a few thoughts

[USAFChief]

To me, the biggest mistakes of last night were Rosario trying to go big with that catch, allowing the go-ahead run to stop at third, and the absolutely horrific, terrible Santana plate appearance.

I had to turn off the TV after the Santana plate appearance. Davis was struggling with control and Santana handed away that AB for no good reason.

Also, Oswaldo Arcia.

All of which points to the manager, IMO, which is sorta what this thread is about.

 

Roster construction is on Ryan. Roster usage is on the manager, and Mollie is off to a bad start IMO. He got schooled by Showalter, big time. 4 games into the season, he has pinch ran for Dozier, Danny Santana in the 2 hole, he finds himself with both Mauer and Sano not in the game, Rosario up in a crucial spot whiffing on 4 pitches, May not available, and Arcia yet to get a PA.

 

Awful.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

The Twins scored a season-high in runs last night:

 

Three.

 

The biggest problem ain't the bullpen, folks.

doesnt this speak to Chief's points regarding Sano and the bench? If you need runs, play the best hitters you got! This team is built for solo home runs. If by some freak accident you have someone on base, they can be two run home runs.

[Halsey Hall]

At least it was good to see Park go deep and get that one outta the way. I left the room when Jepsen came in only to go back and see we're down a run. I was so hoping it was Mays there in that spot. I think I'll give up watching until they win a game, and do something else.....like shoveling snow...maybe.

[twinsnorth49]

All of which points to the manager, IMO, which is sorta what this thread is about.

 

Roster construction is on Ryan. Roster usage is on the manager, and Mollie is off to a bad start IMO. He got schooled by Showalter, big time. 4 games into the season, he has pinch ran for Dozier, Danny Santana in the 2 hole, he finds himself with both Mauer and Sano not in the game, Rosario up in a crucial spot whiffing on 4 pitches, May not available, and Arcia yet to get a PA.

 

Awful.

This, yes the players have to perform but the Manager needs to put the team in the best situation to succeed. He hasn't.

[TheLeviathan]

I might make one half hearted defense of Molitor, the roster as it is constructed lends itself to very easily being a problem. We have a huge defensive problem in RF, softball team speed, and incredibly poor team contact/OBP rates. It leads to all kinds of crappy damned if you do/don't situations.

 

He's choosing the worst options, but I'd put the blame 60/40 with Molly/Ryan.

[savvyspy]

The bullpen and Sano in RF is Exhibit 12 million on why a change is needed in this front office. Because of this idiotic Sano nonsense, Ryan is forcing his manager to take his best hitter out of the game 2/3s of the way through and expose their horrendous bench.

 

Instead of improving the worst bullpen in the majors, Ryan somehow managed to make it worse by making their best arm, May the long man while leaving below replacement level guys like Fien, Abad, and Jepsen to take high leverage roles.

 

But hey at least our backup catcher is slightly better. Eye roll.....

[jokin]

 

The bullpen and Sano in RF is Exhibit 12 million on why a change is needed in this front office. Because of this idiotic Sano nonsense, Ryan is forcing his manager to take his best hitter out of the game 2/3s of the way through and expose their horrendous bench.

Instead of improving the worst bullpen in the majors, Ryan somehow managed to make it worse by making their best arm, May the long man while leaving below replacement level guys like Fien, Abad, and Jepsen to take high leverage roles.

But hey at least our backup catcher is slightly better. Eye roll.....

 

May is technically still in the limbo he was placed in last July- as Ryan awaits the need for a replacement SP after an (inevitable) implosion from one of the current SPs.

[jokin]

 

 

All of which points to the manager, IMO, which is sorta what this thread is about.

Roster construction is on Ryan. Roster usage is on the manager, and Mollie is off to a bad start IMO. He got schooled by Showalter, big time. 4 games into the season, he has pinch ran for Dozier, Danny Santana in the 2 hole, he finds himself with both Mauer and Sano not in the game, Rosario up in a crucial spot whiffing on 4 pitches, May not available, and Arcia yet to get a PA.

Awful.

 

This... This...A thousand times...This...

[jokin]

 

 

The Twins scored a season-high in runs last night:

Three.

The biggest problem ain't the bullpen, folks.

 

I don't think most people are disputing this. But what's wrong with pinpointing yet another glaring and unaddressed area of need leftover from the offseason?

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I don't think most people are disputing this. But what's wrong with pinpointing yet another glaring and unaddressed area of need leftover from the offseason?

Because we've yet to see if it's a real problem.

 

The two big bullpen failures in the past four games have come from the two best relievers in the bullpen (non-closer edition).

 

Even if the Twins had other options in those situations, Molitor still would have put May and Jepsen out there on their respective nights.

 

Because, again, we're four games into the season. He's going to go with the hands he trusted from last season just like every other MLB manager to ever sit in a dugout.

 

Now if May and/or Jepsen implode and the Twins have no one to back up them up - a real concern - then this roster construction issue becomes a big deal.

 

But as of right now, it means your two best relievers each had a bad night. Okay, get back up and walk it off. Can't judge a reliever by two innings of baseball.

 

edit: I was mistaken, I thought May gave up a run in his first appearance. That was also Jepsen.

 

So Jepsen has been kinda bad over two appearances. The point still applies.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

All of which points to the manager, IMO, which is sorta what this thread is about.

Roster construction is on Ryan. Roster usage is on the manager, and Mollie is off to a bad start IMO. He got schooled by Showalter, big time. 4 games into the season, he has pinch ran for Dozier, Danny Santana in the 2 hole, he finds himself with both Mauer and Sano not in the game, Rosario up in a crucial spot whiffing on 4 pitches, May not available, and Arcia yet to get a PA.

Awful.

No arguments here. I gave Molitor a pass on his weird pinch-running fetish the first time but it's quickly becoming old hat.

 

Arcia sits on the bench while Santana gets PAs and pinch-running appearances. It's so nonsensical I can't even begin to understand the thinking behind it.

[jimmer]

 

May is technically still in the limbo he was placed in last July- as Ryan awaits the need for a replacement SP after an (inevitable) implosion from one of the current SPs.

Then Duffey and Berrios will be in front of May.  May is a reliever now,  that's it.  He's done fine in that role so far this year, IMO.  2 games, 4 innings, 1 earned run.  He came into a game with no outs and a guy on 3rd base.   Very high percentage that guys scores whether his wild pitch happens or not.   Then the other run was on a ground ball.  

[Willihammer]

Having Santana bat 2nd feels like something Gardy would do and it makes Molitor look like kind of a dinosaur. Teams cannot afford to have a lesser hitter at the plate while a better hitter stands on deck, the cost of doing so is outs and runs when the game is on the line.

 

Once again, I did not see a spot where it seemed like PH Arcia was clearly the right call. Yes, even when Santana was up with Dozier on second.

 

I don't think its fair to say we should trust Jepsen less than May. They're both good, but fairly interchangeable RH options in my mind.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Having Santana bat 2nd feels like something Gardy would do and it makes Molitor look like kind of a dinosaur. Teams cannot afford to have a lesser hitter at the plate while a better hitter stands on deck, the cost of doing so is outs and runs when the game is on the line.

 

Once again, I did not see a spot where it seemed like PH Arcia was clearly the right call. Yes, even when Santana was up with Dozier on second.

 

I don't think its fair to say we should trust Jepsen less than May. They're both good, but fairly interchangeable RH options in my mind.

Santana batting second: Yes, god yes. The guy had a OPS+ of 44 last season.

 

ARGHBLARGH

 

I believe retaining Santana was the right move but he's not a go-to guy in crunch time. He needs to prove he deserves to even be in the lineup before he gets critical plate appearances in a close game, especially when you've relegated Oswaldo Arcia to water boy.

 

Jepsen over May: Agreed. May will probably turn out to be the better reliever but those two positions can be swapped at any time with no effort. Jepsen was a good eighth inning guy last season. It makes sense for him to be the eighth inning guy to start the season but if he falters a couple more times in his next few appearances, Molitor shouldn't hesitate to put May in the eighth.

[bluechipper]

 

The bullpen and Sano in RF is Exhibit 12 million on why a change is needed in this front office. Because of this idiotic Sano nonsense, Ryan is forcing his manager to take his best hitter out of the game 2/3s of the way through and expose their horrendous bench.

Instead of improving the worst bullpen in the majors, Ryan somehow managed to make it worse by making their best arm, May the long man while leaving below replacement level guys like Fien, Abad, and Jepsen to take high leverage roles.

But hey at least our backup catcher is slightly better. Eye roll.....

I don't think having May pitch the 6th/7th innings a couple times in close games makes him the long man. If the Twins have a lead (and if he didn't throw 2 innings the night before...) I'm pretty sure he's the 7th inning guy.

[Mr. Brooks]

If May's role is 6th and/or 7th inning guy then someone please re explain the justification for not giving him a legit shot at starting.

The explanations I heard all off-season were that May was more valuable in the short term as a late inning reliever. That's not an argument I agree with but, ok, it's a legit argument.

However, you can ALWAYS find an affordable middle inning guy, always.

A middle of the rotation stater making the league minimum is not nearly as easy to come by and vastly more valuable.

[bird]

 

Are you seriously suggesting that what Terry says, is not the same as what Ryan does?

 

 

So, Ryan calls down to the dugout to make the pitching changes? Gee, that's kinda stupid.

[dgwills]

 

Having Santana bat 2nd feels like something Gardy would do and it makes Molitor look like kind of a dinosaur. Teams cannot afford to have a lesser hitter at the plate while a better hitter stands on deck, the cost of doing so is outs and runs when the game is on the line.

 

Once again, I did not see a spot where it seemed like PH Arcia was clearly the right call. Yes, even when Santana was up with Dozier on second.

 

I don't think its fair to say we should trust Jepsen less than May. They're both good, but fairly interchangeable RH options in my mind.

Not to mention Molitor didn't think Santana could pinch hit for Suzuki or Buxton against left handed relievers in the previous games. Then he bat's him second? Which one is it Molitor?

I understand we have a young bench, but you still have to play the percentages most of the time. 

[twinsnorth49]

Santana batting second: Yes, god yes. The guy had a OPS+ of 44 last season.

 

ARGHBLARGH

 

I believe retaining Santana was the right move but he's not a go-to guy in crunch time. He needs to prove he deserves to even be in the lineup before he gets critical plate appearances in a close game, especially when you've relegated Oswaldo Arcia to water boy.

 

Jepsen over May: Agreed. May will probably turn out to be the better reliever but those two positions can be swapped at any time with no effort. Jepsen was a good eighth inning guy last season. It makes sense for him to be the eighth inning guy to start the season but if he falters a couple more times in his next few appearances, Molitor shouldn't hesitate to put May in the eighth.

That's also hoping Perk holds up and they don't need May in the 9th. Any way you slice it they seem to be one effective arm short for a key role, but it's not like they could have known this earlier.......right?

[bluechipper]

 

Awful use of the bullpen so far

Why? Their 8th inning guy, who was lights out last year, has given up runs in a couple of close games. I don't think Molitor is to be blamed for that.

 

If you're talking about not using May two innings at a time so he can pitch back to back games, then I understand that, but it would have been Jepsen in the 8th even if May was available last night anyway.

 

I think it may be best to eventually give Trevor May the 8th inning, but right now I think bullpen usage has been fine.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

That's also hoping Perk holds up and they don't need May in the 9th. Any way you slice it they seem to be one effective arm short for a key role, but it's not like they could have known this earlier.......right?

Yeah, I would have preferred to see them pick up an arm but I also don't think it's lunacy to expect Pressly or Burdi or Meyer or Duffey or somebody to step up and fill the role early in the season.

 

But, again, why is Casey Fien even here? Tonkin, yeah, okay... You give that guy one more shot. But not both of them.

[twinsnorth49]

Yeah, I would have preferred to see them pick up an arm but I also don't think it's lunacy to expect Pressly or Burdi or Meyer or Duffey or somebody to step up and fill the role early in the season.

 

But, again, why is Casey Fien even here? Tonkin, yeah, okay... You give that guy one more shot. But not both of them.

No not lunacy by any means but realistically Pressly is the only guy in that mix that might have been remotely a sure thing. Why Fien is still on this team is maddeningly frustrating, just a big WTF TR?!

[Brock Beauchamp]

No not lunacy by any means but realistically Pressly is the only guy in that mix that might have been remotely a sure thing. Why Fien is still on this team is maddeningly frustrating, just a big WTF TR?!

Even if they had Fien on the roster but only as a fourth option, that's one thing. But the guy has two appearances while Tonkin hasn't appeared in a game.

[TheLeviathan]

Why are we blaming Molly for Mays usage? TR told us he'd be a long guy, Molly is using him in a way he clearly formulated with the GM for some inexplicable reason.

[USAFChief]

Yeah, I would have preferred to see them pick up an arm but I also don't think it's lunacy to expect Pressly or Burdi or Meyer or Duffey or somebody to step up and fill the role early in the season.

 

But, again, why is Casey Fien even here? Tonkin, yeah, okay... You give that guy one more shot. But not both of them.

I think you're grossly understating the bullpen uncertainties.

 

Good bullpens don't depend on just a couple guys, for at least two reasons. One, most games are close enough that bullpen performance often determines the outcome, so having multiple good options is a huge advantage over having only a couple. Second, guys get hurt, so the guys you're counting on might not always be there.

 

In the Twins case, Its not just Fien. Abad is a wing and a prayer, and that's the BEST lefty option. Pressly is intriguing but unproven. Tonkin is barely even intriguing, he's only there because in typical Twins fashion he's out of options and they're both afraid to give him a prominent role yet terrified of losing him. Perkins has back to back poor second halves. Jensen is unlikely to be as good as his two months last season. May might be the best reliever, and most people here don't even want him in the pen. There might be help on the way, but if the Twins get one dominant partial season from their minor leagues this year, that would be a bonus, not something to be counted on.

 

"Fien" is only the tip of the iceberg, IMO.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I think you're grossly understating the bullpen uncertainties.

 

Good bullpens don't depend on just a couple guys, for at least two reasons. One, most games are close enough that bullpen performance often determines the outcome, so having multiple good options is a huge advantage over having only a couple. Second, guys get hurt, so the guys you're counting on might not always be there.

 

In the Twins case, Its not just Fien. Abad is a wing and a prayer, and that's the BEST lefty option. Pressly is intriguing but unproven. Tonkin is barely even intriguing, he's only there because in typical Twins fashion he's out of options and they're both afraid to give him a prominent role yet terrified of losing him. Perkins has back to back poor second halves. Jensen is unlikely to be as good as his two months last season. May might be the best reliever, and most people here don't even want him in the pen. There might be help on the way, but if the Twins get one dominant partial season from their minor leagues this year, that would be a bonus, not something to be counted on.

 

"Fien" is only the tip of the iceberg, IMO.

I wasn't clear. I feel the lack of a LHRP acquisition was the most egregious mistake of the offseason. In my earlier post, I was speaking specifically about righties but didn't clarify that point.

 

Jepsen and May as your go-to guys with a mix of Pressly, Tonkin, and another non-Fien pitcher isn't ridiculous. No, it probably won't be great but I don't think the Twins pen will be great until the kids arrive in force. I can at least acknowledge the thinking that led to internal options filling the right-handed side of the pen.

[Platoon]

I might make one half hearted defense of Molitor, the roster as it is constructed lends itself to very easily being a problem. We have a huge defensive problem in RF, softball team speed, and incredibly poor team contact/OBP rates. It leads to all kinds of crappy damned if you do/don't situations.

He's choosing the worst options, but I'd put the blame 60/40 with Molly/Ryan.

I would reverse that percentage, but for the same reasons you gave. Molly has to deal with this roster. That said, Molly has not yet shined in his decisions. Maybe it's cause Pohlad just told us he will be the manager as long as he wishes? . As for Oswaldo, I do think there was an opportunity in the Baltimore series to bat off a RHRP, but not in the ninth. Bottom line, if you are not going to use him, or don't think he can do the job, you now have a 24 man roster.

[Platoon]

So, Ryan calls down to the dugout to make the pitching changes? Gee, that's kinda stupid.

I may be wrong, of course it would be a first. . But it was my understanding that the reason for May going to the pen was the need for a guy with shutdown, SO abilities? That is not the long man role. But I might have misconstued Mr. Ryans intent. If I did, I humbly apologize, and I'll put myself on a 30 day fast of dry bread and Coors Light. On a more serious note, if I am not wrong, and they stuck him out there to pitch "behind in the game" hold em innings, and get him out of the way of our talented SP, then as Ole would say "Vee gott a hole new ball game"

[jimmer]

 

I may be wrong, of course it would be a first. . But it was my understanding that the reason for May going to the pen was the need for a guy with shutdown, SO abilities? That is not the long man role. But I might have misconstued Mr. Ryans intent. If I did, I humbly apologize, and I'll put myself on a 30 day fast of dry bread and Coors Light. On a more serious note, if I am not wrong, and they stuck him out there to pitch "behind in the game" hold em innings, and get him out of the way of our talented SP, then as Ole would say "Vee gott a hole new ball game"

When Ryan made the decision that May didn't win a spot in the rotation, he hinted that he'd like May in long man role.  So while he doesn't make the call on the field, he is Molitor's boss and I'm sure they talk about how to use players.

[Platoon]

When Ryan made the decision that May didn't win a spot in the rotation, he hinted that he'd like May in long man role.  So while he doesn't make the call on the field, he is Molitor's boss and I'm sure they talk about how to use players.

Well then both parts of my post are relevant! Lol I was wrong, I hate when that happens, and while I could understand, and see where he could be a shutdown style RP, I think it's a waste for him to be in the pen. IMHO