Twins 2, Pirates 0: Dallas Keuchel Flirts With Perfection; Twins Take Series

[Steven Trefz]

Twins fans got to witness veteran pitching at its finest Sunday afternoon as Dallas Keuchel tossed a perfect game into the seventh inning en route to a 2-0 victory. Here's how the gem sparkled.

Image courtesy of Jeffery Becker, USA Today

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel, 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (85 Pitches, 53 Strikes, 62%)
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Keuchel (.332), Edouard Julien (.120), Griffin Jax (.092)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):

The Twins looked to execute some revenge Sunday afternoon, against a Pirates squad that aimed to neutralize the Twins offense with an opener and bullpen game approach. Ryan Borucki was the first man up for Pittsburgh, and the lefty held the Twins hitless over two innings, striking out three in the process. 

Osvaldo Bido was the next arm up for the Pirates, and he got the bulk of the work for the bullpen. Bido struck out six Twins batters over 3 1/3 innings, and dominated most of the lineup. Luckily for the Twins, Donovan Solano and Edouard Julien were not dominated so easily. In the bottom of the fourth, Solano led off the inning with a single, and hustled his way to third on a Correa flare to right. Julien launched a deep fly to the left field warning track that was reeled in, but Solano tagged and scored to make the game 1-0 in favor of the Twins.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Solano led off the inning with a double to the opposite field. Julien came up with Solano at second and one out, and this time he couldn't be reeled in.

Keuchel Channels His Inner Cy Young
Two runs proved to be enough for the Twins this day, because Dallas Keuchel decided he wasn't going to allow a hit through six innings. The Twins lefty threw a master class in pitch location, generating 10 groundouts and weak contact up and down the Pirates lineup. After allowing six runs in only 1 2/3 in Philadelphia earlier in the week, this performance seemed improbable or impossible. Twins fans will take it, no questions asked. After seeing Sonny Grays five no-hit innings get erased in the sixth last night, watching Keuchel hold his outing into the seventh felt tangibly comforting. Only a Bryan Reynolds double off of the wall in right could end this miracle run, and Keuchel left with a 2-0 lead and to a standing ovation.

Twins Bats Keep Flailing
After whiffing their way to 15 strikeouts last night, the Twins offense looked to make more contact against this Pirates bullpen. They didn't.

16 strikeouts in only eight innings of batting. The Twins averaged two strikeouts an inning at the plate. Seriously. This run of deflating at-bats can't continue against the likes of Texas and Cleveland in the coming weeks, or the AL Central race will be tigher than it needs to be.

Twins Bullpen Returns the Favor
Luckily for the Twins, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, and Jhoan Duran also were making the Pirates bats flail. Jax came in and struck out his two batters in the top of the seventh to erase the threat. Thielbar and Duran faced little resistance, and the Twins pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout to complete the series win.

What’s Next: The Twins enjoy an off-day on Monday, before they travel east for a two-game border battle with the Brewers. Tuesday's matchup will see Twins RHP Bailey Ober (6-6, 3.40 ERA) face Brewers LHP Wade Miley (6-3, 3.05 ERA). First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10pm CDT.

Postgame Interviews:

 

Bullpen Usage Chart:

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Jax	33	0	11	0	11	55
Balazovic	18	0	0	36	0	54
Durán	0	0	17	0	17	34
Floro	6	0	0	27	0	33
Winder	28	0	0	0	0	28
Thielbar	0	0	10	0	18	28
Pagán	15	0	11	0	0	26
Sands	0	0	0	8	0	8

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[BH67]

The 2006 Twins: the Piranhas.

The 2023 Twins: the Box of Chocolates.

[Hubie29]

How do you like that move in the bottom of the 3rd? Have to go lefty/righty and bring in the mighty Gallo with only a guy on first and 2 out.  Of course a strikeout was the result. I could maybe see it if you were pinch hitting with a contact hitter. But even that would be a sttrrretccchhhh.  Luplow isn't that inept, that he can't face a righty in the third inning.  I wonder what Roccos charts were telling him? This kind of decision making is what has driven me nuts with this regime over the past few years. 

[D.C Twins]

Gallo's inevitable 2-3 S0 per game were apparently required at the top of the order today!

I've been following baseball for a looooong time and have never seen a 'contending' team stick with a futile player for so long. (much less any other team for that matter)

Shame-proof up in the FO apparently.

Great to get the win though!  :)

 

[chinmusic]

After the Philly outing, I thought Keuchel might not be given another start.

Box of chocolates, indeed.

[rv78]

10 minutes ago, Hubie29 said:

How do you like that move in the bottom of the 3rd? Have to go lefty/righty and bring in the mighty Gallo with only a guy on first and 2 out.  Of course a strikeout was the result. I could maybe see it if you were pinch hitting with a contact hitter. But even that would be a sttrrretccchhhh.  Luplow isn't that inept, that he can't face a righty in the third inning.  I wonder what Roccos charts were telling him? This kind of decision making is what has driven me nuts with this regime over the past few years. 

It is stupidity at it's finest. Only a Rocco can make a move that brings in a hitter worse than the one already in place just because he bats from the other side of the plate. Maybe someday his spreadsheet will tell him which player strikes out almost everytime regardless of which side of the plate he stands on. Oh I'm sure it already does, he just chooses to ignore that part.

[rv78]

16 K's. Pretty sure that box of chocolates is empty. Nothing new there and it is what we have come to expect. Another record.... here we come!

[LastOnePicked]

I am very, very disappointed. In myself.

After Kuechel's last start - I SWEAR - I was going to post in the recap "Well, if this season has taught me anything, Kuechel will probably throw 6 perfect innings in his next outing."

I would have looked like a genius. Now I just look like the town drunk telling everyone he once had the lotto jackpot numbers in his hand.

Thanks a lot, Dallas. Go Twins.

[Matt Braun]

And a gold star to Laz Diaz for solidifying the inevitability of an electronic strike zone. Woof, that was bad. 

[DocBauer]

Very disappointed we didn't sweep as I feel we just gave away game 2 with missed opportunities and one freaky roller that opened a floodgate. Still, I'll take 2 of 3 all season long against anyone.

How about Julien with the only 2 RBI, a sacrifice fly...which is a lot harder for this team than it should be...and a rocket double to the gap to drive in the second.

I thought the idea of giving Kuechel a shot as a possible August/September fill-in to help stretch the rotation made sense, though I expected nothing. An impressive ERA in AAA from a veteran didn't do enough to fill me with any confidence. His first start was OK, I guess, but hardly dominate. And not a SINGLE K? Then he got destroyed the second time out and I wasn't surprised. Smoke and mirrors from experience can only get you so far. But I figured he'd get one more shot, and he did today. Wow! His smoke and mirrors was a hell of a magic trick! You might be tempted to say, "but the Pirates aren't very good'. Well, they're still a ML team and over 6 perfect innings is really, really good, no matter who you are, or who they are. I'm still not expecting much, but I wouldn't be surprised now by a 4th start to keep everyone fresh.

[roger]

41 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

Gallo's inevitable 2-3 S0 per game were apparently required at the top of the order today!

I've been following baseball for a looooong time and have never seen a 'contending' team stick with a futile player for so long. (much less any other team for that matter)

Shame-proof up in the FO apparently.

Great to get the win though!  :)

 

100% agree, but, they are really short experienced first basemen.  Miranda has been gone much of the year and now AK.  Until AK is back, I understand.  
 

As for Kuechel, WOW!  Sure created some questions going forward, but of the good kind.  Keep wondering how much the strike zone made a difference.

[Parfigliano]

49 minutes ago, Hubie29 said:

How do you like that move in the bottom of the 3rd? Have to go lefty/righty and bring in the mighty Gallo with only a guy on first and 2 out.  Of course a strikeout was the result. I could maybe see it if you were pinch hitting with a contact hitter. But even that would be a sttrrretccchhhh.  Luplow isn't that inept, that he can't face a righty in the third inning.  I wonder what Roccos charts were telling him? This kind of decision making is what has driven me nuts with this regime over the past few years. 

Gotta have the L-R matchup.  Its crazy.

[Parfigliano]

25 minutes ago, rv78 said:

16 K's. Pretty sure that box of chocolates is empty. Nothing new there and it is what we have come to expect. Another record.... here we come!

Positive that box of chocolates bombs if playing playoff ball.

[jorgenswest]

Keuchel’s command was spot on today and he had the skill to really take advantage of this umpire’s strike zone. Fun to watch.

[jmlease1]

Keuchel did great today. Very impressive. And Duran was filthy in closing it out (I know he gave up a hit, but come on).

Winning a series is always good. That's the goal. Keep winning series. I like having that 6 game lead, and hopefully the Twins can push it a little higher before the series against Cleveland next week.

Not so thrilled with the billion strikeouts on offense, though. I can live with it better when they're also drawing walks and getting on base, but this wasn't great. Polanco had a rough day (of course one of those Ks was a shot clock violation so....) And the...expansive strike zone that definitely helped Keuchel also made it hard on the offense, so I guess it's a bit of a push.

[jkcarew]

I knew the Pirates had this kind of performance in them.

I knew Laz Diaz had this kind of performance in him.

I did NOT know Keuchel had this kind of performance in him.

That right there was some UGLY Major League Baseball all around…with maybe the lone exception being Keuchel’s ability to exploit a ridiculous strike zone.

[Steven Trefz]

1 hour ago, Matt Braun said:

And a gold star to Laz Diaz for solidifying the inevitability of an electronic strike zone. Woof, that was bad. 

Saw angel and a few others utilized the “getaway zone” today as well. It’s a real deal…take advantage!

[cmoss84]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

Keuchel’s command was spot on today and he had the skill to really take advantage of this umpire’s strike zone. Fun to watch.

That's how Tom Glavine got to the Hall!

[jkcarew]

“This run of deflating at-bats can't continue against the likes of Texas and Cleveland in the coming weeks, or the AL Central race will be tighter than it needs to be.”

How, exactly? The worst offensive teams in the majors (in order): Oakland, Detroit, Kansas City, Cleveland (and sinking), Miami, White Sox.

The Twins have been the same frustrating, inefficient and inconsistent offensive team all year. It just doesn’t matter. Detroit is the only team left that even cares right now. They would have to make up 7 1/2 games over the last 37…and they’re Detroit.

[jorgenswest]

15 minutes ago, cmoss84 said:

That's how Tom Glavine got to the Hall!

It would be fun if they could somehow go back to the old video and superimpose the strike zone box. I know there would be challenges knowing when the ball was at the plate but I would enjoy seeing pitchers like Glavine and Spahn work the strike zone and umpire.

[Steven Trefz]

18 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

“This run of deflating at-bats can't continue against the likes of Texas and Cleveland in the coming weeks, or the AL Central race will be tighter than it needs to be.”

How, exactly? The worst offensive teams in the majors (in order): Oakland, Detroit, Kansas City, Cleveland (and sinking), Miami, White Sox.

The Twins have been the same frustrating, inefficient and inconsistent offensive team all year. It just doesn’t matter. Detroit is the only team left that even cares right now. They would have to make up 7 1/2 games over the last 37…and they’re Detroit.

Aka 10 games up instead of 15-20.  The Tigers that are whoopin teams the past two weeks aren’t your parents Tigers…they got the Hinch dog in em

[D.C Twins]

1 hour ago, roger said:

100% agree, but, they are really short experienced first basemen.  Miranda has been gone much of the year and now AK.  Until AK is back, I understand.  
 

As for Kuechel, WOW!  Sure created some questions going forward, but of the good kind.  Keep wondering how much the strike zone made a difference.

I see you point... but I would rather see a AAA backfill get a chance... it could not be worse, could be better, and certainly would be more valuable experience! 

[jkcarew]

22 minutes ago, Steven Trefz said:

Aka 10 games up instead of 15-20.  The Tigers that are whoopin teams the past two weeks aren’t your parents Tigers…they got the Hinch dog in em

Coincidentally, my father was a Detroit fan. He was 35 when Detroit won the World Series in 1968. I’m pretty sure game 7 was a weekday afternoon game…he about tackled me when I got off the school bus.

So no, these are not my parent’s Tigers. 🙂 Yes, they’re on the upswing, but a long, long way from good. Although, they’re still trying to win games, which makes a big difference at this point in the schedule.

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, roger said:

100% agree, but, they are really short experienced first basemen.  Miranda has been gone much of the year and now AK.  Until AK is back, I understand.  
 

As for Kuechel, WOW!  Sure created some questions going forward, but of the good kind.  Keep wondering how much the strike zone made a difference.

Hey Roger, I know you aren't necessarily defending keeping Gallo around, and you're right that 1B are suddenly in short supply, which is CRAZY unto itself, but I quoted your post to make a point, and not to pick on you. 😃

I think Gallo is a fine defensive 1B! Borderline excellent. Tingler was right about that. And I only got to watch about half the game today, but if I'm understanding the OP, comments, and box score correctly, Gallo was brought in very early to PH for Luplow. There are 2 very major flaws with that tactic:

1] Not only was it way to early to empty a roster spot in the game, but as a team, the Twins PH have a sub .200 BA. Last I heard, it was somewhere around. 160-.170. So why on earth would you delete a RH batter who might face a LH later in the game, but PH hasn't exactly been a strength all year.

2] Other than a few BB and the very occasional HR, Gallo has literally been the worst bat on the team for months now. His K rate has been about 50% since June/July and his BA in the .160-.170 range, with an OB below. 300. And so I will re-state yet again...when youth is leading your team offensively...generally speaking with respect to Kepler and Correa doing much better...and you have other options available, other than pure blindness or stubbornness, why hang on to Gallo? I mean, at all! They have a still only 26yo 1B/DH/C in Williams at St Paul having probably his best season. He's not a top prospect. And we have no idea how he'd do at the ML level. But he's blocked because of a sunk $11M in Gallo who can't hit or produce much of anything at all, but he's a veteran and a LH batter who can't hit? Williams would almost have to TRY to be as bad as Gallo has been offensively for months now. He'd also allow the team to put Jeffers at DH with Vazquez at catcher on their alternate days against a LH if they want. But some emergency catcher being needed happens how often over how many seasons? Vazquez can, and has, played 1B. Julien played some 1B in college, and his 2021 milb season. I've heard he still takes grounders there. Even Luplow has played a little 1B. We are SO PAST THE POINT where Gallo offers anything other than good defense at 1B, and a HR every couple of weeks.

The FO has lost a ton of "bonus points" in my opinion of their job with their resistance to move on and try SOMEONE that might actually produce and maybe have a future. [Larnach should also have been given a 1B glove a couple of months ago just to see].

Again, I only saw half the game, and missed parts of innings here and there. I saw some very nice pitches from Keuchal. He looked Maeda-esque at times. But if the zone was as wide as I glimpsed, and hear about, it sure looked like, and sounds like, both teams were treated equally. 

I don't think the robo umpire is coming soon, but I'd sure love to see the challenge system in place for 2024. The Twins were screwed TWICE on ONE PLAY Saturday by the replay system. But there was a Saints game a few weeks ago, Williams was ironically catching, where he challenged twice on called pitches and won. So again, if Kuechel benefited here and there, sure looks like the Pirates did as well. I think all we've ever asked for is something consistent, even with some human error. Tip of the cap again to what Kuechel did today.

[IaBeanCounter]

10 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

I see you point... but I would rather see a AAA backfill get a chance... it could not be worse, could be better, and certainly would be more valuable experience! 

Twins have won 2 of 3 starts.  IMO it could be worse and not much room to be better.  I don't look forward to a DK start against TX, but I'm not sure Ryan will be much better with his HR problems.

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, Hubie29 said:

How do you like that move in the bottom of the 3rd? Have to go lefty/righty and bring in the mighty Gallo with only a guy on first and 2 out.  Of course a strikeout was the result. I could maybe see it if you were pinch hitting with a contact hitter. But even that would be a sttrrretccchhhh.  Luplow isn't that inept, that he can't face a righty in the third inning.  I wonder what Roccos charts were telling him? This kind of decision making is what has driven me nuts with this regime over the past few years. 

His assumption is he’s got a better chance for runs (progressing the inning) in that instance with a LH bat & the majority of remaining innings pitched would be by RH pitchers. He’s got access to their roster. Insert Gallo …….maybe not a tremendous option but his best option.

”Letting Luplow have a shot against a right handed pitcher  - why not…….” isn’t what managers get paid to do……they aren’t fans.

He’s trying to do the right thing for success!

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

It is stupidity at it's finest. Only a Rocco can make a move that brings in a hitter worse than the one already in place just because he bats from the other side of the plate. Maybe someday his spreadsheet will tell him which player strikes out almost everytime regardless of which side of the plate he stands on. Oh I'm sure it already does, he just chooses to ignore that part.

I think it was the plan all along. He was going to give Luplow one at-bat against a left hander, that's why he had him leading off. They knew Borucki wasn't going to be in the game too long. Rocco has pinch hit early in games and said things like he wanted to get the favorable matchup even if it was early. I don't necessarily agree with that plan, especially if bringing in a pinch hitter will hurt the defense later in the game. 

Also, I thought he might use Kepler to hit early and move Wallner to left field. 

 

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, roger said:

100% agree, but, they are really short experienced first basemen.  Miranda has been gone much of the year and now AK.  Until AK is back, I understand.  
 

As for Kuechel, WOW!  Sure created some questions going forward, but of the good kind.  Keep wondering how much the strike zone made a difference.

Arraez had almost no experience. There's no excuse for Gallo to be on this roster. 

 

Keuchel was truly surprising today. Good for him. 

[rv78]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

I think it was the plan all along. He was going to give Luplow one at-bat against a left hander, that's why he had him leading off. They knew Borucki wasn't going to be in the game too long. Rocco has pinch hit early in games and said things like he wanted to get the favorable matchup even if it was early. I don't necessarily agree with that plan, especially if bringing in a pinch hitter will hurt the defense later in the game. 

Also, I thought he might use Kepler to hit early and move Wallner to left field. 

 

Playing Gallo ANYWHERE, ANYTIME is a mistake. You have to be completely blind if you think he is the favorable matchup you need. Hey, I'm willing to go strikeout for him and I'll do it for a lot less than $11M. Worst signing ever and biggest waste of money ever.

[Jocko87]

Ahem, the new pass code to the game thread is "as expected" please pass it on.