Twins Video
Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (98 pitches, 60 strikes, 61.2%)
Home Runs: none
Bottom 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (-.105), Alex Kirilloff (-.093), Willi Castro (-.084)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
López escapes a couple of jams to complete five
This has not been an easy season for Pablo López at all. After a hot start, he had a roller-coaster stint between late April and early June. Then, he had a fantastic ten starts leading to the All-Star break, which included a memorable complete-game shutout. It seemed like he was back on track… until he gave up seven runs to the last-placed Oakland Athletics last Saturday in his first start after the break. What version of him would be on the mound this afternoon in Seattle?
At first, things didn’t look good. After Mariners’ starter George Kirby took care of the Twins’ offense on only 15 pitches, Seattle’s offense ambushed López in a hurry. They loaded the bases before López could record an out through some early swings. After a strikeout, Teoscar Hernández lined a single to short past a diving Kyle Farmer to push J.P. Crawford across. Despite two incredibly hard-fought at-bats, López managed to strike out the next two batters to end the threat, having given up only the one run, but not before his pitch count reached 36.
López usually enjoys a considerable amount of run support, with the offense scoring an average of 4.31 runs per nine when he’s on the mound this season. The Twins’ offense looked fantastic since the break, having scored at least five runs in each of the six games since. Sadly, that wasn’t the case this afternoon. Minnesota’s bats couldn’t muster a single hit off Kirby until Matt Wallner singled in the third. And that was all the offense could produce for 4 2/3 innings when Farmer tripled to deep center. Kirby didn’t give up a single walk through six while also striking out nine.
Things were rough for Pablo in the first, but he bounced back and tossed two quick, 1-2-3 innings in the second and third. But in the first at-bat of the fourth, Hernández got the best of him again and smacked a solo home run on an elevated four-seamer to make it 2-0 Seattle. López finished off the inning, but with his pitch count already reaching 82. He came back for the fifth and was once again in trouble against the top of the Mariner lineup. Crawford hit a leadoff single shortly before Eugenio Suárez hit a double, and suddenly Seattle had two men in scoring position with only one out. Pablo was able to retire the next two to end the inning – but also his start, as he was closing in on 100 pitches.
The bullpen keeps the chances alive – but not for long
Pablo was far from brilliant, but he kept the Twins’ chances alive. Oliver Ortega retired all five batters he faced, combining with Jorge López to deliver two scoreless frames of relief. But ultimately, it was up to an uninspired Minnesota offense to change the outcome of this game. For two consecutive innings, the Twins got leadoff singles against Kirby, with Édouard Julien in the sixth and Wallner in the seventh. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the brilliant M’s starter pitched around both of those hits to complete seven shutout innings with ten strikeouts and not a single walk.
Jorge López had taken over in relief of Ortega to get the final out of the seventh on two pitches. Returning for the eighth, the Mariners’ bats successfully ambushed him and basically put the game out of reach – given how bad the Twins' offense had been throughout this game. Suárez jumped on the second pitch he saw for a leadoff single and was followed by a monster home run by Mike Ford, who crushed a slider hung by López at the heart of the plate. López looked completely lost throughout the entirety of the eighth inning: he hit three hitters to load the bases before he could close out the inning.
Cole Sands inherited López’s jam, and with a wild pitch, he allowed Cal Raleigh to score Seattle’s fifth run from third. He did, however, get the final out next. It was up to the offense to try a miracle rally in the ninth, but they couldn’t get anything other than a bloop single by Donovan Solano. Byron Buxton struck out to represent the game’s final out, extending his horrifying slump to 0-for-26 with 16 strikeouts dating back to July 8.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
After a winning West Coast trip, the Twins head back to the Twin Cities for a six-game homestand. They’ll host the Chicago White Sox at Target Field for a three-game set starting on Friday (7/21). Game one is scheduled to start at 7:10 pm CDT, with Joe Ryan (8-6, 3.77 ERA) toeing the rubber for Minnesota and old friend Lance Lynn (6-8, 6.06 ERA) making the start for Chicago.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
| SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | TOT | |
| J. López | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 56 |
| Ortega | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 45 |
| Durán | 18 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 38 |
| Pagán | 12 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 31 |
| Sands | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Jax | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Balazovic | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Morán | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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