Count The Twins' clubhouse is full of boxes these days, boxes and dreariness. September has been brutal, and it's clear most of the team is looking forward to a break from the daily defeats. When Saturday's game ended, four players dressed and left the clubhouse less than 10 minutes after the finish.
From talking to the players, it's clear many of them are just as curious as everyone else about what's going to happen Monday with their manager and the coaching staff. It's a pretty loyal bunch, so much so that Ron Gardenhire said players have come to him to apologize for their, and the team's, poor play this month.
Saturday's game was another example of a pitcher throwing well, but not for long enough. Cole De Vries retired the first 11 hitters he faced, but then put seven of the next 11 on base, giving up five runs in five innings. On Friday, it was Liam Hendriks, pitching pretty well in relief, but only for 4 2/3 innings, and only after the Twins had fallen behind by seven runs.
One player who has made a good impression this month is spare catcher Eric Fryer, who walked twice and drove in Minnesota's only run on Saturday. "He's tough, a tough kid," Gardenhire said. "He's very professional."
Back tomorrow for the final Twins game of the year. One more chance for the Twins to prevent Cleveland from celebrating on their field, and to make a one-game improvement on last year's 96-loss season. Or to finish packing those boxes and just put this year behind them.
