Twins 4, White Sox 3: Lopez Dominates in another Wild Walk-Off Win!

[Steven Trefz]

The game started with instant offense, then saw a quality pitcher's dual broke out. Luis Robert tried to ruin the night in the ninth, but the Twins found a way (Thank you White Sox defense!) to win in walk-off fashion again on this opening home stand.

Image courtesy of Matt Blewitt, USA Today

Minneapolis - On the heels of their second two-game losing streak in 2023, the Twins sought to take a positive step toward winning another series in Game 2 at Target Field against an old teammate, Lance Lynn. Pablo Lopez started the game off shaky, committing an error, allowing three hits, and surrendering two runs. However, Lopez and the Twins battled right back with two runs of their own in the 1st inning, and took the lead in the second. Pitchers dominated the middle of the game, but a usually dominant Jhoan Duran served up a ninth-inning homer and the teams headed into the second extra inning game on this home stand.

The Twins didn't give up, and thanks to some classic White Sox defense, a Michael A. Taylor bunt and a wild throw brought home the walk-off run in the bottom of the tenth!

Here's how it all went down.

Box Score
SP: Pablo Lopez: 7.2IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K (98 pitches, 70 strikes (71%)
Home Runs: Buxton (2), Taylor (1)
Top 3 WPA: Pablo Lopez (0.331), Griffin Jax (0.130), Byron Buxton (0.124)

Win Probability Chart

Welcome to the First Night Game of the Season at Target Field!

Warm temperatures greeted the batters to Target Field tonight, and both offenses hit the ground running. Lopez came into the game on fire, but struggled early against a White Sox lineup that was missing Tim Anderson (fresh on the IL).

The Sox Strike First
Andrew Benintendi led off the game with a single, followed by a Luis Robert swinging bunt. Lopez attempted to make the impossible happen by playing the ball off the mound, but instead skipped the ball like a rock into foul territory, allowing both runners to advance on the play. After a walk to Gavin Sheets loaded the bases with no one out, Andrew Vaughn made Lopez pay with a booming double off of the wall, scoring Benintendi and Robert.

The Buck Truck Delivers!
Lopez was able to settle down, and stranded Sheets and Vaughn on a strikeout and two ground-outs. This brought the Twins up in the bottom of the first, needing a spark. After Donovan Solano singlesd to right field, Byron Buxton came to the plate and made some Twins history, launching his 100th home run to left field, and tying the game 2-2.

Not the Only Center-Fielder with some Pop!
Lopez retired the White Sox 1-2-3 in the second inning, which rushed Lynn back onto the mound. After retiring Matt Wallner and Christian Vazquez, Lynn left a hanging curveball to Michael Taylor, and he did not miss! Taylor lashed a home run to the left field bullpen to put the Twins up 3-2.

Lopez Locked In
The story of the middle innings was Lopez's dominance, as he finished the first inning and blazed through the next six innings 21 up, and 21 down. After needing 31 pitches to complete the first inning, Lopez only needed 58 to complete the next six innings! Vazquez's role in this gem can't be overlooked, as the Twins pitching staff carried a 1.86 team ERA into this night, and he righted the ship early to call a great game. Lynn fared similarly through the middle of the game, however, scattering two hits across innings three through six, keeping the game tight at 3-2.

Bullpen Time
Recently recalled reliever Keynan Middleton took the mound in the seventh for the White Sox, and struck out the side. Lopez returned in the top of the eighth to strike out the first two batters, and much to the dismay of the Twins Twitter faithful, Rocco Baldelli came out to pull the man who had just retired 23 men in a row. Enter Caleb Thielbar and he did not disappoint, striking out Benintendi to end the inning. After lefty Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless eighth for the White Sox, the stage was set for a Jhoan Duran ninth inning save.

Uh Oh...
Someone forgot to tell Luis Robert that Duran has been un-hittable so far this season, as he smashed a game-tying first pitch homerun off of Duran's curveball.

Duran channeled his anger into three straight strike outs after that bomb, but the damage was done. The Twins hoped for another walk-off winner in the bottom of the ninth. Reynaldo Lopez came in for the White Sox, and struck out Farmer and Wallner before Vazquez sent one deep into the right field gap. His eyes were faster than his legs, however, and he was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple with two outs. 

 

Let's Play Extra!

The Twins sent Griffin Jax in for the top of the tenth inning, and he induced pinch-hitting Hanser Alberto into a ground out, advancing pinch runner Lenyn Sosa to third. Oscar Colas flied out to shallow left field, and Romy Gonzalez grounded out to Jax to end the threat. 

 

Willi Castro pinch ran for the Twins as the "ghost runner" in the bottom of the tenth, and Taylor started the inning with a surprise attempt to simply move the runner over with a bunt. After Alberto (now in at third base) tossed the ball off of Taylor's helmet at first base, Castro cruised on home to send the fans home happy with a 4-3 victory!

 

Final Thoughts
Twins fans hoped that Lopez would lead the team back into their winning ways, and he did not disappoint. The Twins once again found just enough offense to win the game, and reclaimed first place in the Central for the time being. The news of Edouard Julien's impending MLB debut will be story "A" in the morning, but the consistent ace-level pitching from Lopez will be a story that Twins fans pray continues far into 2023. On a night where Luis Arraez became the first Marlin to ever hit for the cycle, Twins fans can rest assured that this looks like one trade where both squads won. On a night in which the Twins needed a win, they got one.

What’s Next? 
The Twins will attempt to win the series against their Central Division rivals by sending to the mound right-hander Sonny Gray (1-0, 0.75 ERA) in Game 3 of the series on Wednesday afternoon. Right-hander Lucas Giolito (0-0, 9.00 ERA) will counter for the White Sox. The game is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT.  

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage

	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	TOT
Morán	0	20	0	35	0	55
Durán	19	3	0	0	24	46
Alcala	0	0	45	0	0	45
Jax	13	12	0	0	8	33
Pagán	0	0	23	0	0	23
López	8	14	0	0	0	22
Thielbar	0	0	0	10	4	10
Sands	0	0	0	0	0	0

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[Nine of twelve]

13 minutes ago, Steven Trefz said:

 

Willi Castro pinch ran for the Twins as the "ghost runner" in the bottom of the tenth, and Taylor started the inning with a surprise attempt to simply move the runner over with a bunt.

 

I don't think it was a surprise at all. In spite of Taylor's earlier home run, he's a light hitter historically and the top of the order was on deck. It would have been a surprise to me if he didn't bunt.

[GNess]

Gutty win. Lopez seems to have taken a step up in quality. (Understood it is only April.)

But the dude is dealing.

[wabene]

Vasquez more than made up for the out at 3rd with his work behind the plate. He is a difference maker with this staff. 

[Althebum82]

Generically as a modern-day MLB strategy with no pitchers batting and a runner already in "scoring position", it is still a surprise to see a bunt attempted, much less successful.  But, it is also true that Taylor is the starter most likely to try it, even though he has never had more than two sacrifices per season over a fairly long career.

[DocBauer]

There are games when a SP struggles but gets the win anyway. And there are games when said SP just DEALS and loses or gets a no decision. Such was the case for Lopez tonight. Man did he deserve the win tonight! But stuff happens. I'm sure Duran feels terrible. But what's most important is the win. 

Sorry, but I find it incredibly ironic as there is a thread about Buxton at DH and he delivers a big shot, and his "fill in" also has a HR and lays down a winning bunt, albeit with some help from the Sox.

Tremendous start from Lopez. Great bullpen efforts from Thielbar and Jax. Duran had a small hiccup. It happens. And then he took out his frustration on the next 3 batters. Honestly, not a lot to dislike here.

Now, Gray and the offense need to win Wednesday and take this series!

[wabene]

@DocBauer I was thinking the exact same thing when MAT went deep, lol.

 

[jmlease1]

I'd say Lopez is the story from this game. My goodness, he dominated once he got rolling. Nice to see that he and Vazquez to get a grip on things when the 1st inning wasn't going to plan, and they got it done. The changeup looked really good, he was spotting the curve, and then later the sweeper got back into play as he got deeper into the game and was more comfortable out there.

[Old Twins Hat]

Not sure about Vazquez calling a great game.

Duran throws 102 mph.  Why again would you call for his first pitch of the inning to be a curve in the upper 80s?

Not for my money.  Make their best hitter see, feel and fear the high heat.

Then throw the curve.

Robert prolly thinks he hit Duran's fast ball.  Was he guessing curve there?

[Rik19753]

Man, does Lopez look good. As good as Arraez is, the front office made a smart and necessary move by getting Lopez for him. Good job by them.

 

Beyond excited to see Julien in the lineup tomorrow. Hopefully Correa can join him.

[Nashvilletwin]

Trade working for both teams. Arraez hit for the cycle tonight - first in Marlins’ history.  

[Aerodeliria]

I have been very critical of Baldelli's use of pitchers, but today he left Lopez in to pitch the 8th, and I was super happy about it because Lopez was really on top of his game. Lopez has started the year by shredding hitters (but Arraez has also been shredding--especially in the game against the Phillies). So far, it is a win-win for Miami and MN.

As for the hitting, I am still very concerned. .228 with RISP--ranking 25th? Luckily two of the teams with a lower BA with RISP are in the Central. We need Correa to start driving in some of those runners.

[stringer bell]

24 minutes ago, Aerodeliria said:

I have been very critical of Baldelli's use of pitchers, but today he left Lopez in to pitch the 8th, and I was super happy about it because Lopez was really on top of his game. Lopez has started the year by shredding hitters (but Arraez has also been shredding--especially in the game against the Phillies). So far, it is a win-win for Miami and MN.

As for the hitting, I am still very concerned. .228 with RISP--ranking 25th? Luckily two of the teams with a lower BA with RISP are in the Central. We need Correa to start driving in some of those runners.

A few days ago they were third with RISP. SSS at the start of the year. 

[Twins_Fan_For_Life]

White Sox defense- the gift that keeps on giving. 

[bighat]

Great effort by Lopez, too bad he didn't get the win. 

Speaking of winning - it's great to see the Twins finishing with a "W",,,but so far, it doesn't seem like much has changed from last year. The Twins scored a couple early runs, but the bats went cold and they were held scoreless for 7 straight innings.. They win on a defensive miscue. This was the formula for April & May of '22. 

Don't get me wrong, being 7-4 is nothing to sneeze at. But I'm feeling pretty queasy when it comes to this team's offensive abilities. We need more.

On the bright side, maybe the news that Edouard Julien getting called up will help put a spark in the offense! 

 

[h2oface]

6 hours ago, Old Twins Hat said:

Not sure about Vazquez calling a great game.

Duran throws 102 mph.  Why again would you call for his first pitch of the inning to be a curve in the upper 80s?

Not for my money.  Make their best hitter see, feel and fear the high heat.

Then throw the curve.

Robert prolly thinks he hit Duran's fast ball.  Was he guessing curve there?

It sure seemed a bit over confident to lay that first off speed pitch up there middle middle. I agree. Heat. Got a bit too clever, and it sure looked like Robert was looking for it. Middle middle and it was gone. 

Duran sure had to throw a lot of pitches. 24. After the first pitch homer, 23 more - 12 to Sheets, in an impressive 12 pitch AB of which he touched 8 of them, only totally missed one he swung at, and took 3 balls (albeit the 4 pitch ball was a strike and called a ball.). 

Interesting that Duran did hit his target (Just like Moran did in the 9-6 game against Houston with the same result only it was a change up). He threw it right where Vazquez called for it on that first pitch to Robert. Vazquez did call a fine rest of the game, although his base running was a bit foolish. 

[h2oface]

Thanks  @Steven Trefz for all the inserted videos. 8 of them I really appreciate it. Classy. 

As good as Lopez pitched, it still didn't bring the win in the end, because of the offense. We will miss Luis Arraez everyday, not just every 5th day. Winning? People love to say win-win, I guess. Lopez pitching this way certainly helps. Yes, we needed better pitching. Too bad the method was by trade instead of free agency or the farm. 

[Jeff D.]

Wow.............I cannot remember the last time a Twins starter got nailed in the first and was so dominant during the rest of the outing. Kudo's to Lopez and if Rocco doesn't mess with him and also Gray, we may have something here. That was pitching...........fun to see from our local team. GO TWINS!

Twins Geezer...........out!

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Generically as a modern-day MLB strategy with no pitchers batting and a runner already in "scoring position", it is still a surprise to see a bunt attempted, much less successful.  But, it is also true that Taylor is the starter most likely to try it, even though he has never had more than two sacrifices per season over a fairly long career.

I agree, Even in a situation like the one in this game, it seems as if teams nowadays are adverse to bunting. What a delight to see Taylor bunt in that situation. I love it! And even better that it resulted in the winning  run scoring. 

[Brazilian Twins Fan]

Happy to see Arraez keeping his shine, the dude deserves it and for sure will be missed.

Man, we could use a cycle for this offense once in a while...

[2wins87]

7 hours ago, Old Twins Hat said:

Not sure about Vazquez calling a great game.

Duran throws 102 mph.  Why again would you call for his first pitch of the inning to be a curve in the upper 80s?

Not for my money.  Make their best hitter see, feel and fear the high heat.

Then throw the curve.

Robert prolly thinks he hit Duran's fast ball.  Was he guessing curve there?

I'm pretty sure Duran has started off with a curve in several outings this year, or at least a good number of at bats. I think it usually works since hitters are geared up for the fastball and have no chance on the curve. His curve has been a super effective pitch in any count for him too.

Robert took a chance that he would start with the curve again and ended up being right. I don't think it necessarily makes it a bad call. No one has criticized it in other at bats where he's done it because it has always worked out.

Now, when you have a 102 mph fastball, it is probably less likely that they'll manage to square it up first pitch even when they are sitting on it. You might be right that it's not necessary or optimal for him to "pitch backward" as he often does. But it has typically worked for him when he's done it in the past. Probably a couple times in his career someone will ambush a first pitch fastball too. It's probably best for him to not fall into a predictable pattern, but sometimes the hitter will guess right.

[Peter]

Huge win!!! Lopez was awesome!!! Buxton with 100th hr/Taylor with hr and walk off bunt. They needed this win big time. Let’s win this series!!! Go Twins!!!

[wabene]

3 hours ago, Jeff D. said:

Wow.............I cannot remember the last time a Twins starter got nailed in the first and was so dominant during the rest of the outing. Kudo's to Lopez and if Rocco doesn't mess with him and also Gray, we may have something here. That was pitching...........fun to see from our local team. GO TWINS!

Twins Geezer...........out!

Some basic respect please and maybe consider who's staff is leading the league in innings pitched. You might want to consider that the early hooks last year had something to do with who Baldelli's pitchers were. 

Who has the impenetrable head here? 

[Nine of twelve]

9 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Generically as a modern-day MLB strategy with no pitchers batting and a runner already in "scoring position", it is still a surprise to see a bunt attempted, much less successful.  But, it is also true that Taylor is the starter most likely to try it, even though he has never had more than two sacrifices per season over a fairly long career.

It depends hugely on the score. In the bottom of the potentially last inning with a runner on second and nobody out it should certainly be in play. Of course, who is batting and who would be up next also comes into play, and in this case that moved the needle from possible to obvious.

[Karbo]

Good to see Taylor come thru tonight, maybe he read yesterdays article about Buxton at DH and it motivated him. I still HATE the ghost runner rule. Give Rocco credit for the way he has handled his pitchers so far. Now the lineup needs to start gelling a little more.

[wsnydes]

Lopez has been a breathe of fresh air.  Rough first inning aside, he was dominant and it was fun to watch.  Too bad that he didn't get the decision, but that's how it goes sometimes.  

 

[2wins87]

10 hours ago, Althebum82 said:

Generically as a modern-day MLB strategy with no pitchers batting and a runner already in "scoring position", it is still a surprise to see a bunt attempted, much less successful.  But, it is also true that Taylor is the starter most likely to try it, even though he has never had more than two sacrifices per season over a fairly long career.

I could be wrong but I think the modern analysis in that situation (tied, bottom of the inning, in extras) is that bunting the runner over is better.

Generally runner on second with no outs has a higher run expectancy than runner on third one out since the former is more likely to score multiple runs, but when you only need one run, the latter is more likely to score at least that one.

If the probability of executing the sacrifice were always 100% you would probably see it most of the time. However, even with good bunters it's not 100%, and with guys that don't tend to bunt much there is a fairly high probability that they'll pop it up or otherwise fail to advance the runner. That's why you don't see the bunt a whole lot, but I know I have seen it several times.

I wasn't really surprised, in fact, it almost feels like a no brainer to me with Taylor who can usually lay down a good bunt, is fast, and isn't a great hitter otherwise. We also saw the upside that when the bunt is executed it puts pressure on the defense.  Most other guys at the plate we probably don't see the bunt though.

[Doctor Gast]

Lopez has been a great asset, from the beginning I've said we need to extend him. Longer we wait, more difficult it'll be.

Happy that Buck got his 100th at the right time, Taylor had a good day at the plate, we won the game and Julien is up to take Gallo's spot at 1B. Only sad part is that Lopez didn't get the win. Correa hurry back we need your D. Go Twins!

[mikelink45]

Lopez and Arraez trying to match one another is a great trade story.

Pablo - 1 - 0 (should be more) 1.35 era, 0.650 whip 0.9 WAR

Arraez - 537/596/732 - OPS 1.327 1.3 WAR.

[big dog]

When was the last time a Twins starter retired 23 in a row?