Twins 6, Mariners 3: King Kenta and King Julien Lead Twins to Win

[Seth Stohs]

It wasn't easy, but the Twins got some big performances and found a way to another win in Seattle. 

Image courtesy of Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: Kenta Maeda - 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (80 pitches, 56 strikes (70.0%))
Home Runs: Edouard Julien (9), Max Kepler (14), Alex Kirilloff (7)
Top 3 WPA: Max Kepler (0.355), Kenta Maeda (0.231), Edouard Julien (0.191)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

In Game 3 of their four-game series against the Mariners, the Twins found themselves in a highly-competitive game again. They got a fantastic start and added some power in the second half of the game to take back the lead and add on after losing their initial lead. Jhoan Duran thing made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning, but finished the job to secure another Twins win. 

King Kenta 
Kenta Maeda was very good in his first three starts after missing two months on the Injured List. His most recent start in Oakland was more of a struggle. He gave up three runs on four hits and four walks in just three innings. He added six strikeouts, so as you would expect, he used a lot of pitches. He needed 80 pitches to get through those three innings. 

On Wednesday in Seattle, he also threw 80 pitches, but this time he was much more efficient and in control of the game. He recorded an out in the seventh inning before leaving the game after giving up his third hit of the game. He was efficient, and yet he mixed and matched pitches and got tremendous movement on his pitches so he was able to record nine strikeouts. 

King Julien 
Edouard Julien is absolutely on fire right now. And he's doing so in the manner that we have seen him do it the last two seasons in the minor leagues. He has shown a fantastic eye at the plate. In the first inning, he worked a walk after falling behind in the count. And that is against Mariners All-Star Luis Castillo who came into the game with no walks in his past three starts and just one walk in his previous 25 innings. And Castillo was very good in this game. He struck out a season-high 11 batters which is also the most he has had in a game since joining the Mariners about this time last year. 

In his second plate appearance, Julien lined a single to right field (99.8 mph). And in his third plate appearance, he crushed a ball 415 feet. It left the bat at 107.8 mph. He came to the plate one more time and worked another walk after falling behind. 

In his past seven games, he has gone 15-for-23 with three doubles and three home runs. He has three walks to go with three strikeouts. In that time, he has raised his slash line from .256/.340/.464 (.804) - which is very solid - to .318/.394/.574 (.968). 

Mighty Max  
Speaking of players that have been really good of late, Max Kepler continues to hit well and provide power when needed. In this game, he had two hits including his 14th home run of the season. He had a little bit of a resurgence before the All-Star break but then went through another slump. However, he has returned from the break and been really good. He has hits in all six games on this West Coast trip. In this series against the Mariners, he is 6-for-13 with two doubles, two homers, and six RBI. 

The Correa Catch
He's been hitting well, but in this game, Carlos Correa was 0-for-5. However, his defense at shortstop is tremendous. He seemingly makes all the routine plays, and every once in a while, we get to see this: 

Anti-Jacks Jax Allows First Homer of Season
Griffin Jax came into the game with a runner on base and one out in the seventh inning. Maeda got one out in the inning but then gave up a single and was removed from the game. It marked the 42nd time that Jax had come into a game this season. He had not yet allowed a home run, so of course, the powerful Eugenio Suarez took a hanging slider and crushed it into the stands in left center field to tie the game. 

As Trevor Plouffe said in the booth, "That's baseball." 

How good has Jax been? Before giving up the homer to Suarez, he had not given up a run (earned or unearned) since May 23 when he gave up two unearned runs against the Giants. Since last giving up an earned run (May 19), he had worked in 19 1/3 innings over 20 appearances. He had just one walk to go with 18 strikeouts. Batters hit just .097/.111/.097 (.208) against him. 

The last homer that Jax allowed was on September 7, 2022, in Yankees Stadium. That was a two-run homer by Gleyber Torres in the sixth inning. You may recall, he entered the game following the MLB debut of Louie Varland. 

Now Griffin Jax can start a new streak. 

Pagan Dominates the Eighth
I know how much Twins fans like to see Emilio Pagan come into late-and-close situations, but that's exactly what happened. He responded with a dominant eighth inning to hold a one-run lead. 

This was his 38th appearance of the season, and he has given up zero runs in 31 of those outings. Four times, he has given up one run. And yes, he has given up three or more runs in three games (three runs twice, and six runs once). 

K is for Kirilloff… Then Klutch
Clinging to a one-run lead going into the ninth inning, Alex Kirilloff came to the plate. Strangely, the Mariners turned to Devin Sweet who made his major-league debut. With a runner on base, Kirilloff came into the ninth inning 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, one would think that Kirilloff would just want to put the ball in play to avoid a fifth strikeout in the game. 

Instead, he took two fastballs outside to get ahead 2-0 in the count. He then swung at a curveball that dropped just below the strike zone. He saw that curveball again, but this time it stayed above the knees and on the outer part of the plate. He swung and crushed another opposite field homer. He hit it 104.3 mph. Now that is a good way to end a four-strikeout game. 

And it proved to be important when Jhoan Duran started the bottom of the ninth inning with the first two batters reaching base. A three-run lead is much better than a one-run lead. 

Like others mentioned above, Alex Kirilloff has been hitting well on this road trip. He has hits in each of his past four games. In those games, he is 8-for-17 with a double, a triple, three homer runs and nine RBI. That's incredible even with the six strikeouts in that time too. In four games, Kirilloff has raised his slash line from .267/.368/.386 (.754) to .285/.377/.456 (.833). And it's so encouraging because he had gone a month without a home run before this road trip. 

Duran Makes Things Interesting
Jhoan Duran recorded three saves in three days in Oakland. Fortunately, the team has been able to avoid using him in the first two games in Seattle. However, with a three-run lead, they put him into another save situation. 

If we're being honest, Duran almost looked a little sluggish early. His first three pitches where 99 mph "splitters." J.P. Crawford reached on an error, and then on an 0-2 pitch, Duran hit Julio Rodriguez with a fastball at 102.7. 

It's almost as if his closer mentality turned on right then and there. Over the final three batters faced, Duran threw nine more four-seam fastballs, and not one of them was as "slow" as that 102.7 mph pitch to Rodriguez. 

In the outing, he threw 11 four-seamers. The average was 103.6 mph. The 'slowest' was 102.7 mph, and he topped out at 104.8 mph. Nine of the 11 were at 103.0 or greater. Four pitches were at 104.0 or faster. 

Notes
Old Friend Alert: Along with calling up Devin Sweet, the Mariners also recalled right-handed pitcher Prelander Berroa before the game. Both made the flight from Arkansas to Seattle. Both are making the jump from Double-A to the big leagues. Are you looking at that name, and just wondering where you've seen it before? That's because the 23-year-old Dominican signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old in 2016. At the trade deadline in 2019, Berroa was playing with the rookie-league Elizabethton Twins. He was sent to the Giants along with Kai-Wei Teng and Jaylin Davis in exchange for the infamous Sam Dyson. Berroa was traded to Seattle last May. He touches 100 mph with a fastball and now that he's a reliever, he's developed a very good slider. In 46 innings for Arkansas this spring, he has a 2.93 ERA and 69 strikeouts... but also 31 walks.

In case you are wondering, Teng made 12 Double-A starts and has made four Triple-A starts in the Giants organization this year. In 68 1/3 innings, he has 89 strikeouts to go with 35 walks and 13 hit batters. Davis played in 26 games for the Giants between 2019 and 2021. He played in 12 games for the Red Sox in 2022. The 29-year-old has 13 doubles and 13 home runs in 74 games for the Mets Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse. 

My Oh Why postgame podcast. Chris Crawford has been a part of the baseball blogosphere for a long time, yes, even longer than me. Interesting to get the Mariners' fan's perspective on the game. 

What’s Next? 
The Minnesota Twins will finish their four-game series in Seattle on Thursday afternoon (2:40 pm central time). In an All Star matchup, the Twins will send former Mariner Pablo Lopez to the mound to face the Mariners’ George Kirby. 

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	TOT
Durán	12	18	0	0	20	50
Ortega	19	0	27	0	0	46
Pagán	0	12	0	8	11	31
J. López	0	18	10	0	0	28
Jax	6	0	0	0	15	21
Sands	0	0	0	17	0	17
Balazovic	0	0	0	15	0	15
Morán	13	0	0	0	0	13

Updated Standings

View full article

[ashbury]

Great to see our team tough it out for a win that certainly could have gone the other way.

[SwainZag]

Great bounce back game for Kenta.  Amazing game from Julien at the plate.  Absolutely huge for AK to overcome a 4 straight strikeout performance to HR to give the boys some insurance runs late. Twins have scored 5+ runs in all 6 games since the break.  Keep the train running and let's take 3/4 tomorrow.  

[pierre75275]

Don't look now, but Pagan and Kepler have both been very good of late. Yes, both players have had good stretches until they implode, particularly Pagan, but it's fair to note enjoy the hot stretches while we can 

Boy it is sure fun to watch EJ and AK play isn't it?? They give me a reason to watch the games.

[Matt Braun]

I have no earthly clue how a batter is supposed to hit off Jhoan Duran 

[Squirrel]

You misspelled your title, Seth … King Kenta and Le Roi Julien

[wabene]

Might want to keep Julien and Kirilloff back to back in the order

[Kummel]

These are the most competitive games I can remember this season.  Exciting games to watch, hurray!   The offense is finally here. Taking Buxton out of the DH spot has unclogged the lineup.  Moving Correa to leadoff is working out.  And more than anything, Julien and Kirilloff -- WOW, they are a dynamic duo. What a great 1-2-3 punch.  Kepler is hot now and playing with more heart.  Imagine if Royce Lewis returns to form...  

More broadly, these are wins for a roster clearly working together to score runs vs assorted individual players focused on hitting bombs.   It's really satisfying to see the teamwork in action.

[USAFChief]

Maeda! Man, he was good tonight. 

 

[QuinnSwanny]

These recent west coast games have me very excited. Our offense is really coming around after the all star break. Our pitching in Oakland was not strong at all and it wasn’t very good in the first game of the Seattle series either. However in these last 2 games they are going back to their pre all star form. Twins look like they are finally having fun and playing with heart. Julien looks like a superstar with the at bats he takes and so does AK. I hope Pablo doesn’t struggle tmw like he did in oakland. Winning tmw would be big for this team and its confidence. 

[tony&rodney]

Good win. Luis Castillo and Seattle are a formidable task. Let's hope the Twins are geared up for Kirby tomorrow and that Pablo Lopez brings his A game.

[Jocko87]

I'da taken a split coming in, now I'm getting greedy.

[Aerodeliria]

29 minutes ago, wabene said:

Might want to keep Julien and Kirilloff back to back in the order

 

32 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

You misspelled your title, Seth … King Kenta and Le Roi Julien

...in that case, we should say 健太王 (Kenta-oh) and Le Roi Julien to be fair to everyone...

[Aerodeliria]

I like Julien and Kirilloff's approach at the plate. They both seem quite content to hit the ball wherever it is pitched. Kirilloff opposite field hitting has been a breath of fresh air.

[AceWrigley]

This is the most competitive I've seen the Twins on a west coast swing in a long time. Eddie Julien . . . holy moly.

[VivaBomboRivera!]

We probably didn't have a right to expect the Twins to go 10 - 5 since the "season start," but it sure feels good. The offensive output (combined with the base-running) over the past six games in particular has been outstanding, not really missing a beat in the transition from cellar-dwelling opponents to break-even ball clubs.
Now it's time to see if the Twins can extend this performance and turn it into an extended lead over the rest of the division. Right now, they'd be third in the West, and tied with the Yankees (!) for 5th in the East.

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by VivaBomboRivera!
added link

[wabene]

2 hours ago, VivaBomboRivera! said:

We probably didn't have a right to expect the Twins to go 10 - 5 since the "season start," but it sure feels good. The offensive output (combined with the base-running) over the past six games in particular has been outstanding, not really missing a beat in the transition from cellar-dwelling opponents to break-even ball clubs.
Now it's time to see if the Twins can extend this performance and turn it into an extended lead over the rest of the division. Right now, they'd be third in the West, and tied with the Yankees (!) for 5th in the East.

 

The strikeouts per game has gone from over 10 per game to 9.2 during these 10 games. Well it's progress I guess. This is one record I'd like to see them avoid. 

Edit: Nevermind I didn't read your whole spreadsheet, for the last 15 games, they are still at 10 per game. I'm thinking the only way they avoid this embarrassing record is with personnel change. 

[Fatbat]

Tell me again how batting average isn't a good indicator. Rocco is obviously putting Julien into positions that he can have success…. Nice job Rocco! 

[FlyingFinn]

When Polanco comes back, the roster and lineup get very interesting. There should now be zero chance that Julien goes back to St. Paul.

[mikelink45]

I was not impressed with the Oakland series, but this series is the kind of ball that inspires.  Great overall game in all three facets.  

[jmlease1]

Maeda looked really good. If he's getting that kind of movement on his splitter and slider while holding that velocity on his fastball, he's going to be really hard to face. Glad to see him looking so good.

Julien is on a real heater right now. He's looking very confident at the plate and showing superior understanding of the strike zone. I've been very impressed with his ability to cover the whole plate and do damage when he decides to swing. This is what we hoped for from him and he's doing great. Heck he even made a quality play on defense out there, going to his right to make a good play and then making a strong and accurate throw to first!

Kirilloff was looking rough last night, just couldn't quite catch up to some pitches. But I think it was a good sign that he kept with his approach, and got rewarded with a big knock late.

I'd like Duran to have cleaner outings, but holy cow he's hard to hit.

[Doctor Wu]

The Minnesota Twins will finish their four-game series in Seattle on Thursday afternoon (2:40 pm central time). In an All Star matchup, the Twins will send former Mariner Pablo Lopez to the mound to face the Mariners’ George Kirby. 

I'm confused. Did Lopez actually pitch for the Mariners at some point?

[Doctor Wu]

Great to see Maeda with a solid bounce-back outing. And as others have said, Julien and Kiriloff are clicking and even the much criticized Max Kepler is showing signs of life. Things are suddenly looking a big better!

[Peter]

Kenta looked fantastic-shake he got no decision-Julian and AK huge home runs-pagon was awesome as well and Duran just nasty with 104mph to end game-after 7th inning home run given up up jax-looked like Seattle was going to win but twins dug deep held their nerve and pulled out huge win!!!! Now we have 2.5 game lead in division. Let’s get win today make 3-1 against Seattle and 6-1 road trip!

[Azviking101]

Rocco is really lucky removing Julien didn’t come back to bite him. The chance Taylor steals against a lefty is slim and his sprint speed isn’t that much better that it likely would have mattered on a two out double. 
Rocco can’t be making those kinds of silly changes 

[chinmusic]

7 hours ago, Squirrel said:

Le Roi Julien

Captain Canada....

[wabene]

21 minutes ago, Azviking101 said:

Rocco is really lucky removing Julien didn’t come back to bite him. The chance Taylor steals against a lefty is slim and his sprint speed isn’t that much better that it likely would have mattered on a two out double. 
Rocco can’t be making those kinds of silly changes 

Julien got hit on the knee with a foul tip. That might have something to do with why he was removed. 

[wabene]

22 minutes ago, Azviking101 said:

Rocco is really lucky removing Julien didn’t come back to bite him. The chance Taylor steals against a lefty is slim and his sprint speed isn’t that much better that it likely would have mattered on a two out double. 
Rocco can’t be making those kinds of silly changes 

There was also the defensive value of Taylor and Farmer vs Julien and Castro. 

[Hashim]

7 hours ago, pierre75275 said:

Don't look now, but Pagan and Kepler have both been very good of late. Yes, both players have had good stretches until they implode, particularly Pagan, but it's fair to note enjoy the hot stretches while we can 

Boy it is sure fun to watch EJ and AK play isn't it?? They give me a reason to watch the games.

Trade them now while they have value?

[Reptevia]

This lineup is better without 2023 Buxton. Trade Kepler while he’s hot!