bighat

In my analogy, "thrift store" pitchers are the Bundys and Archers of the world. I compared Mahle to a TJ Maxx purchase - nothing to sneeze at, but everyone knows they're not top-of-the-line. Mahle's fine.

Agreed. Twins do most of their shopping at garage sales and thrift stores - so when they go to TJ Maxx and get a guy like Mahle, we're supposed to be impressed. Wake me up when they're looking through the new collection at Macy's. Oddly enough, the only two signings that have really impressed me (Correa, Donaldson) have been extremely disappointing. It's a shame the Twins have missed on these big swings, as I'm afraid it will keep them from trying again.

No they're not, and this is why Mahle's likely either gone for the year or gone until the last week of the season. Incredibly bad luck with the Twins big pitching additions (Paddack, Mahle). Time to stop trading for guys with injury histories, maybe?

A win, but it's still a team with the same old problems: the inability to score runs and a bullpen that will always make things interesting. This could have easily gone the other way - just imagine how low we'd be on this team if that'd happened. Until they do something like win 9-out-of-10 and blow out a good team or 2 in the process, I really don't see any reason to feel differently about the Twins today than I did yesterday. A team that's been treading water for months, finally getting tired and slowly sinking without putting up much of a fight.

Nolan Ryan - er, Kris Bubich - strikes out the side. Looks like another miserable night to be a Twins fan. Here's hoping things turn around.

Buxton would bat 8th on any of the top 10 teams in MLB.

I'll take Nick Gordon over Max Kepler every day of the week and I'd be thrilled to see Max off this roster. It's not the toe, folks. Like Sano, Kepler is just unable to physically and/or mentally keep up with adjustments. It happens all the time as guys get to around 30 years old. Sure, we all wish that every Twins player will have a better season than they did last year, and they'll all live up to their hype and potential. But we need to start getting a grip on reality here. The team isn't that good. A handful of guys who are getting close to or in the final years of their contracts appear to be nearing the end of their baseball careers. It happens. Occam's Razor tells us that Max Kepler isn't very good anymore, and it's likely because he's getting older and slower, which is what happens to all baseball players at his age.

DFA'ing Duffey is understandable, but doing that and then deciding to keep running Pagan out there every 3rd day is very puzzling.

Yeah I think we just have to sometimes just say "ya know what, I'm done with baseball for a while" and stop paying attention. I also have the MLB package here in Florida. It's not the money, but like you said it's the wasted time that really leads to regrets. Last year I turned off the MLB.com notifications on my phone and it really led to a much more peaceful summer. I turned them back on this year, but they're getting zonked again as of today. There's nothing worse than seeing a notification like "Angels 5, Twins 3" when you're using your phone as a flashlight at 2am when you're stumbling to the john.

Losing games like last night's - blowing a winnable game in the 9th, wasting scoring opportunities, etc - are the worst kinds of losses in baseball. Every fan has to watch their team blow a game like this once in a while, it's part of the game and part of being a fan. Being a tride-and-true fan means that sometimes the rug gets pulled out from under you, but you come back and live to fight another day. But with the 2022 Twins this kind of thing happens twice a week. It's not even newsworthy when they blow games like this, it's become so commonplace. How much more of this can fans take? At what point does thinking about Gopher football, or Vikings, T-Wolves, or Wild pre-season games become a more rewarding pastime?

Yes, and wait until August to figure out it's not going to work. Guy's going to miss ALL of 2023 now. Incredibly irresponsible and short-sighted by the organization.

Nice start for Mahle, he'll be great to have in the rotation next year for sure. Fingers crossed no fluke injuries for this guy. Clestino and Urshela with the big hits. Who'd a thunk it. Still waiting on Buxton and Correa to show up and carry the team for a 6-game win streak.

Even the most optimistic Twins fan has to be worried right now. Minnesota is no longer alone in first place in the AL Central. Cleveland’s pulled even and is playing Detroit, while Chicago is sitting 1.5 games back and playing KC. Is this the beginning of the end for the ‘22 Twins? Or will they step up tonight in LA and hand the best team in baseball a home loss? With their playoff hopes suddenly fading and the division lead on the line, the Minnesota Twins turn to Sonny Gray tonight against the Dodgers in the series finale tonight in Los Angeles. Games like tonight’s are why the Twins brought Gray (6-3, 3.19) to Minnesota in a preseason trade. The 32 year-old vet has been very solid his last 3 starts, giving up just 2 earned runs over 16 innings during that stretch. The Dodgers counter with spot-starter Ryan Pepiot (1-0, 2.76) , who is filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw. Pepiot is another young, live arm in what is apparently a bottomless well of pitching talent in the Dodger organization. In his four previous starts this year, he’s been effective but has only pitched more than 4 innings once, so LA’s bullpen will likely be called on to shoulder the load. With last night’s 10-3 loss, the Twins are now 7-8 coming out of the All Star break. While Nick Gordon, Jose Miranda and Gilberto Celestino have been hitting over .300 the past 15 games, the Twins big name offensive players have largely been absent in July and August. Most noticeably underperforming is star shortstop Carlos Correa, who is hitting just .196 since July 22nd. Is Correa a bust? Share your thoughts in this recent Twins Daily article. Other notables struggling include Max Kepler, who is 0-for-13 since returning from a toe injury, and Gary Sanchez who is coming off a horrific July that saw him bat .149 with just 1 home run. Kepler will be batting cleanup tonight, with Gary Sanchez batting 9th. Jake Cave and Tim Beckham are also in the lineup. Byron Buxton will be on the bench. Still, the team undeniably has potential and some timely hitting might just save their season. Can the Twins summon up some emotion and grab a victory tonight? The division lead is on the line and it’s time to see what our boys are made of. Buckle up. Picks to click: Keep your eyes on the same guys who have been carrying the team the past two weeks. Against right-handed pitchers on the road this season, Jose Miranda has a .401 wOBA and a .330 batting average. Nick Gordon leads the team with a 91.6 average exit velocity against right-handers in away games. Weather: 85 degrees at game time, clear skies Odds: Dodgers -175, Twins +150 Lineups Twins: 1. Luis Arraez (L) 1B 2. Carlos Correa (R) SS 3. Jorge Polanco (S) 2B 4. Max Kepler (L) RF 5. Jose Miranda (R) 3B 6. Nick Gordon (L) CF 7. Jake Cave (L) LF 8. Tim Beckham (R) DH 9. Gary Sanchez (R) C Dodgers: 1. Mookie Betts (R) RF 2. Trea Turner (R) SS 3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B 4. Will Smith (R) C 5. Max Muncy (L) 3B 6. Justin Turner (R) DH 7. Gavin Lux (L) 2B 8. Chris Taylor (R) LF 9. Cody Bellinger (L) CF Play ball!

Probably something like 6 games below .500, 3rd in the Central.

No longer in sole position of 1st in the Central, the Twins and Guardians now tied atop the division. Chicago licking their chops 1.5 back, playing the Royals and Tigers the rest of the week. Meanwhile the Twins are still playing their "B" team every other game and seemed happy splitting a series 2-2 at home against Toronto. That loss (and many other winnable games thrown away) are sure hurting this team now. This team needed way more than Tyler Mahle and the 9 more starts he'll get before the end of the year. No sense of urgency, nobody to step up.

Correa is supposed to be among the top MLB shortstops - he should be putting up numbers like Francisco Lindor, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, and Xander Boegarts. Yes he should, yes that's absolutely what we all expected and so did the Twins. But his numbers aren't even close to what those guys are putting up. In fact, shortstops who are having BETTER hitting seasons than Correa include Bobby Witt, Bo Bichette, Gleybar Torres, Willy Adames, Andres Jimenez, and some guy named Thairo Estrada. If you buy a Corvette and it runs like a reliable Honda Civic, you got a lemon. And yes, watching the lead dwindle to 1 game as the Twins fly out west to take on the best team in baseball is definitely adding to my bitterness on this matter.

This is exactly where I'm at. Correa is essentially a slightly-to-somewhat above average player this year. I don't mind having an above average player on my team, but that's not what we expected from Correa. The Twins signed perhaps the most coveted free agent of the '22 season, a guy who was going to be the foundation for this team this season. And he's got 13 HR and 37 RBI as we head into mid-August. Unless something else is coming from Correa - and I don't see any reason to believe there is - he's a been a major disappointment and didn't deliver as advertised.

Dude's on pace for 16 HRs and 52 RBI this season. There are really no excuses - it's been a down year for him, and Twins fans and management have every right to be disappointed in his performance. Let's admit it: he's been a bust.

I bet he does get a contract. Prediction: Pittsburgh. They wanted to sign him way back in 2009 and the Twins beat them out. I think they would be happy to roll the dice on Sano in 2023.

The blocking-the-plate rule makes sense. After all, dozens of MLB players every year were hospitalized due to collisions at home plate. In fact, over the years, thousands of major leag-----------wait, what's that? Out of the 20,000 baseball players who have ever played the game, 0.0001% of them ever left the game because of the collision, and as of yet nobody's career has been ended by such a play? WTF. This was a great baseball play. This is why fans go to games - to see a guy thrown out at home in extra innings. It doesn't happen every day, but it's that type of excitement and drama that true baseball fans just LOVE. It's the equivalent of a last-second hail mary, it's like a goal in extra time. In fact, one could argue that there is no more exciting play in baseball than this. Ruined by a couple of AL East-happy suits in NYC. If MLB truly wants to protect the players in this situation, how about this - if Merrifield gets injured on a play like that, the umps can review the play to reverse the call and/or fine Sanchez for malicious behavior. Similarly, if the runner goes right into the catcher (like Merrified did) and hurts Sanchez, that player can also be ejected and/or fined. Absolute horse-$h%@!.

So Sano was signed in 2009 at the age of 16 out of the DR for 4.5 million dollars. He wasn't drafted, but let's look at some of the guys drafted in the 1st round in 2009 and compare their careers to Sano: Who's had a better career than Sano from the list below? Trout, Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, and (maybe) Gibson? The other 30 guys aren't even close to the output that Sano has given. Heck, some of them never even made the bigs. 1 1 JR Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals RHP San Diego State University 1 2 JR Dustin Ackley Seattle Mariners CF University of North Carolina 1 3 JR Donavan Tate San Diego Padres CF Cartersville High School (Cartersville, GA) 1 4 JR Tony Sanchez Pittsburgh Pirates C Boston College 1 5 JR Matthew Hobgood Baltimore Orioles RHP Norco High School (Norco, CA) 1 6 JR Zach Wheeler San Francisco Giants RHP East Paulding (Dallas,GA) 1 7 JR Michael Minor Atlanta Braves LHP Vanderbilt University 1 8 JR Michael Leake Cincinnati Reds RHP Arizona State University 1 9 JR Jacob Turner Detroit Tigers RHP Westminster Christian High School (St. Louis, MO) 1 10 JR Drew Storen Washington Nationals RHP Stanford University 1 11 JR Tyler Matzek Colorado Rockies LHP Capistrano Valley High School (Mission Viejo, CA) 1 12 JR Aaron Crow Kansas City Royals RHP University of Missouri 1 13 JR Grant Green Oakland Athletics SS University of Southern California 1 14 JR Matt Purke Texas Rangers LHP Klein Collins High School (Spring, TX) 1 15 JR Alex White Cleveland Indians RHP University of North Carolina 1 16 JR Robert Borchering Arizona Diamondbacks 3B Bishop Verot High School (Fort Myers, FL) 1 17 JR Allen Pollock Arizona Diamondbacks CF University of Notre Dame 1 18 JR Chad James Florida Marlins LHP Yukon (Yukon, OK) 1 19 JR Shelby Miller St. Louis Cardinals RHP Brownwood High School (Brownwood, TX) 1 20 JR Stephen Jenkins Toronto Blue Jays RHP Kennesaw State University 1 21 JR Jiovanni Mier Houston Astros SS Bonita High School (La Verne, CA) 1 22 JR Kyle Gibson Minnesota Twins RHP University of Missouri 1 23 JR Jared Mitchell Chicago White Sox CF Louisiana State University 1 24 JR Randal Grichuk Los Angeles Angels LF Lamar Consolidated (Rosenberg,TX) 1 25 JR Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels CF Millville High School (Millville, NJ) 1 26 JR Eric Arnett Milwaukee Brewers RHP Indiana University 1 27 JR Nicholas Franklin Seattle Mariners SS Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs,FL) 1 28 JR Reymond Fuentes Boston Red Sox CF Fernando Callejo (Manati,PR) 1 29 JR Slade Heathcott New York Yankees CF Texas High School (Texarkana, TX) 1 30 JR LeVon Washington Tampa Bay Rays 2B Buchholz High School (Gainesville, FL) 1 31 JR Brett Jackson Chicago Cubs CF University of California 1 32 JR Timothy Wheeler Colorado Rockies CF Sacramento State

No he was called out at home.

As Perkins said, it's now an "opinion" from a judge. This isn't figure skating!!!!

Worst call in the history of Target Field? Worst rule in professional sports? This shouldn't even be debatable in the first place, taking away an outfield assist at home! That's an OUT for the past 100 years. Unreal to see this game being stolen by some suits in NYC.

I don't think his career has been a disappointment. He's been an All-Star, has had seasons of 25, 28, 30 and 34 HRs, has played over 100 games for the Twins in four of his 8 big league seasons, and has been a part of division-winning teams. He's played two positions in the big leagues, made a few memorable defensive plays and has always been considered a good teammate. Never complained about playing time, never was a prima-donna in the club house. When it's all said and done, Miguel Sano will be able to say he's had a good MLB career and I hope the day will come when Twins fans stop the unnecessarily inconsiderate behavior towards a guy who's always tried his best for their team.