Article: MIN 9, CLE 3: Twins Take Series Behind Pineda, Tortuga

[Tom Froemming]

The Twins got off to a cold start against the vaunted Cleveland rotation the first two games, but Willians Astudillo helped break the ice in his first game of the season. La Tortuga drove in the first run with an RBI double in the second inning, followed with another double in the fourth and delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth that ended up scoring two runs thanks to a Cleveland error.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

Pineda: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 70.0% strikes

Home Runs: Cruz (1)

Multi-Hit Games: Cruz (3-for-5, HR, 2B), Astudillo (2-for-2, 2 2Bs), Cron (2-for-3, 2B), Schoop (2-for-4, 2B), Buxton (2-for-4, 2B), Polanco (2-for-4)

WPA of 0.1 or higher: Pineda .223, Astudillo .157, Buxton .128

WPA of -0.1 or lower: None

Download attachment: WinChart331.png

 

For his efforts, Astudillo was immediately hit by a pitch in his next at-bat. Not cool.

 

There were plenty of Twins making loud contact today. Nelson Cruz hit the first Twins home run of the season, a 427-foot blast that hit the facing of the second deck, in addition to two other hits. Byron Buxton had a two-run double which was the hardest hit ball of the game for the Twins at 111.6 mph. Both C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop also had extra-base hits.

 

 

But it was Astudillo who got the scoring started against Carlos Carrasco. In his last three outings against the Twins last season, Carrasco only surrendered three earned runs over 21 1/3 innings (1.27 ERA). Of course, this is a very different Twins lineup than they had in late-2018. Carrasco gave up six runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 inning today.

 

In all, the Twins had nine balls they hit with an exit velocity of 105 mph or harder. The first two games were a little tough to watch, but Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are insanely good. Carrasco isn’t far behind those two, but I’m not certain any rotation will keep this Twins lineup down for long.

 

The pitching staff is a much bigger area of concern, but what a series they just had. No, Cleveland’s current lineup doesn’t exactly invoke fear, but you still have to execute pitches. This Twins staff did a very good job at that this series.

 

Michael Pineda was incredibly efficient in his first major league start since July 5, 2017 (more on that in a minute), Martin Perez also looked good in his Twins debut, Trevor Hildenberger had a scoreless appearance and Ryne Harper made his major league debut.

 

Paint By Numbers Pitching Plan

It’s been a great first three games. The Twins took the series against the team they’ll be fighting for the division all summer, and this was a big when you consider these teams won’t face each other again until June. Positives all around. If you want to leave it at that and not nitpick, feel free to just scroll on through this section.

 

Michael Pineda threw 28 of his first 40 pitches were strikes, a rate of 70%, which is excellent. He faced the minimum through four innings and racked up five strikeouts. You couldn’t have really asked for a better start, so it’s blatantly obvious he was coming out of today’s game after four innings no matter what he did.

 

Yes, this was Pineda’s first major league outing since 2017, but his arm has been recovered from Tommy John surgery for quite some time. He made four rehab appearances in the minor leagues last season, but a knee injury prevented him from making a late-season return. If there was any concern over his health, Pineda certainly wouldn’t have thrown a team-high 20 1/3 innings this spring.

 

Martin Perez took over in the fifth inning with the Twins leading 3-0. He gave up a leadoff single and issued a one-out walk. That created the highest leverage situation we would see all game, according to the leverage index, but Perez managed to escape that inning unscathed. The stuff was every bit as electric as we saw in spring, as he topped out at 97.2 mph.

 

While Perez’s stuff looked very good, he was nowhere near as sharp as Pineda had been. It took Perez 82 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings. He struck out six, which is impressive, but he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks. Luckily the Twins had built up an 8-0 lead.

 

Perez needed work, I get that, but I’m not a fan of a game plan that’s so rigid you can’t adjust it when your starting pitcher is cruising at the level that Pineda was. That kind of managing is on par with simply batting whoever is catching eighth everyday. Oh … that’s happening right now too.

 

Anyway, the Twins tacked on five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, relieving any potential for that move to look really bad in hindsight. I just really don’t like that level of a paint-by-numbers game plan. It appeared the Twins were willing to potentially sacrifice this game in order to keep Perez stretched out. As if that was every bit as important as winning this game.

 

Kyle Gibson was pushed back to the No. 4 starter because he was a bit behind schedule in comparison to his rotation mates. That being the case, if you’re going to piggyback Perez with anyone, shouldn’t it have been Gibson? Or can’t Perez throw a simulated game? I dunno, it just all seems weird, but all’s well that ends well.

 

Sire of Fort Myers Debuts

Even with all these great performances, nobody had a better day than Ryne Harper. The 30-year-old veteran of the minor leagues finally made his major league debut. He switched his number from 70 to 19, which seems fitting because 2019 is a year he’ll never forget.

 

Harper took over in the ninth with the Twins leading 9-3. Basically the perfect situation to work a guy into his first big league game. He didn’t show nearly as good command as he did down in spring training, walking a pair of batters, but he did spin in some nice curveballs and kept Cleveland off the board for his inning. He finished things off with a swinging strikeout.

 

 

The average person wouldn’t have pursued this dream as long as Ryne Harper. Most 29-year-old pitchers who struggle to crack 90 mph wouldn’t have spent most of their age 29 season pitching in Double A. Harper never gave up. It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know his story and follow his journey.

 

Postgame With Baldelli

 

Bullpen Usage

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

Download attachment: Bullpen331.png

 

Next Three Games

Tue at KC, 7:15 pm CT

Wed at KC, 12:15 pm CT

Fri at PHI, 6:05 pm CT

 

Last Game

CLE 2, MIN 1: Odorizzi Strikes Out 11, Wild Parker Surrenders Go-Ahead Run

 

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[Doomtints]

The battle for first place v. KC begins.

[shimrod]

Once again, why wasn't Tortuga batting for Kepler yesterday? 

 

[jkcarew]

Next time the Twins see Cleveland will be a long time from now and Cleveland will no longer be playing their B lineup. Still, encouraged that Buxton and Pineda can move the needle some this year...two guys that didn’t help the club at all last year (obviously).

[twins_89]

It was great to see the Twins bats come to life, especially against a guy who was one of the best starters in baseball last season. On the pitching side, Pineda looks great and hopefully he can stay healthy this season. Perez on the other hand doesn't look like a starting pitcher. His stuff was good but 3 walks and over 80 pitches in under 4 innings sounds more like a long reliever than a starter. Luckily he has a couple more outings to make adjustments before he will be in line to start. 

[Mike Sixel]

I wonder what Astudillo would have to do to get regular at bats?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

The Twins wrote the exact same lineup (except catchers) all three games. That's impressive and shows confidence.

 

Traditionally, we would have seen a "getaway" Sunday lineup today, considering how the starters struggled the first two games and the perceived importance of getting bench guys into the actions. Turns out, bench guys got into the game anyway. 

[ashbury]

I wonder what Astudillo would have to do to get regular at bats?

Under Molitor: not make baserunning mistakes like we saw today.

 

I'm hopeful that Rocco isn't quite so doctrinaire. Figure out what the players can do, not hang them for what they don't.

[snotboogie]

This is the kind of game that simply makes me happy.  Buck gets a couple of hits.  Torguga gets his hits and makes a heads-up play on defense.  Starting pitcher looks good.  Happy, happy, happy.

[USAFChief]

Under Molitor: not make baserunning mistakes like we saw today.

 

I'm hopeful that Rocco isn't quite so doctrinaire. Figure out what the players can do, not hang them for what they don't.

I think that baserunning mistake was on Buxton. It was hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure Astudillo got the stop sign from the third base coach, then the coach started frantically windmilling when he saw Buxton charge around second.

[USAFChief]

In any case, 2 of 3 to start the year, against Clevelands top 3 starters, is acceptable.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

So much went right today it would be hard to list everything.

 

Astudillo hitting and backing up that throw, Buxton's big two-out double, Cruz hitting as advertised, Schoop, Cron and Kepler finally hitting. Pineda's pitching, even Perez went out with a game plan to pitch high and inside, was very consistent doing that, though he was still missing that high inside corner. Marwin Gonzalez being aggressive and going to third when the Cleveland left fielder (left handed) took a wide route to that ball hit near the line.

[Riverbrian]

 

I wonder what Astudillo would have to do to get regular at bats?

 

 

If I was the Manager... He starts on Tuesday. Let players keep hitting if they are hitting. 

 

Of course on Monday... He'll be writing on the blackboard: "I will look for instructions from my third base coach" 1,000 times before Tuesday. 

[Riverbrian]

 

Next time the Twins see Cleveland will be a long time from now and Cleveland will no longer be playing their B lineup. Still, encouraged that Buxton and Pineda can move the needle some this year...two guys that didn’t help the club at all last year (obviously).

 

I'd say "C" lineup. The return of Lindor and Kipnis (who knows what Zimmer will provide) will only bring them up to a "B". 

 

And... you also must consider that by the time Lindor comes back... There is no guarantee that Ramirez will remain healthy. 

 

The Indians are extremely vulnerable in my opinion. 

 

Unfortunately... So are the Twins. 

 

 

[PseudoSABR]

 

In any case, 2 of 3 to start the year, against Clevelands top 3 starters, is acceptable.

Don't go overboard with praise there, Chief.

[Riverbrian]

 

I think that baserunning mistake was on Buxton. It was hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure Astudillo got the stop sign from the third base coach, then the coach started frantically windmilling when he saw Buxton charge around second.

 

You could be right... if there was a stop sign... I didn't see it. But... it would make sense because Astudillo has played enough baseball to pick up the third base coach and when he blatantly stops during a windmill... he must have picked up something different and assumed his work was done.  

 

I'd still make him go to the blackboard. 

 

[jkcarew]

I'd say "C" lineup. The return of Lindor and Kipnis (who knows what Zimmer will provide) will only bring them up to a "B". 

 

And... you also must consider that by the time Lindor comes back... There is no guarantee that Ramirez will remain healthy. 

 

The Indians are extremely vulnerable in my opinion. 

 

Unfortunately... So are the Twins. 

Carlos Gonzalez, as well, will be an improvement...even such that he is at this point in his career.

That is an awful lineup right now...and then Ramirez wasn’t swinging it...might have rushed him back.

[Riverbrian]

 

Don't go overboard with praise there, Chief.

 

I was baking a Papa Murphy's Pizza the other night. It was supposed to cook at 425 Degrees for 12 to 18 Minutes. 

 

My sister called while it was cooking and I lost track of time and the pizza spent around 20 minutes in the oven. 

 

The Pizza ended up with some burn marks on the bottom of the crust. 

 

After a having a couple of slices... I declared the Pizza "Acceptable". 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I'd say "C" lineup. The return of Lindor and Kipnis (who knows what Zimmer will provide) will only bring them up to a "B".

 

And... you also must consider that by the time Lindor comes back... There is no guarantee that Ramirez will remain healthy.

 

The Indians are extremely vulnerable in my opinion.

 

Unfortunately... So are the Twins.

was it “their C squad”? Missing Lindor is a big miss. Kipnis, how much does he have left?

 

Major league C squad, sure. Indians B plus. They are doomed to a cruddy lineup unless the FO can swing a trade.

[mikelink45]

What am I missing.  Perez stunk.  Why am I ready positive things about him?  Otherwise, great game, great fun, and the legend of Tortuga continues.

[Riverbrian]

 

was it “their C squad”? Missing Lindor is a big miss. Kipnis, how much does he have left?

Major league C squad, sure. Indians B plus. They are doomed to a cruddy lineup unless the FO can swing a trade.

 

I think the FO is more likely to swing a trade in the opposite direction.

 

They burned down the farm chasing titles the past 3 years. They will need some seeds.

 

 

 

[ashbury]

I think that baserunning mistake was on Buxton. It was hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure Astudillo got the stop sign from the third base coach, then the coach started frantically windmilling when he saw Buxton charge around second.

We're probably looking at the same video, and it might be the only one available, and I agree it's hard to tell exactly when the coach stopped/started to signal to run hard. The coach came into view just a millisecond too late for our purpose.

 

With none out, the instinct probably was to be conservative. If instead it was indecision, due to not completely thinking through in advance that you had an eager runner on second and a very fast one on first, then that's a place for some fine tuning and discussion.

 

But if the indecision was on the part of Astudillo, and/or he wasn't on the same page with Buxton, then that's something else to work out.

 

Wasn't costly this time. Next time it might be.

 

Astudillo was clearly upset even though he had scored. Since I don't know his demeanor that well yet, he looked almost on the verge of tears. That could have been anger at himself (my interpretation), or coach Diaz(?), or Buxton.

 

Wonder if it came up in the postgame interviews.

[VATwinsFan]

Twins pitchers get 39 strikeouts in 3 games?

 

Yowza!!!

[Tom Froemming]

 

What am I missing.  Perez stunk.  Why am I ready positive things about him?  Otherwise, great game, great fun, and the legend of Tortuga continues.

It may just be that I have maintained very low expectations for Perez, but I thought his pitches looked good and the velocity was excellent. Command/control certainly left something to be desired, but it I think there are more positives than negatives to takeaway. He struck out six of the 19 batters he faced and got 12 swinging strikes on his 82 pitches. Very encouraging, though he was also certainly rough around the edges.

[Riverbrian]

 

We're probably looking at the same video, and it might be the only one available, and I agree it's hard to tell exactly when the coach stopped/started to signal to run hard. The coach came into view just a millisecond too late for our purpose.

 

With none out, the instinct probably was to be conservative. If instead it was indecision, due to not completely thinking through in advance that you had an eager runner on second and a very fast one on first, then that's a place for some fine tuning and discussion.

 

But if the indecision was on the part of Astudillo, and/or he wasn't on the same page with Buxton, then that's something else to work out.

 

Wasn't costly this time. Next time it might be.

 

Astudillo was clearly upset even though he had scored. Since I don't know his demeanor that well yet, he looked almost on the verge of tears. That could have been anger at himself (my interpretation), or coach Diaz(?), or Buxton.

 

Wonder if it came up in the postgame interviews.

 

I continue to see no issues with his ability behind the plate. Good awareness on the backup to nail Santana with poor awareness. 

 

It's a such a great game... I'm so glad Baseball is back. 

[Tom Froemming]

 

This is the kind of game that simply makes me happy.  Buck gets a couple of hits.  Torguga gets his hits and makes a heads-up play on defense.  Starting pitcher looks good.  Happy, happy, happy.

Here's that defensive play for anyone who missed it:

[MMMordabito]

Great game ... Love that Two Gingers bar on the 200 level for days like today!

 

Looks like everyone but Gibson (for good reason) has received game action now.

 

On to KC to hopefully take sole possession of the early AL Central driver's seat!

[ashbury]

I continue to see no issues with his ability behind the plate. Good awareness on the backup to nail Santana with poor awareness. 

 

It's a such a great game... I'm so glad Baseball is back. 

Oh, by far, that was the only negative to Astudillo's day. He keeps having these coming out parties like today's game - eventually we're going to figure out he's not a debutante anymore.

[ScooterDance]

This is going to be a fun summer of baseball.

 

Would be most excellent if we could break out just in time for the next wave to come up.

[BD57]

How much of Perez being wild was Plate Umpire squeezing the strike zone?

 

Granted, the Zone Cam on the broadcast isn't official, but it sure seemed like a lot of strikes weren't being called as such today.