Game Recap: Twins 3, Orioles 2

[Nate Palmer]

Berríos proved matchless on Memorial Day in an extra-inning win while the offense continued to misfire until late. 

Box Score
Starter: José Berríos 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (5)
Top 3 WPA: Rogers (.383), Berríos (.332), Robles (.199)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

It was a nail-biter and likely produced hyper-ventilating and heart palpitations for those watching, but the Twins pulled out an extra-inning win on a day America remembers those who have fallen so we can enjoy the freedoms we do. 

Twins take advantage of Baltimore miscues in 2nd

The Twins took advantage of some defensive miscues by the Orioles to push across their first run in the 3rd inning. Kyle Garlick led off the inning with a single and then stole 2nd base to put himself in scoring position with no one out. 

On an infield hit to the pitcher by Andrelton Simmons, the Orioles failed to cover third base to help hold Garlick and doubled down by also allowing Simmons to reach first safely. Garlick would then score on a Polanco grounder that resulted in a fielder's choice and a missed double play by the Orioles. 

The Twins, unfortunately, couldn’t capitalize any further from there as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make-up and complete the double play on the next play to end the inning. 

Berríos Tosses a Gem

Just as the Twins need to put together another win streak, Berríos assembled a great start in what seemed like an attempt to single-handedly propel the Twins to a win. Showing a great economy of pitches, Berrios threw 96 pitches over 8 innings. He even earned an opportunity to enter into the 9th inning before surrendering a leadoff bloop single and being removed for Taylor Rogers. 

Berríos walked zero batters which is exactly what any team wants from one of their top starters. His one real mistake was a solo home run that he gave up to Ryan Mountcastle in the 5th inning that allowed the Orioles to tie the game up 1-1 and make the stretch of the game a nail-biter for Twins fans. (For the sake of positivity we will try to ignore how Refsnyder was absolutely destroyed by the outfield fence on Mountcastle’s bomb). 

Extra Innings! 

The Twins finally shook their extra-inning losing streak last time in this situation. That seems to have taken and started a new trend. With Refsnyder starting on second, Garlick moved him over to third on a ground-out. Then with Simmons at the plate, Refsyder scored on a wild pitch.

 

From there the bats briefly seemed to wake up as Polanco added to the Twins lead with a solo home run to right field making it 3-1 Twins. Donaldson also added another threat with his second double of the afternoon, but the two runs were all the Twins could add. And they needed both of them. 

As Robles came in to close out the game and promptly gave up a double off the bat of DJ Stewart to bring the lead to one. With Stewart standing on third base for far too much of the 10th inning, Robles would seal the 3-2 victory for the Twins with a strikeout of Freddy Galvis.

The Twins hopefully are on their way to another win streak and extend their streak against Baltimore as they have now won the last 16 games against the birds. The team also ends May with a 13-16 record as the season continues to feel as it is getting late fast and this road trip looms as a very important one. 

Postgame Interview

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Robles	0	0	21	0	16	37
Farrell	0	17	0	16	0	33
Minaya	15	0	0	13	0	28
Rogers	0	0	21	0	6	27
Thielbar	0	0	0	22	0	22
Duffey	0	0	13	0	0	13
Alcala	0	0	10	0	0	10
Colomé	0	0	0	10	0	10

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[se7799]

I have to ask, are these articles produced by computer or some type of program?  They seem to be similar to my CBS fantasy football recaps.  ie..."as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make up and complete the double play"...I'm not complaining, but sounds like my auto generated fantasy football recaps.  No mention that said player went 3 for 4.  No emotion or opinion.

[strumdatjag]

Berrios added to his trade value.  

[AceWrigley]

50 minutes ago, se7799 said:

I have to ask, are these articles produced by computer or some type of program?  They seem to be similar to my CBS fantasy football recaps.  ie..."as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make up and complete the double play"...I'm not complaining, but sounds like my auto generated fantasy football recaps.  No mention that said player went 3 for 4.  No emotion or opinion.

The crappy-ass Twins bats somehow produced only 3 runs which were enough to beat the horrid Baltimore Orioles 3-2. ?

[rv78]

The offense contributed 3 runs produced on 1 HR, 1 ground ball fielders choice and 1 passed ball. They had 14 K's and 14 LOB. It was another banner day. Why haven't they given Sano his out-right release yet? Surely a 1B from class A or AA ball could hit .165.

[stringer bell]

The Orioles are a major league team. They have many players with major league talent. Obviously, they don't have enough major league talent. The pitchers the Twins faced had pretty good stuff, so I won't totally blame the Twins for their lack of offense. 

Berríos looked great against a questionable offense. The Twins won the type of game they've lost many times this year. 

[Nate Palmer]

1 hour ago, se7799 said:

I have to ask, are these articles produced by computer or some type of program?  They seem to be similar to my CBS fantasy football recaps.  ie..."as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make up and complete the double play"...I'm not complaining, but sounds like my auto generated fantasy football recaps.  No mention that said player went 3 for 4.  No emotion or opinion.

I guess add emotionless to the ways you can describe me. ?

[twinfan]

If the Twins trade Berrios (as someone alluded to) then I will no longer root for them. We'll be sellers but not destroyers of the team (I hope). The team made it interesting though they still aren't hitting. I would move Donaldson down to bat 3rd or 4th at this point since he is our best/only hitter and maybe drop Cruz to 5th. Put Sano on the bench except against lefties and keep Kiriloff at first. Since it is Memorial Day (thanks to those who serve and prayers for those no longer with us), I can now firmly say that the Twins are out of the Central Division race and are 20-1 to get to a wild card. Both wild card teams may come from the East (Tor, NY or Tampa) unless a Western team (Oak/Hou) sneaks in. The Twins may still get to second in the weak Central but not to the Wild Card.

[lukeduke1980]

33 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

The crappy-ass Twins bats somehow produced only 3 runs which were enough to beat the horrid Baltimore Orioles 3-2. ?

This could be a Haiku

[darwin22]

20 minutes ago, rv78 said:

The offense contributed 3 runs produced on 1 HR, 1 ground ball fielders choice and 1 passed ball. They had 14 K's and 14 LOB. It was another banner day. Why haven't they given Sano his out-right release yet? Surely a 1B from class A or AA ball could hit .165.

Good observation.  First game I've watched for nearly a month since as rain prevented me from going golfing.  Twins offense or lack thereof to put it more accurately, was so typical of what we've seen all season.  It was brutal.  Other than JD going 3-4, our 3-6 hole hitters---Kirilloff, Cruz, Garver and Sano-----combined to go 0-15.  As horrible as that is, they made it worse with 10 whiffs.....3 each by Cruz and Sano.  Easy to saw now, but the $13m we gave to re-sign Cruz could've been put to better use (BULLPEN ARMS) as Cruz had a horrendous month.  Hit .221 (19-86) with only 6 RBI, 3 HR to go with a sub .400 slug % and 23 K's.  Hopefully, he'll rebound soon as this squirt gun offense desperately needs him to produce.  As for Sano, imo, the only option I see at this point is the return of Kepler or Arraez off the IL.  This allows Rocco to play Kirilloff at 1B and sit Sano.  The only potential alternative at AAA is Rooker, who at last glance was hitting under ,220.  As for our 1st round 2020 draft pick, Aaron Sabato---he's actually worse than Sano right now.  Hitting a less than robust .138 for the year (11-80) with a "Sano-esque" 40 whiffs in his 80 ABs.  In a 4-47 (.085) slump over his last 13 games.  

[GNess]

The Twins have shown in the past week they can beat the Orioles in close games -even win in extra innings, which is something of sorts. (16 in a row overall vs Baltimore.)

However, with 109 games or so to play the Twins are 9 games below .500 and in a fairly deep hole division-wise.

The Twins only face the Orioles for two more games. 

All this math is against the Twins right now...

[Monticore]

Lucky to pull out a victory. Good for Berrios.

[SanoMustGo]

I think it might be time to start sharing DH duties.  Cruz doesn't look good at the plate,  and his power numbers are down.  He is not part of the Twins future, so let's give others more DH at bats.

[Aerodeliria]

I don't know why, but every time I look at the standings, the Twins are nine games underwater. They'll have to play .500 ball the rest of the way to maintain that ?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

2 hours ago, lukeduke1980 said:

This could be a Haiku

The crappy-ass Twins 

the Baltimore Orioles.

Twins were less horrid.

 

 

(how’d I do?)

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Yeah what's With Cruz?

[strumdatjag]

This team is not going to contend in 2022.   Sano is not going to be Big Papi 2.0, Kepler isn’t ever going to have a breakout season, Donaldson will be getting older and the new generation won’t be ready, and here is the important word, YET.   
Trade Buxton (once healthy and producing) and Berrios.  Plan for 2023 and beyond.  I know this is frustrating, but the Twins current roster is not as good as we thought it would be.  Accept reality and build for the future. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

2 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

This team is not going to contend in 2022.   Sano is not going to be Big Papi 2.0, Kepler isn’t ever going to have a breakout season, Donaldson will be getting older and the new generation won’t be ready, and here is the important word, YET.   
Trade Buxton (once healthy and producing) and Berrios.  Plan for 2023 and beyond.  I know this is frustrating, but the Twins current roster is not as good as we thought it would be.  Accept reality and build for the future. 

It’s a valid opinion that I do not happen to agree with, but do you really think the Twins could trade all that talent, and still replace/develop it in time to contend for something in 2023?

[bighat]

4 hours ago, se7799 said:

I have to ask, are these articles produced by computer or some type of program?  They seem to be similar to my CBS fantasy football recaps.  ie..."as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make up and complete the double play"...I'm not complaining, but sounds like my auto generated fantasy football recaps.  No mention that said player went 3 for 4.  No emotion or opinion.

Not everyone writing these wrap ups has worked for years at a major media outlet. Twins Daily is exactly the type of place where lots of talented young sportswriters are getting their start. 

Kudos to the author for getting the recap out 10 minutes after the game ended -- on a national holiday no less. 

It's not easy writing positive summaries for this team. I think he did a fine job.

[mikelink45]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The Orioles are a major league team. They have many players with major league talent. Obviously, they don't have enough major league talent. The pitchers the Twins faced had pretty good stuff, so I won't totally blame the Twins for their lack of offense. 

Berríos looked great against a questionable offense. The Twins won the type of game they've lost many times this year. 

I am sorry, but are you talking about a team that has just lost 14 in a row?  Yes they have players with major league talent - maybe 4 or 5.   This quote is from their camden yard blog site:

"That is a real 2021 Orioles punctuation mark on a loss. The catcher called up for his defense is the guy who can’t block the pitch. Was it Wynns’s fault? I would say not really. Wynns did everything he was supposed to, and then the ball caromed off of his chest protector in just about the only spot where it would ricochet several feet away towards the Orioles dugout. Bad luck explains a lot of why the O’s have lost 14 in a row."   https://www.camdenchat.com/2021/5/31/22462193/mlb-scores-orioles-twins-recap-losing-streak  

[SanoMustGo]

1. I don't know about trading away everyone(yet) but I do know this.  Do not bring back any of the free agents signed this year(Cruz, Happ, Colome, Robles, Shoemaker, Simmons).  Do not offer arbitration to Duffey or Theilbar.  Arbitrate Berrios, Buxton, Garver(as long as he continues to improve) and Rogers.  Offer Big Mike another 2 year contract.  We have the young guys(Kiriloff, Larnach, Gordon, Lewis, Alcala, Thorpe, Blalazovic, Duran, Jeffers, Colina, Ober). Maybe some others will rise quickly.  Then the guys under contract or those who should be back(Maeda, Polanco, Kepler, Donaldson, Dobnak, Austudillo, Arraez).  Those named above will most likely be the majority of the opening day roster.  They key will be how the FO fills the remaining slots.  They MUST do a better job in free agency.  Obviously any one of the above listed(not including the prospects) are subject to trade at any point. However, it has to be for high quality arms, period.

[mikelink45]

49 minutes ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

Yeah what's With Cruz?

He signed with high hopes and now he is just embarrassed.

[mikelink45]

Okay, we beat the Orioles - see another response where I quote the Camdenchat blog - now what.  Lucky us more Orioles, but when the pitcher is 1 - 6 with a 5.80 era how much should we celebrate?  

We did learn today that the best way to limit the BP meltdown is to just keep pitching - nice job Berrios. 

I just cannot get behind the trade Berrios train.  What are we without him - Baltimore's little brothers?  Berrios, Kiriloff, and Larnach are the hopes for the future.  

Tomorrow we face Bruce Zimmerman!  Get those bats ready - what bats? - I don't know.

[USAFChief]

3 hours ago, lukeduke1980 said:

This could be a Haiku

The crappy ass Twins

Somehow produced only three

Which were just enough. 

[roger]

With the game on ESPN, was the first Twins game I got to see all of this year.  Seeing the Baltimore ballpark brought back good memories.

Berrios was very, very good, albeit the Baltimore lineup isn't good.  Glad to see them scratch out a W, but with all the injuries our lineup wasn't much better.  

As for trading or not trading Berrios, I really want the Twins to work out an extension with him (and Buxton) prior to the end of July.  If he continues to say no and the offer is at or a bit above what would be considered a good offer, then they have no choice but to begin listening to trade offers.  Don't have to trade him in July, but if the offer is very good it would be in the best interest of the team.

Don't know how good this team could be if healthy, but doubt they have the overall pitching to be serious contenders.

[Major League Ready]

11 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

It’s a valid opinion that I do not happen to agree with, but do you really think the Twins could trade all that talent, and still replace/develop it in time to contend for something in 2023?

Maybe.  The current "core" never really delivered with the exception of 2019.  2023 could be very good if the pitching prospects pan out the way we hope.  Berrios was the only really solid pitcher we developed.  Therefore we relied on FA starting pitching and that's tough for a mid-market team to pull-off.  If part of the new core includes 4 home grown starters and 1 premium FA starting pitcher that would be a scenario where we could be a playoff team relatively soon.

For position players ... Kirilloff and Larnach look like they could cornerstones.  We just really need Lewis to meet expectations.  Areaz and Polanco are quality starters.  That would be a good core of position players especially of Miranda and/or Palacios continue to shine.

Now, add to that a couple of decent contributors acquired at the deadline this year and you have a good team by 2023.  That team is not going to peak in 2023 but the pieces are there to retool/rebuild in a short period of time,  

[se7799]

12 hours ago, bighat said:

Not everyone writing these wrap ups has worked for years at a major media outlet. Twins Daily is exactly the type of place where lots of talented young sportswriters are getting their start. 

Kudos to the author for getting the recap out 10 minutes after the game ended -- on a national holiday no less. 

It's not easy writing positive summaries for this team. I think he did a fine job.

I redact my question.  Thankyou, I wasn't complaining, but I also did not consider circumstances.  Thankyou TD for all the content.  I honestly really appreciate it!

[jmlease1]

17 hours ago, rv78 said:

The offense contributed 3 runs produced on 1 HR, 1 ground ball fielders choice and 1 passed ball. They had 14 K's and 14 LOB. It was another banner day. Why haven't they given Sano his out-right release yet? Surely a 1B from class A or AA ball could hit .165.

Because they'll still be on the hook for another $18M+ over this year and next (including the buy-out for 2023) and get absolutely nothing for it? Sano is playing poorly again at the plate, but it's not like he's blocking anyone from getting ABs they need with all the other injuries. You have to try to get what you can out of him. hells bells, even going badly he still takes some walks.

[Nate Palmer]

2 hours ago, se7799 said:

I redact my question.  Thankyou, I wasn't complaining, but I also did not consider circumstances.  Thankyou TD for all the content.  I honestly really appreciate it!

Sorta took it as a compliment since you took my writing to be at robot competency!  

Also very much appreciate you reading! 

[joefish]

15 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

Yeah what's With Cruz?

Some say his hand might be his problem.