shimrod

Sano has looked great - today 4 Ks. By the time I got home from work they were in extras - so I only saw one Sano AB. The second strike (called) was both low and outside and it wasn't even close. The third strike (swinging) was also low and outside but hell, if the ump called the first one a strike who's to know the second won't be as well? No player in the league could do anything productive with either of those pitches. The umpires are either crooked or incompetent (and I'm not ruling out "both"). The electronic strike zone can't arrive soon enough. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the umpires are opposing the electronic strike zone due to the impact it would have on their off-the-books income.

Wasn't able to watch the game last night, but it sounds as though they played the same game(s) I watched last week so I guess I didn't miss anything. Looking for a silver lining here....Can we credit this team for at least being consistent?

I'll go with all of the above. See what we can get for Falvey and Rocco while we're at it.

I like watching La Tortuga play, but it's frustrating to see his bat-to-ball talent and think what a productive hitter he could be with a smidgeon more discrimination at the plate.

"...were two for thirteen with runners in scoring position." Still a little high. Get that down to 0 for 13 and they'll be ready to fit in with the big club.

"Was I the only one expecting Rocco to pull Happ after 5 innings?" No. He's supposed to be a smart guy - if he can learn from his mistakes and repeat them less he could be fine. I've been critical of him; he's formulaic and with the recent troubles it appeared he was flailing as much as the players. Still, he's a relatively inexperienced manager. His first year the bats exploded and he was probably thinking the job isn't that hard. Last year was a cluster for everyone, hard to conclude anything. This year we'll find out what he's made of.

The one excuse I haven't seen yet that might actually fly is the loss of the former bench coach. I don't know what that interaction looks like in practice, but if the manager typically receives opinions from other coaches (bench, bullpen, pitching, etc) and decides which opinion to implement I can see the sudden loss of that coach having a big impact on his performance. We had a traumatic disruption to the staff before the season and that could explain a lot. That said, it's still on Rocco to turn it around.

"There is a massive difference between "Rocco is bad at his job" and "Those two plays weren't his fault". Massive." If two fielding plays were the only issues with this club we wouldn't be trailing in the ALC and there wouldn't be so much angst in the comments.

"You only have to read a few posts up to see he gets little credit for the last two years....somehow. Really, all I see on this board is that the players won the last two years, despite Rocco, so I don't know what you are reading....." There are plenty of posters who say Rocco either was dealt a bad hand or isn't responsible. "MLB players need to hit and make plays - the manager doesn't hit or field" condenses the sentiment. Those are the folks I was responding to. If you manage people - not just baseball, but if you've ever supervised employees - you know you're responsible for the results. You can't point at the folks who work for you and pass the blame. You're getting paid to get them to do the job properly. It doesn't matter why they're failing - poor training, poor attitudes, poor working conditions - it's on you to make it work. Right now it's not working and it aggravates me when I read posts absolving Rocco of most or all of the blame. Yes, there are plenty of people criticizing the manager right now. I was addressing the others.

"Baldelli is still the best manager for this ballclub..." I saw no justification for this statement. Why? Because he's the guy under contract? I want his job. He gets the credit for success and every failure is someone else's fault. Rocco was touted as a genius from the day he was hired. It's time to earn the accolades by turning this club around, pronto.

When every aspect of the team is failing it's time to look at the manager. You can't manage people (or games) by reading a spreadsheet and trusting the numbers. The metrics are an imperfect measurement of reality that should be used as an input into decisions, not a deterministic guide to action. This team couldn't handle TK.

"Wouldn't you rather have aces pitch in 9 inning games?" That's a yes, provided the manager allows them to pitch more than five innings. On this team it's a moot point. Considering the state of the bullpen we're more likely to get a win if the ace starts a 7 inning game. Less exposure of the bullpen.

I assume the "Chucking" in the post title is a reference to the infamous dollar dogs demonstration in MN?

I feel sorry for Dick and Justin. Imagine being tasked with watching every second of this debacle AND having to come up with a positive spin on all of it. Holy cow. I'm picturing them up in the booth perusing the "Encyclopedia of Baseball Excuses (extended edition)".

It was interesting hearing the booth guys praising Rocco for his demeanor. Doesn't matter if they win by a walkoff or lose on a walkoff, Rocco's the same guy. Perhaps a manager who gives a damn whether they win or lose could get a little more focus out of the players. At least they didn't kick this one away; it was just lousy pitching. That plus another failure to produce hits (or even productive outs) when the game is on the line.

"A couple brain farts and a mis-handled ball and 2 of those 3 loses likely don't happen." I agree with this, but I don't have confidence this team won't continue to lose with brain farts and mistakes. If there's any accountability for poor play it's way, way behind the scenes. What appears to be lack of focus in the field and poor situational awareness both in the field and at the plate are a constant with this team.

1. The home team only gets that advantage if they stop the visiting team from plating the same runner in the top of the inning. So it's not a neutral advantage in that scenario. Well, yes. But your strategy for plating that runner changes when you may need more than one run to win the game. Are you going to bunt that player to third and give up an out if it's not a sure win? Maybe, maybe not. If you know that single run wins it's much easier to give up the out to put your runner on third.

this should be one of the best defenses in baseball. I agree, it should be. They looked disinterested today. Even the best players have bad plays, or bad games. Multiple players looked like they thought they were still in spring training. I can't imagine Tom Kelly putting up with this for long.

Starting an inning with a runner on 2nd - not baseball I think Morneau pointed out this benefits the home team much more than the visitors. Makes a huge difference if you know you only need to plate that one runner to win the game. That said, defense was horrible. Twins deserved to lose this one.

I think we'd all prefer to see him sharpening pitches that are less hittable.

"The vast majority of spring training happens outside a box score and that’s where the Twins are making their decisions." Agreed. And the fans here are not privy to any of that. All we can see is the box and occasional broadcasts. And, as I said earlier, he hasn't got a track record of upper level success that should outweigh his current performance and whatever else Rocco and the staff may be seeing. If he was blistering the ball and getting sent down I'd understand the consternation. As it is, I don't get it.

"If the FO is making decisions on 31 spring training at bats, they probably aren't doing it right........" What else should they base it on? His stellar AAA track record? It's not like the other choices are chopped liver. Past Twins teams had a choice between the promising prospect and the AAAA never will be. This isn't that team. There are multiple productive options who can fill that spot until Alex is ready. In the long run Rooker may even have the better career. There's plenty of time to bring him up if the other options flame out. Let the kid find his footing in the alternate site or minors.

I've seen only a couple of the spring training broadcasts, but it looks to me as though the players are swinging for the fences on every pitch they don't take. I've seen some hard hit outs and a lot of swing and miss. If the ball is actually softer this year that strategy may not be a winner.

I wonder if Astudillo is as fun to play with as he is to watch? Team's keeping him around for some reason. Versatile (albeit mediocre) ability plus a big dose of chemistry might explain it.

This might be the most absurd statement I have ever seen on TD. I think you should go back and read it again. Who are the lying idiots going to infect if everyone else in the stands is vaccinated? Once again...the park should be open to those who are vaccinated. If that's controversial god help us. My further point is that this shouldn't require people to provide proof of vaccination. The vast majority of people are honest, in my experience. The few folks who are dishonest enough to lie about it will not be a large enough fraction of the crowd to cause an issue, and if they do infect someone the victim will be another "lying idiot". If you're scared stay home and watch the game on TV. Millions are vaccinated every day. Positive tests are plummeting. The park doesn't open for another month. We don't need to set some arbitrary limit on attendance to protect the general public.