Mariners 4, Twins 3: Defensive Brain Freeze from Twins Leads to Mariners Walk Off

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

He has made a Lot of mistakes, he is a highly paid professional.

He has played baseball for a long time, if he does not know that when there is a runner on third, who if he scores the game is over ,  one makes darn sure if it is on him, he does every thing to prevent that.

The rookie excuses for him ended a long time ago.

Royce also wears fashionable clothing but lets save the negativity for another day shall we….

[Linus]

Royce not knowing where to go with the ball has nothing to do with the number of games he has played at first. Even as a third baseman you have to understand what needs to happen on a ball hit to the infield. One of the most basic things taught in Little League and Babe Ruth ball is “what do I do if the ball is hit to me”. He blew it - plain and simple. 

[knothole61]

Caratini is puzzling to me...he has such a strange countenance. If I could pick three players off the current Twins' roster who would never come to bat in a crucial situation he would be one of them, and Gray would be the other two! 

[MMMordabito]

In as expected news, Skubal to the Dodgers. This is a stupid league. Twins are choosing to play stupid games, and getting stupid prizes like Nance, Minter and Kremer.

[Andy MacPhail]

A good entertaining game, they could have won that game & felt like they would. Morris didn't deserve the loss; he did everything right. A good veteran 1Bman would have made that play but Lewis isn't there yet, I don't fault him, he'll learn from it. Sure, every play you preplan what you're going to do under each scenario. But that was reactionary play & reactions at 1st are different than 3rd. The reaction of a 3rdman, in a play like that is to run to your base (like Lewis did) you still have 2nd or 1st for a force. A 1Bman has nowhere to go for a force out.  That's why they keep practicing plays like that & years of experience, so you gain confident & it becomes natural. Yet many 1Bmen would not make that play. It would have been nice if they won that one, they would be flying now. But they didn't, so you go on & win the next one.

[Werbellik]

11 hours ago, Derojo said:

It's not a brain freeze. He hasn't played enough games at first base to call it that. It's called a lack of training and repetition. With proper training and enough repetition any player will automatically make that play to home without hesitation. 

Royce has a +1 DRS and has a stellar .992 fielding percentage so far at first base. AI also he's quickly adapting to the angles and scoop requirements of the position. We've found his new home. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

8 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Today was actually a good loss. Sports psychology is a thing. This keeps the guys thinking about other plays that could have won the game. It was exciting and it was brilliant/brutal bang bang. This is meaningful baseball inAUGUST. 

Great post Fat.

[thelanges5]

This was a team loss, everyone played a part. Pitchers walked 8 batters, batters only scored 3 runs, defensive lapse that would have sent the game to extras. 
 

Who would’ve thought the 2026 Twins would be playing meaningful games in August or buying at the deadline? Certainly not this guy.  Go Twins!

[1985Fan]

There are certain players that don’t have high “baseball IQ”. Royce, Martin, and maybe Keaschall are those types of players. Remember when Royce failed to tag a runner in front of him in a game last year when playing 3B? Same type of failure. Martin has thrown to the wrong base more than once during his time in the OF. I’m old school where these kinds of mental errors should not happen at this level, especially for a team like the Twins that is not talented enough to overcome defensive errors. It’s more a condemnation of baseball today that players get to the big leagues without understanding basics. I think it’s due to their high athleticism that allows them to get through levels without accruing baseball IQ. 
It’s not the worst thing to happen and it’s something the team will have to learn from and move on. Eight walks given up and two runners thrown out on the bases is also concerning. We have to accept the good with the bad and hope there are more good things happening to help Twins win today. 

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

defensive lapse that would have sent the game to extras. 

Granted that if Lewis makes the correct play, any of a few options really, it only lets his team live to try again for another inning.

But there is a special place in my cold, cold heart for players who are prone towards losing a game on the spot.  Jake Cave lost a game in Kansas City with an ill considered dive for a sinking liner that he could have corralled, which would have let his pitcher survive to face another batter and maybe wriggle out of the jam with his lead still intact.  Instead it went for an inside the park home run and the game was essentially over.  Years later I'm still salty about it, as regular readers will understand.

Josh Bell essentially ended the Twins chances the other day with a base running blunder.

"He can beat you in so many ways" is an ultimate compliment to a ballplayer.  "He can beat his own team so many ways," not so much.

Twins players should not want to be mentioned by me in the same breath with Jake Cave or Josh Bell, except maybe if the bat alone is under discussion. I'm not anybody important, but they still shouldn't.

[bean5302]

15 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

He gave up 3 runs in 5 plus innings, he made the necessary adjustments.  That is what you want to see from your less experienced pitchers.  Both Prieliepp and Matthews should be in the rotation right now unless they get a #3 or better.  They are giving a chance to win most every game they pitch.

Matthews is a bullpen arm. I was a big proponent of his, but he doesn't have the stuff.

[bean5302]

12 hours ago, Linus said:

Royce not knowing where to go with the ball has nothing to do with the number of games he has played at first. Even as a third baseman you have to understand what needs to happen on a ball hit to the infield. One of the most basic things taught in Little League and Babe Ruth ball is “what do I do if the ball is hit to me”. He blew it - plain and simple. 

What a take... Ever think about why doctors have internships or why when you get a new job you need experience to be good at it? Why do MLB teams or NFL teams have preseasons? Knowing the plays is different than running them.

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, bean5302 said:

Matthews is a bullpen arm. I was a big proponent of his, but he doesn't have the stuff.

Again results mean nothing.  So he can consistently get into the 6th inning giving up 2 to 4 runs and he is not a starter.  Has a career high in strike outs and they send him down.  Abel has now shown he can do it yet or has Rojas.   I will take the one who is producing.

[Craig Arko]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Granted that if Lewis makes the correct play, any of a few options really, it only lets his team live to try again for another inning.

But there is a special place in my cold, cold heart for players who are prone towards losing a game on the spot.  Jake Cave lost a game in Kansas City with an ill considered dive for a sinking liner that he could have corralled, which would have let his pitcher survive to face another batter and maybe wriggle out of the jam with his lead still intact.  Instead it went for an inside the park home run and the game was essentially over.  Years later I'm still salty about it, as regular readers will understand.

Josh Bell essentially ended the Twins chances the other day with a base running blunder.

"He can beat you in so many ways" is an ultimate compliment to a ballplayer.  "He can beat his own team so many ways," not so much.

Twins players should not want to be mentioned by me in the same breath with Jake Cave or Josh Bell, except maybe if the bat alone is under discussion. I'm not anybody important, but they still shouldn't.

Huh, I always pictured you as a Mickey Hatcher, Lew Ford, kinda guy.

[KirbyDome89]

13 hours ago, Linus said:

Royce not knowing where to go with the ball has nothing to do with the number of games he has played at first. Even as a third baseman you have to understand what needs to happen on a ball hit to the infield. One of the most basic things taught in Little League and Babe Ruth ball is “what do I do if the ball is hit to me”. He blew it - plain and simple. 

There's a small, albeit vocal, segment of the fan base that genuinely believes the Twins "ruined," Royce Lewis. They're not going to find fault with him, hence the mental gymnastics to defend what was a painfully obvious mental lapse. 

[Exiled in Illinois]

Inexperience here is no excuse.  There are only two plays to make here, and he has the experience to make him.  The conservative play is check the runner back to third, then step on the bag.  The big league play is going for the difficult double play, first throw to second, then catch the return.  Anything else is a mental mistake, and they happen, but he's played the infield enough to know better.  

[bean5302]

5 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

Again results mean nothing.  So he can consistently get into the 6th inning giving up 2 to 4 runs and he is not a starter.  Has a career high in strike outs and they send him down.  Abel has now shown he can do it yet or has Rojas.   I will take the one who is producing.

The results are too long to ignore. Matthews doesn't have the stuff or command for the rotation. He added a sinker and it wiped his K rate, and he doesn't have any out pitches.

The sinker and slider are average and his other 4 options are below average in terms of stuff. Opposing hitters don't chase his offerings outside the zone much, but if they do, they make contact, and Matthews gets barreled like crazy. He just doesn't fool anybody. Almost the exact same M.O. as Varland as a starter.