Yankees 4, Twins 0: Pablo Day Empty

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins sent Pablo López to the mound looking for a win against the New York Yankees, but Aaron Judge quickly threatened that and things never got better against Marcus Stroman.

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: Pablo Lopez 6.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (96 pitches, 69 strikes, 10 whiffs)
Home Runs: N/A
Bottom 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (-.103), Jose Miranda (-.099) Pablo Lopez (-.081)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Pablo Day Starts With a Bang
It was a Pablo Day for the Twins against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, and Minnesota was looking to start a new streak. After getting Anthony Volpe on a pop out, and Juan Soto swinging, Aaron Judge stepped in. He blasted a 467-foot home run that may rival only Giancarlo Stanton’s home run derby blast as Target Field, and the Yankees were on the board first.

New York added another in the 2nd inning on a Volpe sacrifice fly that scored Gleyber Torres. There probably wouldn’t have been a play at the plate, but centerfielder Willi Castro had zero idea how many outs there were and looked lost after making the cast. He recorded the third out of the inning on the next play and launched the baseball up against the Pepsi sign at the top of centerfield, nearly out of the stadium.

In the 3rd inning New York added again, this time on a Stanton single that scored Judge and made it a 3-0 game. It wasn’t until the 4th inning that Lopez was able to grab a three-up-three-down frame. Alex Kirilloff ended the 4th inning with a line out, following a walk earlier in the night, and his struggles continued.

Stroman Stymies Twins
Rocco Baldelli’s lineup couldn’t figure out Marcus Stroman. The ground ball artist held Minnesota to just two hits through six innings, and the lineup couldn’t mount any sort of a threat despite taking a trio of walks and striking out just twice.

After Lopez grabbed the first out of the 7th inning, Soto found success in the form of a double against Kody Funderburk. Judge then lined a ball at Castro, who misjudged the play and watched it sail over his head for a double. New York scored their fourth run of the game, and the lead felt insurmountable given how the lineup had fared. Overstating how bad Castro has been in center fielder against the Yankees, but especially on Wednesday, is potentially impossible to do.

After Ryan Jeffers’ leadoff home run on Tuesday, the Twins went through a 17 inning stretch that included just 10 hits and zero runs. Trying to beat a team like the Yankees, that was never going to be enough.

Coming Up Short
Minnesota forced Aaron Boone to put in both Luke Weaver and Caleb Ferguson, but despite not being Stroman, neither reliever found trouble with the Twins lineup. Minnesota failed to mount a comeback and the streak now became a losing one.

Dropping the first two against the Yankees, Baldelli’s Twins need a win against Clarke Schmidt tomorrow if they are going to avoid a series sweep and have an outside chance at winning the season set.

Notes
Byron Buxton is starting a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday night. He has a few days to get his feet under him before Minnesota heads out to Cleveland. Royce Lewis is also ramping up his running, while Brock Stewart continues to make progress.

What’s Next? 
Finishing up the series with New York, Joe Ryan takes the ball against Clarke Schmidt on Thursday afternoon. The Twins have a big series on the road this weekend against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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[Aggies7]

Nobody expected to continue to win at a 17 out of 20 clip. Unfortunate for the run to have ended against, of all teams, the Yankees. Last year was great fun but possibly a fluke.

Also, is there no accountability for the players? Castro is allowed to stay in and play the entire game tonight. After not knowing how many outs there were and chucking the ball into the stands presumably because he didn’t like getting booed….AFTER he cost the team at least 3 runs last night with mental lapses and misplays….cant have it. I guess accountability is too old school and not important in today’s data driven game.

[VivaBomboRivera!]

Why is it that against this particular club that so many players on the Twins roster revert to a Little League level of play?

[David HK]

Ahhh, the smell of pathos, once again.

Doesn't this team get tired of stinkin' up the joint?

 

[FlyingFinn]

Must give Willi Castro a day off on Thursday. Has to get his head straight.

[thelanges5]

Where oh where has the offense gone?

[Ted Schwerzler]

54 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

Also, is there no accountability for the players? Castro is allowed to stay in and play the entire game tonight. After not knowing how many outs there were and chucking the ball into the stands presumably because he didn’t like getting booed….

To me, I think that throw was more about frustration at himself than anything else. He felt dumb, and deserved to.

[Ted Schwerzler]

12 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Where oh where has the offense gone?

These Yankees starters aren't schlubs...There were opportunities tonight though.

[Aggies7]

Just now, Ted Schwerzler said:

To me, I think that throw was more about frustration at himself than anything else. He felt dumb, and deserved to.

Its possible. Just never a good look when a guy does that for whatever reason. Who knows where it’ll land.

[bean5302]

Breaking news... zero runs insufficient for Twins to beat Yankees.

[USAFChief]

26 minutes ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

These Yankees starters aren't schlubs...There were opportunities tonight though.

If you look up "Schlub" in Funk and Wagnals there's a picture of Stroman.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

If you look up "Schlub" in Funk and Wagnals there's a picture of Stroman.

He would literally be the 2nd best starter on the Twins. Hasn't had a season ERA above 3.95 since 2018.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

If you look up "Schlub" in Funk and Wagnals there's a picture of Stroman.

That's a Stro Man Argument.

[wabene]

Baldelli has seemed to really appreciate Castro, the guy has given much value to the squad. Behind the scenes I'm guessing Willi got a little tough love after the game. That's enough, unless there's a continued lack of focus and giving plays away, best to just move on.

[CRF]

Rocco needs to sit Castro down. He's out of it right now, and he's lost in CF. 

[bighat]

Twins now 1-7 against the Yankees, Dodgers, and Orioles. 

The past two games they've scored 1 combined run in two games against very hittable pitchers.

Maybe - and call me crazy - this team really isn't that good. Maybe that 12 game winning streak really was just because they were playing some of the worst baseball teams to take the field in the 21st century? Maybe - just maybe - relying on guys like Ryan Jeffers and Carlos Santana to carry this team on offense isn't sustainable?

Stop twisting yourselves into knots trying to justify these losses. It's simple: The Twins are getting destroyed by the Yankees because the Yankees are much better than them in every category. The Twins are getting swept today. You know it, I know it, the Yankees know it, and the Twins know it. Same old story since 2002. 

[wabene]

1 hour ago, bighat said:

Twins now 1-7 against the Yankees, Dodgers, and Orioles. 

The past two games they've scored 1 combined run in two games against very hittable pitchers.

Maybe - and call me crazy - this team really isn't that good. Maybe that 12 game winning streak really was just because they were playing some of the worst baseball teams to take the field in the 21st century? Maybe - just maybe - relying on guys like Ryan Jeffers and Carlos Santana to carry this team on offense isn't sustainable?

Stop twisting yourselves into knots trying to justify these losses. It's simple: The Twins are getting destroyed by the Yankees because the Yankees are much better than them in every category. The Twins are getting swept today. You know it, I know it, the Yankees know it, and the Twins know it. Same old story since 2002. 

😐

[Patzky]

7 hours ago, Aggies7 said:

Its possible. Just never a good look when a guy does that for whatever reason. Who knows where it’ll land.

He was trying to get a ball farther than Judge did.

[Doctor Gast]

NYY are beatable, besides BAL- TOR & OAK took their series. Even w/o Lewis we can beat these 2 teams. The problem IMO is that the Twins admire the NYY. So much so that they have copied their hitting approach. This hitting approach has it's flaws & the NYY had been floundering. Appears they are trying to change but w/o Soto carrring them they wouldn't be that great. We have edged them out in HRs & beat them at their own game in the recent past but that's not the key. 

NYY believe they own us & with some effort they'll come out on top. Instead of getting psyched up against them, they get psyched out & make a lot of mistakes & when they fall behind they give up. We have lost a couple  of keys guys that weren't influenced this psyche. Lewis is the type of guy that can turn things around, until then we'll end losing to teams like NYY.

[Karbo]

1 hour ago, CRF said:

Rocco needs to sit Castro down. He's out of it right now, and he's lost in CF. 

That would be Margot or Martin for replacement?

[TwinsDr2021]

Again it was 1 loss, not the end of the season. The Yanks have pitched Rondon and Stroman the last two games both are probably better than any Twins starter pitcher (of course any Twins starter on their good day can be as good or better but on average) The Yanks lineup top to bottom is better as well, so any game against them is going to be tough and they have to play good smart baseball. Winning 1 of 3 should have been the hope of this series and they still have a chance today. Losing all three isn't the end of the world either, they are without Lewis, Buxton and Stewart. So lets have Ryan good out and give the team a chance, don't make bone headed plays, and get a few hits, win and focus on Cleveland.

[Whitey333]

It's funny that when the Twins were winning it was all great.  Now people are making excuses again.  Look, Buxton and especially Lewis have been out a while.  Yes and now Stewart.  But to suddenly blame our little stretch of poor play to the injury list is absolutely ludicrous.  What is frustrating is that the Yankees are just better than us and we generally are very good at helping them.  Castro not knowing how many outs there are is totally inexcusable!  With all the scoreboards showing all the information that is embarrassing.  It's also a good reason why people like playing here.  Absolutely no responsibility or consequences for playing with your head stuck up something.  I would not have pulled him there but would have replaced him after the inning.  That's why the players love Rocco.  No accountability. It's a bad look for an MLB team.

[Major League Ready]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

Rocco needs to sit Castro down. He's out of it right now, and he's lost in CF. 

Below is Fangrpah's WAR since the streak began.  Complaints about Kirilloff or Margot / Martin or even Vazquez are warranted but Castro is about the last guy we should be complaining about.

#	Name	Team	G	PA	HR	R	RBI	SB	BB%	K%	ISO	BABIP	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA	xwOBA	wRC+	BsR	Off	Def	WAR
1	Ryan Jeffers	MIN	20	82	7	13	19	1	7.3%	20.7%	.414	.313	.314	.390	.729	.466		209	0.2	10.4	0.1	1.4
2	Max Kepler	MIN	21	76	3	13	17	1	9.2%	13.2%	.265	.429	.397	.447	.662	.474		215	0.2	10.1	0.3	1.4
3	Willi Castro	MIN	22	90	2	13	11	5	3.3%	16.7%	.233	.391	.337	.367	.570	.404		167	0.3	7.2	1.6	1.2
4	Edouard Julien	MIN	22	77	3	12	10	4	15.6%	32.5%	.203	.417	.281	.403	.484	.393		159	0.2	5.4	1.2	1.0
5	Carlos Santana	MIN	22	87	7	12	19	0	5.7%	17.2%	.313	.241	.263	.322	.575	.383		152	0.1	5.3	-0.9	0.8
6	Byron Buxton	MIN	8	27	1	7	2	1	7.4%	25.9%	.217	.467	.348	.444	.565	.443		193	-0.4	2.5	0.8	0.4
7	Trevor Larnach	MIN	15	58	2	11	9	0	8.6%	22.4%	.151	.395	.321	.379	.472	.377		148	-0.3	2.8	-1.3	0.4
8	Carlos Correa	MIN	14	59	1	10	6	0	10.2%	15.3%	.135	.279	.250	.322	.385	.314		105	0.1	0.4	0.6	0.3
9	Jose Miranda	MIN	17	63	1	11	6	0	3.2%	14.3%	.150	.320	.283	.317	.433	.330		116	0.0	1.1	-0.3	0.3
10	Kyle Farmer	MIN	18	35	0	4	4	0	8.6%	22.9%	.125	.292	.219	.286	.344	.282		83	-0.3	-0.9	0.9	0.1
11	Christian Vázquez	MIN	13	46	0	2	3	2	2.2%	32.6%	.000	.300	.205	.217	.205	.190		19	0.2	-4.0	2.7	0.0
12	Austin Martin	MIN	14	39	0	9	2	3	10.3%	25.6%	.086	.240	.171	.256	.257	.238		53	0.5	-1.6	-2.0	-0.3
13	Manuel Margot	MIN	18	41	0	4	7	2	2.4%	17.1%	.051	.212	.179	.195	.231	.188		18	0.5	-3.3	-1.2	-0.3
14	Alex Kirilloff	MIN	18	55	1	8	7	0	7.3%	25.5%	.080	.139	.120	.182	.200	.177		11	0.1	-5.5	-1.6	-0.6

[hitterscount]

42 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Again it was 1 loss, not the end of the season. The Yanks have pitched Rondon and Stroman the last two games both are probably better than any Twins starter pitcher (of course any Twins starter on their good day can be as good or better but on average) The Yanks lineup top to bottom is better as well, so any game against them is going to be tough and they have to play good smart baseball. Winning 1 of 3 should have been the hope of this series and they still have a chance today. Losing all three isn't the end of the world either, they are without Lewis, Buxton and Stewart. So lets have Ryan good out and give the team a chance, don't make bone headed plays, and get a few hits, win and focus on Cleveland.

Not the type of mentality that produces winning baseball.... looking at the opposing starter and give yourself the loss before even taking the field. The dreaded Yankees have had our number before the Lewis and Stewart injuries.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I think people need to keep proper perspective. The Twins just don't match-up well with the Yankees. Never have and for at the least time being, still don't. If these last two games happened against someone like the White Sox or Tigers, then I'd agree, there's some cause for concern. 

[Aggies7]

You can’t give a guy a break who has been directly responsible for at least 5 of the 9 runs the Yankees have scored this series. Most of it was by making mental mistakes. If you don’t know how many outs there are or what base to throw to, then you need to sit a couple days to get your head straight. Doesn’t matter what he’s done offensively this year. Need to be held accountable. 
 

The Yankees broadcast last night mentioned that over the last 162 meetings, the Yankees are now 119-43 against the twins. That’s a .734 winning %, and would be the most wins ever in one season 😳

[Peter]

Not worried about losing to Yankees. Twins still in good shape. Win today then focus on Cleveland and take over division lead after this weekend! Go twins!!!!

[TwinsDr2021]

56 minutes ago, hitterscount said:

Not the type of mentality that produces winning baseball.... looking at the opposing starter and give yourself the loss before even taking the field. The dreaded Yankees have had our number before the Lewis and Stewart injuries.

Well as a fan my mentality doesn't produce wins or losses. You can be a realist fan or unrealistic fan that is up to each individual. I was hoping for a sweep would have been super happy with two wins, but expecting the Twins to go 1 - 2 against a better team. My point was this series wouldn't have anything to do with playing the Yankees in the playoffs because hopefully they would have Lewis, Buxton and Stewart and that would help even out the teams. 

[LambchoP]

Castro has been rough in CF all year long, but let's keep in mind he shouldn't be our starting CF'er anyways. We need Buck out there, and if not him we should have Kepler Martin or better yet, call up Keirsey Jr is Buxton is going to the IL again. Castros been one of our better hitters, he should just be kept at a corner OF or 3rd base.

[HarmonK03]

17 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I can give him a break because the team has not groomed him to play that position.  I do not give him a break on not knowing how many outs there were, but he has not had enough reps to break efficiently initially and run the correct route to the ball,  All outfielders throw to the wrong bases when they are not totally familiar to the position.  I'm sure Kepler did when he was young and starting out in RF.  The Twins, mostly due to limited active roster space, do not give their players the reps needed to be proficient at their positions IMO.

It is not the reps that they are getting, it is the philosophy of having flexibility.  It is great to have players play multiple positions but can they play them at a minimum of league average.  Just putting a body out there and saying they can play that position is not productive unless they can play the position effectively.