Twins Video
Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (91 pitches, 61 strikes, 10 whiffs)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana (6), Ryan Jeffers (9)
Bottom 3 WPA: Steven Okert (-.246), Caleb Thielbar (-.193), Jay Jackson (-.119)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
Getting to Gausman
Facing last year’s third place finisher in the American League Cy Young race, the Twins found themselves facing yet another good arm this week. Similar to what they did with the Mariners Logan Gilbert, Rocco Baldelli’s lineup got to him quickly.
Edouard Julien led off the game with a base hit, and after strikeouts by Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers , Minnesota went to work with two outs. Max Kepler singled and Carlos Correa drove in the game’s first run. Alex Kirilloff ripped a single to left field, and Davis Schneider allowed it to get by him, going to the wall. Both Correa and Kepler scored on the play. After the first frame, it was already a 3-0 game.
In the 2nd inning Carlos Santana led off with a double that a diving Daulton Varsho couldn’t come up with. Minnesota cashed him in when Larnach ripped an opposite-field single and made it a 4-0 game.
With former Twins pitcher Jose Berrios being interviewed on the broadcast, and talking about his pitcher of the month honors, Bo Bichette got Simeon Woods Richardson for a solo home run to put Toronto on the board. The Blue Jays ace talked glowingly about Correa and the time they spent playing with and against each other in Puerto Rico growing up.
Constant Pressure
Leading off the top of the 3rd inning with a walk, Correa immediately made Gausman work with traffic again. After a Kirilloff strikeout, Willi Castro crushed a ball high up off the right field wall for a double, putting runners at second and third base with just one out. Already over 70 pitches and facing Santana, the Minnesota first baseman went up in the zone and blasted a three-run homer to dead center.
Stealing second base following his single, Julien was in scoring position for Larnach’s single but was cut down at home on a throw by Schneider. Still, up 7-1 in just the 3rd inning, Minnesota had put Gausman and the Blue Jays pitching staff in a tough spot. Back-to-back doubles from Schneider and Varsho plated a run for Toronto to start their half of the 3rd inning. A ripped single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in another run, and the Blue Jays had climbed back within 7-3.
Gausman didn’t return for the 4th inning, and Minnesota’s ownership of him continues. Crushing him for 15 runs on 20 hits over the course of his last three starts, (11 ⅔ innings) they clearly have his number. Ryan Jeffers made sure to welcome Zach Pop to the game with his ninth home run of the season.
Blue Jays Battle Back
With Woods Richardson struggling to get outs in the 5th inning, allowing a home run to Schneider and single to Guerrero Jr., Baldelli brought Cole Sands in to take over. After getting Justin Turner to fly out, Sands served up a two-run shot to Danny Jansen and Minnesota’s lead was 8-6.
The Twins went down in order to open up the 6th inning, and Sands found more trouble in the bottom half. Cavan Biggio reached on a one-out single and then Schneider made it first and third with two outs. Steven Okert was called upon to get the final out and shut down the threat. He immediately walked Varsho and loaded the bases. A 3-for-3 Guerrero Jr. stepped in and singled to left field, scoring a pair, and tying the ball game.
After leading by 8-3 through four innings, Minnesota was headed to the 7th inning stretch tied and needing to keep the Blue Jays off the board. Jay Jackson came on and was every bit as shaky as Okert, and left a mess for Caleb Thielbar. Ernie Clement singled after Thielbar walked George Springer to load the bases, and the Blue Jays took their first lead of the game, 9-8. Struggling to find the zone at all, Thielbar went to ten pitches against Schneider before the outfielder lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 10-8.
Walking Varsho to load the bases, Thielbar threw just 12 strikes in his 25 pitches and got only a single out. Josh Staumont was on as the third reliever of the inning. Facing Guerrero Jr., he stopped the bleeding but Minnesota now had work to do.
Minnesota Limps to the End
Following an ugly and ineffective 7th inning for Twins pitching, Minnesota needed the lineup to come up and show some life. Instead they went down in order against Blue Jays Yimi Garcia on just nine pitches and immediately took the field again. With Staumont allowing another hit to Jansen in the 8th inning, the 16 hits were a season worst surrendered by the Twins. Using five of their eight relievers, with both Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax down, the group will be a bit taxed heading into Sunday.
Facing Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano needed a pair to extend the game, Minnesota was in a bad spot. The Twins lineup had gone dormant since the 5th inning, and Romano stepped in during a stretch of 13-straight hitters going down in order. He got both Larnach and Jeffers on strikes, the 11th and 12th Minnesota punchouts of the day. Thankfully Kepler doubled to stop the streak of retired batters at 15, and reaching base brought Correa to the plate as the tying run. He popped out to first base and a game that should have been a sure win ended in a loss.
Notes
Minnesota came into Sunday’s contest with a 16-2 record in their last 18 games. While the lineup is doing plenty of good work, it’s the starting staff that has been nothing short of incredible. While strikeouts were the name of the game for the lineup early, the pitching staff has become the good kind of strikeout dominant.
What’s Next?
Bailey Ober takes the ball for the Twins on Sunday looking for a series win against Alek Manoah and the Blue Jays. They’ll get a well deserved off day on Monday as they return home to face the New York Yankees
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
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