JoeC

The only possible defense to the team’s handling of the Robert situation is if he actually has an injury requiring surgery that he is choosing to try to fight through. Even then, it’s naively optimistic at best

From the article above (it's already been quoted)... emphasis = mine: Yeah - if that's not an indictment on TLR, I'm not sure what is.

To me it's not the "instead of driving a grueling [24] hours across the country." It's the "he's with the team" part. It's the "he's not staying in Arizona" part.

To be fair, we’ve said that after each “streak” that this team has been on this year.

Also a huge feather in the cap of the Cleveland FO. They just have a seemingly endless conveyor of serviceable players ready to fill in. As soon as a player starts to make more through arbitration, they can control the (still-team-controlled) players for more prospects to backfill the pipeline.

Well, anyone got a rally dump in ‘em?

You haven’t been watching much this year, have you?

…and the next pitch.

True. Still, I would rather face them sputtering across the finish line than "rested up" and motivated to play spoiler.

Disagree - the Twins would LOVE to play spoiler to us. Keep them motivated against all teams. Don't give them the luxury of circling the Sox games on their calendars. Make them face the Sox after a long, hard, arduous grind.

…and gives it right back.

Seems like the kind of feat someone like Chris Singleton would have pulled off.

Andrus has been wonderful, made extra delightful because of literally zero expectations. He arrived as a castoff to a team that had hit (at least we hope) rock bottom, and he has done nothing but surpass those zero expectations. Look at his body of work versus TA, and I still take TA. The difference in perception is that TA carries a higher expectation because of his ceiling and ability as a player. I do wish TA showed more of what Elvis has shown on D (consistency and self-awareness), but TA on the aggregate is a better and more productive ballplayer at this point in their careers. Full stop.

...and hopefully Elvis is showing these guys what it means to play hard each and every day with focus.

If other position players were meeting expectations, the standards I would have for 2B and RF would be to have one impact bat with a decent glove (RF) + one good glove who can produce at a league-average level with the bat (100 OPS+)

It's possible to have youth without sacrificing productivity.

Waiting for the first post in this thread suggesting Burger should play 2B . . . .

Fuuuuuuuuuck…,

Rally Dump?

Wait - no swearing?

Rios I agree. Dunn - you could tell he at least gave a s%*#. A (or at least a B) for effort. These errors we've seen this season are mental mistakes.

I'll take that.

If there was a corner turned, it was always an even number of corners.

I guess I don't remember it being so endemic as it has been since TLR's taken over. The end of the Ozzie years was bad, but I don't ever remember it being this bad from a body language standpoint, effort standpoint, etc. He's the kind of leader who would come in and tear people a new one and get respect in an environment like the current team. The message may wear thin after awhile, but that's the kind of personality the team needs right now.

Was it ever really an issue of effort or focus under Ozzie? Ozzie wasn't afraid to challenge his guys for things other than hitting a 3-0 pitch off of a position player.