Diamondbacks 9, Twins 5: Blunders and Mishaps in the Desert

Box Score
Connor Prielipp: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Home Runs: Victor Caratini (5), Josh Bell (9), Royce Lewis (7)
Bottom 3 WPA: Connor Prielipp (-.420), Travis Adams (-.110), Brooks Lee (-.080)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

What to make of these Twins? The ramshackle and dilapidated group, at one time—moons ago—the class of the AL, but for a moment; in more recent games, fallen into derelict as the flaws and pitfalls of their roster reared their ugly head, and causes losses to pile up. But have things changed? They swept the Rangers. They took a series from the Cardinals. Minor successes, yes—common for any team, in any year to claim such victories; as the ebbs and flows of a season, occasionally turgid, sometimes lean promise hope both false and real to any fan willing to watch. Would this stretch prove a mirage? We shall see. 

Early results portended… something. What exactly “it” was wasn’t clear, but it was obvious this force was nefarious. In the second at-bat of the game, Byron Buxton launched a liner off the left field wall, only to be thrown out at second thanks to an excellent relay by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and a rare mild pace by Buxton before he rounded first. Then he sped things up. It was too late. Kody Clemens extended the inning with an infield single. Strange things abounded. 

The inning also ended up claiming Arizona starter Michael Soroka; he suffered an injury while warming up for the second inning, and left the game, and left manager Torey Lovullo suddenly relying on an impromptu bullpen game. 

The new hurler Taylor Clark coaxed two quick outs before allowing a mammoth solo homer to Victor Caratini. 

Chaos neither subsided or lessened; rather, it started to manifest in a ball suddenly unruly and impossible to glove. With Luke Keaschall on second, Clemens bounded a grounder the other way only for Nolan Arenado—the six-time Platinum Glove winner—to flub the play and allow Keaschall to score.

The Diamondbacks responded with a run with no funny business attached, just for the Twins to strike back with a score in the fourth aided by a bouncing ball that just had to ricochet off the second base bag, and over the adroit Geraldo Perdomo who otherwise certainly would have made the play. 

Prielipp entered the fifth a workmanlike presence. Not dominant, he nonetheless had effectively contained the Diamondbacks offense, flipping his signature breaking stuff in and around the zone with the kind of ease that made him such a tantalizing prospect. That soft providence quickly turned. It started with a walk. Always dreadful. Then a flurry of hits, and an infield defense that could only stumble and fall over themselves turned a 3-1 advantage to a 5-3 deficit. Then a 6-3 one when Ketel Marte led off the sixth with a solo homer.

Minnesota struck back once again; this time, homering twice in the eighth to draw them within one run.

That was as close as they would get. Travis Adams labored in his second inning of work. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases. Suddenly Corbin Carroll was up with the bases loaded. No lefty? It was Adams' trouble to escape. On a 1-2 count, he tried to fool the superstar with a low and outside changeup, and Carroll softly lofted the pitch into right field, expertly guiding the liner as the bases emptied and Carroll, who always runs like the world is about to end, slid harmlessly into third base. The Twins went down quietly in the ninth. 

Notes:

Post-Game Interview:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Diamondbacks will return to their ordinary TV broadcasts on Saturday yet will continue to start at unordinary times: first pitch is at 9:10 PM. Taj Bradley will start opposite Zac Gallen.

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