Correa: Twins will learn from playoff experience
MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa was blunt, disappointed and optimistic when he spoke to his Minnesota Twins teammates following their elimination from the playoffs.
Harbor the bitter feeling as fuel for improvement when spring training starts next year, he told them, and remember who caused it.
The Houston Astros — Minnesota’s newest postseason nemesis — are going to the American League Championship Series for the seventh straight year, and they are the standard the Twins have to exceed in order to make more than a brief appearance in October.
“I wasn’t ready for this at all. I was expecting to go a few more weeks at least and then party into the offseason,” third baseman Royce Lewis said after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Astros. “We’ll get them next year.”
That won’t happen just by showing up in excellent physical shape. The hitters have to make some adjustments to their approach at the plate to truly make this a balanced, consistent and dangerous lineup on the postseason stage.
The Astros not only produced more clutch hits themselves — with 10 homers accounting for 16 of their 20 runs in the AL Division Series — but deftly pitched to exploit flaws and keep the Twins flailing and guessing for much of those four games.
The Twins hit five homers but struck out 52 times, whiffing at an even higher rate than they did while setting the major league record for most strikeouts in a single season.
“Experience played a big role. Some experienced guys over there had some good at-bats with people on base,” Correa said. “We didn’t get the chance to do the same, and they won the series. You’ve seen them do it for years now. Now that some of our guys got their feet wet in postseason baseball, next year I feel like we’ll be a lot better, and I know the front office will put the right pieces together for us to go out there next year and go further, all the way.”
READY ROOKIES
The performance by the three rookie regulars in the lineup — Lewis, second baseman Edouard Julien and left fielder Matt Wallner — has given the Twins a sturdy foundation for sustained offensive success. Correa frequently mentioned this year that this team reminded him of the Astros in 2015, when he was a rookie on a breakthrough squad that made the playoffs and set the blueprint for Houston’s current run.
“This serves as motivation that we’re that team, that we can do it,” Correa said. “If all the young guys believe it and everybody on this club believes it, we’re going to end up in a good spot.”
ON THE MEND
Correa played through plantar fasciitis that caused significant pain around his heel and had the worst hitting season of his career. He said he doesn’t need surgery, though he will have an operation on his nose to fix a deviated septum.
Byron Buxton had yet another miserable time trying to stay out of injury trouble, with knee soreness that never allowed him to play the outfield. He last played on Aug. 1, until a pinch-hit appearance in Game 4.
With both Correa and Buxton signed through 2028, the Twins need them to get healthy again and be the reliable and productive lineup fixtures they expected them to be.
First baseman Alex Kirilloff, who finally appeared to get past the wrist problems he has had, was plagued by shoulder trouble that worsened to the point where Buxton took his place on the roster in the middle of the series.
STARTING SUCCESS
The Twins had the second-best starting pitching ERA (3.82) in baseball, a strength they’ve tried for years to build and had to sacrifice several top prospects for in various trades. Pablo López pitched in the playoffs like the ace the Twins have paid him to be, and Sonny Gray had a resurgent season next to him at the top of the rotation.
Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober had their ups and downs but remain in their pre-arbitration years on easy-to-afford contracts. Chris Paddack returned from elbow rehab to pitch effectively out of the bullpen and is a strong bet for a starting spot in 2024. The big question is whether the Twins will re-sign Gray, who will be a free agent this fall, or give Louie Varland an inside track.
Gray had tears in his eyes on Wednesday night as he made the rounds for end-of-year goodbyes in the clubhouse. He spoke often about how much he appreciated this season.
“Hopefully we can bring him back here,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “He’s a special part of this team.”
MONEY MATTERS
Gray is the most important player among the free agents-to-be. The others are starting pitchers Kenta Maeda, Dallas Keuchel and Tyler Mahle; relief pitcher Emilio Pagán; outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Joey Gallo; and infielder Donovan Solano. The Twins have club options on the contracts for left fielder Max Kepler ($10 million) and second baseman Jorge Polanco ($10.5 million).
WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola‘s first start after returning from the injured list didn’t last long.
The right-hander allowed six runs in 2⅓ innings Sunday against the Washington Nationals, a start that ended when seven consecutive batters reached safely.
Nola struck out four in his first major league outing since May 14.
The former All-Star was one of the majors’ most durable pitchers entering the season, making at least 32 starts and throwing at least 180⅔ innings in each of the last six full seasons. But a sprained right ankle and fractured rib cost him three months this season.
His return became even more significant Saturday when Philadelphia placed ace Zack Wheeler on the injured list with a blood clot in his right arm. Nola already was scheduled to start after making three minor league rehabilitation appearances, though the Phillies scrapped their plans to use a six-man rotation.
Nola gave up Luis Garcia Jr.’s leadoff single in the first inning, then appeared to settle in. He retired the next seven batters as Philadelphia built a 6-0 lead.
The Nationals stitched together three consecutive singles in the third, the last by CJ Abrams to score a run. That led to a mound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham, but Nola then walked Paul DeJong before giving up Daylen Lile‘s two-run single and Dylan Crews‘ two-run double. Jose Tena followed with a tying double to end Nola’s day.
Nola allowed seven hits while throwing 53 pitches. His ERA rose to 6.92.
In addition to Nola taking Wheeler’s roster spot, the Phillies activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the injured list and optioned infielder Otto Kemp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 40-man roster for Nola, Philadelphia released outfielder Cal Stevenson.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was designated for assignment on Sunday, with catcher Tyler Stephenson‘s thumb injury and a short bench contributing to the decision.
The Reds also recalled right-hander Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson from Triple-A Louisville and optioned left-hander Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A.
“We came to the idea of kind of giving Jake a chance to play where maybe he thinks he deserves to play, which I understand, is maybe better than him sitting the bench here,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Stephenson is banged up. We were a little concerned about playing short, maybe a two-man bench.”
Fraley, 30, is in his fifth major-league season, his fourth with Cincinnati. He is batting .232 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 67 games.
He hyperextended his knee after making an error in left field to allow a run to score in the 10th inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the first-place Brewers on Saturday. Francona said neither the miscue nor the injury factored into the DFA move.
Stephenson reaggravated an injury to his left thumb during the Pittsburgh series and is day to day. Jose Trevino, who was behind the plate Saturday night, got the start for Sunday’s day game.
Francona said the decision on Fraley, a popular player among fans and in the clubhouse, wasn’t easy.
“Not that I needed an excuse to lose sleep last night, but you do, because you’re thinking about it,” Francona said. “You’re making decisions that alter their life. The day when I stop thinking about it, I will re-retire.”
Cincinnati, the only team this season that hasn’t been swept in a series, has dropped the first two games of the three-game set against the Brewers, who have won 14 straight games.
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