Astros 6, Twins 4: Walks Do Haunt

[Cory Moen]

Image courtesy of © Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan - 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (91 pitches, 57 strikes (62.6% strikes))
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA (via Fangraphs): Joe Ryan (-0.49), Tristan Gray (-0.06), Brooks Lee/Austin Martin (-0.05)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

After a series win against the lowly Colorado Rockies, the Twins won the first game of the series against the Astros in a tight 5-4 win. The Twins took the field looking to climb closer to .500 and stay in the midst of the playoff picture, just over halfway through the season. They sent ace Joe Ryan to the mound; the Astros countered with offseason trade acquisition Mike Burrows.

The Twins showed a good approach against Burrows in the first inning, loading the bases with a single and two walks prior to Victor Caratini being hit by a pitch to take a 1-0 lead. Ryan Kriedler, playing center field for an ailing Byron Buxton, added to the lead with a single to left field.

The Astros made a little bit of noise right away in their own right, getting two runners on base in the bottom of the first before Ryan was able to get out of the inning without giving up any runs. 

Astros third baseman Raynel Delgado led off the bottom of the third with a double, and it looked like the Astros might score after a groundout moved him to third base with one out. Ryan had different plans, striking out Yordan Alvarez and then inducing a groundout off the bat of Isaac Paredes. 

The Astros broke through in the bottom of the fourth, however, in decisive fashion. After an RBI single off the bat of Yainer Díaz cut the Twins' lead to 3-1. Ryan struck out Nick Allen, but then walked the next two hitters, making it 3-2. Demoralizingly (and, as it turned out, fatally), Ryan appeared to be out of the inning on a called third strike to Jose Altuve, but Altuve challenged the call. It flipped from a vital strikeout to an RBI walk and brought Alvarez to the plate with the sacks still packed.

Then, Yordan Alvarez did what Yordan Alvarez does. 

The Twins answered with two two-out hits of their own in the top of the fifth, as a single by Kody Clemens and a double by Josh Bell trimmed the deficit to two runs. The bullpens for both teams were lights-out, not giving up any runs—which meant that the Twins never got any closer. For the Twins, Eric Orze and Marco Raya threw two scoreless innings apiece, while a contingent of four relievers for the Astros threw innings six through nine, finishing off with Josh Hader completing his eighth save of the season.

What’s Next?
The Twins will play a rubber match against the Astros on Wednesday evening, sending Taj Bradley (6-3, 3.98) to the mound, while the Astros will counter with Tatsuya Imai (5-3, 5.36 ERA). 

Bradley is coming off of two solid starts against the Diamondbacks and Rockies and will look to continue a solid overall year to this point. In his most recent start against Colorado, he threw seven innings, giving up two runs and striking out seven in a Twins win. 

After tomorrow’s game, the Twins will spend an off day in New York prior to a three-game set against the Yankees.

	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	P
Raya	0	40	0	0	25	65
Banda	11	0	14	0	0	25
Morris	6	0	12	0	0	18
Funderburk	20	25	0	0	0	45
Orze	14	0	0	0	23	37
Gómez	0	0	4	7	0	11
Rogers	0	9	0	0	0	9
Adams	0	0	0	35	0	35

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[Sampson5]

Tragic full count on both of the walks before the gs .. new it was coming tho that's what happens when you pitch to Alvarez but it is what it is.  Cool to see raya & orze need the Astros scoreless rest the game at least gave the offense a shot at a comeback but wasn't meant to be . Also it may be time to get a new outfielder up in the majors neither martin or fedko is contributing much these days maybe time to find someone who can especially with buck hurt and likely out for a few games 

[RpR]

[RpR]

Shelton said the three singles were what bothered him most.

[Saxophone Joe]

Seems like Joe’s high pitch counts have hurt him a good chunk of his outings this season.

[thelanges5]

My current least favorite thing is the free pass. Twins are 23rd in walks per nine.

Old man shouts at walks!

[Jacksson]

Way to tank your trade value; nice going Joe !!

This performance is exactly why Ryan should be traded at the deadline.

[Parfigliano]

Raya looked good.

[Jacksson]

Quit coddling Buxton the Tin Man.  You don't have enough guts to put him on the DL because he is your so called best player and without him in the lineup your chances of winning games is diminished.  BUT he is less than 100% and that means when he is banged up he is not your best player.  The team is going nowhere and Tin Man needs to go onto the DL so he  can get closer, by getting healthier, to being himself.

[Church of Kreidler]

Not how I was hoping tonight would go, that’s for sure! Hopefully just an off night for Ryan, and not hints of what’s to come… No second half slump, please!

But, an incredible outing by my man Kreidler! His bat was hot, his glove was hot… What can’t the man do!

Carry the entire team on his back, unfortunately… But not for lack of trying!

[DocBauer]

No excuses, Ryan probably just had a bad day. It happens. But I have to wonder after being sick, adrenaline kicking in for the Ohtanit matchup, was he just a bit drained for tonight's game? 

Orze pitching better is a solid I guess.

Raya throwing 2 good innings is a silver lining. I really want to see his young arm get opportunities. 

[Jacksson]

Ryan's problem is between the ears.  When things don't go well or as expected, he falls apart.  He needs: a strong catcher in calling a game, a pitching coach experienced in dealing with pitchers who get rattled, a manager who can see that his pitcher is getting rattled and is prepared to take action.  This guy needs to be coddled and have his head screwed back on straight by trips to the mound by: Catcher, Pitching Coach & Manager.  This lack of cold, hard, composure is what is holding Ryan back from being a top starter.  With time, experience and coaching he may eventually "get it" and then again he may never "get it".

[Parfigliano]

9 minutes ago, Jacksson said:

Ryan's problem is between the ears.  When things don't go well or as expected, he falls apart.  He needs: a strong catcher in calling a game, a pitching coach experienced in dealing with pitchers who get rattled, a manager who can see that his pitcher is getting rattled and is prepared to take action.  This guy needs to be coddled and have his head screwed back on straight by trips to the mound by: Catcher, Pitching Coach & Manager.  This lack of cold, hard, composure is what is holding Ryan back from being a top starter.  With time, experience and coaching he may eventually "get it" and then again he may never "get it".

You could see Ryan's demeanor completely change when he didn't get the strike call on that pitch he thought was a strike.  Stuff like that gets in his head like it did tonight and next you know he gives up a multi run inning.

[h2oface]

3-2, 2outs. Runners on first and second. No challenge. It was strike 3, not ball 4 to Delgado. (bottom right corner of screenshot shown on broadcast). Ump missed what ABS wouldn’t have. Inning should have been over. No Altuve at bat. No Alvarez at bat. No extended inning and so many pitches. 3-1 lead to the top of the 5th. Not using accurate B/S ABS always changes the outcome of every game. 

[knothole61]

38 minutes ago, h2oface said:

3-2, 2outs. Runners on first and second. No challenge. It was strike 3, not ball 4 to Delgado. (bottom right corner of screenshot shown on broadcast). Ump missed what ABS wouldn’t have. Inning should have been over. No Altuve at bat. No Alvarez at bat. No extended inning and so many pitches. 3-1 lead to the top of the 5th. 4-1 victory. Not using accurate B/S ABS always changes the outcome of every game. 

Sad but true, H2O! I do not understand the value of a limited ABS system.

I remember a game at Met Stadium in the 1960s (I believe Tom "The Blade" Hall was hurling) and the ump had a real tight zone. The guy in front of me would stand up periodically and pull his glasses off and hold them out toward the ump while shouting "Hey try these pal" and other more graphic expressions. I was a young man and I thought it was really funny. So, I guess the only thing to be lost in going to a completely automated ball and strike system is robing the fans of the joy of hating the umpire--and that is a very rich and ancient baseball tradition!

I do not, however, think that is reason enough to keep the human element involved in the calling of balls and strikes. These games mean a lot to people. We have the ability to get every call right and we should avail ourselves of that technology as soon as possible.   

[Peter]

Lewis and Caratini cost us game!!! Should’ve used abs to get strike 3 and Royce need to get in front of ball-very upset to see 3-0 lead disappear-give up grand slam-actually I agree with poster on getting rid of Ryan!!! He’s kinda a flake and it’s time to end the 🤡🤡🤡Joe Ryan experience 

[h2oface]

5 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

My current least favorite thing is the free pass. Twins are 23rd in walks per nine.

Old man shouts at walks!

And the Dodgers are dead last. Go figure. 

[howeda7]

3 hours ago, h2oface said:

3-2, 2outs. Runners on first and second. No challenge. It was strike 3, not ball 4 to Delgado. (bottom right corner of screenshot shown on broadcast). Ump missed what ABS wouldn’t have. Inning should have been over. No Altuve at bat. No Alvarez at bat. No extended inning and so many pitches. 3-1 lead to the top of the 5th. Not using accurate B/S ABS always changes the outcome of every game. 

That was the play of the game right there. Caratini has mostly been good on challenges, but not using one there was inexplicable. 

[Patzky]

5 hours ago, DocBauer said:

No excuses, Ryan probably just had a bad day. It happens. But I have to wonder after being sick, adrenaline kicking in for the Ohtanit matchup, was he just a bit drained for tonight's game? 

Orze pitching better is a solid I guess.

Raya throwing 2 good innings is a silver lining. I really want to see his young arm get opportunities. 

He said post game that was the "most tired he has ever been" on the mound. So maybe you're onto something. That illness bug started the slope right out the door for Sim. 

[Saxophone Joe]

I remember the broadcasters using the illness excuse to explain away 2-3 starts last second half, too. 

[DJL44]

44 minutes ago, Saxophone Joe said:

I remember the broadcasters using the illness excuse to explain away 2-3 starts last second half, too. 

Probably because he also had an illness last season.

[Riverbrian]

Unless Kyler was ill or injured.

The manager choosing Alex Jackson to pinch hit for Tristan Gray against the left handed Hader means that Kyler Fedko can be sent back down to AAA. 

We will face three left handers in a row. July 4, 5 and 7 so Fedko may get a 3 game run but he isn't getting anything to prepare for it. 

[Saxophone Joe]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Probably because he also had an illness last season.

This is just me sitting behind my keyboard judging a professional athlete, so take with a grain of salt of course, but if you're healthy enough to go to work, then excuses about being ill don't carry much weight imo. We're not talking Jordan during the Flu Game here. 

I said this last week - Joe was in the dugout supposedly with an illness on Monday and Tuesday, but was good enough to pitch on Wednesday? If you're too sick to work, then you should be at home resting, not at work hanging around your coworkers. Then again, I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it's not out of the realm of the possibility there was no illness and he simply wanted to pitch against Ohtani. 

Also, you know, don't walk two straight batters to face one of the best sluggers in baseball with the bases loaded! Of course, plenty of blame to go around with that clown show of an inning. Definitely not all on Joe. 

One more point: He's coming real close to showing up his fielders with his over-the-top reactions to balls going through the infield. 

[Blyleven2011]

75 games remaining , there's going to be good days and bads days ahead ...

Ryan had a bad outing and walks will definitely haunt , Ryan usually doesn't walk that many per game and not 2 in one inning , the melt down was obviously coming,  ( to bad so sad ) ...

Get Bradley to pitch a gem of a game and win today and win the series and this game will be forgotten ...

[MinnInPa]

this L is all on Ryan .. posted a 3 run lead.. there is one thing he couldnt do w the bases loaded ..give up that shot.. a dribbler thru the infield wouldnt have sunk the team. horrible pitch right down the pike. He, like most Twins pitchers ,live too much in the middle of the plate. Ryan gets stubborn at times and thinks his 94 mph fastball will get by MLB hitters.. Do better Joe

[mnfireman]

8 hours ago, DocBauer said:

No excuses, Ryan probably just had a bad day. It happens. But I have to wonder after being sick, adrenaline kicking in for the Ohtanit matchup, was he just a bit drained for tonight's game? 

Orze pitching better is a solid I guess.

Raya throwing 2 good innings is a silver lining. I really want to see his young arm get opportunities. 

Ryan had a bad month, his June ERA was 4.91 over 6 starts.

[bean5302]

9 hours ago, DocBauer said:

No excuses, Ryan probably just had a bad day. It happens. But I have to wonder after being sick, adrenaline kicking in for the Ohtanit matchup, was he just a bit drained for tonight's game? 

Orze pitching better is a solid I guess.

Raya throwing 2 good innings is a silver lining. I really want to see his young arm get opportunities. 

No excuses: He was sick? He was drained?

He was "regression"

[Woof Bronzer]

7 hours ago, h2oface said:

3-2, 2outs. Runners on first and second. No challenge. It was strike 3, not ball 4 to Delgado. (bottom right corner of screenshot shown on broadcast). Ump missed what ABS wouldn’t have. Inning should have been over. No Altuve at bat. No Alvarez at bat. No extended inning and so many pitches. 3-1 lead to the top of the 5th. Not using accurate B/S ABS always changes the outcome of every game. 

The box isn't official, and not using full ABS absolutely does not change the outcome of every game, lol.  No one forced Ryan to serve up a center-center meatball to Alvarez.  That changed the outcome of the game for sure.  Throw a better pitch, Joe.  

Add all the ABS (which is only accurate up to about 1/6 of an inch) and replay you want, fans are still going to complain.  Because fans don't actually want the "accurate" call, but the call that benefits their team.  

[David Maro]

Plain and simple this one was all Ryan's fault. The Astros hitters weren't swinging at has waste pitches so they got to 3-2 counts. His pitch count was 91 after 4 innings.

The other problem was the lineup that had Burrows on the ropes in the 1st and let him off. He was at 25+ pitches after one and they decided to swing at first pitches making quick outs. 

They have to be excited about what Raya did in this outing. He got out of trouble in his 1st inning and pitched a 1-2-3 second inning.  

[shimrod]

10 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Because fans don't actually want the "accurate" call, but the call that benefits their team.  

Fans are accustomed to an inaccurate, often biased system. Occasionally corrupt. In such a system you want the call to go your way. Given the option of an objective, repeatable, accurate system most if not all fans will choose accuracy. 

The challenge system isn't it. It's much better than before but the limited challenges, plus the need to challenge, still allows mistakes.

In my opinion the potential for challenge has already done a lot to clean up the calls. Maybe it's eliminating conscious or unconscious bias, "situational" calls, or likely umps simply perform better with immediate feedback on their mistakes. Whatever the reason it's better than before. Next year the league should take the next step and incorporate ABS for every pitch. 

If nothing else ABS will speed up the game and eliminate a point of contention between players, managers, and umps.