Article: MIN 12, CHW 4: Garver Drives In 6, Mauer Showered With Applause

[Tom Froemming]

As he walked off the field to a standing ovation Friday night, Joe Mauer tipped his cap to the Target Field faithful. Did he also tip his hand?

 

Is it over?

 

Everyone wants to know what’s to come for Mauer. He’s not made a commitment either way, but everyone seems to have their theories. If you were one to read between the lines, that gesture from Joe seemed to say a lot.

 

Or did it?Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

De Jong: 52 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 63.5% strikes (47 of 74 pitches)

Home Runs: None

Multi-Hit Games: Garver (4-for-5, 2 2B), Mauer (2-for-4, BB), Cave (2-for-4, 2B, BB), Grossman (2-for-4)

WPA of 0.1 or higher: Garver .202, De Jong .101

WPA of -0.1 or lower: None

Download attachment: WinChart928.png

Mauer, who served as the DH in both games of Friday’s doubleheader, was lifted for a pinch-runner after hitting a single in the sixth inning. Manager Paul Molitor took advantage of the opportunity to manufacture a memorable moment, and Twins Territory responded accordingly.

 

Mitch Garver was at first base for tonight’s game, making his first start since suffering a concussion Sept. 12. Apparently he’s seeing the ball well.

 

Garver hit a two-run double in the first inning, another run-scoring double in the second, added a two-run single in the third then just for good measure added an RBI single in the fifth. He was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing the night 4-for-5 with a career-high six runs batted in.

 

"We just saw a steady growth of Mitch as a hitter," Paul Molitor said. "There’s been a lot of times particularly in the second half where he’s taken pitches to the opposite field in run-scoring situations to cash in some people. We always talked that the bat played and the more at-bats he’s gotten the more confidence and results."

 

Chase De Jong earned his first MLB victory after pitching six innings. He gave up four hits and walked a batter while striking out four. The only two runs he gave up were on solo home runs.

 

"Last year technically I started in the big leagues and ended at Double-A," De Jong said. "This year was all about reestablishing myself as a quality starter and that I could go out there and put together quality innings. I've done that. I've proven that to myself and now I've proven to the Minnesota Twins. It's wonderful to finish the year on a high note."

 

Remaining Games

Sat vs. CHW, 6:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Carlos Rodon

Sun vs. CHW, 2:10pm CT: Zack Littell vs. Dylan Covey

 

Last Three Games

MIN 2, CHW 1: Berrios Reaches 200 Ks

MIN 9, DET 3: Vive La Tortuga

MIN 11, DET 4: Bats Bust Out, Bullpen Shuts Out Detroit

 

Click here to view the article

[Circus Boy]

Good to see da boyz finishing strong. Can't remember the last time the Twins swept a doubleheader. The Mauer Moment was nice.

[bighat]

Great to see that sweep!

 

Kepler's batting .222 this year - only 4 players (Chris Davis, Kyle Seager, Joey Gallo and Kole Calhoun) are worse among qualified batters. Kepler has just 56 RBI this year. I'm sure someone will dish out some arcane stat  (WAR+BBDO +TK421- OCHO5) actually places him in the top 5 outfielders in the league....but I'm not going to buy it. He's been quite frankly a huge disappointment and it's largely been overlooked. I'm not sure he's a part of this team's future at the rate he's going. I wish the Twins would have taken a look at some young outfielders this September. Looking at the bats on the bench, it's a pretty discouraging state of affairs.

[rdehring]

What a fun day to watch baseball.  A great 2-1 pitchers duel followed by the home team blowing out an opponent.  OK, it was the White Sox.  But it still was fun to watch.

 

Hasn't it been interesting watching these four young starters, Stewart, Gonsalves, Littel, and De Jung, get valuable experience.  I see those four together with Mejia, Slegers and Romero battling it out for the #5 spot in the rotation next spring.  Or two spots should Pineda not be what they expect.  That situation tells me I will be surprised if the Twins go out and get any starting pitching this winter, unless they complete a trade to upgrade another starter.  They should also have Thorpe by late summer and Graterol sometime in 2020.  Not a lot of work left for the starting rotation and that is good so they can focus on the bullpen.

[Cap'n Piranha]

Based on those quotations, it seems like Mr. DeJong likes himself some Chase.

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

 

Great to see that sweep!

 

Kepler's batting .222 this year - only 4 players (Chris Davis, Kyle Seager, Joey Gallo and Kole Calhoun) are worse among qualified batters. Kepler has just 56 RBI this year. I'm sure someone will dish out some arcane stat  (WAR+BBDO +TK421- OCHO5) actually places him in the top 5 outfielders in the league....but I'm not going to buy it. He's been quite frankly a huge disappointment and it's largely been overlooked. I'm not sure he's a part of this team's future at the rate he's going. I wish the Twins would have taken a look at some young outfielders this September. Looking at the bats on the bench, it's a pretty discouraging state of affairs.

 

I agree Kepler has been a bummer this year, but the 71 BB at least provide a glimmer of hope. Maybe he blossoms like Aaron Hicks? One can dream, I guess.

[yarnivek1972]

I still maintain Kepler’s “struggles” are extremely fixable. He has a ridiculously low career BABIP of .256 - that’s about .050 lower than league average. He has a 24% line drive rate, which is about 2% lower than league average and he hits ground balls at a slightly lower than league average rate. So, I have no idea what explains his BABIP. My hope is that someone employed by the Twins can. His walk and strikeout rates are both fantastic and are indicitive of someone who knows what he is doing at the plate, not just guessing and getting lucky. He doesn’t have Sano-Buxton “just swing at everything and hope I hit it” issues.

 

He has a good deal of talent. Superstar? Probably not. Maybe fringe All Star. Something or someone will help him unleash it. I certainly don’t want to see him reach his potential elsewhere.

[h2oface]

De Jong's 2018 average pitch speed is 4 mph under the MLB average (89.2 to 93.2), his average spin rate is below the MLB average (2216 to 2263 rpm), and his average exit velocity is above the MLB average (89.8 to 88.4 mph).

 

It is nice that he has had a couple of good games. I hope his future is somewhere else, though, and the Twins get some pitching that can take them to the playoffs.

[jimmer]

I'm not at all disappointed in Kepler.