insagt1

some franchises just struggle in post season. Dodgers and Braves over the recent decades can't win in post season. Twins of course no. Buffalo Bills....haven't won a playoff game in many years. Boston Bruins have lost I believe 7 of their last 8 trips to the Finals (at least they get there....but can't finish the deal) Even with entirely different players, losing can follow a team...no real explanation. But its a total lie when the players say they don't think about it. Just like when some say they don't hear the crowd. Thats total crap. they do and it does affect them....either for good or ill. These athletes are humans not machines. They react to things. Why do players, after winning a championship always say....and thank you to the BEST fans in the league. (they all can;t be the best...but the players acknowledge their role) As Twins fans, we are all hurting right now. As a lifelong fan of AAA Rochester, and affiliate of the Twins for almost 20 years now...doubly painful because we didn't even have a season. to have the Twins end like this is just very maddening.

Two of the most unsatisfying, unwatchable, disappointing post season games yet. What did the Twins do right? Pretty much nothing. Nellie drove in both runs. The starters pitched well but not long enough...thank you Rocco. Past that, they were collectively awful. I don't understand removing Cruz for Buxton and then yet again, not having Buxton move....until he gets picked off with 2 outs. Why didn't he run, first pitch? If he couldn't run, why put him in. Byron did not have a good final week...the beaning didn't help, but he didn't help much. the bullpen was...lets be kind....not good. And Romo and Rogers did what they did a lot during the season....come in and give up untimely runs. Romo Was out of the strike zone but all he had to do with a 2-2 count on a hitter doing nothing was let him hit. Instead he threw on practically in the dirt and then high out of the zone to walk in the go ahead run. Rogers job was to keep the deficit at 1...within 3 batters the deficit was 2. When you watched the dejected team leave the dugout Sunday, even after learning they won the Division (by default) you could almost sense they weren't well. 3 straight home losses...all ugly....all poorly played....all very winnable. Twins deserved to lose this series, by the way they played. But there was no reasonable way to think they couldn't beat a Houston team that wasn't very good. turns out, it was the Twins who were not very good....a pretty much team and manager effort. There are no excuses, even with Donaldson and Buxton not healthy. It was a brutally sad way to end the season. Why are we always the first team eliminated?

if you take out your best hitter for a runner.....who then not only doesnt run but gets picked off....that really puts the nail in the season. Just incredibly poor baseball by a team that just doesn't know how to win in post season. Barring the miracle 9th, have we just seen two of the worst playoff games in ....eh, who knows...when you lose 18 in a row they're all bad. Buxton had no clue...just like everyone else.

pop outs....no solid contact. No strategy...just flailing away hoping for that elusive HR which has headed home long ago. What has happened to our team? Where did it go?

weak outs....no advance of the runner. I don't get what Rocco is thinking...except 'I want to go home'.

well I said before the game started....lets see what this team is made of. They have 3 more innings to show us. Weak hitting Polanco walks to open the inning. For heaven's sake Twins....MAKE THEM PAY FOR A CHANGE. Does Marwin try and advance the runner?

Thank you bullpen.....lets get this over with. There is no hope for these guys. Whatever they do is wrong.You tie it up and they answer right back.

The bonehead stuff continues...Donaldson a few games ago...now Rosario. You just can't do that to your teammates. The BEST thing that could happen now, and I'm serious....is for the rain to come like a monsoon and cause the game to stop....even better if it got to be replayed in its entirety tomorrow, rather than suspended. Twins trying so hard to implode.

incredible...our guy gets tossed but their guy didn't for arguing strikes. Its a plaoff game ump....cut these guys some slack. Horrible. Just horrible.

(I don't think pass interference is reviewable in 2020)

Ill advised send by the coach...I give Arraez the benefit of the doubt in that he worked a tough and important walk getting the runner into scoring position to set up the tying run. What does Rocco have against his starters going 6 innings? Now the pen has to try and hold the Astros scoreless for at least 4 innings...a tough task. Does the 'book' say Berrios wears out in the 6th?

Nellie finally squares one up to tie the game....but Arraez messes things up trying to score when he should have held. Sigh.....at least we got a run. Cruz has delivered both runs in this series. Off the ledge for awhile...but the out at the plate hurt.

cant the Twins do anything but strikeout with runners in scoring position?

so will this start the parade of bad decisions by Rocco? Twins had to get the runner to 2nd. so why wasn't Jeffers bunting. Instead, he strikes out...the Twins favorite AB. Next, will be sit Berrios after 5 innings? Is there anyone in the pen who can do a better job at least for another inning? But more important, Twins needed that runner in scoring position with two shots to bring him in...especially with a contact hitter up next. Not a productive AB for Jeffers.

ha! No this isn't my first look at postseason Twins. I go back to the entire 17 game mess. But it does seem like GroundHog Day doesn't it. With every possible advantage they could have (already stated), they still can't make it happen. At least not yet.....its still a 9 inning game. (the sun just came out in Rochester, NY so I am clinging to that ray of optimism...what the heck)

guys that should be swinging at the first pitch (because they fan a lot) don';t...and ones that should lay off (the Turtle) swing and hit weak grounders ...because pitchers know they swing at first pitches. Will this game come down to not scoring in the 1st inning when they had Houston on the ropes?

just add Polanco officially to the can't hit water by the ocean club. Its hard to fathom how so many on this team have just gone ice cold, with weak, useless AB's. I was about to ask for the Vegas odds of Twins being no-hit today...when the rookie gets a clean single. If Houston scores one more run, its over. As it is, how the Twins are going to get even one right now is hard to imagine. since the game on Sunday...the offense just went home.

Twins have to answer that run immediately. Someone in that dugout has to light the fire. The bats are dead.

again...so darned predictable....Jose cruising along and suddenly he loses the strike zone...walks two and gives up a run scoring single. This is unfortunately how he has pitched this year. But--where the Twins can't do squat with those situations, the Astros come thru. And thats one reason why the Twins may not play baseball after today.

I wonder if there is something up with Cruz's vision? He hasn't squared up a ball in weeks. Even his double yesterday was opposite field. The power is totally gone. Or maybe its his age finally catching up? Sano's power is also gone. He hit one to the deep outfield, for an out yesterday, but he isn't squaring anything up lately either. Today all the Twins AB's have been weakly hit outs.

Now we have to see how Jose does 2nd time thru the lineup. He was great for 3 innings. Meanwhile...our hitters are looking.......awful

Twins hitters in full form so far. Nothing looks different from the punchless lineup they have trotted out there recently Berrios two solid innings. Need that

deja friggin vu...2nd straight game leaving the bases loaded in the 1st inning. Tough spot for the rookie but the Twins just have to start scoring runs in these situations. No excuses.

A quick 1st inning for Jose was much appreciated. Now, for some runs...for the good guys. (you just KNEW the longer the ESPN crew talked about how Arraez doesn't strike out....he would strike out..but at least it ate up 9 pitches)

'overworked bullpen' is definitely subjective...but I believe that having these guys constantly up and warming seemingly every game puts extra wear on the arms. then they come in and give up a couple hits, walks and a run or two in key spots. Since Twins starters aren't going deep into games, the pen is always on the alert. Look, anyone can disagree with this, or not. It doesn't matter. The proof is in the execution. Are they getting it done? Is the manager using them properly? thats what he gets paid to do. I'm just a fan, so as an armchair manager I would say....please don't use Romo anymore. No more. OK back to business. Jose had a very good 1st inning. thats a good sign.