The Sunday positives: Six runs on 12 hits, including extra-base hits from Josh Bell and Royce Lewis, as well as two hits apiece from Victor Caratini, Trevor Larnach and Tristan Gray.
The Sunday negatives: Sub-par pitching, missed opportunities (10 left on base), lousy base-running and plenty of ABS-generated controversy which finally resulted in Twins Manager Derek Shelton’s ejection.
In short, the Twins took a 4-0 lead, gave it all back to fall behind 5-4, then tied the game at 5-5 before falling behind again by three runs in the seventh inning. They got one run back in the eighth but by then it didn’t matter.
Starter Bailey Ober wasn’t real sharp and the lack of velocity on his fastball has to be a major concern as he lasted all of four innings with three runs allowed.
Surprisingly, he was followed by fellow starter Mick Abel who had a rough afternoon. Using Abel in that situation came down to timing and allowed the Portland native to get a little more work, according to MLB.com.
“Two challenges faced the Twins entering Sunday’s game,” MLB.com reports. “One of the issues was a common one for all teams at this time of year: off days. The Twins have two in the first six days of the season, making it complicated to use all of their starters while keeping them all on an every fifth or sixth day rotation.”
OK, fine. But why leave Abel in for so long when he was obviously struggling? Abel wound up facing more batters than Ober — 20 to 17 — and got rocked, allowing five runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts across three-plus innings.
And then the ABS technology reared its ugly head with unfavorable results.
Slugger Matt Wallner, facing a bases loaded situation with two outs, was absolutely right to challenge a call in that moment — it’s the very moment a player should challenge a call — but pay close attention to those balls and strikes because it was clearly a strike that was ultimately upheld.
Later, Twins manager Derek Shelton took issue with what he felt was a delayed call to challenge a pitch and finally blew up, earning a late-in-the-game ejection.
Did the Orioles pitcher take too long to challenge the pitch? I don’t think so after watching a replay of it, but I will say this: He made a very subtle move to his cap that Shelton may have missed.
I appreciate Shelton’s passion and it shows he wants to win. Fine with me if he wants to argue calls and get kicked out of games. Light a fire under this team. Kick over a buffet table if you have to.
Simeon Woods Richardson gets the ball Monday in Kansas City.
Extra innings…
–Twins infielder Gray led the team with three RBI in Sunday’s loss. Gray, 30, really puts the “journey” in journeyman player. The Rice University Owls product was drafted by the Pirates in 2017. He has since played at every level in the minor leagues, as well as independent ball, abroad in Australia and had cups of coffee with the Rays, A’s, Marlins, White Sox and now the Twins. Good luck to him. That is a long road to the major leagues.
–At least the Twins are not the White Sox, or at least not yet. The South Siders remain winless after their 7-3 lead evaporated on Sunday with a disastrous six-run eighth inning that gave the Brewers a 9-7 win.