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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    I can't be the only one to notice... When Luis Arraez is at first base, he's getting fist bumps and trading hugs with just about everybody. Is he really beloved league-wide? Nice to see.
  2. jimbo92107
    I like what I'm seeing lately from Nick Gordon. The reason he's denting the right field wall lately is because he's doing something with the bat that goes waaay, way back to Shoeless Joe and Babe Ruth. He's keeping the bat fully counter-rotated until it looks almost impossible to get the bat around and to the ball. Most hitters start to bring the bat around long before the pitch arrives, losing a lot of power in an attempt to put the barrel on the ball. If you have the discipline to maintain the counter-rotated position (bat head pointing at the pitcher) long enough, the swing gets terrific force, like a power slice in tennis. The outward snap becomes forward force, sending the ball at surprising speed. If Gordon keeps doing this, he will be approaching .300 very soon. The guy has been playing some great ball lately.
  3. jimbo92107
    First, Sonny Gray must realize that Baldelli will pull a starter that gets to the 7th inning and suddenly gives up two singles in a row. He has learned that through hard, bitter experience. Gray appears to think he's the exception to that rule. Okay, that may be true, but first you gotta stop that second guy from getting a hit. Second, Caleb Thielbar, y'all! At the start of this season, pretty much all of us thought Thielbar was a long-shot at the end of his career. Now he is becoming the designated rally-snuffer. Who'd a thunk it? Third, Cole Sands, y'all! That guy knows how to play with the low zone - frisbee curves and ducking changes. This is the second time I have seen him make getting outs look easy. Good signs from the pitching staff!
  4. jimbo92107
    Chris Archer's numbers cry out for a shift to the bullpen. Used for 2 or 3 innings, he may be an excellent reliever. More than that, he gives up too many runs to keep the team in the game. Like other relievers, he will be unshackled from the limitations of pacing himself, so he can cut loose with his best heaters and sliders, for 1 or 2 innings. Promote Josh Winder to Archer's spot, DFA Emilio Pagan, and move Archer to the pen. Solves two big problems. Winder has the stuff and the endurance to go 5 or more innings, and Archer should be able to snuff out most lineups for an inning or two.
  5. jimbo92107
    This outcome suggests that the Twins need one more reliable arm in the pen. I'd suggest DFA Pagan, move Archer to the pen, then use the best pitcher available from AAA as the fifth starter, at least until Maeda returns. My first pick for a fifth starter right now would be Winder, given Ober's injury, which could come back the next time he takes an awkward step. Note to Ober: Next time an umpire calls timeout during your pitching motion, don't come to a sudden stop. Instead, finish the pitch - right at the ump's head.
  6. jimbo92107
    Good article. This game was definitely about pitching, and showed the best formula the Twins have had in a long time. Mahle for six, then Fulmer, Duran, and Lopez to finish it off. This is the way it's supposed to work in modern baseball without the game-finishing giants of yesteryear. This is what the Twins traded for. Is Mahle an ace? Not like Verlander, no. But there are so few such pitchers now, it's unfair to expect a guy to pitch 8 or 9 innings anymore. The new model of course has the starter pitch 5 or 6 innings, keeping his team no worse than a couple runs behind when he leaves. Mahle did much better than that today, but he didn't need to. Looking forward, the Twins now have three starters that look like they can go five or six innings without digging too deep a hole. After that, it's Archer, Bundy and a rotating cast. This will continue to put a heavy burden on the bullpen. Thielbar seems pretty reliable for one inning, Magill looks capable, Jax can sometimes go two innings, and Pagan is a complete crapshoot. Jovani Moran should replace Pagan, who should be DFA'd. Even if the bullpen pans out reasonably well, the starters will need to keep trying to finish 6 innings, or the pen will get worn out.
  7. jimbo92107
    I'm most concerned about Kirilloff. His wrist issues are definitely career-threatening. Such a good hitter, and he appeared to be a savvy ballplayer, too. He was supposed to be a stalwart bat in the middle of the order for about ten years. Now, who knows...
  8. jimbo92107
    Put Buxton on the IL until his knee feels better. Playing him hurt all year is futile and demoralizing. Get it fixed, see ya next year. Also put Kepler back on the IL, then rehab in St Paul for at least ten games, or until he stops whiffing and hitting weak grounders. Kepler looks unhappy to be playing in pain. Play a healthy outfield. Cave, Gordon, Celestino. Bring up Contreras again. He looks pretty good. Meanwhile, time to tinker some more with the pitching staff. I'd move Archer to the pen, DFA Pagan, then bring up whoever's next in line from the minors. 2022 isn't going to be the big year. The Dodgers have been kind enough to show us that. Twins need to have all their stars healthy and playing well to win a playoff series, much less a Super Bowl. Maybe all the guys coming off the 60 day IL will be great..!
  9. jimbo92107
    Isn't Varland's promotion to AAA Saints a bigger promotion than Lee's move to Cedar Rapids? Which was the headline referring to?
  10. jimbo92107
    Went back and watched Cole Sands' three innings of work. Wow. His stuff isn't overwhelming, but Sands was making it look easy to get out the Blue Jay lineup. If this is what Sands looks like when he's relaxed, then I think he's got a good career ahead. Great job tunneling his curve off his fastball down in the zone. This guy is a pitcher, not just a thrower. Very tactical approach, with lots of help from Sanchez, who appears to enjoy working with the young guns.
  11. jimbo92107
    Shortening an arm bone, my god, that's drastic. Poor kid, he doesn't deserve crap luck like this. Let's hope the surgery and recovery go as well as possible. Good luck, Alex!
  12. jimbo92107
    Like Drew Butera, Sandy Leon finds other ways than a high average to be useful. Butera was a very good bunter, too. Still looking for another Mike Redmond...
  13. jimbo92107
    I think it's time to stop avoiding left handed pitchers for Nick Gordon. He doesn't bail out, and his bat has a good power stroke from inside out. I have little doubt he could hit lefty outside pitches to left field, and his bat appears quick enough to pull inside pitches. Now that Gordon is starting to look like a first round draft pick, take off the training wheels and let's watch him go.
  14. jimbo92107
    Smeltzer appears to be dominant against lesser teams, but gets killed by good ones. Not sure how that pans out in a starting rotation, but he certainly seems to fit in spot starts, so maybe long relief would work. Another possible would be to start a guy like Archer, go once through the lineup, then bring in Smelter, a completely different look. If Archer gets through 3 innings and Smeltzer gets through 4, that gets you to setup / closer territory.
  15. jimbo92107
    Remember what Aggie and Nathan looked like? Both could peg the corners pretty much at will. Wasn't just the velocity, it was the precision. Neither Lopez nor Duran has that almost monotonous ability to pick corners, 1, 2, 3. Not quite yet. You know what the tell is? Greg Maddux had it, Nathan and Aggie and Rivera had it. It's in the footwork, absolute consistency. Great command comes from finishing exactly the same way on every pitch. I watched a video of Maddux warming up before a start. His drive foot dug one hole, his landing foot dug another hole. Same spot, over and over. No whirling around, no leaning left or right at random. Everything was centered at home plate, same thing every time. Only difference was his grip on the ball. Cutter arm-side, cutter glove-side looked exactly the same out of his hand. Now Lopez has a delivery that's pretty close to monotonous, but not quite. Same with Duran. You see slight differences between pitches, how they finish. Those inconsistencies can be ironed out, with tons of work, just like bowlers and golfers do. An mlb closer has to be even more specialized. He has to throw two pitches just about perfectly - a fastball, and something else, usually a slider. Trevor Hoffman threw a perfect change up. Rivera threw a perfect cutter at 96 + mph. Nathan could pick all four corners at 96, plus a near perfect slider. All the great closers ride their one or two dominant pitches to fame and fortune. Both Duran and Lopez look like they could get to that level, but I'd guess Lopez will get there first.
  16. jimbo92107
    Depends what team they're facing. I might prefer Duran's overpowering stuff against a good hitting team like the Jays. Even disciplined hitters get flummoxed by his velocity and movement, and if he's not walking anybody, Duran is very tough. Lopez may have earned his reputation against lesser teams, I don't know. However, he shows signs of being a great closer under development...as does Duran. Looks like neither man has quite reached total shutdown level. Both have been hit around a bit. Both probably will get better if they keep doing this. I don't mind wondering which one is better.
  17. jimbo92107
    Nick Gordon's slide at the end was a thing of beauty. Swooping in along the ground, whipping that oven mitt over the plate... Did you see the ump point when Gordon touched home a second time? I wonder if he missed the initial play... Re-play would have shown it. Cracked a big homer, scored the winning run... not a bad day for Nick Gordon. Lopez was not able to snuff out the Jays in the 9th, but Fulmer showed he's a tough S.O.B. in the 10th. Twins got three good new pitchers.
  18. jimbo92107
    Lopez is good, but not quite to the Aguilera / Nathan level. He might get there, given another season. He's got the stuff, but the perfect command is not quite there. Still looks better than Duran's command, tho. Also let's note that Blue Jays have a better hitting squad than the Twins do. If Kirilloff and Larnach and Lewis come back healthy next season, then I'd give the hitting edge to the Twins.
  19. jimbo92107
    I wouldn't count out Tyler Duffey just yet. It's possible he could get back some of his greatness by getting a cruel pilates coach and hardening his soft body into muscles of stone. I remember when Duffey first came up, I dubbed him "Bender" for his curveball hooked so hard almost nobody could touch it. After a while, he started using it more and more, because his heater never was much of a challenge. After Wes Johnson tinkered with his mechanics, Duffey's heater suddenly became a weapon at 94 mph, and for a while, he seemed able to spot that pitch, making it extremely effective. Unfortunately, his old curveball became a so-so offering. Today, after various adjustment and experiments, Duffey has nothing that a good hitter can't smash. Is it just the march of time, his arm and body worn out? That's what I thought about Caleb Thielbar, but look at him now. Wouldn't it be a hoot if all Duffey needed to get his stuff back was to smack the ball into his glove mid- delivery, like Thielbar?
  20. jimbo92107
    I threw some old chicken bones on the floor. You know what happened? The dog found 'em, that's what. Snapped 'em up before I could get a decent read, and now, I'm all out of chicken bones! That's a bad sign. There isn't a decent chicken-bone store in town, and it takes weeks for the DIY bones to dry out. I feel like I'm going blind! Oh, we were talking about baseball? Heckuva sport. Twins are looking so good, they must be getting ready to sell the team to a billionaire car dealer. Do they have cars in the Tennessee Tri-State? Watch for what they did to the "North Stars." My dad spilled it to me when they dropped "North" from the logo. See if the Twins new logo is just a couple giggling babies. Then you'll know.
  21. jimbo92107
    Hate to say it... the Pagan Sacrifice strikes again. Been a long time since I saw a pitcher with such "electric" stuff get pounded so often for two or more runs. A team in the playoff hunt simply cannot afford to *hope* that a guy like Pagan will suddenly develop dependable command. I say, experiment over. Trade him to the White Sox, plus cash. No need to send us anybody, we'll be fine. Just promise you'll use him a few times in close games.
  22. jimbo92107
    Can't wait to see Mahle pitch, but even if he's average, it's a great trade day. Solidifying the bullpen gives the Twins a chance to do a KC-like run, which featured a great pen backing up some average starters, plus a pretty good hitting lineup. Twins now have that strategy in place, which to me means they win the division and maybe even win a playoff series! On the other hand, if Mahle turns into gold..!
  23. jimbo92107
    We may look back and realize that the luckiest thing about last month was that Matt Wallner's bat fell off the edge of the flat earth in July. Otherwise, we might be saying bye-bye to our future right fielder, too. Meanwhile, good luck to Steer, Strand, and the other guys the Twins traded away. I hope they all have good careers in the Show.
  24. jimbo92107
    I'd just like to stop for a moment and ask everybody - did you notice how HEALTHY the Twins bullpen seemed? After Ryan exited, we got to see an extremely competent Michael Fulmer mow down a few guys, then Thielbar, then Duran, and finally Lopez. None of them appeared a bit shaky or dubious. Each one dominated for an inning. Especially sweet was Lopez. So efficient, so commanding. Not quite the sheer velocity of Duran, but almost no wasted pitches, no walks, and hardly even any foul balls. Faster than summer love, game over. Even without Mahle, this new pair of RP's will improve things vastly. As for who should be the closer, I see Duran as a young power pitcher whose overwhelming stuff allows him to dominate as a relief pitcher. Lopez is a star closer because his command of the corners with filthy stuff lets him snuff out three hitters in about two minutes. Until Duran can do that, I say Lopez is your closer, unless they want to give him a day off. Then Duran is fine, even if it takes him three times as many pitches to get three outs. In beer units, you could finish half a cup before Duran gets three outs. Lopez lets you have just a few sips. That, friends, is a closer. Jorge "three sips" Lopez.
  25. jimbo92107
    I agree they should be prepared to swap rolls as setup and closer. However, in his very first appearance Wednesday, Lopez displayed a level of command that we rarely see from Duran. He was picking low corners with both his fastball and his slider to end the game. Those Detroit batters looked absolutely helpless. What do you do when a pitcher can nail the corners at that velocity? Twins should offer this guy a new contract asap. They might just have another Nathan/Aguilera kinda guy (mediocre starter becomes star closer). Too bad they missed on Liam Hendricks, but on the other hand, he really, really wanted to be a starter, so the Twinkies gave him every chance....
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