Box Score
Chris Paddack: 7 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Chris Paddack (.305), Byron Buxton (.143), Carlos Correa (.095)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
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After a tepid start to the season, fortune seems to have found the Twins. Yet another uninspiring outing last Friday begat a five-game winning streak. The typical pitfalls—untimely hitting; poor defense; inconsistent relief pitching—turned, with the club appearing before us bearing a different nature than the one lamented and consternated over just a week ago. Would that success continue? We shall see.
Minnesota wasted little time starting the game’s action. Byron Buxton locked onto one of Jordan Hicks’ signature sinkers and cracked the offering deep into the right-center gap; he dashed around the bases to showcase one of the game’s most gorgeous plays: a Buxton triple. Trevor Larnach singled him home two pitches later.
That early run was likely appreciated by Chris Paddack, who entered May 9th winless, with a 5.57 ERA stretched across 32 ⅓ innings. For whatever reason, the usually competent righty hadn’t found 2025 friendly; hitters had crushed his fastball, and the changeup that seemed to always coax critical outs more often landed safely in green grass. The world seemingly had no more room for sheriffs.
Yet, May 9th nearly became a historic day for Paddack. He dodged a 1st-inning homer scare—Willy Adames’ deep fly ball to left appeared a homer so convincing that the umpires allowed him to jog the bases before erasing the score—and fell into a deep groove. The heater had life. Breakers nicked the zone. Every offering looked like the exact one the batter least expected. Paddack was almost impossibly good. Even the best hurlers rarely dice through major league batters with such efficiency; he sat at just 73 pitches after seven innings.
And he came awfully close to throwing a perfect game. Closer than most will ever get. That’s the funny thing about such an accomplishment: it doesn’t suddenly appear, rather, a perfect game builds over a few hours, evolving from a “man, he looks good” type of feeling, to a few “this is legitimately possible” thoughts, before concluding with anxious intensity. Paddack didn’t reach that final stage, but he did pitch until the sixth before surrendering his first base runner. And it wasn’t until the seventh that the Giants finally scored a run off him. In the end, he’ll settle for a garden-variety excellent start. I’m sure that’s still a terribly comforting feeling.
For their part, Minnesota continued to support their starter throughout the game. Carlos Correa singled home Ty France in the fourth, thanks in large part to a clever decision to dart to 2nd to coax a cutoff that otherwise may have nabbed the lethargic France. Then, Buxton added a third run the following frame by poking an RBI single into left field.
At 3-1 heading into the 8th, Paddack remained on the mound. He certainly earned the privilege. Heliot Ramos solidly stroked a single into center and LaMonte Wade Jr. flew out. That was enough. Rocco Baldelli pulled his starter, who exited the game to a heroes’ chorus of cheers and admiration.
There remained just one problem: the bullpen. Rather, who of Minnesota’s relievers would finish the game, given that Griffin Jax and Jhoan Durán had pitched on back-to-back days. Louis Varland entered first, and cleanly worked out of the eighth. The ninth coaxed… Danny Coulombe? Sure. The lefty hadn’t allowed a run since, like, the Nixon administration. And the decision worked out: Coulombe erased three San Francisco hitters with just nine pitches. Eight for strikes. The final out landed softly in Harrison Bader‘s glove, and it officially added a sixth win to the Twins’ winning streak.
Notes:
Post-Game Interview:
What’s Next?
The Twins and Giants face off again on Saturday, with Joe Ryan set to battle against Logan Webb. First pitch is at 6:15 PM.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
