Arguably the most exciting game the Minnesota Twins have
played in nearly a decade, the home team dropped a 14-12 affair last night (err
this morning) at Target Field. It’s in these last few games against the Oakland
Athletics and New York Yankees that two very real truths have been exposed. For
the duration of 2019 it will be how each storyline unfolds that ultimately
determines the fate of the season.
First and foremost, the Twins are good and can hang with
anyone in baseball. There was a narrative earlier this year that Rocco Baldelli’s
club was only beating bad teams. While “teams with a .500 record” is an inexact
science given the fluidity of records, Minnesota is playing at something like a
90-win pace against other teams in or around Postseason contention. Yes, they’ve
beat up on bottom feeders, but they’ve also more than held their own against
stiff competition.
As of today, both the Yankees and Athletics are slotted into
American League Postseason positions. The Twins split their four-game series
with Oakland posting an even run differential over the set. In five games
against New York, Minnesota owns a 2-3 record and has come up just two runs short
of an even run differential. With a rubber match game looming tonight, this
split could get even tighter.
In winning games against good teams it’s been the offense
that has gotten the job done. Although the lineup has slumped from the
blistering pace it started 2019 on the Bomba Squad is still pounding extra-base
hits at a healthy clip. Over the course of a full 162 game schedule this
collection is far too good to stay down for long. As pitching, both starting
and relief, regresses towards statistical parallels it’s the bats that should
be expected for a continued rebound.
On the mound we’ve seen a confirmation of what we already
know. In the past week Minnesota’s bullpen has blown late leads on no less than
four occasions. Cody Stashak worked important innings during his MLB debut last
night, and Lewis Thorpe was there the night before. Kohl Stewart was tasked
with keeping a big game tied in the 10th, and any number of arms
have been called upon from the Rochester pipeline.
Derek Falvey knows full well that he needs to get this team
relief help. Rocco Baldelli is playing Russian Roulette on a nightly basis, and
the result continues to be Band-Aids on a bullet wound. The front office can’t
afford to skimp on an ok veteran in the pen, this roster needs difference
makers. While the long-term vision remains important, wasting a team and
opportunity this good by making a safe move can’t be the plan of action.
We’re on a collision course with two pivotal points in the
Minnesota schedule. A week from now the trade deadline rears its head, and in just
a few days the opposition gets incredibly light. Minnesota knows how this book
has begun, but it’s on them to write the final chapters.
