Article: CHW 6, MIN 5: Twins Blow 5-1 Lead

[Tom Froemming]

The Twins opened up a 5-1 lead at one point, but Thursday night’s series opener against the White Sox ended with Addison Reed serving up a walk-off homer to Trayce Thompson. Reed, pitching in his third straight game, has now given up five earned runs over his last seven outings.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

Download attachment: Snapshot53.png Download attachment: WinEx53.png

The more level-headed segments of Twins Territory have been preaching that things will get better once we start playing our lowly divisional opponents. Well, things aren’t off to a great start.

 

Reed gave up the walk-off homer, but it was primarily the defense that allowed Chicago to sneak its way back into this game.

 

Chicago scored its first run of the game in the third inning thanks to a missed catch error on shortstop Gregorio Petit. Adam Engel had drawn a one-out walk and stole second. Petit couldn’t corral the throw, allowing Engel to advance to third. He scored on a ground out the very next play.

 

That didn’t seem like it’d be a big play after the Twins went up 5-1 in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a Logan Morrison homer.

Former Twins prospect Daniel Palka blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of that inning and the White Sox scored another run in the fifth, putting the pressure back on the Twins. In the sixth inning, Robbie Grossman played into a hit a ball that many MLB outfielders would have caught. To make matters worse, he committed an error that allowed Jose Abreu to score the game-tying run all the way from first base.

That play also knocked Jake Odorizzi out of the game. He lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up five runs, though only three were earned, and struck out eight batters.

 

Taylor Rogers had his most impressive performance of the season, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts. Ryan Pressly followed that up with a perfect frame of his own, striking out two batters in the process.

 

Reed retired the first two batters he faced. Just when it was looking like the Twins bullpen was having an excellent night, it was all over.

 

Morrison had a great night, going 3-for-4 with a double and that two-run homer. Petit was 2-for-4, meaning he’s 5-for-11 since being called up from Rochester, though he’s still searching for his first extra-base hit. Other than those two, the Twins lineup was 2-for-25 with a couple walks.

 

Eddie Rosario had a double and made a nice leaping catch in left field.

 

Postgame With Molitor

Bullpen Usage

Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:

Download attachment: Bullpen53.png

Next Three Games

Fri at CHW, 7:10 pm CT

Sat at CHW, 6:10 pm CT

Sun at CHW, 1:10 pm CT

 

Last Three Games

MIN 4, TOR 0: Fernandomania!

TOR 7, MIN 4: WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?!?

TOR 7, MIN 5: Twins Can’t Recover After Another Poor Start by Lynn

 

More From Twins Daily

Twins Minor League Report (5/3): Royce Lewis Continues to Crush in A-Ball

Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher Of The Month - April 2018

The Beginning of the End for Phil Hughes

 

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[Squirrel]

I’m done with this team. Buh bye.

[slash129]

Rock bottom ... Any win at this point is a surprise ... At least every game has some highlights ... Morrison seems to be getting into the zone ... Pressly was sick

[David HK]

Well, we wasted a rare Joe Mauer  HR the other day, today we get to waste LoMo finally breaking out a bit.  What will we waste tomorrow?  

 

I know!  I know!  We'll somehow squander a terrific quality start!

 

Again.

[Danchat]

Yup, we're officially bad, if it wasn't official before. The bad teams are counting on us to consistently win games. 

 

I think some of us have forgotten how truly terrible Grossman is in the outfield. He was historically bad in 2016 and he's back to that level after not playing much outfield in 2017. It's not like his bat helps the lineup as in a good year he'll hit .260 with little power and good OBP... we have enough of that with Mauer. I'd almost rather see LaMarre play out there just for the defense. Or maybe they could get Wade up until Buxton is ready.

 

On a different note, it seems Odorizzi gets so many strikeouts it clogs up his pitch count and he gets gassed real quick. I still think he can be a #3 starter, but we haven't quite gotten that from him. 

 

Reed regressing a little bit is what it is. Relievers will have cold and hot streaks sometimes. If they keep relying on him all the time, the odds are he will disappoint you sometimes.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Danchat

[Mike Sixel]

There is no excuse for Grossman to be in the field. This is on the front office. Wade can be there. They should have signed an actual fourth OF this off season, as many people here said.

[jokin]

Paging Peter Bourjos, who just signed a minor league deal after being DFAd by the Braves. Shouldn't cost much to rent him for a couple months.

[NDTimIrish]

STOP PLAYING GROSSMAN IN THE FIELD!!!!!!!!

 

What the hell is the matter with Molitor?!?

 

We all knew this two years ago.

[jtkoupal]

Paul Molitor deserves an assist for this loss.

 

Odorizzi has shown a consistent pattern of blowing up when he faces the lineup for the 3rd time.

 

Mollie let Jake face the White Sox lineup for the 3rd time.

 

The error by Grossman is not Molitor's fault, but letting Odo face the lineup in the 6th inning despite the fact that he was showing evident signs of fatigue is 100% Molitor's fault.

[wsnydes]

Man this team is in trouble.  It's May now.  Time to start making real roster adjustments.  Bring up a guy who can actually field his position to play RF while Buxton is out.  The defense is killing the pitchers even more than the pitchers are killing themselves.  I'm not advocating changes for the sake of making changes, but something needs to be done with the bullpen and the bench.  Clearly what is currently in play is not working.  

 

This is getting ridiculous.  They're unwatchable right now. 

[slash129]

Did anyone else see the interview with Odorizzi after the game? I laughed pretty hard when he said the big mistake was "that home run to Whatever in the 4th inning". Palka should put "Whatever" on the back of his jersey for players weekend.

[bighat]

At this point, no lead feels safe. Didn't the Twins jump out to a similar big lead against the Reds and blow it? This Twins team looks like it could lose 95 games. As someone said above: at this point, any win feels like a surprise.

 

I didn't watch the game, but per usual I have my MLB At Bat notifications on. Every time a team scores, a little MLB logo appears on my phone to let me know that a team has scored.  It's come to a point that when I see that notification my heart starts to sink - I just know something bad has happened. Kind of like when you get a call from the nursing home about great aunt Hazel: it might not be bad news, but it probably is.

[wsnydes]

 

At this point, no lead feels safe. Didn't the Twins jump out to a similar big lead against the Reds and blow it? This Twins team looks like it could lose 95 games. As someone said above: at this point, any win feels like a surprise.

 

I didn't watch the game, but per usual I have my MLB At Bat notifications on. Every time a team scores, a little MLB logo appears on my phone to let me know that a team has scored.  It's come to a point that when I see that notification my heart starts to sink - I just know something bad has happened. Kind of like when you get a call from the nursing home about great aunt Hazel: it might not be bad news, but it probably is.

They blew three separate 4 run leads in the first Reds game.  

 

Not only does no lead seem safe with this team, but they've shown that they're not even capable of building on leads consistently.  Too many poor and/or wasted AB's to string hits together.

 

[theBOMisthebomb]

There is nothing left to say other than the cliches, "It's a long season" or "We'll get 'em tomorrow" or "The breaks will start falling our way", etc.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think the hardest part is that it's always someone else contributing to the next loss. Reed's been rock solid, then he start imploding. 

 

At least LoMo appears to be heating up. 

[twinssouth]

With these relievers blowing leads, the Twins could really use a fresh arm in the Pen. Oh, I see where Hughes has thrown ZERO pitches in the last 5 days, he really must be fresh. Hmm, oh that's right, he's only to be used in mop up or blow out duties. Wait, haven't the Twins lost 11 or so of last 13 games. Why, with all those losses, seems to me his arm should be falling off by now. But, wait, he's thrown only ZERO pitches.

 

 

Boy, I'm really confused. This baseball stuff is really complicated.

[Puckett34]

Man they need Buxton back quick so we don't have to be subjected to Grossman's "defense".   Think I'd rather watch Delmon Young play right field than Grossman.

[Puckett34]

 

There is nothing left to say other than the cliches, "It's a long season" or "We'll get 'em tomorrow" or "The breaks will start falling our way", etc.

 

The breaks were falling the Twins way early last night with those 2 consecutive wild pitches/passed balls thrown by Lopez.   Then they just stopped falling the Twins way.

[Eris]

 

There is no excuse for Grossman to be in the field. This is on the front office. Wade can be there. They should have signed an actual fourth OF this off season, as many people here said.

 

There are multiple levels of reasons for this.  Granite being hurt is one.  But what  puzzles me is seeing Grossman out in the field when Ryan LaMarre is sitting on the bench, especially late in the game.  I don't have enough statistical information on LaMarre, except to say when the Twins do make a defensive substitution, LaMarre is normally in centerfield with Kepler moving to RF.  That at least implies that Molitor thinks LaMarre is better defensively than Kepler.  

 

While it is easy to crap on Grossman (and he did have an error last night) Fangraphs has the revised zone rating (RZR) for Grossman and Rosario as being the same. 

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=of&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=8&rost=0&age=0

[lukeduke1980]

I'm annoyed as much as the continued slump of Free Agent Brian Dozier.  Yes he's very streaky and carries the team at times but 0-5 and 3-42 when the team is tail spinning.  

 

Also agree that Robbie has to go.  He's a nice pinch hitter for an NL team.  A 4th outfielder has to play defense over hitting.  And hitting he isn't either anyway.

[Tomj14]

 

Paul Molitor deserves an assist for this loss.

 

Odorizzi has shown a consistent pattern of blowing up when he faces the lineup for the 3rd time.

 

Mollie let Jake face the White Sox lineup for the 3rd time.

Well there has been talk of him not letting his starters work out of some jams and getting an inning or two more out of them so can we complain when it back fires?

I will say the last few starts he has given his starters a chance to work out of some jams and it has worked, (Gibson and Romero for example)

 

Edited May 4, 2018 by Tomj14

[LimestoneBaggy]

This team's so bad, even the lurkers can't watch......I think I have an ulcer. 

[USAFChief]

Paul Molitor deserves an assist for this loss.

 

Odorizzi has shown a consistent pattern of blowing up when he faces the lineup for the 3rd time.

 

Mollie let Jake face the White Sox lineup for the 3rd time.

 

The error by Grossman is not Molitor's fault, but letting Odo face the lineup in the 6th inning despite the fact that he was showing evident signs of fatigue is 100% Molitor's fault.

Several of us in the game thread last night said the same, BEFORE Odorizzi lost the lead.

 

That was at least the 5th time so far this year that something similar has happened. Ridiculous.

[Tom Froemming]

 

I'm annoyed as much as the continued slump of Free Agent Brian Dozier.  Yes he's very streaky and carries the team at times but 0-5 and 3-42 when the team is tail spinning.  

 

Also agree that Robbie has to go.  He's a nice pinch hitter for an NL team.  A 4th outfielder has to play defense over hitting.  And hitting he isn't either anyway.

Agree on both points.

 

When your team is is trouble it needs to be your stars, your clubhouse leaders, that find a way to bring everybody out of the darkness. Not only is Dozier not hitting, there just doesn't seem to be much life to him. I don't know, maybe he's holding meetings and trying to rally the troops behind close doors, but this team either needs him to get going or for another another guy to step into that role. 

 

Grossman is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole right now. He's not an everyday outfielder and this year's team doesn't have a need at DH, so once everybody's healthy he'll become redundant anyway. Might as well find another player to call up who better suits this team's needs right now.

[TheLeviathan]

The pitchers you want Molly to leave in or bring in are all terrible.

 

It's lose-lose. The problems are more systemic than managerial pitching decisions.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Paul Molitor deserves an assist for this loss.

 

Odorizzi has shown a consistent pattern of blowing up when he faces the lineup for the 3rd time.

 

Mollie let Jake face the White Sox lineup for the 3rd time.

 

The error by Grossman is not Molitor's fault, but letting Odo face the lineup in the 6th inning despite the fact that he was showing evident signs of fatigue is 100% Molitor's fault.

These are valid points, but I think Molitor saw this as an opportunity to squeeze a little more out of his starter to try and take some pressure off the pen.

 

if Grossman catches that ball, or if the offense had been able to keep things rolling, nobody's talking about Odorizzi today.

 

With these relievers blowing leads, the Twins could really use a fresh arm in the Pen. Oh, I see where Hughes has thrown ZERO pitches in the last 5 days, he really must be fresh. Hmm, oh that's right, he's only to be used in mop up or blow out duties. Wait, haven't the Twins lost 11 or so of last 13 games. Why, with all those losses, seems to me his arm should be falling off by now. But, wait, he's thrown only ZERO pitches. Boy, I'm really confused. This baseball stuff is really complicated.

This kinda ties into my point above. If you're not wasting space on the roster, maybe your manager doesn't have to try and avoid using his bullpen. Much like with Tyler Kinley, it's really difficult to hide a pitcher in a MLB bullpen these days. It seems like that's going to be the plan with Hughes.

 

And for what? You gotta either use him, or let him go. Guy hasn't been out there for six days, and his last time out he only threw 61 pitches.

 

There are a lot of Twins fans that have guys like Lynn, LoMo, Rodney or Sano in their crosshairs, but the guys who are hurting this team and have shown very little reason for optimism are Hughes and Grossman.

[wsnydes]

 

The pitchers you want Molly to leave in or bring in are all terrible.

It's lose-lose. The problems are more systemic than managerial pitching decisions.

I agree, however taking your best starter (even on an off day) after 60 pitches simply exposes the worst part of the staff.  

 

I agree that it's pretty much a lose-lose scenario and the problems are far beyond Molitor's managing.  He does contribute to those problems though.

[djvang]

The Twins are not serious about winning when they play Grossman in the OF. He costs them a run per game.

[wsnydes]

 

These are valid points, but I think Molitor saw this as an opportunity to squeeze a little more out of his starter to try and take some pressure off the pen.

 

if Grossman catches that ball, or if the offense had been able to keep things rolling, nobody's talking about Odorizzi today.

 

This kinda ties into my point above. If you're not wasting space on the roster, maybe your manager doesn't have to try and avoid using his bullpen. Much like with Tyler Kinley, it's really difficult to hide a pitcher in a MLB bullpen these days. It seems like that's going to be the plan with Hughes.

 

And for what? You gotta either use him, or let him go. Guy hasn't been out there for six days, and his last time out he only threw 61 pitches.

 

There are a lot of Twins fans that have guys like Lynn, LoMo, Rodney or Sano in their crosshairs, but the guys who are hurting this team and have shown very little reason for optimism are Hughes and Grossman.

Great point.  It's one thing to carry a Kinley on the roster when you're rebuilding and are trying to find some diamonds in the rough.  It's another when you're telling people that you believe that you're contenders.  

 

It's a completely different thing to carry a Phil Hughes and essentially refuse to use him when you're struggling as bad as this team is.  This FO seems to handicap their manager consistently.  That's a troubling sign.  At this point in the season, the FO needs to be finding ways to improve a floundering roster and their decision making doesn't seem to reflect that.  They have to admit at some point that they made a mistake by not bringing in a 4th outfielder and bring someone up or in.  They've admitted that starting Phil Hughes hurts the team.  Now they need to admit that keeping him on the roster is hurting the team.  This team simply can't afford to be carrying dead roster spots.  You can't win playoff spots in April/May, but you can certainly lose them.  

[Doomtints]

The Twins can't win regularly without Buxton.