Game Thread: Twins (Maeda) @ Brewers (Burnes), 8/23/23 @ 1:10 CT

[Blyleven2011]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

THey haven't MADE the playoffs yet.

Will we even be a 500 team  ...

[USAFChief]

I'd sure take it, but they don't deserve to win this game.

Now have burned through Pagan, Thielbar, Jax, and Duran, to boot. With Texas in town tomorrow.

[Jocko87]

6 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

But we do know.

Luplow oh-fer with a GIDP.  The other options was Wallner. Against a RH starter. THey end up PHing Wallner, for Luplow...against a RHer. Who else was he going to PH for? 

Almost anyone right handed against Williams.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

I'd sure take it, but they don't deserve to win this game.

Now have burned through Pagan, Thielbar, Jax, and Duran, to boot. With Texas in town tomorrow.

This is why I go with a 5 man rotation, and have Ober ready as the long man for Keuchel (as I assume he's still here for awhile) or Maeda (or, heck, Gray, since he can't pitch the third time thru the order apparently). 

[SwainZag]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

I'd sure take it, but they don't deserve to win this game.

Now have burned through Pagan, Thielbar, Jax, and Duran, to boot. With Texas in town tomorrow.

Gotta play for today with this game in reach, but burning through the back end of the pen is certainly not ideal with what they have the rest of the week.

[USAFChief]

2 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Will we even be a 500 team  ...

I think they're pretty much EXACTLY a .500 team.

They started 10-4. Since then? 55-57.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

5 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Will we even be a 500 team  ...

The winner of the ALC could have a losing record.

[Mike Sixel]

Just. Throw. Strikes. 

[Cap'n Piranha]

Just now, SwainZag said:

Gotta play for today with this game in reach, but burning through the back end of the pen is certainly not ideal with what they have the rest of the week.

Pitching Duran in the 9th of a tied road game is not playing for today.  You have another inning (at minimum) to go.  Someone has to pitch the 10th if you're going to win, so you may as well throw someone else in the 9th.  Twins score in the 10th, and you have your closer in an actual save situation.  Brewers score in the 9th, and at least you didn't use Duran in a loss (one where you used every other decent option).  Rocco consistently fails to make the best of bad situations.

[Schmoeman5]

1 minute ago, SwainZag said:

Gotta play for today with this game in reach, but burning through the back end of the pen is certainly not ideal with what they have the rest of the week.

And if it goes into extra baseball does Duran come back for the 10th lead or no lead. He's probably going to be around 20 pitches.

[USAFChief]

Just now, Cap'n Piranha said:

Pitching Duran in the 9th of a tied road game is not playing for today.  You have another inning (at minimum) to go.  Someone has to pitch the 10th if you're going to win, so you may as well throw someone else in the 9th.  Twins score in the 10th, and you have your closer in an actual save situation.  Brewers score in the 9th, and at least you didn't use Duran in a loss (one where you used every other decent option).  Rocco consistently fails to make the best of bad situations.

I agree with this. I don't use Duran until the 10th here. 

[mrtwinsfan]

Ya know Yelich is going

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, USAFChief said:

I agree with this. I don't use Duran until the 10th here. 

strong disagree. You have to get to the 10th....

[Danchat]

Just now, USAFChief said:

I agree with this. I don't use Duran until the 10th here. 

So... you're gonna have Sands or Winder pitch in the 9th?

[SwainZag]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

strong disagree. You have to get to the 10th....

I agree, gotta get to the 10th and give the offense a chance to put runs on the board.   Duran gives your best chance at that.

[USAFChief]

Just now, Danchat said:

So... you're gonna have Sands or Winder pitch in the 9th?

Winder, I guess. Prefer that to Winder in the 10th with a runner on 2nd to start. And at this point I KNOW for a fact I have to get through the 10th, at least, to win the game. 

[Blyleven2011]

If they use Duran in the tenth  with a lead  , he definitely will miss the next 2 games against Texas  ...

 

[Cap'n Piranha]

Duran should never be used in any inning other than the last inning of the game, with only two exceptions.

1. Duran allows the game to be tied, resulting in an extra inning.
2. Another pitcher makes sense to take the 9th (say 2-3-4 is due up in the 8th, or there's a slew of lefties scheduled to bat--say out of the batters due up 4th-7th in the 8th inning are lefties); in that case I pitch Duran in the 8th, and Jax/Thielbar in the 9th.

[MMMordabito]

Time to be blinded by the light.

[mrtwinsfan]

ortega -- sands -- or wilder next 

[jkcarew]

Gotta score a bunch here.

[USAFChief]

But the ultimate issue is...there's too few bullpen options. Which should have been addressed last winter, and readdressed at the deadline.

 

[Cap'n Piranha]

4 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

strong disagree. You have to get to the 10th....

And you trust anyone left in the Twins pen to trust a 1-2 run lead with a runner on second and no one out?  All pitching Duran in the 9th accomplishes is ensuring Duran gets used.

[dex8425]

Just now, USAFChief said:

But the ultimate issue is...there's too few bullpen options. Which should have been addressed last winter, and readdressed at the deadline.

 

Or we could've simply kept Danny Coulombe. 

[jkcarew]

5 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

strong disagree. You have to get to the 10th....

And the offense could score a bunch in the 10th to make it moot. Meanwhile, one run allowed and it’s over.

Obviously not a great position to be in no matter how you slice it.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

But the ultimate issue is...there's too few bullpen options. Which should have been addressed last winter, and readdressed at the deadline.

 

Stewart was really good but it was a little bit of fool's gold considering the injury concerns. There was zero excuse for not upgrading the pen. IYAM, it's worse now than it was in 2022 and that's hard to do.

[Cap'n Piranha]

7 minutes ago, Danchat said:

So... you're gonna have Sands or Winder pitch in the 9th?

You're right--much better they pitch the 10th.

[Mike Sixel]

This umpire is awful Bring on the robots (and yes, both sides have been helped).

[mrtwinsfan]

Royce  do not get pull happy

[USAFChief]

C'mon, Lewis. Gotta be better than that 1-0 swing. Terrible.