HOU 4, MIN 1: Defensive Lapses, Lack of Offense Lead to Another Twins Loss

[Nash Walker]

Yes, it happened again. The Minnesota Twins lost yet another playoff game, and in incredibly frustrating fashion. It could all be over tomorrow, as the Houston Astros are now in a position to eliminate the Twins with another victory.Box Score

Maeda: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Home Runs: None

Bottom 3 WPA: Romo -.335, Duffey -.155, Rosario -.125

 

Presumable A.L. Cy Young runner-up Kenta Maeda gave the Twins their first scoreless playoff start since Johan Santana did it in game one of the 2004 ALDS.

 

Maeda struck out five over five innings, escaping a few jams but ultimately doing his job: giving the Twins a chance to win.

 

Zack Greinke started for the Astros and struggled through the first inning. He loaded the bases with one out before Alex Bregman made a tremendous play on a swinging bunt from Miguel Sanó. The Twins didn’t score.

 

The Twins did take advantage of a two-out walk of Max Kepler in the third inning. Nelson Cruz laced a double off the right field wall and Kepler scored, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.

 

Framber Valdéz, who had a 3.57 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 70 ⅔ innings for Houston this year, relieved extremely effectively for Greinke as the Twins continued their complete ineptitude against left-handed pitching.

 

That lead would hold until Tyler Duffey surrendered three straight singles in the seventh with two outs.

 

Taylor Rogers entered with one on and no outs in the eighth. He escaped without any damage.

 

Sergio Romo allowed two Texas League singles to lead off the eighth, forced two flyouts and then induced weak contact from George Springer, who grounded a ball to short. Jorge Polanco made an errant throw to second, the inning continued, and Romo walked Altuve with the bases loaded. Caleb Thielbar then entered and allowed a two-run single to Michael Brantley to extend the Astros lead to 4-1.

 

The Twins had four hits all day. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. You just aren’t going to win games with those numbers.

 

The Twins will send José Berríos to the mound Wednesday to try and avoid elimination and their 18th straight postseason loss.

 

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Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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[T_J]

Time to play some Red Dead with cheat codes and kill everything on the map

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Would have liked to see Maeda stay in longer. Rosario's at bat leading off the bottom of the 9th seemed like he didn't give a damn. All in all, typical all around post-season CHOKE JOB. Its times like this that I question why I dedicate so much time & energy following the Minnesota Twins

[Twinfan603]

I don't care if they miraculously advance--I never want to see Romo pitch in a Twins uniform again.

 

Also, taking Jeffers out was beyond dumb.

[USAFChief]

The ninth inning of a 1-1 playoff game went to a 37 year old junkballer and the Augustana University pitching coach.

 

Sounds like the town ball state tournament, not the AL playoffs.

 

So much blame to go around, but the above was preventable, if the front office does it's job.

[Tom Froemming]

If you guys are mad at Romo I'm afraid to even ask about how you feel about Jorge Polanco right now.

[mikelink45]

0 - 17  -  don't tell me these players were not there for the first 16 losses.

 

Romo may have been destroyed by the terrible error that Polanco made (yes he is the goat and not the GOAT) but Romo loaded the damn bases.  

 

We had 2  hits in the first 8 innings.  That will win a lot of game - way to go BOMBAS

 

Why did we take Maeda out?  

 

Why the hell did we have Garver PH for Jeffers and then put in Avila?  At least we could have used Kiriloff. 

 

By the way - this is the playoffs.

[Aggies7]

I’m still sitting here trying to comprehend how polanco threw that ball away. Incomprehensible 

[USAFChief]

 

If you guys are mad at Romo I'm afraid to even ask about how you feel about Jorge Polanco right now.

Polanco had a pretty bad game. Like I said, lots of blame to go around.

 

But making a physical error is, IMO, much different than the front office looking at their pen a month ago and deciding, "Nope, we're good. Don't need Rosenthal. Don't need anybody."

 

Again...they're pitching Sergio Romo and Caleb Thielbar in the 9th inning. Of a tied playoff game. 

 

 

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

 

The ninth inning of a 1-1 playoff game went to a 37 year old junkballer and the Augustana University pitching coach.

 

Sounds like the town ball state tournament, not the AL playoffs.

 

So much blame to go around, but the above was preventable, if the front office does it's job.

Augustana pitching coach? Who are you referring to?

[adjacent]

Next year, Royce Lewis please. I know Polanco has a contract, but he can play...I don't know, fifth catcher.

[tony&rodney]

... arrived home to see Garver pinch ? ...

... then Astudillo first pitch out of the zone.

Fundamentals go back to the manager.

Gardy would have gone ballistic on ball 1 to Brantley which was really strike 3.

The Twins have a good squad that is fundamentally flawed and depressed right now.

The bats need to go crazy tomorrow.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Time to play some Red Dead with cheat codes 

Around here, we call that "playing Astros style"

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Yeah, Mr. Baldelli...I didn't like how you managed in the ALDS, and I sure don't like how you managed this game. WTF

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Augustana pitching coach? Who are you referring to?

Thielbar was helping coach the Augustana baseball team before the Twins brought him back to pro ball this year.

 

Here's his bio on the school website:

https://goaugie.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/caleb-thielbar/2342

[USAFChief]

 

Augustana pitching coach? Who are you referring to?

Caleb Thielbar was out of baseball, signed to be the Augustana pitching coach, when the Twins invited him to spring training.

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Caleb Thielbar was out of baseball, signed to be the Augustana pitching coach, when the Twins invited him to spring training.

I guess I should have known this.

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Thielbar was helping coach the Augustana baseball team before the Twins brought him back to pro ball this year.

 

Here's his bio on the school website:

https://goaugie.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/caleb-thielbar/2342

Thank you!

[USAFChief]

I guess I should have known this.

nah. Its tough to keep up out there in SoDak, with no TV or internet.

[GNess]

Being a life long Twins fan these gut punch losses are common, but remain painful. I would like to see more intensity even if it's "out of character" for Rocco and his crew which has a little too cool for school look and feel to it. 

[blindeke]

Sano had a "swinging bunt"? Not sure about that...

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

nah. Its tough to keep up out there in SoDak, with no TV or internet.

I'll share SoDak's reply to this post as soon as it is delivered to the Twins Daily P.O. box.

[BD57]

The 9th inning was horrible, granted . . . 

 

But scoring one run. 

 

You can't demand your pitching staff win a game where you score one run.

 

The offense is flat out bad.   They've been inconsistent / bad for most of the season, and they've been particularly bad for the last couple of weeks.

 

There are too many "outs" in the lineup to sustain anything.  

 

While I'd love to see them prove me wrong, I'm not expecting it.

[bighat]

Pathetic effort and an insult to all Minnesota fans. I don't give a damn if none of these guys were on the team when this playoff losing streak started, the uniform remains the same and for us fans it doesn't matter who's wearing it. Maybe Rocco should think about that for a minute if he can look up from his roto-matic strategy handbook. Where's the heart?

 

Raise your hand if you knew Romo would blow this thing wide open.This guy shouldn't be on the team, let alone on the playoff roster. He should be pitching in lopsided losses and not one-run playoff games. Romo won't have a job after this year, and shouldn't. Nice guy, cool dude, but his expiration date is long past due. We all can see it, why can't the FO?

 

Bases loaded in the 1st with one out. Two men on and nobody out in the 5th. Zip, zero, zilch. Two dang hits the whole game! Against a very shaky Grienke and an erratic 'Stros bullpen.

 

Astros have the worst road record in the playoffs, Twins have the best home record. Yet here we sit.

 

And once again, Maeda deserves so much better. He's gotta be scratching his head "I thought this team could hit?!?!"

[Rosterman]

Romo is NOT the closer.

 

You have the lefty pitch the seventh (Thielbar) and maybe comeback with a lefty again in  the 9th.

 

I guess the hitters didn't watch the tapes. Where were they this afternoon?

[twinssporto]

[jun]

Maeda should get one more inning, May should get one more inning, even Rogers could get one more inning, Alcala should be on the roster and he could give at least 2 innings. Dobnak should not be on the roster. What a mess of managing the bullpen!!!

[Taildragger8791]

This is getting embarrassing.

 

And for a pitching staff that all year had success on the philosophy of “just throw your best pitch”, how does Romo throw his worst pitch in that situation? Walking in the go ahead run should never happen. Make them put it in play and take your chances!

[jun]

 

If you guys are mad at Romo I'm afraid to even ask about how you feel about Jorge Polanco right now.

Polanco should be left out of the roster for the rest of the series.

[jun]

 

I don't care if they miraculously advance--I never want to see Romo pitch in a Twins uniform again.

 

Also, taking Jeffers out was beyond dumb.

Well to be fair, if Polanco made that easy play, Romo would have gotten out of the inning without giving up any run though.