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    CHW 7, MIN 3: Sox Get to Gibby

    Tom Froemming

    By Tom Froemming

    Image courtesy of © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

    Twins Video

    Kyle Gibson has been a steady performer this season, but Wednesday afternoon in Chicago the White Sox knocked him around a bit. Gibson failed to complete five innings for the first time since April 11 and just the third time overall this season in 26 starts. He also gave up three home runs for the first time all season. It was just the fourth time he’d given up multiple homers in the same game all season.

    Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs)

    Gibson: 12 Game Score, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 5 K, 4 BB, 59.0% strikes (62 of 105 pitches)

    Home Runs: Polanco (3)

    Multi-Hit Games: Forsythe (3-for-5)

    WPA of 0.1 or higher: None

    WPA of -0.1 or lower: Rosario -.143, Gibson -.402

    chart.png

    To make matters worse for Gibby, Logan Forsythe committed an error that eventually led to three unearned runs. On a positive note, Forsythe had another good day at the plate, going 3-for-5. The Twins actually had a 2-0 lead before they even took the field thanks to a Jorge Polanco two-run homer, but couldn’t get much else going at the plate from there.

    Gabriel Moya took over for Gibson with two runners on and two down in the fifth. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but then induced an inning-ending pop out. Matt Magill pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

    In the seventh, Addison Reed pitched his first 1-2-3 inning since June 6. In the 18 appearances he made between then and now, he surrendered 17 runs (15 earned) on 30 hits, four walks and a hit by pitch over 18 innings of work. On the downside, Reed still only topped out at 90.2 mph. To finish a positive day for the pen, Oliver Drake pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. He’s given up just one hit over 9 1/3 scoreless innings of work so far with the Twins.

    There were a lot of strange base running plays in the this series, but this one has to take the cake.

    Bullpen Usage

    Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:

    Bullpen822.png

    Next Three Games

    Thu vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Trevor Cahill

    Fri vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Sean Manaea

    Sat vs. OAK, 6:10 pm CT: Stephen Gonsalves vs. Mike Fiers

    Last Three Games

    MIN 5, CHW 2: Wild Final Inning Puts Twins Over

    CHW 8, MIN 5: At Least That’s out of the Way

    MIN 5, DET 4: Late Rosario Homer Lifts Twins to Elusive One-Run Victory

    Want to play the role of Twins general manager? Check out our free-to-use "You're The GM" offseason tool and build your own Twins roster!

    Build Your 2027 Roster
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    You can find more of Tom's work on his YouTube channel, TFTwins. He also runs a prospects/draft coverage Patreon with fellow Twins Daily contributor Jamie Cameron, Limestone Pipeline. 

    Follow Tom Froemming on Twitter: TFTwins
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    Featured Comments

    Dantes929

    Dantes929 4,640

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

     

    One question that arises in my mind over the Garver play and I cannot answer it.  Did Garver perceive that if he threw to second the runner from third would score.  I do not have a mental image of where the other players were - who would cover second and who would cover home?

      I get the confusion a little.   Usually when two guys are on the same base they just stay there accepting that one will be out.   I am guessing that Garver didn't want to compound the error by throwing to second and letting the run score because as you suggest he wasn't sure home was covered.    The run down you want is the one they had which is the one between home and third.     I'm sure when he saw them both on the base he thought he had an automatic out and just relaxed.     Bone headed but I will cut him some slack.    Sano definitely did not play it well either.    He should have waited  a little longer to throw the ball and the throw was high and soft.  Then he should get out of the way and circle back to back up third rather than back up to get the return throw.     I hold him just as responsible.   

    I don't think Garver has great baseball instincts.    My memory is that he cost us a game back when it really mattered when bases were loaded and there was a ball barely hit down the line.  Garver should have just jumped on it and tagged the guy coming down the line but instead kind of hesitated to see if it went foul and when the opportunity to actually get an out passed, grabbed the ball when it might have still gone foul.   Just bad baseball all around.    That one I was more annoyed about.

    USAFChief

    USAFChief 80,951

  • Twins Daily Contributor

    • Posted

     

      I get the confusion a little.   Usually when two guys are on the same base they just stay there accepting that one will be out.   I am guessing that Garver didn't want to compound the error by throwing to second and letting the run score because as you suggest he wasn't sure home was covered.    The run down you want is the one they had which is the one between home and third.     I'm sure when he saw them both on the base he thought he had an automatic out and just relaxed.     Bone headed but I will cut him some slack.    Sano definitely did not play it well either.    He should have waited  a little longer to throw the ball and the throw was high and soft.  Then he should get out of the way and circle back to back up third rather than back up to get the return throw.     I hold him just as responsible.   

    I don't think Garver has great baseball instincts.    My memory is that he cost us a game back when it really mattered when bases were loaded and there was a ball barely hit down the line.  Garver should have just jumped on it and tagged the guy coming down the line but instead kind of hesitated to see if it went foul and when the opportunity to actually get an out passed, grabbed the ball when it might have still gone foul.   Just bad baseball all around.    That one I was more annoyed about.

    You "get the confusion?"

     

    How would throwing the ball to second allow the run to score? If Garver was indeed smart enough to wonder if the pitcher was covering home--which seems pretty generous--a quick glance towards the plate before a throw to second was all it would have taken to confirm what he should have already known.

     

    The runner started back to second from third. The runner who was on third was all the way back to third. The Twins can't execute a throw to second, and back to home, in the time it would take the runner on third to go from standing on third all the way to the plate?

     

    There's zero excuse for getting no outs in that situation, and by all rights they should have gotten at least two, given the 2 trail runner's decisions to retreat 90 ft while one of our defenders held the ball near third base.

    Dantes929

    Dantes929 4,640

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

     

    Yeah I guess I'd put that about 99.9% on Garver. Maybe if Mollie would have yelled "throw!" he would have thrown it... to someone. Anyone. :)

    100% on Garver for not throwing to 2nd.   I still put  a good chunk on Sano for a lousy throw and for backing up for the return throw rather than getting out of the way.   Maybe he was wondering if he had backup.     The run down is ideally between home and third.     Yes, Garver should have checked home and then thrown to 2nd.    I understand hesitating and then freezing.    Anyone else ever make a bone headed play?    



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