Darius

Can't get Greg freaking Bird out....

Getting one run total out of first and third with one out, and a bases chucked with one out, in two different innings really hurts.

Feel free to look back. I've been saying it for a month.

This has all Santana has done in the playoffs. He's historically terrible in this park. Who could've ever seen this coming?

Can't take the extra runs handed to us by Severino. Give the 3 run lead right back. Minnesota.

Have him stand in on every bullpen session between now and the wild card game. DH him the rest of the regular season. He's a difference maker. All it takes is one mistake, and the ball is in the seats.

This inning for the Indians is what the Twins can seemingly never do in a tight game. Don't strike out. Move runners over. Get the runs that the opposing pitcher hands to you.

That's in the third deck at Yankee Stadium. Castro for MVP!

Verlander had a no-move. Even if the FO had the ammo to win a bidding war, which they didn't, there is zero chance he's approving a trade to the Twins. It would also be nice to have Sandy Koufax in his prime. Equally as plausible.

They can use a 3-man rotation in the playoffs, and go with Santana, Berrios, or Gibson again in a game 4 (depending on who starts the WC game and games 1-3). That bridge is way too far off to consider at this point. They still have to take care of business in the reg season, then win a one gamer at Yankee Stadium or Fenway, then would have to win 1 of 3 games against Cleveland. But, if for some reason a 4th starter we're to become necessary in the playoffs, it'll depend on the situation (are you facing elimination, up 2-1, etc?). But, I don't see any scenario when I'd want 44 year-old Colon and his 86 mph heater in a game of that magnitude. Mejia is much more likely to keep a team off the scoreboard for 5-6 innings, IMO. It trust Mejia more than guys like Boshers, Duffey, etc right now as well. A bullpen game, with our bullpen, is a punt.

He may be the most underrated player on the team, when it comes to recognition for his contribution to the Twins epic turnaround. He's one of my favorite players on this team, and that goes beyond his contributions in the field. By all accounts (I don't know him personally), he's an extremely gracious and generous individual, universally loved. Truly one of the good guys, who everyone should be rooting for.

I'm still worried about the Rangers.

That game felt like a drowning person finally breaking the surface to get s breath. That was sorely needed. It's encouraging that they could shake that last series off.

I think the Twins are just the team to be successful in the playoffs with a shortened rotation. It's the bullpen that scares the hell out of me. I'm not sure I trust a single guy in a high leverage situation in a winner-take all game. Offensively, they are just so hot and cold. Their relative incompetence when it comes to picking up those RISP with zero or one out will really kill them. For those who don't buy that it's an issue for this club: they are 28th in the MLB in runners left in scoring position at 3.7 per game. Normally, this is a good thing, because it means you're getting guys on base. They're right there with the Indians, Yankees, Houston, etc in that regard. But, if you dig a little deeper, you'll see they are behind those teams in avg., OBP, OPS, etc. that will tell you that they are getting fewer runners in scoring position, thus stranding them at a higher rate, than the elite offensive teams. They have to turn that around and start picking up those runs, or they'll never survive their bullpen.

Some interesting stats provided by Gleeman on Twitter this morning. The best one is that the Angels are 10-21 when Nolasco starts. They are 66-54 when anyone else starts. Ricky Nolasco is the Twins' MVP.

First, nobody has to keep anything to themselves by your decree, because it offends your sensibilities or you don't agree with. That's an asinine statement. Second....Sure, the MLB is such an upstanding organization, and would never do anything to tilt the scales towards the highest possible revenue stream (aka large market teams). Were you in a coma for a decade during the steroid debacle, which literally took an act of congress to stop? Literally everything in this country from Wall-Street, to banking, to government contracts, to your local zoning, to the banana you had with breakfast, are rife with corruption. I see it every day (I'm an auditor in the special investigations department of a governmental entity. CIA, CFE certified. I'll defer to you if you have more experience/credentials than I). Sure, maybe everything is on the up and up, but totally dismissing it as a nutjob conspiracy is ridiculous. Just because you can't see the forest for the trees, doesn't mean they don't exist. It's that attitude that permeates the greater American consciousness, and enables. I'll bet you thought your Enron stock was legit, and any mention otherwise was nutjobbery.

Just admiring how large Judge is in that picture. Do you think there as many discussions in NY about his size, his diet, how long he can play a position, etc, as there are in MN with Sano? When he stopped hitting after the All-Star break, was it because of his diet/weight? Honestly curious.

Nobody is "blaming" Mauer, just thought he should've been aggressive in the first pitch. You know he's going to groove one there to get ahead. Better shot going after 99 down Broadway than 103 down and in. And, dude, I've seen your takes.

You have a better chance when you swing at them.

Spending money isn't a good strategy, I've been told.

You know what Chapman is going to do after those walks. Swing at the first pitch for once, and drive the run in.

Come on, Joe.

I thought Dozier would be all over that 2-0 fastball down Broadway. Good AB. Mauer v. Chapman w/ bases juiced and 1 down in the 8th, down a run, in a Wild Card battle. Does it get any better than this in the regular season?

True.

Gardner is putting on a baserunning clinic.