13 thoughts on “April 23, 2025: Lose Some, Win Some”

      1. It was a great night for Gus to stand on his head a bit. Yes, the ice tilted Vegas' way for the final 2 periods. However, if Vegas does not find and answer to Kaprizov and Boldy, we have a chance to steal the series. I think we are seeing Kaprizov finally close to 100% and he sees the ice so much better than just about anyone in the league. Boldy is coming into his own after a few lackluster playoff appearances. A lot of Wild fans are going ballistic about Rossi being demoted to the 4th line, but he has been very tentative in these first 2 games. He reminds me a bit of Fiala, who scored tons in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs his first few years. Playoffs are just a different brand of hockey than the regular season. Hartman really has been playing great the past 2 games, so the switch was warranted. I think Rossi is getting traded during the offseason, as GMBG wants more physical centers. We should be able to grab one or two talented, but physical, centers via FA or trades this offseason. I am still a bit iffy on Zeev being thrown to the NHL playoff wolves, but he did look a little better in game 2. Hopefully, he continues to get comfortable and starts playing the game the way NHL pundits project he can play. It was a fun game to watch last night and I am tired.

    1. I think I have the most likely explanation:

      BB
      BB
      BB
      E-2 (dropped throw from 2B - unearned run scores)
      runner caught stealing home (1 out)
      runner caught stealing third (2 out)
      BB
      BB
      E-9 (missed catch - two unearned runs score)
      BB
      E-9 (four base error - missed catch, kicked ball in frustration into the outfield corner, 4 unearned runs score - bases empty)
      BB
      BB
      BB
      E-6 (low throw - two unearned runs score, first and third with two out)
      Single (runner from first thrown out at home, one more unearned run)

      I initially had all the BB as HBP, but apparently those don't count in WHIP.

      10 unearned runs, one hit, 9 walks, no batters retired?

      2. Not quite so adventurous. Since this is the first year kids are pitching, league rules do not allow for walks. Any batter who goes to a 4 ball count will have their coach pitch to them to incentivize putting a a ball in plan and getting the defense to practice fundamentals. We have agreed that whichever of us is coaching third will pitch in those situations as needed.

        Our first game was last night. I faced two batters, allowing one hit in 0.1 innings of work. The other batter was out on a bang-bang play at first (looked safe to me), so my WHIP might’ve been higher.

  3. While the Wolves came back at the end, the play calling and general awareness left a lot to be desired. Weird finish.

    I’ll call it–they’ll win every game where they shoot over 50% from three. 😆

  5. When The New York Times buys your publication but apparently doesn’t have any budget to hire editors that help you avoid patently silly assertions:

    The sense is the Twins’ level of play needs to improve soon or Baldelli could be ousted despite a resume that features three American League Central League titles in six seasons. Baldelli, who in 2023 led the team to its first playoff series victory in 21 years, owns the second-most managerial wins in franchise history behind Sam Mele.

    I quit paying for The Athletic several years ago. Basic accuracy/quality issues like this were part of that decision. Every time I see stuff like this I’m reminded of how impressed I am with Meg Rowley’s managing editor product at FanGraphs. I think that’s truly the best pure baseball publication on the Internet these days, and it’s not even close. Worth every penny of the subscription.

    1. owns the second-most managerial wins in franchise history behind Sam Mele.

      I remember three Twins managers and Baldelli ranks third in wins. Even limited to only the postseason, he's still third.

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