OT: Twins Fans...

@"AllBS" said: To put things in perspective a bit, in 2018 the Twins had hit 80 homeruns at the end of June.  They finished July at 105, August at 143 and Sept at 166.  Think about it.  We've already hit 1/2 of all the homeruns we did in the entire 2018 season so far this year and I'm willing to bet we add to that mark substantially, yet in May.  Can we add another 20 in our remaining games this month?  We've 37 already this month and it's only the 19th.    

The last time I sort of remember the Twins having a power hitting club was back in the Puckett, Herby days.  So I looked back at that the 1987 season to see how we stack up against that club.  62 at the end of May, 102 end of June, 128 end of July, 138 end of August and 196 end of Sept.  Surprisingly the 2017 Twins hit more homers than the 87 club did, finishing with 206.  But even that club only finished with 94 at the end of June.  So far in 2019, we are seeing a type of baseball we've NEVER seen before in MN.  We are no longer the opposite field, slap swinging club of the past.  Top to bottom, every single one of out players can take you deep consistently if you make a mistake.   This is a team you want to watch!!   

For that era, the Twins were a big-hitting bunch.  I don't know how old you are, but I'm old enough to remember when a player hitting 35 HRs was a great season... and 40 was amazing.  That's why those teams seemed like big-hitters: because- for that era- they were.  To wit (I checked): only 4 players hit more than 40 HRs in 1987.  And the Twins had 3 of the top 30 HR hitters that year (Bruno, Hrbek and Gaetti).

FWIW: in 1986, no one had more than 40 HRs (although 1 did hit 40).    

The Twins belted 8 HRs today to finish off the sweep of the LAA...  best record in baseball and they are leading the league in runs scored.

They are HOT HOT HOT!!!

Wow, that 8 homer day tied a 55 year old team record dating back to 1963.  This teams homerun total (98) in 49 games has already surpassed season totals from years '72, '76, '78, and is one behind 1980 season total.  Here's a snippet from this article: https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-hit-8-homers-to-sweep-angels
98 team homers in 2019

The Twins have hit a Major League-best 98
homers through their first 49 games, putting them on pace for 324 in the
season, which would shatter the single-season record of 266 dingers set
by the Yankees last year.

This matches the most homers hit by a team
through its first 49 games in baseball history, matching both the 2000
Cardinals and 1999 Mariners. The Twins’ previous high mark for most
swats through their first 49 games had been 79 during the 1986 season.

“It’s a really good feeling to be part of
this offense,” Cron said. “When you’re hitting like this, it’s
contagious, and everyone wants to contribute. And once we start hitting,
it kind of piles on like it did today. So it’s been a really fun
start.”

It's pretty remarkable what they're doing.  I think this pace is sustainable too when you think they're doing this without Sano and Cruz for a good amount of the games so far.  Just wait until those guys heat up.  B)

SKOL Twins!

@"HappyViking" said: Wow, that 8 homer day tied a 55 year old team record dating back to 1963.  This teams homerun total (98) in 49 games has already surpassed season totals from years '72, '76, '78, and is one behind 1980 season total.  Here's a snippet from this article: https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-hit-8-homers-to-sweep-angels 98 team homers in 2019 The Twins have hit a Major League-best 98 homers through their first 49 games, putting them on pace for 324 in the season, which would shatter the single-season record of 266 dingers set by the Yankees last year. This matches the most homers hit by a team through its first 49 games in baseball history, matching both the 2000 Cardinals and 1999 Mariners. The Twins’ previous high mark for most swats through their first 49 games had been 79 during the 1986 season. “It’s a really good feeling to be part of this offense,” Cron said. “When you’re hitting like this, it’s contagious, and everyone wants to contribute. And once we start hitting, it kind of piles on like it did today. So it’s been a really fun start.”

It's pretty remarkable what they're doing.  I think this pace is sustainable too when you think they're doing this without Sano and Cruz for a good amount of the games so far.  Just wait until those guys heat up.  B)

SKOL Twins!

Hee Hee Hee...
Not your fathers Twinkies.
WIN TWINS!!!

@"HappyViking" said:

It's pretty remarkable what they're doing.  I think this pace is sustainable too when you think they're doing this without Sano and Cruz for a good amount of the games so far.  Just wait until those guys heat up.  B)

SKOL Twins!

I think it is sustainable too...  they're without Garver (9 HRs in 27 or so games) and haven't had Cruz (7 HRs) in the lineup for the last week.  Sano has played 6 games so far this season and has 4 HRs after missing the first 40-some games.

If they can make those three fixtures in their lineup, I don't see them slowing down.  Rosario, Polanco, Schoop, Cron, and Kepler are all on pace for 20+ HRs.  There is a lot of power in the lineup...  and when you combine that with some good starting pitching, people should be paying attention to this team.

Would you believe... 36-16 after sweeping the White Sox?!  

Best record in baseball (1 1/2 games ahead of Dodgers, 2 ahead of Yankees and Astros)
11-1 in last 12 outscoring opponents 101-44 (um, that's insane)

Twins now have a 10-game lead over Cleveland, the only other Central team with a .500 record (26-26).  

Once Garver and Cruz get back, anything from Sano would be a bonus. 

Hitting coach James Rowson is man behind Twins' offensive breakoutJames Rowson and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez are at the heart, or at least the calluses, of the Twins' transformation into a feared slugging lineup.
If James Rowson were an NFL coordinator, he’d be famous.
His name would populate the news crawls at the bottom of the screen on every sports channel. Opposing teams would be talking to his agent. Opposing coaches would be trying to steal his secrets.
Rowson is an offensive coordinator, of sorts, as the Twins hitting coach. Because baseball coaching in general and the coaching of hitting in particular is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, Rowson is as anonymous as an accountant’s assistant.
He shouldn’t be. Rowson and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez are at the heart, or at least the calluses, of the Twins’ transformation. Last year, the Twins finished 23rd in the majors with 166 home runs. This year, they rank first in the majors in home runs with 104 — averaging two per game, putting them on pace to hit 324, which would break the MLB record by 57.
The baseball is harder. More players strive for optimal launch angle. The deep Twins lineup wears down opposing pitchers. Those elements would explain improvement. They don’t explain the most stunning development in baseball — the Twins putting themselves on pace to break home run marks while building the game’s best record.
Before the Twins beat the White Sox 7-0 on Sunday, Rowson tried to explain the inexplicable.
“The fact that the ball is leaving the ballpark is a pretty cool thing right now,” Rowson said. “But the approach is not to hit home runs. The approach is to get good pitches and hit them hard, and more than anything to be yourself in each at-bat.”
http://www.startribune.com/hitting-coach-james-rowson-is-man-behind-twins-offensive-breakout/510458072/

Smeltzer?  Didn't see that coming.  Congrats kid, you just shutdown a very good MLB team!

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/devin-smeltzer-debuts-with-6-shutout-innings

@"HappyViking" said: Smeltzer?  Didn't see that coming.  Congrats kid, you just shutdown a very good MLB team!

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/devin-smeltzer-debuts-with-6-shutout-innings

he was impressive to watch,  ice in his veins and didnt let the moment get bigger than him.  if he can put up a couple more starts like that he might be tough to send back down.

@"HappyViking" said: Smeltzer?  Didn't see that coming.  Congrats kid, you just shutdown a very good MLB team!

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/devin-smeltzer-debuts-with-6-shutout-innings

Smeltzer is one of the prospects we received from the Dodgers in the Dozier trade...  I loved Dozier, but we're getting similar production out of Schoop and if Smeltzer can develop into a middle of the rotation starter...  that works out well for the Twins.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"HappyViking" said: Smeltzer?  Didn't see that coming.  Congrats kid, you just shutdown a very good MLB team!

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/devin-smeltzer-debuts-with-6-shutout-innings

he was impressive to watch,  ice in his veins and didnt let the moment get bigger than him.  if he can put up a couple more starts like that he might be tough to send back down.

@"purplefaithful" said: Didn't Smelzer conquer cancer at like 12? Kids a fighter...

Yeah, I read that today.  Here's a snippet of the article I posted.  Pretty easy rooting for kid like this.   
“It was pretty awesome,” Baldelli said. “He did everything he set out
to do in his start. He just continually made good pitch after good
pitch. He executed his plan very well. He had command of all of his
pitches. He had the good fastball that he moved around the zone. His
breaking ball was just a good, solid pitch, and the changeup got some
swings and misses. It was a really fun experience just watching him keep
rolling out there inning after inning and getting the job done.”

Smeltzer became only the fifth Twins pitcher
-- and fourth starter -- since the franchise moved to Minnesota to throw
at least six scoreless innings in his Major League debut. He joined
Andrew Albers (2013), Anthony Swarzak (2009), Eric Milton (1998) and
Jeff Holly (1977).

Though Smeltzer, a fifth-round selection by
the Dodgers in the 2016 MLB Draft, had been a quick riser through the
Minor Leagues and made his domination of the Brewers on Tuesday look
smooth, it had been by no means an easy path to the Majors.

Smeltzer survived a childhood cancer battle,
with pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma, and finally sent the disease into full
remission in 2012.

"I put a lot into that backstory,” Smeltzer
said. “It's made me into the man I am today, on and off the field. I
know that tomorrow, between the lines, may not happen. It's been told to
me before, and I don't take a day for granted out there. So I put a lot
into that, and my family goes with that, and pretty much everything
I've been through has turned into hard work and determination and
putting my nose down and working a lot and just keep pushing."

According to Smeltzer, his family is “all
extremely emotional people,” and that his wedding to his wife, Brianne,
had been “75 percent laughing and the rest bawling our eyes out.”

@"Wetlander" said:

@"HappyViking" said: Smeltzer?  Didn't see that coming.  Congrats kid, you just shutdown a very good MLB team!

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/devin-smeltzer-debuts-with-6-shutout-innings

Smeltzer is one of the prospects we received from the Dodgers in the Dozier trade...  I loved Dozier, but we're getting similar production out of Schoop and if Smeltzer can develop into a middle of the rotation starter...  that works out well for the Twins.

I really wish we would have trading Dozier the first time we were talking to the Dodgers.  At that time the twins wanted both Urias and Bellinger, Dodgers wanted to offer only one headliner with other prospects involved.   Now if we had gone the Bellinger route, boy that would have been nice. 

It's like 2006 all over again with these TwinsFor the last 104 games of the season, the 2006 Twins played better than any Twins team since the 1991 World Series champion, and the 2019 Twins are playing just as well.
Nothing in sport feels so magical as a winning baseball team, because with a winning baseball team timing and luck can matter as much as talent. The broken-bat bloop can trump the 500-foot home run, or the Hall of Fame fastball. Just ask Luis Gonzalez and Mariano Rivera.
The 2019 Twins have built the best record in baseball by becoming greater than the sum of their paychecks, eliciting comparisons to the 2001 Twins, who, for four months, became the game’s best story.
Those Twins started the season 14-3, controlled the division for most of the season and held a share of first place as late as Aug. 11 before succumbing to Cleveland’s charge — all while surviving contraction threats from their owner, Carl Pohlad.
That team ended a streak of eight straight losing seasons that led to fan apathy and Pohlad’s threat to kill the franchise. But the 2001 Twins should not be the model for this year’s team. The 2001 Twins went 71-74 after their hot start.
The 2019 Twins are similar to the 2001 team in that they are bringing joy back to the local ballpark, but there is a better precedent for this team’s success: the 2006 Twins.
What we are seeing in 2019 is the best baseball the Twins have played since the last two-thirds of the 2006 season.
The 2006 Twins were loaded with high-end talent, yet on June 7 they were 25-33, 11 ½ games out of first.
They would go 71-33 — a .683 clip — the rest of the way to win the division on the last day of the season.
As of Sunday, the 2019 Twins are 39-18 (.684).
The 2006 Twins had a Gold Glove center fielder who hit for power in Torii Hunter. His OPS was .826. Byron Buxton is a Gold Glove center fielder who, like Hunter, is all too willing to ram fences. His OPS this season: .832.
Buxton is faster, and an even better fielder than Hunter. Hunter had a more accurate arm and hit for a bit more power, but their similarities remain remarkable: First-round draft picks out of southern high schools who took years to learn how to hit big-league pitching.
The 2006 Twins had a Latin-American ace in Johan Santana. Jose Berrios plays that role in 2019.
Each team had a surprise lefthander. Francisco Liriano was a throw-in in the trade that sent A.J. Pierzynski to San Francisco. In 2006, he had a 2.16 ERA before the injury that would derail his career. Martin Perez was a low-budget free-agent signing. His ERA was 2.95 after his first eight starts.
Both teams had players who doubled as mascots. In 2006, it was the buddy comedy of Mike Redmond and Nick Punto, the wise backup catcher who performed naked walks and naked pullups and mentored the affable Punto. In 2019, it’s an all-inclusive package named Willians Astudillo who is the Twins’ endearing backup catcher and infielder. He has not, to our knowledge, resorted to nudity.
The 2006 Twins signed a veteran second baseman, Luis Castillo. The 2019 Twins signed veteran second baseman Jonathan Schoop.
The 2006 Twins had a young, talented right fielder, Michael Cuddyer, who broke through with his first powerhouse season. The 2019 Twins are getting similar production from Max Kepler.
The point here is not that these teams are identical, or that the 2019 Twins are doomed to the same fate: A first-round playoff loss to an inferior team (the 2006 Oakland A’s, who seized a wild-card berth after winning 85 games).
The point is that for the last 104 games of the season, the 2006 Twins played better than any Twins team since the 1991 World Series champion, and the 2019 Twins are playing just as well.
Both teams offered endearing characters, too. Asked why jaded Minnesotans should invest emotionally in his club, manager Rocco Baldelli said: “We have guys who are passionate about what they do. They play with exceptional energy and effort every single night. And we have a lot of really good ballplayers on this team. And if you like rooting for good players who are also good people, then I think this is a good group to root for.”
Whatever follows, these are moments, and months, to savor.

http://www.startribune.com/it-s-like-2006-all-over-again-with-these-twins/510715552/

Nice read, thanks for posting the article!  

The Twins have 16 games this month within the division and enter the phase coming off a 9-7 win over Tampa Bay during which Jake Odorizzi’s arm and Byron Buxton’s entire body were on display. 
Odorizzi tossed six scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.96. Buxton was 2-for-3 with a double, scored on a safety squeeze and made one of the defensive plays of the year in the third when he raced to the wall to catch Yandy Diaz’s drive then uncorked a 97.1-mile-per-hour throw to first in time to double off Austin Meadows.
The Twins took three of the four games against the Rays, have won 10 of their last 12 games and 15 of their last 18. Mitch Garver was activated from the injured and made an instant impact, going 1-for-3 with an RBI while guiding Odorizzi to his eighth win - one more than he had all of last season.
Meanwhile, Nelson Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single for Class A Fort Myers in his second game with the team. He’s expected to be activated from the injured list in time to face the Indians on Tuesday.
Not only will the Twins arrive in Cleveland with baseball’s best record, they will be as healthy as they have been all season. And the bullpen, after a hair-raising seventh inning on Sunday, will be rested. And the Twins will have an opportunity to build on its commanding division lead.
“It feels like it’s time,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You play so many games against your division, you play all these teams, what, 19 times? It’s time to start playing some of them.”

@"purplefaithful" said: The Twins have 16 games this month within the division and enter the phase coming off a 9-7 win over Tampa Bay during which Jake Odorizzi’s arm and Byron Buxton’s entire body were on display.  Odorizzi tossed six scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.96. Buxton was 2-for-3 with a double, scored on a safety squeeze and made one of the defensive plays of the year in the third when he raced to the wall to catch Yandy Diaz’s drive then uncorked a 97.1-mile-per-hour throw to first in time to double off Austin Meadows. The Twins took three of the four games against the Rays, have won 10 of their last 12 games and 15 of their last 18. Mitch Garver was activated from the injured and made an instant impact, going 1-for-3 with an RBI while guiding Odorizzi to his eighth win - one more than he had all of last season. Meanwhile, Nelson Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single for Class A Fort Myers in his second game with the team. He’s expected to be activated from the injured list in time to face the Indians on Tuesday. Not only will the Twins arrive in Cleveland with baseball’s best record, they will be as healthy as they have been all season. And the bullpen, after a hair-raising seventh inning on Sunday, will be rested. And the Twins will have an opportunity to build on its commanding division lead. “It feels like it’s time,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You play so many games against your division, you play all these teams, what, 19 times? It’s time to start playing some of them.”

With a 11.5 game lead and nobody over .500 I'd say its time as well.

Admit it, you got nervous in Cleveland right lol?!

What a fun season to-date...

– By the middle innings on Sunday, the Twins were in the Tigers bullpen and on their way to their latest convincing victory.
And Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, one of the game’s greatest strike zone critics, was letting home plate umpire Brian O’Nora have it so extensively that his manager Ron Gardenhire - the active leader in ejections - was on the verge of sacrificing himself to O’Nora in order to keep Cabrera from being tossed.
Except for ejections, the Twins have frustrated teams all season by amassing long drives and forcing them to play reliever roulette. Their emphatic 12-2 victory over the Tigers on Sunday was no different. Four more home runs on top of their league-leading total. Eight more extra base hits, on top of their league-leading total. And they took two of three against the Tigers to finish their 10-game road trip with a 6-4 record. It was the seventh time the Twins have reached double digit runs in a game.
The trip began well and ended well. The one hiccup was two of three losses in Cleveland. But a late-inning bullpen collapse on Wednesday against the Indians kept them from winning that series too. They now head home for a nine-game homestand after taking care of business.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-hit-4-more-home-runs-in-bashing-detroit-12-2/511045861/

Cleveland made the team look mortal, and exposed the BP weaknesses.  Love how they bounce back though.  It's fun to be a Twins fan again, and I love tossing on my Twins caps so much more this season.  B)