Royals 4, Twins 0: An Old Friend Acts Foe-ish

[Cory Moen]

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

 

Box Score 
SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (93 pitches, 60 strikes, (64.5% strikes))
Bottom 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Joe Ryan (-0.14), Victor Caratini (-0.09), Trevor Larnach (-0.08)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

The Twins got back to .500 Tuesday night, for the first time since early April. Baseball never lets anyone spend very long digging themselves, though. The Twins sent All-Star Joe Ryan to the mound Wednesday, hoping to reassert themselves as a winning team, outright. The Royals countered with old friend Randy Dobnak, who faced off against the Twins for the first time in his six seasons in the big leagues. 

Ryan started strong, striking out two in a one-two-three top of the first inning. That was a relief, after he'd given up six home runs in a start in Cleveland and had this outing pushed back twice to allow time to recover from fatigue and to address some mechanical issues. But the relief didn't last.

The Royals led off with two singles in the top of the second inning and had runners on first and third with no outs. Bearing down, Ryan induced weak contact three times in a row to escape the jam. He wasn’t so lucky in the top of the third inning, however. Tyler Tolbert led off with a solo home run to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. 

The Royals added a second run in the top of the fourth inning after a Salvador Perez lead-off triple (yes, you read that correctly) and a Nick Loftin sacrifice fly. It probably shouldn't have been a triple; Luke Keaschall misplayed the ball. But Ryan still gave up the hard contact, and this time, he couldn't wriggle off the hook.

The Royals added to their lead in the top of the fifth on a Carter Jensen double. Later in the inning, Jac Caglianone added a two-out RBI single, giving the Royals a 4-0 lead. 

Meanwhile, Dobnak was able to stymie the Twins offense over seven innings, recording just four strikeouts, but plenty of soft contact. The hard-hit balls were often hit right at fielders, so the offense didn’t make much noise, with just five baserunners in those seven innings. The bats weren’t able to do anything against the Royals bullpen, either, as Daniel Lynch IV and Steven Cruz each threw a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. 

On a positive note, Kendry Rojas came into the game in relief and threw three shutout innings, recording four strikeouts and two walks. This could be a positive over the next couple of days, as it gave the rest of the bullpen a rest. Rojas is settling into the majors nicely, and will fit even better into the bullpen hierarchy if and when the team improves the relief corps later this week.

Other Notes:
Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list before Wednesday’s game with a hip injury. It's the same hip that has sidelined him earlier this year. Tristan Gray was called up to replace Buxton on the roster for the time being. No timeline has been given on how long Buxton may be sidelined this time. 

What’s Next?
The Twins and Royals will play the rubber match of the series tomorrow at 12:40 PM CT, with Bailey Ober (7-3, 4.56 ERA) pitching for the Twins. The Royals will turn to sophomore southpaw Noah Cameron (5-8, 4.93).

BULLPEN CHART

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	TOT
Morris	26	0	0	0	0	26
Adams	0	15	0	11	0	26
Rojas	56	0	0	0	52	108
Funderburk	0	17	0	27	0	44
Rogers	30	0	0	0	0	30
Nance	13	15	0	0	0	28
Anderson	0	0	0	13	0	13
Gomez	8	0	0	0	0	8

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[David HK]

Welp, Joe blows, and the bats go cold. 

So used to this same old script; the moment there's a chance to take a step forward, they falter and fold.

[tony&rodney]

Couple of nice plays by Kriedler but the outfielders struggled and Royce didn't make a play. The offense needs to be better (no duh). Ryan wasn't exactly an ace tonight. Kendry Rojas looked really good ... again.

The Twins need to relax and swing at their pitches. Ober back tomorrow for a hopeful series win. It is always about winning series. Go Twins.

[USAFChief]

Dobnak in my top 5 least favorite Twins ever.

Ugh. 

 

 

[DJL44]

Please trade players to make this team better in the future. This is not their year.

[Hunter4848]

Getting wrecked be Dobnak proves this isnt a playoff team. Plus Ryan is cooked and Buxton would rather watch this team from the bench

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Just now, Hunter4848 said:

Getting wrecked be Dobnak proves this isnt a playoff team.

Dobnak had a 1.42 ERA coming into this start. The Twins are not the only team that has struggled against him this year. It was a bad offensive day all-around, but days like this do happen. The Twins can still win the series and bounceback with a fresh bullpen (thanks to Rojas) and Ober on the mound.

[Western SD Fan]

2 minutes ago, Hunter4848 said:

Getting wrecked be Dobnak proves this isnt a playoff team. Plus Ryan is cooked and Buxton would rather watch this team from the bench

I would say that Buxton is probably closer to the same issues that afflict Royce Lewis when he comes back from injuries.  I'm not sure either is as honest as they should be with the trainers and coaches, get back out on the field too early, then reaggravate the injury.  We have seen it from both of them too often in their respective careers.  You would have hoped that they had learned by now since this keeps happening, but I guess not.

[TheLeviathan]

Not the worst start for Ryan but the low ks and the overall performance are a bit alarming that his arm isn't going to be able to make it through the rest of the season.

[chpettit19]

Joe Ryan isn't Joe Ryan. Well, he is in that he's not an ace for the second half. Buxton is on the IL. Tristan Gray replaced him. Trade Ryan Jeffers.

[thelanges5]

4 minutes ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

Dobnak had a 1.42 ERA coming into this start. The Twins are not the only team that has struggled against him this year. It was a bad offensive day all-around, but days like this do happen. The Twins can still win the series and bounceback with a fresh bullpen (thanks to Rojas) and Ober on the mound.

These days are happening too often since the all star break. From a Nick Nelson post. 

Twins have been held to 2 or fewer runs in 6 of 12 games since the AS break. Thats not counting the finale in Cleveland where they scored 1 run through 11 innings, or last night when they had 1 scored with 2 outs in the 9th.

[Western SD Fan]

"Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me" - I'm reasonably sure we could get a troupe to recreate this scene just from the comment section here.  

This is the second start in a row that Ryan has not looked sharp.  Sure, there were misplays, but as the OP has stated in his article, Ryan was giving up plenty of hard contact to a team that Bradley just neutralized a day ago.  In the "Hunt the Good" part of the game, Rojas, although looking shaky, was able to get through three innings and save the bullpen.  

[Jacksson]

Dobnak the castoff outclasses the supposed ace Ryan.  That's laughable.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

3 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

These days are happening too often since the all star break. From a Nick Nelson post. 

Twins have been held to 2 or fewer runs in 6 of 12 games since the AS break. Thats not counting the finale in Cleveland where they scored 1 run through 11 innings, or last night when they had 1 scored with 2 outs in the 9th.

We haven't homered since the Cleveland series. I'm not denying the offensive struggles. I think that the the offense needs a jolt and calling up Jenkins when Buxton went on the IL might have provided that jolt for the Twins offense. 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Just now, Jacksson said:

Dobnak the castoff outclasses the supposed ace Ryan.  That's laughable.

That is what makes baseball great. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.

[jkcarew]

Since the break: 3-2 against the A’s and KC; 3-4 against CLE and Cubs.

Sounds about right. Nothing’s changed. And the schedule about to get pretty firm in August.

[DJL44]

18 minutes ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

We haven't homered since the Cleveland series. I'm not denying the offensive struggles. I think that the the offense needs a jolt and calling up Jenkins when Buxton went on the IL might have provided that jolt for the Twins offense. 

Jenkins has 4 HR in AAA.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Seems like Ryan's arm is still a little dead. He might need an IL stint to rest that thing up a bit. Easier said than done with so many starters already lost for the season. 

Dobnak was on a mission tonight and I think he got the results he wanted. Too bad he couldn't put it together like this while he was here. Heck he even struggled in AAA here. 

So many ice cold bats, too. Maybe they should offer cigar and whiskey to wake up the bats. 

[Dman]

Yeah all those years I was behind Randy, just one more year and he'll be back to the ground ball machine.  All the people that laughed at me and he waits until he is no longer a Twin to get there. 

This is the arm the Twins thought they were getting when they bought out his arb years.  Not an ace per se, but a junk ball ground ball pitcher that could eat innings.  It's fitting that his best game or one of his best as a pro is against the team that believed in him the most.

[dxpavelka]

I've asked before (probably a dozen times) and I'll ask again:  Has there ever been an undrafted college graduate make it to the big leauges quicker than Randy Dobnak?