Twins 7, Astros 5: Royce Lewis Storybook Return Fuels Extra-Inning Win

[Nate Palmer]

The Minnesota Twins showcased a storybook return from Royce Lewis on Memorial Day. Lewis performance and an extra-inning Ryan Jeffers home run highlighted a series opening win. 

Image courtesy of Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: Sonny Gray: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (79 pitches, 46 strikes (58.2%)
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (1), Ryan Jeffers (3)
Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (0.543), Ryan Jeffers (0.340), Jhoan Duran (0.325)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

As our nation celebrates Memorial Day and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the Minnesota Twins also played a baseball game. While Memorial Day ultimately ruled Monday this week. There was another memorable day on Monday focused around one Royce Lewis. Lewis did his best with his play to try and overshadow everything else going on Monday. 

A year to the day Lewis tore his ACL for the second time, the first-round pick returned to the big leagues to start for the Twins at third base alongside Carlos Correa. It was a Correa injury that allowed Lewis to break into the big leagues initially in 2022, where Lewis went on to slash .300/.317/.550 with a .867 OPS and two home runs over 12 games and 41 plate appearances.

Lewis got everyone’s excitement flowing early as he came to bat in the first inning with runners on first and second and two outs. Lewis gave a J.P. France slider a ride to deep left field, which flirted with home run status but ultimately would fall short. Defensively later in the first, Lewis was involved again as he began a double play to help starter Sonny Gray get out of the inning facing the minimum. The play went from Lewis to Correa to Gallo, and that Lewis-Correa combination is one Twins fans would be happy to see regularly. 

It was then in the third inning that Lewis put his “I’m back” mark on the game. Once again, coming to bat with runners on first and second, Lewis wouldn’t leave them stranded this time. Instead, he sent the ball to the opposite field, securing a three-run home run right into the corner to put the Twins up 3-0 in the third inning. 

Castro Continues to Show His Value
Willi Castro continues to prove he has value on this roster, even as many of us are trying to find ways to get him out of the lineup. Monday afternoon, we again saw his speed on display to score the Twins' fourth run of the game. The events began with Castro beating out the throw at first base to keep the Astros from turning a double play. 

During Michael A. Taylor’s at-bat, Castro looked poised to try and steal second base, and instead, his presence may have caused France to throw a wild pitch creating the same result. Shortly after that, Taylor pushed the ball through the right side of the infield, giving Castro just enough time to fly around third base and slide under the tag at home. 

Once again, Castro proved his value through his flexibility and production in timely situations. Castro ended the game by going 2-for-5 and scoring that critical run in the fourth inning. 

Another Sonny Day
It may not have felt like an overly dominant outing with strikeouts, but Sonny Gray pitched very well again for the Twins. There were a few innings where Gray had to work out of jams, namely the fourth, where the Astros secured their first run, but the right-hander still made it through six innings with only 68 pitches thrown. 

While Gray cruised well through those six, this game will be remembered for when Gray stepped back onto the mound to pitch the seventh. Gray struggled early with the low pitch count and found himself with runners on first and second. The Twins then and there chose to turn away from Gray, and Brock Stewart took the ball to try and pitch out of the scoring threat. 

Stewart Did It Until He Didn’t. 
As Stewart took over for Gray, he was somehow on his way to getting out of the jam and making a solid appearance again. With two outs and Jose Altuve up to bat, there was one last battle left to move the Twins into the eighth inning. Instead, Altuve changed the game's trajectory by hitting a grand slam and putting the Astros up 5-4. 

Lewis to the Rescue!
Lewis wasn’t finished putting up numbers and big at-bats just yet. In the 9th inning, with former Twin Ryan Pressly on the mound, Lewis came to bat with runners on first and second, again! This time Lewis hit a two-out single to bring around Kyle Farmer to score. 

What led up to the Lewis at-bat was an Alex Kirilloff walk. While Kirilloff didn’t have any truly impactful at-bats as Lewis did, he quietly was very effective for the Twins as he collected two hits, three walks, and scored on the Lewis home run. 

The Twins could only get the score even at five in the ninth, and after Jhoan Duran held off the Astros in the ninth, it would take extras to see if the Twins could finish off this storybook game. 

Jeffers Delivers Winning Blow
As extra-innings began, Max Kepler took his place on second base, and Ryan Jeffers took his place in the batter’s box. It didn’t take long, and Jeffers put the Twins back in the lead as he took a first pitch, an 86 mph slider from Bryan Abreu, and hit a line drive home run to left field. 

Duran came back in to pitch the tenth. He pitched through the inning, going three up, three down. The culmination of the outing was a face-off with Yordan Alvarez in which Duran got the slugger to strike out looking. A great way to punctuate a fantastic day of baseball. Lewis grabs the headline today, but many others were critical contributors. 

What’s Next? 
The Minnesota Twins will look to secure the series win in game two as they send Joe Ryan to the mound. The Astros will counter with right-hander Brandon Bielak. Bielak has pitched in five games this season with four of those being starts and holds a 3.55 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 25 ⅓ innings. 

Postgame Interviews

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
De León	0	19	0	27	0	46
Durán	0	0	12	0	29	41
Stewart	0	0	13	0	18	31
Pagán	0	21	0	7	0	28
López	0	0	22	0	6	28
Sands	0	0	0	16	0	16
Jax	0	0	0	12	0	12
Morán	0	0	9	0	0	9

 

 

 

 

 

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[ashbury]

Nerve-wracking but a satisfying outcome.  World Series here we come! 😀

/ edit - haven't seen mention of Jorge Lopez's three-up three-down eighth inning (okay, so a DP was needed), and I want to highlight that as key to letting Duran cover the ninth and tenth.  He's had a bumpy time of late, so coming through like that was big!

[jimbo92107]

Spark requested, 05/28/2023

Request granted, 05/29/2023

Welcome home, Mr. Lewis. 

[Galen]

I hate to whine on a win......so I won't. 

[tony&rodney]

Good hitting by Lewis to lob the ball into the outfield instead of trying for the three run jack. I almost feel bad for Kepler.  He has been a good player for the Twins but is clearly not what the Twins need right now. Maybe he turns it around. Maybe Buxton and Correa turn it around too.

 

[Kummel]

A clutch hitter in his first game back - just what the Twins need.  Congratulations, Mr Lewis!! Kirilloff looks good, too.  And Wallner was on base 8 times before being sent down.  The young crew have some life to their play  -- even as Correa and Buxton are struggling.

[LastOnePicked]

"I wanted to be up there in the 9th and I knew I was going to get the job done."

What is this attitude? It's totally unfamiliar to me coming from someone in a modern Twins uniform.

 

[D.C Twins]

Checking my advanced metric machine.....

We don't win this game without Royce F-ing Lewis!!!!!!

"I wanted to be up there in the 9th and I knew I was going to get the job done."

This comment may have been even better than his hitting!

(And I'll happily overreact to the SSS after the garbage 'offence' that we have been subjected to!)

[Mortimerkenny21]

Jeffers 2 run HR in the 10th exited at 117 MPH!! Supposedly the fastest ever by a Minnesota Twin if I read that right! Jiminy Christmas!

[Matt Braun]

Great to see Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis producing in the same lineup as we were promised many years ago.

I know they both won't have great games like this every day, but it sure feels different having them in the heart of the order. 

[Dman]

When Houston went up by one on the Grand slam I figured the game was over because I thought there was an unwritten rule that the Twins can't come back after the other team takes the lead late.  Kidding aside it was a great game down to their last out they found a way to tie it and with a mighty swing in the 10th found enough runs to win the game.

I know Lewis essentially won this one coming up clutch with 4 of 5 RBI's in regulation.  I know Jeffers won the game with a big home run in extra's but I have to say I was also very impressed with Kirilloff going 2 for 2 with 3 walks.  I didn't think he could walk three times in one week let alone one game.  If he maintains that discipline good things will happen eventually.  Castro continues to hit and went 2 for 5.  Jeffers though was 3 for 5 with the game winning homer.  I Haven't given him the recognition he deserves I guess somewhat because of last year but he has been a force at the plate.  I hope he keeps it going.

Nothing against Kepler and maybe they had to call him back up from IL no matter what but why not stay with the hot bat Wallner had going?  He was 6 for 6 with two walks the last two games.  Showing contact and patience at the plate.  I get that he wasn't going to keep that going forever and maybe not even the next game but it just makes you second guess this FO when they do things like that.  Why not ride a guy who is hot instead of bringing in someone cold like Kepler?

At any rate thankfully they won this one and hopefully they stay over the 500 mark as they are the only team in the central over 500.  If they fall below the 500 mark it is going to be incredibly embarrassing for all the teams in the central.

[Hpyeet]

Glad to see Jeffers come through, need more of him.   Vasquez was a solid catcher with Boston and Houston (played good in WS last year), but like other players on this team his 2023 offensive numbers are way below his career average.  

[TwinkieFan4life]

Royce and Kirillof might be game changers!!  Now we just need one of Wallner, Larnach, Miranda, or Julien to click and Jorge Polanco to get back in the lineup.  

I wonder what they will do with Buck. Would a 2-3 week reset now help avoid a repeat of the last 2/3 of last season?

[mikelink45]

Okay - the young guys are doing what the vets have not - so why Gallo and Kepler and not Wallner?  That is my only complaint,   I know they contributed 5 Ks to keep us in the league lead, but seriously are these the batters we want when we need a hit, a runner????

[Beast]

Lewis just seems to have a certain mental/internal fortitude that has largely been lacking from this roster.

I’m surprised they called him up right away.  I thought they would let him wallow down in St. Paul until their hand were absolutely forced.  Good decision and good performance by Royce.  What a stud.

[Guest]

So lucky I got the be at the game today in person! Royce is the real deal! 

[hitterscount]

A win despite another questionable managing decision. Gray should not have been yanked in that situation... period. The starters have been reliable all season and deserve to work through adversity. 6 IP and 0 ER and only at 78 pitches (or close to that). I cannot wonder what Gray is thinking after watching the game iplode after being relived after 6 strong innings. 

Anyway... Lewis was a game changer... at least for one game. Gallo and Keppler continue to be abysmal... it's a win and was much needed. Time for some veteran leadership to step up and get this team rolling....  the starting pitching and Duran give hope that this season could be something special. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

Came here to just say I loved your write up. Great description for a fun game Nate. Thank you:) 

[jkcarew]

Good on Rocco for staying with Duran in the 10th. You win the game in hand, and take your chances tomorrow. Every time.

We heard day one from multiple sources inside and outside the organization that Lewis had the “it” factor. The question has been does he have enough talent (hitting) to make it matter at the major league level. Knocking on every bit of wood I can find that he stays healthy and gets to prove himself.

[wabene]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

When Houston went up by one on the Grand slam I figured the game was over because I thought there was an unwritten rule that the Twins can't come back after the other team takes the lead late.  Kidding aside it was a great game down to their last out they found a way to tie it and with a mighty swing in the 10th found enough runs to win the game.

I know Lewis essentially won this one and coming up clutch with 4 of 5 RBI's in regulation.  I know Jeffers won the game with a big home run in extra's but I have to say I was also very impressed with Kirilloff going 2 for 2 with 3 walks.  I didn't think he could walk three times in one week let alone one game.  If he maintains that discipline good things will happen eventually.  Castro continues to hit and went 2 for 5.  Jeffers though was 3 for 5 with the game winning homer.  I Haven't given him the recognition he deserves I guess somewhat because of last year but he has been a force at the plate.  I hope he keeps it going.

Nothing against Kepler and maybe they had to call him back up from IL no matter what but why not stay with the hot bat Wallner had going?  He was 6 for 6 with two walks the last two games.  Showing contact and patience at the plate.  I get that he wasn't going to keep that going forever and maybe not even the next game but it just makes you second guess this FO when they do things like that.  Why not ride a guy who is hot instead of bringing in someone cold like Kepler?

At any rate thankfully they won this one and hopefully they stay over the 500 mark as they are the only team in the central over 500.  If they fall below the 500 mark it is going to be incredibly embarrassing for all the teams in the central.

I agree with much of this Damn, but Kepler was hot before he got injured on a high 800's OPS streak, he might help the cause. It was rough to see Walner sent down at that time no doubt. 

[wabene]

I would never have pulled Gray at that point.

Maybe Lopez isn't so fragile after all and can bounce back. The talent is not in question. 

[jkcarew]

7 minutes ago, wabene said:

I agree with much of this Damn, but Kepler was hot before he got injured on a high 800's OPS streak, he might help the cause. It was rough to see Walner sent down at that time no doubt. 

This.

Wallner is K’ing at a 37% clip in AAA playing full time. There’s about a 100% chance that at least one of Gallo and Kepler won’t be here next year (to say nothing of 2nd-half injuries this season). If he keeps working/improving, he’s going to get his chance.

[Dman]

5 minutes ago, wabene said:

I would never have pulled Gray at that point.

Maybe Lopez isn't so fragile after all and can bounce back. The talent is not in question. 

Yeah I was going to mention Lopez as well.  It was a nice innings work.  Game wasn't on the line though as the Twins were behind.  He seems to do better when he isn't worried about giving up the lead especially a tight lead.  Still he did well and I hope he continues to trust himself more when the game is on the line.  He was an important part of the win not giving up any runs so that they could tie it in the 9th.

[Blyleven2011]

I turned the game off with 2 outs in the top of the ninth  , not because I wanted to , but went out for dinner , after I made my order and waiting for the food to be prepared and served , I looked up the box score and was very surprised we had tied it in the ninth and game was going to the tenth  ,

I quickly turned  to my app to watch on the phone  and we were up with the lead and then watched Duran come out for his second inning of work ( by the way this was roccos best move or decision since he became manager ) and Duran finished the game for the win ...

I never expected a tied game when I went to the box score , I expected the box score to be a final with Houston the winner ... 

It was definitely an exciting finish , tip your hats to the good guys , we needed that win and many more ...

[Steve Lein]

Fun note from the radio broadcast on my way home today: Ryan Pressly had not given up a hit, or a walk, to a Twins batter since being traded to Houston until Kyle Farmer's single in the ninth. 

[darwin22]

As much as credit (deservedly so) as Lewis should get by his performance today, I was interested to see how "BAD" our bullpen has been this month as it seemed quite a few losses can be centered on their failures.

I found the following "pieces of information" that other may/may not find informative/interesting:

1.  No surprise here:   Jax and Lopez have been dreadful.

Jax:  11 games/ 1-4 W-L record/ 0 holds/ 6.10 ERA in 10.33 IP.  WHIP has soared to 2.13 this month.  K to BB ratio is "ok"..12-6.  Hopefully his last 3 appearances---0 runs with 0 BB and 6 K's is an indicator of him turning things around.

Lopez:  12 games/0-2 W-L record/ 1 hold/ 1 SV, but 3 BLOWN SAVES in 11.0 IP with 3 HRs allowed.  ERA in May has soared to 7.36 and his WHIP is awful (1.727).  Far too many walks--6 in those 11 IP.  His late inning work today was good to see.

If these 2 key arms don't correct things very soon, any hope of playing meaningful games past the ASB won't happen.  As much recent blame can be put on Jax and Lopez, I place as much OR MORE blame on the FO for totally ignoring adding to this pen in the offseason.  Far too much confidence was placed on Alcala returning in an effective set up role.  After some early season success---in May he got hammered ( 4 games/ 10.13 ERA/1.689 WHIP in 6IP with 3 HRs allowed).

2.  Duran has been what we hoped for but hasn't pitched enough.

He has the SAME number of saves this month (1) as Lopez and Stewart.

Would it surprise anyone that including today Duran has only appeared in 8 games this month?  Jax, Lopez, Stewart, Moran and Pagan have ALL appeared more often than Duran.  When Duran pitches, he's VERY GOOD!  In those 8 games, 0.00 ERA in 10.67 IP with a miniscule 0.75 WHIP and a K to BB ratio of 5:1 (15-3)

3.  Brock Stewart has been terrific.

How many fans even knew who he was or who he had pitched for before getting called up in late April?  I didn't.

Despite his allowing the grand salami to (cheater) Altuve, he's been a godsend to this pen in May with the struggles of Jax and Lopez.  13 games/ 4 holds/ 1 SV/ 1.50 ERA in 12.0 IP.  Very good numbers.  What is concerning is high walk rate (10). which has pushed his WHIP to 1.50.  

4.  Jovani Moran:  Very quietly Moran is shutting up the doubters (myself included) by putting these numbers up in May. 12 games/ 6 Holds, which leads the pen/ 12.0 IP with a 2.25 ERA, which includes an excellent 0.917 WHIP.  On top of that, he appears to gaining command as evidenced by his 14-4 K to BB ratio.  Moran has been even better recently.  Over his last 6 games:  5 holds/ 0.00 ERA in 6.2 IP with a 0.60 WHIP.   

With Thielbar returning soon from the IL, Moran has made the case to stay in this bullpen.

5.  Emilio Pagan

First to admit, I've wanted Pagan GONE/DFA'ed from this team for a long time.  Saying that, his numbers THIS MONTH say he'll be around for a period of time.  11 games/ 2-0 W-L record/ 11.0 IP with a 3.27 ERA and a very strong 0.91 WHIP.  I'm not saying I want to see him pitching in a high leverage situation (ahead or game tied from 7th inning on), but he's been "ok".  

6.  Jose DeLeon

I'm sure I'm in the minority on DeLeon, but his performance, albeit in only 5 games this month, imo, shows he's worthy of some higher leverage situations with Jax and Lopez having issues.  Only 7.2 IP, but has a 3.52 ERA--which would be 1.17 if not for Pagan's implosion on May 17th---with a good WHIP (1.17).  Most impressive to me is his 10-2 K to BB rate.

Overall for the month of May---for those interested, these final numbers for our bullpen.  

W-L record:  4-9------------Team is 11-14 this month as a "group" not good.  Lopez and Jax responsible for 6 of those 9 losses

Saves:  Only 3---1 each by Duran, Lopez and Stewart

Holds:  12/ Moran with 6 and Stewart with 4

IP:  86.67 over 25 games.  To me, a telling stat as it indicates our pen is having to cover on the average 3.47 innings per game.  Over the 25 games this month none of our 5 starters are averaging 6 IP per start.  Today was the 1st start this month that Gray had a quality start.  Need our SP rotation to give us more innings.  That also goes to Rocco not having too quick of a hook.  I would've like to see Gray stay in today with his only at 79 when he got hooked in the 7th.

ERA:  3.531/ Not sure how that ranks with our teams. But it appears respectable, especially considering the trainwreck that Lopez and Jax have been.

WHIP:  1.292/  Not sure of what numbers were in April, but this number is too high.

K's:  98/ 1.13 per inning.  Good.

K to BB rate:  2.33/ 98-42

 

 

[Squirrel]

4 hours ago, Mortimerkenny21 said:

Jiminy Christmas!

What is this? Trying to jinx the holy mackerel?

[stringer bell]

I won’t quote the whole comment on the BP, but I will say that one or two bad outings can change numbers quickly. Both Jax and López have struggled, Jax for longer, López deeper and we’ve seen Stewart and Moran put in spots that López and Jax had assumed earlier. Everybody will have to get crucial outs, but leaving the job to guys who are struggling is a poor usage of talent. 

[Blyleven2011]

1 hour ago, darwin22 said:

As much as credit (deservedly so) as Lewis should get by his performance today, I was interested to see how "BAD" our bullpen has been this month as it seemed quite a few losses can be centered on their failures.

I found the following "pieces of information" that other may/may not find informative/interesting:

1.  No surprise here:   Jax and Lopez have been dreadful.

Jax:  11 games/ 1-4 W-L record/ 0 holds/ 6.10 ERA in 10.33 IP.  WHIP has soared to 2.13 this month.  K to BB ratio is "ok"..12-6.  Hopefully his last 3 appearances---0 runs with 0 BB and 6 K's is an indicator of him turning things around.

Lopez:  12 games/0-2 W-L record/ 1 hold/ 1 SV, but 3 BLOWN SAVES in 11.0 IP with 3 HRs allowed.  ERA in May has soared to 7.36 and his WHIP is awful (1.727).  Far too many walks--6 in those 11 IP.  His late inning work today was good to see.

If these 2 key arms don't correct things very soon, any hope of playing meaningful games past the ASB won't happen.  As much recent blame can be put on Jax and Lopez, I place as much OR MORE blame on the FO for totally ignoring adding to this pen in the offseason.  Far too much confidence was placed on Alcala returning in an effective set up role.  After some early season success---in May he got hammered ( 4 games/ 10.13 ERA/1.689 WHIP in 6IP with 3 HRs allowed).

2.  Duran has been what we hoped for but hasn't pitched enough.

He has the SAME number of saves this month (1) as Lopez and Stewart.

Would it surprise anyone that including today Duran has only appeared in 8 games this month?  Jax, Lopez, Stewart, Moran and Pagan have ALL appeared more often than Duran.  When Duran pitches, he's VERY GOOD!  In those 8 games, 0.00 ERA in 10.67 IP with a miniscule 0.75 WHIP and a K to BB ratio of 5:1 (15-3)

3.  Brock Stewart has been terrific.

How many fans even knew who he was or who he had pitched for before getting called up in late April?  I didn't.

Despite his allowing the grand salami to (cheater) Altuve, he's been a godsend to this pen in May with the struggles of Jax and Lopez.  13 games/ 4 holds/ 1 SV/ 1.50 ERA in 12.0 IP.  Very good numbers.  What is concerning is high walk rate (10). which has pushed his WHIP to 1.50.  

4.  Jovani Moran:  Very quietly Moran is shutting up the doubters (myself included) by putting these numbers up in May. 12 games/ 6 Holds, which leads the pen/ 12.0 IP with a 2.25 ERA, which includes an excellent 0.917 WHIP.  On top of that, he appears to gaining command as evidenced by his 14-4 K to BB ratio.  Moran has been even better recently.  Over his last 6 games:  5 holds/ 0.00 ERA in 6.2 IP with a 0.60 WHIP.   

With Thielbar returning soon from the IL, Moran has made the case to stay in this bullpen.

5.  Emilio Pagan

First to admit, I've wanted Pagan GONE/DFA'ed from this team for a long time.  Saying that, his numbers THIS MONTH say he'll be around for a period of time.  11 games/ 2-0 W-L record/ 11.0 IP with a 3.27 ERA and a very strong 0.91 WHIP.  I'm not saying I want to see him pitching in a high leverage situation (ahead or game tied from 7th inning on), but he's been "ok".  

6.  Jose DeLeon

I'm sure I'm in the minority on DeLeon, but his performance, albeit in only 5 games this month, imo, shows he's worthy of some higher leverage situations with Jax and Lopez having issues.  Only 7.2 IP, but has a 3.52 ERA--which would be 1.17 if not for Pagan's implosion on May 17th---with a good WHIP (1.17).  Most impressive to me is his 10-2 K to BB rate.

Overall for the month of May---for those interested, these final numbers for our bullpen.  

W-L record:  4-9------------Team is 11-14 this month as a "group" not good.  Lopez and Jax responsible for 6 of those 9 losses

Saves:  Only 3---1 each by Duran, Lopez and Stewart

Holds:  12/ Moran with 6 and Stewart with 4

IP:  86.67 over 25 games.  To me, a telling stat as it indicates our pen is having to cover on the average 3.47 innings per game.  Over the 25 games this month none of our 5 starters are averaging 6 IP per start.  Today was the 1st start this month that Gray had a quality start.  Need our SP rotation to give us more innings.  That also goes to Rocco not having too quick of a hook.  I would've like to see Gray stay in today with his only at 79 when he got hooked in the 7th.

ERA:  3.531/ Not sure how that ranks with our teams. But it appears respectable, especially considering the trainwreck that Lopez and Jax have been.

WHIP:  1.292/  Not sure of what numbers were in April, but this number is too high.

K's:  98/ 1.13 per inning.  Good.

K to BB rate:  2.33/ 98-42

 

 

Thanks , very  knowledgeable write up ...

[glunn]

Add me to the list of us who think that pulling Gray was a mistake. It seems to me that he earned the opportunity to give up that grand slam -- or to get the batters out.