stringer bell

Ump missed strike 3.

Why is Gio only on first?

When is the last time Buxton stole a bag against a left hander? As a mater of fact, when was the last time he stole a base? We’re seeing a diminished player here.

Totally agree with that.

I would say COVID aftereffects.

It is the internet.

I see he last pitched for Fort Myers on 6/1. One can never be sure about pitching arm injuries. Many, myself included, had seen Alcala as a candidate to move into setup or closer roles.

I think it fits with easing a guy in to the lineup to DH Correa. Glad he’s back. Good job by Palacios in his absence.

I would say that command is the biggest problem. He's reduced his repertoire to the two pitches--fastball and curve--and they are both major league quality, but he has to throw more strikes in the right spots. Right now, I would say he is certainly worth a look.

There was a day off in between. The Twins got 3+ out of Sands and have Archer, who has only gone as much as 5 innings in one start and then Bundy, who has struggled against good offenses. Yes, the bullpen will pitch a lot of innings in the Yankee series. When dividing the bullpen between high leverage and low, who gets high leverage? I would say Duran, Smith, Pagán, Jax and Thielbar. That is not exactly the Nasty Boys or a shutdown group, but it is better than Canó, Megill, Minaya and Duffey.

1) The Twins were behind the entire game and no ML manager uses his high-leverage bullpen arms when trailing in a game in June. Baldelli had already used. Minaya and Canó. I guess it was the experienced, but struggling Duffey or Megill for the seventh inning. 2) Baldelli has seen Duffey recover from rough spots before, particularly last year. I think he and Wes have as good a handle on how effective they can expect him to be going forward. 3)If you look back, Duffey retired the first two batters quickly and easily. One batter reached when a hopper got through the shift and the next AB was a walk—bring in another low-leverage guy with two on and two out? We are all too quick to give up on guys. Pitcher and hitters slump. I don’t know if Tyler Duffey is good enough any more to get out good major league hitters regularly, but he has in the past. If there’s not something physically wrong with Duffey, I would advocate his DFA, but if he’s on the team last night in the seventh inning was as good a time as any to have him pitch an inning.

Palacios is a COVID replacement so he can be sent to the minors without being exposed. No need to add him to the 40-man roster at this point. Contreras most likely will get DFAed in order to bring up a non-roster player. Beckham and Steer are making cases for promotion. I wonder if Beckham has an opt-out.

The starting rotation is depleted. The Twins are using starters #5, #6 and #8 against a good Yankee offense. They are facing three very good pitchers. It is a near certainty that the Twins will need to empty their bullpen in the three games, unlikely to get as many as 15 innings from their starters, probably much less. I think it is folly to say that Duran should have been used for two innings in a game where the Twins never caught up, as well as any other higher leverage arms. The problem is that there aren't enough high leverage arms in the bullpen. Using Cano, Minaya, Megill and Duffey wasn't great, but pitching when your team is behind is where they should be used.

One big hit away from tying the score or getting the lead. If they did that, the bullpen usage would have been far different. The guys used today aren't proven big leaguers (except the struggling Duffey). The chance of the guys they ran out today all pitching well is extremely low. This is the way that games have been managed for at least 20 years--when you are behind in the game you don't use your best relievers. I agree with Chief that the bullpen is extremely thin. I doubt the 'pen can hold a lead with four innings of their best relievers. I think the chances of the guys they used today shutting down the Yankees today were <10%. I'm frustrated with what has happened to the staff. Injuries are part of the game, but a team that is as cautious as the Twins should be rewarded by having decent health as a result of their caution. Instead, there are injuries on top of injuries. Ugh, ish and ick.

They changed the scoring on that grounder? What is the matter with official scorers?

Polanco 4-4. Another silver lining.

Hate to call this a bright spot, but maybe this is the end in a Twins uni for Tyler Duffey.

So many pitches. Guys with marginal talent have to be so fine.

The one good game Buxton had does not paper over his struggles.

With the current Buxton at the plate, the last thing you do is send the runner.

IKF let that ball play him.

Pretty good job by Cano. What was a pretty easy inning became a struggle.

I think he's been okay.

Opportunity missed. Too bad. I guess you don't use your best BP arms down a run. I do think Thielbar is better than that ERA.

This is a lefty that Larnach should be able to handle. Well, he made contact anyway.