Front Page: Twins Game Recap (9/17): Twins Win Wild Game on a Walk Off Hit-By-Pitch

[Andrew Thares]

This game had pretty much everything you could ask for from a great baseball game. An historic home run, three different comebacks to tie the game, and a walk-off hit-by-pitch by Ronald Torreyes. When all was said and done, 22 different Minnesota Twins played a part in their 9-8 win over the Chicago White Sox.Box Score

Perez: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 70.3% strikes (45 of 64 pitches)

Home Runs: LaMarre (1), Sano (30)

Multi-Hit Games: Rosario (3 for 6, 2 2B), Gonzalez (3 for 6), Arraez (3 for 6, 2B)

WPA of +0.1: Gonzalez .359, Rosario .307, Wade .254, Torreyes .164, Rogers .144, LaMarre .122, Romo .111, Cruz .102,

WPA of -0.1: Harper -.402, Sano -.214, Littell -.145, May -.143, Polanco -.114, Schoop -.100

 

After the Twins failed to hit a home run in their 5-3 win over the White Sox last night, it was Ryan LaMarre of all people who hit the Twins first home run of the series, leading off the bottom of the third inning. It was just LaMarre’s third home run of his major league career. The homer drew this great reaction from Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders.

 

 

Later in the third inning, Miguel Sano helped the Twins make more major league history, when he belted his 30th home run of the season, making the 2019 Minnesota Twins the first team to ever have five different 30-home run hitters in the same season. Sano’s home run traveled 482 feet, and became the second longest home run in Target Field history, behind only Jim Thome’s 490 foot blast back in 2011.

 

 

Unfortunately for the Twins, the pitching staff was unable to hold the 5-0 lead they were given. Martin Perez was hit all over the yard tonight, giving up 10 hits in just 4- 2/3 innings. Somehow, he managed to give up just three runs. In the top of the sixth, Trevor May gave up home runs to Zack Collings and Adam Engel on back-to-back pitches, and just like that the game was tied.

 

Tyler Duffey had another excellent outing tonight, striking out the White Sox' 3-4-5 hitters in the top of the seventh inning. Duffey has now worked 22 consecutive scoreless outings, dating back to July 28th. Over that time, Duffey has 33 strikeouts to just five walks in 19 2/3 innings pitched and has lowered his ERA from 3.82 down to 2.39.

 

It was Sergio Romo’s turn in the top of the eighth inning to keep the score tied at five. Which is just what he did, getting a couple of big strikeouts with a runner on first to end the inning. However, he did so with an obvious limp after every pitch. The Twins came out to chat with him about it, be he insisted he was fine and stayed in the game to get the final two hitters. It will be worth monitoring this situation in the coming days to make sure nothing comes from it.

 

Both Taylor Rogers and Zack Littell had to work out of jams in the top of the ninth and the top of the tenth respectively, to give the Twins hitters extra chances to try to win the game. The first two batters reached against Rogers via an error by Jorge Polanco, and a fielder’s choice by Rogers, when he tried to make the play at second after fielding a comebacker but was late with the throw. However, he was able to battle back by inducing a double play and getting Eloy Jimenez to strike out. In the tenth, Littell gave up two singles to lead off the inning. Then, after a sac bunt, Rocco Baldelli decided to load the bases with an intentional walk. That moved paid off, as Littell got a pop out and a flyout to get out of the jam.

 

The Twins weren’t as fortunate in the 11th inning as they had been in the innings prior, as Tim Anderson led off the inning with a no-doubter off Zack Littell. Littell did a nice job not surrendering any more runs in the inning, keeping the White Sox lead at just one run. This played out huge for the Twins in the bottom of the inning, when Jonathan Schoop led off the inning with a single. He got pinch run for by LaMonte Wade Jr., who advanced to second on a C.J. Cron ground out, and to third on a wild pitch that barely got away from the White Sox catcher. This aggressive base running kept the Twins alive, as Mitch Garver came through with a sac fly to tie the game back up at six.

 

In the 12th inning, Rocco Baldelli turned to Ryne Harper to get three outs, and the Twins bats back up with a chance to win the game. Harper did get those three outs However, that wasn’t until after he had surrendered a two-run home run to Ryan Cordell, giving the White Sox a 8-6 lead. Harper nearly gave up a few more runs, as the White Sox had first and third with two outs, but Harper got Eloy Jimenez to ground out to end the inning.

 

The Twins may have been down but they certainly weren’t out of it, with the middle of their order due up in the bottom of the 12th. Nelson Cruz got the rally started with a lead off single, which was immediately followed by a double from Eddie Rosario, and just like that the Twins were in business. Then Miguel Sano came to the plate, and was immediately set down on three pitches. After Sano came Marwin Gonzalez, who after falling behind in the count, came through with a base hit to bring both Cruz and Rosario around to score, tying the game at eight. However, the Twins weren’t done quite yet. Luis Arraez followed up Gonzalez’s single with one of his own, Arraez’s third hit of the game. That brought LaMonte Wade Jr. up to the plate and he smacked a line-drive single up the middle. Fortunately for the Twins, Tony Diaz has learned from his mistakes earlier in the season, and held Gonzalez at third on a throw that would have had him out by 30 feet. This loaded the bases for Ronald Torreyes, who came in as a defensive replacement for C.J. Cron in the top of the 12th, and this happened.

 

 

Postgame With Baldelli

 

 

Bullpen Usage

Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:

 

Next Three Games

Wed vs CHW, 6:40 pm CT (Cover-Odorizzi)

Thu vs KCR, 6:40 pm CT (Montgomery-TBD)

Fri vs KCR, 7:10 pm CT (TBD-TBD)

 

Last Game

Twins Game Recap (9/16): Berrios tosses a strong 7.1 innings

 

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[mrtwinsfan]

Harper really deserves that win,   What a crime

[mrtwinsfan]

Lamont Wade , interview with marny--  good kid well spoken

[AceWrigley]

What a wacky game. Give up 20 hits and win. LaMarre shushes the nattering nabobs of negativism with 2 hits, one a dinger. Torreyes gets plunked for a game winning RBI, and the guy who pitches worst gets the win. We now have 5 guys with 30 bombas! Duffey and Romo ... K machines.

[jimbo92107]

Enter the pandering poobah of positivism! This Twins team is amazingly resilient. There is absolutely no giving up in this squad. Oh, and if anybody is wondering, Ronald Torreyes is not a hole in the batting lineup. He's a career .281 hitter that has played for the Dodgers and the Yankees. And he's not 5'5", even if that's what he looks like. He's 5'8". 

 

Gno. Yor. Twinkies. 

[Dantes929]

 

Harper really deserves that win,   What a crime

Ok, I know he doesn't deserve the win and that he didn't pitch well but my old coach used to preach that you never knew how many runs you needed to score or how many you needed to limit the other team to until it was all over so you just need to keep plugging.    That two run homer hurt but Harper hung in there and battled to keep it at just two runs.   As it turns out that was exactly what was needed..   I won't give him a lot of credit but i will give him some.   

[jz7233]

Arraez is an OB machine. Clutch hit by Gonzalez, Arraez and Wade!

[Monticore]

All's well that ends well, but what's the logic of bringing Harper in? Nostalgia?

[MNT1996]

Nice day for the lesser known names. LaMarre with 2 hits including an HR, Wade with a clutch, gutsy take of 3rd base and a hit in the 12th, and of course, the hero of the game, Ronald Torreyes. 

[Bomba2026]

So I get home at midnight expecting to watch the replay of the game and pre season Wild hockey is on......really? This sucks.

[Dantes929]

 

Nice day for the lesser known names. LaMarre with 2 hits including an HR, Wade with a clutch, gutsy take of 3rd base and a hit in the 12th, and of course, the hero of the game, Ronald Torreyes. 

I guess its all well that ends well but if the catcher doesn't double clutch or makes a good throw then Wade gets thrown out fairly easily, we lose the game and we would all be complaining about another base running mistake.   I don''t think it was a good play but we got lucky and I accept lucky.

[SoDakTwinsFan4]

Harper really deserves that win, What a crime

 

I feel bad for Harper. He had a good season going earlier on. He pitched in a lot of big spots and pitched well for us. He shouldn't be disparaged and cast off like he's nothing (I've read other comments about him here).

[terrydactyls]

Yesterday was Tuesday, September 17.  It was the 151st game of the year putting the Twins 93% of the way through the season.  The Twins hit 2 home runs for a season total of 289 home runs.  The Twins are now 2 home run ahead of the Yankees for the new MLB single-season home run record.

[Squirrel]

There is only one thing to say after a game like that ...

 

SQUIRREL!

[Tom Froemming]

Rocco Baldelli pushed in all his best bullpen chips to keep the Twins in last night's game. It paid off, eventually.
Here's the Twins Pitch:

[bighat]

Went to bed in the 10th. Saw a notification on my MLB.com phone app that Anderson hit a HR in the 11th. Fell asleep thinking "rats". Woke up this morning and lo and behold the Twins pulled it off.

 

Cleveland fans had to be shaking their heads after that one!

[Squirrel]

I just couldn’t stay up and awake so missed it all. But mostly, was looking forward to then missed the post-game recap with Ozzie Guillen.

[Old Twins Cap]

On the play at 3B, don't know why McCann double-clutched unless Moncada was not at the bag yet, which, if true, Wade was weighing that as part of the equation of making a break for it.

 

I went to bed after the Anderson bomb.

 

Three times now this season that's happened that the morning has a happy ending included.

[VATwinsFan]

I think the last week has shown that with Gonzalez in the line up the Twins are a different i.e. much better, team than they are when he isn't.

 

And Arraez is simply amazingly -- BA is now .354.

[Riverbrian]

Harper really deserves that win, What a crime

crime

/krīm/

 

noun

an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.

 

The other team is trying to win. We don’t get to do what we want at all times or we would be 162-0.

 

Last night went in the W column. The team battled back. Good experience for the playoffs.

[yarnivek1972]

So, now we have a situation where Rogers, Duffey and Romo have all pitched on consecutive days and 3 of the last 4. Littell threw 40 last night. And even Trevor May has thrown 40 over the last 4 days. I would presume all 5 unavailable tonight. Smeltzer, Thorpe and Dobnak all had extended outings over the weekend. Smeltzer MIGHT be available. So, that leaves Romero, Hildenberger, Graterol, Stewart, Harper and Alcala.

 

Score early. Score often.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Spahn and Sain and pray for rain. Perez, May, Duffy, Rogers, Littel, Romo, Harper and pray for   A WIN !.

[Dantes929]

 

crime
/krīm/

noun
an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.
"shoplifting was a serious crime"
synonyms: offense, unlawful act, illegal act, breach/violation/infraction of the law, misdemeanor, misdeed, wrong, felony, violation, transgression, fault, injury; More
illegal activities.
"the victims of crime"
synonyms: lawbreaking, delinquency, wrongdoing, transgression, misconduct, criminality, illegality, villainy, felony, corruption; More
an action or activity that, although not illegal, is considered to be evil, shameful, or wrong.
"they condemned apartheid as a crime against humanity"
synonyms: immoral act, sin, evil, evil action, wrong, wrongdoing, atrocity, abomination, enormity, disgrace, outrage, monstrosity, violation, abuse, injustice, affront
"they condemned apartheid as a crime against humanity"

Evil, shameful, wrong, disgrace, outrage, atrocity, injustice, affront.    Sounds like you're on board.

[VivaBomboRivera!]

 

So, now we have a situation where Rogers, Duffey and Romo have all pitched on consecutive days and 3 of the last 4. Littell threw 40 last night. And even Trevor May has thrown 40 over the last 4 days. I would presume all 5 unavailable tonight. Smeltzer, Thorpe and Dobnak all had extended outings over the weekend. Smeltzer MIGHT be available. So, that leaves Romero, Hildenberger, Graterol, Stewart, Harper and Alcala...

Big opportunity for a Brusdar breakout.   But don't forget, they also used 6 relievers, and three more threw 36 pitches over 3.2 innings the night before.

 

Score early. Score often.

 

AMEN!

[Blake]

 

There is only one thing to say after a game like that ...

SQUIRREL!

You're a nut. Or, maybe a Mounds?

[puckstopper1]

 

So, now we have a situation where Rogers, Duffey and Romo have all pitched on consecutive days and 3 of the last 4. Littell threw 40 last night. And even Trevor May has thrown 40 over the last 4 days. I would presume all 5 unavailable tonight. Smeltzer, Thorpe and Dobnak all had extended outings over the weekend. Smeltzer MIGHT be available. So, that leaves Romero, Hildenberger, Graterol, Stewart, Harper and Alcala.

Score early. Score often.

 

True - but they also put another win in the bank.

 

A win would be great today, but they already won the series and this has been the blueprint for most of the season.

 

It would be nice to get some good more innings out of Odo, get a nice lead and let Alcala make is big league debut.

[Squirrel]

So, now we have a situation where Rogers, Duffey and Romo have all pitched on consecutive days and 3 of the last 4. Littell threw 40 last night. And even Trevor May has thrown 40 over the last 4 days. I would presume all 5 unavailable tonight. Smeltzer, Thorpe and Dobnak all had extended outings over the weekend. Smeltzer MIGHT be available. So, that leaves Romero, Hildenberger, Graterol, Stewart, Harper and Alcala.

Score early. Score often.

We scored early and often last night, too.

 

All I want is just one more run than them ... no more, no less.

[USAFChief]

Last walk off HBP in MLB?

 

8-31-17: Chicago at Minnesota. After the White Sox take a 4-3 lead in the top of the 9th, Max Kepler's 2 out HBP drives in Brian Dozier to complete a 2 run rally.

 

Winning pitcher: Matt Belisle.

[wabene]

Might be an opportunity to see Alcala pitch.

[Tomj14]

IMO, that game eliminated Perez from the playoff roster, if Rocco can't trust him to get one out in the 5th against the white sox with a two run lead, how can he trust him to get any outs against a playoff team?

I am not a Perez fan, but it seemed like the first time ever (I am sure it wasn't) that he was trying to be economical with his pitches, he only had 64 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. The hits he was giving up in the 5th were not pounded besides Engel. (Garcia rolled it though the shift on the right side, Abreu hit a bloop to right on a really good pitch low and away, and Moncada hit a single to right.

Kind of a double edge sword for the starters, run up your pitch count and get pulled early or try to keep the pitch count down by throwing strikes and giving up some hits and get pulled early, it is no wonder why Ordo and Gibson nibble all the time.