The Moment: Tis was an easy one. The Twins were trailing 2-1 until the 6th inning, when Miguel Sano stepped to the plate with a runner aboard, and took Ricky Nolasco past the bullpen. The Twins had 3 runs, and the Angels lineup, especially with a day off for legend Albert Pujols, did not have the capacity to score 3 runs.
The Hero: Miguel Sano’s blast was one of two hits for the big guy, who seems to be much more comfortable now that he is an infielder. Weird.
The Goat: Ricky Nolasco has allowed an unusual number of home runs, inasmuch as 20% of his fly balls are home runs. That’s very unusual, and won’t remain the case. For now though, it worked out well for the Twins! Keep up the good work, Ricky!
The Soundtrack: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Frankie Valli – I think I’ve said this before, but Frankie Valli might be one of the most underrated musicians the US has to offer. Too often labeled in the bubble gum pop of his era, and not recognized for his voice and choice of pieces to perform. He would hold up now, I think, if he came out today.
The Story: The optimist, I think, will tell you that the Twins clobbered two homeruns and Jose Berrios outdueled Ricky Nolasco. A pessimist will say the Twins had Berrios on the mound, and they were still only able to beat Nolasco by 1. I will ruin everyone’s parade and say that, aside from two very big mistakes, Nolasco had a better game than Berrios.
Nolasco struck out 7 and didn’t walk anyone, allowing 7 hits in 5 2/3, while Berrios only struck out 4, walked 2 and allowed 6 hits in 6 innings. If you look at xFIP, which normalizes home run ration, which I discussed earlier regarding Nolasco, Nolasco was a full run better than Berrios. But that’s not how individual games work. Berrios got the win, because he has a real offense behind him and so long as he can keep the ball in the ball park, he has one of the best defenses in baseball.
After noting (personally, not here) that the Twins really aren’t hitting that many home runs, Miguel Sano excluded, the team went out to prove me wrong this season. They had two more today against the Angels including the obligatory one from Sano, but also one from Jason Castro. His plate work has indeed been exemplary for his staff, and is no doubt a part of team’s turnaround this year. Nice to see him smack a dinger too.
The Twins are off tomorrow, which is good. Eduardo Escobar got nicked up late in the game after a rough slide, and the team will evaluate whether or not he can remain on the roster, otherwise, don’t be surprised to see a Mr. Kennys Vargas make a triumphant return to the roster.
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