Twins and Losses

‪Best burgers in MN, a shocking amount of "Major League 2" discussion, answering the fan mail bag, and an excellent interview with Do Hyoung Park. All that in more in this week's Supershow!‬ Follow along with all things Twins And Losses on Twitter, @TwinsAndLosses! You can also find our podcast on Spreaker, iTunes, Stitcher, and elsewhere! ‪https://open.spotify.com/episode/4v1IO62sQEXEx0Zs02P10N?si=HzmGbYMsQmeHkot7M32lfA‬

Dan and Panda cover what's been happening in the world of baseball since Boston won the World Series. They finally wish Joe Mauer farewell, break down the end of the year award winners, some of the bigger free agent news (CIN spending, Thor to SD, Machado's antics in NY), and assemble their all-time favorite Twins team! https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/twins-and-losses-supershow-episode-71-no

Movies, movies, movies! Dan, Panda, and Stubby give you their all-time movie baseball teams, and mourn a small market team not making the 2018 World Series, among some minor Twins news. Check out this week's show here.

The National League team I root for is the San Diego Padres, so it hurt even more when the Cleveland Indians traded catching prospect Franciso Mejia to San Diego for All Star closer Brad Hand and reliever Adam Cimber to bolster their most glaring weakness headed into the “second half” of the season. Remember, Cleveland was the team that didn’t think Matt Belisle was fit to stay in their reliever corps. Why the Twins made a move for Belisle is beyond me, but we’re already getting off topic. Hand was the subject of many trade rumors last July, and after the season had ended. The Padres apparently waited for the right opportunity and got a very good prospect from the Indians’ minor league system. Getting a pitcher of Cimber’s caliber is just the icing on top for Cleveland, still missing Cody Allan, Josh Tomlin, and Andrew Miller from their bullpen as they deal with injuries. Dan and I were not large proponents of the Twins selling this trade deadline on the last two Supershows, mentioning Brian Dozier as the one player we’d be okay with leaving to get a chance to win on a contender. With a bolstered bullpen, and an offense slowly waking up from a first-half slumber, the Indians may make another improbable run and find themselves twenty games ahead of Minnesota and Detroit if their production stays consistent, and their players stay healthy. People were quick to point out Brad Hand as the best piece in the trade, but Adam Cimber is actually having a slightly better season than Minnesota’s own, though not by much: Cimber – 48.1 IP, 3.17 ERA, 10 BB, 51 SO, 2.32 FIP, and a 1.076 WHIP Hand – 44.1 IP, 3.05 ERA, 15 BB, 65 SO, 3.17 FIP, and a 1.083 WHIP Cimber also owns a .4 WAR in 2018, to Hand’s -0.1. Not much is separating these two pitchers, and their numbers are far and away better than just about anything Cleveland trotted out before the All Star Break. Twins fans should be worried about the arrival of Hand and Cimber to Cleveland, but is it a forgone conclusion that the Tribe will run away with the AL Central? Should Cleveland fans be gearing up for a ticker tape parade come October? I’m not so sure. Here’s what Cleveland did in the win/loss column for the first 95 games of their season: 28-13 vs. AL Central 24-30 vs. rest of league As much as I’ll hold out hope that the Twins make one of the most impressive runs in August and September, I will concede that it doesn’t look great for the Twin Cities Twins. However, winning the division isn’t everything. Here’s how Cleveland stacks up against their potential playoff partners: 2-5 vs. NYY 2-5 vs. SEA 3-4 vs. HOU 7 games remaining against BOS With 67 games remaining in their schedule, Cleveland will get DET (6 total / 3 @ home) KC (10 total / 3 @ home) MIN (10 total / 7 @ home) and CHW (9 total / 3 @ home). 35 of Cleveland’s remaining games are vs. AL Central opponents. 19 at home vs. 16 on the road. The Indians’ front office is hoping that Hand and Cimber bolster bullpen, that the rest of the team stays healthy, and that they win more on road; especially against non-AL Central opponents. The Indians would have the 3rd best record in the AL East and the 4th best in the AL West. Yikes. Let’s break down what Cleveland’s AL Central record looks like: KC 4-2 (H) 3-0 (A) DET 4-0 (H) 3-3 (A) MIN 2-1 (H) 2-4 (A) CHW 6-0 (H) 2-2 (A) That’s a record of 16-3 at home vs. 10-9 away against AL Central opponents. Clearly the Indians are better at home than on the road, and if not for the Twins taking 4 of 6 from them at Target Field, the ratio would look a lot better. It’s hard for me to sit down and look at Cleveland’s roster and point and scream that they’ll have a chance at making it out of the ALDS, let alone winning the ALCS or the World Series. They’re a good team being floated by a bad division, something Twins fans are all too familiar with. Even with Corey Kluber, Francisco Lindor, and the newly acquired Brad Hand; Cleveland will still have a tall task ahead of them once/if they make it out of the AL Central. The Indians do not have winning records against New York, Seattle, and Houston during the regular season; and I can’t see Boston losing more than they win in their upcoming 7 games. Stranger things have happened in baseball, but the path to the World Series in the AL Central will almost be impossible to navigate in 2018. - Panda Pete (Originally posted on TwinsAndLosses.com)

On this week’s Supershow, the boys cover a recent hot streak by the Hometown 9 headed into the ASB! Dan and Panda discuss who could be on the trade block, along with who’s interested. They also try to figure out if the 2018 AL Central is actually worse than the 2005 NL West. Lastly they talk about their favorite day in baseball: Bobby Bonilla Day. https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/twins-and-losses-supershow-episode-65-it

Frustrations run wild on this week's Supershow. An anemic effort from the 2018 Twins finally builds up, and Dan and Panda go on the warpath. Lackluster offense, a terrible 3rd baseman, slowly developing youngsters, and the inability to win multiple games in a row are the big topics this week. The boys then try to determine who the Twins would even sell, if they sell at the trade deadline; and what the plan is for 2019 and beyond. Finally, they answer fans questions, and officially jump on the Willians Astudillo bandwagon! https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/twins-and-losses-supershow-episode-64-fr

Brand new Supershow hot off the presses! The boys are back after a week off for a wedding. The Eddie's have been good, so Dan and Panda talked about how good they've been (which is still v good). Then they dive into the not so good with the Twins' 3B, a rash of injuries, and general inconsistency. Friend of the show Trevor May is down in AAA, and now on the DL, so the boys figure out what to do with their favorite Twitch personality, then they round the bases with talk of Kyle Gibson, and if the Twins should re-sign the 30 year old. https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/twins-and-losses-supershow-episode-63-an

Important: please read, and fill out the survey if you have the time. We want to improve and we need your help. http://www.twinsandlosses.com/twins-and-losses-in-2018/

On this week's Supershow, Dan and Panda break down some of the pitching woes plaguing the Twins through the month of April, and dial back season expectations of what this season may look like. Since pitching is the hot topic this week, they also talk about Matt Harvey's struggles, along with the young arms in the Mets' rotation and the renaissance of Justin Verlander and the Astros' pitchers. https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/t-l-5-7-18

Putting a runner on base in extra innings, limiting the amount of trips to the mound, and different clocks have been implemented by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred over the last few seasons in an effort to speed up the game of baseball. While we here at Twins And Losses didn’t mind the pace of play before Manfred’s time-saving chang… What’s that? The average length of a MLB game hasn't really gotten shorter? Huh, that’s odd. Actually it isn’t in my humble (and slightly ill-informed) opinion. According to SI dot com, “It took a record 3 hours, 5 minutes and 11 seconds to complete a baseball game, up from 3 hours and 42 seconds last year.” In fact, the average game length back in 2014, the season before Manfred replaced known douchecanoe Bug Selig; was around 3 hours, 8 minutes. While Manfred may have shaved a whopping 2 minutes, 49 seconds off of a baseball, the fact remains that Manfred’s crusade to shorten baseball games in the most tedious way possible isn’t really working. Today I’m going to propose a better way to tackle pace of play and the dwindling numbers of MLB fans tuning in to watch games: market the sport better. On tomorrow’s Twins And Losses Supershow, we talked about how marketing the game better could drive more fans to stadiums and purchasing cable subscriptions to watch their favorite baseball teams play. One way to improve the fan base is by marketing to each specific region, as opposed to marketing 8 to 10 superstars to an entire country. If the goal is to attract younger fans, then market Brian Dozier in the midwest, Mike Trout on the west coast, and Aaron Judge in one half of New York. Instead of filming 3 commercials feauting the top ballplayers in America; spend the time, and money to market to every single team in the United States and Canada. Younger fans aren’t going to convince their parents to stay up late on a school nice to watch Mike Trout hit a dinger, especially if the game is starting at 8 or 9PM out west. Get younger fans excited about Jose Berrios and Byron Buxton, players they can watch 162 games a season. Work out deals to put these marketable young stars in high visibility locations. Don’t just air MLB commercials on FSN; air them on Cartoon Network, Disney XD, and other channels young fans are going to watch. Parents will be resistant at first, but it’s amazing how they slowly erode over a week of their kids screaming to go to Target Field on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. If there’s no local flavor, or a reason to watch a Twins game, what do you think is going to happen to the attendance and TV ratings? If you want to try to shorten the average game, that’s fine. But you should also be working on other ways to increase the fan base. If 162 3 hour long games is too many, then shorten the numbers of games played. If the only changes you’re willing to make are implementing a thousand new rules to shave off 3 seconds at a time, you’ll kill the spirit of baseball that the die-hard fans grew to love. How can you not love an at-bat with this much suspense and intrigue?! Baseball isn’t for everyone. There are some people who love the fast pace and big hits of football and hockey, and will never find the chess match of baseball to be exciting or worth watching for an entire season. Tobacco companies nailed marketing of their cancer causing products, and maybe MLB should follow suit; hook ’em young so they grow up wanting more, and stop worrying that a baseball game takes 3 hours to play. Originally posted on TwinsAndLosses.com

Brand new Supershow! This week Dan, Panda, and Stubby J talk about the start of the MLB season, and making healthy lifestyle choices! Check out the show using the link below, or get it from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts! https://www.spreaker.com/user/the4dpodcastnetwork/twins-and-losses-supershow-episode-59-it

Brand new Supershow! In preparation of Opening Day this Thursday, Dan and Panda called in reinforcements and got a who's who of guests to give their predictions on the 2018 Minnesota Twins! Marc Mastel, William Bohl (A Wolf Among Wolves), Tony Abbott & Joe Bouley (Hockey Wilderness), Cody Christie & John Bonnes (Twins Daily), Jim Sannes (numberFire), Ben Remington & Giles Ferrell (Giles and the Goalie - A Minnesota Wild Podcast / Zone Coverage), and Brandon Warne (The Athletic Minnesota / Zone Coverage). Stream or download this episode on Spreaker, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or Pocket Casts; and don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and leave a comment! https://www.spreaker.com/show/twins-and-losses-supershow

I'm sure the heat, moisture, etc do a number on your poor feet too!

False advertising? It rolls off the tongue! Jake Odorizzi's Odor-Eeze's! I'd buy some. Heck, I'd buy 3!

Athletes and sponsorships go together like peanut butter and ladies. After recovering from the ultra-successful campaigns of Tinactin and Gold Bond, Odor Eaters has finally stepped out of the shadows; and one of the newest Twins’ pitchers is the benefactor. Between the usual Sheboygan Sausage and Kwik Trip commercials this season on FSN, expect to see Jake Odorizzi’s Odor-Eeze’s. Available at Target, Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, and other stores; Jake Odorizzi’s Odor-Eeze’s will tackle the toughest foot odor. Professional athletes are no stranger to stinky, sweaty feet. From the harsh conditions of spring, summer, and fall; Jake Odorizzi’s Odor-Eeze’s will stop foul smelling tootsies before they start. “Personally, I’m happy he was able to land such a great deal!” said Logan Morrison, a teammate of Odorizzi during their tenures with Tampa Bay. “Jake’s feet didn’t really stink to begin with, at least not that I could tell. The bonus is that there’s been enough samples around the clubhouse that I’ll never have to worry about rank feet this season.” Twins second baseman Brian Dozier had this to say, “John Madden – legend. Shaq – can do it all. And now Odo will be in the Mt. Rushmore of foot powders. This will be great not just for Jake, but for all of us,” as Dozier motioned to a corner of the locker-room where Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson were seen standing and laughing. Jake Odorizzi’s Odor-Eeze’s will be on sale starting Opening Day, March 29th, and the first 5,000 fans will receive a free sample at the Twins’ home opener April 5th against the Baltimore Orioles. Originally posted on TwinsAndLosses.com