Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Number3

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    869

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Tutorials & Help

Videos

2023 Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Free Agent & Trade Rumors

Guides & Resources

Minnesota Twins Players Project

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by Number3

  1. Number3
    Almost impossible to envision this team not playing in October. So it is very tempting to start considering what will need to be done to win series against Yankees, Red Sox and Astros and maybe a couple of other teams. Already done with Houston for the year and only 3 against Yankees at home and all 6 against Red Sox left including 3 this month. No one thinks they have enough pitching so grabbing an arm or two for the pen won't be easy but other than that if it ain't broke don't fix it. Dog days are approaching and Twins are in enviable position of being able to continue to juggle lineups and keep players fresh. Main thing...don't think ahead too far and just beat Seattle tomorrow.
  2. Number3
    Or not be afraid to let starters pitch more than a Little League game. Every game against a division team is a 2 game swing so this was huge. So far no losing streaks (2 doesn't count as a "streak"). Even HofF and possible HoF players for the Twins have had few if any games where they totally carried the team to a significant win. Do need to take 2 of 3 from Tigers before coming home. Kepler can take the night off tonight and let the other 8 do the job.
  3. Number3
    I can't get over statements such as "eventually they will figure Odorizzi out" The key word is "execution" Repeat "execution". Schemes, plans, analytics and so on are ok but the team that executes the best usually wins. As long as Odorizzi maintains the command of his pitches he has demonstrated so far, it doesn't matter what the competition figures out. Same goes for all pitchers and position players. NBA playoffs are classic example as the TV and radio analysts say over and over that the teams have seen each other so much that there is nothing they can do strategy wise to make a difference. The teams that execute best and, yes, want it the most, win. Now wrap up May against the Rays and then on to June to continue road trip against Rays, Indians and Tigers. Heavy dose of Royals in June plus first shot at Red Sox who are coming on strong. Go Twins! Just play hard and loose and keep doin what you're doin.
  4. Number3
    "I don’t actually think he’s anything special as an in-game manager. I don’t care for his lineups....." Excerpt from earlier post. I thought he was "over managing" at first too but now I think it is sheer brilliance. Almost every player gets a different spot in the batting order in games and those who are able play different positions. Almost everyone starts frequently. Result? A fresh approach for the whole team in most games and each game takes on its own identity which fits perfectly into the "one game at a time" approach that is necessary for the long season. It also re-enforces the notion of "team vs individual" and no roles just play. Also really like the idea of announcing the lineups for every series as was posted. As always, 2 factors determine win-loss record. How good are you? How good is the competition? Twins are obviously vastly improved as a team over recent years in more ways than one. The competition, in comparison, seems to be down overall from prior years. Way too early to worry about playoff matchups but October should be very interesting in 2019.
  5. Number3
    Mr.Brooks posted in reply to my question about Berrios in game 3 of the series, "The team shouldn't make decisions for no other reason than padding a player's personal stats. It matters if the team wins. Which pitcher gets that W on his baseball card is meaningless." I fully understand that and was not able to see the game but if I was Berrios I would be a little ticked unless I had totally lost it was hurt. Starting pitchers live and die by wins and losses and all he needed was a chance to get one more out. Rocco must have been irritated beyond Berrios simply having a bad inning. If he (Berrios) was unable to locate anything, I could see it.
  6. Number3
    Buxton should stay where he is in the lineup and the theory that the 9 hitter becomes leadoff is valid minus 1 ab and removes the stigma of actually being the leadoff hitter. Buxton is still in the development/comeback stage so leave well enough alone. Don't understand why Berrios was removed in game 3 one third of an inning away from a W still with a nice lead unless he had tweaked something. A local high school coach said about his team that they are better collectively than they are individually and, so far, that is the story of the 2019 Minnesota Twins. Keep it up.
  7. Number3
    I love being wrong on a negative prediction and am happy to eat crow on thinking the Twins would lose if Sano started his first game back. I would be very happy to be wrong on my other reservations about Sano. He does look to be in good shape based on video clips. Time will tell but last night speaks for itself. Twins now on another 3 game streak and nice to have big enough leads to give the pen a little leeway. See how Perex does tonight. Go Twins!
  8. Number3
    As has been said, 2 games in a row that the Twins of recent years would probably have found a way to lose but hung on and won. Now, how Sano is used is a reality not just speculation. I hope he is on the bench tonight to reaclimate and be around his new team mates. Maybe pinch hit. Having said that he will probably start at 3rd and he if does I am afraid the Twins will lose, nit necessarily because of Sano; just a feeling. I can't understand why Hildenberger throws that 80mph junk that he can't control. I think he has gotten bad advice on how to survive in the Major Leagues.
  9. Number3
    That is what bothers me about Sano playing 3b on an every day basis. Would show up in the L column I am afraid. These types of games are what make the difference in Oct. Definitely one of the 42.
  10. Number3
    Anything less than 5 runs usually means a loss in today's game. Now that the 2 Twins aces (so far this year) have lost can Gibson come through tonight? Would be nice to pull out this series and win the home stand before heading west. Seems like Rocco is doing a lot of lineup tinkering and I hope he is not being too smart by half as the old saying goes. Don't take this managing thing too seriously Rocco. Just let 'em play. My mistake....sorry Jake, you are at the top of the list ace wise the way you have pitched the past few games. Gibson still needs to come through.
  11. Number3
    When a series split = a problem that sounds like a good sign to me. Injuries are part of all sports so Cruz and Perez will simply have to recover and be replaced in the mean time. Injury is a subject all to itself and it is a fact that players in all sports are either more fragile or are coddled too much or both. The scary thing about the Yankees is that their whole team is injured and there they are right behind the Rays. Hildenberger is another subject all together and reminds me of a knuckle ball pitcher without a knuckle ball. Maybe they think his sidearm delivery and off speed junk is confusing to hitters but they had better think again.
  12. Number3
    Who cares? The best thing about this team is that it is a team. Thank goodness its not #7 any more. Blasphemy? So be it.
  13. Number3
    Now they are playing with house money tonight with Gibson on the hill so I hope he relaxes and attacks the zone like Perez and Berrios. Then a day off and a nice balanced schedule for the rest of the month. Amazing what a few new players (not huge free agent signings but solid established Major League ball players ...yes, ball players) and a new manager with a fresh attitude can accomplish.
  14. Number3
    Given that adjustments to rosters are made continuously by all teams during the course of a long season, the real question is how long of a leash will Sano have when he returns? It actually makes Baldelli's job easier that Gonzales hasn't been tearing the cover off the ball but the Twins are winning with the roster they have and his defense can't be questioned. I am still not sold on Sano as a long term every day solution and I hope his defense is solid enough to allow his offense to come around. I also hope that his return is not coincidental with a losing streak of any kind.
  15. Number3
    On Saturday, Jake could not have cared less about umpire bias. He attacked the strike zone with 93-94 mph fast balls and then went off speed in mid-high 80s. He dealt with the batter, not the umpire. Then, in comes Hilldenberger who nibbled around the plate with slow breaking balls and was torture to watch compared to Odorizzi. I like the way the YES network leaves a K-zone box on the screen all the time as the pitch is being delivered and shows the speed of every pitch. I thought the ump did a great job in that game. Pitchers who are afraid to attack the strike zone are too dependent on the whims of the umpire.
  16. Number3
    Getting the W on Sat. was fine for that series. Now 2 of 3 in Toronto and back to Target. Don't see the Yankees again until late July and it won't be in Yankee Stadium. Dog day time for the 2019 season.
  17. Number3
    Not to detract in any way but it was a pitcher friendly but I think very fair umpire and it was a 46 degree night that kept a couple of marginal balls in the park. Schoop's might have gone 500 feet on an 80 degree day. Perez was a pleasure to watch and was fearless in the strike zone. Anyone notice the game time? Very few deep counts and incessant ab's with foul tips after foul tips. Had a couple of 9 or 10 pitch innings. Two asides by the ESPN announcers were very interesting. One was that the days of the sinker ball ground ball pitcher may be over which is great news. The other which has been suspected and now basically confirmed is that AAA baseball has switched to the major league ball and the home run count has almost doubled from high 400s to mid 900s for the month of April. Sutcliffe said that when he holds a current major league ball that it doesn't even feel like a baseball to him. Take that for what it is worth.
  18. Number3
    The real question is, why is Sano having to go through a rehab assignment in the first place? Answer...because he was celebrating in a raucous crowd after winning a championship in a league he shouldn't even have been playing in after recovering from injury last year. Don't tell me that immaturity and maybe just a "little" alcohol didn't play a role. Now the Twins themselves will have to rehab him on the fly in games that count with the typical "just give him some time". Forget the home runs. Consistent play in the field, maturity, and injury are what concern me about Sano. At least we'll find out soon and, like Buxton, the leash should be very short. At least Buxton appears to have turned the corner so 1 out of 2 ain't bad between the long awaited star level performances.
  19. Number3
    Or, to put it another way, it is definitely 1 of the 42 in the 60-60-42 rule. More importantly one of the 30 wins of those 42 needed to get into the playoffs. That is called stealing one. Beauty of Jake is that I don't think he will take the mound next time out expecting to throw goose eggs every inning. He will just pitch a professional game as long as he can like he always does.
  20. Number3
    I get the Os on TV in the MASN market and saw Schoop at his best 2 years ago. I knew he would be an upgrade from Dozier especially in the intangible category. Dozier was/is in the Mauer camp of no spark, no fire; just show up and play and go home/hotel and do it again the next day. Schoop actually acts like he wants to win baseball games and enjoys playing baseball. I loved it when he hit the home run off Chris Davis and as he headed down to first looked at Davis and grinned. Not at Davis but seeing the humor in the situation and the enjoyment of it. Davis smiled back. Can't see Dozier doing that in a million years.
  21. Number3
    Losing this game was absolutely no big deal and better 10-4 than 5-4. Just chalk it up as one of the 60 guaranteed losses that you can count before the season even starts. All they have to do tonight is pretend that Verlander is still with Detroit. 7 of 10 games are against Astros and 4 of next 5 at Target. 4 of those 7 in the W column would be great but I'll take 2 of 3 vs Os and a home split with the Stros even if Twins lose today. So far they are right on track.
  22. Number3
    Right...Odorizzi always completes games and Ron "I know nothing about pitching" Gardenhire or Molitor never would have done that. I do think that Odorizzi is a true pro who just takes the ball every time its his turn and I would bet never complains or has to be "related to" in any way. Is he lights out every time? Of course not. But I would take him and his attitude and reliability on any staff. The game is based on outscoring the opposition and low scoring, pitching dominated games are the rarity. Don't waste your best relievers when you have a big lead.
  23. Number3
    Rosario homers twice and Twins still only plate 4. A good pitching performance might still have been wasted. I'll still take 9-7 even though a split with the Jays would have made it 10-6. Now its Os and Stros for the rest of the month and anything over .500 by May 1 is fine. Then let the season begin.
  24. Number3
    Need to do it again today. The series is still at stake and 10-6 sounds a lot better than 9-7. As far as the bull pen goes, name one team that is completely happy with their pitching. The name of the game is runs and most games it takes at least 5 to win. Familia, supposedly one of the better relievers had no idea where the strike zone was the other night and that is what is frustrating about major league pitching in general many times; when the best at their craft can't or are afraid to throw the ball over the plate.
  25. Number3
    The past is the past but the Twins are now in their first "must" win game of the season as the series and home stand are at stake headed into Baltimore and Houston. Also a big difference between 9-6 and 8-7 even this early in the season. So today's game is definitely one of the 42 that make or break the season and so is tomorrow's. I hope they take tday's game very seriously.
×
×
  • Create New...