Front Page: Twins Game Recap (9/1): Twins Strike Early, Beat Detroit in Brusdar Graterol's MLB Debut

[Cooper Carlson]

Last night the Twins hit six home runs and lost. Today the Twins hit zero home runs and won. Obviously the Twins have to stop hitting home runs so they can win the division. Big Mike carried the Twins once again in a game where the offense came through with eight runs. Also today: The rise of Graterol.Box Score

Pineda: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 74% strikes (62 of 84 pitches)

Bullpen: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

 

Home Runs: None

Multi-Hit Games: Cruz (3-for-5), Arraez (2-for-5), Cave (2-for-5), Polanco (2-for-5),

 

Top 3 WPA: Pineda (0.15), Cave (0.11), Arraez (0.08)

 

Twins offense uses the Gardenhire Twins approach with slap-hitting small ball.

 

The Twins offense jumped out early today, scoring five runs in the second inning. The inning went ground out, walk, double, single, hit-by-pitch, single, line out, single, single, strikeout. Everyone had fun except Rosario because he produced two of the outs. Every hit that inning went to the opposite field, so you can be sure Tim Laudner approves of the Twins getting back to playing good baseball again.

 

The Twins would not score again until the fifth inning and that run was produced by La Tortuga himself. I think everyone was happy to see Willians Astudillo back with the Twins for the playoff run.

 

The final two runs came in the eight inning on RBI singles from Cruz and Rosario. Cruz has been on an absolute tear, hitting well above .500 with men on base over the last two weeks.

 

Michael Pineda continues to be the king of consistency

 

Over the last two months, Michael Pineda has been the only Twins starter with an ERA under four. He was also the only Twins starter with an ERA under three. 2.87 since June 29 to be exact. Today he continued that dominance with a quality start of six innings with only two earned runs. He also tied his season high total of nine strikeouts today.

 

As the season winds down and he is the only reliable starter of late, where does he rank for a Twins playoff rotation? He has definitely looked like a clear number one lately.

 

Brusdar Graterol finishes off the game for the Twins

 

The Twins top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol came in for the ninth inning for today's game. Like most rookie pitchers, he struggled a bit but Wes Johnson made the greatest mound visit of all time to induce a game-ending ground ball double play. The Twins won with their best pitching prospect closing it out.

 

He hit 100 MPH a few times but hung around 99 for the most part. He has now thrown the third hardest pitch in Twins history, trailing only Juan Morillo and Trevor May.

 

Hey Parker, use one word to describe Brusdar Graterol today.

Thanks.

 

 

Twins move back up to 5.5 games over the Indians

 

The Twins are finally back over five games in the division lead. Cleveland was swept by the Rays and here we are. With reinforcements here for the Twins, watch out because this is one of the best teams in baseball. If Graterol also continues to do what he did today then October is going to be even more exciting.

 

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

[rdehring]

La Tortuga has returned, all is good in Twins Territory!

 

We learned this morning what Kyle Gibson has been dealing with much of this year.  Explains a lot about his performance to date.  Hopefully, he can get healthy and take his spot in the playoff rotation.

 

Loved that first pitch at 100 mph from Graterol.  But then pitch after pitch at 98 or 99.  Could he be the final block in a dynamic bullpen?

[John Kelsey]

5.5 feels good, man. 

 

[mickeymental]

[Monticore]

La Tortuga is the soul of this team. Important to have him back. Pineda really is the #1 reliable now. His season is a credit to the hard work he put in.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Pineda really is the #1 reliable now. His season is a credit to the hard work he put in.

Don't overlook Odorizzi. Since he spectacularly imploded against the Yankees, in six games he is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA and good peripherals.

 

I'm not knocking Pineda, he's been great, but Odorizzi has quietly been very good again since that implosion.

[VATwinsFan]

La Tortuga has returned, all is good in Twins Territory!

 

We learned this morning what Kyle Gibson has been dealing with much of this year.  Explains a lot about his performance to date.  Hopefully, he can get healthy and take his spot in the playoff rotation.

 

Loved that first pitch at 100 mph from Graterol.  But then pitch after pitch at 98 or 99.  Could he be the final block in a dynamic bullpen?

 

The MLB.com story on Gibson said he's lost 10 pounds over the last month or so. Given that and how weak he said he felt on Friday, getting through 5 innings for him was a major case of sucking it up for the team.

[AZTwin]

Graterol throws 100 effortlessly, wow. That seems to be sustainable. He’s going to be fun to watch

[Han Joelo]

Watching on Gameday, and listening, was Radsurb Loretarg really "struggling?"  He seemed like he was hitting his spots with speed (obviously) and precision.  Seemed like a couple of lucky hits to me, and the visit from Johnson was probably to say "keep doing what you're doing."  Which worked wonderfully.

 

Just my interpretation though.  And I think that his name backwards is almost as cool as it is forwards.

[ScooterDance]

Yeah I thought Brusdar looked really good. Regularly located his fastball in the outer third and when he missed he seemed to miss outside.

 

His slider was left middle-up quite a bit. Doesn’t look like a nasty / wipeout slider.

 

But ohemgee that’s the easiest 100mph I can recall seeing. He looks like he’s playing catch.

[bighat]

Fun to watch Gaterol today! And great to see the Twins put up a 5-spot and have a pitcher in there who can protect the lead and get the job done.

 

Big Mike Pineda, as has been said by just about everyone, is rising to the top of the rotation. Last seven starts, 5-0 with a 3.48 ERA. The Twins are in the home stretch and he is delivering.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

The MLB.com story on Gibson said he's lost 10 pounds over the last month or so. Given that and how weak he said he felt on Friday, getting through 5 innings for him was a major case of sucking it up for the team.

Yeah, I've been pretty hard on Kyle recently and feel like a giant ******* now that I know what's going on with him.

 

Frankly, it's amazing he has been a league-average pitcher this season considering what has happened to him.

 

Kudos to you, Kyle. Get well and I hope to see the best version of you in October.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Last seven starts, 5-0 with a 3.48 ERA. The Twins are in the home stretch and he is delivering.

And Odorizzi. Last six starts, 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA. This rotation might not be awful in the postseason, especially if Gibson and Berrios can get some rest.

[jimbo92107]

100 mph  was nice, but Grat's most impressive pitch was his 98 mph 2-seamer that started outside, then broke in on the outer edge to a rightie. Over his career, that pitch will get him countless standing strikes. Batter has just enough time to recognize what looks like an outside pitch, then almost no time to get off a late emergency swing. That leaves the outside edge open to a four seamer that does not cut back in, thus getting tons of whiffs. Now you have right handed batters leaning out over the plate against a guy that throws 100 miles per hour. 

 

If Graterol learns to throw a cutter that breaks left, it will be truly unfair. Then he can play the same game with batters from both sides of the plate. If he adds a slider, change up or a curve, he'll be weighing his money instead of counting it. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

100 mph  was nice, but Grat's most impressive pitch was his 98 mph 2-seamer that started outside, then broke in on the outer edge to a rightie.

Honest question: what's the point of a 98mph two-seam? Traditionally, a two-seam drops but when thrown at 98mph, pitches don't drop.

[Tom Froemming]

ICYMI here's every single pitch of Graterol's outing today plus the usual analysis.

[Linus]

Honest question: what's the point of a 98mph two-seam? Traditionally, a two-seam drops but when thrown at 98mph, pitches don't drop.

Two seamers are going to move left to right. 4 seamers are pretty straight so the two seamer gives him a wrinkle

[Crackedfungo]

 

Honest question: what's the point of a 98mph two-seam? Traditionally, a two-seam drops but when thrown at 98mph, pitches don't drop.

Well, I saw more odd movement on his 98 and 99 mph hour fastballs in this SSS than I have seen with most hard throwers (particularly for a kid that just turned 21).  If it was just straight, MLB hitters might figure it out, but if he shows that tail action with that kind of speed, even if there is contact, it won't be squared up.  If he exhibits an effective slider and cranks his 4 seam up to 100+, he will be extremely hard to hit with that arsenal.  IT is some of the easiest looking 100 mph I can recall seeing too, and I did see Ryan, JR Richard, Randy Johnson, Zumaya, etc in their prime.

[jimbo92107]

 

Honest question: what's the point of a 98mph two-seam? Traditionally, a two-seam drops but when thrown at 98mph, pitches don't drop.

What I saw was a 100 mph four seamer that was dead straight, virtually no drop. In contrast, his 98 mph two-seamer bent down and to the right by about half a foot. That's plenty of difference to make a guy whiff if he thinks it's the straight heat. That will also put the two seamer right on the label of the bat. Many broken bats to follow... ;-)

[jimbo92107]

 

ICYMI here's every single pitch of Graterol's outing today plus the usual analysis.

My god, did you see when Graterol bumped chests with Sano? Graterol is the same size! We're talking a real 265 pounds, and it looks like all muscle!

[stringer bell]

I didn't want to start another thread, so I'll post this on the game recap thread--are we certain that Odorizzi gets the ball tomorrow? If one of the callups (Thorpe or Smeltzer) is rested enough, wouldn't it make sense to give Odorizzi an extra day and have him start the Boston series? I really don't like the idea of a second-tier starter pitching to a desperate Boston team in Fenway.

[wabene]

Watching on Gameday, and listening, was Radsurb Loretarg really "struggling?"  He seemed like he was hitting his spots with speed (obviously) and precision.  Seemed like a couple of lucky hits to me, and the visit from Johnson was probably to say "keep doing what you're doing."  Which worked wonderfully.

 

Just my interpretation though.  And I think that his name backwards is almost as cool as it is forwards.

Yes Master

[Aerodeliria]

Yeah, I was also on the Gibson blame train...**GULP*** Don't bother stopping; I'll jump off now.

 

Let's hope they can figure out how to deal with his problem effectively. It sounds like it's tough to deal with when it is 'raging.' Some here mentioned he looked gaunt; now we know the reason. Beyond balls and strikes, I hope he simply recovers.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ulcerative-colitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353326

[AceWrigley]

Graterol on postgame interview: "My mentality in the bullpen... hey, throw hard, and strikes, and that's it. Win." No interpreter needed. Awesome. Good job kid.

[terrydactyls]

Yesterday was Sunday, September 1. It was the 136th game of the year putting the Twins 84% of the way through the season. The Twins hit 0 home runs keeping their record-breaking season total at 268 home runs.

[Monticore]

A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde

 

Astudillo really is something, a character out of Hans Christian Anderson or Grimm. There's a reason why he was embraced by the fans, broadcasters, writers, poets,and players. He has genuine mystique, an exceedingly rare trait.

[Monticore]

"He has no effect. He's a bit player".

 

A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde

 

Astudillo is like a character out of Hans Christian Anderson or Grimm. There's a reason why he delighted fans, broadcasters, writer's, poets and players. He has *mystique. He is magic.

[Only Here in Negative]

Astudillo is a fun guy. He’s just not the heart and soul of the team. He continually is made to seem more than he is and then doesn’t live up to it. That’s not his fault; that’s the fault of those who place their misbegotten hopes on him.

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Honest question: what's the point of a 98mph two-seam? Traditionally, a two-seam drops but when thrown at 98mph, pitches don't drop.

 

 

Some lateral movement from left to right and coming in hot for a pitch that moves

[the_brute_squad]

Since we've got Gibby on the shelf for at least one game why not give him some company with Berrios? We've got enough pitching help with the Sept. 1 call ups that it won't decimate our bullpen. His last game against Chicago, while considered a "quality start", was far from a good start. That kind of performance won't win any games against quality playoff teams or even above avg teams like the upcoming Red Sox.