Twins 10, Guardians 6: Lewis Hits Another Grand Slam as Twins Pour on Runs to Win

[jmlease1]

Love starting a series against Cleveland against with a win. Not great having Maeda go short, especially following the 13 inning marathon that basically emptied the bullpen. But Funderburk and Winder really stepped up and held the lead.

Funderburk's cutter looked very good last night, and hopefully he gets a few more chances. Would like to see how it does once teams get a little film on him, but he absolutely did the job last night and did an excellent job against Cleveland. Props to Winder for running out three good innings again as well: if he's getting comfortable being a 2-3 inning guy and is someone that can be counted on to finish off games, that would be a big relief on the bullpen.

Royce Lewis is just great to watch. He brings the joy and brings the big hits. So happy he's healthy and getting to show his talent. Takes a special kind of person to handle the kind of injuries he's had, and he's done it.

[Matt Braun]

Thome-esque picture of Wallner, there 

[UK Twin]

I would love the Twins to aggressively pursue an extension with Lewis, similar to what the Rays have done with Franco or the Braves with their young stars. How open Lewis would be to it is another question, given he's a Boras client. But no harm in trying.

[Dman]

Have to say when I checked and the Twins were down 4-0 I kind of gave up right there. Cleveland pitching is usually so good it would be hard to come back from that deficit alone and with Maeda doing so poorly and a taxed bullpen the odds of a comeback seemed very low to me.

After that it seemed like my every hope came true.  When Lewis was up to bat I was hoping HR and it happened.  When Polanco was up I was thinking a home run here would give the team breathing room and it happened.  When Funderburk came out I was thinking I hope he pitches like he did at AAA and he had a great first outing.  I was hoping Winder could replicate his outing from last time out and he did.  

Hard to believe that after that rough start most everything went the Twins way.  It was a great way to start the series as it should give the team positive vibes as they try to get through this tough part of the schedule.  They need to keep their foot on the gas so that they put the division away.

[Squirrel]

8 hours ago, joemama said:

It's my understanding that, barring an injury, a player sent to the minors must stay there 10 days. Is the Sept 1st roster expansion another exception? I'm thinking that may be why Ober was sent down, in which case he'll likely be added back on Sept 1st.

Rocco talked about it in the post-game if you listen. Sounds like he was sent down to rest up and regroup. 

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, big dog said:

Let's not forget one of the veterans, Donovan Solano. He's really had a month- great contact, clutch hits, playing different positions. Nice work!

The team is a healthy mix of veterans and rookies.. and they're finally getting literally healthy. I don't want to put all the eggs in a couple baskets but if Brock Stewart.and Alex Kirilloff can return at 90 percent of what they were, I think we're ready to go..

[Peter]

Forget about fantasy football and nfl-twins are must watch/listen to!!! Royce with being first ever twin with back to back grand slams!!! Polanco with 3 run home run!!! Kody and winder saved bullpen as well game!! Huge win with largest lead as division is at 7 games. Let’s get series win with sonny!!!

[Whitey333]

Just can't figure out what the Twins have against Ober.  They have messed with him all year yet he is one of their best starters.  Sure he's not having a good August.  Other guys are on the team that shouldn't be.  Gallo?  He's not only had a bad August.  He's had a bad 2023 and career.  Yet they keep him.  The " veterans" on this team have overall underperformed.  They are hurting the team.  We have seen some great play from many of our younger players but in my opinion the FO treats them poorly.  Ober maybe should have been put on il with a tired arm.  A demotion to AAA is demeaning and sends a wrong message to him and other young players.  For next year it's time to purge the roster of some of these veterans and let the kids play.  They are much more entertaining and they deserve it.  The central division looks like it's for the Twins taking the next few years.  Perfect timing to let the young players develop and shine in the majors while still winning the division.  Go Twins

[terrydactyls]

7 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Just can't figure out what the Twins have against Ober.  They have messed with him all year yet he is one of their best starters.  Sure he's not having a good August.  Other guys are on the team that shouldn't be.  Gallo?  He's not only had a bad August.  He's had a bad 2023 and career.  Yet they keep him.  The " veterans" on this team have overall underperformed.  They are hurting the team.  We have seen some great play from many of our younger players but in my opinion the FO treats them poorly.  Ober maybe should have been put on il with a tired arm.  A demotion to AAA is demeaning and sends a wrong message to him and other young players.  For next year it's time to purge the roster of some of these veterans and let the kids play.  They are much more entertaining and they deserve it.  The central division looks like it's for the Twins taking the next few years.  Perfect timing to let the young players develop and shine in the majors while still winning the division.  Go Twins

I'll play "devil's advocate."  It's quite possible that Baldelli called Ober into his office and explained that he was being sent to the minors to rest his arm and get physically and mentally prepared for the post season.  It's nothing negative about his pitching, just playing the system to the Twins advantage.  He still gets his MLB salary.  And he'll be back before the playoffs begin.

[BobAzar]

I was at the game last night. That was a ton of fun watching the young kids make it happen for the Twins. The curtain call for Royce, the standing ovation for Funderburk after his perfect 1st inning, (another) monster shot by Wallner. This season has been frustrating from time to time, but last night was just fun.

[DJL44]

Magic number down to 24. Estimated Clinch Date on the road in Cincinnati.

[Doctor Gast]

I've always said that Lewis is a MVP caliber player. He's not only the tools but the drive to produce in clutch times. Give him the opportunity he'll come through for us. It's a pity that he hasn't the innings to qualify for the ROY award, if he had the innings he'd win it. Keep him in the INF so we can have him on the field longer.

Shout out to Polanco, Walner & Solano for also coming through for us. Using long relief has been proving effective. They should have incorporated that idea from the beginning to conserve the rotation & short relief to keep them effective throughout the year especially now in the home stretch & going into the post season. Along with pacing the SPs, Ober would have been fresher & would not been sent down.

[Fat Calvin]

2 hours ago, big dog said:

Let's not forget one of the veterans, Donovan Solano. He's really had a month- great contact, clutch hits, playing different positions. Nice work!

Yeah, I'd like to see the Twins sign Solano over Farmer for next year.

[madtowntwin]

Some thoughts on Ober and Maeda...They may both be "Hitting The Wall" for different reasons. Ober has entered rarified air in terms of his innings pitched. It's such a long season and the unprecedented number of pitches he has thrown are demonstrating the grind on his arm / body / psyche. He is an intimidating physical presence on the mound, but he is obviously not immune to the season's wearing effects. Maeda is a veteran coming off of TJ Surgery and is seemingly in a similar physical state for different reasons. Kenta's missing all of last year has to effect his physicality in terms of this season. A previous post mentioned concern for another injury causing last night's performance. Watching him on the mound I saw only frustration - not pain...He was struggling to locate both his breaking pitches and fastball. MPH was fine. Most likely fatigue?? Both Bailey and Kenta threw well against the Brewers, but if you recall - Maeda's day involved a heat index of 115+ degrees. That had to be draining... Being older and coming off of an injury a "Speed-Bump Performance" wasn't surprising...He seems to take good care of himself and as a veteran his next turn in the rotation will hopefully be "Bounce Back. "Similarly, some time off will most likely reinvigorate the younger Ober for the stretch drive / finish line. Win Twins. 

[David Maro]

Maeda probably has not recovered from his start against the Brewers. Hopefully his next outing will be better. When Polanco hit the 3 run homerun,it ended Cleveland's day. Winder only needed 24 pitches for 9 outs. Lopez needs to do a better job tonight than his last outing. Friday will be a interesting day to see who comes and who goes. Correa needs to sit until Friday to get him off his foot.

[chinmusic]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

Let’s get series win with sonny!!!

Might as well add Lopez for the sweep!

[DJL44]

27 minutes ago, madtowntwin said:

Some thoughts on Ober and Maeda...They may both be "Hitting The Wall" for different reasons.

Sounds like they're trying to find a way to get Varland back to Minneapolis for this reason.

[IaBeanCounter]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Using long relief has been proving effective. They should have incorporated that idea from the beginning to conserve the rotation & short relief to keep them effective throughout the year especially now in the home stretch & going into the post season. Along with pacing the SPs, Ober would have been fresher & would not been sent down.

I agree with using long relief.  However, I think Ober hit a wall when he approached 100 IP.  In his first 16 starts he pitched 94.2 innings at an ERA of 2.76.  His last 6 starts covered 28 innings with an ERA 6.75.  He needed a rest and the Twins need another RP, so optioning him back to STP was the best decision for both.  10 days in STP will allow him to skip a start or have a 2-3 inning start for STP. 

My question was why the FO waited so long to call up Funderburk for another LHP?  Moran had a great May, but other than that month he allowed ER in about 40% of his appearances.

[IaBeanCounter]

Saw the ump scorecard for last night and was very surprised to see the reported accuracy, 12 missed calls on 155 called pitches.  Gameday was showing 3-6 times that number of misses.  BTW the scorecard said the ump favored Cle by .27 runs.

[Mike Sixel]

I've had my doubts that Lewis would be a star, but if he's healthy, I think he's a star and that I was wrong.

[LA Vikes Fan]

3 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Just can't figure out what the Twins have against Ober.  They have messed with him all year yet he is one of their best starters.  Sure he's not having a good August.  Other guys are on the team that shouldn't be.  Gallo?  He's not only had a bad August.  He's had a bad 2023 and career.  Yet they keep him.  The " veterans" on this team have overall underperformed.  They are hurting the team.  We have seen some great play from many of our younger players but in my opinion the FO treats them poorly.  Ober maybe should have been put on il with a tired arm.  A demotion to AAA is demeaning and sends a wrong message to him and other young players.  For next year it's time to purge the roster of some of these veterans and let the kids play.  They are much more entertaining and they deserve it.  The central division looks like it's for the Twins taking the next few years.  Perfect timing to let the young players develop and shine in the majors while still winning the division.  Go Twins

I think you're overthinking this. Ober needs a rest. He's already pitched 30 more innings than his previous career high ever - including college - 30 more than any year since 2014.  The problem is you can't carry him on the 26 man and just not pitch him at all. You're playing a man short at a critical time. Conversely, they can send him down to AAA with orders not to pitch him for 7-10 days and then ramp him back up in the bullpen. I suspect that he is the #4 playoff starter behind Ryan and will start the playoffs in the bullpen. He'll be back in Minnesota around 9/10-9/15 and he will be on the playoff roster.  Yes, he could have gone on the IL but he isn't really injured and then you lose him for 15 days minimum. 

This was the right call for the Twins. It does suck for Ober because it smacks of a demotion. Media reports say that the strategy was explained to him and he is on board.  Hopefully they also told him his name is in pen in the 2024 rotation.  By the way, the man has a  5.52ERA/1.55WHIP since the ASB.  Frankly, he could easily have ben demoted for baseball reasons with Keuchel taking his place (can't believe I actually just typed that but it's true). This way the demotions is to protect him. Easier medicine to swallow. 

 

[wornsmooth]

5 hours ago, bighat said:

When it's all said and done, Royce Lewis will be in the same breath with Carew, Puckett, Killebrew and Mauer. 

 

And Oliva

[Dave Borton]

5 hours ago, big dog said:

Let's not forget one of the veterans, Donovan Solano. . .

And midseason, I wanted Kepler dumped in a trade or DFA'd and made no bones about it..

Since All-Star break, 

.319

.383

.609

.992.

BA/OBP/Slugging/OPS

Boy howdy

[jmlease1]

6 minutes ago, davidborton said:

And midseason, I wanted Kepler dumped in a trade or DFA'd and made no bones about it..

Since All-Star break, 

.319

.383

.609

.992.

BA/OBP/Slugging/OPS

Boy howdy

performance like this is how Gallo keeps sticking on the roster. It's easy to talk yourself into a veteran turning it around.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Kepler, and we've needed him to hit like this. let's just hope he can stay hot through September and into the (hopefully) playoffs

[darwin22]

14 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

If I remember right , the other funderburk's first name was Mark  , such a long time ago 

With Twins in 1981 and 1985---------95 career ABs with 77 coming in 85 season.  Had 2 HRs and 13 RBI while hitting .314.

Big dude/ 6'4/226-------OFer and DH.  Now 66 living in Charlotte, NC per Baseball Reference profile.

[Dave Borton]

4 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

It's quite possible that Baldelli called Ober into his office and explained that he was being sent to the minors to rest his arm and get physically and mentally prepared

Bingo. Got to agree.

 

In 7 years of pro ball, most Ober has ever pitched is 92 inn. He is at 122 now. Rest a bit and get ready for post-season schedule.

[Squirrel]

4 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

I'll play "devil's advocate."  It's quite possible that Baldelli called Ober into his office and explained that he was being sent to the minors to rest his arm and get physically and mentally prepared for the post season.  It's nothing negative about his pitching, just playing the system to the Twins advantage.  He still gets his MLB salary.  And he'll be back before the playoffs begin.

And he said as much in his post-game presser, which I'm sure few listened to, because, eh, I don't always listen to them, either. But he was asked about this and that was kind of the gist of it

[DocBauer]

BTW, Ober is sitting just over 140 IP for the YEAR. Have to remember he threw almost 18 innings at AAA before being brought up. This is well above his career high. He's just being rested.

Lewis...what more can be said?

We keep talking about the young players leading the offense...and we should...but let's not forget Kirilloff and Jeffers in that conversation. 

Great debut from Funderburk. And they waited until the end of August to bring him up for what reason again?

What is up with Winder lately? He's been looking pretty solid.

Not trying to look too far ahead, but Castro, AK, and HOPEFULLY Stewart all back by mid September. Awesome things look almost rosy. 

Twins manage to sweep these home games, probably closes the ALC and gives them a little more breathing room to rest a few guys, Correa in particular. 

 

[IaBeanCounter]

7 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

 

What is up with Winder lately? He's been looking pretty solid.

Winder has had 2 excellent long relief appearances on this homestand.   Prior to those outings he had appeared in 10 games, allowed 12 ER runs in 7 games for an ERA of 5.59.  I hope he can keep up the recent good work.

I compared him to Sands and found out that Sands has allowed 7 runs (2 games 1 ER + 6 ER) over 13 appearances for an ERA of 3.57.  Without the 6 ER against Balt, his ERA would be .52.  I don't understand why Rocco hasn't used Sands more, have Sands pitch 2 innings rather than using 2 relievers.

[stringer bell]

Regarding Ober, they aren’t really playing service time games with him. He’s solidly over two years service time, but not enough for Super 2. If he claims he healthy, he can’t be put on the IL and his option for this year was already used.