Game Score: Tigers 6, Twins 5

This might be the appropriate gif for when the season is over.

Are we still looking for an acronym/nickname for the bullpen? How about DEA (Don't Expect Anything!)?

Bullpen moniker: The Hoovers . . . cuz they suck!

My exact quote in the 9th “my god, they are going give up a grand slam”

bang

“Of course.”

I know we weren't going to get much for Robles, but to leave him out there for a thirty-pitch inning? There had to be a smarter way to lose than that

I'm sure the idea was to showcase Robles one last time - maybe a good outing would have netted the Twins a low-A prospect instead of just cash considerations. Like almost all Twins moves this year, it backfired as Robles imploded and got injured. Oh and lost the game for the team while he was it it. So now the Twins get nothing for him.

And Rogers goes on the IL, one more trade piece down the tubes.

This bullpen really is the worst. Sigh.

Even if Robles had a decent outing, it is hard to believe any club would have traded anything for him. He has just been awful. He throws 97 mph, but he has had an awful season. There are better reliever trade options on other clubs with losing records. 
 

By the way, I agree with Chief: there was nothing unusual about tonight’s loss. 
 

Great comments all!  I don't even get surprised anymore when they lose.  I've come to expect it.  What a miserable excuse for a bullpen.  Combine that with a manager who totally mismanages the pitching staff.  Why was Robles in there so long?  Let's hope Robles is ok so we can ship him to the Yankees for their batboy.  Hurry up and trade before anyone else gets hurt.

Oh and why are we so fundamentally inept?  Why did Sano go from 2 nd to third on a ground ball to short?  That's at least 3 times he's done that this year. No discipline on this team at all.  Come on Rocco put your computer down and manage.

I couldn't help but notice Sano, striking out with the bases loaded, with 2 outs and on 3 pitches, in the 10th. Pretty standard stuff for him. Then, he has a base running blunder in the 11th inning.  How can this man possibly have a future with the team?

4 minutes ago, Swing Batter-Batter said:

I couldn't help but notice Sano, striking out with the bases loaded, with 2 outs and on 3 pitches, in the 10th. Pretty standard stuff for him. Then, he has a base running blunder in the 11th inning.  How can this man possibly have a future with the team?

True, but frankly he shouldn't even have had to bat in the 10th or run in the 11th inning. The Twins had a 5-1 lead in the 9th and just needed 3 easy outs to finish off what was mostly a laugher.

Sano was awful, but he's probably not the one we should be angry at. In fact, I'm done being angry with Sano - I more just feel sorry for the guy at this point. It's like watching an old boxer still trying to fight. It's ugly to see this happen in front of a crowd, on TV, and his failures only invite pity and sympathy. At least from me.

Bullpen blowing a 9th inning lead 2 nights in a row is such a 2021 Twins move.   Both unbelievable but very believable at the same time    At this point Robles and Colome just need to be let go and give some tryouts to prospects.    I was also frustrated by the 10th inning at-bats of Kepler and Sano.  Sano was swinging to hit a grand slam when all we needed was a soft single.    Is anyone counseling the players on strategy or are they just not listening? In either case that is an issue that needs to be corrected.    I also would have kept Gordon in the game rather than pinch-hitting Larnach - although both are struggling of late Gordon can make something happen with his speed.   

29 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

I think my coping strategy for the rest of the season is to watch/listen solely for the purpose of seeing what asinine ways this team finds to lose.  It's almost entertaining in its own right, sadly.

With a well-timed shot of whiskey it can be entertaining, in a historical sense. Or should I say in a hysterical sense?

Robles started out the season great, then settled in as a decent bullpen option. He's been flammable in July, which happens to coincide with the period where the team is trash and has had very few bullpen options so he's getting run out there maybe a bit more than he should. (does it make sense for him to appear in 44% of the Twins games?) But the acquisition was fine. Don't let recency bias and the groupthink that "the FO is trash and can't do anything right"  overrule reality: Robles shouldn't be going out on back-to-back nights right now; it isn't going well.

Hope Garver is ok. 

Let's stop being mean to Hansel. It was hot and his tummy was upset.  It's all OK now, because Uncle Rocco tucked him in and read him a story.

30 minutes ago, MMMordabito said:

Let's stop being mean to Hansel. It was hot and his tummy was upset.  It's all OK now, because Uncle Rocco tucked him in and read him a story.

I don't think any of us non-professional athlete keyboard warriors should be taunting players going through heat exhaustion. Something about glass houses... 

Robles season long poor peripherals have been hidden much of the season by an ERA that gave the impression that he was a better option among the bullpen.

While ERA does tell the story of what has happened it is a horrible predictor of future performance outside of multiyear samples for relievers. A better predictor is xFIP and Robles xFIP has been the poorest among Rogers, Alcala, Thielbar, Duffey and Colome for much of the season. While his monthly ERAs vary wildly his xFIP monthly has been pretty stable in the 4s and 5s. He has one season in the last five with an xFIP below 4. He has not had a month this season with a xFIP below 4. He is the same pitcher he was in the winter when there was little interest. I would have been surprised if there was much interest at the deadline.

Not to be a Sano apologist whatsoever but the Twins still ended up with the same  situation, man on second two outs, IIRC? The Turtle kept running to second, good base running. This doesn’t negate Sano’s grade school base running though. The other team inexplicably ran Sano to the forward base, not the back one. Basically something taught to infielders in Jr. high school. I had to check to see whether it was Detroit or the Twins who committed that bungling mistake?

i love the big man (sano) however, when he's up to bat now in clutch situations i just know in my heart he's not going to come through. and, sadly, i am often right.

this season can't end soon enough - though i am still looking to go to target field for a game or two this year. i know the games won't matter but being in the park will feel good after a long time away. and i'll root for the twins no matter what.