2015 Twins Game Logs

Game 120: Twins at Yankees

107 Comments

DAY GAME ALERT!
Ervin Santana (R) v Nathan Eovaldi (R)

Twins:
1. Aaron Hicks (S) CF
2. Brian Dozier (R) 2B
3. Joe Mauer (L) DH
4. Miguel Sano (R) 3B
5. Trevor Plouffe (R) 1B
6. Eddie Rosario (L) RF
7. Eduardo Escobar (S) SS
8. Chris Herrmann (L) C
9. Shane Robinson (R) LF

Yankees:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF
2. Brett Gardner (L) LF
3. Alex Rodriguez (R) DH
4. Carlos Beltran (S) RF
5. Greg Bird (L) 1B
6. Chase Headley (S) 3B
7. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
8. Stephen Drew (L) 2B
9. John Ryan Murphy (R) C

Go Twins!

107 thoughts on “Game 120: Twins at Yankees”

  6. Yeah ... Herrmann's the one I figured would break it up.
    And obviously if the 8-hitter is getting on base, so is Robinson.

        1. It really really is. He ain't as good as he once was, but he's as good once as he ever was.

    1. Looked like a couple of those. A guy working around 100 definitely needs a few more inches on the outside of the plate.

  12. Buxton better be in Baltimore tomorrow.

    1. Seriously.

      Too bad for Hicks. Just when he finally looked like he'd turned the corner, too. Hope he comes back from this alright.

    1. I really hate this team pitching staff.

      With Sano around, I think this is more accurate.

      1. In 2006, this team was exciting to watch, until the playoffs. I'm really hoping for the anti-2006, where we look awful in the regular season, somehow sneak into the playoffs by getting the 2nd wildcard, then go gangbusters in the Playoffs like the Cards did in 2006 (stupid WS win with 83-78 record). Not like I'm bitter or anything.

    1. I don't have a lot of hope for the Twins scoring against Betances or Miller, so this is probably the best possible scenario.

  21. After this start, the biggest free agent signing in Twins history has the worst ERA of anyone on the staff who's thrown more than 15 innings (includes Graham, Thompson, etc)

    ...the second biggest free agent signing is number two on that same list.

      1. This is a complicated thing. I do want them to spend money, I just want them to consult people who know what they're talking about before doing it. There were lots and lots and lots of people who said that the Santana signing was sketchy. The Twins are apparently not listening to those people.

        ...then again, they signed a 39 year old coming off his worst season as a pro to a 10 million dollar contract. Maybe it's too much to hope that they're not just kids in a candy shop.

        1. Actually, the Nolasco signing showed the Twins were using FIP and stuff like that to evaluate a pitcher. Unfortunately, Nolasco has been hurt and is probably one of the few pitchers that will generally pitch worse than his defense independent stats. As for Santana, I really don't remember much criticism of the signing. I was happy about it. In fact, the Twins gave up a draft pick to get him, which was straying from their other tendencies as well.

          1. Going back to the WGOM thread seems to back that up. Lots of guarded optimism. I wasn't that excited about it, but maybe I'm just projecting.

            This was sort of fun to see, though...

            I think projecting zero innings from Pelfrey is reasonable

            1. He has been a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately the team could not convince anyone else of that.

          2. Nolasco, I was reasonably excited about, but I remember seeing some fairly pointed skepticism around the time of the signing (all apocryphal, and I'm not going to look up sources).

  29. Well, it was said that this road trip would be a big factor in the team's hopes for the playoffs. Not looking good so far.

    2. Maybe I'm just feeling salty, but it doesn't seem like the folks running this team ever intended to pursue the playoffs this year, in spite of their relatively competitive first half.

          1. I hope it's not entirely service time. I'd really like to see what they've got, then start the year next year. I don't want them to have to wait until June or whatever.

            1. I'm not much for the minutia of rookie contract statuses. Really, the optics might be such that moving Berrios & Kepler up would suggest a concession of their season. They're still telling us (and themselves) that they can get this thing turned around.

              1. I'm not much for the minutia of contract status.

                Well, right. Neither am I. I don't know how a lot of the ins and outs work, I'm just saying that we're already well past the time that would affect Super-2 status for this year, so if they're worried about service time, that would seem to imply that they don't want them on the field right away next year, either. I'd like to see them give it a true shot.

                Berrios isn't on the 40-man. I have to imagine that's at least part of the holdup for him. So far as Kepler is concerned, I'm assuming playing time is their concern, but there's a fairly obvious solution to that (albeit one that they're not going to consider).

                I dunno. I'm just being pissy and distrustful of the team's management at the moment.

                1. ...pissy and distrustful of the team's management at the moment

                  I hear you.

                  Obviously this is just guessing, but I didn't/don't think they intended to bring up Sano, Buxton (or Kepler) until they'd had some AAA under their belts, considering the lost seasons last year. I don't know if anyone expected Berrios & Rosario to play as well as they have - neither were really on my radar last summer.

                  I think they figured D. Santana, Vargas, Arcia, May (and maybe Meyer) would all contribute with the big club, maybe not enough to be at .500 the 2nd week of August, 2nd in the division and chasing a WC spot, but enough to keep the masses happy, while giving their big-name prospects a chance to mature. I think that's why they added Boyer & Stauffer (didn't think the bullpen was as mediocre as it's turned out to be; maybe didn't believe they'd be good enough for it to matter) and why they signed Robinson & Schafer - as placeholders. And, in the case of Hunter, for ticket sales and "mentoring."

                2. Holding the player down until June affects Super-2 status but keeping him down for two weeks is all that's needed for maintaining seven years of control instead of six. See: Longoria, Bryant, et al.

                    1. I've decided that TR has an incentive-based contract, where he gets bonuses based on how many times the farm system is rated in the top 3.

          2. Because there's no one else in the pen.

            But that's not a concern if you're not worried about competing this year. May's best path should be in the rotation. I'm a little fearful they're going to keep him there after this year.

      2. I agree, and I think the Jepsen trade pretty much confirms it. I still prefer seeing what we've got next year* above selling the farm on a team that's mostly getting lucky this year, but no... I don't think they ever figured we were going to make much of a push.

        * I swear, if/when they extend Hunter's contract....

      3. It definitely feels that way, they simply aren't fielding the best team they can - Shane Robinson is playing a corner OF spot regularly for f's sake.

        I understand the team has to take a short and long view but just because the team should be better in 2016-2020 (or whatever) it doesn't mean they'll be this close to a playoff spot.

        It didn't make sense to get rid of top prospects to make a trade at the deadline, but maximize what you can. Look at the boost Schwarber and Correira have given their teams, would Terry Ryan have made those moves?

          1. Buxton should have been called up, even if he only replaced Robinson's starts. But it seems pretty easy to find another game or two a week for him through standard rest for other players.

            May never should have been kicked from the rotation. I think Berrios is one of the best 5 SPs in the organization so doing as much as they did to avoid starting him last Friday was a joke and the team paid the price with suboptimal bullpen deployment stemming from that decision (both before and after that game).

            There isn't much they can do at catcher at this point. Suzuki isn't good but he's a better option than Hermann or Fryer.

            1. Don't get me wrong, I think byron and berrios should be up. Who do you DFA?

              (edit) *Or Option, or DL or whatever

              2. Shane Robinson and I guess Achter.

                With Hicks on the DL, Robinson is the back-up CF. But when Hicks and Buxton are healthy, the team doesn't need a guy like Robinson.

                1. It should not go unmentioned that for all the talk of how we don't have enough relief pitchers, we have 8 relief pitchers on the active roster.

                    1. Well, it does affect things, though. If you send down Achter and DFA Duensing, that's two roster spots. It's not like Achter is doing anything that Shane Robinson couldn't*, and Duensing is holding lefties to a .327/.450/.429 clip this year. It's certainly not like there's not any trimming to be done.

                      * yes, I know this isn't, strictly speaking, accurate.

                    2. It takes some pretty bad management to get to the point where a team carrying 8 relievers feels like the only option to face ARod with the bases loaded is a rule 5 guy.

                    3. I could feel the collective citizenry spookying that grand slam all the way up in Silver Bay.

                2. But they're not and they haven't been.

                  I'm fine running Eddie out in CF, but w/ ii in right thats a tall order.

                3. They also could do without Duensing and having both Nunez & Escobar on the roster isn't necessary.

                  1. The Nunez Escobar thing has bothered me for some time. So that was my option for creating an option spot outside of the bullpen.

                    1. I agree completely, Nunez never made sense for the roster and playing Escobar in a corner OF spot so often was also confusing.

  31. This team has a real 2001 feel to it, especially once Perkins got hurt. Santana coming off suspension is like trading for Rick Reed and Santana is pitching like Reed did. At least Jepsen is pitching better than Todd Jones did (so far anyways).

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