Twins 5, Pirates 6: Bullpen Carries That Weight, Fails in the Ninth

Box Score
Taj Bradley: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Home Runs: Kody Clemens (6), Trevor Larnach (3)
Bottom 3 WPA: Taylor Rogers (-.790), Taj Bradley (-.180), Byron Buxton (-.160)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Ah, welcome back, Apple TV. How we all missed signing up for a free trail with a new email, or prodding a friend or family member for their log in. What a wonderful present the captains of industry have created for us.

Taj Bradley earned the start for Minnesota, as Jared Jones—in his first major league outing since 2024—took the mound for Pittsburgh. That’s two power pitchers on the mound; owners of the kind of regal stuff that so dominates today's game. Either hurler is capable of unleashing diesel, owning hitters with raw velocity and jet-fueled breaking balls, corkscrewing batters too antsy for their heat. They could turn any band of batsmen on the run back to the dugout. Naturally, they were both hammered early.

Jared Jones looked like Nolan Ryan’s lost grandson in his first two batters, before Kody Clemens stepped to the plate and swatted one of his lethal fastballs for a solo homer. “Hit this,” said Jones. “I Will,” said Clemens.

The early support didn’t aid in Bradley’s mound endeavors. Runners appeared here, there, and everywhere in the first, as walks begat hits, which begat runs (though not without some poor defense from the corner infield spots; both Brooks Lee and Josh Bell aided in abetting runs to their counterparts). Suddenly, the Pirates claimed three runs, Bradley had thrown 30 pitches, and the only help he received was in a confirmed strike three call on Endy Rodriguez. 

As Pittsburgh’s lead said hello, Minnesota’s offense quickly bade it goodbye: they loaded the bases in the second, and tied the game when Tristan Gray found a lovely gap in the infield that scored two.

Maybe we’re amazed at this game’s pace; maybe we were soon to be amazed at what was a mammoth match-altering blast by Trevor Larnach. He saw one of Jones’ signature fastballs and smoothly stroked the offering deep into the Pittsburgh night, perhaps flirting with the Allegheny River in the process (neither Kris Atteberry or Glen Perkins could parse whether the ball landed in water, or whether it was an ordinary stands-clearing shot.) In any case, his silver hammer returned the lead to Minnesota. 

Oneil Cruz immediately refused to let Larnach’s blast be; indeed, he sent one 450 feet out right, almost certainly entertaining the aquatic life in the 325-mile tributary of the Ohio river with red-stitched leather. 

Editor's Note: A couple of innings later, the Pirates media relations staff announced that the two home runs both ended up in the river. Larnach's got there. Cruz's homer was the seventh home run to land in the river. He had hit two of the seven while Twins Josh Bell is the only other with two homers landing in the river. 

All of this occurred in just three innings, mind you. If Apple was paying for efficiency, they must have been pleased with their investment.

The early excitement gave way to a long and winding road: the Twins and Pirates settled into a typical baseball stalemate, perhaps occasionally trading baserunners and mild excitement, but never ultimately impacting the score. The fourth became the fifth, which became the sixth, which became the seventh. The “Bradley and Jones” of before turned into afterthoughts. Did Clemens homer in the first? Only a historian could answer that.

The eighth appeared to change matters. Cruz walked, and Konnor Griffin reached on a “fielder’s choice,” with an error unfairly charged to Tristan Gray (the real culprit was Luke Keaschall, whom the scorer must assume has the range of a caterpillar.) In any case, reliever Cody Laweryson was now in real trouble—runners stood on the corners with no one out. He blew a fastball by Rodriguez for the first out. Then Jake Magnum grounded one to Clemens, now at first, who didn’t make the same mistake Bell once suffered: he easily threw the runner out at home. Jared Triolo flew out to get the Twins back to their unthreatened lead.

The eighth apparently was a portend of things to come, as Taylor Rogers entered to save the game for Minnesota. A well-placed single placed a man on base, and an inside sinker never reached the front door; rather, Bryan Reynolds crushed the pitch for a walk-off two run-homer. It was only waiting for its moment to arise, apparently. 

Notes:

Post-Game Interview:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Pirates continue their Central Switch-Up matchup with a 3:05 PM matinee on Saturday. Bailey Ober is scheduled to start opposite Mitch Keller. 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet