Wednesday night’s ALDS Game 4 loss by Houston to the Minnesota Twins marked the devastating end of a promising season. The Twins’ greatest postseason run since 2002 came to an end with the loss, but it also generated a lot of excitement among supporters for the future.
It also brought up some concerns regarding choices that were made during the game.
When Rocco Baldelli withdrew Joe Ryan in Game 4 after just two innings of his start, the conversation around him was amplified once again. It seems that the team’s plan was to rely on its bullpen to limit errors and keep the Astros guessing.
Though it was a nearly successful approach, the Twins lost the game and the season due to a few deadly errors that they still made. Following the game, Rocco addressed the series of managerial choices that had caused a stir among the fans at the time.
In the Game 4 defeat, Rocco Baldelli explains why he withdrew Joe Ryan after two innings.
Rocco was questioned on the choice to remove Ryan from the game after just two innings of largely good work following the defeat. It may not have been as self-serving as it appeared, but his response wasn’t exactly the greatest recommendation.
“There’s really no justification for riding your starter in an elimination game like the one we played today. Rocco stated, “We wanted to get as much as possible from Joe [Ryan], which was usually going to be roughly one time through. “There was a possibility he would continue a little while longer, but eventually you just have to decide when that time would come.”
Though it’s unlikely that Rocco intended it as a criticism, that’s not exactly a glowing recommendation of Ryan. Nevertheless, Rocco’s shady relationship with his starting pitchers seemed to be a story point heading into Spring Training and would seem to be a recurring theme throughout the season.
To be fair, one of the main issues surrounding Ryan was his tendency to give up home runs; in fact, he gave up one before ever reaching the top of the order.
Rocco was encouraged to throw Game 4 as a bullpen game after Michael Brantley’s home run. It appeared that this was the plan from the beginning. It nearly worked, as the bullpen’s lone error came from a poor pitch from Caleb Thielbar.
Griffin Jax was outstanding, Chris Paddack was outstanding, and Jhoan Duran worked two innings with just one hit. As frustrating as it was to watch during the season, Minnesota’s bullpen went fifteen innings without giving up a hit until the end of the game.
That’s not too bad.
When it mattered most, Minnesota’s offense was silent once more. Both Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis homered, although they did not do so with a runner on base. That proved to be the difference, along with Ryan’s and Thielbar’s two errors. When it mattered most, Minnesota’s offense was silent once more. Both Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis homered, although they did not do so with a runner on base. That proved to be the difference, along with Ryan’s and Thielbar’s two errors.
