MAKE GLOVE NOT W.A.R.—3 Reasons the Twins will Win the A.L. Pennant (and Also 3 Why They Won’t).
There was a scent of October in the air as the Twins and Yankees combined for some below average starting pitching, clutch hits and iffy defense last week. By now you know the Yankees won two of the three games at Target Field, spoiling the Twins’ attempt to win back-to-back games against New York for the first time since September 2018. Which takes us to today’s Make Glove Not War . . .
Three reasons the Twins will win the A.L. pennant (plus three reasons why they won’t.)
Why both, because hedging our bets in a way of life here in Minnesota.
Why the Twins WILL win the A.L. pennant:
1) Star Power
You know it’s a big series when Byron Buxton shows up for all three games. And he did more than show up, with a home run Wednesday and then two more on Thursday. Buxton didn’t look very comfortable Tuesday, but nothing he did the rest of the week made you think he couldn’t regain the status of a legitimate MVP candidate - if he can stay healthy, that is.
How good is Carlos Correa? He’s not flashy, but by all accounts he’s “good in the room” which with this young team is as important as extra base hits.
People outside Minnesota may not know who Luis Arraez is but it’s high time they do. How about Arraez, Buxton and Correa going back-to-back-to-back to start Thursday’s win?! Yankees ace Gerrit Cole had given up six homers all season - the Twins touched him for five before he could get eight outs.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1535050179849617409
For the record, I’d take Arraez over any batter on the Yankees not named Judge or Stanton.
2) Starting Pitchers Will Get Healthy
The Twins had used 10 starting pitchers by the 50-game mark - not a recipe for success. But top-of-the-line youngster Joe Ryan began a rehab assignment last week and is on the mend. And how good was Chris Archer against the Yankees on Wednesday?! With his career nearly being derailed by injuries, Archer is an easy guy to root for.
3) They can score in bunches
It was painful Tuesday to watch the Yankees get handed runs via walks. That’s because, from time to time, it appears the Twins just have to work so hard to score. But when the Twins’ offense is dialed in, it doesn’t take long to put runs on the board. The Twins may not be the “Bomba Squad” they were awhile back, but they’ll double you to death, with the home run threat always looming too.
Why the Twins WON’T win the A.L. pennant
1) Buxton will be sidelined by the weekend
Here’s the thing about depth. If Byron Buxton was a Yankee, they’d give him six weeks off to get healthy and bring him back for the post-season. The Twins just don’t have the luxury of doing that, so too often they treat him with kid gloves. If Buxton does go down for a long period of time, this team isn’t making the post-season, period.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Twins give Buxton some time off in the near future after this stretch of games.
2) That starting pitching
Yeah, the Twins lit up the Yankees’ best three starters. But the Twins just have no room for error behind Joe Ryan. Imagine what it would be like had Derek Falvey been able to sign a true ace to compliment Correa’s signing. Gerrit Cole was awful Thursday, but the confidence a top-of-the-line starter gives a team cannot be underrated.
Now, will the Twins go after a starter at the deadline? They certainly could. And, they have the money to. With the bullpen being rather Jekyll and Hyde, the Twins can’t afford to have two to three of every five starting pitchers go less than five innings.
Dylan Bundy, one of many Twins’ “middle of the rotation” starters
3) Rocco’s managing of bullpen
There are many reasons why Rocco Baldelli wouldn’t hire me as a bench coach. Among them - his managing of the bullpen. Rocco went as far this week as to say he has guys to pitch when the Twins are ahead, and guys to pitch when the Twins are behind. Tuesday, it blew up in his face as Yennier Cano gave up three straight walks with the Twins lingering around.
Frankly, it’s a preposterous strategy. Outs are outs. Do you know how many times the best closers in the game (Mariano Rivera among them) pitched in a game in which the Yankees were down just to give them a chance? Down two in the eighth shouldn’t be a death sentence.
Even the Twins “pitch when ahead guys” are inexperienced. Flamethrower Jhoan Duran didn’t have his best stuff against the Yankees, and his off speed stuff isn’t good enough to offset that.
Ryan Stanzel is a PR pro and freelance content creator based in the East Metro. Follow him on Twitter or e-mail him here.
