weneedjackmorris

I'm normally a pretty optimistic kind of guy. I'm not a statistician. I don't profess to know everything about baseball or specifically the Twins. But I'm seeing some very troubling signs with this team after its fast start out of the gate. Leads being blown. Too many errors being made (physical and mental ones). The bullpen continuing its inconsistency from last season. Key players not contributing at the level of their pay scale (you know who they are). I'm sure folks will scream at me for this. But it's my opinion that these issues (and more) are systemic. To the point that I'm prepared to say that for all purposes the Twin's season is done. Not mathematically speaking. Conveyed image speaking. I see nothing to tell me that a tweak here or there in the lineup will change things. And I don't buy the COVID-19 issue. They were loosing long before that came in to view. I REALLY hope I'm wrong about this. But I don't thing I am. The Twins are dead (in 2021). Long live the Twins...

We can score runs. Our starting rotation is good enough to get us into the 6th or 7th. The defense is okay. It's about the bullpen. It's always been about the bullpen. It will always be about the bullpen. This team will NEVER win anything post season or otherwise until they fix the bullpen... Hey front office?! Are you there?! Anybody home?!

Well, it looks like yet another post-season let down is in the works. That's the thing. You are either "get busy living or get busy dying". Too bad. They had so much going for them.

I can see the argument on this being about poor ownership decisions on how they spend (or don't spend!) their money. But I don't agree that Rocco is to blame. I have to believe that behind closed doors he probably put in a request for help in the bullpen and/or starter categories, knowing that what he had was not going to be enough down the stretch. And even if he didn't, that's not on him. I think it's pretty amazing that he did what he did with what he had, again knowing that it would be a stretch to get out of the playoffs and to a WS championship. Let's see what happens in the off season...

So the playoffs between the Yankees and the Twins is essentially over. And just as it has in years past, the winning team sported (has) the better pitching. The Twins did an amazing job this year on offense. They broke the MLB record for most home runs by a team for a single season, and improved their team's offensive statistics in just about every category (but were a league low in SB?!). Yet, all of that meant nothing against the Yankees. This team is fun to watch at times (during the regular season). But they'll never beat the Yankees, or anyone else for that matter, in a playoff series if they don't improve their pitching from top to bottom. And I have no doubt that Rocco, like every other observant person, knows this so very well. So hats off to the Twins for a great season. Thanks for some great moments. My Christmas wish for 2020? A pitching staff that can beat the Yankees!

This is a very unfortunate action on the part of Mr. Pineda. What makes it worse is that he'll be gone at the end of the season, and will likely never put on a Twins uniform ever again. Good. What a lousy parting gift from a ball player who just dropped off my Christmas card list for 2019! Merry frigg'n Xmas Mike.

So... just keeping track of this. After the last 13 games, the Twins are 7 - 6 (about .500). That includes the 4 game sweep they had of Texas. If you just count the games since their series with the Rangers, then they're 5 - 2. That's .714 win %. Still too early to tell, but it's definitely going to be a rollercoaster ride the rest of the way in!!! Hold on tight and have the barf bag ready...

If you put this logic in front of me before the All Star break, I might have agreed with you. But trending, since the AS break, seems to belay that logic now. I'm not so optimistic on the Twins ability to cover an overall .666 to .700 record against the Tigers, WS, Rangers, KC, etc., i.e., the .500 or sub-500 teams on the list. Not the way they're playing right now. I have the Indians winning the Div with 99 wins and the Twins battling TB and Oakland for the final wild card spot. Maybe 95 or 96 wins? Hope I'm wrong (but don't think I will be...).

This is NOT a WS caliber team (yet). Period. They're playing better, and in the race for a playoff spot, so I'll take it! But too many weaknesses, and moments of poor execution occurring at the wrong time (is there ever a right time?). Tendency is to over analyze when things aren't going your way. But they will definitely have to make some player moves in the off season. They need to get better!

Excellent blog. Really puts a necessary light on the importance of endurance and conditioning over a 162 (and hopefully more?!) game season. Your focus of course was on starting pitching. I was hoping the editions of Dyson and Romo would spell the bullpen with some much needed help in this area. But so far this hasn't really panned out (at least in my opinion). Lot's of bb remaining, so we'll see what happens.