Twins 5, Orioles 2: Buxton and Bader Bombs, Varland Goes Rolling All the Way to a Win

[Peter Labuza]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 61 pitches, 33 strikes (54.1%)
Home Runs: Byron Buxton (9), Harrison Bader (4)
Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.225), Harrison Bader (.145), Danny Columbe (.112)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): 

Mr. Softee
Making his sixth start (seven if you count the Justin Topa opener game in Atlanta), Simeon Woods Richardson played a soft contact game. He easily ran through the top of Baltimore's order with a pair of harmless pop-ups and a groundout to begin the game, and then induced two easy outs in the second before walking Jackson Holliday. Before that could spell trouble, Ryan Jeffers gave his hurler an assist by catching Holliday on a steal of second (in part thanks to a challenge initiated by Joey Casey, in the video room).

That proved essential, as Ramón Laureano returned to the plate in the next inning and launched one deep to center field off Wood Richardson's curveball. Thankfully, the pitcher remained steadfast, easily pushing through the next two innings. The Baltimore Orioles have the league's worst strikeout rate since April 24, at 28,.2%, but Woods Richardson relied quite evenly on his various off-speed pitches to work grounders and easy fly balls.

Buck Around and Bang Out
Byron Buxton continued to prove himself the team's heart and soul, with Rocco Baldelli putting the hot hitter at the top of the lineup even against a right-handed starter. Charlie Morton allowed a single to Willi Castro and then clipped Kody Clemens on what would have been ball four to start the third inning. Buxton then stepped up to the plate (after striking out to begin the game) and hammered one to the second deck, making it three straight games with a dinger. Since the end of his slump to start the year, his slugging percentage sits at a mammoth .652.

Morton entered this game with an ERA nearing 10.00, which ticked over that brightline after the smash hit. The 41-year-old continued to touch 96 mph with his fastball and limited his walks, but manager Brandon Hyde had seen enough after four innings and 70 pitches. Buxton promptly scored another hit off reliever Bryan Baker, though was left stranded at first.

Bullpen Acrobatics
It was a short start for Woods Richardson, who had cruised through 4 2/3 innings at only 50 pitches before three straight hits added a run. With a 3-2 game and runners on the corner, Baldelli called upon lefty Danny Coulombe to clean up the mess—and the trusty lefty did, with a strikeout against Cedric Mullins. Columbe returned for the sixth, getting two outs before missing a cover of first base that pushed Ryan O'Hearn onto first.

Things then looked like they were up for an ugly turn with Louis Varland on the mound. Ryan Mountcastle edged out a single on a slow dribbler to Brooks Lee, and Jackson Holliday rolled one over to the right side that would have loaded the bases. But the former wrestler-turned-pitcher dived, rolled, and tossed the ball into Ty France's glove to beat out the hustling Holliday. As Justin Morneau commented, "Who said pitchers aren't athletes?" (Provus reminded him that Mourney had said it "many times".)

Swap Meet
After Royce Lewis walked to start the seventh, Baldelli began moving his chess pieces by subbing DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to run for the still-recovering slugger, in hopes of a steal; and swapping left-hander Kody Clemens for Harrison Bader to face the southpaw Keegan Akin. Bader only needed two pitches to launch a 408-foot homer to up the lead to three.

That would be enough to finish the game. Bader would make a nice catch to help keep extra traffic out of Griffin Jax's way as he took the eighth, while Castro—moving into 2nd after beginning in the outfield—made a nice double play to assist the set-up man. Jhoan Duran cleaned up the ninth with three strikeouts.

News & Notes
—The Twins are now on a four-game winning streak, which is the longest the team has had since a four game streak than began on July 31st.

—NBA Broadcaster Brian Anderson joined Cory Provus and Justin Morneau during the game to talk Wolves. Anderson asked when Provus would get his statue; Provus suggested he should get one above a urinal. 

—Twins players are participating in a Week of Service and spent the day packing meal kits. Former Twin Kyle Gibson joined his old team to help put together the meals and invited various Orioles to participate as well.

What’s Next? 

The Twins look for a sweep to the three-game series, with Joe Ryan (2-2, 2.93 ERA) facing off against Dean Kremer (3-4, 5.73 ERA) at high noon—before the Giants come into town on Friday, coinciding with other battles amongst Minnesota and the Bay Area.

Postgame Interview

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Stewart 13 16 0 0 17 46 Durán 16 9 0 0 14 39 Jax 7 14 0 0 17 38 Varland 0 7 0 12 10 29 Coulombe 0 0 0 11 17 28 Sands 12 0 0 10 0 22 Alcalá 0 0 0 20 0 20 Topa 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

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[Aggies7]

Baseball is fun to watch again! Don’t make me regret* saying this!

[jmlease1]

Lot of things to like about this game, but not the fact that SWR couldn't get out of the 5th. considering how much the team has struggled this season, I can't really blame Rocco for managing it tight and trying to hold the lead. If it was already 5-2, I think he gets the chance to go deeper, but it's fair to look at the O's and go "let's not give these guys hope". Let's be honest, we want them to go quietly tomorrow on getaway day too.

Buxton looks to be on a real roll right now. This is the player we love, the one we always hoped we'd get for a full season. Stay healthy, buddy. Please!

Nice to get the dinger from Bader. Good hitting from France, even if there's not much pop. Duran looked great, absolutely dominant.

Just win, baby.

[arby58]

12 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Nice to get the dinger from Bader. Good hitting from France, even if there's not much pop. 

Bader has been really good, and France has been acceptable - lots of people on this board who thought differently a few months ago. I know, it's a long season, but Bader also brings super defense to go along with good offense. Given the Twins credit for that pick-up.

[Galen]

On to .500, then I'll feel better

[Jocko87]

SWR got absurdly lucky to get through 4 2/3 on 50 pitches. Just over half of them were strikes, he was on a short leash.

[Vanimal46]

I honestly don’t have the time to watch the Twins right now, but I’m happy that the wins are stacking up lately. This is the version of Byron Buxton we’ve dreamed about for 10 years. Come on baseball Gods, give us 1 full year of this Byron Buxton. 

[FlyingFinn]

Varland's hustle to make that play at first base was my play of the game. Clearly a case where playing multiple sports as a youth helps a player come out of a play like that with an out instead of an injury IMO.

[David HK]

Been short on time lately - just opened a show in addition to the schoolmaster gig.  But got a chance to check in here and there-- 

Jim Palmer, after Ty France had waved a pitch juuuuuust a bit outside:  "That one was in Belgium." 😂

And omg, the O's broadcast was still running, and Charlie Morton had stepped up to the mike.  What an incredibly honest, heartfelt, painful soliloquy from an aging ballplayer still feeling like he has the tools and the heart, but pouring open his soul trying to figure out why it's all  gone wrong.  I stopped in my tracks and just watched.  It was Charlie Morton's Lear unfolding.  Just, wow.

[TheLeviathan]

I said it two weeks ago:

The AL Central (and the AL in general) is weak enough that all the Twins need is one guy to start hitting like an all-star and their pitching staff can get them to rack up some wins.  Buck is making that statement come alive.

This game was well managed.  Something you won't see the usual crowd come to post about.

[knothole61]

Impressive win...now 3 games below .500. 

Small steps...

Yeah, on Tuesday night I was happy to hear Justin's voice, like an old friend who had unexpectedly returned. Truth be told, Denard did nothing for me. He's knowledgeable, etc., but he left me kind of flat. So, when I heard Morneau's voice filled as it is with boyish enthusiasm, well, it warmed the cockles of my old heart.

Morneau truly was a great player, of that there is no doubt, and I think that he might make an effective (maybe great) hitting coach if he chooses to go that route. His knowledge of pitchers and pitching is absolutely amazing, but unfortunately, also absolutely unbearable at times. On Tuesday after my infatuation passed I found myself muting his voice quite frequently as his pedantry was loosed along the airwaves. Good god man, do you have to beat every explanation to death? The broadcast's producers should encourage him to cut his sometimes turgid analysis by about two-thirds...I think that would do nicely for starters.

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

15 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I said it two weeks ago:

The AL Central (and the AL in general) is weak enough that all the Twins need is one guy to start hitting like an all-star and their pitching staff can get them to rack up some wins.  Buck is making that statement come alive.

This game was well managed.  Something you won't see the usual crowd come to post about.

The board is very quiet after wins. 

That was a well played game. Just wish SWR could do a bit better. 

[arby58]

43 minutes ago, Galen said:

On to .500, then I'll feel better

Their starting/relief pitching will get them there - it's whether they can generate consistent offense to keep them there. Can't do it with just Buxton above .800 OPS. 

[arby58]

16 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I said it two weeks ago:

The AL Central (and the AL in general) is weak enough that all the Twins need is one guy to start hitting like an all-star and their pitching staff can get them to rack up some wins.  Buck is making that statement come alive.

This game was well managed.  Something you won't see the usual crowd come to post about.

If the season ended today, the AL Central would have 3 teams in the play-offs - versus one from the east and two from the west.  Detroit, Cleveland, and KC are not 'weak enough'  in comparison to the rest of the AL.

[Aggies7]

42 minutes ago, knothole61 said:

 

Impressive win...now 3 games below .500. 

Small steps...

Yeah, on Tuesday night I was happy to hear Justin's voice, like an old friend who had unexpectedly returned. Truth be told, Denard did nothing for me. He's knowledgeable, etc., but he left me kind of flat. So, when I heard Morneau's voice filled as it is with boyish enthusiasm, well, it warmed the cockles of my old heart.

Morneau truly was a great player, of that there is no doubt, and I think that he might make an effective (maybe great) hitting coach if he chooses to go that route. His knowledge of pitchers and pitching is absolutely amazing, but unfortunately, also absolutely unbearable at times. On Tuesday after my infatuation passed I found myself muting his voice quite frequently as his pedantry was loosed along the airwaves. Good god man, do you have to beat every explanation to death? The broadcast's producers should encourage him to cut his sometimes turgid analysis by about two-thirds...I think that would do nicely for starters.

 

 

This was a post of two halves here 😂
 

One funny part of the game was a seemingly annoyed Justin saying “why are we holding (the runner- I assume)?” before it cut to commercial. Didn’t know the mic was hot 😂

[S Bart]

Recent articles listed Ryan in a potential trade with Baltimore and Lopez in a potential trade with the Dodgers. Obviously, they are "writer rumors." Regardless, I hope that the Twins don't consider trading these two or Ober this early in the season. These three are the brightest area for the Twins.

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, arby58 said:

If the season ended today, the AL Central would have 3 teams in the play-offs - versus one from the east and two from the west.  Detroit, Cleveland, and KC are not 'weak enough'  in comparison to the rest of the AL.

Yup, I think the whole AL is weak.  A team with a starters ERA near 2.4 ought to be cleaning up.

We finally have one dude hitting and suddenly wins are stacking.  The bar was seriously so low thanks to our pitching and we were still too feeble to hit it.

[GNess]

30 minutes ago, S Bart said:

Recent articles listed Ryan in a potential trade with Baltimore and Lopez in a potential trade with the Dodgers. Obviously, they are "writer rumors." Regardless, I hope that the Twins don't consider trading these two or Ober this early in the season. These three are the brightest area for the Twins.

What was the source of those rumors? The Twins would have to be out of the race (which they  aren''t right now) and it would require a massive haul to deal either Ryan or Lopez.  

 

What would be the rationale to deal the core SP with Correa and Buxton still on the roster?

[The Great Hambino]

36 minutes ago, GNess said:

What would be the rationale to deal the core SP with Correa and Buxton still on the roster?

That would be one way to convince them to waive their no trades, I guess

[Blyleven2011]

Another win , 4 in arow , tied for previous win streak , maybe we can make it 5 in arow on the matinee game Thursday afternoon  ...

Buxton when 100 percent healthy he is everything we always expected  , appreciate his health he is clicking on his 5 tool make-up ,,,

Here's hoping it last a long time ...

If varland can harness his command , he's going to be very good coming out of the bullpen for years ...

Our 3 offseason acquisitions performed  well ...

[UK Twin]

2 hours ago, S Bart said:

Recent articles listed Ryan in a potential trade with Baltimore and Lopez in a potential trade with the Dodgers. Obviously, they are "writer rumors." Regardless, I hope that the Twins don't consider trading these two or Ober this early in the season. These three are the brightest area for the Twins.

No chance. First of all, we're ages away from the trade deadline. Secondly, we've picked up form and thirdly despite our slow start we're only 2.5 games out of a WC spot. 

[UK Twin]

Well, Buck is clearly benefitting from a normal, injury-free offseason where he didn't need any surgery. His bat will cool off at some point but even when he's not hitting dingers every night he'll still beat out infield hits, steal bases and make great plays in CF. He's such a game changer in every part of the game that if he stays healthy for most of the season we've still got a good chance of making the play offs. 

I said when we signed Bader I liked the move. Has MAT defense but has more pop in his bat. For what we signed him for he's been outstanding. Clearly if we fall out of contention he'll be in high demand at the trade deadline - hopefully that won't happen though.

[techie55105]

Bader and France have turned out to be great additions to the roster, both for their defense and their situational hitting skills. Have to give the Twins credit for those pickups, despite all their other recent self-inflicted budgetary and team-for-sale decisions.

[jmlease1]

7 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

The board is very quiet after wins. 

That was a well played game. Just wish SWR could do a bit better. 

There's clearly a contingent whose biggest priority is the manager and front office getting fired, so they probably are having trouble enjoying a win?

[mikelink45]

Excellent win - two pitching observations:

1. The Orioles have one of the worst rotations in baseball.  They really blew it with all the young talent on the roster - but nice for the Twins
2. If we are going to consistently keep pulling SWR after 4 innings we should move him to the pen and bring up Festa or Matthews.  Using 5 BP arms in these games will take a toll against the second half of the season.

[wabene]

L-dog's hilarious play on the squibber has got to get his mates fired up! Bader and Buxton are bringing the juice as well. More of this please.

[Doctor Gast]

8 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Varland's hustle to make that play at first base was my play of the game. Clearly a case where playing multiple sports as a youth helps a player come out of a play like that with an out instead of an injury IMO.

That was some play by Varland. I marveled at how he could see that it was a problem play & the athlete that he is, he went for it & came up with the play. BAL came up with a lot of INF hits but Varland put a stopper on this one.

[mnfireman]

8 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I said it two weeks ago:

The AL Central (and the AL in general) is weak enough that all the Twins need is one guy to start hitting like an all-star and their pitching staff can get them to rack up some wins.  Buck is making that statement come alive.

Still tough to gain in the standings when the teams above you are playing better than you are:

(Last 10, 20, 30 games)

DET (7-3, 13-7, 21-9)

CLE (7-3, 13-7, 19-11)

KC  (8-2, 14-6, 19-11)

MIN (6-4, 12-8, 15-15)

[Doctor Gast]

The position players & pitchers have been playing very well & we've been winning games. So what is the difference from before to now (besides the absence of Julien & Gasper at 2B)? It's the addition of Lewis & Castro. There has been a lot of fuss over Lewis, but it's been Castro who has been getting the hits. Lewis is 0-6, hasn't been that great on defense or on the bases but Lewis still brings intangibles to the table that help the team to win, like fire & chemistry. If Baldelli went only by his spreadsheet, Lewis would be sitting on the bench & soon be sent back to AAA. Sooner or later, Royce will be 100% & be tearing up the league but until then he'll still help the team to win. (to be continued)

[Whitey333]

Nice streak for Twins.  Great to see Buxton playing so well!!  It has taken 10 years to get him to this point.  I hope he continues to have a great season.  The Twins will need that.