BOS 4, MIN 3: No Escobar, but at Least We Still Have Belisle

Pure disgust.  And not with the players, even Belisle.  Pressley should've closed that win out.  Time for the players to put up the life-size cardboard cutout of Falvey.

Done

SELL SELL SELL.

RELEASE RELEASE RELEASE.

That's all I want to say.

sometimes a loss isn't just a loss.  this was one of those games...

Duke or Magill probably should have thrown the 9th or 10th...

Man, I love Rosario. The dude brings the game back with an incredibly-clutch double and then does his best Nolan Arenado impression on the first groundball he's ever seen as a 3B. Insanity. With Escobar gone and Dozier scuffling, he's probably my favorite Twin at this point.

At least the Twins are standing up to MLB's best team and giving them what-for, and that's better than I expected. Tomorrow we should actually be able to play with a 25 man roster instead of 23... 

The good news is that since Belisle only three two pitches, he’s available for tomorrow!

Can we trade Molitor for a manager who will use the entire bullpen? Why have Magill on the team if you won't use him? For that matter, why have Belisle on the team at all? This season is dead so bring up some young arms and give them an extended tryout.

And Rodney once again is the MLB blown saves leader. Now there is a trade I would love to see. He just thinks he can throw it right down the pipe, flat with no movement, and blow it by hitters. That pitch was such meat. Kepler almost had it. I thought he was going to get it.

Molitor must live in a dream world, dreaming that this was last year and Belisle could actually be counted on. I mean really, two 89 mph 4 seamers in the exact same place, belt high and right down the middle of the zone. And all night, on all sports networks, tv and radio both, I have been suffering through the clip. Just release the guy, already.

For these two tourists to destroy Rosario getting to Kimbrel is just criminal.

To Tom: actually this is what rebuilding looks like.

To Brian: I am sold on the Flexibility Club. It's why I want EE back next year, he is a perfect member. But for your club to be successful, you will need to find a new FC manager. A FC with an inflexible manager would seem to be at odds with itself. But credit where credit is somewhat due, The switch with Rosario worked. But I still would have put Mauer at third, Morrison at first keeping one guy out of position and LF solid. But, I was never MOY.

There does seem to be an issue with trade timing. They have all day to make trades, how do they manage to time them so they are shorthanded for a key game? Especially in the bullpen, when Rodney was gassed and we knew Lynn was starting and Belisle has been garbage vs the Red Sox.

 

Should the team just have a AAA reliever travel with them, for the week leading up to the deadline, ready to activate at a moment's notice? I don't think there is any rule against that, maybe they can't sit in the dugout or pen while inactive.

lol, “key game”.

Season is over. These trades prove it.

Belisle has no business on a MLB roster. Release him and call up anyone else. Anyone.

Tough night for Twins fans. Rosario's a beast!!!

Looking forward to seeing if we can make any trades for AAA guys rather than these grab-bag, dime a dozen low-A players.

I feel like typing Rosario another 24 times because he is the highlight of our roster and I am not sure what to look at next.  

It would be great to see your colored reliever chart for the entire year.  It seems to me that Molitor gets into a groove with one pitcher and just rides him into the dust - game after game until failure.  At the same time Magill is a maximum puzzle.  His results have been decent, but he does not pitch - the complete opposite of old friend Belisle.

Of course as I look at Molitor for this I believe we have a bench coach, a pitching coach, an assistant pitching coach, an assistant coach in charge of metrics, and a bullpen coach - all of whom might point this out if they are doing their jobs. 

Six starters, 2 bench, I have been confused over roster management all year.  The bench has been a disaster, the handling of minor league arms is a puzzle.  

Now I expect Sano at 3B so I guess that fixes the lineup?

In his last seven games, Magill has given up an earned run in six of them. In his previous nine games, Belisle had given up earned runs in one game (and lots of runs in that game).

And Rodney once again is the MLB blown saves leader. Now there is a trade I would love to see. He just thinks he can throw it right down the pipe, flat with no movement, and blow it by hitters. That pitch was such meat. Kepler almost had it. I thought he was going to get it.

 

Molitor must live in a dream world, dreaming that this was last year and Belisle could actually be counted on. I mean really, two 89 mph 4 seamers in the exact same place, belt high and right down the middle of the zone. And all night, on all sports networks, tv and radio both, I have been suffering through the clip. Just release the guy, already.

 

For these two tourists to destroy Rosario getting to Kimbrel is just criminal.

Rodney isn't really a closer.

He just tends to make things closer.

I am impressed that he can throw 95 at his age though.

I was listening to the game last night in XM radio, so I had to listen to the Red Sox announcers. Before the game they made some observations about Lance Lynn. They were thinking out loud that Lynn's struggles could be weight related? (Maybe like Sano?). They observed that Lance was probably well over 300 pounds. They mentioned that when Lance was with St. Louis they had gotten him a nutritionist that worked with him and got his weight down and they think that's why he pitched better there. They were thinking that with his weight that he tires out more as the game goes on than other pitchers?? Then as the game advanced, they were talking like; he's going to walk someone here pretty soon, and then the 4th and 5th innings they were both saying someone in our lineup is going to start pounding him, it's getting to that point in the game and then when Nunez hit that double they both said, here it comes! Shortly after the Bo soxs hit that home run and those guys were talking like they knew it was coming against Lynn, it was a matter of time to them. The night before when Gibson was pitching they did not talk like that at all. It was interesting.

Last night was just further proof that Paul Molitor shouldn't be managing a little league team, let alone a Major League Baseball team.  The bullpen usage in the 9th and 10th was practically criminal to the point that, if you wanted to, you could reasonably believe that he (perhaps at the direction of Falvine) was trying to throw the game.

Rodney threw 25 pitches on Thursday, and had thrown three out of the last four.  We all lived the FRE on Thursday.  That's reason enough to give him a day off.  BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, we had a rested Zach Duke and three hitters that are essentially useless against LHP due up in the bottom of the 9th.  Devers (R/L OPS): .759/.590.  Nunez: .670/.543.  Leon: .623/.601.  HOW DUMB COULD YOU BE? 

Then Belisle.  Both by the eyeball test and stats, if you run Belisle in a tie game, you should immediately be cuffed, thrown in a paddy wagon, and transported to your local holding facility.  Molitor did it on Wednesday for two innings and got away with it.  He did it again last night and, quelle surprise, was burned.  It's amazing how rate statistics work. 

Last night was just further proof that Paul Molitor shouldn't be managing a little league team, let alone a Major League Baseball team.  The bullpen usage in the 9th and 10th was practically criminal to the point that, if you wanted to, you could reasonably believe that he (perhaps at the direction of Falvine) was trying to throw the game.

 

Rodney threw 25 pitches on Thursday, and had thrown three out of the last four.  We all lived the FRE on Thursday.  That's reason enough to give him a day off.  BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, we had a rested Zach Duke and three hitters that are essentially useless against LHP due up in the bottom of the 9th.  Devers (R/L OPS): .759/.590.  Nunez: .670/.543.  Leon: .623/.601.  HOW DUMB COULD YOU BE? 

 

Then Belisle.  Both by the eyeball test and stats, if you run Belisle in a tie game, you should immediately be cuffed, thrown in a paddy wagon, and transported to your local holding facility.  Molitor did it on Wednesday for two innings and got away with it.  He did it again last night and, quelle surprise, was burned.  It's amazing how rate statistics work. 

I was feeling this way as well, but who knows--maybe a deal for Duke was in the works too, and fell through or something.  I'm guessing that is why Wilson didn't play, as well...

I was feeling this way as well, but who knows--maybe a deal for Duke was in the works too, and fell through or something.  I'm guessing that is why Wilson didn't play, as well...

That thought certainly crossed my mind as well, and if that's the case, I put that on both Molitor and Falvine.  If Duke wasn't available, then you try to cross over to Mejia (and if you're concerned about warm up time, you get him started during the 8th--and then you doubly wonder why he's even on the roster).  Beyond that, yesterday the roster was a mess.  6 starters, down one position player, down one reliever, and then, if Duke wasn't available, you want to hold back ANOTHER reliever (on a day that Lance Lynn in pitching no less).  Ugh.

I can't wait to see that big Wilson haul...  Do you think we could trade Wilson for Realmuto straight up?

Rodney knows he doesn't have to bounce his changeup 5 feet in front of the plate right?

The front office really handicapped the Twins in this game. It is hard enough to beat the Red Sox with 25 much less 23.