I can’t blame a lick of this on the pitchers. Maeda, May, Duffey, Rogers pitched 8.0 IP, 1 ER. Romo pitched an ugly ninth but got three outs before a run crossed the plate. It’s everyone else I’m mad at, with Polanco holding a special place in hell.
"Brilliant given that strike zone". Only the most power of power pitchers who instigate swings and misses on everything could thrive with a zone the size of a shoebox. And even they likely suffer, as hitters would probably realize not swinging is better than the alternative. Greinke and Maeda, two of the stingiest pitchers in all of baseball, had a 6.0 BB/9 rate today. The two of them walked 20 batters combined this season.
The ump's zone almost dictated an early exit. Maeda can't just pump heat over the plate and get away with it. He lives and dies with pinpoint control and the ump wasn't giving him **** laterally around the zone. Hell, the ump didn't give him several pitches over the ****ing plate.
It just occurred to me, having watched every one of these 17 atrocities called baseball games, that the Twins almost always started stronger than the other team. 17 losses, 11 times the Twins scored first. I'm so effing sick of this team. I'm so effing sick of watching them jump ahead and then lay down to die.
I don’t agree with several of Baldelli’s moves in this game but ultimately, the players were pathetic at the plate. He can’t go out there and give them life. Buxton and Cruz in the 8th were particularly bad.
It has been a long time since they were good. They couldn’t compete with expanded local coverage and moved to broadcasting only programming that involved talking heads who yell at each other a lot while being wrong.