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OT: Twins have an awful potent line-up
#1

Scoggins is right, this Twins line-up is scary and I luv Baldelli.  Bomba 2.0 lets go!! 




Top to bottom or inside-out, Minnesota Twins' lineup is potentLineup options abound for the 2020 Twins. And it's a lineup that looks even more formidable than the one that launched an MLB-record 307 home runs and scored a franchise-record 939 runs.
CHICAGO – Luis Arraez has made batting .400 in this condensed MLB season a personal goal. Cleveland manager Terry Francona was so impressed with the Twins second baseman as a professional hitter despite being a rookie last season that he predicted Arraez will win a batting title at some point.
High praise for a guy who could bat eighth in the Twins’ batting order.
Of course, Arraez also could hit in the leadoff spot, too.
But that’s assuming Max Kepler isn’t batting first, and how do you move a guy who smashed 32 home runs as the leadoff man last season?
Then again, Kepler could hit cleanup on occasion.
Catcher Mitch Garver, in a breakout season that produced 31 home runs, batted in all nine spots in the order last season, and he played only 93 games. So expect him to shuffle up and down the lineup.
All of this is to say, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has options. Lots and lots of attractive options in filling out a lineup that looks even more formidable than the one that launched an MLB-record 307 home runs and scored a franchise-record 939 runs.
“That’s a great discussion to have to have every single day when you make the lineup,” Baldelli said.
Bomba Squad 2.0 has the potential to be special. Well, as special as any one facet of a team can look in 60 games. Records won’t fall this season with so few games, but the blueprint for winning hasn’t changed. It improved, on paper, with the addition of former MVP Josh Donaldson.
Donaldson makes a deep lineup even deeper. He gives a power-packed lineup more power.
This should be entertaining to watch.
An obvious disclaimer: Grandiose expectations are predicated, of course, on players repeating — or producing a reasonable facsimile of — past performances, namely 2019. Baseball is rarely predictable. Players slump. Performances regress.
Knowing that, the Twins’ lineup is filled with established hitters capable of hitting the ball a really long distance.
“We know we have a lot of options every day,” Baldelli said. “Sometimes it’s really tough because we have an entire group that would love to be out there and get at-bats every day. But they also realize who they’re playing with and who they’re playing next to.”
The traditionalist in me likes the idea of Arraez at leadoff. He had a .399 on-base percentage as a rookie, which would create opportunities for big innings to start games. But those 1-0 leads after Kepler’s first at-bat are hard to pass on.
Donaldson slides into his familiar No. 2 spot and Nelson Cruz, seemingly, into the three hole. If Baldelli wants to alternate lefty-righty, he could insert Jorge Polanco between Donaldson and Cruz.
Forcing pitchers to face Cruz in the first inning would be a smart strategy, but the addition of Donaldson adds another power threat. Or Baldelli could leave Donaldson and Cruz back to back as an imposing 1-2 punch.
Then who bats cleanup? Polanco? Eddie Rosario? Miguel Sano?
The answer is yes. Depends on the day and situation.
The lineup is always a fluid thing. Baldelli used 145 different batting orders last season. There is a balance of gut feeling and analytics.
“As easy as it would be to have somebody send down a lineup and spit something out for us, we have to consider the human element,” said Baldelli’s new bench coach, Mike Bell. “Somebody who’s hit in the third hole their whole career, is it that easy for them to jump into the fourth or second or fifth? In some cases, yes, but it’s very individual.”
When healthy, Byron Buxton slots at the bottom of the order. Maybe that changes at some point in his career, but not yet. Buxton showed improvement at the plate last season, and his speed puts stress on defenses. The Twins are a different team when he’s in the lineup, but injuries have hindered his progress.
Baldelli said he’s written out his lineup for the first 3-5 games “multiple times” but it is subject to change. He downplayed any outside concerns about hitters’ timing with the long layoff and abbreviated camp. He saw enough in training camp 2.0 to feel that the Bomba Squad is rarin’ to go.
“I feel really good with where it looks right now,” Baldelli said.
He should. He has one of the four best lineups in baseball (Yankees, Dodgers, Astros). On Friday, we finally get to see how he stacks it
https://www.startribune.com/scoggins-top...571884322/
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#2
I am thinking on staying home from the lake tonight to catch the opener on TV... that and its supposed to be a heat index of about 100 with potential for wicked bad storms so I call it a win win.
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#3
They also got a starting pitcher named : “HOMER” ... go figure!  Wink B)  
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#4
Nelson Cruz homers twice, drives in seven as Twins win series from White Sox with 14-2 routCHICAGO – The White Sox might be improved, but the Twins spent the weekend showing them that it won't be enough to top them in the AL Central.
It was a successful business trip to Chicago for the Twins, who got a taste of what life will be like on the road by spending six days in the city. By talking two of three games, including a 14-2 blitzing on Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Twins gave the White Sox a taste of what the division series could look like.
They swatted four home runs on Sunday — two from Nelson Cruz — and made righthander Kenta Maeda's debut with his new team drama-free.
The Twins scored 27 runs in the three games against Chicago, their most in their first three games of any season since 1996, when they scored 30.
"I actually think they're going to have a good team," outfielder Jake Cave said of the White Sox. "I just think we have a better team, basically."
Cave started things off in the first inning with his second career grand slam, an opposite-field blast off White Sox righthander Reynaldo Lopez that just cleared the fence in left. Outfielder Eloy Jimenez never slowed down as he ran after the ball and crashed into the fence. He left the game one inning later because of lightheadedness.
A grand slam normally vaults a player up the list of impressive performances, but Cave has Nelson Cruz as a teammate. And Cruz put on a signature performance, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBI and four runs scored. It's the sixth time he's had seven RBI in a game.
And Cruz's 12 total bases in the game tied him for the second most by a player at least 40 years old, trailing only Babe Ruth. Cruz tied Jason Giambi, Rickey Henderson, Stan Musial and Reggie Jackson.
Cruz's one-man assault on White Sox pitching continues, as he's batting .442 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI in his past 20 games against them.
""What a guy," Maeda said. "He's just hitting home runs, and as a pitcher looking at him, I don't think there's a pitch you can throw to him to put him away. I'm really glad we're on the same team."

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#5
Well, the Bomba Squad has picked up where they left off last season...
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#6
After today I don’t know if it will matter. 14 Marlins tested positive for covid. MLB holding an emergency meeting.
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#7
Hopefully the meeting is about eliminating the Miami Marlins from the league for a variety of reasons
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#8
Go Twins!  B) 
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