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insagt1

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Everything posted by insagt1

  1. insagt1
    Although it makes me uneasy every night...its probably good that Cleveland keeps winning. It forces the Twins to play at a high level and not slack off. The teams that are high energy going into post season often do quite well...rather than teams that have had nothing to play for, over a long time (Tampa Bay Lightning anyone? Maybe the Dodgers?) Clearly Twins can't really take a night off, even against terrible opponents.
  2. insagt1
    The 'Red Wings Three'....making a splash for the Twins. They took the best of what we had and are making it work. (Romero....they can discard)
  3. insagt1
    Are LaMarre and Torreyes even eligible? I don't think so. I'm in favor of 13 position players and 12 pitchers. (3 starters and 9 in the pen) If they can't get it done with 12 pitchers, they probably don't belong in post season. Hindenburg, Harper and Romero are definite 'no's'. Position players: Miller is a no. Cave might be on the bubble, as is Astudillo and Wade. But if our injuries don't heal, we will need them all. Kepler, Cron and Adrianza may not be ready to play full out. Cave has stopped hitting. Castro has stopped hitting. Cron has stopped hitting. And the Turtle is struggling. Choose the poison. I want the most versatile players in a 5 game series.
  4. insagt1
    Great story. Helps us all regain some perspective. Major props!! I doubt the Twins were planning on re-signing him even before his disastrous appearances. I believe they wish to move on. Could he help another team? Perhaps. What I remember most about his Twins career was our saying before each start...do we get good Gibson or bad Gibson tonite. He was very inconsistent. I think he's done for this season though.
  5. insagt1
    One person mentioned it...Puig. He's another one who marches to his own drummer, but he also hits a ton and often in the clutch. Machado drove us O's fans nuts with his lack of hustle and apparently it continues to some extent. Do you bench him now and jeopardize all the rest of the team in the heat of a pennant race? No. Does someone with authority sit him down and read the riot act? And one or two of his peers as well? Yes. Absolutely...just like Puig's teammate did. Lack of hustle is not good for the sport. But you will continue to see it. We take the good with the bad when a pennant is on the line unfortunately. We've already seen what damage Pineda's stupidity has cost the team. Hopefully Eddie matures. Maybe hi will, or maybe this is who he is and Twins have to decide whether he's good for the organization or not.
  6. insagt1
    Remember this guy wasn't even penciled in to play at AAA this season. He came up to Rochester because of the chain of injuries in Minnesota and Rochester. He then advanced to the Twins because of those injuries. No way was he going to stay long. His play did not allow Twins to send him back down. What a story! From injury sub to everyday player. Yeah, we can pick him apart until all the cows have come home. but in the meantime, enjoy watching this guy do what he does and be glad he's on our side. He's a threat to get a hit every AB.
  7. insagt1
    I agree with the last post totally. I hate making exuses for losses. This is now a 10 game season. We can play with numbers all we want. If the Twins do this or do that..heck they could go 1-9 in this crazy game of baseball. Odds say that won't happen but the name of the game is still win.We haven't been sharp lately. We've won some games but we trail in most all of them. Resting players as long as the ones who take their place can get the job done is OK. If a guy is truly banged up and not contributing...like Cron or even Kepler...there is no advantage to having them play. Cron apparently can't grip the bat and his AB's are either k's or weak grounders. Kepler's power has vanished due to his injury and he can't swing the bat properly. I also wonder if playing Castro is helping. He has stopped hitting all together. I think a pitcher could accomplish more. Give Astudillo the odd game behind the plate and see if he can accomplish more. Cave is back in the tank too...but Wade and LaMarre probably aren't the answer. Miller can't hit. Twins really do have to rely on the guys who can get it done...like Rosario, Cruz, Polanco and Arraez. Sano will hit a mistake ten miles...but he also is very suseptible to fanning on 3 pitches. Every team has injuries...look at the Yankees. Gotta gut it out and play smart and hard.,...and not make excuses about losing.
  8. insagt1
    its semantics I know. I don't wish to get into a war of words here. When I say 'must win'..it is in the spirit that Twins really have to get their act together against these teams. The math says sure we can lose 3 of them while Cleveland wins 3 and still have a lead. Is that what we really want? Do we really want to lose a series to a team on the verge of 100 losses? Is it acceptable to play more games like last night? I believe its 'must win' in the sense that we don't play well at home; our starting pitching is down to two reliable arms; our hitters are out of synch and perhaps they feel a 4 game lead is 'comfortable enough'. I don't think it is. Are the fans not totally all in because of the way they play at home? Don't know. What I do know is it would be advisable to end the week with a 5 or 6 game lead and be playing solid baseball. Looking at a series against NY (who we can't beat to save our lives) or Houston, with perhaps most well rounded solid team in MLB is not for a team playing the way we are right now. Ah, but who knows....
  9. insagt1
    I also feel some are making too much of an 80 game suspension being reduced to 60. If it was that innocent a 'mistake', there would be no suspension. If it was reduced to say 20 games, different story. For me it still remains a very poor lapse in judgement by a valuable pitcher to a team fighting for a pennant and in need of said pitcher. Why he would jeopardize his season and throw his teammates under the bus at this critical time is just unforgivable. These guys aren't that 'stupid'...they know exactly what they are doing and if they don't, they have a ton of resources at their fingertips to check before ingesting. We can't ever prove 'intent' and certainly the 'truth' is so deeply hidden in murky waters, the debate could rage on. What is left is our most effective starter crapped the bed and the team, not him, is the big loser.
  10. insagt1
    Seems to be little love for Astudillo on these boards. We can't just look at him as a '3rd catcher'...he is a valuable replacement almost anywhere...unlike Castro, who is only a catcher and right now someone who can't hit a lick. With Garver probably getting the call every game in a 5 game series, who is more valuable as an 'extra'? Someone who can still catch, AND play other positions AND who rarely strikes out...or someone who is uni-dimensional and who has become an automatic out (with a ton of k's). While Castro defensively is decent, is he REALLY that superior to Astudillo behind the plate, as to make a huge difference? Astudillo is more than a fun story....he is a valuable utility player and IMO much more useful in a short series than the slumping Castro. I also think he is more valuable than Cave, who has also reverted back to not hitting. Just my opinions of course.
  11. insagt1
    don't know about everyone else but the 'nervous nelson' in me is still concerned. One more reversal like yesterday and this is a race again. Since Detroit is totally incapable of beating Cleveland this year, lets just assume the Indians win again. That means Twins really can't afford to blow games to these division foes below us. If we win, we take care of our own business. But games like last night, where Twins hitters just went up hacking with no results just can't happen anymore. Bad enough that we just don't often bring our 'A' game at home, the energy level last night was right on 'E' for empty. the division is right there for them, but man alive are they making it a chore to get there, even with this 'favorable' schedule. So, a 4 game lead with 9 to play would make us all sleep better than a 3 game lead with 9 to play. Indians are still playing realistically for a WC berth...but they also know that they could still steal the division if the Twins tank. Winning this series with KC is in the 'must win' category. We can't be worried about what Cleveland does. When we get runners on 2nd and 3rd we can't be striking out on 3 pitches out of the zone. A double with 2 outs in the 8th can't result in being thrown out at 3rd. Come on Twins...suck it up win a few games the way you won them in May and June!
  12. insagt1
    its chinese water torture trying to put Cleveland away. I know even a 4 game lead with 10 to play 'should' be safe...but it sure doesn't feel safe to me. We knew Cleveland would pound Detroit. We just better do the same thing to them. Take nothing for granted. Twins haven't won anything yet. I felt like tonites game was a throwaway. How are Kepler and Adrianza doing?
  13. insagt1
    If they don't retain Dyson, that trade will have cost the Twins one great prospect, who could have spelled the oft injured Buxton. While Davis hasn't exactly lit it up in his debut with SF, he's definitely a good one. Well, you win some and lose some. I believe Dyson came to the Twins as damaged goods. Someone didn't do his homework.
  14. insagt1
    I may have said it before Francona....this guy has batting champ potential. No WAY he is a utiltyman. He needs to get 600 AB's to develop his full ability.. Right now there isn't a more dangerous guy in the lineup when you need someone to put bat on the ball. He will make Schoop expendable and probably Gordon too, especially if Twins are shopping for pitching. Adrianza is the swing utilityman and he's a good one too. Twins have a pretty potent infield array of players. I could even see them move Cron and make Gonzo their 1Bman.
  15. insagt1
    I'd consider subbing Astudillo for Cave. A guy that could get on base more and he isn't any more a defensive step down than Cave. No offense to him. Cron may not be ready to play if his bat is as weak as it has been because of his thumb. Then perhaps you put the turtle in at 1B.
  16. insagt1
    That last post does it for me. The biggest issue is Pineda let his team down at the worst possible time. Why he wasn't more careful with what he was using, I guess we'll never know. Sure seems like there are two camps here...one strongly suggests he was masking...the other strongly refutes that claim. But bottom line is we are out a very good starting pitcher because either he was cheating, or he was pretty stupid in how he handled his meds. Everyone loses.
  17. insagt1
    Right you are. My bad...I didn't look far enough down the list of 2's! In fact it says the Rockies did it in 1997 and 1998 as well as the 1973 Braves. So no, Twins won't equal that record this year...but I'm pretty sure Sano will get one more before its all over to give us 5 30+ HR hitters. All this talk about Schoop (his value vs no value) reminds me of the Expos final season when they had Tony Batista. He led them in HR's and RBI but had a pretty low BA. And the stat hounds were quick to point out he had more chances to drive in runs than just about any other player in the league...conclusion....he failed a lot despite his seemingly decent numbers. And the debate raged on for months. So many ways to evaluate a player. And I still maintain that a component of how one spins the evaluation has something to do with whether you just flat out like or dislike that player. I could have someone throw bouquets of stats in my face about how good Albert Belle was, but I disliked him so much I (irrationally perhaps) didn't care. As an Oriole fan, I could never cheer for him. Granted Belle was pretty much universally considered a real jerk...I don't think Schoop has that tag on him...but sometimes there are just players you don't like. Not scientific....but still very true.
  18. insagt1
    I concur with this. Romero has had a terrible year. He was maybe one of the worst pitchers in Rochester, although his final couple of outings were OK...his body of work was unacceptable. Gibson does look like he's gassed. It was indeed an odd choice of pitchers right after grabbing the lead. I don't think beating Chisox will be that easy, but I am in the camp that hopes Twins play to wrap things up ASAP.
  19. insagt1
    It is a fans perspective of how they view 'failure' . An error in a key spot in a game could cost the team a win. A strikeout with RISP in a key spot in the game does the same. I guess I don't see Schoop as the big liability you think he is. But that too can be a factor of whether you 'like' a player or not too. I don't have the time or energy to actually try and see how many games Schoop has 'lost' for us with poor defense. I do know I've seem him make some extraordinary plays as well. I think ultimately, the discussion is probably moot, because I don't think the Twins will bring him back...with the emergence of Arraez, and the good play of Adrianza. Also Gordon may still be in the mix. Schoop is probably expendable. Baseball gives you many dirrerent ways to succeed in a game, as well as fail. Whether an error, a strikeout, a HR, or a diving catch...all could, and have been game changers. I guess thats why we deal with the ebbs and flows of the game. I'm the impatient sort that wants to win 162 of them and I hate all losses. But then, what real fan likes losses anyway???
  20. insagt1
    The article was well thought out. My feeling is that in todays world of testing and suspension, it was real bad form for him to get caught, just when Twins needed him the most. Trying to beat the Yanks or anyone else in postseason requires topnotch pitching and for the most part he was their best. Let his teammates down? You betcha. did he 'say' all the right things" He said what they pretty much all say after being caught. If the Twins were 49-100 like Baltimore, big whoop. But they have a shot at it all and he just put a real wound in that shot. I don't buy any excuse. None. Should Twins re-sign him? Depends on how they feel about their rotation going forward. They didn't throw Polanco to the curb and look at the contributions he's made. But Pineda certainly did his teammates no favors. For that I believe he owes the team 'something'. The players have closed ranks...publicly...which is fine. But secretly I don't think they can or should be real happy. And it matters not if the PED's help him or not. In 2019, there are rules and he broke them. THAT's what matters...whether we like the rules or not. (and many don't)
  21. insagt1
    Twins have the record for most 20 HR players in a season (8); they may still out homer the Yankees..its very close. The record for most 30+ HR players is 4 and it is held by many teams. Twins are one homer (Sano) away from breaking that record...they already have Kepler, Cruz, Garver and Rosario. Record for 40+ is two. Twins might tie that record but with Keplers nagging injury, he may not play enough to get 4 more. Cruz could do it. As homeruns go, it has been quite a year for the Twins, juiced ball or not.
  22. insagt1
    Schoop is a decent ballplayer. Why so hard on him today? (guess same could be said for those of us who have been hard on Sano's k's....do we release him too? What really cost us today was Gibson....again. Whatever he did while being on the IL sure didn't do much good. Like Dyson, when there is something really wrong with you, you can't hide it very long and right now Gibson's not right. We make up the GIH tomorrow and would be nice to park in the 'W; column. A 5 game lead with 12 to play is a good place to be. (magic # would be 8) Problem is we have had major issues with the ChiSox this season...AND we are home...which sadly is a negative.They still have to earn their title.
  23. insagt1
    I'm going to wait til game 162. There have been a lot of heros. If we go 9-5 it will be a 100 win season. Nice tidy number. Sano--yes his large k-count is frustrating to fans who watch everyday, for sure. And we talk about it, complain about it...BUT in baseball, its often not 'how many, but when'. You can go 1-5 with 4 k's, but if the 'one' is a game winning HR in the 9th, you can forget the k's, right? If a guy's biggest hits, even if they are infrequent, all seem to be game deciders, how valuable is he? Ans: Very. Which is why often 'conventional stats' don't tell the complete story. Last year Red Wings 'best' hitter was Vasquez. Everyone not really following the team thought he was so good....yet most of his hits and HR's came after the Wings were out of contention. When they still were, he hit around .150. Props to Sano yesterday. A huge hit. And a meaningful one.
  24. insagt1
    Hi Brian...I'm here. A refugee from the old TCDugout boards.Homebased in Rochester, NY, I'm a season ticket holder for the Red Wings and have followed the team since the late 1950's. I keep a daily eye on the Twins prospects that cycle thru AAA. I'm wondering why Twins have not called DeAza. He had a monster year in Rochester and has tons of major league experience. Much more valuable that LaMarre IMHO. Or Miller, who can't hit a lick.
  25. insagt1
    If Indians sweep this series, I think the Twins honestly may miss the playoffs all together. It would indicate that they have kinda lost the bubble and a wild card is certainly no guarantee. They must win once this weekend. Given the weather forecast, Odorizzi should never have started last night. That one is on Rocco. Also, no sympathy for Pineda. ANY new substance must be checked out first. These guys know that. It becomes pretty clear he was taking it to hide something else...which of course is totally stupid in todays game of random testing. He totally hurt the team.
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