Twins 5, Mariners 0: A Late Surge by the Offense Secures the Series Victory

[Squirrel]

11 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I'll give this a like because I like humor. 

But... that year 2020. ? 

We won the division that year ,,. but it was only a 60-game season.

[Whitey333]

I agree.  I hate this brand of baseball.  The age of analytics and computers " managing" the game is ridiculous.  If after almost 70 games the starting pitchers can't go 7 innings or even 6 there is something wrong.  What is so great about Archer if he can't pitch past 4 innings?  Sticking to plan A has already cost the team a few wins because our manager is totally incapable of in game management and making adjustments.  His screwy, unpredictable lineups are befuddling.  The new nerdy analytic approach is ruining baseball.  Our grand old game has become a very boring big video game.  It's becoming unwatchable.

[Karbo]

10 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The IL for position players is only 10 days at the minimum. Polanco won't have played for 5 days at this point. Hindsight is 20-20 but Kirilloff could have come up for Polanco easily enough.

Kiriloff can't play on the infield.

[stringer bell]

Just now, Karbo said:

Kiriloff can't play on the infield.

His best position is first base. Arraez can handle second. 

[JDubs]

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

 Sticking to plan A has already cost the team a few wins because our manager is totally incapable of in game management and making adjustments.

This is an obviously uninformed comment regardless of the outcome of the game, but is especially odd when commenting about a game where the strategy worked. The Mariners left their starter in for the 7th and he unraveled and cost them the game. The Twins pulled their starter in the 5th and won a shutout. And yet here you are saying it was the winning team that managed things wrong. At a certain point, you gotta accept that a) this is just how the team is being run, and b) it's clearly working, as we continue to win series and lead the division.

[Karbo]

6 hours ago, Mark G said:

I guess I will be the lone voice crying out in the wilderness again, but a 3 hit shutout with only 65 pitches might, just might, make one want to ride the horse they are leading with rather than change horses in the middle of the stream, so to speak, and hope all 5 come through without a stumble.  This whole belief that I cannot allow you to pitch to a batter for a 3rd time no matter how well you have done the first 2 times through is nothing more than stubborness.  Plan A is plan A, and I will not change it.  We had 2 pitchers this week on fire, and BETWEEN THEM they pitched 9 innings.  I can only hope that they keep on winning to a level that gets them into the playoffs, but I have to say they are the most frustrating Twins team I have watched since I began in 1965.  Rocco's analytics may pan out more often than not, but I can say for a fact I am not the only one who just doesn't want to watch this brand of baseball.  I know so many people who don't watch at all anymore, and that is not a good sign for the game.  I want my team to do well, but I find myself losing the passion for this game as it is being managed.  When I was my son's age I went to 8-10 games a year.  Now, between the 3 of us, we have gone to a total of 2 games total in the last 5 years.  And it is entirely because we have no idea of who we are paying to see on any given day except the starter, and even then he will be gone in 4 or 5 innings.  No thanks.  As I said, I may be the lone voice on this site, but not outside of it.  Hey, Jim, you might want to look at your attendance figures and ask yourself why.   We are averaging 5-6 thousand a game less than '17 and '18, and only ahead of last year (when we started the season with 25% capacity limits) by about 3 thousand.  It is not the product or the quality of the roster.  Think about it, Jim.  

Let's hope they can beat Cleveland.  It will go a long way to a title.

I agree with you. Yesterday was a planned short start for Gray since he was just coming off the IL from the Pec injury, so I do understand taking it easy with his 1st start back. However, when they keep taking guys out that are pitching well just because its the 3rd time through the order it blows my mind! Leave them in until they show signs of tiring! If you are so worried about it start warming your pen so you can have a quick hook! I remember when the rotation was 4 starters and they would pitch 300+ innings. Now its 5 or 6 and they can't even go 200? With the advances in conditioning and fitness? Seems like something is wrong IMHO.

[Karbo]

34 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

His best position is first base. Arraez can handle second. 

What about Miranda who's hitting around .350 over the last week and a half or so. You going to sit him? Or you want to take away the defense of Urshala at 3B? I agree that it would be nice to see if AK can hit up here again, but who do you sacrifice to try? Kepler? Celestino? Larnach? Arraez? I don't know. What would your idea be?

[dex8425]

18 minutes ago, Karbo said:

What about Miranda who's hitting around .350 over the last week and a half or so. You going to sit him? Or you want to take away the defense of Urshala at 3B? I agree that it would be nice to see if AK can hit up here again, but who do you sacrifice to try? Kepler? Celestino? Larnach? Arraez? I don't know. What would your idea be?

Yeah Miranda is hitting well currently. Urshela and Larnach and Kepler are struggling recently but I wouldn't send any of those three guys down right now to bring up AK. Maybe if Larnach is still struggling two weeks from now and AK is still raking? 

[stringer bell]

43 minutes ago, Karbo said:

What about Miranda who's hitting around .350 over the last week and a half or so. You going to sit him? Or you want to take away the defense of Urshala at 3B? I agree that it would be nice to see if AK can hit up here again, but who do you sacrifice to try? Kepler? Celestino? Larnach? Arraez? I don't know. What would your idea be?

Miranda has been okay at the plate, but he’s a poor defender at this point. With Polanco out, Arraez can handle second with Kirilloff at first. When Polanco returns, using AK at first and Arraez at DH beats having two catchers in the lineup. Tough calls about who to send down, but if there aren’t any injuries among the position players, I think Kirilloff is a better bet to perform than both Miranda and Larnach. 

[USAFChief]

48 minutes ago, Karbo said:

What about Miranda who's hitting around .350 over the last week and a half or so. You going to sit him? Or you want to take away the defense of Urshala at 3B? I agree that it would be nice to see if AK can hit up here again, but who do you sacrifice to try? Kepler? Celestino? Larnach? Arraez? I don't know. What would your idea be?

If we're talking about Kirilloff for Polanco, there's no need to send down Miranda. He can get 1st base ABs against lefties, Kirilloff against righties.

Both can get PH and DH opportunities on a team that is still DHing a catcher at times. Kirilloff can also get OF time.

Decisions wouldn’t need to be made until Polanco returns. 

[puckstopper1]

14 hours ago, Rosterman said:

I'm wondering who the Twins pitcher will be that leads the team in wins come the end of the season.

Griffin Jax is my bet! ?

[ashbury]

14 hours ago, Rosterman said:

I'm wondering who the Twins pitcher will be that leds the team in wins come the end of the season. And will there be more than one pitcher from the rotation with more than, say, 10 wins.

The guy who leads them now is Joe Ryan.  More than half the season to go, but if allowed to bet on one guy, he'd be it for me. 

And he's already at the halfway mark to that magical 10-win season!

[Mark G]

3 hours ago, JDubs said:

This is an obviously uninformed comment regardless of the outcome of the game, but is especially odd when commenting about a game where the strategy worked. The Mariners left their starter in for the 7th and he unraveled and cost them the game. The Twins pulled their starter in the 5th and won a shutout. And yet here you are saying it was the winning team that managed things wrong. At a certain point, you gotta accept that a) this is just how the team is being run, and b) it's clearly working, as we continue to win series and lead the division.

Whitey333 can correct me if I am mistaken, but I don't think he (or am I) is talking about the success or failure of one game in particular.  We are commenting on the plan, and whether it is the correct plan 100% (all 162 games) of the time, and generally speaking, if it is enjoyable to watch all season every season.  You are right; it is the way the team is being run right now.  And it is working a good share of the time against sub .500 competition.  The jury is out on how it will work once the competition in October becomes tough every single game, but I digress.  It is simply not an enjoyable version of the game, and us older folks sometimes remember when players didn't get hurt just running the bases or throwing more than 60 pitches.  Baseball musical chairs might be the wave right now, but time will tell if it stands the test of eras.  Counting the express from St. Paul to Mpls. we work with 16-18 man pitching staffs each year now.  On what planet are there a dozen and a half true major league pitchers to throw out there because the chart tells you to?  Again, I digress.  The point is this way of managing games works at times and not others, primarily based on the quality of the competition.  And it is not much fun to watch anymore.  But thanks for listening and sharing.  I, for one, always appreciate the give and take.  

[RpR]

9 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Miranda has been okay at the plate, but he’s a poor defender at this point. With Polanco out, Arraez can handle second with Kirilloff at first. When Polanco returns, using AK at first and Arraez at DH beats having two catchers in the lineup. Tough calls about who to send down, but if there aren’t any injuries among the position players, I think Kirilloff is a better bet to perform than both Miranda and Larnach. 

With their shut-out record the Twins are showing they need a strong defense BADLY; Miranda should be sent down to improve (learn) his defense now;

How well Kiriloff will perform at Major League level is still a crap-shoot; Larnach still has a not strong, inaccurate arm but is Kirilloff better, now is the time to find out by sending Miranda down and bringing Kirilloff up to try at First and in the field.

To wait until the Twins drop out of first place will be disaster; Arraez has so far been adequate at first but I still say his height is a problem waiting to strike.

[Karbo]

23 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Miranda has been okay at the plate, but he’s a poor defender at this point. With Polanco out, Arraez can handle second with Kirilloff at first. When Polanco returns, using AK at first and Arraez at DH beats having two catchers in the lineup. Tough calls about who to send down, but if there aren’t any injuries among the position players, I think Kirilloff is a better bet to perform than both Miranda and Larnach. 

I have to disagree with you about a little bit. Larnach has shown he's a pretty good OF and he hits. Miranda has been one of the better hitters (avg wise) over the last 10 days or so and appears to really be getting going. 2 weeks ago I would have swapped him with AK but as of now I'm not so sure. Arraez seems to have taken off like a rocket since they have given him more of a steady position and IMO his success probably shouldn't be messed with. At some point an OF WILL go down and that will be AK,s chance to shine IMHO. Also the trade time isn't far away and who knows what pieces will hopefully get moved off the board in favor of some pitching.

 

[Karbo]

23 hours ago, USAFChief said:

If we're talking about Kirilloff for Polanco, there's no need to send down Miranda. He can get 1st base ABs against lefties, Kirilloff against righties.

Both can get PH and DH opportunities on a team that is still DHing a catcher at times. Kirilloff can also get OF time.

Decisions wouldn’t need to be made until Polanco returns. 

Have they put Polo on the IL? Thats the only way I see that can happen