Twins Game Recap (7/19): Twins Have No Answer To A’s pitching

Three game lead now!?!? I'm starting to have a bit of anxiety about the possibility of the Yankees coming to town and sweeping the Twins while the Indians overtake them in the division. That would be the worst...

BUT. You have to play the games. Twins win today and we're back in the groove.  Let's be positive. Win today and tomorrow and we take the series. One game at a time. What happened to this juggernaut offense? How about an ole' fashioned 11-5 drubbing tonight to cure what ails us?

The front office can motivate the Twins by announcing a big trade today, I can feel it in my bones, they've got to be pulling the trigger on a deal any minute now.

If I'm not mistaken I believe I heard Rosario's pinch hit 3 run bomb was the first 3 run HR since June 5th. If that's the case, that a worrisome stat as it shows the team is not:

1) Hitting well in with RISP

2) Getting multiple hit innings

Sure they've had some 4-5 HR games but it those are mostly solo shots.

On a positive note Marwin's HR was great. If you watched the highlight you can see he choked up on the bat to make solid contact with two strikes. He still hammered it while choking up. It would be nice to see if some of the others are doing the same thing.

Seeing Hendriks perform so well brings mixed emotions.  Am happy for the young man.  Am sad as I wanted him to do well for the Twins.  Then disappointed when we lost him.

 

But he really points out how difficult it is to find, and keep, quality relievers.  Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the A's released him last year before bringing him back?  And now he is one of the best in the game.  Finding a great reliever is almost like catching lightening.  There just aren't many Rivera's or Nathan's out there...you know, guys that are great year after year after year. 

Yes, the A's DFA'd him last year and nobody claimed him on waivers. So they kept him. 15 years ago we'd attribute his increase in velocity to performance enhancing pharmaceuticals. There's no reason to believe that's the case here so I guess we just have to assume he's a late bloomer. Every now and then that happens.

Someone needs to tell KC and Detroit they are allowed to beat Cleveland once in awhile.

Someone needs to tell the Twins front office they're allowed to improve the team during the season.

That would also be nice.

Is anybody concerned that the front office will no longer make a big move at the deadline?

Falvine talked all offseason about waiting to make a move and spend money until they had a better understanding of what they had, personnel wise, etc.  Wanting the young guys to all be on the same timeline.

I think it's become pretty clear that the team that came flying out of the gates the first two months of the season is simply not what this team is.  It was a fun story, but the bats especially have really come back to the pack.  The team we've seen the last 6+ weeks is more than likely the truer representation of this group than the team that was setting records, etc.

The FO has to know this.  Is anyone else getting worried that instead of making a splash, they make some marginal move and more or less stand pat and keep prospects to continue "building" the team?

Viewing the first 2 months as more of a "pop" up scenario than a real chance to push all our chips in on a championship caliber team?

I'm literally just spitballing and I have no way of knowing one way or another.

I don't think that's a hawt taek, at all.

 

Perhaps any move made will be even more tilted toward long-term controllable talent, and no rentals for a 2019 push at all.

 

Or, if the FO is really pessimistic, only rentals, at minimal prospect cost.

 

I think I can reverse-engineer any deadline outcome, after the fact.

I really think that's how things will play out.  Which is fine!

I just think folks need to recalibrate their expectations considering the last 6+ weeks of mediocre play. Just my thoughts

To further illustrate the slide, Gleeman just tweeted these numbers:

Twins' overall OPS:
April/May — .849 (#1 in MLB)
June/July — .802 (#7 in MLB)

Twins' OPS with runners in scoring position:
April/May — .888 (#2 in MLB)
June/July — .733 (#24 in MLB)

Twins' OPS in high-leverage spots:
April/May — .897 (#3 in MLB)
June/July — .620 (#28 in MLB)

Thats... if that happens, its cowardly in the extreme.

Thanks USAChief. You said it much more nicely than I would.

Thats... if that happens, its cowardly in the extreme.

Agreed!  really, really hope that doesn't happen.