Fans lay into Twins manager Rocco Baldelli after he blames Game 3 loss on shadows: "The Astros saw the ball"

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli deserves a lot of credit. In his four years at the helm, he has turned his team into the powerhouse of the AL Central. However, recent claims of Baldelli are gaining him no favor from observers.

On October 10, the Houston Astros faced off against the Twins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Target Field in Minnesota. It was a bright, sunny day in Minneapolis as action got underway at 4:07 local time.

Although the Twins came into the game with a knotted series, it soon became a hit-fest for the Astros. An RBI single from Kyle Tucker opened the scoring before a three-run home run from Astros first baseman Jose Abreu in the first. Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez would add homers of their own as the Astros won 9-1. After the game, Rocco Baldelli attempted to blame the weather for his team's poor showing.

"Complaining about shadows in your own ballpark, where the opposing team had the same issue but scored 9 runs, is a weird way to go..." - Michael Schwab

According to Baldelli, the "shadows" present due to the low-hanging sun affected the Minnesota Twins' hitting. The 42-year old continued to imply that day games were difficult to succeed in. Fans, however, were not convinced.

In the AL Wild Card Series, the Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in the two-game sweep. In front of an electric crowd, the Twins outscored the Jays 5-1 over the pair of games, both of which began in the afternoon.

While the Twins now have a 2-1 series defecit against the Houston Astros, Rocco Baldelli deserves full credit for his team's performance this season. With 87 wins, the Twins won their third divisional title during Baldelli's career. In 2019, the team set an MLB record for hitting the most home runs.

Excuses are the last thing that Rocco Baldelli needs right now

After putting up a strong season again, the Minnesota Twins are now one win away from the second being over. While it's quite possible that the sun may have affected hitters. there is no valid claim to be made that it is to blame for the loss.

Baseball is a game that is played outdoors. As such, dealing with the sun is a fact. The truth is, the Twins were bested by the Astros for the entirety of Game 3, and it is unlikely that a different start time would have made any difference.