Twins 6, White Sox 4: Twins End White Sox Series Sweep with a Bang

[2wins87]

Buxton is just amazing.

There have been times this year when it just seems like the pitchers have no chance. Really excited to watch him lead the for the next half decade+.

[2wins87]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

I don't know yet if this is how the Sox's year will end ... but their beginning certainly reminds me of the Twins last year ... high expectations, then injuries and illness and under/poor performance just derailed them. The Sox seem to be going that route this season when their expectations are high

I had the same feeling watching this series. It just seems like a team that is going to disappoint, much like the Twins last year.

Could definitely be reading too much into one series, but the injuries are also piling up.

The Twins should absolutely have a shot at the division. I think the rest of the bats (besides Buxton) and the bullpen are coming around now. It should be a fun season.

[2wins87]

Underrated moment in the walk off highlight: Luis Arraez just tossing his bat away in the on deck circle right after Buxton clobbered the ball. "Well, I don't need this anymore."

[AceWrigley]

2 hours ago, Yawn Gardenhose said:

I know they're dealing with a bunch of injuries now but wow did the White Sox look terrible this weekend. Did their best to gift-wrap two wins to the Twins this series. And this is supposed to be a legit World Series contender? They don't look to be even a .500 team if they keep this up. Three weeks into the season the AL Central has zero teams above .500 - in the last year of the hyper-unbalanced schedule, this division might be the worst it's ever been, which is truly saying something. 

They looked brutal in their previous series against Kansas City too.

[AceWrigley]

Gio Urshela, third base ninja.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

4 hours ago, Steven BUHR said:

How huge was that walk Godoy came back to work in the 10th after going down 0-2? 

Steve, I'm glad you mentioned that walk. Godoy was not supposed to be on the Twins. He was not supposed to play tonight. Although he looked over-matched batting,  and he messed up a bunt, he drew 2 critical walks and scored both times. Mainly though, he performed more than adequately behind the plate with pitchers who were virtually strangers,   who were pitching to him. I thought, given the circumstances, he was a huge contributor to today's victory.

[Puckett34]

My God.  Have a day Byron Buxton.

[wsnydes]

9 hours ago, Nine of twelve said:

And that was on a 45° day. That ball goes significantly farther on a warm humid afternoon.

There was also a pretty stiff wind blowing out to left, too.  That ball was hit plenty high to get up in it.

Still quite a blast though.  

[Riverbrian]

1. Buxton was incredible when healthy last year. He has been incredible again so far this year. It's possible that Buxton is indeed incredible when healthy. MVP discussion incredible. 

2. Buxton has been so good that I don't think the April small sample size argument applies to him. He's been locked in long enough. 

3. Thank You to that old school closer mentality. There was no reason to pitch to Buxton. His run didn't matter. Walking Buxton sets up a force at every base and sets up the possible inning (game) ending double play. Instead, the White Sox opted to bring the infield in and pitch to our best hitter... maybe best in baseball. Thank You to that old school --never give out an intentional pass -- closer mentality. Thank You

4. I hope Byron gets every single penny of that bonus. I drink to his health. 

[Whitey333]

I agree Buxton is awesome.  He saved Baldelli today.  His refusal to use Correa in key pinch hitting opportunities was disgraceful.  It wasn't lost on the radio broadcasters as well.  Beldelli continues to mismanage this team.  You pay a superstar $35 million a year yet don't use him in a key situation to try and win the game.  If  not for Buxton Baldelli would have had a lot of questions to answer.  Did Carrea need a day off?  He just had one a few days ago.  Besides there was already a day off Monday.  Baldelli gets an F for the day.  Buxton an A+.  The A for a great performance.  The + for bailing out Baldelli..

[Karbo]

What has been a little surprising to me has been Kepler willing to finally go with the pitch the other way this year. If he can continue this trend sooner rather than later teams will begin playing and pitching him a little different. Then he should get more pitches to pull with a bigger hole to pull them through!

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

I agree Buxton is awesome.  He saved Baldelli today.  His refusal to use Correa in key pinch hitting opportunities was disgraceful.  It wasn't lost on the radio broadcasters as well.  Beldelli continues to mismanage this team.  You pay a superstar $35 million a year yet don't use him in a key situation to try and win the game.  If  not for Buxton Baldelli would have had a lot of questions to answer.  Did Carrea need a day off?  He just had one a few days ago.  Besides there was already a day off Monday.  Baldelli gets an F for the day.  Buxton an A+.  The A for a great performance.  The + for bailing out Baldelli..

I think everything was defensible since we won. If Baldelli gets credit for losing games, he gets credit for winning them, imo. But overall, I think it’s a combined effort between everyone.

as for the day off, I think this explains it. He didn’t just have one, and he’s had fewer rest than others, on a shorter ST than others. And this day off today along with yesterday sets up 13 days in a row of play, so, good for Baldelli to be thinking ahead for a long stretch of play, especially since we will be losing two players come May 1st

 

[terrydactyls]

18 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

I think everything was defensible since we won. If Baldelli gets credit for losing games, he gets credit for winning them, imo. But overall, I think it’s a combined effort between everyone.

as for the day off, I think this explains it. He didn’t just have one, and he’s had fewer rest than others, on a shorter ST than others. And this day off today along with yesterday sets up 13 days in a row of play, so, good for Baldelli to be thinking ahead for a long stretch of play, especially since we will be losing two players come May 1st

 

I did not realize that giving any credit to Baldelli was permissible???  

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

4 hours ago, wsnydes said:

There was also a pretty stiff wind blowing out to left, too.  That ball was hit plenty high to get up in it.

Still quite a blast though.  

True, but Buck was the only one playing who hit the ball there. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

35 minutes ago, Karbo said:

What has been a little surprising to me has been Kepler willing to finally go with the pitch the other way this year. If he can continue this trend sooner rather than later teams will begin playing and pitching him a little different. Then he should get more pitches to pull with a bigger hole to pull them through!

Plus it is best to go the other way now, during these cold wet days when the ball won't travel as far anyway and hopefully the opponents will see and stop the exaggerated shifts against him, so that when it is warm, and the baseballs are flying far, Kep can be pulling balls into the RF stands again. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

13 hours ago, 2wins87 said:

I had the same feeling watching this series. It just seems like a team that is going to disappoint, much like the Twins last year.

Could definitely be reading too much into one series, but the injuries are also piling up.

The Twins should absolutely have a shot at the division. I think the rest of the bats (besides Buxton) and the bullpen are coming around now. It should be a fun season.

Agreed. Thanks FO.

[Whitey333]

Baldelli is a stiff for a manager.  Using your logic regarding days off, why not give Sano days off, or Polanco.  There's nothing wrong with a day off, they are important!  But to refuse to use him in obvious pinch hitting situations with runners on base is inexcusable!  Would it have been so hard for Correa to bat once and play ss for a couple of innings?  I stand by my comments and insist that had Buxton not bailed him out, people would have been after Baldelli for his " strategy".  Great game Buxton.  

[wsnydes]

6 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

True, but Buck was the only one playing who hit the ball there. 

I'm not really trying to take anything away from him.  He crushed it.  It probably ends up in the Twins bullpen without the aid of the wind and that's still an impressive shot.  

[wsnydes]

2 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Baldelli is a stiff for a manager.  Using your logic regarding days off, why not give Sano days off, or Polanco.  There's nothing wrong with a day off, they are important!  But to refuse to use him in obvious pinch hitting situations with runners on base is inexcusable!  Would it have been so hard for Correa to bat once and play ss for a couple of innings?  I stand by my comments and insist that had Buxton not bailed him out, people would have been after Baldelli for his " strategy".  Great game Buxton.  

Sano and Polanco have had a day off each.  Correa has had two.

Kepler is the only Twin to have played in all 16 games.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

15 hours ago, Squirrel said:

I don't recall Buxton ever being this animated, showing how much of a leader he is. Shades of Kirby's 'jump on my back' ... it seems like either he's just really, finally, coming into his own, or what? But it seems he's found a missing component

Buck's quote after Saturday's game , in response to Dick Bremer telling Buck to "Go out tomorrow and do it again" , was a grin from Buck and a positive statement: "We will."  How prophetic. 

[wsnydes]

2 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

3. Thank You to that old school closer mentality. There was no reason to pitch to Buxton. His run didn't matter. Walking Buxton sets up a force at every base and sets up the possible inning (game) ending double play. Instead, the White Sox opted to bring the infield in and pitch to our best hitter... maybe best in baseball. Thank You to that old school --never give out an intentional pass -- closer mentality. Thank You

 

I actually appreciate this aspect.  As a fan, I want to see the best players go head to head.  Even better when the game is on the line.  One player has to lose in that situation.  Thankfully, Hendricks is the one that lost this time.

[Squirrel]

6 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

I actually appreciate this aspect.  As a fan, I want to see the best players go head to head.  Even better when the game is on the line.  One player has to lose in that situation.  Thankfully, Hendricks is the one that lost this time.

Well, also … I think we are forgetting who was coming up to bat. Loading the bases for Arraez wasn’t necessarily a good idea, either. Arraez hits a single, two runs score. That was perhaps the higher likelihood than another Bux bomb. And Buxton did have those 3 Ks from earlier in the game. I don’t think it was indefensible to pitch to Buxton, with your best closer on the mound. They decided to pitch to Bux instead of Luis. And LaRusso just got beat, is all. It happens. But boy, am I glad it did!

[Aerodeliria]

It's a bit eerie how similar the White Sox are starting when compared to last year's Twins. I've heard some talking heads say, "The White Sox will be fine... it's only April." Sound familiar?  

[wsnydes]

4 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Well, also … I think we are forgetting who was coming up to bat. Loading the bases for Arraez wasn’t necessarily a good idea, either. Arraez hits a single, two runs score. That was perhaps the higher likelihood than another Bux bomb. And Buxton did have those 3 Ks from earlier in the game. I don’t think it was indefensible to pitch to Buxton, with your best closer on the mound. They decided to pitch to Bux instead of Luis. And LaRusso just got beat, is all. It happens. But boy, am I glad it did!

I'm not forgetting about Arraez at all.  I've mentioned that point in other comments as well.  It was a pick your poison situation and LaRussa went after the RH batter instead of rolling the dice against the LH batter with the bases loaded.  I think that's an entirely defensible position.  Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.

[Squirrel]

3 minutes ago, Aerodeliria said:

It's a bit eerie how similar the White Sox are starting when compared to last year's Twins. I've heard some talking heads say, "The White Sox will be fine... it's only April." Sound familiar?  

Yeah, I made that observation, too, earlier in thread. Time will tell, but they have really been hit with the injury bug, along with less than stellar play. Listening to the White Sox recap with Ozzie and Frank Thomas … was interesting. A year ago Ozzie was saying, ‘Wow, these aren’t the Twins I remember’ and he’s close to that with the Sox after losing 7 in a row.

[Doctor Gast]

It's reasonable to see that Archer is still fine tuning is slider, since FO didn't sign him until ST was almost over. In his interview he kept referring to Wes. So it goes to show that Wes Johnson is actively involved in his present training. Archer was uncharacteristic lacking control of his slider. Archer has had an elite slider, my hope is that Wes isn't trying to convert him to his slider on the fly like he was trying to do to Dobnak, which would prolong his return to form and produce finger problems. I'd love to have Santana spend some time with Archer to perfect his circle change up that propelled him to stardom.

[dex8425]

17 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

ESPN said Buck’s walkoff measured 469ft - that has to be one of the longest HRs at Target Field, yes?

It was the longest walkoff HR in the statcast era. (since 2015)

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

Well, also … I think we are forgetting who was coming up to bat. Loading the bases for Arraez wasn’t necessarily a good idea, either. Arraez hits a single, two runs score. That was perhaps the higher likelihood than another Bux bomb. And Buxton did have those 3 Ks from earlier in the game. I don’t think it was indefensible to pitch to Buxton, with your best closer on the mound. They decided to pitch to Bux instead of Luis. And LaRusso just got beat, is all. It happens. But boy, am I glad it did!

La Russa did state that Arraez on deck and the possibility of a Buxton K was his thinking. 

How bout that... Arraez protecting Buxton in the lineup. ?

Myself... I walk Buxton for the DP possibility and force at every base but Tony has a few more World Series titles than I do.

What a cool home run it was! Loving Buxton right now.  

 

[Aerodeliria]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

Yeah, I made that observation, too, earlier in thread. Time will tell, but they have really been hit with the injury bug, along with less than stellar play. Listening to the White Sox recap with Ozzie and Frank Thomas … was interesting. A year ago Ozzie was saying, ‘Wow, these aren’t the Twins I remember’ and he’s close to that with the Sox after losing 7 in a row.

... even the way they are losing the games. They had the lead in two of the three games late and the defense threw one game away and the bullpen melted down in the other. It was reminiscent of that series against the A's last year.

[LA VIkes Fan]

16 hours ago, darwin22 said:

Being very selfish here, but it feels really good being rewarded with such an excellent victory today after I invested my whole afternoon watching this game.  

For anyone wondering, this is the 1st time the Twins have been at .500 since April 13th, 2021, which was in the midst of a 3 game losing streak.

A few observations to make:

1.  Buxton...nothing to add than hasn't been covered.  Just stay humble young man, eat your vitamins and stay HEALTHY!

2.  Star 1B to today's Twins win----------I would submit the excellent performance of Josh Winder:  4IP only 3 hits, 1 ER and 0 walks.  That allowed Rocco to avoid others (thank goodness) to go to Duran in the 8th.

Others may not agree, but I truly believe Winder will be a productive mainstay in our rotation for years to come.  That may be coming as early as this season if Archer's command (only 32 strikes over 61 pitches in his 3 IP) doesn't improve very soon.

3.  Johan Duran:  This dude is special.  Note to Rocco and Wes Johnson:  Leave him in bullpen.  With Alcala out for extended time combined with Duffey's continued struggles, Duran has to be there to hold games tied or protect a lead.

4.  Joe Smith:  Just the type of aggressive type of RP I like with a funky delivery that produces.  Can't overuse him though.

5.  Urshela:  Gio is looking like he's settling in at the plate. 2-3 today with a BB along with his great play at 3B.  He should play everyday.  With Miranda looming at SP, Gio has responded.

6.  Kepler:  1 of my main "whipping boys" for the last 2 years plus, but maybe he's turning a corner.  Sure would like him to regain his power stroke from 2019, but his .300 slug pct. is an issue.

7.  Sano:  Not much to say other than I hope Kirilloff can show he can hit soon so he can take over at 1B.  Sano is nothing more than a bench player against RH pitching.  A possible DH against a LH SP.

8.  Garlick:  Ugh.  He needs to be DFA'ed soon.  Celestino offers much more.

9.  Rocco:  Sorry to end on a negative note, but I have to question his absolute refusal to pinch hit Correa late in the game!!   I will give Rocco the benefit of the doubt not pinch hitting Correa for Goday due to the health issues of Sanchez and Jeffers, but I would really like to hear his answer of why he refused to pinch hit for Gordon in the bottom of the 9th with Kepler (good speed) on 2nd base???  Did Rocco forget that Gordon had already whiffed 3x earlier in game?? With an off day tomorrow, I just don't understand his reasoning for keeping Correa's bat on the bench.

 

Great post. 3 thoughts on this. If you were the #1 person using Kepler as a whipping boy, I was #2. I think Kepler is a 4th OF on a good team but after watching the games this weekend I'm starting to think he could be more. He actually tried to hit the ball the other way and was successful a couple of times. I'm beginning to hope that he has finally learned that he has to do that to open up his pull side. Maybe he can be a .260 hitter after all. Combine that with 20-25 HRs and an above average glove and we may have a #5 or #6 hitter that deserves to play every day. Also, Urhela is a player - good defense and decent hitter. He should be playing every day in the #5 or #6 hole. Arraez can play somewhere else, mostly 1B and DH, although we do have a huge hole in LF. 

On the negative side, I have to agree on Sano. He looks like a RH DH, backup 1B right now. I would put Arraez at 1B so he plays every day against RH pitching, and only play Sano against LH pitching. When and IF Kirilloff is back AND shows he can hit, he can play LF or 1B with Arraez playing the other spot, and Sano an occasional 1B and part-time DH. Sano reminds me of the bench scorer/ no D guy on an NBA team. You put him in and tell let him hoist up a couple right away. If they go in, he plays. If he misses, you pull him and he sits the rest of the game because if he isn't scoring he has a negative value.  With Sano, you give him a a game's worth of ABs. If he hits it hard, he plays. If he strike outs or hit pop ups, he sits for a few games and you give him another shot hoping to catch that hot streak. He helps when he's hot, he drags us down when he's not.