Twins 5, White Sox 4: Twins Rally to Stun and Sweep the White Sox

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober: 6 IP 5 H 3 ER 0 BB 6 SO (82 Pitches, 54 Strikes, 66%)
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Ryan Jeffers (.439), Kyle Farmer (.301), Joey Gallo (.254)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):

 
This game featured strong starting pitching, elite relief pitching, timely offense and missed opportunities galore. When the final run crossed the plate, Twins territory was cheering and the White Sox faithful were crying yet again. A sweep for the Twins and another game gained in the AL Central. It wasn't pretty, but it counts all the same.

Cluttered Bases, Missed Opportunities
The Twins started their offensive attack with a lead off single by Carlos Correa, and a walk by Edouard Julien. A double play and a Donovan Solano strikeout ended the threat quickly, and gave a foreshadowing of the offensive day that would follow. 

Max Kepler laced a lead off double in the bottom of the second, only to get erased at the plate while trying to score on a Matt Wallner single to right. Runners at the corners came to nothing later in the inning following a Michael A. Taylor strikeout. Kepler and Wallner found their way onto the base paths again in the bottom of the fourth, only to be stranded by yet another Taylor strikeout.

The Lucas Giolito time machine generated nine strikeouts in the first five innings, and held the Twins scoreless despite surrendering six hits and three walks.

White Sox Skip the Bases
Bailey Ober tossed a quality start, but he needed perfection today. Eloy Jimenez greeted an Ober fastball with a moon shot to center field to lead off the second inning, putting the White Sox up 1-0. Rookie Zach Remillard thought that approach was worth imitating, and he took the second pitch of the third inning deep for his first career home run, stretching the Chicago lead to 2-0.

Sloppy defense in the top of the fifth led to the third White Sox run, as Ryan Jeffers let it fly on a stolen base attempt by Oscar Colas, and Colas ended up at third base. Remillard struck again, singling home Colas to push the lead to 3-0.

Twins Offense Continues to Hit the Snooze Button
Giolito exited after five innings, and the Chicago bullpen didn't miss a beat. Wallner continued to rake, with a double in the sixth. However, everyone else who tried to bat in the last four innings flailed and failed against the White Sox relief crew. Joe Kelly and Reynaldo Lopez combined to silence the Twins for three innings, collecting another five strikeouts in the process.

The Twins Finally Wake Up in the Ninth
The White Sox brought in their closer Kendall Graveman to seal the deal, and the Twins fans who stuck around to the bitter end were glad they did! Wallner stayed hot, and drew a six-pitch walk to lead off the inning. Jeffers laced a single up up the middle, and all of a sudden the Twins had yet another cluttered base situation. This time, Rocco Baldelli went to the bench and brought in captain pink eye Willi Castro, who took out three days of conjunctivitis frustration on the baseball.

With the score now 3-1 after the Castro double, Correa lined a looper to left, and Andrew Benintendi couldn't say that three times fast, but he did catch it at his shoelaces for the first out. Jeffers was able to tag and score to cut the lead to one run at 3-2, but the tension grew as Castro stayed at second, now with one down. Julien stepped up to the hero's plate, but had one of his weaker swings after working a 3-1 count, flying out to left for the second out. 

Twins fans started collecting their things and post-game recap writers started scrambling to write their "woe is me" headlines, but Alex Kirilloff decided that extra innings were in order, as he dropped an opposite field double down the line to plate Castro, and tie the game 3-3.

To the 10th We Go...
Jhoan Duran got the call for the Twins in the top of the 10th inning, and he got the first two White Sox batters on a strike out and a ground out. Tim Anderson came up with the ghost runner on third, and with two strikes delivered a soul-deflating rocket to the gap in right to put the White Sox back ahead 4-3. Luis Robert struck out to strand Anderson at second, but the damage was done and the deck was stacked against the Twins yet again.

Lefty Tanner Banks took the 10th for Chicago, which led to Kyle Farmer pinch hitting for Kepler to lead things off. Joey Gallo assumed the ghost runner position, and run he did. Gallo ran to third base when Banks bounced a pitch to the backstop. Then when Farmer weakly flied to short right field, Gallo ran home because the right fielder decided to lie down on the job.

Byron Buxton kept the excitement going with a bloop to center. Christian Vazquez pinch-hit for Wallner. Let that sink in for a bit. Vazquez popped out to second base on the first pitch. The comment space below is provided for your reflections on that situation.

Jeffers tried to pop out in foul territory, but Anderson whiffed on it to offer a second chance. Buxton never tried to steal, but Jeffers ended up walking to push Buxton into scoring position anyways. Castro came to the plate for hero moment number two, but popped up weakly to center to send us into yet another bonus frame.

To the 11th We Go...
Griffin Jax got the call for the 11th inning, and Robert started the inning at second base. Jimenez flied out to Castro in center to start the inning, and Yasmani Grandal grounded out to Julien to advance Robert to third with two outs. Jake Burger had gone hitless through the first four innings, and he decided that was pattern worth repeating as Jax struck him out swinging to hold the Sox scoreless.

Banks stayed in for the White Sox, and they intentionally walked Correa to put runners on first and second for Julien. Their plan was affirmed when Julien missed a few fastballs that could have sent everyone home happy, and ended up striking out. Kirilloff was the next lefty vs. lefty matchup, and Castro decided to spice things up by stealing third base! Now, with the winning run 90 feet away, Kirilloff ripped the winning hit down the right field line...only to have Grandal make a leaping snag for out number two.

Lefty vs. lefty matchup number three fell upon Gallo's hefty shoulders. Those hefty shoulders tried to draw a bunt down the first base line in a move that surprised all humans everywhere. It didn't work, and Grandal caught the easy pop up to send us to yet another inning with a grand chance squandered.

Each Extra Inning Shouldn't Get It's Own Headline
Emilio Pagan pitched the 11th for the Twins. He did amazingly well, stranding the ghost runner yet again to set up a potential walk-off moment for the sweep. 

A mostly blind Gallo stood at second base, and Farmer stood in the box against the new righty reliever Jesse Scholtens. Farmer sliced a single to right and Gallo checked up on third base with nobody out. The White Sox intentionally walked Buxton, and Vazquez (remember this was Wallner's spot) found himself up with the bases loaded and nobody out. On a 2-0 count, he hit a weak grounder to short, and after a 6-2-3 double play, the Twins faithful were stretching their comment fingers yet again.

Jeffers said do not fear, I am still here (even after taking a foul ball to the throat an inning earlier in a situation where the Twins had no bench players left), and he poked an opposite field grounder to right to win it all! 

What’s Next:
The Mariners come to town for three games, with the revived Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (2-5, 5.10 ERA) taking the hill to start the series. Seattle sends RHP Luis Castillo (6-7, 3.04 ERA) who took a no-decision against the Twins last week. The Twins look to keep the good vibes rolling against a jet lagged Mariner squad. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm on Monday at Target Field.

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Chart: