Time for the Twins to fire Rocco Baldelli? Skor North's Judd Zulgad thinks so
The Twins have entered the All-Star Break on the back of a humiliating series sweep by the Orioles, which some believe puts manager Rocco Baldelli on the hot seat.
The home series against Baltimore culminated with a disastrous 15-2 loss on Sunday, which was punctuated by another horrific performance at the plate for the Twins batters.
The Twins enter the break in second place in the AL Central, 0.5 games behind Cleveland, but the team's inability to take advantage of an awful division on the back of excellent pitching has Skor North's Judd Zulgad saying that a change is needed at the top.
"I have a very simple question: How is Rocco Baldelli's job secure going into the All-Star Break?" Zulgad asked in his postgame commentary Sunday. "This team has played bad baseball in one form or another since the 2021 season.
"Yes, the pitching has been good in 2023, but you know what the bats have been? Absolutely anemic."
Evening Judd: #MNTwins need to begin shakeup by firing Rocco
— SKOR North - Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) July 9, 2023
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He continues to refute the claims from some sections of the Twins community that the lineup will eventually snap out of their batting woes, saying that Carlos Correa "isn't in a slump, he's having a bad season" and Byron Buxton's at-bats "are often hard to watch."
"I could go down the line of bad at-bats that we see, and the lack of accountability that this team has, and yes the pitching deserves more, but the hitters are a complete joke, and nothing is changing. It seems like something should, and it probably should be Rocco Baldelli."
On June 28 after being swept by the Braves, Baldelli ripped his team's effort and approach at the plate, suggesting that struggling players are facing an ultimatum.
"This is a challenge. This is an ultimatum for our team. These guys work their freaking asses off every day, but maybe we gotta work our asses off in a different way and have a different approach and a different mindset when we step out on the field," Baldelli said.
The fiery commentary sparked five wins in the next six games before being swept at home by the Orioles. Minnesota scored two or fewer runs in five of nine games after being swept by the Braves, including a total of seven runs in the last five games against Baltimore.
Raised on the Isle of Man, Adam has 15 years experience as a reporter and editor at regional and national level in the U.K. and the U.S. He moved to Minnesota in 2014 and became a writer for Bring Me The News. He is now the co-owner and editor of Bring Me The News and Bring Me The Sports, mixing in some occasional sports writing with his other editorial duties. He lists his three great loves as his family, Liverpool F.C. and baked beans (the British kind).