Twins 5, Guardians 4: Small Ball, Clutch Hits Key Rare Victory in Cleveland

[knothole61]

Strange game...but nice to win. You knew it had to end up a one-run game in Cleveland.

Do we have to keep using Urena? He literally has played for 10 teams in his 10 year career and is 44-77 so far! Is that a .363 winning percentage? Man, even the White Sox are better--they are now playing at a .375 pace. 

[David HK]

9 hours ago, djvang said:

You linked to the wrong Erasmo Ramirez.

Easy mistake- they're practically the same age! 😂

[S Bart]

8 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Clemens decided to bunt.  Rocco did not call for it.

Clemens runs out his hits and hustles. This type of play, which I have rewatched several times, was something that the Twins have not done in some time. BRAVO

[David HK]

Catching up on the game as yet another freaking typhoon rolls through.  Wow, the Saints won!  

Random Lolz:  Great job by Kody and Keirsey after Royce choked another one off.  

Wow, Roden, our Gem from the BlueJays looked positively Wallner-esque on that "double."

Urena did his job, so did Austin Martin.  

Chmielewski-Funderburk Time seems to field better with his @$$ than his glove.  Maybe he can make that a thing.

Methinks Gulfa Tonkin may be a slight downgrade from Jhoan. 🤔

 

[Doctor Wu]

6 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

What is "lawyer ball"?

Ha! That term puzzled me too!

[Riverbrian]

First Left handed starter since the trade deadline. 

The Twins went from 4 pure left handed hitters to 7.

Rocco can't hide 7 left handers so yesterdays starting lineup contained 4 right handed hitters and 4 left handed hitters and 1 switch hitter. 

Here are the tally's. 

Right handed hitters 3 for 18 - 2 singles 1 double 0 walks 7 K's. 

Left handed hitters: 5 for 13 - 4 singles 1 triple 3 walks 3 K's.  

Brooks Lee switch hitter: 0 for 4 - 0 -3 against LHP with two K's. Simple 0-1 vs RHP.

Final totals 

Right handed Hitters - 3-21 with 9 K's 

Left handed hitters - 5-14 with 3 K's

It's one game... it means nothing.

Just pointing it out because it needs to be pointed out.

We faced one of the 25% and survived without a lineup stacked to the right handed hitting rafters. 

 

[Doctor Gast]

All these years of facing Jose Ramirez, they still haven't learned not to pitch to him.

[Doctor Wu]

So the Twins ARE able to lay down bunts! Good on Clemens! That's a skill he must have learned on one of his other teams! As others have said in this thread, Clemens has turned out to be a very handy player; one that hustles, makes good plays and gets clutch hits. Not an all-star, but I think he's a keeper. The fact that we claimed him and he's produced better than expected has turned into a sort of happy accident. Maybe we can find a few more players like that in the near future. 

[Doctor Wu]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

Brooks Lee switch hitter: 0 for 4 - 0 -3 against LHP with two K's. Simple 0-1 vs RHP.

After that one great game last week, Brooks is sliding back down again into the canyons of mediocrity. Can we still hope for that "great, natural hitter" that we drafted?

[Riverbrian]

20 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

After that one great game last week, Brooks is sliding back down again into the canyons of mediocrity. Can we still hope for that "great, natural hitter" that we drafted?

Yes we can still hope for that. 

[BillyBallLives]

16 hours ago, Danchat said:

I don't think they make it to 100 losses. 

Oh ye of little faith.   :)

[jmlease1]

I'm uninterested in seeing Urena much more and hope he's relegated to long relief (or off the roster) when other starters get back and healthy again. He's definition of organizational filler.

Wallner is who he is: big power, good patience, low BA. He's still having a decent season (OPS+ of 115) in this mess of a year and has a place for the future.

Nice to see Martin and Julien getting another chance; they did the work in AAA to earn their way back up even without the fire sale, so I'll be curious to see where they end.

This is a good opportunity for Sands to find his form of last year and make the back end of the bullpen not a total disaster. I don't mind Topa, but wish Tonkin would go away. I didn't like bringing him back in the offseason much, and he's been injured and bad this year. I've been wrong about plenty this year, but wasn't wrong on that one.

In conclusion, Eff the Pohlads and sell the team!

[David Maro]

Don't get to excited this team struck out 41 times in 3 games. As far as Clemens goes that was all him. We all know that Rocco would not want to waste an out on something like that.

Here is something that I found the other day. This is for all the fans that think the HR is the end all be all. The number of players with 25 or more is 17 in both AL and NL.

[Unwinder]

It'd be cool to get a "who are all of these guys in the bullpen now?" article

[P Meyer]

Vindication for Falvey. 

[mluebker]

18 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Clemens decided to bunt.  Rocco did not call for it.

How could he not call for the bunt in that situation? Surely, that's what his iPad would tell him.

[mluebker]

3 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

The fact that we claimed him and he's produced better than expected has turned into a sort of happy accident.

Sshhhh, don't say that within earshot of the front office or he'll be gone before we know it.

[mluebker]

53 minutes ago, David Maro said:

We all know that Rocco would not want to waste an out on something like that.

Sorry (not sorry) to keep mentioning it, but this looks like a team ready for Doug Mientkiewicz. Even if you hate him, he'd be better than Rocco, the team would be more fun to watch, and outside of the improvement, we'd never know the difference (to quote Groucho).

[NYCTK]

15 minutes ago, mluebker said:

Sorry (not sorry) to keep mentioning it, but this looks like a team ready for Doug Mientkiewicz. Even if you hate him, he'd be better than Rocco, the team would be more fun to watch, and outside of the improvement, we'd never know the difference (to quote Groucho).

He just got into yet another twitter spat, this time with Jeff Passan. I don't think Doug would be able to handle the job. 

He seems to lack the maturity or leadership you would need in that level of position. 

[Mike Sixel]

21 minutes ago, mluebker said:

Sorry (not sorry) to keep mentioning it, but this looks like a team ready for Doug Mientkiewicz. Even if you hate him, he'd be better than Rocco, the team would be more fun to watch, and outside of the improvement, we'd never know the difference (to quote Groucho).

I might not pay attention at all if they do that. 

[P Meyer]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Yes we can still hope for that. 

The sooner the Twins get a manager in that wants to teach, the sooner that hope comes. Pray for a sale.

[Senior Softball Guy]

I think the addition of Roden has lit a fire under Wallner and Larnach. Abel looks able and Urena will have to find a new role. We may have found the Jose Ramierez remedy! He is now 1 for 11 versus his fellow Ramierez!

[Riverbrian]

6 hours ago, P Meyer said:

The sooner the Twins get a manager in that wants to teach, the sooner that hope comes. Pray for a sale.

Either teach or believe in what has been taught. Not sure which is not happening. 

[mluebker]

7 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

8 hours ago, mluebker said:

Doug Mientkiewicz. Even if you hate him, he'd be better than Rocco, the team would be more fun to watch, and outside of the improvement, we'd never know the difference (to quote Groucho).

I might not pay attention at all if they do that. 

C'mon, you'd have to take a look for curiosity's sake, if nothing else!

We're in uncharted territory already--why not the moment when, "Just when everyone thought it was safe to return to the ballpark, but ... HE'S BACK!"

[mluebker]

8 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I don't think Doug would be able to handle the job. 

He seems to lack the maturity or leadership you would need in that level of position. 

Yeah, but remember, MLB is an entertainment business--think Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley. It doesn't have to be about maturity, just putting butts in seats for the show!