Front Page: Twins Game Recap (8/1): Dyson Implodes In Twins Debut

[twinsnorth49]

 

Sam Dyson is a grown ass man who I'm sure is very capable of jumping on a plane and pitching the same day... My God. It's just a bad game. It wasn't a managerial failure, they didn't put him in an impossible circumstance.

I don't think anyone said impossible but parachuting a guy in who didn't even know where his locker was before he was handed the ball, is less than normal circumstances. I concede it's classic hindsight, second guessing, but it just seemed a bit unnecessarily forced. 

[bluechipper]

 

How about a fine every time a pitcher walks the lead-off batter. Say $500. That may help stop these stupid lead-off walks. 

And when that leadoff batter is also hitting .180, doubling the fine to $1000 seems fair.

[twinbythebay]

 

For the love of God stop taking starting pitchers out when they're cruising along and they have 80-85 pitches thrown. Pineda. 80 pitches thrown and was cruising...taken out after the 6th. Berrios last night. 81 pitches thrown and was strong through 7...taken out and the guy in the pen gives up a grand slam. Stop babying these guys. 

 

These are National League games. In both instances, they were taken out because their spot in the lineup came up and they were pinch hit for. I think every other manager in the league would make the same decision. I'm also willing to bet that Rocco would've left both of them in if it was an American League game.

[Blake]

 

Sam Dyson is a grown ass man who I'm sure is very capable of jumping on a plane and pitching the same day... My God. It's just a bad game. It wasn't a managerial failure, they didn't put him in an impossible circumstance.

Worth repeating.

[Mr. Brooks]

I don't think anyone said impossible but parachuting a guy in who didn't even know where his locker was before he was handed the ball, is less than normal circumstances. I concede it's classic hindsight, second guessing, but it just seemed a bit unnecessarily forced.

I'm guessing Rocco doesn't have much faith in anyone except Rogers (rightfully so), and didn't want to watch his bullpen blow a game while his brand new good reliever is just sitting there watching it happen.

 

Of course, because baseball is weird, his brand new good reliever melted down instead.

[bluechipper]

Has anyone looked up the Twins offensive stats in extra innings this year? They've got to be ugly.

[Mr. Brooks]

Has anyone looked up the Twins offensive stats in extra innings this year? They've got to be ugly.

Yeah it seemed like they mailed it in after they assumed the game was already over, which is concerning to me if true.

[akmanak]

https://twitter.com/Brandon_Warne/status/1157028741241069568?s=19

 

Sam Dyson is a grown ass man who I'm sure is very capable of jumping on a plane and pitching the same day... My God. It's just a bad game. It wasn't a managerial failure, they didn't put him in an impossible circumstance.

I disagree. I wont explain again because I posted before. If Rocco was so worried about Rodgers he would of never brought him in to bail Dyson out. One more note, if they wanted to use him to just use him than have him pitch in the 7th or 8th which is why he was brought over.

[akmanak]

These are National League games. In both instances, they were taken out because their spot in the lineup came up and they were pinch hit for. I think every other manager in the league would make the same decision. I'm also willing to bet that Rocco would've left both of them in if it was an American League game.

He has pulled pitchers quite often with mid 80s pitch counts. I would be curious what the actual stat is.

[Mr. Brooks]

I disagree. I wont explain again because I posted before. If Rocco was so worried about Rodgers he would of never brought him in to bail Dyson out. One more note, if they wanted to use him to just use him than have him pitch in the 7th or 8th which is why he was brought over.

They didn't want to use him "just to use him". This is exactly how they wanted to use him. This situation is EXACTLY why they acquired him.

 

Rocco brought in Rogers because, once again, he was left little choice. And it almost worked. Nobody else on our roster extends the game to extras. If the bats hadn't mailed it in after the 9th (or if Polanco isn't afraid to get his uniform dirty), we probably win this game despite the Dyson meltdown.

 

Baldelli was really hoping he wouldn't need Rogers today. And he shouldn't have needed him. A 3 run lead in the 9th against a hilariously feeble offense should be a stone cold lock.

 

I can't believe people are ripping Baldelli. I feel bad for him. He has one reliever he can trust. All the bullpen moves that look weird or bad on first glance, are directly rooted in that basic premise.

 

Where I will agree that he's wide open to criticism is that he's being a bit contradictory when he pulls his starters at 80 pitches.

 

Resting them for the long haul is a great luxury in theory, but a luxury we don't have right now.

You can't trust any lead, at any point, to any opponent with this bullpen right now.

 

They have to really hope that they get May figured out, or that someone like Graterol can come up and be a phenom out of the pen, or something. Because I don't know how long this high wire act can be sustained. Certainly (IMO) not through the playoffs.

[bighat]

Worst Twins debut ever? Certainly in the conversation.

 

No second-guessing here, Dyson just didn't do his job. End of story. KC is next, Twins should be playing for a sweep. Wonder when CJ Cron is going to get back. The offense is HR or bust and has looked underwhelming in recent weeks.

 

Miguel Sano has certainly returned to form. He's hitting the ball as well as he ever has in his MLB career right now.

[akmanak]

They didn't want to use him "just to use him". This is exactly how they wanted to use him. This situation is EXACTLY why they acquired him.

 

Rocco brought in Rogers because, once again, he was left little choice. And it almost worked. Nobody else on our roster extends the game to extras. If the bats hadn't mailed it in after the 9th (or if Polanco isn't afraid to get his uniform dirty), we probably win this game despite the Dyson meltdown.

 

Baldelli was really hoping he wouldn't need Rogers today. And he shouldn't have needed him. A 3 run lead in the 9th against a hilariously feeble offense should be a stone cold lock.

 

I can't believe people are ripping Baldelli. I feel bad for him. He has one reliever he can trust. All the bullpen moves that look weird or bad on first glance, are directly rooted in that basic premise.

 

Where I will agree that he's wide open to criticism is that he's being a bit contradictory when he pulls his starters at 80 pitches.

 

Resting them for the long haul is a great luxury in theory, but a luxury we don't have right now.

You can't trust any lead, at any point, to any opponent with this bullpen right now.

 

They have to really hope that they get May figured out, or that someone like Graterol can come up and be a phenom out of the pen, or something. Because I don't know how long this high wire act can be sustained. Certainly (IMO) not through the playoffs.

Good post. I disagree with bringing him in the 9th but a good post.

[jz7233]

 

Worst Twins debut ever? Certainly in the conversation.

 

No second-guessing here, Dyson just didn't do his job. End of story. KC is next, Twins should be playing for a sweep. Wonder when CJ Cron is going to get back. The offense is HR or bust and has looked underwhelming in recent weeks.

 

Miguel Sano has certainly returned to form. He's hitting the ball as well as he ever has in his MLB career right now.

Sano is hitting the ball well except when the bases are loaded. Just like the rest of the lineup.

[Bandit34]

 

Worst Twins debut ever? Certainly in the conversation.

 

No second-guessing here, Dyson just didn't do his job. End of story. KC is next, Twins should be playing for a sweep. Wonder when CJ Cron is going to get back. The offense is HR or bust and has looked underwhelming in recent weeks.

 

Miguel Sano has certainly returned to form. He's hitting the ball as well as he ever has in his MLB career right now.

I see the Royals playing us really tough in a place that we struggle in: Target Field. Seems like we play a lot better on the road for some reason. After this loss, I see the Royals taking 2 out of 3 against us, especially with Perez pitching the first game. 

[the_brute_squad]

Not a playoff caliber performance. If this lineup can't crack the Miami pen I'm not too confident they'll do much against the Astros.

Dyson gets a pass due to the circumstances.

[ashbury]

Has anyone looked up the Twins offensive stats in extra innings this year? They've got to be ugly.

I hadn't, but it's a good question, and unfortunately there's an illuminating answer available at baseball-reference.com

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/split.cgi?t=b&lg=MLB&year=2019#all_innng

 

MLB-wide, extra inning OPS isn't too out of line with other innings. (The 9th is markedly low, and there are probably good reasons for that, going beyond the word "closer".)

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/split.cgi?t=b&team=MIN&year=2019#all_innng

 

Our 2019 Twins have an extra inning OPS of .602, going into today's game. The ninth inning isn't aces either, at .683. I needn't tell you, this is lower than any other inning.

 

It's small sample size territory (106 PA in extras), but not comforting. We go from above average offense to below average, after eight. Time for some soul searching for our batters, and probably the batting coach as well.

[rkevin]

Am I the only one that notices how often this Twins team loses the last game of a series? I checked: its been 18 times this season. That just somehow has to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

 

 

[Mr. Brooks]

I hadn't, but it's a good question, and unfortunately there's an illuminating answer available at baseball-reference.com

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/split.cgi?t=b&lg=MLB&year=2019#all_innng

 

MLB-wide, extra inning OPS isn't too out of line with other innings. (The 9th is markedly low, and there are probably good reasons for that, going beyond the word "closer".)

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/split.cgi?t=b&team=MIN&year=2019#all_innng

 

Our 2019 Twins have an extra inning OPS of .602, going into today's game. The ninth inning isn't aces either, at .683.

 

It's small sample size territory (106 PA in extras), but not comforting. We go from above average offense to below average, after eight. Time for some soul searching for our batters, and probably the batting coach as well.

That, combined with their bases loaded struggles, makes me worry that they don't handle pressure well.

I really hope that's not the case, and it's just SSS noise, because we're going to need this offense to shine in the playoffs.

[shimrod]

Sam Dyson is a grown ass man who I'm sure is very capable of jumping on a plane and pitching the same day...

 

It's my understanding our players prepare for the games by studying their opponents...tendencies, weaknesses, strengths... and pro ball requires more work than just showing up and throwing. 

 

Unless Dyson spent his plane ride watching video and studying Miami batters, he wasn't prepared and shouldn't have been playing. 

 

Or maybe all that talk about analytics and film study is BS and the players actually spend their pre-game playing cards and getting pedicures. In that case, grown-ass man just had a bad day. 

[ashbury]

That, combined with their bases loaded struggles, makes me worry that they don't handle pressure well.

I really hope that's not the case, and it's just SSS noise, because we're going to need this offense to shine in the playoffs.

Handling pressure well can come from multiple directions. I resist the easy interpretation that they are mentally weak, or whatever - with few exceptions, that kind of player gets weeded out well before they reach this stage, or at least coping mechanisms are taught.

 

But I am concerned that the pitching strategy in the 9th or later is simply different from earlier in the game, and if our guys are going to the plate with the same strategy as in the earlier innings, they could be setting themselves up for failure.

 

Which is why I named the batting coach, above, as needing to do some reflection. It's his job to find answers. WHY are the numbers like they are, is what he needs to get to the bottom of.

 

It's SSS. It could be a fluke. But, like I said, worrisome.

[ashbury]

Unless Dyson spent his plane ride watching video and studying Miami batters, he wasn't prepared and shouldn't have been playing.

He's a National Leaguer - he pitched against the Marlins as recently as late May. Plus I'm sure there was a conversation with him before he took the mound. Plus he has a catcher to share the decision making with, in the moment. He's a veteran, and isn't asking the bullpen coach, "what do you call that wiggly pitch, again?"

 

He's got to make his pitches. That's all. And when he doesn't: Get'em tomorrow.

[strumdatjaguar]

Small sample size with on appearance after flying cross-country.  Sam Dyson will do just fine.

[strumdatjaguar]

And they won the series.  Now win the KC series.  All is Good!

[PDX Twin]

 

Sam Dyson is a grown ass man who I'm sure is very capable of jumping on a plane and pitching the same day... 

 

He's an ass-man? Is that like a centaur? At least he's a grown one!

[PDX Twin]

 

He has pulled pitchers quite often with mid 80s pitch counts. I would be curious what the actual stat is.

 

And we've had essentially zero trips to the IL for our starters. Only a couple of one-start vacations, one of which was a blister. 

 

I wonder if there is any causality here.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Not to harp on this, but if there was any chance we want Dyson to pitch in the Thursday noon game, why didn't we fly him in on Wednesday night? Trade was finalized at 4 PM, Dyson was already on a road trip in Philadelphia. The Giants game went past 10 PM, surely they could have gotten him into Miami by that time?

 

Otherwise, if it's customary to give a guy the evening off on the day of a trade or something, why fly him down to Miami on Thursday morning, just to fly him back to Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Small sample size with on appearance after flying cross-country. Sam Dyson will do just fine.

Not sure if most would describe Philadelphia to Miami as "cross country" but I guess it sort of does go across most of the country, vertically.

[ashbury]

Not sure if most would describe Philadelphia to Miami as "cross country" but I guess it sort of does go across most of the country, vertically.

A large percentage of the US population lives in a small band along the I-95 corridor - although a goodly portion of that is north of Philly - still in terms of human beings his flight crossed a lot of the nation.

[wabene]

Tough one,. Easy and fair to criticize Baldelli for bringing in Dyson in the 9th when he just got to the team and also for pitching Rogers 3 nights in a row. Should not have brought Dyson in today, and should not have pitched Rogers last night, but hindsight is always 20/20. Also easy to excuse Baldelli because of the lack of other options out there. I can understand him not trusting May at all and not trusting Harper in a save situation. There isn't really anyone else.  Remember when we thought Hildenberger was going to ba a late inning option? 

 

Bottom line is that the Bullpen is still at least one guy short UNLESS either May or Harper can emerge as a reliable late inning option. Maybe Zack Littel is an (the) answer?

 

I think the move is to send Stashack down, bring up Littel, and keep Thorpe around as the long man. Pitch May, Harper and Littel in late inning situations against easier teams and see if one emerges. We have to have one of them or someone else come through and we can only have that happen if they get opportunities.

And the Duffmaster

[AlwaysinModeration]

PANiC!!1!