DocBauer

Biggest question is would he have spilled a beer on that catch?

Might be first commercial break all game I haven't heard Willie Nelson.

Wisler=young Romo?

Maximus!

New game. 3 innings.

I think that ball looked juiced

I mean from Buxton

Double would be nice

I do what I can.

To lose to the Pirates is a sin Come on Twins Need the win Get those 2 out knocks And get those runs in

Feeling greedy. Want at least another run and see Alcala for a 3rd inning.

You're welcome

Paging Mr. Max Kepler to send one deep. Kepler? Kepler?

Never thought I'd be waiting in the 6th for Holland to leave the game.

Hey, we scored!

Where is the offense?

Thorpe has better stuff than that. We've seen it in the minors and we've seen glimpses of it in the majors. I don't know, looked to me he was aiming everything and pitching nervous. Very impressed by Alacala though. Bad walk and bad WP, but otherwise threw some nasty stuff and settled down. Kid's got a future!

Avilla has been a great addition. Honestly, I was worried about letting Castro go. I wasn't worried about Garver, I was just worried about losing a veteran presence on the team that I think meant more than some people realize. But Avilla was the perfect replacement offensively and defensively, and maybe in the clubhouse as well. Mitch has been off to a slow start. Duh! But he will be fine in a day or two. He's smart. He has a good bat, a good eye, a short, compact and powerful swing. But he has to make some adjustments because pitchers won't just throw him FB any longer. But I tell you he WILL make adjustments. Meantime, Avilla is doing great and was a nice addition. Cruz is Cruz and a STUD. Enough said. The "T's"? You said it all. A couple weird or mis-plays, which happen, would take away a couple runs from this group. Strongest performance so far? 1] Cave. And not his offense, which we have seen glimpses of previously. (Still shocked how bad he was early 2019. Pressing?) But I have been impressed by his defense in CF so far. He has the range and glove and arm to be a decent CF option previously. But we've also seen a lack of recognition that has lead to some bad play. SOMETHING has clicked as he has looked solid in CF enough for Rocco to trust him there. 2] Polanco. More than a few of us stated repeatedly to just give him time to settle in, gain experience, and grow in to the position. I have no doubt that Donaldson will assist him and cover for any weakness. Except, I thought his weakness was charging balls and his arm? But even in SSS, so far, all I've seen is a great glove and accurate arm to make plays.

LOVE the defense Marwin played the night before at 1B! Because he's not an offensive force, I think a lot of people undervalue what he brings. (And he's still solid offensively). And I fully appreciate Rocco giving time off when needed, and to preserve the season. And to let guys feel their way. But you also have to let guys play. And Sano is ready and getting dialed in. You can disagree with me, but I'm really liking Sano at 1B. I see good play and potential. He missed a close play tonight where his foot was off the bag on a close call, but a week from now, I bet his foot is on the bag. He's a work in progress, but you have to like what you're seeing, IF you're paying attention. Offensively, just pencil him in because he's settling in. Marwin may have to play 3B for a few days due to a Donaldson hamstring tweak. GREAT to have this kind of depth. Maeda, may not be Carrasco's equal to some. But who pitched better? Cleveland has a great rotation and some live young arms in the pen. But so far, Twins are UP!

If Donaldson needs to be nursed, and I absolutely would do so if necessary, do we add Blankenhorn to the roster for a week or two? It seems obvious to me.

I hated to lose Graterol. All of us did. And best of luck to him, except when it comes to affecting the Twins in any way. But you have to give up something good to get something good back. Period. I love the addition of Maeda. I think he is GOOD! And I've seen nothing to dissuade my opinion of his acquisition. But I've always chuckled at some of the hyperbole that came with him as if the Twins grabbed some kind of potential ACE or stud. Maeda is a legitimate, experienced, quality SP who slots in the number 2 or 3 or 4 spot just depending on Hill and what he has left in the tank. And that is NOT a negative comment on his ability in the slightest! Hill, healthy, as he appears to be, is a FRONT LINE SP for a half season, as he has been for the past 5-6yrs of his career. Well, we're only asking for half a season in 2020. Odorizzi was a deserving All Star last season who had his best year yet under Rocco and Johnson. So with Oddo healthy and ready to go soon, that doesn't diminish Maeda and his ability and potential, it just signals he's not a #1 starter, just a really, really good one amongst a group of really good starters. Berrios remains the Twins #1 and is still a potential ACE in the making. He threw some nasty stuff in his first start but seemed to overthrow, probably hyped up. I actually think...and Bonnes brought this up after the game...he's probably better throwing 92-95 vs 97 for movement and "nastiness". He is a deserved 2 time All Star who's only problem is a late season fade. And here we go with a broken/stuck record again, but he rebounded in 2019 after making some adjustments. He was going to make further adjustments in 2020 but now it's a short season so we won't see the results until 2021. But if you think he isn't a top of the rotation SP with potential, even after a no win total in 2 games in 2020, then you're not paying enough attention or just lamenting he's not already the next BIG THING. Maeda is GOOD. I'm glad we got him. Our depth is tremendous, and a bullpen that rivals anyone. If pitching is king, then how about really good, really solid SP to begin with. I think we have that and Maeda is part of that.

Sorry to hear this for Littell as I really, really like him and think he's found his spot. Some think he could take his stuff and limited MLB experience and move back to the rotation. Could He? I think it's an interesting arguement. But my feeling is he has found his role and my personal belief is Duran and Balazovic will surpass him soon as any SP option, and Thorpe is a guy I still have great faith in. I feel bad for him as I believe in him despite one bad outing. But even in a short season, there is so much time for him to make an important contribution this year. I am surprised Alcala is the guy brought up. I really thought Poppen would be the next guy up. Good stuff, good potential, milb numbers show decent control. I see him as a Stashak clone, more or less. But you can't deny the arm talent of Alcala. And I recall Hawkins speaking about Alcala a couple weeks ago concerning how close he was, though I was a bit confused about his reference to Alcala having a good change as I thought his 3rd selection was the biggest issue from him remaining as a SP. But I could be remembering incorrectly...and please correct me here...maybe it was just overall control. Regardless, arm talent is tremendous and looking forward to seeing him.

Not fully invested in Bailey just yet. But he's a veteran, he's healthy, and he made some real changes in his arsenal/sequencing in 2019. So I'm cautiously optomistic.

They let Dobnak toss 90 pitches last night in his 2nd start. Maeda hit 84 last time out but pretty much cruised through his first 4 innings. One would speculate he's being targeted for 90 today and hopefully 6 IP. Can you imagine how good this team may be when we start hitting just a little bit better?

And BTW, any else impressed by the defense we've seen from Polanco this far?