Make It Official! Twins 11, Pirates 5: Twins Avoid Another Sweep, Win in Wild 10th Inning

[Hans Birkeland]

What began as a 3-0 lead for the Twins against one of the more promising young starters in baseball, quickly turned into a brutal war of attrition after an impressive fifth inning rally bounced Bailey Ober from the game. Twins batters were hit by five pitches and finally broke through in the tenth with seven runs off soon-to-be former Pirates reliever Ben Heller.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober: 4 2/3 IP 7 H 4 ER 2 BB 5 K (85 Pitches, 57 Strikes, 67%)
Home Runs: (None)
Top 3 WPA: Manuel Margot (.241), Royce Lewis (.150), Jhoan Duran (.143)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):

Riding the roller coaster of the 2024 Twins, we've hit the fourth or fifth low point, with the offense having its water completely shut off over the past week. The starting pitching performances, after a rough go-around in New York, have been excellent in the series against Pittsburgh thus far, yet the losing streak stands at five. Today, the Twins turned to Bailey Ober and his suddenly-hittable fastball, while the Pirates countered with flamethrowing rookie Jared Jones.

Things couldn't have begun better, despite Rocco Baldelli inexplicably turning to Carlos Santana in the leadoff spot. Against a righty, against whom the switch-hitter has a .639 OPS. Predictably, Santana made the first out, but that was followed by a hard hit single by Trevor Larnach after falling behind 0-2, a ringing single from Carlos Correa that a Connor Joe error in left turned into a two base hit, and a Max Kepler walk to load the bases. Jose Miranda worked an excellent at-bat that resulted in a walk, and Alex Kirilloff grounded out to drive in the second run.

Perhaps making up for some of the abhorrent calls made against the Twins in Saturday's game, a foul ball off the bat of Byron Buxton was then ruled a passed ball, allowing Kepler to score the third run.

Ober, meanwhile, pitched fairly well. locating his fastball with velocities up to 94 MPH, and throwing his change-up and cutter equally as much as the heater. He left a few cutters towards the middle of the plate, but the power deficient Pirates could only manage a few singles and a Rowdy Tellez double in the early going, resulting in one run.

Correa made all three outs in the third, making an incredible stop and bounce throw on this grounder from Henry Davis, nearly making an equally great stop on a ball up the middle from Andrew McCutchen, and then taking the double play himself on a shot up the middle from Bryan Reynolds.

Jones seemed to make an adjustment starting in the second inning, relying heavily on his changeup and getting into a rhythm versus a Twins team whose game plan seemed to be to jump on Jones early in counts, since has essentially been a fastball-slider pitcher thus far in his career. The changeup emphasis put the Twins hitters just a bit off balance, and were held scoreless in innings two through five, despite putting traffic on the bases in every inning.

Ober cruised through four innings and got two quick outs in the fifth. But Davis and McCutchen worked excellent at-bats, seeing 17 pitches between them and refusing to chase as they each walked. Reynolds lined a double into the corner to score Davis, and Connor Joe then tripled to the gap to score two more runs, chasing Ober from the game. It's hard to fault Ober for not giving in to Davis and McCutchen, but at a certain point you have the get the third strike and the third out, and as good as Ober has looked at times this year, that has been a pain point for him.

The Twins quickly tied the game back up, capitalizing on some wildness from reliever Kyle Nicholas, who issued a single to Jeffers, hit Willie Castro with a pitch, threw a wild pitch and walked Santana. Royce Lewis was called upon to pinch hit for Larnach, and hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Jeffers. After a Correa walk, Kepler grounded out weakly against lefty Justin Bruihl to end the threat.

After a few quick innings, the Pirates brought in Aroldis Chapman to start the ninth. With the score still 4-4. Lewis launched a 98 MPH fastball into the left-center gap for a double. Correa did everything in his power to hit a ball to the right side of the field, but ended up popping out in that direction. Kepler lined a ball to center that old friend Michael A. Taylor made a nice read on, and Miranda flied out to end the scoring chance.

After a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth from Jhoan Duran, Manuel Margot led off the tenth (only the second extra innings game of the year for the Twins) with a triple to the gap in right-center to score ghost runner Kyle Farmer. Pirates reliever Ben Heller then drilled Buxton in the back and allowed him to steal second. Jeffers then worked an excellent ten pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk, bringing up Castro with the bases loaded. Castro was hit by a pitch, his second of the game and fourth time he had been hit in the series. Going back to last year's series against the Pirates, where Matt Wallner earned the nickname "Cement-Bones," Pirates pitching has hit Twins hitters approximately 700 times the past two years.

Santana then broke through with a two-run double, Correa added a two-run single and Kepler a run scoring single to break the game open. Not to be outdone, Heller then hit Kyle Farmer for his third of the inning. Given that the Twins scored seven runs and none of the hit-by-pitches resulted in injury, I have never been happier seeing a man's career end, as he has no reason to remain a big league pitcher.

The Good:
-Correa took smart at-bats, roped two hard hit singles and made several great defensive plays.
-Lewis still can do no wrong, with a crucial RBI and a leadoff double in the ninth.
-Cole Sands, Thielbar, Griffin Jax, Jorge Alcala and Jhoan Duran all pitched scoreless appearances, and all looked good doing so.

The Bad:
-Ober was good to start, but his inability to finish off innings and hitters bit him badly. Both rallies by the Pirates came with two outs already recorded.
-Santana can provide value to a team at this stage in his career, since he can hit lefties and play a great first base. The Twins are not putting him in a good position to maximize that value right now.

What’s Next: Chris Paddack (4-3, 5.26 ERA) will try and bounce back against righty Dakota Hudson (2-7, 5.25 ERA) as the Twins return home to face one of the sorrier teams in the National League, the Colorado Rockies.

Postgame Interviews:

 

Bullpen Usage Chart:

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Alcalá	0	30	0	12	17	59
Staumont	20	19	0	0	10	49
Castillo	32	0	0	11	0	43
Jax	0	0	19	0	24	43
Sands	0	16	0	0	19	35
Durán	0	0	0	19	15	34
Thielbar	0	12	0	0	2	14
Okert	12	0	0	0	0	12

 

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[mnfireman]

So, looking at the BP usage chart, who goes to St. Paul for relief help? Or do we just rely on Castillo, Okert, Thielbar and maybe Staumont tomorrow.

[Schmoeman5]

40 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

So, looking at the BP usage chart, who goes to St. Paul for relief help? Or do we just rely on Castillo, Okert, Thielbar and maybe Staumont tomorrow.

Yes.

[mikelink45]

Glad we won, but not impressed.  Pirates have no depth so we outlasted them, but come on Ober, we were starting to think you might be a number 2 - now I am content to think 4. 

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, mnfireman said:

So, looking at the BP usage chart, who goes to St. Paul for relief help? Or do we just rely on Castillo, Okert, Thielbar and maybe Staumont tomorrow.

If Who goes to St Paul, we'll need a first baseman. 

[USAFChief]

A W is welcome no matter how it came about.

Hopefully there won't be any repeat road trips like this one.

[BH67]

So the switch flips back instantly into confident mode. Winning streak ahead, I expect. The next time the Twins face the Bronx Bombers, they should wear some virtual reality lenses that put their opponents in White Sox uniforms.

[mnfireman]

28 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

If Who goes to St Paul, we'll need a first baseman. 

Maybe we'll find out Tomorrow...

[Jocko87]

8 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Maybe we'll find out Tomorrow...

He's pitching.

[Jocko87]

Quote

Top 3 WPA: Manuel Margot (.241)

As expected.

[ChermesZ]

22 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

As expected.

If so, go get a powerball ticket ASAP.

[Peter]

Bullpen came through big time/c4 was clutch!!! Big play was Royce’s sacrifice fly to tie game-without that we lose. Huge huge huge much needed win!!! Let’s have winning home stand and get closer in central division race!!! Go Twins!!!

[Schmoeman5]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

If Who goes to St Paul, we'll need a first baseman. 

What?

[FargoFanMan]

Love to see these wins to prevent the sweeps but dang. Can we spread some of these runs out evenly? It’s so odd how feast and famine this offense is. Absolutely maddening!

[JD-TWINS]

Hung in with a couple breaks today …..,then our depth in line-up & Pen pushed us over the top.

Ober’s finish was disappointing - cannot walk two guys in a row up 2 runs. If a guy hits one off the wall, that happens. Walking runners into place & then giving up XBH is not a good path! Kirilloff seemed to take a bad angle and at times looks like he’s running under water. Seemed to me he should have caught OR that somebody should have caught what turned out to be a triple.

Duran looked sharp - Alcala still throws too many pitches and walks guys - wish he could trust his stuff and throw strikes.

Need to win a couple series and stabilize back in Mpls.!

[JD-TWINS]

3 hours ago, mnfireman said:

So, looking at the BP usage chart, who goes to St. Paul for relief help? Or do we just rely on Castillo, Okert, Thielbar and maybe Staumont tomorrow.

Hopefully, Paddack for 6 and then Castillo/Okert as needed Staumont in 8th & Thielbar in 9th. …….if they could take a lead to Castillo for an inning or two, that would be swell! Sands may be available to finish an inning or to get an out or two ……3 batter max.?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

18 minutes ago, FargoFanMan said:

Love to see these wins to prevent the sweeps but dang. Can we spread some of these runs out evenly? It’s so odd how feast and famine this offense is. Absolutely maddening!

That wasn’t so much offense as the buccs’ bullpen blew up

[DocBauer]

Assuming he can ever gain consistency, I still like AK being able to play a little OF as well as 1B/DH. I don't think he did anything poor on the triple to left center, but if someone else was out there instead, with just a single extra gear, that ball is probably caught and Ober's day looks very different.

I'm willing to go ahead and accept some sort of Yankees curse over the Twins for about 5 seconds. But what's with the hangover affect? The Twins bombed against Cleveland the first time, and then looked totally inept against Pittsburgh the first couple of games. Enough! While the lineup still isn't clicking on all cylinders...looking at you AK, Wallner, Julien, and possibly Lee for some help...there's still too much talent and potential on this team to look so bad at times.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

15 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Assuming he can ever gain consistency, I still like AK being able to play a little OF as well as 1B/DH. I don't think he did anything poor on the triple to left center, but if someone else was out there instead, with just a single extra gear, that ball is probably caught and Ober's day looks very different.

I'm willing to go ahead and accept some sort of Yankees curse over the Twins for about 5 seconds. But what's with the hangover affect? The Twins bombed against Cleveland the first time, and then looked totally inept against Pittsburgh the first couple of games. Enough! While the lineup still isn't clicking on all cylinders...looking at you AK, Wallner, Julien, and possibly Lee for some help...there's still too much talent and potential on this team to look so bad at times.

Right now the best hitting OF on the 40 in StP is Austin Martin. The Twins need to do something

[DocBauer]

42 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Right now the best hitting OF on the 40 in StP is Austin Martin. The Twins need to do something

Not really going to disagree with you, but except for his recent slump, Kepler has been very good. And while most of his production has come from the DH spot so far, Larnach has looked pretty good.

Despite a few good games the past 2-3 weeks, unfortunately, Kirilloff has just not been good. What's even more disappointing is Buxton. He looks good, healthy, and happy, but he just looks like he has zero clue at the plate. I can live with some feast and famine from him considering what he's capable of, but his bat has generally left the lineup hungry. The fact that he and AK are both healthy and doing little is really sad.

Can Wallner get untracked and do again what he did last season and make a difference? (Crossing my fingers). I don't believe Rodriguez is going to suddenly come up at 21yo from AA to make a difference this season. That means it's Kepler getting hot again...probable...and Buxton SOMEHOW learning to hit again. Larnach or Wallner can help LF, along with Castro as well, of course. But maybe Martin is ready to take the next step in a role where he'll hit a little better, get OB, steal a few bases, and help spark the lineup?

I don't know for certain about Martin, but despite a few good games recently, I'm still not sold that Margot is suddenly the answer as a RH reserve OF.

[USAFChief]

2 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

What?

I Don't Know, maybe?

[mnfireman]

2 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

What?

Second base...

12 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I Don't Know, maybe?

Third base...

[thelanges5]

Martin didn’t play for the Saints today 🤔

[ashbury]

Didn't read the article, but an 11-5 blowout/laugher was exactly what this struggling team needed.

[SwainZag]

So we are all just assuming that the 7th run 10th inning is the turning point in the season and it's only up and up from here.... right? Right?

[MABB1959]

If the Pirates starting pitcher hadn't GIVEN them 3 runs in the first , there never would have been a 10th inning.

[Whitey333]

Yes and if the 4 blind mice otherwise known as the umpires hadn't missed the obvious foul ball off the bat of Buxton, twins would only had 2 runs and not 3.  Glad they won but not overly impressed.  But with the "easy" home schedule this week we should win most if not all of them.  But I say should because of the Jeckyl and Hyde nature of this team.  My guess is by Father's Day we may have them penciled in for the World Series again.

[terrydactyls]

10 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Not really going to disagree with you, but except for his recent slump, Kepler has been very good. And while most of his production has come from the DH spot so far, Larnach has looked pretty good.

Despite a few good games the past 2-3 weeks, unfortunately, Kirilloff has just not been good. What's even more disappointing is Buxton. He looks good, healthy, and happy, but he just looks like he has zero clue at the plate. I can live with some feast and famine from him considering what he's capable of, but his bat has generally left the lineup hungry. The fact that he and AK are both healthy and doing little is really sad.

Can Wallner get untracked and do again what he did last season and make a difference? (Crossing my fingers). I don't believe Rodriguez is going to suddenly come up at 21yo from AA to make a difference this season. That means it's Kepler getting hot again...probable...and Buxton SOMEHOW learning to hit again. Larnach or Wallner can help LF, along with Castro as well, of course. But maybe Martin is ready to take the next step in a role where he'll hit a little better, get OB, steal a few bases, and help spark the lineup?

I don't know for certain about Martin, but despite a few good games recently, I'm still not sold that Margot is suddenly the answer as a RH reserve OF.

Start the chanting!

Kiersey!  Kiersey!  Kiersey!!!

[David Maro]

Don't get to excited,3 runs in the first a wild pitcher to get the 4th run.Then needing a 10 inning and another wild pitcher to pull this one out.

[LambchoP]

We didn't win this game, the pirates lost it. Twins really need to learn to hit off speed and breaking pitches. Other teams have figured out we absolutely pound fastballs, but can't do anything against anything else. We need a roster shakeup. It's sad we have in house replacements for Margot, Farmer and AK. Give the kids a shot, they can't be worse than what we've been trying to build a lineup with. I mean c'mon, hitting Santana and Margot leadoff? That's laughable...