Article: TOR 5, MIN 3: About That Bullpen ...

[Riverbrian]

I thought Shoemaker was damn good. That sinker was really good.

 

I couldn’t help thinking that the Angels could sure use someone like Shoemaker right about now.

[Dantes929]

No one notices relievers until they mess up.   I remember Crain going 20 some games scoreless but then would blow one and the calls to run Crainwreck out of town were rampant.     We now have 4 relievers with at least 5 appearances that have sub 2.00 ERA and one with a 2.84 ERA.    The bullpen has helped hold onto games this season also.

[MMMordabito]

The season is 162 games.

[MMMordabito]

 

I thought Shoemaker was damn good. That sinker was really good.

I couldn’t help thinking that the Angels could sure use someone like Shoemaker right about now.

 

I was thinking that Toronto may end up moving him near the trade deadline ... Might be worth a look .... However, he doesn't have a strong history of lasting long ... History shows he has a max of about 23 starts left this season ... Not sure how much I would give up on that gamble

[MMMordabito]

 

I understand everyone’s frustration with the bullpen, but I’d remind you all that Mejia is a starter that they moved to the bullpen because the rotation was full and he was out of options. His is a pitcher that the organization values and does not want to loose. As such he is a guy who should be able to get out both leftie and rightie batters. Also, Baldelli saving arms is not something people should be complaining about, killing the reliable bullpen arms is part of what got Molitor fired. I do have to agree with those wondering why they didn’t let Harper come back in the 8th. I am wondering about Vasquez vs. Reed or Eades though.

 

Great post.  Big picture perspective is often lost every time there is a loss.  92 wins is about what I've seen from the most positive of fans (I predicted 84 myself), so even in that scenario, this is going to happen 65 more times.  The Twins will quickly run out of players to DFA and demote or coaches and managers to fire and demean, if the pitchforks come out every single time.

[KFEY93]

To be fair, looking at the line up we put out and who we had starting on the mound. If I would have seen the box score and not the game, I would have assumed Perez gave up 5 runs and we lost a fairly boring game. I'm not too upset about it, if there was any game we would lose in this series, it was this one. Still mildly disappointing how it happened. 

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Kimbrel gets better lookin' with each passing day...

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

An important thing to remember is that Perez was brought in to be the fifth starter. He’s not expected to be the savior of the rotation. The front office didn’t commit an exorbitant amount of money to him. He just needs to be competent. Anything extra would be a bonus.

 

[gocgo]

A bit early on to be pushing panic buttons.  I do remember saying that there would be a lot of heartbreaking late inning losses this year.  One.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

A bit early on to be pushing panic buttons.  I do remember saying that there would be a lot of heartbreaking late inning losses this year.  One.

 

This would be loss number 2 that was blown by the pen.

[Vanimal46]

Garver is awful behind the plate.

Concur. I want to squint and see good things because his bat is infinitely better than Castro.

 

To quote Platoon from last year, it looks like Garver's holding a frying pan instead of a glove.

[USAFChief]

 

Concur. I want to squint and see good things because his bat is infinitely better than Castro.

To quote Platoon from last year, it looks like Garver's holding a frying pan instead of a glove.

A cast iron one, at that.

[Mike Sixel]

A bit early on to be pushing panic buttons. I do remember saying that there would be a lot of heartbreaking late inning losses this year. One.

Of course, we are basing these opinions on history too, not just this year. I don't get how that isn't clear. So, no, it isn't really to assess some of these pitchers.

[DocBauer]

This loss stunk, plain and simple. Very disappointing to blow a SP performance and lead like that. Too much I like to copy and paste so going to hit a few topics.

 

1] Mejia was, may yet be, a SP. He's used to facing batters from both sides of the plate. The LH arguement doesn't really work in this case. [Resting arms and using what is available].

 

2] What I don't understand is a fresh Harper pitching well and not going out for the next inning.

 

3] The pen is short. Period. But Molitor would use his top arms down by 3 runs in hope of a comeback. In the great scheme that is a 162 game season, Rocco appears to be willing to take chances or give up a game here and there for the bigger picture. It stinks, but you simply can't win them all.

 

4] I am not sold on Perez even a bit at this point, good ST or not. But that was a NICE game he pitched! I like this rotation a whole lot better with another arm equal to Gibson or Pineda with Odorizzi or Perez as the 5th guy, but that was nice.

 

5] Not speaking to anyone/post in particular, but we can't "generally" praise Garver for defensive growth and helping Berrios work through a game where he didn't have his best stuff, and then blame Garver for Mejia not having his best stuff. Sometimes guys just have bad games and your team loses.

[Twinsrule1991]

Shocking. When you do nothing to address the weakest part of your team all off season and then they prove to be the weakest link of the team already this early in the season. This is what pisses me off about this FO/Owner. Spend the damn money to put together a real team and we could be running away with this thing already.

[SomeGuy]

First blown save of the season for any Twins reliever.  Just the 2nd loss credited to the pen.

 

Fortunately it has been the bullpen reserves that are struggling and not the "go to" relievers.  Continue to give Mejia and Vasquez chances, they will come around.

[twins_89]

The problem with the Twins bullpen is that too many guys are being asked to fill a role that is probably a step higher than they are capable of at this point. Parker would be fine as a 7th or 8th inning guy, but there is no way he should be pitching the 9th of close games. Mejia and Harper should be pitching in the 5th or 6th inning when the starter gets knocked out early, not the 7th or 8th of a close game. Adding a capable 9th inning guy would help to shift guys to roles where they would be better suited.

[SwainZag]

If I remember correctly the majority of this board bashed the hell out of Molitor by over working the top bullpen guys early in the season to see them falter towards the end.  Now we are bashing Rocco for not over using the top guys early in the season....

 

That being said....Meija needs to get his sh...stuff together.

[pbrezeasap]

 

I never understand why when a reliever is dealing it like Harper was tonight, why the manager doesn't let him just keep dealing. He only threw 15 pitches and hasn't pitched forever and could have easily gone another inning. Ride the relievers that are doing well while they're doing well. 

 

I was watching the game with my wife and basically said the same thing, telling her they should let Harper keep pitching since he looked so good. She told me I didn't know what I was talking about and that Mejia was coming in since he was already warming up. I took offense to her questioning my brilliant baseball mind :-), argued with her, and made some grandiose statements that if I was coaching our older sons college team they would be winning their conference and our younger sons high school team would be going to the playoffs if I was in charge. During the next half inning I had to go pick up our daughter from work and I got a text from her "Guess who's in the game pitching jackass" So I sat waiting for my daughter watching the game slip away on my phone and thinking about how I was going to rub it in for how right I was. Strangely it didn't feel good being right and man I wish they had won that game. Any time she questions me again for the rest of the season, I'm gonna have that one in my back pocket to use on her.

[Jham]

Any time she questions me again for the rest of the season, I'm gonna have that one in my back pocket to use on her.

I can't advise against this course of action strongly enough. Just enjoy your victory. (looks over shoulders for own wife's peering eyes). quietly.

[Yawn Gardenhose]

Hildenberger has pitched 5.1 innings in 8 outings. Three of those outings lasted one batter. Five of those outings he pitched 8 pitches or less. I don't consider that "overworked." 

[SomeGuy]

If last night was the bullpens turn for the B squad, I guess today is the offense's turn to rest.  No Cruz, Cron, Schoop, or Garver.

 

Astudillo and Marwin Gonzalez batting 4 and 5.....gross.

[wsnydes]

 

I can't advise against this course of action strongly enough. Just enjoy your victory. (looks over shoulders for own wife's peering eyes). quietly.

I have to agree. Even when you're right, you're still wrong.

 

I remember the last time that I was "right". We were debating about a paint color in our master bath. I insisted that she wasn't going to like the shade of blue that she chose. She believed that she would, so that's what we went with. We got done painting it, she even slept on it over night, and then the next morning admitted to me that I was right - she didn't like the color. My reward was having to repaint the bathroom by myself.

[TFRazor]

 

The top thing I was worried about was Rocco’s injury history as a player and it seems to be playing out exactly as I feared.
He is deathly afraid of overworking anyone because his career was derailed by injuries so he is babying everyone, giving them days off when it’s not needed when they’ve all had plenty of days off already.

I'm sorry but this is a completely ludicrous statement. I'm hoping I'm just misinterpreting what you're saying but if I'm not your assertion is that since Rocco's career was hampered due to injury, he's less likely to push guys since he doesn't want them injured... This makes no logical sense

[howieramone2]

 

Missed the game as I was watching the Game of Thrones episode recorded last night....but reading the summary, it appers the walkers from beyond the north wall got to the Twins bullpen?

 

Twins haven't had too many games where everything is working. In both wins and losses there have been some poor performances (starters, bullpen, or offense).

 

The good news: if it all comes together, this team can be really good.

 

Is the shine coming off Astudillo a bit? 0 for his last 10 or something? His last hit was against de Grom if I recall correctly.

Well, no ones comparing him to Ty Cobb anymore.

[howieramone2]

 

Mejia not having options is going to mean that they keep throwing him out there. Hes got another 3 or 4 weeks of this before he shows he can be effective out of the bullpen or test waivers. Meanwhile, Nick Anderson and Nick Burdi are killing it for other teams. How about trying Eades and Reed before you lose them for nothing.

Burdi is hanging in there that's all. 50/50 we get him back. 

[howieramone2]

 

37 games in 38 days.  This bullpen will get exposed and there is nothing anyone can do about it.  The frustration level of this group will accelerate over the coming days.  We can afford Kimbrel easily for two years.   He has to be interested based on this team's start.  If he wants 4 or 5 years? That's a tough call because you will probably hate him the last two or three years of that contract.  But, I say do it if you can get him for 4 or less.  

I say don't sign anyone who didn't make it to ST. 7 or 8 teams have no intention of contending, get a pen arm from one of them. Dangle Larnach, Mejia, and/or Trevor May.

Edited April 16, 2019 by howieramone2

[howieramone2]

 

Remember when Blake Parker was our lone FA bullpen addition this offseason and our leadership decided that was enough? 

We spent our money in other places, and didn't go dumpster diving. We still have money, players, and prospects to trade. The night is still young.

 

Ask King Theo wants happens when you spend all your money, you still have glaring holes to fill, and ownership has taken the checkbook away.

Edited April 16, 2019 by howieramone2

[howieramone2]

 

lowered-expectations-madtv-350.jpg

The board wanted Kershaw, and we had to settle for a #5. Where is our mythical ace?

[ashbury]

Well, no ones comparing him to Ty Cobb anymore.

I still am. Unfavorably, now. Likewise to Ross Barnes, Rogers Hornsby, and on down to Teddy Ballgame, Sliding Billy Hamilton and (!) the Mets' Jeff McNeil at #14 all-time in BA with 100 PA.