Article: MIN 16, LAA 7: Twins Slug 8 More Home Runs, Sweep Angels

[Andrew Gebo]

The Twins hit eight more home runs Thursday afternoon, giving them 98 on the year. Wow. The lineup jumped all over Matt Harvey, scoring eight runs in less than three innings en route to wrapping up the series sweep. Martin Perez improved to 7-1 on the season.Box Score

Perez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 58.0% strikes (51 of 88 pitches)

Home Runs: Schoop 2 (10), Polanco (9), Cron (13), Sano 2 (4), Kepler (10), Rosario (14)

Multi-Hit Games: Cron (5-for-6, 2 2B, HR), Kepler (3-for-5, 2B, HR, BB), Rosario (3-for-6, HR), Polanco (2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB), Sano (2-for-4, 2 HR, BB), Schoop (2-for-5, HR)

WPA of +0.1: Schoop .198

WPA of -0.1: None

Download attachment: Win523.png

(chart via FanGraphs)

 

Bringing The Rain in Southern California

Mother Nature may have brought the rain on Wednesday, postponing the game until today. This afternoon, however, the Twins were the bringers of rain. They made sure to shower the outfield bleachers with home run balls, early and often. The Dark Knight, otherwise known as Matt Harvey, likely wanted a mulligan after surrendering four home runs in only 2 2/3 innings.

 

New Day, New Lineup, Same Result

Today’s contest was the 49th game of the year for the Twins and the 37th different lineup that Rocco Baldelli has used. That stat is a product of many factors, such as injuries, positional versatility, and perhaps most significantly, Baldelli’s emphasis on not over-using players. Whatever the reason may be it doesn’t seem to matter, this team hits taters, regardless of who’s in the lineup.

 

Making Tater Tot Hotdishes

The greatest quote of the year still belongs to Max Kepler, when he said, “we’re going to hit a lot of taters”. If anyone has his phone number it might be wise to ask him for lottery numbers because he was spot on with that prediction. After their third inning home run barrage, today marked their league-leading 24th multi-home run game. In the seventh inning Sano and Schoop went back-to-back, each hitting their second of the game. Max Kepler joined the party as well, launching his 10th of the year. Eddie Rosario finally snapped his streak of tater-less games (that is a word, go along with it), blasting his 14th of the year — his first since May 8. Entering the game they had 90 home runs, before it was over, they were at 98. That is certainly more than enough taters needed to make a hot dish.

 

Aggressive Eddie

If you have watched this team long enough then you have likely become accustomed to Eddie Rosario being a very aggressive player. His aggression is part of what makes him such a special and entertaining player. One play early in the game that really stood out was when Rosario scored on a sac fly hit to the shortstop. The ensuing four home runs that same inning made this play a relatively minor detail in the box score, but at the time it was anything but that.

 

Martin Perez had just wiggled out of a first inning jam. The score was tied 0-0, with runners on second and third and nobody out. Luis Arraez hit a blooper into shallow left field. Angels shortstop, Zack Cozart, caught the shallow pop-up while drifting back on his heels. Eddie, being Eddie, saw this as an opportunity to steal a run and he did just that. When watching this play I couldn’t help but think of how the injury to Andrelton Simmons affected the outcome. It’s certainly hard to argue that Simmons is anything but the best defensive shortstop in the game. Had he been in the lineup today and playing shortstop it is likely fair to think Eddie would not have tagged up in that situation. Again, this play became an irrelevant footnote, but nonetheless, it is still an interesting baseball play worth mentioning.

 

Fun Facts

Today’s contest featured a handful of interesting tidbits. Hopefully these fun facts can provide you with a few conversation starters at your next cocktail party:

• Yesterday was only the second rainout in Anaheim in nearly 25 years.
• This 2019 season is the first time in franchise history the Twins have enjoyed a 6+ game lead in the division before June 1st.
• So far this season, no other team in the league has hit six or more home runs in one game, the Twins have done it four times.
• Their eight home runs today ties the franchise record for team home runs in a single game.
• Twins have 208 extra-base hits, no other team has yet to hit 200.
• Their 18 road wins is the most of any team in the league.
• Today was World Turtle Day and Willians Astudillo struck out and walked in the same game (that’s more rare than rain in Southern California).

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: Bullpen523.png

Next Game

Fri vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT (Berrios-Lopez)

 

Last Game

MIN 8, LAA 3: Bats Break Loose Late

 

More from Twins Daily

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Baldelli Is More Coddling Millennial Than Field General

Where's the Weakness?

 

Click here to view the article

[Han Joelo]

That third bullet point.  Wow.

[VATwinsFan]

Not to be too picky, but in the multi-hit game section section you left out Kepler’s HR and one HR for Sano.

Edited May 24, 2019 by VATwinsFan

[segagenesisgenius]

Austin Adams sent back down tomorrow to make room for Cruz?

[twinsfanstreif]

Holy Crap......that is all

[Tom Froemming]

 

Not to be too picky, but in the box score section you left out Kepler’s HR.

Fixed, thank you. There were a lot of those suckers to keep track of

[David HK]

Wow, what a thrashing.  And a series sweep no less. Hey, I've got a few bullet points, too! 

 

• Love the play by Eddie. (Because it worked). But still that aggressiveness when shown throughout the season, makes other teams have to keep in mind what might happen, and kind of sustained pressure can lead to mistakes in the field.
• All those dingers! Wow, it harkens me back to those mid-60's daze of being a young pre-schooler, when I first was aware of the Twins, in those Killer, Tony O, Bob Allison, Jimmy Hall days, when everybody in the lineup was knocking dongs right and left!
• Heh... Sure is sweet to hang some runs on the Angels' high-priced free agent pickups! There's a bit of wailing going on in their blog pages
• How about the job Rocco is doing, managing the lineup. working around injuries, and the bullpen, too, getting guys work, and keeping key guys as fresh as possible.
• Ach du lieber, I hope Max is OK. He looked awfully wobbly coming off.
• And finally, ahhhhh.... the Austin Adams era. I remember it well. Oh, wait, I don't think I'll have the chance to.....
• PS: You know, I'm having chicken for breakfast here on this side of the ocean today. 

Edited May 24, 2019 by David HK

[twinsfanstreif]

That third bullet point.  Wow.

 

Tim Kirkjian was saying on baseball tonight a few days ago that the Tampa Bay Rays only have three 6 hr games in their whole franchise history, the Royals have two, and the Marlins and Padres only have one. We have four this season and it's not even June!

[Nine of twelve]

 

Holy Crap......that is all

I would go even further and say holy **** or even holy ****.

[twinsfanstreif]

I would go even further and say holy **** or even holy ****.

Maybe even Holy ****?! Don't wanna get too crazy

[VATwinsFan]

 

Fixed, thank you. There were a lot of those suckers to keep track of

A good problem to have!!!

[VATwinsFan]

On a Kiermaier inside the park home run in Cleveland, Mercado appeared to have gotten a knee from Martin in a very delicate part of the body.

 

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/rays-vs-indians/2019/05/23/565341#game_state=live,game_tab=videos,game=565341

 

Ouch-a-rama

[MNT1996]

 

Austin Adams sent back down tomorrow to make room for Cruz?

 

Makes sense to me. It all works itself out

[Cglidds]

The Bomb Squad is on

[Rosterman]

Sad for Austin Adams. You have a led like that, throw strikes. No need to walk anyone, let alone get the bases loaded. The bullpen should be set for the homestand. Whew! Unbelievable. If anything, the Twins starting pitchers suffer from sitting on the bench too long and too often!

[Otto von Ballpark]

Austin Adams sent back down tomorrow to make room for Cruz?

Adams doesn't have options, so it would have to be a DFA.

[Cglidds]

You're..excuse me.

[Cglidds]

Why no options? Used in another organization?

[Aerodeliria]

The funny thing is that the game could have been played yesterday (according to Rocco's comments). They have a different standard out in CA. I remember once when living in northern CA having my weekend ruined when the A's cancelled their game against the Twins the day before the game was to played because of the forecast of rain. I went to the stadium anyway on the day because it wasn't even raining, but it really was cancelled!

I love the lineup roulette. It keeps players fresh.

De Jong will probably be sent down...I mean Adams.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Why no options? Used in another organization?

he’s 32.... Cleveland used his options in 2014-2016.

[TheLeviathan]

Man, if you're a pitcher and you see the Twins coming up on your slate....you gotta be a little scared.

 

These guys are destroying people.

[Tom Froemming]

Austin Adams looked real bad. He also threw a baseball 97.9 mph today. I'm intrigued enough to want to see more. Berrios is going tomorrow and May, Rogers, Magill and Parker are all rested. There shouldn't be any need to get a fresh arm up.

[Old Twins Cap]

That second HR by Sano, the hang time, not the longest ball of the day, but man, to watch that go out must have been magnificent. Landed like 10 seconds after it was hit.

 

If he pulls his thing together this year, all bets are off.

[Dantes929]

 

 

Wow, what a thrashing.  And a series sweep no less. Hey, I've got a few bullet points, too! 

 

• Love the play by Eddie. (Because it worked). But still that aggressiveness when shown throughout the season, makes other teams have to keep in mind what might happen, and kind of sustained pressure can lead to mistakes in the field.
• All those dingers! Wow, it harkens me back to those mid-60's daze of being a young pre-schooler, when I first was aware of the Twins, in those Killer, Tony O, Bob Allison, Jimmy Hall days, when everybody in the lineup was knocking dongs right and left!
• Heh... Sure is sweet to hang some runs on the Angels' high-priced free agent pickups! There's a bit of wailing going on in their blog pages
• How about the job Rocco is doing, managing the lineup. working around injuries, and the bullpen, too, getting guys work, and keeping key guys as fresh as possible.
• Ach du lieber, I hope Max is OK. He looked awfully wobbly coming off.
• And finally, ahhhhh.... the Austin Adams era. I remember it well. Oh, wait, I don't think I'll have the chance to.....
• PS: You know, I'm having chicken for breakfast here on this side of the ocean today. 

 

"Like"  for ach du lieber.     

[DiscGolfer]

 

 

• So far this season, no other team in the league has hit six or more home runs in one game, the Twins have done it four times.

 

The Dodgers hit 8 in the season opener, and I think 2 other teams have done it also but the Twins have more 6+ homer games than the rest of the league combined.

[FlauerPauer]

 

Adams doesn't have options, so it would have to be a DFA.

 

Yawn. Next. Sure he throws 97, but it's flat and straight.

[gil4]

 

On a Kiermaier inside the park home run in Cleveland, Mercado appeared to have gotten a knee from Martin in a very delicate part of the body.

 

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/rays-vs-indians/2019/05/23/565341#game_state=live,game_tab=videos,game=565341

 

Ouch-a-rama

Might have a new soprano for the team choir. Ouch indeed.

[USAFChief]

Austin Adams looked real bad. He also threw a baseball 97.9 mph today. I'm intrigued enough to want to see more. Berrios is going tomorrow and May, Rogers, Magill and Parker are all rested. There shouldn't be any need to get a fresh arm up.

Plus, I doubt they send down a reliever for a position player.

[USAFChief]

Yawn. Next. Sure he throws 97, but it's flat and straight.

So are lots of 4 seam fastballs. Velocity matters.

 

His problem was location, not lack of movement.

[HrbekRules]

The Twins have more 6+ homer games than Astudillo has strikeouts!