3 Takeaways from Friday's Win Over the White Sox

[Nick Nelson]

Well that was something, wasn't it? 

In reflecting on a series opener that was – well, I guess everything we should have expected – here are three things that stick with me. 

1: Baldelli showed confidence in Duffey, and it paid off.

Confirmation bias runs rampant in sports fandom, and it's one reason that every coach, manager, and official reliably receives an undue share of criticism. In recognizing this, it's only fair to give Rocco Baldelli his due.

I wrote earlier this week, following Tyler Duffey's second costly meltdown of this young season, that Baldelli should act quickly in reducing the veteran's bullpen role. This was less a reaction to Duffey's two bad outings this year and more with an eye toward his overall regression since 2020. He just seems to have lost a ton.

Alas, Baldelli turned back to Duffey in a big spot on Friday night. With the Twins down 1-0 in the eighth inning and the top of Chicago's order due up, Duffey took the ball and mowed 'em down. He struck out Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia before inducing a groundout from José Abreu. 

Threat neutralized. And along with it, the angry mob. For now. 

2: Correa finally caught a break.

The game started in signature fashion for Carlos Correa. He worked a good first AB against Michael Kopech before smashing a hard drive up the middle ... straight to the shortstop for a double play – his league-leading fifth of the season to quash a modest budding rally.

Correa hasn't looked great at the plate by any means, and his whiff rate says it all. But he's also been dealing with some rotten luck. His exit velocities and hard-hit rates are near the top of the charts, but so often the outcomes have resembled the above.

So it was nice to see fortune finally tilt in his favor in the eighth inning. With runners on the corners and two outs, Correa drilled a 98-MPH one-hopper into the hole between short and third. Anderson made a nice play on it to his right, but his off-balance throw to first missed wide and chaos ensued.

By the end of it all, the Twins were in the lead and Correa was pumping up his teammates in the dugout. It was an unorthodox way to finally come through for the new team but we'll take it.

3: Baseball sure is a boring product right now.

I guess Correa's eventful infield hit could be described as exciting, but there have been few such moments in the many innings of baseball played this week. What a dull and dreary product fans are receiving these days.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have it. I realize that Major League Baseball could've easily been absent from our lives at this point, had the lockout not mercifully ended in March. But the quality of the play has just been really sub-par, with dead-ball era vibes across the league, and Friday was a perfect encapsulation.

The Twins have been a big mess lately, yet Chicago was only messier. The winning runs scored on sloppy defensive plays, and the game featured a familiar lack of compelling offensive sequences. 

I was watching on TV with a few friends who are – I would say – at least moderate Twins fans. None of them could even sustain their attention on the ninth inning of a tightly contested one-run game. Even as a total diehard who revels in every intricacy of the game, I could feel their pain. 

It was a drag to watch. In the waning moments of a game where seemingly nothing ever happened, Emilio Pagán was battling through never-ending at-bats up until he finally escaped his self-made mess with a borderline strike three call. 

It was an unfulfilling end to an unfulfilling victory. I hope better days are ahead.

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[Blyleven2011]

It was a sloppy  game but yes well take the W  ..

Chicago has 16 errors in 14 games ,,,, 

[stringer bell]

Duffey came in with the score 1-0 Chicago. It was still a fairly high leverage situation, but the Twins were down one, not up one.

[Linus]

The end was a good old fashioned Legion ball snowball fight. 
 

Credit Jeffers with some key blocks. They were all pretty much right at him but it is not usually a strength for him. Any of those get by him and it’s a different game. 

[RJA]

Three excellent points, Nick.  Pagan's 9th was Fernando Rodneyesque.  I hope this is not a sign of things to come.  I agree the game has become boring.  I think the whole steroid era with massive home run numbers and increased fan interest really started to turn baseball away from the small game and toward the homerun/strikeout rut we are in now.  With the increased velocity we see with pitchers, shifts, and absent steroids (thank goodness), I don't think this path is sustainable.  I hope some teams begin to build a different model, looking toward more Arraez style players to complement the big boppers, and bringing back some of the strategy that made the game interesting. I think both Martin and Lewis could bring some of that old style baseball back.  Let's hope.

[Old Twins Cap]

Not sure baseball is going to make it.  Too many nothing moments, especially in comparison with soccer, hockey and basketball.

Strike outs, foul balls, even routine outs -- you can go for a long time without the least action.

I have not sat through an entire game in, what?, decades, now.

[The Mad King]

You had me 'till the "boring" part...

[Platoon]

Is the "dead ball era" the problem? Or is it the possibility that baseball sold itself out to launch angles, exit velocity, and going for the long ball even when behind on the count? Basically you are playing the long game with a dead ball. Maybe admitting the Bomba Squad wasn’t as much Bomba as the ball was Titleist would help the team and fans see baseball in a more realistic light? 

[Nashvilletwin]

Fourth observation for me from last night’s game (and it’s not unusual): home plate umpires calling balls and strikes wield the most power/have the greatest single impact on the game.

I’m a huge traditionalist. I love the nuance of the game - it’s what makes watching baseball way more interesting (and, yes, exciting). The nuance - and there is so much of it - is what baseball really is all about.

Part of that is that for every at bat the count means essentially everything. Pitchers and hitters work hard to get the count in their favour so as to improve their odds as to how the at bat will conclude. Too many times - and it seems like multiple times per game - the home plate ump is taking away the professionalism of the pitchers and hitters by making (egregiously) bad calls on balls and strikes. Yes, I know I’m a homer, but poor Sano - it seems at least one time every game he finds himself 0-1 when it should be 1-0 because the umpire makes a bad call.  It’s a huge difference (ergo the nuance).

I thought I’d never say it, but electronic balls and strikes…….

[Linus]

Can’t wait for the pitch clock. Never wanted but it’s the only way the game is going to move along. 

[terrydactyls]

22 minutes ago, Linus said:

Can’t wait for the pitch clock. Never wanted but it’s the only way the game is going to move along. 

In my mind, the pitch clock is putting a bandaid on a six-inch gash to stop the bleeding.  Baseball needs a change to it's mindset.  A home run is nice to watch but the 23 strikeouts that occurred immediately before it is boring.  With the strength these young men possess in today's game, there isn't a need for swinging from the heals on every pitch.

[4twinsJA]

45 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Part of that is that for every at bat the count means essentially everything. Pitchers and hitters work hard to get the count in their favour so as to improve their odds as to how the at bat will conclude. Too many times - and it seems like multiple times per game - the home plate ump is taking away the professionalism of the pitchers and hitters by making (egregiously) bad calls on balls and strikes. Yes, I know I’m a homer, but poor Sano - it seems at least one time every game he finds himself 0-1 when it should be 1-0 because the umpire makes a bad call.  It’s a huge difference (ergo the nuance).

I agree with Sano, he has to lead the league in borderline strike calls. Bring on the robo umpire, at least there would be consistency.

[tony&rodney]

I never wanted reviews of the plays and have been opposed to the electronic zone as well. However, it must be more and more difficult to call balls and strikes, perhaps due to velocity. There was an article last week that a MLB home plate umpire (Mark Carlson) missed 47 pitches in one game. It seems like electronic balls/strikes will arrive next year. Reviews? I am ok with them but there needs to be 2-3 challenges allowed per game and the challenge needs to happen within 10 seconds of the play. The micro replays and 4-10 minute delays while MLB figures out which of five camera angles definitively provides an answer is lame. The process is too slow. When people call for a pitch clock they need to remember that the umpires already have a pitch and batter rule clock. Currently, for whatever reason, it is never enforced. Putting in a pitch clock would not necessarily change the situation if the umpires still refuse to call a ball or strike. 

[4twinsJA]

40 minutes ago, Linus said:

Can’t wait for the pitch clock. Never wanted but it’s the only way the game is going to move along. 

Has made a big impact this year at MiLB level, has to happen at MLB level.

[wsnydes]

One other thing to take away from last night's game is that it's nice to have a game handed to the Twins instead of the Twins handing a game to the opponent.  It's not really encouraging, but I'll certainly take the win.

[LastOnePicked]

"None of them could even sustain their attention on the ninth inning of a tightly contested one-run game. Even as a total diehard who revels in every intricacy of the game, I could feel their pain."

Oh. Come. On. "Feel their pain"? Really? A one-run nailbiter on a sloppy April night between two teams that may be smacking each other around all season is considered "painful" now? I think this says more about the audience than it does about the game.

I like you Nick and all of your TD contributions. But if you and your friends are indicative of how others feel and we really have moved into constant-entertainment-needed-or-I-feel-pain mode, this beautiful game isn't long for this world.

[dxpavelka]

And some say I'm negative.....

[CRF]

Another kind of blah game, but a win is a win. I didn't think we'd end up on top, but I'll take any gift at this point. 

[bighat]

Turned on the game halfway through only to watch Correa, Polanco and Kepler - the top of the order - all strike out in a 1-2-3 inning. Nobody even made contact, I think Polanco foul tipped one into the catcher's mitt. Otherwise that was it, inning over.

These games we're watching aren't pitcher's duels. These are middle of the rotation pitchers throwing 93 MPH right down the middle of the plate and nobody's squaring anything up. The kid in KC the other day had a 10.45 ERA coming into the game and he shut the Twins down. The most exciting thing that happened was when Sano fouled one straight back and Bremer said "ooooooh, he was right on that one".  Really? Sano's a 30 HR+ per year guy, and we're supposed to inch forward in our seats because he fouls off a ball from a soft-tossing rookie?

Fans deserve way better than what they're getting this year. Hitters are way, way behind. Thing is, even when MLB gets a full spring training, hitters are still behind for the first few weeks of the season. We may be in for another month of this, and if that's true a lot of fans are going to walk away.

[jimbo92107]

A few threads ago somebody asked if Duffy was done with baseball. I said something about making adjustments.

Last night, Duffy showed us what adjustments he needed to survive with sub-94 mph stuff. You have to hit spots with your heater, and you need to bring a very good curve ball. Other pitchers have survived with exactly that combination, and Duffy can, too. As long as he can hit spots with that heater...

Pagan showed us what that means, too. Last pitch of the game, bases loaded, full count - fastball, nailed the low-inside corner. Under pressure, that's throwing a bullseye. 

[Dave The Dastardly]

11 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

"None of them could even sustain their attention on the ninth inning of a tightly contested one-run game. Even as a total diehard who revels in every intricacy of the game, I could feel their pain."

Oh. Come. On. "Feel their pain"? Really? A one-run nailbiter on a sloppy April night between two teams that may be smacking each other around all season is considered "painful" now? I think this says more about the audience than it does about the game.

I like you Nick and all of your TD contributions. But if you and your friends are indicative of how others feel and we really have moved into constant-entertainment-needed-or-I-feel-pain mode, this beautiful game isn't long for this world.

Agree wholeheartedly and there are numerous studies that support your instant-gratification claim. And Americans take the lead in chasing instant-gratification over slower-developing, deeper-thinking entertainment. Take American movies for example; if a movie doesn't have a couple mandatory car chases (with crashes and explosions), three or four bloody shoot-outs, a dozen chicken-fighting (martial arts) scenes and an exposed breast or two (hopefully two) it's not a hit at the box office. Plots are optional and often get in the way. Compare that to plot-driven movies (you might have to go overseas to find one) that require their audiences to watch for subtleties and analyze what's happening in order to fully appreciate the climatic ending. In other words, the audience had to "work for gratification". Sports-wise its like the difference between NBA and MLB.

Numerous studies have pointed to the advent of video games and falling IQs (IQs in general have been declining since the 1970's) as culprits behind this shift towards instant-gratification over strategic thinking. But whatever the cause, I think you're right, baseball as it exists today is probably doomed. My guess is that it will more closely resemble a home run derby by the end of the decade. Can't get any more "instant" than that.

However if we want to prevent that transition from happening and fail to come up with a solution in the next few years, by the end of the decade we'll be too dumb to fix baseball, or anything else for that matter.

Have a great day!

[Game7-91]

It was an unorthodox way to finally come through for the new team but we'll take it.

Amen to that. It's a win, counts just as much game 162.

29 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

if you and your friends are indicative of how others feel and we really have moved into constant-entertainment-needed-or-I-feel-pain mode, this beautiful game isn't long for this world.

 

I didn't take this conclusion away from Nick's comment. If some experienced the game as nailbiter, that's great. It was a sloppy April night, but it was also a sloppy game, and that seems to me the point. Sloppy play, along with the cumulative effects of the things mentioned throughout this thread, cumulatively add up to tedium.

If that game had been crisp, with professional execution of pitches and at-bats, it's a different type of experience.(Case in point-the CWS dude who takes strike 3 to end the game, regardless of the viability of the call, is inexcusable.....he should be collecting butt-slivers today...swing the d**n bat.....)

The MLB-version of baseball is lacking in consistent quality of play and weighed down by cumbersome processes and rules that are diminishing the beauty and intricacies of the game. If they keep asking fans to sit through crud, (endless at-bats with batters adjusting their gloves/cups/helmets/spewing spit-streams between every pitch, mind numbing time to get defense into position and the pitch decided, let alone executed, mound visits more amenable to negotiating a nuclear arms treaty than throwing the ball.....on and on.....they will get what they deserve, poorly attended/watched and little long-term interest. TV/radio #'s  show MLB has fallen behind basketball in ratings and viewer shares, and continue to decline. Soccer may (probably will) equal MLB in 12-15 years. Baseball will always survive, but MLB is on its way to fending off the NHL in terms of viewer interest. Sad, because it is the most entertaining sport of any to showcase. 

[USNMCPO]

2 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Fourth observation for me from last night’s game (and it’s not unusual): home plate umpires calling balls and strikes wield the most power/have the greatest single impact on the game.

I’m a huge traditionalist. I love the nuance of the game - it’s what makes watching baseball way more interesting (and, yes, exciting). The nuance - and there is so much of it - is what baseball really is all about.

Part of that is that for every at bat the count means essentially everything. Pitchers and hitters work hard to get the count in their favour so as to improve their odds as to how the at bat will conclude. Too many times - and it seems like multiple times per game - the home plate ump is taking away the professionalism of the pitchers and hitters by making (egregiously) bad calls on balls and strikes. Yes, I know I’m a homer, but poor Sano - it seems at least one time every game he finds himself 0-1 when it should be 1-0 because the umpire makes a bad call.  It’s a huge difference (ergo the nuance).

I thought I’d never say it, but electronic balls and strikes…….

I think Kepler is another one that seems to be getting some pitches called strikes that are clearly out of the strike zone.

[Karbo]

I love baseball and I enjoyed the game last night. I recorded it and stayed up til 3AM watching it after the Wild game. I didn't think it was boring, it was a good, close, 1 run game. I agree we need the ABS zone as the umping has gotten pretty bad. I also have to say that unless MLB is going to force the umps to enforce the rules already in place to keep the game moving the next logical step is some sort of "pitch" clock. And after reading so many of these comments I whole heartedly agree that this swing for the fences all the time approach has truly hurt the game. I have to add, the labor stoppage has also set the season and the game way back and it may take a few seasons to recover IMO.

[mikelink45]

Of this game demonstrated the true weakness of the White Sox. If they are the best team in our division and one of the four or five best teams in Major League baseball that is a sad situation. They threw the ball around like a T ball team 

I do like good defense and that doesn't make a game boring the way that three straight strikes and a walk back to the dugout does.

 

But all I can say is bring back Ricky Henderson. 

[LastOnePicked]

49 minutes ago, Dave The Dastardly said:

Agree wholeheartedly and there are numerous studies that support your instant-gratification claim. And Americans take the lead in chasing instant-gratification over slower-developing, deeper-thinking entertainment.

Good stuff, Dave. I should add that I work with young adults in my career (community college instructor, but don't hold that against me), and I really like them. I think they're every bit as sharp as I was at their age, and mostly more so.

I also know that I have a lot more patience than most. A lot. I can handle seemingly slow movies and seemingly slow ballgames. My mind works kinda slowly, so too much extra stuff going on usually puts me in a trance. So I like the pace of baseball, but I understand that it's getting harder for others to enjoy.

Maybe there's a place to meet in the middle. Speed up the game a bit, sure, but cherish the very small - sometimes slow - aspects of the game that reflect the balance between what happens in the mind and how it impacts the bat, the ball, and the glove. Baseball still has a lot to offer about how good deliberate decisions can quickly lead to good outcomes.

Thank you for attending my lecture.

[cHawk]

I wasn’t able to watch the game last night, but the offense certainly struggled.

Glad we got the W though. Props to Duffey, Pagan, and Ober.

[Nick Nelson]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Duffey came in with the score 1-0 Chicago. It was still a fairly high leverage situation, but the Twins were down one, not up one.

Oh yeah, duh. Fixed in the article, thanks string. 

[Nick Nelson]

3 hours ago, Platoon said:

Is the "dead ball era" the problem? Or is it the possibility that baseball sold itself out to launch angles, exit velocity, and going for the long ball even when behind on the count? Basically you are playing the long game with a dead ball. Maybe admitting the Bomba Squad wasn’t as much Bomba as the ball was Titleist would help the team and fans see baseball in a more realistic light? 

There is a happy medium between 2019 and what we're seeing right now, and Major League Baseball has been around it for most of my life watching it. I don't see why we need to be screwing around so much with the baseball and causing historic extremes either way. Seems really dumb.

[Nick Nelson]

2 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

Oh. Come. On. "Feel their pain"? Really? A one-run nailbiter on a sloppy April night between two teams that may be smacking each other around all season is considered "painful" now? I think this says more about the audience than it does about the game.

I like you Nick and all of your TD contributions. But if you and your friends are indicative of how others feel and we really have moved into constant-entertainment-needed-or-I-feel-pain mode, this beautiful game isn't long for this world.

It was a bad baseball game. It's not beautiful right now. The quality of play and entertainment in all of these games lately have been poor. At-bats drag on and nothing ever happens. It's not like these are constant amazing pitching performances. If it were isolated to last night's game it wouldn't be a big deal but this has been the nature of Twins games and MLB games at large. And I assure you that are a lot of people who feels this way, It's not about "instant gratification."