Article: Twins Game Recap (7/23): Twins Fall Short to Yankees in Game of the Year

[Andrew Thares]

Two of the best teams in the American League squared off in Minnesota tonight, and the result was perhaps the most exciting baseball game we have seen in quite some time. Sure, there have been a couple 18 and 17 inning marathons at Target Field of late, along with that series against Oakland over the weekend that we are still coming down from, but tonight’s game takes the cake. Unfortunately, the Twins came up short, but they had to have gained a ton of respect from baseball fans across the nation for the fight they put up tonight. And hey, lost in all this, the Blue Jays walked-off the Indians so the Twins didn’t lose any ground in the standings.Box Score

Gibson: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 56.4% strikes (57 of 101 pitches)

Home Runs: Polanco (15), Cruz (21), Sano 2 (16)

Multi-Hit Games: Polanco (3 for 5, HR); Rosario (2 for 6); Sano (2 for 6, 2 HR); Arraez (2 for 5); Castro (2 for 4)

WPA of +0.1: Sano .502; Garver .262; Adrianza .176; Arraez .162; Polanco .135;

WPA of -0.1: Rogers -.619; Harper -.441; Stewart -.402; Parker -.266

 

The Yankees got the scoring started in the top of the first, thanks to a two-out, two-RBI, two base-hit off the bat of Didi Gregorius. It appeared as though Kyle Gibson was about to work himself out of the first inning jam by striking out Yankee slugger Luke Voit. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Gregorius drilled the first pitch of his at-bat deep to the left centerfield gap, giving the Yankees a quick two to nothing lead.

 

The Twins were able to answer back with a run in the bottom of the second when Luis Arraez ripped an RBI single up the middle drive in Eddie Rosario for the Twins first run of the game. After an impressive walk from Ehrie Adrianza loaded the bases, the Twins failed to capitalize on yet another bases loaded situation. Things got a little bit dicey in the top of the third when the Yankees themselves loaded the bases with two outs. However, this time Kyle Gibson was able to get out of the jam by getting Gary Sanchez to pop out to Jorge Polanco to end the inning.

 

The Bombasota Twins came out to play in the third inning when Jorge Polanco and Nelson Cruz went back-to-back for the second game in a row, becoming the first Twins duo to accomplish that feat in the team’s history. Additionally, the Polanco home run was his 15th of the season, which set the Twins record for most players to hit 15 home runs in a season with seven.

 

 

Ehrie Adrianza got the Twins fourth going with a leadoff double to right field. After a Domingo German wild pitch advanced Adrianza to third, Jason Castro drove him in with an opposite field single. The Twins were able to load the bases up again after a Jorge Polanco single and Nelson Curz was hit by a pitch. Eddie Rosario then bounced into an RBI groundout, brining in the Twins fifth run of the game. The Twins weren’t done in the inning, however, as Miguel Sano came up big with a three-run Sanodoubter into the upper deck in left field. This was Sano’s 15th home run of the year, extending the Twins record to eight.

 

 

It didn’t take long for the Yankees to answer right back with a three-run home run of their own off the bat of Didi Gregorius in the top of the fifth. Much like the first inning, Kyle Gibson appeared as though he was on the brink of getting out of a jam, but Gregorius yet again made Gibson pay for filling the bases early in the inning.

 

In the bottom of the fifth the Twins answered right back with yet another run. Jason Castro leadoff the inning with his second opposite field single in as many at-bats. Max Kepler then advanced Castro to second on a chopper to the first basemen before Jorge Polanco drove Castro in with an RBI double, extending the Twins lead to nine to five.

 

Cody Stashak made quite the first impression, giving the Twins two much needed scoreless innings, while striking out three Yankee hitters. They weren’t the smoothest of innings, however, as Stashak did give up four hits. However, when it mattered most, buckled down and got some big outs to keep the Yankees off the board.

 

 

The lack of depth in the Twins bullpen reared its ugly head in the top of the 8th, when the Twins had to turn to Blake Parker to protect the lead against the Bronx Bombers. Parker proceeded to walk the leadoff hitter, before allowing doubles to three of the next four Yankee hitters, and before you know it the Twins lead was cut to one. Tyler Duffey then came in to try and get the Twins out of the jam. He came in and struck out Edwin Encarnacion and appeared to strike out Luke Voit, but what should have been ruled strike three was instead ruled ball four keeping the inning alive for, you guessed it, Didi Gregorius who came through yet again with another two-out, two-run, two-bagger to give the Yankees a 10 to 9 lead.

In previous years, the Twins would have been deflated by this crushing blow and folded, however, the 2019 Twins are not the Twins of old. After Nelson Curz leadoff the inning with a ground out, Eddie Rosario reached on an infield single, setting the table for yet another Sanodoubter to give the Twins back the lead.

 

 

In came Taylor Rogers to close the door on the Yankees in the 9th. After he picked up two quick outs, you thought to yourself, no way this is a repeat of what happened on Saturday, but unfortunately that is exactly what happened. Rogers then walked the Yankees 9th hitter and then proceeded to give up a go ahead two-run home run to Aaron Hicks, giving the Yankees a 12 to 11 lead.

 

Aroldis Chapman then came in to close the door on the Twins, but they still had some fight in them. Ehrie Adrainza, Mitch Garver (who pinch hit for Jason Castro) and Max Kepler drew three straight walks to load the bases with nobody out. Jorge Polanco then put together a great plate appearance that ended with a hard-line drive into the outfield that off the bat appeared would be in the gap. Unfortunately for the Twins, Yankeed left fielder Mike Tauchman tracked it down. Adrianza was able to score on the play, tying the game. The Twins were unable to add any more runs, after a Nelson Cruz flyout and an Eddie Rosario blooper was snared down by Didi Gregorius.

 

In the top of the 10th the Twins had to turn to Kohl Stewart to keep the game tied. After DJ LeMahieu lined a ball off Stewart that deflected right to Luis Arraez for the first out of the inning, Didi Gregorius came to the plate, and you can just about guess what happened. Gregorius lined a base hit to left field and got a Yankee rally of three straight hits to take back the lead going. When all was said and done the Yankees scored two and took a 14 to 12 lead into the bottom of the 10th.

 

The Twins faced another big challenge in the bottom of the 10th, this time trying to come from behind against Adam Ottavino. Miguel Sano began the inning by striking out looking, before Ottavino seemed to lose all sense of control. He proceeded to walk Marwin Gonzalez and Luis Arraez. Ehrie Adrianza then hit a hard ground ball up the middle, but Didi Gregorius made a nifty play to almost turn two and end the game. Then it was Mitch Garver’s turn at the plate, and just like in his pinch-hit plate appearance in the 9th, he drew a big walk. With the bases loaded and two-outs, Aaron Boone turned to Chad Green to face Max Kepler. Kepler worked himself into a 2 and 1 hitters count and got a pitch to drive, and that’s exactly what he did with it, but yet again it was former Twin Aaron Hicks who crushed Twins fans hopes and dreams with this amazing diving catch to end the ballgame. Had that ball gotten down, it would have very likely cleared the bases and been Kepler’s third walk-off hit of the season.

 

Rocco Baldelli with some very honest comments following the game.

 

 

Baldelli also noted that there would be roster moves before tomorrow night's game, but did not give any specifics.

 

Bullpen Usage

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

 

Next Three Games

Wed vs NYY, 7:10 pm CT (Happ-Odorizzi)

Thur at CHW, 7:10 pm CT (Berrios-Giolito)

Fri at CHW, 7:10 pm CT (Pineda-Cease)

 

Last Game

Twins Game Recap (7/22): Twins Turn Triple Play, Mitch Garver Homers Twice in Win Over Yankees

 

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[terrydactyls]

Yesterday was Tuesday, July 23, it was the 100th game of the year and the Twins hit 4 home runs giving them a total of 191 home runs for the season.  The Twins are now 62% of the way through the season.  Out of 59 years, the current team is tied for 7th on the all-time list of Twins' home runs in one season and are on a pace to hit 309 home runs this season.  They are now 76 home runs behind the single season MLB record.  The next Twins team to pass are the 1986 and 1987 teams that hit 196 home runs.

 

Damn it's late here on the East coast.

[IndianaTwin]

Yesterday was Tuesday, July 23, it was the 100th game of the year and the Twins hit 4 home runs giving them a total of 191 home runs for the season.  The Twins are now 62% of the way through the season.  Out of 59 years, the current team is tied for 7th on the all-time list of Twins' home runs in one season and are on a pace to hit 309 home runs this season.  They are now 76 home runs behind the single season MLB record.  The next Twins team to pass are the 1986 and 1987 teams that hit 196 home runs.

 

Damn it's late here on the East coast.

 

So, with 62 games to hit those 76, they just have to homer at 199 hr/season pace the rest of the year.

 

And yeah, those late 7:10 Central starts stink when you are in the Eastern time zone, even when they don’t last five hours. I have to put up with that too.

[Kelly Vance]

It felt like a game 7.

 

Damn that guy in CF.  Gee, what was his name again?

[VivaBomboRivera!]

 

It felt like a game 7.

 

Damn that guy in CF.  Gee, what was his name again?

 

I see what you did there...

[rghrbek]

It was a vastly entertaining game.  Twins slugged it out with a team they have never been able to slug it out with before.  Lots of fun.

 

Please get bullpen help...I'm starting to get a little worried about the big picture when it comes to the pen...

[Aerodeliria]

Torture of the year might be a better analogy.

 

Don't walk hitters!

[MNT1996]

 

It felt like a game 7.

 

Damn that guy in CF.  Gee, what was his name again?

 

Fans might soon forget our center fielder's name because it seems like we never have him out there for more than 2 weeks straight. Buxton better find out a way to stay healthy or else it looks like the Yankees have the better CF. I'd take a reliable Hicks over an injury prone Buxton anyday. 

[howeda7]

Why is Mike Morin in Philly and Blake Parker is still on this team?

[VivaBomboRivera!]

I said my piece here.

 

Absolute shambles of a staff.

 

Silver lining: Sano continues to mature, and our guys do not lie down.

[USAFChief]

 

Fans might soon forget our center fielder's name because it seems like we never have him out there for more than 2 weeks straight. Buxton better find out a way to stay healthy or else it looks like the Yankees have the better CF. I'd take a reliable Hicks over an injury prone Buxton anyday. 

HIcks has played 51 games this year. Buxton 75

 

Not that I liked the Hicks trade--terrible from the moment it happened--but in this case, he's played less than Byron.

[crapforks]

I half expected the headline to read: “Koh Stewart Pitches the 10th Inning Against the Yankees In the Midst of a Playoff Race”

[MNT1996]

 

HIcks has played 51 games this year. Buxton 75

 

Not that I liked the Hicks trade--terrible from the moment it happened--but in this case, he's played less than Byron.

 

Hicks:

2016 - 123 games played (

2017 - 88 games played

2018 - 137 games played

2019 - 52 games played

 

400 games:

60 homers, 194 RBI, 2017 and 2018 he had seasons with above .800 OPS

 

Buxton:

2016 - 92 games played

2017 - 140 games played

2018 - 28 games played

2019 - 75 games played

 

335 games:

35 homers, 135 RBI, Never had a season with above .800 OPS. Best was .728 in 2017.

 

Not only has Hicks been historically more reliable, but he's been arguably more productive. In my opinion Buxton needs to step it up and become more reliable and more consistently productive or else it seems like the Yankees win the CF battle.

 

 

 

[DiscGolfer]

Hicks had to make the play of his life in order to save that game.  He ran faster to make that catch than any other out he's made this year. per espn

[h2oface]

Harper now has inherited 33 runners, and after tonight's 2 gifts to his teammates, has allowed 16 of them to score. Why they had him come in to relieve Duffey makes no sense. 2 runners on and one in scoring position on second. Gregorius up, who should have been walked (was I the only one screaming at the screen to walk the scorching hot hitter to pitch to Sanchez), and sure enough, the double on the 72 mph hanging curve right down the middle, brings both runners home, and Sanchez was the easy third out, but 2 runs, and the lead, later. Baffling.

 

16 of 33 inherited runners have scored! Basically half! How many times before it stops? This is insanity to keep giving Harper the opportunities with runners on base.

 

Still, this game was almost won by Kepler. Great catch by Hicks. (One of the worst trades by the Twins, ever). This is a hard one to swallow. Especially against the Yankees.

Edited July 24, 2019 by h2oface

[Yawn Gardenhose]

I'd like to say it was an entertaining game - it was surely a Yankee classic. It shouldn't have been though. 
 

Blake Parker shouldn't be on a major league roster. Since his very first outing this year that's been apparent. His stats aren't even close to indicating how terrible he has been all season, plus all his twitchy gimmicks and labored mouthbreathing on the mound have been annoying since his first pitch this year.

 

Parker's "FIP" coming into the game was about 5.5, and surely skyrocketed last night, which other than making me a believer in "FIP," should indicate to the front office how dreadful he has been and how he should be cut from the roster ASAP. 9-5 lead in the 8th inning...we should have been spared all the dramatics, if only the front office cares about the bullpen, which they clearly don't, seeing as Parker has been their only out-of-organization major league addition since the calendar year 2018. 

 

The Twins bullpen this year reminds me of a famous Pauline Kael movie review. Paraphrasing here: "It's easy to see what to cut; it's less easy to see what to keep."

[glunn]

Soul crushing loss for us, but arguably the best game of this year in MLB.

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2846828-didi-gregorius-yankees-beat-twins-in-wild-win-4-lead-changes-in-last-3-innings

[Eephus]

 

I'd like to say it was an entertaining game - it was surely a Yankee classic. It shouldn't have been though. 
 

Blake Parker shouldn't be on a major league roster. Since his very first outing this year that's been apparent. His stats aren't even close to indicating how terrible he has been all season, plus all his twitchy gimmicks and labored mouthbreathing on the mound have been annoying since his first pitch this year.

 

Parker's "FIP" coming into the game was about 5.5, and surely skyrocketed last night, which other than making me a believer in "FIP," should indicate to the front office how dreadful he has been and how he should be cut from the roster ASAP. 9-5 lead in the 8th inning...we should have been spared all the dramatics, if only the front office cares about the bullpen, which they clearly don't, seeing as Parker has been their only out-of-organization major league addition since the calendar year 2018. 

 

The Twins bullpen this year reminds me of a famous Pauline Kael movie review. Paraphrasing here: "It's easy to see what to cut; it's less easy to see what to keep."

I've started looking away as Parker   gets ready to pitch.  

[yarnivek1972]

I could see Duffey, Harper, Stashak and Stewart all being sent out. For sure none of them are available today. But I don’t think the Twins have 4 guys to bring up. Certainly not on the 40 man.

[the_brute_squad]

The Yankees now see they'll need bullpen help. We already know the Twins need help. So the Pinstripes will go get the best bullpen arms available and our hometown 9 will wait to see what's leftover in the scrap heap.

 

[Platoon]

It was a crazy entertaining game, especially if you set your tivo for over 5 hours. I would imagine Yankees Daily could write the same article bemoaning their BP and the big hits the Twins accumulated. It was like watching a team play itself in a mirror!

[gocgo]

We all know who won that game. That was strike 3 in the eight against any other team.

[ewen21]

It was a vastly entertaining game.  Twins slugged it out with a team they have never been able to slug it out with before.  Lots of fun.

 

Please get bullpen help...I'm starting to get a little worried about the big picture when it comes to the pen...

This takes me back to May 2002 at Yankee Stadium for the vibe of the game. The season is beginning to feel like 2001. I hope I'm wrong but it developing that kind of trajectory

 

Go glass half full if you want, but the reality is this bullpen is becoming more and more exposed. At no time did I feel we were safe--even after we went up 8-2. We just don't have the arms right now. Don't know if one or two good arms can make up for the lack of depth. Rocco can keep reshuffling the deck but it is still the same card game.

[ewen21]

We all know who won that game. That was strike 3 in the eight against any other team.

See, now this kind of talk really amounts to sour grapes.

 

We were up 8-2 after 4 at home so the umpire should have no bearing on the outcome if our bullpen could pitch to under a 12.00 ERA the rest of the way

Edited July 24, 2019 by ewen21

[rv78]

Headline should read "Bullpen Implodes Again".

 

Even Rogers has been getting lit up albeit being overused by Baldelli. Wonder what the Twins record would be if they had a legitimate closer?

[Vanimal46]

Sano's 2nd home run was the loudest crack off the bat I've heard in a long time.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Jesus what a game.

[wabene]

Hicks:

2016 - 123 games played (

2017 - 88 games played

2018 - 137 games played

2019 - 52 games played

 

400 games:

60 homers, 194 RBI, 2017 and 2018 he had seasons with above .800 OPS

 

Buxton:

2016 - 92 games played

2017 - 140 games played

2018 - 28 games played

2019 - 75 games played

 

335 games:

35 homers, 135 RBI, Never had a season with above .800 OPS. Best was .728 in 2017.

 

Not only has Hicks been historically more reliable, but he's been arguably more productive. In my opinion Buxton needs to step it up and become more reliable and more consistently productive or else it seems like the Yankees win the CF battle.

 

It's not as simple as that. For context I would include Hicks' early years when he was OPSing in the 600's. Buxton might just play more games this year and get his own run of 800 OPS seasons started.

[yarnivek1972]

Headline should read "Bullpen Implodes Again".

 

Even Rogers has been getting lit up albeit being overused by Baldelli. Wonder what the Twins record would be if they had a legitimate closer?

I don’t think Rogers has been overused. Maybe in July. His 10 IP this month doesn’t sound like a lot, but keep in mind almost everyone had 4 days off. Of the handful of guys with more relief IP than Rogers this month none of them have any saves or even holds. Which suggests mop up or long relievers as opposed to high leverage.

 

He isn’t even top 50 in games relieved and he’s not top 20 in relief IP overall in 2019. The A’s have two guys in the top 5 for relief IP and two more just behind Rogers. If they don’t get those guys some rest, they will have nothing left in October.

 

Not saying the Twins don’t need bullpen help. They clearly do. But Rogers’ usage so far has been managed pretty well.

[Brock Beauchamp]

This loss is on the front office. That Baldelli had to put Blake Parker on the mound in the eighth inning of a game against the Yankees on July 23rd is inexcusable.

 

And then he had to use Harper. And Stewart.

 

Unacceptable.