Tigers 7, Twins 6: It's Always Something

[thelanges5]

Offense finally does a little something and the pitching blows up. Twins cannot get it all together at the same time. By the time they do it may be too late. Alcalá is such a talented rollercoaster. 2 walks and 2 singles, pulled without recording an out. 

[David Maro]

Gasper Rocco's new Margot!!

[Jasper]

Best bullpen in baseball? Also if i am playing the twins, i throw my junk ball pitchers. Seems like nobody can hit a changeup, curve, or slider for a hit.

[David HK]

So, today it was Alcala's turn. Couple daze ago, it was Jax's.  Whose turn will it be tomorrow? Good grief, are they playing spin the bottle in the clubhouse for someone to creatively butcher the next one.  

But there's one common denominator: the bald guy in the dugout.

[Galen]

Ober 73 pitches yesterday.  Festa 63 pitches today.  At this pace our starters will be built up to going 3 innings each.

[thelanges5]

Blewett DFA, Fundy called up. We have three more pitchers in a row who prob won’t go past 5 (Paddack, SWR, Matthews?) 

We’re going to burn through some arms this weekend. Yikes 

[LambchoP]

Rocco needs to go. He is just making things that much harder on a team that is already struggling. Pulling Festa at only 66 pitches in the fifth? Now our pen is used up and chances are they'll need to pitch most of the game today with Paddack starting. Then in the last inning, Gasper, probably our worst bat on the roster is left to hit with the tying run on third? Why would he possibly pinch run Bader at first base rather than have him hit?! There has to be consequences for the errors players make, and the ineptitude of the manager. As we all know, that won't happen as there is NO accountability with this team. Just shrug your shoulders and keep on with the same problems, expecting things to miraculously turn around. Definition of insanity.....

[laloesch]

Another blown game on Rocco’s shoulders.  Is this team intentionally tanking?  At this point I’d rather have Molitor, Gardenhire, or TK as manager.  Baldelli is just brutal 

[Parfigliano]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fire the front office

Now.

[laloesch]

10 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Rocco needs to go. He is just making things that much harder on a team that is already struggling. Pulling Festa at only 66 pitches in the fifth? Now our pen is used up and chances are they'll need to pitch most of the game today with Paddack starting. Then in the last inning, Gasper, probably our worst bat on the roster is left to hit with the tying run on third? Why would he possibly pinch run Bader at first base rather than have him hit?! There has to be consequences for the errors players make, and the ineptitude of the manager. As we all know, that won't happen as there is NO accountability with this team. Just shrug your shoulders and keep on with the same problems, expecting things to miraculously turn around. Definition of insanity.....

Exactly.  I have tried to stay away from the fire manager conversations in the past but Rocco’s boneheaded decisions are costing the team dearly and often,  it can’t be ignored anymore.  
 

Gonna be a lonnnnng season at this rate but hey it might lead to a chance at a good draft pick.  

Remember the Twins were fielding interest last offseason for Lopez and even Correa and hopefully will so again before the deadline. They definitely could use it in the infield and outfield.  This team has not fire whatsoever and it’s just brutal to watch.

[Longball]

10 hours ago, AceWrigley said:

That last at-bat gave me gasperitis.

 

10 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I’m not even mad at Mickey Gasper. It’s not his fault he’s playing on the MLB team. Deeply unserious franchise. 

I can not think of a single reason why Gasper should be the starting DH.  When I saw the starting line up I had to scratch my head.   You just knew there would be a moment in the game when the DH posidtion would let us down.     He is just not very good.  ........

[saviking]

I am so tired of the Twins thinking they are so analytically smart. Just play the damn game

[AceWrigley]

14 minutes ago, Longball said:

 

I can not think of a single reason why Gasper should be the starting DH.  When I saw the starting line up I had to scratch my head.   You just knew there would be a moment in the game when the DH posidtion would let us down.     He is just not very good.  ........

He's pretty good at defensive swings and fouling off pitches, but he has fouled off some pretty good pitches. I'm not sure what he's looking for pitch-wise to take a good hack at, but it seems he hasn't seen one yet this year.

[Linus]

9 minutes ago, saviking said:

I am so tired of the Twins thinking they are so analytically smart. Just play the damn game

This. It has kind of been a trait of Falvey from the get go. And there is zero evidence that there unique philosophies actually work. 

[Blyleven2011]

Unbelievable Rocco has no idea that Alcala wasn't on his game , 2 walks and a single and no outs , 3 batters no results, you get him out of there , but not Rocco ,  he wants a pitcher to eat innings ...

The responses in this article are all correct that Rocco needs to be fired , tingler too and probably some coaches  ...

 

If a player doesn't perform he gets released or optioned to AAA , if a FO office doesn't perform he gets promoted  , if a manager in his seventh season doesn't perform , the eye test says he should be sent packing ( to bad there are not metrics on how bad a manager truly is that our analytical department can present to those that make the decisions ) ...

Toby gardenhire your opportunity should be coming and you can't be any worse than what we have now  ...

Fire Rocco please , not a major league manager  , this is not good business for the pohlads,  losing fans in attendance ( friday night attendance was miniscule and unexceptable for a business that is exploring  selling the team , are the pohlads serious in any aspect of owning or selling this team ) ...

This is definitely a TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE  MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM ... 

[D.C Twins]

7 hours ago, h2oface said:

Baldelli Ball strikes again! And so soon. Just took the next game. 64 pitches (41 strikes), 2 outs in the 5th, and your starter has only given up 3 hits total and 1 walk with 4Ks...... so of course, with all the overuse of the "Best Bullpen in MLB", you pull him. The only reason you have a runner on third and a run in --- is because a throw from right that was a little off ("Matt Wallner uncorked an unwieldy shot, evidently tricky enough to evade two defenders and eventually roll into the Tigers dugout. The runner scores." Seriouisly? Unweildy? "Unearned, of course....") but certainly shouldn't have been a problem to at least stop, was deflected by the $35 million shortstop hitting a buck 50, and then Mr. utility defense Castro misses it under his glove (very likely would have had it if not for Correa's missed attempt) and it rolls into the dougout. So instead of a runner on 2nd and third with 2 outs, and no runs in, you have a run in, a runner on third, AND YOU PULL YOUR STARTER WITH ONLY 64 PITCHES! Alcala implodes, Topa gives up 2 inherited runs, Castro boots another later, and you use Gasper, who shouldn't even be on an MLB roster, as your DH. A DH that can't, and never has, hit in the show, and he is all you've got because you used one of your hottest batters, Bader, as a pinch runner one batter earlier for Julien (who is having a hot game going 3/5), with the tying run on third to end the game on a soft (of course it is) grounder. Baldelli Ball.

this...This...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand.....THIS!

[D.C Twins]

2 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Wow.  I just love everyone's comments.  They are so spot on.  Baldelli ball?  I love it.  The comment, not the manager.  He continues to show why he is one of the poorest managers in baseball and maybe the worst manager in Twins history.  It would be comical if it wasn't so sad.  Only 12,000 people there.  How long will it take to start dumping payroll dollars?

....and good luck dumping Correa's salary....sigh....

[laloesch]

13 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

....and good luck dumping Correa's salary....sigh....

Ohhh he will certainly figure out a way to reach that 575 at-bats threshold in 2028 to kick in that 2029 vesting option instead of allowing it to become a club option and potentially a free agent.  However, we might be surprised and if the team is as bad as they look right now, in a year or two, don’t be surprised if he demands a trade or drops his full no trade clause.  2029 Buxton and Correa….shudders horrible contracts.

[h2oface]

The best part of the game was Lopez piling sunflower seeds in Watkins' belt gap above his belt in the rear, a plumbers type of gap without the crack showing, created as he stood leaning over a knee on the step of the dugout - Watkins without a clue - until it was overflowing, all across the back, and then when Watkins' went out to coach base when the Twins came in to bat, he started picking at his butt and back (What the Hell!) as gravity called and they got sucked down into his pants. That was hilarious.

[Blyleven2011]

10 hours ago, gregens said:

Scoring 6 runs should be enough to win most games.  But not this team.  If there is a way to lose, this team will find it.

Scoring 7 runs the other day and they also found a way to lose ... 

Can't keep playing this game the Baldelli way , losing is not the way baseball is supposed to be played  ...

I think the players have lost any respect for Rocco and his coaches ,  the other night when Lopez was pitching and he pulled his hammy  , maki came out and Lopez didn't report it to him  , Correa motioned for the trainer  ...

[karcherd]

Why not have Miranda hit for Gasper.  I know he has struggled but he has had more success than Gasper in the majors.

[bean5302]

11 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

It's always the same. It's just a shame. That's all.

That's the genesis of the problem.

[bean5302]

28 minutes ago, h2oface said:

The best part of the game was Lopez piling sunflower seeds in Watkins' belt gap above his belt in the rear, a plumbers type of gap without the crack showing, created as he stood leaning over a knee on the step of the dugout - Watkins without a clue - until it was overflowing, all across the back, and then when Watkins' went out to coach base when the Twins came in to bat, he started picking at his butt and back (What the Hell!) as gravity called and they got sucked down into his pants. That was hilarious.

I nearly choked on my mocha as I read this, hahaha.

[LewFordLives]

1 hour ago, laloesch said:

Another blown game on Rocco’s shoulders.  Is this team intentionally tanking?  At this point I’d rather have Molitor, Gardenhire, or TK as manager.  Baldelli is just brutal 

Molitor was in the booth during the KC series. Honestly, plug him into the lineup and he's probably their best hitter.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, AceWrigley said:

He's pretty good at defensive swings and fouling off pitches, but he has fouled off some pretty good pitches. I'm not sure what he's looking for pitch-wise to take a good hack at, but it seems he hasn't seen one yet this year.

Maybe the truth is that at the MLB level the best Gasper can do with a meatball pitch is foul it off.

[bean5302]

Here are my thoughts.
1) Gasper's OPS? 404. No business DH'ing, at all. That said, he's not the problem. Buxton 585, Larnach 565, Jeffers 515, Correa 467. Those 4 guys are core players on the Twins and they're hitting about like Gasper. That's the problem. Nice to see some runs, and the Twins scored 6 runs. They had a .846 winning percentage last year when scoring 6+ runs. Hopefully, the run production starts becoming more steady.
2) That was a majorly uplifting performance for Festa. I had serious concerns about his new mechanics and the sinker. The location of Festa's sinker wasn't really where it should have been, but Festa had a heck of an outing against a team that has been swinging good bats this year. This was huge as far as I'm concerned. I don't believe Paddack is viable as an MLB starter and Lopez is down. Having both Matthews and Festa look MLB ready is really great.
3) Alcala. When he's off, he's off. Baldelli needs to be able to recognize this.
4) Detroit will likely be a very tough team to beat in the AL Central if Torkleson and Baez both have resurgent seasons...

[jkcarew]

Of all the times I’ve thought Rocco created his own problems by pulling a starter too early…which is many…I don’t see it AS MUCH here. Festa has been ultra shaky literally every outing except one this year going back to spring…and he had been getting a number of breaks with some calls and some loud outs.

If Festa completes that inning successfully…and even the next, you’re still 100% going to see Alcala in that game. Was Rocco slow to hook Alcala? I think so. It’s always the same scenario with Alcala’s meltdowns…and that scenario was clearly unfolding.

And then there’s the fielding.

 

[LastOnePicked]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

That's the genesis of the problem.

Absolutely. And I've had my Phil of Collins for Rocco's dismissal.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, h2oface said:

The best part of the game was Lopez piling sunflower seeds in Watkins' belt gap above his belt in the rear, a plumbers type of gap without the crack showing, created as he stood leaning over a knee on the step of the dugout - Watkins without a clue - until it was overflowing, all across the back, and then when Watkins' went out to coach base when the Twins came in to bat, he started picking at his butt and back (What the Hell!) as gravity called and they got sucked down into his pants. That was hilarious.

And people say this team isn't fun to watch.

[karcherd]

27 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

Of all the times I’ve thought Rocco created his own problems by pulling a starter too early…which is many…I don’t see it AS MUCH here. Festa has been ultra shaky literally every outing except one this year going back to spring…and he had been getting a number of breaks with some calls and some loud outs.

If Festa completes that inning successfully…and even the next, you’re still 100% going to see Alcala in that game. Was Rocco slow to hook Alcala? I think so. It’s always the same scenario with Alcala’s meltdowns…and that scenario was clearly unfolding.

And then there’s the fielding.

 

So Festa will not have a good outing this year, then why bring him.  He had given up one unearned run on 64 pitches and you need innings out of your starters.  There was no reason to pull him based on yesterdays game which should be the criteria.  And if Alcala comes in and blows up in the 7th, you are probably only going to blow thru one reliever, Topa or Blewett instead of both.  That would set up the bullpen better for the rest of the series.