TEX 4, MIN 1: Twins Muster Just 3 Hits in Loss

Lets see.  Positives.    Buxton inching his average up.  Bullpen with 5 scoreless innings.     

Tom, what is the Twins record since you started doing these wrap ups?   Its really the only correlation I can come up with for the Twins playing so lousy, though I guess the all star break probably didn't help.

Get Dozier the $%^ out of the lead-off spot. Get Vargas and Garver up. 

Dozier at lead-off feels kind of scholarshippy to me.  Considering the vast amount of lineups Molitor has used.

But what difference would it make right now?

I was half-watching towards the end, and the last I noted, Boshers had two men on with no outs.  I guess he worked that out?  Well good job fringe bullpen guys, for keeping the run differential down when it absolutely doesn't matter.  Now Pythagoras doesn't think they are quite as bad as they really are right now.

This team needs to be shaken up like a snowglobe.

Dozier claims to be a leader and was a big complainer when they made the trades, he needs to take a long look in the mirror. I guess when he looks in the mirror his only thought is "nice hair".

Two years ago when they thought they were in it Dozier was mia down the stretch, last year when it meant nothing he is great. Where has he been this year when they need his "leadership"? Mia again.

Paul Molitor is really good at math.  "Gallo's 3 run homer was the difference" in 3 run loss.  

Can't say Molitor brings nothing to the table.

That is important to know.  When they are trailing by 4 runs, he should start telling the guys to hit Grand Slams.  That would tie the game.  I'm not sure why he has been with holding this knowledge.

I have not been a fan of how the lineups have been put together lately. Get Mauer out of the 4 hole and up to 1 or 2. Get Kepler out of the 2 hole. Move Rosario up in the order. I would like to see Dozier out of the leadoff spot, but someone has to hit there. Polanco needs to be back in the lineup.

I believe when you are a fringe contender and you sell, effort/result is going to fall off. Could be an ugly 2 months.

I don't see how a different closer would have affected last night's outcome. Nor a starting pitcher that woudn't have played and was on the squad for a whole week (during which time they still lost so much it was deemed pointless to keep him).

Yes, it is good to see Molitor embracing advanced analytics, like subtraction.

I am disappointed in this team right now, so I'll pile on:  I vigorously defended the FO in the offseason Dozier negotiations, but I am now realizing he is mediocre.  His season statline is a mirror of his career numbers right now.  This team is desperately missing Breslow's clubhouse leadership.

I'd put Granite at lead-off.  He may be limited in many ways, but at least he's got moxie.

Agreed. They do have to find a way to motivate themselves now that the season is over. Whether that's pumping up their stats, earning their next contract, or securing a role on the team next season.

 

Still not sure the right leadership is in place for the young players to follow.... Specifically Molitor and Dozier who's supposed to be the veteran clubhouse leader.

Umm, how is Dozier the veteran clubhouse leader? Pretty sure Mauer has double the MLB experience.

This is literally true but my general thought is players aren't robots. Selling at the deadline was going to lead to an inevitable deflation throughout the roster and probably coaching staff too.

Perhaps the right move to sell, but I would have soft bought, give some incentive for the young guys on the roster to fight through and finish strong and build on that going forward. Instead the season is over and they're going to limp for a while. I don't think the return they got is worth this cost.

The team might get a little second life when they call up Garver and perhaps the AA arms, but they aren't exactly elite guys.

They did soft buy when they got Garcia, but the team was already starting to slide by then and started sliding even harder after that. It was clear the team was getting outclassed by actual contenders and we were no longer going to hold on to a weak division.

I understand players aren't robots but they had a chance to convince ownership to buy and instead they flopped. They're a young and incomplete team, so that's not unexpected. The run differential is what it is for a reason. But they're also professionals and have to learn how to right themselves and continue to perform even when things aren't going their way.

Tom, just wanted to say, I LOVE the work you did with this recap and your other game recaps. Keep up the awesome job! The graphs and charts showing lineup construction and bullpen usage is really interesting as well. Thanks!