Twins 4, Orioles 7: Birds' Bats Buzz Against Varland

Time for Varland to take an extended vacation in St. Paul.

Yeah, not too many 4-seamers work well right down the middle. Most major leaguers can hammer a cookie tossed right down Broadway. Varland needs to work mostly along the bottom of the zone with that cheese. Maybe torch the top on 3 and 2, and maybe sometimes bust some knuckles, but otherwise, down. Almost never, ever in the middle. 

Good to see Miranda hitting the ball hard. They really need his bat that showed promise in 2022.

Guess Varland isn’t the answer. 

Another lethargic loss.  I'm a Varland fan but he needs to at least be taken out of the rotation and probably sent to St. Paul.  Go Twins.

Need a win tomorrow but not sure how the Twins scratch runs across.

13 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I see the young hitters were good, and the veterans were not.....hmmm.....

Martin looks more comfortable at the plate than Buxton. Almost like the more time you spend with the big club, the worse you get.

No one uses the DH more flexibly than the Twins. 

Only 15 games in so I really hate to push the panic button, but this team as presently constructed and performing is staring at a 90 losses.

For those that are supporters of Falvey and the front office---what moves did they make in the off season that are paying off?  I can't think of anything. 

Santana has been a complete bust.  Topa hurt & unavailable.  DeSclafini out for the season. Margot not producing much of anything also.

Vazquez is a complete fail as a hitter.  Stuck with him this year and next as NO TEAM will take on his contract.

Although Buxton has been healthy--so far, the loss of Lewis and Correa has resulted in zero if any pop in this lineup.

Can't argue with those pushing for a Varland demotion.  Wallner needs to join him.

49 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Time for Varland to take an extended vacation in St. Paul.

Actually, it is time for him to go back to the Pen... where he excelled. Was adamant about his role before the season... his stuff plays there... not in the rotation. 

3 minutes ago, specialiststeve said:

Actually, it is time for him to go back to the Pen... where he excelled. Was adamant about his role before the season... his stuff plays there... not in the rotation. 

Exactly.  Asset in the bullpen, liability in the rotation.  

I think the biggest difference in the was the first inning. .Mullins makes a great catch   to rob the Twins of at least one run and Julien makes an error that gives Os 2 runs.  This is 2 games that the Twins defense has given away.

7 minutes ago, IaBeanCounter said:

I think the biggest difference in the was the first inning. .Mullins makes a great catch   to rob the Twins of at least one run and Julien makes an error that gives Os 2 runs.  This is 2 games that the Twins defense has given away.

 

Yea I was wondering about that. I couldn’t watch the game but a botched double play early in the game is huge. How is that not a significant point in the game recap?

Let's see.......Bowman is going down due to not being available for 3 days, and Varland, who should go back to the pen where he is effective, can't right now because he is not available for 5 days.   We need a couple of longer starts the next few games until we can straighten out the staff and refine their roles.  The St. Paul shuttle bus might have to be tuned up, but it can't be the only answer.  And we HAVE to straighten out this infield, or the pitching is the least of our problems.  

I was always taught that the 3 most important components of the game were pitching, hitting, and defense.  Right now, I just wonder if we are putting our guys in the positions that best suit their skills.  The powers that be decided on this roster, and we are going to have to dance with the date we brought to the dance, but are we playing the right guys in the right spots at the right times?  Smarter minds than mine will ultimately decide that, but this old timer doesn't think so.  Stop the musical chairs in the field and in the batting order, and put the guys in positions they can get comfortable in and are best at.  That includes defined roles for our bullpen, not the match ups the computer tells us game by game and inning by inning.  We have a decent team; one that can win this division.  But they won't if they keep playing musical chairs in the 3 areas I mentioned above.  Utility players are a special breed; not everyone plays the role equally.  Yet we seem to think we have half a dozen regulars and an even longer list of either utility players or platoon players.  How many rosters like that win championships?  26 players, position and pitchers, given definitive roles and allowed to do their best where they play the best, stand a chance.  Has anyone seen that the first 15 games?  I just hope that we see it as the season goes along, or it will be a painful season. 

Tough loss tonight , bad defense to start the game and we are playing catch up ...

Varland has good stuff but the hitters like it when it is down the middle , I like varland always working quick but a few more starts like this and he is definitely a Bullpen  option  or even a AAA option to keep him stretched out , he needs to locate better , he doesn't walk many ..

It wasn't all varland fault tonight  ...

Good game for Miranda and Jeffers tonight ...

So I started keeping track last year of all games that were played fundamentally sound in the field. I gave up after a month or so because it was so rare. Same thing this year. When they play a clean fundamental game it is noteworthy because it doesn’t happen often. People seem to dismiss it as being old school but over the course of 162 games this level of sloppiness is going to cost a team a half a dozen games. When it comes to the playoffs that is huge. Of all the stuff that people complain about regarding Rocco (bullpen usage, pinch hitting, lineups) this is the thing that people should be pissed about. 

Louie has been a tremendous let down, but the rest of the team isn't much better. They're all bad right now.  I'd give Varland one more start, and if he gets hammered again, it's time to get him outta the rota. 

7 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

One more thought - question.  Farmer 071 bats fourth??????????????????????

I was watching the Baltimore broadcast, and their announcers said the Twins have now pinched hit for their lead off hitter and their cleanup hitter you don't see that very often and the other guy said, not sure I have every seen that without an injury. Some people just don't understand the brilliance of the Twins.

The piling on Varland is kind of weird IMO. he pitched 94 pitches which is generally more than all the other pitchers go (besides Lopez) and that should be in the pen? Edit : I was totally wrong the first time , he gave up 4 earned runs and 11 base runners. He gave up two earned runs in 5 innings and only 6 base runners. Yes even after the error in the first he could have gotten out of the inning with no runs, but hits do happen (I mean for other team not the Twins /s)

IMO this game should help him stay in the rotation not hurt him Remember the Twins pitchers don't get to face the Twins hitters but when they did today they dominated (Hays and Holliday.

I have always cheered for Wallner and hoped like heck he was going to turn out (and maybe he can) but he is so lost right now it seems like the only way he isn't going to strikeout is if the pitcher hits him with a pitch. He needs to go down and regroup or come up with an injury where he can rehab in Florida and get this straighten out. I felt bad for him coming to the plate against Kimbrel knowing he probably wouldn't even be able to foul a ball off.

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I see the young hitters were good, and the veterans were not.....hmmm.....

But Vazquez hit the ball hard, so doesn't count as being bad. /s

But to be fair only Jeffers and Mirnada seemed competent on the whole team (young and old) 

I think a few of the Twins hitters might want to take a peak in the other dugout to watch professional hitters that don't sell out every pitch and at bat for the long ball. Watching Westburg and Rutschman last night was a absolute joy on how hitting is supposed to be done. I will also give Jeffers credit the last few games looks like he really has cut down on the over the top swing for the fence mentality and Miranda's single on the change up he was kind of fooled by was one heck of an at bat.

9 hours ago, darwin22 said:

Only 15 games in so I really hate to push the panic button, but this team as presently constructed and performing is staring at a 90 losses.

For those that are supporters of Falvey and the front office---what moves did they make in the off season that are paying off?  I can't think of anything. 

Santana has been a complete bust.  Topa hurt & unavailable.  DeSclafini out for the season. Margot not producing much of anything also.

Vazquez is a complete fail as a hitter.  Stuck with him this year and next as NO TEAM will take on his contract.

Although Buxton has been healthy--so far, the loss of Lewis and Correa has resulted in zero if any pop in this lineup.

Can't argue with those pushing for a Varland demotion.  Wallner needs to join him.

 

 

Their hands were tied so they had hit to it right with dumpster diving. And they failed miserably, or at least it seems that way.

To me, the biggest culprit remains Popkins. Yes, the lineup isn't the 1927 Yankees. But you have guys that are approaching 200 points below their career batting average. How many 3 pitch - strikeout looking ABs have there been - a lot. There is no plan of attack. No adjustments are made. Julien, Lewis, and Wallner last year came up to the big club and immediately contributed and looked comfortable. Julien and Wallner are regressing although the former is starting to show signs of life. Lewis is just talented enough to overcome whatever it is Popkins and Co. are teaching. This year, Martin looks steadier and more competent than Buxton and Santana. That should never happen. This roster, as constructed, should not be this anemic at the plate. Until they make a change in the dugout, and it doesn't have to be Rocco, this season is a lost cause.