Tigers 7, Twins 2: This One Was Ugly From the Start

Box Score
SP: Zebby Matthews - 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K (58 pitches, 27 strikes (47% strikes))
Home Runs: Kody Clemens (26), Josh Bell (19)
Bottom 3 WPA: Zebby Matthews (-0.24), Brooks Lee (-0.09), Kaelen Culpepper (-0.08)
Win Probability Chart

The Twins entered Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the Tigers looking to win the rubber match after splitting the first two games of the series. Unfortunately, they never really gave themselves much of a chance. Detroit jumped on Zebby Matthews early, scoring twice in the first before putting together a brutal three-run third inning. The Twins briefly made things interesting with back-to-back homers from Kody Clemens and Josh Bell, but Detroit answered and never really let Minnesota get back into the game. The Tigers went on to win 7-2, taking the series and dropping the Twins to 69-77 on the season. They have just 16 games remaining, and would need to win 12 to get to .500.

ZEBBY MATTHEWS COULDN'T ESCAPE THE THIRD INNING

Zebby Matthews's biggest problem this season has been the long ball, and that issue showed up immediately Wednesday afternoon. Colt Keith gave Detroit a 2-0 lead in the first inning when he hammered a changeup down and in out to right field. It was Matthews's 23rd homer allowed this season, with 17 of those coming on the road. After a rough first inning, Matthews bounced back nicely in the second. He retired the Tigers in order, getting Brett Callahan to pop out, Max Clark to strike out, and Ben Malgeri to ground out. It looked like he had a chance to settle in and keep the Twins within striking distance. Instead, the third inning completely unraveled.

John Peck opened the frame with a walk. Kevin McGonigle doubled down the left-field line. Hao-Yu Lee then drew another four-pitch walk, loading the bases with nobody out and bringing Keith back to the plate. Matthews got the massive strikeout he needed against the hitter who had already homered off him, but the trouble didn't end there. He walked Riley Greene to force in another run, his third walk of the inning and fourth of the afternoon. That ended Matthews's day after just seven outs, with Travis Adams coming in to try to clean up the mess.

Dillon Dingler added a sacrifice fly, though, and Callahan's ground-rule double brought another run home. By the time the inning finally ended, Detroit had taken a 5-0 lead. Matthews couldn't afford that kind of inning, especially against a Tigers team that had already taken advantage of him in the first.

CLEMENS AND BELL GAVE THE TWINS A GLIMMER OF HOPE

The Twins didn't waste much time trying to respond. After Detroit's five-run third inning, Minnesota came to the plate in the fourth with a massive deficit to overcome. It took just two batters to make things a little more interesting. Clemens jumped on a first-pitch fastball on the outside corner and drove it out to left field for his 26th homer of the season. That gave him the outright team lead in home runs. Then Josh Bell stepped in and did the exact same thing. Suddenly, the Twins had gone from trailing 5-0 to trailing 5-2, and there was at least a little life in the Minnesota dugout.

But that was as close as they would get. The Twins couldn't string together another rally after the back-to-back homers. Detroit's Tyler Holton worked a scoreless fifth, and the Tigers' bullpen continued to keep Minnesota's offense in check throughout the afternoon. The two homers were a great response after falling into such a massive hole, but the Twins needed more than two swings to overcome what had happened in the third. Unfortunately, they never got it.

This game wasn't completely devoid of opportunities for Minnesota after the fourth inning. The Twins had a chance to make things interesting in the seventh, when Trevor Larnach lined a two-strike curveball into right field for a one-out single. Victor Caratini followed with a two-out single, allowing Larnach to advance all the way to third. That brought Walker Jenkins to the plate with the tying run.

Detroit went to left-hander Drew Sommers, and Jenkins had a chance to deliver the biggest hit of the afternoon. Instead, he swung through a fastball at the top of the zone to end the inning. That was Minnesota's last real opportunity. The Twins managed just one more baserunner after that, with Bell leading off the ninth with a single. Kaelen Culpepper immediately grounded into a double play, and Larnach flied out to end the game.

Minnesota finished the afternoon with just six hits and couldn't put together the kind of sustained offensive pressure it needed after falling behind early. The Tigers, meanwhile, consistently made the Twins pay for their mistakes.

After Tuesday's narrow victory gave the Twins a chance to win the series, Wednesday's game quickly turned into a reminder of how difficult things have been for Minnesota down the stretch. The Tigers scored early, capitalized on Matthews's struggles, and never surrendered control. With the regular season winding down, Minnesota's margin for error continues to get smaller.

What’s Next?
The Twins are off tomorrow before returning to Target Field to host the Guardians in a weekend set. Taj Bradley is lined up to start Friday night for Minnesota. Left-hander Parker Messick, who has allowed just two earned runs over two starts against the Twins this year, gets the ball for the Guards. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM.

Postgame Interviews
Coming soon!

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