Article: Red Sox 4, Twins 1: Sale Outduels Berrios

[bluechipper]

Three big game management mistakes by Molitor in this one. So disappointing.

 

Another really well pitched game by Berrios though.

[bluechipper]

 

Alas, not often you have a top 5 (1 by some measures) prospect and the best rhp prospect laying around.

And they've still got a couple of top 50 prospects left even after the 3 big trades they've made in recent years.

[bluechipper]

Eddie Rosario played great in the outfield again, but he followed up one of his best career days at the plate with one of his worst, 0-3 with 3 strikeouts on 9 pitches. It's tough against Sale, but still.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Eddie Rosario played great in the outfield again, but he followed up one of his best career days at the plate with one of his worst, 0-3 with 3 strikeouts on 9 pitches. It's tough against Sale, but still.

And the last one came against RHP Matt Barnes...

[SirLoin]

One stat that jumped out to me (from my CF bleacher seat....oh good for me) was Rosario going 0-3 with 3 k's.  Granted, he made 3 great catches in LF.  But I have to wonder if the Twins might be better served with Zach Granite out there?

[bluechipper]

 

One stat that jumped out to me (from my CF bleacher seat....oh good for me) was Rosario going 0-3 with 3 k's.  Granted, he made 3 great catches in LF.  But I have to wonder if the Twins might be better served with Zach Granite out there?

Rosario has a .962 OPS over the last 28 days. I think he deserves a lot more time.

[Deduno Abides]

Are Boshers, Busenitz and Hildenberger kind of a poor man's Jay, Burdi and Chargois? Maybe they, along with Kintzler, Rogers and Duffey, and perhaps Reed, can move the bullpen from bad to approximately average.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Which may have happened even if Giminez took the AB in that situation.  They may have walked Mauer to get to Rosario and Buxton even with runners on 1st and 2nd.  We don't know how it would have played out, but I would rather be the aggressor than the reacting party.  Force the opponent to make decisions.

 

No way they walk Mauer with runners on 1st and 2nd. Mauer is not Trout or someone who that would make sense - you don't move someone up where a wild pitch scores them and you don't put the go ahead run in scoring position. Let Polanco hit with the 2-0 and then you can bring in Mauer. Sacrificing rarely makes sense - outs are at a premium late in a game.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Rosario has a .962 OPS over the last 28 days. I think he deserves a lot more time.

 

And Zach Granite's AAA performance in no way forces the Twins hands. He still profiles as a nice 4th OF (but perhaps not for the twins since he is LH) and a below-average corner OF.

[Mike Sixel]

 

No way they walk Mauer with runners on 1st and 2nd. Mauer is not Trout or someone who that would make sense - you don't move someone up where a wild pitch scores them and you don't put the go ahead run in scoring position. Let Polanco hit with the 2-0 and then you can bring in Mauer. Sacrificing rarely makes sense - outs are at a premium late in a game.

 

Sacrificing only makes sense in the late innings, because a run or two matters when there aren't many ABs left. IMO, that was one situation (before the AB started) where it made decent sense to me.

[bighat]

Jumping on the Whine Line:  So, Buxton is just a .200 hitter with speed and great defense, eh?  A poor man's Jerrod Dyson if the Twins are lucky.  Too bad.

 

As for Berrios, he's turned out to be a gem.  Thankful the Twins have finally hit the jackpot on one of those prospects! 

 

Sano's striking out like nobody's business lately.  Remember that game a month ago when he had 5 singles?  I'd love to see him stop trying to crush the ball and get back to basics.

[h2oface]

 

...... Classic loss by a non-contending team to a contending team. ......

 

 Personally, when any MLB team is leading its division in late June, I can't consider them a non-contending team. 

[ThejacKmp]

 

Sacrificing only makes sense in the late innings, because a run or two matters when there aren't many ABs left. IMO, that was one situation (before the AB started) where it made decent sense to me.

 

I think more thought has to go into it. You have a big strikeout pitcher on the mound in Sale so if the goal is to get a guy to third, you find yourself with Sale pitching to two guys (buxton and Rosario) who are not particularly tough to strike out. 

 

To me, that's the argument against it even in that situation (you're right that close game with runners on is the place that makes sense). You have to have someone coming up who puts the ball in play (they're going to walk Mauer, even with L on L) and that just isn't Buxton or Rosario.

 

And you have to not have Matt Belisle next in from the pen.