Make It Official! Twins 6, Royals 5: Ryan Dominates, Young Sluggers Blast Off for Big Win

[Nate Palmer]

It was a mild, cool Memorial Day, but Joe Ryan brought the heat and the bullpen made fans sweat late as the Twins defeated the Royals 6-5.

Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (99 pitches, 68 strikes (68.7%)
Home Runs: José Miranda (5), Trevor Larnach (4)
Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (0.294), José Miranda (0.167), Trevor Larnach (0.111)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

As the United States paused to remember those who gave their life for our country, the Minnesota Twins played a game proving why baseball is America’s pastime. With the Kansas City Royals in town, this series can have significant ramifications when the season ends in an already very competitive American League Central. 

Miranda Continues to Provide Power
As the Twins came to bat in the third inning, there hadn’t been anything in the way of offense outside of a Bobby Witt Jr. single. The Twins' first hit came off of the struggling bat of Edouard Julien, who almost seemed to fight off a pitch to an open hole down the third base line. Up to Julien’s hit, Alec Marsh had been perfect. 

After Julien knocked perfection off Marsh’s Monday afternoon resume, Jose Miranda obliterated the shutout from that same resume. In the next at-bat, Miranda took a 96 mph sinker 437 feet at 107.4 mph for his fifth home run on the season. Taking the Twins to a loud 2-0 lead.  

As Larnach Launches
Come the fifth inning, the Twins continued to get to Marsh. It started with walks by both Willi Castro and Julien. Those walks would sure haunt. That haunting came to bear on the barrel of Trevor Larnach’s bat. Larnach took his turn, taking Marsh deep out, doing Miranda in both distance and exit velocity, and giving a dominant performance from Joe Ryan a 5-0 lead. 

The 6th inning was the first glimpse at Ryan looking human. With Maikel Garcia on base, Bobby Witt Jr. singled his way on for his second hit of the game and to put two runners on the basepaths. Witt was the one Royals batter to have significant success against Ryan, which makes sense as Witt is becoming one of those division rivals who is a long-term thorn in the Twins' side. He already boasts a .869 OPS in his young career when facing the Twins. 

Vinnie Pasquantino would put the finishing touches on a run-scoring opportunity by hitting a single and scoring Garcia. Ryan would keep the damage to just one run by striking out Salvador Perez to end the sixth inning. 

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Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know thats a promise we make good on.

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Ryan’s Overall Dominance
Ryan was throwing some of his best stuff all Monday, holding off the Royals' offense and striking them out nine times. This included 15 swings and misses, which kept the visiting team's bats off balance. Outside of the one run scored, Ryan was only off-balance when he almost toppled over in the fifth inning. That is the sort of blunder that we can exchange for a performance like he had on Monday. 

After Monday’s outing, Ryan brought his season-long ERA below three to 2.96 in his 11 starts. He has also collected 73 strikeouts as he has been a bright spot in the Twins rotation. 

One blip on the Twins' radar Monday came to the bullpen. As the Twins extended their lead, an attempt was made to save some of the top arms later in the week. Cole Sands was unable to fulfill those duties. Instead, Jhoan Duran was called on to get the final out and the save. 

Duran and the defense behind him didn’t equal a sure thing. The Royals capitalized on a pair of infield hits and an errant throw from Castro to bring themselves within one run of the Twins. Thankfully, all of Twins Territory exhaled as Duran fielded a short grounder and flipped it to first for the final out. 

A game that should be remembered for Joe Ryan’s performance will also be remembered for a near meltdown. In the end, it counts the same in the win column. Wins are what the Twins need to continue to collect this week against the Royals. 

What’s Next?
With the opportunity to win the first two games of an important series, the Twins will send Simeon Woods Richardson to the mound. The Royals will counter with Cole Ragans, who can be a tough lefty against any lineup. The Twins will look to keep their bats going like they were Monday afternoon. 

Postgame Interviews

 

 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Durán	0	15	8	0	15	38
Alcalá	0	0	0	38	0	38
Sands	0	0	22	0	16	38
Jax	0	10	0	0	13	23
Staumont	0	0	0	19	0	19
Thielbar	0	12	0	0	0	12
Okert	0	5	0	0	0	5

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[mikelink45]

Ryan is looking great, but the early season articles about the Twins having, potentially, the best BP have to be disregarded as we struggle to compete on the mound for nine innings.

Glad to have both Larnach and Miranda going yard.  We need them. 

[USAFChief]

Phew!

[Peter]

That was way to close for comfort!!!😬😬😬but twins got the win!!! 

[Parfigliano]

Sands bad pitcher or bad luck today?   Really seemed like a bunch of dribblers outside the DB.

[Sutter50]

Exit velocities of the Royals hits in the 9th

78.9

64.7

108.4

72.2

55.4

Baseball is a funny game. Those who expect easy , routine, and perfection are going to be disappointed 

[darwin22]

Great performance by Ryan today along with key HRs from Miranda and Larnach.

Saying that, how much longer do we have to endure the shaky to terrible work of Sands?  There was absolutely zero reason Duran should've been forced into pitching today

Yes, he pitched well the other day (with a deficit), but I'm beyond his inability to shut a game down when needed. 

His ERA in May has now ballooned to 10.56 (9 ER in 7.2 IP).  

Demoting him to SP is unlikely as it would require a move on the 40 man roster.  

As a result, I'd strongly suggest Baldelli flip the roles of Sands and Josh Staumont.  IMO, Staumont has earned the opportunity for higher leverage situations by throwing 6.1 shutout IP this month over 6 games.  

Sands needs to be strictly as the LONG MAN out of the pen or in late innings facing a deficit.

 

[stringer bell]

8 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

Great performance by Ryan today along with key HRs from Miranda and Larnach.

Saying that, how much longer do we have to endure the shaky to terrible work of Sands?  There was absolutely zero reason Duran should've been forced into pitching today

Yes, he pitched well the other day (with a deficit), but I'm beyond his inability to shut a game down when needed. 

His ERA in May has now ballooned to 10.56 (9 ER in 7.2 IP).  

Demoting him to SP is unlikely as it would require a move on the 40 man roster.

 

???? Sands is on the 40-man as well as the active roster. If he is switched out for another guy on the 40-man, there is no 40-man issue. He came in with a five-run lead and threw strikes. Two of the three hits he allowed were definitely soft contact. 

I'm not a big Sands fan, but most of his performance today was "one of those things". It carried on with Durán--a batter nipped on the foot by a curve ball on an 0-2 count and then two infield singles. 

[Doctor Gast]

For the most part it was an excellent game, I like our lineup, and I'm glad they got some runs. We could get to Marsh and hope our competitors don't have the same luck

[Patzky]

Thanks Rockies!

COL 8 

CLE 6

[IndianaTwin]

Folks on Rays Daily prolly still screaming, "We gave up Joe Ryan for a half season of Nelson Cruz." 

[miller761]

Finally Cleveland is human!

[Doctor Gast]

52 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Thanks Rockies!

COL 8 

CLE 6

Baseball is a weird game, We have a difficult time against CLE but teams like CWS & CO do not.

[bean5302]

33 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

Folks on Rays Daily prolly still screaming, "We gave up Joe Ryan for a half season of Nelson Cruz." 

Maybe, but they're probably not as stressed as you might imagine since they churn out more than 1 good pitcher per decade. It's a novel concept in Minnesota.

[arby58]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Ryan is looking great, but the early season articles about the Twins having, potentially, the best BP have to be disregarded as we struggle to compete on the mound for nine innings.

I get it, they scored 4 runs in the 9th inning, but that was about as collective soft contact as you'll see for a team scoring 4 runs in an inning.

[arby58]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

Folks on Rays Daily prolly still screaming, "We gave up Joe Ryan for a half season of Nelson Cruz." 

Even less than that - 55 games.

[arby58]

44 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Maybe, but they're probably not as stressed as you might imagine since they churn out more than 1 good pitcher per decade. It's a novel concept in Minnesota.

Given the Rays are currently 23rd in MLB in ERA (and have a losing record), my guess is their fans would be ecstatic to have Ryan in their rotation.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Baseball is a weird game, We have a difficult time against CLE but teams like CWS & CO do not.

They're 0-5 against the Guards. There are eight more games remaining and the Twins could turn it around. I think if they want to win the Central, they need to win six (or more) of eight.

[h2oface]

They tried to "deGrom" Ryan again, but he barely escaped with the win. It was looking like even 5 runs wasn't enough. Best bullpen in MLB. 

[h2oface]

4 hours ago, Sutter50 said:

Exit velocities of the Royals hits in the 9th

78.9

64.7

108.4

72.2

55.4

Baseball is a funny game. Those who expect easy , routine, and perfection are going to be disappointed 

Hits that score runs. But the media now just talks about barrels and exit velocity, which many times, (even most of the time,) means nothing. If a batter just watches the ball and doesn't swing, the best he can hope for is the exciting base on balls. And we see far too much of that, now. Called strikes that are great pitches to swing at, and swings at pitches way out of the zone.

[Aerodeliria]

I just don't like it when we have to rely on weak defense...you just have to eat that ball rather than throw it away. I feel comfortable everywhere but at 3rd and left (and 1st if Kirilloff is there).

[JD-TWINS]

5 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Ryan is looking great, but the early season articles about the Twins having, potentially, the best BP have to be disregarded as we struggle to compete on the mound for nine innings.

Glad to have both Larnach and Miranda going yard.  We need them. 

Jax was outstanding……..Sands was OK, a couple really soft contact singles……he had 2 outs & only one run in at that point. Duran comes in to get one out - facing the #8 hitter that’s hitting .176, and per the announcers, he’s been spiraling downward for over a month. Duran was up 0-2 (with 2 outs) and somebody thought it would be a good idea to call another curveball to a left handed batter (that has got to stop!) and he hits the guy’s foot ….2 tappers to, short of dirt, SS that couldn’t be played by anyone on any team. Big trouble as Witt Jr. comes to the plate……. another tapper to end the game.

I agree - Pen hasn’t been perfect. Most of the issues over the last 8-9 days have fallen on Duran. He’ll clean it up!

Still think with the emergence of Staumont as a 7 or 8 guy, Funderburke finding his way, & the potential with Alcala settling into a role …….along with Stewart & Topa contributing again before the break, the PEN will be a strength.

[stringer bell]

1 minute ago, JD-TWINS said:

Jax was outstanding……..Sands was OK, a couple really soft contact singles……he had 2 outs & only one run in at that point. Duran comes in to get one out - facing the #8 hitter that’s hitting .176, and per the announcers, he’s been spiraling downward for over a month. Duran was up 0-2 (with 2 outs) and somebody thought it would be a good idea to call another curveball to a left handed batter (that has got to stop!) and he hits the guy’s foot ….2 tappers to, short of dirt, SS that couldn’t be played by anyone on any team. Big trouble as Witt Jr. comes to the plate……. another tapper to end the game.

I agree - Pen hasn’t been perfect. Most of the issues over the last 8-9 days have fallen on Duran. He’ll clean it up!

Still think with the emergence of Staumont as a 7 or 8 guy, Funderburke finding his way, & the potential with Alcala settling into a role …….along with Stewart & Topa contributing again before the break, the PEN will be a strength.

Optimistic take. I don't fault a back foot curve ball, keep it out of the whomp 'em zone and quite possibly end the game. Every once in a while, it hits a foot. 

The Twins haven't had the back end whole yet this year. I guess that is the way it goes with all the pitching injuries in baseball. If they could get all three and add two or three from those mentioned, they have an very good bullpen. It is true that Funderburk hasn't emerged and Jackson was disappointing, but there still are plenty of arms available. Relief pitchers are so hard to predict and project.

[Goofé Dean]

Quote

 

Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field.

 

For what it's worth, I was in section 134 with my family today, and one possibly relevant thing I learned is that Larnach's bomb landed in the seats almost precisely above where Official Fried Chicken is situated in the right-center field concourse.

[Parfigliano]

6 hours ago, miller761 said:

Finally Cleveland is human!

They are due to lose alot.

[bighat]

11 hours ago, darwin22 said:

 

Sands needs to be strictly as the LONG MAN out of the pen or in late innings facing a deficit.

 

Let's decode what we are really saying here: he's the worst pitcher on the team. This "position" you are suggesting for him doesn't exist - there's no rule that says you have to have a long-man, low-leverage guy. 

How about we just get a different guy?

One who can pitch and get batters out? There are plenty in St. Paul and the shuttle bus runs daily. There's no reason Sands should be in a Twins uniform right now. When we start suggesting a bullpen guy needs to be a long-man, low-leverage guy, that means it's time for a move to be made. 

[mikelink45]

10 hours ago, arby58 said:

I get it, they scored 4 runs in the 9th inning, but that was about as collective soft contact as you'll see for a team scoring 4 runs in an inning.

The lesson I get from this is that it is not how hard you hit the ball, but where you hit the ball.  Velocity can be overrated.  

[mikelink45]

8 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Jax was outstanding……..Sands was OK, a couple really soft contact singles……he had 2 outs & only one run in at that point. Duran comes in to get one out - facing the #8 hitter that’s hitting .176, and per the announcers, he’s been spiraling downward for over a month. Duran was up 0-2 (with 2 outs) and somebody thought it would be a good idea to call another curveball to a left handed batter (that has got to stop!) and he hits the guy’s foot ….2 tappers to, short of dirt, SS that couldn’t be played by anyone on any team. Big trouble as Witt Jr. comes to the plate……. another tapper to end the game.

I agree - Pen hasn’t been perfect. Most of the issues over the last 8-9 days have fallen on Duran. He’ll clean it up!

Still think with the emergence of Staumont as a 7 or 8 guy, Funderburke finding his way, & the potential with Alcala settling into a role …….along with Stewart & Topa contributing again before the break, the PEN will be a strength.

I hope you are right.  But during our last streak of losses the BP has not been the strength we hoped for.

 

[arby58]

1 minute ago, mikelink45 said:

The lesson I get from this is that it is not how hard you hit the ball, but where you hit the ball.  Velocity can be overrated.  

Statistically speaking, it is not overrated - hard hit balls will, more often than not, result in positive results for the hitter. That's not 100 percent, but it is the case more often than not. Morneau (who knows something about hitting) made a comment yesterday about the confounding nature of baseball and the ninth inning was an example. That inning had little to do with the pitchers, it was just one of those weird innings.

[stringer bell]

I noticed postgame that what was originally scored a hit for Kepler in the eighth was changed to an error on Witt Jr. I believe that was the proper call.

The Royals' late rally resulted in KC having more hits than the Twins. This was the first game all season where the Twins were outhit, but still managed to win the game.