Twins

[Steve-o]

Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the hitter.   

Sometimes the catcher tells you what pitch is coming because they want the season to be over.   

But in all seriousness, the-game-within-the-game is what makes baseball great. 

Buxton, Correa, and Lewis all in the same game.  How many times has that happened this season?  How did they do last night?

[Gunner55]

They all had a hit, but Buxton is the only 1 to do it with 2 out & w/RISP. Correa was 0-1 & Lewis was 0-2 w/RISP. Cleveland's starter only made it 2 2/3 but the 5 after him only gave up 3 hits. That was only the 19th time all season that they's all been on the field at the same time.

[Steve-o]

Why the heck are the Twins playing a National League team at the end of the season?     Is that common?  Don't get me wrong...  I'll take it - the Marlins trying to avoid a 100 loss season.  The Twinks better take care of business there.

With 11 games to go, sitting in the last wildcard spot, a game an a half up on the Tigers, a game and a half back of the Royals.  Still plenty of time for good things and bad things to happen.

[Steve-o]

Its Getaway Day and the Twins go up 2-1 on the Guardians in the middle of the 5th.   

Buxton and Santana strike out with Margot on 2nd and Correa on 1st to end the inning.   

However, if the Twins lose today, they are tied with Detroit, who is idle.   

[Bobberineyes]

Just turned it on, they are knotted up 2-2, but somehow we're getting out hit 10-3.... keep it up boys, detoilet is right behind us and didn't I hear right we go to Baltimore??? They're done.

[Steve-o]

Lost again today in the 10th. 
Twins hitters strike out 14 times.   

[LPS]

It was a ditto of yesterdays game. 

[Gunner55]

Just like Provus has said during every game of the series, Cleveland leads MLB in comeback wins this season & their bullpen is a big reason why. The Twins had 39 K's, 27 hits, & were 9-37 w/RISP for the series. Many believe Cleveland's bullpen is the best in MLB right now & I don't think I'd disagree with them. By the way, Cleveland's starters went 18.2 innings for the 4 games & their bullpen did 18.1.

[Steve-o]

Like Bill Parcells always says, "You are what your record says you are."  And the Guardians have been the better team all year.

Interestingly, and fairness in savagry...

I dug this story up evaluating Cleveland's offseason.  I only scanned it, but it would seem that Cleveland took a similar approach to offseason as the Twins did - being more worried about their lost TV revenue than signing big-time free agents.  After all, they play in a bad division too. 

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Guardians (March 2024)

[Gunner55]

Most, if not all, of the young arms that came out of their bullpen during the series with the Twins were all later round draft picks (5-8), & products of their minor league system. I think there was at least 3 that were 24-26 y/o & they all had an ERA < 3 too. They have been really good at drafting & developing their own pitchers for a long time.

[Steve-o]

And don't they keep telling us that the Twins have been doing the same?   

[Gunner55]

Oh, they're all trying to do it but not many are as good at it as Cleveland. According to this only TB & Houston are better ............https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10076369-which-mlb-organization-is-the-best-at-developing-pitching-talent

[glenn57]

So are the Twinkies getting ready for the hunting and ice fishing season  already??

[Gunner55]

  Yeah, it's looking like there won't be any October baseball played in Mn.

[Steve-o]

They just don't have the horses.   

[markn]

I see the twins lost again last night and are two games back in wildcard race. Personally I'd rather see them not make the playoffs now and be cannon fodder for someone else. Just my $.02.

[Steve-o]

I've been of that opinion for quite a while. 

Last year the Twins were ascending in the major leagues. 
This year, not so much. 
Next year I expect the Twins to do what they always do. 

[dutchboy]

If they make the play-offs or not not signing Grey isn't the reason. He wasn't signing with the Twins unless they vastly overpaid which they did the right thing by not doing.
I've asked lots of people who they could have signed in the off season that would have helped their pitching staff. Crickets. Everybody said they needed to build on last year but there wasn't any names floated that A) would have signed here. B) would have been affordable and a smart signing. C) wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Would a healthy Paddack, Ryan, Buxton, Correa, Topa & Lewis helped?

[Steve-o]

Chirp.  Chirp.  Chirp.

[dutchboy]

Down 5-0 to the Orioles on national TV in the 2nd. Make us proud boys, make us proud.

[dutchboy]

8-0 in the 8th at home. Another stellar hitting performance (3) by this bunch of under achieving dogs. Great job Rocco of having them close the season on a high note.   

[Gunner55]

Just for you............................................Steve-o!!  https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=169&q=fan+with+Pohlad+sign+kicked+out+of+game&cvid=d9a2804258ea439cb0b8dccd600cef08&

[LPS]

    Truth hurts.

[Steve-o]

I could go either way on that one.  Policy says no disparaging messages, and that sign was disparaging.  But I don't buy it for a minute that the 1-year ban was for his abusive behavior.    Still, he went in expecting a confrontation, and he got one.   

Some organizations might not care so much, but the fact that the Twins policed this one tight doesn't bother me.   

There is plenty of blame to go around this season for why the Twins faded down the stretch.  I've read many blog posts to that effect and I'm not the only one who calls out ownership's roll in the Twins' regression back toward mediocrity.   
 

The Twins drew fewer fans than the 120-loss White Sox on Wednesday

Major League Baseball's overall attendance is on the rise for the second straight year in 2024, but the Twins aren't part of that improvement.

The reasons behind the step back in attendance aren't exactly hard to pinpoint — and are entirely self-inflicted. Coming off of the team's first playoff series victory in two decades, ownership decided to slash payroll by around $30 million for business reasons. That was an immediate slap in the face from the Pohlad family to the fan base that lowered morale before this season even began. As a result, the front office was constrained when trying to upgrade the roster in the offseason and before the trade deadline (and the moves they did make almost all flopped).

Then there was the television debacle...

... Even more disheartening is that there's little reason to believe the organization will do anything to fix these issues and invite better attendance in 2025.

Stay tooned.  It just 20 or so weeks until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. 

[Steve-o]

Twins fire hitting coaches.   

[LPS]

I saw that they fired 4 coaches.  I wondered who it was.  That third base coach should be canned too.  Man he has made some bad blunders of sending guys home that should have stayed for a couple of years too.

[Gunner55]

TheTwins will have a new GM next season. https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/twins-senior-vp-and-gm-thad-levine-leaves-team-after-8-years

[glenn57]

TheTwins will have a new GM next season. https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/twins-senior-vp-and-gm-thad-levine-leaves-team-after-8-years

hand writings on the wall!!!!!!!

[Steve-o]

I'd leave too if the owners keep expecting you to make silk purses out of sows ears.

[Gunner55]

  Yeah, I'm not all that surprised either.