Personally, I'd prefer to face the... I hate to say it... Yankees...

 

Yes, I know they're unbeatable. But they're not. They're basically the Twins. They have mashers, a **** rotation, and a great bullpen.

 

Sign me up. I'd much rather face them than the Astros, who are... basically perfect. Let another team potentially beat the Astros in a five game set and let the Twins face off against those extremely flawed bastards in New York.

 

May the first team to 15 homers in a single series win.

I agree. Ideally, the Twins can mash the Yankee starters, run up early leads and somehow hold on. 

 

I'd like to play Rally Monkey. Without Trout, I feel they are beatable.

How can I not say Rally Monkey? I mean, too obvious.

 

But my second choice is the Yankees. Their starting rotation is in as much disarray as ours. I was having a discussion in y office yesterday with a Dodgers fan and a Yankees fan. Neither of them wants to face the Astros, either.

I also voted Yankees.

 

But I heard one terrible bit of news (or gossip?) during the radio broadcast this week. Except for when Paxton starts, the Yankees might decide to go bullpen games the whole way through.

 

Still, I think that’s too big an ask of their relievers, so I remain optimistic.

I want to play the Yankees and I want us to bludgeon them sensless. 

I want to play the Yankees and I want us to bludgeon them sensless.

 

It’s more likely that they will bludgeon each other senseless. The winner will be the one that passes out last.

The thing that is frustrating for me is that this is clearly our best season in quite awhile (1965, 1991, 2006, 2010, take your pick), but I don't feel like we're any closer to winning a playoff series than we ever were in the 2000s.

 

I don't have faith that this pitching staff can hold either NY or Houston below 8 runs, no matter who is pitching. No matter what the statistics say, I can't ignore history and suddenly believe Trevor May and Tyler Duffey are stud relievers and the thought of Romo facing Judge or Stanton is terrifying.

 

Hopefully, next season we can upgrade the pitching staff to offset what will, almost assuredly, be an offensive drop-off.

 

Debbie Downer,

Out.

Rally Monkey, too easy. 

The thing that is frustrating for me is that this is clearly our best season in quite awhile (1965, 1991, 2006, 2010, take your pick), but I don't feel like we're any closer to winning a playoff series than we ever were in the 2000s.

 

I don't have faith that this pitching staff can hold either NY or Houston below 8 runs, no matter who is pitching. No matter what the statistics say, I can't ignore history and suddenly believe Trevor May and Tyler Duffey are stud relievers and the thought of Romo facing Judge or Stanton is terrifying.

 

Hopefully, next season we can upgrade the pitching staff to offset what will, almost assuredly, be an offensive drop-off.

 

Debbie Downer,

Out.

I don’t disagree with that feeling, that we’re not likely to win a playoff series. And not to delve into the pitching issues, because, well, off topic and there are many other threads on this.But this season is different for me than those others. I didn’t expect us to be here, at all. Given the team at the beginning of the season, I didn’t think we’d be even sniffing a WC spot, let alone a division win. With this team? Not expected at all. Those other teams in the 2000s were so close, just one piece away, and we all knew it and all expected it, and then thwarted, yet again. But this team? Completely out of the blue for me. Yeah, wish it were more, wish more were done for it, but it still is well beyond what I thought it would be. Not that that will win us anything and losing will still suck, it’s just different. And that out of the blue of it, has made it a surprising fun season for me.

I want to play the Astros in the postseason, because that means we've beaten the Yankees in the first round and moved on.

 

Now, if the poll had asked who I wanted to play in the first round, I'd go with Yankees.

 

It’s more likely that they will bludgeon each other senseless. The winner will be the one that passes out last.

 

Sounds like me at SUNY Oneonta circa 1985

If the goal is the WS, then I think I'd rather play Houston 1st.

 

Easier to beat Houston 3 times than 4.

I voted the Monkey, but I really don't care to be honest. They're going to have to beat two good teams to advance to the series. Perhaps the wild card winner can upset the number 1 team, but I'm not holding my breath there. I think the road to the WS is going through both of those teams. 

 

Here's to hoping they get hot next week and stay hot through November.

I saw yet another loss at Yankee Stadium on a cold, rainy day in early May.  As I left the stadium, I kept saying to nobody in particular, "We'll be back in October."  And I meant it; give me some credit for prognostication.  But now that it is almost here, I kinda dread it...

I hate the Yankee lineup and the Houston rotation.  Which is worse? I hate to say it, the Yankees because we should be able to clobber that rotation, but unfortunately they can also clobber ours.

Since September 1st, the Yankees have the best pitching numbers in the AL. That includes numbers for starters (2.74 ERA, 3.03 FIP; second in starters fWAR to Astros...this includes only 6 effective innings total from German, who is done.) Meanwhile, Severino is back. 9 K’s in 5 scoreless innings today...and Tanaka is legitimately average...in a way that Perez and Gibson haven’t been for months. The Yankees starter situation isn’t great, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem as desperate as the narrative here suggests.

Edited September 23, 20197 yr by jkcarew

If the goal is the WS, then I think I'd rather play Houston 1st.

 

Easier to beat Houston 3 times than 4.

Spoken like a good poker player. I think there's a lot to this POV. The aim is never to win just one series.

 

The thing that is frustrating for me is that this is clearly our best season in quite awhile (1965, 1991, 2006, 2010, take your pick), but I don't feel like we're any closer to winning a playoff series than we ever were in the 2000s.

 

I don't have faith that this pitching staff can hold either NY or Houston below 8 runs, no matter who is pitching. No matter what the statistics say, I can't ignore history and suddenly believe Trevor May and Tyler Duffey are stud relievers and the thought of Romo facing Judge or Stanton is terrifying.

 

Hopefully, next season we can upgrade the pitching staff to offset what will, almost assuredly, be an offensive drop-off.

 

Debbie Downer,

Out.

 

My feelings have not changed.

I didn't see this thread till now, but at the time I would have voted Astros. At least getting swept by them would be different.

Edited October 6, 20197 yr by twinsguy45