insagt1

unfortunately Twins are getting very weak AB's. Why are they making this guy look so good.

OK--a very good inning for Paddock. Lets do some damage in the 5th. Play every inning like its your last. Twins could still pull an upset, but they need to get some hits. Somehow.

Twins just cannot seem to muster hits. AS we head for the middle of the game, they can't continue to waste outs. They are making this pitcher look a whole lot better than he is. Please guys....score some runs. Make this game interesting. All the right Astros are doing their job.

Astros a much better 2 strike hitting team. When Twins hitters get 2 strikes, they start looking for walks or they expand the strike zone and swing at bad pitches. Or they just look at strike 3. Its a conspiratorial comment, but sometimes it just 'seems' like umps know when a team struggles with strikeouts and they tend to give the pitcher the edges a lot more. Not at all scientific, but sometimes it sure looks like that is at play. Anyone else grinding teeth watching Mitch Garver dismantling the Orioles.

1st big key is not giving up runs in the 1st inning, or second. Don't take the fans out of the game early. Houston knows this and they will be super aggressive early to do just that. I agree the stage may be too big for the kids. None of them have performed well offensively. They have piled on the k's...even Lewis. Jeffers has had a bad series. When half a teams 27 outs are k's just about every night, you have to have near perfect pitching to survive. It happened against Toronto. Houston is a different story. Twins still can win tonight. But all hands must be on deck, ready to contribute. Can't be flooding the basepaths and leaving them there. I would dearly love to see a game 5, to see which team handles the pressure. I would not give Alvarez a strike to hit. He's too hot right now. Altuve is always a problem. Truly, there are so many in that lineup that are doing damage....you have to pitch to somebody. Lets put some doubt into the Astros dugout. Let them continue to think they are the better team and losing would be disgraceful. Get into their heads (because they are in the Twins heads right now) Go out there and play the game of the season Twins. Do it.

I had quite a week. First everyone's favorite punching bag in Western NY, the Bills tanked another one in London. Then the Orioles played like total crap against Texas, after that great regular season. And then yesterday when the Twins also played like crap. Sheesh. Over the years,I have gotten used to having my teams 'fail' (recognizing that only 1 team per sport can ever be left standing at the end of the season) My 'home' Red Wings are now affiliated with the Gnats..can't think of a worse parent, with zero footprint in Rochester. We haven't won it all since 1997. My beloved Expos who I watched being born while living in Montreal were unfairly ripped from MLB for reasons too complicated to discuss here. Cubs fans always said 'wait till next year' because there always was a next year. Expo fans never got that chance. The Bills went to the Super Bowl 4 years in a row...something that will probably never happen again in the NFL. And they lost all 4! Our baseball parent for 42 years before the Twins, the Orioles have lost many more World Series than they have won. They finally had a great season with 101 wins and then got completely outplayed in the ALDS. My loyalties shifted, or at least split, to the Twins and hopped on board just in time to see them lose 18 straight post season games, many against the hated Yankees. I have been a Boston Bruins fan since 1960. They have had some brilliant seasons, but when it counts in post season, they choke. Always a punching bag for the Habs for many years, recently they have gone to the Finals 8 or 9 times and managed to win only once. Once. And last year was the real dagger as they choked, at home in the 1st round after breaking all those NHL records. I'm still not over that one. And I'm 75 years old. Realistically not a lot more time to get some joy from at least one of my teams! So yeah, its frustrating to lose! Thats my perspective. Its why I get very passionate when my teams fail to perform. Its why sometimes comments are more irrational than scholarly! At least you know where I'm coming from! Back in 'my day' we didn't have forums like this to share these feelings. I'm grateful they exist. thank you.

Sorry..sometimes you DO..hindsight or not. And Twins didn't win that game. Come on Brock--we're FANS. We want the Twins to win and we are grossly disappointed when they play like this. Give us that please. We're entitled to be totally frustrated. This isn't a clinic. Its baseball. More often than not when a game starts like that in the playoffs, it usually doesn't end well. Especially when your hitters can't hit the ball and the pen gives up more runs. Yeah, there are exceptions, but thats what they are...exceptions. I didn't see any clear path to victory after that 1st inning, and the way our hitters continued to strike out early. Could have been wrong. But wasn't today. It was no fun watching this game...as a FAN. Thats the way I feel and I'm probably not alone and I make no apologies for that. If the Twins came back and scored 9 in the 9th to pull this one out...well wouldn't that have been something to write home about. But that wasn't going to happen today. It was darned disappointing to be home and down 4-0 before the first sip of beer! Against the defending champs pain-in-the-neck Astros, who know how to win a game or two. Yesterday we had our ace, who was a stopper. Our 1st guy out of the pen gave up 2, before Duran shut things down. Doesn't seem like we have anyone else who can stop the bleeding...but maybe we do. Hope so. But criticizing the way another fan feels about a game or his team only diminishes you my friend. What do you expect to gain? You're a smart guy. I expect better from you. Criticize the team not the posters who make up this forum. WE are all Twins fans.

9-1. Not our first rodeo. They stunk from the first 5 batters till the very end. And you could see it coming. Somehow Houston saw the ball enough to put the game out of reach. Our guys just continued to flail away.

It never got better. Sometimes you just 'know' when a game has lost its way.

The k's have totally reduced the Twins offense to zero. 14 more today. The stage was big today and all the Twins totally fell off of it. Pitching was terrible right from the start. Hitting when opportunities were presented totally failed. When you are out of the game so early, there is no air in the stadium. (Orioles suffering the same fate. They are getting slaughtered again and have been totally outplayed in every aspect of the game. The series has been a classic mis-match) I can't think of a series I have less interest in than Texas vs Houston. Twins have one more shot to see what they have left. Besides Lopez, the pitching has been brutal. But I am most disappointed in all the strikeouts. When contact was needed, it wasn't there. And to rub total lye into the open wound, when contact was made, it was a GIDP..thank you Jeffers) Todays game couldn't have left a worse taste in our mouths if they had poisoned our food. This is not the way the Twins need to end their season. Tomorrow is another day. Hope its not the last.

absolutely ugly game in every way. Pitching, hitting...needed for this one to be on the road. Fans deserve much better than this. If Twins should wake up, the lead is so big now, a rally probably wouldn't be enough. Getting closer and closer to that 'battle of Texas' I so desperately didn't want. My teams are sucking the exhaust pipe. (OK--its not over yet, but games like this are VERY discouraging)

these are the kind of nightmare games where our key hitters just aren't coming thru. Is the stage too big for the Twins to compete in such an important game? They have been dreadful. And today, I doubt it will improve. Tomorrow is another day.

sort of like the O's starter Sunday...Gray's got nuthin today. Astros seem to be able to see the ball just fine. Twins hitters, so far have looked pretty bad.

I see where this one is headed, unfortunately. That 3 run homer was a dagger. Twins can't see the ball and all they are doing is striking out. Exactly what all of us were hoping wouldn't happen today. Darn

Totally understand the problem. (but I still want the O's to beat Texas)😏

Lets see if the fans help the Twins today. Huge game. Winner in the drivers seat.

He saved the Twins season, so far, with a brilliant performance. I hope he gets a chance to do it again!

I'm in the 2024 Camp at the earliest. Having him as a pinch hitter is not a good idea...no more than Gallo being used as a PH. When you strike out as much as those two, putting pressure on to even make contact coming in cold is a tough assignment, And Buck usually takes one down the middle before he swings...making it even more difficult. Would be the same thing as asking Sano to pinch hit with game on the line. More often than not you would get a quick 'k'. Stick with Taylor, He earned the playing time.

Very nice! Carlos had quite a game. Like our chances now. Home crowd should shake the stadium to its core!!

goal now is to make sure the top of their lineup doesn't come up again, (as noted above) Need a nice fast clean 9th...and head for the plane!!!

O's pitchers gave up 11 walks today. Totally unacceptable and they absolutely cost them the game . Walks are killers. OK--inning over.

Teams love it when a starter who has dominated finally leaves. I'm nervous. This one isn't over. Gotta get out of this inning with no more scoring please. We can't let this one get away.

boy did we ever need that performance from Lopez tonite. So far, it has re-inflated the balloon for the Twins. Hopefully they come home tied with lots of confidence. Two more innings to get.

Correa is making us totally forget the regular season. He is making quite a statement so far. Having a red hot Carlos will bode very well if the Twins can advance. If Twins get a couple more runs, maybe then you take out Pablo. If not, let him pitch the 7th. He's dialed in. Nicd clutch RBI single by pinch hitter Julien. Carlos nailed at the plate but Twins now up 6-0.

LOved that inning...and yeah, noticed that smile from Pablo! Priceless. He knew he got a BIG out. He should be able to go out for the 7th. Let's not mess around.