stringer bell

First of all, most likely it will be two pitchers sent down on May 2. Gray should certainly be back, giving the Twins six starters plus Winder. I suppose Winder could get work once a week and maybe the Twins rotation will go through a rough patch and he would pitch a lot. I don’t think it is the best thing for his development to be locked into being the long man indefinitely. As for one of the rotation being dropped, I don’t think anyone has eliminated himself. We’ve seen enough good from Paddack and Archer to not demote them to a bullpen at this point. It certainly could happen. But for Windrr to join the rotation, there would need to be two demoted or injured. When that time comes, Winder should be stretched out and ready to step in. Assuming Winder is one of the 26-man roster casualties, who is the other? My guess would be Stashak, with Romero going to St. Paul on rehab assignment. The club could move some pieces around if they decide they don’t need a third catcher. Arraez and Gordon fill most of their utility needs.

I'd like to see Larnach get untracked (and I think he is close) and I'd like to see Kirilloff healthy and productive, but I don't know if you can just shove both those guys in the lineup for guys who have produced in the past (Kepler and Sano). It is not like either Miguel or Max is ready for retirement. On Kepler, he's hitting .220 with an OPS of .661, not great to be sure, but better than Polanco or Correa. Kepler is also a good defensive outfielder. He hasn't hit really well since the summer of 2019, but so far I don't see how Kirilloff and/or Larnach have made him expendable.

Winder gave the Twins four good innings yesterday and last Saturday, he hurled 5.1. Other than his major league debut, he has been used as a long man out of the bullpen. Is that is what is best for his development? Does he provide enough value in that role to continue when the rosters are reduced to 13 pitchers? It is still really early in the season. We've seen only two starts from Paddack and Gray (should return from injury soon) and three from everyone else, The current plan for a six-man rotation looks temporary. I think the best plan is to send Winder back to St. Paul and have him ready to step in when he is needed and I doubt the wait will be too long.

To clarify further, Garlick did stay in the game after he pinch hit for Larnach, but was replaced by pinch runner Celestino when he walked in his second plate appearance and Celestino stayed in the game.

It would be just like the first Target Field walk-off (Thome)--silence.

Not a Duke (or Coach K) fan, I take it.

Hindsight is 20-20. La Russa believed in his All-Star closer and he got beat. Tony's in the Hall of Fame and they aren't going to take him out for that, but I guess I thought it was a real gamble that he didn't have to take.

Kind of like fake baseball (right now). First place in the AL Central!

Ghost runner alert!

We may have many choices on players to put on the IL.

The same thing happened to me yesterday.

Well, if the Twins do manage to come back and win this game, it looks very much like they’ll be in first place. NY up 9-0 in the ninth.

Corner OF is/was where the Twins’ prospects are/were—Rooker, Kirilloff and Larnach—with Wallner a year behind. None of them has stepped forward yet and Kirilloff might have a chronic injury and Rooker was traded. I won’t make a judgment yet on either player still with the Twins, but it is concerning.

“Watching” on Gamecast”. Was that a bad error by Sanó?

Got Giolito above 25 pitches for the first inning.

Tough to sweep any team, but momentum is on the Twins’ side.

I see Jeffers is listed as “day to day”. Any word on an injury?

Minaya is a righty, so no third left handed reliever with that.

Moran hasn’t been very effective for the Saints. Agreed that Celestino should be in St. Paul, along with Winder. Unless there are injuries, I would expect both to be optioned on May 1, if not before. The three Saints pitchers with the best case to join the Twins are Smeltzer, Minaya and Cano. None are on the 40-man roster.

I was surprised that the Twins picked Godoy over Cisco to back up Jeffers. I'm wondering if maybe it is because Godoy has an option remaining? Godoy wasn't listed in "out of options" by mlbtraderumors.com, so I'm guessing he can be optioned and if they brought up Cisco, they would risk losing him if the team wanted him to go back to St. Paul.

It appears that Winder is around solely for long relief now that the starters are going long enough that a piggyback situation is improbable. With Gray seemingly ready to return to the rotation, there really doesn't appear to be any need to keep him around as insurance. Of course, that could all change in one day. It would figure that Winder will be one of the guys shipped out after May 1.

Surviving a tough April schedule so far. Within a half game of first place with a much easier schedule in May. So far, most of the hitters have been disappointing, but the rotation has been a real surprise. I think the bullpen is a work in progress, but there are pieces there. Byron Buxton is attaining his offensive potential which is a level that very few people can reach. This is the most optimistic I have felt about the team since they broke camp. One rather large reason for this is the mess that is the Chicago White Sox, although many of their problems are injury-related.

Colorado split their DH with Detroit despite Columé’s best effort to blow the nightcap. The Twins are in second place alone, trailing the Guardians by one-half game.

Not quite counting chickens (hey I saw what happened to the T-Wolves) but it could happen that tonight the Sox will be in last place.

Don’t wake Abreu up!