Twins 12, Reds 5: Byron Buxton Homers Twice, Carlos Correa Tallies Three Hits to Stop Losing Skid

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Box Score

SP: Chris Paddack 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 0 BB (82 pitches, 51 strikes (62%))
Home Runs: Byron Buxton 2 (14), Kody Clemens (7), Ryan Jeffers (5)
Top 3 WPA: Buxton .175, Clemens .168, Jeffers .136
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

After six straight losses and another series slipping away, the Twins finally gave fans something to smile about. Minnesota’s lineup came alive Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati, slugging its way to a 12-5 win and avoiding a second consecutive sweep.

Byron Buxton wasted no time setting the tone, launching his second leadoff home run in as many games to put the Twins up 1-0. The early spark was quickly erased in the bottom of the first, however, as the Reds took a 2-1 lead—but this time, the Twins didn’t fold.

In the second inning, Kody Clemens hit his first home run since June 7, and Buxton followed with his second blast of the day. It was his fourth home run in the past three games and his 15th of the season, as he continues his incredible season (worthy of All-Star honors). The damage off Reds starter Nick Martinez didn’t stop there. Ty France and Ryan Jeffers each ripped 2-run doubles in the third inning to push the lead to 7-2 and end Martinez’s day before he could get nine outs.

The Reds got a couple back in the bottom of the fourth on a Gavin Lux home run, but the Twins answered right away with RBI hits from Trevor Larnach and Carlos Correa to make it 9-4. Then in the eighth, Jeffers delivered the final big blow with a 448-foot, 2-run homer. That swing was especially encouraging after he left Tuesday’s game early with a hand injury and sat out Wednesday. It was his fifth home run of the year. Brooks Lee added another insurance run in the ninth with a bases-loaded walk, to cap the scoring. (Earlier in the game, Lee also extended his hitting streak to an impressive 18 games.)

The offensive outburst contained 17 hits, including one from each starter, and featured 3-hit games from both Buxton and Correa. The bats finally looked alive after a sluggish two-week stretch and showed what this group can do when things are clicking, especially for their two best players.

That firepower gave Chris Paddack some rare breathing room. He wasn’t especially sharp, allowing six hits and four earned runs over five innings with just three strikeouts. But the early cushion (something he hasn't had much of this season) gave him enough to work with, and he was able to turn things over to the bullpen with a lead. Cole Sands allowed one run in relief, while Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe, Griffin Jax, and Justin Topa combined to keep the Reds in check the rest of the way.

The only really worrisome note of the day is that Paddack's velocity was down 2.2 miles per hour, on average, and seemed to sag as the game went along. Hopefully, it was just an off day for the Sheriff. He still did enough to prevent the early lead from slipping into jeopardy. It will be worth monitoring his velocity next time out.

The Twins still dropped the series in Cincinnati, but this win snapped the losing streak and could be the spark they’ve been searching for. With the rotation in a tough spot right now, the lineup may need to lead the way, and Thursday was a big step toward getting back on track.

What’s next?
The Twins return home to open a six-game homestand on Friday night. Joe Ryan will take the mound against highly touted Brewers pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Target Field.

Postgame Interviews

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Bullpen Usage Chart

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[MMMordabito]

Buck's gotta be hoping his next series at Great American doesn't take as long to get to as his first one.

[Vanimal46]

Even if it’s just for a day, it’s nice to see the bats wake up. There’s no question that Buxton should be the Twins representative in the all star game. 

[Peter]

Road trip was horrible but most importantly now twins are back to .500! Time to get on long winning streak starting tomorrow!

[Parfigliano]

Hope the bats are back to work for longer then they took vacation.

[MinnesotaTwins26]

Awesome photo of Buck!

[mikelink45]

Only negative - 

Quote

He wasn’t especially sharp, allowing six hits and four earned runs over five innings

Nice to have the offense wake up, but we have learned not to count on it.  But right now Ober and Paddock have both looked shaky the last two starts and Festa and SWR are both question marks each game.  We need a lot more if we are going to start the elevator back up. 

[Doctor Gast]

I'm very concerned about Paddack's arm history & the amount he has pitched prior. The reduction in velo, IMO, is a red flag to dial him back. The offense has let him down when he was doing well, but now picked him up when he wasn't so great. If we want to compete, we needed to pick up a SP to eat innings when Lopez went down. Right now, our rotation is fragile, it won't take much to completely unravel.

Buxton is an all-star, he should be in this All-Star game. We have the offense that can score a bunch of runs in a row, but can they hit in the clutch?

[Parfigliano]

Pretty sure today is Thursday and relief pitchers were used.  

[jmlease1]

Great game from Buxton, who is playing like an all-star indeed. It's so nice to see him playing without pain. Really gave the team a lift today. 

Be nice if this explosion gets some guys rolling for a few weeks. Hope to see the offense carry the load a bit.

Normally, I'd want Paddack to go 6, but with his velocity down, gutting through 5 seems fine. Hard to know if this is a red flag or not; he's had this happen before where his velocity dropped in a game...and then the next time out he was back to normal. We shall see; right now we need him.

[AceWrigley]

43 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Pretty sure today is Thursday and relief pitchers were used.  

Yep, 90 degrees out here on the east coast and pitchers of Boston Lager were a definite relief.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I didn't watch and the Twins won. You're welcome.

[FlyingFinn]

Buxton healthy and playing like this, missing so few games. I can't believe we are still only .500.

[BrokenCompass]

Buxton could hit 30 homers again this year. Nice to see what he can do when healthy, fingers crossed. 

Hope this ignites the bats. This team has been impossible to watch lately just struggling to score 1 or 2 runs per game - not fun baseball. 

Pitching has carried this team so far. If the bats don't wake up, it's another 88 loss season. 

[stringer bell]

18 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Buxton healthy and playing like this, missing so few games. I can't believe we are still only .500.

The two others widely projected to be stars this year, Lewis and Correa, haven't produced much at all. I think that's the answer to the query.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

The two others widely projected to be stars this year, Lewis and Correa, haven't produced much at all. I think that's the answer to the query.

Agreed. Plus Julien forgetting how to hit. 

[stringer bell]

Good day for the offense. Every player got at least one hit, seven scored runs and seven had RBI. That isn't going to happen every day, but having a majority of guys going decently should get 4-6 runs per game. Getting some big hits with runners on would really move the needle for run-scoring.

[Twins GFP]

1 hour ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

I didn't watch and the Twins won. You're welcome.

You realize the expectation now...

[RpR]

[Blyleven2011]

I missed watching the game and had to look at box score ...

Incredible they got 17 hits and double digit runs , all starters plus Bader got at least 1 hit , homerun barrage,  some with a runner on ( thats a step in the right direction )...

I don't know what got into them ( hitters ) , I've watched through some pretty lousy games and then they have this great exciting game like this that I missed ...

I'll take the win 

[stringer bell]

Just now, Blyleven2011 said:

I missed watching the game and had to look at box score ...

Incredible they got 17 hits and double digit runs , all starters plus Bader got at least 1 hit , homerun barrage,  some with a runner on ( thats a step in the right direction )...

I don't know what got into them ( hitters ) , I've watched through some pretty lousy games and then they have this great exciting game like this that I missed ...

I'll take the win 

Well for one thing, Martinez is a so-so RHP. The Twins especially struggled on the road trip against left handed pitching. One would think that having Buxton, Correa and Lewis on the roster would make a daunting challenge for lefties, but here we go again. 

[Blyleven2011]

7 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Well for one thing, Martinez is a so-so RHP. The Twins especially struggled on the road trip against left handed pitching. One would think that having Buxton, Correa and Lewis on the roster would make a daunting challenge for lefties, but here we go again. 

No idea why they aren't hitting left handers and yes we saw plenty of lefthanders on this road trip  , Martinez was given the qualifying offer last off season and he accepted , so he must of had a good 2024 ...

What's Milwaukee throwing at us , lefthanders ???

[stringer bell]

4 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

No idea why they aren't hitting left handers and yes we saw plenty of lefthanders on this road trip  , Martinez was given the qualifying offer last off season and he accepted , so he must of had a good 2024 ...

What's Milwaukee throwing at us , lefthanders ???

Two righties, one lefty (Saturday). 

[Aggies7]

1 hour ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

I didn't watch and the Twins won. You're welcome.

Me too. I listened though, does that count?

[RpR]

Back in the days of Clear Channel radio, one could listen to some games in cities a goodly distance away and hear how the other teams announcers handled the game.

   Long gone now sadly.

[Parfigliano]

I remember in the 1990's till about 2005 I would listen to day games at work in New Mexico via my work computer for free.  No subscription required.  Free.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

You realize the expectation now...

I'll take one for the team.

[DJL44]

5 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

There’s no question that Buxton should be the Twins representative in the all star game. 

Plus Joe Ryan, but definitely Buxton.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

Back in the days of Clear Channel radio, one could listen to some games in cities a goodly distance away and hear how the other teams announcers handled the game.

   Long gone now sadly.

I listened to the Reds broadcast on Sirius today. The opposing broadcast is always on option on the MLB radio app. Rather than being "long gone" this is easier to do now than ever before.

[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Plus Joe Ryan, but definitely Buxton.

Pitchers is usually where they do their shenanigans to get every team represented. The Twins may not get 2 all stars by that date because of record, but no matter what, Buxton is worthy of the nod.