I read an interesting article in Sports Illustrated this morning while sitting in a Doctors Office, the writer penned an article about MLB surprises and included three Teams expected to trade for a run as well as three Teams expected to be sellers. included with the sellers were the Cleveland Indians and he explained how they did nothing last off-season to bolster the Team and that their Top Three pitchers have sucked all year. of course, he neglected to say that Clevinger spent more than two months on the DL, Kluber was hit by a batted ball and is out(probably) all season with a broken arm, Carrasco battled fatigue and was finally diagnosed with leukemia and Danny Salazar has been out all season recovering from shoulder surgery.
perhaps the writer should know facts before assigning blame.
Joe, I looked at the schedule per your comment and Cleveland has a brutal August schedule:
--- 31 days in August, their only days off are consecutive Mondays --- the 19th and the 26th!!!
--- they start by finishing a three day series against Houston at home.
--- then four games in Minnesota --- three games at home against Boston --- four games in NYC against the Yankees!!! that's 11 consecutive games in as many days and three cities against the top Teams.
--- then they close the month with the first two games of a series in Tampa Bay.
Indians up 8-0 on Detroit in the 7th, Twins down 3-2 in the 9th which is sorta just where they like to be. with a little luck the lead could be down to five games after tonight, hard to believe, really.
--- bottom of the 9th at home, down 3-2 with the bags juiced, two out, Nelson Cruz at the dish with a 3-2 count!!! yeah, all the earmarks of another Twins walk-off. they didn't get it done but it seems the Team is built to win close games after the 7th inning.
down to five games , now both Teams will be tested.
the stage is set nicely right now for Cleveland, another game against the Tigers, then three each against the Royals and Blue Jays. not so nice for the Twins with four against Oakland and then three against the Yankees. their saving grace is that they are in Minnesota, but those Teams are playing pretty good.
things could be very different this time next week which just happens to be seven days before the Trade Deadline, different this year:
--- As of 2019, the July 31 Trade Deadline is the only trade deadline. Players may still be placed and claimed on outright waivers after July 31, but trades will no longer be permitted after that date. With regards to newly acquired players, the Aug. 31 postseason roster deadline remains in effect.
I thought about that last night and to be honest, this is the second time the Twins have surprised me this season. they surprised me for three months as they have played like Champions; now they have surprised me as they have stalled and struggled. I expect that it is just a mid-season slump, they'll pull out of it and be just fine. part of it may be that the individual players and the "Team" haven't been in a race. they also have a Rookie Manager who may be suddenly surprised that his moves aren't working.
baseball is an interesting, strategic game with a lot of moving parts that unfolds slowly over a very long season. this season in the AL Central is starting to look like it might be fun and grab some National attention.
@keets said:
I thought about that last night and to be honest, this is the second time the Twins have surprised me this season. they surprised me for three months as they have played like Champions; now they have surprised me as they have stalled and struggled. I expect that it is just a mid-season slump, they'll pull out of it and be just fine. part of it may be that the individual players and the "Team" haven't been in a race. they also have a Rookie Manager who may be suddenly surprised that his moves aren't working.
baseball is an interesting, strategic game with a lot of moving parts that unfolds slowly over a very long season. this season in the AL Central is starting to look like it might be fun and grab some National attention.
Absolutely! My hope is that the Twins starting pitching, which is good, keeps throwing well.
If they don't make a couple of moves to improve the team, make room for me on the Cleveland bandwagon!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
and the Twins followed their MO last night by hitting HR's and winning late against the A's. to be honest, they needed that win badly as it was starting to seem through the week like they were chasing the Indians, not the other way around. Cleveland won again, but now they have to play someone besides the Detroit Tigers!! they're 11-1 vs. Detroit this year and to watch them play, the Tigers' players look defeated.
there was mention of Trevor Bauer being on the trade block which isn't something I had heard. why in God's name would they trade him?? they need to sign a pitcher.
@keets said:
and the Twins followed their MO last night by hitting HR's and winning late against the A's. to be honest, they needed that win badly as it was starting to seem through the week like they were chasing the Indians, not the other way around. Cleveland won again, but now they have to play someone besides the Detroit Tigers!! they're 11-1 vs. Detroit this year and to watch them play, the Tigers' players look defeated.
there was mention of Trevor Bauer being on the trade block which isn't something I had heard. why in God's name would they trade him?? they need to sign a pitcher.
Nice win for the Twins!
Trade Bauer? Now they are beginning to sound like the Twins!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
the Tribe topped the Royals 10-5 to make it six in a row. that's two six game streaks sandwiched around the two losses to the Twins. Minnesota is down 5-3 to the A's in the 6th, how do players not watch the scoreboard???
@keets said:
the Tribe topped the Royals 10-5 to make it six in a row. that's two six game streaks sandwiched around the two losses to the Twins. Minnesota is down 5-3 to the A's in the 6th, how do players not watch the scoreboard???
I'm sure they do.
HELLO POHLADS!!!! BULLPEN NEEDS SOME HELP!!!!
I always thought prospects should be saved until you could use them to help win a Championship. I think the Pohlads like them because they are cheap!
Twins have a very nice core of players that were once prospects. I would not be anxious to trade Royce Lewis, Brusdar Graterol or Alex Kirilloff, but the other prospects should be available for an established QUALITY pitcher. Preferably a left handed reliever. A second (or third) arm should be acquired as well.
Our closer is very good, but he is being used for a lot of 2 inning saves right now. If he gets worn down, it could be BIG trouble. Not to mention the possibility of an injury. Cleveland has been DEVASTATED by injuries and illness and have enough good players to be right in the mix.
Come on Twins....GROW A PAIR!
I by no means mean they should become desperate, but the longer they wait the fewer guys there will be available.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
well, the A's bailed out the Indians and kept things at three games as the Royals won a three-hitter 1-0 on a first inning homer.
searching for player movement I see the Twins traded starter Mike Morin to the Phillies for cash, so maybe they're getting ready to do something. other than that I see nothing around MLB unless it is really low level or being kept quiet, but the Press Services will usually report everything. my hunch is that Teams are talking, keeping things quiet and waiting to see who moves first.
it probably portends a flurry of active trades when things finally break open. looking at the Indians sight I see nothing and there is only rumors of Trevor Bauer being a likely trade from the local Sports Writers. I see no benefit in trading Bauer, but my Team suffers the same as yours, the owners are cheap and always trying to do it that way. they run the Team with the same philosophy that I collect coins --- they aren't afraid to spend money or to stretch for something, but they can't afford to make any costly mistakes.
Cleveland Indians ownership always whines about attendance and they have a point, fans are slow to come to the park. during this latest surge the attendance has been around 18-20k, a little over half-full. so what happens?? almost 32k show up last night to see the Tribe shut-out 1-0 on a three hitter!!!
FWIW, I have tickets for the game against the Boston Red Sox on August 12th.
On Morin, I think I remember reading that the Twins were going to send him down to the minors but he was out of "options" and was basically being released. The couple of times I saw him, he was unimpressive.
On your ownership comments, that is exactly why I refuse to spend any money on professional sports. Multi-millionaires whining about money and expecting the poor to subsidize their "hobby". They can pound sand!!!!!!
Have fun at the game!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Cleveland rallied and then held on to beat a Team they should have beaten and the Twins rallied in the 9th, not really surprising since they often score late. both Teams are hangin' tough!! next up for us will be the Blue Jays in Toronto, what about the Twins vs. NYY?? it might be an interesting week in the central Division.
from a purely competitive standpoint, there are two good Wild Card match-ups right now:
Oakland vs. Minnesota.
Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay.
those Teams are all in the hunt for a Wild Card spot and either match-up would be a classic, the Teams as paired are pretty close. my sense of it right now is that Cleveland and Minnesota will both be in the play-offs with the other Wild Card being either Oakland or Tampa Bay. the field will be rounded out by New York and Houston while we all must tolerate the predictable whining that comes from Boston. have you read the Red Sox thread lately?? nothing but a group of "fans" following a Team that just won the WS bitching about their Team.
of course, this may all change and I could be dead wrong.
the Yankees can be out-pitched but it's pretty hard to outscore them. I thought they would rally at the end but the Twins held them off. in the meantime, Cleveland beat Toronto with another nice performance from long-haired Mike Clevinger who is having a fabulous July. one more week for the Tribe and then their mettle will be tested by a brutal August schedule.
still nothing around MLB about trades. my sense is that everyone is holding their breath to see who moves first and then we'll see a flurry of activity.
I had a brief discussion with a friend last night and he thinks the Indians will lose some of their relief pitchers when the Team activates guys like Salazar, Carrasco and Kluber to be eligible for the playoffs. it sounded wrong when he said it and still does, so I shall dismiss him as ignorant and set him right when next I see him. not only would they be able to activate those players and keep their current relievers, but there is no need to activate them prior to September 1st. so long as they are on the 60-day injured list they are playoff eligible.
an example is during the 2016 World Series the Cubs activated Kyle Schwarber for the WS, he hadn't played for some time and was rehabbing while being on the 60-day IL.
Good to get a win when one of the "other guy" pitchers starts. Berrios, Odorizzi and to a lesser extent Gibson all give us a very good chance to win, so when we win one like this, it's nice.
Gibson goes tonight against a guy I never heard of that has some good numbers.
GO TWINS!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
interesting, both Teams lose 10 inning games on the same night!! looking at it from my perspective the Twins loss seems to be the bigger of the two.
the Cleveland/Toronto game was a pitchers duel with both Teams struggling for offense until it came down to a blown save in the 9th and walk-off in the 10th. with the Twins/Yankees it came down to Minnesota blowing 8-2 and 9-5 leads AT HOME after they new Cleveland had lost.
the Yankees are tough, they can score some runs while their pitching is suspect. if you can get to them and hold a lead after the 7th it should be OK, but Green and Chapman at the back of the Bull Pen are hard to get anything going against. one thing is clear, if you get into a slugfest with them you'll lose more often than win.
I am not looking forward to Cleveland's four game visit to the Bronx Zoo.
Chapman walks 6 guys in two innings and Twins only score one run. Hicks making a great catch to end the game doesn't surprise me. When he was here, he showed a LOT of defensive ability.
I am going to try not to whine about the bullpen anymore.
BUT...........
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Shane Bieber on the hill tonight for the Indians and Odorizzi up for the Twins. it's starting to look like a slow slug to the top as the Twins must be gazing into their rear-view mirror. what will it be like in mid-August if these two starters face each other??
like I said, it's tough to out-score the Yankees. nine extra base hits out of 15, that means the singles were the exceptions and the Bombers were making good contact.
here's my theory for making the playoffs: it takes a winning percentage between .590-.625 to be assured of a spot. to achieve that a Team needs to play around .650(close to two-out-of-three) against a small majority of their opponents, maybe 18 Teams. against the other 10 or so Teams they need to be a little better than even, maybe around .550. both Cleveland and Minnesota are right there as Cleveland creeps up on .590.
some food for thought concerning the AL leaders.................................I will admit to not paying attention much to Houston, I have mainly focused on Cleveland, Minnesota and the Yankees since I follow the three almost daily --- but --- the Twins and Yankees seem most similar of the three, they don't seem to ever lack run support, that's why the series last week was so entertaining. the twist with both Teams, both leading their Division, is pitching. it is very spotty, very inconsistent both from starters and the BullPen. the Yankees are especially pathetic.
then we get to the Indians, the complete opposite. the pitching is good enough to keep them in most games but will the hitters show up?? lately they have been showing up and it has been nice. the pitching, I just looked at some stats and was actually surprised. in all of MLB they're 3rd in ERA, 1st in shutouts and 1st in complete games. and remember, they're missing three starters!!!
the trouble with all this is that, like I said, I don't pay much attention to Houston. the lowly Astros are 4th right behind the Indians in pitching and 8th in batting, a nice balance. the Twins are even better at 3rd in batting and 7th in pitching. it should be a fun race to the finish line!!
looking at the wires it seems some low level trades are starting to happen. my hunch is Sunday evening and Monday will be busy, but I haven't seen the schedule yet. if most Teams are off I sense some real movement.
FWIW, Trevor Bauer is slated to pitch Sunday and then Shane Bieber has the first game Monday against the Astros in their three game series.
one out, sort of hard to figure how the Indians closed that gap.
after tomorrow the REAL games begin with the Astros, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees and Rays ahead. with 31 days in August and the Indians playing 29 games I sure hope they're well rested. Francona is starting to use a rotation and give guys a rest. tonight he had Bauers at 1st base and Santana on the bench, Lindor as DH and Freeman at SS. he does the same thing with Freeman at 3rd base and lets Ramirez sit or DH.
Francona is also trying to find the right mix in the outfield. he's got four guys that he rotates and three of the four are young so the rest lets them slide into the long season better.
if I read it right they traded a prospect for a starting pitcher and a reliever, just what you've been saying they need. everything I read for the Tribe centers around Trevor Bauer. the local paper says the two Teams really pressing Cleveland are the Yankees and the Astros. why would they do a deal with either Team, hurt themselves in two ways with someone they'll need to face in the post-season?? MLB is funny now, it's 100% about the money, sad.
Comments
Sunday, August 18th.
Significance?
the date of the over-taking!!
I read an interesting article in Sports Illustrated this morning while sitting in a Doctors Office, the writer penned an article about MLB surprises and included three Teams expected to trade for a run as well as three Teams expected to be sellers. included with the sellers were the Cleveland Indians and he explained how they did nothing last off-season to bolster the Team and that their Top Three pitchers have sucked all year. of course, he neglected to say that Clevinger spent more than two months on the DL, Kluber was hit by a batted ball and is out(probably) all season with a broken arm, Carrasco battled fatigue and was finally diagnosed with leukemia and Danny Salazar has been out all season recovering from shoulder surgery.
perhaps the writer should know facts before assigning blame.
Joe, I looked at the schedule per your comment and Cleveland has a brutal August schedule:
--- 31 days in August, their only days off are consecutive Mondays --- the 19th and the 26th!!!
--- they start by finishing a three day series against Houston at home.
--- then four games in Minnesota --- three games at home against Boston --- four games in NYC against the Yankees!!! that's 11 consecutive games in as many days and three cities against the top Teams.
--- then they close the month with the first two games of a series in Tampa Bay.
If the Indians can overtake the Twins, good for them!
I am still waiting to see if the Twins are even going to make any moves Ryan Presley would look good in the "pen" right now!
We'll see what happens.
Indians up 8-0 on Detroit in the 7th, Twins down 3-2 in the 9th which is sorta just where they like to be. with a little luck the lead could be down to five games after tonight, hard to believe, really.
--- bottom of the 9th at home, down 3-2 with the bags juiced, two out, Nelson Cruz at the dish with a 3-2 count!!! yeah, all the earmarks of another Twins walk-off. they didn't get it done but it seems the Team is built to win close games after the 7th inning.
down to five games , now both Teams will be tested.
Though Cruz was going to come through!
Mets closer throwing 99 MPH!!!!!
and suddenly, we are at four games!!!
the stage is set nicely right now for Cleveland, another game against the Tigers, then three each against the Royals and Blue Jays. not so nice for the Twins with four against Oakland and then three against the Yankees. their saving grace is that they are in Minnesota, but those Teams are playing pretty good.
things could be very different this time next week which just happens to be seven days before the Trade Deadline, different this year:
--- As of 2019, the July 31 Trade Deadline is the only trade deadline. Players may still be placed and claimed on outright waivers after July 31, but trades will no longer be permitted after that date. With regards to newly acquired players, the Aug. 31 postseason roster deadline remains in effect.
You might want to re-evaluate your "catch-up" date! ;-)
I thought about that last night and to be honest, this is the second time the Twins have surprised me this season. they surprised me for three months as they have played like Champions; now they have surprised me as they have stalled and struggled. I expect that it is just a mid-season slump, they'll pull out of it and be just fine. part of it may be that the individual players and the "Team" haven't been in a race. they also have a Rookie Manager who may be suddenly surprised that his moves aren't working.
baseball is an interesting, strategic game with a lot of moving parts that unfolds slowly over a very long season. this season in the AL Central is starting to look like it might be fun and grab some National attention.
Absolutely! My hope is that the Twins starting pitching, which is good, keeps throwing well.
If they don't make a couple of moves to improve the team, make room for me on the Cleveland bandwagon!
and the Twins followed their MO last night by hitting HR's and winning late against the A's. to be honest, they needed that win badly as it was starting to seem through the week like they were chasing the Indians, not the other way around. Cleveland won again, but now they have to play someone besides the Detroit Tigers!! they're 11-1 vs. Detroit this year and to watch them play, the Tigers' players look defeated.
there was mention of Trevor Bauer being on the trade block which isn't something I had heard. why in God's name would they trade him?? they need to sign a pitcher.
Nice win for the Twins!
Trade Bauer? Now they are beginning to sound like the Twins!
the Tribe topped the Royals 10-5 to make it six in a row. that's two six game streaks sandwiched around the two losses to the Twins. Minnesota is down 5-3 to the A's in the 6th, how do players not watch the scoreboard???
I'm sure they do.
HELLO POHLADS!!!! BULLPEN NEEDS SOME HELP!!!!
I always thought prospects should be saved until you could use them to help win a Championship. I think the Pohlads like them because they are cheap!
Twins have a very nice core of players that were once prospects. I would not be anxious to trade Royce Lewis, Brusdar Graterol or Alex Kirilloff, but the other prospects should be available for an established QUALITY pitcher. Preferably a left handed reliever. A second (or third) arm should be acquired as well.
Our closer is very good, but he is being used for a lot of 2 inning saves right now. If he gets worn down, it could be BIG trouble. Not to mention the possibility of an injury. Cleveland has been DEVASTATED by injuries and illness and have enough good players to be right in the mix.
Come on Twins....GROW A PAIR!
I by no means mean they should become desperate, but the longer they wait the fewer guys there will be available.
DAMN! Another wasted performance by Berrios. Now our closer is blowing saves,
HELLO earth to Pohlad! Send pitching help. ASAP
well, the A's bailed out the Indians and kept things at three games as the Royals won a three-hitter 1-0 on a first inning homer.
searching for player movement I see the Twins traded starter Mike Morin to the Phillies for cash, so maybe they're getting ready to do something. other than that I see nothing around MLB unless it is really low level or being kept quiet, but the Press Services will usually report everything. my hunch is that Teams are talking, keeping things quiet and waiting to see who moves first.
it probably portends a flurry of active trades when things finally break open. looking at the Indians sight I see nothing and there is only rumors of Trevor Bauer being a likely trade from the local Sports Writers. I see no benefit in trading Bauer, but my Team suffers the same as yours, the owners are cheap and always trying to do it that way. they run the Team with the same philosophy that I collect coins --- they aren't afraid to spend money or to stretch for something, but they can't afford to make any costly mistakes.
Cleveland Indians ownership always whines about attendance and they have a point, fans are slow to come to the park. during this latest surge the attendance has been around 18-20k, a little over half-full. so what happens?? almost 32k show up last night to see the Tribe shut-out 1-0 on a three hitter!!!
FWIW, I have tickets for the game against the Boston Red Sox on August 12th.
On Morin, I think I remember reading that the Twins were going to send him down to the minors but he was out of "options" and was basically being released. The couple of times I saw him, he was unimpressive.
On your ownership comments, that is exactly why I refuse to spend any money on professional sports. Multi-millionaires whining about money and expecting the poor to subsidize their "hobby". They can pound sand!!!!!!
Have fun at the game!
Nice victory today after bullpen almost blows another one.
Cleveland rallied and then held on to beat a Team they should have beaten and the Twins rallied in the 9th, not really surprising since they often score late. both Teams are hangin' tough!! next up for us will be the Blue Jays in Toronto, what about the Twins vs. NYY?? it might be an interesting week in the central Division.
Way to go Max Keppler! Scores their first run, hits a three run dinger, then drives in winner!
Super sub Adrianza (plays every position except catcher and hits well) had a nice game too!
Last few games Twins seem to have based loaded every other inning and don't even get one run!
Starting pitching has been very good. Have I mentioned we need a couple of relievers?
from a purely competitive standpoint, there are two good Wild Card match-ups right now:
Oakland vs. Minnesota.
Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay.
those Teams are all in the hunt for a Wild Card spot and either match-up would be a classic, the Teams as paired are pretty close. my sense of it right now is that Cleveland and Minnesota will both be in the play-offs with the other Wild Card being either Oakland or Tampa Bay. the field will be rounded out by New York and Houston while we all must tolerate the predictable whining that comes from Boston. have you read the Red Sox thread lately?? nothing but a group of "fans" following a Team that just won the WS bitching about their Team.
of course, this may all change and I could be dead wrong.
Yes, those look interesting!
I am (like a fool) thinking that the Twins could have a legitimate shot at getting to the WS if they add a couple three good players.
The Red Sox thread? You mean the one that says "311 new" on it? Not really. Am I missing much?
Twins suck.
The only time time they'll see the World Series Champion Dodgers will be from the stands.
lolololol
NICE!
most recent "rumor" around MLB is that the Twins are interested in all the major players who might be available.
July is almost over.
Always good to beat the Yankees!
the Yankees can be out-pitched but it's pretty hard to outscore them. I thought they would rally at the end but the Twins held them off. in the meantime, Cleveland beat Toronto with another nice performance from long-haired Mike Clevinger who is having a fabulous July. one more week for the Tribe and then their mettle will be tested by a brutal August schedule.
still nothing around MLB about trades. my sense is that everyone is holding their breath to see who moves first and then we'll see a flurry of activity.
I had a brief discussion with a friend last night and he thinks the Indians will lose some of their relief pitchers when the Team activates guys like Salazar, Carrasco and Kluber to be eligible for the playoffs. it sounded wrong when he said it and still does, so I shall dismiss him as ignorant and set him right when next I see him. not only would they be able to activate those players and keep their current relievers, but there is no need to activate them prior to September 1st. so long as they are on the 60-day injured list they are playoff eligible.
an example is during the 2016 World Series the Cubs activated Kyle Schwarber for the WS, he hadn't played for some time and was rehabbing while being on the 60-day IL.
Good to get a win when one of the "other guy" pitchers starts. Berrios, Odorizzi and to a lesser extent Gibson all give us a very good chance to win, so when we win one like this, it's nice.
Gibson goes tonight against a guy I never heard of that has some good numbers.
GO TWINS!
OUCH!!!! after a great game by Bauer the bullpen has a rare failure to save. give it to Toronto for also pitching a good game and fighting to win!!
Twins appear ready to blow a game with a big lead.
But wait! Sano homers again to put Twins back in front 11-10. What a slugfest!
interesting, both Teams lose 10 inning games on the same night!! looking at it from my perspective the Twins loss seems to be the bigger of the two.
the Cleveland/Toronto game was a pitchers duel with both Teams struggling for offense until it came down to a blown save in the 9th and walk-off in the 10th. with the Twins/Yankees it came down to Minnesota blowing 8-2 and 9-5 leads AT HOME after they new Cleveland had lost.
the Yankees are tough, they can score some runs while their pitching is suspect. if you can get to them and hold a lead after the 7th it should be OK, but Green and Chapman at the back of the Bull Pen are hard to get anything going against. one thing is clear, if you get into a slugfest with them you'll lose more often than win.
I am not looking forward to Cleveland's four game visit to the Bronx Zoo.
Wow, what a game!
Chapman walks 6 guys in two innings and Twins only score one run. Hicks making a great catch to end the game doesn't surprise me. When he was here, he showed a LOT of defensive ability.
I am going to try not to whine about the bullpen anymore.
BUT...........
Shane Bieber on the hill tonight for the Indians and Odorizzi up for the Twins. it's starting to look like a slow slug to the top as the Twins must be gazing into their rear-view mirror. what will it be like in mid-August if these two starters face each other??
It sure is fun to have a competitive team!
I'm enjoying July because I may not enjoy August!!
one hit and one walk from Bieber in a complete game 4-0 Gem!!! waiting on the Twins. down 9-5 in what looks like another slugfest.
Rare horrible start for Odorizzi.
9-7 bottom of 7th.
Go Twins!
like I said, it's tough to out-score the Yankees. nine extra base hits out of 15, that means the singles were the exceptions and the Bombers were making good contact.
here's my theory for making the playoffs: it takes a winning percentage between .590-.625 to be assured of a spot. to achieve that a Team needs to play around .650(close to two-out-of-three) against a small majority of their opponents, maybe 18 Teams. against the other 10 or so Teams they need to be a little better than even, maybe around .550. both Cleveland and Minnesota are right there as Cleveland creeps up on .590.
Had an opportunity to win this series and blew it. Lead is down to 2 games.
Odorizzi has been pitching poorly his last few starts, that's a bad sign.
Twins need to get good performance from Berrios and give him some runs. A sweep of the White Sox would be just what the doctor ordered.
Cleveland plays KC four times this weekend, looks like the Twins have four with the White Sox.
Nelson Cruz for Governor! He is ON FIRE!
perhaps the two Teams will shadow each other and be close like this until the "Showdown" in mid-August. wouldn't that be fun??
YES!
No wait, it would be more fun if the Twins just kept getting good pitching and hit 5 home runs a game for the rest of the year. ;-)
Including post season!!!!!
Both teams win tonight!
and the beat goes on!!!
some food for thought concerning the AL leaders.................................I will admit to not paying attention much to Houston, I have mainly focused on Cleveland, Minnesota and the Yankees since I follow the three almost daily --- but --- the Twins and Yankees seem most similar of the three, they don't seem to ever lack run support, that's why the series last week was so entertaining. the twist with both Teams, both leading their Division, is pitching. it is very spotty, very inconsistent both from starters and the BullPen. the Yankees are especially pathetic.
then we get to the Indians, the complete opposite. the pitching is good enough to keep them in most games but will the hitters show up?? lately they have been showing up and it has been nice. the pitching, I just looked at some stats and was actually surprised. in all of MLB they're 3rd in ERA, 1st in shutouts and 1st in complete games. and remember, they're missing three starters!!!
the trouble with all this is that, like I said, I don't pay much attention to Houston. the lowly Astros are 4th right behind the Indians in pitching and 8th in batting, a nice balance. the Twins are even better at 3rd in batting and 7th in pitching. it should be a fun race to the finish line!!
looking at the wires it seems some low level trades are starting to happen. my hunch is Sunday evening and Monday will be busy, but I haven't seen the schedule yet. if most Teams are off I sense some real movement.
FWIW, Trevor Bauer is slated to pitch Sunday and then Shane Bieber has the first game Monday against the Astros in their three game series.
one out, sort of hard to figure how the Indians closed that gap.
after tomorrow the REAL games begin with the Astros, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees and Rays ahead. with 31 days in August and the Indians playing 29 games I sure hope they're well rested. Francona is starting to use a rotation and give guys a rest. tonight he had Bauers at 1st base and Santana on the bench, Lindor as DH and Freeman at SS. he does the same thing with Freeman at 3rd base and lets Ramirez sit or DH.
Francona is also trying to find the right mix in the outfield. he's got four guys that he rotates and three of the four are young so the rest lets them slide into the long season better.
Twins bats silent tonight. Pitching was fair.
Picked up a reliever and a young pitcher. Don't think that's going to be enough.
if I read it right they traded a prospect for a starting pitcher and a reliever, just what you've been saying they need. everything I read for the Tribe centers around Trevor Bauer. the local paper says the two Teams really pressing Cleveland are the Yankees and the Astros. why would they do a deal with either Team, hurt themselves in two ways with someone they'll need to face in the post-season?? MLB is funny now, it's 100% about the money, sad.