Twins 20, Guardians 6: Twins Bats on Fire, Bury Guardians in Series Opener

Box Score
SP: Pablo Lopez  6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (89 pitches, 57 strikes (73% strikes))
Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (12), Royce Lewis (11), Carlos Correa (17), Joey Gallo (21), Kyle Farmer (9), Matt Wallner (11)
Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis .225, Jorge Polanco .202, Pablo Lopez .082

Win Probability Chart 

Something Out of a Video Game
Royce Lewis already had back-to-back games a week ago with grand slams and found himself in a spot to make history Monday night. Aside from Alexei Ramirez in 2008, no other MLB rookie has hit four grand slams in a season.

Unbeknownst to Lewis, he could become the second player in the history of the game to meet that moment, and he did. 57th career game, bases loaded, two out, and Lewis hammers a 92 mph fastball to the left field bleachers. 6-0 Twins. 

Then in the top of the sixth, he had the chance to become the first player ever with five career grand slams in 60 or fewer career games. Lewis did not hit a grand slam but still had a two-run single to put the Twins up 11-1. This marked the first six RBI game in Lewis’s career. 

His four grand slams came under half the time that it took the next fastest guy to the same number of slams in his career. Rudy York had played in 132 career games back in 1937 with the Detroit Tigers before he had his fourth grand slam. Lewis did it in 56 games. 

Lewis's six-RBI game was the first for any Twin in 2023 and the first rookie to do so in two seasons when Ryan Jeffers did it in 2021 in a 17-14 loss to the Tigers on July 28, 2021. 

Twins make Giolito look lackluster in his Guardians debut
After doing all they could to ensure they had the best pitchers available from Thursday’s waiver wire madness, the Guardians sent their newly acquired start Lucas Giolito to the mound.

Giolito has had hit-or-miss success against Minnesota in his career. The first inning showed some signs of that with Jorge Polanco hitting a solo home run to put the Twins up earl 1-0. Giolito regained his composure from there and held the Twins from scoring any more runs following a Royce Lewis single.

The second inning was a different story entirely. Giolito struck out the first two batters, and he had an 0-2 count in Ryan Jeffers. The Twins catcher worked a walk. Then Giolito gave up a single, and walked two more batters giving Polanco an RBI walk. Lewis came up again with the bases loaded and made it 6-0.

Surprising to all, Giolito stayed in for the third inning and the Twins didn’t stop their home runs raining on his parade there. Carlos Correa led the inning off with a solo home run, his first since August 25. 

The Twins added two more runs from a Ryan Jeffers RBI double and Willi Castro sacrifice fly. Giolito threw 75 pitches to get through the gauntlet and the Twins had a 9-0 cushion with his early departure. 

Lopez Gives Bullpen Much-Needed Rest
Lopez didn’t pitch without a lead Monday night and with the game becoming more and more a blowout victory each inning, he didn’t need to be in full ace form.

Lopez did not have a single inning in the game where he faced the minimum number of hitters as the Guardians rallied for eight hits and their sole run on a Jose Ramirez RBI triple in the bottom of the third. 

On top of the hits surrendered, Lopez was also lacking in strikeouts compared to previous starts. Lopez hadn’t had a start with fewer than five strikeouts since September 10, 2022, when he only recorded two in 3 2/3 innings. Monday night he had three over six innings falling one short of getting his 200th of the year. 

Position Players Give Twins Late Inning Batting Practice
The Twins put this game out of reach from the Guardians in the first three innings. But like the Twins, their bullpen had also been taxed in their previous series, leaving bullpen options limited for them Monday night. 

Following a scoreless fifth, Guardians reliever Enyel De Los Santos gave up two walks and a single to give Lewis the bases loaded once more. Lewis tagged his two-run single to put the Twins up 11-1. 

Terry Francona took De Los Santos out of the game, but he didn’t bring in another arm from the bullpen. He waived the white flag by putting catcher David Fry on the mound. The Twins rallied for two more runs before Fry got three outs in the sixth.

The seventh became a slugfest with the righty on the mound. Rocco Baldelli pulled his lefties off the bench and they delivered. Joey Gallo slugged a two-run homer to put the Twins up 15-1, then three batters later, Kyle Farmer hit a three-run homer to double the Twins lead from Giolito’s last pitch and make it 18-1. 

Even in the ninth inning the Twins weren't done. Matt Wallner took a swing straight out of batting practice to a meatball from Fry to extend the lead 20-3. 

Other Notes
Brent Headrick had the seventh inning and started the eighth. Even with an extensive lead he still gave up two runs and struggled with his command of the strike zone. His one walk wasn’t the main issue. He hit two batters that led to warnings being given out by the umpires. 

While he gave his fellow relievers some rest, hitting two batters and throwing 46 pitches to get three outs wasn’t enough to keep him in to get any more outs. Dylan Floro came in out of the bullpen and retired the side from there. 

The ninth inning saw the strangest defensive alignment from the Twins all year. Up 20-3, newly-minted father Willi Castro was on the mound, Donovan Solano moved over to third and replacing him at second was Christian Vazquez. While 17 runs is a comfortable lead, Castro gave up hits and walks left and right that allowed the Guardians to score two runs before he got the first out. 

What’s Next? 
The Twins play the second of three games in their critical finale series of the year against Cleveland. Sonny Gray will make the start for the Twins against the Guardians Tanner Bibee.

Postgame Interview 
Coming soon.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet