First pitch 1:10 p.m.
Jose Berrios (2-5, 9.21 ERA, 41 K, 1.976 WHIP)
Corey Kluber (15-9, 3.16 ERA, 198 K, 1.044 WHIP)
If Corey Kluber were to have any pitching advice to offer Jose Berrios, I imagine it would go something like: "Trust your stuff. Work fast, throw strikes, change speeds. And don't let so many fucking guys on base."
Play ball!
Berrios did not listen to Kluber.
I'm happy for Beresford that he's getting to play, but why in the world is he at first base? He never played there in the minors, and they have Vargas in the lineup at DH. If you want them both in the lineup, why wouldn't you switch that around?
Berrios wonders that too.
Even Dazzle mildly questioned why Vargas wasn't at first instead of Beresford.
Correction: Beresford did play twenty-five games at first base in Rochester this year. It still makes no sense to me why you'd choose to put him at first and Vargas at DH, rather than the other way around, but I try to be accurate about these things.
Beresford at DH? What, Jason Tyner not available?
I agree that Beresford wouldn't be much of a DH and it would make more sense to play him somewhere else in the infield. But if the only choices for he and Vargas are first base and DH, it makes more sense to play the first baseman at first base.
True that.
And why take Berrios out now? Yes, he's given up four runs and has walked four. So? He just struck out the last guy. Why not see if he can work out of it? We used six relievers yesterday, and now we'll use four or five more in a game we probably can't come back and win anyway. How are these guys going to learn to get out of trouble if they never get the chance?
I underestimated. We're now on our sixth relief pitcher, and it's only the eighth inning.
And now it's seven relief pitchers.
In the postgame, Molitor says he's "trying to be patient" with Berrios. If this is Molitor being patient, I'd hate to see him when he's impatient.
Headline on Phil Miller's blog, "Twins doing their best to affect races for postseason berths". Yes, but not in the way teams in that position hope for.
"Doing their best." That's what I was afraid of.
Anybody watching the game? Was strike three to Dozier as terrible as Dazzle made it sound?
Yes. It was very high and kind of outside the zone.
Dazzle, I do not miss seeing managers waste time while complaining about something.
No, Dazzle, I really don't mind the fact that replay has caused fewer prolonged arguments between managers and umpires. I don't miss it, and even if I did, it would be worth it to get the calls right.
I hope Molitor is serious when he says defense will be one of the priorities of the Twins for next season.
Rob Anthony says Trevor May should prepare to be a starter next season. May has to be thinking, "Where have I heard that one before?"
Twins with equal hits and errors.
Dazzle thinks the Twins should've "retaliated" for Dozier getting hit? Why? Why in the world would Kluber have been throwing at Dozier in that situation?
I've learned not to question Dazzle's thinking in most cases. To quote the Professor of Logic sketch by Monty Python: