Article: Twins 4, Yankees 2: Pitching, Defense, Timely Hitting Lead to Victory

[Tom Froemming]

Pinch hitter Eduardo Escobar delivered a go-ahead single in the bottom of the eighth that would end up as the game winner, Adalberto Mejia was rock solid yet again and the backend of the bullpen locked it down for a Twins victory. Over the Yankees!Win Expectancy & Top 5 Plays Per WPA (via Fangraphs)

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Download attachment: TopPlays717.png

With the game tied at two in the bottom of the eighth inning, Joe Mauer hit a leadoff single and Miguel Sano followed with a single of his own. Max Kepler came up next and struck out to end a strange at-bat.

 

Max showed bunt on the first pitch, which he took for a ball. He then swung through the second pitch. He missed on another bunt attempt for strike two. Enough of that nonsense right? Nope, he was showing bunt again on the next pitch despite having two strikes. He pulled back to take ball three before striking out swinging on a foul tip.

 

Kennys Vargas was due up next, but instead Paul Molitor turned to lefty killer Eduardo Escobar (.902 OPS vs. LHP entering tonight) to face southpaw Caleb Smith, who was making his major league debut. Escobar lined a single to left that scored Mauer from second. That was followed by an Eddie Rosario double that plated Sano.

The Twins actually built a 2-0 lead early in this one, but the Yankees battled back with a run in the fifth off Mejia and another in the seventh off Tyler Duffey. Mejia was on fire to start this game, striking out four batters in the first two innings.

 

Mejia failed to record another K from there on, and after giving up a pair of doubles in the fifth and another in the sixth, Molitor removed him despite being at just 76 pitches on the evening. Adalberto gave up just one run on five hits over 5.1 innings and didn’t walk a batter, though he did hit one with a pitch. The last batter he faced was Aaron Judge, who he retired in a nine-pitch at-bat, so you’d think if Molitor thought Mejia was wearing down there’s no way he would’ve let him pitch to Judge, right?

 

Anyway, Duffey navigated the sixth just fine, thanks in large part to a great play by Ehrie Adrianza (see below), but let in the game-tying run in the seventh.

Luckily Taylor Rogers recorded the final out of that inning and had a scoreless eighth, because that’s what Taylor Rogers does. He picked up his fifth win. Brandon Kintzler pitched through heavy rain, but was able to retire the Yankees 1-2-3 on just 10 pitches, because that’s what Brandon Kintzler does. It was Kintzler’s 26th save of the season.

 

There were a ton of great defensive highlights by the Twins in this one and they also turned a couple of 6-4-3 double plays. It felt like the team hadn’t been playing as sharply in the field as they had earlier in the season, so that was great to see. Here’s the web gems portion of the recap:

Postgame With Escobar

Postgame With Mejia

Postgame With Molitor

Bullpen Usage

Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:

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Tuesday

Twins (Bartolo Colon, RHP) vs. Yankees (Luis Cessa, RHP), 7:10 pm CT

 

Cessa, 25, will be making his fourth start for the Yankees this season. Over 94 innings in the big leagues the past two seasons, he has a 4.31 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, but he’s also surrendered 19 homers (1.8 HR/9).

 

Well, it’s happening. Bartolo Colon is going to start for the Twins, which will become the 10th team he’s played for. Big Sexy was released from the Braves after he had an 8.14 ERA over 13 starts. He also struggled in his only appearance in Rochester, giving up four runs over 3.2 innings.

 

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[HitInAPinch]

Nice to see a Twins win against the Yankees.  I'm wondering....

 

Should the Twins start contemplating rotating Polanco around the diamond.  His hitting is way down.  I have to wonder if playing exclusively at SS has something to do with it. He just doesn't look that good there.  Maybe start rotating some with Dozier?  Dozier at DH for a game or 2 to keep him fresh?  Would really like to see Escobar's playing time stay consistent while he's hitting.

 

Is Mejia the real deal?  Or can he be?  I can't find any stats on this, but he seems to get pulled around the 5th inning every game.  I was hoping he'd be more of an innings eater.

 

What's wrong with Duffey?  

Has Rosario figured it all out?

 

 

[Bill Brown69]

Think back to Kepler last August and that is Polanco right now. Kepler come out of it and so will Polanco.

 

Mejia is averaging 5 IP per start, not bad for a rookie. He easily could be a solid starter for years but it will be a few years before he will be classified as an innings eater.

 

Duffey is what he has been his whole career. Steady is not how you would define him.

 

Rosario is maturing some at the plate. Frustratingly slow for me, I would want a rookie to have at least as much discipline as he does but he has already broke his career high for unintentional walks by 4. His D seems to have hit a plateau though.

 

For me it is just sit back and enjoy the fact that when you turn on a game it is not with dread. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Nice to see a Twins win against the Yankees.  I'm wondering....

 

Should the Twins start contemplating rotating Polanco around the diamond.  His hitting is way down.  I have to wonder if playing exclusively at SS has something to do with it. He just doesn't look that good there.  Maybe start rotating some with Dozier?  Dozier at DH for a game or 2 to keep him fresh?  Would really like to see Escobar's playing time stay consistent while he's hitting.

 

Is Mejia the real deal?  Or can he be?  I can't find any stats on this, but he seems to get pulled around the 5th inning every game.  I was hoping he'd be more of an innings eater.

 

What's wrong with Duffey?  

Has Rosario figured it all out?

 

My opinions...

 

Escobar is a utility guy. He's on a hot streak now, so they need to (and have) found more way to get him in the lineup.

 

Polanco needed to get a double day off. That strategy has worked in the big leagues and in the minor leagues in recent years. Doesn't mean that Polanco will suddenly start hitting like crazy, but hopefully will slow him down.

 

Mejia shouldn't be a big surprise. I mean, he was a Top 100 prospect a year ago at this time and has been a borderline Top 100 guy in the past. He's not a 1 or 2, but he looks like the kind of guy that could be solid for years. He's 23 or 24. I thought Molitor pulled him a bit earl last night, but getting more of those tough situations later in games is earned. I don't have a major problem with taking him out then. I do think he can be an innings-eater type too.

 

Duffey's definitely struggled for the last several weeks. He's got good-enough two-pitch mix. He'll probably be just fine. 

 

Rosario's on a nice, extended hot streak... 

[BD57]

I wasn't that surprised about Mejia being pulled, pitch count notwithstanding - from where I was sitting, the Yankees started making much more solid contact the second time through, and I wouldn't have wanted to risk letting too many of them having a third look at him.

[ashbury]

This was a tremendously entertaining game to watch. I have had to try to explain baseball to European colleagues, and this would be the game I would have rather shown them to try to grow their appreciation.

[Dantes929]

I remarked yesterday how defensive lapses have possibly lead to all three of our last losses so would be remiss to point out that defense saved the game yesterday.   This team has shown a lot of resiliency to this point.

 

Anyone else think Dozier's play at the plate should have been challenged?   It was extremely close but also Dozier did not have anywhere near a clear path to the plate.

[bighat]

Duffey is an odd case.  He looks good out there and passes the eye test.  But his numbers and situational pitching have just been plain bad.  The other day against the Astros he loaded the bases and had to be bailed out by Rogers.  Yesterday night he blew the win (for Mejia) and once again had to be bailed out by Rogers. 

 

This isn't a recent trend, this has been going on for at least a month with Duffey.  His ERA is skyrocketing.

 

At this point, if the game is close it seems that he should be in for 1-2 batters max. Don't send him out there again if he finishes an inning.  Otherwise, maybe he's better suited for mop-up duty at this point.  Maybe Hughes and Duffey can switch roles.   Very disappointed in Duffey lately and I think he's almost becoming a weak spot for the Twins.

 

Polanco....hmmm.  He's pressing.  I saw a swing against the Astros a few days ago where the ball almost hit him in the shins, and he still swung (and missed).  He's just out there hacking and everything, trying to do too much.  When's the last time you saw him take a walk?  When was his last 2-hit game?

 

Escobar's the man! 

 

Too bad Buxton's out.  I can see why the Twins kept Granite in the minors so long, even though he's been doing well in AAA.  The guy looks like a 12 year-old out there.  Like Jose Altuve but without the pop. 

 

Loving Mejia lately.  He's definitely a solid #3 right now (for the Twins, anyway). 

 

I'm dreading Santiago's return....

[jun]

I think Escobar is a good major league player. He can play multiple positions if the team needs. He is NOT UTILITY PLAYER BY DEFAULT. He should have consistent playing time at his most comfortable position. I think he is the most underrated and underappreciated player on this roster.

[Oldgoat_MN]

Rosario's OPS in 2017 by month:

April ..... .660

May ...... .810

June .... .860

July ...... .859

 

There is no team in baseball that wouldn't take that from their corner outfielder. His D isn't as flashy as Buxton's or Kepler's, but it is still pretty solid defense. We are quickly getting spoiled.

Good for us!

[John Kelsey]

 

Rosario's OPS in 2017 by month:

April ..... .660

May ...... .810

June .... .860

July ...... .859

 

There is no team in baseball that wouldn't take that from their corner outfielder. His D isn't as flashy as Buxton's or Kepler's, but it is still pretty solid defense. We are quickly getting spoiled.

Good for us!

 

Rosario's defense has actually been pretty brutal this year. 

[Willihammer]

I admit I didn't expect to see such steady progress from Rosario this summer. He has really turned it around. He now leads the team in batting average and has gotten his k-rate under 20%. Very solid progress.

[MN_ExPat]

I wouldn't call Rosario's defense brutal.   He's very athletic and seems to often takes chances that he shouldn't or bad routes because of that (plus he just doesn't seem truly comfortable in Center).  

 

I don't believe he'll ever win a Gold Glove, not a "bad" defender though.  

 

But I will agree with the sentiment that he is beyond frustrating at times

[Old Twins Cap]

Rosario, as a rookie, had a ton of assists.

 

Have not seen him make a good throw in a long time now.

 

He's got the arm, just not making good throws.

[bizaff]

Credit to Molitor with managing Mejia and Vargas/Escobar.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Rosario's last good throw was Saturday, the one Mauer cut off!

[mikelink45]

Duffey is averaging more than a hit per Inning Pitched which is a real problem for a reliever, especially if they inherit any runners. His ERA is rising, but he is also damaging the ERA of the man he is relieving. 

 

An interesting blog about Duffey written at he All Star break was asking the same questions we are and hoping the break would get him on track - it didn't  http://fpbaseballoutsider.blogspot.com/2017/07/contemplatng-tyler-duffey.html

[Mike Sixel]

 

I wouldn't call Rosario's defense brutal.   He's very athletic and seems to often takes chances that he shouldn't or bad routes because of that (plus he just doesn't seem truly comfortable in Center).  

 

I don't believe he'll ever win a Gold Glove, not a "bad" defender though.  

 

But I will agree with the sentiment that he is beyond frustrating at times

 

What's bad? bottom third? Below median? Last among LFers?

 

Because he's around the bottom third, iirc, on most defensive measures this year. While they aren't perfect, as a relative measure, they are helpful to fans who don't watch every play of every game, so can't really compare players all that well.

 

edit to add:

I don't think he's as bad as he's been this year, true talent wise, btw. But I also don't think he's in the top third.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Mike Sixel

[MN_ExPat]

I totally agree with you. 

 

This year, Rosario has been... well, I think only good way you could say his defense has been is, off.  He's got the physical tools and athleticism to excel as a MLB outfielder.   However, as we have all seen on multiple occasions, his confidence in his own abilities seems to extend into the realm of reckless.

 

My comment really stems more from the, most likely misguided, hope that he somehow can overcome his headstrong and often reckless play style.

[Dantes929]

 

 

 

Too bad Buxton's out.  I can see why the Twins kept Granite in the minors so long, even though he's been doing well in AAA.  The guy looks like a 12 year-old out there.  Like Jose Altuve but without the pop. 

 

Loving Mejia lately.  He's definitely a solid #3 right now (for the Twins, anyway). 

 

I'm dreading Santiago's return....

Altuve without the pop equals Puckett rookie year.   I would take that in a heart beat but I don't think Granite is that.    Then again, the jump to the majors isn't just the next level.   Its starting over with all that it brings.   Nerves, confidence, stress.    I am fine with him out there for the time being.

[Ryan Atkins]

 

Anyone else think Dozier's play at the plate should have been challenged?   It was extremely close but also Dozier did not have anywhere near a clear path to the plate.

 

I don't think it would have been overturned, but it seemed worth the challenge being that it was a crucial run and already late in the game. When you challenge, does anyone know if you can you specifically ask that they look at whether the catcher was blocking the plate? I think that would be the only reason to overturn as I didn't see compelling evidence that the tag was not applied.

[yarnivek1972]

I don't think it would have been overturned, but it seemed worth the challenge being that it was a crucial run and already late in the game. When you challenge, does anyone know if you can you specifically ask that they look at whether the catcher was blocking the plate? I think that would be the only reason to overturn as I didn't see compelling evidence that the tag was not applied.

I doubt they can challenge plate blocking. That's a judgement call.

[John Kelsey]

 

I wouldn't call Rosario's defense brutal.   He's very athletic and seems to often takes chances that he shouldn't or bad routes because of that (plus he just doesn't seem truly comfortable in Center).  

 

I don't believe he'll ever win a Gold Glove, not a "bad" defender though.  

 

But I will agree with the sentiment that he is beyond frustrating at times

 

I said his defense has been brutal THIS year, which is true based on just about any metric. I don't doubt that he has the tools to be a good defender because he has been in the past. 

 

The bad defense he's played this year counteracts the positive strides he's made at the plate, which is unfortunate. 

[Bill Brown69]

 

I doubt they can challenge plate blocking. That's a judgement call.

 

It was also a judgement call for Dozier on where to slide. Feet first straight into the plate will make catchers stop doing that.

[Guest]

Granite is uncomfortable or tense. For example, he struck out last night against Smith, even though he rarely struck out the last two years, and hit 6 for 14 with a double and triple in three AAA games started by Smith earlier this year. Granite is better than he's shown.

[Smarterthanyou]

On what basis do you say he is better than shown once he hits the show?

[yarnivek1972]

On what basis do you say he is better than shown once he hits the show?

One might point to an absurdly low .118 BABIP as an indicator of horrendous luck. On the other hand, it seems like every ball he hits is on the ground. Although the actual ratio is about 2 GB to every FB. Even with his speed that will result in a lower than normal BABIP. .118 is absurdly low though.