Twins 4, Braves 2: This Time, Bullpen Holds

[Patzky]

5 minutes ago, David Maro said:

It's time for Jeffers and Buxton to s__t or get off the pot. This team scoring in the 1st and zip after that isn't going to work for long. You can't load the bases with no outs again and again and not score. Time and time again man on 2nd no outs and can't even get them to 3rd. They aren't playing baseball when things like this happen.

I'll take Bell Lee or Clemens in the highest leverage ABs.

[Patzky]

18 minutes ago, chinmusic said:

Needs approval from Jeffers; former keeper of the sausage

I thought it was Farmed Sausage.

[Jacksson]

The "GLOWING" report on the back-end members of the Twin's bullpen needs to be tempered with a dose of reality.  Hoffman comes in and needs to get 3 outs.  After a strikeout he gives up a double to Keaschall in RF.  Since I didn't see the play, I don't know if it was a REAL double, a player assisted single played into a double or what should have been an out, charitably, hometown scorer, called a two base hit.  Then, Hoffman gives up a grounder towards the middle, which, except for the defensive effort of Clemens to not only keep the ball in the infield, but to also turn it into an out, would have resulted in a run scored and the lead reduced to 4-3.  So now with 2 outs, a runner on 3rd and still with a 4-2 lead, Hoffman proceeds to throw a total of 8 pitches to Dubon.  Two of the first four were in the dirt for balls (this is wise nursing a 2 run lead with a runner on 3B??) while the decisive in the count, 7th & 8th pitches were dangerously close to being in the dirt, down and away.  This put the tying run on first with still 2 outs.  Fortunately, with the count 1-1, this batter swung at Ball #2, low and away and flew out to the LF to end the inning.

Let's interrupt this to relate to the Twins' offensive performance in the bottom of the eighth, when, with the bases loaded via a HBP, single and an error on a sacrifice bunt, the bases were loaded with ZERO OUTS.  In short order, 2 pop outs to 1B and a ground out to 2B would end the threat and keep the lead from being padded.

Gomez, our "ACE"  Closer begins his performance by throwing 4 of 5 pitches for balls up and away to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs.  He is able to entice a groundout to 1B on a heater down and in on his 2nd pitch for out #1.  Now in LF, since the top of the inning, after his stellar defensive play in the previous inning, Clemens is awarded the opportunity to record the final 2 outs by catching fly balls off of fastballs which had been thrown for strikes but were down and away.  Game Over.

 

[Danchat]

4 hours ago, Jacksson said:

Since I didn't see the play, I don't know if it was a REAL double, a player assisted single played into a double or what should have been an out, charitably, hometown scorer, called a two base hit. 

I saw it, it was a real double.

[bean5302]

7 hours ago, USAFChief said:

An hour rain delay and you're STILL getting food bottom one?!??!?

It wasn't an hour haha. I arrived at game time, got my beer first. Then I met up with friends I hadn't seen a while at our seats because they arrived early and were bugging me. It was a weird chain of events. Rest assured, though. If I had been in the seats and left to get food in the 4th, the Twins would have held off to score all their runs at that point. They employ spotters for when I leave my seat.