All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread


Good news for the twins the Vikings are 1-0 so nobody will care about them. They can win 5 or 6 more the rest of the way and just kind of disappear until next spring.
 

It is ironic that today your starter gave up 2 in 4 1/3 and the bullpen was perfect for 4 2/3 Yesterday your starter gave up 0 in 7 and your best bullpen pitchers were horseshit for 1 inning. When things are going bad every move you make turns out wrong.
 

Twins in a free fall. Are they going to limp into the playoffs or play themselves right out of it in the next 3 weeks?
 

Detroit and Seattle both win to pull within 3.5 games of the Twins in the WC standings. But because we won the season series against both and thus have the tiebreaker advantage, that effectively adds a half-game to our lead on those two teams.
 


He did his job - that was the point of my post and it was posted while he was still pitching, as the post was over an hour ago.
Oh, I see what I did. i was thinking you were pissed at Rocco too. Was just pissed, weote that as Duran was warming up. Could not believe. Baseball is a statistical game, but it’s also a metal toughness game. Rocco doesn’t seem to grasp that in his managerial decisions.

Ober was in their heads.
 

Oh, I see what I did. i was thinking you were pissed at Rocco too. Was just pissed, weote that as Duran was warming up. Could not believe. Baseball is a statistical game, but it’s also a metal toughness game. Rocco doesn’t seem to grasp that in his managerial decisions.

Ober was in their heads.
I was upset with Rocco also, we’re on the same page, but just expressed it differently 😃
 

Duran now has a 6.75 ERA (it was ~3.5 IIRC before last night’s fiasco)in non-save situations; they talked about this in the previous series, the disparity between his ERA in save vs. non-save appearances.


Duran of course said the right things in Hayes’ column about im ready whenever bla blah. However, Rocco wasn’t asked, which I saw, why he put Duran in that position, when he struggles, due to what I’m guessing is a lack of focus.

What frosts my fanny, is for someone who uses analytics like he does, why aren’t you reading the obvious numbers and use Jax in the 8 and Duran to close, unless you’re you absolutely cannot.

i think overall Rocco does a good job and he gets unfair criticism, which I have addressed on here vociferously, but when your Big Dog is Eating, get out of his way.
I was upset with Rocco also, we’re on the same page, but just expressed it differently 😃. See my subsequent post above about why Ober should have been left in.

Oh, I see what I did. i was thinking you were pissed at Rocco too. Was just pissed, weote that as Duran was warming up. Could not believe. Baseball is a statistical game, but it’s also a metal toughness game. Rocco doesn’t seem to grasp that in his managerial decisions.

Ober was in their heads
 

The Twins retired Tom Kelly's number 10 on this date in 2012.

Did you know that he and Kent Hrbek owned a racehorse together during Hrbie's playing days? Talk about a cozy player/manager relationship!
 



Twins in a free fall. Are they going to limp into the playoffs or play themselves right out of it in the next 3 weeks?
Since it’s Minnesota sports your second part would not surprise me one bit unfortunately
 


Average winning percentage of remaining opponents:

Boston - .526 (brutal next week, 3 against Baltimore, 4 @ Yankee Stadium)

Seattle -.508 (seven games left against TX who will likely be w/o Seager)

Twins - .489 (need some wins this week against Angels and Reds)

Detroit - .465 (three games each against Rockies and White Sox, maybe the worst two teams in MLB)
 
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Just what my beleaguered baseball spirits needed, William Astudillo only MLB pitching outing as a Twin, featuring a 46 MPH heater -

 
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as far as this year, who knows. this team is weird.

1st 20 games of the season: 7-13
from Apr 21 to Aug 17: 63-40
Aug 18 to now: 6-14

so the Twins have a 13-27 record over a 40-game stretch (1st 20 games and most recent 20 games) - a .325 winning %. Only team in MLB with a lower % for the season - the White Sox.

but the Twins also have a 63-40 record through the middle of the season - a .612 winning %. FWIW - the LA Dodgers have the best record in MLB with a .601 winning %.

in other words, at times this season, the Twins have played like one of the worst teams in baseball. and at times this season, the Twins have played like one of the best teams in baseball.

If you think you can explain it, please call the Twins' front office. I don't think they can explain it.
 

as far as this year, who knows. this team is weird.

1st 20 games of the season: 7-13
from Apr 21 to Aug 17: 63-40
Aug 18 to now: 6-14

so the Twins have a 13-27 record over a 40-game stretch (1st 20 games and most recent 20 games) - a .325 winning %. Only team in MLB with a lower % for the season - the White Sox.

but the Twins also have a 63-40 record through the middle of the season - a .612 winning %. FWIW - the LA Dodgers have the best record in MLB with a .601 winning %.

in other words, at times this season, the Twins have played like one of the worst teams in baseball. and at times this season, the Twins have played like one of the best teams in baseball.

If you think you can explain it, please call the Twins' front office. I don't think they can explain it.
I think the recent stretch of woeful play is pretty easily explainable: Correa, Buxton & Ryan on the shelf, Lewis slumping and a few bullpen blowups on a few opportunities they had could have got them near .500.
 

Rod Carew hit a big pinch-hit grand slam on this date in 1976.

It was his seventh home run and third grand slam of the season, which was tied for the Twins single-season record with Bob Allison ('61), Kent Hrbek ('85), Kirby Puckett ('92), and Torii Hunter ('07) until rookie Royce Lewis hit four grand slams in 2023.

IMG_8459.jpeg
 


Energized Correa makes breakthrough: 'You might see me playing baseball again very soon'​


I can’t imagine them going public on this unless he’s really coming back.

Here’s the first few paragraphs, click on the link for the whole story -

MINNEAPOLIS -- The mood and energy inside the Twins’ clubhouse had gotten so flat on the road trip that manager Rocco Baldelli shut the doors and laid into his team after the conclusion of their lifeless sweep at the hands of the Royals on Sunday -- something that his players agreed was both welcome and needed.

And when they entered their home clubhouse at Target Field on Monday, they certainly found some energy.

That was the vibe from Carlos Correaafter another great day of work, a quiet confidence that still brimmed with more intensity than had seemingly been present in the injured shortstop for nearly two months -- a clear flip of the switch that signaled that something had changed in his prolonged recovery from plantar fasciitis, with a rehab assignment seemingly coming soon.

 


Might be adding injury to insult. Lewis walking gingerly after trying hustle out in vein a grounder to first with the pitcher covering.

Castro also left early due to illness.
 


The closed door meeting doesn't work. Another pathetic effort in front of very sparse crowd. Torii Hunter available to crack some skulls in the dugout?
 

The Twins are fall apart. I would not suprise me if they choke away this final wild card spot. Some peoples better be fired at season end.
 




Do they now?
I’m amused, albeit worried, that you felt compelled to post this at ~4 am. Is a mental wellness check in order?

As I’ve noted on my previous pontificating, “I could be wrong, I often am.” - Brian Tracy. Maybe this one sounds familiar to yah, Howie🥳.

Which leads me to another favorite quote of mine, “Life is too short to be taken seriously.” - Oscar Wilde.
 

when a baseball team is not pitching well, fielding well or hitting well, they lose games.

the MN Twins are not pitching well, fielding well or hitting well.

the MN Twins are losing games.

this has been today's Baseball syllogism.
-------------------
a few notes from Gleeman in The Athletic:

Twins hitters have been undisciplined since mid-August, chasing MLB’s third-most pitches outside the strike zone and whiffing on the fifth-most swings overall while posting the third-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio. Before mid-August, they were middle of the pack in all three categories.

While Twins hitters are making less contact, the quality of their contact has also plummeted. Since mid-August, their average exit velocity is down 1.1 mph, their average bat speed has declined by 2.3 mph and their hard-hit percentage ranks 26th out of 30 teams.

Max Kepler hit .116 with a .295 OPS in 12 games before joining Correa and Buxton on the IL.

Royce Lewis has hit .190 with a .494 OPS in 24 games, He’s hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Christian Vázquez is batting .234 with a .484 OPS in 16 games, including zero extra-base hits and just one walk.

Willi Castro has batted .173 with a .539 OPS in 24 games, striking out in 30 percent of his plate appearances.

Jose Miranda is hitting zero homers with a .333 slugging percentage in 25 games with 3 RBI's.

Add it all up and those seven core players (Correa, Buxton, Kepler, Castro, Lewis, Miranda, Vázquez) are collectively producing -1.2 fWAR, batting .197 with a .240 on-base percentage and .268 slugging percentage over 355 plate appearances.
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(and this for a team with 3 rookie pitchers in its starting rotation.)
 

when a baseball team is not pitching well, fielding well or hitting well, they lose games.

the MN Twins are not pitching well, fielding well or hitting well.

the MN Twins are losing games.

this has been today's Baseball syllogism.
-------------------
a few notes from Gleeman in The Athletic:

Twins hitters have been undisciplined since mid-August, chasing MLB’s third-most pitches outside the strike zone and whiffing on the fifth-most swings overall while posting the third-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio. Before mid-August, they were middle of the pack in all three categories.

While Twins hitters are making less contact, the quality of their contact has also plummeted. Since mid-August, their average exit velocity is down 1.1 mph, their average bat speed has declined by 2.3 mph and their hard-hit percentage ranks 26th out of 30 teams.

Max Kepler hit .116 with a .295 OPS in 12 games before joining Correa and Buxton on the IL.

Royce Lewis has hit .190 with a .494 OPS in 24 games, He’s hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Christian Vázquez is batting .234 with a .484 OPS in 16 games, including zero extra-base hits and just one walk.

Willi Castro has batted .173 with a .539 OPS in 24 games, striking out in 30 percent of his plate appearances.

Jose Miranda is hitting zero homers with a .333 slugging percentage in 25 games with 3 RBI's.

Add it all up and those seven core players (Correa, Buxton, Kepler, Castro, Lewis, Miranda, Vázquez) are collectively producing -1.2 fWAR, batting .197 with a .240 on-base percentage and .268 slugging percentage over 355 plate appearances.
-------------------------

(and this for a team with 3 rookie pitchers in its starting rotation.)
I read that this morning and assumed the fetal position, wailing and crying for my mommy.

That’s some freaking world class systemic failure.
 

I just can't understand how an entire team can be in a big slump at the plate at the same time. It's illogical.

Texas had a stretch where they went 4-16 in late August and early Sept last year yet still won it all. There's still time to figure things out.
 




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