Twins 11, Mariners 4: Bats Make Connor Prielipp's First Big-League Win an Easy One

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp 5 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB (84 pitches, 49 strikes)
Home Runs: Byron Buxton (6), Kody Clemens (3)
Top 3 WPA: Connor Prielipp 0.16, Kody Clemens 0.11, Luke Keaschall 0.11
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

 

After a day filled with rain and cold that kept most fans at home, the Minnesota Twins returned to Target Field looking to stop the bleeding. A surprising 11-7 run to open the season quickly turned into the version of the Twins many expected. Entering this one, they had dropped 9 of their last 10, including a five-game losing streak and a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. The failures feel more real than the successes did, and the tone around the team and fanbase had shifted in a hurry.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners came to town with their own issues. Despite high expectations, they entered the night at 14-15, still searching for consistency. With a small, bundled-up crowd and morale already trending down, the Twins could not afford another slow start, especially against multi-time All-Star Luis Castillo.

They did not wait around.

The Twins got on the board in the second inning, when Luke Keaschall lined an RBI double to give them an early lead. That carried into the third. Ryan Jeffers knocked in a run with a single before Kody Clemens broke things open with a three-run homer to right field, his third of the season, pushing the lead to 4-0. An inning later, Byron Buxton added a two-run shot of his own.

Just like that, the Twins had the early cushion that had been missing during their skid.

They kept applying pressure. By the time Castillo exited after five innings, the Twins had tagged him for seven earned runs while striking out only three times, a sharp contrast from the swing and miss issues that defined the past week. And maybe the biggest shift came in the spots that had been killing them. After a stretch where runners in scoring position felt like a dead end, the Twins flipped it, finishing 5-for-12 in those situations. Timely hitting showed up when they needed it.

On the mound, Connor Prielipp made his Target Field debut and backed up the promise he showed in his first outing, during the Mets series on the road trip. He allowed just one hit over five innings. His command wavered at times, with three walks including back-to-back in the fifth, but he limited damage, allowing two runs while striking out five and generating 11 swings and misses. It was another very strong step for a young arm showing a lot of promise.

When the game turned over to Andrew Morris in long relief, the Mariners made things a bit more interesting. Cal Raleigh connected on a two-run homer in the eighth to cut the lead to 8-4.

Still, Morris did enough. Over three innings, he allowed four hits and two runs, limiting damage and keeping the game under control. The offense answered right back. In the bottom of the eighth, Jeffers and Clemens each delivered RBI singles, both with runners in scoring position, pushing the lead back out and putting the game away. It was the same theme all night. When chances were there, the Twins cashed in.

The Twins closed out an 11-4 win, their first since April 21, earning Prielipp his first major-league win. It moves them to 13-16 as they try to work their way back toward .500 and steady a season that started to slip.

What’s Next
The Twins will look for their first series win since taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox on April 14. Joe Ryan is set to take the ball for a 6:40 p.m. first pitch, facing Logan Gilbert in a matchup of frontline starters.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Chart

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Morris	37	0	0	0	40	77
Orze	0	10	9	0	0	19
Topa	0	0	0	10	0	10
Rogers	0	0	15	0	14	29
Banda	9	7	0	9	0	25
Funderburk	0	0	0	20	0	20
Acton	0	0	18	0	0	18
Sands	0	0	0	7	0	7

 

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[Parfigliano]

Maybe they will not play in monsoon weather tomorrow.

[Blyleven2011]

Prielipp replaces Abel  and has given us 2 good starts , nice to have a lefthanded starter in the rotation   ...

Gray continues to surprise with his great start in a twins uniform  ...

Hits were a plenty  , 5 batters had muti hit games , maybe if Martin was in the lineup instead of our homegrown Minnesota boy we would of had 6 players with muti hits ...

A wet soggy game for the players and fans but the twins in cold weather had hot bats ...

Good win with a good team effort  ...

[stringer bell]

Sounded like Connor was describing a trip to the dentist. 

It would appear this is the first win by a left handed starter since 2023. Any guesses who the last left handed starter to win a game for the Twins is?

[Parfigliano]

55 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Sounded like Connor was describing a trip to the dentist. 

It would appear this is the first win by a left handed starter since 2023. Any guesses who the last left handed starter to win a game for the Twins is?

Keuchel?

[thelanges5]

I’m glad Prielipp pitches better than he gives an interview. 🤣

Awesome to see him with a successful start to his MLB career.

Is Gray the best SS to wear #4 for the Twins? Who was that guy last year? I forget.

[DataNerd]

Prielipp needs to improve his control, but the slider being this good has been bailing his control out.  Really no ceiling on him, all depends on how well he can locate his stuff.

Not sure that Morris is good for more than a couple of innings right now.  Not ready to move him to the pen full time at 24, but our pen really is bad so he'll probably get some more run before returning to St Paul.

Wallner over Martin in the lineup is just pathetic at this point.  Are they waiting for Wallner's OPS to fall below Martin's OBP?

[cheeseheadgophfan]

And if Morris gives you 2 good innings every time out, be happy.  I think that 3 straight times Shelton has left him in for one inning too many.....

[stringer bell]

I can’t help but be excited about the young starters who will get their chance this year—Abel, Bradley and Prielipp. The stuff is there for all three to be frontline guys. Get and stay healthy guys!

Also a good offensive day for the Twins.