Royals 6, Twins 5: Cameron Dominates Twins Again, Rally Falls Short As Royals Take Series

[Hans Birkeland]

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB 7  K (77 Pitches, 51 Strikes, 66%)
Home Runs: Josh Bell (6)
Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.36), Brooks Lee (-0.21), Luke Keaschall (-0.11)
Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant):

The Royals came into the year with fairly high expectations, and with today's rubber match, they had a chance to take a series against the Twins—which would, uh, not do that much for their prospects this year, really. Their pitching has been hurt, and their perennially light-hitting offense hasn't done enough to make up for it. However, they did start lefty Noah Cameron, who is a solid young pitcher who has feasted on Minnesota's lineup in the past, including earlier this year.

Connor Prielipp took the mound for the Twins, hoping to bounce back after a series of rough starts. He did manage to pitch into the seventh inning his last time out, and looked good to start his outing today, showing good command of his slider-fastball combination. Through three innings, Prielipp had five strikeouts, one hit allowed, and finished the third by making Bobby Witt Jr. look foolish on a curveball below the zone for a weak-swing strike three.

By then, the Twins had taken the lead. Kody Clemens, now the Twins' best hitter when Byron Buxton sits, led off with a sharp single to right. He stole second during the at-bat of starting first baseman Royce Lewis, who would eventually dribble a grounder to Witt—who inexplicably booted the ball, allowing Lewis to reach and Clemens to get to third base. Ryan Kreidler battled Cameron and eventually grounded a ball to the 5.5-hole that Witt could only record one out on. Twins 1, Royals 0.

Prielipp's command wavered a bit in the fourth, perhaps due to the Twins lineup going down 1-2-3 in about 15 seconds in the bottom of the third. Maikel García rifled a liner right to Clemens in left field for a fortunate out, but Vinnie Pasquantino doubled on a fastball, and Nick Loftin doubled the opposite way on another heater to tie the game.

Prielipp allowed another hit to lefty Carter Jensen to begin the fifth, and after striking out pinch-runner extraordinaire Tyler Tolbert trying to bunt with two strikes, he was relieved in favor of Andrew Morris with the top of the order coming up. Although Morris was able to strike out Witt, that was sandwiched by singles to Lane Thomas and García, the latter bringing in Jensen for the go-ahead run. He then faced the shriveled husk of Starling Marte, who had struck out feebly against Prielipp twice, but this time, he got a sinker to his liking on the inner half and crushed it 441 feet, breaking the game wide open.

Cameron looked done after the fifth inning, but the Royals coaching staff coaxed another inning out of him while the Twins lineup offered no resistance—literally, since all three hitters struck out. The seventh and eighth innings were more of the same. Fourteen Twins hitters were retired in a row between the fourth and eighth innings.

That would end in the ninth, when Orlando Arcia led off with a walk, Clemens flipped a single to left, and Josh Bell yanked a three-run home run to offer a glimmer of hope against Royals rookie Beck Way. Trevor Larnach then blooped a double to left, which prompted the Royals to turn to their closer, Lucas Erceg.

It wouldn't end there. Victor Caratini pinch-hit for Jackson and singled to score Larnach, and Tristan Gray followed with a bloop single to bring up Brooks Lee. Leemade good contact, but flied out to the warning track in left field to end the game.

Stuff I'm Tracking:

• Lewis showed a little more fight in his at-bats. He was able to make contact on his first plate appearance, leading to Witt's error. In his second trip to the plate, Lewis fell behind 0-2, and although his takes looked pretty flinchy, he worked the count to 3-2 before lining a ball to left field for a sharp single (112 MPH). He lined out in the seventh, albeit with a .560 expected batting average. 
• Morris just hasn't been able to string good outings together. You get the sense that if he threw just a little harder and had just a little more depth on his breaking stuff, he could carve out a career as an impact reliever, but as he is, there isn't enough swing-and-miss. Maybe he could carve out a career as a bulk pitcher for a team with a big ballpark, or a better defense.
• Teams are not afraid to throw Austin Martin strikes as his offensive numbers continue to plummet. With Matt Wallner heating up at Triple-A St. Paul (.896 OPS), you wonder if a switch could be coming.
• Witt struck out three times and made the error that led to the Twins' first run. Opponents should win when that happens, considering the dearth of talent surrounding the star shortstop. He was removed in the seventh with right knee soreness, which might explain the off day.

What’s Next: The Twins head to Detroit to face the struggling Tigers. Taj Bradley (5-2, 3.56 ERA) faces Troy Melton (2-0, 1.74 ERA) in the opener, as Bradley looks to prove his health and the Tigers try to escape the cellar of the AL Central.

Postgame Interviews:

Bullpen Usage Chart:

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Morris	0	48	0	0	41	89
Laweryson	26	0	0	0	36	62
Orze	26	16	0	17	0	59
Lawrence	19	24	0	0	12	55
Paredes	0	50	0	0	0	50
Rogers	12	11	0	15	0	38
Gómez	0	18	0	14	0	32
Banda	0	8	14	0	0	22
Adams	0	0	16	0	0	16

 

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[thelanges5]

Tigers, look to get right against the even worse, Minnesota Twins. They just won  four out of five and took the series against the Mariners. Not much to like about this club right now.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Kody Clemens is the best hitter on the team when Buxton sits. 

Another good day at the plate for Kody. Look, I'm a big fan of Kody Clemens. I like him more than most on this page. But I'm also realistic. You just dont have a good team with that statement being true. 

Was Prielipp pulled for pitch count? 

 

[Parfigliano]

This organization is beyond broken.

[Saxophone Joe]

Pain! So many times, we have been just one more hit away from a great comeback win! 😭

[mikelink45]

Best ERA of four twins pitchers today 4.74 - Lawrence - that will not do it.   Lewis gets one hit today - this is not the guy we saw in St Paul which is why I am not impressed with Wallner in St Paul at this point - but then we have seen 3 - 18 the last five games and batting lead-off.  

Connor is a nice story - not a MLB starter at this point, but who else - keep running him out there and get the coaches working with him. 

Who is the batter we rely on?  Bell hits HR 199 - but it is not exciting based on a 74 OPS+ for the year.  

[Road trip]

37 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Cody Clemens is the best hitter on the team when Buxton sits. 

 

Indeed.  And if that isn't damning with faint praise, I don't know what is.

[Vanimal46]

44 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Look, I'm a big fan of Cody Clemens. I like him more than most on this page.

You would think a big fan of Kody Clemens would properly spell Kody Clemens. 

[Blyleven2011]

Detroit trying to get out of the cellar , won't be a problem , the twins will switch places with them sometime soon ...

Beautiful day for a game , unfortunately twins came up alittle short ...

[Saxophone Joe]

Brooks’ swing sure looked/sounded good off the bat, like Arcia’s near homer against the Pirates. I thought we had an improbable walk-off…Alas, the baseball gods have not shined down upon us lately. 

[RpR]

[tony&rodney]

Don't get too down on the Twins folks. Things can improve.

Andrew Morris was working on specific pitches and his command in St. Paul, but the Twins called him up. He wasn't ready but the team needed him. I'm thinking a ton of people are totally underestimating Morris. Earlier this year we heard people suggest that his 94-95 MPH fastballs were inadequate. Well he has hit 100 MPH. The curve, slider, and sweeper are all good. Morris needs a better changeup and command. If he develops those pitches in a year or two he can be an effective middle of the order starting pitcher.

The defense behind the pitchers is substandard. Give a team more than three outs and runs are often the result.

I'm way more bullish on a number of Twins, especially some prospects, than many on TD. Perhaps I lose my optimism in August but I'm not finding fault with this team right now. They are dealing the best they can with the fallout of nine years of pretty much incompetent leadership. The future will be better.

[FlyingFinn]

Is Kody Clemens here to stay in the future, in a backup role somewhat similar to what Willi Castro was? He can play 5 positions and is decent to good on defense. Seems to hustle and be a good teammate.

[jkcarew]

35 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

They are dealing the best they can with the fallout of nine years of pretty much incompetent leadership.

Nothing wrong with some optimism.

Can’t say I share it, unfortunately. IMO, the most likely outcome is things get worse before they get better, and at this time next year they’ll be dealing the best they can with the fallout of TEN years of pretty much incompetent leadership. (And/or a prolonged work stoppage.) But, hopefully with a much younger roster, so there can be a somewhat realistic reason to at least HOPE things will get better.

[Western SD Fan]

20 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Andrew Morris was working on specific pitches and his command in St. Paul, but the Twins called him up. He wasn't ready but the team needed him. I'm thinking a ton of people are totally underestimating Morris. 

I think you could copy and paste this for many of the current inexperienced pitchers on the staff.  Morris, Adams, Paredes, and even Prielipp would fit this definition.  Some, or all of them, should likely be sent back down to St Paul when Abel, Sands, and Ober are ready to come off of the IL.  These pitchers eventually being sent back down doesn't necessarily mean that they didn't do a good job.  It is more of a just a learning curve that will need to be addressed before coming back up and hopefully be the pitcher that they had expected.  I am in the optimist camp with these pitchers although it doesn't look good now.  I would rather have these guys up and in the bullpen than when the next Luis Garia pops up on the waiver wire.

[LakesPibble]

I've seen a couple articles lately lamenting the growing gap between AAA and MLB.  I hope Wallner got right but raking in St Paul isn't necessarily indicative of a change.

 

[Parfigliano]

21 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Is Kody Clemens here to stay in the future, in a backup role somewhat similar to what Willi Castro was? He can play 5 positions and is decent to good on defense. Seems to hustle and be a good teammate.

Problem is he is here to start 6 games a week not 2-3.  He's a backup that will get 450-500 PAs.

[bean5302]

Was at the game and that 9th inning come back certainly made for some excitement! The quick hook for Prielipp for a shaky reliever (Morris) definitely had me wondering what the heck was up. Prielipp is unquestionably the better of the two. 

Oh well. Nearly silent bats for 8 innings didn't help the cause. I think Lewis looked pretty good today. I feel like he could have made a play on a hit through traffic, but it was clear he was unpolished at 1B. Did fine otherwise.

[Jacksson]

Morris got neither the loss or a blown save but it was him that pissed the game away.

[Sjoski]

Huh...."took the rubber match"?

Best the Twins could do today is earn a split. 

Might Royals came to town and kicked some butt.

[Sjoski]

5 minutes ago, Jacksson said:

Morris got neither the loss or a blown save but it was him that pissed the game away.

Morris’s disastrous outing was like pouring  gasoline on fire. It’s a perfect example of why traditional pitching metrics don't tell the whole story.

 

 

[hitterscount]

Tuned after 7 lifeless innings from the offense. Not sure what's worse taking a 9 inning drubbing or fallen 1 run short in a comeback attempt. Regardless this homestand pretty much ended the Twins thoughts of sticking in the WC hunt. 

Also, what is with the talk of bringing back Wallner, Lewis is inspiration by going 1-7 since being called back..... a walk or a hard hit ball are signs he is back....   although 1-7 does raise his average... this is the most disturbing news from the series, more Wallner talk..... just don't get it. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

2 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

You would think a big fan of Kody Clemens would properly spell Kody Clemens. 

Thats what happens when I dont proof read before hitting submit 😂😂 touché

[Vanimal46]

Just now, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Thats what happens when I dont proof read before hitting submit 😂😂 touché

Don’t want to tune my own horn here, but I think I’m a huge Yohan Santana fan more than most here…. Yojan Santana was amazing. Loved Yo-Hawn Santana 😉

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, hitterscount said:

Tuned after 7 lifeless innings from the offense. Not sure what's worse taking a 9 inning drubbing or fallen 1 run short in a comeback attempt. Regardless this homestand pretty much ended the Twins thoughts of sticking in the WC hunt. 

Also, what is with the talk of bringing back Wallner, Lewis is inspiration by going 1-7 since being called back..... a walk or a hard hit ball are signs he is back....   although 1-7 does raise his average... this is the most disturbing news from the series, more Wallner talk..... just don't get it. 

Well Lewis'  batting average and OPS is still higher than what Outman's was.😬☠️

The loathing for players like Gray, Clemens and Kreidler is there , not because of how they perform, but because they are not the chosen ones fro the book of Twins Daily, at least for some.

[Vanimal46]

4 minutes ago, RpR said:

The loathing for players like Gray, Clemens and Kreidler is there , not because of how they perform, but because they are not the chosen ones fro the book of Twins Daily, at least for some.

 Nope, it’s because how they perform. Kody Clemens started the season batting below the Mendoza line playing more than anyone not named Buxton. Gray and Kreidler have their moments but they’re backups at best. 

[hitterscount]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

 Nope, it’s because how they perform. Kody Clemens started the season batting below the Mendoza line playing more than anyone not named Buxton. Gray and Kreidler have their moments but they’re backups at best. 

I'm probably in the minority, but I have zero issues with Clemens, the guy plays hard, plays the right way and is a good defensive player. He's also hitting so that's a bonus. With that said ideally he is a utility guy that gets 3-5 starts a week or come in as a late game defensive substitution..... if they ever have a chance at getting a win again.... sarcasm of course. What we don't need is 5 utility type guys on the roster.... and of course Wallner. 

[RpR]

9 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

 Nope, it’s because how they perform. Kody Clemens started the season batting below the Mendoza line playing more than anyone not named Buxton. Gray and Kreidler have their moments but they’re backups at best. 

As are Lee, Lewis - on his best days, Martin actually every one except Buxton as he has a very good glove also.. 

If it were performance there would be no love posts for TD favorites, as they are no better than the ones that get trashed.

[Vanimal46]

8 minutes ago, hitterscount said:

I'm probably in the minority, but I have zero issues with Clemens,

Neither do I right now. He’s had a hot bat the last 2-3 weeks. It also wouldn’t surprise me if the lights turned off for the next 2-3 weeks for him. That’s just how he rolls. 

9 minutes ago, hitterscount said:

What we don't need is 5 utility type guys on the roster....

Bingo 

[Parfigliano]

27 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

 Nope, it’s because how they perform. Kody Clemens started the season batting below the Mendoza line playing more than anyone not named Buxton. Gray and Kreidler have their moments but they’re backups at best. 

Most of the position players are backups at best for mediocre teams.  They wouldnt even be backups for a really good team.