Twins 6, Guardians 3: Matt Wallner Conquers Apple TV+

Box Score
Louie Varland: 4 ⅔ IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB 4 K
Home Runs: Matt Wallner (7)
Top 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (.346), Caleb Thielbar (.112), Cole Sands (.110)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Hidden behind the almighty Apple TV+ paywall—I hope you know someone with a login—the Twins played their second game of the Most Important Series of the Year (™) against the Cleveland Guardians. Even the AL Central isn’t immune to the changing tides. 

An earlier Twins victory was accentuated by a magnificent Bailey Ober start; the 6’9” righty dazzled and outwitted his opponent, whiffing nine over six shutout frames. A tough act for any pitcher to follow, Varland—the one recalled to fill the extra double-header roster spot—needed to match his teammate or at least come close. No pressure.

He looked good early, though. The first four innings were breezy, efficient. A few runners reached base, but no threat seriously emerged; each rally ended in quiet, tepid fashion. 

All the while, the 36-year-old veteran starting for Cleveland for the first time—Alex Cobb—scuffled. He was earning his typical healthy share of grounders, yes; but the Twins knew how to place them properly, earning sharp worm-burning hits early. With runners on the corners, Royce Lewis took a walk while Matt Wallner sped for 2nd. Austin Hedges, perhaps listening too much to his primal instincts, fired the ball to the basepaths, allowing Willi Castro to dash home safely just before the throw back could get him. An early stolen run.

Minnesota soon stole another run, just in a slightly different way: a two-out infield single by Austin Martin with a runner on first appeared to portend a minor opportunity, but shortstop Brayan Rocchio’s impotent throw eluded Josh Naylor’s glove at first base. A whole 90 minutes passed, and Christian Vázquez finally concluded his adventure around the bases with a safe slide into home. 

Those runs appeared well-set to support Varland as he placed the finishing touches on a respectable, five-shutout inning start, but Louie forgot to seal the deal, hanging a hit-me curve to Naylor, which landed nearly 400 feet and three runs away. 

Well, two can play that game. Cobb had been so good at eliciting weak contact—forcing the Twins to hit directly into Guardian gloves—but he committed the same sin as Varland; the sinkerball gifted a cookie to Matt Wallner with two runners on, and the incinerating left fielder pounded the ball, landing it well into the overhang into right for a matching three-run homer. 

So began the running of the pens. Minnesota dipped into the well early with Cole Sands’ appearance to end the 5th; Cleveland didn’t acquiesce to their relief corpse until after Wallner’s blast fractured space and time. Their typical array of Dudes You’ve Never Heard of Sporting a Sub-3 ERA spit out a couple of names, placed a man on third, and one of their anonymous hurlers balked in a run. With Vázquez running. Only the finest from man’s most elusive athlete.

It appears Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt wasn’t a fan of the call. We’ll investigate further and announce when we know more.

The Twins' bullpen was perfect. Sands delivered the game to the 7th, and Caleb Thielbar covered perhaps the two most critical frames of the night, handing the ball off to the eventual 9th innings after clocking in six easy outs. Trevor Richards concluded the inevitable. The Twins won.

Notes:

Matt Wallner has hit 23 major-league home runs, the 23rd-most by a player born in Minnesota. He is one away from tying Howie Schultz for 22nd place and is 442 away from reaching Dave Winfield. 

Christian Vázquez is slashing .315/.362/.574 since the start of July.

Caleb Thielbar holds a 2.81 ERA since June 20th.

The Twins hit into five double plays on Friday night.

Willi Castro's four steals of home are second in Twins history; Rod Carew leads the way with 16. 

Post-Game Interview:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Guardians play again on Saturday, with first pitch coming at 6:10 PM. RHP Gavin Williams (1-4, 4.91 ERA) will face off against Simeon Woods Richardson (3-2, 3.87 ERA). 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet