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Archive for game logs from previous seasons.
2019 Game 89: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
After a hot start, things have decidedly cooled down a bit in downtown Minneapolis. Though the A's are no slouches, the true test comes to Target Field tonight in this clash between division leaders. I don't think I'm the first to say that this three game series could tell us a lot about what kind of team we have here. Just for fun, let's see how hopeless everyone is:
How Many Games Will the Twins Win This Series?
- Two (53%, 8 Votes)
- One (40%, 6 Votes)
- Three (7%, 1 Votes)
- Zero (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 15
Loading ...Anyway, for tonight's game, Cap'n Cheeseburger faces off against Martín Pérez as the Twins hang on to first place in the Central for dear life. In other roster news Thorpe and Stashak are called up, Littel is DFAed, Cron to the IL, and as of press time it doesn't sound Bux is coming back today.
All right, everyone, buckle in tight, cause here come the Yankees. Drink up, Twins fans!
2019 Game 88: Oakland White Pachyderms vs. Minnesota Doppelgangers
Win Probability: 54.2%
Around the eighth inning last night I thought I'd be writing about how the Twins have a chance to win this four-game series with Oakland today. Instead, because Taylor Rogers chose an inopportune time to have a very rare bad outing, we're hoping to salvage a split and maybe get a game back in the standings from Cleveland. Such are the vagaries of baseball. I can't say that I've been overly impressed with the Twins' overall performance since the All-Star break. They've been adequate at best. But then again, they spent the first half of the season setting very high expectations for the second half that they just haven't managed to equal yet. In some ways, I think a hard-fought race for the division title would be good for this team, a crucible in which they temper their skill and desire into hardened competitive advantage for the postseason. On the other hand, I'd be fine with the Twins going on a month-long winning streak and putting another ten games or so between their tail feathers and Cleveland's beak.
The Twins commence today's contest with Big Mike Pineda on the mound for the 19th time this year. While I wouldn't say I'm a fan yet, he is working hard to win me over and has shown considerable improvement over his last several starts. His ERA is down to 4.38 (104 ERA+) and in four of his last five outings he allowed just one earned run. A 4.18 FIP would suggest he's doing all that while not being especially lucky. In 98.2 innings pitched he's given up 99 hits, 16 walks, and 51 runs for a 1.166 WHIP. He's compiled 87 strikeouts and whiffs more than five batters for every free pass he hands out. Not shabby for a back of the rotation arm, I guess. But despite all the favorable numbers you can find for Pineda, he's still only managed a 0.7 WAR and -0.2 WAA for the season. Cornelius McGillicuddy's legacy counters Pineda today with Daniel Mengden's moustache (4.21 ERA). The Twins touched the right-hander for five runs over 5.2 innings just a few weeks ago. Hopefully they can improve on that today. Play ball!
Game 97: A’s at Twins
Emergency post. Bombas in progress
Game 96: Oakland at Minnesota
Bassit v. Odorizzi.
There's a part of me that, all season long, just hasn't bought into Odorizzi. For some reason, I feel like he's been doing it with smoke and mirrors. But his last outing, against Cleveland, felt like something different. He didn't have many K's (2), and he still only lasted 5.1 innings, but... it was an important game. A win in that middle game of the series would deny the Indians a chance to gain ground in a home series against the Twins. And limiting the Tribe to just 3 hits felt like something notable. It wasn't about whether Odorizzi is truly an all-star pitcher, and was every bit about the team, and doing what he could to contribute.
Meanwhile, last night's game felt much the same way. It was a hero off the bench who provided the, uh, heroics. Walks were drawn, pressures were kept up, etc. Down 3-1, it was starting to feel like another loss. And then suddenly it wasn't, and it seemed like the whole team was clicking again.
This is one of the things I love most about baseball. It is so much more a team sport than most others. And this is one of the things I've been loving about this iteration of the Twins: it feels like a team. A really well-rounded team.
Speaking of the A's, this phenomena reminds me a bit of Moneyball. One of the great things about Moneyball, and probably something that isn't emphasized all the time, was the focus on the team aspects. Beane said "we don't need you to hit 40 HR, we need you to hit 20, and we'll get the other 20 from X, Y, and Z" (or somesuch. I can't be bothered to look this up.).
Anyway, that's how this Twins team feels to me. And I like it.
Now let's get us another win!
2019 Recap: Game Ninety-five
MINNESOTA 6, OAKLAND 3 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Thursday, July 18.
Batting stars: Eddie Rosario was 1-for-1 with a three-run homer, his twenty-first. Mitch Garver was 1-for-4 with a home run, his sixteenth. C. J. Cron was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighteenth. Luis Arraez was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks. Miguel Sano was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs.
Pitching stars: Kyle Gibson struck out seven in seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and no walks. Taylor Rogers pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.
Opposition stars: Ramon Laureano was 3-for-4 with two runs. Jurickson Profar was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fourteenth. Mike Fiers pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks and striking out four.
The game: The Athletics put men on first and third with two out in the second, but there was no score until the third, when Sano walked, went to second on a Jake Cave single, took third on a bunt, and scored on a wild pitch. Oakland immediately tied it in the fourth, as Laureano singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Khris Davis double.
The Twins missed a chance in the fifth, putting men on first and second with none out and running themselves out of the inning. It looked like it would be costly, as the Athletics took the lead in the sixth. Laureano singled with one out and Profar hit a two-out two-run homer, putting Oakland up 3-1. But in the seventh, Arraez hit a one-out double, Sano walked, and Rosario, pinch-hitting for Cave, hit a three-run homer to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.
Oakland got a pair of one-out singles in the eighth, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning. The Twins then got some insurance, as Garver and Cron each homered to make it 6-3. The Athletics went down in order in the ninth.
WP: Gibson (9-4). LP: Yusmeiro Petit (2-2). S: Rogers (14).
Notes: Max Kepler was in center field and Cave in right, with Byron Buxton still out. Marwin Gonzalez was in left, replacing Rosario. When Rosario entered the game, he went to left, with Gonzalez in right. Arraez was at second base with Jonathan Schoop still out. Ehire Adrianza was at shortstop, replacing Jorge Polanco.
Arraez raised his average to .382. Rogers has an ERA of 1.61.
The Twins made two more errors, although this time none of them led to runs. Everyone keeps saying, "Well, Buxton's out", but Buxton isn't going to stop infielders from booting grounders or throwing the ball away. Anyone who says, "Defense doesn't go into a slump" hasn't been watching the Twins lately.
But, all's well that ends well. Gibson pitched a good game--not dominating, but seven innings, three runs, six hits, no walks is something you'd take from him every time. Rogers remains outstanding. Arraez had another good game. And Rosario, well, what more can you say?
And Miguel Sano has quietly been batting very well lately. He was 1-for-2 last night and he drew two walks, both of which led to runs. He's only batting .236 on the season, which isn't great, but his OBP is .324. Since June 27, when he went 0-for-7 in the eighteen inning game, he's batting .340/.436/.702. A productive Sano would be really helpful over the last two and a half months of the season.
Record: The Twins are 59-36, in first place in the American League Central, four games ahead of Cleveland.
Projected record: We're still on track for 126-36!
Game 95: Oakland Athletics at Minnesota Twins
The Twins’ AL Central lead is down to 4 games, and for the second time in as many weeks, the Twins get to face the hard-charging A’s (55-41, 2nd in the West, 4.5 games in back of Houston, 8-2 in their last 10) while Cleveland (also 8-2 over their past 10 games) are looking to complete a sweep of the terrible Gardy’s (Detroit). CLE took 3 out of 3, June 21-23 & have won the first 3 of their current 4-game series ... yeah.
I’m going to focus on the pitcher tonight because the professionals on the offensive side of the equation have had their game scrutinized sufficiently over the 1st half. Though maybe they wouldn’t mind getting back to the April/May Twins as opposed to the last months-worth of games (scoring 5 or fewer runs 16 times in 24 games for a record of 13-11).
“Fun” statistical coincidence(?) and the perfect example of the mediocrity average baseball we’ve been seeing recently...
Last 10: 5-5
Last 20: 10-10
Last 30: 15-15
In his last start, Gibson managed to secure only 11 outs against Cleveland (July 12) before giving way to the bullpen in a game the Twins came back and win 5-3. Gibby is having a slightly better year numbers-wise than his career averages, but I’d certainly appreciate it if we see a start more in line with his June 14 blanking of the Royals - 8 IP, 2 H, 6 SO. I’d even take a start like his last winning performance against the Rays on June 25th: 4 ER on 7 H, with 7 SO scattered over 7 innings. We’ll see.
2019 Recap: Game Ninety-four
NEW YORK 14, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Wednesday, July 17.
Batting stars: Mitch Garver was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a walk. Nelson Cruz was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighteenth.
Pitching star: Martin Perez pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk and striking out four.
Opposition stars: Amed Rosario was 4-for-4 with a home run (his tenth), a triple, a walk, four runs, and three RBIs. Adeiny Hechevarria was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs. Dominic Smith was 2-for-3 with a home run (his ninth), two runs, and four RBIs. Todd Frazier was 2-for-5. Pete Alonso was 1-for-6 with a two-run homer (his thirty-first) and two runs. Jason Vargas pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk and striking out four. Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.
The game: It was a good game until suddenly it wasn't. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the second when Max Kepler hit a one-out double and Miguel Sano came through with a two-out single. The lead did not survive the next half-inning, as Rosario homered with one out in the third to tie it 1-1. Cruz put the Twins in front 2-1 with a one-out homer of his own in the bottom of the third, but the lead again did not survive the next half-inning. The Mets loaded the bases with none out on an error, a single, and a hit batsman. A double play scored the tying run, although it also enabled the Twins to escape without further damage. The Twins got the lead back in the fifth when Garver hit a one-out home run.
This time the lead lasted an inning and a half. In the seventh, Rosario singled, Hechevarria doubled, and Smith hit a three-run homer to give New York a 5-3 advantage. Then, in the eighth, the roof fell in, or it would have it Target Field had a roof. The Mets had two on with two out and Hechevarria hit a fly ball to Eddie Rosario in left. Rosario somehow did not catch it, allowing two runs to score. The error was followed by a double, a single, and a home run, and the score was 11-3. The Twins got one back in the bottom of the eighth, but as they are currently strapped with only a seven-man bullpen, Rocco had Ehire Adrianza pitch the ninth. He allowed three more runs, leading to a final of 14-4.
WP: Vargas (4-5). LP: Trevor May (3-3). S: None.
Notes: Max Kepler was in center and Marwin Gonzalez in right in the absence of Byron Buxton. Luis Arraez was at second base in the absence of Jonathan Schoop.
Jorge Polanco was 1-for-4 to hold his average at .307. Arraez was 1-for-4 and is batting .380.
Swept. By the Mets. By the Mets. A team that can barely get out of its own way. And we got swept by them.
Yes, I know all the excuses. These things happen in baseball, it was only a two-game series, we were using the back end of our rotation, every team goes through slumps, we've had injuries, we didn't get the breaks, blah blah blah blah blah. The bottom line is that we still got swept by the Mets. By the Mets.
Meanwhile, Cleveland was on the up end of a sweep. Yes, they were only playing the Tigers. And we were only playing the Mets. The Mets.
Good teams take care of business and win the games they're supposed to win. Also-rans make excuses. The Twins have been looking an awful lot like also-rans lately. I know, it's a long season. But it's slipping away, and so is the Twins' lead. I don't know what they need to do to turn things around, but they'd better figure something out, and they'd better do it soon.
Record: The Twins are 58-36, in first place in the American League Central, four games ahead of Cleveland.
Projected record: We'll just have to settle for 126-36!
2019 Game 94: New York Mets at Minnesota Twins
Jason Vargas
vs
Martín Pérez
Day game after a clunker last night. This is the final game against the Mets. The Twins split the series in New York so need to win today to salvage a .500 record against a bad team.
2019 Recap: Game Ninety-three
NEW YORK 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Tuesday, July 16.
Batting stars: C. J. Cron was 2-for-4 with two doubles. Eddie Rosario was 2-for-4. Jonathan Schoop was 1-for-2 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a walk.
Pitching stars: Michael Pineda pitched six innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks. Zack Littell pitched a perfect inning. Blake Parker pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks.
Opposition star: Michael Conforto was 4-for-4.
The game: The Twins gift-wrapped a pair of runs for the Mets in the first. With men on first and second and one out, a passed ball moved them both into scoring position. A sacrifice fly scored one, a wild pitch moved the other runner to third, and an error scored him. It was 2-0 New York after a half inning.
The Twins wasted a one-out double by Cron in the second but got on the board in the third thanks to a Schoop home run. They tied the game in the fifth, but missed a chance for more. Rosario led off with a single and Cron doubled, putting men on second and third with none out. A ground out made it 2-2 and a strikeout and an intentional walk to Schoop put men on first and third with two down. Schoop was then caught stealing on what was assumed to be a misbegotten double steal attempt on which Cron failed to move from third.
The tie lasted all the way until the next time the Mets batted. Amed Rosario doubled with one out in the fifth and scored on Conforto's two-out single to put New York up 3-2. And that's where it stayed. The Twins had men on first and second with none out in the fifth and loaded the bases with two out in the ninth, but could not bring home the tying run.
WP: Luis Avilan (2-0). LP: Pineda (6-5). S: Edwin Diaz (21).
Notes: Max Kepler was in center and Marwin Gonzalez in right with Byron Buxton moving to the IL. Jonathan Schoop was injured in the ninth, and there has been no word on his condition at this writing.
Rosario and Cron both returned to the lineup from the IL and did well. Buxton was put on the IL and Mike Morin was DFA's to make room. Morin had actually pitched quite well for the Twins, although his last outing hurts his numbers significantly. One assumes someone will pick him up.
Jorge Polanco was 0-for-4 and is batting .307. Over his last thirty games, he has batted .255/.302/.372. Over his last fifteen games, it's .229/.280/.343.
Littell has now gone nine appearances (ten innings) without giving up a run.
At this point, it becomes reasonable to ask: which is the real Twins team? Is it the team that roared out to a 47-22 record through June 15? Or is the team that has stumbled and bumbled its way to a sub-.500 record since then? The defense has become increasingly unreliable--it seems we have an error or two almost every game, plus last night we threw a passed ball and two wild pitches into the mix. The offense has been inconsistent. The pitching hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been good enough to overcome the other problems. We keep waiting for the Twins to break out and start playing well again, and maybe they will. But it's been over a month now, and we're still waiting. We have to consider the possibility that the Twins team we're seeing now is the Twins team we're going to see for the rest of the season.
Record: The Twins are 58-35, first in the American League Central, five games ahead of Cleveland.
Projected record: We'll just have to settle for 127-35!