Phillies 3, Twins 1: Christian Vazquez Homer Breaks of Aaron Nola Perfect Game, No-Hitter, and Shutout; Twins Lose

For those who did not watch the game, I would like to add to Matt Braun's fine summary and agree that Joe Ryan was excellent, even dominant at times.

Ryan did give up a pop fly home run that was probably only out in Philadelphia. The Philly batter deserves credit for keeping his bat in the zone a long time and although fooled and off his front foot managed to lift the ball into the first row. Ryan had  great facial reactions, mouthing "Really".

The bats? Oh well.

Sweet to see Christian Vazquez hit a line drive into the seats and Clemens had a solid triple. Some bad plate appearances though made Nola look better than he is and he is pretty good.

A recurring problem that does not show up in the box score was the 3 errors on plays that MLB players make virtually all day every day, all of which were recorded as base hits. Pitch counts go up and Ryan felt like he needed to strike everyone out. The ongoing poor defense needs to be addressed this winter.

If teams who are going to be looking for a top of the rotation starting pitcher this winter were wondering about Joe Ryan, they can likely be assured that he is the real deal. The price just went back up to where it was a month or so ago.

35 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

Am I the only one who thinks that resigning Vasquez at a smaller contract would not be the worst thing we could do?   Also, I have had enough of Larnac and Wallner.

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I commented about that earlier in one of the minor league reports, but I too would like if the Twins signed Vazquez to a contract. Maybe it's only one year 3-4 million, but there isn't much immediate catcher depth for the Twins right now. I also appreciate his motivation to get back to the Twins to end the season even if it doesn't matter

Caught some of the game.  Is it just me or is Julien a complete hack at 1B.  Can't get his feet right, misses the base.  Very poor looking defender.

My son played several little league games on Joe Ryan’s home little league field.  So we’ve enjoyed cheering for him, especially as a Twin.

I made sure to tune in last night to catch his last outing with us.  Sad, 

8 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

My son played several little league games on Joe Ryan’s home little league field.  So we’ve enjoyed cheering for him, especially as a Twin.

I made sure to tune in last night to catch his last outing with us.  Sad, 

Sad indeed, especially if this is indeed his last outing.

22 minutes ago, Patzky said:

It's absolutely necessary. He's the only one who can take control of calling the game as it's required. Joe called him out after the game, saying he was glad to have him back (HR didn't hurt). 

You want to gamble? Trade Jeffers, sign Vazquez and choose from Pereda and Tait.

I like your reasoning. But we also have to consider Vazquez is getting older & may have to play less, IMO, Pereda won't be able to take up the slack (even if he turns out) plus Tait is a ways away (even if he makes it at all). So IMO, We still need a promising young MLB-ready catcher to round it off next season.

Watched Duran through "Talking Twins", he was impressive & wish him & Bader well.

Playing Julien at first base amounts to criminal negligence at this point.

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

And just where is this "promising young MLB-ready catcher" to be found?  And what's the price?

There are a few & most would be reasonable but I don't trust Falvey to actually go out & initiate trade on any.

3 hours ago, Patzky said:

You want to gamble? Trade Jeffers, sign Vazquez and choose from Pereda and Tait.

I'm not sure how serious you are, but Tait isn't even close to ready for the big leagues, and Pareda's OPS was even worse than Vazquez's in his time with the Twins if that's even believable. Tait wasn't bad, but his performance in Cedar Rapids was not so inspiring that he needs to be pushed to the big leagues until at least Opening Day 2027 probably even farther out. The Twins don't have much immediate help at the catcher position for 2026, which is why resigning Vazquez is of interest

4 hours ago, Old Twins Hat said:

Caught some of the game.  Is it just me or is Julien a complete hack at 1B.  Can't get his feet right, misses the base.  Very poor looking defender.

Well, Julian was much better at second base than he has been at first base. That is not an endorsement but rather a reality. Also, remember that Julien doesn't fill out the lineup card.

Putting Julien at first base highlights all of the ways that the position  exposes those who are inexperienced in the nuances of playing there. That is why people should think twice when suggesting player X should learn to play first base. Consider that every simple ground ball to an infielder can potentially end in disaster due to poor glove or footwork by the first baseman and one can put to rest that it is the bottom of the defensive spectrum. 

If Julien is to ever make any positive contributions for a baseball team it won't be at first base.

55 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

That's a Falvey-ish non-answer.

For years, I hear that "Oh, there are no trades out there". Yet I see serious FOs making trades I like. I won't waste my time giving my ideas to someone who'll say "Oh, that'll never happen." If Falvey is serious, he can make stuff happen. If I feel you are serious, I'd be happy to share my ideas. If you really want to know, you can check my past posts or go to Baseball Trade Values, they are plastered there. 

6 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

And just where is this "promising young MLB-ready catcher" to be found?  And what's the price?

Some want the Twins to be a AAAA team, for rookie wannabes.

8 hours ago, Patzky said:

A weak DH candidate for next season (DH is designated hitter not dark horse or didn't know)

DH for some other team, or AAA, hopefully some other AAA team.