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Minnesota Twins: Puckett’s Pond Podcast and an Up and Down Week 2

By Billy Porter

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Puckett’s Pond podcast is back again, as we break down the action of the Minnesota Twins. We dive into the latest happenings with the Twins’ recent developments, detailing all the highlights and lowlights of the most recent week in baseball. Click on the following link to catch up on the latest from the Puckett’s Pond Podcast.

Minnesota Twins: What’s Gone Right in the Wins

The Twins pitching has been extraordinary, as they currently lead the American League in team ERA which is currently sitting at 2.20. They also currently rank in the top three in almost all pitching categories as well. The starting pitching in particular has been fantastic.

The Twins’ offense has also helped bring some high scoring wins to the table as well. Nelson Cruz continues to rake, Byron Buxton has been a very early MVP candidate, and Andrelton SImmons and the hit machine Luis Arraez have both gotten off to hot starts! It’s been lots of fun to watch that group play…

Minnesota Twins: What’s Gone Wrong in the Losses

Other groups have not been as fun to watch. Miguel Sano, Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco are all hitting under .200 right now. That’s 33% of the line up fairly stagnant. I expect they’ll come around, but it’s frustrating to watch.

The ability to play small ball hasn’t been great either. The Twins have executed 1 sacrifice bunt all season, and while Rocco loves his analytics (that shy away from the bunt), I still think there’s a time and place for that. This was one of my biggest possible issues coming into the season.

Lack of production with runners in scoring position (RISP) is also an issue. This likely applies to many teams, but it’s been a huge reason the team has been awful in extra-inning games. This comes back to the ability to close teams out.

The Twins haven’t scored a 9th or 10th inning run to date. That’s embarrassing. Pennant winning teams have to find ways to win the close ones. The Twins will have to find that magic to stay atop the division leaders. Alex Colome also has 2 blown saves to boot that rubs some salt in the sound.

Minnesota Twins: Around the Horn Team Notes

  • To be fair, up until now every loss has been in extra innings and the or 9th inning losses, Twins have had great opportunities to win so that is positive.
  • The Twins will have a tough 10 game stretch coming up with no days off. That will be a test in the early season!
  • With Josh Donaldson looks to return early this week, does Brandon Waddell go back down or is it Cody Stashak?? It will be interesting to see how that develops.
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