Doomtints

(The Twins could have started an AAA pitcher in the second game instead of Stewart a couple of days ago, saving the MLB pitcher for the tougher series coming up.)

Is which Schoop the real Schoop? The .143/.200/.179 hitter in 9 games at Target Field? Or the .372/.426/.791 hitter in 11 games on the road? I'm thinking the real Schoop hasn't showed himself yet. Those splits are bizarre.

Fiber is better than any ISP running data down copper lines, which is most of them.

It feels like about ten years since one of these 1-game SP call-ups won a game for the Twins.

Verlander dislikes the Twins. This means, 1) He wouldn't come here willingly 2) If forced to come here he would lay an egg to get the heck out And yeah, there is no way the Twins pay his contract amount anyway.

The Twins don't treat Sano right, generally speaking. But Sano doesn't treat Sano right either. I don't think this organization has what Sano needs to succeed. "Take it slow" is the right tactic, but what's the overall strategy with Sano? We were told he was sending weekly or daily videos of him working out to the team, then he shows up unable to walk. Uhm? It's been evident for a couple of years that the Twins aren't the right team for Sano. Maybe they were when Bill Smith signed him, but they're not now and they haven't been since Smith was demoted.

Even if he had been playing well he would have been the first to go.

Yes. Sano is a proven superstar game changer and will drive this team to sustained success.

Baseball journalists are implying there is a bit of a bidding war going on right now among some NL teams for Kimbrel's services, and he is merely being patient and waiting for the best offer to emerge. The Twins don't partake in such things as bidding wars.

He is the same age as Yu Darvish, has a better career than Yu Darvish, has a better recent history than Yu Darvish, is cheaper than Yu Darvish, and has been injured less often than Yu Darvish. I'm wondering if the same people who wanted Yu Darvish are the same people who don't want Gio? In any case, Gio was never gonna happen. The Twins would have picked him up sooner if they wanted him. Knowing the Twins, Gio issues walks too much for their liking. As for him going to the Brewers and this being a risk for them: Gio played for the Brewers last year. They know him.

Since I said this very thing earlier, yeah. We can stop this convo since you're not reading what I've been saying.

He wasn't gassed. He was pulled at exactly 100 pitches. That's why he was pulled, no other reason. You know who was gassed? Harper, who was forced to pitch through his ineffectiveness. Who allowed more runs in this game, Odorizzi or Harper?

You are forgetting option #1: Leave Odorizzi in there a bit longer. He was pulled with 2 outs and 1 person on base and a five run lead. I kind of feel like option #1 is the absolute best way to preserve the bullpen, hands down. Don't you? Yes Harper has been underworked compared to the rest of the bullpen and he needed to eat up an inning at some point. Baldelli chose the wrong moment. Ordorizzi could have finished the inning he was in and started the next.

The Twins don't have to do things the way every other team does them. In fact, if they want to be cheap (and we know they do), they might want to try a new approach to concessions. "Cheap" after all doesn't mean "make the consumer pay more so we can save."

I'm sorry but when you are watching a game, predicting exactly what will happen, only to then have to watch it happen, you have *every right* to call it out afterward. I count two, maybe three losses on Baldelli's pitching management. That's hardly "every time" -- yet it is still signficant. Baldelli got away with one here. He won't have the same luxury in September, nor will he have this type of good luck against some AL East teams. These are the types of lapses in judgment that get the Twins bounced out of the playoffs or embarrassed when facing some teams in the regular season.

Maybe. More likely there is some coming back down to earth that will happen, but the same can be said for all of the teams who had strong starts. I think this will be a repeat of 2017 where the Twins and the Indians are neck and neck for most of the year, but the Indians won't go on an insanely long winnings streak to close out the year. Note this doesn't mean this team is as good as the 2017 Twins were. They are probably better. 2017 was a down year in the AL. We're back to the same question: Can this team win a playoff game? I don't know yet.

Samwell Tarly is probably playing the role of George RR Martin, meaning he will survive to tell the story. This means the core story is circling around Mr. Snow himself, meaning he will probably be the dude who comes out ahead, probably after the dragons align under him much to someone else's dismay. Arya probably dies saving everybody, but there will be some interesting twists with her face changing abilities. Jaime will no doubt kill Cersei, and Cersei will be an even badder bitch as an undead character. Other than this stuff, who knows.

People miss where autonomous cars will really help us. Taxis? How are you going to page a taxi to pick you up and how will it know it's you? How will you flag down a taxi in a downtown area? Delivery services? Who will deliver the packages from the vehicle to the business? 18-Wheelers? How will an autonomous vehicle handle the multitude of people who cut in front of trucks, wind shear, and everything else a truck driver has to be constantly aware of? The real social benefit will be that older people who can no longer drive will be able to get on the road again. This is important as our retiree population grows. Plus, people who cannot drive now because of disability will now be able to drive. People who get seizures, blind people, quadriplegics, etc. We have life changing stuff staring at us in the face for many people and the market is talking about taxi cabs. Come on.

Attendance may be down league-wide, sure. But come on. This team has been terrible for a long time, and Minnesotans have proven they will show up if the team is good and they won't if the team is bad. Saying attendance is down everywhere is a cop-out and it's giving this organization credit it doesn't deserve.

I know right? Catchers look at pitches all dang day. Why can't they hit?

The Pirates have a great team over there. The players are really coming around him and showing their support.

The last time Buxton was moved up he imploded. I will say now what I said back then. Keep him at the bottom of the order, let him taste success for a while before moving him up. Yes he is the ideal leadoff guy but he has to be eased into it. 2018 Buxton wasn't a surprise. It's been obvious all along he needs to be eased into things. The Twins shouldn't fight this, they should embrace it. Put him where he can perform and make the change later.

That's May. Very good sometimes, can't find the strike zone or even the catcher other times.

Heart breaking. He is not holding his arm in a place which would normally indicate a need for TJ surgery, but he is holding his arm which could indicate a biceps tear at the elbow. If that's what this is, it's probably the end of his career. This is a very painful injury, as you can see... assuming that's what this is.

News flash: Buxton is fast. Also newsy: He can fall apart if moved higher in the batting order too soon. Let him have his success at the bottom of the order for a few more weeks before throwing him back to reality. Yes he can without any doubt in my mind hit just as well higher in the order, but let him stay hot where he is for a while first. I'd love for Buxton to hit at the top of the order. He would play better there than Polanco does. It's just too early to do that with him. He needs and deserves a long run of success before putting on the pressure.