Rays 9, Twins 4: From Opener to Close, Twins Beaten Badly

no comment.

One bad inning , ONE BAD INNING ...

did I say one bad inning ...

Twins need to play flawless baseball or these are the results we can expect ...

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

Too many ugly games lately.  Twins have now lost 11 of their past 16 games.  Yes 5-11 and firmly entrenched in a wild card.  They have been under .500 since the all star game.  Plus overall they are just playing ugly and uninspiring baseball.  They should win Thursday with Lopez.  But you never know.  

For the first time I'm concerned that the 2024 Twins will miss the postseason.

Two years ago I avoided watching the Twins in September because a malaise had rooted in the quality of their play that was too much to overcome. Last September, just the opposite. Same manager. Same team, mostly.

I've led successful teams in my work, which requires a proactive team effort toward a specific destination. My visible focus is essential to motivate others to take ownership of it. My impression is that Rocco Baldelli is a laissez-faire skipper who trusts that the team vibe on its own will lead to success. Great approach when all is well, and a big mess when slumps deepen. I'm a Rocco fan, but something has to jolt everyone when things get stuck. That's a place for a vintage year Gary Gaetti, and these Twins absent Carlos Correa appear to lack such a person.

Happy to read more knowledgeable explanations, even in sharp disagreement.

Evidently Varland is not the answer....

Losing 3 of 4 to Tampa (hasn't happened yet, but is possible) should not happen, even short handed. This team is not poised to take the next step with the current leadership. I'm not a fire the manager and FO type, but this team was not constructed to get performance out of the biggest, and most likely to be injured positions (SS & CF). The BP is overused and becoming ineffective, and the team refused to acknowledge these weaknesses. 

What is it called when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results....

Another tough loss; but the hope I take from this one is that Varland looked good for two innings before the inevitable implosion. For whatever reasons, he really can't be trusted in the long run, but for an inning or maybe two, I think the Twins have found a shiny new bullpen piece--a sixth or seventh inning Mr. Clean?

Rocco and his musical chairs is getting old.Everyday they come in to a different position and now it has caught up to them.

Did anyone see Farmer's face after Julien wasted an at bat PHing and striking out on 3 pitches.He looked like he was mad as HE double tooth picks.

This team is falling apart at the seams and if they stay in the playoff picture it will be short lived.

Now we all can see why it took until the end of the season for Varland to be called up.He is and may never be ready for the major league.He still is and may always be a thrower not a pitcher.

The twins need to be thanking their lucky stars that as inept as they’ve been, the entire rest of the American League has been right there with them (other than Detroit), or they’d have completely played themselves out of a wild card spot right now. They have to start to get it together or they’re going to have an embarrassing collapse ala 2007 Mets 

6 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

He retired 6 straight when he entered - that works. 96-99mph with the fastball. I have never thought he has the attention span nor patience to be a good starter. He walks around the mound like he needs a valium to calm down. Things go south a bit and his concentration/command goes out the window. He’s effectively got a 2 pitch mix and that doesn’t play after a few batters. I realize he wasn’t great in the 4th as an understatement but he got zero defensive help as well! I still think he’s good for 3-7 batters in a relief role (25-30 pitches).

You’re right, ouch!

Varland was part of the problem with his poor defense and then made some good pitches that turned into sloppy fielder's choices before he just let the Rays get crazy. The Twins need Carlos Correa at shortstop and Byron Buxton in centerfield. It shows almost every game. The game is designed for three outs and major league players are really good. When a team gets more than three outs, expect ugly.

Keep Varland on the roster. He threw 59 pitches tonight and should be ready for a short stint (1-2 innings) by Sunday. Agree that Louie is well suited for the bullpen. 

Over the last month, the Twins have been playing about 0.500 baseball. Considering that two of the better hitters (Correa and Buxton) and one of the better pitchers (Ryan) have been on the IL, this isn't terrible. I think what makes this feel like such a gut punch is the fact that Cleveland has not been playing well either and the division crown is sitting there for the taking. If Cleveland had made it a ten or twelve game lead, I think the Twins would be counting their lucky stars that they are still in good position for a wild card berth. Kansas City has also been pretty underwhelming as of late. This weekend's Royals-Twins series will tell us about the state of both teams moving into the final weeks.

The Tigers look like they are creeping up in the rear view mirror and if the Twins and/or Royals are not careful, the Tigers have enough time to make it interesting. They are only five games back with about three weeks to play and seem to be playing better than both the Twins and the Royals right now. 

Might be a good time to remember that the Twins were expected to win somewhere near 85 games this season. It is a long season. The number of days missed by key players has been pretty substantial and the disappointment of a few that the Twins were counting on for production should be notable. If the missed days and poor performances were known most would agree that a .500 record could be seen as fair.

Yet, the Twins are going to meet their projection and if (if,if) Correa and Buxton could actually play for just two weeks .... the division is still possible. Look around baseball and there are difficult stories for many teams.

Good teams do not implode defensively.

That is two consecutive games that the Twins have thrown the game away...say all you want about Varland, but you you cannot give a team five or six outs in one inning...

I think 139 games with 139 different lineups would tend to lead to some erratic defence.  

I'm pretty tired of all the excuses.  Injuries and miscues are part of the game.  Great teams find a way to overcome them.  The Twins are NOT a great team.  This season is over.  Period.  Hope you like football or hockey...

5 hours ago, USAFChief said:

This is completely incorrect.

The runner from first was off with the pitch--as I said in my first post--but there was time to get the force at 2nd. Not even a question. 

Here's the play, stop-actioned below. Lewis has the ball in his glove at this point:

 

Can you at least admit the infield was NOT playing in? They were HOPING for a DP. Why throw home? 

A team can just throw bodies at any position willy-nilly, with zero regard for how they play there, but there will be consequences.  Lewis pretty clearly doesn't know what he's doing. Hell, he broke for second on a hit to right on the first. WTH?

 

I don't see how you look at that picture and fault Royce for not going to 2nd. That's a bang bang play at best and an easy safe call at worst.

I was actually impressed that he chose not to turn the DP even though that was probably his first instinct given his fielding position.

The throw was really bad but the decision making was spot-on IMO.

10 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Ouch.  Just ouch. 

Anyone still looking to Varland as our bullpen savior?  

Well, there WAS that one clean inning. Maybe the bullpen is actually the best place to use him.