Tigers 7, Twins 1: Ryan Has One Awful Inning, Detroit Breaks Open Early

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 7.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (99 pitches, 74 strikes, 74.7%)
Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (4)
Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.382), Joey Gallo (-.073), Carlos Correa (-.052)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Twins strike first, but Detroit chooses violence
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Thursday, the Twins turned to Joe Ryan tonight, and they were hoping the offense would remain hot. Minnesota came into this game having scored at least four runs in each of its last five games, something they’ve done only one other time this season. With Detroit going with a bullpen game, Minnesota was in business early.

After a scoreless first inning, the Twins put the game’s first run on the board in the second. Facing reliever Mason Englert, Alex Kirilloff hit a leadoff home run, his first since May 21. And the bats weren’t done: Donovan Solano grounded down the middle next, and a couple of at-bats later, Joey Gallo smoked a double to the corner right for his 500th career hit. But instead of having two men in scoring position with only one out, Solano made a baserunning blunder in that Gallo double and was tagged for the second out. The inning was over moments later, and Gallo was stranded.

Wasting those opportunities proved costly for Minnesota. Just like the Twins, the Tigers are also having a tremendous offensive outburst, as the team had scored at least five runs in six of their seven games prior to tonight. They opened the third with four consecutive singles, tying the game on an RBI groundball from former Twin Jonathan Schoop. Édouard Julien failed to make the play that originated the leadoff single, so not only the Tigers tied the game, but they also took the lead later on a Kerry Carpenter sac-fly that could’ve been out number three but instead brought Eric Haase home.

To keep this a one-run game and give the offense another chance, Ryan needed to take care of Javier Báez next, with men on the corners. Ryan tried to get him with a splitter, but Báez obliterated it for a long three-run shot to deep left, making it 5-1 Detroit. In the fourth, the Tigers added on with a Matt Vierling solo shot, and for the first time this season, Ryan allowed six runs in a game. This was also the second time in the year in which he gave up two home runs in a game.

Bats produce runners, but no more runs
Similarly to last night’s game, the Twins lineup was dominated by the Tigers' bullpen, failing to produce any more runs. But they didn’t go down without at least a little fight. In the bottom of the fourth, Solano lined a single to center and was followed by a Royce Lewis walk. But the rally was over when Gallo grounded into an inning-ending double play.

After the fourth inning, Ryan settled down and delivered three scoreless to close out his start. He allowed one hit (a double) but struck out four in that span. The bullpen took over, with Josh Winder tossing a scoreless eighth. He was brought back to pitch the ninth and gave up a solo home run to Vierling, his second of the night, scoring Detroit’s seventh run. A miraculous rally didn’t come even close to happening in the bottom of the ninth, as the offense went down in order to end the blowout.

Postgame interview

What’s Next?
The series goes on this Saturday, with game three scheduled to start at 1:10 pm CDT. Minnesota's starting pitcher has yet to be determined, while lefty Joey Wentz (1-6, 7.23 ERA) is expected to toe the rubber for Detroit.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet