NYM 9, MIN 6: Forever of a 5th Inning

This lineup looks like they can score on anyone, but the pitching staff is on balewire right now. Keep running through the 40-man and then some or make a trade or sign Kimbrel.

I turned off the Twins in disgust and switched over to the Blue Wahoos against the Jumbo Shrimp. (Gotta love those MiLB nicknames!) I thought I was in a time warp. The Shrimp had the bases loaded with no outs and the Wahoos' pitcher proceeded to hit the batter to force in a run, cutting a two-run lead to one. They managed to get out of it but only because the next batter swung and missed at a 3-2 pitch above his eyes. Wow, maybe the Twins just needed worse Mets.

Yeah, great line up but gonna be a lot of constant pressure if they have to put up 9 runs four of every five nights to win (a smile and a wink to you Berrios)

I was not thrilled to see Vasquez walk to the mound in that situation. I just had this very bad feeling that he wasn't going to be able to throw strikes--sadly, I was correct. (Why not May or Hildenberger from the start?)

Kimbrel never looked so good.

I turned off the Twins in disgust and switched over to the Blue Wahoos against the Jumbo Shrimp. (Gotta love those MiLB nicknames!) I thought I was in a time warp. The Shrimp had the bases loaded with no outs and the Wahoos' pitcher proceeded to hit the batter to force in a run, cutting a two-run lead to one. They managed to get out of it but only because the next batter swung and missed at a 3-2 pitch above his eyes. Wow, maybe the Twins just needed worse Mets.

I was at this game! Wahoo home opener! Stadium is just as nice as everyone says and seats are right on top of the field even more so than an average minor league venue. Alcala did not look great after the first couple innings and seemed to be working in the lower 90s despite what I've heard about his velocity, and that gift strikeout you refer to was definitely that, but I will say Brian Schales absolutely smoked the ball every time he was up. He's a nonprospect they got from Miami? as far as I know but certainly outshined the rest of the lineup on that particular evening.

So, will Odorizzi be able to pitch more than five innings ever again?

Bases loaded, you need one out...bring in the callup! Huh?

Willians grounds out...alot today!

Perez, Odorizzi, Gibson....I guess the Twins really needed to sign a good starter as well as a solid bullpen arm so we can use Parker as a non-closer.

Vasquez makes the shuttle ride back to Rochester?

Will the snow be removed for ALL seats for Friday's game?

twins 20, mets 17. ten earned runs in 11 innings off two top-shelf starters. a lot to like.

It seems mental, to me. Odorizzi pitched a no-hitter through 4, and the 4 pitch walk should have been a K, as all 4 pitches showed to be a strike on pitch f/x. Something is not clicking in his head. The 11 strikeout game he pitched was just as real as the first inning the start in Philly and the 5th inning today. 

Does anyone have a link to a Baldelli interview after todays game? I really want to hear what he said... how he explains himself....

I am not sure what Dilly Dilly was thinking or what metrics drove the decision to put Vasquez in that situation.  On top of that, I thought there were signs that Odorizzi was unraveling in the 4th. The decision to let him pitch to the pitcher was a huge mistake. You needed that out.  What, because it is not the 7th it isn't a high leverage situation?  Bad read, bad metrics or whatever. You gave the game away.  

Uggh, that was ugly.  Sure is interesting how Baldelli is willing to go with the new guy called up that morning in that situation.  In the past, Vasquez would have sat in the bullpen for several days before getting used.  Unfortunately, he was really bad last night.  Don't know what to think about him, or the decision to use him at that point in the game...kind of a head scratcher for me.

Morneau mentioned something I had been thinking about.  It appeared they were going to pinch hit for Odorizzi in the top of the 5th had he come up to bat.  Did that have some mental effect on him when he came back out?  Or did they see something in his last inning to question whether or not he was at the end.  All in all, puzzling both as to pinch hitting for him and how he went from unhittable to unable to throw a strike.

Wasn't all that worried having Moya, Reed and McGill on the IL.  Well that has changed.  Does anyone know how soon any of these could be back?

Definitely chalk that up as a Bullpen loss, maybe someone should keep track?

A bit of overreach by Baldelli starting Astudillo for the 5th straight game, then putting in Vazquez before he could return the rental car from Rochester.

As long as Buxton plays like he is, Twins are fine.

And Garver, and Schoop, and Polanco, and Kepler.

I think we are finding out whether it is Molitor or Baldelli there is no such thing expert management of a crappy bullpen. This is on Falvine and their hubris

There are times in every game, when the game is on the line. That time last night was when the Mets' pitcher was coming to bat...and again when he was walked, loading the bases. Why not put the best lefty  reliever in the AL in to pitch to a left-handed hitted at that critical point...that game changing point? Rogers was well rested and has no game today. Why not put your best reliever in at the game's critical point?

I turned off the Twins in disgust and switched over to the Blue Wahoos against the Jumbo Shrimp. (Gotta love those MiLB nicknames!) I thought I was in a time warp. The Shrimp had the bases loaded with no outs and the Wahoos' pitcher proceeded to hit the batter to force in a run, cutting a two-run lead to one. They managed to get out of it but only because the next batter swung and missed at a 3-2 pitch above his eyes. Wow, maybe the Twins just needed worse Mets.

I couldn't watch the Twins either and turned it off. Uggh.

He is very good relative to the league in the first inning contrary to his disaster in Philadelphia. He doesn’t need an opener. He does need a quick hook as he gets to the 4th or 5th inning.

I think they overthought playing in the NL game. They seemed ready to pinch hit for him in the top of the 5th but it ended with Buxton. Now he is the first batter in the 6th and they were way too invested in him getting through the fifth.

Just forget this game ever happened. That's the great thing about baseball.

Has anyone blamed Garver yet???

A catcher can help here both in game calling and making sure strikes get called strikes. Game calling is difficult to evaluate, I don’t know if we missed out on any strikes in the 5th inning. There could have been a different result with a different catcher.

The Twins certainly have had a few really long innings the last two games. Catchers have a role here. I think Castro was the catcher in the bad inning last Friday. Garver is not alone.