Article: MIN 10, SEA 5: Another Double-Digit Scoring Effort, Another Bullpen Scare

[DocBauer]

Stay Hot, Ehire Adrianza

Remember when Adrianza was hitting below the Mendoza line and all of Twins territory couldn’t wait for him to be shown the door? Well, since May 13 he’s hitting .439/.510/.634.

 

I really like this and feel everyone glossed over it.

 

On a 25 man roster not everyone is created the same. If they were, we'd be arguing why Adrianza isn't starting daily over Polanco. Even on the best and deepest of teams, there are role players. In his role, Adrianza was pretty good the last two years. I still remember the surprise most of us had that we got a steal. He had a nice ST this year, then got off to a slow start, and a lot of people wanted to just dump him for whoever on the roster. And while regression s certain, this is a really nice ballplayer to have on your roster.

 

Just wanted a little shout out to him.

[Aerodeliria]

I am happy to eat a crow burger on Adrianza. He's been proving me wrong consistently.

 

Nevertheless, speaking of regression, let's see if he can keep his BA over .270 for the rest of the season. If that happens, then I will be truly impressed.

[Aerodeliria]

 

He pitched today.

Tom had a nice write-up on Reed. Let's bring him up here.

[DiscGolfer]

Pineda pitched a good game today, nice to see him continuing to improve as the season progresses.

[Nine of twelve]

 

Stay Hot, Ehire Adrianza Remember when Adrianza was hitting below the Mendoza line and all of Twins territory couldn’t wait for him to be shown the door? Well, since May 13 he’s hitting .439/.510/.634. I really like this and feel everyone glossed over it. On a 25 man roster not everyone is created the same. If they were, we'd be arguing why Adrianza isn't starting daily over Polanco. Even on the best and deepest of teams, there are role players. In his role, Adrianza was pretty good the last two years. I still remember the surprise most of us had that we got a steal. He had a nice ST this year, then got off to a slow start, and a lot of people wanted to just dump him for whoever on the roster. And while regression s certain, this is a really nice ballplayer to have on your roster. Just wanted a little shout out to him.

When Adrianza beat Houston and Verlander with a home run I thought it was just a blind squirrel occurrence. Now between him and Marwin we can give any non-catcher a day off and not lose a thing offensively.

[Number3]

With a 45-22 record and a double digit game lead in the Central, the Twins have the luxury of being able to play just over .500 ball for the entire remaining 95 games and still finish with a 93-69 record. I would like to think that the plan is to wait for key trading deadlines before making any moves and still being able to have starters pitch 5 or 6 innings max. Only injuries and /or a total offensive collapse can keep the Twins from winning the Central and they can play with house money until the right moves are available. The bull pen actually has been a key factor in multiple wins this year and giving up a few runs with a 10-1 lead is no big deal.

[james2334]

 

I think there is going to be a sellers market for relievers....We would be best served to strike early if possible because we will likely only have to over pay even more as there are fewer left.....and make no mistake about it, we will have to "overpay".... but now is the time!

I would disagree with this assessment. Currently, all but 10 teams are within 5 games of the second wild card spot. Most of those teams still think they are contending. So right now most teams are going to take a wait and see approach to trading to see what happens the next month and as the market developes more players will become available.

 

Because of the huge separation at the top this year most fringe teams will find themselves either chasing a long shot bid at the second wild card or selling and the smart teams will become sellers. I could even see a scenario in the AL this year where all 5 playoff spots are pretty much decided by trade deadline. That would leave 2/3 of the American league as sellers. 

 

Patience will pay off in the end. The Twins have an excellent farm system and the prospects to make deals happen. Falvey and Levine have shown themselves to be aggressive traders at the deadline in the past and I believe this year will be no different. They can make a good deal without emptying the farm system. I don't want them to overpay and there are certain prospects they should hang on to especially elite pitchers. Looking at this organization now, this year shouldn't be a one year run at a world series, this year should be the first year of a multi-year run at several world series titles. Let's do this!

[pbrezeasap]

I remember during Adrianza's slow start he was looking completely lost at the plate and then he struck out against Chris Davis in a blowout win versus the Orioles. At that point I thought he was toast and would be DFA'd as soon as another bullpen arm was needed, and I would have been fine with it. Glad that didn't happen and hope he keeps this success up for the whole season and beyond.

[PDX Twin]

 

I'm really wondering if he shouldn't go right back to Rochester, have a big heart to heart with anyone and everyone, and just continue to learn his role as a reliever and just stay at Rochester for most or all the season until his mechanics and mental aptitude just settle in.

 

But Rochester wasn't working for him either. If he needs confidence, maybe a short vacation in Pensacola or even Ft. Myers would be useful. Let him have 5-10 appearances down there and see if he can get the ball in the strike zone, keep it in the park, and start to find a groove. If so, then bring him back to Rochester and see if he can keep it going. Then, maybe, back to the Twins.

 

Remember, this guy was at the top of our prospect charts a couple of years ago. He's not a Rochester-shuttle/AAAA-filler player. If we are going to realize benefit from this asset, we really need to groom him for the long term.

[jkcarew]

 

The bull pen actually has been a key factor in multiple wins this year and giving up a few runs with a 10-1 lead is no big deal.

When you have 6 outs left, lead by 9 runs, and end up having to warm up your best guy (Rogers was up in the pen in the 9th)...who is trying to heal an injury....that's not good. And this type of finish to blow-outs has happened multiple times. I agree it's not likely to matter in the regular season. But help in the minors seems non existent...and the trade deadline isn't really that far away. 

 

 

[jkcarew]

Statistically, the Twins bullpen is 'ok'...still top half in terms of FIP, and most numbers that one would care about. Still not what you might want for a team that looks good enough to compete with the best in the post season. But the thing that is most concerning to me...the Twins are right at the bottom of MLB in innings pitched by bullpen. In other words, this is as good as it's likely to get with the current cast of characters. Any regression/struggle at all by the starters and we'll see more of the bottom half of this bullpen in leverage situations. Maybe that doesn't matter in the race to win the ALC? Maybe that won't matter in the post-season with Pineda and/or Perez moving to the pen? Maybe Mejia will ride in on a white horse?

[Vanimal46]

I have been frustrated with Romero in the pen since the beginning. It still feels like Sano in RF. When someone is doing well in one situation, why change? As the summer progresses can we continue with a pen like this?

I'm right there with you Mike. Moving Romero to the pen was ill advised and now this is a lost year for him. He's unrecognizable from last season. His delivery in 2018 was so smooth and effortless. He threw plenty of gas consistently at 95-97 MPH. Wes Johnson has done a lot of great things with the pitching staff, but he probably should have let Romero continuing to do his thing without trying to add another 2-3 MPH of velocity.

 

I'm done with the experiment and think he should spend the rest of 2019 in the minors ramping up to start again in 2020.

[Riverbrian]

Statistically, the Twins bullpen is 'ok'...still top half in terms of FIP, and most numbers that one would care about. Still not what you might want for a team that looks good enough to compete with the best in the post season. But the thing that is most concerning to me...the Twins are right at the bottom of MLB in innings pitched by bullpen. In other words, this is as good as it's likely to get with the current cast of characters. Any regression/struggle at all by the starters and we'll see more of the bottom half of this bullpen in leverage situations. Maybe that doesn't matter in the race to win the ALC? Maybe that won't matter in the post-season with Pineda and/or Perez moving to the pen? Maybe Mejia will ride in on a white horse?

Great post and you hit the nail on the head.

 

The bullpen had been sufficient for the needs at a time. The bullpen wasn’t being tested the way it MAY (probably) need to be tested.

 

It’s like a company truck repair shop with two bays. Business was booming and the trucks regular maintenance was being handled and the freight was being delivered without interruption.

 

All of a sudden the breakdowns started occurring in bunches. The trucks started stacking up because two bays were not enough and now the company is turning down freight and losing money as a result.

 

The Twins have a choice.

 

A. Carry on as normal and wait for things to stabilize dropping the occasional loss in the short term with the likely risk of things not stabilizing.

 

B. Since business is good. Grow with the business and don’t let something that can be fixed slow you down.

 

I choose B

[bighat]

June 14. Best record in baseball. Double-digit lead in the division. Worst team in baseball coming into Target Field this weekend to serve up a feast of dingers, doubles, and tater tot hot dish.

 

Yet we are beside ourselves with agony and complaining like crazy about the one weak spot on this squad. Compared to other teams our bullpen is decent - but it's not THE BEST and therefore we are worried and grousing daily.

 

I just figured it out: this must be exactly what it feels like to be a Yankees fan.

[yarnivek1972]

With a 45-22 record and a double digit game lead in the Central, the Twins have the luxury of being able to play just over .500 ball for the entire remaining 95 games and still finish with a 93-69 record. I would like to think that the plan is to wait for key trading deadlines before making any moves and still being able to have starters pitch 5 or 6 innings max. Only injuries and /or a total offensive collapse can keep the Twins from winning the Central and they can play with house money until the right moves are available. The bull pen actually has been a key factor in multiple wins this year and giving up a few runs with a 10-1 lead is no big deal.

The problem with waiting is that if they wait too long, there may not be any body worth getting left.

 

Better to get people in sooner and evaluate them, slot them into a role and then regulate their workload so they are ready for October. Why let a non-contender wreck someone so they can win 72 games instead of 70?

[prouster]

It makes no sense that Romero’s problems stem from moving to the bullpen. Starting or relieving, he should be able to throw a strike. I’m guessing there’s an injury, a mechanical issue, a psychological blockage, a strategic blunder, or some combination of those things. One doesn’t suddenly forget how to pitch because they enter in the sixth inning.

[Vanimal46]

June 14. Best record in baseball. Double-digit lead in the division. Worst team in baseball coming into Target Field this weekend to serve up a feast of dingers, doubles, and tater tot hot dish.

 

Yet we are beside ourselves with agony and complaining like crazy about the one weak spot on this squad. Compared to other teams our bullpen is decent - but it's not THE BEST and therefore we are worried and grousing daily.

 

I just figured it out: this must be exactly what it feels like to be a Yankees fan.

Successful teams come with higher expectations... A team needs to have a good bullpen to win and move on in the playoffs. That's why we agonize over this weak spot on the team...

[bighat]

Successful teams come with higher expectations... A team needs to have a good bullpen to win and move on in the playoffs. That's why we agonize over this weak spot on the team...

Agreed. Not saying we shouldn't agonize. It's just that this is uncharted territory for most of us. Last time the Twins were this stacked the internet and forums like this didn't exist. We wrote letters to the editor in 1991 and I can guarantee you none of those with complaints were published.

[Vanimal46]

Agreed. Not saying we shouldn't agonize. It's just that this is uncharted territory for most of us. Last time the Twins were this stacked the internet and forums like this didn't exist. We wrote letters to the editor in 1991 and I can guarantee you none of those with complaints were published.

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time... Now my constant pleads to trade prospects for MLB players will be taken seriously!!

[yarnivek1972]

Agreed. Not saying we shouldn't agonize. It's just that this is uncharted territory for most of us. Last time the Twins were this stacked the internet and forums like this didn't exist. We wrote letters to the editor in 1991 and I can guarantee you none of those with complaints were published.

If there had been “fun with numbers” in 1991, when the Twins started 2-9, they had two guys batting their jersey numbers. Dan Gladden was hitting .032 and Junior Ortiz was hitting 0.