After two consecutive Target Field walk-offs—Friday’s home run & Saturday’s squeeze bunt—the Minnesota Twins and their fans were energized to complete the sweep of fellow AL Wild Card contenders Tampa Bay Rays.
It didn’t happen—largely because of miscues from the center of the diamond.
The Twins got off on the right foot when Joe Ryan struck out the side in the top of the first, then Byron Buxton honk-honk’d home run #20 into the LF bleachers for a quick 1-0 lead.
Buck keeps truckin’
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Alas, the advantage only lasted until the top of the 3rd when Taylor (over the) Walls deposited a HR into The Dock over Matt Wallner’s head to tie it at 1-1.
Oopsie Joe
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Not insignificant: through the first three innings, Christian Vazquez gunned down two potential Ray pilferers of the second pillow—helped by wonderful swipe tags from Carlos Correa & Brooks Lee.
Out!
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Speaking of the running game, Buxton—who else?!—started the next Twins rally in B3 by singling and swiping his 16th sack of the season. A Willi Castro walk clogged the bases further, but consecutive K’s from Trevor Larnach & Correa fizzled the fun.
That proved inconvenient when Tampa Bay took the lead in T4 after Jose Caballero blooped a hustle-double and was knocked in by Jonathan Aranda to give TB a 2-1 lead.
Also: Matt Wallner was picked off and tagged out at 2B
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
In T6, the Joe Ryan Experience (TM) battled questionable umpire calls and a pitch clock violation—but managed the mischief and completed the quality start.
Ace gonna ace
Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
As has become all-too-common of late, the Twins offense contributors whose fathers are not long-haul truckers (presumably) had no horns to sound through the early-to-middle game portions.
That is, until Larnach doubled in B6 and was sent dashing home when Rays 2B Caballero misplayed a routine Lee grounder. Though the throw to the dish beat Larnach, Trev’s hook slide-of-the-year-candidate evaded a Matt Thaiss tag by inches and evened things up at 2-2.
Safe!
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In the game thread intro, I mentioned how “small ball” may come into play today. It did in T8—to MN’s detriment. After singles from Thaiss & Yandy Diaz off Griffin Jax and a sac bunt from Caballero, the Rays hit three consecutive squibbers between home and the mound. The first one was mishandled by Vazquez on a tag play (3-2 TB), the second was missed by Jax altogether (4-2 TB), and the third saw the Captain nearly threw the ball away but did record the out. A devastating sequence for Minnesota’s sweep ambitions.
X did not give it to ‘em today
Photo by Graham Miller/MLB Photos via Getty Images
But as has happened so many times this holiday weekend series, the bats struck back:
After Castro coaxed a walk, Harrison Bader pinch hit for Larnach and hit a bomb—403 feet and about a foot on the fair side of the foul pole!! 4-all and a new game again!
Pic from Friday—but also felt like today!
Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images
Sadly, after the Twins went down 1-2-3 in the 9th, the bullpen was out of high-leverage arms—and it showed immediately. Justin Topa entered and within a few pitches the ghost runner had scored on a Diaz double. Adding insult to injury, Topa then misfired a Caballero bunt attempt (leading to another TB run) and a sac fly gave the visitors a three-run cushion.
Topa tumult
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
MN would predictably get their own spooky speedster Buxton across in B10, but that was all that could be mustered.
Your Final: Tampa Bay Rays 7, Minnesota Twins 5.
A back-and-forth contest that ultimately feels like a bitter pill when the home team loses by two runs and that margin (if not more) can be attributed to pitchers’ fielding mishaps. Minnesota takes the series—but squanders the sweep.
Up next: Monday off, followed by 3 (T/W night, H noon) with the Chicago Cubs.
Studs
Buxton: All of the usual reasons.
Ryan: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB.
Vazquez: Keeping the vaunted TB running game at bay.
Assist from C-4
Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
Larnach: The slide of his life.
Bader: Ultra-clutch home run (again!).
Duds
Jax: Fielding error.
Topa: Fielding error & disastrous T10 overall.
Correa’s bat: Two BB, but also 0-3 with 2 Ks and multiple runners LOB.
Comment of the Game