Article: DET 5, MIN 2: Bulldog Berrios and the Addison Reed Experience

[Steve Lein]

On the mound for the Twins on Wednesday night, was phenom Jose Berrios. Heading into the game he got quite the compliment from a Hall of Fame pitcher.

 

Berrios did his best to live up to that comparison, also reminding Tiger’s manager Ron Gardenhire of a Twins Hall of Famer he used to coach all night.

 

Unfortunately, something may not be right with Addison Reed. He would be charged with his fourth blown save in his last seven appearances, making Berrios’ best effort at an impersonation all for naught.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

Current record: 29-35

Jose Berrios: 58 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7, 1 BB, 71.7% strikes

Bullpen: 2.0 IP, 3 ER (4 R), 1 K, 0 BB

Lineup: 1-for-4 w/RISP, 6 LOB

Top three per WPA: Berrios .304, Pressly .112, Escobar .108

Download attachment: WP chart.png

The Twins jumped on Tigers starter Matthew Boyd in the first inning, with Brian Dozier getting hit by a pitch to lead off the game in front of a double from Eddie Rosario and a two-RBI single from the still scorching Eduardo Escobar.

 

#OldFriend Niko Goodrum got to Berrios in the second with a solo shot (his sixth of the year) to close the gap to 2-1, but that would be it for Ron Gardenhire’s squad against him. After that blast, Berrios buckled down and picked up six of his seven K’s, several to escape scoring chances as the Tigers went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position against him.

After a one-two-three seventh inning from Ryan Pressly, Twins fans were treated to the Addison Reed Experience. Again.

 

Five singles and an ugly throwing error from Robbie Grossman led to four runs in the eighth inning and it was all over. Reed has now allowed a run in five of his last seven appearances, raising his ERA over a full run from 2.60 to 3.78 over that time frame.

 

The offense again held much of the blame in this one, as they managed just two more hits on the game after putting up a crooked number in the first.

 

At least we were able to watch Berrios out-maneuver the Tigers for six innings in ace fashion.

 

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: bullpen usage chart.png

AL Central Standings

CLE 35-30

DET 32-37 (-5)

MIN 29-35 (-5.5)

CHW 23-42 (-12)

KC 22-46 (-14)

 

Next Three Games

Thu @ DET, 12:10PM CST – RHP Lancy Lynn (4-4, 5.08 ERA)

Fri @ CLE, 6:10PM CST – RHP Kyle Gibson (1-4, 3.45 ERA)

Sat @ CLE, 3:10PM CST – RHP Fernando Romero (3-2, 3.92 ERA)

 

Last Three Games

MIN 6, DET 4: More Grand Slams, Please

MIN 7, LAA 5: Jake Cave Sparks a Fire

LAA 2, MIN 1: Is This a Rerun?

 

More From Twins Daily

Twins Daily Roundtable: Romero’s Innings

Twins Sign Belisle: What Does This Mean?

Twins Minor League Report (6/13): Lookouts Pace the Action

 

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[D.C Twins]

For those of you still keeping score at home...

 

Grossman and Wilson are still inexplicably on this team....sigh.....

[jun]

It would be great if the Twins had Palka and Goodrum instead of Grossman and Adrianza. Palka can really hit and have serious power. Goodrum is a super utility guy with some good pop.

[bluechipper]

It would be great if the Twins has Palka and Goodrum instead of Grossman and Adrianza. Goodrum is a super utility guy with some good pop.

Or how about the players that are supposed to be good, be good. Edited June 14, 2018 by bluechipper

[Vanimal46]

Sigh... Reed has really hurt the team this year. Probably wouldn't hurt to, you know, try someone else in close, late inning games.

 

Same story, different day with this offense.

[nicksaviking]

Sigh... Reed has really hurt the team this year. Probably wouldn't hurt to, you know, try someone else in close, late inning games.

Same story, different day with this offense.

Geez fine, I can read between the lines. Pressly can pitch every day if that's what you really want.

[yarnivek1972]

Wasn’t Dozier HBP to start the game not BB?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Really disappointing response by Molitor.

 

"Had a chance to hold a lead, I get all that, but gotta have more offense." Well, 2-1 games are worth winning, too. Just my opinion. If he wants 7-10 runs every night he should quit and join a softball league. Sorry about the negativity.

[jun]

This game can also be called the Niko Goodrum experience. 3 for 4, a triple shy of the cycle. Imagine if he's on our side.

[Monkeypaws]

Nice words from Pedro - he was even smaller the Jose, and started out a bit younger. His age 25 year was when he really busted out and grabbed the Cy Young and was at the top for years.

 

Berrios is tracking pretty well so far, not to say he'll ever reach Martinez' heights. Fun to see considering where the comparison comes from though.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martipe02.shtml

[USAFChief]

Really disappointing response by Molitor.

"Had a chance to hold a lead, I get all that, but gotta have more offense." Well, 2-1 games are worth winning, too. Just my opinion. If he wants 7-10 runs every night he should quit and join a softball league. Sorry about the negativity.

Not that it ultimately mattered, but was he asked why Grossman was still in right to start the 8th?

 

There almost has to be something wrong with Reed, no?

[rghrbek]

per gleeman:

 

Brian Dozier in "close and late" spots:
2014 - .177 AVG
2015 - .229 AVG
2016 - .177 AVG
2017 - .176 AVG
2018 - .159 AVG
Career - .195 AVG

Not only is his .195 AVG the worst in Twins history, it's the worst in MLB history among all players with at least as many plate appearances.

 

We know he will get hot sooner or later, but we keep talking about Sano and Buxton torpedoing our season...

 

This is one decision (by not signing Dozier this last off season) where I applaud the FO.  Our offense is bad!!!!

[jun]

 

per gleeman:

 

Brian Dozier in "close and late" spots:
2014 - .177 AVG
2015 - .229 AVG
2016 - .177 AVG
2017 - .176 AVG
2018 - .159 AVG
Career - .195 AVG

Not only is his .195 AVG the worst in Twins history, it's the worst in MLB history among all players with at least as many plate appearances.

 

We know he will get hot sooner or later, but we keep talking about Sano and Buxton torpedoing our season...

 

This is one decision (by not signing Dozier this last off season) where I applaud the FO.  Our offense is bad!!!!

 

Some people still believe Dozier is going to outproduce Escobar this season at the end.

[launchingthrees]

 

Or how about the players that are supposed to be good, be good.

 

Yep. Buxton, Sano, and Dozier are the issue. Dozier has been average and Buxton + Sano have been 2 of the worst players in MLB this year.

Edited June 14, 2018 by launchingthrees

[jun]

Mauer, Wade, Gordon, Astudillo and Sawyer should be up. Grossman should be released. Sano, Wilson, Garver and LaMarre should be demoted. 

[h2oface]

Regardless of the offense, they had the lead after 7. Molitor chooses to give it to Reed. Keeps doing the same thing and expects different results. 5 out of the last 6, now, isn't it? Hello Magill. Stick a fork in Reed. This is sickening.

Edited June 14, 2018 by h2oface

[DocBauer]

Not speaking directly about the Belisle signing, because it's brand new, but one thing I appreciated last season...when the rotation wasn't nearly as good...the FO rotated guys in and out of the bullpen in an attempt to keep live arms available.

 

I get Slegers and Duffey both going down after long appearances. But Duffey's last stretch was looking good and they sent him down for Cave. Yeah, Cave is nice and had a good re-appearance. But is he more important than a trusted pen arm when Pressly and Reed have been over-worked? Who the he'll is Magill? I still don't know. But he's pitched very well when given rare opportunity. He deserves a roster spot but doesn't deserve to give Pressly and Reed a break? The arms at Rochester, unproven but talented, are just so suspect that they can't displace the seldom used Magill and require the signing of Belisle? I'm sorry, but there is some kind of disconnect here.

 

And with Sano DH tonight, we began the game without a single reserve infielder available?

 

For the first time, I'm starting to question the new FO.

[David HK]

I can echo Doc's comment above- why in the world ain't we operating the Rochester Shuttle for the 'pen, like we did for the rotation last year? Duff has been up and down, and that's good. But my God, Busenitz, Curtiss, Anderson, even Moya, tho' our lefties have been fine. Get 'em up, give RPE and ARE a rest, fer cryin' out loud! Can it really be worse, than just giving away winnable games in predictable fashion, and burning 2 guys out in the process? If we're going to go ahead and lose anyway, why not do it with guys who are part of the future instead of the past?

 

Didn't even have anybody warming up when ARE started giving it all away. And Grossman in RF late in the game???? When either Cave or Kep are right there on the bench? Oh, forgot, Kep was so sorely needed for that 2-out-nobody-on pinch hitting appearance in the bottom of the 9th.

 

MoY needs to go, yesterday.

 

Ozzie needs to get his hands on the wheel and drive this bus home.

[curt1965]

Paraphrasing Seth in his article on Belisle, “ Molitor trusts Reed.”

WTF?

My question is what would Reed have to do for Molitor NOT to trust him?

Berrios pitched his butt off, but didn’t get any help from his manager. Beyond disheartening! Despite the lack of hitting (as usual), this was a winnable game.

[108Stitches]

I often wonder if the front office ever just thinks “f*** it, lets throw some minor guys up here and see what they can do!?” How much worse could they do!

[howeda7]

Put Reed on the DL. Something is broken, either mentally or physically. Hildy should be the 8th inning guy period. And get Grossman tf off this team already and get Wade or Gordon up here. 

[Eris]

Since the 2016 season Addison Reed has 189 appearances which is 1 less than Bryan Shaw. Data is from fangraphs. He is among the the most overworked pitchers in MLB for 3 years. I think the current results while disappointing, are very predictable.

[Platoon]

per gleeman:

 

Brian Dozier in "close and late" spots:

2014 - .177 AVG

2015 - .229 AVG

2016 - .177 AVG

2017 - .176 AVG

2018 - .159 AVG

Career - .195 AVG

Not only is his .195 AVG the worst in Twins history, it's the worst in MLB history among all players with at least as many plate appearances.

 

We know he will get hot sooner or later, but we keep talking about Sano and Buxton torpedoing our season...

 

This is one decision (by not signing Dozier this last off season) where I applaud the FO. Our offense is bad!!!!

This has been my grumble for years about Dozier. There normally nothing wrong with his end of the year stats, but he has never seemed to perform well in the clutch. It's why I was never an advocate for him as a middle of the order hitter. It's probably the only agreement that the MOY and I have.

[wsnydes]

 

Geez fine, I can read between the lines. Pressly can pitch every day if that's what you really want.

You say that as if it wasn't already the case! 

[Platoon]

If you take a look at this lineup it's amazing they win any games. Dozier, Sano, Morrison are doing basically nothing. Buxton was not either and is injured. Mauer was, and is injured. Kepler really cooled off. The production from Wilson, Adrianza, Garver, RG and whoever else is up for the week is as expected. It's only the two ED's keeping them afloat. And sooner or later they have to cool off, it's almost unavoidable. It's really a sorry state. Without the improvement in the SP we would be last in the Central, and that takes some serious doing. They are almost becoming unwatchable. It will take a miracle or Dozier, Sano and Buxton to all recover their mojo at the same time. But there really isnt an alternative.

[Squirrel]

Put Reed on the DL. Something is broken, either mentally or physically. Hildy should be the 8th inning guy period. And get Grossman tf off this team already and get Wade or Gordon up here.

 

Those are nice secondary moves. Getting a new manager would be primary for me.

[slash129]

Reed has certainly been unreliable of late, but this outing was more unfortunate than purely bad pitching. Unlike the other recent outings full of walks, HBP and long balls, Reed was actually getting ahead of most the hitters and then giving up weak, seeing-eye contact on what always seemed to be an 0-2 pitch. He's been frustrating to watch, but this appearance isn't a microcosm of his struggles.

[Squirrel]

This has been my grumble for years about Dozier. There normally nothing wrong with his end of the year stats, but he has never seemed to perform well in the clutch. It's why I was never an advocate for him as a middle of the order hitter. It's probably the only agreement that the MOY and I have.

I’ve been advocating they move him to the 7th or 8th spot until he starts hitting.

[mikelink45]

 

It would be great if the Twins had Palka and Goodrum instead of Grossman and Adrianza. Palka can really hit and have serious power. Goodrum is a super utility guy with some good pop.

I do not think the Twins smart guys ever talked about Niko and many laughed when Gardy grabbed him!  Who wants Palka went you have have Grossman and Morrison?  And now we grab Belisle instead of a minor leaguer and leave Gordon in the minors.  What is going on?

[USAFChief]

Reed has certainly been unreliable of late, but this outing was more unfortunate than purely bad pitching. Unlike the other recent outings full of walks, HBP and long balls, Reed was actually getting ahead of most the hitters and then giving up weak, seeing-eye contact on what always seemed to be an 0-2 pitch. He's been frustrating to watch, but this appearance isn't a microcosm of his struggles.

IMO giving up 0-2 hits isn’t “unfortunate.” It’s an indication of poor “stuff,” poor location, and/or poor pitch selection.

 

I didn’t view last night as at all unlucky. It was more of the same. Too many 90 MPH fastballs in very bad locations.