Front Page: Twins ALDS Game 2 Recap: Nothing Works, Twins Lose 12th Straight To Yankees

[Thiéres Rabelo]

Absolutely nothing worked out for the Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS in the Bronx and Minnesota got crushed by the Yankees, 8-2. The offense was completely dominated, while starting pitcher Randy Dobnak couldn’t pitch past the third inning. The Twins get closer to a negative postseason milestone.Box Score

Dobnak: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 53.4% strikes (23 of 43 pitches)

Bullpen: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 6 K

 

Home Runs: None

Multi-Hit Games: Garver (2-for-4, RBI), Arráez (2-for-4, RBI)

 

Bottom 3 WPA: Duffey -.165, Dobnak -.141, Rosario -.077

 

Download attachment: WinChart1005.png

With yet another loss to the Yankees in the postseason, Minnesota has now been defeated in its last 15 postseason games. The last time the Twins won in the playoffs was exactly fifteen years ago, Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS against the Yankees. If they can’t win Game 3 at Target Field Monday, they will match the worst playoff win drought in professional sports, now held by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Between 1975 and 1979, they lost sixteen consecutive playoff games.

 

Dobnak done after two innings

I can’t even begin to understand what was going through Dobnak’s mind when he took over the mound at Yankee Stadium this afternoon. I don’t think you can get a more nerve-wrecking situation than starting a postseason game less than a year after signing you first $2,000-dollar minor league contract.

 

Judging by his first inning, you can tell how nervous he might have been. Yankees hitters cornered him early. DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge, the top two men in the Yankee lineup, both reached safely to begin the game. Edwin Encarnación would later hit a one-out RBI single to left. Immediately afterwards, Dobnak induced an inning-ending ground ball double play against Giancarlo Stanton, finishing a 22-pitch effort from him in the bottom of the first.

 

Dobnak actually had a rather smooth second inning, which he concluded with only 12 pitches, nine being strikes. Then his command started to elude him during the third inning and he loaded the bases before recording an out. Rocco Baldelli decided to pull the plug on him after only nine pitches in the inning.

 

Bullpen can’t put out the fire

Tyler Duffey took over in relief and he couldn’t get the job done. Two runs scored right away on a sac-fly by Stanton, followed by an RBI-single by Gleyber Torres. Duffey then hit Gary Sánchez after getting ahead on the count, 0-2, reloading the bases. After getting ahead 0-2 against Didi Gregorius, he gave up a grand slam. It was Gregorius' third career grand slam against Minnesota.

 

Duffey was lifted from the game after getting two outs and was replaced by Devin Smeltzer. The rookie was also ambushed, giving up a couple of hits while allowing his inherited runner to score. That made for a seven-run inning for New York.

 

Bats get completely dominated

After hitting three home runs on seven hits on Friday night, the Twins couldn’t find the power in Game 2. Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka held the Minnesota lineup to one hit in the first four innings he pitched. It was only after staying out during the long bottom of the third that he started to give Twins batters a chance.

 

After Jorge Polanco flied out to start the fourth inning, Nelson Cruz drew a walk and was later scored after back-to-back singles, coming off the bats of Eddie Rosario and Mitch Garver. Tanaka and the Yankee bullpen went on to retire sixteen of the seventeen batters that stepped up to the box after Garver’s RBI.

 

They managed to manufacture another run late in the ninth, when the same Garver hit a two-out single and was scored by a Luís Arráez RBI double.

 

Postgame With Baldelli

 

Pitching Staff Spreadsheet

Here's a look at the pitching staff usage:

Download attachment: PitchingStaff1005.png

 

Click here to view the article

[operation mindcrime]

At least we have the homerun record!

[Monticore]

Maybe they can snatch one Monday.

[VivaBomboRivera!]

My 1987 Homer Hanky sits neatly folded on the coffee table.

 

The Yankees pitching staff was better briefed and coached for Twins batters.  Rowson and Hernandez have not been prepared with an answer, and they need to find one.  They should have been hard at work after yesterday's weak 4-run performance.  Whatever they came up with overnight was not apparent.  Safe bet that a lot of "rewind," "play" and "slow" buttons will be worn out between now and Monday night.

 

Enough has been said about Twins pitching.  Hopefully anyone who has been spouting the idea that the value of postseason pitching is overrated has been fully disabused of that notion based upon what has been happening in Yankee Stadium and at other ballparks.

 

The Twins front office and dugout management are demonstrating that they are not ready to play post season baseball.  This is humiliating.  The talent and desire are there - blame for this poor performance lies chiefly with the leadership.

[3balls2strikes]

I'm done. I'm just soooo over this train wreck of a franchise. Life has too much to offer to waste anymore time or concern on this nonsense. They suck when they're bad and they suck when they're good. No more. Goodbye Twins. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

In hindsight, I don’t know what they were thinking with Dobnak. I don’t blame Dobnak. I like Dobnak a lot as a good person and am happy for him. I just assumed the team had a plan with his start tonight. They didn’t. Dobnak wasn’t good enough, and when he got into trouble in the third, they shrugged their shoulders and pulled him from the game as if he was just a guy making a spot start in June.

[Crackedfungo]

Three of the Twins best pitchers (which isn't saying much), have not pitched yet and we are down 0-2 with a must-win game or season is over.  These would be; Odo, Rogers, and May.  It doesn't matter the circumstances (see Scherzer and Nats), with limited pitching you simply must find a way to leverage your best.  It has NOTHING to do with convention.  That only matters if you have a bullet-proof and complete staff.  I am at a loss......I also would have pitched Graterol again over Stashak and Littel, but that's just me.

[notoriousgod71]

Here are some notable Game 2 and 3 starters the Twins have run out in postseason games: Mays, Silva, Bonser, Duensing (Game 1!!!!), and Dobnak.

 

That simply isn't going to get it done.

 

[Mike Sixel]

In hindsight, I don’t know what they were thinking with Dobnak. I don’t blame Dobnak. I like Dobnak a lot as a good person and am happy for him. I just assumed the team had a plan with his start tonight. They didn’t. Dobnak wasn’t good enough, and when he got into trouble in the third, they shrugged their shoulders and pulled him from the game as if he was just a guy making a spot start in June.

Well. Pineda, Gibson, and Perez were not options. And this front office passed on Corbin and Keuchel. You'll love next year's starters!

[Badsmerf]

Did you have a better idea than Dobnak?

 

Before the baseball forum was so crowded, I have repeatedly said you can't win in the postseason without an Ace. I was hopeful the twins could put together a few wins against the Yankees, but wasn't expecting a series win. The starting pitching needs to be better, at least getting deep into games, in order to win playoff baseball.

 

Luckily, I think this experience will be helpful for this core going forward. I still hope they can win Monday at home... Heck, I still hope they pull out the series win. I'm just a realist that knows baseball is hard.

[ChrisKnutson]

Hopefully these losses send a clear message to the FO that they need to provide Rocco with better pitching next season.

[Badsmerf]

Hopefully these losses send a clear message to the FO that they need to provide Rocco with better pitching next season.

It hasn't sent the message the last 4 times the twins have been swept, I doubt this will be any different.

[Hyvuss]

Going into the series Rocco made sure everyone knew that this team didn't care about the history between these two clubs. And while he's right regarding the coaches and players, he omitted one big part of the equation, the fans. This series means A LOT to us fans of the team. The past 20 years have been brutal when Minnesota meets New York in both the regular season and playoffs.

 

Personally, I don't know if I can handle another sweep to the Yankees.

[Rosterman]

We can second-guess trade deadline moves.

 

We miss Pineda.

 

What is with all the bases on ball.

 

Come home and DOMINATE!

[Brandon]

Well at least this disaster will be over soon. The Yanks are coming to sweep and we are going to let them .....then off to the off-season.

[lunemann]

It hasn't sent the message the last 4 times the twins have been swept, I doubt this will be any different.

 

Completely different front office and coaching staff than the last four times?

[jrod23]

This is confirmed.  Yankee Stadium smells like the armpit of the older brother who never let you win.

[MNT1996]

 

Completely different front office and coaching staff than the last four times?

 

And this team and coaching staff is different than the last four times, but same result.

[lukeduke1980]

Good enough to win the Central. Probably the same next year.

[howeda7]

This was foretold when the front office punted on getting help for the rotation. Maybe they were right, I'm not sure it would have mattered. We could have run Mike Minor or Stroman out there tonight and lost 4-2 instead of 8-2. But at least we'd have given ourselves a chance. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by howeda7

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Did you have a better idea than Dobnak?

 

Against a tough Toronto lineup, Cleveland started Ryan Merritt in game five of the 2016 ALCS. Four plus shutout innings. Cleveland is where Falvey came from. I thought he or someone in the Twins front office might have an idea or something up their sleeve for this one.

 

With Dobnak, I assumed the Twins had a plan. How to pitch to the Yankees with the stuff Dobnak has. “Once through the order” or something, then someone else. The process they used during the season of following one pitcher with another type of pitcher. Or that Dobnak had the best chance out of their six-plus other guys like Smeltzer, Perez, Graterol, Thorpe, whoever.

[jimbo92107]

Okay, let's start talking about 2020. Dobnak, Littell, Duffey and the boys should burn this drubbing into their memories. Don't forget the bitterness, the embarrassment, the humiliation, etc. Instead, use those awful feelings to bolster your resolve to become far tougher next year. It is time to murder, dismember and bury all the emotional vulnerabilities you brought to this humiliating mismatch. Time to get tougher than rawhide. Time to chew nails and spit out carpet tacks. 

 

I don't care if next year's team sets a record for home runs. What I don't want to see is a Twins squad that can't field their positions. I don't want to see Twins pitchers throwing meatballs down the middle, or issuing free passes to hitters. I also don't want to see enemy hitters leaning out over the plate without getting a 95 mph reminder why you don't do that to Twins pitchers. 

 

Enough Minnesota Nice. Time for the baseball world to find out what Minnesota Mean looks like. 

[Mr. Brooks]

Well. Pineda, Gibson, and Perez were not options. And this front office passed on Corbin and Keuchel. You'll love next year's starters!

Isn't Odorizzi still on this team?

Starting a guy who was driving an Uber last year, in a must win game in Yankee Stadium was preposterous.

Once again, saving players for situations that may never arise. I don't get it. Odorizzi doesn't even get a start until the series is, for all intents and purposes, over.

[Mr. Brooks]

Against a tough Toronto lineup, Cleveland started Ryan Merritt in game five of the 2016 ALCS. Four plus shutout innings. Cleveland is where Falvey came from. I thought he or someone in the Twins front office might have an idea or something up their sleeve for this one.

 

With Dobnak, I assumed the Twins had a plan. How to pitch to the Yankees with the stuff Dobnak has. “Once through the order” or something, then someone else. The process they used during the season of following one pitcher with another type of pitcher. Or that Dobnak had the best chance out of their six-plus other guys like Smeltzer, Perez, Graterol, Thorpe, whoever.

What kind of plan were you expecting? You can't put lipstick on a pig.

I'm happy for Dobnak, great story for him and his family, but depending on him in a must win game is a joke.

There is no possible plan for a pitcher incapable of getting outs.

[Mr. Brooks]

I expected the pitching to be an issue.

I never expected the offense to b score a measly 5 runs in 18 innings in a band box.

I don't care if it's different players. They know the history, and they once again are helpless at the sight of pinstripes. This lineup has had mostly putrid at bats through 2 games.

[D.C Twins]

Dear FO,

 

This playoff outcome was foretold to you by many when you chose to cling to your precious prospects instead of trading for pitching.

 

We now tell you that history will repeat next year unless you change your ways.

 

Love,

Espousers of the Obvious

[USAFChief]

Embarrassing.

[one_eyed_jack]

These 2 losses have been painful, much more so than years past. 

 

At least last decade, you expected it.  The Yankees top-to-bottom simply had much better teams - especially in terms of starting pitching and offensive depth.  Still, the Twins were competitive in most games, and were often in position to win until foiled by a bad bounce, a bad call or a bad pitch.

 

But there isn't that same talent disparity this time around.  

 

To watch this Twins lineup flail against utterly hittable Yankee pitching is maddening.  14K's?   Blech.

 

Let's see what happens on Monday, Severino is another hittable pitcher. 

 

But as good as this team has been, if Monday's game is a repeat of today's, the fans will be well within their rights to boo the hometown team off the field.

 

 

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Baldelli says Dobnak threw the ball pretty well.

That's just insulting. I've been a fan of Baldelli all year, but I don't think he has any idea what he's doing in the postseason.

He's lost me. I don't think I've ever done such an abrupt 180 about how I feel about a coach or manager as I have about Baldelli.

[mikelink45]

Is this BACK TO THE FUTURE?  This story has been written - over and over and over again.  Berrios is the only chance we have and he gets four innings.  The best relievers might not see the series from the mount.  I think we see how Duffey really ranks.

 

Didn't we have a TD article telling how our pen is better than there pen?  

 

This is tough to take.  Bring on the Central division again - please.  But not the Yankees.  

 

It is tough to come up with positives.  Arraez got two hits.  Okay that is the end of the positives.  

This really hurts and it will stay with us next year no matter how many bombas we hit.  I just hope Odorizzi gives us a great game, that Berrios comes back and Rocco sits on his hands and lets him pitch and then we get to game five and magic happens.