The on-field product is reaching critical mass.
At the moment, the Minnesota Twins could not be giving fans less to be interested in.
Not even 24 hours after a 16-7 drubbing, the Twins fell down 4-0 early to the Milwaukee Brewers and watched that lead slowly extend itself to a final score of 9-0. The team has now given up 25 more runs in less than a day, making for 82 runs allowed in just six select blowouts this month alone.
Simeon Woods Richardson gave up two in a sluggish first and two more in the second; throwing errors by Ryan Jeffers on attempted double steals, and two base hits from a red-hot Christian Yelich, contributed to a 4-0 Brewer lead before the Minnesota lineup really had an opportunity to settle in.
To his credit, SWR hung in to deliver 95 pitches’ worth of length in dire need of somebody to step up and soak innings. His effort ensured that Jonah Bride wouldn’t have to come back out and pitch in this one, although the lead was not quite as bad as nine until Cole Sands came into the eighth and allowed five runs on six hits and a walk in 1.2 innings.
Jose Quintana was borderline untouchable, as the Twin lineup once again failed to solve a softer-tossing left-hander. J.Q. would go six innings, striking out just one hitter and issuing four (!) free passes, but allowed only three hits and could not be reached for an earned run.
0-fers littered the lineup, with Byron Buxton, Harrison Bader, and Matt Wallner all singling; Carlos Correa added a double, and that was literally it. Fittingly, the game was punctuated with a strikeout of Brooks Lee, officially snapping his hitting streak.
It’s another Twins loss, and another defeat worthy of some side-eyes after the game. The team is far enough removed from its stunning 13-game winning streak that the questions from earlier this spring — maybe this team will be sellers? maybe somebody will be fired? maybe we’ll all be surprised by a fundamental organizational pivot? — are starting to creep back into play.
But for now, it’s another series loss to soak up, another 24 hours to wait until the next one, and another near-100-degree day to help keep the blood boilin’.
YOINKS!
STUDS:
I genuinely cannot find a stud here today
DUDS:
RP Cole Sands (1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, BB, 0 K)
RF Willi Castro (0-for-4)
1B Ty France (0-for-4)
2B/3B Brooks Lee (0-for-4, K)