Twins 8, Red Sox 6: Early Deficit Erased in Scrappy Fenway Win

Box Score
Connor Prielipp: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Home Runs: Byron Buxton (16), Austin Martin (2)
Top 3 WPA: Austin Martin (0.270), Anthony Banda (0.220), Byron Buxton (0.200)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

Payton Tolle vs Connor Prielipp. The nation hasn’t seen two young lefties this promising since John and Robert Kennedy. Acquiring the knowledge for the previous joke cost the author thousands of dollars in tuition. 

With the Twins in Boston, an opportunity arises for two squads; indeed, neither team has particularly impressed—the latter was so lukewarm, Red Sox decision-makers decided to spit the coaching staff from their mouths in April. The Twins haven’t stooped to such means, but their season remains similarly meager. Someone must succeed, though, and the victor of this game, and the series, could use the momentum and good vibes as a propeller towards future wins. 

The “promising lefties” bit concocted hours before the game ended quickly. Both starters struggled early. Prielipp allowed a flurry of runs—four of them—in the first off a series of hard-hit balls, dinky singles, and outfield-misplayed ricochets. The latter is the only way to explain a Willson Contreras triple. Hit to left-center, nonetheless. 

Evidently, the Twins were in a respondent mood. Josh Bell singled to set up Gabriel Gonzalez in his first MLB plate appearance. The youngster has made his name as a free-swinger, one who looks to push action further rather than wait for it to happen. He’ll swing 0-0, 3-0, 0-2, and everything in between. There’s no pitch he hasn’t believed he can’t hit—and in his first time in a major-league batter’s box, he walked on four pitches. 

Strange things must be abound.

With two on, Ryan Kreidler bounded a double over third baseman Caleb Durbin’s head and into the left field corner, ushering home Josh Bell. A fielding error set up Luke Keaschall with the bases loaded; he continued the assembly line with an RBI single to right. Though an Alex Jackson strikeout dampened the mood somewhat, Byron Buxton perked matters right back up with an RBI single to left, picking on the stout Durbin once more. 

Unfortunately, the “suddenly a game” game only remained in that state for one full frame, the third, before Boston struck back at Prielipp for a pair of runs in the fourth. With men on the corners, Durbin dropped down a picturesque sacrifice bunt, made even better when the lefty hurler dirted the throw to first, allowing a run to score as runners nestled home at second and third. A Jarren Duran groundout scored Boston’s sixth run of the game. 

“Unfortunately?” Well, well, well, the dramatics of the prose written in the fifth proved just that, dramatic. These Twins had more fight in them: Buxton worked a nine-pitch at-bat against reliever Justin Slaten that ended in a two-run homer for the dynamic center fielder. 

Yet, the dynamic one who was actually playing center on Friday turned out to be Austin Martin, as he also launched a two-run homer in the seventh, with this blast giving the Twins their first lead of the game.

Minnesota added on in the ninth with an RBI walk by a pinch-hitting (walking) Trevor Larnach. Though, more could have been had; the bases were loaded with no one out before and after the walk, yet the Twins scored no more. No matter: Anthony Banda remained in the game to finish his eighth inning labor, and ended matters with a scoreless frame.

Notes:

Post-Game Interviews:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Red Sox venture to Fenway again on Saturday for a 3:10 matinee. The illustrious if not road-weary TBD faces off against the recalcitrant young TBD. 

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet