sloopjont

Lasorda_This_Out wrote: Rosario to Schoop to Castro.... (even though Bert/Dick had the initial call to Polanco..(fart broadcast call...age issues here?). Looked like the relay was supposed to go to Polanco but Rosario overshot him. Luckily Schoop was backing up the play and caught his throw and relayed to home. I'd have to give Dick a break on this one; he knew who was supposed to get the relay and likely, in the heat of the moment, didn't immediately recognize the unintended relay man.

about wpa: seems strange that Polanco has the same exact stat line as Cruz but Cruz is at .175 and Polanco isn't listed as being .1 or over?

Platoon said: Shifts are all well and good if hitters refuse to go against them. But runners on base should limit your options to shift. Someone has to cover third, or second in those situations. Anytime the offense has someone on first with less than two outs, the shortstop and second baseman should be on the traditional side of second base so they can turn the double play on a ground ball. Shifting in this situation cost the Twins multiple outs and at least one run in this game. And, if someone's on second--obviously--the third baseman must cover third base!

The most important part of automated umps isn't whether they make mistakes or not; it is because it would be the same strike zone for all players, both pitchers and both teams. Take a look at some of the calls on Garver last night to see how his at bats were affected. That made a big difference on a hot hitter and how he approached his at bats..

Another Twin's mantra, ala our TV color guy(s) is to say something like, Well you know so-and-so is coming out of their slump when they're driving the ball like that to the opposite field. And the old baseball advice before an at bat was to, Hit the top half of the ball, obviously meaning to make the defense have to play anything but a fly out. The rules of the game are the same, but the new advice is the polar opposite of the old.

I love the point about the walks. That's a recipe for disaster.

@MitchGarver called his shot today, deGrom is going to throw me a slider outside and I’m taking him dead center!!!!!! Are you kidding me!! The obvious encore is to point his bat at the outfield stands, ala Babe Ruth's called home run, and then hit the next pitch out. Here's hoping they don't come high and inside.

Why's it so hard to get Astudillo playing time? Use him at 3rd, use him at 2nd, use him at 1st to rotate in. He's hitting better than any of them. Use him to pinch hit for slumping players when he's not starting. For example: I was looking for them to pinch hit Astudillo for Castro late in the game yesterday. There were several other possible times he could have pinch hit. Why so difficult?

What is nice to see from Balazovic--especially after watching the Twins pitchers walk 10 batters yesterday--was that he went right after the batters. No wasted pitches even with an 0-2 count.

It was the wrong play. He hadn't located the ball so no reason to go crashing into the wall. That could've/should've cost his team the game. With no shot at the catch, keep the hitter to a double.

"11-year big leaguer Jeff Baker who was born in Bad Kissinger." There's really a city named Bad Kissinger? ;>)

In your scenario, what happened to Kepler? Also, hope I'm wrong, but with the concussion issues I sure hope Garver can stay at catcher.

the other three infield spots are well covered in this article. I would love to hear your thoughts on 3B.

Though character and attitude are not any issue, Mr. Kepler falls into the same category.

If Kepler's 735 OPS isn't good enough for a right fielder, isn't it also not good enough for 1B?

If he's quietly going out it would be in character and a refreshing contrast to some of the big shots who go super-ego in their entire last year; even getting the other teams to drop their defense to show how great they are.

The Twins have had some fun players to watch run the bases over the years. Carew stealing home in '69, Greg Gagne and Cristian Guzan for their speed, and Buxton also. Then of course Eduardo Nunez and his helmet. But, except for Buxton, Astudillo takes the cake.

You think Addison Reed is a sure thing for next year? At the start of the year his stuff looked good; his pitches had a lot of movement on them. But lately, the ball isn't moving and the velocity is down.

I'm showing my age here but the Twin's starting pitcher's name reminded me of that scene in the W.C. Fields' movie, "It's a gift": Insurance Salesman: Do you know a man by the name of LaFong? Carl LaFong? Capital L, small a, Capital F, small o, small n, small g. LaFong. Carl LaFong. (Chase DeJong) Capital D, small e, Capital J, small o, small n, small g. DeJong. Chase DeJong.

He's a big plus in the lineup; hopefully better and needed at second?

Some of the responsibility has to go on the player and his performance, along with making sure he can stay health. His quality of at bats at the major league level was painful to watch. Yep, the talents there; and he has done better at the minor league level. But we've seen that step to the majors trip up other highly rated prospects. No matter how good he is in the field, how he can be an impact player overall without being competent at the plate?

On that challenge play at first base where the umpire called the runner safe because he bobbled the ball. What's the correct ruling? The first baseman didn't have full control before the runner touched the base, but the throw beat the runner (barely). Does the fielder have to control the ball in his glove before the runner gets to the base or just keep it in his glove?

Garver seems to really be getting it both at the plate and in the field. He's coming up with big hits with some power and seems to be blocking balls better in the field. He has to be a pleasant surprise with his play this year.

I like the keystone cops comparison but probably the slimmest minority under 50 have ever personally seen them on the screen.

If they call him up they should maybe just have him DH. His fielding is not his problem and playing in the field is the most likely way he'd get hurt.