Bad Bundy is pitching pretty well in actuality. twins hitters are scorching some balls but right at the bad guys. i would think the ball would be carrying with the humidity but the balls are dying in the outfield????
of course soon as i say it, the sprinkler hits a pop fly for a double and Buxy puts one out 
He better have to earn a call up. He’s gotten a free pass from his one good month a season and now he better have to earn it.
Only one reason to bring Miguel to the big league club – show just enough promise that they can unload him and the remainder of his $10m to another club for a bag of balls. The good thing with the DH being expanded into the NL too, someone might actually take a flier on him this time.
i would def try to move him for a reliever. should be able to find somebody
After the first Bundy was pretty darn good. He’s an odd guy to figure out that’s for sure.
I just don’t think they will get anything for him (Sano). Might as well try and let him figure something out down in St Paul.
It’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned how much I hate shifting.
But that’s a great way to get out of a jam…..Triple play. HA!
Buxton having himself a game. Goes yard and then then starts a Triple Play!
if the good guys win, the MVP might be the HP ump. he has sold at least 3 check swings that the other umps bought big time!
Good thing Rocco has stuck with his strategy of not putting Pagán into high leverage situations 
fk yeah Luis! dam this guy is amazing……lets hope Duran shuts it down.
Good thing Rocco has stuck with his strategy of not putting Pagán into high leverage situations
i don’t know he has many options??
You’ve also got an absolute stud destroying AA pitching in Matt Wallner. Hit 19th and 20th hrs tonight already. Should be up in St Paul soon I would think.
Probably my last Athletic story, might as well be a feel good one by Dan Hayes.
CHICAGO — Unfortunately for Luis Arraez, he can’t win his own personal sweepstakes. Only Twins Double-A players and pitchers are eligible to be awarded the $20 gift cards Arraez sponsors for every Wichita victory.
But Arraez certainly would have been a top candidate for the Twins player of the game on Monday night. Having doubled twice earlier, Arraez singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and the Twins poured it on, beating the Chicago White Sox 6-3 in a three-game series opener in front of an energetic 32,483 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
When Twins Double-A manager Ramon Borrego created the gift card program in April 2021, he wanted to incentivize his players’ top performances. The goal was to ingrain into players’ minds that good play gets you paid. He decided awarding a pitcher and hitter of the game after each victory could do the trick by giving players a taste of the financial incentives to come, as well as a sandwich from Jimmy Johns or a burrito from Chipotle.
While $20 means less to players making the major-league minimum ($700,000), it can make all the difference for minor-league players, who earn thread-bare salaries. Even after Major League Baseball recently required all minor-league affiliates to provide housing for minor-league players, the financial situation can be difficult for those who aren’t fortunate enough to be on a team’s 40-man roster.
Players are only paid from Opening Day through the end of the season. Congress is looking into the living and working conditions of minor-league players.
Not only did Borrego think the idea could work, he knew exactly which player to ask for help.
“I’m so proud of what he’s become,” Borrego said of Arraez. “It’s unbelievable. … His heart is amazing. He’s going to be there for people.”
Even though the manager is nearly two decades older, Borrego and Arraez go way back. They grew up about 170 kilometers apart in Venezuela, Borrego in Maracay while Arraez was born in San Felipe.
Ever since Arraez’s early days in the Twins organization, Borrego has championed him. Borrego loved how Arraez hit and found statistical data from winter ball. He also knew of Arraez’s mental toughness based on his poor upbringing. It was Borrego who made sure the Twins invited Arraez to instructional camp early in his career so the second baseman could get more exposure to the team’s decision-makers and work on his defensive skills.
When Arraez didn’t want to stay in the house of the host family the Twins set up for him in Pensacola, Fla., in 2019, Borrego offered to let the prospect stay with him at his house rent-free. “When you’re leaving your son with the neighbor and they don’t want to stay there and they start to crying like ‘Oh Dad, don’t leave me here,’ — it was the same thing,” Borrego said with a laugh.
Borrego drove Arraez to the hospital for the birth of his second daughter. As friends often do, Arraez gave Borrego a nickname, “viejo,” which translates to “old man.” At the start of the season every year, Arraez calls the old man to see what he needs. After Borrego declined for a year or two, last year, he had a request.
“I was thinking about my players,” Borrego said. “You celebrate after the game. If I can give you $10 and you can get a flowering sandwich, that $10 means something. Anything you’re going to get with that, you’re going to say ‘I won this poop.’ That’s the same thing when you get to the big leagues. You win millions because you’re good, you do things to help the team win.”
Arraez, who played for Borrego four times at three different levels, didn’t hesitate and the idea began immediately.
Last month, Arraez discussed the program with one of his biggest benefactors, who currently resides in the Twins clubhouse. Borrego reminded Arraez that rookie Jose Miranda had an outstanding half-season at Double A and took home lots of plastic. In 47 games at Wichita, Miranda batted .345/.408/.588 with 13 home runs for the Wind Surge.
“Last year, flowering Miranda won almost everything,” Borrego said.
But Borrego made sure to reward the pitcher of the game for every contest as well. And if another player made a big contribution to the victory for Wichita, which made the Double-A playoffs, Borrego occasionally highlighted a third player. Arraez didn’t care. Though Borrego kept the paperwork in case Arraez asked, the player also Venmo’d over the cash.
Miranda, who has a young daughter, said the impact was huge for someone who earned just $600 after taxes every 15 days.
“It pumped you up a little bit knowing if you had a good game and the team wins the game you’re going to get rewarded,” Miranda said. “Twenty bucks down in the minors is pretty cool. (The salary) really doesn’t go that far. Then you’ve got to pay clubbies, you’ve got to pay for food and for rent. It’s pretty tough.”
While he’s been on the team’s 40-man since December 2018 and in the big leagues since May 2019, Arraez remembers what it was like to be a young minor leaguer. He’s married with two young daughters and not only needed to pay rent for himself, but also for his family’s year-round housing. Even when Arraez’s bi-weekly pay increased to $1,700 a paycheck in 2019, money was tight.
Knowing what Borrego’s goal is with the program, and how it’s potentially helping players hoping to achieve their major league dreams, makes it easy for Arraez to participate.
“One hundred percent,” Arraez said. “I have to do it because I feel good. It’s making me happy because if I give money to Borrego and I see somebody play hard and they’re smiling, it’s amazing.
“They can do whatever they want (with it). I’m excited to do that.”
Now in its second season, Arraez has enlisted help. Teammate Jorge Polanco also participates in the program. Still just a rookie, Miranda hopes to chip in, too, once he becomes a more established player.
After putting together three good seasons to begin his career, Arraez has elevated his game in 2022. Arraez’s three hits in Monday’s victory increased his batting average to .348 and his OPS is .875. His performance at the plate has the Twins thinking Arraez could be headed to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles later this month.
Though Arraez went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, he wasn’t a shoo-in for Twins player of the game on Monday. Teammate Byron Buxton also boasted a strong résumé of his own after belting a two-run home run and starting a game-defining 8-5 triple play in the seventh inning of a tied game.
While he didn’t have to honor either player with an award on Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said there aren’t many hitters he’d rather have at bat with the game on the line than Arraez. With an automatic runner on second and Buxton on deck, Arraez singled in the go-ahead run off White Sox reliever Joe Kelly to spark a four-run rally.
Asked if he would award himself the gift card following Monday’s win, Arraez deferred and nominated Buxton. But Baldelli thought Arraez’s showing was pretty good as well.
“He’s taking home a milkshake gift card and something from Applebees, wherever he’s doing it from,” Baldelli said. “He’s taking something home (Monday), I’ll tell you that.”
Perk better be careful. Bremer has the company line down pat and not getting in lock step might not be good for your career. 
Any body watching this on bsn? Is it skipping and poop worse then normal?
I’m watching on Midco, everything is normal.
Seems good for me too. The only thing skipping is the Twins around the bases!
Against a pretty good pitcher too.
free streams are perfect HD. balls are really carrying tonight. bomba squad is back!
Kirilloff is raking…..
BSN’s feed has been sketchy since they took over – get it it right for pete’s sake! It went to the “color palette” last game – seriously??
Kirilloff’s 2nd homer was sick. Stepping away from the plate with full extension to reach a changeup on the low outside corner and hit it off the end of the bat for an oppo tater. 
Kirilloff’s 2nd homer was sick. Stepping away from the plate with full extension to reach a changeup on the low outside corner and hit it off the end of the bat for an oppo tater.
Yep, that was beautiful. Textbook on how to drive the ball while still hitting it oppo. Something the analytics guys don’t think can be taught. Imagine if the fat kid could’ve ever figured that out???
LOL
Pagan…
well that loss is clearly on ol Rocky. JD could have easily went 2 innings especially with an off day. at least they could have gotten another crack in the 11th. i don’t think i have disliked a manager as much as this tree stump. even the Chicago booth was wondering why Correa was not pinch hitting for Jeffers who has no business in a major league lineup.
Trade deadline needs if they plan on making any noise in the second half or competing in a playoff game:
Catcher who bats his weight and can throw a guy out once a month
Bullpen arm with some good experience
Another starter which they reluctantly go after
If they check 2 of those 3, they might be taken seriously?
They aren’t going to go after a catcher. I can tell you that much. There aren’t many catchers doing much better than Sanchez at the plate anyway.
A couple solid relievers is what they need desperately. And then another impact starter. Unfortunately the guy that would probably be their top target Montas, has some elbow inflammation at the moment.
I did hear Milwaukee might be shopping Josh Hader around….Would cost a pretty penny but could you imagine having him AND Duran at the back of our pen? That would be insane.
I agree with Baldelli, I can not stand his decisions on a game, inning by inning. He is the worst I have seen. I can’t wait tell he is gone, but I think he is here for awhile as long as Falvey is here. Dhuran should of pitched the eight and the ninth. But we had Megill pitch the eighth, makes no sense when Dhuran has pitched two innings before and now yesterday he couldn’t and we have and off day today.
Thielbar should’ve gone two innings. He had 8 pitches after pitching the 6th. Duran should’ve pitched the tenth, he had 9 pitches after the ninth. Baldelli has no freaking clue….EVER. I don’t know how many more times I can say it.
Im kinda wishing the twinkies would just go on about a 15 game losing streak so they would have to get rid of Balddickie.
Im kinda wishing the twinkies would just go on about a 15 game losing streak so they would have to get rid of Balddickie.
Unfortunately I don’t think that would do it. He’s Falvine’s favorite. He is the perfect, non emotional, boring ass, non thinker these guys want in charge so they can play their analytic game they want to play and Rocco is the perfect puppet.
Exactly…..Rocky is the puppet from what I hear. I wouldn’t be surprised if Falvene text him during the game on what to do. I read somewhere that the coaches and Falvene meet for hours before every game discussing strategy. Imagine crunching all those numbers just to make pre determined decisions! WTF
Maybe its all fiction but on the surface it sure looks like this is a joint effort and if one has to go, they all go? Seems like you see a lot of this “collaborative” BS these days so nobody is to blame for their pre determined decisions.
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