Thiéres Rabelo

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 9K (78 pitches, 63 strikes, 80.8%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Sandy León (.200), Joe Ryan (.155), Michael Fulmer (.079) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Four new ballplayers joined the Twins at Tuesday’s trade deadline, three pitchers (Tyler Mahle, Jorge López, and Michael Fulmer) and a catcher (Sandy León). With Minnesota’s pitching going through an incredibly rough patch for weeks now, it was natural for the pitcher trades to be celebrated the most. But it was the lone bat acquired in those deals to make some noise first. After going down in order in the first inning, the offense set the wheels in motion in the second. TD’s hitter of the month of July, José Miranda kicked things off with a leadoff single shortly before Nick Gordon drew a one-out walk. Lefty Tyler Alexander managed to retire Jake Cave for the second out, but he couldn’t dodge the León bullet. Batting eighth in his very first at-bat as a Twin, León drove in both runners with a double to the left-field corner. Unfortunately for the Twins, the offense couldn’t do much outside that second inning. Alexander pitched three perfect innings around it, keeping the Twins bats on a leash. Fortunately for the Twins, though, Joe Ryan had a tremendous start to this game – perhaps another impact brought to the table by León. Ryan tossed four scoreless innings to open this game, allowing only two hits while striking out seven. During the fifth, he had some issues, causing him to hit two batters and allowing Riley Greene to push the leadoff runner across, scoring Detroit’s first run. Ryan limited the damage to the one run by striking out the next two batters for a total of nine through five. Also, TD’s Nick Nelson found this gem: Came the sixth inning, and Rocco Baldelli decided it was time to have another new Twin make his debut for Minnesota. Fulmer needed only 13 pitches, nine of which were strikes, to toss a scoreless frame with a punch out. He also caught former teammate Harold Castro trying to steal second to end the inning. In the home sixth, Byron Buxton led things off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was pushed across by a Carlos Correa single, making it 3-1 Minnesota. While Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran did a fine job keeping the lead intact through the seventh and eighth innings, the bats had a hard time adding on. Cave and León got back-to-back hits in the seventh (León’s first multi-hit game of the season), but both runners ended up being stranded. But they managed to get one more insurance run for Jorge Lopez to have an easier time trying to get his first save as a Twin in the ninth. Buxton led off the eighth with a single, shortly before Jorge Polanco got his first hit of the afternoon, a one-out single. Miranda drew a walk to load the bases with one out, and the Twins had the chance to break the game open. Gio Urshela hit a sac-fly to center to score Buxton from third, but that was all Minnesota got, as Gordon struck out next to end the inning. López stepped up for his first save opportunity with Minnesota and he breezed through the ninth, retiring the side on seven pitches, concluding a perfect debut for the new fellows. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins continue their homestand on Thursday when they start a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for tomorrow at 6:40 pm CDT, with Sonny Gray (3.41 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota and Alek Manoah (2.43 ERA) starting for Toronto. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Pagán 20 20 0 16 0 56 Jax 11 0 20 24 0 55 Duran 11 0 10 0 19 40 Megill 7 23 0 8 0 38 Fulmer 0 0 23 0 13 36 Duffey 28 0 0 7 0 35 Moran 0 16 0 10 0 26 Thielbar 0 7 0 0 11 18 López 0 0 0 0 7 7

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 5 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 5K (79 pitches, 52 strikes, 65.8%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (26), Carlos Correa (13) Top 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (.187), Byron Buxton (.173) Sonny Gray (.147) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Both starting pitchers displayed dominance for the first portion of this game, especially San Diego’s Joe Musgrove. The former Pirate retired the first eight batters he faced and ten of the first eleven. Sonny Gray wasn’t just as sharp and got some vital help from a beautiful 6-4-3 double play turned in by the Twin defense in the second, which prevented a run from scoring later that same inning. San Diego struck first when Manny Machado hit a two-out solo home run in the third on a gorgeous swing, his eighteenth of the season. But it wouldn’t take long for the Twins to respond. In the top of the fourth, they almost tied the game when Carlos Correa crushed a fastball for a long foul ball that was just foul. Musgrove needed to do something to avoid that kind of contact, and he was almost successful at it against Byron Buxton, who fell behind 0-2 on two swinging strikes. But came the third pitch of the at-bat, he returned to his four-seamer, and Buxton got all of it. He obliterated that pitch (111.1 MPH exit velocity) for a game-tying solo shot. Gray didn’t show any signs that the home run he gave up affected him, as he pitched a perfect fourth with two strikeouts. But Musgrove came back for the fifth and had his shakiest inning in the game, allowing Minnesota to take its first lead of the series. Jose Miranda was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and he would end up scoring the go-ahead run after a Nick Gordon single and a Gilberto Celestino line drive to right. This could’ve been an even more productive inning for Minnesota, with two men on and the top of the lineup coming up, but Luis Arraez and Correa both struck out to end the inning. Gray delivered another solid scoreless frame in the fifth, pitching around a leadoff single to He-Seong Kim, and he was pulled from the game at 79 pitches. With today’s outing, he has back-to-back starts in which he allows one earned run or less for the first time since June 15. It’s a relief to see him perform this well against such a strong opponent, especially after a few rocky starts this month. Before today’s game, he had allowed three or more earned runs in four of his previous six games, which drove his season ERA to near four. Minnesota caught a huge break during the seventh inning. After a C.J. Abrams one-out single against Trevor Megill that broke an 0-for-8 skid for the Padres offense, left-fielder Jurickson Profar hit a hard groundball that would much likely tie the game or at least send Abrams to third. However, the ball hit second base umpire Jerry Layne, and Abrams was forced to stay at second base. Megill departed the game right away, and Griffin Jax came in to brilliantly get the final two outs of the inning. Correa’s home run sparks a five-run inning Arráez got his first hit of the day in the eighth inning with a one-out single to right. Correa would bat after him, having struck out in each one of his previous three at-bats. Just as the Fox commentators were talking about his possible “Golden Sombrero,” he crushed a 2-2 four-seamer up the middle for a 414-feet home run, making it 4-1 Minnesota. The Twins blitz continued. After a pitching change that brought Dinelson Lamet to pitch for the Padres, Correa’s homer was followed by a Buxton single (and a stolen base by him) and a Jorge Polanco walk. With only one out, Kyle Garlick grounded into a force out which was going to be a double play, but Abrams made a throwing error to first, allowing Buxton to score. Lamet couldn’t stop the bleeding, and two more runs would score on two hits. First, Miranda hit a long single to drive in Garlick and allow him to stretch it into second. Then, Gordon hit a long line drive to left that bounced and reached the seats, scoring Miranda on a ground rule double, making it 7-1 Minnesota. After Emilio Pagan, Megill, and Jax combined for two scoreless, Jhoan Duran cruised through the bottom of the eighth on eleven pitches. Then, despite the six-run lead, Tyler Duffey scared us all. He retired the first batter he faced at the bottom of the ninth, but gave up a walk and hit a batter in the next two at-bats. Then, Profar hit a three-run home run, keeping San Diego's hopes alive. Fortunately, Duffey was able to strike out Machado and induce a game-ending groundout against Eric Hosmer. What’s Next? The rubber game of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:10 pm CDT. Dylan Bundy (5.02 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins, while Sean Manaea (4.33 ERA) gets the start for the Padres. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Duffey 25 0 0 0 28 53 Moran 0 21 0 25 0 46 Cano 0 46 0 0 0 46 Cotton 0 33 0 13 0 46 Duran 32 0 0 0 11 43 Pagán 20 0 0 0 20 40 Jax 12 0 0 0 11 23 Smith 17 0 0 0 0 17 Megill 0 10 0 0 7 17

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer, 3 IP, 3H, 6R, 6ER, 6BB, 2K (78 pitches, 36 strikes, 46.1%) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (9), Kyle Garlick (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Chris Archer (-.309), Jharel Cotton (-.191), Luis Arraez (-.067) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Things did not look good at all for Minnesota after the first inning of this game. Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes cruised through the top of the inning on 16 pitches, with the only Twins baserunner coming after a fielding error on the outfield. Then, Chris Archer struggled badly, allowing each of the first four batters he faced to reach. After a Christian Yelich leadoff walk and a single by Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez crushed the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run. The Twins provided a quick response, though. At the top of the second, José Miranda homered off Burnes in the very first pitch of the inning, putting Minnesota on the board, and starting Burnes’ nightmare inning. The Twins lineup made the All-Star starter work twice as hard to get through the second inning – it took him 32 pitches to complete the frame. After the Miranda home run and an Alex Kirilloff groundout, Minnesota’s bottom third of the lineup got three consecutive hits that scored two more runs and tied the game. Kyle Garlick doubled to right and scored after Nick Gordon did the same thing. Gordon himself scored too on a Gary Sanchez liner to center. The Twins were back at the top of the lineup with only one out and a man on, but they couldn’t capitalize. In fact, Burnes really settled down starting right there, in the second inning. He struck out Luis Arráez and Carlos Correa to get out of the jam, but that wasn’t all. Those two strikeouts began a hot streak for the Crew’s ace, as he went on to retire thirteen straight Minnesota batters. Archer, bullpen give up seven runs on two home runs Archer tossed a couple of scoreless innings, in the second and in the third, but the Brewers ambushed him again in the fourth, and he was done. Despite facing the bottom half of the Milwaukee lineup, he struggled to throw strikes and surrendered three consecutive walks. Jharel Cotton took over, trying to put out the fire, but he ultimately couldn’t do it. After a strikeout, he gave up a loaded bases walk to Yelich that gave the Brewers the lead. Then, Adames hit a sac-fly to left to score Luis Urias from third, making it 5-3 Milwaukee. He was one out away from keeping the game open. Then, Tellez happened. Again. After a hard-fought seven-pitch at-bat, the big man destroyed a changeup at the heart of the plate (111.8 MPH exit velocity) for a three-run dong that blew the game wide open. Making his first appearance since July 14, Yennier Cano took over in relief of Cotton in the fifth. Since being sent down to Triple-A Saint Paul, Cano improved very much, maintaining a 3.85 ERA through eleven appearances and allowing only one earned run in five appearances (six innings) in July for the Saints. He got called up last Friday and got his first look back at majors today. He retired Hunter Renfroe to start the fifth, but he was really shaky for the remainder of the inning. Kolten Wong hit a double off him, and Urías blasted a two-run shot to make it 10-3 Milwaukee, basically putting the game out of reach. Cano continued in the game for the sixth inning, and things looked much smoother for him. He tossed a scoreless frame on 16 pitches, pitching around a leadoff walk to Tellez. Twins get one back but can’t spark a rally Minnesota’s second home run of the afternoon was also leadoff fashion. Garlick took Jake McGee deep in the first pitch of the seventh inning, cutting the Brewers’ lead to six. Following that homer, Gordon drew a four-pitch walk off the same McGee, with the top of the lineup coming up. But the Milwaukee reliever managed to retire the next three batters faced to end the threat. Miranda got his third hit of the afternoon in the eighth inning, making it three-consecutive games with at least three hits. His season numbers are now up to .281 AVG and .799 OPS, but he’s even better in his recent games, slashing .377/.431/.642 (1.073) in his last 15 games. The YouTube broadcast fellows said he doesn’t stand a chance at winning rookie of the year. Could they be wrong? What’s Next? Tomorrow the Twins have their second off day this week as they head for South California, where they’ll start a three-game set against the Padres in San Diego. Game one is scheduled to start at 8:40 pm CDT on Friday, with Joe Ryan (2.89 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota and Blake Snell (4.75 ERA) toeing the rubber for the Padres. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Moran 28 0 0 0 21 49 Cano 0 0 0 0 46 46 Cotton 0 11 0 0 33 44 Duran 11 0 0 32 0 43 Duffey 11 0 0 25 0 36 Smith 0 16 0 17 0 33 Jax 0 13 0 12 0 25 Pagán 2 0 0 20 0 22 Megill 7 0 0 0 10 17

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5 1/3 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K (78 pitches, 50 strikes, 64.1%) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (8) Too 3 WPA: Max Kepler (.250), Joe Ryan (.190), Jhoan Duran (.133) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off one of his roughest starts of the season exactly one week ago, Joe Ryan was determined to turn the page. The last time he was on the mound, he allowed three runs to score (one unearned) while giving up five hits and two walks in just four innings. It was only the third time this season in which he didn’t pitch more than four frames, the first one since May 10. This time around, he looked much sharper and comfortable with his command. If against the White Sox last week, it took him 85 pitches to get through four today, he did it on only 56 pitches with nearly 70% strikes. He was mostly lights out during that span, throwing three 1-2-3 innings and doing so with the lead after two: after Ryan Jeffers and Alex Kirilloff reached on a two-out walk and a hit by pitch, respectively, Gilberto Celestino drove in Jeffers with a liner to center. But Milwaukee tied the game right at the beginning of the third inning with a leadoff home run by Jace Peterson. Celestino made his best effort to steal it at the track, but he fell short. Victor Caratini hit a single right after Peterson’s home run, threatening a Brewer rally, but Ryan didn’t let it get to him, as it appears to have happened a week ago. He followed that single by retiring seven in a row. He did give up back-to-back walks in the fifth but once again was able to pitch around those to end the inning. Minnesota can’t take advantage of runners in scoring position In last night’s game, the Twins lineup had trouble getting men on base, especially against the Milwaukee bullpen. This afternoon, however, Minnesota matched last night’s total hits (six) with only five innings. The problem? They couldn’t capitalize on those runners. Through five, the Twins went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and had a total of nine men left on base. During the fifth inning, Kyle Garlick and José Miranda hit back-to-back one-out singles, ending Aaron Ashby’s afternoon. Minnesota brought in Luis Arraez to pinch hit for Gio Urshela, but reliever Trevor Gott took care of things and stranded both runners. The Brewers defense didn’t make things any easier for Minnesota either. After Carlos Correa drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, Jorge Polanco blasted a long flyball to deep center that had a 66% expected batting average and would very likely turn into an RBI extra-base hit. But Jonathan Davis robbed him of the hit with an outstanding defensive play. But that didn’t stop the Twins' momentum. In that same inning, Max Kepler hit a long double to right, which also sent Correa to third. Miranda popped out next for the second out, then Milwaukee chose to intentionally walk Arráez to load the bases. Jeffers hit a grounder towards second that caused Kolten Wong some problems with its weird hop, but he ultimately was able to make a beautiful play to beat Arráez at second. After Ryan departed the game in the sixth inning, the Twins bullpen took over and did a fine job holding back Milwaukee’s offense. Caleb Thielbar (1 1/3), Griffin Jax (1 1/3), and Jhoan Duran (1.0) combined for 3 2/3 scoreless frames. They pretty much kept alive Minnesota’s chances of winning the game on a walk-off. The problem was that the Brewer bullpen was just as dominant. Gott, Brad Boxberger, and Devin Williams combined for 3 2/3 shutout innings, setting it up for baseball’s best closer in Josh Hader – who only had one blown save this entire season, over a month ago. A recipe for disaster, right? But the Twins offense fought against the odds and managed to overcome such a dominant opponent. Polanco worked a leadoff walk and was followed by a Kepler single. After a mound visit, it was up to Miranda, who was having a two-hit day. He smoked a three-run homer to the second deck of left field to end the game in amazing fashion. What’s Next? Minnesota continues their homestand tomorrow when they begin a four-game set against division foes Chicago White Sox. Game 1 will have Sonny Gray (3.03 ERA) looking for a bounceback start against Johnny Cueto (2.91 ERA). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Thielbar 0 23 0 0 29 52 Duffey 26 21 0 0 0 47 Megill 22 0 0 24 0 46 Duran 14 16 0 0 15 45 Jax 15 11 0 0 16 42 Moran 0 0 0 22 0 22 Pagan 0 0 0 13 0 13 Cotton 0 0 0 0 0 0

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 4 2/3 IP, 4H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 0K (82 pitches, 47 strikes, 57.3%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (10), Ryan Jeffers (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar (-.320), Sonny Gray (-.192), Gio Urshela (-.139) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Texas’ defensive miscues help Minnesota’s offense Some early offensive productivity led to two quick runs for Minnesota – but also to a few stranded runners. Luis Arráez reached on a fielding error to lead off the game, and exactly three pitches into Carlos Correa’s at-bat, he hit a two-run home run to give the Twins the lead. They also had a promising start to the second inning, with Nick Gordon hitting a leadoff double and Arráez drawing a two-out walk, but Correa couldn’t come through this time. As Sonny Gray faced the minimum through two thanks to some sharp defense behind him, the Twins took advantage of some more poor fielding from Texas to add on. Byron Buxton led off the third inning by reaching on a fielding error by Corey Seager, who couldn’t glove a routine ground ball. Then, catcher Jonah Heim made a throwing mistake trying to pick off Buxton, who ended up reaching third. Buxton dove head first into third and apparently had his hand spiked by third baseman Josh Smith, but he remained in the game. Max Kepler then hit a slow ground ball that found the gap, allowing Buxton to score easily from third. The Rangers weren’t done making errors, as Kepler advanced to second on a Jon Gray wild pitch, but the Rangers starter managed to retire the net three batters to end the inning. Twins defense put on a highlight reel topped by a Buxton gem The Rangers couldn’t figure things out on defense, allowing the Twins to build an important early lead. The Twins, on the other hand, played some superb defense in support of Sonny Gray. Jorge Polanco and Correa, with his cannon of an arm, turned in a vital double play to put on the breaks to a potential Ranger rally. Polanco made an outstanding off-balance throw to Arráez to avoid a leadoff single by Kole Calhoun in the third, helping keep Sonny Gray’s pitch count as low as 33 after three. But no play (maybe in history) was more impressive than Buxton’s diving catch against the center-field track, behind a leaping Gordon, stealing a sure extra-base hit from Marcus Semien. That might’ve been the most impressive defensive play of his career so far. Sonny Gray struggles badly in the 5th; Rangers score six runs Sonny Gray was incredibly solid for the first four innings of the game. He completed said innings on 50 pitches, throwing 72.0% strikes, and allowing only a hit and a walk. But things completely fell apart during the fifth inning, and the Rangers exploded for six total runs. Failing to throw strikes, Sonny Gray loaded the bases with no outs with back-to-back singles and a walk. Then, he hit former Twin Mitch Garver, putting Texas on the board. Texas would score two more runs on a Leody Taveras sacrifice fly and a Josh Smith, tying the game. Sonny Gray got the second out before he departed the game, leaving two runners on for Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar couldn’t prevent the Rangers from scoring: Corey Seager hit a three-run home run, giving the Rangers their first lead of the night, 6-3. Sonny Gray finished the night with five runs, all earned. He threw 32 pitches in the fifth with an awful 34.4% strikes. What might have happened with him? Garver will have surgery, but wanted to play against the Twins During the game, Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning Star posted on Twitter that he had confirmed that Mitch Garver will have season-ending surgery on his right flexor tendon. Mid-game, the Rangers broadcasters talked about Garver and said that the team had given him the option of going on the IL or playing this series against his old team, and Garver wanted to play. Garver DHd and batted eighth for the Rangers. He went 0-for-2, walked, and was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Garver was certainly a professional with the Twins, and earned his stripes from "Senior Sign" to "Silver Slugger" all while treating Twins Daily and the fans tremendously. Obviously, we at Twins Daily wish Garver well with the surgery and look forward to the Sauce returning healthy in 2023. Twins get within one on a Jeffers home run, but it's not enough If Minnesota had hopes to rally back they probably should strike back soon – and that’s precisely what they did. Gordon led off the sixth inning with his second double of the night and after Gio Urshela quickly flew out, Ryan Jeffers crushed a 412-feet bomb to the bullpen area, a home run that left his bat at 102.8 MPH. The offense produced some more baserunners in the following two innings, but couldn’t capitalize. The Twins bullpen kept Minnesota’s chances alive, but the rally fell short in the ninth. Things could’ve been different if a Buxton fair ball down the third-base line hadn’t been called a foul ball by Angel Hernandez. What’s Next? Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:05 pm CDT, and it’s likely to be a low-scoring one: the Twins bring Devin Smeltzer (3.04 ERA) to the mound, who’s coming off three consecutive quality starts, while Texas will have old friend Martín Pérez (2.34 ERA) start the game for them, having the best season of his career so far. Postgame interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Cotton 0 21 0 0 42 63 Pagán 18 0 23 0 10 51 Jax 26 0 17 0 0 43 Thielbar 0 11 8 0 13 32 Duffey 13 18 0 0 0 31 Duran 20 0 9 0 0 29 Megill 0 2 22 0 0 24 Moran 0 0 8 0 0 8

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K (85 pitches, 56 strikes, 65.8%) Home Runs: Jorge Polanco, 2 (12), Gio Urshela (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Trevor Megill (-.350), Emilio Pagan (-.230), Jovani Moran (-.195) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) For the third consecutive game, the Twins managed to load the bases in the first inning and came up empty-handed. Well, at least we thought so at first. After a Luis Arraez leadoff single and a couple of walks, from Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff grounded in what was first ruled as an inning-ending double play. However, someone at the Twins dugout noticed that Tim Anderson didn’t have the ball in his glove when he tagged Kepler at second, so the call on the field was overturned and Arráez run scored. The lead didn’t last long, though, as Joe Ryan struggled with his command in the first inning. Despite getting first-pitch strikes against four of the five batters he faced, it took him 29 pitches to get through the first. He lost Anderson to a leadoff walk and he scored shortly after that on a Jose Abreu double. Fortunately, that was all Chicago got in that inning. Minnesota got back on top in the second inning on three consecutive one-out hits. Gio Urshela hit a single to center and scored at the next at-bat on a long Ryan Jeffers double to deep center. Then, Arráez got his second hit of the afternoon with an RBI single to shallow center, making it 3-1 Twins. Arraez even moved to second after a wild pitch from old friend Lance Lynn, but the former Twin struck out Polanco and Byron Buxton to end the threat. The game continued to go back and forth. Ryan settled down after the long first inning, pitching a couple of scoreless with almost the same number of pitches (31) it took him to complete the first. But he failed to remain sharp during the fourth, which would end up being his final inning in this game. After Lynn retired eight consecutive Twins, Ryan began the fourth giving up a leadoff single to Gavin Sheets. Facing Eloy Jimenez next, Ryan managed to get an 0-2 count but ended up allowing a game-tying two-run homer. The Twins provided quick response in the following inning. Seemingly unstoppable right now, Arráez got his third hit of the day on the second pitch he saw to lead off the fifth. Then Polanco also jumped on an early pitch and smashed it to right field for a two-run dong, putting the Twins back on top, 5-3. Ryan has now allowed three or more runs in four of his last starts. He didn’t come back to pitch in the bottom of the fifth, with Emilio Pagán taking over in his relief – and he soon blew the lead. Three of the first four hitters he faced reached safely, including Andrew Vaughn, who hit a leadoff single, and Luis Robert, who hit a rocket for a game-tying two-run shot. This went on for a couple more innings. In the seventh, Polanco hit his second home run of the night, a leadoff shot against reliever Kendall Graveman. This is Polo’s first multi-HR game of the season. But the White Sox would naturally tie the game again in the bottom of the inning. Griffin Jax allowed three hits, including an RBI single to Jiménez, making it 6-6. Minnesota regained the lead in the eighth – because of course they would. Jose Miranda hit his 12th double of the season to lead off the inning. Then, Urshela went yard for the Twins’ third home run of the afternoon. It was 8-6 Twins with six outs to go. Could the bullpen hold on to this lead? Not really. In the bottom of the inning, Vaughn crushed a two-run bomb off Trevor Megill and the game was tied for the fifth in the game, 8-8. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth, becoming only the second Twins pitcher not to allow a run to score in the whole game, alongside Caleb Thielbar's clean sixth. The game went to extra innings and Minnesota put some pressure when Miranda drew a leadoff walk, but they couldn’t capitalize. Jovani Moran pitched in the 10th and he allowed Josh Harrison to walk and ghost runner Adam Engel to move up to third on a passed ball. Then, Leury Garcia brought home the winning run on a single to end the game. What’s Next? Minnesota has a day off on Thursday when they will be traveling to Texas. On Friday, they start a weekend series against the Rangers in Arlington, with Sonny Gray (2.47 ERA) scheduled to start against Jon Gray (3.96 ERA). The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Cotton 38 0 0 21 0 59 Pagán 10 0 18 0 23 51 Jax 0 0 26 0 17 43 Duffey 0 0 13 18 0 31 Duran 0 0 20 0 9 29 Moran 0 18 0 0 8 26 Megill 0 0 0 2 22 24 Thielbar 0 0 0 11 8 19

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 7.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7K (89 pitches, 64 strikes, 71.9%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (21) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton(.594), Joe Ryan (.315), Luis Arraez (.137) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) An outstanding pitcher’s duel took place at Target Field tonight. Starters Joe Ryan and Spenser Watkins brilliantly dominated their opposing lineups for most of this game, and both teams scored only one run each after seven innings. The Twins' offense created a clear threat in the first inning, despite coming out of it with only one run. Luis Arraez hit a leadoff double, and shortly after that Minnesota loaded the bases with one out, with a Carlos Correa single and a Max Kepler walk. However, the Twins couldn’t capitalize: Jose Miranda hit a two-out ground ball to left that scored Arráez, but Correa was caught at home by a beautiful assist from left fielder Ryan McKenna, ending the inning. Watkins would follow that shaky first inning by retiring 15 Twins in a row, making it five straight perfect innings, completely shutting down the Twins' offense. He departed the game after the sixth inning. Ryan was just as efficient as Watkins, having retired the first eight batters he saw. The only two mistakes he made came both with two outs in the third inning when he gave up a walk to Jorge Mateo, which was followed by an RBI double by Cedric Mullins to tie the game. But that didn’t get to Ryan and he was back on track right away. After the Mullins double, he held the Baltimore bats to a 1-for-8, including a three-strikeout 1-2-3 fifth. After five innings, both offenses had combined for only five total hits. Twins hitters didn’t only have to deal with a hot night from Watkins, but also some good Oriole defense. Several balls were decently hit but ended up right on the gloves of the well-positioned Baltimore shift. Also, McKenna robbed Arráez of an extra-base hit in the bottom of the sixth with a fantastic diving catch – it had a .036 xBA, according to Statcast. Ryan completed seven innings, cementing one of his most dominating starts of the year. After 89 pitches, it was up to the bullpen in the eighth to keep this a close game until the offense would spark a game-winning rally. Caleb Thielbar gave up a leadoff double to the man of the night, McKenna, who would later score after a groundout and a fielder’s choice, giving Baltimore its first lead of the night. Juan Minaya, who was called up for the team earlier today, did a fine job getting the final out in the eighth, then pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. The biggest issue was that, despite a good night from the bullpen, the offense still couldn’t break through. Even after Watkins departed the game, Twins bats still couldn’t get on base, with 21 consecutive Minnesota hitters sent down. With the bullpen keeping this an open game, the Twins got their final chance in the bottom of the ninth. Facing reliever Jorge Lopez, Arráez broke the streak and reached base with a leadoff single, becoming the first Twins baserunner since the first inning. Then, Buxton stepped up to the plate and, despite falling 0-2 on the count, crushed a hanging slider to deep left to win the game. What’s Next? The Twins can secure the series win tomorrow when Sonny Gray (2.17 ERA) duels with Jordan Lyles (4.94 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Minaya 0 0 30 0 27 57 Moran 0 34 0 20 0 54 Duffey 0 12 0 28 0 40 Jax 0 21 16 0 0 37 Pagán 0 22 14 0 0 36 Duran 0 0 33 0 0 33 Thielbar 0 10 11 0 12 33 Cotton 24 0 8 0 0 32

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer , 5.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 5K (78 pitches, 51 strikes, 65.4%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Chris Archer (.261), Luis Arraez (.096), Byron Buxton (.078) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) In last night’s game, the Twins offense got shut out for the 10th time this season, more than any team in the majors this year. Against Rockies’ ace Germán Márquez, they were held to only three hits the entire game, sadly wasting a very solid start from Dylan Bundy. Frustrating to say the least. But tonight, things were bound to be different and that was largely thanks to a particular centerfielder returning to the lineup. After three consecutive games away from the starting lineup, Byron Buxton returned and he made his presence in the very first pitch he saw. After Luis Arráez hit a leadoff double to left, Buxton followed that with a hustle triple to center, celebrating a ton after he dove head first into third. Apparently, Minnesota’s offense got more energy in tonight’s first two at-bats than they did in the entire game on Friday night. Still in the first, they could’ve added on when Max Kepler drew a one-out walk to put men on the corners, but Antonio Senzatela struck out the next two batters to end the threat. Minnesota’s offense was hungry, though, and they picked up where they left off in the second inning. Gary Sanchez and Nick Gordon hit back-to-back singles to open the inning, and after Gio Urshela sent his longtime teammate to third on a sac-fly, Arráez hit the Twins’ third single of the inning to easily score Sánchez. Posting a 2.00 ERA in June before this game, Chris Archer was once again solid as a rock. He shut out the Rockies offense through five, allowing only one hit and a walk. The only time he was in fact in danger was in the second inning, when he surrendered a leadoff single to C.J. Cron, followed by a walk to Ryan McMahon. But after that, he went on to retire twelve Rockies in a row. This was just the third time in the season he completed five innings (all of them this month), finishing one pitch shy of matching his season-high 79 pitches in a game. Archer has Arráez to thank, for, in his final pitch, the Twins second baseman made a fine defensive play to avoid a single by Elias Diaz. Before Archer officially departed the game, the bats provided some more run support, to try and ensure he would end up with the win. Carlos Correa hit a one-out single and was followed by a Kepler walk. After a mound visit, Senzatela gave up a long single to Kyle Garlick that scored Correa and sent Kepler to third. Alex Kirilloff stepped up to the plate and couldn’t get a hit himself, but he batted in Kepler with a sac-fly, making it 4-0 Twins. Following a complete meltdown on Wednesday’s game against the Guardians, the Twins bullpen didn’t allow any runs for the third consecutive game. Jharel Cotton took over for Archer in the sixth and he didn’t have a clean, easy outing, as he allowed back-to-back one-out walks, but managed to pitch around them to end the inning. Then Griffin Jax was fantastic in the seventh, striking out the side on 12 pitches with some nasty stuff. In that same seventh inning, the offense scored a couple more runs to put the game out of Colorado’s reach. Reliever Carlos Estevez had gotten two quick outs when Kepler drew his third walk of the night, a season-high for him. Garlick followed him with a single, then Kirilloff hit a long double to right, pushing both runners across. His three runs batted in in the night are also a season-high for him. Tyler Thornburg came into this game, making it the first time this season he’s pitched on back-to-back games. He had a 25-pitch eighth in which he was briefly in a jam when he gave up two consecutive one-out walks. He managed to get out of it and was brought back to the ninth. This time around he had a much easier time, finishing off the Rockies on ten pitches. What’s Next? The series goes for its rubber game on Sunday afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT, when rookie Joe Ryan (3.00 ERA) squares off against Ryan Feltner (5.46 ERA). Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Cotton 11 28 0 0 25 64 Smith 0 21 26 0 0 47 Jax 27 7 0 0 12 46 Duran 27 0 17 0 0 44 Thornburg 0 0 0 7 35 42 Pagán 17 24 0 0 0 41 Duffey 0 0 0 28 0 28 Thielbar 0 15 12 0 0 27

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Dylan Bundy, 6.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 2K (60 pitches, 42 strikes, 70.0%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Gio Urshela (-.198), Alex Kirilloff (-.195), Max Kepler (-.164) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Tonight’s starters aren’t having the most impressive of seasons thus far, but based on their recent outings, both offenses had their work cut out for them. Dylan Bundy arguably had his best start in a Twins uniform last Saturday, when he delivered eight innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Similarly, Rockies starter German Marquez pitched very well in his last two starts away from Coors Field, allowing only five runs in 13 innings of work. Bundy and Márquez’ recent success set the tone early on tonight, as both starters completely dominated their opposing lineups. It only took Bundy 19 pitches for his first time through the order, allowing only a couple of hits in the second inning, the only time Colorado’s offense threatened him early on. Similarly, Márquez originally took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when Ryan Jeffers broke his no-hit bid with a two-out double. But later in the game, they officially changed a Max Kepler reaching on a fielding error in the fourth inning into a single. Márquez wasn’t the only obstacle for Twins hitters in the early going, but also some solid defense from Colorado. Alex Kirilloff and Luis Arraez had a couple of hard-hit flyballs to deep left fielded by outfielder Connor Joe. Kirilloff’s flyout in the second left his bat at 98.9 MPH and had a .550 expected batting average. The pitch count looked great for Bundy, who completed five innings of shutout ball with only 41 pitches. But came the sixth inning and Colorado put together a good offensive display against him. Joe and Yonathan Daza hit back-to-back one-out singles, allowing Joe to reach third. Then Charlie Blackmon hit a ground ball to the middle of the Twins’ shift, preventing Carlos Correa from turning a double play in time and allowing Joe to score from third. Bundy would still give up a two-out walk before inducing a groundout to end the inning. Despite the low pitch count, Bundy didn’t return for the seventh. As Márquez continued to dazzle Twins hitters, Minnesota’s offense couldn’t build up any momentum. After that Jeffers double in the fifth, the Twins lineup went 0-for-8 against him with three walks. With two outs in the eighth, Correa reached on a fielding error by old friend C.J. Cron, also sending Jeffers to third. That play finished the night for Márquez, but Kepler grounded out against reliever Daniel Bard next, ending Minnesota’s potential rally. One silver lining from tonight’s disappointing loss was the good outing from the bullpen. Tyler Duffey (two) and Tyler Thornburg (one) combined for three shutout innings on 35 pitches, which could be great for morale after a tough week for Twins relievers. Potential targets for the Twins? Last week, Twins Daily’s Cody Pirkl wrote a nice article on how Márquez could be a great target for the Twins at the trade deadline. Tonight, he certainly showed he can be very comfortable at Target Field. If not Márquez, Bard is another great arm from the Rockies organization whom the Twins could also target. He helped Colorado to seal the deal tonight with a four-out save. That was his 15th of the season, tied for seventh-most in the majors. His ERA is now down to 1.91. What’s Next? Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 6:15 pm CDT. Minnesota will have Chris Archer (3.44 ERA) on the mound, while the Rockies will start Antonio Senzatela (4.42 ERA). Postgame interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Smith 0 0 21 26 0 47 Duran 0 27 0 17 0 44 Pagán 0 17 24 0 0 41 Cotton 0 11 28 0 0 39 Jax 0 27 7 0 0 34 Duffey 0 0 0 0 28 28 Thielbar 0 0 15 12 0 27 Thornburg 0 0 0 0 7 7

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 4.0 IP, 8H, 4R, 3ER, 0BB, 4K (85 pitches, 59 strikes, 69.4%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa, 2 (7), Max Kepler (7), Gio Urshela (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Jharel Cotton (-.476), Griffin Jax (-.453), Emilio Pagan (-.285) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) With four combined runs scored by both teams in the first three innings, this game was off to a busy start. The Twins offense went off very early, with Carlos Correa hitting a solo home run in the game’s second at-bat. Then, in the second inning, Minnesota added another run after Gio Urshela and Trevor Larnach hit back-to-back singles, allowing Ryan Jeffers to push Urshela across the plate with a double on a liner to deep left. Cleveland nearly gained some momentum at the top of the third. Sonny Gray had retired seven of the first eight batters he faced, including a stretch of six consecutive. But Myles Straw hit a one-out double shortly before Steven Kwan hit an RBI triple to bring him home, cut the Twins’ lead in half, and still pose a threat at third base. Despite the two extra-base hits, Gray was able to cool down and retire the next two batters to end the inning. The Twins' response was quick, as Correa saw three pitches to lead off the bottom of the third and crushed his second dinger of the night, making it 3-1 for Minnesota. This was Correa’s first multi-home run game of the season, the 11th in his career. Following the home run, Max Kepler drew a walk, but the Twins couldn’t take advantage and settled for the one run. Twins extend the lead to four, but Gray can’t hold on to it Minnesota was able to extend their lead a bit more in the bottom of the fourth inning after Gray delivered another scoreless frame. Urshela led off the inning with a hustle triple that Straw couldn’t field. Jeffers followed him with a pretty RBI bunt that Guardians starter Triston McKenzie couldn’t glove, scoring Minnesota’s fourth run. Jeffers himself got to third base on a Nick Gordon single. Batting next, Luis Arraez, a career 0-for-9 against McKenzie, couldn’t get his first hit against the Cleveland starter, but he hit a sac-fly deep enough to bring Jeffers home, making it 5-1 for Minnesota. After four solid innings from Gray, the Cleveland offense started a rally in the fifth and jumped right back in this game. Austin Hedges hit a leadoff home run to cut the lead down to three. Then, Straw, Kwan, and Amed Rosario hit three consecutive singles off Gray, adding another run and ending his start. Gray departed the game leaving two runners on and no outs for Caleb Thielbar. Kwan scored from third on a one-out balk from Thielbar, making it a one-run game, but the Twins’ reliever managed to strike out the next two batters to brilliantly get out of an inherited jam and put an end to the Cleveland (first) rally. Cleveland rallies again, snatches the lead for the first time The long ball continued to work for the Twins, as they hit their third home run of the night. Kepler punished McKenzie’s second pitch of the fifth inning to hit a leadoff dong that gave Minnesota some breathing room. Thielbar and Joe Smith combined to pitch a scoreless sixth, but it wasn’t without a fight from the Guardians, who managed to produce a couple of baserunners before Smith could get the final two outs. For the first time in the game, in the bottom of the sixth, the offense didn’t score a run and that would prove costly later on. Jharel Cotton took the mound in the seventh and after three consecutive scoreless appearances (including one last night), he was ambushed, allowing Cleveland to take the lead for the first time in the game. Rosario hit a leadoff home run to cut the Twins' lead down to one, then, shortly after José Ramírez was hit by a pitch, Oscar González hit a two-run bomb to left, making it 7-6 for Cleveland. Twins rally back for four runs in the seventh, but the bullpen blows the lead in the ninth The Twins offense didn’t score in the sixth when Minnesota had a two-run lead, but they did when it mattered the most. Relievers Anthony Gose and Anthony Castro needed only six pitches to get the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But Minnesota’s bats weren’t done. Kepler drew his second walk of the night, then moved to third on a Gary Sanchez single. A mound visit didn’t help Castro, as he gave up a game-tying RBI single to Alex Kirilloff, who ended up on second after Sánchez hustled to third, nearly getting tagged by Ramírez. With a tied ballgame, Urshela gave the Twins some much-needed insurance by hitting a three-run bomb to center. Emilio Pagan was trying to redeem himself from the rough outing he had the night before when he blew the lead by giving up a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth. Tonight, he flawlessly struck out the side in the eighth, protecting the Twins’ lead. However, as he was brought back for the ninth, things got ugly for him. Rosario, Ramírez, and Josh Naylor got three consecutive hits against him to open the inning – the latter an RBI double to make it 10-8 Minnesota. Rocco Baldelli removed Pagán from the game immediately, bringing Griffin Jax into the game. With no outs and with runners on second and third, Jax got ahead in the count against González, but a bloop single to center was enough to score both runners. González advanced to third on a sac bunt and scored right after that on an Owen Miller sac-fly that gave the Guardians the lead, 11-10. A 1-2-3 effort by reliever Emmanuel Clase secured the win for the Guardians at the bottom of the ninth. What’s Next? Tomorrow at 12:10 pm CDT these two teams get back on the field with Minnesota trying to prevent a series sweep. The Twins turn to Devin Smeltzer (3.52 ERA) to start the game, while Cleveland brings Zach Plesac (4.41 ERA) to the mound. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Jax 0 16 0 27 7 50 Cotton 10 0 0 11 28 49 Thielbar 0 31 0 0 15 46 Pagán 0 0 0 17 24 41 Duran 0 0 0 27 0 27 Duffey 0 25 0 0 0 25 Smith 0 0 0 0 21 21 Thornburg 0 0 0 0 0 0

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer, 4.0 IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3 K (61 pitches, 38 strikes, 62.2%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar (-.140), Carlos Correa (-.133), Griffin Jax (-.069) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) No team in baseball has had better productivity from the top of their order this season. Coming into this game, Minnesota’s batters one, two, and three ranked first in the majors in both OPS (.854) and wRC+ (147), according to Fangraphs. They also led the American League in runs scored, with 142. This fact became evident right out of the gate this afternoon. Very early in this game, the Twins’ A-B-C trio (Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Correa ) were already threatening the Diamondbacks. Arráez fell behind in the count but managed to smack a double to left that was barely fair shortly before being sent to third by a Buxton single next. With men on the corners and no outs, Correa couldn’t get a base hit of his own, but his double play grounder was enough to bring Arráez home, scoring the game’s first run. But that hot start was met by a cold stretch. After the single by Buxton in the first, the Twins' offense went 1-for-15, entirely dominated by D-Backs starter Merrill Kelly. Jose Miranda started the sixth inning with a leadoff single, but Kelly went on to retire the next three batters to end the threat. Chris Archer, on the other hand, didn’t have a brilliant start, but it wasn’t bad at all. The Twins starter, who flew in his father to watch him pitch, tossed four innings and allowed two runs on a couple of solo home runs, both by Christian Walker, one in the second and one in the fourth. This was the first time this month Archer allowed more than one run in a game. Rocco Baldelli decided not to bring him back for the fifth inning, sticking to the club’s conservative approach with him this year. At 61 pitches, today’s start is tied for his second-shortest of the season. The Twins bullpen gets wrecked Archer’s start wasn’t long, but it kept the Twins in the game. Unfortunately for Minnesota, their bullpen wasn’t on a good day. Griffin Jax took over in the fifth and immediately allowed a leadoff home run to Pavin Smith. He retired the next three batters on ten pitches and kept this a two-run game. As the offense once again couldn’t figure out Kelly and didn’t take advantage of the leadoff single by Miranda in the sixth, the Arizona offense punished Caleb Thielbar hard. Facing batters two, three, and four to begin the inning, he loaded the bases with only one out. With Thielbar struggling to throw strikes, Buddy Kennedy swung on a 3-0 four-seamer for a grand slam, giving the D-Backs a 7-1 lead. After an excellent month of May and four solid appearances this month, Thielbar allowed more than two runs in a game for the first time since April 26. Tyler Duffey took over when Thielbar gave up his second walk of the inning, and he got the final out of the sixth, besides tossing a couple of scoreless frames afterward. He now has 5 1/3 innings in his last three appearances, allowing only one run in that span. Kelly had one more inning of dominance in him, and he tossed a scoreless seventh. He departed the game after that, keeping the Twins offense to a 3-for-23 since the Buxton single in the first inning. Sadly for the Twins, Kelly’s departure from the game didn’t make things any easier. D-Backs reliever Joe Mantiply pitched a scoreless eighth and Noe Ramirez got the first two outs in the ninth. He did give up two walks, prompting Arizona's manager Torey Lovullo to bring Ian Kennedy to get the final out and secure the win. What’s Next? After a six-game road trip to the West Coast, the Twins head back home for a six-game homestand. They take the day off tomorrow, then host the Guardians for a three-game series starting on Tuesday. Joe Ryan (2.81 ERA) is set to start in game one, while Cleveland’s starter has yet to be determined. The first pitch of the first game is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Thielbar 4 0 0 0 31 35 Duffey 0 0 9 0 25 34 Thornburg 0 0 33 0 0 33 Jax 11 0 0 0 16 27 Cotton 16 0 0 10 0 26 Smith 15 0 0 0 0 15 Duran 13 0 0 0 0 13 Pagán 0 0 0 0 0 0

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (65 pitches, 41 strikes, 63.0%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Sonny Gray (.263), Ryan Jeffers (.224), Caleb Thielbar (.131) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A pitcher’s duel took place early in this game, as both starting pitchers dominated the opposing offenses with brilliance. Coming off the Injured List, Sonny Gray was making his first start for the Twins since May 29, and he looked superb for the first portion of the game. Gray retired six of the first seven batters faced, and that took him only 23 pitches. Come the third inning, he encountered his first speed bump of the afternoon, giving up a leadoff double to Taylor Trammell. To make it worse, Max Kepler made a throwing error on that play, allowing the Mariners right-fielder to reach third. Despite going back to the top of the Seattle order, Gray managed to retire the side and strand the runner on third. After dealing with the threat in the third, Gray continued to dazzle Mariner hitters and tossed a couple more shutout innings. He pitched exactly twice through the order allowing only three hits and no walks, with a total of only 65 pitches. Apparently, he picked up right where he left off before his latest trip to the IL. Pitching wasn’t the problem for Minnesota, but the bats were once again having a hard time. Southpaw Marco Gonzales was fiercely dominant against the Twins lineup, allowing only two hits and a walk for his first six innings of work. Minnesota’s first hit only came in the fourth. But things changed in the seventh inning. Gonzalez retired the leadoff man for his fifth consecutive Minnesota batter put away. Then the Twins started to manufacture their first run when Gary Sánchez hit a bloop single and Luis Arraez drew a walk after him. Jose Miranda sent Sánchez to third on a hustle play, avoiding a double play at first. Gonzalez was pulled right there, and Ryan Jeffers faced reliever Paul Sewald. On the second pitch he saw, he smacked a hard single to deep center, deep enough for Sánchez to score easily and put the Twins on the board. After Gray departed the game, Griffin Jax took over to pitch the sixth, and with a killer slider, he breezed through the three batters he faced, striking out two in the process. But once he departed, the Twins bullpen pitched themselves into a jam. Joe Smith allowed the first two batters he saw to reach in the seventh, on a leadoff single to Eugenio Suárez and a five-pitch walk to Jesse Winker. Fortunately for him, Dylan Moore popped out on a bunt next for the first out. Then, Gio Urshela made a fantastic defensive play for the second out. Smith departed the game after that, and Caleb Thielbar got the final out with four pitches. Such a clutch performance by the bullpen needed to be rewarded, and the offense came through in the top of the eighth. Gilberto Celestino hit a leadoff single against reliever Penn Murfee, and he scored a couple of at-bats later on a Carlos Correa double to left, making it 2-0 Twins. Minnesota wasn’t done. After Urshela grounded out for the second out of the inning, Sánchez drew a walk. It was up to Arráez to break the game open, and he came through. Following a wild pitch, Arráez pushed both runners across with a sharp ground ball thru an infield hole on the left side, doubling the Twins lead. It was his first hit of the day, driving his batting average back up to .354. Seattle’s bullpen found trouble again in the top of the ninth, although this time, they were able to limit the damage. Jeffers drew a leadoff walk and was followed by a Kepler single. Reliever Roenis Elias got Celestino to ground out next, allowing Jeffers to score from third, making it 5-0 for Minnesota. Jharel Cotton came in to finish the game and, despite allowing two runners to reach, managed to put this one away with a strikeout and a couple of ground ball outs. What’s Next? Minnesota gets a day off tomorrow as their West Coast trip continues on Friday. The Twins pay a visit to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game set. Devin Smeltzer (2.38 ERA) duels Madison Bumgarner (3.50 ERA) in game one, with first pitch scheduled for 8:40 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Cotton 26 0 18 0 16 60 Duran 16 0 13 0 13 42 Pagán 21 0 18 0 0 39 Duffey 0 33 0 0 0 33 Thielbar 19 0 8 0 4 31 Megill 16 0 0 14 0 30 Thornburg 0 26 0 0 0 26 Jax 0 0 12 0 11 23 Smith 0 0 1 0 15 16

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Devin Smeltzer, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (96 pitches, 61 strikes, 63.5%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton, 2 (17), Carlos Correa (5) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.198), Devin Smeltzer (.110), Jorge Polanco (.082) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Over the last seven days, the Twins offense has experienced a spike in productivity. Coming into this game, they had baseball’s second-best OPS in that span, at .945. The bats continued to impress at the beginning of this game. Despite capitalizing on only one run, five of the first eleven Minnesota batters reached safely. They quickly jumped to a 1-0 lead with a second-decker from Byron Buxton five pitches into the game. According to Aaron Gleeman, that home run raised Buxton’s SLG to .702 since May 26, when he snapped a 0-for-30 slump. It was Byron’s fifth homer in the past six games – only his second of the season as a designated hitter. Despite having several batters reach base, the Twins failed to bring them home. Through four innings, Minnesota went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Fortunately for them, Devin Smeltzer put together another lovely outing. The Rays tied the game in the top of the second on an Isaac Paredes long solo home run. Smeltzer gave up a leadoff walk to start the third but then followed that up brilliantly: he retired nine consecutive batters on only 35 pitches. He completed five innings of one-run ball with only 70 pitches. All he needed at that moment was some run support. Twins explode for six runs in the fifth Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen kept the Twins scoring on a leash during the first four innings, but his start was wrecked in the fifth inning. Minnesota crushed him scoring four runs on six hits, four of them for extra bases – not to mention a walk drawn by Trevor Larnach. Buxton led the way hitting his second solo home run of the night, smashing a low-hanging slider for a line drive that barely cleared the centerfield wall into the Twins bullpen. With that dinger, Buxton became only the fourth player in Twins history with back-to-back multi-homer games, joining Don Mincher, Kirby Puckett, and Eddie Rosario. Two more runs came in the following three at-bats when Carlos Correa hit a double to left, then was pushed across by Max Kepler, thanks to a fielding error. Kepler himself scored next, with Jorge Polanco hitting a double to left, making it 4-1 Minnesota. A mound visit didn’t help Rasmussen, as he gave up a walk to Trevor Larnach. Gary Sánchez then hit a grounder to left that third baseman Yandy Díaz couldn’t glove, allowing Polanco to score the fifth run and Larnach to go to third. That was the end of the night for Rasmussen, but not the end of the Twins' scoring spree. Now facing old friend Ralph Garza Jr., Nick Gordon got a two-out single off the end of the bat to bring home Sánchez. At this point, Luis Arráez was the only Twin not to reach base on the night. That, of course, would change as he followed Gordon’s RBI single with one of his own. He hit a liner to right that scored Gio Urshela from second, making 7-1 Twins. Smeltzer pitches into the seventh, departs after being roughed up After five brilliant innings, Smeltzer pitched yet another scoreless frame in the sixth inning. His streak of consecutive retired batters reached eleven before he gave up a two-out single to Harold Ramírez. He struck out Díaz to end the inning with a healthy 84-pitch count, which made the decision to bring him back for the seventh a no-brainer. Unfortunately for him, his almost impeccable start was stained, and he had to leave the game before he could record a single out in the inning. Randy Arozarena hit a long flyball to deep center that could’ve been gloved, but Gordon failed to. It took Kepler too long to get to the ball that bounced off the centerfield wall, which allowed Arozarena to score an inside-the-park home run. On the very next pitch, Vidal Bruján hit a bullet to deep left, out of Larnach’s reach, for another home run. Even after a mound visit, Smeltzer seemed a bit off, and after an eight-pitch at-bat, he gave up a walk to Paredes, prompting Rocco Baldelli to pull him from the game. Griffin Jax came into the game and, with three strikeouts, made sure the Rays didn’t score anymore. The Twins bullpen needed some damage control after Thursday’s meltdown against the Yankees. Jax striking out the side and preventing a Rays rally in the seventh was a good start. Then, in the eighth, Baldelli made the odd choice of bringing Joe Smith into the game (he tossed 26 pitches the night before). He had a blown save on Thursday night, giving up a game-tying two-run home run. Maybe one way to reason for bringing Smith into this game is that he could regain some confidence. Coming into tonight’s game, he had an awful 8.44 ERA in his previous seven appearances. He could use a good outing here. But he wasn’t off to a good start, giving up back-to-back singles to Manuel Margot and Ramírez. Margot would end up scoring on an Arozarena groundout, but Smith managed to keep the damage to the one run. Correa adds on some insurance Garza Jr. settled down and finished his outing by retiring seven out of eight batters, keeping the Twins offense scoreless in the sixth and the seventh innings. But once he departed the game, the Twins bats were back at scoring some more runs. Arráez hit a leadoff single to open the eighth and, a couple of at-bats later, Correa took reliever Calvin Faucher deep for his fifth home run of the year, breaking the game open once again. Then, it was up to Emilio Pagán, who had no trouble closing out the game with a perfect ninth, making it his fourth scoreless appearance in the last five games. What’s Next? Both teams are back on the field tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT. No starter has been officially determined by the Twins yet, while the Rays will turn to rookie righty Shane Baz, who will be making his season debut. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Smith 0 0 0 26 24 50 Cano 0 33 0 13 0 46 Jax 0 0 27 0 14 41 Megill 0 38 0 0 0 38 Moran 0 0 0 36 0 36 Pagán 0 0 15 0 15 30 Duffey 0 19 0 0 0 19 Duran 0 0 0 15 0 15 Thielbar 0 0 14 0 0 14 Cotton 0 0 0 13 0 13