Twins-Yankees Game 2: National Laughingstocks

Yankees 8
Twins 2

Remember Total System Failure? Call this one Total Series Failure.

Every single thing the Twins did well this year, every single thing the Twins thought was a strength, has abandoned them through 2 games of a dispiriting, season-ruining ALDS.

This game invited long periods of soul-searching since it was fucking OVER so early. Once that dumpster fire of a 3rd inning was punctuated by the Gregorious grand slam off Doofy, the game was over.

Randy Dobnak started, and struggled. I don't blame him much. He has a future here, if nothing else as a cheaper, still effective version of Kyle Gibson. And he pitched a few big games for us. But he was way overmatched. He never should have been allowed to load the bases.

This was the game that the Pineda suspension really killed them. Now, starting Dobnak over Odorizzi was probably a mistake anyway(although I get the plan of starting the ground ball guy in the little league stadium), but without Pineda's idiocy you never have to consider it.

Duffey was set up to fail basically for the 2nd straight game, only this time his one mistake went in the seats.

Rocco Baldelli's decision making with the bullpen through 2 games has been nothing short of disastrous. Almost every decision was a first guess blunder. Tonight he brings in Duffey first, less than 24 hours after him throwing like 25 high stress pitches. Why not one of the other top relievers, fresher relievers there? Why not Romo, the one guy you have with big time October experience?

Smeltzer came in after that and put up some zeroes. Then, for reasons that will never make sense at all, down 8-1 he uses 4 pitchers over the last 2 innings. He's making strategic moves down 7 runs, using better pitchers than he did in game 1 in 3-3 and 5-4 spots.

As bad as the managing and bullpen have been, they have competition for the biggest goat of the series.

The Bomba Squad has become a Bumbling Squad. The greatest power hitting team we have ever seen has managed 6 runs total in 2 games in a little league ballpark. Tonight they didn't even hit a homerun, and until the 9th had only 1 run on 4 hits. At least in game 1 they battled some. They had chances, even if 4 runs is unacceptable too. Tonight was just a team wide no show. Max Kepler is 0 for the series. Gee, maybe holding him out for 2 weeks then just throwing him back out there completely rusty wasn't such a good idea. Sano has gone back to his non-competitive swinging strikeouts. It's pathetic. And it was obvious they gave up after the grand slam. They quit. QUIT.

And there was never a path to October success this year that wasn't led by this lineup being not just dangerous but dominant. Nobody is probably that surprised by the Yankees having 18 runs through 2 games. But to score only 6 runs yourselves, in that ballpark? Completely unacceptable garbage. It's one thing if the Yankees just outslug you. But the Twins bats aren't even putting up a fight.

So now even the most optimistic Twins fan has to understand that this season is over. Can they at least mercifully win game 3 and end the losing streak? No! They can't! They never will! Not against the Yankees!

And now the 2019 Bomba Squad 101 win season will be ruined by the Yankees. Just like the 2010 Target Field debut season was ruined by them. Just like the last season of the Metrodome was ruined by them. Another memorable season with the same crushing ending.

It's all the same. Only the names have changed.