Twins 2, White Sox 6: Twins Outplayed by White Sox Again

"I thought today that the best chance to go out there and win the game was to get our bullpen guys in there earlier than normal."

Really, Rocco?  Our best chance in a 2-2 game is to bring in 5 relievers to pitch 6 innings and have all 5 of them be on that night?  With 2 more games this weekend still to play?   How's that working out for you Roc?  

Am I the only one miffed with this guy?  

I am not a Devon Smeltzer apologist, but I totally agree with him here. Baldelli's "gut" told him that Gray would be fine after taking a batted ball on his pitching tricep at over 100 mph early in the game, pitching with no command before, and less after, and it seems to me, and I posted in real time, that he had to come out. Instead, history on the way to the 12-2 massacre, and the inevitable Slam. But today, Smeltzer was hoodwinked and deception was the MO. And the carousel of inept bullpen place holders get the call. No start the inning and at least give him one batter with the parade of 6 innings to the finish in cue and up and ready in the pen. Just the merciless yank. Add me to the miffed list.

In Rocco's mind, "Emilio Pagan" and "best chance" we're in the same sentence. That's all I needed to know.

Rocco is a train wreck ... Bullpen best to win the game ... No even close is the bullpen best to ever win a game 

Yes stuck a fork in Rocco as well.  He is probably the most baffling  manager the twins have had in recent memory.  I've said all year that when all is said and done Rocco will be the biggest reason twins are eliminated.  And of course our great FO is right behind them.  Twins have been grossly outplayed and out managed.  Being outscored 18-4 in two games at home shows how poorly prepared this team was for such an important series.  Really inexcusable performances.  Losing is one thing.  Not showing up to play is on the great Baldelli.  His laid back, stick to the plan, don't upset the players, I don't care if we win or not attitude is wearing very thin 

The third time through the order seems to be something the Twins really believe gives the batter a significant advantage as opposed to the first two times through the order. Why else pull a starter out of the game after 3? I guess if you have a bullpen like the Yankees had in 2017 you can count on your pitchers to make it to the end. The Twins don’t have that bullpen. I don’t believe the advantage is significant. I believe it is mostly the sample of batters faced the third time through that drives those pitcher numbers. If you look at it from the hitter perspective many have their best numbers either the first or second time they face a pitcher.

If they have so little faith in Smeltzer to pull him after 3 innings then he can’t be in the rotation. It needs to be Winder or someone else in that spot.

3 hours ago, umterp23 said:

Rocco is a train wreck ... Bullpen best to win the game ... No even close is the bullpen best to ever win a game 

Totally agreed.  If your bullpen is your best shot early in a 2-2 game, what does that say about your confidence in your starters?  I don't know, maybe that is why we need 8 or more starters a year.    

We have two many starters that can’t start!

Good recap!!! \m/

It would feel better if we had a hint of momentum heading into the break instead of the nomentum bleakness that is plaguing us. 

This series has started with 2 ugly loses. The bullpen is worn out.  Bundy and Archer slated to start the next 2 games.  This series has all the makings of a disaster for the Twins.

Lets hope the Twins version of Lance Lynn shows up for the Sox today.

5 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Yes stuck a fork in Rocco as well.  He is probably the most baffling clue manager the twins have had in recent memory.  I've said all year that when all is said and done Rocco will be the biggest reason twins are eliminated.  And of course our great FO is right behind them.  Twins have been grossly outplayed and out managed.  Being outscored 18-4 in two games at home shows how poorly prepared this team was for such an important series.  Really inexcusable performances.  Losing is one thing.  Not showing up to play is on the great Baldelli.  His laid back, stick to the plan, don't upset the players, I don't care if we win or not attitude is wearing very thin 

Fire Rocco and field the exact same roster next year, and I think we'd see about the same results. How is firing him going to fix the hitters' inability to execute in clutch situations, fix the completely imploded rotation, and also fix the bullpen that gets annually neglected by the front office? Yeah, I don't like pulling Smeltzer early either, but he gave up 7 baserunners in 3 innings and looked cooked. Even if he went 4 or 5 innings, Jax still pitches and probably gives up runs, and we know the hitters weren't going to put up any resistance.

There are a lot of problems with this team, but can we stop acting as if Rocco is the only thing holding this team back from greatness? Would it hurt to put even a little bit of accountability on the players for not playing well?

6 hours ago, Danchat said:

Fire Rocco and field the exact same roster next year, and I think we'd see about the same results. How is firing him going to fix the hitters' inability to execute in clutch situations, fix the completely imploded rotation, and also fix the bullpen that gets annually neglected by the front office? Yeah, I don't like pulling Smeltzer early either, but he gave up 7 baserunners in 3 innings and looked cooked. Even if he went 4 or 5 innings, Jax still pitches and probably gives up runs, and we know the hitters weren't going to put up any resistance.

There are a lot of problems with this team, but can we stop acting as if Rocco is the only thing holding this team back from greatness? Would it hurt to put even a little bit of accountability on the players for not playing well?

Yes, the players play the game, and the manager can't pitch, hit, or throw for them.  But what a major league manager IS supposed to do is put the players he has in the best position to get the most out of them on a day in, day out basis.  Positioning them in the field, the batting order, when to pull a starter and how to manage a bullpen day in, and day out.  In game strategy; when to bunt, when to steal, etc., etc.  When to pinch hit, if at all, when to put in defensive replacements, etc.  Different managers do those things differently, and would have different records with the same 26 man roster.  A massive difference?  Who knows, no one can prove a negative, so to speak.  Some of us feel that the Roc hasn't done the best job possible of all of those things, and as a result the players are not producing the results they are capable of from time to time.  Does he make as much of a difference as the players themselves?  No, in my extremely humble opinion.  Could he be doing a better job of all of the above?  Absolutely; again in my extremely humble opinion.  So much of the criticism is justified; maybe not all of it, but much of it.