Minnesota Twins Game Notes vs Toronto Blue Jays-8/7/2022

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Robb

The Minnesota Twins had a chance to win the series vs the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. They may have had that chance taken away by the off the field umpires.

Here’s the quick highlights to refresh your memory as we didn’t do a recap. Twins Daily did, though so check that out or just watch this video:

Minnesota Twins RHP Chris Archer had a very good start going 5 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking no one. The bullpen came in and RHP Emilio Pagán went 0.2 innings before being removed for an apparent injury.* He allowed a hit but also struck out 1. Rookie RHP Cole Sands was beckoned from the bullpen and he got the Twins through the 8th with the score still 2-0.
*He left the game with a right lat cramp but “an examination revealed no issues…”

The Twins got a leadoff single in the bottom of the 8th off the bat of 2B Jorge Polanco who advanced on a balk with 1 out and 1B Jose Miranda came through with another clutch hit to tie the game with a solid knock to right center field to cut the deficit in half, 2-1 Blue Jays.

Sands ended up pitching 3 innings of scoreless ball and he allowed just 2 hits while striking out 1 but he couldn’t finish the 9th so LHP Caleb Thielbar came in and kept the game at 2-1 so his team could try to tie it up or walk it off in the bottom of the 9th.

Twins SS Carlos Correa led off the 9th and he was hit by a pitch. He was pinch run for by Tim Beckham.* Then Byron Buxton pinch-hit for CF Gilberto Celestino but he struck out looking for the 1st out. C Gary Sánchez had his back as he singled to center field to advance Beckham to 3rd. Luis Arraez came to the plate and on the first pitch he singled to right field to tie the game. Unfortunately, Polanco & Kepler both grounded out to end the inning but, hey, more baseball is better than no baseball.
*Someone asked how often a #1 overall pick had ever entered the game for another #1 overall pick – Correa was #1 in 2012, Beckham was #1 in 2008.

On to extra innings and former Royal Whit Merrifield started the inning at 2nd base. Santiago Espinal flew out to center field and Buxton was ready to catch & throw as Merrifield tagged up and… he was going for it…bang bang play… safe at 3rd. Twins challenged but the call was confirmed.

Cavan Biggio then flew out to shallow left field and LF Tim Beckham* was also ready to make a throw. He played it well, getting behind the ball then coming forward to catch the ball to get some momentum in his throw but he double-clutched for some reason but he made a great throw that beat the runner. Gary Sánchez was in position in front of the plate but lined up with the foul line and he caught the ball and tagged the runner…OUT! 2 outs and the game was still tied but…
*Tim Beckham hasn’t played much in the outfield since 2019 when he played 91 innings for the Seattle Mariners. He never played in the outfield in the minors. He did play 3 innings in LF for the Twins on August 1st vs DET when Kyle Garlick got hurt running into the wall.

Toronto challenged the play saying Gary Sánchez blocked the plate and after a lengthy review, they overturned the call saying “there was a violation by the catcher” and the runner is safe. Oh, boy!

Good game that’s tarnished by a very controversial call.

––––– TT –––––

This is exactly why we do Game Notes, so we can go deeper into a play to find out what’s going on and if it was played right and, obviously in this case, called right.

It’s also why we started to make Game Notes separate articles. We’ve had them on our recaps for quite a while and wanted everyone to see them and talk about them but, for whatever reason, that wasn’t happening.

Alright…here’s probably the best replay we can find:

There are several replays from different angles.

This is probably the greatest breakdown of the play (Warning: There is some profanity):

The Notes
*
What’s the Rule?

From the 2021 MLB Rulebook:
(The MLB Website doesn’t link to a 2022 Rulebook)

Rule 6.01 (i) (1) to 6.01(1)(2)

(i) Collisions at Home Plate
(1) A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his
direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with
the catcher, or otherwise initiate an avoidable collision.
If, in the judgment of the umpire, a runner attempting to
score initiates contact with the catcher in such a manner,
the umpire shall declare the runner out (regardless of
whether the catcher maintains possession of the ball). In
such circumstances, the umpire shall call the ball dead,
and all other base runners shall return to the last base
touched at the time of the collision. If the runner slides
into the plate in an appropriate manner, he shall not be
adjudged to have violated Rule 6.01(i).

Rule 6.01(i)(1) Comment: The failure by the runner to make an
effort to touch the plate, the runner’s lowering of the shoulder,
or the runner’s pushing through with his hands, elbows or
arms, would support a determination that the runner deviated
from the pathway in order to initiate contact with the catcher in
violation of Rule 6.01(1), or otherwise initiated a collision that
could have been avoided. A slide shall be deemed appropriate,
in the case of a feet first slide, if the runner’s buttocks and legs
should hit the ground before contact with the catcher. In the
case of a head first slide, a runner shall be deemed to have slid
appropriately if his body should hit the ground before contact
with the catcher. If a catcher blocks the pathway of the runner,
the umpire shall not find that the runner initiated an avoidable
collision in violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(1).

(2) Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher
cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting
to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher
without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the
runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe.
Not withstanding the above, it shall not be considered
a violation of this Rule 6.01(1(2) if the catcher blocks
the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field
the throw (e.g., in reaction to the direction, trajectory or
the hop of the incoming throw, or in reaction to a throw
that originates from a pitcher or drawn-in infielder). In
addition, a catcher without possession of the ball shall not
be adjudged to violate this Rule 6.01 (i)(2) if the runner
could have avoided the collision with the catcher (or
other player covering home plate) by sliding.

Rule 6.01 (i)(2) Comment: A catcher shall not be deemed to
have violated Rule 6.01(i)(2) unless he has both blocked the
plate without possession the ball (or when not in a legitimate
attempt to field the throw), and also hindered or impeded the
progress of the runner attempting to score. A catcher shall not
be deemed to have hindered or impeded the progress of the
runner if, in the judgment of the umpire, the runner would have
been called out notwithstanding the catcher having blocked
the plate. In addition, a catcher should use best efforts to
avoid unnecessary and forcible contact while tagging a runner
attempting to slide. Catchers who routinely make unnecessary
and forcible contact with a runner attempting to slide (e.g., by
initiating contact using a knee, shin guard, elbow or forearm)
may be subject to discipline by the Office of the Commissioner.
All references to “the catcher” in this Rule 6.01 (i) shall apply
equally to other players covering home plate. In addition, Rule
6.01 (i)(2) shall not apply to force plays at home plate.

FYI – Jomboy said “rule 7.13” in his video breakdown. That’s from when the rule was first inserted into the rulebook back in 2014.

**
The Interpretation

The rule was created to protect catchers from getting blown up &/or injured on a play at home partially as a reaction to former San Francisco Giants C Buster Posey getting hurt on one of those plays in late May of 2011.

If you’re squeamish, you might not want to watch the replay at the very end of this video.

Most Twins fans will remember when Torii Hunter hit Jamie Burke against the White Sox on a similar play in 2004.

We’ve read a lot of people including major league catchers say Posey played that all wrong. A quick google search didn’t reveal any of those articles or statements but we’d have to guess that he wasn’t set up right but part of that is the throw was on the 1st base side of home plate so he had to try to shift to catch the ball then move to make a tag in the same motion but the thing we see about the play is the collision wasn’t necessary. It definitely looks like the runner had a chance to just slide to the foul side of home plate but…it’s easy to look at a play and make a choice of what to do after seeing what happened.

From catch to collision is less than 4 seconds and less than a second from the ball reaching Posey and him getting hit by Cousins and we’ve been watching baseball for more than 8 years that didn’t allow or strongly discouraged collisions at home plate.*
*How ‘bout that for a segue, huh?

***
The Take or Our Thoughts

The first sentence of the rule above is obviously a big part of this rule or it wouldn’t be said first and it’s about avoiding a collision which, of course, would avoid injuries to a pretty defenseless catcher like Buster Posey and Jamie Burke.

“A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher, or otherwise initiate an avoidable collision.”

– MLB Collisions at Home Plate Rule

So…move to the play from Sunday and it’s almost identical to the Posey & Burke play because it’s on a sacrifice fly so the runners had to tag up and run straight home as opposed to a base hit where they would be rounding 3rd base and coming in from an arc or angle.

All the runners definitely have room (or a sliding lane) to slide into the backside (or foul side) of home plate:

Whit Merrifield is called out at home – Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays – August 7th, 2022

The difference of the play on Sunday afternoon is the ball got to the catcher a little earlier than the other two plays. The runners all did the same thing in initiating contact with the catcher but since the ball got to Gary Sánchez earlier, he was able to get down and tag the runner out.

Here’s why we say Whit Merrifield initiated contact with the catcher. First, he slightly turned into Sánchez with his slide.

You can see Whit Merrifield’s inside foot change direction towards the inside of the plate exactly where Sánchez is.
Whit Merrifield initiated contact with C Gary Sánchez 2 – Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays – August 7th, 2022

You can see he’s leaning in this picture and his foot changed direction as this is just a different angle to the first picture.

Second, why would he slide towards the catcher? He can clearly see Gary Sánchez in front of him. If you’re trying to get to the plate, you wouldn’t slide closer to the catcher, you would try to avoid him. Did Whit Merrifield think he was going to be out so he decided to slide into the catcher so they could challenge the rule?

Gary Sánchez catches the ball in position to tag out Whit Merrifield – Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays – August 7th ,2022

If Whit Merrifield slides head first, he probably gets one more step and he could’ve taken his slide further outside and swept his left hand at the plate. It’s hard to know, of course, but head first seems like the better way to slide into home.

This is the explanation from MLB minutes after the game was over from Bally Sports North:

MLB Explanation on Overturned Call – August 7th, 2022

“The catcher’s movements into foul territory were not in reaction to the trajectory of the throw & he did not have to be in the position to receive the ball.

The catcher’s actions while not in possession of the ball hindered & impeded the runner.”

This is an incredible statement. They are basically saying Gary Sánchez caught the ball in the wrong position but look back at the pic above where he caught the ball. His glove is right in front of him which is exactly where you’d want to catch a ball, exactly where you’re taught to catch a ball.

****
The Problem

This is the same problem with almost any rule that is left up to the discretion of the umpire or the off-field officials. There doesn’t seem to be any clear definition of what the rule is so it’s left up to how each ump/official interprets the rule which is completely ridiculous.

What does that remind you of? The strike zone, maybe? And how do people feel about the strike zone? It’s almost certain it’s just a matter of time until there will be some type of automated strike zone.

For the hockey fans, the ClutterPuckers from our sister site, ClutterPuck, it’s very similar to the Goaltender Interference rule. Nobody knows what the rule is. There could be a play where you’re certain it will be or won’t be called for Goaltender Interference and it goes the other way. This isn’t just the fans of the game, either. The coaches and team personnel question it as well.

That’s not good.

––––– TT –––––

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Minnesota Twins Game Notes vs Toronto – August 5th, 2022

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Robb

Minnesota Twins Game Notes are here! 

You’re probably asking what are Game Notes? 

Game notes are topics that have come up during a game that we think deserve some more attention. That can be a player, a play and it could be a good thing or a bad thing, a mistake or a great play or anything really.

We used to have them at the end of our Game Recaps articles.

We made a logo and everything. Well, kind of. It’s a notes icon with some text on it. HEY! That’s what a logo is.

We just wanted somewhere to talk about some of the little things that happen in a game that we wanted to expand on.
So…this is our 1st separate Game Notes article and it’s about Game 2 between the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays from August 5th, 2022 and it had a pretty crazy ending so…check that out then let us know what you think with a comment or on social media.

Game Notes
*
Why Didn’t Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Adjust for the Throw to 1st in Extra Innings?

Jake Cave swung through strike 3 but Blue Jays C Danny Jansen didn’t catch the ball so Jake took off running to try to get to 1st base before the ball. The ball rolled into foul territory on the 1st base side and when he corralled it and picked it up, his first thought was to try to tag Cave but he was already too far away so he tried to throw to 1st for the out.

2:31 into the Game Highlights video

Cave was in the baseline and Guerrero, Jr. didn’t help his catcher out by trying to give him a better target forcing him to try to lob it over Cave so he threw it high and Guerrero didn’t catch it. Cave was safe at 1st and Nick Gordon advanced to 3rd on the play.

It’s obviously a fast play but, and any 1st baseman out there let us know, shouldn’t it be automatic as a 1st baseman when you see a ball go into foul territory on the 1st base side to step to the other side of 1st base for an easier and shorter throw? Jansen could also make a harder throw. If all the catchers and first baseman on the Blue Jays know that a ball in the dirt to the first base side in foul territory means the throw should be to the right (foul territory) side of 1st base every time, this play wouldn’t have been a problem at all.

The video of it above is 10 seconds long and Jansen gets the ball around the 4-second mark of the video so Guerrero has plenty of time to move to the foul territory side of 1st base for an easy throw for the out.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider on the play:

“And then in the 10th inning — I think if you want the ball hit to anyone, it’s Matt Chapman. And the strikeout to Cave — Jano blocks everything and I think when he tried to tag him, he kind of lost his angle a little bit on the throw to first and made it a little bit of a tougher play than it probably should have been. So, you look at those things as opportunities to get better.”

–
Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider

It was interesting to see that and not to see Justin Morneau point that out as a former 1st baseman. Maybe that’s not the case but it sure seems like that would make it easier, doesn’t it? 

If you thought Twins fans were bad, try searching Danny Jansen on Twitter to see what Toronto Blue Jays fans think about their catcher. Wow! 

The pitch landed just past home plate so it’s easy to see why it was a hard play for the catcher to make. He blocked it. That’s his job. Are there any catchers who would expect to catch that pitch? No way, right? It’s going to bounce into their chest protector and they just want to keep it in front of them so they can hopefully get to it quickly and keep the runner/s from advancing.

The pitch landed just past home plate.

Then go to the throw to first base. Is it an easy throw? Yes would be the obvious answer but it’s not a normal throw for professional baseball players during a game. They’re throwing the ball hard on every play unless it’s a short toss of about 10 feet or so and those throws don’t usually have a runner between them and the throw’s destination.

**
What is Nick Gordon doing on that play?

He’s going back to 2nd base for some reason. Staying where he was seems more plausible but it’s almost as if he’s tagging up on the play going all the way back to 2nd base. He only advances to 3rd after he sees the ball get away from Guerrero.

How far away should he be from 2nd base? A quarter to a third of the way to 3rd base?

He was ripped for getting caught off 3rd in the 1st game against Detroit. Did that play a part in what he did here? Was he hesitant to go when the ball hit the dirt? Shouldn’t he go as soon as he sees it bounce away from the catcher? Would he not have made it to 3rd easily? Add in that Jansen knows it’s a force out at 1st while Gordon would need to be tagged out at 3rd and would he even try to make a throw to 3rd?

2:01 in, Nick Gordon is caught off of 3rd base to end the bottom of the 9th

***
How ‘bout Gilberto Celestino avoiding the ball as he ran to 2nd in the bottom of the 9th?

Gilberto Celestino replaced Gio Urshela as a pinch-runner after Gio singled to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Luis Arraez then hit a ground ball to 2nd and Gilberto had to try to dance around said ground ball while simultaneously trying to get to 2nd as quickly as possible so he wouldn’t be thrown out.

The ball ended up going through his legs!

That’s some Edwin Moses stuff right there or that’s his imitation of Superman landing!

––––– TT –––––

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Minnesota Twins Recap vs Toronto Blue Jays-August 5th, 2022

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Robb

The Minnesota Twins have an exciting matchup in Game 2 as they’ll face their former teammate in RHP José Berríos while also seeing their brand new pitcher they acquired on Tuesday in RHP Tyler Mahle. They both have similar numbers so it should be fun to see how this game plays out.

José Berríos has been struggling this season but the last time he faced his former team, he looked like his old stellar self – 7IP 3H 2R/ER 2BB 13K 1HR & his 4th win of the season in a 12-3 shallacking in Toronto.

That was the beginning of June. Since then, he’s gone 4-2 with a 4.68 ERA and a 1.231 WHIP with 11 walks and 57 strikeouts in 10 starts and 57.2 innings.

The Minnesota Twins will also want to rebound from last night’s 9-3 loss.

Twinsactions

(Twins Transactions)

The Minnesota Twins made a couple more moves today and one of them is somewhat shocking, more for who it is than for why, though. RHP Tyler Duffey was Designated For Assignment (DFA) or Release today after spending the last 10 years in the organization and exactly 7 years with the big club when he made his Major League Debut on August 5th, 2012.

7 Years to the Day from his Major League Debut

It makes sense but it’s still a difficult move since he had turned himself into a very effective reliever since the beginning of the 2019 season. Unfortunately, he’s been far from that this season. He’s lost velocity on his fastball and the control of his nasty curveball hasn’t been there for the majority of the season so hitters were able to sit on that fastball and his curveball was popping up too much so it was likely easy to recognize right away out of his hand. He messed around with a changeup in July but only threw 33 of them even though it really seemed to help keep hitters off their timing.

We would assume the Twins would like to see him clear waivers so he could get to St. Paul and be able to get some work in down there to see if he can get back to being a reliable option out of the bullpen.

Rookie RHP Cole Sands was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to take Duffey’s place on the 26-man roster.

It was also reported that reliever RHP Jharel Cotton and starter RHP Aaron Sanchez cleared waivers and reported to Triple-A St. Paul.

Here’s how both teams lined up:

Minnesota Twins Lineup:

Toronto Blue Jays Lineup:

Game Recap

Twins fans didn’t have to wait long to see their newest starting pitcher as it took just 4 pitches for RHP Tyler Mahle to strike out CF Whit Merrifield swinging for his 1st out for his new team. 1B Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. grounded out to short and DH Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. flew out to left field.

Former Twins starting pitcher RHP José Berríos was making his 2nd start at Target Field as an opponent and he started it by setting the Twins down 1-2-3 on 7 pitches as the Twins were looking for that early fastball.

RF Teoscar Hernández led off the 2nd inning with a line drive to right center field for a single, at least. He tried to extend it to a double but CF Mark Contreras was on his horse knowing he might have to try to keep this hit to a single. He got to it, turned and fired a strike to 2nd for the first outfield assist of his MLB career* and Hernández had to settle for a single and a seat on the bench in the dugout. SS Bo Bichette struck out swinging and 3B Matt Chapman flew out to CF to end the top of the 2nd.
*See our Game Notes section at the bottom of the article for more on Mark Contreras.

The Twins got a 1-out single from LF Nick Gordon but it was quickly taken care of by an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Blue Jays C Danny Jansen walked to lead off the 3rd inning but LF Raimel Tapia grounded into a 5-4-3 double play quickly cleared the bases and Tyler Mahle then struck out 2B Santiago Espinal on a foul tip to end the top of the 3rd inning.

1B Tim Beckham grounded out to 3rd to begin the bottom of the 3rd then CF Mark Contreras, fresh off a great defensive play in the previous half inning, put the Twins in front with his 2nd home run of the season to the bullpen in left center field. Marko Oppo!

C Sandy León struck out looking and 2B Luis Arraez flew out to left field to end the 3rd.

1-0 Twins

Mahle set the Blue Jays down 1-2-3 via groundout, strikeout and flyout. The Twins then got a leadoff double from SS Carlos Correa followed by a walk from Jorge Polanco and an RBI-single to center from 3B Jose Miranda (DYKM?) on the very next pitch. A mound visit was then followed by Nick Gordon sending a loud blast to right field for a 3-run shot and his 5th home run of the season on the 1st pitch he saw.

Cave flew out to CF, Beckham singled to deep short for an infield hit, Contreras lined out to CF, León walked  and that was it for José Berríos as the Blue Jays made a pitching change to RHP Trevor Richards. Luis Arraez flew out to left field again to end the 4th inning but what an inning…

5-0 Twins

A 2-out blast off the bat of Matt Chapman (21) reminded most fans that this game was far from over. The Twins got a 2-out walk but that’s all in the 5th.

5-1 Twins

The comeback got 1 run closer with a 1-out HR from Santiago Espinal (7). A Whit Merrifield single followed and that brought up Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and he fouled off the 2nd & 4th pitches, both of them fastballs then he crushed a slider over the center field wall to bring the Jays within 1. 

Mahle struck out Gurriel, Jr. swinging then got Hernández to line out to center to keep the Minnesota Twins in the lead.

5-4 Twins

Zach Pop replaced Trevor Richards and Jake Cave greeted him with a base hit to left field but Tim Beckham grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to take all the good feelings away. Contreras then popped out to 3rd to end the 6th.

RHP Griffin Jax replaced Tyler Mahle to pitch the 7th for the Twins.

RHP Tyler Mahle’s Final Line
6IP 5H 4R/ER 1BB 5K 3HR – 86 pitches (61 strikes)
In Line for the Win

Jax used his slider to strike out the side in the 7th getting Bichette swinging, Chapman looking and Jansen swinging on just 11 pitches. Mow ‘em Down, Griff! I’ll call that Air Force because that sounds good! SLIIIIIDER! 

Hey, how ‘bout a stretch, huh?

Sandy León then led off the bottom of the 7th with his 2nd double of the season in his 2nd game as a Twin. The Blue Jays replaced Zach Pop with RHP Adam Cimber, a submariner pitcher and Luis Arraez lined out to center. Carlos Correa singled but Sandy León could only advance to 3rd on a slow ground ball through the right side. Jorge Polanco struck out, leaving it up to Jose Miranda to pick him up to help the Twins get an insurance run…

but he flew out to center field to end the 7th.

Still 5-4 Twins

RHP Jhoan Duran replaced Jax to pitch the 8th for Minnesota and he got Tapia to ground out to short for the 1st out. Toronto pinch-hit Alexandro Kirk for Santiago Espinal. The at-bat started with two straight high heaters at 101 mph. Duran got strike one with another 101 that was taken then he threw a perfect pitch that hit the high outside corner of the zone but was called a ball. Man, that’s frustrating. 3-1 is a whole lot different than 2-2, blue! COME ON! Another heater, this one in the zone at 102.1 mph, was fouled off to make it a full count and Jhoan reared back and threw the next pitch 102.8 mph that was swung through for the 2nd out.

Whit Merrifield took the 1st pitch, also the first non-fastball, for strike 1 then he hit the 2nd one to right field for a single. Guerrero, Jr. came to the plate and singled to right field as well but Duran got Gurriel, Jr. to ground out to 3rd to end the top of the 8th and..

Still 5-4 Twins

Whit Merrifield moved to 2nd base and Bradley Zimmer replaced Alexandro Kirk, batting 9th and playing center field. RHP David Phelps replaced Adam Cimber. Nick Gordon led off the bottom of the 8th with a ground rule double (15) on the first pitch. Jake Cave flew out to center field and Gordon just bluffed an attempt to advance to 3rd. Tim Beckham struck out swinging on a check swing and Contreras also struck out swinging to send it to the 9th and new closer Jorge López to face Teoscar Hernández, Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman.

Hernández grounded out softly back to the pitcher. Bichette singled through the left side. Chapman flew out to 2nd. Danny Jansen singled to right field on a sharp ground ball. Bichette advanced to 2nd. Down 0-2 in the count, Raimel Tapia fought off an inside sinker to get it to land in short center field to tie the game.

Cavan Biggio pinch-hit for Zimmer then flew out to left field but…

The Game is Tied at 5!

Whit Merrifield moved back to center field, Cavan Biggio took over at 2nd base and RHP Yimi Garcia replaced David Phelps and Gio Urshela, pinch-hitting for Sandy León, singled to right field and was pinch-run for with Gilberto Celestino. Luis Arraez grounded out to 2nd. Correa reached on a fielding error by Biggio and Celestino advanced to 3rd. Polanco was intentionally walked. Miranda struck out swinging and Nick Gordon flew out to left field so we have…

FREE BASEBALL!!!

Even if we didn’t want it! DOH!

RHP Michael Fulmer replaced Jorge López to pitch the 10th for the Twins. Biggio started the inning at 2nd base. Whit Merrifield struck out swinging for the 1st out. Guerrero, Jr. got the unintentional intentional walk. Gurriel, Jr. singled to center. Biggio advanced to 3rd because he had to hold up as the hit went over Arraez’s head and he wouldn’t want to get doubled up so the bases were loaded with 1 out. Hernández struck out swinging so it was up to Bichette and…

HE STRUCK OUT LOOKING!!!

RHP Jordan Romano replaced Yimi Garcia to try to keep the game tied against Jake Cave, Tim Beckham and Mark Contreras. Nick Gordon began the inning at 2nd base. Cave was taxed with trying to bunt Gordon over to 3rd. He missed the first pitch. He pulled back on the 2nd & 3rd pitches to make it 1-2. He fouled off the 4th pitch to even the count and he took the 5th pitch to fill the count. He swung through the payoff pitch but it wasn’t caught so Cave took off for 1st base…and Blue Jays C Danny Jansen tried to tag him but he wasn’t close enough so he had to try a lob throw to 1st because he was in foul territory and Cave was between him and Guerrero at 1st base.

Up to the plate came Tim Beckham. He took the first pitch for a ball. Cave took 2nd base but it’s fielder’s indifference since his run didn’t matter. On the 2nd pitch, Beckham hit a grounder to 3rd but the contact play was on so Nick Gordon took off for home. Matt Chapman fielded the ball and threw home but the ball hit the ground in front of Jansen making it hard to catch and Nick Gordon slid into home. It looked like he was out but Jansen never had the ball so…

THAT IS A WALK OFF WIN!!!

Condensed Game
(8:51 Run Time)

––––– TT –––––

Final Score
Toronto Blue Jays 5 | 6 Minnesota Twins 
W-Fulmer(4-4-) L-Romano(3-3)

Pitching
Starters
MN:
RHP Tyler Mahle: 
6IP 5H 4R/ER 1BB 5K 3HR – No Decision

TOR:
RHP José Berríos: 
3.2IP 6H 5R/ER 2BB 1K 2HR – No Decision

Bullpen
MN:
RHP Griffin Jax: 
1IP 3K- 11th Hold
RHP Jhoan Duran: 
1IP 2H 1K – 12th Hold
RHP Jorge López:
1IP 3H 1R/ER – 5th Blown Save
RHP Michael Fulmer: 
1IP 1H 1BB 3K – 4th Win

TOR:
RHP Trevor Richards: 
1.1IP 1BB
RHP Zach Pop: 
1IP 2H
RHP Adam Cimber:
1IP 1H 1K
RHP David Phelps:
1IP 1H 2K
RHP Yimi Garcia:
1IP 1H 1BB 1K
RHP Jordan Romano:
0IP 1R 1K

Hitting
Home Runs
MN:
Mark Contreras(2), Nick Gordon(5)

TOR:
Matt Chapman(21), Santiago Espinal(7), Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.(23)

Doubles
MN:
Carlos Correa(15), Sandy León(2), Gordon(15)

TOR:
None

2-Out RBI
MN (Inning):
None

TOR (Inning):
Matt Chapman, Raimel Tapia

Outfield Assist:
MN: Mark Contreras(1) (2nd Inning)

Team RISP
MN:
3-for-15

TOR: 
2-for-7

Team LOB (Left On Base):
MN:
11

TOR:
7

––––– TT –––––

Next Up:

Game 3 at 6:10pm CST on Bally Sports North:

Minnesota Twins
RHP Dylan Bundy
(6-5, 5.04 ERA, 1.29 WHIP*)

vs 

Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Mitch White 
(1-2, 3.70 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)

*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched

––––– TT –––––

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Minnesota Twins Recap vs Toronto Blue Jays-August 4th, 2022

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Robb

The Minnesota Twins started a 4-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays who fired manager Charlie Montoya a little more than 3 weeks ago. They were 4 games above .500 then and are now 12 games above .500 after going 12-4 with interim manager John Schneider at the helm. Should we really be that surprised? I mean, John Schreider has them “makin’ their way the only way they know how” now, right?*
*If you don’t know that reference, ask someone familiar with the 80’s.

The Twins are coming off a nice win for a series victory over the Detroit Tigers where three of their trade acquisitions made their Twins debuts and shined.

Twinsactions

It’s been crazy the last few days/weeks with all of the Twinsactions (Twins Transactions), huh? Well, we have some more yet again:

The Minnesota Twins placed OF Kyle Garlick on the 10-Day Injured List (IL) (retroactive to August 2nd) with a right rib contusion. They also reinstated OF Gilberto Celestino from the Paternity List, activated Trade Deadline acquisition RHP Tyler Mahle & optioned LHP  Jovani Moran.

Here’s how both teams lined up:

Minnesota Twins Lineup:

Toronto Blue Jays Lineup:

Game Recap

It was very sunny all day. How Sonny* was at Target Field?
*Funny that Sonny is followed by Gray. Mostly Sonny, then?

It’s a pretty tough matchup, though. Toronto Blue Jays starter RHP Alek Manoah has been very good through his 2nd season. A 1st time All-Star this year, he had a 2.43 ERA and a WHIP under 1 (0.99) through 20 starts.

The first 3 innings included just 2 walks for Toronto while the Twins did not get on base. 

In the 4th, Alexandro Kirk led off with a walk but Sonny Gray got RH Teoscar Hernández to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to quickly empty the bases then struck out SS Bo Bichette. The Twins got a leadoff single from SS Carlos Correa then DH Byron Buxton grounded out to 2nd. Both 2B Jorge Polanco & CF Nick Gordon walked to load the bases as 3B Jose Miranda came to the plate and he was hit on the left hand with a pitch to put the Twins up 1-0.

He stayed in the game after an injury delay then LF Jake Cave flew out to short to end the 4th inning.

1-0 Twins

Sonny Gray allowed another leadoff walk to begin the 5th inning but he struck out both 3B Matt Chapman and CF Whit Merrifield. 2B Cavan Biggio singled to center field and DH George Springer walked but Sonny got 1B Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. to ground out to short to keep Toronto off the board. The Twins got just a 1-out walk from C Gary Sánchez.

Minnesota Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli went to his bullpen as his starter had reached 96 pitches so he brought in RHP Emilio Pagán to pitch the 6th inning. He got Kirk to ground out for the 1st out but left a pitch up that was crushed by Teoscar Hernández to tie the game at 1. 

Bichette followed with a double to center field then a single from Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. brought Bichette in to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Chapman lined out to short and Carlos Correa tried to get the runner at first but it was wide and skipped on the grass to get past 1B Luis Arraez for a 2-base error putting Gurriel at 3rd. Whit Merrifield then singled to 3rd on a low throw that they still scored as a hit and it brought in another run. Biggio then grounded out to 1st to end the top of the 6th.

3-1 Blue Jays

Byron Buxton struck out to lead off the bottom of the 6th. Polanco walked and Nick Gordon doubled to right field to score Polanco but Jose Miranda grounded out to short and Jake Cave flew out to center field to leave & Gordon on base.

3-2 Blue Jays

RHP Trevor Megill replaced Pagán to pitch the 7th and he allowed a 1-out double to Guerrero, Jr. but got out of it with a flyout and a strikeout. Toronto replaced Manoah with LHP Tim Mayza and the Twins went down 1-2-3 on 2 groundouts and a strikeout.

Trevor Megill came out for another inning and promptly allowed another Bichette double and that was followed by an RBI-single from Gurriel, Jr. He got Chapman to strike out but Merrifield singled to right field so Rocco went to RHP Tyler Duffey and he allowed back-to-back singles that scored 2 more runs then Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. showed his power with a 3-run Home Run to left field and, just like that, it was

9-2 Blue Jays

Duffey then walked Kirk but got Hernández to ground into a 5-4-3 inning ending double play but the damage had been done.

The Twins got a 1-out walk from Buxton but nothing else to end the 8th.

Duffey came back out for the 9th, allowed a lead off single then got a force out and struck out the last 2 batters.

Don’t call it a comeback? Jack Cave hit his 1st home run of the season but that was it. A disappointing outing for the bullpen in what was a close game when they took over.

Get ’em tomorrow!

––––– TT –––––

Final Score
Toronto Blue Jays 9 |3 Minnesota Twins 
W-Manoah(12-5) L-Pagán(3-5)

Pitching
Starters
MN:
RHP Sonny Gray: 
5IP 1H 5BB 5K – No Decision

TOR:
RHP Alek Manoah: 
6IP 2H 2R/ER 4BB 5K  – 12th Win

Bullpen
MN:
RHP Emilio Pagán: 
1IP 4H 3R/2ER oBB oK 1HR – 5th Loss
RHP Trevor Megill: 
1.1IP 4H 3R/ER 0BB 2K HR
RHP Tyler Duffey: 
1.2IP 4H 3R/ER 1BB 2K HR

TOR: 
LHP Tim Mayza:
1IP 1K HR – 11th Hold
RHP Yimi Garcia: 
1IP 1BB 1K
RHP Anthony Bass: 
1IP 1H 1R/ER 1K 1HR

––––– TT –––––

Game Notes
*
Mistake Pitches will Kill You

It didn’t go the Twins way as they had the front end of their bullpen try to keep a 1-run lead and it didn’t work as Emilio Pagán gave up the lead and Trevor Megill & Tyler Duffey allowed it to get out of hand. 

Emilio Pagán threw a splitter that didn’t split and that ball didn’t come back but the single from Gurriel, Jr. isn’t a bad pitch as it was up & away but he got to it. 

This ball was sent up the middle with a shift to the left side.
Look where it ended up being hit.

Megill was getting too much of the plate missing more in the zone instead of more out of the zone whether that’s east-west or north-south. Duffey missed on a couple of pitches, especially the home run ball to Guerrero, but the Springer 2-run single isn’t a bad pitch. He just put in play and took advantage of the infield being in.

You could say the same thing about this Duffey pitch to Springer that turned into a 2-run single because the infield was in.

But… they have to do better with their command and their control. Duffey’s knuckle curve which was hit for the 2-run single from Springer and the Home Run from Guerrero has been a bad pitch for most of the season.

It’s a combination of his fastball velocity being down and the curveball popping up too much so it’s easy to recognize and if it’s popping up, it’s usually going to be a meatball.

Duffey had messed with adding a changeup and it seemed to breathe some new life into him. Did he go away from it? He’s only thrown 33 of them according to Baseball Savant.

––––– TT –––––

Next Up
Game 2:
RHP Tyler Mahle
(5-7, 4.40 ERA, 1.246 WHIP*)

vs 

RHP José Berríos 
(8-4, 4.96 ERA, 1.321 WHIP)

*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched

––––– TT –––––

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Minnesota Twins Recap vs Detroit Tigers – August 3rd, 2022

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Robb

The Minnesota Twins will try again to win the rubber game. They didn’t get it done in San Diego so we’ll see if they can change that in this one. Of course, this isn’t the same team that lost in San Diego as the MLB Trade Deadline expired yesterday at 5pm CST and the Twins made four trades to help their team win the American League Central or make the playoffs via one of the 3 Wild Card spots.

They currently lead the American League Central by just 1 game over the Cleveland Guardians. The White Sox are 2 games back as well. If the Twins weren’t leading the division, they’d be tied for the final Wild Card spot with the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB American League Wild Card Standings on August 2nd, 2022

Trade Deadline

There is just one trade deadline now in Major League Baseball. There used to be a second one at the end of August that teams could use to still help their teams improve. It was a waiver deadline so teams had to expose players to waivers and if a team claimed a player, they could negotiate a trade with that team for that player or if no team claimed a player, they could negotiate with any team. The team could also pull the player off waivers to keep him.

The Minnesota Twins acquired 4 players at the deadline on Tuesday, 3 pitchers and one catcher and they didn’t have to trade anyone on their Major League roster. They only sent prospects the other way. All of them were valuable prospects and assets within the organization but this is why you have to have a great farm system. You never know what you’ll need at the trade deadline. You don’t plan on needing anyone but injuries and players not performing the way you thought they would always happen and you need to have the ability to acquire pieces to help your team make the playoffs and win the World Series.

The Minnesota Twins acquired closer RHP Jorge López from the Baltimore Orioles for reliever RHP Yennier Cano (AAA), LHP Cade Povich (High-A), LHP Juan Rojas (FCL-Rookie Level) & RHP Juan Nunez (FCL-Rookie Level).
The Minnesota Twins acquired starting pitcher RHP Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds for prospects 2B/3B Spencer Steer (AAA), 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (AA) and LHP Steven Hajjar (High-A).
The Minnesota Twins acquired reliever RHP Michael Fulmer from the Detroit Tigers for prospect RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (AA).
The Minnesota Twins acquired C Sandy León the Cleveland Guardians for RHP Ian Hamilton (AAA).

Twinsactions
(Twins Transactions)

The Twins made a couple of moves before the game, activating LHP Caleb Thielbar and selecting the contract of newly acquired C Sandy León. To make room for them, they optioned C Caleb Hamilton* and designated P Joe Smith for release or assignment.
*So… at least this means 3B/1B Jose Miranda got to see Hamilton.**
**Jose Miranda’s cousin is Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the hit musical, Hamilton and he hasn’t actually seen it, yet. Maybe when the Twins are in New York? Nope! He’ll be a little busy with that baseball thing and they don’t do Mondays.

Here’s how both teams lined up:

Minnesota Twins Lineup:

Detroit Tigers Lineup:

Game Recap

The majority of the time it’s a good thing for the Minnesota Twins to have RHP Joe Ryan start the game. Last time out, that wasn’t the case as he gave up 5 home runs in his start in San Diego. Let’s see if he made a rebound in this game.

He started out this game by striking out the 1st two batters, both swinging strikeouts, then got a ground ball to 1st to set the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the 1st inning. The Twins also were set down 1-2-3 in the 1st inning (flyout, popout & flyout.)

The no-hitter only lasted one inning for Twins pitcher Joe Ryan as 1B Harold Castro singled to CF to lead off the 2nd inning but Ryan sandwiched two more swinging strikeouts around a popout to get through the 2nd inning.

Minnesota Twins 1B Jose Miranda also singled to lead of the bottom of the 2nd inning. 3B Gio Urshela lined out to short. CF Nick Gordon walked. LF Jake Cave lined out to CF for the 2nd out. C Sandy León came to the plate for his 1st at-bat as a Minnesota Twin and he made it memorable as he doubled to the left field corner to score both Miranda and Gordon and put the Twins up 2. Welcome to Minnesota, Sandy! That was also his 1st double of the season!

RF Mark Contreras struck out to end the inning.

2-0 Twins

Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Harold Castro got another single but that was the only non-out in the 4th inning but 4 of the outs were via the strikeout, 2 for each team. 

Joe Ryan began the 5th inning by hitting the batter with a pitch. He then got 2B Jonathan Schoop to strike out swinging and 3B Koby Clemens to line out to RF but he followed that by hitting C Tucker Barnhart with a pitch and, after a mound visit, Tigers rookie CF Riley Greene made him pay for it with a bloop single to center field that cut the lead in half. Ryan did strikeout LF Victor Reyes to end the inning.

2-1 Twins

The Twins responded by going down 1-2-3 on 2 strikeouts & a groundout.

Newly-acquired & former Detroit Tiger reliever RHP Michael Fulmer took over for Minnesota in the 6th.

Joe Ryan’s Final Pitching Line:
5IP 3H 1R/ER 0BB 9K
In line for the Win
78 Pitches (63 Strikes)

Fulmer allowed a 1-out single (Harold Castro again) but struck out one and caught Castro stealing to end the inning.

Detroit also replaced their starting pitcher, LHP Tyler Alexander, by bringing in RHP Jose Cisnero.

Tyler Alexander’s Final Pitching Line:
5IP 2H 2R/ER 1BB 5K
In line for the Loss
66 Pitches (47 Strikes)

Cisnero walked DH Byron Buxton on 4 pitches. He then threw a wild pitch that allowed Buxton to advance to 2nd. The next pitch was high and way inside forcing Carlos Correa to evade the pitch and go down. The next pitch was low and away but Correa still got a piece of it to send it to short left field to bring Byron Buxton in to make it 3-1. 

2B Jorge Polanco grounded into a force out at 2nd and 1B Jose Miranda lined a ball to right field that looked like a hit for sure but the other Castro (Willi) made a fantastic catch for the 2nd out and Gio Urshela struck out to end the 6th inning.

Even Miranda’s outs are impressive!

3-1 Twins

Twins LHP Caleb Thielbar replaced Fulmer for the 7th and he needed just 12 pitches to set the Tigers down 1-2-3, the last two by way of the strikeout so…KKaleb! The Twins had to face a new pitcher, Tigers LHP Andrew Chafin, and got back-to-back 1-out singles from Jake Cave & Sandy León but left them there with an inning-ending double play ball from Mark Contreras. 

Twins rookie phenom RHP Jhoan Duran replaced Thielbar and he walked the first batter but then set down the next 3 hitters after a mound visit via forceout, groundout and a strikeout.

 Former Twins reliever RHP Derek Law replaced Chafin to face his former team and he allowed a leadoff hit to Byron Buxton and a 1-out hit to Jorge Polanco then walked Jose Miranda to load the bases and Gio Urshela hit a sacrifice fly to add another run for the home club. Nick Gordon struck out to end the 8th.

Newly-acquired closer RHP Jorge López came in to make his Twins Debut and he needed just 7 pitches to earn his 1st save as a Twin and help them win the series.

––––– TT –––––

Final Score
Detroit Tigers 1 | 4 Minnesota Twins 
W-Ryan (8-4) L-Alexander(2-5) S-López(20)
H-Fulmer(19), Thielbar(10), Duran(11)

Pitching
Starters
MN:
RHP Joe Ryan: 
5IP 3H 1R/ER 0BB 9K –  8th Win

DET:
LHP Tyler Alexander: 
5IP 2H 2R/ER 1BB 5K – 5th Loss

Bullpen
MN: 
RHP Michael Fulmer:
1IP 1H 1K –  19th Hold – Pickoff/Caught Stealing
LHP Caleb Thielbar: 
1IP 2K – 10th Hold
RHP Jhoan Duran:
1IP 1BB 1K – 11th Hold
RHP Jorge López: 
1IP 1K – 20th Save

DET:
RHP Jose Cisnero: 
1IP 1H 1R/ER 1BB 1K
LHP Andrew Chafin: 
1IP 2H 1K
RHP Derek Law: 
1IP 2H R1/ER 1BB 1K

Hitting
Doubles
MN:
Sandy León(1)

2-Out RBI
MN (Inning):
Sandy León(2)

––––– TT –––––

Next Up
A 4-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays:

RHP Sonny Gray
(6-3, 3.41 ERA, 1.11 WHIP*)

vs 

RHP Alek Manoah 
(11-5, 2.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP)
*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched

––––– TT –––––

Thank You for reading our TwinsTakes! We’d love to hear your TwinsTakes! 

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