the 2015 minnesota twins: indeed they are a team

ok, wtf

What a fun season so far (from afar).

cheap win for Nolasco today, zackly what i need from a HACKING MASS pitcher.

and we all went for the indians.

indians didnt get torii out this series til his 8th plate appearance

all their starters pitch to v high whips, but twinkies can surprisingly outscore a lot of teams yea this team seems fun

17-9 against opponents other than the Tigers

UPDATE

24-11 against opponents other than the Tigers

Your first-place Minnesota Twins

smh

jk, salty about them sweeping my hapless red sox but thats actually p cool. KC/det will come back on top in short order but them even hovering at/near 2nd the rest of the year would be pretty remarkable

I'm rootin for em

except when Nolasco pitches (HACKING MASS)

They won 20 games in May, the most they've won in a month since June 1991.

Hmmm.

@AaronGleeman
Number of games played when the Twins reached 30 wins:

2015: 49
2014: 63
2013: 65
2012: 72
2011: 69
2010: 50

2001: 43
1991: 55
1987: 56

and they started 1-6 this year. 29-13 since.

Plouffe and Dozier both have a 1.9 oWAR, no one else is even over 1.

from BP paywall article by Matthew Trueblood:

This team has not shown any significant strengths, does have glaring weaknesses, and is marred by more or less all the same problems it had last year: dreadful pitching depth, the worst strikeout rate in baseball, a brutal defense (especially in the outfield), and a tepid collection of guys who can only sort of hit. They’ve just been outrunning those problems. (Not literally. They’re a poor baserunning team.)

...The Twins aren’t good. Their success to this point is smoke and mirrors. But in this iteration of the American League, and given the fact that there’s a chance they’ll organically improve as the season moves along, they’ve reached a threshold at which they deserve to be taken somewhat seriously. Not because they are what they appear to be, but because they don’t need to be what they appear to be in order to make this season memorable.

I think the Red Sox are starting the regression.

:D

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/6/10/8763919/torii-hunter-completely-flips-out-throws-his-clothes-everywhere

http://d29ci68ykuu27r.cloudfront.net/product/Look-Inside/covers/19853436.jpg

Buxton debuts Sunday

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHkDAROWsAIrXm1.jpg

<3 kennys

http://m.mlb.com/video/v178825583/chcmin-pelfrey-dons-beekeepers-hat-to-avoid-seeds

Buxton moved to leadoff

just blasted a throw in from center to get melky out at home plate, great arm

still think their regression is coming, but I figured it'd happen already...and still hasn't happened.

@RhettBollinger
Chris Sale has a 6.85 ERA in four starts vs. the Twins (18 ER in 23 2/3 IP) but a 1.88 ERA vs. everybody else (71 2/3 IP, 15 ER).

@cmccosky
The Tigers are having in big fun making fun of Torii Hunter's angry strip tease when he got tossed from a game last month.

@cmccosky
Sanchez, V-Mart, Price, they were all in on trying to recreate that hilarious scene as Hunter was trying to take BP. He fell out laughing

https://twitter.com/JoeDavisFOX/status/619622558623596544/video/1

Magic Torii

dozier is on fucking fire

happy 40th torii

always bad vs the yankees

rip

Buxton is back

Jepsen w/ a gasoline job tonight in pivotal game

and Rondon replies in kind

Sano just tied the game with a 2-run bomb, which raises the question

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/miguel-sano-minnesota-twins-case-for-designated-hitter-to-win-rookie-of-the-year-091815

this shouldn't matter, but in my mind it kind of does -- sano is *capable* of playing the field, he simply doesn't because of the construction of the twins roster. had they traded for david ortiz at the deadline, sano would go play third and it wouldn't be a big deal.

at any rate, correa and lindor are doing a significant portion of what sano is at the plate while also playing strong and outlandish, respectively, major league shortstop. even if you give sano imaginary credit for playing 3B or 1B -- or for facing better pitchers -- i don't think he catches them

Lindbergh on the Twins.com saga

http://grantland.com/features/the-website-mlb-couldnt-buy/

2 behind HOU

trevor may has released an edm single

http://go963mn.com/news/2016/trevor-may-interview

0-9

'sup Twins, get it together

bring back torii

that old hater

shd have their own unique-year thread for posterity

tho PECOTA sez they will be about .500 henceforth

Minnesota entered the season with a promising trio of outfielders, but each of Rosario, Buxton and Sano has struggled tremendously this season. Buxton has struck out in half of his plate appearances, whereas Sano is at 43 percent and Rosario has punched out in 36 percent of his trips to the plate.

98 game score today, even

damn

some lazybones Minner needs to create a new thread

buxton - .093/.152/.140
23k / 2bb

he's closing in on 162 career games and it's not too pretty

i hesitated to pick him for HACKING MASS, cuz surely they'll send him down again by Memorial Day if it's still ugly?

http://www.twinkietown.com/2017/4/23/15401236/minnesota-twins-mlb-kid-child-drawings-portraits-pictures-players-jumbotron-scoreboard-adorable

Gleeman evaluates Buxton on his first 162

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=31746

finally sent down gibson

improved plate discipline!

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/something-in-minnesota-has-clicked/

Three home run game for Buxton!

he has done quite well since the ASG, not even taking into account today's game

2.5 behind NYY

i guess we're Twins fans now.

make that 1 behind!

Twins fans confirmed.

team of destiny

2 ahead of the Angels. Pulling away!

WC chances now 73% on BP, 69% on Fangraphs.

Twins lead the Majors in ISO in the second half of the year. They are second in home runs, only to the Orioles. They are also second in non-pitcher wRC+, behind only the Cubs. Since the break, their position players have equaled Cleveland in total WAR, and you might have noticed the Indians doing some good things on the field lately.

Byron Buxton has gotten the most attention, and rightfully so, but this power surge isn’t just about Buxton. Yes, he’s tapping his power again and looking like the superstar he was supposed to be, but nearly everyone on the roster has upped their power in the second half....

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-twins-are-slugging-their-way-to-october/

yankees will, in an hour or so, improve to 88-33 against the twins since 2002

that's a 118-win pace in a 162-game season

Yankees now 87-33 against Twins since 2002. In tomorrow's game, I hear the Twins are using these new rocket skates they just got from Acme.

— Joe Posnanski (@JPosnanski) September 20, 2017

It only takes one in the WC game (if it gets that far).

but i prefer Trout

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-if-the-twins-won-the-world-series/

TWin it like 1987 over again.

not gonna lie, i've not been following this season (regular season baseball is not my thing) but i'm p stoked for the possibility of the twins being in the playoffs

they're in, for 3 hours :/

but ya never know

Agreed on the first part, disagree on the second part.

i am in touch with a Santeria priest near Yankee Stadium

(regular season baseball is not my thing)

Begone! :)

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/255386984/yankees-history-vs-twins-may-be-irrelevant/

https://deadspin.com/photographer-says-miguel-sano-assaulted-her-1821628362

buxton is fun to watch

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/byron-buxton-just-missed-a-perfect-season/

making a pitch for Arrieta?

2017 AL manager of the year paul molitor out