TB 8, MIN 7: Playing The Wrong Notes

That call was very bad.

It was a sloppy game by the Twins in a number of different ways. To blame it on the manager isn’t accurate. Lynn has to be better than what he has shown so far

Not a great night for Mollie.  He seems to have some conceptions of his team that are not quite accurate right now.  I am not sure why he doesn't ride LaMarre's hot bat and his bullpen use has been curious at best.  On the other hand, the players seem to have some rust in the field. 

i agree with you generally, however...

The FO improved the team by acquiring these players.

 

Duke is being misused. He should still be good against lefties

 

Lynn is way better than Hughes. It’s still early, he can rebound, or one of the many reinforcements that aren’t quite ready yet can take over. It’s a one year deal.

 

You could be right on Rodney, but this seems to be his MO. He’s been effective over his career with this odd approach. Im not sure how much more of this I can take. I’m torn...

But Molitor has made it abundantly clear with his actions that he has no intention of using a LOOGY correctly. So, that's still on the FO as well.

Tough loss. If that groundout by Miller doesn’t bounce ten feet in the air off the mound, the game is over.

Morrison getting a homer and another deep fly - very promising.

I don't mind the call. Sure I would have liked for it to go our way but we just need to play better.  We certainly can. It seems like the pitching staff has a different approach this year, which may be contributing to more walks.  Maybe as the staff get's into the groove there will be less walks.  Either that or we need to challenge hitters earlier in the count.  

I'm usually one to hold umps/refs accountable for bad game changing calls, when others say the team should've done more in the first place.

In this case, the latter is right.

When you play baseball poorly in terms of fundamentals (errors, too man walks, hitting batters), you leave yourself open to that. Compound the facts that Molitor continues to make repeated head-scratching bullpen moves and they (someone--Falvine?) insist on giving Rodney the ninth despite the warnings of every down to my three-year old and you have the makings of a problem.

I'm nowhere near jumping ship right now. But it's extremely frustrating for a team likely fighting tooth-and-nail for the last wildcard spot to be dropping games like these. This game literally might be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.

i guess in “the buck stops here” sort of way, but not in the “roles and responsibilities” way. FO can coach and provide all the data and suggestions but if they start dictating to Molitor how to perform his role, it makes it pretty difficult to recruit the next manager. Using a LOOGY as a LOOGY is on the manager.

Not at all suggesting they micromanage Molitor.

What I mean, is they chose to bring Molitor back, and they know he will not use a LOOGY.

So, they have/had two choices.

Hire a manager that will use a LOOGY.

Or, don't sign a LOOGY, when you know your manager won't use him properly.

Duke. Rodney. Lynn. These new additions have been disappointing.

Sano seems to have basically said "screw it" and plans on literally hitting a HR or striking out every time.

Rosario and Kep, gotta love 'em. Let's get Buxton back and get the OF together again! Twins can still take 2-of-3 from these guys, and they should.

I like Grossman as a hitter (when he's not in a slump) but why Grossman is playing outfield instead of LaMarre is the puzzle for me.  I know the Rays had a right-handed pitcher, but right now I don't think Grossman is even hitting .100 and Lamarre seems to be hot, not to mention a better outfielder.

This also confuses me. I saw this in Puerto Rico and thought "okay, maybe Molly's playing the veteran for the big nationally televised affair" (that was the only way I could justify it). 

LaMarre should be in the OF, not Grossman.

Mistakes were made.

Disconcerting to see Sano strike out against Romo's frisbee sliders. 

He has to do better in that situation.

Walking the number 9 hitter in the 10th to get lefty-on-lefty with Denard Span?

Questionable.

And, got some bad breaks. At least the Twins are getting some clutch hits.

I'm in the minority, but i appreciate that Molitor is making lineup decisions based on the larger sample size.

I simply don't believe you can predict when a hot or cold streak will start or end.

To me, it should take more than a few dozen plate appearances earn or lose playing time.

Agree with everyone bashing on Molitor. His mistakes started before the game even began.

Grossman has no business starting on a team hoping for the playoffs. When you're best skill is walking, you probably aren't that good of a player. He also has the defensive value of a parked car.

Lynn going out for the 7th was stupid. Let Pressly take the entire inning.

Rodney should be done at closer. but we figured that before the season started. Having a closer is stupid, but if we insist on having one it should be Pressly, not Rodney. No reason to not let Reed take the 9th too tonight, as he only threw 8 pitches. 

I'm hoping when Buxton is reactivated Grossman is that man out, and when Hughes is brought up Kinley needs to be let go. No reason to play with a 24 man roster.

Very frustrating loss. Go Twins. 

But Molitor has made it abundantly clear with his actions that he has no intention of using a LOOGY correctly. So, that's still on the FO as well.

Thank you for putting me in a position to defend Mr. Molitor.*

With roster spots at a premium the "LOOGY" pitcher has become a luxury most teams cannot afford these days. Lefties have to have the ability to get out right-handed batters these days or they, most likely, are going to be looking for another job.

*do I really need to mention that was sarcasm?

LaMarre doesn't have a "hot bat". He has struck out a lot, has no extra-base hits and literally every ball he's put in play has found a gap.

 

If we're going to get mad at Molitor for not taking statistics into consideration, we need to be consistent. The underlying numbers on LaMarre clearly show that his hot streak is a mirage. 

I'm promoting LaMarre simply because, right now, he's the hot hand. Also, I believe a ball got by Mr. Grossman last night that Kepler, or, perhaps, LaMarre would have caught. 

I believe it's up to the Manager to identify the hot bat and use it until that bat cools down. Obviously, this is not done with players that are considered regulars but, I don't consider Grossman to be a regular. 

My biggest frustration with Mr. Molitor is that he seems to make the conventional decisions that are safe and won't be questioned. I see very little innovation is Molitor's approach to the game.