Red Sox 9, Twins 2: Streak Ends Amid Physical and Mental Mistakes

The Twins have had a difficult time losing of late. They haven't dominated teams offensively, Atlanta Braves-style, where they come out bashing the opposing starting pitcher into oblivion. In fact, they have been shut down offensively for the first half of many games during the streak. They haven't allowed 20 total runs in 21 starting pitching outings, a la the Seattle Mariners. They've just been hanging around until the sixth, seventh, or eighth inning and finding a way to win. Would that be the case again today?

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB 5 K (95 Pitches, 62 Strikes, 65.2%)
Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (6)
Bottom 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (-.194), Willi Castro (-.151), Manuel Margot (-.097)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):

Joe Ryan has been the team's best starter thus far, so the timing was right for the Twins to make this a 13-gamer, especially with the Red Sox sporting a getaway day lineup with Rafael Devers at DH and team home run leader Tyler O'Neill getting the day off.

Ryan was sharp early, conscious of the approach the White Sox took in his last turn in which they jumped on the first fastball they saw. That seemed to be on leadoff hitter Jarren Duran's mind, but the fastball he got was well off the plate, and Duran popped out weakly. Ryan then dominated the at-bat against all-world hitter Devers, who was fortunate to stay alive against a 1-2 splitter below the zone, and then got locked up on a painted 4-seamer down and in.

Boston started Cooper Criswell, whom they signed as a minor-league free agent this offseason after he was cut loose by the Rays. Generally, if the Rays can't squeeze any value out of you, it might be time to hang 'em up, but Criswell has had a strong start to the year and continues that trend today. His arsenal doesn't jump off the page, as he topped out barely above 90 MPH on his fastball, while his changeup and sweeper don't boast elite spin rates. But as old friend Tommy Milone shows us every two or three years, sometimes, that just doesn't matter for a short period.

After a quick first inning, Criswell allowed consecutive singles to Max Kepler, Carlos Correa, and Trevor Larnach to start the second. I have long lamented that Kepler is the least aggressive baserunner (proportional to his speed) in the league, and that came back to bite the Twins, as he did not attempt to score on Larnach's single--despite being around third by the time the right fielder got to the ball, I say that because Willi Castro, Carlos Santana, and Jose Miranda all got carved up by Criswell, who escaped the no-out, bases-loaded jam without a scratch.

Criswell would not be so fortunate in the third, as Ryan Jeffers jumped on a splitter below the zone for a solo home run. Criswell was genuinely surprised by that outcome, but Jeffers seems intent on making the All-Star team and guessed the pitch perfectly.

That would prove important, because Ryan ran into trouble in the fourth. After an excuse-me schtoink by the speedster Duran turned into a double, Devers advanced him to third with a grounder, and then old friend Rob Refsnyder singled sharply off of Correa's glove for Boston's first run. Ryan recovered to retire Wilyer Abreu on a short fly ball and induced a weak grounder from Vaughn Grissom.

The fifth, too, was a struggle, though initially not due to any mistakes from Ryan. After Reese McGuire was jammed, and blooped a single to center, Ryan's pickoff throw was dropped by the usually sure-handed Santana. McGuire (who was catching, mind you) then stole third base upon review after Miranda bungled the tag. Then it was Angel Hernandez's time.

Ryan was under the impression that he had an 0-2 count on the batter, Ceddanne Rafaela, but Hernandez had called the pitch that McGuire ran on a ball, despite it being a clear strike. Ryan was rattled, and he threw a few "angry" fastballs before missing his location by a foot, and the talented but free-swinging Rafaela took advantage, smoking the inside fastball 105 MPH into the left field seats, making it 3-1 Red Sox. Perhaps Anthony Edwards could give Ryan a few pointers on composure in big moments, after being the victim of a terrible call.

The Twins squandered a few scoring opportunities in the sixth and seventh, and the Red Sox made them pay in the second inning of Kody Funderburk's afternoon. Devers singled, and lefty-masher O'Neill then pinch hit and singled to left, which was played into a double via a bobble from Manuel Margot. After a walk, Grissom launched a double off the right-center field wall to drive home two and put the game out of reach.

In case that was in question, Margot, who came up short with men on base twice after pinch-hitting for Alex Kirilloff before his bobble earlier, dropped a fly ball off the bat of Dominic Smith, allowing the sixth and seventh runs to score. It was ruled a double, much to Funderburk's chagrin.

A Kepler double and Larnach single made the game 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth, but Devers unloaded on a Jay Jackson offering in the ninth with one on to officially put any thoughts of a comeback to rest.

The Good:
-Ryan's stuff was sharp, and he got through six innings.
-Jeffers will not be denied with his impressive home run and his throw to third should have resulted in an out with McGuire running in the fourth.
-Santana had some hard contact, resulting in two hits leading off innings. Unfortunately, hitting behind him was:

The Bad:
-Miranda, who looked overmatched in all his at-bats, falling behind and contributing very weak contact, outside of his strikeout in the seventh.
-Ryan's mind. We saw glimpses of this in 2022, pre-pitch clock, when batters would step out of the box repeatedly to get under Ryan's skin and upset his rhythm. He will likely look back at this start as one in which he made one bad pitch, and yet he took the loss because he was rattled for just a moment.
-Margot appears to be the Twins version of Shake Milton on the Timberwolves. His acquisition made total sense, but nothing he has done has worked for the first month and a half. Provided Byron Buxton can return, Margot's roster spot is better utilized by Austin Martin, who can do everything Margot does, and potentially better.

What’s Next: Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 2.45 ERA) goes against Mariners ace Luis Castillo (3-4, 3.46 ERA) as the team looks to start a new winning streak against a Seattle team that both were projected to and has, the best rotation in baseball. The series will feature the return of Jorge Polanco, the former fan favorite offloaded this offseason while the team was building its giant sinkhole to throw fan morale into.

Postgame Interviews:

Rocco Baldelli reacts following the loss to the Red Sox. #MNTwins #MLB pic.twitter.com/5sTqRUnfBr

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) May 5, 2024

Bullpen Usage Chart: