concerning is that plantar fasciitis is one of those things that doesn't typically go away very fast. According to the Mayo Clinic, "most people" with plantar fasciitis "recover in several months with conservative treatment, such as icing the painful area, stretching, and modifying or avoiding activities that cause pain."

[Steve-o]

Hmmm.  I hope it really is ONLY planar fasciitis and NOT a reaggravation of the mysterious injury that kept two other teams from signing Correa in the offseason.   

Either way, the move is starting to look like a bust.  36 hits for 169 At-Bats with 6 HR for an average of .312, 63 points BELOW is career average.

Heckova defensive player, but right now this team needs offense.

[dutchboy]

Not a bust. He isn't doing any worse than anu of the other so called stars on this team.

[mike89]

sounds like he's playing...

[KEN W]

Yup.....must not have been as bad as they thought. He is in the starting lineup.

[KEN W]

Here is the biggest problem with the Twins. These are the 2 highest paid players and always hit in the top 3 of the batting order. They are number 2 in pitching ERA in the league. And leading the league in strikeouts.

"Buxton is hitting .147 with RISP and Correa isn't much better at .175. Combined, they have 74 at-bats with runners in scoring position and just 12 hits. The rest of the team is 87-for-309, good for a .281 batting average with runners in scoring position."

[dutchboy]

So, assuming you want to sit $50 million in payroll who do you want in their places?

[KEN W]

Just about anyone from St Paul can hit .147. And not strike out 3 out of 4 at bats.

[Gunner55]

  I thought Correa was just starting to hit in the last week again. In fact, he's been in 3 games in the last week & he's 4 for 11. Buxton, on the other hand, is just 4 for 21 in the last 7 days in which he's played 5 times. Buxton leads in K's too, 7 to 2, but he did get a hit in his final at bat yday & sometimes that's all it takes. 

[dutchboy]

It's a moot point. As long as both are healthy they play. You can argue that they should bat in different places in the order but you can't argue they stay in the lineup. Both are capable of 4-4, 2 homerun, 5 rbi days plus they are gold glove fielders. There is nobody like that in St. Paul.

[KEN W]

Royce Lewis will be there shorty. He can outhit Correa. DH isn't difficult to fill.

[dutchboy]

Anybody who thinks that Royce Lewis at this point in his career is better than Correa is drinking the Kool-Aid. Lewis had a good audition but he hasn't proven squat yet. You can see Miranda at triple A.

[KEN W]

Drinking the Kool Aid can be applied to letting Buxton and Correa hit under 200 with runners in scoring position. I guess we will see about Lewis and if their top 2 paid players start doing their jobs.

"The Minnesota Twins have a big decision coming as top prospect Royce Lewis is eligible to return from his rehab assignment Tomorrow.

Lewis is trying to make that decision an easy one as he launched another home run for the St. Paul Saints during a 14-1 win over Omaha on Saturday night."

[glenn57]

  what kind of kool-aid does one drink for the Twins??

I know it's the purple kool-aid with the Vikings.

 

[LPS]

Not sure what that would be.  BEER???