Rockies 1, Twins 0: The Offense Gets Shut Out by Márquez’s Gem

[Thiéres Rabelo]

The Twins got another excellent start from Dylan Bundy, who pitched six innings on 60 pitches, but Colorado had an even better one from Germán Márquez. Minnesota’s offense couldn’t figure him out and the Rockies held on to a sixth-inning run to win the series opener.

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Dylan Bundy, 6.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 2K (60 pitches, 42 strikes, 70.0%)
Home Runs: none
Bottom 3 WPA: Gio Urshela (-.198), Alex Kirilloff (-.195), Max Kepler (-.164)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Tonight’s starters aren’t having the most impressive of seasons thus far, but based on their recent outings, both offenses had their work cut out for them. Dylan Bundy arguably had his best start in a Twins uniform last Saturday, when he delivered eight innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Similarly, Rockies starter German Marquez pitched very well in his last two starts away from Coors Field, allowing only five runs in 13 innings of work.

Bundy and Márquez’ recent success set the tone early on tonight, as both starters completely dominated their opposing lineups. It only took Bundy 19 pitches for his first time through the order, allowing only a couple of hits in the second inning, the only time Colorado’s offense threatened him early on. Similarly, Márquez originally took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when Ryan Jeffers broke his no-hit bid with a two-out double. But later in the game, they officially changed a Max Kepler reaching on a fielding error in the fourth inning into a single.

Márquez wasn’t the only obstacle for Twins hitters in the early going, but also some solid defense from Colorado. Alex Kirilloff and Luis Arraez had a couple of hard-hit flyballs to deep left fielded by outfielder Connor Joe. Kirilloff’s flyout in the second left his bat at 98.9 MPH and had a .550 expected batting average.

The pitch count looked great for Bundy, who completed five innings of shutout ball with only 41 pitches. But came the sixth inning and Colorado put together a good offensive display against him. Joe and Yonathan Daza hit back-to-back one-out singles, allowing Joe to reach third. Then Charlie Blackmon hit a ground ball to the middle of the Twins’ shift, preventing Carlos Correa from turning a double play in time and allowing Joe to score from third. Bundy would still give up a two-out walk before inducing a groundout to end the inning. Despite the low pitch count, Bundy didn’t return for the seventh.

As Márquez continued to dazzle Twins hitters, Minnesota’s offense couldn’t build up any momentum. After that Jeffers double in the fifth, the Twins lineup went 0-for-8 against him with three walks. With two outs in the eighth, Correa reached on a fielding error by old friend C.J. Cron, also sending Jeffers to third. That play finished the night for Márquez, but Kepler grounded out against reliever Daniel Bard next, ending Minnesota’s potential rally.

One silver lining from tonight’s disappointing loss was the good outing from the bullpen. Tyler Duffey (two) and Tyler Thornburg (one) combined for three shutout innings on 35 pitches, which could be great for morale after a tough week for Twins relievers.

Potential targets for the Twins?
Last week, Twins Daily’s Cody Pirkl wrote a nice article on how Márquez could be a great target for the Twins at the trade deadline. Tonight, he certainly showed he can be very comfortable at Target Field. If not Márquez, Bard is another great arm from the Rockies organization whom the Twins could also target. He helped Colorado to seal the deal tonight with a four-out save. That was his 15th of the season, tied for seventh-most in the majors. His ERA is now down to 1.91.

What’s Next?
Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 6:15 pm CDT. Minnesota will have Chris Archer (3.44 ERA) on the mound, while the Rockies will start Antonio Senzatela (4.42 ERA).

Postgame interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	TOT
Smith	0	0	21	26	0	47
Duran	0	27	0	17	0	44
Pagán	0	17	24	0	0	41
Cotton	0	11	28	0	0	39
Jax	0	27	7	0	0	34
Duffey	0	0	0	0	28	28
Thielbar	0	0	15	12	0	27
Thornburg	0	0	0	0	7	7

 

View full article

[TheLeviathan]

Well, some often maligned pitchers had a really good night overall.

Offense just couldn't make good contact.  Jeffers was the only guy who showed up tonight in the lineup.

[wsnydes]

The bats absolutely have to get going.  And going consistently.  The focus has been on the bullpen, which isn't good, but this team can't score consistently.  

If the offense was as good as expected, this team would still have a decent lead in the division.

[Rosterman]

Duffey didn't shine. Was okay. 

Can the Twins manufacture a run? When an arm is throwing strikes, you have to swing out of the box. Arraez, in his last at bat, let two great pitches for him to tackle just whiz by.

 

[mikelink45]

This was more disappointing than the Cleveland losses. We went for two high scoring games that we lost; then two games where our offense disappeared. The inconsistency is what hurts. We have the bats but they either on fire or they disappear. Nice to see here - two lesser used relief pictures do well, but in a game like this why not let Bundy get some more innings in and save those relief pitch Innings for the future,.

Edited June 25, 2022 by mikelink45
Voice recognition gave too many errors

[darwin22]

Well.......the BEST thing about tonight is both CLE and the White Sox lost.

As BAD as this Twins offense is-------the White Sox had 1 hit the entire game! Moreover 4 Orioles pitchers retired the final 19 batters...0 hits...0 walks allowed.

As much as many have been (rightfully) calling for the FO to make at least a couple of moves to acquire solid bullpen arms (there are many out there from LOSING clubs), it is getting to be time for Falvey & Levine to look to upgrade this offense.

For those keeping count----this is the 9th time this team has been shutout this season.  

Moreover, this team has little if any chance of making the playoff field if they continue to score 2 runs or less.  Tonight marked the 28th game this team has tallied only 2 runs.  With 62 games done, that's 45.1% of total games played.  Luckily, our pitching staff has done well enough to win 7 of those games---1 of which was yesterday.  

You cannot and will not make the playoff field if this trend continues.  Plain and simple.

Wish I had a great answer of how to improve this offense.  

With Buxton's continued sporadic play (due to injury) and Polanco still on the IL----this team has far too many hitters that flounder.  Other than POSSIBLY Steer and/or Palacios, there's nobody at Saint Paul that could help.

What are Falvey & Levine prepared to do to address this problem?  Considering the history of this franchise acquiring a solid hitter before or at the trade deadline----the last I remember is Shannon Stewart back in 2003------I find it very doubtful anything is done.

[MplsFan]

11 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

 

What are Falvey & Levine prepared to do to address this problem?  Considering the history of this franchise acquiring a solid hitter before or at the trade deadline----the last I remember is Shannon Stewart back in 2003------I find it very doubtful anything is done.

Whole post is great but this part about Shannon Stewart is right on.  How great would a deal for a professional hitter be for this team?!

 

I liked that the write up linked to the article about possibly trading for Marquez.  A number of times tonight I was thinking “jeez we should trade for this guy.”  I’d happily take Bard too.

[D.C Twins]

My goodness... still wondering when Buxton will finally take the IL trip he has needed for over a month.

Complete waste for him to figuratively and literally limp along at 50%

[Game7-91]

Twins roster management 2022:

 

[Nashvilletwin]

The issue tonight was the inability to move a lead off runner on first over to scoring position. They had five opportunities in the first eight innings tonight. Not once were they able to accomplish that time proven demand on a hitter with the first two batters following the lead off batter.  The only time they got a runner in scoring position was on a throwing error in the eighth with two outs.

Sorry, but that is inexcusable on two fronts: 1) batter execution and 2) managerial strategy.  Both are all to common to this team.
Would it hurt Rocco to just try to manufacture a run once in a while? So yes, I blame Rocco for this one too.

 

 

[miller761]

Until Rocco changes his managing style we won't win close games or important playoff games. He manages like it is a softball game...go up their boys and swing away. We seldom ever manufacture a run. Steal,hit and run, hit behind the runner or advance the runner with a bunt are hardly if ever used. The Astros are an example of a team that uses these resources plus some aggressive baserunning to win games. So are we resigned to lose a game if we don't get double digit hits and score less than 3 runs? Is that the only way we can win? I wish that weren't the case but it seems to be showing a pattern. Rocco you can do this!!

[Mark G]

33 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

The issue tonight was the inability to move a lead off runner on first over to scoring position. They had five opportunities in the first eight innings tonight. Not once were they able to accomplish that time proven demand on a hitter with the first two batters following the lead off batter.  The only time they got a runner in scoring position was on a throwing error in the eighth with two outs.

Sorry, but that is inexcusable on two fronts: 1) batter execution and 2) managerial strategy.  Both are all to common to this team.
Would it hurt Rocco to just try to manufacture a run once in a while? So yes, I blame Rocco for this one too.

 

 

My sentiments exactly.  I know I have beaten this drum into submission, but Rocco does not believe in what used to be called the fundamentals of baseball.  Sacrifice bunts, bunting for hits, hit and run, stealing bases,.  He believes giving up an out for a base (sacrifice), or risking an out for a base (rest of the above), does not succeed often enough to be a part of the game strategy.  He has articulated that on occasion, and it has been consistent from the first day he stepped into the dugout, and it won't change.  For all of his analytics, he is the reincarnation of Earl Weaver; ride the pitching you have and wait for the 3 run homer.  Problem is, we don't have the starting horses he had, and most of our homers are solos, so................

[Azviking101]

Rockies are among the worst teams in baseball away from their insane home field advantage. Absolutely embarrassing loss. Free fall doesn’t seem like it’s ending anytime soon. 

[bighat]

Twins are about to lose their 3rd straight series. Two of them coming to some of the worst teams in baseball (AZ and CO), with the other coming to a division rival who wrestled 1st place away from them.

The Twins have now been shut out 10 times, worst in MLB.

I am puzzled by the "trade for Marquez" chatter in this article. What we should be talking about is Bundy's performance, and whether or not the Twins can salvage something for him at the deadline. Looking more and more like MN will be sellers, folks.

 

[rwilfong86]

Bundy definitely deserved better last night. 

[Mark G]

31 minutes ago, rwilfong86 said:

Bundy definitely deserved better last night. 

Yup, like being able to go more than 60 pitches when he was doing great.

[Old Twins Cap]

Reality is, Twins have a lot of young hitters -- Miranda, Larnach, Gordon, Kiriloff -- who need time to develop.

The Buxton experiment, I don't know how sustainable it is to have him off the field.  His main value is on defense, not as a DH, and, how does a guy keep his timing together while playing so few games?  What's his average at now?  He can't beat out hits, steal bases or even stretch defenses.

Decent starting pitching, below average bullpen, average defense, frequent injuries, Buxton at half-strength, lots of young hitters -- not sure how they can cobble this together and make the playoffs.

And even if they can, drawing the Yankees will simply mean extending the longest consecutive string of playoff losses in the history of any sport. 

Not good.  Be careful what we wish for here.

[Whitey333]

This is one of the most puzzling and frustrating Twins team I've seen in many years.  Last year's team was rotten all year long.  You knew what they were and they played poor baseball.  This year's team teased you at times thinking they are good.  Then go for long stretches playing awful baseball.  As a fan we have no idea where this team is headed or what direction the Fo will take us.  Plus we have a manager incapable, and unwilling to make in game changes and adjustments.  Let's be honest here.  He's got to be amongst the worst "manager" in the game today.  Plus we have a FO that spends 35 million on one player but basically nothing to staff a bullpen.  Also if the great Buxton is unable to play (again) why not put him on the DL so our beleaguered manager at least has another option on the bench.  IMO this team is strangely managed from top to bottom with weird lineups, inflexible managing and a too deep dive into analytics and ignoring common sense.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I anticipate that opposing teams will soon start playing the "Kepler shift" when Kepler is at bat. The first baseman and the second baseman will play in their regular positions. All the other defenders will take this opportunity to go into the dugout and drink gator aid and watch as Kepler hits a 2 hopper to the second baseman.

[bighat]

2 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

This is one of the most puzzling and frustrating Twins team I've seen in many years.  Last year's team was rotten all year long.  You knew what they were and they played poor baseball.  This year's team teased you at times thinking they are good.  Then go for long stretches playing awful baseball.  As a fan we have no idea where this team is headed or what direction the Fo will take us.  Plus we have a manager incapable, and unwilling to make in game changes and adjustments.  Let's be honest here.  He's got to be amongst the worst "manager" in the game today.  Plus we have a FO that spends 35 million on one player but basically nothing to staff a bullpen.  Also if the great Buxton is unable to play (again) why not put him on the DL so our beleaguered manager at least has another option on the bench.  IMO this team is strangely managed from top to bottom with weird lineups, inflexible managing and a too deep dive into analytics and ignoring common sense.

Disagree with your take on Rocco - but I do agree that this team is among the most puzzling teams in years. Frankly I think they've been extremely lucky, there are probably 10 games that could have easily gone the other way.

The reality is that this team should be treading water around or just below the .500 mark, but everyone's frustrated because they've been lead to believe this is a playoff-caliber team. Everything makes more sense when you start thinking of them as a mediocre ballclub, building for 2023.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

This is one of the most puzzling and frustrating Twins team I've seen in many years.  Last year's team was rotten all year long.  You knew what they were and they played poor baseball.  This year's team teased you at times thinking they are good.  Then go for long stretches playing awful baseball.  As a fan we have no idea where this team is headed or what direction the Fo will take us.  Plus we have a manager incapable, and unwilling to make in game changes and adjustments.  Let's be honest here.  He's got to be amongst the worst "manager" in the game today.  Plus we have a FO that spends 35 million on one player but basically nothing to staff a bullpen.  Also if the great Buxton is unable to play (again) why not put him on the DL so our beleaguered manager at least has another option on the bench.  IMO this team is strangely managed from top to bottom with weird lineups, inflexible managing and a too deep dive into analytics and ignoring common sense.

Whitey, I feel your pain.

[umterp23]

Buxton, when healthy your most dynamic "best" player on the team.  History of ailments coming to fruition again after signing his big $100MM Guaranteed Contract.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't signing.  Arraez/Correa's team at the moment with Polanco and Buxton walking wounded.  Buxton DH experiment and playing 3 days a week isn't $100MM worth it.  He needs to be on the field, not DH, 5-6 games out of 7.  History says that will never happen.

[rv78]

They aren't really puzzling or frustrating if you look at the whole picture. The FO did nothing to solidify the rotation or the bullpen with capable arms. Instead they went with reclamation projects in guys like Bundy, Paddock, Archer, Smith, Cotton, Chi Chi, unproven rookies in Ryan, Winder, Duran and the usual average performers like Ober, Duffey, Thielbar, Pagan, Coloumbe, Jax, and so on and so on.... Seriously, who on the pitching staff is going to shut down an opposing teams lineup on a regular basis? No one. Not an Ace or a true Closer in the whole bunch of bananas. Then there's the lineup that changes every day either due to injuries or Rocco's inability to figure out who should be playing when or where. He won't have guys bunt, hit and run, steal bases or slap a ball to the opposite side of a shift to where they could jog to first base before the ball even gets touched by a fielder. It's almost embarrasing. He'll change his initial lineup daily to get as many lefty righty matchups as possible yet completely ignore doing it during the game. Twice last night had an opportunity to put in lefty Larnach but went to Buxton on one occasion and left Miranda bat against Bard, meanwhile Larnach watched from the bench. If it is such a great concept that you change your lineup every day to institute it then why is it ignored during the game? Wonder why the bullpen is fried? Because of moves like last night where he pulls Bundy after 60 pitches. So he gave up 1 run in the 6th. Was going to Duffey, who's been atrocious, better than Bundy? No. But that way Rocco can burn through 3 pitchers instead of 2. The only way this team improves is if they get a Manager that knows how to set a consistant lineup and make in game decisions that are worth a hoot. The current one doesn't.

[Dave The Dastardly]

1 hour ago, bighat said:

Disagree with your take on Rocco - but I do agree that this team is among the most puzzling teams in years. Frankly I think they've been extremely lucky, there are probably 10 games that could have easily gone the other way.

The reality is that this team should be treading water around or just below the .500 mark, but everyone's frustrated because they've been lead to believe this is a playoff-caliber team. Everything makes more sense when you start thinking of them as a mediocre ballclub, building for 2023.

I disagree with your take on Rocco- but I do agree this team is not play-off caliber - I don't understand how that rumor even got started - but this is a ballclub building for 2023 and from that perspective I actually like what I see. We've got some talented young players on this club and they're learning to play at the major league level. Now if we could get Rocco and the coaching staff to teach them small ball to go along with long ball... well, we'll have a play-off team next year.

[jmlease1]

I just came by the game thread to see how people would find a way to blame this loss on the manager. I was "rewarded". People, you can't put this one on the manager. You just can't. The team got 3 hits. Three! If you're going to hang this loss on the manager, then you're lost in a forest of mirrors. They only had 2 baserunners once in the entire game. The offense just didn't show in this game, and the worst defensive team in baseball (that's the Rockies) made several fine plays in the field (couple of nice catches on deep drives, turned some DPs, only one error that ended up meaning nothing). 

Tough loss, but nice to see Bundy pitching well. Glad to see Thornburg and Duffey getting used and pitching well; we can't afford to have anyone in the bullpen we're afraid to use, so maybe this gives some confidence.

Bard definitely looks like someone worth looking into at the deadline to improve the bullpen. It seems unlikely that the Rockies will be competing for the playoffs and should be selling. Will he be able to sustain this all year? Unclear; he's always been a little wild (and is still walking plenty this season) and it's fair to wonder if he can continue to have the best season of his spotty career at 37, but he hunts Ks enough that he should be worth taking a long look at.

[TheLeviathan]

11 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I just came by the game thread to see how people would find a way to blame this loss on the manager. I was "rewarded". People, you can't put this one on the manager. You just can't. The team got 3 hits. Three! If you're going to hang this loss on the manager, then you're lost in a forest of mirrors. They only had 2 baserunners once in the entire game. The offense just didn't show in this game, and the worst defensive team in baseball (that's the Rockies) made several fine plays in the field (couple of nice catches on deep drives, turned some DPs, only one error that ended up meaning nothing). 

Tough loss, but nice to see Bundy pitching well. Glad to see Thornburg and Duffey getting used and pitching well; we can't afford to have anyone in the bullpen we're afraid to use, so maybe this gives some confidence.

Bard definitely looks like someone worth looking into at the deadline to improve the bullpen. It seems unlikely that the Rockies will be competing for the playoffs and should be selling. Will he be able to sustain this all year? Unclear; he's always been a little wild (and is still walking plenty this season) and it's fair to wonder if he can continue to have the best season of his spotty career at 37, but he hunts Ks enough that he should be worth taking a long look at.

That almost.....looks....like......sanity.  Confusing.  Are you sure you belong here?

[Karbo]

9 hours ago, miller761 said:

Until Rocco changes his managing style we won't win close games or important playoff games. He manages like it is a softball game...go up their boys and swing away. We seldom ever manufacture a run. Steal,hit and run, hit behind the runner or advance the runner with a bunt are hardly if ever used. The Astros are an example of a team that uses these resources plus some aggressive baserunning to win games. So are we resigned to lose a game if we don't get double digit hits and score less than 3 runs? Is that the only way we can win? I wish that weren't the case but it seems to be showing a pattern. Rocco you can do this!!

Yes Houston has a manager that knows what he's doing, and players that know whats expected of them.

[terrydactyls]

Two brief comments.

1.  How many of you predicted the Archer and Bundy would be the best pitches in June?

2.  How many prospects does it take to make a trade for both Marquez and Bard?  (Sounds like the start of a bad joke.)

[Nashvilletwin]

28 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I just came by the game thread to see how people would find a way to blame this loss on the manager. I was "rewarded". People, you can't put this one on the manager. You just can't. The team got 3 hits. Three! If you're going to hang this loss on the manager, then you're lost in a forest of mirrors. They only had 2 baserunners once in the entire game. The offense just didn't show in this game, and the worst defensive team in baseball (that's the Rockies) made several fine plays in the field (couple of nice catches on deep drives, turned some DPs, only one error that ended up meaning nothing). 

Tough loss, but nice to see Bundy pitching well. Glad to see Thornburg and Duffey getting used and pitching well; we can't afford to have anyone in the bullpen we're afraid to use, so maybe this gives some confidence.

Bard definitely looks like someone worth looking into at the deadline to improve the bullpen. It seems unlikely that the Rockies will be competing for the playoffs and should be selling. Will he be able to sustain this all year? Unclear; he's always been a little wild (and is still walking plenty this season) and it's fair to wonder if he can continue to have the best season of his spotty career at 37, but he hunts Ks enough that he should be worth taking a long look at.

Sorry, but in a close game like this one clearly was shaping up to be, moving a runner into scoring position with a man on first and no outs is paramount. Can anyone really argue with this tried and true baseball paradigm? The Twins had five chances to do so in the first eight innings. The fact that no efforts to steal, sacrifice or hit and run were taken is a managerial decision. So yes, I blame Rocco for at least not trying to move the those runners up. Remember, the Rockies scored their only run as a consequence of a successful hit and run. So their manager took a chance and ours didn’t. 

[Nashvilletwin]

Actually, I take back everything I wrote on this thread.

Rocco had probably predetermined that he was using Duffy in this game come hell or high water.  Therefore, in his mind, moving a runner into scoring position in a tight game would have been fruitless. He thought a big inning would be our only hope. So once Duffy making an appearance was inevitable, did Rocco really have a choice?

Lol.