Twins Game Recap (7/18): Rosario Ignites Late-Inning Comeback

I completely understand wanting to get the win by using Rogers for another 2 inning save... However, I'm getting a little concerned how much Rocco is using him lately. The Twins really need another reliever who can produce in high leverage situations.

When the Twins went up by 3 in the 8th, I was looking for Rocco to put another reliever in so Rogers could be used next game.

The poor fielding dates to well before the All-Star break. I think we can pin it precisely to June 12th, when the Mariners came to town, and the Twins made FIVE ERRORS in a twelve inning loss.

Ever since Seattle brought their fielding disease into Minnesota, the Twins have been ill with it.

I truly hate to say it but Sano made 2 errors in Gibson's last start and I believe he is a liability in the field and totally unpredictable at the plate. I don't want to see him at 3rd in a really crucial game.

Nice to see Baldelli leave Gibson in for 7.

Score 5 or more and win. Score less than 5 and usually lose. Pretty simple formula. Applies again tonight.

Don't agree with the Sano comment.

Do agree with the 5 runs comment.

Nice work by Gibson. That is the kind of start against a good team that can win a playoff game.

Rogers is awesome. Another two inning save.

I love how Rosario was ready on that first pitch.

It was a really good at bat by Sano to draw a walk. He had a hard time laying off those pitchers on the low outside edge earlier in the season. So often it would be a strike called on his attempt to check his swing. It was also an alert play with a good secondary to get home on the passed ball.

Loved the defensive play by Gonzalez in the outfield. He has been so reliable at so many spots.

Rogers needs help in this bullpen - he is probably unavailable until Saturday, maybe Sunday given how we have seen Baldelli handle the pen. You can't run him out there for 2 innings (30 or so pitches) and have him shut down for a couple days.

Twins most definitely need to find more help in the bullpen, but, Rogers just threw 25 pitches in a two-inning save July 12 and then pitched the following night. If they really need him for an inning tonight, he'll be available (but hopefully they can give him a night off).

Sure, okay - but that isn't sustainable. It just isn't.

Imagine the Twins without Rogers.

 

They can't keep running him out there every time they get in a close game, for multiple innings.

Exactly.

Maybe someone with more knowledge can help me out on this one: Why is it no problem at all for a starter to throw 100 pitches every 5th day, but a reliever cannot throw 20 pitches every day, adding up to 100 pitches every five days? I get that something will be lost to warming up 5 times instead of 1, but the starter throws warm-up pitches every inning but the reliever only once or twice per appearance, which should mitigate some of that. But these days it seems like it is viewed as abusive to have a pitcher throw even 3 20-pitch outings in 4-5 days.

Is it just empirical observation that RPs' effectiveness declines over the year with that level of usage? If so, would that be the case for all RPs or would some have more endurance than others? Is there some physiological basis for the difference in 5-day pitch counts? Help me out!

 It's gross to even go here, but owners will also love this line of thinking because it will devalue starters and I'd expect it wouldn't really boost the value of relievers all that much. Could it also help prevent injuries/Tommy John? Not sure, but I'd think so.

 

I agree it is gross for the owners to do it for that reason.

Until they can convince the younger pitchers it is in their best interest (statistically and financially) there will not a buy in from the pitchers and teams willing to spend the money or willing to give the starters a chance to pitch more inning will end up with all the best "starting" and thus forcing the league to go back to traditional starters.

The teams trying things like this are (seems like) doing it with younger starting pitchers that aren't considered top end prospects or prospects that aren't living up to.

What are you talking about? Guys get picked off on that play all the time. I can remember (but not specifically) the Twins doing it twice this year. It's one thing to say a guy should be more cautious but to say that there's no excuse is laughably ignorant of actual baseball.

 

Taking a normal lead and then moving another 2-3 steps towards home with the pitch means that Kepler is likely 5-6 steps from the bag. That was a hard smash and Olson was immediately up and throwing. An entire infield away is like 125 feet. MLB players make that throw in an instant. Kep had no chance.

 

Ironically, the only people in the league who aren't doubled off on that are probably your pitchers and slow plodders who don't take much of a lead because they aren't going home on anything but the most obvious wild pitch anyway. Any player with any speed at all is too far from the bag. That's just bad luck.

The type of secondary lead you're talking about leads to pick offs. happened to Garve sauce, what, 2 3 weeks ago? The play is to freeze and return. You anticipate the ball in the dirt, you don't presume it.

I could understand getting doubled off if it were a close play at the bag, but he didn't even make a move back to the bag. That's the part I didn't like. That play didn't develop that fast and that wasn't a strong throw to 3B. Cave was still halfway down the line when the ball was caught at 3B.

The play DID develop fast. The ball was in the first baseman's mitt an instant after it was hit. The reason the throw to first wasn't very strong is because both the first baseman and the base runner knew it didn't have to be.