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  • CHC 11, MIN 10: Epic Comeback Falls Short

    Steve Lein

    By Steve Lein

    Down big after four innings, the Minnesota Twins fought back to make the game interesting in the ninth but would come up 180 feet away from tying the game. If you gave up on the game early, you did miss some fun!

    While in Chicago, the Twins combined to go 1-5 against the Windy City tandem and largely it was pitching to blame instead of the offense. They scored 32-runs in the six games (5.33/game) but will have to head north along the Lake Michigan shoreline to try to salvage, against the Milwaukee Brewers, something out of their nine-game road trip .

    Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

    Twins Video

    Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

    Current record:

    Lance Lynn: 8 Game Score, 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 1 K, 3 BB, 53.2% strikes

    Bullpen: 6.1IP, 4 ER, 6 K, 3 BB

    Lineup: 5-for-13 w/RISP, 11 LOB

    Top three per WPA: Garver .100, Cave .090, Dozier .080

    ccs-27-0-79804400-1530484926.png

    The Twins got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, as Jake Cave hit a monster blast to center field for a 1-0 lead:

    https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1013499168785031169

    Cave would finish the game 3-for5 with two RBI, adding an RBI double and a single later in the game.

    In the bottom of the second however, Lance Lynn was chased after giving up two more walks, five hits, and six runs. The biggest of those hits was a three-run home run to opposing starter Jon Lester:

    https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1013503742853799937

    An inherited runner would be added on to Lynn’s line in the eight-run inning, and his 1 2/3 innings pitched was the first time he hadn’t gone at least five innings in his last eight turns.

    With the scoreboard reading 9-1 after four frames, the Twins did not go away. Mitch Garver added an RBI single to Cave’s RBI double in the fifth. Brian Dozier clubbed his twelfth home run of the season in the top of sixth, a two-run shot to make it 10-5.

    It still wasn’t looking good with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and the score 11-5, but that’s when things got weird in a good way. Eduardo Escobar hit his major league leading 34th double, Dozier drew a walk, and Logan Morrison drove in one to cut the lead to five. Astudillo then drove in two more with a triple, and Mitch Garver made it 11-10 with his third home run on the season before the Cubs summoned closer Brandon Morrow to escape the two-out rally:

    https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1013547783557558272

    Minnesota got Eddie Rosario into scoring position in the ninth but were unable to bring him in and left Chicago being swept by the Cubs, who outscored them 35-25 in the series. The game marked the first time since 1930 the Cubs have scored ten or more runs in four consecutive games.

    Postgame With Molitor

    https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1013557407266426880

    Bullpen Usage

    Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:

    ccs-27-0-07113000-1530484931.jpg

    AL Central Standings

    CLE 45-37

    MIN 35-45 (-8.5)

    DET 37-48 (-9)

    CWS 28-54 (-16.5)

    KC 25-57 (-19.5)

    Next Three Games

    Mon @ MIL, 7:10PM CST – RHP Kyle Gibson (2-6, 3.48 ERA)

    Tue @ MIL, 3:10PM CST – RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.62 ERA)

    Wed @ MIL, 3:10PM CST – RHP Jose Berrios (8-6, 3.52 ERA)

    Last Three Games

    CHC 14, MIN 9: It’s Not the Heat, It’s … Actually, It Is the Heat This Time

    CHC 10, MIN 6: Hey, Remember Joe Mauer?

    MIN 2, CWS 1: Walking Away With a Win

    More From Twins Daily

    Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher Of The Month – June 2018

    Twins Minor League Report (6/30): Grand Night for Cedar Rapids

    Revisiting Molitor vs. Lovullo

    Attachments:
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    //dtb3yzl0vm3pr.cloudfront.net/monthly_07_2018/ccs-27-0-07113000-1530484931.jpg
    Minor League aficionado since childhood, MiLB Reporter for Twins Daily since 2014. Max Kepler should have played for the Beloit Snappers to start the 2012 season. Go Twins!
    Follow Steve Lein on Twitter: HangingSL

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    Featured Comments

    VATwinsFan

    VATwinsFan 2,377

  • Provisional Member

    • Posted

     

    This is why, even up 8-1 and 9-3, you still try to compete and take every advantage you can, and score score score, never taking the foot off the gas. Right, BD?

    When 6, 9, and 10 runs isn't enough!

    Baseball.

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    mikelink45

    mikelink45 10,958

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    For all the satisfaction that getting close in a game like this can give, we lost 5 of 6 to Chicago, the first place and the nearly last place Chicago teams.  We stunk against the bad team and had exciting games against the good team.  What does it mean?  It means we are further from any meaningful season ending position.  Sorry to be so negative, but the Twins are only giving us - we were close - as a positive and in the end it does not matter the scores, only the wins and losses.

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    BJames

    BJames 173

  • Provisional Member

    • Posted

    All those great off season signing, don't look so good now.!  I think the new F.O. wanted to put their mark on the team, when all we needed was a closer and a RH outfield-DH bat.  Good on the closer- failure on the DH,starting pitchers and set-up men.  I was OK with sticking with what we had and using the youth this year.  I guess it could still happen in Aug-Sept. 

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    diehardtwinsfan

    diehardtwinsfan 14,830

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

     

    Lynn did not do himself any favors if he wants to be on a contender this year. His value plummeted and the Twins chance at a quality prospect in return is next to nothing.

     

    Probably a bit of an overreaction. He's been pretty good for two months now. Now if he keeps laying eggs, you may have a point, but one start won't kill his value. 

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    Otto von Ballpark

    Otto von Ballpark 20,320

  • Community Leader

    • Posted

     

    Lynn did not do himself any favors if he wants to be on a contender this year. His value plummeted and the Twins chance at a quality prospect in return is next to nothing.

     

     

    Probably a bit of an overreaction. He's been pretty good for two months now. Now if he keeps laying eggs, you may have a point, but one start won't kill his value. 

     

    I think the mistake is assuming that Lynn was likely to return a quality prospect before this start. Yeah, he was on a decent run (although his previous start didn't end well either, and he still has yet to complete 7 innings in a start this season), but he generated little interest last offseason, and I don't think those teams were suddenly going to be particularly forgiving of his slow start.

     

    Best case, you were already probably looking at a Jaime Garcia type return for Lynn at the deadline. He could still fetch that, depending on how the rest of the month goes, if the acquiring team needs salary relief, etc. But if he has a middling month here, we might be lucky to unload him for any salary relief at all, maybe in August?

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    Loosey

    Loosey 1,788

  • Verified Member

    • Posted (edited)

    Best case scenario for the Twins this year is Buxton and maybe Sano come back sometime around All-Star Break (Sano likely much later if at all) and play well.  Kepler rebounds, and a few youngsters come up guns blazing.  The Twins play the 2nd half around 10 games over .500 and end the season 81-81 giving us fans hope for next year making leading us to believe the the 2nd half team is the real team, while the April-June team was the aberration.

     

    This is how I cope. . .   

    Edited by Loosey
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    slash129

    slash129 1,095

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Good to see Garver break out a bit.  He had a terrible May while initially adjusting to being "the guy", even though it's been more of a split.  

     

    The Twins have issues behind the plate, so it would be good to see Garver get a larger workload in the second half and get a larger sample-size evaluation.  Wilson isn't a long term option. Astudillo has a very intriguing bat, but seeing him behind the plate much will surprise me.  Rupp is striking out 40% at AAA.

     

    I'd give Garver anywhere from 55-60 of the remaining starts at catcher, and go from there.

     

    Considering the current state of affairs, I was hopeful that the Twins could land a top 10 organization prospect who is also a catcher from one of the contending teams. However, I'm not sure if anyone other than Escobar (who I don't think should be moved) will net something like that.

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