Game of the Week: August 21: MIN @ CHW

[Commissioner Erick]

Minnesota Twins (60-63) @ Chicago White Sox (48-74)


MIN: Phil Hughes (8-13, 4.53)
CHW: Josh Tomlin (5-9, 4.04)


The Minnesota Twins have remained decent all season. As the rest of the American League comes back to the pack, they find themselves, despite being 60-63, in the midst of a playoff race. Winning games against a struggling Chicago White Sox team will go a long way to them making it to the postseason.

Minnesota has been very unbalanced, third in runs scored and second to last in runs allowed. The top four guys in their lineup have been exceptional. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano have become stars. Rosario has a .300 average and 22 home runs at the top of the Twins' lineup. He's played gold glove-caliber defense as well, with only terrible plate-discipline holding him back. Sano meanwhile is second in the American League in home runs, though he already has 189 strikeouts. Like Rosario, the only thing holding him back is plate discipline with two strikes.

In between those two, Joe Mauer is hitting for average, drawing walks, and cranking out doubles, while All-Star Brian Dozier has 78 RBIs and an .832 OPS batting third. Despite their flaws, that quartet has been driving in runs for Minnesota. It's the other guys that aren't performing. Max Kepler, Eduardo Escobar, and John Ryan Murphy have an OBP under .300. Niko Goodrum has an OPS of .493 in 162 plate appearances. Zach Granite has an OBP over .300—.301—but no home runs. Meanwhile, serviceable players like Robbie Grossman and Danny Santana ride the pine.

They need their entire offense to click with their pitchers. It's unclear who will get the start tonight. Jose Berrios has finally overcome setbacks with a hamstring, but he hasn't taken the ball since mid June and may go on a rehab assignment. Both Phil Hughes and Adalberto Mejia are rested. Hughes has been bad, but Mejia has been one of the worst pitchers in the league. If he qualified, his 5.83 ERA would be sixth worst in baseball.

At least the Twins are taking on a disappointing Chicago White Sox team. After a decent start, it's been a long summer, with a fighting clubhouse, traded veterans, injured stars, and fired personnel. The White Sox have purged their team and are mostly all-in for the future.

They're finding players in interesting places. Chris Koch was discovered in a local Minneapolis baseball independent league. He was a Twins fan growing up, making this game a clash between the team he plays for and the team he loved growing up. Baseball doesn't know what Koch really is yet. He has fantastic plate discipline, with 29 walks to 18 strikeouts. He's only hitting .252 and slugging .333 though, while playing sub-par defense. Scouts don't think he has the bat plane to be a power bat, meaning his hit tool will determine what he does as a pro.

Chicago also still has Todd Frazier, a 22-home run hitter and free agent after the year. With Rafael Devers tearing up Double-A, Frazier is likely gone after the season. Still, he's the one competent bad in the lineup pitchers have to be careful around. The rest of the team is pretty strong at working at bats, getting hits, and drawing walks, the team is dead last in home runs and doesn't appear to get better this year.


Questions for the GMs:


For Eric Murray, you got married this year so you didn't strike out on that front. Can your team win big though if your best players strike out the way that they do?

Berrios should be healed up from his hamstring. What is the plan with him? Who starts today?

What will be the philosophy for the bottom of your order going forward?

For Mike Ball, you cleaned house with your staff. Aside from record, what didn't you like from them and what do you like from the new guys?

You brought in Josh Tomlin from Cleveland. Where does he fit in your plans?

You have a lot of talent in the upper minors, with most of your best prospects very talented on and on the MLB doorstep. What is the timeline for you? When can we expect to see Chicago making noise again?

[Mike RedSox]

Thanks for the opportunity to be game of the week. This team, even though it's flailing is very interesting to me and has some of my favorite players.

The first change for this team started with was the trade of Jose Quintana, a very good but not #1 starter (IMO) and the package for Jose was too great to turn down.

Jose brought back Devers and Benintendi as well as Eduardo Rodriguez who is pitching in the majors now.

The second trade was for David Peralta, a player I've always liked and the cost was low.

The third trade was for Tomlin, this was basically to get a human being besides Carlos Rodon to be a pitcher on my team.

The next step is to change the culture of the locker room while letting the kids play.

Melky, Frazier and Miguel Gonzalez will be FAs, many others will be DFA'd.

Moncada, Devers and Anderson move up to split time between 2B/3B/SS, Koch will become a super util and get some time at 1B and the OF.

The outfield is basically set, Benentindi, Peralta and Tilson will get the bulk of the work we might need a Right handed 4th OF if theres not one in the minors.

As far as the staff goes... Rodon, Tomlin and Eduardo have jobs everything else is up in there air. AJ Cole, Giolito, Rodrigo Lopez, Trevor Rogers, Brendon McKay, Dylan Covey are in the queue.

If we need to go with a FA we can... The Sox payroll drops to around 35MM.

For some reason attendance and revenue are up, maybe our fans like the drama? Or maybe they came to see hitting coach Barry Bonds?

I will be steadfast in my methodical approach to build this team into one that can contend. I will work waivers, sign FAs, take risks and grow talent.

Good luck,
Mike Ball

[Commissioner Erick]

White Sox 5 - Twins 3


WP: C. Richard (2-0)
LP: J. Berrios (5-4)


Jose Berrios looked great for most of his return to the mound from hamstring issues that sidelined him the past few months. The thing about not pitching in weeks is that it's hard to get the conditioning down for working late into games.

Berrios tired in the seventh inning, Christian Vazquez hit a huge two-run double, and the Chicago White Sox dealt a big blow to the Minnesota Twins' playoff hopes with a come from behind 5-3 victory.

Berrios cruised through the first 6 innings of the game after not pitching since June 13. He allowed only two hits and no walks through that timeframe, fanning three, and getting 10 ground ball outs. His most dominant stretch came during the fifth and sixth innings. After getting a fielder's choice to end the fourth, he set down Leury Garcia, Richie Shaffer, and Vazquez in order, all on ground balls, for a 10-pitch inning. He followed that up by getting Charlie Tilson to ground out, Jacob May to strike out, and Chris Koch to ground out for a perfect 12-pitch sixth inning.

Minnesota, meanwhile, jumped on Josh Tomlin to take an early 3-0 lead. Joe Mauer slashed a double with one out to get things rolling for the Twins, before a Brian Dozier single moved Mauer to third. The Twins played it conservatively despite Miguel Sano's predilection for striking out. Instead Sano made contact, lifting a fly ball to get a run home to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

Zach Granite rolled a grounder that Chris Koch couldn't handle for an error allowing the inning to continue. The Twins took full advantage when Robbie Grossman, back in the starting lineup, dumped a single to left to plate a run. Eduardo Escobar hit a groundball past Koch to plate the third run. Byung-Ho Park, in his first at bat since being called up from Triple-A, grounded to Leury Garcia for a fielder's choice to end the frame.

Tomlin, to his credit, settled in. The four hits he allowed in the first inning were four of the five he allowed all game, as the Twins went until the seventh inning before getting another base knock. Tomlin was perfect in the second and worked around a walk and wild pitch, getting Robbie Grossman to fly to Tilson to end the third. He followed that with a dominant fourth, getting Escobar to pop a bunt back to him, before whiffing Park and and John Ryan Murphy back-to-back.

After a scoreless fifth and sixth, Tomlin allowed a double to Murphy to lead off the seventh. He stayed in to strike out Rosario, but the White Sox went to the pen to face Mauer and Dozier. Clayton Richard induced a popout from Mauer, and Dozier flew out weakly to Tilson to keep the Twins off the board.

That was important because the White Sox finally pounced on Berrios in the seventh. David Peralta led off by slicing a double down the left field line. Berrios struck out Todd Frazier, but Avasail Garcia dumped a fly ball into left-center field that fell and brought in a run. Leury Garcia tied the game by grounding a double inside the first base line. Shaffer was intentionally walked before Vazquez' late swing on a high fastball landed inside the first base bag for a two-run double. Berrios walked Charlie Tilson intentionally before giving the ball to Trevor May. Trevor May retired Jacob May in a matchup better served in the fifth month of the year, before Koch grounded to May to end the threat.

Still, the damage was done. Richard stayed on to pitch a perfect eighth, as Ryans O'Rourke and Pressly teamed up to pitch a scoreless eighth for the Twins.

Dan Jennings, who has done well as the White Sox closer, worked around a one-out walk, striking out Murphy and retiring Rosario on a grounder to Shaffer to end the game.


Questions for the GMs:


For Eric Murray, Berrios was pitching a gem, but tired in the seventh. How do you feel about manager bot leaving him in as long as he did that inning?

You called up Park from the minors to work as a DH this game. Why call him up?

Max Kepler was sent to the bench in favor of Granite and Grossman. What went into that decision?

For Mike Ball, Dan Jennings has seven saves and a 0.82 ERA in August. Do you think you've found something there as a potential closer for next year?

Avasail Garcia had a couple of hits, including a double. Not young enough to be a prospect, he's shown a bit more with the average than expected, though his extra base pop has turned into doubles power this year. Who is he at this point?

Leury Garcia and Christian Vasquez had big hits in that fateful seventh inning. How did it affect you to see these defense-first bats come through offensively to get you a win?

[erictwins]

Berrios is our present ace and future ace. If he's pitching well we believe in him. Coming off an injury we wanted to get him some innings. Our bullpen hasn't been the greatest this year. At this point in the season its time to give some younger guys a chance.

Park has put up solid numbers in AAA. We brought him over here to play in the big leagues. Not AAA. We're hopeful he can show us some of the talent that made us so excited to bring him here.

As for Kepler, he hasn't had the season we were hoping. Grossman has been a solid contributor this season and we like to give him some time in the OF.

[Mike RedSox]

Dan Jennings - He's pitched well, but given where we are in our rebuilding process I will most likely try to turn him into a useful prospect.  But don't tell him that.

Avasail Garcia - I like Garcia and feel like he's got a couple good years ahead of him, but he is arb eligible and probably would be better off helping a contending team.  He'll be on the block.

Leury Garcia and Christian Vasquez - I cannot tolerate bad defense so when I had the change to grab Vasquez I couldn't pass it up.  He can post a positive WAR with just his work behind the plate.  This is the same up the middle of the field, SS, 2B and CF all need to be able to properly man their positions so getting anything offensively from them is a bonus but I don't plan on it.  I plan on the heart of my lineup being made up of corner infielders and outfielders.