cHawk

It would certainly look a lot better if he were. IDK, but it’s not just been the pen that has been hot garbage. The whole team has been hot garbage (outside of SP). So possibly as the offense and defense turn around the pen turns around too? IDK.

Well hopefully the Twins do just that. I had expectations this year. Don’t let me down.

I’m hopeful Alcala becomes that piece.

Any team could realistically take it except Detroit. I disagree that the Sox are without flaws: 1. They are bad defensively 2. Their lineup is full of 1st and 2nd Year starters

Before the season, I thought the pen would rank around 15-20 in the league, and I don’t think that was a terrible take. (Please tell me if it was) But it has looked 25-30 thus far. I think the reason it’s been this bad is that none of our relievers really have any sort of confidence, because that will often lead to control issues. We’re seeing countless walks being handed out by guys like Colome and Duffey. Rogers and Alcala keep giving up hits and making some pretty terrible pitches. If there was more confidence in those guys I think the pen would rank somewhere around 15 in the league. If it can at the very least stay out of the bottom 10 and the offense looks like it did in 2019 and the rotation continues to produce we should be fine. But of course if we want to win in the playoffs our pen needs to be better than 15. Probably Top 10. This is why we need at least one, probably two more quality arms come July. Falvine does deserve blame for not getting enough arms but I think the main issue here is the coaching and the relievers themselves.

? If “Twinsian” is bad then I recall someone calling this bullpen “one of the best in baseball.”

He’s cooked with the stuff he has, so no.

The things with bullpen arms is that there, these days, are two kinds. You have guys who throw 95 and “slider specialists.” Are all “slider specialists” bad, well, no. But they’re called slider specialists because they rely on movement, they rely on confusing the hitters and getting swings and misses. Once that stops working, they fall apart. Guys like Cody Stashak and Caleb Thielbar are a prime example of this, batters have both of them figured out. The league is more statistics these days so batters have them figured out. That’s why it’s generally a better idea to build bullpens (and a pitching staff as a whole for that matter) around guys who throw 95, because they’re less prone to falling apart at the seams. But bad command will kill any pitcher. If a guy who throws hard (Rogers, Robles, Duffey, Alcala) loses his command he will fall apart. But the thing is “95” guys have two ways of falling apart: 1. Losing velo (which happens with age) and 2. Losing control. Slider specialists have three ways of falling apart: 1 and 2 are the same but a 3rd is them getting figured out. More on Colome: His K% was down quite a bit last year, but he hasn’t lost velo. It’s not like he’s a “softball pitcher” either, because his fastball does average 94 (which is about 95). But he has no command. I don’t want to see him past the 6th in a close game until he fixes it, or until he’s DFA’d.

He throws hard but location is just as important. He has no location and that’s the big problem. That’s the problem with the pen as a whole. It’s not a problem of the guys not throwing hard enough and their arms regressing. The only guy who’s actually noticeably lost velocity would be Duffey. Command in a pitcher can be fixed, a drop in velocity can’t. Alcala has been so bad because he hasn’t been able to command his pitches. He’s given up many HRs, he hit Jordan Luplow today, etc. So, if Alcala is to fix the pen, then we need to see him command his pitches better than he has.

Imagine if we lose 100 games this year. How embarrassing would that be? More embarrassing than 0-21.

I don’t think Wes should be let off the hook for these constant bullpen implosions. Duffey looks so bent and out of shape. Rogers, although having good numbers, is serving meatballs right down the middle and giving up hits. Alcala can’t stop giving up HRs. Robles can’t get hitters out in a timely manner. Colome is all of that rolled up into one terrible package. Pretty much everyone has regressed mightily. Not one of our relievers has shown he can be reliable (except maybe Rogers), a lot of them have been previously.

Since blowing that 6-0 lead to Seattle, nothing has gone right for the Twins. Absolutely nothing. The pen has been shelled, the offense has been non-existent, starters have been leaving early, and the defense has been BAD. This team is not playing well at all. It will be up to the players and Rocco if they are ever to turn this ship around. Colome is terrible and it’s blatantly obvious. He should be mop up at absolute most. Rogers is our only reliable reliever. Make him the closer. Robles has been...fine? He’s succeeding in every stat besides ERA. Duffey, what’s up with him? IDK what needs to happen. But something needs to happen. And fast. I still don’t want to hear any talk about trading JD, or Buxton, or anyone else like that. We’re trying to win, we shouldn’t give up after <15% of the season.

Nvm then

BP is the #1 priority in July. No question. And I’d take another starter. I’d also take an offensive infusion. (Preferably a catcher or 1B).

I don’t know about “all year,” but until they make some changes, yeah.

The whole damn team has been disappointing so far

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. You lose a series, at home, to one of the worst teams in the league. What can I say, everything about this team looks horrible! The offense, holy sh&t! Is this really one of the worst offenses in baseball? It certainly looks like it. The bullpen, holy sh&t! The defense, I thought was supposed to be one of the best in baseball? The rotation is the ONLY positive so far. And even that hasn't been perfect. They sure look like they don't give a sh&t. If anything it looks like they care about their paychecks and nothing more. Were we supposed to be pushing for the WS this year? Or are we headed for a rebuild? Somebody please tell me the answer...

Update: Weird, all of my NEIGHBOR’s calendars say April too.

Hmm, must’ve missed a time warp. Must be July if we’re confirming we’re a bad team. My calendar says April. Infact, ALL of my calendars say April.

Ok that was an exaggeration. And the Pirates might not be the worst team in the league. It could easily be Texas or Detroit or Baltimore. But I'll be shocked if they finish anywhere close to .500. Once again, it's early. Seattle started 13-2 in 2019.

POSITIVES--The start was encouraging from Happ (granted, against the worst team in the league by a country mile). The defense didn't mess up tonight. The bullpen also held the fort for once. NEGATIVES--The offense. These no-name Pittsburgh pitchers came here and shut us down, I don't like that. Yeah, it's colder rn and therefore there won't be as much offense, but it's concerning. Overall, good to see a win for once.

Please explain why anyone who still thinks they will make the playoffs is “blind and lobotomized.” The A’s and Mariners are both 12-7 and 11-7, with the two best records in the AL by a country mile. Surely they will meet in the Championship Series, right?

?? What’s a “quality start” to you? His only “bad” start was the one against Boston. He was solid against Oakland, Seattle, and Milwaukee.

I think that would’ve been a 56-yard FG, which isn’t easy at all, on the road, in a dome with probably ~130 dB of noise. But no question that would be better than the interception. Reminds me of the 2010 Divisional (Green Bay vs Atlanta) where, down 14-21, the Falcons could’ve kicked a 53-yard FG (very make-able for Matt Bryant at the time) as the clock expired at the half. Instead, Matt Ryan threw a pick six as time expired before the half.

Blowing leads seems more like a Falcons thing