October 12: I can’t complain or feel surprised that the Twins’ season ended last night with a 3-2 loss to the Astros. For one thing, the Twins won three playoff games and lost three, a .500 record that reflects the way they played most of the year. And when you see that both the Orioles […]
In last week’s games, in which the Twins went 2-6, these relievers gave up runs while pitching an inning or less: Lopez, Jax, Pagan, DeLeon, Stewart, Alcala, Moran. Sands was asked to pitch multiple innings, so I’ve left him off the list. The only reliever without a bad outing was Duran, and he barely pitched […]
The Twins’ relatively hot start in 2023 makes my end-of-year preview already look unduly gloomy. Their off-season additions have pleasantly surprised: while Byron Buxton has yet to play an inning in centerfield, newcomer Michael Taylor has been more than adequate defensively and an asset in the number nine hole. For one thing, he’s the only […]
After last season I thought: at least the Twins won’t try to rely on Max Kepler or Emilio Pagan again. Whomever they get will have to be better. Starting the 2023 season, however, Kepler is still in right field and Pagan is back in the bullpen. How, therefore, can the Twins be improved? Short answers: […]
Did the Chiefs win or did the Eagles lose the Super Bowl? Or did the officials decide it? By my eyeball test, the Eagles were the better team, and statistically Jalen Hurts was the better quarterback. But the teams were close enough in quality that mistakes made the difference: I count five for the Eagles, […]
The Minnesota Vikings’ miraculous 2022 season was brought to a merciful close by the New York Giants last Sunday. The 31-24 loss was a respectable score to bow out with, and it saved the Vikings from being utterly humiliated in the next round. Maybe they wouldn’t have lost as badly as the Giants did to […]
After one of the more disappointing seasons for the Minnesota Twins, everyone has thoughts on what needs to be done for 2022; I will offer mine. First, what were the good signs for the future, developments to build on: Two rookies emerged as mainstays of the roster, and there is every reason to expect them […]
Twenty-nine percent into the 2022 season it’s still impossible to gauge this year’s Twins team. It seems just as possible that they will implode as that they will maintain their five-game hold on first place, although the relative weakness of the other Central Division teams makes the latter the slightly stronger bet. The major takeaways […]
In their last three Playoff losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves led by double digits in the 4th quarter. All that means is that Memphis was the better team, for as long as I’ve been watching pro basketball, the only quarter that matters is the 4th. You can go further and say, all […]
Hope springs eternal, which is the main reason I’m looking forward to the Twins season. They definitely upgraded themselves in several places, notably adding Carlos Correa from the Astros at shortstop. Gio Urshela from the Yankees will be an improvement over Josh Donaldson at 3rd, if only because expectations won’t be so high. And then, […]
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