MIN 7, CLE 1: Twins Battle Their Way to Another Victory

7 runs is good. 15 strikeouts is horrible.

Nice job by the Twins cobbling together some runs today and taking what the Indians gave them. Tomorrow's game is a big one. Big Game Gibby on the hill!

Rosario hitting .369 over his last 30 games with 7 HRs and 24 RBIs.

Probably time to push "The Anatomy of a Failing Offense" article down several more spots on the board .... The Twins have 39 runs in their last 6 games ... That's 3/4 of a run better than the Yankees average

As soon as I write the club off, they get themselves in a position to take 3 of 4 from Cleveland.

Rosario is unreal. Since Puckett, I can't think of a player I enjoy watching more. It's not only the wild swing, but the passion with which he plays the game. His enthusiasm while rounding the bases after a homer, while still not bat flipping and showing others up like a dunce, is infectious.

Another wild comparison that comes to mind: Vlad Guerrero. Has anyone other than he had this much success with that type approach? He's routinely taking pitches a foot out of the zone and driving then over the fence, while simultaneously sustaining a high BA. Pretty incredible.

Lynn clearly has the stuff to be a good starter, as he only gave up 2 hits in 6 innings, but he just has to figure out his command. If he continues to straighten things out

One of these is Lance Lynn's career.  The other one is Tim Lincecum's career.

If you have followed Lincecum, you know which is which... but appears the issue isn't control so much as it's being outside of the strike zone in the wrong place.

The Twins have knocked out some tough pitchers the last two days. Bauer and Carrasco have both given the Twins fits over the years. Good to see that and also to see continued quality pitching. Lance Lynn worked out of trouble a few times and gave the Twins 6 innings. 

A win tomorrow won't come easy against another tough pitcher (Mike Clevinger) so Gibby better have that sinker working against a very elevation-happy Indians ball club. A win tomorrow would be huge against these guys going forward. A series split would be acceptable, but we really need that game tomorrow to keep gaining ground on the guys, who only come to Minnesota one more time.

As soon as I write the club off, they get themselves in a position to take 3 of 4 from Cleveland.

Rosario is unreal. Since Puckett, I can't think of a player I enjoy watching more. He

Yeah, fun as Buck is to watch, Eddie is likely to do ANYTHING. I'm waiting for the ghost of Billy Martin to teach him to steal home.  

Happiness is doing what you absolutely had to do no matter what in a 4 game series and still have one game to go.

Rosario's OPS is up to .878  

Lynn needed this outing. 

I want to be as excited as the next guy....

but I think we can all agree that 7.5BB/9 inngs average will not equate to 1.50 ERA's in many starts going forward. 

This is just a blip on the screen unless the control thing is figured out. 

The Twins have knocked out some tough pitchers the last two days. Bauer and Carrasco have both given the Twins fits over the years. Good to see that and also to see continued quality pitching. Lance Lynn worked out of trouble a few times and gave the Twins 6 innings. 

 

A win tomorrow won't come easy against another tough pitcher (Mike Clevinger) so Gibby better have that sinker working against a very elevation-happy Indians ball club. A win tomorrow would be huge against these guys going forward. A series split would be acceptable, but we really need that game tomorrow to keep gaining ground on the guys, who only come to Minnesota one more time.

More important for Gibby than his sinker is his breaking ball which is at a historic swing and miss rate, that is why he's been better.  He's no longer a sinker ball pitcher but a strike out guy...which is the key to his success 

Lynn needed this outing. 

Loved that Molly let him pitch the 6th, pitch count be dammed@

Really liked the guys announcing the game on FS1 today, (Not a knock on our guys). One thing I found interesting was a comment probably discarded by most, where they commented about Garver behind the plate and a feeling he was getting more and more comfortable, and helped Lynn`s last couple of innings by changing up the game calling. Blast him if you want, but I believe this was the 8th game he has caught this season in which the Twins allowed 1 or zero runs.

 

Isn't making a staff feel comfortable and calling a good game still the single most important part of being a catcher?

Hildenberger on WCCO this morning talking about Garver and his comfort in working with him.