Twins 10, Mariners 1: Twins Weather the Storm, Blow Out Seattle to Escape With a Split

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB (82 pitches, 55 strikes (67%))
Home Runs: Matt Wallner (7), Brooks Lee (8), Trevor Larnach (12)
Top 3 WPA: Woods Richardson .276, Larnach .224, Lee .064
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

After ending their latest losing skid with a win Wednesday night, the Twins returned to Target Field on Thursday looking to build on that momentum. They’d have to wait a while to get started. A steady wave of morning and afternoon rain (and, in frustratingly large part, the mere anticipation thereof) delayed the game by four and a half hours. But when the clouds finally cleared, the Twins put together one of their best innings of the season on their way to a 10-1 win.

Simeon Woods Richardson got the start and kept Seattle quiet, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and one walk. He struck out six in what was his second scoreless outing in four starts since rejoining the big-league rotation.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Trevor Larnach finally broke through. After Byron Buxton reached base via walk, Larnach crushed a 421-foot home run to center field, putting the Twins up 2-0.

That swing opened the offensive floodgates, and runs rushed in in the bottom of the sixth. Brooks Lee kicked things off with his eighth home run of the year, a solo shot off Mariners reliever Zach Pop. The next five hitters piled on. Buxton ripped a two-run double. Willi Castro followed with an RBI double of his own. Carlos Correa added a two-run double, and Matt Wallner capped it all off with a two-run homer, his seventh of the season. When the dust settled, the Twins had put up eight runs in the inning and built a 10-0 lead.

The bullpen took over from there and picked up right where Woods Richardson left off. Brock Stewart, Danny Coulombe, Justin Topa, and Cole Sands each pitched scoreless frames to keep the Mariners at bay. They were one out away from back-to-back shutouts, but with two outs in the ninth, Miles Mastrobuoni knocked in Seattle’s only run with an RBI single. Even with the shutout spoiled, the Twins locked down a convincing 10-1 win to split the series.

The win ends Minnesota’s five-series losing streak. They’re now 39-42 on the season, with a -11 run differential.

What's Next
This weekend, the Twins hit the road for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers, who currently own the best record in baseball. Ex-Twins farmhand Sawyer Gipson-Long will start for Detroit, while the Twins have yet to announce their starter.

Postgame Interviews

 

Bullpen Usage Chart

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[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, Matthew Taylor said:

Ex-Twins farmhand Sawyer Gipson-Long will start for Detroit

Not gonna lie I completely forgot this guy existed. Good for him making it to the show on a red hot Tigers team

[thelanges5]

Should be Festa on Friday?

TBD - Gipson-Long

Ober - Mize

Paddack - Skubal

[Vanimal46]

Just now, thelanges5 said:

Should be Festa on Friday?

TBD - Gipson-Long

Ober - Mize

Paddack - Skubal

Another opener situation probably 

[jkcarew]

I’ll say this about Rocco…he’s never tanked a game any worse than Wilson tanked that game for Seattle. Somewhere very early in the bottom of the 6th (2-0 to start the half-inning)…he decided he really, really, REALLY wanted a rested pen for his game tomorrow against their division rival. Just sat and watched Pop throw batting practice. The regulars followed suit the best they could with one and two-pitch at bats (at least until there were 2 out in the 9th). It was comical how bad both teams wanted to be on the plane by the top of the 7th.

[David HK]

Good on the boys for taking this one.  After those 1st two games, it really looked like we were gonna get our nose rubbed in it at home, but they bounced back.

That said, who gave up that lone run in the 9th?!?  Bride?!?  You're cut!  Cut, I say!

*Bonus* -- White Sox Watch:  Sox were off, so we picked up a half game on them. 👍

[Blyleven2011]

Woods Richardson pitch fine and got 5 innings in , the players hit in bottom of the fifth and got 2 runs so SWR earned the win and he also lowered he's era to about 4 1/2 runs per nine innings pitched , that's the right direction  ...

The bubble popped in the sixth with POP pitching and the hitters crushed him for 8 runs  , that is the consistency we need to see from the hitters , multiple hits in arow  , we don't have to score 8 runs an inning , just put together multiple hit innings throughout the game that are fun to watch , that sixth inning was fun to watch  ...

End of June is here and we just won 2 games in arow with good pitching  ,  as the calendar turns to July I hope our pitchers don't blow up and give up anymore double digit losses ...

Win or lose the team needs to play more consistently , let hope it starts in Detroit because these games really do matter in the standings  ...

[DJL44]

81 games in the books. Double the stats to project season totals.

[Sjoski]

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Ex-Twins farmhand Sawyer Gipson-Long will start for Detroit

Gipson-Long was given up for 2 months of Fulmer in 2022. Good trade for Tigers.

[Vanimal46]

8 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Gibson was given up for 2 months of Fulmer in 2022. Good trade for Tigers.

Time will tell. He looks like a fringe player and could end up like another old friend Akil Baddoo for the Tigers. 

[Mike Sixel]

16 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Gibson was given up for 2 months of Fulmer in 2022. Good trade for Tigers.

 

This is why you trade expiring players for lottery picks. You might get lucky..

[knothole61]

The Twins displayed some real character today: after a long. long rain delay with the card games. and cat naps, and uncertainty whether the game would even be played, they came out in the muddy, damp drear, before just a handful of stalwart fans, and got the job done. That's character!

In 1960 John Updike wrote: "Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill." Well, the Twins did well on an uninspiring day near the end of a horrible month of baseball...let's hope that what it took to do so can carry them on to bigger and better things. 

[S Bart]

I had to do a double take when I was watching the last inning while seated behind the Seattle dugout. The announcer stated that the "pitcher", Mastrobuoni, was at bat. Mastrobuoni obviously pitched the eighth due to the lopsided score. Regardless, I cannot ever recall a pitcher being announced as a hitter at Target Field. On top of that, he had a single which ended up being the lone opposing team RBI. So, can anybody find a pitcher ever hitting an RBI at Target Field? Could this be a record? It was a strange game, but I am so happy that I braved the 4 1/2 hour wait. GO TWINS!!!!! 

 

[LA Vikes Fan]

2 hours ago, Sjoski said:

Gipson-Long was given up for 2 months of Fulmer in 2022. Good trade for Tigers.

Michael Fulmer just got DFA’d by the Cubs. We can get him back and still win the trade! Actually, his stats make him look a heck of a lot better than Joey Wentz, that’s for sure.

[stringer bell]

10 minutes ago, S Bart said:

I had to do a double take when I was watching the last inning while seated behind the Seattle dugout. The announcer stated that the "pitcher", Mastrobuoni, was at bat. Mastrobuoni obviously pitched the eighth due to the lopsided score. Regardless, I cannot ever recall a pitcher being announced as a hitter at Target Field. On top of that, he had a single which ended up being the lone opposing team RBI. So, can anybody find a pitcher ever hitting an RBI at Target Field? Could this be a record? It was a strange game, but I am so happy that I braved the 4 1/2 hour wait. GO TWINS!!!!! 

 

I believe Chris Gimenez hit a homer after pitching an inning in a blowout loss, so he  is the last Twins pitcher to get a hit. 

[JDubs]

I'm overseas in the UK and was excited to be able to watch a game that started at a reasonable time for me. Then the delay happened and it got to about midnight after the Larnach homer and I decided I had to go to sleep and just hope the bullpen could hold on in what I assumed would be a tight game. This is a very pleasant box score to wake up to!

[thelanges5]

What’s wrong with Sands? 13 earned runs in his past 14.1 IP. He had a pretty solid 2024 season. 

[CRF]

It amazing how this team can go several games, or longer...and do absolutely nothing at the plate. Then, go freakin crazy at the plate in one game...like yesterday. Now, I suppose we'll go back to sleep in Det and Mia. 

[BrokenCompass]

54 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

What’s wrong with Sands? 13 earned runs in his past 14.1 IP. He had a pretty solid 2024 season. 

Honestly I think his 2024 was more of an outlier and he's regressing to his true self. 

Tigers have an opportunity to bury a limping Twins team this weekend. 

[Sjoski]

5 hours ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

Michael Fulmer just got DFA’d by the Cubs. We can get him back and still win the trade! Actually, his stats make him look a heck of a lot better than Joey Wentz, that’s for sure.

Speaking of Wentz and winning trades.

Still a small sample size, but Alcala has yet to surrender a run with Boston, including inherited runners. 

It wasn't working here in Minnesota, so hard to blame the Twins for trading him. But yes, his replacement is worse. 

Just for clarity.  Alcala was traded for Andy Lugo....Wentz was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh. 

Now, Alcalá obviously isn’t Big Papi, but the fear is real — a guy with elite stuff (upper 90s fastball, nasty slider) who never quite put it together in Minnesota, only to blossom somewhere else!?!?

If that happens, you have to ask why?

 

 

 

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

7 hours ago, knothole61 said:

The Twins displayed some real character today: after a long. long rain delay with the card games. and cat naps, and uncertainty whether the game would even be played, they came out in the muddy, damp drear, before just a handful of stalwart fans, and got the job done. That's character!

In 1960 John Updike wrote: "Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill." Well, the Twins did well on an uninspiring day near the end of a horrible month of baseball...let's hope that what it took to do so can carry them on to bigger and better things. 

Thanks for the wonderful Updike quote. It was beautifully written.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Some of you watched a different 9th inning than I did. Sands, not Bride,  was the pitcher who gave lost the shutout.  Sands needs to do something differently, quickly.  I also suggest that Rocco order everyone to arrive at the ball park 4 hours early than they had been arriving, so the players can cat nap, play cards, socialize and relax before the game, so they can score 10 runs.

[TwinsDr2021]

48 minutes ago, CRF said:

It amazing how this team can go several games, or longer...and do absolutely nothing at the plate. Then, go freakin crazy at the plate in one game...like yesterday. Now, I suppose we'll go back to sleep in Det and Mia. 

You could see how the 5th inning was going to go. Lee homered and then France grounded out to the pitcher. Pop got way ahead of Jeffers and then walked him (on a very close pitch) and then walked Clemens on  5 pitches (also a couple of very close pitches) , and you could see he had lost a bit of control and wasn't getting any calls. (Told my son if they don't take him out now this is going to be a big inning) What was Pop going to do against Buxton? he had just thrown 8 of 9 pitches for a ball, Buxton wasn't going to swing at anything unless it was right where he wanted, he got a fat pitch and doubled, leaving Pop in the same position with Castro, then Correa and finally Wallner. 

On a different note with his swing and the way the ball was hit it didn't seem possible Wallner's hit was going to be a home run, They panned to Dozier and Mauer on TV and they both looked shocked it went that far. Kudos to Wallner that was impressive, but please hit more when the game is actually close, 4 of his 5 this month have come in blow outs.

Nice win, let try for 2/3 with the Tigers this weekend. 

[DJL44]

39 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Speaking of Wentz and winning trades.

Still a small sample size, but Alcala has yet to surrender a run with Boston, including inherited runners. 

It wasn't working here in Minnesota, so hard to blame the Twins for trading him. But yes, his replacement is worse. 

Just for clarity.  Alcala was traded for Andy Lugo....Wentz was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh. 

Now, Alcalá obviously isn’t Big Papi, but the fear is real — a guy with elite stuff (upper 90s fastball, nasty slider) who never quite put it together in Minnesota, only to blossom somewhere else!?!?

If that happens, you have to ask why?

The Marlins are quite happy they grabbed Ronny Henriquez off waivers.

[Whitey333]

Nice win Twins.  Let's somehow take this ² game Windstream into Detroit and take 2 of 3 then go to Miami and take 2 of 3.  Wishful thinking I knoŵ.

[jmlease1]

I don't exactly understand why people come to a game thread, after a Twins win to make note of various former Twins that are doing ok in other places. Just have to find every opportunity to take a poke at the front office? Got to rain on the parade of anyone who enjoyed the win?

It was a very good win, and making Seattle give up on the game is great to see. Finally managed to have some runners on base when the big flies went out too.

SWR pitched well. Threw strikes, missed some bats, and got through his innings. I'm definitely a little concerned about Sands at this point; he has really regressed this season. The K's are way down and he's yielding way too many baserunners. You can tell that he's gone from being trusted to handle high leverage situations to no leverage situations, and you have to wonder what's going on with him. Mechanical? Fighting an undisclosed injury? Or is he like a lot of relievers: not consistently good year over year?

[Sjoski]

23 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Marlins are quite happy they grabbed Ronny Henriquez off waivers.

I'm sure they are.

Henriquez wss a victim of these Twins FA pickups 

Harrison Bader (OF) – signed Feb 7 to a one‑year deal

Danny Coulombe (LHP) – signed the same day to another one‑year contract  

So why is Henriquez doing so well in Miami but struggled in the Twins organization? 

That's just baseball, or he wasn't coached well? 

Cano is another example.  Twins trade him in August of 2022. In 2023 he's an All-Star. 

 

 

 

 

[stringer bell]

6 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I don't exactly understand why people come to a game thread, after a Twins win to make note of various former Twins that are doing ok in other places. Just have to find every opportunity to take a poke at the front office? Got to rain on the parade of anyone who enjoyed the win?

It was a very good win, and making Seattle give up on the game is great to see. Finally managed to have some runners on base when the big flies went out too.

SWR pitched well. Threw strikes, missed some bats, and got through his innings. I'm definitely a little concerned about Sands at this point; he has really regressed this season. The K's are way down and he's yielding way too many baserunners. You can tell that he's gone from being trusted to handle high leverage situations to no leverage situations, and you have to wonder what's going on with him. Mechanical? Fighting an undisclosed injury? Or is he like a lot of relievers: not consistently good year over year?

Agree 100% with your comment about postgame threads. I probably follow ex-Twins as close as anyone, but mostly I’m cheering for a player I previously rooted for.

As for Sands, I was driving home when the ninth inning was being played and listening to the radio broadcast—if ever it was a garbage-time inning, this was it. He got the first two outs and then couldn’t get strike three on four straight batters and according to Atteberry, all three hits were soft contact. I’m taking a long time to say that yesterday’s outing shouldn’t raise any red flags. I think last year, Sands transformed from failed starter to capable reliever. His stuff isn’t playing as well and that happens very often with relief pitchers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is nicked somewhere, but relievers are volatile. I hope he has more success going forward because five inning starts look to be the norm for a while. 

[NYCTK]

11 hours ago, DJL44 said:

81 games in the books. Double the stats to project season totals.

Yet another season with neither a 100 R nor 100 RBI player. 

That'd be 6 straight, not since the juiced ball year. 

[Sjoski]

48 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I don't exactly understand why people come to a game thread, after a Twins win to make note of various former Twins that are doing ok in other places. Just have to find every opportunity to take a poke at the front office?

Just talking baseball — no shade intended. It's always interesting to see former Twins pop up, especially when they’re starting against us. Wasn’t trying to take a dig at the front office, just adding context. Happens every season in every fanbase.