Tigers 8, Twins 7: Offensive Spark and Late Surge Fall Short Amidst Pitching Woes

[Thiéres Rabelo]

Things started out smoothly for Minnesota, who built a four-run lead early. But an off day by Kenta Maeda and a Griffin Jax meltdown proved too costly for the Twins, who dropped their eighth against Detroit for the year.

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (87 pitches, 56 strikes, 64.4%)
Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (8), Max Kepler (20)
Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (-.586), Donovan Solano (-.313), Matt Wallner (-.178)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

 

Bats build a four-run lead in a hurry
No American League Central team has been a bigger thorn in the Twins' side this season than Detroit. The Tigers secured the season series win against Minnesota last week by taking three out of four at Comerica Park, making it seven out of 11 against the Twins for the year at that time. Today, Minnesota had the chance to complete their first and only sweep of the Tigers on the year while putting themselves in position to match their biggest lead atop the division.

Things started well for the Twins at the plate, and they built a four-run lead very quickly. When Édouard Julien jumped on the first pitch he saw for a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, you could tell the Twins bats were hungry. Julien got picked off, but Minnesota's offense didn't take it lying down. Max Kepler worked a two-out walk shortly before Royce Lewis stepped up to the plate and smacked an RBI double to the gap in right-center field to put the Twins on the board.

That was all the Twins could muster in the first, but they were back at it again in the second. Christian Vázquez, Joey Gallo, and Kyle Farmer collected three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out against Tigers' starter Reese Olson. To make up for his baserunning blunder from earlier, Julien punished Olson's curveball with a line drive to center, pushing two more runners across. Then, in the following at-bat, Jorge Polanco flied out to deep center, deep enough to score Farmer from third and make it 4-0 Minnesota. That was the 13th time this season the Twins' offense scored four runs or more in the first two innings of a game.

Maeda isn't sharp, exits the game early
The offense looked great to start this game, which is a relief, given how inconsistent it's been this season. And given how well Minnesota's pitchers have been this year, one could naturally expect a four-run lead to be enough to secure a win. Right? Well, Twins' starter Kenta Maeda had an off day. Not only did he fail to take advantage of that lead, but his start was also short-lived.

Maeda tossed two scoreless to open the game, but it wasn't simple. It took him 26 pitches to get through the first, and he gave up a single and a walk. The second inning was less eventful, but he still needed to pitch around a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera – who, by the way, tagged up and reached third on a flyout, the daredevil.

In the third, Detroit managed to ambush him with a pair of long balls. Akil Baddoo led off the inning with a single, followed by a Riley Greene two-run shot. Then, Spencer Torkleson hit a one-out solo shot to cut the Twins' lead down to one. Kenta would give up another single before closing the book on this inning. He came back to toss a 1-2-3 fourth, but with his pitch count reaching 82 after four, he faced only one batter in the fifth before Rocco Baldelli pulled him from the game. It was the first time Maeda had thrown four or fewer innings in a start since July 14.

Jax struggles, Tigers punish him
The Twins got some quality relief from Dylan Floro and Emilio Pagán, who combined for two scoreless frames on only 21 pitches after Maeda departed the game. Then, Griffin Jax took over in the seventh, and things turned disastrous. He got the leadoff man to ground out but relinquished the one-run lead after giving up a walk to Baddoo and a triple to Greene. Matt Vierling grounded out to short to send Greene home and give Detroit its first afternoon lead.

With two outs and only a one-run deficit, things were still salvageable for Minnesota, provided Jax could get the final out. But everything got a little more complicated as Jax gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Torkleson and Kerry Carpenter. It was the first time Jax had given up four runs in an outing since May 13, 2022. Josh Winder took over in the ninth and gave up a leadoff walk to Baddoo that returned to haunt him. 

Baddoo reached third after a throwing error by Vázquez, and Greene hit a long flyout that went deep enough to send him home for Detroit's eighth run. This run turned out to be the game-winning one.

Epic rally falls short
After scoring the four runs in the first two innings, the Twins' offense remained active for a couple more innings, producing five more baserunners (three singles and two walks). But they went ice-cold immediately after that, going 0-for-13 into the eighth, with only a walk to show.

When the ninth inning came, things went wild. Julien snapped the team's funk with a leadoff single representing his fourth hit of the day, a career-high for him. Then, Polanco and Kepler followed with back-to-back home runs, and suddenly the Twins were within one. Lewis made it four in a row with a single, bringing Matt Wallner to the plate with a chance to walk it off. He swung on the second pitch he saw, sending it to deep left field, but a foot shy of a home run, right into Baddoo's glove. Lewis couldn't move up, and the Tigers induced a game-ending double play next.

Postgame Interview

What's Next?
The Twins will enjoy a day off on Thursday but stay in town to continue their homestand on Friday (Aug 18). They'll host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game set over the weekend, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday. Pablo López (8-6, 3.66 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Minnesota, while the Pirates' starter has yet to be determined.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	TOT
Jax	15	12	0	0	33	60
Thielbar	15	14	0	9	0	38
Balazovic	18	0	0	0	18	36
Pagán	0	9	0	11	15	35
Winder	0	0	0	0	28	28
Durán	0	13	0	14	0	27
Floro	0	0	0	14	6	20
Sands	0	0	0	0	0	0

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[Patzky]

A fun game for the fans at least. The Twins had chances to pad the lead despite Maeda not having his best effort but you let a team you have trouble with hang around, you find out.

 

I guess Jax is now in the Jorge Lopez spot of the pecking order..

Edited August 16, 2023 by Patzky
Mistyped

[Cris E]

Glad to see some life from the offense, but it might be time for Griffin to have an "injury" vacation to St Paul and rest that arm.

[Peter]

Should’ve won this-jax needs to get things figured out ASAP!!! Still in first place that’s all that matters. Twins take Pittsburgh series!!! Time to win this division!!!

[Patzky]

2 minutes ago, Peter said:

Should’ve won this-jax needs to get things figured out ASAP!!! Still in first place that’s all that matters. Twins take Pittsburgh series!!! Time to win this division!!!

Perhaps we can root for the Reds tonight. (Ahem)

[Alex Wilde]

Since Jax's last clean outing on JULY 23rd against the White Sox

8.1 innings

15 hits, 2 hit batters, and 3 walks

WHIP of 2.4

7 earned runs

3 of 4 home runs given up on the season

He had an unlucky stretch at the beginning of the season, but this has been a stretch of straight-up terrible pitching.

What are we doing here giving him high-leverage outings right now? Please give me Pagan over him every single day right now.

[Blyleven2011]

If Jax can't get out of the inning with less than 15 pitches , you know he doesnt have his best stuff ...

He threw 33 pitches today  , come on Rocco  he only has to pitch to 3 batters minimum ,  pitching coach and Rocco should have been able to see he didn't have his best stuff today and replaced him  ...

[gman]

Tigers put a lefty in there for 2 1/3 and the Twins got nothing but 5 strikeouts.

On the plus side Julian got 4 hits and Lewis 3.

[mikelink45]

How disappointing.  Jax is in such a funk that Rocco should not have needed any of his numerous assistant coaches to tell him three batters and get him out of there.  

We are playing the worst teams and still struggling.  Thanks Cleveland for giving up on the season.  

Julien is wonderful.  Lewis is a stud.  Kepler has regained his reputation.  But this was a lost we should not have suffered.  And it is hard to continually root for the team when they have such a hard time putting all the pieces together.  

[Hubie29]

25 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

If Jax can't get out of the inning with less than 15 pitches , you know he doesnt have his best stuff ...

He threw 33 pitches today  , come on Rocco  he only has to pitch to 3 batters minimum ,  pitching coach and Rocco should have been able to see he didn't have his best stuff today and replaced him  ...

Not a surprise.  Rocco has proved time and time again over his managerial tenure, that he has no clue on when to pull a pitcher. 

[HokieRif]

I firmly believe our pitchers wake up every morning and flip a coin to determine if they are going to be an asset or a liability. 

[Twinsgypsy]

1 hour ago, Hubie29 said:

Not a surprise.  Rocco has proved time and time again over his managerial tenure, that he has no clue on when to pull a pitcher. 

Rocco needs to go and they need a new hitting coach......There is talent on this team, but I question the heart & the coaches.

[William K Johnson]

3 minutes ago, Twinsgypsy said:

Rocco needs to go and they need a new hitting coach......There is talent on this team, but I question the heart & the coaches.

Hire Detroit's assistant hitting coach!!

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, gman said:

Tigers put a lefty in there for 2 1/3 and the Twins got nothing but 5 strikeouts.

On the plus side Julian got 4 hits and Lewis 3.

If they could have seen they would have needed more runs they should have snuck Luplow in there. Sad day Solano picked to go 0-5.

[IaBeanCounter]

Cincy helped us today.  Majic number now 37.

[USAFChief]

I hope none of the people bemoaning the bullpen are the same people who were glad the FO sat on their hands while bullpen help was available.

Don't blame Rocco for his options.

[Riverbrian]

[BH67]

In yesterday's wrap I indicated the need for a solid bullpen en masse to succeed in today's baseball. And lo and behold, I get a textbook example today.

Maeda struggles through four innings. Possibly a sign of him worsening, but it happens to everyone not named Greg Maddux occasionally. Floro throws six pitches to get through the fifth...and then Pagan, in perhaps his best stretch as a Twin, gets through the sixth on 15 pitches. And then...Jax, who got pounded. And then Balazovic. And then Winder.

I would never count on five relief pitchers to be awesome on the same day. And considering how few pitches Floro and Pagan threw, why not keep each in for a second inning? Perhaps the SABR-metrics backed Rocco's switches in those instances, but the consequence is an expectation to nail the Pick 5 at Canterbury.

[Melissa]

We were at the game, baking in the sun for two innings before retreating to the shade (see photo). Innings 2 and 9 were so fun offensively, but Kenta labored mightily from the start. Our four runs would have held up so often. 
As others will remark, our young players are providing most of the offense. The bottom of the ninth was exciting. Seven runs should have sealed the win!

Captain Jax’s bad streak is alarming. Nothing seemed to be working for him today.

[Shs_2]

Jax is not in a funk

 

He's a 2 pitch pitcher that is all

 

WHERE On Planet EARTH is griffins 3rd pitch?

 

I don't care if u have 120 Mph fastball if you're a 2 pitch guy this is bound to happen mlb hitters can sit on 2 pitches..  FB , slider as good as his are....

 

Just bring back the 'slow '   79 mph curve griffin that's all you got to do man; or the 84 mph changeup 1 out of 10 pitches buddddy.

 

[rwilfong86]

Those stranded runners in the mid-innings came back to bite

[bighat]

Sad to see the Tigers just wipe the floor with this team here in '23. 

Every time the Twins win half the commenters here start talking about the playoff rotation. It ain't over, folks. Not with these guys. 

[insagt1]

its often said, that even in 'blow-outs' you never know which run you will need to win the game. Twins and Winder gave up that garbage run in the

9th on a walk a steal, an error and a sac fly. Hey the way the Twins bats had gone cold, 3 run deficit, 4 run...whats the difference really. But then the comeback and after getting 3 back and a runner on first, it died. I'm not sure why Lewis didn't tag up on that long blast by Wallner. It was deep in the corner at the wall and Lewis needed to get into scoring position to avoid exactly what happened next. Even if the ball landed safely Twins would have two runners on with no outs. That play was key. I'm sure Twins will explain it away but after getting those 3 runs, you need to be aggressive. A lousy way to end the game for sure was that tailor made DP.

Jax and Winder had bad days. Jax is in a huge slump and Winder just isn't very good. Twins again fortunate that Cleveland doesn't seem interested in winning the division. But the games against Detroit this season were simply ugly. Next are the most unimpressive Pirates. Wonder how the boys will handle this series.

 

[wabene]

It's been a long time since the twins lost the season series to Detoilet (apologies) lol. What 2016? Division games against familiar foes can be confounding in any sport. It happens, but one thing a do like about this middling club is they have had some really good showings against good teams too. Anything could happen this year, especially if 3 or 4 of their starters are healthy and dealing at the right time. 

[John Belinski]

The Twins lost a game they should have won and it was 100% because of Rocco. When he put Jax in the game I knew we were in trouble. I do not understand why Rocco put Jax in due to his pitching problems the past several games. Either Jax has changed how he pitches or batters have figured out what pitches to look for.  Jax is in a slump, but Rocco still puts him in and we lose the game. All Rocco had to do is look at his computer and see that Jax has been pitching poorly.  Every fan knew Jax was pitching poorly, but not Rocco. If Rocco can not handle pitchers then Twins need to replace him or pitching coach.

[wabene]

@John Belinski the pitching coach? For real? 

[DJL44]

Jax has options remaining but I don't think there is another reliever on the 40 man roster I'd rather have in the bullpen. The choices are Moran, Headrick, Ortega and Henriquez.

Maybe Paddack can help in the bullpen but he hasn't even started a rehab assignment yet.

[jorgenswest]

It appeared from watching TV that Jax was not locating the ball close to where it was called. There were also just too many wasted uncompetitive pitches after he got ahead in the count. Mechanics? Injury? I suspect he will figure it out.

[USAFChief]

7 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

It appeared from watching TV that Jax was not locating the ball close to where it was called. 

Yup, and It's been that way for weeks. 

One good slider, then two bad ones...either missing badly outside the zone, or missing badly IN the zone.

Not commanding his fastball either, but the major issue is the slider.

[David Maro]

This team better wake up now. Can't be getting caught sleeping on 1st or not advancing to 2nd on a deep fly ball. Kepler missed advancing earlier this year,and was told about it. Toughest part of the schedule coming up with 13 games against Texas and Cleveland. If you think Cleveland doesn't know this you are not following the game. Way too much talk about the playoffs when this team could easily be out of 1st by September 1st. And still have 2 games in Milwaukee next week. Everyone in baseball knows Jax will hang a slider over the plate,so they sit on it. Time to go back to St Paul with Moran. Right now they have 2 starting pitchers,Lopez and Gray. If Kuechel was the answer why is Lopez going Friday night.