insagt1

Twins give up a ton of 'd' without Buxton...even tho he isn't hitting right now.Hope this decision doesn't come back to haunt.

...meant to type 'we need his 'd'...stupid keyboard...

Buck on the bench might be concussion related...clearly his AB's yesterday were awful. The hit he got was being lucky connecting with a pitch way out of the strike zone. We did his 'd' though, so I suspect not playing him in the most important game of the season has to be health related.

Disagree about Jake...our pen IS overworked. I'm sure you are watching the games like all of us. I doubt Jake would have been any worse than the guys who have failed lately...assuming his finger is OK. But we'll never know. What is likely today is that the Twins are not going to be loosy-goosy. No matter how much music was played in the lockerroom...no matter what the manager and/or players are saying publicly...these guys are feeling extreme pressure to win a playoff game. It is weighing on them and it can't be denied..and it may affect their play. What they need to do is get an early big lead and then not take feet off the gas. Too many more bases loaded, or men in scoring position with no runs will sink them.

Waiting till next year is getting old. (and for some franchises, there was no next year at all....Expos....) I am trying to imagine (with a big smirk) what that post game interview would have sounded like if it was John Tortorella on the podium instead of Rocco!!) If Berrios can't get it done early...Rocco had better dip into his 'starters', like Houston did...his pen is gassed and they aren't doing the job. There is no margin for error, not even one run anymore. Romo can't throw strikes...please forget about him completely and usher him out of the door as soon as this season ends....which we hope isn't this afternoon.

Interesting array of comments. Thats why we are fans. At the end of the day...everyone here agrees on one thing....we ALL want the Twins to win. When you now hold the all pro sports record for most consecutive post season losses...something is wrong. How can you look so bad at what you do in the most important game of the year. The game was there for the taking and the Twins just didn't show up. Polanco's error aside as a killer....when your go-to reliever can't throw strikes to a very struggling hitter with the game on the line...you have to wonder why the manager keeps trotting him out there in those situations.

Today we will see what the Twins are made of. Forget the regular season. Forget everything that has come before. Our team should be better than their opponents but our team has this awful propensity to beat themselves. Yesterday's game was one of the worst played, worst executed games of the year...maybe THE worst. Our hitters didn't hit; our bullpen didn't shut the door..our 'd' let us down at the very worst time of the game. A routine toss to 2nd in the 9th would have gotten us to the bottom of the 9th still tied. Byron Buxton, mired in a batting slump that has seen him swing at most pitches outside the zone did not utilize his speed to bunt over runners at 1st and 2nd and instead stuck out looking bad doing it. Garver, pinch hits for Jeffers and never takes the bat off his shoulders....Garver's season has been one complete epic fail. Houston removes their ace after 4 and replaces him with another lefty ace...and he pitches the rest of the game. One wonders if Jake O should have come in after Maeda...to give our gassed bullpen a bit of a break. While Polanco's error was death dealing (he isn't hitting and now he also blows a game deciding play) Romo couldn't throw strikes to an equally struggling Altuve. You just don't walk in the go ahead run in the 9th, no matter what. Romo has become useless. Can the Twins win today? Yeah, they could but the way they are playing doesn't recommend it at all...does it honestly? If this team wants to advance against a team that they should be eating for breakfast,m they will need to wake up fast and start playing fundamentally sound baseball. With hands tightly gripping around their necks, Berrios will have a ton of pressure on him today....possibly to be mostly perfect to give our crumbling offense a chance to steal the game. Disappointed? You bet. I did not expect what I saw yesterday. It was just totally unacceptable at every level. The fat lady is standing and warming up her vocal chords Twins.....please make her sit down!!!

Twins deserve every bit of this trainwreck. More than half the lineup can't hit their way out of a paper bag. And the bullpen fails again bigtime. Oh well...17 in a row.

Rocco....Why Romo,,,,,why. Even with the error couldn't he throw strikes to a very slumping Altuve? I just want to vomit.

Could the Twins hitters possibly look any more feeble?

unfortunately Duffey doesn't seem to have it today. If we see Romo in the 9th we may as well just forfeit game 2~ Rogers balls us out in the 8th. Wouldn't a run look good about now? Actually even a hit would too.

anyone concerned that the TWins aren't hitting at all this game? they look like they did Sunday. They have to pray their pen is able to hold off Houston now, One run and its probably over. (this isn't the way I saw this game going)

Garver is totally hopeless. All he does is strike out and look bad doing it. If you believe in momentum...Houston's got it now.

well now that its tied, Twins could be in a lot of trouble if they can't figure out how to get runners in from scoring position. Nervous time.

I hope with 3 innings to go that Rocco isn't setting things up for Romo or Rogers. Just gives me an uneasy feeling. May was good but he isn't getting another inning apparently. Maybe Duffey can give us two?

Lets get some more runs this inning!

whew...wiggled out but is at 80 pitches. Does he come out for the 5th?

He's not looking sharp today. He also looks a bit rattled. He needs a big out right here, right now.

assuming he continues to pitch well. we need to get at least 6 innings from Maeda today. His pitch count is over 70 and he is in a bit of hot water in the 4th. Need to get out of this inning with a zero

Nice clutch two out hit by Nellie and the speed of Kepler gives the good guys the 1-0 lead. (having a lead is always good!)

Didn't score but a lot to like in that first inning. First we made Greinke throw a ton of pitches. Second, Buxton got a single and stole a base on the next pitch. Thats what we want to see. Rosario hit into bad luck...a bullet that just wasn't in the right place. And Sano did not strike out on the 3-2 pitch and he didn't bite for pitches outside the zone. All good. Cruz still isn't getting any kind of good wood on his swings...but he drew the walk. Also good. We'll get some runs! A

I really like Hill as well. He is savvy and lately he seems to be in total control of his pitches. Not flashy....not blazing speed but great location and mix of his pitches. He probably won't get a start in this series, but surely if the Twins advance (they are going to) he may get a start and he certainly deserves one. The FO has done a decent job obtaining the right mix of talent. And they seem to jell well in the dugout too. Despite the poor showing yesterday they clinched a division title...but you probably noticed they all exited the field and dugout looking pretty miserable. They weren't happy with their performance and hopefully the fire will ignite tomorrow when it really counts. There is nothing scientific about momentum in sports. However one thing does seem to happen a lot....winning begets winning and losing also does the same thing. when you are 'on a roll' you just seem to win games you probably shouldn't win...and when you are in the dumpster, you find ways to lose games that you should be winning. That does happen a lot in every sport. Trying to figure out the anatomy of winning streaks and losing streaks is an interesting endeavor.Same with batting streaks and slumps. The beauty of sports and one of the things I have loved about baseball since the late '50's...you play everyday so you can quickly forget about a bad game or you just can't wait to get back out there and play again. No other sport is like baseball. for a myriad of reasons. Bring on the Cheaters! And send them home.

Yeah I get it. Look, some don't like any kind of pessimism or negativity no matter what so any kind of talk like that will engender what you are reading. OTOH, some don't mind it as long as it can be tempered with 'the good stuff'. Thats what makes a fan a fan. Different viewpoints. this isn't a sermon from the pulpit. Its just sports conversation. Sano strikes out a lot. so does Garver. Cruz isn't hitting at all. So lets not talk about it right? Afterall the Twins won 36 games. Kepler and Arraez are hot. Acknowledged. And appreciated. Maeda and Hill are very good. Romo is very bad. Rogers isn't the same pitcher he was. Don't talk about it. Polanco suddenly can't hit. But Eddie can still get those clutch hits sometimes. Buxton needs to play. Please. Donaldson to me hasn't impressed that much, but it is small sample size. Gotta love Duffey and sometimes May and Wisler. Pineda and Berrios could do well..or maybe not. Hopefully the former. There...some good some bad. Bottom line....BEAT THE CHEATERS. Break the losing streak. Move ahead and get to the WS. THAT would be.....(fill in any superlative that floats your boat) BTW...anyone know if we can get Wade back on the roster?

doesn't the whole nation want to watch the cheaters go down in flames?? If the Yankees are still in it, TV will always find a way to get them the best time slots....fair or not. Personally, I hope they get eliminated quickly. Everyday the Yankees lose, an angel gets its wings.

one might have been tempted to laugh at that supposition...except the scope of their cheating was bigger than most of us ever imagined. We need to beat them..2-0. Period