Article: Twins Topple Royals; Milone, Escobar Deliver

[Seth Stohs]

Tommy Milone was back on the mound for the Twins on Monday night in Kansas City and was again terrific. The southpaw gave up just two runs over seven innings for his eighth win of the year. The Twins got a lot of contributions through the game and won 6-2. In doing so, the Twins remain 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position.

 

As Labor Day has passed and those students and teachers who didn't start last week will begin their 2015-16 school years on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins have a record of 71-66.So, let's go back to early April. You pick the date. Do you prefer to go back to Opening Day, or a week later when the team was 1-6?

 

Now ask yourself how you think the Twins outlook for the rest of the season would be if you knew that on Labor Day, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco would both be on the Disabled List. Glen Perkins isn't even on the road trip because of a bad back after missing time with a pain in his neck. The bullpen was full of question marks. Joe Mauer was still hitting just .267. Kurt Suzuki was hitting like Kurt Suzuki of old. Torii Hunter's offense was showing his 40 years. The Twins just lost two out of three in Houston including a really tough, late loss on Sunday.

 

Then remind yourself that this team is 1.5 games behind Texas in the race for the AL's second wild card berth. They are again five games over .500. As impressive, after that really difficult, late-innings loss on Sunday in Houston, the Twins found the resiliency they've shown on several occasions this year. Just when you think they're out, they lure us back with a winning streak or an improbable, resilient win.

 

It may sound cliché by now, but this playoff race stuff is fun. Twins fans have waited four years for this. By Labor Day, many of us - even us diehards - would be channel surfing rather than watching each pitch and each inning.

 

That means being on the edge of our eats as Kevin Jepsen sweated through his Saturday night save. It means lunging from your chair when Byron Buxton came up with the big catch to win that game and end Houston's threat. It means being disappointed when Tyler Duffey was removed from Sunday's game only to see Trevor May cough up the lead on Jed Lowrie's grand slam. It means understanding that those games happen through a baseball season, but moaning about its implications in the standings.

 

The Twins have given us in 2015 what we've wanted for the last four years. Hopefully they can remain in this thing and continue to give us meaningful games to watch through September, and maybe even into October. They will need to continue getting strong performances from veteran and rookie alike.

• When Tommy Milone came back from AAA, he began with seven straight starts where he gave up two runs or less, something he has now done in 11 of 16 post-return starts.
• Torii Hunter has had five hits in his last two games. He had six hits in his previous 18 games.
• While Miguel Sano gets all the headlines, and deservingly so, Eddie Rosario continues to get some big hits - including that big, two-run triple over the weekend. He also continues to play great defense and last night got another outfield assist.
• It has been a difficult season for Kurt Suzuki, but in his past 20 games, he is hitting .298.
• Joe Mauer isn’t putting up Mauer-like numbers that fans got accustomed to in the first decade of his career, but his numbers remain tremendous in clutch situations. With Runners in Scoring Position, he is hitting. 352/.463/.448. With Runners on 2^nd and 3^rd or bases loaded this year, he is hitting .500/.571/.611.
• Since Danny Santana was sent down to Rochester (and Jorge Polanco to Chattanooga), Eduardo Escobar has hit .333/.368/.544 with 13 doubles and five home runs.

Miguel Sano carried the team for about a month. He’s in a real slump right now. Byron Buxton has struggled offensively. Tyler Duffey has probably been the Twins second-best starting pitcher in the last month.

 

But now the season is down to about three weeks, and the Twins are just 1.5 games back of Texas and 1.5 games ahead of the Angels. Here’s a quick glimpse at the remaining schedule:

• Two @ Kansas City
• Three @ Chicago (White Sox)
• Three vs Detroit
• Four vs LA Angels
• Three vs Cleveland
• Three @ Detroit
• Four @ Cleveland
• Three vs Kansas City

25 games remaining. 21 of them are within the division. Four games against an Angels team that is just 1.5 games behind them. Seven games against a surging Cleveland team that has a terrific rotation.

 

How many will the Twins need to win in order to achieve that second wild card position? Would going 15-10 be enough? Would they need to go 19-6? Of course, there is no way to know.

 

It’s not going to be easy down the stretch, but we are reminded that when a team is in contention and every game matters, nothing comes easy.

 

But this is what we’ve wanted. Meaningful games in September. We’ve got that!!

 

Click here to view the article

[biscuit]

Yes, I love to watch games that count this late in the season. It's my raison d'etre (sp?) And I really enjoy road trips to Kansas City during the season. In fact I was on my way to KC this week, when car problems foiled my plans. Something worries me, though. Can they continue to win ballgames in spite of the offensive offenses of both Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe in the second half of the season? These guys are stinking it up at the plate. Is there reason to hope? I hope so.

[Seth Stohs]

Baseball is a funny game, and at this point in the season, it doesn't matter who is hot and who is not. All that matters is the score at the end of the game. Sometimes it's the veterans who come through. Sometimes it's the young players that have their moment. Sometimes, it's the most unlikely of hero. 

[stringer bell]

There are four games in October that look like they are going to be very important. Add one road game against Cleveland and three home games against the Royals.

[Seth Stohs]

 

There are four games in October that look like they are going to be very important. Add one road game against Cleveland and three home games against the Royals.

 

Good catch. I'll update... but yeah, they will hopefully have meaningful games in October too!

[Blackjack]

Good article Seth!!!

 

I never have understood the lack of love for Milone here on TD. All he does is goes out and performs, keeps Twins in games, and gives them a very good chance to win.

[dougkoebernick]

 

Good article Seth!!!

 

I never have understood the lack of love for Milone here on TD. All he does is goes out and performs, keeps Twins in games, and gives them a very good chance to win.

"Throw him in the bullpen!" "Trade him for a barely breathing prospect!"

 

The guy goes out and wins and pitches well. He needs to stay in the rotation. 

[dougkoebernick]

 

Tommy Milone was back on the mound for the Twins on Monday night in Kansas City and was again terrific. The southpaw gave up just two runs over seven innings for his eighth win of the year. The Twins got a lot of contributions through the game and won 6-2. In doing so, the Twins remain 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position.

As Labor Day has passed and those students and teachers who didn't start last week will begin their 2015-16 school years on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins have a record of 71-66.So, let's go back to early April. You pick the date. Do you prefer to go back to Opening Day, or a week later when the team was 1-6?

Now ask yourself how you think the Twins outlook for the rest of the season would be if you knew that on Labor Day, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco would both be on the Disabled List. Glen Perkins isn't even on the road trip because of a bad back after missing time with a pain in his neck. The bullpen was full of question marks. Joe Mauer was still hitting just .267. Kurt Suzuki was hitting like Kurt Suzuki of old. Torii Hunter's offense was showing his 40 years. The Twins just lost two out of three in Houston including a really tough, late loss on Sunday.

Then remind yourself that this team is 1.5 games behind Texas in the race for the AL's second wild card berth. They are again five games over .500. As impressive, after that really difficult, late-innings loss on Sunday in Houston, the Twins found the resiliency they've shown on several occasions this year. Just when you think they're out, they lure us back with a winning streak or an improbable, resilient win.

It may sound cliché by now, but this playoff race stuff is fun. Twins fans have waited four years for this. By Labor Day, many of us - even us diehards - would be channel surfing rather than watching each pitch and each inning.

That means being on the edge of our eats as Kevin Jepsen sweated through his Saturday night save. It means lunging from your chair when Byron Buxton came up with the big catch to win that game and end Houston's threat. It means being disappointed when Tyler Duffey was removed from Sunday's game only to see Trevor May cough up the lead on Jed Lowrie's grand slam. It means understanding that those games happen through a baseball season, but moaning about its implications in the standings.

The Twins have given us in 2015 what we've wanted for the last four years. Hopefully they can remain in this thing and continue to give us meaningful games to watch through September, and maybe even into October. They will need to continue getting strong performances from veteran and rookie alike.

• When Tommy Milone came back from AAA, he began with seven straight starts where he gave up two runs or less, something he has now done in 11 of 16 post-return starts.
• Torii Hunter has had five hits in his last two games. He had six hits in his previous 18 games.
• While Miguel Sano gets all the headlines, and deservingly so, Eddie Rosario continues to get some big hits - including that big, two-run triple over the weekend. He also continues to play great defense and last night got another outfield assist.
• It has been a difficult season for Kurt Suzuki, but in his past 20 games, he is hitting .298.
• Joe Mauer isn’t putting up Mauer-like numbers that fans got accustomed to in the first decade of his career, but his numbers remain tremendous in clutch situations. With Runners in Scoring Position, he is hitting. 352/.463/.448. With Runners on 2^nd and 3^rd or bases loaded this year, he is hitting .500/.571/.611.
• Since Danny Santana was sent down to Rochester (and Jorge Polanco to Chattanooga), Eduardo Escobar has hit .333/.368/.544 with 13 doubles and five home runs.

Miguel Sano carried the team for about a month. He’s in a real slump right now. Byron Buxton has struggled offensively. Tyler Duffey has probably been the Twins second-best starting pitcher in the last month.

But now the season is down to about three weeks, and the Twins are just 1.5 games back of Texas and 1.5 games ahead of the Angels. Here’s a quick glimpse at the remaining schedule:

• Two @ Kansas City
• Three @ Chicago (White Sox)
• Three vs Detroit
• Four vs LA Angels
• Three vs Cleveland
• Three @ Detroit
• Four @ Cleveland
• Three vs Kansas City

25 games remaining. 21 of them are within the division. Four games against an Angels team that is just 1.5 games behind them. Seven games against a surging Cleveland team that has a terrific rotation.

How many will the Twins need to win in order to achieve that second wild card position? Would going 15-10 be enough? Would they need to go 19-6? Of course, there is no way to know.

It’s not going to be easy down the stretch, but we are reminded that when a team is in contention and every game matters, nothing comes easy.

But this is what we’ve wanted. Meaningful games in September. We’ve got that!!

Click here to view the article

 

Thanks Seth - good perspective. Let's sit back and enjoy the run and see what happens. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Good catch. I'll update... but yeah, they will hopefully have meaningful games in October too!

 

It's because he isn't 6-4 and 220 pounds, and he doesn't throw 95. Seriously, most people think that if a guy doesn't throw 93+, he can't be successful. It makes the degree of difficulty that much higher, but there are some pretty good pitchers who throw (a few mph) slower than Milone and are pretty solid (Buehrle, Weaver, etc). He'll have his occasional clunker, but he deserves all the accolades this year. He handled being demoted perfectly and has come back even better.

[hybridbear]

I'm guessing the Twins will go about 15-10 the rest of the year, maybe 17-8 at best. At 15-10 I'd guess they'll just miss qualifying for the 2nd Wild Card. At 17-8 they likely would make it in. The 4 games against the Angels will be key, since the Angels are near the Twins in the standings. The divisional games are less crucial.

[Halsey Hall]

I see a 12-13 record the rest of the way.  Not enough, but still 83 wins for the season, and an improvement over the Gardy reign.  The wild card possiblity will still be in play Oct 1st, so quite a lot longer in contention that previous years.  They've surprised me this year. 

[gocgo]

I see 14-11.  85 wins...but not quite enough.

[bird]

Cleveland worries me.

[stringer bell]

 

Cleveland worries me.

Overtaking the Twins? Or just beating them several times now in crunch time? Absolutely Cleveland is playing its best ball now and they'll be a tough test in all seven games remaining with the Twins. I can't see the Tribe sneaking into the playoff picture, but I do expect they will be real trouble for the Twins.

[stringer bell]

I expect Texas to overtake Houston. The question is will Houston lose enough for the Twins to overtake them?  The Twins are 3.5 behind the Astros who have to play Texas seven times yet.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm very glad Escobar is doing well. I hope they give him the job next year.

 

I see 13-14 wins the rest of the way as a reasonable projection.

Edited September 8, 2015 by mike wants wins

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I thought May pitched great last night, even if the stat line didn't reflect it. Best case scenario: a rested Hughes heals up and returns for a couple starts, Perkins heals up, Sano heals up. This could be good.

[SwainZag]

 

There are four games in October that look like they are going to be very important. Add one road game against Cleveland and three home games against the Royals.

 

Royals should have the #1 seed locked up long before that series starts.  Who knows how many starters the Twins will even see in that series, especially the final 2 games.  

[woody knows all]

I agree on why is there Milone negativity.  Everyone wants the young pitchers up because how well they have done in the minors.  Tommy started 5 games in Rochester, pitched 38 innings and gave up THREE runs total.  I think it shows how much different AAA/AA is to the Majors.  Not that Milone will ever be confused for a #1, but definitely has done nothing wrong this year to be demoted to the pen. And not only has he started well, when the Twins needed a guy to finish he got a save in an extra inning game. Milone should be in consideration for our BEST pitcher this year.