Rays 9, Twins 4: From Opener to Close, Twins Beaten Badly

[Steven Trefz]

In a game wherein both teams attempted some creative pitching gambits in hopes of gaining an advantage in the series, the points for cleverness all go to Tampa Bay. Louie Varland got crushed, the Twins infield threw the ball around, and the bats couldn't overcome a superior Rays effort.

Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Ronny Henriquez (opener) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K ( 12 pitches, 7 strikes (58% Strikes)
      Louie Varland (headliner) - 2.1 IP, 5 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K ( 59 pitches, 37 strikes (63% Strikes)
Home Runs:  Kyle Farmer (3), Carlos Santana (20)
Bottom 3 WPA: Varland -0.330, Willi Castro -.099, Trevor Larnach -.071 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

For Openers...
Wednesday night's contest between the Twins and the Rays provided fans of the "opener" strategy an evening to remember, as both teams trotted out an opener to start the game and both managers utilized their bullpens differently as they attempted to steal a game in the midst of the playoff push. The Rays began their pitching approach with righty reliever Cole Sulser and his 4.35 ERA over 10.1 innings of work. The Twins flipped the top 2/3 of their lineup right before the game, moving Carlos Santana up to leadoff from the fifth spot, and bumping Willi Castro down to the sixth spot from leadoff. Ryan Jeffers jumped up one spot from sixth to fifth, but would any of the managerial machinations matter?

Not during Sulser's time, at least. Royce Lewis went opposite field for a single in the first, but the rest of the re-arranged lineup did not reach in Sulser's two innings. Righty Kevin Kelly surprisingly got the third inning for the Rays, pushing their expected "headliner," lefty Tyler Alexander, back to the fourth (and the presumed presence of left-handed bats). Kelly struck out two en route to an easy inning.

The Twins turned to Ronny Henriquez, and for more on that, here's Rocco Baldelli!

Henriquez did his best to make Lewis feel at home in his first start at second base by inducing two ground balls in the first inning. Henriquez only got one inning of work before giving way to recently recalled Louie Varland as their "headliner". Varland dominated early as well, facing the minimum Rays batters through the third inning.

Making Headlines Against the Headliners?
The Twins were ready for Alexander when he finally entered the game in the top of the fourth inning. Jose Miranda drove a double down the left field line with one out, and Jeffers delivered a beautiful two-strike swing, dumping a single to right field. The rally ended there, however, as Castro struck out swinging, and Trevor Larnach flied out harmlessly to end the threat.

The Rays attempted to make headlines of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning against Varland. Brandon Lowe led off with a bloop to center field, and Junior Caminero worked a walk to clutter the bases with nobody out. Varland got Josh Lowe to fly out, advancing B. Lowe to third, and this put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of center fielder Jonny DeLuca. The headline will read: "Varland and Twins infield throw away the inning," as Varland threw wildly to first on a pick-off attempt, scoring Lowe and advancing Caminero all the way to third base.

DeLuca bounced one to a drawn-in Brooks Lee at short, which Lee bobbled then threw high to Christian Vázquez, allowing Caminero to score as well to make it 2-0 Rays. A Dylan Carlson bunt single against the shift clutters the bases again, and a hanging Varland curveball on his 50th pitch to Jose Caballero scored DeLuca to make it 3-0. 

Then the real hot mess began for the Twins' opener/headliner/infield new ideas plan. Ben Rortvedt delivered a grounder to Lewis, again with the infield drawn in, and he made the pick but blew the throw home, allowing Carlson to score. Both runners advanced, and Taylor Walls wasted no time making the score 6-0 by blasting Varland's first pitch fastball to the outfield for a single. After starting Yandy Díaz out with two balls, Vázquez went out to calm down his headliner. Díaz then immediately drove Varland back into rage mode by blasting a two-run homer to dead center to make the fourth inning rout official at 8-0.

Turning the Page to the Rest of the Story
Scott Blewett replaced Varland and obtained the next two outs effortlessly, causing a casual Twins fans to ask, "Could that sweet medicine not have been applied four runs earlier?" The Twins offense had an impossible task in front of them, score nine or more runs in five innings after barely accumulating that many in the last five days combined. Lee started the fifth off with a single to right, and then Vazquez quickly erased him with a double-play grounder to third. 

In contrast to Varland's headlines, Alexander kept scattering hits and getting defensive support. That is, until his fourth inning of work. In the top of the seventh inning, Kyle Farmer rudely took Alexander deep to get the Twins on the board. Larnach followed with a ringing double, and Santana laced a 113.6 mph two-run shot with two out to get the Rays bullpen up and running again. A hustle double from Michael Helman on a pop-fly to right, and a Wallner single cut the lead in half at 8-4. Could they? Would they?

Closing Thoughts
No. They couldn't, and they wouldn't. The Rays would tack on one more run in the bottom of the eighth, and close out this opener drama game with a 9-4 victory.

What’s Next? 
The Twins look to salvage the series split against the Rays Thursday afternoon. Once again, stopper Pablo López (13-8, 4.05 ERA) will be called upon to save the day (and the bullpen) after yet another rough week of sub-par baseball. The Twins are holding their own in the Wild Card, but squandering their chance at an AL Central crown and a first round bye. Opposing them in this final bay battle will be Rays RHP Taj Bradley (6-9, 4.35). First pitch for the next biggest game of the season is scheduled for 12:10pm CT.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Sheet

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	TOT
Blewett	54	0	0	0	43	97
Tonkin	37	0	0	21	17	75
Varland	0	0	0	0	59	59
Jax	0	27	18	0	0	45
Thielbar	19	0	0	19	0	38
Alcalá	0	0	32	0	0	32
Henríquez	0	0	20	0	12	32
Sands	0	13	17	0	0	30
Durán	0	13	14	0	0	27

 

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[AceWrigley]

no comment.

[Aggies7]

If we’re being honest, these last couple weeks were pretty well pre-determined once Correa was lost, followed by Ryan. A gaping hope up the middle and one in the rotation. Add 3+ weeks of no Byron. I’m not sure what else could have reasonably been expected. 

[Blyleven2011]

One bad inning , ONE BAD INNING ...

did I say one bad inning ...

Twins need to play flawless baseball or these are the results we can expect ...

[Althebum82]

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

[Whitey333]

Too many ugly games lately.  Twins have now lost 11 of their past 16 games.  Yes 5-11 and firmly entrenched in a wild card.  They have been under .500 since the all star game.  Plus overall they are just playing ugly and uninspiring baseball.  They should win Thursday with Lopez.  But you never know.  

[BH67]

For the first time I'm concerned that the 2024 Twins will miss the postseason.

Two years ago I avoided watching the Twins in September because a malaise had rooted in the quality of their play that was too much to overcome. Last September, just the opposite. Same manager. Same team, mostly.

I've led successful teams in my work, which requires a proactive team effort toward a specific destination. My visible focus is essential to motivate others to take ownership of it. My impression is that Rocco Baldelli is a laissez-faire skipper who trusts that the team vibe on its own will lead to success. Great approach when all is well, and a big mess when slumps deepen. I'm a Rocco fan, but something has to jolt everyone when things get stuck. That's a place for a vintage year Gary Gaetti, and these Twins absent Carlos Correa appear to lack such a person.

Happy to read more knowledgeable explanations, even in sharp disagreement.

[IndyTwinsFan]

19 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

no comment.

As has been quoted so many times before, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".  That's why I have nothing to say either. 

[USAFChief]

 ,Ben Rortvedt delivered a grounder to Lewis, again with the infield drawn in, and he made the pick but blew the throw home, allowing Carlson to score. Both runners advanced

 

The Twins didnt have the infield drawn in. They were, at most, halfway...allowing for a possible DP. Lewis fielded that grounder about halfway onto the dirt, BEHIND the baserunners path.

Even with the runner off from first, it was a tailor made DP ball, catcher running, fielded cleanly, and the Twins would have been out of the inning, down 3-0 even with the previous hijinks...had Lewis simply initiated the DP.

But of course Lewis has no experience at 2nd. Mistake throw home, gets nobody, tragedy unfolds.

Pretty tired of anybody can play anywhere.

[mark sills]

38 minutes ago, Althebum82 said:

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

I do still had a good two innings that's all we need out of a reliever, don't let him face the lineup twice.

[JD-TWINS]

37 minutes ago, Althebum82 said:

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

He retired 6 straight when he entered - that works. 96-99mph with the fastball. I have never thought he has the attention span nor patience to be a good starter. He walks around the mound like he needs a valium to calm down. Things go south a bit and his concentration/command goes out the window. He’s effectively got a 2 pitch mix and that doesn’t play after a few batters. I realize he wasn’t great in the 4th as an understatement but he got zero defensive help as well! I still think he’s good for 3-7 batters in a relief role (25-30 pitches).

You’re right, ouch!

[mnfireman]

Evidently Varland is not the answer....

Losing 3 of 4 to Tampa (hasn't happened yet, but is possible) should not happen, even short handed. This team is not poised to take the next step with the current leadership. I'm not a fire the manager and FO type, but this team was not constructed to get performance out of the biggest, and most likely to be injured positions (SS & CF). The BP is overused and becoming ineffective, and the team refused to acknowledge these weaknesses. 

What is it called when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results....

[knothole61]

Another tough loss; but the hope I take from this one is that Varland looked good for two innings before the inevitable implosion. For whatever reasons, he really can't be trusted in the long run, but for an inning or maybe two, I think the Twins have found a shiny new bullpen piece--a sixth or seventh inning Mr. Clean?

 

[David Maro]

Rocco and his musical chairs is getting old.Everyday they come in to a different position and now it has caught up to them.

Did anyone see Farmer's face after Julien wasted an at bat PHing and striking out on 3 pitches.He looked like he was mad as HE double tooth picks.

This team is falling apart at the seams and if they stay in the playoff picture it will be short lived.

Now we all can see why it took until the end of the season for Varland to be called up.He is and may never be ready for the major league.He still is and may always be a thrower not a pitcher.

[Steven Trefz]

20 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

 ,Ben Rortvedt delivered a grounder to Lewis, again with the infield drawn in, and he made the pick but blew the throw home, allowing Carlson to score. Both runners advanced

 

The Twins didnt have the infield drawn in. They were, at most, halfway...allowing for a possible DP. Lewis fielded that grounder about halfway onto the dirt, BEHIND the baserunners path.

Even with the runner off from first, it was a tailor made DP ball, catcher running, fielded cleanly, and the Twins would have been out of the inning, down 3-0 even with the previous hijinks...had Lewis simply initiated the DP.

But of course Lewis has no experience at 2nd. Mistake throw home, gets nobody, tragedy unfolds.

Pretty tired of anybody can play anywhere.

I went and double checked...the runner from first was stealing, and Lewis couldn't have made the out at second. https://www.mlb.com/gameday/twins-vs-rays/2024/09/04/745045/final/summary/all      I think we can debate whether or not the Twins played the infield in too early (just down 1-0 on Lee's play)...but that speaks to the poor offense of late.  Stopping that bleeding wound by getting the out at first and allowing the run to score is probably the right play given the data we have now...but a good throw gets the second out easily and the double play was never an option.

[S Bart]

There is so much that makes no sense to me.

- Placing Lewis at 2nd base in September.

- Constant platooning/ moving the chess pieces. I have seen the Twins play in four different stadiums this year, and it is so very visible to me that other teams don't do it to that degree. 

- The lack of TV deal has decreased the fan base. I am out of state but saw the Twins in June in Minneapolis. A veteran Target Field usher told me how he wasn't seeing "the frequent attendees." Many expressed to him how the TV deal mishap made them unattached. 

- The owner makes an announcement that they will not spend money prior to the season. Well, when you tell your fans that you will not improve the team and fail to have a TV deal, attendance suffers. 

The arbitration eligible players this offseason include Castro, Ryan, Jax and a couple of other key players. Will the Twins trade rather than spend money?

 

 

Edited September 5, 2024 by S Bart
Addition to sentence

[tampatwins]

The twins need to be thanking their lucky stars that as inept as they’ve been, the entire rest of the American League has been right there with them (other than Detroit), or they’d have completely played themselves out of a wild card spot right now. They have to start to get it together or they’re going to have an embarrassing collapse ala 2007 Mets 

[tony&rodney]

6 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

He retired 6 straight when he entered - that works. 96-99mph with the fastball. I have never thought he has the attention span nor patience to be a good starter. He walks around the mound like he needs a valium to calm down. Things go south a bit and his concentration/command goes out the window. He’s effectively got a 2 pitch mix and that doesn’t play after a few batters. I realize he wasn’t great in the 4th as an understatement but he got zero defensive help as well! I still think he’s good for 3-7 batters in a relief role (25-30 pitches).

You’re right, ouch!

Varland was part of the problem with his poor defense and then made some good pitches that turned into sloppy fielder's choices before he just let the Rays get crazy. The Twins need Carlos Correa at shortstop and Byron Buxton in centerfield. It shows almost every game. The game is designed for three outs and major league players are really good. When a team gets more than three outs, expect ugly.

Keep Varland on the roster. He threw 59 pitches tonight and should be ready for a short stint (1-2 innings) by Sunday. Agree that Louie is well suited for the bullpen. 

[Parfigliano]

Ugly game.  Couldnt even stay for the whole thing.

[JD-TWINS]

3 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Evidently Varland is not the answer....

Losing 3 of 4 to Tampa (hasn't happened yet, but is possible) should not happen, even short handed. This team is not poised to take the next step with the current leadership. I'm not a fire the manager and FO type, but this team was not constructed to get performance out of the biggest, and most likely to be injured positions (SS & CF). The BP is overused and becoming ineffective, and the team refused to acknowledge these weaknesses. 

What is it called when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results....

They have their 6th - 7th - 8th guys in the starting rotation (all rookies)…….that’s not counting DeSclafani. DeScla hurt - Varland didn’t pan out - still have an opportunity to win near 90 games.

Correa has been out since July 13th.

Lewis played in his 59th game tonight.

Buxton has been out 3 different IL stints.

Lee & Kepler have been hurt a couple times each as well.

Topa & Stewart were to be key Pen pieces and the assumption was Thielbar & Okert & Funderburk would/could combine to add up to ONE decent lefty reliever.

Kirilloff had a 116 OPS+ last year…. .348 OBP ….. .270 BA - he hit .201 in ‘24.

Julien hasn’t hit an HR since April 20 something and Farmer has supplied nearly zero offense as well.

Wallner was terrible until August 1st.

As an organization, can’t have any more depth than what this team has/had in place. Can’t have an entire backup rotation in the wings. Can’t have proven vets for every position X 2 for each spot.

5-11 over last 16 sucks - stings! Hopefully, Lopez shows up and the bats don’t disappear on Thursday.

[minman1982]

Over the last month, the Twins have been playing about 0.500 baseball. Considering that two of the better hitters (Correa and Buxton) and one of the better pitchers (Ryan) have been on the IL, this isn't terrible. I think what makes this feel like such a gut punch is the fact that Cleveland has not been playing well either and the division crown is sitting there for the taking. If Cleveland had made it a ten or twelve game lead, I think the Twins would be counting their lucky stars that they are still in good position for a wild card berth. Kansas City has also been pretty underwhelming as of late. This weekend's Royals-Twins series will tell us about the state of both teams moving into the final weeks.

The Tigers look like they are creeping up in the rear view mirror and if the Twins and/or Royals are not careful, the Tigers have enough time to make it interesting. They are only five games back with about three weeks to play and seem to be playing better than both the Twins and the Royals right now. 

[tony&rodney]

Might be a good time to remember that the Twins were expected to win somewhere near 85 games this season. It is a long season. The number of days missed by key players has been pretty substantial and the disappointment of a few that the Twins were counting on for production should be notable. If the missed days and poor performances were known most would agree that a .500 record could be seen as fair.

Yet, the Twins are going to meet their projection and if (if,if) Correa and Buxton could actually play for just two weeks .... the division is still possible. Look around baseball and there are difficult stories for many teams.

[Aerodeliria]

Good teams do not implode defensively.

 

That is two consecutive games that the Twins have thrown the game away...say all you want about Varland, but you you cannot give a team five or six outs in one inning...

[Old Crow]

I think 139 games with 139 different lineups would tend to lead to some erratic defence.  

[USAFChief]

4 hours ago, Steven Trefz said:

I went and double checked...the runner from first was stealing, and Lewis couldn't have made the out at second. https://www.mlb.com/gameday/twins-vs-rays/2024/09/04/745045/final/summary/all      I think we can debate whether or not the Twins played the infield in too early (just down 1-0 on Lee's play)...but that speaks to the poor offense of late.  Stopping that bleeding wound by getting the out at first and allowing the run to score is probably the right play given the data we have now...but a good throw gets the second out easily and the double play was never an option.

This is completely incorrect.

The runner from first was off with the pitch--as I said in my first post--but there was time to get the force at 2nd. Not even a question. 

Here's the play, stop-actioned below. Lewis has the ball in his glove at this point:

 

Can you at least admit the infield was NOT playing in? They were HOPING for a DP. Why throw home? 

A team can just throw bodies at any position willy-nilly, with zero regard for how they play there, but there will be consequences.  Lewis pretty clearly doesn't know what he's doing. Hell, he broke for second on a hit to right on the first. WTH?

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

They were HOPING for a DP. Why throw home? 

That ground ball to Lewis looked identical to the ground ball to Julien the other day. It doesn’t look like either Julien or Lewis are comfortable trying to pitch or flip the baseball sideways to the shortstop on that play. The ground ball to Lewis should have been a double play. Even so, Vázquez needs to catch that short hop.

Also I don’t understand the obsession with contact plays with your runner on third, or constantly trying to cut the opposing runners down at home plate at all times. These are decisions from the dugout. If you get the easy outs there, the inning doesn’t spiral. Even on that first one, if you play the infield at medium depth, and Miranda fields it instead of Lee, it’s an easy play to first and it’s 2-0 with two outs and bases empty.  

[killebrewlover]

I'm pretty tired of all the excuses.  Injuries and miscues are part of the game.  Great teams find a way to overcome them.  The Twins are NOT a great team.  This season is over.  Period.  Hope you like football or hockey...

[Linehan]

Call the waaaaambulance!

[Rik19753]

5 hours ago, USAFChief said:

This is completely incorrect.

The runner from first was off with the pitch--as I said in my first post--but there was time to get the force at 2nd. Not even a question. 

Here's the play, stop-actioned below. Lewis has the ball in his glove at this point:

 

Can you at least admit the infield was NOT playing in? They were HOPING for a DP. Why throw home? 

A team can just throw bodies at any position willy-nilly, with zero regard for how they play there, but there will be consequences.  Lewis pretty clearly doesn't know what he's doing. Hell, he broke for second on a hit to right on the first. WTH?

 

I don't see how you look at that picture and fault Royce for not going to 2nd. That's a bang bang play at best and an easy safe call at worst.

I was actually impressed that he chose not to turn the DP even though that was probably his first instinct given his fielding position.

The throw was really bad but the decision making was spot-on IMO.

[Karbo]

9 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

I was one of many asking for Varland to come up. Looked good for 2IP but the wheels fell off in the 3rd. Maybe he can be helpful but looks like he'll be another 1 inning guy with a 2nd inning once in a while.