Twins Video
Box Score
Joe Ryan: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Home Runs: Carlos Santana (5)
Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (.366), Jhoan Duran (.140), Carlos Santana (.091)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
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The game started quickly. Instead of the usual back and forth—the rhythm of minor nothingness that defines the sport—Minnesota arrived primed to hit. Ryan Jeffers smoked a liner for the first out before Carlos Correa deposited a single into center field, and Willi Castro knocked a grounder in the same area; Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi wondered why this team was so rude. Jose Miranda punched a single into right to score a run. Minnesota failed to plate another run, critically, when Castro bolted home on a stolen base and found Danny Jansen’s glove with the ball securely fashioned, but the match was off on the right foot: they possessed a lead.
Joe Ryan probably appreciated that. Run support has eluded him. A plethora of quality outings, starts that otherwise would have seen a victory, have gone for naught; he claims just one win on the year. He started just as Joe Ryan should: with strikeouts and glove-finding fly balls.
Until Isiah Kiner-Falefa—apparently still upset at his curt Minnesota tenure—blasted his fourth career homer against the Twins. In 23 games. That’s a 28-a-year rate. He has 28 homers in his career.
Fortunately, another rarity occurred: following his hot streak and subsequent cold spell, Carlos Santana returned to the realm of effective hitting, blasting a solo homer to right field to break the tie. And, yes, the infamous sausage snuck through customs.
So began what was expected before. The game became a dull seesaw, occasionally seeing men on base, just to watch them jog back to the dugout without a successful trip around the bases. Some threats were real; none fully materialized. A quick foray into the snack drawer threatened a two-inning fast forward.
Ryan's excellent start eclipsed what turned into an eight-inning outing from Kukuchi, otherwise referred to as "dominant" if it occurred in a win. He needed just 97 pitches.
As he has done for some time now, Rocco Baldelli decided to turn to Jhoan Durán in an earlier spot than expected: the 8th. Yet again, a top-of-the-order opportunity appeared, and Rocco struck immediately. Durán looked surprisingly mortal—he walked a guy, which is basically the worst teams can do against him these days—but coaxed a double play and forced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to burn a few turf worms before walking off the mound with a spotless ERA.
The plan made Griffin Jax the Stan Williams to Durán's Ron Perranoski (or perhaps the other way around) as he entered in the 9th. Justin Turner swung against his desire not to; Danny Jansen whiffed as if he forgot a fastball could sink. Chaos ensued. It's Griffin Jax, after all. Bo Bichette chopped a single into left, Cavan Biggio walked, and a previously-determined-to-be-unimportant-by-the-author RBI single by Max Kepler in the top half morphed into a crucial run when Santana booted the game-winning grounder. So it goes. With a game suddenly on the line, Toronto's Ernie Clement shot a ball off a fortunately angled Jax body part, sending the ball directly to Santana to scoop and end the game with ease.
Notes:
Carlos Santana's 306th career homer ties him for 150th all-time with Richie Sexson, Ruben Sierra, and Fred Lynn.
Joe Ryan earned the 431st strikeout of his career, tying him with Tom Hall for 30th on the all-time Twins' list.
Griffin Jax set a single-season career-high with his fifth save. The Twins are 15-4 in 2024 when he pitches.
Max Kepler is five RBIs away from passing Roy Smalley for 13th place on the all-time Twins leaderboard.
Post-Game Interview:
What's Next:
The Twins and Blue Jays play the second game of their series on Saturday. Simeon Woods Richardson will face his old organization. Kevin Gausman goes for Toronto. First pitch is at 2:07 PM.
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