Game Recap: Twins 6, Rangers 5

[ashbury]

A win's a win, they all count, beat the opponents you should beat, it moves us one step closer to a post-season slot, yadda yadda.

 

But this game doesn't move the needle on my opinion about the Twins' chances if they reach the post-season. There they won't face teams like the Rangers, who gave us run after run after run in the 6th inning on balls in play that were charitably counted as extra-base hits.

 

(The one unearned run in that game was ironically more like bad luck on a long throw, than outright ineptitude.)

 

This team doesn't look built to succeed against good opposition.

[ashbury]

That pitch Gallo hit was a 95mph fastball up and in about 6 inches off the plate. At that point don't you just to your cap?

Or wonder whether you tip your pitch?

 

[ashbury]

For those keeping score, Eddie Rosario is costing the Indians $8M this year.  He currently has a .603 OPS on a .267 OBP and .337 SLG, with a 68 wRC+.  He makes hard contact less than a third of the time, and is still swinging at 42% of pitches outside of the zone, all while being a negative defensively.  I think we made the right decision to go to Kiriloff/Arraez.

He's the best-hitting Rosario on that team!

 

[jmlease1]

Yeah, I'm on the "rogers made a good pitch" train. Not super worried about him.  The bigger issue in the bullpen is finding enough guys that can be counted on right now; not sure Waddell is a solution. 

 

Lot of walks in the bullpen right now, and a lot of guys looking very hittable. right now there's 3 relievers with the kind of WHIP that makes you comfortable seeing them come out of the bullpen: Rogers, Robles, and Alcala. Duffey is conceding too many BBs in relationship to his Ks. Stashak & Thielbar are getting the Ks, but the former is walking too many and the latter is giving up hits too easily. Colome is a complete mess right now.

 

But it's also still very small samples for all of these guys: we're talking results over 8-11 innings. It wouldn't take much for any or all of them to get on a roll.

 

Good to see Maeda get through it even while not sharp. I think he'll be fine, just needs to keep pitching through it. (Hopefully the warmer weather helps a little?)

[ashbury]

Yeah, I'm on the "rogers made a good pitch" train. Not super worried about him. 

Rogers is among the least of my worries as well.

 

That is not a comforting thought.

 

[Dantes929]

 

That pitch Gallo hit was a 95mph fastball up and in about 6 inches off the plate. At that point don't you just to your cap?

Wait.   Are you saying there is another team that has talented players that is on the other side trying to win also?    If Rogers had thrown an 89mph nothing fastball down the middle of the plate that was either missed or scorched out to Buxton for an out fans on here would be saying its nice Taylor did his job.   And I get it.  Results based analysis is reasonable but then they also get on Thielbar who did not give up a run.   

[PDX Twin]

 

Good news... No Colome!!!!  (so that's a start)....

 

I think, right now, I'd rather that Colome did not start. Seeing those two words in the same line was frightening!

[Dantes929]

 

Rogers is among the least of my worries as well.

 

That is not a comforting thought.
 

Yeah.  It would be nice to have May instead of Colome  right now.   On the other hand Graterol has a 20.25 ERA right now and is on the disabled list.   I look at Colome's stats the last three years and think it was a pretty solid get.   Sometimes good choices get bad results.    Just think about what a difference it would have made if he was solid rather than terrible so far.  If one person steps up it would make a big difference.   If two people upped their game we would go from feeling lousy about the pen to feeling pretty good about it.  

[dex8425]

 

Yeah.  It would be nice to have May instead of Colome  right now.   On the other hand Graterol has a 20.25 ERA right now and is on the disabled list.   I look at Colome's stats the last three years and think it was a pretty solid get.   Sometimes good choices get bad results.    Just think about what a difference it would have made if he was solid rather than terrible so far.  If one person steps up it would make a big difference.   If two people upped their game we would go from feeling lousy about the pen to feeling pretty good about it.  

May has been decent but he's also getting paid 8 million dollars. He's far from a sure thing too. I would've put my money on Duffey being better this year. But the season is still young. Colome's stuff looks good still, he's just not locating anything, or tipping his pitches, or something. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

In an interview after the game, Arraez said he had  worked with Kent Hrbek in spring training to perfect the left-handed push-off move. 

[RedBull34]

 

In an interview after the game, Arraez said he had  worked with Kent Hrbek in spring training to perfect the left-handed push-off move. 

SSSSHHHH!  Don't tell people that!!!

[Bickle19]

 

Rogers is awful. Still. And so is most the pen. Yeah, a win, but how many times will we have a 'closer' get a 3 run lead in the 9th and still make it a nail biter?

Kirilloff over Sano? Wouldn't make me sad at all. Until Kirilloff goes into a major slump at the plate, you ride that horse every game. I believe Sano is expendable...maybe Twins could get an arm to two for him?

 

Sano fans say its just about time for him to go on a tear. And that could be true, except throughout his career, the 'tears' don't last long. But thats why I'm not the GM. Only a fan! Right now though, the pen is the major headache. Nearly no one is doing the job, when it matters. 5-0 lead late and a final score of 6-5 just won't do, if this team is to compete.

Wow 10 1/13 innings, 12 SO, 1 BB, 2 ER and a 1.065 WHIP is TERRIBLE! Fire Rogers. 

[twinbythebay]

 

Rogers is awful. Still.

I guess it's fine to hold this opinion as long as you acknowledge that it's not supported by any of his statistics...

[SwainZag]

 

 

Rogers is awful. Still. And so is most the pen. Yeah, a win, but how many times will we have a 'closer' get a 3 run lead in the 9th and still make it a nail biter?

Kirilloff over Sano? Wouldn't make me sad at all. Until Kirilloff goes into a major slump at the plate, you ride that horse every game. I believe Sano is expendable...maybe Twins could get an arm to two for him?

 

Sano fans say its just about time for him to go on a tear. And that could be true, except throughout his career, the 'tears' don't last long. But thats why I'm not the GM. Only a fan! Right now though, the pen is the major headache. Nearly no one is doing the job, when it matters. 5-0 lead late and a final score of 6-5 just won't do, if this team is to compete.

 

How is Rogers awful?  He gave up a soft hit single that probably should have been an out and Gallo somehow muscled a 95 MPH fastball that was 6 inches inside and could have possibly hit him over the fence?  That was much more a wow piece of hitter rather than an awful pitch.  I have preferred a 3 run win over a 1 one run win, but they count the same in the standings.

[denarded]

Sano has no trade value right now. I don't understand how Twins Nation knows he is bad right now, yet think he has value. Hitting a couple of more HRs and striking out 30 more times is not going to help

[ashbury]

 

In an interview after the game, Arraez said he had worked with Kent Hrbek in spring training to perfect the left-handed push-off move. 

 

[Dantes929]

 

May has been decent but he's also getting paid 8 million dollars. He's far from a sure thing too. I would've put my money on Duffey being better this year. But the season is still young. Colome's stuff looks good still, he's just not locating anything, or tipping his pitches, or something. 

9.3 SO/9 supports your comment on stuff.  His 4.7 BB/9 supports your comment on locating.  If you don't have enough command to get the ball to the strike zone, your command in the strike zone probably isn't going to be all that great either which is why his WHIP is so high.   I remember Jesse Crain once saying he had no  idea where his pitches were going.   He was sent down for a little and when he came back he reeled off like 22 appearances without a run and I could see something like that happening if Colome figures it out.    Of course after 22 scoreless appearance, when he did give up a run we immediately saw the Crain wreck comments.  Fans have a long memory for poor performances and often seem to not notice the good ones at all. 

[cHawk]

 

FTFY
 

 

In that context we have four decent goalies and four bad ones.

[Trov]

My biggest thing from last nights game was the home plate ump was all over the place with balls and strikes.  I am surprised no one was tossed or more arguing.  Pitches he was calling 0-0 were different later in the count. That is frustrating for both hitters and pitchers. 

[h2oface]

 

Fangraphs has a write up on Maeda

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/kenta-maeda-has-made-a-lot-of-mistakes/

 

Thanks! Great article about Maeda's pitching.

 

[h2oface]

For parts of 3 years now - end of 2019, all of 2020, and start of this year - i have been reading from stat hounds that Rogers pitching is better than results. I long for when his results are great and his pitching is not so good.....

 

Right now his ERA and WHIP is not the complete story. The 5 inherited runners/5 inherited runners scored are part of that. It is one thing to come in with a 3 run lead and give up two and get the save. But coming in with runners on and shutting them down is what relief pitching is all about.

 

I would still rather have 3 Rogers and less of what else we throw out there late.