I do like this thing that the Twins have been doing lately where they score runs.
25 thoughts on “September 3, 2023: Comeback”
Happy Bertin' Bert Day to those who celebrate!
On this date in 2006, #MNTwins colorful commentator Bert Blyleven said one of the seven dirty words you can never say on television, TWICE! pic.twitter.com/2DFs2qz7Pr
Only minor complaint about Thursday's set list was no rearviewmirror.
looking back, only minor complaint about Thursday's set list was no rearviewmirror.
FTFY!
Last night was without a few of Thursday’s selections, but I was not disappointed in the least with what we received. Closed with Purple Rain. It was sublime. Also, Eddie called out local legend Joe Mauer and he was spotlighted - big cheers all around.
I was musing on the season so far and the things that stand out to me - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have to start with the starters. The Twins starting rotation this year has been so much improved that it gained national recognition. Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez have been absolute rocks, Joe Ryan has hit a few speed bumps in his sophomore season but overall has been solid and has a very promising future. Getting Kenta Maeda back from the IL has been a big boost. The bullpen has also seen improvement, but not nearly to the same degree as the rotation. It is at best an adequate relief corps, but not one that's going to take you far in tournament play. I've been especially worried about Jhoan Duran lately because throwing 102 doesn't mean diddly if you can't control it and throw strikes. His fastball is fast, yes, but has almost no movement, and he needs to play off it with his sinker more, except he can't control the sinker well enough to do that consistently. I've commented on Jax and his tendency to decorate the bases, he's adequate but I want to see better from him. It's been nice to see mostly the good Pagan this year. In the position roles, it's almost impossible not to start by pointing out the very disappointing seasons in progress for Byron Buxton and Carlos DP Correa. Buxton's issues, of course, all relate to injury, and I'm starting to wonder just how long Correa has been playing with plantar fasciitis. I'll give Correa credit for not letting his weak hitting impact his defense, which is still top of league. Michael A. Taylor, brought it as a defensive replacement to keep Buxton's bat in the lineup, has been one of the great surprises of the summer for me, belting some clutch hits in key situations, knocking a career-high 20 homers. His .229 BA tends to camouflage his value at the plate since he also carries a 97 OPS+, and of course he's providing excellent coverage in the field. Donovan Solano has been another great surprise. Gleeman recently pointed out how well he's quietly been helping carry the offense on his shoulders and has the highest WPA on the team. Kyle Farmer proved to be another good pickup this year, especially in the first half when he saw considerable playing time due to injuries. Willi Castro comes to play, and gives Rocco a ton of lineup flexibility, and he's back in the dugout today after a ten-days stint on the IL. Of course, you can't talk about the stories of the season without mentioning the tragedy of Joey Gallo. Sadly, his early success at the plate waned and soured and he became a true outcomes caricature, mostly notching the bad one of the bunch. Why he still has a roster spot is beyond me, but I do have to say I appreciated his bit of veteran leadership the last time he and Rocco got tossed for arguing strikes that were clearly balls. Maybe one reason the FO is reluctant to cut the cord on Gallo is because of the remarkable turnout by Max Kepler that we've all witnessed this year. I was ready to give up on him a few months ago, but he's really been the best comeback story on the team. Injuries, once again, have been the story of the year for some of the young players - Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda, Alex Kirilloff, and Nick Gordon have all spend considerable time on the IL. So that's what stands out to me so far. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to work my first MLB playoff game come October.
Lewis, Wallner, and Julien have all performed great this year too. Plus Jeffers has (re)turned into a great catcher.
Perhaps the best part of the Vazquez signing was unlocking Jeffer's final form.
Aye to that, and their impact has mostly come in the second half when we really needed it.
I wonder if he hit that clutch double on a bad hammy or if it happened after
He looked to be laboring pretty bad into home when he scored after his double. My guess is he pulled it as he rounded third. If it was bad before that, he would not have tried to score from 2nd on the base hit.
Garver really doesn't like the Twins anymore.
I am really getting tired of Correa hitting into double plays. He’s become a true offense killer.
Walks don't haunt when they bring Correa up with the bases loaded.
Mother Funderburk! (in a good way)
What these two pitching staffs really need is another extra innings game.
welp, problem solved.
Six-games up curse strikes again
Another series win against the Rangers. Time to replicate that against the Guardians.
I wonder who is getting sent down/IR'd/DFA'd tonight to get a fresh bullpen arm for tomorrow
Thank you Steven Wilson, no last minute scramble this year for a WGOM end-of-the-year mix song recommendation
Happy Bertin' Bert Day to those who celebrate!
"well, we're live"
Thursday was the right call on Pearl Jam.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/pearl-jam/2023/xcel-energy-center-st-paul-mn-4ba2b342.html
Only minor complaint about Thursday's set list was no rearviewmirror.
looking back, only minor complaint about Thursday's set list was no rearviewmirror.
FTFY!
Last night was without a few of Thursday’s selections, but I was not disappointed in the least with what we received. Closed with Purple Rain. It was sublime. Also, Eddie called out local legend Joe Mauer and he was spotlighted - big cheers all around.
This is kind of wild. This is the first brew pub I had every been to.
I was musing on the season so far and the things that stand out to me - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have to start with the starters. The Twins starting rotation this year has been so much improved that it gained national recognition. Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez have been absolute rocks, Joe Ryan has hit a few speed bumps in his sophomore season but overall has been solid and has a very promising future. Getting Kenta Maeda back from the IL has been a big boost. The bullpen has also seen improvement, but not nearly to the same degree as the rotation. It is at best an adequate relief corps, but not one that's going to take you far in tournament play. I've been especially worried about Jhoan Duran lately because throwing 102 doesn't mean diddly if you can't control it and throw strikes. His fastball is fast, yes, but has almost no movement, and he needs to play off it with his sinker more, except he can't control the sinker well enough to do that consistently. I've commented on Jax and his tendency to decorate the bases, he's adequate but I want to see better from him. It's been nice to see mostly the good Pagan this year. In the position roles, it's almost impossible not to start by pointing out the very disappointing seasons in progress for Byron Buxton and Carlos DP Correa. Buxton's issues, of course, all relate to injury, and I'm starting to wonder just how long Correa has been playing with plantar fasciitis. I'll give Correa credit for not letting his weak hitting impact his defense, which is still top of league. Michael A. Taylor, brought it as a defensive replacement to keep Buxton's bat in the lineup, has been one of the great surprises of the summer for me, belting some clutch hits in key situations, knocking a career-high 20 homers. His .229 BA tends to camouflage his value at the plate since he also carries a 97 OPS+, and of course he's providing excellent coverage in the field. Donovan Solano has been another great surprise. Gleeman recently pointed out how well he's quietly been helping carry the offense on his shoulders and has the highest WPA on the team. Kyle Farmer proved to be another good pickup this year, especially in the first half when he saw considerable playing time due to injuries. Willi Castro comes to play, and gives Rocco a ton of lineup flexibility, and he's back in the dugout today after a ten-days stint on the IL. Of course, you can't talk about the stories of the season without mentioning the tragedy of Joey Gallo. Sadly, his early success at the plate waned and soured and he became a true outcomes caricature, mostly notching the bad one of the bunch. Why he still has a roster spot is beyond me, but I do have to say I appreciated his bit of veteran leadership the last time he and Rocco got tossed for arguing strikes that were clearly balls. Maybe one reason the FO is reluctant to cut the cord on Gallo is because of the remarkable turnout by Max Kepler that we've all witnessed this year. I was ready to give up on him a few months ago, but he's really been the best comeback story on the team. Injuries, once again, have been the story of the year for some of the young players - Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda, Alex Kirilloff, and Nick Gordon have all spend considerable time on the IL. So that's what stands out to me so far. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to work my first MLB playoff game come October.
Lewis, Wallner, and Julien have all performed great this year too. Plus Jeffers has (re)turned into a great catcher.
Perhaps the best part of the Vazquez signing was unlocking Jeffer's final form.
Aye to that, and their impact has mostly come in the second half when we really needed it.
That is a pretty fair assessment
I wonder if he hit that clutch double on a bad hammy or if it happened after
He looked to be laboring pretty bad into home when he scored after his double. My guess is he pulled it as he rounded third. If it was bad before that, he would not have tried to score from 2nd on the base hit.
Garver really doesn't like the Twins anymore.
I am really getting tired of Correa hitting into double plays. He’s become a true offense killer.
Walks don't haunt when they bring Correa up with the bases loaded.
Mother Funderburk! (in a good way)
What these two pitching staffs really need is another extra innings game.
welp, problem solved.
Six-games up curse strikes again
Another series win against the Rangers. Time to replicate that against the Guardians.
I wonder who is getting sent down/IR'd/DFA'd tonight to get a fresh bullpen arm for tomorrow
Thank you Steven Wilson, no last minute scramble this year for a WGOM end-of-the-year mix song recommendation