Twins Video
Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (74 Pitches, 55 Strikes, 74.3%)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana (23), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (1)
Bottom 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (-.150), Scott Blewett (-.143), Ober (-.133)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):
The season wound itself to a merciful end today, with the announcement that both Rocco Baldelli and Derek Falvey would return for the 2025 season preceding the game action. Why Baldelli or Falvey would want to stick around is another question.
Bailey Ober made his 31st start of the year, with the only real goal to keep his ERA below 4.00 for the year (he entered at 3.94). He cruised through an Orioles lineup with nothing to play for with his change-up looking sharp initially, and his fastball back to 91-92 MPH.
The Orioles countered with Albert Suarez, who has quietly delivered over 130 innings of above-average pitching for a Baltimore staff beset by injuries. Nothing jumps off the page for Suarez, but he has kept the O's in games, and he did so again. The Twins kept traffic on the bases, but the only runs they scored were on a second-inning home run for Carlos Santana, who wraps his year in Minnesota with 23 home runs; and the first major-league home for DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who stroked a ball into the overhang in right field in the fourth.
Ober's change was a little less precise in the fifth inning. Playing with a 2-0 lead, Ober let his offspeed get hit for singles by Ryan O'Hearn and Cedric Mullins, and James McCann, who let two bats slip into his own dugout on swings his first at-bat, held on this time and crushed a change-up 105 MPH to flip the game for the Orioles. The ERA? 3.98.
Jorge Alcala pitched a nice sixth inning, and the Twins tried to mount a rally in their half of that inning. Brooks Lee blooped a single to right, and Royce Lewis ripped a line drive up the middle that was speared by Orioles' second baseman Jordan Westburg, who then doubled off Lee. Lewis actually expressed frustration, as he threw his bat down in disgust. Maybe some sincere emotions will do the young star some good as opposed to his typical rendition of "wow this root canal is such a great opportunity!" I could see that being pretty annoying in a clubhouse.
Cole Sands was sent out for the seventh, despite everyone knowing his knee wasn't right. He aggravated it and had to leave the game in favor of the overworked Scott Blewett, who tried to gut out his appearance but eventually allowed a bases loaded hit to Westburg as the Orioles expanded their lead to 5-2.
Heston Kjerstad homered off of Randy Dobnak in the eighth for the final run of the game.
Trends:
| Healthy | Hurt | |||
| Performing | ||||
| Contributing | ||||
| Low Impact | ||||
| IL/Minors | ||||
| C | Ryan Jeffers 📉 | Christian Vazquez 📉 | ||
| 1B | Carlos Santana 📉 | Alex Kirilloff 📉 | Jose Miranda 📉 | |
| 2B | Edouard Julien 📉 | Kyle Farmer 📈' | ||
| 3B | Royce Lewis 📈 | |||
| SS | Carlos Correa 📈 | Brooks Lee 📉 | ||
| LF | Matt Wallner 📉 | Trevor Larnach 📈 | Austin Martin 📈 | |
| CF | Byron Buxton 📈 | Manuel Margot 📉 | DaShawn Keirsey Jr. 📈 | |
| RF | Max Kepler 📈 | |||
| UTIL | Willi Castro 📈 | Michael Helman 📈 | ||
| SP | Pablo Lopez 📉 | Bailey Ober 📈 | Joe Ryan 📉 | Chris Paddack 📈 |
| RSP | David Festa 📈 | Zebby Matthews 📈 | Simeon Woods Richardson 📉 | |
| CR | Jhoan Duran 📉 | Griffin Jax 📉 | ||
| SR | Brock Stewart 📉 | Louie Varland 📈 | Cole Sands 📈 | |
| MR | Caleb Thielbar 📉 | Scott Blewett 📈 | Michael Tonkin 📈 | |
| LR | Josh Winder 📉 | Ronny Henriquez 📈 | Brent Headrick 📉 | Randy Dobnak 📈 |
What’s Next: The Twins business side will try to provide cover for the catastrophe they caused. Chris Paddack and Christian Vazquez will be traded for minimal returns so the receiving team will agree to pay their salaries. Tied to a chair with an apple in his mouth, Falvey will acquire Cooper Criswell from Boston to replace Paddack. Marco Raya will have his innings reduced back to four innings per start. Alcala will be hired as Pete Maki's personal butler in exchange for assurances he will be offered arbitration.
Lee will figure out his left-handed swing, and proceed to hit .150 from the right side. First base will be manned by Ty France after signing a $4-million deal that represents the largest free agent expenditure of the offseason, and he will make 12-15 outs on the bases for no reason while slugging under .400. The Twins will pick up Will Brennan off waivers from the Guardians and give him a ton of playing time, before DFA'ing him in May. Alex Kirilloff will be traded to the Astros and hit .280/.340/.500. Jomboy Media will give the Pohlads $100 to put Twins games picture-in-picture during their warehouse events, but blackouts will remain. LaVelle E. Neal III will champion this as a smart business decision and remain single.
Or.....
Postgame Interviews:
Bullpen Usage Chart:
| TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | TOT | |
| Blewett | 20 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 17 | 76 |
| Tonkin | 25 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 61 |
| Alcalá | 0 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 55 |
| Varland | 0 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Sands | 0 | 16 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 46 |
| Durán | 0 | 14 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Jax | 0 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Dobnak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Thielbar | 3 | 0 | 11 | 15 | 0 | 29 |
| Topa | 0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
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