Game Score: White Sox 9, Twins 5

[Jamie Cameron]

The Twins lost 9-5 to the White Sox on Tuesday. Despite a solid offensive performance, the bullpen blew the lead late to fall 18 games behind the AL Central leaders.

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Ober 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Homeruns: Kepler (11), Donaldson (15), Polanco (13)

Bottom 3 WPA: Alcala -.363, Robles -.315, Ober -.195

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Small problems often become big problems. This tenet quickly embodied the Twins latest waxing at the hands of the White Sox. Amid a hot streak, Tim Anderson led off the top of the first inning. He had a scorching line drive beautifully picked by Jorge Polanco, only for Miguel Sanó to fail to get in position quickly enough. Polanco’s throw bounced off the heel of Sanó’s glove. Three hits later, the Twins were down 2-0. Bailey Ober recovered to escape further damage.

Tonight marked Ober’s fourth start against the White Sox in just his ninth MLB start. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end of the pool. Ober’s last outing against Chicago, on July 5th, was the best of his young career. He shoved, pitching five innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven. Tonight was more of a struggle. While Ober’s stuff was good, his early command lacked.

In the top of the second inning, Max Kepler hit a long home run to right field off Dallas Keuchel to trim the lead to 2-1. 

Yoán Moncada launched a two-run home run to center field to extend the lead to 4-1 in the third inning, following a Jos Abreu triple. Worse still, Luis Arraez appeared to injure himself on the Abreu hit and was removed from the game in the fourth inning. Arraez’s injury is less a comment on an injury-riddled season and more on a team that has never been able to establish consistency in 2021. One player gets healthy, and another gets hurts. The team put together a strong series, and they follow it up by laying an egg. The sheer inevitability of this team stringing their woes and hardships together is as impressive as it is depressing. 

The Twins gained ground in the top of the fourth inning. Miguel Sanó hit a ground-rule double to lead off. Gilberto Celestino walked, and Andrelton Simmons singled to cut the lead to 4-2 with no outs. The Twins, as has so often been the case in 2021, could not capitalize, making three straight outs to end the inning. Ober completed a scoreless bottom of the fifth for the Twins. In each start, he has shown enough to keep Twins fans coming back. Tonight, he faced the White Sox for the fourth time in his nine career MLB starts. After a shaky start, he kept the Twins in the game. In the last month, he has pitched with more stuff, poise, and effectiveness than J.A. Happ or Matt Shoemaker did throughout the season for the Twins. The future is bright for Bailey Ober.

The Twins cut the lead to one run in the top of the sixth inning. Josh Donaldson turned impressively on a fastball inside from 18th Century dispatch rider Michael Kopech, depositing it into the left-field seats for his 15th home run of the season. 

Caleb Thielbar relieved Ober in the sixth inning and promptly loaded the bases. Alexander Colomé made a strong fielding play on a weak infield dribbler to get Seby Zavala out at first base to end the threat.

The Twins failed to cash in either of their two baserunners in the seventh inning, despite making Kopech work considerably throughout his outing. Alexander Colomé returned for the seventh inning. He quickly induced two ground balls, one of which was bobbled by Polanco, increasing the stress of the inning. Colomé escaped with a scoreless appearance, building on his 3.00 ERA in his previous six outings.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Twins delivered the breakthrough their grind deserved. After a Josh Donaldson single, Jorge Polanco ripped a 95 mph fastball from Ryan Burr into the right-field seats for his 13th home run of the season, giving the Twins a 5-4 lead. 

Jorge Alcala entered for the Twins in the bottom of the eighth inning. He threw ten strikes in his first 22 pitches to put runners on first and second. Andrew Vaughn immediately singled to score Adam Engel, which tied the game at 5-5. Alcala left with one out in the bottom of the eighth, men on first and second, having already surrendered the tying run. Hansel Robles relieved Alcala and struck out Tim Anderson. Billy Hamilton then singled to give the White Sox a 6-5 lead. As is so often the case with the 2021 Twins, a least one phase of the team capitulated to catapult the team to a loss. After giving up the go-ahead single, Robles gave up a three-run home run to Jos Abreu, giving the Sox a 9-5 lead. The 2021 Minnesota Twins are a house of cards that falls almost every night; Tuesday was no exception. Liam Hendriks pitched the ninth for Chicago, putting the Twins 18 games back of the sure 2021 AL Central champions.

Bullpen Usage Chart

	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	TOT
Alcala	0	0	0	23	24	47
Robles	0	18	0	19	7	44
Rogers	0	21	0	19	0	40
Colomé	0	0	0	0	26	26
Thielbar	0	0	0	0	17	17
Duffey	0	0	0	16	0	16
Minaya	0	0	13	0	0	13
Coulombe	0	0	0	0	5	5

Next Up

The Twins send Michael Pineda to the mound on Wednesday to face Dylan Cease. First pitch is at 7:10 CT.

 

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[darwin22]

With apathy as my constant companion in this continued train wreck of a season nothing to really say, except for I hope (which is a dangerous thing) 2022 is better.

[ashbury]

22 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

With apathy as my constant companion in this continued train wreck of a season nothing to really say, except for I hope (which is a dangerous thing) 2022 is better.

This game just brought us a new way to drain our resolve.  Abandon hope all ye who watch the 2021 Twins.

[denarded]

28 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

With apathy as my constant companion in this continued train wreck of a season nothing to really say, except for I hope (which is a dangerous thing) 2022 is better.

Amen, brother

[tony&rodney]

I found myself hoping Larnach would ground into a DP in the top of the 5th inning to score Celestino, but he struck out and Celestino never scored. The pitching is bad as is hitting with RISP. Ober looks to be a fair enough # 5 SP. He throws strikes. I'm wondering how top teams view the talent on the Twins roster. This season hasn't made much sense.  

 

 

 

He 

[Unwinder]

It makes me really happy to see Ober continue to be decent, especially after Jax yesterday, and especially with Balazovic on an ungodly tear. These pitching prospects are really giving me something to look forward to (or at least fantasize about).

[Aerodeliria]

The Twins entire season condensed into one game.

[bighat]

6 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I found myself hoping Larnach would ground into a DP in the top of the 5th inning to score Celestino, but he struck out and Celestino never scored.

Join the club. The year of the juiced ball in 2019 really screwed the Twins, as the front office decided to push all in on the "HR or nothing" philosophy. But then MLB changed the balls, and now look where we are.  Of course, having the worst bullpen in baseball also has something to do with it!

Another game snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Saw Polanco's HR in the 8th and was like "heeyyy, look at that swagger" but the Twins bullpen quickly lit the dumpster back on fire.

 

[Whitey333]

Great comments all.  This is the 2021 Twins.  They are a train wreck with little guidance from the FO. I wasn't surprised they lost. I expect them find a way to lose.

[AceWrigley]

Falvey and Levine's job for the next week and a half:

[chinmusic]

8 hours ago, Aerodeliria said:

The Twins entire season condensed into one game.

Yeah, seems to me there have been a number of these. 

The coffin is hermetically sealed, yet they continue to hammer in nails.

That said, hope for the future.

[Ryan Atkins]

12 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I found myself hoping Larnach would ground into a DP in the top of the 5th inning to score Celestino, but he struck out and Celestino never scored.

I had the exact same thought as I was watching that AB. The Twins have played so poorly, and so consistently poorly, in 2021 that its fan base actively hopes for GIDPs because they know it is the best possible outcome from a 1st & 3rd with no outs situation.

RE: Larnach
I think Jim Kaat nailed it on the head last week when he explained that Trevor's swing was too long. He needs to tighten that up or the strikeouts will continue. He was making a comparison with Kirilloff whom he characterized as the better hitter--at least right now.