Angels 5, Twins 4: Walker Jenkins's Big Moment Not Quite Enough

[LastOnePicked]

1 hour ago, PuckettPond said:

If Jenkins & Erod do not play every CF inning in 2027 the Twins will have a losing season.

Depending on how Pablo recovers, that might happen even if they do.

[LastOnePicked]

35 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

You would think that Royce was the only batter having trouble yesterday. The Angels starter was nasty. Everyone was struggling until the bullpen entered the game.

That's fair. But his at-bats certainly don't seem all that professional lately.

[LastOnePicked]

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

Recall his very first homerun was from a position player Pitching in a blowout game.  Great job Jenkins!!

1st HR off a 37.4 mph pitch in a blowout.

2nd HR off a 100.9 mph pitch with the game on the line.

Kid loves the extremes.

[djvang]

53 minutes ago, Peter said:

Do you guys think next year will be Royce’s last year with twins? He needs to lose the stupid face paint as he should be hitting 30 home runs a year especially if he’s playing first base. His I don’t do slumps is beyond dumb- twins need to give him one year prove it or lose contract!!! 

The face paint is a sign of cockiness that he hasn't earned. His ego thinks he's a lot better than he is. Reminds me of JJ McCarthy. Prove you're a star before you start acting like one.

[Senior Softball Guy]

Taj was "effectively wild". I remember Bobby Witt, Sr when he pitched for KC would be all over the place, not even close to the strike zone , then he would paint the edges. Hitters were afraid to dig in and he used that to his advantage. Close circuit to the haters: Taj IS NOT THE PROBLEM!

[Senior Softball Guy]

5 minutes ago, djvang said:

The face paint is a sign of cockiness that he hasn't earned. His ego thinks he's a lot better than he is. Reminds me of JJ McCarthy. Prove you're a star before you start acting like one.

....or David McCartney, the Stanford superstar that went quietly into the abyss.

[HarmonK03]

54 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

That's fair. But his at-bats certainly don't seem all that professional lately.

And Bell's have been as just one example.

[Scott51104]

"That’s called Brad Radke syndrome"

And another: "If you don't get to Wynn early, you don't get to Early Wynn."

[djvang]

5 minutes ago, Scott51104 said:

"That’s called Brad Radke syndrome"

And another: "If you don't get to Wynn early, you don't get to Early Wynn."

 

[Saxophone Joe]

25 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

And Bell's have been as just one example.

As a Bell guy, I must admit he's come up short a lot in key moments over the last month+. Of course, you could insert almost every name in our lineup in the previous sentence. 

[David Maro]

Bradley's problem is and always has been between the ears. His stuff is above average but he needs to have a more bulldog mentality. Maybe should sit down with Jack Morris this off season.

As far as Lewis goes he may have found the position he can play,but his bat doesn't play. When he stands tall in the box he is fine. The problem is when he dives out over the plate swinging at pitches he shouldn't. He loses his top hand and the bat. That may be a pitch recognition problem that should have been dealt with long ago. I think he should move on to a different organization who maybe will be able to fix him. This organization is in the bottom of the division again and has to change or the fan base will.

[1985Fan]

Lewis’s struggles with the low and away pitches is the hole in his swing. Thats been true for a lot of MLB hitters, including guys like Tori Hunter, who I watched flail away at low and away sliders his entire Twins career.
To be fair, last night’s Angels pitcher was nasty with the changeup that no one was hitting. He made all the Twins hitters look foolish. Lewis looks like he’s trying to pull everything which makes him vulnerable to low and away pitches. Twins aren’t alone and are like many teams that have adopted the Driveline philosophy of teaching every hitter to pull and lift for power. The problem with that approach is it should be paired with a situational awareness that adjusts for two strikes, or going with the pitch if that’s where they’re pitching you, or just needing to put the ball in play. 
I personally think the issue with Lewis and other twins hitters is a hitting coach not solely focused on analytics. Twins need a hitting coach that understands the mental side of hitting, not just the mechanical part. I think they need a lead/head hitting coach that has a MLB track record that players like Lewis respect and will listen to. Someone that has been through the battle and understands the approach needed for different situations and how to adjust to what pitchers are doing to hitters. Pairing a Don Mattingly type coach with an analytical coach might be the way to unlock Lewis and many more Twins. 

[Saxophone Joe]

Laughing at this game recap being filed under "Twins Minor League Coverage" on the TD homepage. 

Throwing shade?;)

[Saxophone Joe]

15 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

 Pairing a Don Mattingly type coach with an analytical coach might be the way to unlock Lewis and many more Twins. 

While you're at it, get Ron Washington over here as an infield coach. 

[mrmpls]

1 hour ago, HarmonK03 said:

And Bell's have been as just one example.

1 draft choice-   comparing that to Bell  ?   laughable

[bean5302]

Gomez's inability to throw strikes or get grounds balls is finally catching up to him. Think I saw an article here just the other day talking about him anchoring next year's late inning bullpen, but I sure hope not.

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, mrmpls said:

1 draft choice-   comparing that to Bell  ?   laughable

The whole team has been taking poor at bats, the focus seems to be only on Lewis.  I used Bell as an example. The comments towards Royce have been a little too much IMO.  There are plenty of factors to talk about when discussing the failures of this team.

[D.C Twins]

3 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

So first Royce has to stop flailing away at the low and outside pitch say the comments, then when he does lay off one, he has to start approaching those pitches differently.  This is where to me comments about Royce start losing their effectiveness.

Yes Royce had a bad night last night and he was laying off those pitches better until mid August, even though I don't think it has been as bad as it was before he was sent down.  And yes you have to protect the plate with two strikes, but that is something that every batter in the lineup struggles with, how many pitches have we seen right down the middle with 2 strikes being taken.

Royce was not a pull hitter when he came up, this is the Twins way of teaching players to hit.  Yes Royce deserves his share of the blame but someone needs to look at the development of these players and ask why they didn't work out, not all these players should be average or below.

Who knows what happened or is going on with Lewis.

The one thing I do know is that I'm no longer interested in finding out and hope the Twins are no longer interested as well

[Danchat]

Great game for Jenkins, who wins or loses at this point isn't relevant, the young'uns just need to keep learning and developing.

What is with the 1st inning woes for Bradley? He's dynamite afterwards.

I'd really like to see Raya or another reliever with a future get some chances in the bullpen... next season's pen looks like it could be average, but the warts are showing. Gomez's regression was inevitable, Morris' has been disappointing... but is the likes of Nance (high WHIP) going to be back at age 36? Funderburk is an acceptable reliever but I believe he's out of options next year. 

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, D.C Twins said:

Who knows what happened or is going on with Lewis.

The one thing I do know is that I'm no longer interested in finding out and hope the Twins are no longer interested as well

Going forward in development of our players, you would hope they would want to review what went wrong.  Not just with Royce but with all the others.  Otherwise you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

[Saxophone Joe]

8 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

Who knows what happened or is going on with Lewis.

The one thing I do know is that I'm no longer interested in finding out and hope the Twins are no longer interested as well

At least the Lewis family winery (which is called...wait for it...The Winery?) got some free pub during last night's broadcast. 

You know he would love go back to any of the SoCal teams. Probably even the Giants...

Well, I'll always smile thinking of Royce's walk-off against the Royals when he told Audra, while surrounded by his teammates, "We love each other." Awww....those were the days.