Twins 3, Cardinals 2: Twins Hang On to Beat the Cardinals, Increase Division Lead

Box Score
SP  Pablo Lopez: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K  ( 94 pitches, 65 strikes, 69%)
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Donovan Solano (0.187), Lopez (0.159), Matt Wallner (0.130)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

The Twins came into this contest against the St. Louis Cardinals on the heels of a whirlwind trade deadline... for the Cardinals. The Twins decided against any major trades, and the Cardinals moved Wednesday's originally-scheduled starter Jack Flaherty, SS Paul DeJong, RP Jordan Hicks, LHP Jordan Montgomery, and RP Chris Stratton since the weekend.

Would the lack of movement encourage the current Twins roster to produce, or would the lack of action be seen as a contentment with mediocrity? Would the last-place Cardinals put up a fight like the Royals did over the weekend? Or would the past 48 hours get the St. Louis regulars daydreaming about October vacation? Turns out, a little bit of both happened, much to the Twins' delight.

Rocco Baldelli and the Twins Strike First
The Twins skipper started the game strong, winning two challenges and an appeal in the first five innings. Two of those decisions eliminated Cardinals scoring opportunities, and that can't be overstated in a game where runs were hard to come by.

In the top of the fifth, the Twins finally managed to scrape a run across against Miles Mikolas, even though it was unearned. The Cardinals channeled their inner White Sox with some sloppy defense, and a little Ryan Jeffers hustle got the job done. Jeffers reached on a double, took third on a Joey Gallo fly out, and the shortstop for the day (Gold Glove-winner) Tommy Edman (whose brother works in the Twins front office) air-mailed the throw to first on a Michael A. Taylor groundout to put the Twins up 1-0.

Pablo Deals Yet Again, and Almost for Naught
Lopez only allowed a single through the first five innings, but the sixth inning saw the Cardinals scatter three singles, culminating with one run scored and an out made on the bases during a questionable cut-off play by Jorge Polanco to make the score 1-1. Matt Wallner and Ryan Jeffers both thought the throw to the plate was going to work, Polanco didn't and got the sure out.

They reconciled soon after with Polanco leading off the seventh with a single, and Wallner moving him to third on a ground-rule double. Jeffers came up to the plate next, but couldn't complete the reconciliation circle as he struck out for the first out of the inning.

Pinch-Hitting...Works for the Twins?
One of the bats that was on the verge of being replaced in the Twins lineup was Donovan Solano, who saw his average, OBP, and SLG all fall throughout the month of July. So what happens when the calendar turns, and you find yourself still on the bench? You step up to the plate to pinch-hit for Joey Gallo with two on in the top of the seventh inning and do this to put your squad back into the lead at 3-1!

How Will the Bullpen Respond to the Deadline Silence?
Many anticipated that the Twins would continue to invest in the bullpen as the deadline approached, but nothing more transpired. With the trade deadline come and gone, Twins fans readied themselves for more exciting seventh innings with Emilio Pagan, eighth innings with Griffin Jax, and ninth innings with Jhoan Duran. This mix has been lights out for the majority of the season, but have wavered of late as the innings and usage and heat indexes begin to mount.

Pagan took the seventh, and ran his fastball up to 98 mph and walked one in a scoreless inning. Jax allowed back-to-back singles with two outs, and then increased the stress levels of a five-state region when he hung a 2-1 sweeper to Nolan Arenado. The ball landed innocently in Willi Castro's glove on the left-field warning track for out number three.

Duran? Willson Contreras was retired quickly enough to start off the bottom of the ninth inning, but Tyler O'Neill did not go quietly into the night. He launched a 102 mph fastball into the bullpen in right field to squeeze the score to 3-2 Twins. Jordan Walker struck out swinging for the second out, which brought up pinch-hitting Alec Burleson as the final threat of the evening. Three pitches and a swinging strike out later, the Twins win, and all is...well?

What's Next?
The Twins look to win the series and will send RHP Joe Ryan (9-7, 4.06 ERA) out in hopes of getting his ace stuff working again. The Cardinals will counter with someone who isn't Flaherty, as RHP Dakota Hudson (1-0, 4.19 ERA) will fulfill an opener role. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm CDT, but rain is in the forecast throughout the day so stay tuned for updates.

Post-Game Interview:

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet