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Twins Daily

The Impending Stretch

Saying that the Twins got off to a slow start post All Star Break would be putting things lightly. It took seven straight series without a series win for the Twins to notch their first in the positive column. Now on the verge of getting things rolling though, what lies ahead for the Twins should dictate the end of their summer.   As things stand, September should be a fun month for Minnesota fans regardless. I wouldn't be surprised to see Max Kepler, a couple of young relievers, Kennys Vargas, a

Column: Byron Buxton leaves hard decision for Minnesota Twins

During the off day on Monday, the Minnesota Twins activated outfielder Byron Buxton from the 15-DL and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. With this move occurring late in the season, it looks like the Twins will keep outfielders Torii Hunter, Aaron Hicks and Eddie Rosario in their regular positions.   With September call-ups coming in a couple weeks, I would expect the Twins to call him up and use him in the rotation of outfielders. The Twins are 12 games back from the Kansas City Royals in the

Musings and "Analysis" on a Deck of Cards

That New Pack Smell Every year, I treat myself to one pack of baseball cards. I've always enjoyed recapturing the glee, the confusion and the memories of stale bubble gum.   This year, with the Twins careening below .500, it seems that plenty of fans would appreciate a diversion like this, but, as a curious soul, I wondered. Would the Twins be any better, if I replaced players on the team with those individuals in my particular deck of cards? Or, put another way, is the Twins Front Office any

Sabermetrics Aren't For Everyone, But Are For Anyone

As baseball evolves in time, one thing will always remain, and that is the fact that the sport is a thinking man's game. Regardless of what is going on in front of you, there's numerous outcomes to consider in any given instance prior to them taking place. A large portion (let's call it 90%) of the game remains simple at its core on the field, but that emerging 10% can often being explained by statistical analysis.   Sabermetrics aren't for everyone, but there's no doubt they are for anyone. In

Can the Minnesota Twins Season be Considered a Success if They Don’t Make the Playoffs?

I’m trying to be realistic. Our expectations in that clubhouse should be to make the postseason. — Twins GM Terry Ryan, 11/4/14 The Minnesota Twins set the tone shortly after hiring Paul Molitor as Ron Gardenhire’s successor. Molitor came out and said that he wanted to win immediately, general manager Terry Ryan said that he expected the team to make the postseason: This after four-straight 90-loss seasons, but before the signing of Ervin Santana and Torii Hunter. “I’m coming here to win,” said

Daniel Kihle Plays Hero in Nightcap of Long Day in Betsy

When the clock struck midnight, and Monday became Tuesday at Joe O’Brien Field, a rooster crowed loudly into the East Tennessee night. It was not a real bird, just a bit of fun concocted by the E-Twins promotion crew in the press box. It was a cheap laugh on a long night, but there was still baseball to be played.   The scheduled double-dip got started on time, but rain was threatening from the moment the first pitch flew until the final outs were played. A crowd liberally numbered at 507 souls

The Bullying Typist

I planned to write four columns for four Twins games attended in eight days, but I got stuck after running Fifteen's 5K before the last game and ended up skipping the game and staying home. The Twins lost, but my experience running into Target Field and getting closer Glen Perkins to sign my medal thrilled me enough to make me forget my favorite team's woes.   Still, I felt like I owed y'all that last blog entry, to justify my shameless and unabashed promotion of my novel Orphans (in paperback a

Kernels' Gibbons Immune to the Dog Days of Summer

We’ve reached the end of the Dog Days of Summer, that period that stretches from 20 days before Sirius (the Dog Star) is precisely in conjunction with the sun until 20 days after those bodies are in alignment. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Gibbons2015e.jpg Sam Gibbons (Photo: SD Buhr) Those 40 or so days are typically the most cruelly hot of the summer and, coincidentally or not, the days when young professional baseball players often hit the proverbial “wall” du

The Twins Make A Move, And They Get It

The Minnesota Twins are a sub .500 baseball team for the first time since May. They have gone from Wild Card contender, to post All Star Game flop. In nearly every facet of the game, the Twins have normalized towards their projections, and it's caused an ugly domino effect. Thankfully though, in their most recent transaction, they show they get it.   Today Byron Buxton was activated from the disabled list and them optioned to Triple-A Rochester. In activating Buxton, the Twins could have immedia

The Twins Expected Fall, And What's Next

Prior to the All Star Break, the Twins owned one of the best record in the American League. They were in the drivers seat for an American League Wild Card spot, and baseball was once again great in the Twins Cities. Since then, Minnesota is 6-16 and has yet to grab a series victory in seven tries. While that's no doubt disheartening, the numbers suggest it wasn't all that unexpected.   You'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to argue that the Twins were as good as their first half record.

Twins Use Back-to Back Bombs, Big Innings to Blast Past Bluefield 10-4

With one swing of the bat, the whole complexion of a baseball game can change. Tonight consecutive swings solidified how important two members of the E-Twins are to the ball club.   With Elizabethton holding a one run lead headed into the bottom of the third, Jermaine Palacios led off with a double, the second of his three hits tonight. Alex Perez singled to advance the lead-off man to third. Runners on the corners, no outs for LaMonte Wade.   Wade stepped to the plate, and starting pitcher Dalt

Two Rain Delays Don't Stop E-Twins 5-0 Winners Over Bluefield

The game was initially delayed thirty minutes for rain. It was a pitcher’s duel into the bottom of the sixth, when with Twins on the corners and no outs the rains came and the tarp was hustled onto the field.   Geno Encina was ready to enter the game before the rain arrived and trotted out to the mound when the game resumed some 50 minutes later at just after 10 p.m. Encina had a rocky start. He threw a wild pitch that scored Alex Perez from third for Betsy’s first run of the night.   With Chri

Twins Minor League Report (8/6): Kohn Stewart Shines in Miracle Walk-Off

After yet another Minnesota Twins loss, the Twins made a couple of roster moves on Thursday night. Tyler Duffey was optioned back to Rochester, and Eric Fryer was designated for assignment, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster. In their place the Twins recalled A.J. Achter and Chris Herrmann. The addition of Achter means the Twins have a nine-man bullpen, and only four starters. They'll next need a fifth starter on August 13th, so expect to see another move in the middle of next week.   RED

E-Twins Avoid Sweep with Bomb in 12th in Johnson City

There were two outs in the top of the tenth. Johnson City Cardinals relief pitching had allowed just one hit since the seventh and the momentum of the game over the previous few innings had the small gathering of Twins rooters sitting on the first base side of the tiny press box just waiting for the next out and for Johnson City to take the game as they had the previous two nights. Kamran Young stepped to the plate to face Harley Holt.   Young had struggled all night. He was 0-5, and had added a

A Night at the Karpeles Musuem, Duluth Minnesota

I got a text from a fellow Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, member Anthony Bush. He said that there was a little known museum in downtown Duluth, Minnesota that had a baseball exhibit. I was surprised that an old church of Christian Science is now a little museum and located about a 5 min walk from my rental house. The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is named after a Denfeld High School Graduate who made his fortune in real estate. The Karpeles is a too well kept of secret in Duluth, whe

By the Numbers: Minnesota Twins Offense

I've been reading (and partaking in) some awesome debates on Twins Daily lately. One of my favorite topics has been the discussion about whether to trade Plouffe for a C/SS and open up 3B for Sano. I have also enjoyed reading and thinking about topics such as whether Hunter should be re-signed, whether Hicks should play RF next year, etc.   I decided that I would look at some statistics regarding the Twins offensive production and try to pinpoint exactly what the Twins biggest weaknesses are. Th

The Twins Silver Lining Is Coming

It's the first week of August, the Twins have fallen out of a Wild Card spot, and they remain just one game over .500. Considering how the year started, that's a less than ideal scenario, but knowing how it was projected to end, they find themselves in a good spot. What's better is that with the way the final two months appear to be shaping up, there's even more reason to anticipate 2016. With plenty of baseball left, there's not much reason to write off the Twins. Sure, they aren't going to mak

I Am a Fan

I am a fan.   Not a player. Or a coach. Or a manager. Or a GM. Or an owner.   I am a fan.   I played my last organized (non-pick up/wiffle ball) game of baseball in 2003. It was in a 'I-can't-play-for-my-high-school-team' league and I remember that we needed one more win to get into the playoffs. I was playing 3rd that day so me and a teammate were on the field so I could take some throws to first when our last teammate finally showed up. In basketball shorts. Without a glove. We lost the game.

Struggles Have Highlighted Twins Correct Deadline Decision

The calendar has flipped to August, the Minnesota Twins are now 51-51 just three games above .500, and the problems are mounting. Every indication suggests that the Twins did absolutely the right thing at the trade deadline. As they slip out of sole possession of a wild card spot, Terry Ryan has a new period of evaluation coming. For much of the season, the Twins were a team playing well above water. With an extremely impressive home record, while staving off regression, Minnesota distanced them

An Early Look at Potential Offseason Moves

I know we have a playoff spot to chase and we should worry about what is happening on the field right now, but I think that it's never a bad idea to look ahead a little bit, especially since the Twins are fading fast and the teams competing with us are probably a little bit better, Toronto for example. With that being said, here is a look at some ideas I have for this offseason.   Likely to leave via Free Agency:   SP Mike Pelfrey: Pelfrey has been a pleasant surprise in the Twins starting rotat

Terry Ryan said that the Twins will do nothing in the deadline. Why are you upset?

Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch -------   After the trading deadline passed and with the Twins' having the league's worst record in the last couple of months and their lead for the first and then the second wild-card position was getting smaller and smaller, there was hope that Terry Ryan will do something to improve the team in the 3 biggest positions of need, shortstop, catcher and the bullpen.   But he did nothing, other than trading the teams' 18th and 25th prospects (and th

TwinsDaily Minor League Report (8/3): Affiliates Swept!

David Price and the Blue Jays carved up the Twins on Monday afternoon, and to make matters worse, every affiliate in action on Monday night lost. All of the games were close, with only the Red Wings losing by more than one run, but outside of Elizabethton, there was not a lot of run scoring. Let's get to it.   RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Red Wings @ Gwinnett Braves Box Score   The Red Wings struck first, a solo home run in the second inning off the bat of Xavier Avery, to put the Red Wings up 1

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