What We're Worrying About
by Jon Marthaler on Apr 26, 2010 7:00 AM EDT
in By the Numbers
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PrintThe Twins are 13-6 and have won their first five series of 2010. So far, they've been one of the best teams in the American League, and have certainly been the best in the AL Central.
Which, of course, is not to say that everything's gone well. We still have a few things to worry about at this point. (DISCLAIMER: Yes, I realize 19 games is a small sample size in the grand scheme of things, but it's over a tenth of the season gone, and it's plenty of time to establish worrying patterns.)
- Jason Kubel. If he hadn't walked a dozen times, he'd barely see first base at all; he's hitting .169 and has just 10 hits in 72 plate appearances. He's actually been more effective not swinging, drawing 13 walks.
- Jon Rauch. Boy, it's just like having ol' Eddie G. back, isn't it? They couldn't look any more different on the mound, but Rauch and Guardado are much the same - average relievers who have a tendency to give fans heart attacks in late innings. Rauch blew a save on Saturday for the first time. I can't help worrying that this will be a regular feature.
- J.J. Hardy. His defense is good, but at the plate he's actually been worse than he was last season (.214/.286/.357); the three home runs lulled me into thinking he's been okay at the plate, when in reality, he's been an out machine.
- Nick Blackburn. He's been getting pounded (.317 batting average against), he's given up runs (6.85 ERA), he's not been missing bats (2.66 K/9). He's actually walked more guys than he's struck out, and he's yet to make a quality start (going by game score). And he's been dealing with "elbow soreness." I'm not sure it's possible to have any more red flags.
- Jose Mijares. We're always worried about Jose, but now he's on the DL, overweight, and unable to get anybody out. Plus, the team can't seem to figure out where his head is at. Are we sure there aren't some deeper issues to worry about here? (Yes, we're worried about being even more worried.)
Those are my top five worries, at this point of the season. It's been a good first 19 games - but problems have a way of adding up quickly.
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Why Anthony Slama
Is not up here I have no idea….Also Pat Neshek should close games Not Rauch.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson
by RileysCannibalJct on Apr 26, 2010 8:10 AM EDT reply actions
Wow
The guy is 1-0 with 6 saves in 7 chances and you want to replace him?
Also, Slama needs to get his walk rate down before he can pitch in the big leagues. It’s that simple.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
My problem with Rauch
This guy really has nothing special from the mound. I believe teams will begin to slap this guy around. Your right 7 save chances does not a failure make, but I dont see him as having the velocity and movement that a “closer” should.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson
by RileysCannibalJct on Apr 26, 2010 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
He's a good reliever
that’s all a closer needs to be. He’s not going to be as good as Joe Nathan but Nathan had a run of dominance to match that of any reliever in MLB history.
Slama's walk rate
is a little bit high, but with his strikeout numbers, it’s inexcusable no to bring him up. Jose Mijares was averaging 5 BB/9 innings when he was promoted from AA in 2008.
Mijares is left handed
I think Slama will get the call this year. But the Twins have a lot of right handed short relievers—Rauch, Guerrier, Crain, and Neshek. To break into that group, he would have needed to be clearly better than one of them in spring training. He was not because his walk rate was relatively high. If any of those guys goes down, I hope Slama is the first one called.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
I wonder what the Royals would give up for Slama...
I’m pretty sure Rochester has a better bullpen than the Royals.
I don't know about that
The whole AAA pitching staff is not doing well right now
by clutterheart on Apr 26, 2010 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll bet they wouldn't give up...
….their closer or CY award winner – so who else would you even want???
"...and we'll see ya tomorrow night!" - Jack Buck, Game 6, 1991 World Series
by WindyCityTwinsFan on Apr 26, 2010 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Um, Soria
The royals wouldn’t trade Soria for the entire Rochester staff.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
C'mon.
Neshek’s barely back from TJ. I think he’s got “closer” written all over him too, but not yet. He needs more time to ease in.
And Rauch has done everything we’ve asked of him so far. One blown save, and he went back and got the win. These things happen. No one’s perfect. He’s not going to be Joe Nathan, but then, no one is.
http://www.realityfish.com
I'm just fine with Rauch until he proves he just can't do it.
As for Slama, I’m not in any rush. We have one of the best bullpens in the AL right now, so there really isn’t too much to worry about.
The reality of baseball is that not everyone is going to be playing well at once. While all of these guys have struggled, an equal number of guys have played extremely well over the first 19 games. Say what you want about not being able to sweep or not playing our best baseball or playing inferior teams, but we’re doing exactly what we’re expected to do: win the series. We’re six series into the year (right? I think that’s right.) and we’ve won them all. God forbid I quote Martha Stewart, but that’s a good thing.
RISP
LaVelle pointed out some things today:
“The Twins entered Sunday second in the American League with 98 runs scored. They also entered second in the AL with 144 runners left on base”
and then this:
“They were 4-for-26 (.154) entering Sunday, and those 26 at-bats with the bases loaded tied the Yankees for the most in baseball”
Its probable that twins are doing so poorly with runners in scoring position simply because of the volume of base runners…all of the walks, + our knack for productive outs = lost of folks on base…
As long as we stay near the top of runs scored, I will not be worried about our bases loaded/RISP problems.
But I will still worry about Span and Hardy….
Maybe I just don't worry enough.
But I’m not worried about Span or Hardy. Span will bounce back, he’s just had a rough start. And with Hardy, more than anything his defense and stability for the position are what we needed. Any offense he can provide from SS this season should be icing on the cake.
Span
Span has really been playing great all year, his average just started slow, probably mostly luck related, but he’s even still got a very high OBP…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on Apr 26, 2010 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Great?
Span has been good, certainly not great. I’m sure he’s not happy with his hitting right now. He’s rolling over on too many pitches. You could see those 3U’s coming yesterday. Once he starts going the opposite way he will be back to .285.
Poor logic
If each at-bat is an independent event, then it makes no sense to attribute poor average statistics to having a lot of opportunities.
The argument – “they keep getting guys on-base, so they have to have a lot of runners LOB” makes perfect sense. However, the argument “they keep getting guys on-base, so they have to have a low average with with runners on-base” makes no sense at all. This would be an argument that, with more chances, a players average declines.
This would be like saying – well of course he’s only hitting .250, he had 600 PA this year.
Thoughts on your thoughts:
1. Kubes will heat up. He’s taking a million walks, which means he’s seeing the ball just fine. That’s the important thing. The swings will come.
2. Every Day Eddie got the job done, though. They can’t all be Joe Nathan. I think Rauch will do what he’s here to do.
3. Hardy at the bat has made me a little nervous, but, yeah, he’s here for the defense. If it becomes a serious issue, he can always hang out with Mauer a little more and get some help (as long as it doesn’t make Morneau too jealous).
4. After that last start, it’s hard to deny that there’s something wrong with Blackburn. Luckily, if he’s got to go on the DL, we’ve got Duensing waiting and ready. (Or, I guess, Perkins. But that really doesn’t seem likely to me.)
5. Okay, you’ve got me on Mijares.
Seriously, though, I think as Twins fans, we might be freaking out a little because we don’t know what to do with a good April.
http://www.realityfish.com
+1
Maybe we dont know how to deal with a good first half?
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. ~ Terence Mann
by John Veldhuis on Apr 26, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
another worry
The Twins’ road uniforms look too much like they belong in either college baseball or a straight-up well-dressed softball league.
New road uniforms
I actually love the new uniform’s. Somebody said it was similar to cleveland’s, but come on those gray pinstripes were not exactly great. They seem to fit in nicely with everything else going on this year. Everything feels different about this team right now, so to me the uniforms fit in nicely.
Me too
Me too, I really like both the new road ones and the home creams…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on Apr 26, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
If they played Cleveland and both teams wore their away unis I wouldn’t know who is who.
by clutterheart on Apr 26, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It does look like the Tribe road uni
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
As one who is famous for wearing the previous grey pinstriped jersey religiously
I’ve actually come to love the new uniforms. They’re aesthetically slicker, and the script is very old-fashioned. The lack of pinstripes actually works great. That being said I’ll always miss the old unis and hope they make some sort of return.
by MarshalltheIrish on Apr 26, 2010 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions
BABIP
JJ Hardy - .222
Jason Kubel -- .195
They’ll heat up.
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. ~ Terence Mann
by John Veldhuis on Apr 26, 2010 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This
Yup. Hardy’s LD% is back up to where it was a couple years ago too, as are lots of his peripherals. Lots of reasons for optimism there, especially since he’s playing such good defense that even this production has him on pace to be a 2-2.5 win player. The one worrying thing is his O-Swing % has gone up somewhat again, so it does seem his contact skills are not fully recovered, despite an improved K% overall. We’ll have to see if that changes later in the year if he heats up and pitchers start challenging him less…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on Apr 26, 2010 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
With hitting, recent streaks mean very little for evaluating performance going forward. My recollection is that a collection of a player’s 50 most recent PA from this year is almost exactly as predictive as a randomly selected collection of 50 PA from last year.
At the team level, individual ups and downs have averaged out, and the Twins are hitting about like they’d been projected to (270/362/433 right now). That sort of production would put us around 860 in runs scored, which would typically be near the best in the league.
With pitching, recent streaks mean more from a predictive standpoint. So Liriano’s awesomeness, e.g., means more than Kubel’s suckiness. And in general, the team is outperforming pitching projections, so while you don’t expect the Twins to continue to be near the MLB lead in pitching, the good pitching we’ve seen so far is meaningful and encouraging.
I know he wasn't mentioned as someone people are worried about
but following the theme of this post:
Delmon Young’s BABIP – .239
Add him to the list of guys who will get better as things even out
Thing is...
everytime Delmon gets robbed of a hit he seems to forget about his approach and try too hard to hit it a mile. They guy needs to relax. Look at his stance! Up and down. He makes me nervous just looking at him.
I think he looks much better this year.
He seems much more balanced in the batters box, and he seems to have a plan. I’m also pretty sure he’s swinging at far less garbage breaking balls than Cuddyer. He seems to be driving the ball all over the place, they just aren’t dropping, as seen by his BABIP.
Worried??
That’s the norm. Not only has Delmon not become a better hitter, he hasn’t really gotten much better on defense. He continues to misread balls that end up going for extra bases. At least he makes it around the bases faster.
I don’t see Delmon coming around. Hopefully, though Hardy can turn it up at the plate.
He's faster
He is still having trouble judging the ball of the bat but he’s 2 steps faster in the outfield which makes up for a lot. He caught that ball on a dead run in KC in the rain that would have dropped last season. Delmon is also enjoying not playing LF in Metrodome. Delmon has improved to the point where he’s not embarrassing himself.
There has still been a couple embarassing plays this year...
There was that one against Boston, that was just…ugly. He seems tentative going into the wall, it’s almost as if he isn’t getting after it.
Maybe not
According to FanGraphs, Delmon has five line drives so far this season, for a line drive percentage of 10.4% – at that rate, a .239 BABIP might even be lucky.
Obviously, terribly small sample size (two straight liners will change things quite a bit), so take with as many grains of salt as necessary. I’d also note that his groundball rate is pretty similar to last year, so he’s basically converted some of what were liners last year to fly balls this year, and I know he’s had some hard hit balls to the outfield that could probably have been identified either way, so it could be a classification issue (“fliners”, maybe?).
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Maybe an increase in fly balls is good.
Over his career, his home run per fly ball rate has been good, it’s just that he doesn’t hit many fly balls. More fly balls equals more home runs.
5 line drives seems way wrong
I swear he had 5 in one game not too long ago. Maybe Fangraphs and I have different ideas of what a line drive is.
They don't count looping liners
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Fangraphs doesn't count anything
BIS counts them.
"Pinch-bunters don't have a ton of value, even with the Twins"
by Steven Ellingson on Apr 27, 2010 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
The only one I'm worried about
is Blackburn because of the potential long-term impact on the team and his career if he has a serious arm injury.
Rauch is getting the job done. I didn’t expect him to be a top-tier closer, so no complaints there.
Kubel and Hardy are slumping, but April slumps always look worse because of the small sample size. As others have pointed out, Kubel is at least taking his walks and Hardy is playing solid defense.
As for Mijares, I’m more disappointed than worried. I can see being worried if you were counting on him to be an important cog in the bullpen, but I was never at that point.
+1
Blackburn is the real concern, because he’s just not pitching well. I think his elbow is still bothering him. Another Twins pitcher with elbow problems: Joe Nathan.
let's hope not Joe Mays
"For the parents of a Little Leaguer, a baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into innings."
— Earl Wilson
Blackburn
I agree, Blackburn is the one I’m worried about due to long-term impact. Mijares – he’s a middle reliever and we can find help.
Barry | Scorebooker
bjhess blog
Already found help
Ron Mahay! He’s not much more than a generic LOOGy, but in that role, he’s very solid. It might be nice if Mahay and Mijares were both around, since I don’t know that they’re using Duensing in a matchup capacity very often, but Mijares at his peak a year or two ago wasn’t any better than Mahay has been so far.
And to think, the guy was outright released by the Royals last year.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Meh on Mijares
Our bullpen is deep, so I’m not too worried about him.
Blackburn is the issue. Guy looks terrible and like he’s heading for about a 8-16 season. Baker hasn’t been too great either.
The beard abides.
by Jason Kubel's Beard on Apr 26, 2010 11:20 AM EDT reply actions
I'm not worried
This is the first Twins team in history to win its first five six series. Not everyone is firing on all cylinders, but that’s baseball. If you can get three guys hot at a time and bunch them together in the line-up, you’ll score enough runs to win series with the pitching we have. If we keep winning series, we’ll run away with the division.
We’ll make roster adjustments as the season goes along and more persistent weaknesses are exposed. But this is the best team we’ve had coming out of spring training since I’ve followed the team. The closest comparison is the ‘91 team. That team didn’t have the depth of starting pitching that his team has.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
True
And that 91 team got off to a bad start. For starters, this team featured a minor veteran in Kevin Tapani, a rookie in Scott Erickson, and a major vet in Jack Morris. The only reason why this pitching staff is much better is due to Francisco Liranio who might be a favorite for CY Young.
Blackburn
I hope he can get healthy and at least be a decent 5th starter. I have always rooted for the guy, perhaps because so many people seemed to constantly doubt him. Although his struggles are concerning. If I remember right last season he actually had a really good 1st half of the season. After the all star break he was pretty awful for at least 2 months. I think he picked it up a little when the rest of the team start playing well, but for the most part he has been pretty terrible since last year’s all star break. If blacky can’t go, I would love for Duensing to get the opportunity. After watching that kid pitch last August and September I have been a huge fan.
We're doin' fine
Chillax.
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
"Positive happines come whit sucess if you no have that is all bs" -Ozzie Guillen
by less cowbell, more 'neau on Apr 26, 2010 12:01 PM EDT reply actions
Being Happy
Being generally very very happy that the Twins have the second best record in baseball while having already played maybe half of the other likely playoff teams in the AL is kinda boring for the blogs after awhile. Besides, if/when Kubel and Hardy’s bats get going? Imagine that offense…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on Apr 26, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
heating up, cooling down
My bet is Morneau doesn’t end the year with a .500 OBP though
Blackburn
I’ve scattered comments throughout here, but yeah, Blackburn is the one I don’t have answers for, though I haven’t looked at the stats closely. More BB’s than K’s is a pretty obvious problem, though…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
bad elbow = bad control
I wonder if his elbow wasn’t bothering him during that terrible stretch he had mid 2009.
by Jon Kammerer on Apr 26, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
That is something to be worried about
I predict a few more of these clunkers, followed by the medical staff going back to the drawing board. They’ll sit him down and rest him until. like August. Then he’ll throw some long toss, report more problems, and lo and behold, he has a torn ligament that requires TJ surgery. If the normal pattern with this medical staff plays out, that’s how his season will go.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Gardy
Said Blackburn’s elbow was not the problem in his last start. Apparently Blackburn told Gardy his arm felt “great”
Maybe its simply that old cliche of sinker ball pitchers, they pitch better when they are tired…
- Or its yet another fail by the training staff and his elbow blows out his next start…
by clutterheart on Apr 26, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
He didn't look right to me
He looked like he was in pain. He kept wincing and flexing his arm between pitches. If that’s what he looks when his arm feels “great” he sure fooled me.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Liriano
And I’m still not convinced that Liriano is back. How much would I love to see a 23-8 2.95 season? Wow, I’d love that but still need to see a few more overpowering starts before I’m not so nervous.
If our pitching holds up we’re looking at a 20 game winner in Liriano, a trio of 16’s-18’s with Pavano, Baker and Slowey and…. Blackburn?…..I’ll be happy if he’s 12-12 at this point.
The beard abides.
by Jason Kubel's Beard on Apr 26, 2010 12:19 PM EDT reply actions
Liriano
Maybe a sub-3 ERA is still pretty tough, but he’s demonstrated to me that he’s very likely to be able to put one at or below 4 up, and that makes him a huge upgrade in the rotation.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
by AdamOnFirst on Apr 26, 2010 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah...
…even a 3.5 would be pretty sweet. Do you guys think the rest of our staff can win 15 apiece? Assuming everyone stays healthy and Blackburn gets his whiskers together.
The beard abides.
by Jason Kubel's Beard on Apr 26, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Any one of them could, but all of them doing it would be really unlikely
The 116-win Mariners had 4 guys post over 15 wins, which I remember being talked up as a big deal (among other amazing things that team did), but it’s not like it’s something that happens all that often. We’ve had 2 guys post 15 wins seasons in the last 3 years, so let’s hope 2 guys do it and maybe a couple others win 13 or so.
If
If the Twins have a 20 game winner and 3 guys above 16, they will have the #1 seed and probably win the world series. Seriously, that’s quite a lot to ask.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Cool
I don’t know my pitching stats as well as offensive stats…but I do know that I don’t like the buns on those hot dogs at the State Fair booth at Target Field.
The beard abides.
by Jason Kubel's Beard on Apr 26, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I've had two sausages at Target Field
Both tasted great. Neither went well after swallowing.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
How are the regular hot dogs?
I have yet to go – got my tickets for the brewers in May!
by clutterheart on Apr 26, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
My son said his was "way better than a Dome Dog"
It looked like it was made of meat.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
The actual dog was great
the bun was stale and broke apart. And what happened to the chopped onions???
The beard abides.
by Jason Kubel's Beard on Apr 26, 2010 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
You have to ask for them, they're not on the condiment counter
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Oninons are hotbeds for bacteria
You have to keep them refrigerated.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Live and Die by our starting pitching
Our offense is so talented that I can’t be concerned about any single member of the lineup. When one guys slumping there will likely be another guy on a hot streak to make up for it.
I think the same thing about the bullpen.
I think the big question mark is still our rotation. Every guy but Blackburn has shown an ability to be absolutely dominant and even Blackburn showed it last year. On the flip side they’ve all shown an ability to be absolutely awful for periods of time as well.
I have very little doubt this is a playoff team and will win the central. However, it all depends on which version of our starting pitchers shows up during the post season, the stud or the dud.
Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?
If our Starters
Sport ERAs in the 4s we should be just fine.
That will mean some good games, some bad games. Hopefully the offense can pick them up occasionally like they did on Saturday.
by clutterheart on Apr 26, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Ouch!
The picture of Harris is awesome…
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming." -Teddy Roosevelt
I'd add a couple of different worries...
1) Their .372 Slugging % w/RISP… currently 7th in the AL, but it it seems alot worse every time I watch them. With TB, NY, and BOS 1,2 & 3, respectively, I think it magnifies the problem.
2) Their penchant for only winning 2 of 3 in a series so far… would like to see that killer instinct to sweep teams, especially the Royals and Indians of the world…
Still very early, and everything mentioned above and by me can be turned around, but just a couple of things I’ve noticed.
by San Diego Viking on Apr 26, 2010 5:26 PM EDT reply actions
They've won every series
I’m not going to fret not having any series sweeps. It is an unusual way to win every series.
The board isn't turning new posts Yellow today
Kinda frustrating. Hopefully its just a browser quirk and will go away tomorrow.
Normally it does for me, too.
I think it did for me earlier this morning, too. Something goofy going on today. Just thought I’d see if it was just me or if there was a bigger problem. Maybe I’ll log off and log back on or something.
Thanks for checking.
I think there is an invisible man tickling Harris in the ribcage!
by montanatwinsfan on Apr 26, 2010 7:23 PM EDT reply actions
In the photo up top.
(But it would be even more randomly hilarious if there was no picture.)
Worries? What worries?
I think pitching and health will determine the Twins success or lack of it this year.
Of the original five worries listed, I think Kubel will be just fine. Hardy will be okay, but his BA will not be very high. The comparison to Joe Crede is probably a good one, but JJ doesn’t have a chronic back problem. I am concerned more about Mijares and the lack of a hard throwing lefty without him, than I am about Blackburn. Rauch isn’t a top-notch closer, but it appears he will handle the “easy” saves and gut his way through a few tough ones.
The Twins appear to be a fine team. If they stay healthy and the pitchers continue to do the job, they will win the Central easily and have a really good shot at making noise in the playoffs.
by Alexi Casilla All-Star on Apr 26, 2010 7:54 PM EDT reply actions
Span
via twitter : “Gotta get back on track tomorrow so that Im worthy of u guys vote for me being an all star! I can’t believe I’m actually on the ballot….”
Honestly, I am not very concerned about anything. I am probably just too wrapped up with how good this first month of the season has been.
Reasons To Trade Ubaldo or Greinke - Fantasy
What’s going on guys? VJ Vazquez from Baseball Moves stopping by to say what’s up.
How are you guys liking the new Target Field? Gotta add it to the list of the stops to make across the country.
Threw up a new post on BaseballMoves.com just a little while ago, discussing Ubaldo & Greinke’s stock – http://bit.ly/dsvEs4 – I’d potentially trade both. Funny thing is I own the both of them on my main fantasy squad. Thoughts? Opinions?
Check y’all soon. Keep enjoying this Twinkie season…Joe Nathan who thus far??
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- Roy Halladay bobblehead with glove on wrong hand selling on MLB.com
- Will Smith shows why making your big-league debut at Yankee Stadium is less than ideal
- Steinbrenners selling the Yankees? Family denies New York Daily News report
