Twins fans baffled by Rocco Baldelli's decision to bench Royce Lewis for Max Kepler
Had the Twins not gotten a walk-off homer from Carlos Correa and instead lost to the Brewers Tuesday night, you can bet your bottom dollar that there would be a lot more talk about Max Kepler pinch hitting for Royce Lewis in the eighth inning.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli decided to bench Lewis, who was 1-for-3, and give Kepler, who has struggled mightily for the bulk of the past four seasons and is hitting .191 this season, an opportunity to give the Twins life while trailing 5-3 with a runner on and one out in the eighth inning.
Kepler wound up drawing a walk, but it left a sour taste in the mouths of fans who were shocked Baldelli would pull his red-hot – and clutch – rookie for a player who has hit a miserable .151 since May 1.
"I don't know if he's ever been pinch hit for. Maybe never in his life," Baldelli said of Lewis when asked about the decision. "You know, I didn't think too hard about that because I thought that the best at-bat was to get our left-handers up there."
To Baldelli's credit, Kepler was 2-for-4 with a triple in his career against Milwaukee right-hander Joel Payamps, while Lewis had never faced him. On the other hand, Kepler is batting .203 against right-handers this season while Lewis had eight hits in his previous 11 at-bats and has come up with game-tying hits in late-game situations twice in the past week.
"I'm not saying this guy just in particular that we were facing tonight, but I like the matchup significantly better with the left-hander," Baldelli explained. "That's why we make the moves. A lot of the times, if there's not much to be gained by making a move, we're going to stay with the guys that are in the game and in the flow of the game and let them play.
"I think about all the guys, but we're just here to win. And if it comes down to being pinch hit for in a given game, you don't have to like it but you gotta keep cheering for your teammates and be ready to go. Royce will be fine. He's a competitor and a great team guy. It's part of what we do here. We pinch hit a lot and we're going to continue to do it."
Regardless of the outcome, Twins fans aren't happy with Baldelli.
