Blue Jays 10, Twins 4: Early Game Woes Continue as Jays Tag Twins for 10 Runs

[Nate Palmer]

Image courtesy of © John E Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (93 pitches, 62 strikes (66.7%)
Home Runs: Matt Wallner (18,19)
Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-0.338), Brooks Kriske (-0.134), Brooks Lee (-0.035)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

 

Reunions are supposed to be fun. This week, the Twins are in Toronto, and they can see trade deadline departures Louis Varland and Ty France in the same visit, as well as former hitting coach David Popkins. Alas, Monday night’s portion of the reunion was far from fun. 

Early Game Woes Once Again
Twins starter Joe Ryan continued a negative trend from the weekend. As Mick Abel and Taj Bradley each had rough starts to their respective outings, Ryan got hit hard early in Monday night’s game. 

The Blue Jays got to Ryan for four runs in the first inning, highlighted by an Alejandro Kirk two-run home run to right-center field. The second inning also saw Ryan give up a homer, this time on a ball that traveled to center field off of Andrés Giménez’s bat. An early 5-0 deficit is not what the Twins needed with their de facto ace on the mound, after a weekend filled with similar starts to games. 

Thankfully, like the weekend starts, Ryan was able to settle in and mainly control the Blue Jays lineup the rest of the way in his five innings. 

Wallner Wrecks Baseballs
The Twins would find some offense against veteran Max Scherzer. They hit a few balls hard with no joy, but Matt Wallner finally broke through.

Wallner got the Twins on the board with their first run in the fourth inning, smashing a home run to right field for his 18th dinger of 2025. He wasn’t done there. After Byron Buxton was able to score on a Brooks Lee groundout to make the score 6-2, Wallner stepped up to the plate with Trevor Larnach on base and launched his second home run of the night on a first-pitch fastball from Scherzer, to shorten the Blue Jays lead to 6-4. 

As Wallner collected that 19th home run of the season, he also landed himself his second career multi-homer game. Both multi-homer contests and long balls with runners on base are developments this Twins offense will welcome going forward. 

Bullpen Struggle Looms Large Again
While the 6th inning scoring burst created momentary optimism, it was quickly wiped away during the Blue Jays' half of the inning. As Ryan exited the game, Brooks Kriske entered. It felt like deja vu for this writer, as once again, the Twins game was quickly buried while the right-hander was on the mound. Four hits, two walks, and four runs later, the score was 10-4, and any positive momentum seemed to disappear. 

As players continue to audition for 2026, Génesis Cabrera did put together a solid two innings of work for his résumé. Cabrera was able to work around a walk to Kirk and get out of the inning by only facing four batters in his first inning of work. Cabrera did issue a second walk in the eighth inning, but was able to work around it as well, with the help of a double play turned by the defense behind him. 

What's Next?
The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound to try to end the three-game skid. Ober will need to rebound from his own struggles of late to bring that to fruition. The Blue Jays counter with veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt and his 4.18 ERA. 

Postgame Interviews

Coming soon
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Hatch	0	0	54	0	0	54
Kriske	10	0	0	0	37	47
Ohl	0	0	0	46	0	46
Cabrera	0	17	0	0	22	39
Topa	0	32	0	0	0	32
Tonkin	32	0	0	0	0	32
Funderburk	0	21	0	0	0	21
Sands	0	14	0	0	0	14

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Not sure why so many people want to get rid of Wallner. Sluggers have slumps but you have to live with some of that. We need more speed but don't get rid of all of our power.

[mikelink45]

The vet learned from the rookies Give up runs early and there is no stress.  The BP continues to impress.  

[thelanges5]

13 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Not sure why so many people want to get rid of Wallner. Sluggers have slumps but you have to live with some of that. We need more speed but don't get rid of all of our power.

I’m okay with the bat. Don’t love the defense. Maybe he can slide to 1B/DH in the offseason. 

[Danchat]

Hey, Wallner finally had a HR with a runner in scoring position. Progress, I guess!

[Rhyno006]

So. Awful. To. Watch.

[Aggies7]

14 minutes ago, Rhyno006 said:

So. Awful. To. Watch.

And yet I can’t look away.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Not sure why so many people want to get rid of Wallner. Sluggers have slumps but you have to live with some of that. We need more speed but don't get rid of all of our power.

The pitchers cannot succeed with a group of guys behind them that cannot make plays. Yes, the Twins need some power hitters. There is a place for Wallner, DH. Let Wallner be a full-time DH. The other side of the coin is that there may be a team that craves Big Matt on their team and are willing to part with a multi-talented player for him.

[Vanimal46]

5 out of the last 7 games when the outcome is decided in 3 innings or less. Just awful starting pitching which includes the last 2 Joe Ryan experiences. 

[1985Fan]

C’mon Baldelli!? What is with the infield in with one out in the first inning! This is one of the many stupid moves this guy makes. Runners on 2nd and 3rd, I think. Give up the run, take the out and stay out of the big inning. Instead, they give up a run, don’t get an out, and end up giving up four runs. 
His tactic of pulling the infield in early in the game almost always backfires with a crooked number for the other team. When will he learn?! Seems incapable of learning. Like pinch hitting Margot last year when he was 0-for Infiniti. 
Watching Baldelli’s stupid moves compounds the misery of watching a bad team. And they want to sell season tickets and streaming for this? Only Falvey and Baldelli think this is smart baseball.

[David HK]

Kinda thinking we may have exceeded our Brooks Quota. 

But hey, silver lining! We keep chasing the Sox for the chance to draft the next Keoni Cavaco! 😃👍

[David HK]

Addendum:  why is it the automatic ad that pops up here every time is Manny Margot hitting the only walk off pinch hit of his life? (For the Rays, of course! ) 🤔

[h2oface]

It’s past the middle of August. Time for the culture to take hold. Just give up. Buxton now infected, as is Ryan. This is a horrible baseball team. As shown by losing to Colorado, White Sox, Washington, and Oakland, they are the worst team in MLB. No question. 

[Doctor Gast]

8 hours ago, Danchat said:

Hey, Wallner finally had a HR with a runner in scoring position. Progress, I guess!

Next step is to hit one in the clutch when we really need one. Not when we are way ahead or way behind.

[Doctor Wu]

8 hours ago, Danchat said:

Hey, Wallner finally had a HR with a runner in scoring position. Progress, I guess!

Just having runners in scoring position is progress for this team!

[Doctor Wu]

5 hours ago, David HK said:

Addendum:  why is it the automatic ad that pops up here every time is Manny Margot hitting the only walk off pinch hit of his life? (For the Rays, of course! ) 🤔

I've been wondering about the weird Margot pop-up video too. Over a year and still running!

[CRF]

Ryan has been pretty bad his last two starts. If Ryan doesn't pitch well when he's on the mound, there really isn't any hope for winning very many games the rest of the way. What a train wreck this team, and this season, turned out to be. It's sickening. 

[Doctor Gast]

5 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

C’mon Baldelli!? What is with the infield in with one out in the first inning! This is one of the many stupid moves this guy makes. Runners on 2nd and 3rd, I think. Give up the run, take the out and stay out of the big inning. Instead, they give up a run, don’t get an out, and end up giving up four runs. 
His tactic of pulling the infield in early in the game almost always backfires with a crooked number for the other team. When will he learn?! Seems incapable of learning. Like pinch hitting Margot last year when he was 0-for Infiniti. 
Watching Baldelli’s stupid moves compounds the misery of watching a bad team. And they want to sell season tickets and streaming for this? Only Falvey and Baldelli think this is smart baseball.

I have pretty much given up watching the Twins for a while now. Not because of our players, I still cheer them on. But how Falvey & Co. operate by ignoring defense & keep showing favoritism of their players over more deserving players, all to the detriment of the team.

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, David HK said:

Addendum:  why is it the automatic ad that pops up here every time is Manny Margot hitting the only walk off pinch hit of his life? (For the Rays, of course! ) 🤔

It's all part of propaganda to convince fans that Falvey knows what he's doing. That acquiring Margot was actually a good deal. I don't think it worked.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 hours ago, David HK said:

Kinda thinking we may have exceeded our Brooks Quota. 

But hey, silver lining! We keep chasing the Sox for the chance to draft the next Keoni Cavaco! 😃👍

Thanks David. You made me laugh out loud with your post.

[jmlease1]

6 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

C’mon Baldelli!? What is with the infield in with one out in the first inning! This is one of the many stupid moves this guy makes. Runners on 2nd and 3rd, I think. Give up the run, take the out and stay out of the big inning. Instead, they give up a run, don’t get an out, and end up giving up four runs. 
His tactic of pulling the infield in early in the game almost always backfires with a crooked number for the other team. When will he learn?! Seems incapable of learning. Like pinch hitting Margot last year when he was 0-for Infiniti. 
Watching Baldelli’s stupid moves compounds the misery of watching a bad team. And they want to sell season tickets and streaming for this? Only Falvey and Baldelli think this is smart baseball.

Yeah, Baldelli pulling the infield in early in the game was the problem last night, not Ryan & Kriske both getting hit hard. Or the offense only getting 5 hits. I mean Toronto had 10 hits and drew 5 walks while the Twins had 5 hits and 3 walks, but I'm sure that if Baldelli hadn't pulled the infield in everything would have changed. 🙄

Wallner did a nice job jumping on pitches he could drive last night and hammered two homers. Nicely done.

Kriske doesn't look like much more than filler. Cabrera at least is on the right side of 30, but he issues a lot of free passes. Bullpen needs a lot of work

[Doctor Wu]

5 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Thanks David. You made me laugh out loud with your post.

I didn't laugh out loud ... but I had a pretty big grin on my face. Good stuff!

[Nshore]

They keep trotting Kriske out there who now has an ERA over 11.00.  Someone should put a stop to this for humanitarian reasons if nothing else.  Children could be permanently scarred watching this stuff.

[MinnInPa]

10 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Not sure why so many people want to get rid of Wallner. Sluggers have slumps but you have to live with some of that. We need more speed but don't get rid of all of our power.

well...he's hitting .216 and K's 34% of the time.. and only 32 RBI..  nothing to build a team around

[Old Crow]

10 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Not sure why so many people want to get rid of Wallner. Sluggers have slumps but you have to live with some of that. We need more speed but don't get rid of all of our power.

His defense leaves alot to be desired.  He is at best a DH.

[JD-TWINS]

28 minutes ago, MinnInPa said:

well...he's hitting .216 and K's 34% of the time.. and only 32 RBI..  nothing to build a team around

But come on - maybe another team would give up a “multi talented player for Big Matt?” Why not? …….oh, it’s not fantasy baseball, that’s why.

He’s got great power with terrible bat to ball skills…..a great arm, but slow and not intuitive…..and he likes to show off his arm by overthrowing the cut off routinely. Sucks in the clutch. Obviously, a guy someone would trade a better, more polished player for in return.

19 HR’s & 32 RBI ……. a nearly impossible feat.

[terrydactyls]

No change in the standings.

P	Team	W	L	PCT	Eligible
1	Colorado Rockies	37	94	0.282	N0
2	Chicago White Sox	48	83	0.366
3	Washington Nationals	53	78	0.405	N0
4	Pittsburgh Pirates	57	75	0.432
5	Atlanta Braves	59	72	0.450
6	Minnesota Twins	59	72	0.450
8	Whatever Athletics	61	72	0.459
7	Baltimore Orioles	60	70	0.462
9	Miami Marlins	62	69	0.473
10	Los Angeles Angels	62	69	0.473
11	San Francisco Giants	63	68	0.481
13	Arizona Diamondbacks	64	68	0.485
12	Tampa Bay Rays	64	67	0.489
14	St. Louis Cardinals	65	67	0.492
15	Texas Rangers	66	67	0.496

[USAFChief]

29 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

But come on - maybe another team would give up a “multi talented player for Big Matt?” Why not? …….oh, it’s not fantasy baseball, that’s why.

He’s got great power with terrible bat to ball skills…..a great arm, but slow and not intuitive…..and he likes to show off his arm by overthrowing the cut off routinely. Sucks in the clutch. Obviously, a guy someone would trade a better, more polished player for in return.

19 HR’s & 32 RBI ……. a nearly impossible feat.

I watch nearly every Twins game and I dont think Wallner has overthrown the cutoff man once.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Yeah, Baldelli pulling the infield in early in the game was the problem last night, not Ryan & Kriske both getting hit hard. Or the offense only getting 5 hits. I mean Toronto had 10 hits and drew 5 walks while the Twins had 5 hits and 3 walks, but I'm sure that if Baldelli hadn't pulled the infield in everything would have changed. 🙄

 

That's an impressive miss of the point. 

 

[Doctor Gast]

21 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

No change in the standings.

P	Team	W	L	PCT	Eligible
1	Colorado Rockies	37	94	0.282	N0
2	Chicago White Sox	48	83	0.366
3	Washington Nationals	53	78	0.405	N0
4	Pittsburgh Pirates	57	75	0.432
5	Atlanta Braves	59	72	0.450
6	Minnesota Twins	59	72	0.450
8	Whatever Athletics	61	72	0.459
7	Baltimore Orioles	60	70	0.462
9	Miami Marlins	62	69	0.473
10	Los Angeles Angels	62	69	0.473
11	San Francisco Giants	63	68	0.481
13	Arizona Diamondbacks	64	68	0.485
12	Tampa Bay Rays	64	67	0.489
14	St. Louis Cardinals	65	67	0.492
15	Texas Rangers	66	67	0.496

Yes, but we got momentum on our side. In such a short time, we made up a lot of ground. We should quickly pass ATL & we have all Sept. to pass PIT. It's too much to hope to pass the CWS. Yeigh, Falvey! Go, Twins!