Game Thread: Tigers @ Twins 6:40 8/1/2022

[chpettit19]

I'm generally a "glass half full, silver linings, it's better to be in first place than last place like last year" kind of guy, but the current state of Twins pitching is making that a little difficult these days. Aaron Sanchez will take the mound for the Twins tonight. Aaron debuted in 2014 at the age of 21 as one of the bigger pitching prospects in baseball and a big hope for a bright future in Toronto. He is not that guy anymore. Sanchez began his career in the bullpen and was quite effective in 2014 (1.09 ERA in 33 IP). In 2015 he started working his way into the rotation with 11 of his 41 appearances being starts. He was again quite effective with a 3.22 ERA in 92.1 innings pitched. He claimed an all star spot, and finished 7th in the Cy Young race, in 2016 as he made 30 starts with an AL leading 3.00 ERA. He had officially arrived! And then 2017 happened. And 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Aaron comes into his first start as a Twin sporting a not-so-sparkling 8.33 ERA after 7 starts with the Nationals this year. In 8 starts for the Saints, Sanchez sported a 4.26 ERA. Not exactly the guy many of us hoped would be starting on August 1st for a 1st place Twins team. But they are still a first place Twins team so we do still have to be a little chipper as the trade deadline rolls around tomorrow.

Starters:
Twins- Aaron Sanchez 8.33 ERA, 16 Ks
Tigers- Tarik Skubal 3.67 ERA, 113 Ks

Lineups:
Twins:
Polanco
Correa
Arraez
Miranda
Garlick
Urshela
Gordon
Sanchez
Contreras

Tigers:
Greene
Reyes
Castro, H
Cabrera
Candelario
Schoop
Castro, W
Barnhart
Baddoo

[Mike Sixel]

If you'd told me they'd be in first place, with an outfield of Gordon, Contreras, and Garlick, I'd have laughed at you. But here we are. 

[CRF]

I just have this bad feeling that it's gonna be payback time for Detroit. Especially with Sanchez on the hill for us. 

[Squirrel]

Sigh

[Doctor Gast]

I was hoping that pitcher TBD would be a newly impact SP but not so. Good luck to A Sanchez! Maybe something clicks for him tonite. Go Twins!

[big dog]

Hahaha! What a great idea, letting Randball Stu post the lineups! Great one!

OK, what's the real Twins lineup for tonight please?

[ashbury]

(Recycling from earlier)

This can only end well, tonight.

[ashbury]

17 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was hoping that pitcher TBD would be a newly impact SP but not so.

Shucky durn, that deal they thought was in place, for a high-end starter, mysteriously fell through at the last possible second, forcing them to go with Plan F, or maybe G, I've lost count.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

Shucky durn, that deal they thought was in place, for a high-end starter, mysteriously fell through at the last possible second, forcing them to go with Plan F, or maybe G, I've lost count.

Let's see....Gray, Ryan, Archer, Bundy....Ober, Paddack, Winder...Smeltzer. I feel like I'm missing someone.....so at least "I".

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Let's see....Gray, Ryan, Archer, Bundy....Ober, Paddack, Winder...Smeltzer. I feel like I'm missing someone.....so at least "I".

In looking at this list, I can see how MN thought they had a chance at a rotation this year, especially if you think Jordy Blaze (no idea how to spell his name) or SWR would be ready in the second half this year. It didn't work, alas.

[ashbury]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

In looking at this list, I can see how MN thought they had a chance at a rotation this year, especially if you think Jordy Blaze (no idea how to spell his name) or SWR would be ready in the second half this year. It didn't work, alas.

Injury prone pitchers lose time due to injury.  Details at 11.

The Yankees and Astros each have 4 pitchers, each with more innings than any Twin.

The roster was constructed this way.  Visibly so even to an outsider.  "Alas" doesn't cut it for me anymore.

[big dog]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Let's see....Gray, Ryan, Archer, Bundy....Ober, Paddack, Winder...Smeltzer. I feel like I'm missing someone.....so at least "I".

Dobnak

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, ashbury said:

Injury prone pitchers lose time due to injury.  Details at 11.

The Yankees and Astros each have 4 pitchers, each with more innings than any Twin.

The roster was constructed this way.  Visibly so to an outsider.  "Alas" doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Fair, and I'm mostly in agreement with you. I said all along this was the year I'd start judging their pitching pipeline (as did other defenders, some of whom haven't been on the site in some time). Right now my judgement is harsh. Very.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, big dog said:

Dobnak

I did forget him, but I'm not sure anyone really thought he'd pitch this year (maybe, maybe not?). 

[big dog]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I did forget him, but I'm not sure anyone really thought he'd pitch this year (maybe, maybe not?). 

I thought there was some chance, but it didn't last long.

Chi-chi? Just asking for a friend.

[PDX Twin]

In some cases, it might be injury-prone pitchers, but it seems very likely that it has a lot to do with how the Twins train/utilize them.

Paddack we knew had issues. Archer has actually given us more innings (though not many at a time) than I thought he would, and with reasonable effectiveness.

But most of the rest are just crashing out. What are we doing to these kids that destroys their arms before or shortly after they get to Minnesota?

[Vanimal46]

4 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fair, and I'm mostly in agreement with you. I said all along this was the year I'd start judging their pitching pipeline (as did other defenders, some of whom haven't been on the site in some time). Right now my judgement is harsh. Very.

Agreed. I don’t think Falvey and Levine are realistically on the hot seat. However, this is a very important evaluation year for fans, and the lack of any progression with the pitching prospects is damning. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Agreed. I don’t think Falvey and Levine are realistically on the hot seat. However, this is a very important evaluation year for fans, and the lack of any progression with the pitching prospects is damning. 

Failing Buxton and Miranda and Polanco telling the owners they have to go, agreed (CC if he stayed, but he's not staying unless hurt). They did win the division two years in a row, and are competitive this year. but for me, the lack of any realistic pipeline right now is not good, Bob.

[ashbury]

15 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fair, and I'm mostly in agreement with you. I said all along this was the year I'd start judging their pitching pipeline (as did other defenders, some of whom haven't been on the site in some time). Right now my judgement is harsh. Very.

It's not even the pipeline that bothers me, or at least that's a different topic.  Roster construction this off-season is my issue of the moment (and after this, I'll put it aside and root for them to win tonight as always). 

After last season the rotation candidates included arms like Winder's and Ober's and Dobnak's and Smeltzer's, all of which had spent time on the injured list in 2021.  Rookie Ryan was the one health exception to that.  So what did the FO do to supplement?  They signed Archer and Bundy, whom they knew would have to be babied.  They traded for Gray, who is good but aging and had not been an innings workhorse for a couple seasons.  They traded for Paddack, about as obvious an injury risk as you could come up with (and whom it was later learned the Mets turned thumbs down on after seeing his medicals).  The strategy can be summarized as "five inning arms, and lots of them," as some sort of market inefficiency they would exploit.  And here we are.

Eh.  Go Twins.  Let's win tonight and show the world.

[Twins_Fan_For_Life]

I guess Sanchez is as good an option as Smeltzer or Sands.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

(Recycling from earlier)

This can only end well, tonight.

For what it’s worth, Sanchez’s first starts both Houston and San Fran we’re both unexpected and fantastic.

But looks like in Washington, not so much. Let’s hope it’s a west of the Mississippi trend.

[RpR]

Sanchez strikes another player so many here were having coniptions about the Twins losing last year -- the late great Baddoo.

[David HK]

Well, this series should tell the tale of whether we can fight off the Tigers for 3rd this year.

[KirbyDome89]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Agreed. I don’t think Falvey and Levine are realistically on the hot seat. However, this is a very important evaluation year for fans, and the lack of any progression with the pitching prospects is damning. 

These are the Twins after all. It took 4 straight 90+ loss seasons, and then a TSF to finally move on from TR.  

[jkcarew]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Injury prone pitchers lose time due to injury.  Details at 11.

The Yankees and Astros each have 4 pitchers, each with more innings than any Twin.

The roster was constructed this way.  Visibly so even to an outsider.  "Alas" doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Alas, alack??

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

(Recycling from earlier)

This can only end well, tonight.

Wile E Coyote My Little Pony?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

11 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

Alas, alack??

And well-a-day.

[jkcarew]

Hoping we keep it close enough for some late-game pinch hitting heroics from Buxton or Kirilloff.

[ashbury]

1 minute ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Wile E Coyote My Little Pony?

Master of Newtonian Physics, any way you look at it.

[ashbury]

With two outs, a double.  Atta Jorge!

Now bring one or more around, Luis.