Final: Astros 13, Twins 12: Miranda Makes History, but Twins Comeback Comes Up Short

[Ted Schwerzler]

Jose Miranda made Minnesota Twins history on Friday night against the Houston Astros, but the rest of the lineup failed to get the job done. Pablo Lopez was again shaky and the series kicked off with a loss.

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
SP: Pablo Lopez 5.0+ IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (91 pitches, 62 strikes, 8 whiffs)
Home Runs: Jose Miranda(9), Carlos Correa (11)
Bottom 3 WPA: Pablo Lopez (-.330), Josh Winder (-.169), Carlos Correa (-.143)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

90 Feet at a Time
The Minnesota Twins needed Pablo Lopez to continue looking like the starter he had in recent outings against the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. After just an eight-pitch first inning, Lopez ran into trouble during the second. With a pair on and no one out, Houston continued to single runners around the bases. Yainer Diaz, Jon Singleton, and Jeremy Pena all scored to make it 3-0.

Facing the Astros Shawn Dubin, Jose Miranda extended his hitting streak to nine games with a second inning single. Following his 5-for-5 day on Thursday, it was also his sixth straight hit. The Twins loaded the bases in front of Brooks Lee, and the rookie ripped another single to drive in Minnesota’s first run.

Willi Castro drew a bases loaded walk to score Carlos Santana and make it a 3-2 game, but Carlos Correa left the sacks packed when his pop out ended the inning.

Yes Way, Jose
After Dubin got Trevor Larnach on strikes, Miranda stepped in with his six straight hits and made it a seventh. Ripping a solo shot down the left field line, the Twins suddenly had tied the game at three, and Miranda’s dinger made it eight straight plate appearances with a hit as well. That matched Joe Mauer’s streak from the 2006 season, and another hit would match a team record.

Looking for a quick zero, Lopez started his inning getting Pena to ground out to the guy he took over for. Correa continues to be a defensive wizard for Minnesota, and his latest web gem was nothing short of spectacular. Of course you may have become accustomed to these plays from the Twins shortstop, but he is nothing to take for granted.

Stepping in looking to tie the record (held by Tony Oliva, Mickey Hatcher, and Todd Walker), Miranda ripped a double just over third base. Manuel Margot, who came on and walked for Larnach, motored around from first base to score the go-ahead run. A ninth straight hit surpassed Mauer’s streak and gives him a chance to set a new franchise record during his next plate appearance.

Margot was thrown out on a Max Kepler dribbler that could have made it a 5-3 game, but the Twins kept the pressure on. Buxton roped a double to Yordan Alvarez in left field, and with two outs, Minnesota had runners on second and third. Unable to plate either, the one-run lead is what the Twins took to the sixth inning.

More Singles, Less Pablo
As was the case during the first inning, Houston stacked singles against the Minnesota starter. Three in a row to lead off the sixth inning knotted things at four and sent Lopez to the showers. The Twins starter didn’t record an out in the sixth inning, and left with Jorge Alcala inheriting runners on first and second. He got Jake Meyers to strike out swinging, but Joey Loperfido bounced a ground rule double off of the chalk line to make it a 6-4 Houston lead. Alcala walked the bases loaded before getting Alvarez to roll over and stop the bleeding.

Josh Winder took over in the seventh inning and it was his first appearance since September 2023. He immediately struck out Yainer Diaz, and his strikeout of Singleton featured a 96.9 mph fastball to end it. That happened to be the hardest-thrown pitch of his entire major league career. Meyers doubled after Pena reached on a nubber back to the mound, and Houston pushed the lead to 7-4. Winder plunked Loperfido on the foot with a slider, and the outing took a turn following two quick outs. Cesar Salazar grounded out up the middle to end the inning.

History for Jose
Miranda stepped in against Bryan Abreu in the seventh inning, and his single through the hole at second base gave him a hit in his tenth consecutive plate appearance. A new Twins record had been established, and he was just one hit away from tying the major league record at eleven.

Kepler took a solid swing and sent a ball back up the middle. Miranda came around to score and Santana found himself just 90 feet away. Unfortunately Buxton was unable to cash in a run, and it was up to Lee with runners on the corners and two outs. Abreu got him looking to keep the lead intact and push Minnesota to 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position on the evening.

After Winder sent Jose Altuve out of the game after hitting him on the wrist, Houston quickly made it hurt with traffic on the bases for Alvarez. He dumped a run-scoring single into left field. Diaz poked a ball to the same spot and loaded the bases against Winder loading the bases, and despite working around Singleton, Pena lofted a ball to Margot in left field. It bounced off his glove, and the Astros pushed it to 9-5 on the error. Meyers lifted a sac fly to Buxton and Minnesota’s deficit was now 10-5.

Vazquez attempted to give the Twins life as he led off the eighth inning with a single against Luis Contreras. Loperfido made an insane catch on a Castro fly out though, and sucked the air out of any potential rally.

9th Inning Frenzy
The Twins failing to capitalize was the name of the game tonight. Of course they came up short in the eighth inning, and Kody Funderburk allowing additional runs to the Astros made any sort of a last ditch effort even more difficult. Alex Bregman got him for a three run blast, and it took Funderburk nearly 30 pitches to get through the frame.

Austin Martin pinch hit for Miranda in the ninth inning, meaning his attempt to tie the MLB record for consecutive hits, will go into tomorrow against Hunter Brown. Margot went down quickly, but Martin did single in his pinch hit spot. Kyle Farmer got an at bat and went down on strikes. Kepler beat out an infield single before Buxton singled to left field to drive in a run. Lee then continued to hit and singled home Kepler to make it a 13-7 game. Vazquez lofted a run-scoring double down the left field line, and all of a sudden the Twins were making it interesting again.

Castro was up with runners on second and third. He worked a three-two count before drawing a walk which forced Joe Espada to turn to closer Josh Hader. Correa was Minnesota's batter, looking to extend his hitting streak as he stepped in having gone 0-for-5 on the evening. He blasted a grand slam off the Astros closer, and all of a sudden the Twins trailed by just one. Margot was in a good spot, going against a lefty but swung at an ugly pitch to end the game and come up just short.

Minnesota finished 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position but left nine on base. Recording 17 hits on the evening, they could have seen a better result with just a bit more from the bullpen.

Notes
David Festa was sent out following the Twins victory against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. His turn in the rotation doesn’t come up again until Monday against the White Sox. Josh Winder took his roster spot, but a corresponding move would make sense to grab a starter. Louie Varland did not fare well on Thursday night for the Saints, and Caleb Boushley was roughed up his last time out as well. Randy Dobnak, although needing a 40-man roster spot, could be a consideration. Of course, Chris Paddack will be eligible to come off the Injured List then as well.  Baldelli noted Paddack was trending well, and he would make the most sense.

Brock Stewart’s timeline was recently reported as August into September. He threw live batting practice today at Target Field, and has thrown at CHS Field as well. He did hit teammate Kyle Farmer though. Hitting 95-96 mph on Friday, a rehab assignment soon would have him back much more quickly than the grim reports.

 

A Whole New Ballgame in Blaine
Having watched multiple Twins games in person this season, and taking them in at different establishments throughout the Twin Cities, I tried the newly opened The Ball Park in Blaine on Friday night. Think Top Golf for baseball. Six HitTrax suites are set up in the back of the restaurant area, and they feature fun family games for all levels. Four traditional batting lanes exist in the back, and their intention is more traditional development. With Xbox setups and a candy wall, everyone in the family can come watch you train.

Beyond just the entertainment setup, The Ball Park is also a full-fledged restaurant. With 36 pour-your-own taps adorning a wall, and a full bar, there are options for everyone. Boasting a menu curated by an executive chef, everything from small plates to full-size entrees are available. A patio wraps around the building with plenty of sunlight and open air. Even if you weren’t to step foot in the batter’s box, the ambience of baseball is worth the price of admission.

Owners Tim Sanders and Ryan Carlson sought out to use the since vacated Gander Mountain space not far from the National Sports Center, and initially thinking of a baseball training facility, they expanded on the idea. With a limited number of cages throughout the northern part of the metro area, The Ball Park has utility in multiple different capacities. They seemingly have thought of everything, and despite having opened just last week, it has been well-received as one of the most unique venues with few like it across the country.

What’s Next? 
Joe Ryan will start for Minnesota against Hunter Brown and the Astros. The Twins saw Brown earlier this season and will look to even the series with an opportunity to win it on Sunday. Unfortunately, as has been the case in Minnesota much of the summer, rain is again in the forecast.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

View full article

[BH67]

No point in making sense of tonight’s umpteen absurdities. I’ll stick with these:

1. Jose Miranda, you awesome hitting machine. You’re two away from the MLB record for consecutive at-bats with a base hit.
2. Pablo Lopez should be demagnetized whenever he allows the leadoff batter in an inning to reach base.
3. Simple question, Rocco. Why did you bring Josh Winder back for the 8th inning against the top of the Astros’ lineup when trailing by only two…or keep him there when all went awry?
    

[Peter]

Hate hate hate the one run losses😡🤬🤮💩👎no more one run games rest of season!!! 

[FlyingFinn]

Royce Lewis told much more about his injury on the Twins radio pregame show with Mark Janowski (sp.?). He said the doctors said he wouldn't repeat the previous injury. He was ready to play. BUT his overall muscles would have taken another 8 months to be safe from a "compensation" type injury. Apparently, one of those compensation type injuries that can happen is the abducter. That was a risk he and the Twins were willing to take in order to play this year. Janowski ended the segment saying that Lewis could be back in August - his opinion, Lewis' or the Twins, I don't know.

[USAFChief]

Josh Winder isn't good enough to be on the team. He's only here as an extra arm for the weekend. 

We had an almost completely rested pen. Why is Winder in the game AT ALL, much less multiple innings in what was a 2 run game. With 9 outs left for the offense.

Why? Why wouldn't Winder be the last option, maybe on Sunday if the pen is spent? He's not good enough to be on the team, but he's the second guy up?

Don't agree with sending Lopez out for the 6th either, but that's at least understandable. 

Really disappointing outing from Lopez.

[knothole61]

Such an exciting team right now...Miranda and Lee are a joy to watch and can you imagine the lineup with Lewis in there as well?

Still, tonight was a very painful defeat. I can't recall ever (and that's a lot of "ever") watching the Twins put up 7 in the last of the 9th and still lose...it's otherworldly! We can't blame Rocco for every loss, of course, but I do blame him for sending Winder (he of the 13.50 ERA) out for 2.0 hideous innings tonight. Rocco does some things well, but on the whole he is a disappointment to me. In my considered, albeit unprofessional estimation, Rocco appears clueless at times in his use of the pitching staff...utterly clueless.

Hats off to Miranda...10 and counting? 

[dxpavelka]

I may be in the minority here but when a guy has 10 straight hits I don't pinch hit for him.  Seems like he might be hot.  Just sayin

[Fatbat]

We lost tonight despite the Herculean effort of Margo and Farmer 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Brandon]

16 minutes ago, knothole61 said:

Such an exciting team right now...Miranda and Lee are a joy to watch and can you imagine the lineup with Lewis in there as well?

Still, tonight was a very painful defeat. I can't recall ever (and that's a lot of "ever") watching the Twins put up 7 in the last of the 9th and still lose...it's otherworldly! We can't blame Rocco for every loss, of course, but I do blame him for sending Winder (he of the 13.50 ERA) out for 2.0 hideous innings tonight. Rocco does some things well, but on the whole he is a disappointment to me. In my considered, albeit unprofessional estimation, Rocco appears clueless at times in his use of the pitching staff...utterly clueless.

Hats off to Miranda...10 and counting? 

Once the Twins scored 12 in the 9th to beat Cleveland 13-12.  It was in the early 2000s.  Josie played a big part of the comeback if I remember correctly.  

[Brandon]

14 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

We lost tonight despite the Herculean effort of Margo and Farmer 🤷🏻‍♂️

Don’t forget Velazquez.  He managed to finally get his OPS over .500 tonight.

[Parfigliano]

Crap pitching from the starter and bullpen made this loss happen.

[Kummel]

They lost, but to just dwell on the offense for a bit:  scoring 7 innings in the bottom of the ninth is no small feat.  I am impressed that this team hangs around.   Plus there were some great individual stories -- Miranda's hits-in-a-row streak is out of this world.  Lee looks fantastic.   Correa's grand slam...  

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Congratulatios to Jose! Awesome!

Perfect Trade Deadline meat!

 

[VivaBomboRivera!]

The Astros put on a contact hitting clinic.

Really proud that the Twins did not lie down. There is hope for the next two games in the series because they were able to roger Houston's bullpen tonight.

Miranda, wow. His story should be a lesson to every fan and reporter who wants to write-off a player that maybe they ought to pause a few minutes longer before hitting the "enter" key.

[h2oface]

13 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

I may be in the minority here but when a guy has 10 straight hits I don't pinch hit for him.  Seems like he might be hot.  Just sayin

Baffling. The guy is so hot, in the grove, and it would be a super low pressure at bat because of the 13-5 score. As low as it could be when it involves how each at bat now is pressure filled because of the streak/record. But to pinch hit? Because the 26 year old athlete, that is sitting down half the game on the bench between innings, could be ……tired? (correction: most of the game, as Miranda was DH) exhausted? really Baldelli? the great cooler? Because anything could happen before his next at bat...... like a rain out. Food poisoning. whatever. The time and momentum was then. Baldelli tries the "poor guys are tired" crap to spin it. 

"Those guys, they play virtually every day and they’re doing a good job,” Baldelli said. “In an eight-run game, they’ve been on their feet for a while. No reason not to get them off."  

Shame on the manager. You ask Miranda if he wants to hit, and listen to him. You don't get him off his feet because he has10 consecutive plate appearances with a hit !!!!!! And he is ready to set a record!!!!! Baldelli is so so so ......  the words that are not allowed to type here. 

[h2oface]

Such a shame to lose this game. 12 runs scored. So many truly great things happened. Funderburk and Winder are not MLB pitchers. What a waste of innings and time. And Costly.

Lopez is soooooo disappointing at home. This Pablo Day crap is just too much for him. He can't take added pressure it brings. So inconsistent. He has the potential, I guess. But he really sucks this year for the most part, minus a couple really great games. What a weird game this was. I felt it really turn when Vazquez couldn't come up with the "wild pitch" that a great defensive catcher does all the time and that he called...... and the ground rule double on the chalk that followed now scored 2 because of the runners advancing. Then the progression of Winder and Funderburk. Painful.

[h2oface]

5 hours ago, Fatbat said:

We lost tonight despite the Herculean effort of Margo and Farmer 🤷🏻‍♂️

Margo making 2 outs in the 9th....... 

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, h2oface said:

Baffling. The guy is so hot, in the grove, and it would be a super low pressure at bat because of the 13-5 score. As low as it could be when it involves how each at bat now is pressure filled because of the streak/record. But to pinch hit? Because the 26 year old athlete, that is sitting down half the game on the bench between innings, could be ...... tired? exhausted? really Baldelli? the great cooler? Because anything could happen before his next at bat...... like a rain out. Food poisoning. whatever. The time and momentum was then. Baldelli tries the "poor guys are tired" crap to spin it. 

"Those guys, they play virtually every day and they’re doing a good job,” Baldelli said. “In an eight-run game, they’ve been on their feet for a while. No reason not to get them off."  

Shame on the manager. You ask Miranda if he wants to hit, and listen to him. You don't get him off his feet because he has10 consecutive plate appearances with a hit !!!!!! And he is ready to set a record!!!!! Baldelli is so so so ......  the words that is allowed to type here. 

I don't care about Miranda getting taken out in a 8 run game but his quote is respectfully ********. 

There was 1 out in the ninth after Margot led off the inning with an out. Miranda and Santana were the guys to get off their feet... not because they were the most tired but because they followed Margot in the batting order in a lost cause. That's why... It was safe to play Martin and Farmer and throw them an AB when it doesn't matter and Miranda and Santana just happened to be the next two spots in the batting order before the curtain comes down. 

If the game was tied... If it wasn't an 8 run deficit. Miranda and Santana would have hit in the 9th while Martin and Farmer stay on the bench. 

This doesn't tell me "they've been on their feet for a while. No reason not to get them off". 

This tells me that the manager he's trying to get a stupid AB for guys at the bottom of his bench. 

When a manager does that sort of thing... He's hanging a neon sign around the player that says it's best to play these guys when it doesn't matter. 

If the Manager is doing that sort of thing to a player. The player needs to be replaced on the roster. 

It's time to send Martin down and it's time to cut Farmer. 

[mikelink45]

6 hours ago, knothole61 said:

Such an exciting team right now...Miranda and Lee are a joy to watch and can you imagine the lineup with Lewis in there as well?

Still, tonight was a very painful defeat. I can't recall ever (and that's a lot of "ever") watching the Twins put up 7 in the last of the 9th and still lose...it's otherworldly! We can't blame Rocco for every loss, of course, but I do blame him for sending Winder (he of the 13.50 ERA) out for 2.0 hideous innings tonight. Rocco does some things well, but on the whole he is a disappointment to me. In my considered, albeit unprofessional estimation, Rocco appears clueless at times in his use of the pitching staff...utterly clueless.

Hats off to Miranda...10 and counting? 

He has a pitching coach so who is it that makes a decision.  

[CRF]

I thought maybe...just maybe...Pablo might have figured some stuff out after his last two starts. Last night was more proof that he hasn't. This is looking more and more like kind of a lost season for him. Great comeback in the 9th, but it was too much of a mountain. Get them today with Ryan on the hill. 

[Parfigliano]

44 minutes ago, Fezig said:

That is the take of the game and shows how completely clueless the Manager is. Once upon a time I called the manager "Rockhead" for a nickname and that got me suspended for 24 hours. I won't call him Rockhead any more even though the name Rocco does sound like Rockhead. I won't even call him Rockhead at home because I learned my lesson.

Rocko's decisions are questionable and his explanations for them often make things worse

[Old Twins Hat]

Losses hurt, but, my goodness, what a game.

Loperfido hits one down the RF line, right on the chalk, to score a couple runs, then, makes that barehand catch falling on the warning track.  Altuve runs down a pop up with the bases loaded and makes a back to the infield catch on Correa.  Correa makes an impossible play on Pena's grounder up the middle.  Miranda runs his hit streak to 10 ABs.  The Twins homer for the 22nd straight game, and put up seven runs in the bottom of nine with two outs.

I mean, come on people, this game was off the chain, all this in one nine inning game!

[Whitey333]

Weird game.  Weird manager but we should be used to that.  When the game was relatively close at 7-5 he seemed to be throwing in the towel with Winder and Funderburk.  At least they both keep showing the don't belong in the majors.  At least not with the Twins.  Keep sending Margo to pinch hit for viable left handed batter in Larnach.  Margo is 0 for 20 pinch hitting yet our great manager keeps sending him up there.  That's 0 for 20.  Plus he butchered a ball in left field that most would have caught.  The Twibs are now 17-26 against teams with winning records.  People say what a comeback.  Yes scoring 7 runs in the 9th was good.  But they still lost. This isn't the NHL where you get points for just showing up.  Pinch hitting for Miranda when he's hit 10 in a row?  Absolute insanity.  That is what is Rocco ball.  It stinks.  People say well the team has a winning record.  But perhaps it could be better if we had a manager that used common sense mixed In with his analytical playbook.

 

[thelanges5]

Saw this in a Gleeman tweet. Have some work to do on the pitching side of the house. 
 

Pitching staff through 88 games.

Last year — 329 runs allowed (#1 in MLB) This year — 391 runs allowed (#20 in MLB)

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I don't care about Miranda getting taken out in a 8 run game but his quote is respectfully ********. 

There was 1 out in the ninth after Margot led off the inning with an out. Miranda and Santana were the guys to get off their feet... not because they were the most tired but because they followed Margot in the batting order in a lost cause. That's why... It was safe to play Martin and Farmer and throw them an AB when it doesn't matter and Miranda and Santana just happened to be the next two spots in the batting order before the curtain comes down. 

If the game was tied... If it wasn't an 8 run deficit. Miranda and Santana would have hit in the 9th while Martin and Farmer stay on the bench. 

This doesn't tell me "they've been on their feet for a while. No reason not to get them off". 

This tells me that the manager he's trying to get a stupid AB for guys at the bottom of his bench. 

When a manager does that sort of thing... He's hanging a neon sign around the player that says it's best to play these guys when it doesn't matter. 

If the Manager is doing that sort of thing to a player. The player needs to be replaced on the roster. 

It's time to send Martin down and it's time to cut Farmer. 

He’s just trying to get them a rep to be ready for when it may count later in the weekend.

Generally, if the Twins don’t inexplicably score 7 runs in the 9th there’s no angst for pinch hitters - Winder and Funderburk eating some innings & not pitching well while behind - etc.

Lopez had a 2.00 WHIP through 5 innings and gave up 6 earned. That’s the root of the problem, IMO. The managing criticism after that is pretty subjective based on hindsight. Need to burn all the Pablo Day jerseys as it surely seems to be in his head or they’re just bad luck???

”On their feet” is just a quick comment in the moment……,”we were out of it so I thought I’d get a couple other guys AB’s” isn’t the right thing to say either in a competition.

[USAFChief]

9 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

He’s just trying to get them a rep to be ready for when it may count later in the weekend.

Generally, if the Twins don’t inexplicably score 7 runs in the 9th there’s no angst for pinch hitters - Winder and Funderburk eating some innings & not pitching well while behind - etc.

Lopez had a 2.00 WHIP through 5 innings and gave up 6 earned. That’s the root of the problem, IMO. The managing criticism after that is pretty subjective based on hindsight. Need to burn all the Pablo Day jerseys as it surely seems to be in his head or they’re just bad luck???

”On their feet” is just a quick comment in the moment……,”we were out of it so I thought I’d get a couple other guys AB’s” isn’t the right thing to say either in a competition.

They wouldn't BE behind 7 without Winder's contributions. 

Why TF was he the 2nd reliever called on in a winnable game, with a rested pen? By definition he's the 8th best reliever, and that's generous. 

[Doctor Gast]

What can you say? The lineup was great up & down. Miranda was a monster & Correa grand slam was very timely. The defense was great especially as always Correa. Didn't Lopido's catch hit the wall before he brought it in?

Pitching? There's the problem. It wasn't Pablo's day, he should have had a short leash. After the 5th we were leading! They finally brought Alcala in & after the damage had been done with the way the offense was generating we still had a very good chance to win this game! Why bring in low-leverage Winder (who has been absent for a long time recovering, for 2innings) & Funderburg?! I have advocated since the beginning of the season to bring up Varland to the MLB BP. Here would have been a perfect opportunity to bring in Varland & have him pitch at least 1X through the order.

As I said pre-game, HOU is a test. HOU is a good team & they are HOT. We need to put out HOU's fire, we don't want to face HOU red hot in the postseason & we need to show everybody we are a better team. But last nite we gave HOU every opportunity to win that game. So far we have failed the test & dug a hole for us to try to get out of. For me it's hard to know who is to blame, the policy, Baldelli or both.

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

I may be in the minority here but when a guy has 10 straight hits I don't pinch hit for him.  Seems like he might be hot.  Just sayin

I think the thought process is he will have a better shot at extending his streak against a starting pitcher tomorrow after he gets some rest after the game vs hitting against Hader who we didn’t know was going to implode 

[USAFChief]

7 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I think the thought process is he will have a better shot at extending his streak against a starting pitcher tomorrow after he gets some rest after the game vs hitting against Hader who we didn’t know was going to implode 

?

When he was PH for, Hader wasn't even warming up, much less in the game.

[FlyingFinn]

For some reason, I'm thinking fans wouldn't be happy if Rocco gives Miranda a day of rest on Saturday.........

Back to Friday's game - did Austin Martin getting a hit when he pinch hit for Miranda help or hurt Rocco's decision not to bat Miranda? He got a hit so Miranda couldn't really have done any better (didn't need a homer there). But if he doesn't get a hit, the game ends at 13-5 with Farmer getting out. But what if Margot had got on base and Martin hit again. That's the spot we would have really wanted Mirandas power to come to the plate, down by one run.

For a poorly played game on the pitching and managerial side especially, so many fascinating things.