Braves 8, Twins 6: Twins Rally to Tie It Late, But Jhoan Duran Hit Hard in 10-Inning Gut Punch

[USAFChief]

33 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Pretty sure the Twins are 5-2 v. the Royals with 6 games to go……..no guarantee of winning a 162 game tie quite yet.

The Twins are 7-3 against KC this year, with 3 games left.

[Aggies7]

4th worst bullpen ERA in baseball since the ASB. Duran hasn’t been great the last few outings but holy 💩 make a play behind him. Eddy has cost him two losses in 3 days!

Defensive lapses and miscues (mostly) due to guys playing out of position. That ball almost hit Martin in the noggin last night, when even average CFs make that play 9/10

Guys taking forever to return to action, wondering if they ever will. “The best ability is availability” and some of our stars don’t have it

Poor coaching, weak fundamentals. Routinely can’t beat the good teams because of that. Nothing new there

I’d hesitate to use the FR**D label, but it’s getting awfully close to being appropriate. At least it’s becoming less likely they’d face the yanks in any possible wild card round #silverlining

[Mike Sixel]

Duran not being elite is not ideal. 

[Aggies7]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Duran not being elite is not ideal. 

No, but I remember there being plenty of questions about him last season too when he went through a prolonged shaky stretch. Then he showed up and performed in the playoffs very well. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, Aggies7 said:

No, but I remember there being plenty of questions about him last season too when he went through a prolonged shaky stretch. Then he showed up and performed in the playoffs very well. 

Let's hope so. 

[GNess]

Stating the obvious, but something is wrong with Duran. 

[RpR]

5 hours ago, chinmusic said:

Is Lewis just slumping, or is he playing hurt??

Many rookies come out of AAA on fire then Major League pitching pours water on the fire.

[William K Johnson]

Has anyone considered Myles Straw in centerfield for us?   As I sit here watching the Cleveland-KC game, they were discussing him and what with Cleveland apparently done with him, he could help us.   I know he is limited offensively, but he can catch and throw, something Margot and/or Martin cannot.  And it is become highly apparent that Buxton cannot play an entire season.  Just a thought, but this situation is getting highly frustrating.

[chpettit19]

14 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

Has anyone considered Myles Straw in centerfield for us?   As I sit here watching the Cleveland-KC game, they were discussing him and what with Cleveland apparently done with him, he could help us.   I know he is limited offensively, but he can catch and throw, something Margot and/or Martin cannot.  And it is become highly apparent that Buxton cannot play an entire season.  Just a thought, but this situation is getting highly frustrating.

He has a .660 OPS in 108 games in AAA this year. That's more than "limited offensively." His 2 full seasons in Cleveland were 65 and 66 OPS+ seasons. He was the 3rd worst qualified hitter in baseball in each of those seasons. 

He makes 6.4 million next year and 7.4 million the year after that. Cleveland would have to eat his whole contract and kick in a prospect to even get me to think about bringing him in to play for the Twins. If the Twins can't do better than Myles Straw they need to just pack it up and call it quits as an organization.

[Mark G]

I know I have been unable to watch the Twins this season because I HAVE CABLE and can't get the channel so far.......😠 but I try to stay tuned through this site, the paper, and the Twins site.  I thought I was still pretty much up to date.  But somewhere along the line I missed a few things: where did the pen pick up Blewitt, Henriquez, and Boushley?  For a follower of this team since 1965 I feel like Rip Van Winkel.  How did I sleep through this bullpen shuffle?  

And with Duran sliding the way he has, how do I have faith that this group is going to pull us through the final 30 games?  

KC has a great set of starters and not so good of a pen.  Cleveland doesn't have the best starting rotation, but has a pretty good pen.  Where are we?  Some good starters, some good relievers, and.........

I predicted we would win the division based solely on the remaining schedules of the 3 of us.  Can this pen get us there?  Smarter people than me:  what do you think?  

[Blyleven2011]

5 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Anything can happen in the playoffs against anybody, just get there and quit worrying about what will happen in the playoffs, until the playoffs happen.

Sounds like you would rather be lucky than good  ...

[Aggies7]

1 hour ago, Mark G said:

I know I have been unable to watch the Twins this season because I HAVE CABLE and can't get the channel so far.......😠 but I try to stay tuned through this site, the paper, and the Twins site.  I thought I was still pretty much up to date.  But somewhere along the line I missed a few things: where did the pen pick up Blewitt, Henriquez, and Boushley?  For a follower of this team since 1965 I feel like Rip Van Winkel.  How did I sleep through this bullpen shuffle?  

And with Duran sliding the way he has, how do I have faith that this group is going to pull us through the final 30 games?  

KC has a great set of starters and not so good of a pen.  Cleveland doesn't have the best starting rotation, but has a pretty good pen.  Where are we?  Some good starters, some good relievers, and.........

I predicted we would win the division based solely on the remaining schedules of the 3 of us.  Can this pen get us there?  Smarter people than me:  what do you think?  

One of the biggest problems is that they do none of the little things well. They don’t get the most out of their guys. I would have to say it seems that organization doesn’t do an above average job of preparing guys in the million small ways that win baseball games. Baserunning, situational hitting, not giving up free bases with poor runner holding/defense. The team can get by on skill against most of the lower level opponents, but the terrible record against teams with better winning percentages is not some blip nor is it a SSS. They’re now 15-28 against teams with equal or better records. And that number only improved because KC leapfrogged them recently and the twins have played them well. But not really anyone else outside of a crapshoot 3 game series 

[William K Johnson]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

He has a .660 OPS in 108 games in AAA this year. That's more than "limited offensively." His 2 full seasons in Cleveland were 65 and 66 OPS+ seasons. He was the 3rd worst qualified hitter in baseball in each of those seasons. 

He makes 6.4 million next year and 7.4 million the year after that. Cleveland would have to eat his whole contract and kick in a prospect to even get me to think about bringing him in to play for the Twins. If the Twins can't do better than Myles Straw they need to just pack it up and call it quits as an organization.

If we have to continue to run Martin and Margot out there on a daily basis, we might as well pack it up.

[Swing Batter-Batter]

16 hours ago, AKTwinsFan said:

I guess if Martin caught the ball (Buxton would have), and Julien made a clean throw home (second bad throw in as many days), then things may have gone differently. Late inning failures keep killing the team, and possibly the season.

They actually could have got past all of that if, they had not left what? 15 runners on base.

[chpettit19]

37 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

If we have to continue to run Martin and Margot out there on a daily basis, we might as well pack it up.

Martin's current OPS+ is 87. Margot's is 81. Straw was at 65/66. I don't think you're grasping how bad Straw is offensively. He was the 3rd worst hitter in all of baseball the last 2 years. There isn't a qualified hitter under a 74 OPS+ this year. He was nearly 10 points below that! 

Tim Anderson and Javier Baez were the only 2 hitters worse than him last year. Tim Anderson is out of baseball right now because the 48 win Marlins didn't want him anymore, and Javier is only still around because the Tigers don't want to eat 25 mil next year, and 24 mil the 2 years after that so they're hoping he can figure it out a little.

The year before it was Geraldo Perdomo and Jonathan Schoop below him. Schoop was out of baseball halfway through last year. He's been playing in Curacao and Mexico since. Perdomo was a 22 year old rookie. 

And Straw has been hitting even worse in AAA this year than he did in the majors the last 2 years. And, again, he's getting paid 6.4 and 7.4 million the next 2 years. That's more than Margot and Martin combined. By multiple millions. I'm by no means a Margot fan. Hate that they roster 1 tool, short-side platoon bats. But I'll take him over Straw 100 out of 100 times.

If the Guardians, who spend less than the Twins, prefer to have a $6 million player in AAA instead of on their roster while they fight for the division why would the Twins want that player?

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, jccracraft said:

Watkins continues to be a poor 3B coach. How on earth does he not send Kepler on that play? Too often he sends guys who get thrown out? Twins need to move on from him.

Kepler was turned around looking backward S he came around 2B & then he ran at about 70% speed into 3B. …….not saying Watkins is perfect in any way but from the Press Box view on replay, Kepler looked awfully foolish running the bases prior to arriving at 3B.

[USAFChief]

14 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Kepler was turned around looking backward S he came around 2B & then he ran at about 70% speed into 3B. …….not saying Watkins is perfect in any way but from the Press Box view on replay, Kepler looked awfully foolish running the bases prior to arriving at 3B.

Where are you getting this? Watch the replay. 

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, USAFChief said:

The Twins are 7-3 against KC this year, with 3 games left.

Thanks! - missed the latest series.

[h2oface]

11 hours ago, Fezig said:

I gotta believe Duran is tipping is pitches somehow. 

Our catchers sure like to call breaking stuff. Mostly what is getting drilled. 

[JD-TWINS]

44 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Where are you getting this? Watch the replay. 

I did - in real time. They showed it from the Press Box view right after the play and Provus commented …….he looks backward to see how it’s being played and he’s cruising to 3B. About 30 feet from 3B he starts to accelerate - seems to late so I assume Watkins stops him, Kepler’s obviously pissed of at the go & then stop from his coach.

[JD-TWINS]

9 hours ago, hitterscount said:

Atlanta is missing several starters including an MVP caliber player and yet we are about to get swept at home. Looking like if they make the playoffs it will be an early exit, they don’t compete against quality teams. Unfortunately they are doing enough for another year of Rocco ball, how depressing.

Riley & Acuna Jr are out for Atlanta & Buxton & Correa are out for Twins. They have 2 starting pitchers down and so do the Twins. I agree, the Twins look bad over last week but their 2 highest paid offensive players (both having great years) are out of the line-up. Twins got a bunch of runs from the Atlanta Pen over past 2 days - Ober & Duran had terrible outings on back to back nights.

[TwinsDr2021]

15 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Sounds like you would rather be lucky than good  ...

I guess if the choice is making the playoffs and see what happens or complaining that the Twins probably will make the playoffs but aren't good enough to do anything, I will take it is better to be lucky than good.

[chpettit19]

15 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Riley & Acuna Jr are out for Atlanta & Buxton & Correa are out for Twins. They have 2 starting pitchers down and so do the Twins. I agree, the Twins look bad over last week but their 2 highest paid offensive players (both having great years) are out of the line-up. Twins got a bunch of runs from the Atlanta Pen over past 2 days - Ober & Duran had terrible outings on back to back nights.

Strider is better than any Twins starter so his absence in their rotation is bigger than any in the Twins. Acuna is better than Buxton or Correa. Riley is equal. So is Albies who's also out. The Braves have more injury issues than the Twins right now. And they just put it on them for 3 straight games.

And, while I'm a Buxton fan and like the contract they signed him to, I think it's well past time where we should be pointing at him being hurt and saying it's hurting the team. If they haven't figured out they need a legitimate CFer besides him by now it's on them and they can't blame his injuries anymore. Is it a bummer he's hurt? Of course. But not being prepared for the inevitable isn't something I think should be complained about. He's 2 games short of his 2nd most in any season ever. They've gotten everything they should've expected from him.