stringer bell

Why couldn't Esco have done that when the sacks were full?

Two more chances to put something together...

Two comments on Parmelee--his at-bat against the lefty was pretty impressive. If he can do that, he'll hit for a pretty good average and perhaps set it up that more pitches are in that down and in power zone. A faster OF catches the triple, but with that deep, deep alley it was do or die and he didn't make the play.

Just catching up with the game....not the Twins' best. Actually Gibson was sharper than Lincecum, but Sansaball (oh Bert!) had a big hit. The Twins haven't had that big hit today and man, they've had opportunities.

In the first paragraph, I said "one scant year from now", so I meant May 2015.

All of the discussion about Aaron Hicks has gotten me to think what the Twins outfield will look like one scant year from now. I foresee Buxton installed as center fielder by the end of May. Flanking him would be a combination of Trevor Plouffe, Chris Parmelee, and Oswaldo Arcia. While the corner defense would not be great, there is mashing potential. This assumes the promotion of Sano as well as Buxton. I can't see a future for Hicks as a corner outfielder.

The stubborn fact is the worm is bound to turn a bit on close games. In the 9-6 stretch just completed the Twins won all of those games by one or two runs. They were outscored despite winning 60% of those games. Getting back a hitter or two will help. Having the starters and front line relievers pitching 90% of the innings will help. The roster chaos was at it's peak when the team was in Cleveland, but things have straightened out since then.

Pretty much agree that the AL Central parks are fair, except don't include The Cell. The ball flies there, especially when the weather warms up.

The game thread is closed for some reason, so I will post here. Winnah. See ya in Rochester (NY) Danny!

Bremer is doing his best to jinx the Twins. Fien and Dozier will have none of it.

Nice baserunning Parm!

Walking the speedy Mauer is like giving up a double!

Among the relievers, Thielbar could be optioned. Having Santana and Florimon both at Rochester would create a problem. However, having Danny sit over half the time and accumulate service time isn't ideal either. Colabello was added to the 40-man last year, so he has options remaining. Pelfrey has 15 days of rehab remaining before a decision must be made on him.

Nope.

Well, a one-run lead with Correia on the bump. Game over, I'm turning in.

Ron Gardenhire--managing genius.

Correia already exceeds his number of swings and misses and Ks from his last start.

Wow! If some of you want some entertainment, reread this thread from the beginning. It is amazing how conventional wisdom can change in a year. Best wishes for Dave's reverse jinx on Hicks.

I will be at AT&T next month. Have you been there before? My son lives within walking distance and we take in a game.

I hope Aaron Hicks has a nice year and increases his value enough to be traded for something useful. I am not really down on Hicks, but I don't think his bat will play at anything but center and that will be occupied by Byron Buxton soon enough. A couple of myths continue about Hicks. Is he fast? Not Revere or Buxton fast for sure. I don't think he is as fast as Denard either. further, and more to the point, his great arm and good speed don't make him a good defender, at least not yet. Finally, in terms of hitting, Hicks has one of the lower averages of any player after his first 400 plate appearances. Yes, the OBP looks OK and he showed a couple flashes of power last year, but an OPS of .602 and OPS+ of 68 aren't good enough for a young player to stay in the majors. Hicks has shown some signs of improvement. I hope they are substantial and not just a fortunate streak.

Jared Burton.

The bullpen has some guys that aren't performing well. Look at the ERAs of the four relievers in yesterday's game. Swarzak (5.48), Thielbar (4.50), Tonkin (5.84) and Guerrier (4.50). None of those guys have a lot of innings, and ERA isn't a great stat to judge a reliever on, but none of those guys has a legitimate complaint if they were designated or demoted.

That is "batting practice" machine.

I think the one year anniversary of the "let's just release Dozier" thread started by Dave deserves a mention. Way to go SoVD! You got Dozier off the deck and made him a good player. See what you can do with Aaron Hicks in the next couple of weeks.

Brian Dozier isn't going to hit 40 homers. He probably won't steal 40 bases either, but I would think he would be a lock to hit 20 long balls and steal 20 bags. How about 30/30? The PP points out that he has homered 28 times in one week short of a year, so that if he continued that pace for the last 120 games, he probably would make 30 long balls. 30 steals? As often as he is getting on, I would think that could be done, although if he is moved to another spot in the order, it may not make as much sense for him to run as often. I'm sure the Twins have had players hit 20+ homers and steal 20+ bases. Puckett, Larry Hisle come to mind as possibilities. I doubt anyone has gone 30/30. Could Brian Dozier be the first? It would be a great story.