Twins Video
Box Score
Joe Ryan: 7 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (-.214), Max Kepler (-.195), Carlos Santana (.111)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
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For those who remembered their Apple TV+ login from three weeks ago when they paid for, and immediately cancelled their subscription just to watch Cleveland dance all over the Twins, your reward was this: a clash of Central squads hovering around .500.
Neither team has been particularly dominant; the Pirates—despite possessing a trio of pretty incredible young hurlers—sit in the doldrums of the NL Central, which isn’t quite the insult it used to be. They have talent. Oneil Cruz is a freak of nature. Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes are borderline stars. But the quagmire that has cursed the franchise since the days of Ray Searage’s pitch-to-contact success still remains, and the years have only proved that they do not yet know how to overcome themselves
The Twins nearly started the game well. Following a Trevor Larnach double and a Carlos Correa walk, Minnesota enjoyed a special opportunity to crack a good pitcher in Mitch Keller early. The runs were basically accounted for. Royce Lewis was next, after all. But Lewis flew out to center, and the next two batters—Max Kepler and Ryan Jeffers—were caught window-shopping to end the frame without a score.
Oh well. Joe Ryan was starting, anyway. Pittsburgh shouldn’t score much.
His opening frame came and went with little fanfare. Byron Buxton made an incredible diving catch for the first out. These things happen.
And overall, Ryan pitched like himself—profoundly effective and occasionally prone to allowing monster homers. He reached the end of the 7th inning for the fourth time since the beginning of May, punching out eight while allowing just two hits and two walks. Unfortunately, one of those hits flirted with the Allegheny River, and those two walks portended a sacrifice fly. Timing was not on Ryan’s side.
In a bizarro reversal of fates, timing was on Keller’s side. The 2023 Diamond Award recipient slipped through Minnesota’s grasp multiple times. Twins hitters totaled seven hits and a pair of walks against the Cedar Rapids native, but a damaging break-the-game-open style of knock eluded them. They ran into outs on the base paths and struck out twice with the bases loaded, sending assistant hitting coach Derek Shoman to the showers early (do coaches shower after games?) when he beefed with home plate umpire Paul Clemons’ strike zone. He was right. Clemons’ feel for the zone stunk.
The ejection fueled nothing, though, as Minnesota's bats continued to come up empty, even as Pittsburgh's starting pitcher melted into their relievers. In fact, things only got worse: Connor Joe blasted an insurance homer off Griffin Jax in the 8th.
The game reached its final, measly end when a lame rally attempt ended with a lazy flyout. Twins lose.
Notes:
Joe Ryan's eight strikeouts give him 463 in a Twins uniform, four away from passing Tyler Duffey for 28th all-time.
Max Kepler is slashing .059/.111/.118 in June.
Alex Kirilloff batted in his hometown, PNC Park, for the first time in his career.
Jose Miranda is hitting .292/.346/.542 in his last seven games.
Post-Game Interview:
What’s Next?
The Twins and Pirates will play the second game of their series on Saturday, with first pitch coming at 3:05. Simeon Woods Richardson toes the rubber opposite of the mercurial and unpredictable TBD (also known at Quinn Priester, unless the Pirates do something creative).
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