Twins 6, Guardians 5: It's Enough Already With the Innings. No Extra Innings, Thank You.

[Sherry Cerny]

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Box Score
Starting Pitcher (kind of): Joe Ryan 5.0 P, 3H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K (89 pitches, 51 strikes (65%))
Home Runs: None
Win Probability Chart (via Baseball Savant)

The Twins took on the Guardians today…again. Or still? Finally? The Twins and Guardians have had a rough go this week, thanks to the weather. First, Monday's game was delayed and (eventually) suspended by rain, pushing things to Tuesday. There were dogs at the game for Bark in the Park, but sadly for all the good boys and girls, they were rained out. Then Tuesday's 1.7 remaining games were also banged.

The innings that they did play on Monday with Bailey Ober on the bump gave the Twins a 2-1 edge to take into Wednesday, but Joe Ryan would take over for Ober, keeping things somewhere within shouting distance of normal.

Monday was wet and gross from the start, but still, the first three innings were played. Ober looked good on the mound, and the Twins answered an early Cleveland tally with individual ones in the first and second.

A misplay off the wall by rookie Carson McCusker made Cleveland's run possible, but their lead wouldn't last. The Twins got one back on an RBI single by (who else, lately?) Ty France in the bottom half of that inning, after Ryan Jeffers set the table as the leadoff man against lefty Logan Allen.

Willi Castro joined the team in this game and was looking good. He missed a very short time after taking a foul off his knee, but that didn't stop him from legging out a double to help the guys score in the bottom of the second, putting them up 2-1 before the rain ruined the hit parade.

The game picked up right where it left off in the fourth inning Wednesday, and Joe Ryan came out looking prepared as ever. For him, it was as if he was starting in inning one. One of the hardest things for pitchers is all the issues with being routine, and changes in schedules can cause body issues, but Ryan and the offense were (mostly) ready. 

Ryan did work his way around the corners with Carlos Santana to get started. His former teammate was patient as always, and he waited for the perfect pitch. Ryan kept the ball low and in the zone, and Santana finally met Ryan where he was at. His home run to right field knotted things up, and signaled a trend that would continue for Ryan throughout the day: slightly diminished stuff.

Per the usual with the Guardians, nothing is ever easy. In the bottom of the fourth (which still felt a lot like the first), the Twins had a big answer for Santana's homer. With a righty taking over, Kody Clemens pinch-hit for McCusker, and promptly cracked an RBI triple to reclaim the lead for Minnesota.

Harrison Bader hit a sacrifice fly to score Clemens, doubling the lead. Insurance is always great against this Guardians team, because the magic they possess to win is deep, dark stuff, not to be trusted.

After that, Ryan (with the help of Ryan Jeffers) settled in nicely. Despite diminished velocity, Ryan worked in and out of trouble. Jeffers caught a foul tip that ricocheted off his own body a time or two, to convert a key strikeout. Later in the contest, he threw out a would-be base-stealer.

The bottom of the eighth was almost part of the new routine for the Twins. The small ball aspect has been the greatest part of this season for the team. Singles from Trevor Larnach and Jonah Bride set the table, followed by a beautifully laid-down bunt from Clemens to advance Keirsey. Bader brought pinch-runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr. home on a single to left, flared just over the drawn-in infield. The Twins seemed to have more than enough cushion, but who are we kidding? it’s the Guardians, and it’s going into the ninth and more black magic was about to ensue. 

Ryan was pulled off the mound, after putting the first two batters of the inning on base. Jhoan Duran came in, registering his first out, before everything really (if only temporarily) got away from the Twins. Duran gave up a single to Nolan Jones, which scored Ramírez, trimming the lead to 5-3. A wild pitch from Duran subsequently moved everyone up, and Bo Naylor then brought home both runners with a huge, game-tying hit. It seems like the Twins never get a break with the Guardians. Thankfully, Duran escaped without allowing further damage.

Cade Smith took the mound to start the bottom of the ninth, and movement in both pens started to happen. With one out, Ty France took one for the team, going to first via his seventh plunking of the season. Keirsey flied out, leaving it to Jonah Bride to extend the rally. Bride was able to get on base, though, and pinch-runner Ryan Fitzgerald replaced France for the opportunity to bring home a winning run. 

Clemens, then, got to play the hero. His slicing line drive got over the glove of center fielder Angel Martínez, and Fitzgerald scored the winner. Clemens has been a huge factor in the Twins winning with players like Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton being out. Both players are starting to make their way through concussion protocol, Correa is further along, but the peace of knowing that their teammates have their back and can keep the fire going has to be a great feeling. 

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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[JD-TWINS]

Clemens keeps showing gap power - 2 XBH in first game & 1 XBH in 2nd game. 2B/1B/RF flexibility ……. he looks to contribute going forward.

The PEN I’m always backing had a rough day……Duran was pretty blah, only had 2 pitches today and that was a problem in the cold conditions……..reduced velocity on other two oitches.

Sands - HR ……Varland - walking a run in ……Funderburk - roughed up………another day off tomorrow to get heads right!

Paddack got through 5 unscathed - couple LOUD outs to the OF to end innings. He’s getting outs?

Gotta have more than 3 hits to be competitive in the 2nd game. Hoping for a 1-0 shutout is nearly a fantasy thought these days.

[h2oface]

Let me give a more detailed description of the top of the 9th inning, and perhaps get some help from someone on the official scoring, and how runs and consequential stats were created.

Ryan gave up a double to Ramirez on a middle fastball just outside the zone on a 3-2 count, and then walked Mazardo on 4 pitches, and was pulled for Duran, who inherited runners on second and first with no outs. Santana was the first batter faced, and only swung at one pitch, a 95 mph splitter on the 6th pitch of the at bat on a 3-2 count that dropped well below the zone, and he was credited with a fielder's choice as one of Ryan's responsibilites, Manzardo, was forced out at second. One out with Ramirez on third and Santana, Duran's batter, on first. Then Jones walloped a 1-2 count 98 mph 4 seammer right down the middle adding another 4 mph to the exit velocity for a crisp single to left, and Ramirez trots in (Ryan's last batter who had a lead off double) and Santana is now on second. Duran then continues make the homies bite their nails, and uncorks a first pitch wild pitch to Arias to advance the runners, who are now both batters that Duran faced, to second and third, before striking him out on the next 3 pitches. Then Naylor, on the 7th pitch of 3-2 count crushes another pretty middle middle splitter that Castro totally misplays off the wall and he has to chase it down as it went right past him. Both Duran's batters score and Naylor stops at second. Would Jones have scored from first, if no WP? Probably, after Castro's misplay of the wall. Both the misplay and the WP are not counted as any type of error in the scoring, of course. After 23 pitches, Duran finally gets the a soft grounder to second to end the disasterous inning. Could have been worse, I guess, as the score is now tied, and we are not behind.

So why the detail? The scoring. Ryan was charged with 2 earned runs, WP and misplay aside, and the fact that only one of the batters he faced, Ramirez, scored. Manzardo was eliminated at second. Duran was charged with 2 of 2 inherited runners scored, when only one of the inherited runners scored, and despite coming in the game with 2 runners on, and three runs scoring on his watch, he only is scored as having given up one run. So Ryan gets charged with Santana, as if he pitched to him? because Manzardo was out on a Fielder's Choice? Now Ryan is responsible for giving up the contact to Santana, who he never faced? Duran gets a blown save, and robs the win from Ryan. I guess this is what happened. Perhaps someone can confirm for me. Maybe this is just the first time in all these years I noticed this transfer of a batter to another pitcher. 

 

A last aside, here. It doesn't do much good to take 6 walks if the team isn't going to get any of them around to score. Best to get HBP, perhaps, as France's resulted in the winning run in the 9th. And the win is the only stat that really matters for a "team".

Clemens sure has been a valuable pick-up so far.

[JD-TWINS]

4 hours ago, h2oface said:

Let me give a more detailed description of the top of the 9th inning, and perhaps get some help from someone on the official scoring, and how runs and consequential stats were created.

Ryan gave up a double to Ramirez on a middle fastball just outside the zone on a 3-2 count, and then walked Mazardo on 4 pitches, and was pulled for Duran, who inherited runners on second and first with no outs. Santana was the first batter faced, and only swung at one pitch, a 95 mph splitter on the 6th pitch of the at bat on a 3-2 count that dropped well below the zone, and he was credited with a fielder's choice as one of Ryan's responsibilites, Manzardo, was forced out at second. One out with Ramirez on third and Santana, Duran's batter, on first. Then Jones walloped a 1-2 count 98 mph 4 seammer right down the middle adding another 4 mph to the exit velocity for a crisp single to left, and Ramirez trots in (Ryan's last batter who had a lead off double) and Santana is now on second. Duran then continues make the homies bite their nails, and uncorks a first pitch wild pitch to Arias to advance the runners, who are now both batters that Duran faced, to second and third, before striking him out on the next 3 pitches. Then Naylor, on the 7th pitch of 3-2 count crushes another pretty middle middle splitter that Castro totally misplays off the wall and he has to chase it down as it went right past him. Both Duran's batters score and Naylor stops at second. Would Jones have scored from first, if no WP? Probably, after Castro's misplay of the wall. Both the misplay and the WP are not counted as any type of error in the scoring, of course. After 23 pitches, Duran finally gets the a soft grounder to second to end the disasterous inning. Could have been worse, I guess, as the score is now tied, and we are not behind.

So why the detail? The scoring. Ryan was charged with 2 earned runs, WP and misplay aside, and the fact that only one of the batters he faced, Ramirez, scored. Manzardo was eliminated at second. Duran was charged with 2 of 2 inherited runners scored, when only one of the inherited runners scored, and despite coming in the game with 2 runners on, and three runs scoring on his watch, he only is scored as having given up one run. So Ryan gets charged with Santana, as if he pitched to him? because Manzardo was out on a Fielder's Choice? Now Ryan is responsible for giving up the contact to Santana, who he never faced? Duran gets a blown save, and robs the win from Ryan. I guess this is what happened. Perhaps someone can confirm for me. Maybe this is just the first time in all these years I noticed this transfer of a batter to another pitcher. 

 

A last aside, here. It doesn't do much good to take 6 walks if the team isn't going to get any of them around to score. Best to get HBP, perhaps, as France's resulted in the winning run in the 9th. And the win is the only stat that really matters for a "team".

Clemens sure has been a valuable pick-up so far.

I get the upset/confusion over Manzardo being out at 2B but not eliminating Santana, now on base, as Ryan’s runner. My only explanation would be that, while Ryan didn’t face Santana and had nothing to do with him reaching base, he also had nothing to do with Manzardo being out at 2B. It’s the “fielder’s choice” that makes Santana his responsibility. If the guy goes to 1B and gets Duran an out, then Manzardo is at 2B. The fielder determines where to go to get the out so since Duran got an out, he’s not responsible for where the other runners ended up after the play - Duran didn’t allow an “additional” runner.