Time to write off the Twins

It has now become painfully clear, after today's humiliating doubleheader sweep the hands of the Detroit Tigers.

The 2020 Minnesota Twins have ZERO chance to do a god damn thing in the playoffs.

That's assuming they still get there. Even before today's embarrassing display I thought the Twins were a mortal lock to at least make the playoffs. 8 teams get in. Only 8 teams in the AL are even above .500. But if I had 100% certainty, I gotta kick that down a few percentage points.

Today's debacle, only 8 hits and 4 runs total facing 2 starters with plus-8 ERAs, felt like the culmination of an ugly 3 weeks of baseball.

Remember when the Twins were 10-2? A distant memory. Ever since Taylor Rogers took the mound trying to lock down that last game in Pittsburgh, this team has collapsed.

10-12 in their last 22 games, against what is easily the softest part of their schedule. An offense that has gone from struggling to catatonic. A pitching staff that has held together admirably, but now springs just enough leaks to assure defeat. A list of injuries that continues to grow longer.

In both games today all it took was one pitcher having an off day to guarantee a loss. Randy Dobnak had his 1st shaky start of the year in game 1. Officer Doofy has a rare clunker in game 2. And that was it. This pitching staff has no margin for error at all anymore. If any pitcher has a bad day, the Twins lose. Because this lineup is a catastrophe.

They can't score runs. By any measure they are brutal. Only 8 games where they have eclipsed 5 runs. 18 of the last 30 games with 4 runs or less. 

As of me doing this blog they are 19th in batting average and 17th in OPS. Hell, they're only 7th in homeruns.

And that's all with Nelson Cruz mashing at an MVP level. Where would we be without him, or the recent improved hitting by Sano?

Game after game it's the same garbage at bats, the same wasted scoring opportunities, the same inconsistency by key players. Sure there was always going to be some regression from last year. Of course they weren't going to hit homeruns at that rate again. But nobody thought they would plummet like this. This is a 2010 Brett Favre level of collapse.

I'm not buying any of the excuses. It's not just because of injuries. Josh Donaldson was awful for a week then got hurt. Mitch Garver was even worse for several weeks then got hurt. We got about 1 good week from Byron Buxton before he got hurt. The issue is the guys we have aren't getting it done, aside from Cruz, Sano lately, and once in a while Kepler. Rosario is having an average season at best. Polanco has regressed big time from his all star season. Arraez has had an often brutal sophomore slump. Jake Cave has been awful. This lineup had depth last year. This year their bench bats haven't done shit.

You can tell it's affecting the pitchers. They know they have no margin for error. They have only won 3 games all year when they've given up more than 3 runs. That's an insane stat. 

I still think this staff top to bottom is the best we've had since the early 2000s. And they have held up their end despite just as many injuries as the bats. Their fill-ins have stepped up. Dobnak probably isn't even in the rotation if Odorizzi starts the season on time.

There was a very telling moment in game 1 today that told me even Rocco understands how bad this lineup is. Bottom 5, Tigers load the bases against Dobnak with 1 out. It's a 4-1 game, with a couple innings to go. And Rocco waves the white flag by putting in Lewis Thorpe (who of course promptly gave up runs). Rocco knew there was no point putting in a capable reliever to try to keep the game close. Because it was already over. Because this lineup is so bad that a 3 run deficit is insurmountable.

I have given up all hope this team can do anything in October. Just getting there may yet be a challenge, with a September schedule featuring 14 games against the Indians, White Sox, Cardinals and Cubs. But assuming they do still make it, they have no chance to advance. Their pitching can keep them in games, but the lineup can't get it done.

There is no white horse riding in to save them. Donaldson will not be an impact hitter for them this year. Garver looked like a total mess. And we know when Buxton returns we'll have to wait out at minimum the couple weeks it always takes him to get his swing right again. And with each putrid game that goes by, it becomes less and less likely that the guys already here will suddenly get their collective shit together.

It's over. The playoff win drought will live for another year.