Twins 3, Cardinals 2: Twins Hang On to Beat the Cardinals, Increase Division Lead

[Steven Trefz]

The Minnesota Twins entered Tuesday's game with the same roster that they had when the day started. It turns out that was just barely enough to win this matchup against the trade-depleted St. Louis Cardinals.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry, USA Today

Box Score
SP  Pablo Lopez: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K  ( 94 pitches, 65 strikes, 69%)
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Donovan Solano (0.187), Lopez (0.159), Matt Wallner (0.130)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

The Twins came into this contest against the St. Louis Cardinals on the heels of a whirlwind trade deadline... for the Cardinals. The Twins decided against any major trades, and the Cardinals moved Wednesday's originally-scheduled starter Jack Flaherty, SS Paul DeJong, RP Jordan Hicks, LHP Jordan Montgomery, and RP Chris Stratton since the weekend.

Would the lack of movement encourage the current Twins roster to produce, or would the lack of action be seen as a contentment with mediocrity? Would the last-place Cardinals put up a fight like the Royals did over the weekend? Or would the past 48 hours get the St. Louis regulars daydreaming about October vacation? Turns out, a little bit of both happened, much to the Twins' delight.

Rocco Baldelli and the Twins Strike First
The Twins skipper started the game strong, winning two challenges and an appeal in the first five innings. Two of those decisions eliminated Cardinals scoring opportunities, and that can't be overstated in a game where runs were hard to come by.

In the top of the fifth, the Twins finally managed to scrape a run across against Miles Mikolas, even though it was unearned. The Cardinals channeled their inner White Sox with some sloppy defense, and a little Ryan Jeffers hustle got the job done. Jeffers reached on a double, took third on a Joey Gallo fly out, and the shortstop for the day (Gold Glove-winner) Tommy Edman (whose brother works in the Twins front office) air-mailed the throw to first on a Michael A. Taylor groundout to put the Twins up 1-0.

Pablo Deals Yet Again, and Almost for Naught
Lopez only allowed a single through the first five innings, but the sixth inning saw the Cardinals scatter three singles, culminating with one run scored and an out made on the bases during a questionable cut-off play by Jorge Polanco to make the score 1-1. Matt Wallner and Ryan Jeffers both thought the throw to the plate was going to work, Polanco didn't and got the sure out.

They reconciled soon after with Polanco leading off the seventh with a single, and Wallner moving him to third on a ground-rule double. Jeffers came up to the plate next, but couldn't complete the reconciliation circle as he struck out for the first out of the inning.

Pinch-Hitting...Works for the Twins?
One of the bats that was on the verge of being replaced in the Twins lineup was Donovan Solano, who saw his average, OBP, and SLG all fall throughout the month of July. So what happens when the calendar turns, and you find yourself still on the bench? You step up to the plate to pinch-hit for Joey Gallo with two on in the top of the seventh inning and do this to put your squad back into the lead at 3-1!

How Will the Bullpen Respond to the Deadline Silence?
Many anticipated that the Twins would continue to invest in the bullpen as the deadline approached, but nothing more transpired. With the trade deadline come and gone, Twins fans readied themselves for more exciting seventh innings with Emilio Pagan, eighth innings with Griffin Jax, and ninth innings with Jhoan Duran. This mix has been lights out for the majority of the season, but have wavered of late as the innings and usage and heat indexes begin to mount.

Pagan took the seventh, and ran his fastball up to 98 mph and walked one in a scoreless inning. Jax allowed back-to-back singles with two outs, and then increased the stress levels of a five-state region when he hung a 2-1 sweeper to Nolan Arenado. The ball landed innocently in Willi Castro's glove on the left-field warning track for out number three.

Duran? Willson Contreras was retired quickly enough to start off the bottom of the ninth inning, but Tyler O'Neill did not go quietly into the night. He launched a 102 mph fastball into the bullpen in right field to squeeze the score to 3-2 Twins. Jordan Walker struck out swinging for the second out, which brought up pinch-hitting Alec Burleson as the final threat of the evening. Three pitches and a swinging strike out later, the Twins win, and all is...well?

What's Next?
The Twins look to win the series and will send RHP Joe Ryan (9-7, 4.06 ERA) out in hopes of getting his ace stuff working again. The Cardinals will counter with someone who isn't Flaherty, as RHP Dakota Hudson (1-0, 4.19 ERA) will fulfill an opener role. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm CDT, but rain is in the forecast throughout the day so stay tuned for updates.

Post-Game Interview:

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	TOT
Jax	10	0	22	0	14	46
Winder	0	40	0	0	0	40
Pagán	18	0	6	0	16	40
Durán	25	0	0	0	14	39
Balazovic	0	33	0	0	0	33
Morán	9	11	0	0	0	20
Floro	9	0	11	0	0	20
Thielbar	0	0	0	0	0	0

 

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[VivaBomboRivera!]

We'll, that put a little salve on the wound.
Book it.

[Mike Sixel]

Why is Gallo employed?

[RonCoomersOPS]

Twins make moves, acquired players don't turn into Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax, this site hates the team for it.

Twins don't make moves, probably still win a weak division, this site hates the team for it.

Whether the Twins make moves or not, they fail to beat a team who sold players by more than 20,000 runs, this site hates the team for it.

You people make me really dislike baseball, baseball fans, and my home state.

[jorgenswest]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

There are plenty of games you might ask this question but getting the ball deep enough to advance Jeffers from second to third led to the first run. He didn’t get credit for a sacrifice fly but we needed the ball in play there.

[Mike Sixel]

15 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

There are plenty of games you might ask this question but getting the ball deep enough to advance Jeffers from second to third led to the first run. He didn’t get credit for a sacrifice fly but we needed the ball in play there.

I put this in the wrong thread. My bad. Just woke up. And in a hurry to catch a train

[USAFChief]

17 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

There are plenty of games you might ask this question but getting the ball deep enough to advance Jeffers from second to third led to the first run. He didn’t get credit for a sacrifice fly but we needed the ball in play there.

What?

He gets credit for a fly ball now?

They pinch hit for him with runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out... with a RHer on the mound. 

And it's not the first time they've done it.

Think about that.

 By the way, Jeffers and the St Loius SS led to the 1st run.

[Squirrel]

43 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

I don’t know, why?

[RonCoomersOPS]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

 Probably has something to do with being better at his job than anyone else, inside the org or outside of it, who might try to come for  his gig?

[Nashvilletwin]

32 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

I don’t know, why?

Probably because Kiriloff is hurt; otherwise I’d think he’d be gone.    
 

BTW, third time in the past week or so, Gallo has been lifted for a pinch hitter late in the game facing a RH reliever. Btw, great move by Rocco.

But if Gallo’s here mostly because of his bat, then this is a good indication that Rocco has lost faith. Really, it is time to move on. 

[Doctor Wu]

Another fine pitching performance by Lopez. Let's hope he can consistently string together some more like this one. With our anemic batting, we are going to need some sharper pitching. On another note, good hit by Solano. He has been quietly productive for the team this year. 

[Peter]

August is here and style points don’t mean anything-it’s an ugly win and at this point in season you take them anyway you can. Most of people have forgot we increased our lead to 2 games after KC fiasco. Got bit nervous in 8th inning as well 9th but Duran got save/twins win and that’s all that matters.

[CRF]

A win, is a win...is a win. Ugly, but I'll take it. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

7 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

Egos are a powerful thing...

I'm not Rocco's biggest fan but I feel bad for the guy when it comes to Gallo. I think he does his best to keep him out of the lineup and even when he is playing, Rocco will yank him for pinch hitter in a pressure spot. But, I suspect the front office gets in his ear if Gallo gets too many DNP's and forces Rocco's hand.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I'll add that watching Lopez pitch is a lot of fun. When he's on his game, he's as good as anyone. He's absolutely the kind of pitcher that can win game 1 of playoff series - if the offense actually scores a run.

[Mike Sixel]

12 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Anyone else concerned about Polos side armed throws from third?  That one that had Gallo sprawling was terrible.  Can’t wait for Lewis to return and I love Polo, just at second base though.

Polanco better not go to second. Julien is their best player, by far. 

[Patzky]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

Perhaps he could remain in the team as a video analyst..

[Patzky]

9 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

There are plenty of games you might ask this question but getting the ball deep enough to advance Jeffers from second to third led to the first run. He didn’t get credit for a sacrifice fly but we needed the ball in play there.

Rocco said Joey alerted them that the runner missed tagging first as he ran by, leading to a challenge if I'm not mistaken.

[USAFChief]

8 hours ago, RonCoomersOPS said:

 Probably has something to do with being better at his job than anyone else, inside the org or outside of it, who might try to come for  his gig?

He's better at his job than anyone else inside or outside?

Since May 1st:

May: .165/.313/.342

Jun: .184/.226/.340

Jul: .128/.226/.340

In that 3 month span he has 28 hits. 28. Twenty-eight. A little over 2 per week. 1 per series.

18 RBI. With 10 of those coming on HRs. That's right...8 RBI of other players in 3 months. Half a season. 

92 Ks in 175 ABs. Yes, that's correct. Over half a season, more than half his ABs ended in a strikeout.

That's the best player for the job, inside or outside the org??

 

[jorgenswest]

10 hours ago, USAFChief said:

What?

He gets credit for a fly ball now?

They pinch hit for him with runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out... with a RHer on the mound. 

And it's not the first time they've done it.

Think about that.

 By the way, Jeffers and the St Loius SS led to the 1st run.

I simply wanted to comment his ball in play mattered. If he strikes out as I expected there and Jeffers doesn’t get to third. 

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

3 hours ago, CRF said:

A win, is a win...is a win. Ugly, but I'll take it. 

That was just a good baseball game,  not ugly by any means.  A little stressful.  I am not sure we win this game without replay though.  2 overturns, and then between Gallo and Baldelli challenging the umps and they changed their minds on the missed 1st base.  Now to me whatever he call on the field was doesn't get overturned.  I think the runner just knicks the top of 1st base but there may be a better view that what they were playing on TV showing otherwise.  Giving up a home run happens,  having a 2 run lead was nice.   Pablo Lopez is the #1 #2 pitcher we have been pining for for years.  

[Nashvilletwin]

20 minutes ago, IA Bean Counter said:

Pablo Lopez is the #1 #2 pitcher we have been pining for for years.  

Currently #58 in WAR among AL pitchers….

He did pitch very well yesterday though and here’s hoping he has a big last two months.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

33 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Currently #58 in WAR among AL pitchers….

He did pitch very well yesterday though and here’s hoping he has a big last two months.

He is statistically in the same WAR as the following pitchers - Verlander Burnes, Berrios, Eflin, Alcantara, Gausman, Kirby, Cease Shrezer (.3 War difference) and I expect many more. He is pitching like a #1 to #2 pitcher.  Just needs to keep it up.  

[MMMordabito]

10 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Probably because Kiriloff is hurt; otherwise I’d think he’d be gone.    
 

BTW, third time in the past week or so, Gallo has been lifted for a pinch hitter late in the game facing a RH reliever. Btw, great move by Rocco.

But if Gallo’s here mostly because of his bat, then this is a good indication that Rocco has lost faith. Really, it is time to move on. 

If Chris Williams wouldn't have taken such a nose-dive in July (the numbers are very Gallo-esque), I wonder if they would have moved on already.  I'd still roll the dice with Williams, since he had three average to excellent months otherwise.  Not to mention he's right-handed, give you another catching option, is three years younger and has the full slate of control years.

[jorgenswest]

58 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Currently #58 in WAR among AL pitchers….

He did pitch very well yesterday though and here’s hoping he has a big last two months.

Fangraphs sees it differently. They have him number 11 among all staters.

[stringer bell]

12 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why is Gallo employed?

Because he owns a first baseman's mitt and Alex Krilloff can't swing a bat right now.

[stringer bell]

26 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Fangraphs sees it differently. They have him number 11 among all staters.

Rating pitchers is hard to do. I think, all in all, López is the Twins' #1 starter, although it is close. The ERA is high, but the underlying numbers are better. 

[wabene]

38 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Because he owns a first baseman's mitt and Alex Krilloff can't swing a bat right now.

I hope you are right!! 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

Because he owns a first baseman's mitt and Alex Krilloff can't swing a bat right now.

Williams..... But man, they are so afraid, even though the young guys have been great. 

[JD-TWINS]

12 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Probably because Kiriloff is hurt; otherwise I’d think he’d be gone.    
 

BTW, third time in the past week or so, Gallo has been lifted for a pinch hitter late in the game facing a RH reliever. Btw, great move by Rocco.

But if Gallo’s here mostly because of his bat, then this is a good indication that Rocco has lost faith. Really, it is time to move on. 

IMO - after last year’s injury debacle & getting to the point where Jake Cave is your best offensive OF, they made a vow to have experienced depth. Taylor - Solano - Farmer - Gallo. With Polanco out Lewis out & now Kirilloff out they will ride Gallo through the month “just in case”.

They’ll probably hold on to him through October 1 with the roster expansion. They get their money’s worth & still can drop him for playoffs if desired.

He’s just got security at this point - Rocco is very aware he strikes out 45% if the time - hence the Pinch Hit by Solano last night.