Article: Twins Game Recap (7/22): Twins Turn Triple Play, Mitch Garver Homers Twice in Win Over Yankees

[Nash Walker]

The Twins turned a triple play in the first inning, Mitch Garver hit two of the Twins’ five home runs and the bullpen held up a lead for five innings as the Twins beat the Yankees 8-6 Monday night at Target Field.Box Score

Perez: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 63.3% strikes (50 of 79 pitches)

Bullpen: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

 

Home Runs: Garver 2 (20), Polanco (14), Cruz (20), Kepler (25)

Multi-Hit Games: Garver (3-for-4, 2 HR), Polanco (2-for-3, HR, BB)

 

Top 3 WPA: Garver .207, Polanco .166, Cruz .152

 

Here's the triple play, which happened in the top of the first inning.

 

 

The bomba squad was fully assembled as Jorge Polanco and Nelson Cruz smacked solo home runs in the first inning. Max Kepler and Mitch Garver joined the party with homers of their own in the fourth inning, as the Twins jumped out to a 7-3 lead.

 

Martín Pérez lasted four innings and walked four. Pérez entered tonight giving up just 0.7 home runs per nine innings, the lowest in the American League. Gio Urshela, Luke Voit and DJ LeMahieu each homered off him on Monday. LeMahieu narrowed the Twins lead to 7-6 with his blast in the fifth.

 

The Yankees sent veteran CC Sabathia to the hill in his final regular season start in Minneapolis. Sabathia has pitched very well against the Twins, owning a 20-9 record in 39 starts. History would not repeat itself, as Sabathia was tagged for four home runs. The lefty lasted four innings and allowed six runs.

 

Luis Cessa relieved Sabathia and Mitch Garver took him deep in the sixth for his second homer of the evening. Cessa settled down and struck out six. Jonathan Holder pitched a quiet eighth inning for New York.

 

The Twins bullpen came up huge against one of the best lineups in baseball. Tyler Duffey pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Lewis Thorpe returned from Rochester to throw 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out a pair. Taylor Rogers survived a scare on his way to save number 15.

 

Kyle Gibson faces off against Domingo German in the second game of this series tomorrow night at Target Field.

 

Postgame With Baldelli

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Click here for a review of the number of pitches thrown by each member of the bullpen over the past five days.

 

Click here to view the article

[Andrew Thares]

Let's Go! Playing the rest of the series with house money. Let's go cash in some chips the next two nights.

[ScooterDance]

F YES

 

What a fun game

[Danchat]

The pen really saved us today, getting 5 innings with just 1 run given up is amazing against the Yankees lineup. We could badly use some reinforcements, though...

 

And boy, if this lineup could just get a runner on before they unload all these HRs, this offense could be unstoppable. We just need to get them clicking again.

[Dman]

So my prediction of a Yankee sweep has been broken.   Would be nice to win a series against these guys but we are going to have to play extremely well to do it.  Happy they managed to win at least one game given how we find so many ways to lose against this team.  Go Twins.

[mikelink45]

Perez disappointed, but the team was great!

[Darius]

I was really impressed with Thorpe out of the bullpen tonight. I love that guy’s intensity.

[Aerodeliria]

Perez was shaky (4 BBs and the homer-fest), but Baldelli yanked him just in time. I know he was hoping to get him a W, but it is better than getting the team an L. 

 

The bullpen was just fine (super in fact)...only one BB over five innings. This should be a recipe for the Twins. Make the Yankees beat you by hitting not be walking, walking and then three-run homers.

[terrydactyls]

Today is Monday, July 22, it was the 99th game of the year and the Twins hit 5 home runs.  The Twins are now 61% of the way through the season.  Out of 59 years, the current team ranks 8th on the all-time list of Twins' home runs in one season and are on a pace to hit 306 home runs this season.  They are now 80 home runs behind the single season MLB record.  The next Twins team to pass is the 2004 team that hit 191 home runs.

[Alex Schieferdecker]

That was like a recent Twins game in reverse. Suddenly it was the other team that was improbably not scoring with really good starting positions, and it was the Twins who were turning fantastic plays in the field.

 

Was thrilled to see Thorpe come out of the bullpen, which I want to happen more and more. He definitely did not immediately have his stuff however, getting behind hitters. But in the second and third innings of work, he was much more in command, getting to two strike counts and getting K's.

 

Hopefully we'll see Stashak tomorrow night, feels like his propensity to throw strikes and his good K/BB without having overpowering stuff make him a bit like a righty version of Thorpe. 

 

Wish we had more than a week with these guys to see if they could become serious arms in the pen, a la Littell, but even if/when the Twins do make a move, there's two more spots behind Rogers/Harper/Parker/May/Duffey/The New Guy.

[Tom Froemming]

Here are just some of the highlights from this one. It feels like each game the Twins have played since the All-Star break has been packed with about a week's worth of action. This has been nuts.

[Matt Braun]

I liked the part where the Twins beat the Yankees tbh

[h2oface]

The rarely used assignment of the win to the relief pitcher deemed more effective gives Thorpe the win instead of Duffey, who got all three outs and was the pitcher that finished the 5th with the lead that was never relinquished. 

http://m.mlb.com/glossary/standard-stats/win

[VivaBomboRivera!]

Five dingers aside, you could say the defense won this.  Double- and triple-plays were the difference.  Yanks had a hideous 2 of 12 RISP.  No errors - nice to see a much sharper team take the field.

 

Quick tip o' the cap to Holder for backhanding that Arraez comebacker in bottom of the 8th.

[bighat]

 

The rarely used assignment of the win to the relief pitcher deemed more effective gives Thorpe the win instead of Duffey, who got all three outs and was the pitcher that finished the 5th with the lead that was never relinquished. 

http://m.mlb.com/glossary/standard-stats/win

 

I noticed that this morning when I checked the box score. I nodded silently in approval.

[Tibs]

When the Twins beat the Yankees, I think to myself "yes"

[bunt_vs_the_shift]

I read in LEN's column that Arraez told Schoop he was stepping on 3rd and turning it if it came his way. Back in the 90s I believe Gaetti called a triple play before it happened too. Props to Luis for having the stones to sprint toward the bag and make an off balance throw to Schoop. Unbelievable turn by Schoop. In addition to being a sensational play, it was a confidence building game changer. 

[jorgenswest]

Great job by bullpen though Duffey comes out of the game without a hold or win to his record.

 

His stopping of the Yankee momentum was critical. Two runs in. Tying run at the plate. Heart of the order. No outs. One fat pitch and the four run lead has vanished.

 

He gets out with a clean inning. Stops the momentum. I would have given him the win. In support he had the highest WPA among the pitchers. Thorpe was awesome also. Seems like Duffey should at least have a hold in the box score.

[ScooterDance]

 

 

Today is Monday, July 22, it was the 99th game of the year and the Twins hit 5 home runs.  The Twins are now 61% of the way through the season.  Out of 59 years, the current team ranks 8th on the all-time list of Twins' home runs in one season and are on a pace to hit 306 home runs this season.  They are now 80 home runs behind the single season MLB record.  The next Twins team to pass is the 2004 team that hit 191 home runs.

Another request? When you post this, list the twins HR total year to date?

[ashbury]

When the Twins beat the Yankees, I think to myself "yes"

 

I believe I have never witnessed a triple-play in realtime. As it happens, I was on the phone with my dad at the start of the game, and am only seeing this one in replay, as usual. I wouldn't think too well of myself if I regretted it, however.

[jz7233]

This win was handed by Sabathia early in the game and saved by the bullpen. Twins needs to pitch a lot better to have any chance to win the next two.

[Darius]

Hey, Falvine. You want the the fans/media to forget the last two months? Make a trade for a reliever today after beating the Yankees last night. Tha fan base would be totally re-energized (I know I would be).

[AceWrigley]

Duffy and Thorpe . . nice job guys.

[AceWrigley]

I don't think Tyler Duffy was too happy with himself when he couldn't find the zip code for 1B there on the potential double play. That punch out with the fastball to end the inning was awesome. Keep it rollin' guys.

[AceWrigley]

Polanco really put a charge into his homer in the first, that was a mighty swing. Twins giving CC the whiplash treatment for once.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

The rarely used assignment of the win to the relief pitcher deemed more effective gives Thorpe the win instead of Duffey, who got all three outs and was the pitcher that finished the 5th with the lead that was never relinquished. 

http://m.mlb.com/glossary/standard-stats/win

As it should be. Good job to the scorer.

[yarnivek1972]

Twins have 4 players with at least 20 HR. Before July 25.

[jmlease1]

 

Another request? When you post this, list the twins HR total year to date?

 

2019 Twins are at 187 Bombas through July 22. 

 

My goodness...

[Squirrel]

I read in LEN's column that Arraez told Schoop he was stepping on 3rd and turning it if it came his way. Back in the 90s I believe Gaetti called a triple play before it happened too. Props to Luis for having the stones to sprint toward the bag and make an off balance throw to Schoop. Unbelievable turn by Schoop. In addition to being a sensational play, it was a confidence building game changer.

Actually, I read that it was Schoop that prepped Arraez to be ready for the possibility. But yeah, it was Arraez' decision to go for it, and he did. Kudos all around. That was team work.

 

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-convert-triple-play-against-yankees

[ashbury]

Actually, I read that it was Schoop that prepped Arraez to be ready for the possibility.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." -- Louis Pasteur

 

"How can you think and hit at the same time? But fielding, that's another story." -- Not Yogi Berra, But Should Be