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Twins Video
Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan: 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB 10 K (99 Pitches, 73 Strikes, 73.7%)
Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (8)
Top 3 WPA: Larnach (.400), Ryan (.135), Austin Martin (.102)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):
With an offense that has been clicking in June, and some improvement on the pitching side lately, the Twins looked to triple-up on their road series winning formula of lose-win-win against Luis Castillo and the Mariners.
Joe Ryan has been the Twins' most reliable starter in 2024, but he took the ball coming off of a rocky outing against the Diamondbacks. In that appearance, Ryan gave up four runs in the first two innings, then looked dominant over the last four, at one point retiring 13 batters in a row. He also antagonized Joc Pederson by giving him the crane pose after striking him out, for no apparent reason (perhaps they are the same fantasy football league?).
Today started quite a bit better, despite a misplay by second baseman Austin Martin in the first putting runners on the corners with one out in the first. Ryan pitched around that trouble by striking out Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley, featuring some dotted fastballs.
Following a leadoff single from star leadoff hitter Willi Castro and subsequent stolen base, the snakebit Trevor Larnach finally found some good fortune and blooped a single to center to score the game´s first run. Castillo tends to struggle in the first inning, and Larnach has had some success against him, with a big triple last summer.
In the second, Ryan, who entered todayś game with one hit batter all year, hit both Mitch Garver (who had to exit the game, forfeiting Seattle's DH) and Ty France, but he struck out Dylan Moore on a splitter and then got J.P. Crawford to fly out lazily to end the threat.
The fourth started with a Raley ringing double, but Ryan recovered again by striking out the pitcher Castillo (who wasn't swinging), Jorge Polanco and Ty France.
This all proved pretty important because Castillo was pitching well after generally struggling in June to this point. His fastball was hitting 97, and the Twins were not putting good swings on his slider. That is, until the fifth, when following a Max Kepler scratch single, Martin jumped on a hanger and nearly hit it out to left-center field, instead settling for an RBI double to double the score.
After a Christian Vazquez sacrifice bunt, Castro struck out, which brought up the blistering-hot Jose Miranda, who worked the count full before delivering a flare single to left for the game's third run.
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The bottom of the fifth was one of the weirdest half innings I have ever seen. It began with a sharp triple off the bat of Moore, just out of the reach of Buxton's outstretched glove (who smartly did not dive). Crawford then lined a ball to Kepler in right field, which fooled Moore into coming off the base, and he was unable to tag up and score. Rojas then grounded back to Ryan, who tried a play I have not seen since I once executed it as a poor fielding little league pitcher- throwing home on a comebacker with the runner not breaking home, and Vazquez was unable to retire the batter at first on the relay.
The fun didn't stop there. Rodriguez hit a ball back to Ryan again, who bobbled the ball and was unable to retire Moore at home (after review- it was initially called an out).
Raleigh then lifted a fly ball to Buxton, who lost the ball in the sun and allowed the Seattle catcher to reach, but without a run scoring. Raley then grounded to Martin at second, but Carlos Santana dove for it, and Ryan didn't cover first, allowing the second run to score.
To Ryan's credit, he bounced back to strike out pinch-hitter Ryan Bliss, and then got Polanco to pop out. Somehow, the Twins still had the lead after Ryan, if you really think about it, got seven outs in the inning.
After the Twins went quietly in the top of the sixth, Ryan got the first two batters and was then lifted for the struggling Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar was squeezed on a couple of pitches but ultimately walked the first two batters, Crawford and Rojas, that he faced. Mercifully, Rodriguez's line drive found Santana's glove for the final out.
They wouldn't be so fortunate in the seventh. After Raley singled following a ten pitch at-bat with Steven Okert, he avoided a double play by running on a ground ball off the bat of Victor Robles. Polanco then launched a 3-0 fastball from Cole Sands over Kepler's head in right for a long single, bringing in the tying run.
The game wouldn't be tied for long. After a Miranda one out single, Larnach demolished a Ryne Stanek change-up 406 feet to make the score 5-3.
Clinging to that two run lead, the Twins chose to go to Kody Funderburk in the eighth over Josh Staumont. With Crawford and Rojas the first two batters up, the choice was defensible. It looked even better once he retired them and Rodriguez easily on weak ground balls.
Jhoan Duran pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
The Good:
-Ryan had great stuff despite his and his teammates fielding deficiencies. Seattle's lineup isn't that formidable with Rodriguez slumping, but it was still encouraging.
-Miranda is stinging the ball all over the place. The leap we were hoping for last year has certainly arrived.
-It's really nice to see Charlie Brown Larnach get rewarded for his good contact.
The Bad:
-Despite his protest, Lewis is not dictating his at-bats and is in a 1-23 slide. He may need to be reminded that even the greats have slumps. Yes, even Derek Jeter. He did make two excellent fielding plays.
-The rest of the team's fielding was atrocious. Ryan made three mistakes in the fifth inning alone, Martin booted a grounder, Buxton lost a ball, and Vazquez went 0-3 cutting down stolen base attempts.
What’s Next: The Twins have an off day Monday, then return home to face Cy Young front-runner Tarik Skubal (9-3, 2.32 ERA) on Tuesday. Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.41 ERA) goes for the Twins as they face the Tigers for the first time since they were on death's door in April (a loss to Detroit made them 7-13 on April 21st).
Postgame Interviews:
Bullpen Usage Chart:
| WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | TOT | |
| Alcalá | 0 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 31 |
| Jax | 0 | 0 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 38 |
| Okert | 19 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 16 | 52 |
| Funderburk | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 44 |
| Sands | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 29 |
| Thielbar | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 35 |
| Durán | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 37 |
| Staumont | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
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