Twins Video
Around the same time on Wednesday night, Louie Varland was exploding into a ball of fiery rage on the mound at Tropicana Field while Byron Buxton was getting himself ejected from a Triple-A game after repeatedly barking at an umpire.
These displays were, on both counts, uncharacteristic. We're talking about two generally mild-mannered players who keep their emotions under control on the field. But sometimes, it all just becomes too much to take.
That was the case for Varland in St. Petersburg, where the Rays jumped all over him in a single inning for eight earned runs, with all the damage unfolding faster than you can say "Lou." It was a terribly familiar series of events for the right-hander, who was cruising merrily for two perfect innings before Tampa's lineup exploded to completely take over the game.
A combination of poor defensive play and miscues from multiple players contributed to this meltdown, but Varland brought much of it on himself with poor pitch location and a costly errant pickoff throw. It all culminated with a two-run homer by Yandy Diaz that ended Varland's day, but not before the camera caught him screaming with anger to no one in particular as he paced around the mound.
Varland's palpable frustration was understandable, from his perspective. For one thing, he let his team down in a key late-season contest, turning a close game into a surefire loss in an instant. But for him personally and his development, this is another crushing blow. The right-hander's future as a major-league starter is almost certainly out the window, and Varland's ability to simply hold his own in the majors at all is very much in question. He's now 0-6 with a 7.62 ERA in what was supposed to be his breakthrough year at age 26. He just can't get over the hump.
Neither can Buxton as he battles physical issues that just won't stop holding him back. Playing the second game of his rehab in St. Paul on Wednesday night, Buxton got into a back-and-forth with an umpire who failed to reset the pitch clock after the batter called a timeout. Buxton's continued chirping after striking out led to his ejection. As Do-Hyoung Park noted at the time, he has never been thrown out of an MLB game in his career.
Buxton's irritation was justified to an extent, but as a veteran player trying to get reps in while building back up toward a return to the majors, this was a bad look from someone who should know better. It seemed at the time like something else might be at play, and on Thursday morning we learned that this was indeed the case. The center fielder reportedly experienced renewed hip soreness in the game before the fateful plate appearance, and his rehab has been placed on hold.
I can't even comprehend how sick of this Buxton must be. Nearly every season he's been unable to contribute when September and October roll around. Here at a time where the Twins direly need him, that looks to be the case again. He's going to come up short of 100 games for a sixth straight (non-2020) year. Most maddeningly, this injury is a difficult one to clearly understand, as MRI scans on Buxton's hip came back "clean" but he's been able to shake the persisting discomfort.
His rehab has been placed on pause and with only about three weeks left in the season, Buxton's ability to return at all this season is very much at risk. Meanwhile, Max Kepler joined him on the injured list Thursday while Carlos Correa remains sidelined indefinitely.
It's the same old, same old. For Buxton, for Varland, for the Minnesota Twins. If you can relate as a fan to the frustration that these players put on display Wednesday night, you're far from alone. This just sucks.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now