Front Page: Twins ALDS Game 3 Recap: Twins Season Ends in Heartbreak

[SpicyGarvSauce]

Just saw this on Twitter...

 

Since the Twins last postseason victory, every other team in the AL Central has played in the World Series with two of them winning the entire thing (Chicago & Kansas City).

 

How pathetic is that?

[VATwinsFan]

One other depressing note.  The Yankee dominated with Stanton and Judge contributing nothing but 1 RBI in game 1 (Stanton) and a good catch in game 3 (Judge).

 

Imagine the carnage if they had contributed more.

 

[SpicyGarvSauce]

 

One other depressing note.  The Yankee dominated with Stanton and Judge contributing nothing but 1 RBI in game 1 (Stanton) and a good catch in game 3 (Judge).

 

Imagine the carnage if they had contributed more.

 

That is because the Twins refused to attack these guys (especially Judge) and throw them competitive pitches in general.

[mikelink45]

Sign me up for 2020.  I have watched this team since 1961 and I am not stopping now.  I have watched playoff futility throughout except for 1965, 1987, 1991 and it always leaves a bad taste - like watching the Vikings in the Superbowl in the old days, the league championship now (6 losses).   We are the only team to be swept - every other underdog has found a way to at least 4 game series.  It is the way we lose, the way we are overwhelmed like the Giants 51 - 0 thrashing of the Vikes or the listless ways we lost the superbowls.  I wand some fire, some embarrassment, some anger.  No Rocco, it is not okay to just show up, I believe you are all paid to compete."“We just went out there and were beaten by a team that played better than us for three games,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s OK to acknowledge that. We’ll be back.”  WHY?

I know we always think that the Yankees get the breaks.  If they do it might have to do with the amazing way they play the game and the decisions that they make.  I have seen articles about MOY and talk about Boone and Baldelli.  It is Boone all the way.  That team has a fire our team doesn't.

We might have beat them in the juiced ball HR record, but in the end, who cares?  The Yankees, when they were not hitting a HR still came up with clutch hits.  Our 1 for 12 with RISP is horrible.  

Does anyone know how I can see the season record for hitting with RISP?  

 

I know some questioned Arraez on the roster (I could have seem him sitting out game one) but in reality he is the one who will at least have a chance to get on base.

 

My questions are how Kepler and Adrianza could be on the roster when they had not hit for an extended period before the playoffs.

 

When I look at the collective Playoff stats (today) Arraez is #7 in batting, Rosario is 23, Gonzalves is 30 and tied with Polanco.  When I go to the bottom of the list there is Max Kepler 000.  Would LaMonte Wade have done worst?  Miguel Sano hit 083.  By the way at this point the batter with the highest average in the AL in the Post Season is Robbie Grossman. 

 

Like I said - bring on 2020, at least it provides me with stories from February through November.

 

We put Gibson on our roster while the Yankees left off Sabathia - the Post Season is not about sentiment. 

[Jham]

I'm mad. Not at the Twins. At the enablers. Some of them write on this site. Have an opinion that the Twins made smart moves and savvy trades, but don't make fun of very knowledgeable fans who said we didn't do enough. Don't make fun of fans for "panicking" while the team lost an 11.5 game division lead. Don't make fun of fans who say Sano's k's limit his upside and that k's in general are not just another out. Don't make fun of fans who say that Buxton hurts the team by hurting himself.

 

Don't tell me that pitching was over-priced at the deadline when Stroman went for a package we were apparently mad we didn't have a chance to beat. When the big guys are hoarding prospects to get under the cap, we're hoarding prospects because... why? Evidence suggests the trade market was actually depressed by lack of competition. And don't make fun of fans for flipping the f out this off-season when we trade for a pitcher anyway, long after they may have made an impact on an actual winner.

 

Don't make fun of fans who acknowledge the difficulty in beating the Yankees in the playoffs based on history. The players are different, but the pressure is the same. The talent gap is the same. Every team faces adversity. The Yankees ability to overcome is the same. The Twins inability to avoid being swallowed up is the same. (Garver got a bad call 3-0 and then swing through a hanging slider down the middle 3-1). In the end the results are the same, and frustratingly predictable.

 

Writers said the teams were evenly matched. That the East was as bad as the Central. The Twins played 6 fewer games against teams with winning records. And finished with 5 more losses, a huge 7.5 game deficit against playoff level teams.

 

Yankees lost German, Hicks, and Betances and kept rolling. Yankees added Encarnacion early to have him longer and the Twins waited until they couldn't even squeeze in a physical before adding another Addison Reed type with a dead arm.

 

Gonzales playing first and Sano playing third? Pen usage? Kepler?

 

And then there's Presley...

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Just saw this on Twitter...

 

Since the Twins last postseason victory, every other team in the AL Central has played in the World Series with two of them winning the entire thing (Chicago & Kansas City).

 

How pathetic is that?

And from 2012-2016, the AL Central represented in the World Series four times in a span of five years.

 

But, small market!

[Vanimal46]

Going forward I don't want the Twins to ever be in a situation* where they have to start a Dobnak type in the playoffs ever again.

 

So tired of looking at box scores over the years and seeing Dobnak, Slowey, Duensing, Baker as a starter.

 

*barring massive injuries

[PDX Twin]

I didn't watch a minute of the series, partially due to travel and other conflicts. But I simply don't like post-season baseball and I'm not sure I would have watched anyway. It's like running a marathon and then having a series of 100-yard dashes among the top 10 finishers to decide the winner. And, really, the only question in my mind going in against the Yankees was what the scores would be in the three losses.

 

Thanks to the Twins (and TD) for six months of pleasure and success---more than any of us would have expected in March. They finished 3rd in a league of 15. They have a young core that should get better in the next few seasons. They have enough salary space to add key pieces. They have one of the best minor-league systems in baseball that has produced key players like Garver, Arraez, and Polanco from modest investments in signing bonuses and draft positions.

 

Don't let a week of disappointment ruin a summer of fun! There's a lot to which to look forward! I'm anxious to find out if Graterol can be our ace in the next couple of years. I'm anxious to see what Arraez does with a full season. I'm anxious to see if Sano can finally convince me to root for him again. I'm anxious to see what Buxton can do if he can stay healthy for a full season. Go Twins!

[MMMordabito]

Worst playoff team in pro sports history (tied with 70s Blackhawks)

[Mike Sixel]

I didn't watch a minute of the series, partially due to travel and other conflicts. But I simply don't like post-season baseball and I'm not sure I would have watched anyway. It's like running a marathon and then having a series of 100-yard dashes among the top 10 finishers to decide the winner. And, really, the only question in my mind going in against the Yankees was what the scores would be in the three losses.

 

Thanks to the Twins (and TD) for six months of pleasure and success---more than any of us would have expected in March. They finished 3rd in a league of 15. They have a young core that should get better in the next few seasons. They have enough salary space to add key pieces. They have one of the best minor-league systems in baseball that has produced key players like Garver, Arraez, and Polanco from modest investments in signing bonuses and draft positions.

 

Don't let a week of disappointment ruin a summer of fun! There's a lot to which to look forward! I'm anxious to find out if Graterol can be our ace in the next couple of years. I'm anxious to see what Arraez does with a full season. I'm anxious to see if Sano can finally convince me to root for him again. I'm anxious to see what Buxton can do if he can stay healthy for a full season. Go Twins!

I concur on the playoffs....

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Going forward I don't want the Twins to ever be in a situation* where they have to start a Dobnak type in the playoffs ever again.

So tired of looking at box scores over the years and seeing Dobnak, Slowey, Duensing, Baker as a starter.

*barring massive injuries

FWIW, Slowey never made a postseason appearance at all. And Baker never got a start in the postseason. Just a few mop-up innings in relief in 2010, game 3. (Plus game 163 vs Detroit in 2009, of course.) I actually kind of wish Baker had gotten a postseason start those years, maybe in place of Duensing in 2010.

 

I suppose you could also list Blackburn and Bonser in this group, although Blackburn did well in his postseason turn vs the Yankees in 2009 (plus his game 163 vs the White Sox in 2008). Silva? Lohse?

 

If they go the route of the Rays, I suspect we'll see more rando starters in our future, although with quick hooks in bullpen-style games.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I didn't watch a minute of the series, partially due to travel and other conflicts. But I simply don't like post-season baseball and I'm not sure I would have watched anyway. It's like running a marathon and then having a series of 100-yard dashes among the top 10 finishers to decide the winner.

Do you take the same view of the 1987 and 1991 postseasons?

[MMMordabito]

 

Just saw this on Twitter...

 

Since the Twins last postseason victory, every other team in the AL Central has played in the World Series with two of them winning the entire thing (Chicago & Kansas City).

 

How pathetic is that?

 

Pretty goddamn pathetic .... Bunch of losers

[Battle ur tail off]

This was extremely disappointing. 

 

Twins just didn't do any of the little things they needed to do to win even a game this series. I was extremely disappointed in Sano and Garver. Neither did much of anything at the plate, Sano struck out just way too much and Garver didn't give us much either. It hurts when 2 of your better run producers give you nothing.

 

As for Rocco. Please don't ever again think that you have any chance at winning a game with the worst pitchers in your arsenal in Yankee stadium. Use up guys like Berrios, Rogers, May, Duffey until their arms fall off. There is no tomorrow. Oh and a guy like Dobnak is a cool cat, but I would never think about running him out there to start a playoff game.

 

Thank you to Arraez for showing a pulse and showing us he is the best hitter on this team without question. Thank you to Eddie Rosario for hammering a few pitches and actually taking some that weren't hittable. Thank you to Jorge Polanco for giving us good at bats all throughout the series and playing excellent defense. 

 

I'm still with this team 100%, but thing will need to change if they want to ever advance in the postseason. The front office could do us fans a solid by actually bringing in a stud or 2 to throw the ball next season. We'll see I guess, but I am not holding my breath. 

 

[jimbo92107]

Excellent season for the 2019 Minnesota Twins. Next goal: Build a team that can win playoff games. How to do that? I have no idea. However...

 

The whole team needs to work on their fielding. Besides setting a home run record, I'm pretty sure they also set a record for fielding errors by a Twins team. Better fielding would help Twins pitchers feel a bit more confident against a tough opponent. 

 

Start stealing bases again. Besides getting runners into scoring position, this will set a more aggressive tone for the whole club. They really, really need to be more than a station-to-station offense. Stealing bases puts more pressure on the opponent's defense, sometimes disrupting their pitcher. 

 

In short, Twins players need to become more rounded in their skills and their play. I hope to see signs of this progress by next spring. 

[jimbo92107]

 

I personally am looking very forward to watching the Astros squash the Yankees

Agreed. As much as the Twins were not a good match for the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers will be diffused by three Cy Young winners in Houston. 

 

Showdemfreud!

[Mike Sixel]

FWIW, Slowey never made a postseason appearance at all. And Baker never got a start in the postseason. Just a few mop-up innings in relief in 2010, game 3. (Plus game 163 vs Detroit in 2009, of course.) I actually kind of wish Baker had gotten a postseason start those years, maybe in place of Duensing in 2010.

 

I suppose you could also list Blackburn and Bonser in this group, although Blackburn did well in his postseason turn vs the Yankees in 2009 (plus his game 163 vs the White Sox in 2008). Silva? Lohse?

 

If they go the route of the Rays, I suspect we'll see more rando starters in our future, although with quick hooks in bullpen-style games.

If we go the route of the Rays, we'll actually use high first round picks on pitching that is good..... Or not. Too late for that.

[Mike Sixel]

This was extremely disappointing.

 

Twins just didn't do any of the little things they needed to do to win even a game this series. I was extremely disappointed in Sano and Garver. Neither did much of anything at the plate, Sano struck out just way too much and Garver didn't give us much either. It hurts when 2 of your better run producers give you nothing.

 

As for Rocco. Please don't ever again think that you have any chance at winning a game with the worst pitchers in your arsenal in Yankee stadium. Use up guys like Berrios, Rogers, May, Duffey until their arms fall off. There is no tomorrow. Oh and a guy like Dobnak is a cool cat, but I would never think about running him out there to start a playoff game.

 

Thank you to Arraez for showing a pulse and showing us he is the best hitter on this team without question. Thank you to Eddie Rosario for hammering a few pitches and actually taking some that weren't hittable. Thank you to Jorge Polanco for giving us good at bats all throughout the series and playing excellent defense.

 

I'm still with this team 100%, but thing will need to change if they want to ever advance in the postseason. The front office could do us fans a solid by actually bringing in a stud or 2 to throw the ball next season. We'll see I guess, but I am not holding my breath.

Exactly who starts game two or three if not Dobnak? That's who the front office gave the manager..... Unless that sentence is aimed at them, and not the manager?

[jkcarew]

 

The ALE was barely more competitive than the ALC. If any season didn't really play to those tropes, it was this one.

 

The only real difference was the two Sox teams.

Huh? The Yankees competition in the East was a collective 46 games under .500. The Twins competition in the Central was a collective 104 games under. The ALE wasn't as strong as it's been in the past...but it was easily more competitive than the ALC.

[Battle ur tail off]

Yes, you're right its not really Rocco's fault there, but I would have liked to see someone with at least a little experience in that spot. How about Duffey or May?

 

[PopRiveter]

3 bright spots in the wake of last night:

 

1) Luis Arraez is one a heck of an unflappable hitter. I'm a fan.

 

2) I somehow managed not to choke to death on my own vomit.

 

3) "Rocco Baldelli is extremely happy." -That warms my heart. Just super. Next time a bully beats up my kid at school, I'll try to follow Rocco's example and remind everyone that I'm extremely happy. It is very helpful and welcome.

[bighat]

And some rather big national sports websites are asking the same questions we are:

 

https://deadspin.com/how-is-the-twins-playoff-losing-streak-even-possible-1838869473

 

 

[Longdistancetwins]

Okay, now that the season is (predictably) over, I'll admit it:  The Bombas were fun up to a point, but I prefer TK's teams--good defense, fundamentally sound, ability to occasionally steal a base.  Admired, rather than feared.

 

I know this is old-fogeyville, but, there, I've said it.  

[Vanimal46]

And some rather big national sports websites are asking the same questions we are:

 

https://deadspin.com/how-is-the-twins-playoff-losing-streak-even-possible-1838869473

There are no analytics, no rhyme or logical reason why the Yankees have dominated the Twins for so long.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Okay, now that the season is (predictably) over, I'll admit it: The Bombas were fun up to a point, but I prefer TK's teams--good defense, fundamentally sound, ability to occasionally steal a base. Admired, rather than feared.

 

I know this is old-fogeyville, but, there, I've said it.

 

Me also. Kelly also had a peculiar way of calling out his players, but not by name or in a “throw under the bus” kind of way, but in a way that you were glad he was acknowledging something everyone could see but didn’t want to mention. If that makes any sense.

 

For example, an outfielder takes a poor route, gets turned around on a ball, over his head and costs the team some runs. Kelly might say, dryly, “we want our outfielders to keep their 360-degree turns to a minimum.”

 

And Kelly’s teams were not intimidated by New York, even in the lean years.

 

Oh, and rookie manager.

[TerwilligerBuntsOne]

Interesting level of doom and gloom posted here.  Another weak showing against those DaRn Yankees certainly is not a fun way to see the season end.  They were clearly the better team in the series: Better starting pitching. Better relief pitching. Better timely hitting. Better fielding. Better managing.  Everyone saw the same thing.

 

However -- at the risk of being Pollyannaish (you young folks: look it up), what a fun season.  The team wildly outperformed expectations for this season. Just as important, they now enter an important off-season with actual expectations to contend for the foreseeable future.

 

A rebuild of the rotation should be Job #1. The problem with the notion of snagging the top FA starter on the market, is that they have to want to come here. Everyone will want Cole.  We have to give him a reason to come here.  That means that we may need to actually OVERpay a guy like that, both in $$ and years.  

 

The glass is half full, but this will be a very important next few months.

[JadenPoint]

The Twins gave away at bats like it was the regular season. Failed to put any pressure on the opposing pitchers, or alter swings with 2 strikes. Boone managed circles around Rocco, and he learned from his rookie mistakes last season. Hopefully if the Twins make it back next season, the process from the top down will be better thought out. Great 101 win season, especially considering my expectations going in.

[jkcarew]

The team that had no relationship, in any way, to the clubs of past post-season failures...that team is suddenly somehow 0-16 in the playoffs? No this team is 0-3 in the playoffs. Maybe this club will never break through, like the others...but maybe they will.

 

IMO, the take away for the front office (and objective fans) should be: the modern post-season is not at all a "just get there and anything can happen" proposition. That narrative has been myth for a while now. You don't get through two rounds, winning 7 games, against the best in baseball without having multiple players capable of dominating very good opposition.

 

And I'm not wasting time getting worked up about the sweep or the scores. It was painful, yes...but you either win or you lose. You were either good enough or you weren't. Maybe the flop works in fan's favor. Based on the level of play they had established in the second half (to say nothing of other issues) this club wasn't sniffing the WS this year. Meanwhile, the FO should (I hope) be forced to acknowledge that the current club...despite the gaudy regular-season numbers, really isn't that close. That would be a good thing...not a bad thing.

 

 

[cmoss84]

I have not looked through a lot of this thread, so my apologies if my post is redundant. 

 

I think a lot of credit needs to be given to the Yankees, as much as it hurts. Boone did a GREAT job throughout the year managing and dealing with all of their injuries. For that reason alone I respect them more than I usually do. Not sure if you guys know this, but they are GOOD. Our pitching wasn't great by any means, but they took a ton of frustratingly close pitches. They played some damn good defense. Their pitching staff is good. This is what a WS contending team looks like. 

 

A lot of us on here were disappointed at the deadline for not adding key pieces. It definitely showed. Did we want to MAKE the playoffs or MAKE A RUN in the playoffs? Don't mean to beat a dead horse, but it is what it is. They will have to make the same decision this off-season. 

[Jham]

Did we want to MAKE the playoffs or MAKE A RUN in the playoffs?

But you already know the answer.