2019 Twins Game Logs

2019 Game 149: Minnesota at Cleveland

53 Comments

Starting Lineups

Win Probability: 37.7%

Enjoy the view today, citizens. This is what the world looks like when you're sitting, albeit precariously, in the catbird's seat. After one of the more eventful doubleheaders I've had the pleasure to see (especially the Sano salami that had everyone at Buffalo Wild Wings cheering), the Twins find themselves with a not-all-that-comfortable 5.5 game lead on Cleveland with just 14 games left to play. Even assuming a loss today, and Fangraphs makes it pretty clear who the underdog is, the Twins would still lead the division by 4.5 games with just two weeks to go. Over that span the Twins have a steady diet of Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City while the Cleveland squad still has to tangle with the Nationals and the Phillies. I like to think of the Twins as an old-time army that marched out of the city almost six months ago. Over the course of the summer campaign they battled with many other armies, collecting wins as their booty and hoisting home runs as their trophies. There were many triumphs and some difficult defeats. Now, with their spoils in tow, the weary army is marching home. The healthy do their best to carry the injured, and the walking wounded do what they can to stay on the march and in the fight. Up ahead, the city gates have come into view. All General Baldelli has to do is fight a rearguard action of daily skirmishes and get his men inside the walls before the army that's been in hot pursuit for weeks and weeks can overtake them. Do that and you get to keep the spoils and bear the title division champions. But if you fail, then all of the triumphs turn to dust and ash, your army is decimated, and your city is sacked and burned by the barbarian horde.

The Twins enter play today with their magic number at nine and an improbable chance to sweep Cleveland and pound a few nails into the coffin set aside for their playoff hopes. Baldelli is relying once again on the bullpen and call-ups to pitch the entire game, opening with Randy Dobnak who will give way to Kohl Stewart. The Indians delve into their embarrassment of starting pitching riches and trot out Not Justin Bieber, who has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his last 11 starts. The days are getting shorter, there's a chill in the air of a morning, and football is trying to infringe on pennant races. It's time to get this done. Play ball!

53 thoughts on “2019 Game 149: Minnesota at Cleveland”

  5. Not only did the Twins put some cushion in the division lead, Cleveland is now 2.5 back in the Wild Card

  14. I don't understand why Romero is in the game in this situation. I know we're strapped for pitchers, but we still have Harper and Stewart. I'd rather use Alcala than Romero.

    1. As I wrote below, I can kind of see a reason for Gibson, although I'm not sure it makes sense. Romero makes no sense. He's done nothing all year, and didn't even do anything in Rochester to justify the September call-up.

  20. The only reason I can think of for bringing Gibson in there is if you're trying to see whether you can use him in that role in the playoffs. But with Pineda out, Gibson pretty much has to be a starter in the playoffs, doesn't he?

        1. I hadn't thought of that, I must admit. If he can't start, then what? Perez? Bullpen game in the playoffs?

  27. Here's a thought--if the Twins would happen to come back and win this game, it would be an even more soul-crushing loss for Cleveland. "We can use our B lineup, we can deliberately hold out our best available starter, we can use a guy who wasn't even any good in AAA, we can use a mediocre starter in relief, we can make four errors, and we can still beat you.

  29. One shouldn't be greedy, I suppose. If you'd told me going into this series that we'd win two out of three, I'd have been very happy. Still, it bothers me that we gave this game away, in part because we didn't make our best effort to win it.

Comments are closed.