AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS VS ASTROS

October 10, 2023

Rocco Baldelli

Target Field

Minnesota Twins

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Astros - 9, Twins - 1

Q. You guys had some base runners, I think six walks, but what did you think of, when you guys had the opportunity to score, the swings from that point forward once you had some guys on base?

ROCCO BALDELLI: We had plenty of opportunity. We really did. There was a theme in those at-bats. I think we expanded a little bit in those at-bats. We'd get in a good spot -- again, great where you want to be to make something happen. We didn't make it happen when the time came.

Javier kind of buckled down, it seemed like, focused and got his pitches more where he wanted them when he was forced to, and before that, less so.

Again, we were able to find ways -- we did things that we've done much of the year. We found ways to walk. We found ways to get on base. You find a way to get a hit in a spot or two. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to go in the seats. You just find a way to drive a few runs home, and you're right in the ballgame at that point.

There was a spread there where we just had a tough time getting close enough to make it -- it's always a ballgame, but we had a tough time getting it close.

Q. Rocco, what is it that makes Cristian Javier so difficult to hit?

ROCCO BALDELLI: We don't see him very often. He's not a guy that I have a ton of experience watching throw. Obviously he's a guy that can get his fastball to places that not every pitcher can get to. And I think, when he starts using his fastball, which he always does, you start to adjust to the fastball or try to adjust to the fastball, and that's when his breaking -- his slider ends up a weapon.

His slider's a weapon because of his fastball. That's kind of the way that it looks as you watch him pitch.

We had a tough time getting on top of the fastball when we had chances to do so and holding up at the breaking ball.

It was one of those days. We discussed this pregame. The Astros did a good job of jumping out there early and finding ways to score some runs. We're probably -- we're a ground ball away from being out of that inning or being very close to being out of that inning. A play that we're going to make almost every time, and we didn't make it today, and it ended up leading to those runs being on the board.

Overall, it was a difficult day to hit. So them jumping out early was very, very important. Whichever team did that was going to definitely be in the driver's seat because the game times that we have right now and our ballpark make it very difficult to see the ball and to put a lot of good swings on the ball in a row.

Q. On Yordan Alvarez, is it at the point where you guys have to have a different approach or not pitch to him, or do you even believe in such a point?

ROCCO BALDELLI: Well, there can be a point. I think we've seen this with certain guys. I say this sometimes, but I don't go long on the subject of talking about another player playing really well. He's an excellent hitter. We can all see that. We live it out there when we have to go out there and face him.

There are times where I think it's very, very much the right play to go out there and pitch to him, and there are other times where it might not be. It's going to depend on the game. It's going to depend on how everything plays out.

I thought we actually pitched him actually fine for much of the game today. He lofted that home run out there to right field. He finds different ways to find the barrel and make things happen.

He was also the guy, I believe, that hit the ground ball that ended up getting through. Again, I thought we pitched him fine today. He still finds ways to be productive, but I thought we were okay.

Q. Rocco, after how he pitched last week and how worked up he was to pitch well today, how surprised were you by Sonny's difficulties getting through everything?

ROCCO BALDELLI: We've seen Sonny have so many good starts this year. He's pitched better than he threw today of course. We've seen it so many times. But, again, you start looking at what his game looks like, if you just -- if we make the plays that we should make behind him.

He's not sitting there giving up -- how many runs did he give up? I'm not even sure. Five. If we're sitting here and he gave up one or two, which very, very easily could have been the case if we just make the plays, we're not sitting here saying -- we're sitting here saying, Sonny gave us a good start. That's what we're sitting here saying.

He always competes very well. The intensity was there today, which matters with him. It's not just something that's kind of a side note. It's his ability to focus that makes him special.

He's pitched us -- he's one of guys that have pitched us to this point in the season. So we're going to let him pitch us to wherever we're going next. I have no issue leaving the ball in his hands for a little while and letting him go. Again, if we play crisp baseball, we're sitting here, and he's probably only given up a run or two.