All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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howeda7 said:
Today is a game Jeffers should have started. Day game yesterday, day game today. Off day tomorrow. Zero reason Vazquez needed to start this one. Ultimately it's a difference of 1 or 2 games/week but that adds up to a lot of unnecessary ABs given to the worst hitter in baseball over the course of a season.
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I think it's because Jeffers has been so bad lately. Vazquez has better numbers over the past month than Jeffers does at the plate. They're both bad right now unfortunately. Hoping Jeffers can figure it out because the position is a black hole at the plate currently.
 

A Festa-is for the rest of us?

Paddack in need of a breather​

Chris Paddack is listed as the probable starting pitcher for Thursday’s game at the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Twins are seriously mulling giving him a breather.

In June, dead arm and other minor issues have bugged Paddack, who is coming off his second Tommy John surgery. He’s healthy but has dealt with inconsistent velocity and feeling out of sorts.

“The ball felt like a dumbbell,” Paddack said Friday after pitching 4 2/3 innings. “We’ve got to stay on top of that. I’ve had a rough four weeks. As I entered June, the body felt just a little heavy. You can prepare all offseason, all spring training, but a man that hasn’t been able to throw this many innings in three years now due to injury, you can’t do enough to prepare for this.”

Paddack and the Twins knew there’d come a time when he’d need a rest. Kenta Maeda’s break occurred late last April as he returned from Tommy John surgery and lasted into June.

For Paddack, the time likely is now.

Paddack has posted a 7.43 ERA in 23 innings over his past five starts, as his ERA has increased from 4.39 to 5.29.

But how will the Twins replace him?

Louie Varland started Sunday for Triple A-St. Paul and allowed 11 earned runs and five homers in 2 1/3 innings. He’s out.

Caleb Boushley, who pitched Saturday, is on the 40-man roster and has a 3.52 ERA in 13 starts for St. Paul, qualifies as a candidate.

Though Randy Dobnaklines up well after throwing Friday and seems likely to pitch for the Twins later this season, he’d need to be added to the 40-man to make a start.

Top pitching prospect David Festa, who last pitched Thursday, also would need to be added to the 40-man. But Festa, who currently rates as the No. 100 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, is the biggest potential difference-maker of the group and could get the call. He has a 3.77 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings with St. Paul.
 

GophersInIowa said:
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Man I love his game! So glad he’s getting an opportunity to play regularly. He’s my favorite Twin not named Royce.

I was flummoxed when the Tigers let him go: as he was young, inexpensive, excellent speed, could play multiple positions and not a stiff at the dish, even then.
 

I think maybe this improvement means we don’t have to worry about adding another RH bat to the lineup and get another starter (?) if need be (if we have quality starts until the AS game, then maybe we have enough already (?) -

Improved hitting against right-handed pitching​

The Twins consistently have been one of baseball’s best teams at hitting left-handed pitching. Over the past two weeks, they’ve shown remarkable improvement against righties, too.

Through June 10, the Twins carried a .692 OPS against right-handed pitching, five points below the league’s .697 OPS overall. The low number was the result of poor production from Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner and Alex Kirilloff, who went on the injured list June 12.


But the loss of lefty bats hasn’t hurt the Twins.

From June 11 through Saturday, the Twins improved their OPS against righties by 31 points, carrying an .889 OPS in their last 333 plate appearances. Only Baltimore (.904) was better in all of baseball.

Over that stretch, Jose Miranda (1.465 OPS), Royce Lewis (1.340), Carlos Santana (1.193) and Willi Castro (1.074) led the charge with Austin Martin (.974), Max Kepler (.919), Buxton (.840) and Carlos Correa (.817) also serving as formidable options.

Obviously, the Twins won’t hit like this the rest of the way. But they aren’t a .692 OPS team, either. Lewis’ return has added a dynamic talent to the middle of the order, but it’s also helped relieve some of the pressure on other hitters.

Trouble against righties is one of the team’s biggest issues along with starting pitching inconsistency. If the former can be solved internally, it would simplify the team’s trade deadline needs.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Man I love his game! So glad he’s getting an opportunity to play regularly. He’s my favorite Twin not named Royce.

I was flummoxed when the Tigers let him go: as he was young, inexpensive, excellent speed, could play multiple positions and not a stiff at the dish, even then.
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Willi is an easy guy to cheer for. He plays anywhere and you can tell he's giving you everything he's got.
 


If you're a deep-dive analytics type of person, The Athletic is starting a 5-part series on the evolution of pitching over the last 20 years. all about how people started using new measurement tools to analyze pitch speed, rotation, location and pitch selection to help pitchers develop individual game plans.

sounds like a lot of the stuff that Wes Johnson was pushing when he was the Twins' pitching coach.

in essence, the theory comes down to throw your best pitch more often and as hard as possible. lot about how harder breaking balls are better than slower breaking balls.

my take-away is that the science and study of pitching is way ahead of any comparable work on hitting. the improvement in pitching coincides with the shift among hitters to focusing on launch angle and velocity, and away from contact. the net results - lots and lots of strikeouts.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I think it's because Jeffers has been so bad lately. Vazquez has better numbers over the past month than Jeffers does at the plate. They're both bad right now unfortunately. Hoping Jeffers can figure it out because the position is a black hole at the plate currently.
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They've been rotating every other game since last year. I don't think Jeffers has started back-to-back games at catcher outside of the play-offs and if he has it's once or twice.

Certainly Jeffers is in a slump. But he still has an OPS of 790. Vazquez is at 480 which is just brutal.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
A Festa-is for the rest of us?

Paddack in need of a breather​

Chris Paddack is listed as the probable starting pitcher for Thursday’s game at the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Twins are seriously mulling giving him a breather.

In June, dead arm and other minor issues have bugged Paddack, who is coming off his second Tommy John surgery. He’s healthy but has dealt with inconsistent velocity and feeling out of sorts.

“The ball felt like a dumbbell,” Paddack said Friday after pitching 4 2/3 innings. “We’ve got to stay on top of that. I’ve had a rough four weeks. As I entered June, the body felt just a little heavy. You can prepare all offseason, all spring training, but a man that hasn’t been able to throw this many innings in three years now due to injury, you can’t do enough to prepare for this.”

Paddack and the Twins knew there’d come a time when he’d need a rest. Kenta Maeda’s break occurred late last April as he returned from Tommy John surgery and lasted into June.

For Paddack, the time likely is now.

Paddack has posted a 7.43 ERA in 23 innings over his past five starts, as his ERA has increased from 4.39 to 5.29.

But how will the Twins replace him?

Louie Varland started Sunday for Triple A-St. Paul and allowed 11 earned runs and five homers in 2 1/3 innings. He’s out.

Caleb Boushley, who pitched Saturday, is on the 40-man roster and has a 3.52 ERA in 13 starts for St. Paul, qualifies as a candidate.

Though Randy Dobnaklines up well after throwing Friday and seems likely to pitch for the Twins later this season, he’d need to be added to the 40-man to make a start.

Top pitching prospect David Festa, who last pitched Thursday, also would need to be added to the 40-man. But Festa, who currently rates as the No. 100 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, is the biggest potential difference-maker of the group and could get the call. He has a 3.77 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings with St. Paul.
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Festa to the rotation. Varland to the bullpen please.
 




Check out this 1979 Wausau, Wisconsin card. Did you know Harmon Killebrew's son Cameron played in the Rangers organization?

www.ebay.com

1979 Wausau Timbers TCMA #22 Cameron Killebrew Ontario Oregon Harmon Card | eBay

Set: 1979 Wausau Timbers TCMA. Year: 1979. Minor League SINGLE cards are a fantastic way to pick up a nice card of your ex-teammate, coach, co-worker, relative, friend, high school classmate, boyfriend, or husband!
www.ebay.com
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Last time I checked, they’re professionals too bro 🤠
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Of course. But not all professionals are equal. William Shakespeare and I both made our living as a writer. One of us is constantly showered with praise and widely known as the greatest writer of all time.

The other guy is Bill Shakespeare.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Of course. But not all professionals are equal. William Shakespeare and I both made our living as a writer. One of us is constantly showered with praise and widely known as the greatest writer of all time.

The other guy is Bill Shakespeare.
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Oh poor, Francis Bacon, always a bridesmaid😉
 
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Senators youngster Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league home run on this date in 1955.

He hit 573 over his 22-year career, second only to Babe Ruth in American League history at the time of his retirement in 1975, which earned him a FOURTH-BALLOT Hall of Fame election.
 

Shortstop Roy Smalley hit a grand slam to the upper deck at old Comiskey Park on this date in 1978, driving in "Disco" Dan Ford, Larry Wolfe, and Rod Carew.

The #Twins beat the White Sox 9-6 to sweep a doubleheader.

IMG_7066.jpeg
 

TRF Guy said:
Shortstop Roy Smalley hit a grand slam to the upper deck at old Comiskey Park on this date in 1978, driving in "Disco" Dan Ford, Larry Wolfe, and Rod Carew.

The #Twins beat the White Sox 9-6 to sweep a doubleheader.

View attachment 31979
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I remember watching that DH on TV.

Those Twins unis are sharp.
 


Not Twins related but here ya go


CLEVELAND, Ohio – Well, first ballparks offered hot dogs and pedestrian lagers. Then concessions blossomed with all sorts of nibbles, entrees and drinks, highlighting local restaurants and craft breweries. Now, you can go to a ballpark and get high.

share.newsbreak.com

Baseball stadium becomes first to offer THC product for fans - NewsBreak

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Well, first ballparks offered hot dogs and pedestrian lagers. Then concessions blossomed with all sorts of nibbles, entrees and drinks, highlighting local restaurants...
share.newsbreak.com share.newsbreak.com
 


GophersInIowa said:
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Guessing Cole Sands.

I mentioned this previously, that they reportedly liked him as a spot starter, because he’s already on the staff/40 man and still has 4 pitches in his arsenal at this juncture, unlike many a bullpen arm.

Additionally, it shouldn’t be a big deal for him to stretch out for a longer outing, as he spent his whole minor league career basically as a starter. Wondering if they were stretching him out in his bullpen days.

This may also help determine Henriquez’s future as well, since he’s 23 now and they’re gonna need him to be a contributor on the 40, at some point, or free up his spot for Festa/Matthews (the next wave).
 
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Gopher_In_NYC said:
Guessing Cole Sands.

I mentioned this previously, that they reportedly liked him as a spot starter, because he’s already on the staff/40 man and still has 4 pitches in his arsenal at this juncture, unlike many a bullpen arm.

Additionally, it shouldn’t be a big deal for him to stretch out for a longer outing, as he spent his whole minor league career basically as a starter. Wondering if they were stretching him out in his bullpen days.

This may also help determine Henriquez’s future as well, since he’s 23 now and they’re gonna need him to be a contributor on the 40, at some point, or free up his spot for Festa/Matthews (the next wave).
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Maybe just a full on bullpen game. I'd prefer them not to mess with Sands. He's probably their 3rd best bullpen arm this season.
 


Breakin' The Plane said:
Maybe just a full on bullpen game. I'd prefer them not to mess with Sands. He's probably their 3rd best bullpen arm this season.
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Oh, Mr. 🥓 , you never fail to deliver.

You’re obviously a purveyor of fiction, since most of your posts are short of facts. His 4.5 ERA dismisses him, as the thir best arm on the 🖊️.

I’m guessing you had Duran/Jax 1/2 and forgot about Alcala and his 1.74 ERA; heck even Okert has a lower ERA than Sand Man - so based on said facts, not sure what could exactly get messed up🤔. I’m also seeing an increased role for Staunton and his 0 ERA moving forward.

While I abhor bullpen games, I fancy you taking an L🤠 - you made my day 🥳. Yes it’s Petty and no my first name isn’t Richard or Kyle.
 
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howeda7 said:
I suspect they'll push that spot to Saturday and call up Festa or Boushley.
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Yep. With the off day they could move Ober up to Thursday and then have one of them start this weekend. I'm guessing it's more likely to be Varland or Boushley as Festa is not on the 40 man.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
I didn't see the whole at-bat, but my question is:

Did the pitcher already use his step-off time out?
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I'm not sure on the time out situation, but they did mention on the Dan Patrick Show that the pitcher (Nats Closer Finnegan) leads the league with 9 Pitch Clock Violations. Got to get with the program.
 

TRF Guy said:
Not Twins related but here ya go


CLEVELAND, Ohio – Well, first ballparks offered hot dogs and pedestrian lagers. Then concessions blossomed with all sorts of nibbles, entrees and drinks, highlighting local restaurants and craft breweries. Now, you can go to a ballpark and get high.

share.newsbreak.com

Baseball stadium becomes first to offer THC product for fans - NewsBreak

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Well, first ballparks offered hot dogs and pedestrian lagers. Then concessions blossomed with all sorts of nibbles, entrees and drinks, highlighting local restaurants...
share.newsbreak.com share.newsbreak.com
Click to expand...
"The thing about it is you can play a doubleheader on it in the afternoon, and then take it home and get stoned to the bejesus on it that night."
1719345215587.png
 


I was at the game tonight. At least 25% of the crowd was Twins fans.

Too bad we couldn’t pull it out.

Win Twins!!
 

Tough loss. That Jeffers guys is pretty good. Maybe he should play more. Division race might be over. 9 games back.
 


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