Article: CLE 5, MIN 2: Cleveland Prevails on Lindor Walk-Off Homer

[Tom Froemming]

It’s pretty difficult to win when your defense commits three errors, but the Twins nearly did just that this evening. Miguel Sano hit a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth, Max Kepler made a great catch as he crashed into the wall in the bottom of the ninth, but Francisco Lindor decided he’d just go ahead and hit one over the wall to walk it off.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

Jake Odorizzi: 50 Game Score, 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 2 BB, 58.4% strikes

Home Runs: Miguel Sano (8)

Multi-Hit Games: Miguel Sano (2-for-4, 2B, HR), Logan Forsythe (2-for-4, 2B)

WPA of 0.1 or higher: Sano .342, Forsythe .173

WPA of -0.1 or lower: Adrianza -.119, Kepler -.158, Polanco -.167, Morrison -.176 Hildenberger -.353

Download attachment: WinChart88.png

Jake Cave committed a fielding error that led to the game’s first run and both Mitch Garver and Trevor May committed throwing errors. Garver was also picked off at second base, likely costing the Twins a run, and the team combined to go 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

 

Given those circumstances, it’s actually pretty incredible this game was tied heading into the bottom of the ninth.

 

Miguel Sano had an outstanding game. He made a couple of nice plays in the field, hit a double and that huge homer off Cody Allen to tie it up. It was the first time Sano has hit a home run since his return from the minors.

Something must be up with Trevor Hildenberger. He gave up the three-run homer to Lindor, meaning Hildy has surrendered multiple runs in six of his last 18 appearances. Over that span, he’s given up 19 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. Yikes.

Postgame With Molitor

Bullpen Usage

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

Download attachment: Bullpen88.png

AL Central Standings

CLE 63-50

MIN 53-60 (-10)

DET 47-68 (-17)

CHW 41-72 (-22)

KC 35-79 (-28.5)

 

Next Three Game

Thu at CLE, 12:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Corey Kluber

Fri at DET, 6:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. Jordan Zimmermann

Sat at DET, 5:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Francisco Liriano

 

Last Three Games

MIN 3, CLE 2: Mitch Garver Makes it Rain

CLE 10, MIN 0: Who Needs Chris Gimenez?

MIN 6, KC 5: Cave Slugs Grand Slam as Twins Sweep Royals

 

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[USAFChief]

Hildenberger is the latest Molitor overuse casualty.

[Squirrel]

 

Hildenberger is the latest Molitor overuse casualty.

Yep.

 

#MolitorNeedsToGo

[Riverbrian]

 

 

Something must be up with Trevor Hildenberger. He gave up the three-run homer to Lindor, meaning Hildy has surrendered multiple runs in six of his last 18 appearances. Over that span, he’s given up 19 earned runs in 16 ⅔ innings. Yikes.
 

Postgame With Molitor

 

Fixed it for you

[rghrbek]

HIldy has pitched in 7 of the last 10 games I think.

 

Also Cave has been a nice player, but the longer run he gets in center field the less I like him there, brutal first inning.

[USAFChief]

HIldy has pitched in 7 of the last 10 games I think.

 

Also Cave has been a nice player, but the longer run he gets in center field the less I like him there, brutal first inning.

Cave MAY end up a viable 4th OFer, but they cannot pretend he’s a viable regular CFer.

[mngopherguy]

Hildy is blocking one of the AAA relievers!

[Danchat]

 

Hildy is blocking one of the AAA relievers!

My diagnosis is that Hildy caught Belisleitis. I think they can put him on the DL for that, however.

[Danchat]

 

Cave MAY end up a viable 4th OFer, but they cannot pretend he’s a viable regular CFer.

Yeah, I think they'd be much better off with Kepler in CF and Cave in RF. I think Cave would be a perfectly fine defender in LF or RF.

[Krusington]

I've thought Hildy has had questionable "stuff" his entire tenure with the Twins thus far. An inning like the ninth tonight will never surprise me when he's on the mound. On the bright side, Trevor May looked fantastic and could find himself a real nice role out of the pen.

[slash129]

All on Molitor ... Should have had Moya ready for Lindor after Hildy gave up his first runner

[howeda7]

I like Hildy, but he's been broken for a while now. DL him already. Reed or someone else should have been used there. 

[wsnydes]

 

My diagnosis is that Hildy caught Belisleitis. I think they can put him on the DL for that, however.

Yeah, that's not the type of clubhouse leadership that I want from a guy. 

[Platoon]

Maybe they are simply in the doldrums of another losing season? But the baserunning, fielding, and throwing errors are piling up. A CATCHER getting picked off second? Why? Where the hell did he think he was going? Morrison not sliding into second? Maybe three days on a bench would help? Pitching to Lindor with Hildenbergers frisbees? Good grief this is as lost a looking baseball team as one can find.

[mikelink45]

The way relief pitchers are used these days they need to put them on a rotation just like the starters.  Get away from the over use.  Even in the comments there is a call for Moya but he has been worked hard with lots of pitches.  It is a tendency we all have which is why a team needs to start putting together a relief strategy.  

[Riverbrian]

 

Yeah, I think they'd be much better off with Kepler in CF and Cave in RF. I think Cave would be a perfectly fine defender in LF or RF.

 

Molitor won't do that.

 

It takes him a long time before he moves players out of assigned roles. 

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

All on Molitor ... Should have had Moya ready for Lindor after Hildy gave up his first runner

Yup, he needed to find a way to overuse Moya in this game too!

[ewen21]

 

Cave MAY end up a viable 4th OFer, but they cannot pretend he’s a viable regular CFer.

Ya well....Buxton better hit next year or we will be looking to fill the void in CF again

[Riverbrian]

 

The way relief pitchers are used these days they need to put them on a rotation just like the starters.  Get away from the over use.  Even in the comments there is a call for Moya but he has been worked hard with lots of pitches.  It is a tendency we all have which is why a team needs to start putting together a relief strategy.  

 

I have over 19,000 posts on TwinsDaily and I do not have 19,000 unique thoughts so I will end up repeating myself. 

 

You need 25 guys who can play on your 25 man roster. 

 

If the manager doesn't trust any of the guys on the 25 man roster.

 

They either shouldn't be on the roster or you need a new manager with the ability to trust.  

 

 

[Riverbrian]

 

Ya well....Buxton better hit next year or we will be looking to fill the void in CF again

 

By then it will be too late. 

 

 

[ewen21]

 

By then it will be too late. 

Should we find a CF now?

[Riverbrian]

 

Should we find a CF now?

 

Of course. 

 

Or the off-season. Whatever works best. 

[ewen21]

 

Of course. 

 

Or the off-season. Whatever works best. 

Interesting.

 

 

[big dog]

 

Yep.

 

#MolitorNeedsToGo

LIke-ity Like Like Like

[puckstopper1]

 

Yep.

 

#MolitorNeedsToGo

 

Wherefore art thou Tom Kelly....

[TheLeviathan]

Hildy seems to have some "streaky" to him.

[Puckett34]

 

My diagnosis is that Hildy caught Belisleitis. I think they can put him on the DL for that, however.

Much like in the show Parks and Recreation, somebody needs to be the Jerry.     Somebody on the roster needs to be Belisle.    Poor Hildy drew the short straw.

 

 

[Number3]

Molitor may "go" on his own but he will never be sent. He fits the mold of a Minnesota Twins manager perfectly. Rapidly becoming one of the worst run franchises in professional sports. Watching the Atlanta Braves beat Washington last night was so refreshing. Braves have a parade of fresh faces plus a real veteran first baseman in Freeman who can flat play the game. My guess is that every one of these players, including Freeman at some point, were probably available to the Twins. Again, where is the 2016 number 1 pick in all of MLB and why is his name never mentioned in 2019 plans, if not 2018? Will he even be called up during the ridiculous roster expansion in September? Never could understand that since that is crunch time and should be decided by the core team; not exhibition teams.

[gocgo]

Pretty predictable ending.  For the life of me, I don't know why we had Hildy pitch to Lindor.  Lindor hit a Hildy change up a mile the previous night so this time he was waiting on a changeup again and got it.  I think the issue with Hildy is that he really only has 2 pitches so batters either sit on the fastball or, as Cleveland has been doing, on the the changeup.  He throws from a variety of angles, but for a 77 mph changeup, it really doesn't matter what the arm angle is as the players have time to pick it up.  I like coming over the top occasionally with the fastball, but not the changeup.  I turned the channel before the Lindor home run even landed.

Edited August 9, 2018 by gocgo

[Puckett34]

 

Again, where is the 2016 number 1 pick in all of MLB and why is his name never mentioned in 2019 plans, if not 2018? Will he even be called up during the ridiculous roster expansion in September?

 

He plays for the Clearwater Thrashers of the Philadelphia Phillies organization.                His name is Mickey Moniak.              Don't think he's in the plans for the Twins quite yet as he's not in the Twins' organization.

 

Royce Lewis was drafted in 2017.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Puckett34