stringer bell

Picking through what is left at St. Paul, I am curious about Evan Sisk. That he is a lefty has to help his cause. Will he have to be protected from being selected in the Rule V draft? It looks like he walks quite a few, good K numbers. He's 25, so not quite a fuzzy cheeked youngster. Palacios looks like he can at least be a utility player in the majors. His hot streak now gives him very good numbers at triple A and he demonstrated a good glove in his short stay with the Twins. I see he played 3B yesterday and he has had a bit of time in the outfield. I know he'd have to be added to the 40-man to be protected from the Rule V draft in the off season, but he could well be the opening day SS for the Twins in 2023.

Pennant chase: There are three teams in the race for the AL Central and perhaps a wild card. Each was playing a four game series. Right now, the Twins who were home underdogs against Toronto are 2-1. Chicago, which was a road favorite against Texas is 1-2, and Cleveland, which was a home underdog is 1-2. It wouldn't surprise me at all if all three teams come out of this 2-2. It seems that is the way it goes, the Twins aren't running away but Cleveland and Chicago haven't been able to overtake them.

In checking Lòpez' closer history (that is only this year), he hasn't worked three consecutive games all year, so I presume he is out for today, as are Fulmer, Duran and Jax. Sands and Pagán are rested and available and I presume both Thielbar and Megill could get an inning. Not a great scenario, but they did secure at least a split and won the season series vs. the Blue Jays. Pagán has not been good this year and Sands hasn't shown he is ready to be a major league pitcher from his stats, but who do you replace them with? Both Winder and Moran are on the Injured List at triple A and given Toronto's lineup, I wouldn't want the lefty Smeltzer to face them. I have to believe that Smeltzer gets recalled for Sands after today, but that Pagán holds on to a spot because there aren't any better options.

Cave is true tweener, stretched as a center fielder, not enough offense to be a regular corner OF. He reputedly works hard and he plays hard and hustles. Perk and Morneau made some references to having a better approach at the plate and he is healthy. He wasn’t a good fit with many LH corner OFs on the team, but he’s stayed available and now has a chance to stay in the majors. Good on Jake!

Several comments to make: 1) Sandy León looks like an excellent pickup. He appears to live up to his rep as a receiver, has hit a little bit, and was able to get a bunt down to score a key run. 2) Nice to see the Twins add on after taking the lead in the middle innings. 3) Arraez got three hits, perhaps ending a (for him) long snag. 4) Available bullpen options for Sunday would be Sands, Thielbar, Megill and Pagán. Toronto has used their ‘pen a lot too, but they’ll have Gausman starting.

Agree. Lopez has frequently worked consecutive days. IIRC, this is only the second time Duran has pitched two days in a row.

I really wonder if it is wise to use Jax on consecutive days.

More than a bit concerned about navigating the eighth inning.

That aged well.

Less than 50-50 they score here, partly because of Leon’s lack of speed.

Yes. 80 miles southeast ( where I live), it appears it will rain all night. It does look like the rain will end in Minneapolis shortly.

Bundy didn’t hit his spots in the first, but escaped with a single and walk. With his stuff, he really to hit those spots.

León starting back-to-back. Is Sánchez nicked up? I suppose every catcher is by now. Good to see one of the walking wounded (Kepler) back.

Since May 1, we've had byron buxton. In April and for the 60 games he played last year, the Twins had BYRON BUXTON, the best player in MLB.

If Boras doesn't see a mega-contract out there for Correa, Carlos may well opt in and bet on himself to get that mega-deal after a more successful 2023. The irony is that the worse Correa performs for the balance of the season, the more likely he is to stay with the Twins for the coming season. I really would like him to stay and for the Twins to go for it again in 2023. The pieces should be there.

Okay, Duran stranded a couple and now López will get the ninth, probably with no margin for error. Double for Gordon, let’s see if they can score him.

Good job C-4!

A challenge here to get an insurance run here when the guy on second is not exactly Usain Bolt.

Last time out Jax got knocked around. He was working on back-to-back days. I think he might be a guy who does need a day off between outings.

Okay, time for the rebuilt bullpen to show it’s stuff.

Six innings from the starter is a breath of fresh air. It would have looked a lot better if he only allowed two or three runs.

Godoy claimed by the Pirates. I believe he got into two games for the Twins.

Sanó is on the 60-day IL. He’d be eligible to come off the list the last week of September. Pretty tough to imagine he’ll be a factor in the last two weeks or the postseason. Probably the most amazing thing about the Twins this year has been their ability to avoid a longish tailspin. They’ve foundered for months but haven’t lost more than three in a row at any time IIRC. I wrote about a month ago that I’ll believe in their ability until they do have a tailspin. Yes, the trip to LA might be their sternest test, but they seem to have the ability to right the ship.

Good points. Hitters ebb and flow, but right now Correa has been pretty bad for quite a while. He got his BA up over .300 in June, but the prolonged cold spell has him having perhaps his worst season. The irony is that the worse his season gets, the more likely he returns for next year. I’d like to see him bet on himself and come back for his age 28 season. We all know Buxton isn’t 100% and that his injury is limiting the team. We don’t know if the current load management is/was the correct course. I am not terribly impressed with Miranda’s defense either, but he has impressed with the bat. He’s been the club’s best hitter for at least the last five weeks, maybe longer. I think the Twins have used Pagán correctly of late and he’s had some good innings. Yesterday’s game pivoted on the inning that Pagán pitched however. The problem is that they don’t have better options than Pagán and Duffey to fill out the bullpen. Adding the two arms and getting Thielbar back improve the club and bullpen, but everyone on the staff will have to throw key innings and Duffey and Pagán fail too often. Finally, Mark Contreras is a nice story. He’ll be able to tell his kids and grandkids that he was a major league ball player. He doesn’t belong in the majors based on what I’ve seen. I would definitely rather see Jackie Bradley Jr. playing in the outfield right now.

I really don't want to defend Baldelli too much, but it isn't just the number of innings or the pitch count. First of all, Gray threw about thirty pitches in his last inning, starting with 60some and ending over 90. Rocco figured correctly that Gray could get out of the fifth and he did just that. If Gray starts the sixth with 79 pitches and runs into trouble, then Rocco has to get him and bring in a reliever in the middle of an inning. Other things like how his stuff looks from the dugout, the score of the game and who is available to relieve certainly figure in.