Twins 2, Athletics 0: Kendry Rojas and the Twins Bullpen Pitch the Twins to Victory

Box Score
SP: Kendry Rojas - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (56 pitches, 36 strikes (64%))
Home Runs: N/A
Top 3 WPA: Rojas (0.21), Alan Roden (0.19), Taylor Rogers (0.14)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

The Twins continued to stay offensively challenged after the All-Star Break in a demoralizing 2-0 loss to the Athletics on Friday night. Saturday brought three reasons more optimism for the Target Field faithful: The Ryan Baseball Classic (a planned collection of people named Ryan), Kirby Puckett jersey giveaway day (a planned attempt to get fans to pay to see the Twins), and Athletics league-worst bullpen day (which means something to everyone in the MLB except the Twins apparently). Could the Twins capitalize on yet another chance to start winning again before the trade deadline? Or would 1,000 Ryans and 10,000 light blue reminders of what winning used to look like go home disappointed yet again?

Starter Switch-Up
Before the game could even begin, the Twins had to make a switch to their own bullpen game plan. Mike Paredes was announced as the opener and took his warm-up pitches, but right at game time Derek Shelton had to come out and get Kendry Rojas ready instead. Unfortuneately it wasn't just some creative managing skullduggery, for Paredes left with oblique soreness and was unavailable for an already depleted bullpen. Rojas took advantage of the unexpected early entry and worked four innings of one hit baseball, with five strike outs and outstanding control of his fastball which stayed around 97 mph all evening.

Twins Still Lifeless at the Plate
The Athletics went with their own lefty opener in Brady Basso, who took care of the Twins bats without much effort until Ryan Kreidler led off the bottom of the third with a slicing double to right to set the Ryan faithful into a frenzy. When Mason Barnett came in to replace Basso with one out, Kreidler immediately stole third to incite more frenzy. Barnett faced Byron Buxton, and Buxton's struggles with runners in scoring position continued as he chased a high heater. Kody Clemens is not named Ryan, and therefore he flew out to end the threat in what felt like groundhog day for the Twins offense over the past two weeks.

Signs of Life...?
The ageless left arm of Taylor Rogers got the Twins through the fifth and sixth innings with the game still locked in a scoreless tie. Barnett was still dealing for the A's, but he lost Josh Bell to a one-out walk. Then he surrendered a laser beam into the left field corner from Royce Lewis to put runners at second and third with only one out. Like clockwork, Victor Caratini popped up too shallow to advance the runners and it looked like Mark Kotsay was going to bring in a lefty to neutralize Alan Roden. Kotsay
decided to stay with the righty, and Roden decided to smash the Twins into a 2-0 lead with a blistering single to right!

Morris Throws Fire, Who Will it Burn?
The Twins looked to be in the driver's seat but the scoreboard still only read 2-0 as Andrew Morris took over in the top of the eighth. Lawrence Butler worked a leadoff walk on a full count, and Morris looked like he was going to erase it immediately as he snagged a hard comebacker from Jacob Wilson. As Morris went to turn the 1-6-3 double play he instead threw it 101 mph into center field. Buxton chucked the ball to third base for no good reason, which allowed a bad play to multiply into a runners at second and third situation with nobody out. Pete Maki slowly made his way to the mound, and tried to calm down the young fireballer. Nick Kurtz was back in the lineup tonight, and he stood in at this most crucial junction of the ballgame. Morris was up to the challenge, fooling Kurtz on a cutter for a sword strikeout. Tyler Soderstrom struck out swinging at a cutter above his head. With the Target Field faithful too afraid to watch, Morris escaped the inferno of his own creation by inducing a Jonah Heim groundout to get his team back into the dugout still ahead 2-0!

Yoendrys Gomez kept the Twins in the lead, as the Twins bullpen out-dueled the Athletics bullpen to even the series. 

What’s Next?
The Twins look to take their first series since the All-Star Break on Sunday afternoon. Twins lefty Connor Prielipp (2-5, 5.00 ERA) will return to the rotation after an extended break. Joe Ryan is getting extended rest with "arm fatigue" and hopes to pitch in the Royals series. The Athletics will send yet another lefty starter out in Jeffrey Springs (3-9, 5.96 ERA) who has a 9.37 ERA over his last seven outings.. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT.

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