bighat

This snippet really spoke to me: "Knowledge over wisdom. Technology over teaching. Data over art. Efficiency over entertainment." There's honestly no better way to sum up the Minnesota Twins in the Falvine/Rocco era. I wonder what Tommy Lasorda's spreadsheet would have told him about pinch-hitting Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? Lasorda used his gut to make that call, it was a "hunch" or a "feeling" that can't be categorized in any statistical category. Now I'm sure a whiz kid GM would be quick to point out that those "hunches" don't always work and thus the spreadsheet is more trustworthy.....but when they do work out, they produce magic that will bring people back to the ballpark for 40 years or more. That's got value. And that's what the spreadsheets aren't catching.

@Thiéres Rabelo - I want to thank you for the fantastic game coverage this season. You, along with several other contributors ( @Sherry Cerny@Nate Palmer@Theo Tollefson@Matt Braun@Jamie Cameron, and many more) have done us all a great service. You guys watched a lot of baseball for us - some good, some not-so-good - so that we didn't have to. One of the main reasons I like this site is because I can log on at 6am ET every morning and see how the Twins did last night. The reliability is a big part of why many of us continue to log in. Have a great off-season, and thank you again for everything!

Couldn't agree more. One of the lowest periods for me was the trade deadline. Watching a team that was clearly running on fumes mortgage their future for a washed up reliever and another injury-prone starter was just awful. At the same time, if they didn't make any moves the fan base would be equally outraged. Then Buxton goes down, Mahle breaks, and those series against Cleveland in September - just a bloodbath. Correa waiting until the team was out of contention to start playing like an All-Star was annoying, as was the general apathy on the offensive side of the ball. But the worst part was watching the team run Emilio Pagan out there week after week in the middle of the summer. Luis Arraez's .316 BA is the lowest league-winning batting average in 50 years. Might be an answer to a trivia question someday. Emergence of Duran, Gordon, Miranda were the high spots, and I feel pretty good about Joe Ryan being a solid piece of the rotation moving forward. Not much else stood out on the positive side.

Complete with not one but TWO finger-kiss / point-to-the-sky actions, and finished with a Sammy Sosa bunny-hop onto home plate. First ever MLB homer for the guy. Honestly, I have no problem with it but I can see how some people might roll their eyes.

He's had some very bad games after returning. Absolutely no reason for anyone to think he'll be a solid piece of this rotation next year - another huge question mark in a sea of question marks for the 2023 Twins.

Agreed. Jeffers is the worst catcher in the league in throwing out base stealers, and he's hitting .213 this year. He hit .199 the year before. When are articles like this: "Ryan Jeffers is a Top 10 catcher". going to stop? We need to stop pretending that Ryan Jeffers is a major league backstop. Enough already. And it's not just him: Jeffers, Larnach, Kirilloff - all of them aren't working out. Even when they're healthy they aren't putting up anything more than slightly below-average numbers. These guys are just more Bobby Kieltys and Chris Parmalees: Highly drafted prospects who just couldn't cut it at the major league level for various reasons (injury, talent, etc). They'll be nothing more than obscure answers to Twins Trivia contests in 20 years. This particular core of players are entering their age 25 and 26 seasons, and if things worked out they'd be anchoring this team's progress into the mid 2020s. But it's not happening. They didn't emerge. And I hope we're doing pretending otherwise. And when it comes down to it, this is why the Twins have struggled over the past couple years. These three guys were supposed to be carrying their fare share of the weight, and they're just unavailable or unable to play at the level the team needs to be competitive.

Good points. That said, the above is exactly how I feel about Dior. I'd never in a million years buy a $120 tee shirt, or a $1200 pair of shoes, a $20,000 purse or a $75,000 bracelet. Even if I won the lottery. He might as well have said "If you're serious about a quality particle colliders and tandem linac accelerator systems, you have to be willing to drop big money at the Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring". I totally get the point, but it wasn't relatable. And I don't HATE him for muffing this one, I hope the Twins sign him and open up the checkbook!

I have no problem with Correa seeking top dollar. And he made a great point - you want the best, you gotta pay for it. I think we all agree that's true in baseball. So yeah, like you I agree with Correa's point, but I think he struck out on the terminology. If he'd have said "Sometimes you gotta go get your groceries at Whole Foods" - we'd all identify with that. Sure not everyone shops at Whole Foods, but we've all been inside one before and at least understand the metaphor. But "Dior"? Are you serious? That's just an abstract concept for 99.99% of baseball fans. Who shops there? Leonardo DiCaprio? Rhianna? The judges from the Cannes Film Festival? When I think of a Dior store, I think if you walked in there dressed like you were from White Bear Lake, you'd get kicked out faster than a Trevor Larnach strike out on 3 straight breaking balls. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve the money, and frankly I'd love it if the Twins paid up for his services. What I AM saying is that anyone who's so much as taken a PR class in college can see that it was a terrible choice of words. Honestly it was just about the worst terminology possible used to make his point.

Well put and hit the nail on the head, said much better than my original comment. Like you I don't begrudge players for seeking top dollar, nor do I have any ill-will towards them for making millions in the game of baseball. I also don't think Correa owes Minneapolis a "home town discount" of any kind. But his comment was at the very least obtuse if not seriously distasteful. Yuck.

I think the analogy is probably what draws the vitriol. I've never been into a Dior store, and neither have most people reading this story. A lot of Twins fans sitting at their breakfast tables in Brainerd or Roseau or Minneapolis may not even know what Dior is. Correa reciting a metaphor that involves paying thousands for a t-shirt or hundreds of thousands for a bracelet or whatever just comes across in poor taste. So I disagree with you and think - for Correa's image - it was a terrible analogy. When a player who is walking away from your team talks about going shopping at the Dior store, it doesn't do him any favors. Personally I like Correa and hope the Twins find a way to bring him back. Don't think they will, and it's a big loss for the organization. Big hole to fill.

Winder goes 4.6 innings and gives up 3 runs, gives up 6 hits and his ERA now stands at 4.31. Sonny Gray is ending the year hurt, Maeda hasn't pitched in a year, and Paddack is likely going to miss the entire 2023 season. Yet going into next year, Twins blogs everywhere will write about how solid this rotation is. Boggles the mind.

Absolute embarrassment the way they are finishing this season. Shoved into a locker by Cleveland and then they refuse to even try the rest of the way. It's truly evident the Twins don't care whether they win or lose a game at this point. No pride, no competitiveness, just going through the motions until they can all get the hell out of the clubhouse. Not saying I wouldn't do the same, but as a fan it's really disappointing to watch your favorite team become so disinterested in playing baseball.

Nice. Gotta go 7-3 over the next 10 games to finish .500, which seems highly unlikely. Six of the next 10 are against the White Sox, who have lost 5 in a row. It's looking that Cleveland will be the only team in the division who will win more than 50% of their games. Little housekeeping @Seth Stohsthe box score up top says that Ryan went 7 2/3 innings.

Disagree. Duran might be the only guy on the list that's getting better with age. The rest of the guys will be older, and in Alcala's case he'll be even further removed from playing at the MLB level. The math tells me that the combo of Jax, Alcala, Theilbar, Fullmer, & Lopez will be worse in 2023 - collectively - than they were in 2022. IMO the Twins need to part ways with as many arms not named "Duran" as they possibly can.

Weather Alert: according to RotoGrinders: "Just an ugly night for baseball. It's cold (50 degrees), a bit breezy, and wet. Rain will gradually be tapering off, moderate rain around first pitch (unlikely they can start on time), then very light rain for most of the evening beyond that." Now that we have that out of the way, let's get back to our regularly scheduled game thread. The first full day of autumn is officially here, so it's only fitting that the Twins will try and stop their own “fall” tonight against the Los Angeles Angels. Minnesota enters the game having lost 7 of the 8 games to division opponents and have dropped to 73-77. They will have to go 8-4 over the last 12 games of the season in order to finish with a .500 record. The Angels (65-85) sit 33.5 games back in the AL West and have long since been eliminated from post-season play. That said, there are several reasons to care about tonight’s game. First, I saw tickets are going for as low as $11 online and it’s “Fan Appreciation Night” at Target Field. That means all fans in attendance will receive a free Twins beanie upon entrance. Those same lucky fans will get to watch the other-worldly Shohei Ohtani showcase his versatility tonight. Ohtani (13-8, 2.43) will take the mound, and if (when) he strikes out 4 Twins tonight, he’ll hit the 200 strikeout mark for the first time in his career. He’s also batting .271 with 34 homers and 89 RBI in what absolutely must be a 2nd consecutive MVP season. Sure, Aaron Judge has had a nice year but he’s light years behind what Ohtani is doing in a double-duty role. Ohtani’s teammate Mike Trout leads the Angels with 36 homers and he’ll also be in the lineup tonight. How this Angels team is 20 games below .500 is beyond me, but the baseball world seems to wonder about this every year. The Twins counter with St. Paul native Louie Varland (0-1, 5.23). Varland is auditioning for any kind of role on Minnesota’s major league pitching staff next season, so let’s wish the kid luck tonight. He’s averaging exactly 1 strikeout per inning pitched so far in his only two starts with the club. Fellow rookies Jose Miranda, Nick Gordon, Mark Contreras, Matt Wallner and Jermaine Palacios will join Varland in the lineup tonight. Weather: Cold and drizzly. Possible PPD in the making. Lineups: Twins: 1. Luis Arraez (L) DH 2. Jose Miranda (R) 1B 3. Nick Gordon (L) 2B 4. Gio Urshela (R) 3B 5. Jake Cave (L) LF 6. Gary Sanchez (R) C 7. Matt Wallner (L) RF 8. Mark Contreras (L) CF 9. Jermaine Palacios (R) SS P. Varland (R) Angels: 1. Luis Rengifo (S) 2B 2. Mike Trout (R) CF 3. Shohei Ohtani (L) P 4. Taylor Ward (R) RF 5. Mike Ford (L) 1B 6. Matt Duffy (R) 3B 7. Mickey Moniak (L) LF 8. Max Stassi (R) C 9. Livan Soto (L) SS P. Ohtani (R)

So far he's been hitting since being called up. Small sample size, obviously. He's already ahead of both Kirilloff and Larnach on the depth chart in my book. And yes, that says more about how I feel about the latter names.

The Twins went into this year basically hoping everyone would perform at career-highs, and if doing so they'd reasonably expect to compete. They banked on both Polanco and Correa hitting 28 HRs each and driving in 80. They banked on Larnach and Kirilloff taking the next step, hitting 20 HRs a piece and solidifying themselves in the 4-5-6 holes. They banked on Jeffers hitting .250, and they banked on Kepler hitting .280. They thought Duffey would rebound, they thought Pagan would be effective as the team's closer. And while they didn't bank on Buxton hitting .275 and hitting 35 HRs and stealing 30 bases, they probably thought it was a realistic possibility. They missed on every single one of those. Badly. Polanco didn't deliver, Correa was invisible until September, Larnach and Kirilloff regressed and got hurt, so did Jeffers and Kepler. Duffey was released, Pagan is in the midst of a mind-bogglingly horrific season. Buxton barely hit above .200 and while he certainly was a sparkplug at times he didn't deliver what the Twins FO hoped for. The only gamble they got right was Dylan Bundy - I bet they got exactly what they'd hoped from him. He's 8-7 with a 4.68 ERA and has been reliably taking the ball every 5th day. One of the worst seasons to watch in recent memory. Worse than 2021.

Martin looks like he'll become another Twins "top prospect" to make his MLB debut at age 25 or 26. Meanwhile Ronald Acuna has a World Series ring and 5 All-Star games before he turned 25. I know I get my wrist slapped every time I compare Twins prospects to Acuna, but the Braves aren't the only team who have 20 or 21 year-old phenoms on the MLB roster. Why is our HS draft pick from 2019 still in A ball? Cavaco will be 22 next summer and might not even have cracked the Kernel's roster! Why is our college-aged draft pick from 2020 still in AA ball? Aaron Sabato is a DH-only player who can't hit very well and will 24 next summer. Bad draft picks, plus this farm system develops guys waayyyyyy too slowly, and even with that, they can't keep 'em healthy. We may be facing 5-6 years of a cellar-dwelling teardown.

Heck yes, preach!!!! This pitching staff is bad, bad bad and I echo your comments. Since the Twins have Mahle for only 1 more year under contract, I say run 'em out there until he breaks down, at least we'll have received something from him. Don't have him on an innings count, don't put him on-and-off the IL all year, it's just clogging up the pipeline. Let him throw his heart out until he can't throw again and let some other team deal with the problem in 2024. PS - hitting is bad too. Aside from Buxton (who would bat 9th in NY, LA, or HOU) there's nobody out there that could start for a World Series contender.

Agreed, but could you imagine what this team would have been without Correa for this past month? They'd have been shut out every other day. Problem right now is, due to frontline prospect injuries (Larnach, Kirilloff, Lewis) and disappointments (Balacovic, Cavaco, Sabato) the Twins now need to add both hitting and pitching in the offseason. And with all the question marks, it looks like they need to add a LOT of both. And they won't be able to do that.

Would have been nice to see a little fight from this team towards the end, instead they lose 6 straight against Cleveland and roll over with a whimper. 32-49 on the season against .500 or above teams, and an overall record of 42-52 since May 30, when they led the Guardians by 6.5 games. Cheers buddy. This team has been bad for a long, long time and it's been a head-scratcher since the trade deadline. The articles lauding the Twins trades at that time look laughable. Many, including myself, said they needed a bat. That the Twins had too many holes to fill, and that giving up guys like Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, etc was too high of a price for a team that ultimately wouldn't make it. I guess the FO had to try, they were in a pretty tough place. Again, and incredibly depressing end to the season, getting stuffed into a locker by the White Sox, Yankees, and Guardians without even fighting back. Nothing to like about this team other than Jose Miranda and Nick Gordon. Full stop.

Agree, but there's more to it. The Twins also lost because they scored 0 runs in the final 7 innings of the game, and only managed 3 total. How many runs have they averaged against Cleveland this year? The lack of offense has been a primary reason for this collapse. This team just isn't scoring runs consistently. They lead the league in being shut out. No Buxton, no chance.

Didn't put this in the game intro, but just saw it and worth noting:

With the lifeboat labeled “Royals” floating away beyond the horizon, the Twins find themselves adrift at sea with two options: sink or swim. Sitting four games out of 1st place with just 19 games left to play, Minnesota opens a make-or-break 5 game set against the division-leading Guardians tonight in Cleveland. The Guardians made a huge statement by sweeping the Twins in Minneapolis last weekend, and Minnesota would very much like to return the favor. In reality, the Twins almost must win at least 4 out of these next 5 games to have any realistic chance at making the postseason. Anything less will leave the team in serious trouble, and it goes without saying that if the Twins lose ground over the weekend, the season is essentially over. And with the season on the line, the Twins turn to…..Bailey Ober? Woah, he’s back! The 6’9” right hander (1-2, 4.01 ERA) will be making his first start in over 3 months tonight. It’s a curious choice for such a big game, but Twins management must be feeling good about his rehab efforts. We’ve seen Ober pitch well in the past, and Cleveland hasn’t seen him this year so that might be to his advantage. Either way, it’s very “on brand” of the 2022 Minnesota Twins to have Ober out there shaking off 3 months worth of rust in the biggest game of the season. Nobody who's been on this season-long ride should shocked at the decision. Cleveland counters with Triston McKenzie (10-11, 3.05), who pitched 7 shutout innings in a victory against the Twins in Minneapolis last weekend. McKenzie hasn’t given up more than 2 earned runs in a start since August 2nd - a month and a half ago. The 25 year-old NYC native is having a great year and has a bright future in the league. Luis Arraez is back in the lineup and leading off, with Correa and Miranda hitting behind him. Nick Gordon is batting cleanup. Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez are in the lineup too. The infamous "Three C's" make up the outfield tonight: Cave, Celestino and Contreras. They will be batting 7th, 8th, and 9th, respectively. So what are the chances the Twins grab the bull by the horns this weekend? According to the numbers, the chances are slim. Since August 1, the Twins are 4-15 against teams that are above .500. Two of their best offensive players (Buxton, Polanco) remain on the IL. Emilio Pagan is still on the roster and will definitely pitch in this series. But this is baseball. Every team has a chance to beat any other team in the league on any given day. The Twins are shaking the dice, and until the first pitch is thrown tonight, Twins fans everywhere can find a way to believe they’ll roll boxcars. Odds: Cleveland -154, Twins +130 Weather: 75 and sunny at gametime Picks to click: Mark Contreras leads the team with an average 96.1 MPH exit velocity when playing against RHP on the road. Jose Miranda leads the team with a .393 wOBA in the same conditions. Lineups: 1. Luis Arraez (L) DH 2. Carlos Correa (R) SS 3. Jose Miranda (R) 1B 4. Nick Gordon (L) 2B 5. Gio Urshela (R) 3B 6. Gary Sanchez (R) C 7. Jake Cave (L) LF 8. Gilberto Celestino (R) CF 9. Mark Contreras (L) RF P. Ober (R) 1. Steven Kwan (L) LF 2. Amed Rosario (R) SS 3. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B 4. Josh Naylor (L) 1B 5. Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF 6. Andres Gimenez (L) 2B 7. Will Benson (L) DH 8. Luke Maile (R) C 9. Myles Straw (R) CF P. McKenzie (R)

I am not. Why should I be? Have the Twins been tearing up the league with that lineup in the past? The Twins were winning in 2019 when they had Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sano, and Mitch Garver hitting cranking out 30 HRs in a juiced ball season. They won in 2020 with Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda pitching as the staff ace. Since the Larnach and Kirilloff were promoted to the MLB squad, they've have been on-and-off the Twins roster for the past two years, up-and-down to St. Paul with both injury and performance issues. And the Twins have been BAD. Sure, both have had a few good games and shown flashes of promise, but they've also both gone through horrendous stretches where they were maybe the easiest outs in MLB - and not for a short stretch! In what fantasy land are you living in that you want Kirilloff and Larnach occupying the 3-4 spots on the batting order for years to come? And you also threw in Kepler there. Egads, no. The Twins are going to have to go after a free agent (or two) OF like Will Myers, AJ Pollack, Adam Duvall, Jurickson Profar, Tommy Pham, Joc Pederson. All of whom are safer, proven options. Larnach and Kiriloff shouldn't be discarded, but they should have to earn their roster spots, they've already been handed starting jobs and have failed miserably. The stats don't lie.