I feel as though Cleveland is handicapped and at a disadvantage. a split would be good while 1-3 or 0-4 for either Team would be a disaster. there's no getting around it, after the Saturday game someone will be down 1-2 which makes the Sunday game huge, that's the rookie Civale vs. Berrios. as evidenced by today's games, the Indians are currently struggling at the plate --- they are currently in the midst of an 8th inning rally, prior to that they had scored three runs in 25 innings against the Rangers, AT HOME!!!
maybe I'm worried like you and have just underestimated the Indians pitching, but not many games are won with fewer than four runs nowadays. our pitching will only hold the Twins' horses in check for so long, we need to start scoring.
so a brief 1-0 pitching duel turns a little wild: Cleveland scores three, the Twins respond nicely with two and then Cleveland answers that with two!! following online it shows that Cron PH for Nelson Cruz in the 4th inning, his second at bat. is he injured or is there another reason why he was removed??
@keets said:
so a brief 1-0 pitching duel turns a little wild: Cleveland scores three, the Twins respond nicely with two and then Cleveland answers that with two!! following online it shows that Cron PH for Nelson Cruz in the 4th inning, his second at bat. is he injured or is there another reason why he was removed??
Injured, strained wrist on a swing and miss. Game is going about as expected.
Losing Cruz for any length of time could be very bad. Hope it's not a bad or lingering thing.
Bieber is a stud. Twins only hope is Smickety-schmakety or whatever his name is can fool the Indians with his garbage. It _could _work.
Twins fighting back in 8th. 6-3 runners on 2nd and 3rd. 1 out.
Not a true fan, going to bed.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
the injury was described as a "ruptured tendon" which sure doesn't sound too good.
things have worked out OK so far, I was worried about what the relief pitching would be like after Wednesday's DH. now it's time for the Twins ace to see if he can stop the losing streak. Rocco Baldelli seems calm enough but this is his first big test as a Manager, how to stop the bleeding and get things working again. it will also show in what the players do, maybe they don't panic but do they get "tight" and struggle because of that??
the Twins might rally and hit 4-5 HR's tonight, but I really think there's been so much focus on the long ball that it's taken away from the smaller things that win over the course of a long season.
all the Sports talk, online and even leading an article I saw in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, leads off about the HR's. they better get their heads screwed on and forget about that or all they'll be is a footnote in the 2019 season. the Twins have blown a lead of 11-1/2 games in large part because Cleveland has been playing good, but they almost seem like they are driving a car with no rear-view mirror!!!
then again, look at all those Home Runs the Team is hitting!!!
More good news on Cruz's injury. Justin Morneau had the same thing happen and says it's better when the tendon breaks, pain subsides and doesn't stop you from playing.
I hope so Nelson is a leader on this team!
BIG game tonight!
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
I hope the game is played. right now an off day, even for a delayed game, will work for the Twins and against the Indians just like the All-Star break. when they're playing good they can't wait to get to the ballpark each day.
that's good news for Cruz. do you think he'll ride out more than the 10 days just to be sure everything is OK?? like I said earlier, this stretch of about 10 days is one of the most critical in the whole season, an injury in August can mean no playoff for some players. these two Teams both need to be healthy.
funny, but it really happened......................today about a half-hour before we closed a customer said it looked like rain outside. I remarked, "That's OK, as long as it isn't raining in Minneapolis."
Game almost over, looks like Twins avoid sweep with Berrios pitching tomorrow. Good chance for a split.
When Morneau tore his tendon, hr didn't miss any time. Baldelli seems a little cautious about injuries, but if there's no pain, I would imagine that Cruz will be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow if we need him in a late game situation. Otherwise a couple of days off at most. He was the best hitter in baseball for the last couple of weeks!
Romo and Rogers did their jobs. Odorizzi seemed to struggle a bit, but he pitched effectively.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
I would imagine that Cruz will be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow
he's on the 10-day DL, the earliest he can come back would be the 19th.
last nights game was interesting. early on it seemed only a matter of time before Odorizzi would be in the shower, he was close to 70 pitches after four innings but the Indians just couldn't get that key hit to move a runner across the plate. once the Twins scored he was safe until Baldelli figured he better yank him. one key at-bat was when the Indians had runners on second and third with two outs and they pitched around Kipnis to get to Allen. he struck out with the bags juiced.....................and doubled his next time up. Oh well, that's baseball!!!
for Cleveland, it was just the opposite. Plutko seemed in control until he rached two-out in the fourth and couldn't get that third out, the game turned on the three hits. past that it was evenly played. I expect that when we play each other in September the pitching match-ups will be different. this series placed each Team's best pitchers against the other Team's worst pitchers with the expected result, probably a split.
the fly in the ointment for Minnesota: the next time they play Cleveland we should have all of our injured pitchers back. having Kluber, Otero and the others will make a big difference.
Wasn't sure on the DL rules. That's a potentially bad move by Baldahlillama. He should have waited on that decision.
Justin Morneau is working as an analyst for Fox Sports and was available for the Twins to talk to. He had the exact same thing happen and didn't miss any time. Cruz to see a specialist tomorrow.
The Twins are missing a few key players too. Obviously Cruz, but also starting CF Byron Buxton, and new guy Dyson.
Hope Berrios can shake off his last start and pitch well today.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
bottom of the 9th, Cleveland up 3-1...........................so I had to run some errands this afternoon and had the game on. the announcers, who are pretty objective, noted that Berrios was throwing 90-91on his fastball, that he is typically in the mid-90's. they said there was nothing they had heard about any "injury" of any kind, soreness/tightness or anything that would account for that. they also said that although he has a good change-up it wasn't being thrown. in fact, at the time he had made around 40 some pitches and only eight weren't fastballs. at that, the speed they had was on 4-seamers.
earlier today I was talking to my son about tomorrow's game and I mentioned Thursday and the response to the response: Cleveland scores three in the top of the inning, Minnesota comes to bat and scores two, then Cleveland comes up and scores two.
now this: Minnesota comes back in the 9th with two to tie and Cleveland responds in the 10th with four via a Grand Salami from Carlos Santana. I think both Teams need some rest after this series but guess what, tomorrow will be here in a hurry. it's one reason why in MLB you really, really have to have a short memory if you hope to succeed and not go freakin' crazy.
the weird stat of the day --- Brad Hand not only gets the win, he also gets a blown save!!! I wonder how often that something like that happens??? a long time ago after I did something stupid that turned out good a friend "You're the only guy I know who can fall into a bucket of shit and come out smellin' like roses. so it is with Brad Hand.
Joe, you seem to have the pulse of your Team because you called it pretty close. the spoiler was the relay to Lindor and the peg to home plate. without that throw you'd be lookin' like Svengali!!
He was out by a "mile" but I LOVE that they sent him. It took grabbing the ball bare handed, two good throws and two good catches to get him and the Cleveland players performed perfectly!
DAMN!
Next time we play, I hope both teams have ALL their key players and it's another great series...............with the Twins winning! ;-)
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
I have always thought of that play or type of play as one of the most exciting things in all of Sports, it ranks right up there for me with an NFL/College Punt return for a TD.
let's talk about negatives from the series. I thought Cleveland did a poor job with RISP, they need to improve on that if they expect to move along to/in the Post-Season. what were they Saturday, 0 for 12?? a big fat goose egg!!! the other thing, bunting, it makes me crazy. I think they had two attempt go for pop-up outs and that's unforgivable.
Totally agree on bunting, although didn't you get a hit on a bunt in the 10th inning yesterday? I missed some of the 10th because I live in the middle of nowhere.
Speaking of exciting, have you seen Byron Buxton play at all? If not, I hope he's healthy next time the two teams meet. Best defensive CF I have ever seen (other than clips of Mays) fastest runner I have ever seen as well. I would rate him above Puckett for talent, but he's hurt WAY too much.
Negatives for Twins. Best hitter in baseball (at the moment) gets hurt, Buxton hurt (AGAIN) Gibson walks 6 (?) guys, closer gets pummeled yesterday. Berrios gives up two 1st inning runs in final game.
Jose has got to come up big in games like this if the Twins are going to have any post season success. Odorizzi is a good pitcher, but you need a "shut down" guy if you want to make a run.
Losing 3 out of 4 at home sucks even though I don't feel we got "beat up", we just got beat.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
all four games were closer than the final scores indicated. games 1 and 3 each turned on one big inning, games 2 and 4 were close and could have gone either way. I really think the only true sense we'll get of the Teams is if/when their best starters are matched up. there's a good chance that will happen at least once with six games to go.
I expect to see Corey Kluber activated the last week of August and probably the same thing with with 1-2 others. guys on the 60 day list that are ready will probably join the Team when the rosters increase, so that should make the stretch between the two Teams interesting. all things considered it might come down to two things for the Division winner --- whoever is in 1st place on September 1st and whoever comes out on top with the six remaining games they play.
I think the two teams match up well. If everyone's healthy, Twins have better hitting, Cleveland better pitching. Both teams addressed their shortcomings.
Better pitching usually wins.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
well, I'm awake and recovered from the game last night which was really, really entertaining.
our seats were down the 3rd baseline and we sat about 50 feet from the foul pole. there is a "Home Run Porch" down the left field line that affords fans the opportunity to stand with a fabulous view of the field and batter along with a chance of grabbing a ball. my son just missed two of them, one by Jose Ramirez and another by Jackie Bradley. the one by Bradley was thrown back onto the field, a no-no, and the fan was grabbed and escorted out of the Stadium with what is probably a $500 ticket!!!
there were at least five superlative defensive gems made by both Teams along with the offense, so it was well rounded game. we sat next to a Boston fan wearing a Xander Bogaerts jersey: his "boy" made a fabulous leaping snag of a Lindor bullet and then came up the next inning and smacked a homer that just cleared the wall in left. Devers at third made a great snag of a grounder, Kipnis made a leaping "look what I got catch" and Tyler Naquin seemed like he was going up against the wall in right all night.
so, my prediction of the Indians getting into first place was about a week off!!! now all the have to do is stay there, but I figure it's going to be back and forth with the Twins for the rest of the season.
I was prepared to do some stuff around the house, follow the game and make a post here about what my sense of things are six weeks out, but now the Indians have erupted in New York so I'll touch on that first. here's what they did so far --- single, single, walk, strike-out, Grand Slam, solo HR and they'r still up in the first. I can't figure them out, they play well but seem to always have a Team slump like yesterday when they squeak out a loss with 3-4 hits. I can't put a finger on it.
but here is the thought about the AL six weeks out. here are my five Teams in order.
1.) New York Yankees.
2.) Houston Astros.
3.) Minnesota Twins.
4.) Cleveland Indians.
5.) Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
in the WildCard Game I see the Indians winning over the D Rays.
New York vs. Cleveland --- my heart says Cleveland but my head says New York. this weekend's four-game series should go a long way to settle that.
Houston vs. Minnesota --- I suspect that the winner of this series will go to the WS, and I don't believe it's a shoe-in for the Astros. the Twins can match them at the plate, so if they figure a few things out with their BP and Starters it will be fun to watch.
checking in on Cleveland, they are going off on the Yankees, seven runs in the first and still batting.
Masahiro Tanaka for NY and rookie Aaron Civale for Cleveland.
Civale last pitched Sunday in Minnesota when he allowed one run on four hits in six innings and took a no-decision. It was the third straight start he allowed one run or less and pitched at least six innings, making him and Cody Anderson (2015) the only Cleveland starters since 1908 to pitch at least six innings and allow one or fewer runs in each of their first three career starts.
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (8-6, 4.64 ERA), who has a 7.16 ERA in his last six outings, starts for New York and is coming one of his most dominant outings of the season. In Sunday's 1-0 win at Toronto, he allowed three hits in eight-plus innings while throwing 94 pitches -- two more than he did in 5 1/3 innings on Aug. 5 in Baltimore.
yeah, one night the Indians have a game where every starter has at least two hits, the next night two starters have a hit. this is why they will maybe play one game in the playoffs, maybe one series. their pitching is stout but their hitting is inconsistent and suspect.
I have noticed something a bit bothersome about the Twins. They seem to be making a LOT of errors on some routine plays. Polanco has had a bad stretch lately.
That could hurt them come post season time.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
my AL playoff review..........................
I have been paying attention and what strikes me is a similarity between Minnesota and New York, their pitching is suspect but that fact is overlooked because they tend to bludgeon opponents at the plate.
--- the Yankees will get a boost if Louis Severino returns, but past him they seem to struggle. the key to beating the Yankees is to shorten the game t the 8th inning and prevent Aroldis Chapman from getting a chance to pitch. he is dominant. the New York offense can be potent and often makes up for the deficient pitching.
--- the Twins have become a one starter Team with the sudden disappearance of anything from Jose Berrios who has had 3-4 very bad outings, his last win was on July 31st. other than him it falls on Odorizzi to keep the ball rolling, but like the Yankees, the Twins are able to overcome those deficiencies with their batting prowess.
for both Teams, any sort of prolonged slump or fall-off from their offense would end any play-off run. their recent series' with Cleveland should highlight that. further, something like that could lose the Division for Minnesota but New York probably has too far to fall and not enough time for it to happen.
Cleveland and Houston are better balanced, Houston much moreso.
--- if Cleveland can get Corey Kluber back into the starting rotation and a healthy Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco into the BullPen they could be tough down the stretch and in October. some of their position players have found a groove lately so run production is up as they've proven the can score a lot, respond and win close games. nowhere near the offense of New York, Minnesota and Houston, but enough to win with their pitching.
--- Houston doesn't need much to be said. they have both pitching and offense, they just seem to be coasting right now. the Astros are a hard Team for me to gauge because on paper they are awesome but in play they seem to faulter too often.
back to two games after a 6-4 loss to the White Sox. there are two Teams in the AL Central with the real capacity to play "spoiler" since we each have to play them 19 times, the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals. last night the Twins fell victim to that just like the Indians did with the Royals: we should each beat those Teams, but they are solid and can score when things happen their way.
--- about Corey Kluber, he started and pitched one inning in a Triple A rehab game, removed after he complained of "abdominal pain" for precautionary reasons.
--- about Carlos Carrasco, he pitched an inning of relief for Single A Akron and did fine.
both should be back by mid-September to get in some work and possibly be available for the post-season.
Concerned with Berrios' last few starts. Looked at his splits for 2017 and 2018. In a nutshell, he's a first half pitcher and especially good at home. Twins better win the division if they are looking at him as their best pitcher.
Odo has been solid, but doesn't have the "stuff" Berrios does. He looks like our number 1 guy right now. That makes me nervous.
Your post makes a lot of sense. I think it's going to come down to pitching, it usually does. Houston looks great, Cleveland almost as good if they get/stay healthy.
Twins and Yankees will depend on how well their starters are pitching at the time, but to think that a good group of pitchers can play "over their heads" for the playoffs and beat a better group can happen, but usually doesn't.
A lot can happen before then.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
not surprising that Chicago won as I said earlier, what is surprising is that the Twins were shut-out and held to only three hits. Giolito pitched like the staff "Ace" should pitch. now, if the Tribe figures out why they can't hit on Tuesday and swing the bats tonight we can gain some ground.
I have been thinking lately that Cleveland might be a good match-up with the Yankees, so they should focus more on their lead in the Wild Card race and soften on edging out the Twins.
@keets said:
not surprising that Chicago won as I said earlier, what is surprising is that the Twins were shut-out and held to only three hits. Giolito pitched like the staff "Ace" should pitch. now, if the Tribe figures out why they can't hit on Tuesday and swing the bats tonight we can gain some ground.
I listened to the game Giolito sounded amazing.
I have been thinking lately that Cleveland might be a good match-up with the Yankees, so they should focus more on their lead in the Wild Card race and soften on edging out the Twins.
Good thinking ;-)
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
I think that last night Brad Hand may have forced Francona's "Hand" regarding a closer going forward with yet another in a string of blown saves. I think he has four blown saves in his last five appearances and last night he failed to cover first base on what might have been an inning ending double play. as it was, he gave up two runs in the 10th inning after Carlos Santana had given Cleveland a 3-2 lead with a homer in the top of the 10th. it may not seem like much, but Hand has now blown 15% of his save opportunities and has proven himself, at least to me and scores of other fans, as wholly unreliable.
the bigger problem is, of course, the offense as I have been saying. their most glaring deficiency is the hit with runners in scoring position. last night they were 0-7. they also have a bad habit of stranding runners on third base with less than two outs. last night they stranded three runners at third.
as I had said, August for Cleveland would be difficult and prove a good test for the Team. they started out OK but are now 11-9 with nine games left to redeem themselves. absent a change it will mean that playing 35-15 in June and July to catch the Twins will have been a waste of time.
I'd have to think that Francona is wondering about Brad Hand, can he recover and be competent enough to be a closer for the rest of the season and into October if they qualify?? he has little time to waste on that decision. I'd have to think that Danny Salazar is an option when/if he returns soon, but who else when Hand fails again.
I believe we will see the answer to that in the 9th inning of the next close game. if Hand fails again he has absolutely got to be replaced.
Berrios loses again. I see he is a first half, home field pitcher, but he has pitched horribly. 7.57 ERA in August.
Twins have increased their lead to 5.5 games. Another showdown with the Indians coming up. Twins need to win at least one of the three games.
Hitting has carried them and bullpen has pitched well. Picking up Romo was a great move, Dyson is only OK. Twins are first team ever to have 8 players with 20 or more HR. Kepler and Cruz have a great shot at 40, Rosario, Sano and Garver might reach 30. They have been FUN to watch this year.
Overall, VERY happy with this season. Worried when the Twins start facing teams with good pitching and hitting they won't be able to compete. Houston's pitching looks very, very good, actually INSANELY good.
One hope is that Michael Pineda can continue to pitch well, he has a 3.31 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in his last 15 games. Odorizzi has pitched better of late with a 3.00 ERA in his last 7 games. Other starters have pitched poorly.
Byron Buxton's shoulder isn't healed enough for him to hit. He's missed about half the season with assorted injuries. Having him back for the post season would be a help.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
C'mon Twins, put the Indians down for the count while you have the chance.
They need to show there's no letup and win the next two.
Don't let the Indians think they have a chance after falling back 6.5 games.
Comments
I feel as though Cleveland is handicapped and at a disadvantage. a split would be good while 1-3 or 0-4 for either Team would be a disaster. there's no getting around it, after the Saturday game someone will be down 1-2 which makes the Sunday game huge, that's the rookie Civale vs. Berrios. as evidenced by today's games, the Indians are currently struggling at the plate --- they are currently in the midst of an 8th inning rally, prior to that they had scored three runs in 25 innings against the Rangers, AT HOME!!!
maybe I'm worried like you and have just underestimated the Indians pitching, but not many games are won with fewer than four runs nowadays. our pitching will only hold the Twins' horses in check for so long, we need to start scoring.
Well we're knocking the cover off the ball and lost two of three to the Braves. WAIT! They are Indians as well. Oh oh.
so a brief 1-0 pitching duel turns a little wild: Cleveland scores three, the Twins respond nicely with two and then Cleveland answers that with two!! following online it shows that Cron PH for Nelson Cruz in the 4th inning, his second at bat. is he injured or is there another reason why he was removed??
Injured, strained wrist on a swing and miss. Game is going about as expected.
Losing Cruz for any length of time could be very bad. Hope it's not a bad or lingering thing.
Bieber is a stud. Twins only hope is Smickety-schmakety or whatever his name is can fool the Indians with his garbage. It _could _work.
Twins fighting back in 8th. 6-3 runners on 2nd and 3rd. 1 out.
Not a true fan, going to bed.
don't go to bed yet, the Twins score late in games and aren't out of it yet. Francona is matching up and trying to get out of the inning.
game one to Cleveland but not without some 9th inning drama.
No, I couldn't go to bed. Twins make it interesting.
Beware of Schmikety-Schmakety.
That was boring. I was right about the first two games, hope I am right about the next two!
Concerned about Cruz's wrist, this is the second time he has missed time because of it this year.
the injury was described as a "ruptured tendon" which sure doesn't sound too good.
things have worked out OK so far, I was worried about what the relief pitching would be like after Wednesday's DH. now it's time for the Twins ace to see if he can stop the losing streak. Rocco Baldelli seems calm enough but this is his first big test as a Manager, how to stop the bleeding and get things working again. it will also show in what the players do, maybe they don't panic but do they get "tight" and struggle because of that??
the Twins might rally and hit 4-5 HR's tonight, but I really think there's been so much focus on the long ball that it's taken away from the smaller things that win over the course of a long season.
I saw the ruptured tendon on the Twins site and thought "Oh NO" but now they are saying it's a GOOD thing?!?!?!?
One of the sports talk show guys has dubbed Rocco the "Baldelli llama" because he is so mello!
Twins need to win tonight, or a sweep could be in their future!!!!
all the Sports talk, online and even leading an article I saw in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, leads off about the HR's. they better get their heads screwed on and forget about that or all they'll be is a footnote in the 2019 season. the Twins have blown a lead of 11-1/2 games in large part because Cleveland has been playing good, but they almost seem like they are driving a car with no rear-view mirror!!!
then again, look at all those Home Runs the Team is hitting!!!
More good news on Cruz's injury. Justin Morneau had the same thing happen and says it's better when the tendon breaks, pain subsides and doesn't stop you from playing.
I hope so Nelson is a leader on this team!
BIG game tonight!
I hope the game is played. right now an off day, even for a delayed game, will work for the Twins and against the Indians just like the All-Star break. when they're playing good they can't wait to get to the ballpark each day.
that's good news for Cruz. do you think he'll ride out more than the 10 days just to be sure everything is OK?? like I said earlier, this stretch of about 10 days is one of the most critical in the whole season, an injury in August can mean no playoff for some players. these two Teams both need to be healthy.
funny, but it really happened......................today about a half-hour before we closed a customer said it looked like rain outside. I remarked, "That's OK, as long as it isn't raining in Minneapolis."
Game almost over, looks like Twins avoid sweep with Berrios pitching tomorrow. Good chance for a split.
When Morneau tore his tendon, hr didn't miss any time. Baldelli seems a little cautious about injuries, but if there's no pain, I would imagine that Cruz will be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow if we need him in a late game situation. Otherwise a couple of days off at most. He was the best hitter in baseball for the last couple of weeks!
Romo and Rogers did their jobs. Odorizzi seemed to struggle a bit, but he pitched effectively.
I would imagine that Cruz will be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow
he's on the 10-day DL, the earliest he can come back would be the 19th.
last nights game was interesting. early on it seemed only a matter of time before Odorizzi would be in the shower, he was close to 70 pitches after four innings but the Indians just couldn't get that key hit to move a runner across the plate. once the Twins scored he was safe until Baldelli figured he better yank him. one key at-bat was when the Indians had runners on second and third with two outs and they pitched around Kipnis to get to Allen. he struck out with the bags juiced.....................and doubled his next time up. Oh well, that's baseball!!!
for Cleveland, it was just the opposite. Plutko seemed in control until he rached two-out in the fourth and couldn't get that third out, the game turned on the three hits. past that it was evenly played. I expect that when we play each other in September the pitching match-ups will be different. this series placed each Team's best pitchers against the other Team's worst pitchers with the expected result, probably a split.
the fly in the ointment for Minnesota: the next time they play Cleveland we should have all of our injured pitchers back. having Kluber, Otero and the others will make a big difference.
Wasn't sure on the DL rules. That's a potentially bad move by Baldahlillama. He should have waited on that decision.
Justin Morneau is working as an analyst for Fox Sports and was available for the Twins to talk to. He had the exact same thing happen and didn't miss any time. Cruz to see a specialist tomorrow.
The Twins are missing a few key players too. Obviously Cruz, but also starting CF Byron Buxton, and new guy Dyson.
Hope Berrios can shake off his last start and pitch well today.
bottom of the 9th, Cleveland up 3-1...........................so I had to run some errands this afternoon and had the game on. the announcers, who are pretty objective, noted that Berrios was throwing 90-91on his fastball, that he is typically in the mid-90's. they said there was nothing they had heard about any "injury" of any kind, soreness/tightness or anything that would account for that. they also said that although he has a good change-up it wasn't being thrown. in fact, at the time he had made around 40 some pitches and only eight weren't fastballs. at that, the speed they had was on 4-seamers.
WOW!!! what a finish.
earlier today I was talking to my son about tomorrow's game and I mentioned Thursday and the response to the response: Cleveland scores three in the top of the inning, Minnesota comes to bat and scores two, then Cleveland comes up and scores two.
now this: Minnesota comes back in the 9th with two to tie and Cleveland responds in the 10th with four via a Grand Salami from Carlos Santana. I think both Teams need some rest after this series but guess what, tomorrow will be here in a hurry. it's one reason why in MLB you really, really have to have a short memory if you hope to succeed and not go freakin' crazy.
the weird stat of the day --- Brad Hand not only gets the win, he also gets a blown save!!! I wonder how often that something like that happens??? a long time ago after I did something stupid that turned out good a friend "You're the only guy I know who can fall into a bucket of shit and come out smellin' like roses.
so it is with Brad Hand.
Exciting game!
Cleveland comes to our house and takes three out of four.
Twins better get MOTIVATED and start playing better.
Joe, you seem to have the pulse of your Team because you called it pretty close. the spoiler was the relay to Lindor and the peg to home plate. without that throw you'd be lookin' like Svengali!!
He was out by a "mile" but I LOVE that they sent him. It took grabbing the ball bare handed, two good throws and two good catches to get him and the Cleveland players performed perfectly!
DAMN!
Next time we play, I hope both teams have ALL their key players and it's another great series...............with the Twins winning! ;-)
I have always thought of that play or type of play as one of the most exciting things in all of Sports, it ranks right up there for me with an NFL/College Punt return for a TD.
let's talk about negatives from the series. I thought Cleveland did a poor job with RISP, they need to improve on that if they expect to move along to/in the Post-Season. what were they Saturday, 0 for 12?? a big fat goose egg!!! the other thing, bunting, it makes me crazy. I think they had two attempt go for pop-up outs and that's unforgivable.
Totally agree on bunting, although didn't you get a hit on a bunt in the 10th inning yesterday? I missed some of the 10th because I live in the middle of nowhere.
Speaking of exciting, have you seen Byron Buxton play at all? If not, I hope he's healthy next time the two teams meet. Best defensive CF I have ever seen (other than clips of Mays) fastest runner I have ever seen as well. I would rate him above Puckett for talent, but he's hurt WAY too much.
Negatives for Twins. Best hitter in baseball (at the moment) gets hurt, Buxton hurt (AGAIN) Gibson walks 6 (?) guys, closer gets pummeled yesterday. Berrios gives up two 1st inning runs in final game.
Jose has got to come up big in games like this if the Twins are going to have any post season success. Odorizzi is a good pitcher, but you need a "shut down" guy if you want to make a run.
Losing 3 out of 4 at home sucks even though I don't feel we got "beat up", we just got beat.
all four games were closer than the final scores indicated. games 1 and 3 each turned on one big inning, games 2 and 4 were close and could have gone either way. I really think the only true sense we'll get of the Teams is if/when their best starters are matched up. there's a good chance that will happen at least once with six games to go.
I expect to see Corey Kluber activated the last week of August and probably the same thing with with 1-2 others. guys on the 60 day list that are ready will probably join the Team when the rosters increase, so that should make the stretch between the two Teams interesting. all things considered it might come down to two things for the Division winner --- whoever is in 1st place on September 1st and whoever comes out on top with the six remaining games they play.
Game 4 turned on a Grande Salami = big inning?
I think the two teams match up well. If everyone's healthy, Twins have better hitting, Cleveland better pitching. Both teams addressed their shortcomings.
Better pitching usually wins.
another Carlos Santana walk-off victory for Brad Hand after another blown save.
well, I'm awake and recovered from the game last night which was really, really entertaining.
our seats were down the 3rd baseline and we sat about 50 feet from the foul pole. there is a "Home Run Porch" down the left field line that affords fans the opportunity to stand with a fabulous view of the field and batter along with a chance of grabbing a ball. my son just missed two of them, one by Jose Ramirez and another by Jackie Bradley. the one by Bradley was thrown back onto the field, a no-no, and the fan was grabbed and escorted out of the Stadium with what is probably a $500 ticket!!!
if you watch this replay of Santana's game winner you'll see me for a moment at 13 seconds, the nut-job screaming with the red bandanna, blue shirt and glasses!!
we had gone to "the porch" and were standing next to the camera as it swubg to follow the ball.
https://mlb.com/video/carlos-santana-homers-26-on-a-line-drive-to-center-field?t=walk-off-homers
there were at least five superlative defensive gems made by both Teams along with the offense, so it was well rounded game. we sat next to a Boston fan wearing a Xander Bogaerts jersey: his "boy" made a fabulous leaping snag of a Lindor bullet and then came up the next inning and smacked a homer that just cleared the wall in left. Devers at third made a great snag of a grounder, Kipnis made a leaping "look what I got catch" and Tyler Naquin seemed like he was going up against the wall in right all night.
so, my prediction of the Indians getting into first place was about a week off!!! now all the have to do is stay there, but I figure it's going to be back and forth with the Twins for the rest of the season.
Sounds like a great time!
Another exciting day!
Twins blow a lead and come back to win, Indians lose in extra innings.
OK, this nuts!!!
I was prepared to do some stuff around the house, follow the game and make a post here about what my sense of things are six weeks out, but now the Indians have erupted in New York so I'll touch on that first. here's what they did so far --- single, single, walk, strike-out, Grand Slam, solo HR and they'r still up in the first. I can't figure them out, they play well but seem to always have a Team slump like yesterday when they squeak out a loss with 3-4 hits. I can't put a finger on it.
but here is the thought about the AL six weeks out. here are my five Teams in order.
1.) New York Yankees.
2.) Houston Astros.
3.) Minnesota Twins.
4.) Cleveland Indians.
5.) Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
in the WildCard Game I see the Indians winning over the D Rays.
New York vs. Cleveland --- my heart says Cleveland but my head says New York. this weekend's four-game series should go a long way to settle that.
Houston vs. Minnesota --- I suspect that the winner of this series will go to the WS, and I don't believe it's a shoe-in for the Astros. the Twins can match them at the plate, so if they figure a few things out with their BP and Starters it will be fun to watch.
checking in on Cleveland, they are going off on the Yankees, seven runs in the first and still batting.
Twins destroy Rangers. Cleveland obliterates the Yankees!
Odo goes against Rangers ace tomorrow.
Go Twins!
Masahiro Tanaka for NY and rookie Aaron Civale for Cleveland.
Civale last pitched Sunday in Minnesota when he allowed one run on four hits in six innings and took a no-decision. It was the third straight start he allowed one run or less and pitched at least six innings, making him and Cody Anderson (2015) the only Cleveland starters since 1908 to pitch at least six innings and allow one or fewer runs in each of their first three career starts.
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (8-6, 4.64 ERA), who has a 7.16 ERA in his last six outings, starts for New York and is coming one of his most dominant outings of the season. In Sunday's 1-0 win at Toronto, he allowed three hits in eight-plus innings while throwing 94 pitches -- two more than he did in 5 1/3 innings on Aug. 5 in Baltimore.
Close games tonight. Twins/Rangers is back and forth. The good guys are ahead in the 8th.
Yankees squeaked by the Indians.
yeah, one night the Indians have a game where every starter has at least two hits, the next night two starters have a hit. this is why they will maybe play one game in the playoffs, maybe one series. their pitching is stout but their hitting is inconsistent and suspect.
I have noticed something a bit bothersome about the Twins. They seem to be making a LOT of errors on some routine plays. Polanco has had a bad stretch lately.
That could hurt them come post season time.
Twins sweep the Rangers while Cleveland has to play Boston and NYY. Lead back to 2.5 games. Twins need to keep winning against Chicago.
Kluber not quite ready to come back?
Dyson fails to hold a lead but gets the win yesterday.
my AL playoff review..........................
I have been paying attention and what strikes me is a similarity between Minnesota and New York, their pitching is suspect but that fact is overlooked because they tend to bludgeon opponents at the plate.
--- the Yankees will get a boost if Louis Severino returns, but past him they seem to struggle. the key to beating the Yankees is to shorten the game t the 8th inning and prevent Aroldis Chapman from getting a chance to pitch. he is dominant. the New York offense can be potent and often makes up for the deficient pitching.
--- the Twins have become a one starter Team with the sudden disappearance of anything from Jose Berrios who has had 3-4 very bad outings, his last win was on July 31st. other than him it falls on Odorizzi to keep the ball rolling, but like the Yankees, the Twins are able to overcome those deficiencies with their batting prowess.
for both Teams, any sort of prolonged slump or fall-off from their offense would end any play-off run. their recent series' with Cleveland should highlight that. further, something like that could lose the Division for Minnesota but New York probably has too far to fall and not enough time for it to happen.
Cleveland and Houston are better balanced, Houston much moreso.
--- if Cleveland can get Corey Kluber back into the starting rotation and a healthy Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco into the BullPen they could be tough down the stretch and in October. some of their position players have found a groove lately so run production is up as they've proven the can score a lot, respond and win close games. nowhere near the offense of New York, Minnesota and Houston, but enough to win with their pitching.
--- Houston doesn't need much to be said. they have both pitching and offense, they just seem to be coasting right now. the Astros are a hard Team for me to gauge because on paper they are awesome but in play they seem to faulter too often.
back to two games after a 6-4 loss to the White Sox. there are two Teams in the AL Central with the real capacity to play "spoiler" since we each have to play them 19 times, the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals. last night the Twins fell victim to that just like the Indians did with the Royals: we should each beat those Teams, but they are solid and can score when things happen their way.
--- about Corey Kluber, he started and pitched one inning in a Triple A rehab game, removed after he complained of "abdominal pain" for precautionary reasons.
--- about Carlos Carrasco, he pitched an inning of relief for Single A Akron and did fine.
both should be back by mid-September to get in some work and possibly be available for the post-season.
Concerned with Berrios' last few starts. Looked at his splits for 2017 and 2018. In a nutshell, he's a first half pitcher and especially good at home. Twins better win the division if they are looking at him as their best pitcher.
Odo has been solid, but doesn't have the "stuff" Berrios does. He looks like our number 1 guy right now. That makes me nervous.
Your post makes a lot of sense. I think it's going to come down to pitching, it usually does. Houston looks great, Cleveland almost as good if they get/stay healthy.
Twins and Yankees will depend on how well their starters are pitching at the time, but to think that a good group of pitchers can play "over their heads" for the playoffs and beat a better group can happen, but usually doesn't.
A lot can happen before then.
Twins obliterating the White Sox. Cruz picks up right where he left off.
Cleveland drops one to the Mets.
Giolito. Wow, great performance.
Twins lose 2/3 to the Pale hose. :-(
not surprising that Chicago won as I said earlier, what is surprising is that the Twins were shut-out and held to only three hits. Giolito pitched like the staff "Ace" should pitch. now, if the Tribe figures out why they can't hit on Tuesday and swing the bats tonight we can gain some ground.
I have been thinking lately that Cleveland might be a good match-up with the Yankees, so they should focus more on their lead in the Wild Card race and soften on edging out the Twins.
I listened to the game Giolito sounded amazing.
Good thinking ;-)
I think that last night Brad Hand may have forced Francona's "Hand" regarding a closer going forward with yet another in a string of blown saves. I think he has four blown saves in his last five appearances and last night he failed to cover first base on what might have been an inning ending double play. as it was, he gave up two runs in the 10th inning after Carlos Santana had given Cleveland a 3-2 lead with a homer in the top of the 10th. it may not seem like much, but Hand has now blown 15% of his save opportunities and has proven himself, at least to me and scores of other fans, as wholly unreliable.
the bigger problem is, of course, the offense as I have been saying. their most glaring deficiency is the hit with runners in scoring position. last night they were 0-7. they also have a bad habit of stranding runners on third base with less than two outs. last night they stranded three runners at third.
unforgivable...............................
as I had said, August for Cleveland would be difficult and prove a good test for the Team. they started out OK but are now 11-9 with nine games left to redeem themselves. absent a change it will mean that playing 35-15 in June and July to catch the Twins will have been a waste of time.
I'd have to think that Francona is wondering about Brad Hand, can he recover and be competent enough to be a closer for the rest of the season and into October if they qualify?? he has little time to waste on that decision. I'd have to think that Danny Salazar is an option when/if he returns soon, but who else when Hand fails again.
I believe we will see the answer to that in the 9th inning of the next close game. if Hand fails again he has absolutely got to be replaced.
Berrios injured? Another loss. ERA and WHIP getting higher with every start/loss.
Twins play superbly beating Giolito. I was counting this one as a loss. Giolito is a very, very good pitcher.
Cleveland should sweep the Tigers, so this was a big victory for Minnesota.
Buxton has setback during his rehab assignment......................what's new?
Berrios loses again. I see he is a first half, home field pitcher, but he has pitched horribly. 7.57 ERA in August.
Twins have increased their lead to 5.5 games. Another showdown with the Indians coming up. Twins need to win at least one of the three games.
Hitting has carried them and bullpen has pitched well. Picking up Romo was a great move, Dyson is only OK. Twins are first team ever to have 8 players with 20 or more HR. Kepler and Cruz have a great shot at 40, Rosario, Sano and Garver might reach 30. They have been FUN to watch this year.
Overall, VERY happy with this season. Worried when the Twins start facing teams with good pitching and hitting they won't be able to compete. Houston's pitching looks very, very good, actually INSANELY good.
One hope is that Michael Pineda can continue to pitch well, he has a 3.31 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in his last 15 games. Odorizzi has pitched better of late with a 3.00 ERA in his last 7 games. Other starters have pitched poorly.
Byron Buxton's shoulder isn't healed enough for him to hit. He's missed about half the season with assorted injuries. Having him back for the post season would be a help.
Pineda suspended for PED's. :-(
C'mon Twins, put the Indians down for the count while you have the chance.
They need to show there's no letup and win the next two.
Don't let the Indians think they have a chance after falling back 6.5 games.
Nice win tonight.