What do the Twins have to do to beat the New York Yankees?
That’s what I’m asking myself tonight after the Twins fell to 2-13 vs. the Yankees in the postseason since 2003, including Tuesday’s 8-4 loss in the American League wild card playoff game.
The Twins came out swinging and quickly took a 3-0 lead. If that was the plan, it worked because starter Luis Severino was removed from the game after only one-third of an inning.
But the Twins gave that lead right back after Twins’ starter Ervin Santana served up a three-run home run. He was done after two innings and then both teams went to their bullpens.
Attacking Severino was the right call, but after that the Twins showed no patience at the plate — the team drew only four walks — and struck out 13 times as a team. Byron Buxton also hurt himself after making another fine catch in center field.
I also have a small nit with manager Paul Molitor. Why not leave reliever Taylor Rogers in the game after he had no trouble striking out his batter? Instead, Molitor stuck with the lefty-righty matchup and brought in Alan Busenitz, who quickly walked in a run after he couldn’t throw strikes. At 7-4, it felt like the Twins had a chance and were still in the game. At 8-4, the game was over.
Now, the question is: Does Molitor keep his job? Nope. I think Falvey & Co. let him go.
Extra innings…
-The bright spots in Tuesday’s game: Brian Dozier homered, Eddie Rosario homered, Max Kepler doubled and Eduardo Escobar had two hits.