Make It Official! Twins 3, White Sox 2: Clutch Kepler, Steely Thielbar Slam Door on Sox

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (86 pitches, 59 strikes (68.6%)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana (4)
Top 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar (0.164), Joe Ryan (0.164), Max Kepler (0.122)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

Riding a seven-game win streak, the Minnesota Twins received good news as Carlos Correa was activated and started the game Monday. Of course, one player's good news often results in the opposite for someone else. That someone was Austin Martin, who was sent back to St. Paul to make room for Correa.

The Twins faced off against Garret Crochet once again, whom they were only allowed to go 4.0 innings and scored five runs against back on April 24th. The Crochet that came out Monday didn’t look like that version of the left-hander. Instead, he looked much more like the version that opened the season. Included in Crochet's opening few starts were 7.0 IP, 1 ER, and 8 K’s against the dangerous Atlanta Braves. 

In a puzzling move, the White Sox did pull Crochet early. This was a welcome sight for Twins batters, as he pitched five innings and struck out seven. 

The White Sox offense also looked much different early in the game. Chicago has been struggling with fastballs and got to Joe Ryan’s fastball early and often. Nicky Lopez singled sharply up the middle, setting up an Andrew Vaugn RBI double. Before the end of the inning, Vaughn would score on a double-play ball that would put the Sox up early 2-0. 

Carlos Slamtana with Sausage Power
That White Sox lead held just until the second inning. The Twins roared back as Manual Margot took a walk, setting the stage for Carlos Santana to hit his fourth home run in five days. And yes, the sausage made another appearance, flying out of the Twin's dugout into Santana's hands. 

Unlikely Stolen Base Duo
The Twins were moving on the bases Monday evening. Willi Castro was the first to swipe a bag in the second inning. We are used to Castro swiping bags, but it is the next guy who we  need to get used to being involved in the running part of the running game. Christian Vazquez also stole second on a close play in the seventh inning. That puts Castro and Vazquez in a four-way tie with Austin Martin and Kyle Farmer for the team stolen base lead at two. 

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The Twins and White Sox would stay tied at two from the second inning until the ninth. It was then that two long-time outfield mates got the offense going again for the Twins. Byron Buxton finally got a hold of a ball and ripped it to left field for a double. Max Kepler followed him up with an RBI single to right field, which gave Buxton plenty of time to score and go up 3-2.  

On a night when it seemed Joe Ryan wasn’t at his best, he still gave the Twins a great outing. Only allowing two runs put his team in a position to win as long as the offense could do its job. Ryan also helped produce nine swings and misses against White Sox batters. 

The Twins could then work through their bullpen with Brock Stewart into Griffin Jax into Caleb Thielbar to close the win. Jax especially had to find a way through a tough inning and a tough stretch of the White Sox lineup and did so successfully. 

The Twins now own an eight-game win streak and are 8-0 against under .500 teams. It is one more successful step as the Twins climb back up the division ladder after their rough start. 

What’s Next?
The newest fixture in the Twins rotation, Simeon Woods Richardson, will take his turn on Tuesday. Wood Richardson will look to put together a third strong start for his young season. The Twins will see Mike Soroka start again. He was strong against the Twins initially, but their bats eventually got him. Twins hitters would undoubtedly like to get to him earlier on Tuesday. 

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet