Twins Video
Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (70 Pitches, 44 Strikes, 62.8%)
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Edouard Julien (-.223), Trevor Larnach (-.124), José Miranda (-.116)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):
Visions of 2022 were swirling in my head as I absorbed last night's loss to the Royals. The team has been losing games and losing players at a rapid pace. We aren't quite at the "Nick Gordon hitting cleanup against a lefty" stage yet, but we have entered the "every reliever turns into the worst version of Emilio Pagán when it matters" portion. The "Byron Buxton has a great year before going down in August with a hip issue" might be the hardest pill to swallow, but nevertheless, the team is eight (or so) wins away from clinching a playoff spot, with 20 games remaining.
Today's game featured underrated veteran Michael Wacha opposing the scuffling rookie, Simeon Woods Richardson. The recent lineup formula for the Twins has been to get traffic on early, squander an opportunity or two, and then go silent for the last seven or eight innings, and, well. Today began with a one-out single from Jose Miranda and then a ringing double from Trevor Larnach. It looked like Hunter Renfroe had a little trouble picking the ball up in right field, but Miranda is not fast and third-base coach Tommy Watkins had gotten desperate; Miranda was thrown out fairly easily. Matt Wallner then walked, so all was not lost, but Royce Lewis sure is, and he flailed away at a belt high fastball he crushes when he is right.
Woods Richardson is a confident guy, and came out of the gates on a mission, commanding his fastball and throwing a lot of sliders and curveballs. His misses were close and he looked locked in. Through the first four innings the Royals only managed a harmless MJ Melendez double (off a change-up, naturally).
The Twins' lineup averaged about 45 seconds per inning against Wacha, with the changeup artist eliciting early (and weak) contact that allowed him to cruise through five innings with just 69 pitches. When Twins hitters managed to survive to two strikes, Wacha threw dotted fastballs up in the zone, or his famous change-up down to strike them out.
The game was tied through four and a half, but it felt like the Twins were facing a deficit the moment Miranda was thrown out at home in the first. That came to fruition in the fifth. Melendez drew a walk on a questionable 3-2 change-up right on the black. Freddy Fermin then singled the other way, and Maikel Garcia was sent up to bunt. Garcia failed at this, but when things are going well, you get a hit on the next pitch, which is exactly what happened. Garrett Hampson nearly hit a grand slam next, but it turned into a deep sacrifice fly, making the score 1-0. After walking Tommy Pham, Woods Richardson was done, with Cole Sands coming in to face Bobby Witt Jr. with the bases loaded.
Somehow, Sands threw a cutter by Witt to strike him out, but he still had to face the Royals only other good hitter, the legendary Salvador Perez. He chased a cutter outside the zone, because Perez, for all his accomplishments, has no plate discipline. However, because these are the Twins, Perez hit a dribber up the third base line that somehow did not go foul as it rolled to a stop by Royce Lewis' feet.
Sands got squeezed on a call to the next hitter, Michael Massey, resulting in a 3-1 count, but bounced back to retire him on a fly out to right field.
Christian Vazquez got an excuse-me single to start the sixth, but Wacha pitched around it and got Miranda to hit into a double play to end the threat before he broke a sweat.
After Sands pitched a quick bottom half, the Twins went even quicker with the middle of their lineup (Larnach, Wallner and Lewis) going down without any semblance of a fight. Wacha smelled blood and used his experience and surprisingly lively stuff to carve up Twins hitters desperate to make something happen.
Reliever Kris Bubic pick ed up where Wacha left off, and set down Castro, Jeffers and Lee easily in the eighth.
Vazquez again led off with a single in the ninth, but Julien struck out, Miranda grounded out and Larnach popped out.
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 📉 | Jorge Alcala 📈 | Cole Sands 📈 | |
| MR | Caleb Thielbar 📈 | Scott Blewett 📈 | Michael Tonkin 📈 | Louie Varland 📉 |
| LR | Josh Winder 📈 | Ronny Henriquez 📈 | Randy Dobnak 📉 | Diego Castillo 📈 |
Stray Notes:
-Brooks Lee made a great play with Witt on second following a leadoff ninth inning double. Perez grounded up the middle, Lee smothered it and threw to third to get WItt in a rundown, where he was retired without Perez advancing to second.
-The bullpen was excellent, with Sands, Alcala, and Scott Blewett stifling the Royals through the later innings, allowing just three hits.
What’s Next: David Festa (2-5, 4.75 ERA) goes against the Angels' Reid Detmers (3-6, 5.87 ERA) as the Twins look to get on track against one of the few teams that have looked more pathetic than themselves recently. Detmers is a decent lefty but with good raw stuff, but has struggled this year, even spending time in the minor leagues. Festa has been pretty good since his second call to the big leagues, with an ERA in the low 3.00's and elite strikeout numbers.
Postgame Interviews:
(Coming Soon)
Bullpen Usage Chart:
| WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | TOT | |
| Blewett | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 62 |
| Varland | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| Sands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Durán | 0 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 29 |
| Henríquez | 12 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Jax | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
| Thielbar | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Tonkin | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Alcalá | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
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