Game Recap: Twins 10, Cleveland 2

I also flinched. He definitely landed on first base awkwardly. I really thought he would grab his hamstring or something after the play.

The baseball gods are fickle, but they aren't without mercy. We have all seen many pitchers and players struggle with performance and injury in their early years before health and experience and physical/ mental maturity take hold things just begin to "click". This may be Byron's time. Finally! It may also be Berrios's time.

Good and bad for the Twins to find some way to keep both.

I'm so happy for Buck; he worked hard on his craft and endured. I will be rooting for his just reward in FA even though we won't have a chance.

He's not going to hit over 400 for the season but I don't see a huge regression either. That swing is more compact, efficient and confident.

I love the win today, BUT remember that we simply crushed a horrible SP like previous teams had done to the poor guy. AND we didn't have to use our bullpen.

So, they still have lots to prove and I hope they do it!

Actually 10 runs was pretty close to average. MLB average was 0.52 runs per 1st inning, which would be 11.4 for our 22 games entering today. (The 3 teams ranked ahead of us with 11 runs had each played 1-3 more games than us so far.)

 

The broadcast today noted that we led all of MLB with a .360 AVG in the first inning. But second-fewest first inning HR and walk totals meant those hits didn't translate into above-average run scoring. That sure changed today!

I just want to say that I really enjoy how you add additional stats and context to numbers, in a lot of different scenarios. Thanks!

The particular lineup we saw today should be tough to beat. Lots of home run potential, and the infield should be great. Also good to see Happ pitch another effective game. 

Maybe the breaks are starting to even out.

Perhaps the Cleveland team will want to choose the name, "Baby Seals," because they sure got clubbed today.

Stepping back now from the precipice of bad taste to simply observe that today's lineup batted 10/40 with two walks, so there is still room for improvement. Hopefully this was the day the Twins turned the corner.

Nice to see the bats break out but home runs are not the answer. They need to be better hitters and home runs can only lead to more strikeouts. let's see what happens in the games that are close. Also nice that Happ is in a good groove right now. The bullpen could not possibly blow this one- even if Austudillo was pitching....or could they?

FINALLY!!!!

I imagine Kirilloff will also go back when Sano is activated.

I vote for a LOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGG rehab assignment for Sano prior to him rejoining the team.  

Let the Turtle and AK man 1B for awhile.

It's a lot more fun around here after a win. 

I liked the Happ signing at the time, but didn't think he'd be this good. Glad to see at least one move that worked! (Simmons worked too)

This team has been so incredibly frustrating so far. The talent is still there, but April has been such a mess of screwups and guys just flailing that you had to wonder. I still don't know why exactly the bullpen is such a mess, and until we start seeing consistent production from guys NOT named Buxton, Arraez, Donaldson, and Cruz we're just not gonna be there.

But maybe, just maybe we're starting to see them get it together? Maybe some warmer weather, night games, and fans in the stands will start helping this crew get it together before the season implodes.

Bob's said,"Also, I'm going to be REALLY curious what Maeda looks like once the weather warms.Guy pitched in NL West entire career...and didn't pitch in Minnesota til July in 2020 due to Covid."

This is a really good point. Maeda relies on command and I can see how the cold could be getting to him. He has appeared frustrated. I'm counting on Kenta figuring it out.

I imagine Kirilloff will also go back when Sano is activated.

I really hope the Twins have a short leash with Sano or Kepler if one of them struggles for an extended amount of time when they return. Kirilloff made solid contact and looked like he belongs in the bigs, so he should get the ABs if one of those other two can't produce. 

Lots of talk today about getting Buxton and Berrios signed to extensions. 

The Twins have Kepler, Sano and Polanco all signed for several years to very reasonable contracts. Arraez is another key player who won't demand huge dollars. Several positions will be locked up by Kirilloff, Larnach, Rortvedt, Balazovic and Lewis at rookie/pre-arbitration dollars. That should leave lots of dollars to get these two signed to contracts at top dollars without overall payroll getting too ridiculous. 

Time to back the Brink's truck up to the Pohlad National Bank for a trip over to Target Field to keep this pair Twins for life. Got me wondering, do they still own a bank or have they all been sold?

I did not watch yesterday, but the highlights continue to show that Buxton may have figured it out at the plate and will put up some crazy numbers this year.  I said all along what was holding him back is his lack of pitch recognition.  He is staying off the breaking pitches out of the zone and crushing the ones in the zone.  He also is not missing fastballs in the zone either.  I do not know his chase rate but has to be very low and same with whiff rate.  For most part his BABIP is not luck he is hitting the ball hard all over the field.  Looks like the muscle he put on has also helped him at the plate for some reason. 

Finally a fun game to watch.

Go T'''''''ins.

Just 7 games below .500 and becoming the Twins again.

Happ did a great job against Reyes. Silenced his bat.

I did not watch yesterday, but the highlights continue to show that Buxton may have figured it out at the plate and will put up some crazy numbers this year.  I said all along what was holding him back is his lack of pitch recognition.  He is staying off the breaking pitches out of the zone and crushing the ones in the zone.  He also is not missing fastballs in the zone either.  I do not know his chase rate but has to be very low and same with whiff rate.  For most part his BABIP is not luck he is hitting the ball hard all over the field.  Looks like the muscle he put on has also helped him at the plate for some reason. 

Actually, Buxton's chase rate is one of the few areas where he has room for improvement this season. According to Baseball Savant, his chase rate is in the 10th-percentile of MLB, meaning that only 10% of the league chases more than he does. This is reflected in his very low walk rate, which is only in the 5th-percentile. However, he more than makes up for this with a K-rate that is below league average, and all of his batted ball stats are off the charts. He's not going to keep hitting like this all season, so I think the next step he needs to take to make his success more sustainable is chasing fewer pitches and taking more walks.