KC 7, MIN 6: Oh, So Close

10 man bullpens... these will be long games for the next month

Let me say it one more time. I hope I don't see Duffey for the rest of the season. Duffey = death for your chances to win. His homer was the game. Provided relief? Provided the winning runs. He is toast. Bacon. Burnt. Fried. This is not first part of the season. Monitor hosts keeps hoping. I hope I don't see him for the rest of the season.

Let me say it one more time. I hope I don't see Duffey for the rest of the season. Duffey = death for your chances to win. His homer was the game. Provided relief? Provided the winning runs. He is toast. Bacon. Burnt. Fried. This is not first part of the season. Monitor hosts keeps hoping. I hope I don't see him for the rest of the season.

He's been bad lately, but it's on Molitor who left him in for 2+ innings/40+ pitches.

This needs to be the end of Dillon Gee as a starter. Either Slegers or Mejia needs to take the next turn. And Duffy shouldn't have been brought out for a 3rd inning. That's on Mollie. 

Super weird to me that Polanco has only 10 homeruns. I feel like he's hit at least one per night for the last three weeks.

Also, that man needs a nickname. Don't answer just now. Think on it.

Its just a welcome change that, in the bottom of the 9th, I believe it was possible that they could win it. Years past, I would just assume they were on the verge of screwing it up

Has anyone calculated the collective stats for all the dumpster pitchers we have put on the team this year instead of using our minor leaguers?  

Pitcher innings H BB R
Heston 1 1 0 0
Gee 25.1 26 6 13
Breslow 31 38 12 19
Tepesch 1.2 5 2 7
Haley 18 22 6 12
Enns 4 7 1 4
Wilk 10.1 16 9 9
Melville 3.1 4 3 5
93.5 119 39 69

A whip of 1.70 and .74 runs per inning (I am not looking at ER)

Does anyone believe our minor league pitchers could not have matched this sterling set of stats?

The story (again): Runners on third base with less than two outs that they couldn't advance home. I don't know why this team has such trouble making contact in that situation. But, if Vargas, Rosario (and I believe one more) can execute there, Twins win and they hold the #1 Wildcard with 2.5 on third place. Instead, second Wildcard with 1.5 on the Orioles (who will catch them) and Angels. Huge difference.

I was told by someone innthe gamethread that this series really isn't not a big deal. That even if swept, they're still good. That couldn't be be further from the truth. If they get swept they're not making the playoffs.

Buxton had a full head of steam heading into third as Cain flipped the ball toward second base.  Love to see Glynn send him on plays like that

Or, send the runner on first and see what the Royals do on the first pitch.

Either way, second time in two weeks that Herrera leaves the game with an "injury", after Salvador Perez calls in the trainer.  At some point, MLB has to have a mandatory 10-day DL when the closer comes out of the game.  The reliever gets as much time as he needs, it stops the crowd, the momentum, and it's not the way baseball is supposed to work.  He's not injured, he just wet his pants.

The story (again): Runners on third base with less than two outs that they couldn't advance home. I don't know why this team has such trouble making contact in that situation. But, if Vargas, Rosario (and I believe one more) can execute there, Twins win and they hold the #1 Wildcard with 2.5 on third place. Instead, second Wildcard with 1.5 on the Orioles (who will catch them) and Angels. Huge difference.

I was told by someone innthe gamethread that this series really isn't not a big deal. That even if swept, they're still good. That couldn't be be further from the truth. If they get swept they're not making the playoffs.

 That's a big mischaracterization.  Actually said huge series but took issue with must win.   If they lose the next two and Orioles or Angels win the next two the worst the Twins would be is half a game back with 26 games to play.   You would give up at that point?    How did you not give up on them already?    Every game is important but with most teams that get narrowly into the playoffs you will be able to look back on the blogs and see fans call a series a must win a month before the season ended that they either lost or were swept in.   This is a huge series.   (said it again)   but if they lose it just means that they have to win other games.     If they lose the series and we end up a game back you can say I told you so but unless Baltimore runs the table I will be able to point out other games in the next month that the Twins lose that were just as must win.    Why wasn't the 5 game set in Chicago a must win?   

Has anyone calculated the collective stats for all the dumpster pitchers we have put on the team this year instead of using our minor leaguers?

 

 

Pitcher innings H BB R

Heston 1 1 0 0

Gee 25.1 26 6 13

Breslow 31 38 12 19

Tepesch 1.2 5 2 7

Haley 18 22 6 12

Enns 4 7 1 4

Wilk 10.1 16 9 9

Melville 3.1 4 3 5

93.5 119 39 69

 

 

 

 

A whip of 1.70 and .74 runs per inning (I am not looking at ER)

 

Does anyone believe our minor league pitchers could not have matched this sterling set of stats?

Enns is not a dumpster pitcher, and is one of our minor leaguers. We got him in the Garcia trade.

Super weird to me that Polanco has only 10 homeruns. I feel like he's hit at least one per night for the last three weeks.

Also, that man needs a nickname. Don't answer just now. Think on it.

Little Sexy.

Enns is not a dumpster pitcher, and is one of our minor leaguers. We got him in the Garcia trade.

Yup - I could have put Garcia's stats in instead, but the fact remains that we are just as well off using our own minor leaguers unless we are willing to go for true talent. 

Has anyone calculated the collective stats for all the dumpster pitchers we have put on the team this year instead of using our minor leaguers?  

 

 

Pitcher innings H BB R
Heston 1 1 0 0
Gee 25.1 26 6 13
Breslow 31 38 12 19
Tepesch 1.2 5 2 7
Haley 18 22 6 12
Enns 4 7 1 4
Wilk 10.1 16 9 9
Melville 3.1 4 3 5
93.5 119 39 69

 

 

 

 

A whip of 1.70 and .74 runs per inning (I am not looking at ER)

 

Does anyone believe our minor league pitchers could not have matched this sterling set of stats?

You forgot Belisle and Colon.  As far as minor leaguers that were called up.   Felix George has a 10.57 ERA.  John Curtiss has a 7.71 ERA.   Rosario at 30.86.  Wheeler 9.00.    Tonkin 6.55.     Of course Busenitz and Hildenberger have done well.       Two dumpster dives worked out and two minor leaguers did well.    Not really against your point.   I like it when minor leaguers are promoted and am not one that complained about Curtiss when he gave up some runs in a game that we lost.  

He's been bad lately, but it's on Molitor who left him in for 2+ innings/40+ pitches.

Y'know, I was thinking to myself after that 3rd inning, if this was a rookie starter pitching there (shades of Enns/Meyer), Molly pulls him once it's 2-2. But since Gee is a vet he got more time to get himself out of that mess and the game got blown open.

I'm not blaming Molitor or anything... just a thought.

I'd guess the guy that gave up five runs was the issue.

Hey. Gee should probably not be starting. But just as the 6 games in which Santana was bombed early, and the several that Berrios got shelled and early, it is going to happen. But relief for an inning or two...... that is where the game turns. Duffey has lost it. If you take away the first two months of the season, Duffey looks horrible. Yes, he cannot be counted on now, late, middle, or  early. Even with Gee giving it up early, the 2 run relief Duffey once again provided was consequential.

Upon further looking.... I was too kind. Make that just the first month only for Duffey. It seems Molitor is paralyzed by hope since, hope that he can do what he did for one month 4 months ago, instead of what he has been doing the the last 4 months.

Buxton had a full head of steam heading into third as Cain flipped the ball toward second base.  Love to see Glynn send him on plays like that

 

Glynn just likes to send Grossman and Mauer..... more exciting I guess. Hold the speed, send in the challenged.

I'd guess the guy that gave up five runs was the issue.

Hey. Gee should probably not be starting. But just as the 6 games in which Santana was bombed early, and the several that Berrios got shelled and early, it is going to happen. But relief for an inning or two...... that is where the game turns. Duffey has lost it. If you take away the first two months of the season, Duffey looks horrible. Yes, he cannot be counted on now, late, middle, or  early. Even with Gee giving it up early, the 2 run relief Duffey once again provided was consequential.

So, if not Duffey, who would you bring into a game in the 3rd inning trailing 5-2?  Pressly hasn't exactly been reliable.  You wouldn't use Hildenberger, Busenitz, Belisle, or Rogers that early.  Perkins? He's not going to give you multiple innings effectively.  Neither would Boshers. Curtiss really isn't a multiple inning guy either. That leaves Turley.  Are you sure he's better than Duffey?

It's all fine and dandy to say Duffey shouldn't have pitched.  What's the alternative?

You forgot Belisle and Colon.  As far as minor leaguers that were called up.   Felix George has a 10.57 ERA.  John Curtiss has a 7.71 ERA.   Rosario at 30.86.  Wheeler 9.00.    Tonkin 6.55.     Of course Busenitz and Hildenberger have done well.       Two dumpster dives worked out and two minor leaguers did well.    Not really against your point.   I like it when minor leaguers are promoted and am not one that complained about Curtiss when he gave up some runs in a game that we lost.

So, if not Duffey, who would you bring into a game in the 3rd inning trailing 5-2?  Pressly hasn't exactly been reliable.  You wouldn't use Hildenberger, Busenitz, Belisle, or Rogers that early.  Perkins? He's not going to give you multiple innings effectively.  Neither would Boshers. Curtiss really isn't a multiple inning guy either. That leaves Turley.  Are you sure he's better than Duffey?

 

It's all fine and dandy to say Duffey shouldn't have pitched.  What's the alternative?

I go with a bunch of 1 inning guys. What day is it? September 1. Pitchers should be in abundance now, and can be called up the next day. If you get 1 inning out of Duffey, don't push it. Seems simple to me.

I go with a bunch of 1 inning guys. What day is it? September 1. Pitchers should be in abundance now, and can be called up the next day. If you get 1 inning out of Duffey, don't push it. Seems simple to me.

Duffey has pitched at least 2 innings 14 times this year.  Yesterday was just the second time he gave up more than one run in any of those outings.  In the other 12, he's given up a total of 3 runs.  In those 14 two plus inning outings, he's logged 31 2/3 IP and given up 6 ER - two of which were yesterday.  That's a 1.71 ERA.  I'm not sure what more you can expect from a long reliever.  Duffey's worst month was July when the Twins tried using him in 1 IP stints.  Those results were terrible.

Duffey has pitched at least 2 innings 14 times this year.  Yesterday was just the second time he gave up more than one run in any of those outings.  In the other 12, he's given up a total of 3 runs.  In those 14 two plus inning outings, he's logged 31 2/3 IP and given up 6 ER - two of which were yesterday.  That's a 1.71 ERA.  I'm not sure what more you can expect from a long reliever.  Duffey's worst month was July when the Twins tried using him in 1 IP stints.  Those results were terrible.

OK. Wow. Good stat use and research. I trust it is true. I just quickly looked at the game log summaries for each month, and the only month that looks good is April. I don't think they lie, either. You use Duffey. I don't. Obviously, Molitor agrees with you, and I cringe.

Pressly right now even with his bad stretch has a 1.05 WHIP he should probably be closing.