White Sox 4, Twins 3: Twins Cease and Desisted Against White Sox

[David Youngs]

Missed opportunities and dominant pitching kept the Twins from winning their season opener against the Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon at Target Field. 

Image courtesy of https://www.mlb.com/gameday/white-sox-vs-twins/2023/04/10/718640/live/summary

Despite a number of errors in the field from the White Sox defense, the Twins couldn't muster up enough momentum at the plate in a 4-3 loss in the series opener on Monday afternoon. Facing off against White Sox standout Dylan Cease, the Twins left nine runners on base and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the day. 

Box Score
SP: Kenta Maeda: L (0-2) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR (83 pitches, 55 strikes (66.2%)
Bottom 3 WPA: Michael A. Taylor (-0.219), Kenta Maeda (-0.199), Kyle Farmer (-0.169)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Facing off against a pitcher who has been the organization’s kryptonite in recent history, the Twins got the party started in the third inning by plating the game’s first run thanks to a single by Jose Miranda and a fielder error by White Sox third baseman Hanser Alberto that allowed Michael A. Taylor to score. 

Yet after three scoreless innings, the White Sox got to Twins’ starting pitcher Kenta Maeda in the fourth with a four-run inning capped by a Hanser Alberto three-run home run. The Twins responded by chipping into the lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI single from Trevor Larnach that scored Matt Wallner from third. 

After getting battered around in the fourth, Maeda returned unphased in the fifth, racking up a 1-2-3 inning against the heart of Chicago’s order. 

Minnesota used hard hitting and two Chicago fielding errors to plate another run in the fifth to narrow the lead to one. After Nick Gordon reached on a fielding error by Elvis Andrus, Matt Wallner laced a ball that made it past first baseman Gavin Sheets and into the right field corner, allowing Gordon to score all the way from first.

Following Maeda's exit after six innings, the Twins bullpen kept the team in contention with three hitless innings from the duo of Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran, but they couldn't touch up the White Sox bullpen for the tying run. 

Maeda Easing His Way Back In
The result may not show it, but Kenta Maeda’s outing was far from a failure. After a rock-solid debut last week facing off against Sandy Alcántara, Maeda threw 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes and struck out 3 with no walks. 

Baseball is a game of inches and one poor pitch was unfortunately the determinant for Maeda’s four runs given up. While there’s still work to be done on the location of his slider, Twins fans should be excited about the former Cy Young Award-runner up’s return to the bump.

Larnach Continues to Thrive
Trevor Larnach knocked in another RBI on Tuesday, bringing his season total to eight. After a strong start to the season, Larnach is slashing .316/.422.869 and has hit safely in 7 of 11 games. 

Correa Out Again
For the second day in a row, marquee shortstop Carlos Correa was not in the Twins’ lineup due to back tightness. Per MLB.com’s Do Hyoung-Park, Correa’s condition is already improving compared to yesterday. At this point in the season, it’s smart to play things safe.

What’s Next? 
The Twins will return to Target Field on Tuesday night for game two of the series against the South Siders. In a battle of old and new, Twins’ ace Pablo Lopez (1-0, 0-73 ERA) will make his third start of the year against former Minnesota pitcher Lance Lynn (0-1, 9.00 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CST.

Postgame Interviews
Coming Soon!

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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[Nashvilletwin]

Did Vasquez bust it down the line in the 8th. Kinda looked like he got a late jump after assuming the ball was going to bleed into right.  Ah, maybe not. 

[mrtwinsfan]

I blame the twins mgmt for Mirandas recent struggles , the worst thing  is putting him a 3-4 spot batting, he then seems to think he needs to do more IDK ? And he also is playing almost a new position also this year, Miranda will never admit it, But to me it shows , They did the same with Sano for  A  Few  years , How did that work out , we all seen it. , Rocco and Mgmt if they cant see it, And so far they dont, , , We all want Miranda to do well but lets not make him more than he is at this early point in his Career, 

[darwin22]

Considering we had a "C" team (not even JV) lineup against Cease, I was surprised to lose by 1-run.  Sure didn't think by 10th game of season we'd have a lineup missing 4 starters that were in opening day lineup.

Other than a center cut spinning slider that Alberto crushed for a 3-run bomb, I thought Maeda pitched ok.

Despite some command issues, I was pleased to see Moran throw 2 shutout innings.

Hopefully certain players are healthier and rested and in lineup tomorrow night.

 

 

[Dman]

Not sure why all the starter seem to want to give up 4 runs but Ryan, Mahle and now Meada all gave up four runs and why they like to throw cookies down the middle with men on base for HR's is another question to be answered.  With this anemic offense they need to get back to giving up zero runs right quick. 

Anyway the with B team out there they were essentially conceding this game and yet these guys (with the help of Chicago's defense) pushed Cease to 100 pitches by the 5th inning and were just 1 run behind.  Given that it seemed this wouldn't be an overly competitive lineup they had to be happy to see Cease leave and yet they didn't score after he left.  It was close but no cigar again which is becoming a theme for this team. 

Hopefully they get things going tomorrow and the next day as their luck with the Yankee's and with Ryan, Mahle and Maeda giving up 4 runs a game things don't look good. I don't see much winning happening that series. They really could have used this one.  Gotta break that Bronx jinx I guess.

[jkcarew]

Here's what's annoying...

OK, you can't play Gallo, and you find out maybe late that Correa can't go.

Then, be willing to adapt to deviate from a ridiculously rigid maintenance schedule with your DH. Let him have tomorrow off, or the day after, or the day after that. Is he going to spontaneously combust? Give your team a chance. Especially, when...at least at this point...you have to assume the pitching staff is going to keep you in games.

Other than that...another pretty well pitched game overall. If Maeda stays healthy, it looks like he's going to be very solid in a #4/5 slot.

[gunnarthor]

Nice to Larnich hitting well. 

[Doctor Gast]

Thanks David for the informative report. I was going to say that neither team wanted the game but the Twins wanted it the least. Resting Correa probably had some merit in it but resting Buxton against Cease seems to me as waving the white flag. And CWS making those big errors really open the doors for the Twins to win this one.

[jkcarew]

27 minutes ago, mrtwinsfan said:

I blame the twins mgmt for Mirandas recent struggles , the worst thing  is putting him a 3-4 spot batting, he then seems to think he needs to do more IDK ?

I don't know. I don't see him flailing away...his BB/K rates are so far better than last year. He's not getting anything to fall...low BABiP...and the power hasn't shown up yet. I think he'll be fine. Might help mentally, to drop in the order...but hard to do until Polanco, Correa, Buxton, Gallo/Kepler start showing up and playing on a consistent basis.

[mickster]

The lineup was not good today.   Even without Buxton and Correa.  NO WAY should Gordon be hitting 4th.  I am not a fan of Gordon and was hoping we would trade him before the season.  Farmer, Wallner, anyone would have been a better option at cleanup.   The boys battled and Kenta and the pen threw well.    Gordon and Castro need to go away soon.   Hurry back Jorge

[Melissa]

1 hour ago, mrtwinsfan said:

I blame the twins mgmt for Mirandas recent struggles , the worst thing  is putting him a 3-4 spot batting, he then seems to think he needs to do more IDK ? And he also is playing almost a new position also this year, Miranda will never admit it, But to me it shows , They did the same with Sano for  A  Few  years , How did that work out , we all seen it. , Rocco and Mgmt if they cant see it, And so far they dont, , , We all want Miranda to do well but lets not make him more than he is at this early point in his Career, 

As far as I know, Miranda came up in the minor leagues as a 3rd baseman. Urshela held down that spot last year, so Miranda was either DH or moved to 1B much of the time. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that his move back to 3B this season will be for the best.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I would have rather seen Wallner bat in the 8th and Buxton pinch hit for Taylor instead, and then go play center field for one inning, or 2-3 innings max if the game is tied. Best case scenario: Buxton hits for Taylor and clobbers a two-run homer to take the lead, then stands in center field for a half inning not exerting himself while Duran racks up strikeouts and the save. And someone hit for Castro was another option.

[Beast]

Nick Gordon might hold the honor of being the worst player in the entire MLB.  

What does that say about our brain trust that throws him in the freaking lead off and cleanup spots?  Unreal.  Dude cracks a .700 OPS for the first time in his decade long professional career and they give him the world.

[Nine of twelve]

This drops us to 6-4. Keep in mind that this is MLB, where 6-4 is outstanding.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, jkcarew said:

Then, be willing to adapt to deviate from a ridiculously rigid maintenance schedule with your DH. Let him have tomorrow off, or the day after, or the day after that. Is he going to spontaneously combust?

He's rehabbing the injury on the off day. That's the best explanation for the rigid schedule.

[karcherd]

57 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He's rehabbing the injury on the off day. That's the best explanation for the rigid schedule.

What injury, his knee was surgically repaired back in November.  If he is unable to play 4 or 5 days in a row and only DH'ing then he should be on the IL.

 

[jkcarew]

44 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He's rehabbing the injury on the off day. That's the best explanation for the rigid schedule.

I'm sure there's a rehab program. There's always going to be justification for sticking with the plan no matter what. And there's frequently going to be circumstances that warrant consideration of some flexibility and adaptability to the plan. It's a balancing act...unless it isn't, and you just go with what you perceive to be the zero-risk approach every time regardless of circumstances. It's early. We'll see if things become more flexible as time goes on. And we'll also see if this maintenance program (on top of the diminished DH role/demands) results in him playing significantly more than 50% of the season.

[silverslugger]

Days like today are why I have no faith in Rocco, period.

[218263]

16 minutes ago, silverslugger said:

Days like today are why I have no faith in Rocco, period.

I agree, what happened to the emphasis on the running game stealing some bases? They’ve tried three times this year. Also, what about trying to suicide squeeze with Castro on third and Taylor up with two outs in the eighth. I would think that would be a better chance to tie it up than Taylor getting a hit. At this point he looks pretty clueless.

[KirbyDome89]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

Nick Gordon might hold the honor of being the worst player in the entire MLB.  

What does that say about our brain trust that throws him in the freaking lead off and cleanup spots?  Unreal.  Dude cracks a .700 OPS for the first time in his decade long professional career and they give him the world.

No Corra, Gallo, or Kepler. Buxton was scheduled off. Who was going to hit 4th in this lineup and change the outcome today? Should Farmer have gone 0-4 in front of Gordon instead of behind him? Spots 4-9 mustered 1 hit and 2 BBs in 9 innings. They were 0-5 with RISP and only one of those ABs were Gordon's. Yeah, the dude is struggling, but you're talking about shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic here. 

[Aggies7]

Ten games in and we have to use a split squad type of lineup. Thank god we changed trainers. Ball players may be better today but what good is that if they can’t stay on the field? How deliciously Minnesota sports is it to have a game changing type of player like buxton on the roster, but he gets more scheduled off days than members of Congress. Can’t risk the injury. I can’t think of something more Minnesota sports.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

41 minutes ago, 218263 said:

I agree, what happened to the emphasis on the running game stealing some bases? They’ve tried three times this year. Also, what about trying to suicide squeeze with Castro on third and Taylor up with two outs in the eighth. I would think that would be a better chance to tie it up than Taylor getting a hit. At this point he looks pretty clueless.

Huh, even with 2 outs the squeeze is actually not a bad idea there, considering how bad the Sox were kicking and throwing the ball all over the place. 

[IndianaTwin]

4 hours ago, mrtwinsfan said:

I blame the twins mgmt for Mirandas recent struggles , the worst thing  is putting him a 3-4 spot batting, he then seems to think he needs to do more IDK ? And he also is playing almost a new position also this year, Miranda will never admit it, But to me it shows , They did the same with Sano for  A  Few  years , How did that work out , we all seen it. , Rocco and Mgmt if they cant see it, And so far they dont, , , We all want Miranda to do well but lets not make him more than he is at this early point in his Career, 

When the whole crew was there, he batted fifth. Who would you suggest hit above him with today's motley crew -- Wallner, Castro, Vazquez or Taylor? 

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, jkcarew said:

I'm sure there's a rehab program. There's always going to be justification for sticking with the plan no matter what. And there's frequently going to be circumstances that warrant consideration of some flexibility and adaptability to the plan. It's a balancing act...unless it isn't, and you just go with what you perceive to be the zero-risk approach every time regardless of circumstances. It's early. We'll see if things become more flexible as time goes on. And we'll also see if this maintenance program (on top of the diminished DH role/demands) results in him playing significantly more than 50% of the season.

8 of 9 games going into today is a good start on beating 81 games. 

I hope he gets to CF, but if he doesn't and ends up with 130 games at DH (which is what 8/10 works out to), I'll be pretty happy.  

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, silverslugger said:

Days like today are why I have no faith in Rocco, period.

Not to mention his incessant pulling of the starting pitcher. 

Oh wait, they're leading the league in innings per start right now.

[IndianaTwin]

3 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

I would have rather seen Wallner bat in the 8th and Buxton pinch hit for Taylor instead, and then go play center field for one inning, or 2-3 innings max if the game is tied. Best case scenario: Buxton hits for Taylor and clobbers a two-run homer to take the lead, then stands in center field for a half inning not exerting himself while Duran racks up strikeouts and the save. And someone hit for Castro was another option.

It surprised me a bit too to see him hit for Wallner, but I have a feeling Wallner would have flailed against Bummer. Lefties have a career .487 OPS against Bummer. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

25 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

It surprised me a bit too to see him hit for Wallner, but I have a feeling Wallner would have flailed against Bummer. Lefties have a career .487 OPS against Bummer. 

True, but I'm not worried about splits right there. Like I said in the game thread, maybe Wallner can work a walk. Then you've got options, asking Castro to bunt or pinch running Buxton, but my thinking is it's better to try a straight substitution Buxton for Taylor later in the inning or leading off the 9th. 

Plus the whole "losing the DH" thing and allowing the pitcher spot into the lineup (sixth, no less).

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

True, but I'm not worried about splits right there. Like I said in the game thread, maybe Wallner can work a walk. Then you've got options, asking Castro to bunt or pinch running Buxton, but my thinking is it's better to try a straight substitution Buxton for Taylor later in the inning or leading off the 9th. 

Plus the whole "losing the DH" thing and allowing the pitcher spot into the lineup (sixth, no less).

When Buxton hit for Wallner, my first assumption was that we might indeed get an inning of Buxton on defense, with Taylor to left and Larnach to right. That they didn’t go that route tells us that they are NOT going to play Buxton on defense for a time, under any circumstance. So then, a straight substation for Taylor would have left them with an outfield defense that’s only about one step above the time they used the Turtle in center. Probably Larnach-Gordon-Wallner around the outfield and with some version of Miranda-Farmer-Castro-Solano around the infield. 

I wasn’t too worried about losing the DH. Even if you start from the time Buxton hit, that spot was 10th in the order. As it played out, it was sixth in the ninth, which either means bases loaded and two outs or that you’ve scored a run or that you’ve already won (or in this case, lost) it. And I assume they would have pinch hit Jeffers at that spot if it gets there. With the Manfred Man rules, there’s virtually no chance of getting to that spot a second time. 

I think that what they did and what you are suggesting are both pretty defensible. Bottom line is that they were in a game that they probably shouldn’t have been, given the lineup they had with Cease pitching. At that point, you’re pretty much rolling dice. Without three Sox errors, we’re not even having this discussion. 

[IndianaTwin]

Not to be lost is that the crappy lineup (with some help from the Sox defense) chased Cease after five and forced them to use their top three relievers, including their closer for 20 pitches and an up-down for the eighth and ninth. And Maeda, Thielbar and Moran bought Duran, et. al, another day’s rest.

Those could be significant come Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll take Lopez and Gray, with a rested bullpen, over Lynn, Giolito and a tired pen. 

[stringer bell]

18 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

Not to be lost is that the crappy lineup (with some help from the Sox defense) chased Cease after five and forced them to use their top three relievers, including their closer for 20 pitches and an up-down for the eighth and ninth. And Maeda, Thielbar and Moran bought Duran, et. al, another day’s rest.

Those could be significant come Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll take Lopez and Gray, with a rested bullpen, over Lynn, Giolito and a tired pen. 

All true, but I'll take 1-0 over 0-1.