insagt1

What an INCREDIBLY poor game from the Twins. They played like it didn't matter anymore, right from the beginning. I suspect the 2nd game will go the same way. the coffin has been nailed shut. I don't care about the math. When you have 9 games left against the team you are chasing and you lose the first 5, its pretty clear domination. Does anyone think they will see any of the injured players for this series? And now, does it even matter?

They gave away last nights game...when they still had a pulse. Gift-wrapped..like many other games against this team. That pretty much was it. Todays first game isn't even a contest.

its pretty clear the Twins are far too depleted to compete with Cleveland right now. They are not a playoff team by any stretch. I can see them losing all 5, unless Cleveland gives us a mercy game after taking the 1st four to pretty much kiss us goodbye for 2022. yeah we can beat KC---but Cleveland has 6 remaining against them and I suspect they can beat them too! This isn't even a fair fight.

Absolutely in charge....then an error an 0-2 two out game tying single; 2 more singles and a wild wild wild pitch that our catcher can't locate scoring the winning run from 2nd. That script will look pretty good in the Cleveland yearbook. Twins are done. Won't matter if Polo and Buck and Kepler come back now.

And thats that. Twins steal defeat from the jaws of victory once more. What a horrible baseball game. tough game for your best bullpen guy to have a miserable outing. But again...look at our lineup. Too many guys out or banged up. Men against boys...but the boys should have won this one. They are fitting the cover of the coffin.

Twins will probably go 1,2,3 in the 9th...cuz thats the way this game rolls. Stand by...

This game has gotten ridiculous. Even Duran has been awful. Scoring from 2nd on a wild pitch is very hard to do, but the Twins do find new and exciting ways to lose important ballgames.

And the bullpen blows it bigtime. 3 run lead gone...poof. And a 2 out 2 run single on an 0-2 pitch to boot. Brutal.

Agree with all the assessments but one: Buxton has not been 'mostly healthy' this season. Truth will reveal that he has probably played hurt from the beginning. The degree of 'hurt' allowed him to try and stay in the lineup, but clearly he wasn't playing at his best. His 'd' was blunted. He was not 'allowed' to steal bases. He struck out like he was cloning Sano. And overall his OBP and BA were very unimpressive. In short, he was pulling punches all season. It was pretty sad. We all want this guy to be all he can be. When he isn't afraid of getting injured, he is Mr Excitement. We didn't see much of that Buxton this season and we may never see it. wish it were different.. If he can somehow return...can he be a difference maker? Certainly would absolutely love to see that happen but reality would probably not allow that to occur. But we can hope. Next 5 games will tell us a lot about the 2022 Twins. (or maybe not..perhaps we already know who they are) Play ball.

Conversely I wouldn't be shocked if neither of them played this weekend...especially Buxton, who if back will be playing hurt, you can take that one to your favorite bank. This weekend is definitely the season for the Twins. And it would be nice if they won the first game to maintain some excitement. If they lose, then they must win all the rest and the whole 'mood' will be different. Gotta take 4. win 3 will prolong the agony a few more days. Win 2 and begin thinking next season.

So it looks like the Guards will lose to the Sox this afternoon. A Twins win will get to within 4, but still one back of the Sox. But that might give them a little extra boost for the coming showdown.

This year has been frustrating for me due to the number and length of the injuries to key players. Sano was probably no loss. Jeffers was so-so. Kirilloff was a crap shoot. He started the season injured and his wrist may never heal. the large number of pitchers who haven't been able to play has been astounding....right from the beginning. Buxton, I believe, was hurt from opening day, but he is such a gamer, he tried to give it a go. His body just won't let him. He hasn't been much help this year. Polanco is having a terrible season, but we need him. Kepler is having a terrible season, but we need him too. I don't think Lewis was penciled in to be with the Twins all season. We'll never know. having a catcher who can hit is always a bonus. Mauer spoiled us. Didn't expect much from Sanchez, frankly. He hasn't been terrible defensively, like many thought. Celestino is way over his head. In a normal year he would have been at St Paul for further grooming. Urshela...not much to say about him. Gordon and Miranda have been studs. This is probably a .500 team. If healthy, much better. Certainly more entertaining than last year. As for our manager, I'll leave that one alone.

You are correct. For some reason (probably advancing age) I thought it was the Sox who played those 6 but its Cleveland...which makes it worse for us for sure. How many of those games does one think the Royals could win?

I agree with the first post...the fans are the winners hands down. I have watched these rules in Rochester and I love them. Hasn't hurt the game one bit. I think the new rules also cover the '3 step offs allowed per batter' which also included, at least at AAA, throws to 1st. I hope that one makes it thru because there aren't too many more boring plays in baseball than a pitcher throwing over to 1st to stop a base stealer who has probably not stolen a base since Lincoln was president. I hope there are more stolen bases. That has been the case this year at AAA. Not an extraordinary number but enough to move the needle. Hitters have not adapted to ;going the other way' to beat the shift. I think that ship sailed long ago. With pitchers throwing 100 MPH it is a lot tougher to control where the ball goes, and to bunt for that matter. I hate the shift. I'll be glad to see it go. Pitch clock--absolutely. Everyone benefits. Players aren't back on their heels while the pitcher dances around and fusses and noodles about before throwing. They are paid to pitch, not become actors and showmen. I still wonder about the ghost runner. Managers are so worried about their pitchers being overused. Extra inning games rarely go more than 1 or 2 innings now. Won't be used in post season of course...but for regular season, I can live with it. Its a huge gimmick, but oddly it has accomplished excactly what they wanted. Who knew?? Now limit the # of warmup pitches a reliever takes when entering the game...cap it at 4 and you will see an even snappier game progress.

Twins have to win tonite...period. No excuse for anything less. Having said that, with the Sox playing them (KC) SIX times to end the season do we really have any chance at all? If Sox win today and Twins tonite....they go into Cleveland 4 behind. What that means is for that series to be meaningful for those keeping score at home, Twins MUST win 4 of 5 to gain 3 games. Then you still do have a horserace. But the Twins injuries just keep coming. I don't see how in the world they can win 4 of 5 from the Guards. That would be pushing miracle territory. But if they did...then it will be an interesting final 2 weeks. Arraez can't be out long, with Polanco and Buxton still unable to play. Kepler is iffy, but he hasn't added much. I am not expecting Jeffers or Larnach to return this season, and frankly I doubt Buxton will either...if he comes back, he will still be one inch away from being re-injured. His whole 2022 has been one long injury that he has tried to play through. With so many key players unable to play, its a lot to ask for that depleted team to compete with a much stronger Cleveland team right now. We'll be watching.

I had fun watching until the 8th inning. Then it stopped being fun. There are enough 'what-ifs' to fill an encyclopedia (I know, maybe some here don't know what one of those is!) I get that the game has changed. And you all have the volumes of stats to prove it. I also know there are still a few things about the game that fans of the game (not of analytics and charts and graphs) will always enjoy. And one thing is watching something rare and fun and exciting. I don't think Rocco did the right thing and thats a hill I'll die on. I don't think any manager should deprive fans or pitcher of something historic...unless pitcher says he wants out. This is a game. Fans pay to watch. Give the kid a shot at baseball immortality. The game he pitches Sunday might have the Twins out of first by 7 games. I just don't like it at all. My opinion. Doesn't have to be yours.

I believe the great Jim Croce said it best in his famous tune: 'you don't tug on Superman's Cape; you don't spit into the wind; you don't pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger; and you don't mess around with a pitcher throwing a no-hitter after 7 innings.' I'm sure I got it right. thats how the tune went. Is everyone so sure that by taking Ryan out, he will lead the Twins to the promised land in his next start...or the one after? Did every pitcher who threw over 100 pitches to get a no-hitter blow out his arm and never pitch again? 7 pitchers have thrown no-no's age 37 and older. Two threw TWO no-hitters after age 40 (Warren Spahn and Nolan Ryan) Randy Johnson pitched a perfecto at age 40. Ditto Dennis Martinez at age 37 for my beloved Expos. (both of those were pitched on the road and the crowds were solidly behind them in the final inning....because they knew they were seeing something special. Those pitchers certainly pitched all those years and probably weren't pulled after 5 or 6 innings early in their careers. Some kids blow out their arms early. These are humans, not machines. Some make it some don't. We have Byron Buxton..and we had Cal Ripken. Both talented...but their bodies completely different. NO-hitters are NOT overrated. They are a big deal....when pitched by one pitcher. It is extremely difficult to go thru a lineup of major league hitters at least 3 times and not give up one base hit. Combined no-hitters are not a big deal. Nothing special at all when 4 or 5 pitchers combine to shut a team down. I know I didn't care to see one last night. Some individual feats in sports are to be recognized and lauded, even in team sports. Its what keeps fans coming to the games. Right now, do you think fans in every city stop what they are doing to watch Albert Pujols try to get to 700 HR's. Twins have nearly no shot at overcoming Cleveland and Chicago. Math yes...reality--no. The fans deserved to see something special last night. Ryan deserved that chance. In the era of no pitch count, this wouldn't even have been an issue. but today baseball has been sanitized, blanched, roboticized to where the game is played on a spreadsheet, a computer and a plethora of analytics that clog the life line of the former beauty of the grand old game. If Ryan goes out next start and craps the bed, of what good would pulling him last night have accomplished? If he goes out and pitches 7 more no-hit innings, would that have been because he didn't exceed 106 pitches last night. We'll never know because ballplayers are human, not robots. There may be no logical reason to explain why Spahn and Nolan Ryan threw no-hitters at an age when almost all pro athletes have retired...but they did it. They got the chance and they took it. Joe didn't get the chance and baseball and its fans are poorer for it.

Joe grow up? Thats where analytics have taken us in 2022. Prior to 2022, how many guys have been taken out in the 7th inning of a no hitter? Go ahead, count on one hand, maybe. But probably not. He was mad. He had a right to be. It was a dumb move. Of course the manager will be saying all the 'right' things to justify..and many will simply nod up and down and parrot out the same stuff. That was not the grand old game of baseball. that was nonsense. Give Ryan a mulligan on his 'behavior'. It was a tough pill. Twins have very little going for them right now. This would have at least kept the fans happy. And they sorta do pay for the tickets. I doubt there was one single teammate who privately agreed with the manager. Yes, its a team game...and this time the team was pulling for their teammate to do something special.

No offense to the bullpen but they should have been able to sit on their butts tonite and watch some potential history. Rocco simply spoiled all the fun for me...even though we know Twins aren't going to make the playoffs. Its a win that feels like a loss.

Yessss- a drive off the fence. GREAT. No more combined no-hitter nonsense. There is some justice...but very little.

two on...time for a 3 run tater. I want to see it. A combined no-hitter tonite would not make me happy at all.

This will be the most hollow win the of the season. No dramatics. Just pure love of baseball gone awry. I would be happy if every single 'new' stat with all the letters and numbers and +'s and -'s and pitch counts just disappeared. Give me the triple crown, the complete game, and the no-hitters by one pitcher no matter how many pitches it took. Please Twins broadcast crew, don't make a big deal out of this if it happens. Its not a big deal at all. Very disappointed.

I completely disagree with Hawkins. If whoever pitches the 9th gets them 1,2,3--big effing deal. Rocco spoiled the night. He can say whatever the heck he wants. His pitcher didn't want to come out. He deserved the chance to stay. Horrible 2022 decision. Just horrible. (yeah we're gonna sweep 5 from Cleveland now, right)

The boos were justified. Now all the excuses are being made about how this was a good decision...best for the team...blah blah. Ryan was not happy and I don't blame him. This 'modern' baseball is for crap. By taking him out, does that mean he will definitely be as strong in his next start? Bah--this really sucks. KC better get a hit because a combined no-hitter is no big deal at all. This isn't baseball. Its robotics.

The fact that these guys in the booth are obsessing over whether he should come out or not is kinda disgusting. Just let the kid go for history. Period. How often does it happen? For a hundred years when a guy was tossing a no-no, nobody talked about it during the game. For me, I'd like to take something special away from this failed season. Its folly for anyone to honestly think the Twins can finish 1st. This would be neat to see Ryan finish it...but he isn't going to. I hate this. A lot. It would be something if the bullpen comes in and blows the 6 run lead. I'm so ticked I almost want to see it happen.