Article: Game Thread: Twins@Nationals 4/24 12:35PM

[Halsey Hall]

 

Let's see... by that do mean more than what they've "accomplished", so far? If so... exactly how many more?

I hope not but we'll see. What I'd like to see is them finding some unreal ways to win.

[Old Twins Cap]

Imagine you are the Nats.  Two outs, bottom of 14, you got nothing on base and no hope.

 

But, the Twins, who have a lefty pitching and shutting you out, decide that, after a walk, they are going to go to a tired young RH hurler to face your pitcher, a left-handed batter, because, well, because they want their tired young RH hurler to earn a SAVE, thus giving their lefty HIS FIRST WIN.

 

But again, you are the Nats.  You're out of bullets.  You have to bat an over-the-hill lefty hitter named Oliver Perez. You have NO OTHER CHOICE.  But, the Twins pay no attention.  There are two outs.  They let you steal second.  They drop back in the infield.

 

I mean, okay, the Twins are tired.  But, don't they want to win?  They get beat by a lefty hitting pitcher who bunts by bringing in a RH pitcher, because, because why?

 

X-cruciatingly dumb.  The Twins dug, and dug, and dug, until they found a way to lose this game.  And now, presumably, they will keep digging.

 

Think about it:  The Nats had absolutely nothing going on in the bottom of the 14th and the Twins let them steal a game with their pitcher hitting by bunting with two out.  WTF?  Really.  WTF?

[Platoon]

I watched this on TIVO, so I can't say I was in tune with the nuances of this game. But why did he take out O'Rourke? (Good grief, did I just type that)

[Mike Sixel]

Molitor.......someone let me know the first time he outmanages another manager. I can't imagine it will be any time soon.....

[HitInAPinch]

I hate the way this game ended.  Hate, hate, hate.

 

However, they did battle against one of the very top teams in baseball for 16 innings.

[cjj td]

 

I watched this on TIVO, so I can't say I was in tune with the nuances of this game. But why did he take out O'Rourke? (Good grief, did I just type that)

Ditto, and when I did watch it I thought.... O'Rourke being careful with the righty, specifically to face the left handed pitcher instead.  And then......WHAT???????????  Kid pitched his guts out.  sad to see it end the way it did.

[savvyspy]

 

Yes, things are way worse than almost anyone predicted. Many, many disappointments. Few rays of hope. There's more talent than any time since they were a playoff team and most of it is young, but they are mismatched all over the place.

Are they really??

 

This starting rotation was bottom 5 last season and they made no changes except for demoting their best pitcher Duffy.

 

The bullpen might have been the worst in the majors but certainly bottom 3. They had a closer who broke down 2 years in a row and wasn't throwing 90 mph all spring yet did nothing about that. In addition to adding absolutely nothing to the overall bullpen after the GM came out and said that was his biggest need.

 

Said GM then traded a plus defensive outfielder or a backup catcher that appears to be designated to the minors and puts a 270 lbs DH/3B with ZERO career innings in the outfielder even though that's never actually ever been done with success in the history of the game.

 

Throw in that Sano and Rosario were probably due for some regression and the manager refuses to play one of your best prospects, Kepler, probably because he isn't playing "the Twins way" or some garbage like that, and here you are.

 

This roster is an absolute mess and that was foreseeable for months. Basically this team was set up on hope not a full understanding of what wins games.

 

They aren't 5-17 bad but this isn't a .500 team and any expectations that they were in their current configuration was counting on a lot of hope.