Squirrel

They’ve resumed, just. But we didn’t stay to wait it out and looking like more rain would be coming in behind this gap.

Tried to get to a Mussels game tonight. The last two nights were rained out so tonight was a DH. My mom and I got here at the top of the 4th only to have to move to shelter (lightning, they make everyone leave the seating area) in the bottom of the 4th. Summer baseball in southern Florida.

And then there’s this, which adds some strength to the cause: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34541826/major-league-baseball-players-association-joins-afl-cio

Yes. Heads I win, tails you lose. I actually think we won, in spite of ourselves.

I think he settles in as good 3. There was a poll in the Twins Talk forum a few weeks ago asking where we thought Ryan would be, and that’s how I answered. It’s his rookie year. He started well and then I think players adjusted to him. I also think his illness took a little out of him, too. It’s probably too soon to ask if he’s who I thought he would be but so far I think he is. He’s had some bad starts but that happens. I expect him to be solid going forward.

I have no fingernails left and I’m buying stock in Prilosec after that game. But yay …. I had chicken and dumplings for lunch, so, chicken was had

I’m sure he agrees in part, or he wouldn’t have a job here, but he still has to make in game decisions with the roster he’s given and I don’t think he has been given an adequate roster. And if not Baldelli, we’d still have the same kind of manager, imo. I just don’t think he matters as great deal. Granted, who knows where we’d be without all the injuries, but then that leads us back to the FO and injury risk assessment. Yes, Baldelli could be less ‘rigid’, but I don’t think that ‘rigidity’ has cost us nearly as much as an inadequately staffed BP.

It doesn’t matter if he believes it or not. The FO didn’t put together a BP that fits with their philosophy. That’s my point. We don’t have ace pitching and a rotation like the Yankees or the Dodger, nor can we likely afford it. Okay, so go with with a bunch of 3s, 4s and 5s, track what they are doing and pull them when their numbers start looking iffy. They won’t go as deep, which is fine, but then we must have a BP. I’m not necessarily in favor or opposed to the strategy, HOWEVER, to accomplish this you have to have a shut down, durable BP. That’s what’s egregious, that we don’t knowing that we would need it. And that comes to play before the season begins. Before Baldelli steps into the dugout to manage the first game. The FO went into the season with this philosophy, then didn’t staff it accordingly. The number of times Baldelli could have let the pitchers go a little deeper does not equal, not even close, the number of times the pitchers couldn’t or shouldn’t go deeper and we don’t have a BP to close it out. If Baldelli pushes back and says ‘No, I’m not doing that’ is the moment they part ways, and then we get the manager in who will follow that philosophy. That’s why I don’t think the manager makes a huge difference. While Baldelli isn’t completely blameless, this philosophy and the lack of a durable, shut the door BP, lies squarely at the feet of the FO.

The topic of this thread is pitchers and pitcher usage not spending. I get the related side discussion, but please stick to the topic and start your own thread on spending if that’s the path you want to go down.

If short starts are how it’s going to be, and that was/is their plan, then you absolutely need a BP to withstand that. The FO is egregious in their philosophy one way or the other. If you are going to defend the FO for limiting their starters by saying everyone’s doing it, then they need to be blasted for the construction of their BP. They built a BP on the cheap. You cannot do one without the other. If you are going to limit your starters you need a BP filled with pitchers who can not only withstand the workload, but who can shut down your opponents and actually get the job done. That’s been my complaint all year. Many posters are calling for Rocco to be fired because of pitcher usage. That isn’t going to change a thing when the FO has put this system into place and then has given the manager the BP they have. Of course it’s a disaster.

This is always where it begins. They put together the roster. They set the organizational philosophy. But they will be the last to go. And whoever goes under them … manager, coaches players … will just get replaced by the same

Just don’t pitch to Judge and I will consider that a success

I did close the poll when I posted that …

As I said, he has stated a few times he likes him as a manager, not because he’s a good guy

Sonny Gray has also said how much he likes Rocco as a manager. Sonny Gray is disappointed in not going further into games because of Sonny Gray, not Rocco.

Jewell designated, Varland activated

Looks like it’s Jake Jewell

Or Rally Monkey

Not even close, imo. That said, so far it would appear there is no consensus.

Yes and no. In the playoffs you are starting out from zero regardless of your record to get there. Many teams can and do get hot and perform beyond what their record was during the season. Tht doesn’t mean I have huge hopes that the Twins will outperform Houston or whoever in the playoffs as the probability is low. But, in baseball who knows.

They could have been in on the FA market. I’m actually okay with the trades they made for starters despite the results. But I am not as forgiving that attention was given to the BP. If they are going to rely on their BP as they have, then we need a BP filled with closer types

I think Chief was Franklin's teacher when Franklin went to school. Whatever Franklin said about baseball he got it from Chief

Then it's a wonder you even care about posting here about the Twins. I, for one, do care if they make the playoffs. That's the goal, no matter how much confidence (or lack thereof) I have in the team, no matter how overmatched they might be in the playoffs. Making the playoffs gives you a chance, even if slim, to keep playing. No playoffs, it's over. While I'm frustrated and disappointed with some things, my prediction at the beginning of the season was 80-84 wins and no playoffs. So, I'll be good and want them to, make the playoffs. Enjoy your football.

Plus, plus talent plus IQ ... that's the definition of a HoFer.

I’d be curious to know, and I’m sure the info is easily figured out but I don’t feel like putting together a math research project, how much of an increase of spending was there within other teams as a way to compare? And what were their allocations? I mean, if everyone increased spending by that much, then, well, so what. But if we increased spending by that much and everyone else 10-20%, then I’d be looking deeper at the numbers. Did we close that gap at all in our payroll to the top teams comparing the percentage of how much more they spent? And then figure into that, how much costs went up in that same time. And, on top of that, maybe it wasn’t Pohlad who just loosened things a bit, but the current FO made a better case as to why he should? Just saying they increased spending by this much tells me little.