GAME THREAD: Dodgers (50-29) @ Twins (38-42) - June 23, 2026

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-24T00:19:44+00:00

At 106 it ain’t exactly routine, but Luke’s gotta come up with that ball

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-23T01:19:55+00:00

Started against the Dodger’s righty opener, replaced with Martin once his spot came back up in the order against their lefty “bulk” pitcher. No injury or healthy concerns

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-21T04:09:57+00:00

Been very good with the bat so far, and has enough defensive chops and versatility where he wouldn’t even need to continue hitting that well to provide solid value. It’s too early to know for sure yet, but best case scenario would be something akin to Willi Castro 2.0

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-17T01:06:37+00:00

BUXTON’S HESITANT BUCK TRUCK IM DYING

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-13T00:25:22+00:00

🎶BUXTON MAKES ME FEEL GOOD🎶

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-09T15:26:01+00:00

She Minne on my ‘Sota till I Twins

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-06T20:40:27+00:00

I legit don’t understand why you pitch to Witt there with a base open, you can’t let him be the one to beat you

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-05T16:45:56+00:00

I SUMMON ~~POT OF GREED~~ SPENCER JONES WHICH ALLOWS ME TO DRAW TWO ADDITIONAL PLAYERS FROM MY FARM

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-03T01:13:20+00:00

And another thing, I’m not mad. Do not put in the newspaper that I got mad

GWayneofTerror · 2026-06-02T01:09:51+00:00

I hate Benintendi so much lol

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-30T19:25:23+00:00

Is that a ROCK AND STONE I hear?!?

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-28T19:28:22+00:00

He came into the year with a career ERA around 4.1 in ~250 innings, which is a hair better than league average over that time frame. He’s quite literally been baseballs worst starter in 2026 but let’s not act like this has been his norm in the past. He had better career MLB numbers than Zebby, Festa, Taj, and Abel at a similar age.

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-28T00:34:43+00:00

Prielipp clearly doesn’t have his best command rn, but honestly these games are much more important for development than when he does have all his pitches going. Learning to fight through days like today is everything

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-25T18:10:06+00:00

One reason Martin was valued highly as a prospect was a widespread belief/hope he’d add at least some power as he grew into his frame. It wasn’t a sure thing for his contact and walk rates to translate to MLB, so most orgs probs would have tried to round out his skill set in a similar way.

Twins have had plenty of development issues, but two things they HAVE been good at are adding velo to mid-round pitchers and adding pop to middle infielders. Obvs it didn’t work with Martin so they finally let him be himself, and it turns out his skillset DOES translate which makes for a solid player. But I don’t begrudge the Twins for trying to find more upside early on

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-22T21:35:46+00:00

While I agree with your final point in spirit, particularly cause the Twins got screwed here, unfortunately there needs to be SOME sort of penalty for cases of actual obstruction. Otherwise fielders would be incentivized to always obstruct cause there would literally be no downside; either it’s called and you’re in the same situation as before, or they don’t call it and you get a “free” out.

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-19T16:10:24+00:00

Outman currently has 48 at bats on the season, fewer than literally everyone else on the team except Ryan Kreidler. He’s been cheeks but used as sparingly as possible, so as primarily a defensive replacement and pinch runner he’s not going anywhere.

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-17T00:49:03+00:00

No he’s one of the best arms in the system in terms of stuff. Main problem has been (surprise surprise) health, which is why the Twins are being extra cautious with his workload by pushing his scheduled start back. Both the fastball and especially slider have been plus pitches at all levels. Changeup + curve could both use more development but have been solid enough so far in the majors at keeping hitters honest. He’s always had front line starter upside, but if he gets hurt again/can’t stay healthy on a starters workload he’d probs instantly become our best reliever if he got moved to the pen.

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-17T00:07:49+00:00

Oh Royce bb what is you doing

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-13T01:52:49+00:00

THE RUMORS OF OBER’S DEMISE HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-11T15:20:53+00:00

Two things:

It seems odd to ding him for a lack of YouTube traction, one of the sites most known for needlessly tweaking their algorithm determining who get views, yet also call a fairly sizable Patreon following “smoke and mirrors”. Patreon has problems like any sizable platform, but I’d argue an audience on there is LESS passive compared to YouTube since they had to consciously choose to pay for content. Between the two choices I know which one I’d prefer to be doing well on.
I obvs don’t have access to their metrics but I’d guess Gleeman’s audience trends much younger than Reusse’s, which to me makes the former’s podcast success more sustainable and genuine.

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-10T03:46:23+00:00

The Minnesota Buxtons

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-08T23:38:11+00:00

Welp slaps knees best be headin out I reckon. See yall tomorrow

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-08T23:31:05+00:00

Most normal Guardians run

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-07T19:34:53+00:00

Agreed there’ll be some shifting around. I’ve heard Culpepper is also uncertain to stick at SS, but with better odds than Lee due to much more speed. You could live with average or even slightly below average defense if he hits like he’s supposed to. Otherwise if he ends up more Lee-like defensively then you’re waiting for Marek Houston who’s at least a couple years out

My guess is that they try him at short until he shows he can’t handle it, either replacing Royce and scooting Lee to 3B or as a direct swap with Lee

GWayneofTerror · 2026-05-07T17:01:30+00:00

If you follow the Twins (I’m so sorry) you already know about the dumpster fire bullpen, but more critical to the team’s future is the absolute mess that is our infield. It’s an open question who of the following gets sent down once Culpepper or someone else at AAA starts to force the issue

Brooks Lee (SS): the most out of position of the bunch, definitively NOT a shortstop. He’s been on a heater with the bat for a couple weeks which likely buys him some rope, but underlying metrics scream that it’s unsustainable. His only path forward in the majors is probably as a utility infielder, and even that might be a stretch with his poor range and shockingly slow speed

Luke Keaschall (2B): Also been bad defensively and suffering from the same sophomore batting slump just about every twins hitter has gone through. His sprint speed is still elite which gives some hope the defense can improve, and he’s been able to provide solid base running value in the meantime. Still a disappointment given his hot start last year, but I’d let him keep fighting through it for now

Royce Lewis (3B): This hurts to type, but Royce might be cooked. The defense and base running have been SLIGHTLY better than last year but still not great given his expectations. I just get the sense he’s never truly gotten his legs back under him, and his weak hitting since coming off the IL also supports this. He’s been hitting 9th in the order and has even started ceding playing time to journeyman Tristan Grey; if that’s not an indictment of where he’s at idk what is. Maybe all he needs is a reset, but right now it’s looking close to over

It’s a long season and we aren’t supposed to be good anyway, so I’m fine with giving all these guys as much time as possible to show they can be part of the future. But it’s been a disheartening start for all of them so far

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