Front Page: Twins Game Recap (8/24): Sano 3-Run Bomba, Bullpen Boost Twins to Victory

[Tom Froemming]

The Twins trailed the Tigers 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning tonight at Target Field, but Miguel Sano smashed a go-ahead three-run homer to turn the game and the bullpen held on as Minnesota prevailed 8-5. Taylor Rogers was perfect over the final 1 2/3 innings to slam the door shut.Box Score

Gibson: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 62.1% strikes (59 of 95 pitches)

Bullpen: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

 

Home Runs: Kepler (35), Sano (26), Cave (5)

Multi-Hit Games: Kepler (3-for-5, 2B, HR), Cave (2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB)

 

Top 3 WPA: Sano .308, Cave .213, Kepler .177

 

All’s well that ends well, but the Twins were not having a very encouraging showing through the first handful of innings tonight. There was plenty of traffic on the bases for Detroit and the Twins made several mishaps in the field, though were only charged with one official error.

 

Right when worries of the Twins dropping a home series to the Tigers started to creep in, everything flipped. The Twins had a five-run fifth inning capped by a mammoth Sano bomba.

 

 

Kyle Gibson went only 5 1/3 innings, but luckily the bullpen was up to the task of holding on. Sam Dyson allowed an inherited runner to score, but he recorded the next five outs. Sergio Romo allowed the first two runners of the eighth inning to reach before picking up a huge strikeout.

 

At that point, Rocco Baldelli decided there would be no more messing around. He brought in a very well-rested Taylor Rogers to cover the final five outs. Rogers didn’t allow a baserunner, struck out three batters and threw 17 of his 23 pitches for strikes (73.9%).

 

Postgame With Baldelli

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Click here for a review of the number of pitches thrown by each member of the bullpen over the past five days.

 

Click here to view the article

[puckstopper1]

The 3 home runs the Twins hit now give them 251 for the season. That moves them into 7th place on the all-time list of most home runs by a team in a season. Next up are the 2016 Orioles who hit 253 (Jonathan Schoop had 25 that season).

[Brock Beauchamp]

The front office needs to get to September and find a way to start using bullpen games with Littell, Thorpe, Smeltzer, et al, and give the core four starters a break.

 

In a vacuum, I'd prefer not to see Berrios pitch for two weeks. Gibson, maybe 7-8 days.

 

These starters need a break. Find a way to make it happen. The organization is deep with fourth-fifth starters, use them extensively.

[puckstopper1]

Nice come-back win, but is anyone else worried that the Twins only have one reliable starter right now (Pineda)?

[Cglidds]

One reliable starter, but no reliable bats..let's face it...if we are to go far, it will be our bats getting it done. I see some 10-8 playoff games in our future.

[Cglidds]

I meant nine reliable bats...doh.

[pierre75275]

We won this game but I truly dont think there is anything to celebrate. We lost the series to the White sox and are in grave danger of losing a series to Detroit. If we cant find a way to beat these teams how is this team going to beat the other play off teams? This team has been playing flat for awhile now and if they dont figure out a way to go on a prolonged run of playing better play offs could very well be a moot point

[jimbo92107]

Starters, relievers, bats, and gloves. At one point or another this season, one of those areas has carried this team. I agree with Brock that they need to give the starters a break. Thorpe and Smeltzer need to come in and soak up some innings. Maybe Stewart, too. Berrios needs time off, and so do Gibby and maybe Perez. Big Mike looks like he could plow ahead forever, and Odo still looks solid. 

[Crackedfungo]

The Yankees are struggling too (as our the Indians and Rays).  The Yankees pitching is also an issue, as are injuries.  There is an ebb and flow to the season with peaks and valleys.  Few teams avoid them at various points in the season.  However, you want to be peaking at the end of September.  We have time if we keep our game gap over Cleveland.

[Monticore]

God bless Rogers. Kudos to Cave for turning his season around.

[Mike Sixel]

A healthy Sano is a great Sano. I hope he stays healthy for a long time!

[SwainZag]

 

We won this game but I truly dont think there is anything to celebrate. We lost the series to the White sox and are in grave danger of losing a series to Detroit. If we cant find a way to beat these teams how is this team going to beat the other play off teams? This team has been playing flat for awhile now and if they dont figure out a way to go on a prolonged run of playing better play offs could very well be a moot point

 

That's why when you are this far into a season you celebrate the victories and lament the losses.  If you can't celebrate today's victory because we are a worried about losses down the road, what can you really celebrate?  We moved 1 day closer to the postseason with a 2.5 game lead in the division.  Enjoy the win today and root them on for a series win tomorrow.

[USAFChief]

Cave has really stepped up recently. Ditto Sano.

 

The infield defense might be worse than the pitching.

 

But today goes in the W column. Much needed.

[DocBauer]

Pardon me, but how in hell do you not walk a single man and SO 8 and leave down in the 6th inning?

 

Don't misunderstand me, I'm a fan and believer in Gibson despite his inconsistent season. But what in the world is going on? We sweep 4 from a .500 team in intense heat in Texas and then come home to lose 2 of 3 from the Dirty Sox and lose the opener to arguably the worst team in MLB.

 

A win should always be celebrated. We are 78-51 and still one of the best teams overall in MLB. But lately, our best pitchers are Pineda, Perez, Duffy, May and the steady Rogers. Cave and Sano are our hottest hitters.

 

The good: Cave is just not as bad as he looked earlier this year and is starting to look like the guy we thought he might be. Sano is doing what he is more than capable of doing. Pineda doing what I always thought he might do, and Perez maybe finding himself again, May being what most of us thought he could be, Duffy continuing to prove he is a completely different pitcher than we saw the last 2 years.

 

The bad: Berrios, Odorizzi and Gibson are all 3 quality arms. But it just seems like all 3 of them need some kind of break. They just don't seem sharp right now.

 

I agree with Brock on rest. At some point, with the expanded roster coming up, designated starters or full days off, use some of the depth we seem to have developed and rest them for a re-set.

 

Not upset after a win, and watching a winning team having a great season...just...FRUSTRATED that such a good and talented and deep team can't seem to perform consistently lately.

[jz7233]

 

Pardon me, but how in hell do you not walk a single man and SO 8 and leave down in the 6th inning?

Don't misunderstand me, I'm a fan and believer in Gibson despite his inconsistent season. But what in the world is going on? We sweep 4 from a .500 team in intense heat in Texas and then come home to lose 2 of 3 from the Dirty Sox and lose the opener to arguably the worst team in MLB.

A win should always be celebrated. We are 78-51 and still one of the best teams overall in MLB. But lately, our best pitchers are Pineda, Perez, Duffy, May and the steady Rogers. Cave and Sano are our hottest hitters.

The good: Cave is just not as bad as he looked earlier this year and is starting to look like the guy we thought he might be. Sano is doing what he is more than capable of doing. Pineda doing what I always thought he might do, and Perez maybe finding himself again, May being what most of us thought he could be, Duffy continuing to prove he is a completely different pitcher than we saw the last 2 years.

The bad: Berrios, Odorizzi and Gibson are all 3 quality arms. But it just seems like all 3 of them need some kind of break. They just don't seem sharp right now.

I agree with Brock on rest. At some point, with the expanded roster coming up, designated starters or full days off, use some of the depth we seem to have developed and rest them for a re-set.

Not upset after a win, and watching a winning team having a great season...just...FRUSTRATED that such a good and talented and deep team can't seem to perform consistently lately.

Perez is not one of our best pitchers. Odorizzi has been doing fine though.

[Platoon]

You can play well sometimes and lose You can play poorly sometimes and win. The problem the Twins have is that they are generally playing poorly most of the time. It seems it's either the Bombas or nothing. The pitching is not good, but it's not easy to pitch well when there are so many questionable plays behind you. I say questionable because you can't use the word errors in MLB, as none are generally allocated. Last night had to be about the worst display of IF play, catcher included, that I have seen in MLB in quite awhile. If I watched a high school game with IF defense like that I would have been disappointed.

[Old Twins Cap]

Twins are not playing well at home. Period.

 

Been like that since May.

 

In general, they appear to lack energy, enthusiasm and passion for the game.

 

Have fun guys! We in first.

 

Snap the tags down when you get a runner coming in. C'mon now.

[terrydactyls]

Yesterday was Saturday, August 24.  It was the 129th game of the year putting the Twins 80% of the way through the season.  The Twins hit 3 home runs upping their record-breaking season total to 251 home runs.  They are now only 17 home runs short of setting a new single-season MLB record.

[mikelink45]

I remember the great Oriole Teams and Earl Weaver stressing three things - "Pitching, defense and the three-run homer."   Right now we have one of those three.  We cannot go through the rest of the season relying on 3 - 4 relief pitchers per game. that would be 134 appearances late in the season with arms already stressed.  I know we will have the September call ups, but actually we have been using them all season too. 

 

"Nobody likes to hear it, because it's dull, but the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same: Pitching,” Weaver told the Los Angeles Times.

 

Asked to comment on his legacy, Weaver reflected, “On my tombstone, just write: ‘the sorest loser that ever lived.’”

[Darius]

Sano doesn’t get near enough credit for what he’s doing this year, IMO. You almost never hear about him, and he’s been mashing.

 

He has the second highest hard hit rate in the MLB (thus, the highest on the team - and ahead of Cruz in second by 3%). He average home run goes 14 ft farther than Aaron Judge and average overall batted ball distance is 24 ft farther than Judge. His average exit velocity is slightly lower than Judge, but if you look closer it’s because Judge has the edge in hard hit ground balls. Miguel has better velocity numbers on fly balls and line drives, which is clearly preferable. He has two full point in barrel per batter ball rate than Judge (21.5 to 19.5%).

 

There are plenty of arguments to be made for Sano being the best pure power hitter in the game right now. When you take a step back and realize he’s only 25 years old right now (two years younger than Judge), it’s pretty darn impressive.

 

The fact that most people had already written this guy off makes the story even better. We’re seeing one of the best hitters in Twins history play right now and many don’t even realize it (were actually seeing 2 or 3 with Cruz and Kepler).

Edited August 25, 2019 by Darius

[VivaBomboRivera!]

 

A healthy, disciplined Sano is a great Sano...

 

Fixed yer post.

 

;-)

[VATwinsFan]

Our home town heroes are guaranteed to win the division by going 31-2 for the rest of the season. With Buxton apparently coming back on Tuesday, that should be doable, right?

[wabene]

Sano doesn’t get near enough credit for what he’s doing this year, IMO. You almost never hear about him, and he’s been mashing.

He has the second highest hard hit rate in the MLB (thus, the highest on the team - and ahead of Cruz in second by 3%). He average home run goes 14 ft farther than Aaron Judge and average overall batted ball distance is 24 ft farther than Judge. His average exit velocity is slightly lower than Judge, but if you look closer it’s because Judge has the edge in hard hit ground balls. Miguel has better velocity numbers on fly balls and line drives, which is clearly preferable. He has two full point in barrel per batter ball rate than Judge (21.5 to 19.5%).

There are plenty of arguments to be made for Sano being the best pure power hitter in the game right now. When you take a step back and realize he’s only 25 years old right now (two years younger than Judge), it’s pretty darn impressive.

The fact that most people had already written this guy off makes the story even better. We’re seeing one of the best hitters in Twins history play right now and many don’t even realize it (were actually seeing 2 or 3 with Cruz and Kepler).

Nice post. This is why I keep coming back, somebody has a thought and takes the time to look up some stats and put together a post that gives us all a deeper appreciation for the game. It's not just this post but others even in this short thread. Between this site and and an unnamed podcast following the Twins as the only ball fan in my house has been enriched.

[Dantes929]

 

Nice come-back win, but is anyone else worried that the Twins only have one reliable starter right now (Pineada)?

Odorizzi has a 2.82 ERA in August.   Sometimes you have to look beyond the numbers.    Odo's last start he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) and those runs resulted from bleeders and happenstance.    Berrios just gave up runs and those were a result of really hard hit balls and luckily avoiding other big innings.   Right now my confidence level is Odorizzi, Pineda, Gibson, Perez and Berrios.      That ranking won't be changed  by me in the next 5 days but probably will in the next 10.  At different times I have read here that Pineda, Sano, Cave, May and Duffey were AAAA or should be DFA'd and that Berrios was our only reliable starter.     Stay tuned.   Next 10 days will have a different story.    One of the story lines is Buxton.    How do you sit Cave when he has been this hot?    How do you sit Rosario or Kepler?    .  Do you lengthen Buxton's rehab assignment if they all continue to play well? 

[USAFChief]

Odorizzi has a 2.82 ERA in August. Sometimes you have to look beyond the numbers. Odo's last start he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) and those runs resulted from bleeders and happenstance. Berrios just gave up runs and those were a result of really hard hit balls and luckily avoiding other big innings. Right now my confidence level is Odorizzi, Pineda, Gibson, Perez and Berrios. That ranking won't be changed by me in the next 5 days but probably will in the next 10. At different times I have read here that Pineda, Sano, Cave, May and Duffey were AAAA or should be DFA'd and that Berrios was our only reliable starter. Stay tuned. Next 10 days will have a different story. One of the story lines is Buxton. How do you sit Cave when he has been this hot? How do you sit Rosario or Kepler? . Do you lengthen Buxton's rehab assignment if they all continue to play well?

you can keep both Cave and Kepler in the lineup by playing Kepler at 1st.

 

Although as you note, keeping Cave in the lineup probably isnt a long term goal.

 

And for me, all of that comes second to getting a healthy Buxton back into CF. I dont lengthen Buxtons IL stint for anyone.

[Dantes929]

 

Our home town heroes are guaranteed to win the division by going 31-2 for the rest of the season. With Buxton apparently coming back on Tuesday, that should be doable, right?

Tuesday for rehab Tuesday, not to the Twins so if we assume a 10 game rehab I think 21-2 from that point is what you would be looking at which I think would be enough and more realistic.

[Tom Froemming]

Some more thoughts on the pitching performance and how things line up for today's game:

[USAFChief]

Tuesday for rehab Tuesday, not to the Twins so if we assume a 10 game rehab I think 21-2 from that point is what you would be looking at which I think would be enough and more realistic.

The story at MLB.com suggests Buxton could be back as soon as Tuesday in Chicago, barring any setback.

 

I strongly doubt anything like 10 days.

[SwainZag]

 

you can keep both Cave and Kepler in the lineup by playing Kepler at 1st.

Although as you note, keeping Cave in the lineup probably isnt a long term goal.

And for me, all of that comes second to getting a healthy Buxton back into CF. I dont lengthen Buxtons IL stint for anyone.

 

Kepler has played 4 innings of 1B in his career, I know he can play there, but thinking he is going to probably isn't going to happen in the stretch run when you have Cron, Sano, Adrianza and Marwin who have all played there this season.  

 

Unless Rosario is up and running full speed and moving in the OF like he should, keep running Cave out there IMO.

[Squirrel]

 

The story at MLB.com suggests Buxton could be back as soon as Tuesday in Chicago, barring any setback.

I strongly doubt anything like 10 days.

Yep, and further, last night's minor league report said Buxton was starting rehab today in Cedar Rapids.