Tom Froemming

I talked to a scout that saw him in late July, had Jay clocked at 91-93 mph. Still, the lefty thing may get him some attention. I mean, if the Twins took Tyler Kinley ... I just wouldn't be real worried about losing Jay at this point. More important guys to protect.

My predictions would be no and no. He's not the guy the Twins drafted. Injuries have taken away a ton of his stuff. He's left-handed, so I guess I'd never say never.

Kyle Gibson has been a steady performer this season, but Wednesday afternoon in Chicago the White Sox knocked him around a bit. Gibson failed to complete five innings for the first time since April 11 and just the third time overall this season in 26 starts. He also gave up three home runs for the first time all season. It was just the fourth time he’d given up multiple homers in the same game all season.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Gibson: 12 Game Score, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 5 K, 4 BB, 59.0% strikes (62 of 105 pitches) Home Runs: Polanco (3) Multi-Hit Games: Forsythe (3-for-5) WPA of 0.1 or higher: None WPA of -0.1 or lower: Rosario -.143, Gibson -.402 Download attachment: chart.png To make matters worse for Gibby, Logan Forsythe committed an error that eventually led to three unearned runs. On a positive note, Forsythe had another good day at the plate, going 3-for-5. The Twins actually had a 2-0 lead before they even took the field thanks to a Jorge Polanco two-run homer, but couldn’t get much else going at the plate from there. Gabriel Moya took over for Gibson with two runners on and two down in the fifth. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but then induced an inning-ending pop out. Matt Magill pitched a scoreless sixth inning. In the seventh, Addison Reed pitched his first 1-2-3 inning since June 6. In the 18 appearances he made between then and now, he surrendered 17 runs (15 earned) on 30 hits, four walks and a hit by pitch over 18 innings of work. On the downside, Reed still only topped out at 90.2 mph. To finish a positive day for the pen, Oliver Drake pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. He’s given up just one hit over 9 1/3 scoreless innings of work so far with the Twins. There were a lot of strange base running plays in the this series, but this one has to take the cake. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen822.png Next Three Games Thu vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Trevor Cahill Fri vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Sean Manaea Sat vs. OAK, 6:10 pm CT: Stephen Gonsalves vs. Mike Fiers Last Three Games MIN 5, CHW 2: Wild Final Inning Puts Twins Over CHW 8, MIN 5: At Least That’s out of the Way MIN 5, DET 4: Late Rosario Homer Lifts Twins to Elusive One-Run Victory Click here to view the article

What!?

Great stuff, I really like this idea. It makes all the sense in the world to do this once the rosters expand, but I even think this may be an effective strategy to get the most out of this pitching staff next season. It would be more difficult to pull off with just a 25-man roster, though I suppose you could go with five starters, three "piggyback" relievers and then five more traditional relievers. With how many guys the Twins have with options, I think they could pull it off by rotating some of the arms in the pen. As a side note, I thought it was encouraging that Lewis Thorpe wasn't a guy mentioned among those on an innings limit. He's also reached a career high this year, happy to hear there don't seem to be any concerns with him.

A marquee starting pitching matchup was derailed by a nearly hour-long rain delay. That was enough to halt Michael Kopech’s major league debut, but only shortened Jose Berrios’ night. This one came down to the ninth inning, where the Twins broke open a tie game by scoring three runs in a pretty strange series of events.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Berrios: 53 Game Score, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 67.9% strikes (55 of 81 pitches) Home Runs: None Multi-Hit Games: Mauer (2-for-4, BB), Rosario (2-for-5) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Rosario .368, Berrios .175, Cave .122, May .108 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Kepler -.131, Sano .149 Download attachment: WinChart821.png The Twins entered the top of the ninth inning with the game tied at 2-2. The White Sox had opened the scoring in the second inning before the Twins answered with a pair of runs in the fourth, one of which the Twins stole. With runners on the corners and one out, Robbie Grossman broke for second base. It looked like the hit and run may have been on, as Bobby Wilson swung through a pitch that was way outside. The throw beat Grossman by a mile, but he was able to get into a rundown long enough for Jake Cave to score from third. Yoan Moncada hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh. Then things got real interesting. There was a whole lot more running. The Sox led off the eighth inning with a single from Adam Engel. He was picked off by Trevor May, but managed to reach second base safely due to some poor execution by the Twins’ infield. Then, Tim Anderson tried to bunt Engel over to third. May slipped while fielding the bunt and threw wildly to first base. Anderson just kept running. The Twins got him into a rundown and this time did an excellent job. Mauer threw to Polanco, who ran Anderson back toward first. Then he realized he had Engel caught up in no-man’s land and fired to third. Anderson just kept running. Sano chased Engel toward home, threw to Wilson, and by the time Engel tried returning to third, Anderson was already there. In the end, the White Sox got what they originally wanted — a runner on third with one out — but it could have ended up much worse for the Twins. May struck out the next two batters to end the threat. Jake Cave led off the ninth with a walk and was bunted over to second by Grossman. Mitch Garver followed with a single, but Cave was thrown out at the plate. With Garver advancing to second on the throw, the White Sox opted to intentionally walk Joe Mauer. Eddie Rosario delivered the go-ahead run on a bloop single to center. Engel had a hard time fielding the ball in center, allowing Mauer to advance to third, and then his throw got by the third baseman, allowing Rosie to reach second base. Polanco hit a single that plated both runners, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to second base. So the Twins basically gave Chicago all three outs in the ninth inning (sac bunt and two outs recorded on the bases), but still scored three runs. Taylor Rogers struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the season. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen821.png Next Three Games Wed at CHW, 1:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Carlos Rodon Thu vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Fri vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games CHW 8, MIN 5: At Least That’s out of the Way MIN 5, DET 4: Late Rosario Homer Lifts Twins to Elusive One-Run Victory DET 7, MIN 5: Stewart Bombs Second Audition Click here to view the article

Hindsight is 20/20, but I would reverse the Jake Cave trade in a heartbeat. Luis Gil is throwing 99 mph and has a 1.37 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 13.3 K/9 in a league where the averages are 4.83, 1.50 and 8.8, respectively.

Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the situation. You miss a strike when you're up 0-2 with the bases empty and two outs, no big deal. You miss a strike when you really need it, that could lead to a big inning. If you think he doesn't throw enough strikes, consider this: Zone% 39.4-Gibson (second-lowest among the 70 qualified starters) 44.8-Odorizzi (15th) 46.4-Berrios (23rd) I also think, as a flyball pitcher, Odorizzi could have benefited from the expected outfield alignment of Rosario-Buxton-Kepler. Hopefully those guys will be behind him for the majority of next season.

A major league debut is an exciting thing to watch, but more often than not, it simply seems like a burden a player must shed. Stephen Gonsalves gave up as many runs as he recorded outs in his debut, but now it’s all about moving forward from here.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Gonsalves: 23 Game Score, 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 2 BB, 58.2% strikes (32 of 55 pitches) Home Runs: Cave (6), Kepler (17) Multi-Hit Games: Kepler (2-for-4, HR) WPA of 0.1 or higher: None. WPA of -0.1 or lower: May -.115, Mauer -.119, Gonsalves -.327 Download attachment: WinChart820.png There’s no beating around the bush, Gonsalves had a bad debut. However, this game being delayed and then rain continuing to fall while he was on the mound couldn’t have helped. There were also some positive signs. First off, Gonsalves got five swinging strikes on his 55 pitches and struck out three of the 13 batters he faced. The White Sox opened the second inning with a pair of hits followed by a walk, but then had a few fortunate bounces. Gonsalves hit Kevan Smith as he was squaring to bunt. A curveball dropped down and got him on the toe. Next, Tim Anderson hit an RBI bloop single that had a hit probability of one percent per Baseball Savant. In the end, Gonsalves allowed seven balls in play, six of which went for hits, but four of those had a hit probability of 55 percent or lower. Gonsalves’ early exit meant the bullpen had to cover the final 7 2/3 innings, and it took them 121 pitches to do so. That’s a big ask, given this is a pen that’s been overworked the past couple days and there’s not an open day on the scheduled for another week. The first four hitters in the Twins’ lineup (Joe Mauer, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano) combined to go 0-for-16 with five strikeouts and a walk. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen820.png Next Three Games Tue at CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Michael Kopech Wed at CHW, 1:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Carlos Rodon Thu vs. OAK, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games MIN 5, DET 4: Late Rosario Homer Lifts Twins to Elusive One-Run Victory DET 7, MIN 5: Stewart Bombs Second Audition MIN 5, DET 4: Take a Bow, Joe Click here to view the article

Not any ones in which I'm satisfied with the methodology, but there are some pretty good pitch framing metrics, and those suggest Garver is one of the worst in the league while Bobby is above average. That could certainly make a massive difference for a guy who needs all the strike calls he can get.

I always figured you'd make for a real nutty GM

It's a bummer Odorizzi doesn't go more than five innings all that often, but on the plus side he's a solid bet to go five. He's done that in 19 of his 26 starts, just about the same as Berrios (18 of 25). Also, Odorizzi has pitched to Garver way more often than the other two guys who have been in the rotation all year. With Garver 94.1 - Odorizzi (72.2% of his IP) 44.0 - Berrios (28.6% of his IP) 41.2 - Gibson (27.1% of his IP) I love Mitch, and the only way he's going to get better is by playing, but I see that breakdown and I feel like Odorizzi deserves some extra credit. I don't think there's any question that Wilson and (before he went down) Castro are miles ahead of Garver in terms of game calling. It's not like Odo was ever Mr. Efficiency, but he did average 5.67 innings per start over the four years prior to joining the Twins, and that's down to 5.03 this year. I feel very comfortable penciling Jake into the rotation next season.

Facing Eddie Rosario has to drive pitchers crazy. No location is safe. No count is safe. Rosario hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth on an 0-2 pitch that was out of the strike zone. It was up and in, Rosie sent it high and deep. The Twins entered this game with just an 11-19 record in one-run games, but Trevor Hildenberger (just barely) managed to make that lead hold up.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Odorizzi: 53 Game Score, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 59.6% strikes (59 of 99 pitches) Home Runs: Kepler (16), Cave (5), Rosario (22) Multi-Hit Games: Austin (2-for-3) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Hildenberger .226, Rosario .224, Kepler .120, Austin .100 WPA of -0.1 or lower: None Download attachment: WinChart819.png Here’s Rosario’s rocket ... There was quite a bit of roster news to come out of Target Field the last 24 fours. Ervin Santana was placed back on the DL, Johnny Field was optioned back to Rochester. Alan Busenitz and Robbie Grossman are on their way back up. Also, Stephen Gonsalves will make his Major League debut tomorrow. Gonsalves won’t be the only significant debut the Twins see this week, as the White Sox are calling up Michael Kopech, ranked the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, to face the Twins Tuesday. The Twins will need to make a move to add Gonsalves to the active roster. Logan Forsythe cleared waivers and can be traded to any team in baseball ... UPDATE: Tyler Duffey will be sent back down to Rochester to make room for Gonsalves. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen819.png AL Central Standings CLE 71-52 MIN 59-64 (-12) DET 51-74 (-21) CHW 46-77 (-25) KC 38-86 (-33.5) Next Three Games Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Stephen Gonsalves vs. Lucas Giolito Tue at CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. TBD Wed at CHW, 1:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. TBD Last Three Games DET 7, MIN 5: Stewart Bombs Second Audition MIN 5, DET 4: Take a Bow, Joe MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases Click here to view the article

Kohl Stewart made his second big league start Saturday night at Target Field. It didn’t go so well. The lineup flexed its muscles, socking four home runs. It wasn’t enough. The Tigers did a better job of taking advantage of opportunities, getting a huge three-run homer off Tyler Duffey, and ended up squeaking out a victory.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kohl Stewart: 35 Game Score, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 4 BB, 47.7% strikes (31 of 65 pitches) Home Runs: Mauer (5), Austin (11), Sano (11), Garver (7) Multi-Hit Games: Mauer (3-for-5, 2B, HR), Austin (3-for-4, HR), Sano (2-for-4, HR, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Mauer .141 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Rosario -.122, Duffey -.177, Forsythe -.203, Stewart -.216 Download attachment: WinChart818.png I’d be willing to bet Stewart threw the lowest percentage of strikes any Twins starter has all season. I haven’t kept a running tally or anything, but 47.7 percent is awfully low. Nobody can be effective pitching like that, let alone a guy in his second major league start. Stewart has now given up six earned runs on eight hits and five walks over the first seven innings of his career. You’d have to imagine another young starter will get an opportunity the next time this rotation spot rolls around. Duffey was tasked with providing some length out of the bullpen. He only allowed four baserunners in his 2 1/3 innings of work. The problem was one of the hits was a three-run homer. Ouch. Tough to win a ballgame when you give up six runs in the first five innings. That three-run shot from Mikie Mahtook was Detroit’s only homer. The Twins hit four homers — one each from Joe Mauer, Tyler Austin, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver — but only got a grand total of five runs off them. After Duffey, the Twins’ bullpen was great. Trevor May pitched a perfect inning, Gabriel Moya shut out Detroit in his inning of work, Addison Reed gave up an unearned run in his frame and Oliver Drake pitched a perfect ninth. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen818.png Next Three Games Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. TBD Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Lucas Giolito Tue vs CHW, 7:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. TBD Last Three Games MIN 5, DET 4: Take a Bow, Joe MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos Click here to view the article

There are still three AL teams who don't have a pinch-hit homer, including the Yankees. The AL average is one and the White Sox are the only team with more than two.

Molitor mentioned how he wanted to get Magill some looks in late-inning situations. Why tonight was the time to give him a shot to close, I'm not sure. On Rogers, he seems to be Molly's go-to guy in a jam. Rogers has only allowed nine of his 32 inherited runners to score (28.1%) while, just for comparison's sake, 14 of 23 have scored on Hildenberger (60.9%). I'm happy to see different guys getting opportunities in different spots. I don't think they should lock anybody in as the closer or only reserve certain guys for blowouts like Molitor has done so often in the past. Being flexible and using guys to their strengths is the best way to really get the most out of your entire bullpen, in my opinion.

If there’s one good reason to keep tuning into the Twins the rest of this season, it’s because we could very will be watching the end of Joe Mauer’s career. He provided a special moment for the home crowd Friday night. With the Twins trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Joe Mauer came off the bench to blast a three-run homer that put the Twins up for good.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kyle Gibson: 56 Game Score, 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 65.7% strikes (67 of 102 pitches) Home Runs: Rosario (21), Austin (10), Mauer (4) Multi-Hit Games: Austin (2-for-4, HR) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Mauer .418, Austin .170, Rogers .146 WPA of -0.1 or lower: None Download attachment: WinChart817.png No use in wasting time … Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen817.png AL Central Standings CLE 70-51 MIN 58-63 (-12) DET 50-73 (-21) CHW 44-76 (-25.5) KC 37-84 (-33) Next Three Games Sat vs. DET, 6:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Ryan Carpenter Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Blaine Hardy Mon vs. CHW, 7:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games MIN 15, DET 8: Five Hits for Forsythe in Busy Night on the Bases MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos MIN 5, PIT 2: Odorizzi, Polanco Spark Comeback Click here to view the article

A conga line broke out on the basepaths at Target Field last night. The Twins’ pitching staff gave up eight run on 10 hits and six walks, yet they still won by seven runs. The offensive outburst was led by Logan Forsythe, who was a perfect 5-for-5.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Ervin Santana: 7 Game Score, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 62.5% strikes (45 of 72 pitches) Home Runs: Polanco (2), Sano (10), Adrianza (5) Multi-Hit Games: Forsythe (5-for-5, 2 2B), Mauer (2-for-4, 2B, BB), Polanco (2-for-4, HR), Sano (2-for-4, HR, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Forsythe .216, Adrianza .179, Polanco .165, May .152, Mauer .109 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Santana -.349 Download attachment: WinChart816.png After tonight’s hit parade, Forsythe is now 22-for-49 since joining the Twins, posting a .449/.500/.531 batting line. He only had 40 hits in 198 at bats with the Dodgers this season. The Twins have struggled to score runs in bunches this season, but they managed to rack up 15 runs despite only scoring in three separate innings. Jorge Polanco hit a three-run homer in the first inning, the five-run second inning was highlighted by a Miguel Sano two-run homer and they managed to tally seven runs in the sixth thanks in part to an Ehire Adrianza two-run blast. This was Ervin Santana’s fifth start of the season. He now has an 8.03 ERA. Not sure how a team out of contention could possibly justify continually trotting out a struggling 35-year-old on an expiring contract (there’s no way they’re picking up his $14 million option). Santana loaded the bases without recording an out in the fifth inning. Trevor May took over and walked in two inherited runners, bringing Detroit back within a run of the Twins. May also pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Addison Reed gave up a run over his two innings of work and Oliver Drake delivered a clean ninth inning. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen816.png AL Central Standings CLE 69-51 MIN 57-63 (-12) DET 50-72 (-20) CHW 44-76 (-25) KC 37-84 (-32.5) Next Three Games Fri vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Matthew Boyd Sat vs. DET, 6:10 pm CT: Kohl Stewart vs. Artie Lewicki Sun vs. DET, 1:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Blaine Hardy Last Three Games MIN 6, PIT 4: New-Look Bullpen Boosts Twins Over Buccos MIN 5, PIT 2: Odorizzi, Polanco Spark Comeback DET 4, MIN 2: Stewart Debuts, Bats Slump in Loss Click here to view the article