Twins Video
Box Score
SP: Kenta Maeda 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (28 pitches, 15 strikes (53.5% strikes))
Home Runs: Willi Castro (1)
Bottom 3 WPA: Emilio Pagan -.299, Jose Miranda -.041, Nick Gordon -.032
Win Probability Chart
Maeda’s Day Shortened
The day did not go quite as planned for the Twins and Kenta Maeda, who made his first start in 10 days. Unfortunately, Maeda had to exit the game early with an injury concern.
On the bright side the injury was on his left leg and not anything related to his throwing arm. The reality of the injury though could have him missing another start as he was hit by a line drive that came 111.6 MPH off Jarren Duran’s bat. The line drive caused a left ankle contusion which will require x-rays.
Pagan Implodes Out of Bullpen
All good things must come to an end eventually and today’s game saw the end of Emilio Pagan’s strong start to the 2023 season. Pagan was the first reliever out of the Twins bullpen following Maeda, and the Red Sox took full advantage, scoring six runs on seven hits.
Pagan remained in the game for the fourth inning, retired the first two batters he faced, but was removed after giving up a single off the Green Monster to Justin Turner. His final line for the day showed six earned runs on eight hits.
A Fan Fair Fifth
The Twins finally got a run in the fifth inning, and they had Red Sox fans to thank for it. Willi Castro hit a double that bounced near the edge of the left field bleachers, which was picked up by a fan and turned into a double.
Next, Max Kepler hit a double to right field. It was touched by a fan but remained in the field of play. Kepler tried for a triple but the fan interference kept him at second.
Additional Bullpen Weaknesses Showing Cracks
The two relievers that followed Pagan in this game were Jorge Alcala and Jovani Moran. Alcala worked in the fifth, and Yu Chang hit a two-run home run off him to put the Red Sox up 10-3. He at least finished the afternoon strong in the sixth facing the minimum batters.
Moran had the final two innings of the game and his struggles to start the 2023 continued to show. He failed to face the minimum number of batters in either inning and struggled to make his pitches where Christian Vazquez wanted them.
Other Notes
Willi Castro hit his first home run in a Twins uniform in the top of the seventh to close the wide gap on the scoreboard. Castro was also the Twins final pitcher of the afternoon as they trailed 11-3 in the bottom of the eighth. Castro was the only Twins pitcher to face the minimum number of hitters on five pitches.
The Twins made noise in the ninth to get a couple of runs back. Edouard Julien his first chance at a grand slam in the Majors. Julien got an RBI single to bring in a run, but Kepler overran third base trying to score a second run, fled back to third base and was tagged out to end the game.
What’s Next?
The Twins return home Friday for a long, 10-game homestand that kicks off against the Washington Nationals. Tyler Mahle (1-2, 4.11 ERA) gets the start for the Twins against the Nationals Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.52 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Postgame Interview
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
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