Article: Week in Review: Becoming Whole at the Halfway Point

[Nick Nelson]

Exactly one year ago, we were officially writing off the 2018 Twins in this very space: 'Following another week of tremendously uninspiring play,' I wrote, 'one need not look at postseason odds to reach an inescapable conclusion: This ship isn't sinking anymore; it's sunk.'

 

Minnesota was 10 games below .500, eight games out of first place, and hopeless. This year's Twins team, on the other hand, eclipsed the season's halfway point over the weekend on a 104-win pace.

 

So as we review a past week that wasn't exactly spotless, I think it's important to keep in mind how far we've come.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/24 through Sun, 6/30

***

Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 53-30)

Run Differential Last Week: +6 (Overall: +113)

Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (8.0 GA)

Willians Watch: Back on the Injured List

Willians Astudillo opened his week with a three-hit game that included this nifty catch in RF foul territory, but his hearty effort on that play proved costly. Astudillo went 0-for-4 the following night and was then placed on IL due to oblique soreness, apparently stemming from his run-in with the wall.

 

The Twins also lost Eddie Rosario, who sprained his left ankle while turning first on Wednesday and will miss at least the next week. It's a shame because he was heating up again – 6-for-7 through his first two games last week – and his visible frustration upon sustaining the injury appeared to reflect this.

 

It wasn't all bad news, though. Rosario is a big loss but it doesn't appear he'll be gone long (in fact, the team hesitated to even place him on the IL). The Twins crucially got back Byron Buxton and Marwin Gonzalez, who were both activated on Saturday, and Ehire Adrianza, activated a day earlier.

 

Some other noteworthy roster moves from last week:

• LaMonte Wade Jr. was called up briefly in the middle of the week with the Twins needing extra bodies in the outfield, and started on Friday (he reached once in two PAs, on an HBP, before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the seventh), but he was optioned alongside Jake Cave in order to make room for Buxton and Gonzalez.
• Zack Littell was also optioned back to Triple-A, though not through any fault of his own (he threw four scoreless innings during his latest stint). The Twins simply needed more arms after burning through everyone in an 18-inning marathon loss to Tampa on Thursday. Prospect Lewis Thorpe was called up to replace Littell, and you can read about his sterling MLB debut in the Highlights below.
• The Twins signed 36-year-old free agent reliever Carlos Torres, who'd recently been designated for assignment by Detroit, to a minor-league deal. He reported to Class-AAA Rochester. They also returned infielder Ronald Torreyes from the restircted list, making room on the 40-man roster by DFA-ing lefty reliever Gabriel Moya, who cleared waivers and returned to Rochester.

HIGHLIGHTS

 

On Friday, fan-selected starters for the All-Star teams were officially revealed, and we learned the American League lineup will feature one Twin: Jorge Polanco at shortstop. He won't be alone in representing the Twins, but Polanco's a fitting frontman, leading the team in WAR thanks to his steady work at shortstop and tremendously consistent production atop the lineup. Polanco had a fairly pedestrian week at the plate (7-for-27) but he also drew three walks and scored seven runs. The fact this counts as a down week for him says it all.

 

Joining him on the All-Star roster is Jake Odorizzi, who surrendered two bombs on Wednesday against Tampa and has generally looked shakier in recent starts, but is still pacing the American Leagues with 10 while holding down a shiny 2.73 ERA.

 

That's it for Twins All-Stars, for now. It seems pretty outrageous for a team that leads baseball in scoring and OPS to have only one representative among the AL's starters or reserves, but here we are.

 

 

The good news is that we'll certainly see a few more players added to the roster, as a result of injuries and withdrawals, and the Twins have plenty of players near the top of the queue: Rosario, Max Kepler, Jose Berrios, and Taylor Rogers, to name a few.

 

Missed time prevented Nelson Cruz and Mitch Garver from getting legitimate consideration as All-Stars, but they've both made strong cases while on the field. Last week was no different; Cruz went 10-for-23 with three home runs and 10 RBIs games, while Garver delivered an impressive three-hit game against Tampa on Tuesday, launching his 12th home run.

 

It was an interesting week for Miguel Sano. In three games at home against Tampa, he went 1-for-13 with six strikeouts, extending a brutal slump that dated back to mid-June. Then, once he arrived in Chicago, he snapped right back into the dominant form we saw initially upon his return, blasting three homers and plating six runs in two starts, then entering with a clutch pinch-hit RBI single on Sunday. He struck out only once in 10 plate appearances, with two walks.

 

Certainly an encouraging rebound, and one that was evidently driven by some mechanical changes involving hand positioning. Parker had written about this very issue last week, at the height of Sano's struggles. Credit goes to Miguel and Minnesota's hitting coaches for actualizing these adjustments; we'll see if they stick.

 

As a final note on the offense, hitting machine Luis Arraez continued to do his thing, collecting six hits in 17 at-bats. The rookie's average stands at .426.

 

On Sunday, Thorpe was able to make his first major-league start, on account of Kyle Gibson throwing a relief inning during Thursday's 18-inning affair, and thus having his scheduled turn pushed back to Wednesday. The young left-hander was absolutely sensational. Over his five innings, he allowed only two runs (both coming on an Yoan Moncada home run) while notching seven strikeouts and 11 swinging strikes. He continually worked ahead in counts and showed a stunning ability to execute while undoubtedly battling some serious nerves. Like Devin Smeltzer before him, Thorpe solidified himself as a quality rookie depth piece for the rotation.

 

Elsewhere in that unit, Michael Pineda took another nice step, hurling six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on Friday. The big righty struck out eight while walking one. He finishes June with a 25-to-4 K/BB ratio and 3.58 ERA. Most importantly: he quietly allowed just one home run, after coughing up 14 in his first 11 starts.

 

Martin Perez provided his own promising flash from the back half of the starting corps, putting forth his best performance since early May against the Rays on Thursday. In seven innings he allowed just two runs with six strikeouts and one walk. Notably, per Brooks Baseball data, his improved outcome coincided with a return to leaning on the cutter, along with a reduction in sinker usage:

 

Download attachment: perezpitchmovement.png

 

In the bullpen, Taylor Rogers once again starred, appearing twice and retiring all seven batters faced. He wraps June with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio and only four hits allowed in 11 1/3 innings, continuing to reaffirm himself as one of the game's best relievers. And credit is also due to Matt Magill, who himself tossed five scoreless frames after a serious rough patch.

 

LOWLIGHTS

 

While Garver continues to be an offensive force, his catching counterpart Jason Castro has seen his early-season success dwindle. Last week he managed three singles in 12 at-bats, and for the month of June he slashed just .191/.240/.277 with one homer and one double. He saw his OPS plummet by 150 points as a result.

 

Now, Castro's current mark (.782) remains plenty respectable for a catcher, but his regression has dashed the notion of two elite offensive players sharing time behind the plate for Minnesota.

 

C.J. Cron's All-Star campaign at first base fell short, and meanwhile, his lengthy hot streak faded into a major cooldown. After putting up a .963 OPS with eight home runs in May, Cron followed with stellar production through the first three weeks of June. But last week, while starting every game, he went just 5-for-28 with seven strikeouts, zero walks, and zero extra-base hits.

 

Also finding himself in a bit of a drought is Jonathan Schoop, who went 4-for-24 with eight strikeouts on the week.

 

A few downspells here and there are to be expected. The Twins offense in general has come back to Earth in recent weeks, but remains a powerhouse to be reckoned with. As long as they continue to have multiple guys clicking simultaneously, as they have at all times, Minnesota's going to be okay in the run-scoring department.

 

Blake Parker seems to have his swing-and-miss stuff back, which is a plus – after inducing just six whiffs through his first eight June appearances (4% SwStr), Parker has since induced 10 in his past four appearances (14% SwStr). Last week he tallied four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of work, but it still wasn't pretty as he yielded five hits, including his fifth home run of the month. Two years ago, when at his best, Parker allowed only seven home runs total.

 

TRENDING STORYLINE

 

We're still waiting to see how the Twins will address their needy bullpen through high-impact acquisitions (a task that will be harder than many wish to believe), but for now it's about closely tracking how the team's lower-scale additions and internal options are progressing.

 

Torres coughed up a two-run homer in his debut for the Red Wings on Thursday. Cody Allen debuted at Single-A for the Miracle on Saturday, tossing a clean scoreless inning with a strikeout, but he reportedly topped out at 91 MPH. (Two years ago, when he was last an outstanding MLB reliever, Allen averaged 94.3 on his fastball.) Fernando Romero and Trevor Hildenberger are both on IL at Rochester.

 

His may not have the same name recognition as those above, nor is he on the 40-man roster as of yet, but Cody Stashak is really emerging as a name to watch. After he posted a 40-to-5 K/BB ratio in Pensacola over the first two months, Minnesota looked past his 4.76 ERA and promoted the 25-year-old righty to Triple-A and he has responded by decimating the highest level of minor-league competition. After striking out six in 2 2/3 innings last week, he now has a 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and 2.25 ERA through 12 innings with Rochester. I suspect we'll get a look at him in the bigs before the summer's over.

 

DOWN ON THE FARM

 

Acquired from the Yankees during the offseason, Torreyes spent much of the first half away from the team for reasons that weren't made public. He was activated from the restricted list last week and after a brief stint at Fort Myers, returned to Rochester with a bang on Friday, launching two home runs against Pawtucket. Torreyes followed with a three-hit game on Saturday and delivered a two-run single in his AB on Sunday. He adds another piece of credible depth to Minnesota's infield picture, albeit one made less critical by the play of Adrianza and Arraez.

 

LOOKING AHEAD

 

Hate those late-night West Coast games that linger past midnight on weekdays? Then I've got good news for you: the Twins will be playing their last such set in Oakland during the first half of this week. You might find it easier to stay up and watch the second game on Wednesday, with a holiday and afternoon contest coming on Thursday. Afterwards, the Twins finish out the unofficial first half with three home tilts against Texas.

 

TUESDAY, 7/2: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – RHP Jake Odorizzi v. RHP Daniel Mengden

WEDNESDAY, 7/3: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – RHP Kyle Gibson v. RHP Tanner Anderson

THURSDAY, 7/4: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – LHP Martin Perez v. RHP Mike Fiers

FRIDAY, 7/5: RANGERS @ TWINS – RHP Jesse Chavez v. RHP Jose Berrios

SATURDAY, 7/6: RANGERS @ TWINS – LHP Mike Minor v. RHP Michael Pineda

SUNDAY, 7/7: RANGERS @ TWINS – RHP Ariel Jurado v. RHP Jake Odorizzi

 

Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps

• Game 78 | MIN 9, TB 4: Twins Shell Blake Snell
• Game 79 | MIN 6, TB 4: Cruz Bails Out Another Bunting Blunder
• Game 80 | TB 5, MIN 2: Twins Can’t Complete Sweep in 18-Inning Duel
• Game 81 | CHW 6, MIN 4: Sanó Homers Twice, Twins Fall Short in Chicago
• Game 82 | MIN 10, CHW 3: Twins Hit 5 Homers, Kepler Reaches New Career High
• Game 83 | CHW 4, MIN 3: Twins Lose Rubber Match to White Sox After Another Long Day of Baseball

 

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[Brock Beauchamp]

If the Twins continue to post 3-3 "down weeks", sign me up.

[Channing1964]

i just wanna say i think Rocco should tell Tito Francona that no more Twins will be joining the Cleveland festivities. Buck, Eddie, Max, Taylor, and Berrios(cant forget Nellie and C.J.) could all use the rest and recovery time. Its unbelievable to me that with the record we have, The White Sox and Rangers have more All Stars than we do. The fact that Lindor made the team ahead of Boegaerts is a joke. Did that fool even suit up before May 1st?

[Doctor Wu]

 

i just wanna say i think Rocco should tell Tito Francona that no more Twins will be joining the Cleveland festivities. Buck, Eddie, Max, Taylor, and Berrios(cant forget Nellie and C.J.) could all use the rest and recovery time. Its unbelievable to me that with the record we have, The White Sox and Rangers have more All Stars than we do. The fact that Lindor made the team ahead of Boegaerts is a joke. Did that fool even suit up before May 1st?

Yeah, the Twins should have had, or maybe they still will, another player or two in the All-Star Game, but I also agree with your "give them a rest" idea. Most of the starters seem either tired or banged up at this juncture and few extra days rest might not be such a bad idea.

[SomeGuy]

Polanco and Garver have joined Cron in that OPS funk.

 

Last 30 days

Cron 9th on Team in that span with .769 (.833 Season)

Garver 10th with .724 (.972 season)

Polanco 11th with .719 (.899 season)

[JW24]

It doesn't really matter, but it was Yoan Moncada that homered off Thorpe, not Jimenez. Moncada is having himself a really nice season, and he put a really nice swing on a tough pitch from Thorpe. Moncada will be a guy who gives Twins pitching issues for a long time I think.

 

I really like the way Rocco has set up the Twins rotation for the 6 games prior to the All-Star break. Getting Odorizzi 2 starts and Berrios and Pineda getting to pitch at Target Field should have the Twins heading into the break on a high note.

 

With Odorizzi pitching the Sunday before the All-Star break, I would be shocked if he gets into the game on Tuesday. I am sure he is ok with how that is playing out, but it is always fun to see Twins actually playing in the game itself. I was beyond pumped when Dozier hit his homer off Melancon back in 2015. Hopefully Polanco has a great game.

[In My La Z boy]

Great review Nick! Its fun again to be a Twins fan. Bad week and we went 3-3 and still have an 8 game lead - and only 6 more games to the break. Then we get a chance to face off with the Tribe right away. Big series, & will set the tone for the 2nd half.

[Trov]

Worst part about the week, is that we easily could have been 6-0 on the week.  The long 18 inning game we had many chances but kept hitting into DP.  The first game in CHI we had big chance to get lead and another DP.  Final game in CHI more late scoring chances that could not capitalize on.  Earlier in the year we were getting all those clutch hits, seems to be equaling out a little bit now.

I think the break is coming at a good time, and even though, I think a team with the best record should have more all-stars than a team with sub .500 record, it shows the balance the team has had.  So many guys have been good, but not a ton have been great.  Give these guys some rest, bring in a new bullpen arm or two and get ready for the second half.  

[terrydactyls]

With only a handful of games before the All Star game, it will be mid-July before you know it. The trade deadline looks just beyond that. Things should be very interesting for a while....

[Monkeypaws]

 

The White Sox ... have more All Stars than we do. 

 

It does suggest that the Sox will likely make the AL Central a three horse race as early as next year. Moncada and Giolito are indeed having themselves a really nice season.

 

A hot 2nd half and they could even challenge for the WC this year.

[SomeGuy]

 

It does suggest that the Sox will likely make the AL Central a three horse race as early as next year. Moncada and Giolito are indeed having themselves a really nice season.

 

A hot 2nd half and they could even challenge for the WC this year.

They have been seeing that inconsistency with prospects that we went through.  Giolito,Tim Anderson, and Moncado take giant steps forward this year while Reynaldo Lopez takes a huge step back. Eloy Jimenez and Ryan Cordell are still trying to figure it out.

 

Carlos Rodon takes a big step back before needing TJ surgery, Michael Kopech and 4 other top 30 prospects are also out for season and might have hurt their development. 

 

They should be a really good team but its kind of like the recent Twins seasons where you are wondering what they actually have in these players. I'm not as high on their rebuild as I was the last couple seasons but they could still have a great team soon. A lot of top prospects are turning into question marks.

[yarnivek1972]

They have been seeing that inconsistency with prospects that we went through. Giolito,Tim Anderson, and Moncado take giant steps forward this year while Reynaldo Lopez takes a huge step back. Eloy Jimenez and Ryan Cordell are still trying to figure it out.

 

Carlos Rodon takes a big step back before needing TJ surgery, Michael Kopech and 4 other top 30 prospects are also out for season and might have hurt their development.

 

They should be a really good team but its kind of like the recent Twins seasons where you are wondering what they actually have in these players. I'm not as high on their rebuild as I was the last couple seasons but they could still have a great team soon. A lot of top prospects are turning into question marks.

Which also sounds a lot like the Twins just last year. Sano, Buxton, Kepler, even Berrios at times.

[Tomj14]

 

 A lot of top prospects are turning into question marks.

Isn't that the definition of a prospect?

[SomeGuy]

 

Which also sounds a lot like the Twins just last year. Sano, Buxton, Kepler, even Berrios at times.

Exactly, will they all figure out like ours did? Does Reynaldo Lopez rebound and Giolito continue this progress? etc.  We will see.

 

Maybe the key prospects like Eloy Jimenez and Kopech/Cease go into a will they-won't they scenario for 3-4 years like Buxton did.

 

 

[DocBauer]

If the Twins continue to post 3-3 "down weeks", sign me up.

 

This! A "lousy", .500 week with an 18 inning game, jet lag, road trip, guys banged up, guys just coming off the IL, with legitimate chances to win every lost game...yeah...give me this week as the bottom of our barrell.

[bighat]

 

It does suggest that the Sox will likely make the AL Central a three horse race as early as next year. Moncada and Giolito are indeed having themselves a really nice season.

 

A hot 2nd half and they could even challenge for the WC this year.

 

The White Sox GM has all but confirmed the Sox aren't going to make any additions at the deadline. They're almost done with their rebuild and aren't going to tear anything down. Look for the A's and Rangers to go hard at the WC though - two teams the Twins face very soon.