Make it Official! Twins 6, White Sox 5: Minnesota Resolve Walks it Off

Box Score
SP: Pablo Lopez 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (76 pitches, 45 strikes, 5 whiffs)
Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (2), Byron Buxton (1)
Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.506), Alex Kirilloff (.243), Ryan Jeffers (.209)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Welcome Back Kep
Pablo Lopez toyed with walking Nicky Lopez to lead off the game but ultimately battled back from 3-0 and got him to ground out for the first out of the game. Stretching the strike zone against Eloy Jimenez, the Twins ace had his first strikeout. Still yet to give up a walk in the first inning, Lopez has walked just four this season.

After Alex Kirilloff fanned on some Erick Fedde splitters, and Edouard Julien watched the strike zone stretch against him, the recently returned Trevor Larnach grabbed his second double of the season. In scoring position with two outs for Max Kepler, the right fielder picked up where he left off last night. His single to center made it a 1-0 game. Byron Buxton doubled to give Minnesota runners on 2nd and 3rd, but Willi Castro couldn’t cash them in.

Pablo Hits a Wall
Fedde continued to keep Twins hitters off balance, and while Minnesota was up 1-0, he had racked up six strikeouts in just three innings while walking none. Danny Mendick started the fourth inning with a single before giving him a pair of bases on an overthrown pickoff attempt. Walking Gavin Sheets put runners on the corners before Ely Jimenez stepped in. A hanging breaking pitch that sat close to middle-middle got deposited into the left field seats and Chicago had a 3-1 lead.

While the temperature dropped following a pregame rain, it may have been the culprit for Lopez struggling to find his typical stuff. After working at 94-95 mph during the first three innings, he had dropped to 92-93 mph in the 4th inning. Walking Andrew Vaughn following the home, the Twins starter had added a quick pair of walks to his otherwise slim season total.

With pitches mounting and a serious lack of effectiveness in his stuff, Rocco Baldelli got Kody Funderburk up with sights on bailing out Lopez. Getting a gift of a strike-three call against Dominic Fletcher, Lopez ended up striking out the side, but he was now at 76 pitches and looking anything but his dominant self.

Fedde Flusters Twins
After being non-tendered by the Washington Nationals in 2022, the former top-100 prospect took his talents to Korea. Posting a 2.00 ERA in more than 180 innings, he seemed to find something that worked. Pitching for the White Sox this season, he came in with a 3.10 ERA despite a 5.98 FIP.

Through four innings Tuesday against the Twins, Fedde looked every bit the dominant starter Washington once hoped he would be. Allowing three hits in the first inning, he then shut it down from there and racked up eight strikeouts while walking none. Minnesota got out to an early lead but then seemed to lose their way against the Chicago starter.

Meanwhile, Lopez saw his night come to a close after just four innings and 76 pitches. His 38-pitch 4th inning did him in, but throwing a 91.9 mph fastball for his last pitch is something to monitor. That’s well below his 95.2 mph average this season and was the slowest pitch he has thrown in a Minnesota uniform.

Still on in the 6th inning, Fedde continued to stymie the Minnesota lineup. With 11 strikeouts, he had set a new career high, and getting the Twins to consistently go down in order seemed like something of a breeze. On top of whiffing like crazy, the Twins had drawn no walks despite Fedde coming in with nine free passes across 20 1/3 innings this year.

Santana Comes Through
Despite looking like an absolute corpse in the batter’s box all season, and being fooled mightily for the second strike of his 7th-inning at-bat, Carlos Santana brought the Twins back within one. After a Buxton bloop single and a 90-foot advancement on a wild pitch, the Minnesota first baseman lined a ball to the left-center gap. Buxton raced home and Santana pulled into second with his second double of the season. Kyle Farmer stranded him there, but Minnesota was in the White Sox bullpen and had shown some signs of life.

Unfortunately, Chicago immediately wiped away Minnesota's resurgence in the top of the 8th inning. With Steven Okert starting another inning, Danny Mendick recorded his first double of the season to open the frame. Baldelli countered with Jay Jackson, who got Robbie Grossman on a flyout before pitching around Jimenez to set up the double play. Striking out Andrew Vaughn, he was one out from escaping danger, Andrew Benintendi came through with a two-out single to bring home both Mendick and Jimenez making it a 5-2 game.

Larnach Launches
With Michael Kopech coming on in relief for the White Sox, Minnesota was forced to face velocity out of the bullpen to claw back. Christian Vazquez greeted him with a single to start the inning, and it was Larnach who launched a big fly to again make it a one-run game. Getting an opportunity with Matt Wallner struggling, Larnach is looking to make this the season he can harness his power and stick at the major league level. While the book against him has been about struggling with breaking pitches, Larnach handles velocity just fine. He turned around a 99 mph fastball and sent it into the outfield seats.

Facing Steven Wilson in the 9th inning, it took Buxton just two pitches to tie the game up. Swinging on the second pitch of his at-bat, he ripped a 110.5 mph laser down the line that left in a hurry. Hitting the netting on the foul pole, Buxton's first home run of the season came at a necessary time for Minnesota.

After a Santana walk, Ryan Jeffers pinch hit for Farmer and blooped an excuse me swing into left field in front of Benintendi. The White Sox outfielder wasn't able to get there and the Twins had runners on second and third. Austin Martin took over at third base for Santana, and Christian Vazquez stepped in with one out and an opportunity to walk it off. Wilson got him swing and it was on the shoulders of Alex Kirilloff to send Minnesota home happy. Working a 3-1 count, he sent a base hit through the right side and allowed Martin to scamper home walking it off for the victory.

On a night where little went right early, Minnesota made their luck and came through late.

Notes
Jhoan Duran was officially assigned to the St. Paul Saints on Tuesday to begin a rehab stint. The hope would be that he could throw a few days this week and join the major league team for the first time this season by sometime next week. Justin Topa, who was the key big-league piece in the Jorge Polanco trade, progressed to throwing against live hitters today and should be nearing a rehab assignment soon.

What’s Next? 
The Twins continue with their series against the Chicago White Sox and play a third-night game on Wednesday. With Joe Ryan taking the ball for Minnesota, he will be opposed by strikeout machine Garrett Crochet.

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