Article: Just One Of 162, But Twins Win Felt Big

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Given the choice, I'm hoping for the latter to be honest.

Nah, I strongly hope for the former:

 

1. I like watching a winning team

2. If the Twins are in the race, that means they're getting solid contributions from their core of young players

 

If the Twins get all the way to the break hovering around .500, it means a good portion of Sano, Rosario, Polanco, Buxton, Kepler, Mejia, and Berrios are having acceptable or better seasons.

[drjim]

Given the choice, I'm hoping for the latter to be honest.

I'd take the former and not think twice. Winning is fun.

[Vanimal46]

Nah, I strongly hope for the former:

 

1. I like watching a winning team

2. If the Twins are in the race, that means they're getting solid contributions from their core of young players

 

If the Twins get all the way to the break hovering around .500, it means a good portion of Sano, Rosario, Polanco, Buxton, Kepler, Mejia, and Berrios are having acceptable or better seasons.

Let's not get lost in the weeds. In the big picture theyre still multiple pitchers away from playoff contention. If Erv keeps it up, I sure would like a nice haul of prospects to help make the next step toward being a playoff team.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Let's not get lost in the weeds. In the big picture theyre still multiple pitchers away from playoff contention. If Erv keeps it up, I sure would like a nice haul of prospects to help make the next step toward being a playoff team.

They have the first pick in this year's draft. They can move Dozier and not be impacted at the level they'll be impacted by losing Santana.

 

There is literally one rookie on this team. We're past the point of collecting prospects for the future and hoping for high draft picks. This team needs to start winning baseball games or it's unlikely they'll ever win baseball games with this core.

 

If the Twins are out of it and trade Santana, that's the right move... but I refuse to hope they lose baseball games because it means their young core stalled out for the third consecutive season.

 

If Sano and Buxton stumble again, it's unlikely they'll ever be above average players. These aren't guys with 200 MLB PAs to their name anymore. Sano has 800 MLB PAs. This is the point where they either start performing or it's unlikely they'll ever perform at the MLB level. Buxton has a bit more flexibility in both age and experience but he'll finish this season with around 1100 MLB PAs if he stays healthy.

[mikelink45]

One game - we can not really over analyze it, but the fact is fans needed this as much as the Twins players did.  The sense of doom can be put aside for a few days and we can celebrate the fact that in 2017 we will have been above .500 during the season!

[Halsey Hall]

Well I missed it driving from Tenn. to Wisc.  I must of clicked the radio 200 times trying to find any baseball and found none as no Chicago teams played due to rain, and it rained all the way so I figured there was a good chance the Twins were rained out.  How nice to finally check into a motel and see they won, and Santana got the win. There were many games last year he pitched well and was left with nothing. So I'll get home tonight, and no game, bummer. 

[Vanimal46]

I'm not hoping they lose baseball games either.

 

Literally a week ago the concensus on this site was this is a ~75 win team. So if that's the case, what good is it to have Erv Santana doing well on a 75 win team? He can provide real value in a trade getting MLB ready players in return. And the Twins get out before Santana's end of career decline.

 

If they are above .500 and sniff a wild card on July 30, **** it and go for it.

 

Until that happens I'm operating under the assumption that this is a non playoff 75 win team.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I'm not hoping they lose baseball games either.

Literally a week ago the concensus on this site was this is a ~75 win team. So if that's the case, what good is it to have Erv Santana doing well on a 75 win team? He can provide real value in a trade getting MLB ready players in return. And the Twins get out before Santana's end of career decline.

If they are above .500 and sniff a wild card on July 30, **** it and go for it.

Until that happens I'm operating under the assumption that this is a non playoff 75 win team.

The thing is that using a linear arc, a 75 win season means they're a fringe contender at the deadline, probably within a few games of .500.

 

If the Twins sell in that situation, I'm okay with that... but I'm going to hope for better because it's in the best long-term interest of this team to win baseball games.

 

It's also possible the Twins are awful in the first half and decent in the second half but I'm not going to hope for bad-then-good. That seems like a bit too much to ask.

[Jerr]

 

Huh?   Buxton played great D and Grossman had a key walk.    Kepler had a game changing bunt single.    People here undervalue bunt singles but teams just do not defend bunts very well and it seems to rattle teams and pitchers way more than solid singles do.  No goats here.    

I'd "like" your post , but I'm told I exceeded "my likes" for the day              as it did yesterday, on the game thread. Must be a 24 hour deal as to the day....well I like your post!!!!

Edited April 4, 2017 by Jerr

[Oldgoat_MN]

I thought the veteran Santana was a great cheerleader yesterday. He regularly clapped or pointed at the defenders when they made their plays.

 

Keep reminding everyone that their play is important and that good defensive play is appreciated.

It looked like a veteran pitcher motivating his team. Nice touch.

[Jerr]

 

I'd "like" your post , but I'm told I exceeded "my likes" for the day              as it did yesterday, on the game thread. Must be a 24 hour deal as to the day....well I like your post!!!!

NOW I can like again!!!!!

I'll take care of that for you!

[drjim]

 

I'm not hoping they lose baseball games either.

Literally a week ago the concensus on this site was this is a ~75 win team. So if that's the case, what good is it to have Erv Santana doing well on a 75 win team? He can provide real value in a trade getting MLB ready players in return. And the Twins get out before Santana's end of career decline.

If they are above .500 and sniff a wild card on July 30, **** it and go for it.

Until that happens I'm operating under the assumption that this is a non playoff 75 win team.

 

To add to this, if they are a legitimate fringe .500 team this year, backed up by underlying stats, it is not a huge jump to think they could improve some more and be better in 2018. Wouldn't it be helpful to have Santana for that season? Nothing wrong with capturing some of the excess value of Santana for the Twins.

 

I don't really expect this, so I would anticipate a trade of Santana, but if given the two choices that were offered, I would greatly prefer that the Twins are playing well and that it makes sense to keep Santana and things are looking positive for 2018. I am not hoping for a position where it is clear they should unload him.

[Loosey]

 

They have the first pick in this year's draft. They can move Dozier and not be impacted at the level they'll be impacted by losing Santana.

 

There is literally one rookie on this team. We're past the point of collecting prospects for the future and hoping for high draft picks. This team needs to start winning baseball games or it's unlikely they'll ever win baseball games with this core.

 

If the Twins are out of it and trade Santana, that's the right move... but I refuse to hope they lose baseball games because it means their young core stalled out for the third consecutive season.

 

If Sano and Buxton stumble again, it's unlikely they'll ever be above average players. These aren't guys with 200 MLB PAs to their name anymore. Sano has 800 MLB PAs. This is the point where they either start performing or it's unlikely they'll ever perform at the MLB level. Buxton has a bit more flexibility in both age and experience but he'll finish this season with around 1100 MLB PAs if he stays healthy.

Honestly I hope the Twins are winning baseball games and still trade Santana for future reinforcements.  I don't want a team that eventually becomes good for a year or two then fizzles out as guys age or move on in free agency, etc.  I want a team that gets good and stays good due to wise front office decisions in the the years prior to and during good seasons.

 

The Twins have 104 games scheduled up until the trade deadline.  If they are are around 54-50 I think most fans would be happy.  But most likely they will still be 5+ games out of first in the central and a few out of the wild card race.  If they have that record most of the young core will likely have performed well.  I would be fine trading the staff ace at that point in order to get more young pieces to plug in now and in the future.  

[Mike Sixel]

I like it when the Twins win.

 

I like ESan, still amazes me we didn't hear more about teams wanting to trade for him.

 

Not a huge fan of the lack of hitting, but Duffy is a great pitcher, and you don't swing at bad pitches and get good results, so scoring all the runs that way is still good, if not indicative of what I hope we see. 

[EddieMatthews]

From Baseball-Reference.com.  We haven't seen the Twins in 1st Place in AL Central in a long time.

 

2017 Minnesota Twins Statistics

Record: N/A, 1st place in AL_Central (Schedule and Results)
Manager: Paul Molitor
 

[Doomtints]

Just remember that Santana won't be pitching every day. And even he received a bit of help today from the defense.

[rghrbek]

I predict that yesterday will be DanSan's best game of the season.

 

It's nice to open the season with a win.

[Ebby Calvin Laloosh]

My oh my, Sano can crush the ball. Nice to see that again. Anything that flies that far should have a stewardess on it!

 

Erv looked great, not too many Ks, but that's fine, strikeouts are fascist. Nice to see him get the 3 at the end, though.

 

Hope to see a different lineup against leftys from here on out, but its Opening Day, I get starting the "regulars." 

 

Winning is fun!

[Jerr]

 

Just remember that Santana won't be pitching every day. And even he received a bit of help today from the defense.

Which is baseball!!!!!! ENJOY IT!!!!!

Edited April 4, 2017 by Jerr

[Doomtints]

 

Which is baseball!!!!!! ENJOY IT!!!!!

 

OK!!!

[Brock Beauchamp]

Honestly I hope the Twins are winning baseball games and still trade Santana for future reinforcements. I don't want a team that eventually becomes good for a year or two then fizzles out as guys age or move on in free agency, etc. I want a team that gets good and stays good due to wise front office decisions in the the years prior to and during good seasons.

 

The Twins have 104 games scheduled up until the trade deadline. If they are are around 54-50 I think most fans would be happy. But most likely they will still be 5+ games out of first in the central and a few out of the wild card race. If they have that record most of the young core will likely have performed well. I would be fine trading the staff ace at that point in order to get more young pieces to plug in now and in the future.

If the Twins are five games out of the Central and three games out of the WC, I don't see them trading players.

 

And I'm not sure how I feel about that. Lots of variables to consider at that point. I could see a scenario where it makes sense to trade one of Dozier and Santana but maybe not both. It really depends on the rest of the roster.

[Dantes929]

 

I recognize and accept the contributions of both Grossman and Kepler in successfully executing sacrifice bunts when called upon to do so as being above the call of duty and both were game changers. Also the defensive contribution of Buxton is not to be taken lightly. I can back off a bit in creferring to the 3 as goats. That said, their lack of offensive contribution in other portions of the game made their 7th inning bunts important. Had they delivered hits when called upon on other occasions, those bunts would may not have been necessary. Take another look at the cumulative game statistics of the first 4 in the Twin's lineup.

I recognize and accept that you were probably being sarcastic in your first sentence but it was the word goat that I objected to.    If you look up goat and sports on google you will not find an instance of a goat on the winning side.    If a 3 point specialist went 1-5 from beyond the arc no one would say he had a great game but if they won by 1 or 2 you would still say he made a contribution that was key in winning the game.  No, Mauer and Dozier didn't do all that much either but they did enough.  

[PatG1]

The Defense and Rosario's Sac bunt were the plays that made the difference; and of course Santana and Sano's homer

[gocgo]

It's one game and I'm not peeing on the parade. Considering it's been 9 seasons since we won an opener, let's take it and run.

 

From what I can see in one game, we have some issues...but the outfield isn't one of them.  DH is.  That will need to be fixed.  Having a DH that isn't a threat to hit double digit home runs for a year is an issue.  Agree with the left side of the infield assessment - do the routine, catch the balls that you should catch and make the throws that you need to make and we are good.  Fly balls are an adventure for Sano though...and that will come back to bite us.

 

It seemed to me that the ump had a pretty small zone.  While Buxton didn't get a hit, he did have one really good at bat that drove up the pitch count.  If the young guys can have quality at bats, it really helps to wear down a pitcher and Duffy was clearly the tougher pitcher...but he didn't win.  That's baseball.

Edited April 4, 2017 by gocgo

[Mike Sixel]

 

If the Twins are five games out of the Central and three games out of the WC, I don't see them trading players.

And I'm not sure how I feel about that. Lots of variables to consider at that point. I could see a scenario where it makes sense to trade one of Dozier and Santana but maybe not both. It really depends on the rest of the roster.

 

tough call at that point. I wonder what my lines would be on that....how close before I don't trade ... though I believe it would depend on how I got there. Let's hope we actually have to discuss if they should deal for help, and not just deal to get more future...

[Doomtints]

 

The Defense and Rosario's Sac bunt were the plays that made the difference; and of course Santana and Sano's homer

 

A bunt?!? Sacrilege! 

[Loosey]

 

If the Twins are five games out of the Central and three games out of the WC, I don't see them trading players.

And I'm not sure how I feel about that. Lots of variables to consider at that point. I could see a scenario where it makes sense to trade one of Dozier and Santana but maybe not both. It really depends on the rest of the roster.

I agree. I don't necessarily like "giving up" on a season either because the future is never certain and I would like to see them be relevant again right now. But if the right circumstances came around to perhaps bolster the roster for years beyond next season I could get on board.

 

Where I think making this sort of trade would be problematic is from a PR stand point.  If the team is in contention and they trade their best pitcher for a bunch of guys the casual fan has never heard of and most likely will not see for a year or two, they could lose some fan interest in a hurry.   

[Han Joelo]

 

Where was that mentioned? STrib article?

Postgame radio interview.

[Loosey]

 

It's one game and I'm not peeing on the parade. Considering it's been 9 seasons since we won an opener, let's take it and run.

 

From what I can see in one game, we have some issues...but the outfield isn't one of them.  DH is.  That will need to be fixed.  Having a DH that isn't a threat to hit double digit home runs for a year is an issue.  Agree with the left side of the infield assessment - do the routine, catch the balls that you should catch and make the throws that you need to make and we are good.  Fly balls are an adventure for Sano though...and that will come back to bite us.

 

It seemed to me that the ump had a pretty small zone.  While Buxton didn't get a hit, he did have one really good at bat that drove up the pitch count.  If the young guys can have quality at bats, it really helps to wear down a pitcher and Duffy was clearly the tougher pitcher...but he didn't win.  That's baseball.

Buxton's results weren't great, but he definitely didn't look like Buxton of last May/June.  He was taking solid swings and was not chasing garbage.  In his 2nd AB against Duffey, he just missed one and fouled it straight back and then when he put it in play he hit it hard.  I don't know how he does it but it seems like Buxton always has a 2 strike count.  Also, on his 3rd strikeout he wasn't fooled by the breaking ball that he got from Moylan.  He was on it but just seemed to be hair ahead of it.  Hopefully he gets that timing down better because that breaking ball, even though he was on it, was a hanger that could have been crushed. 

[Squirrel]

 

Postgame radio interview.

Ah ... too bad ... like reading about that kind of inspirational type stuff