Box Score
SP: José Ureña – 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 96 pitches (60 strikes)
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Ureña -.338, Buxton -.063, Clemens -.060
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):
The Minnesota Twins came into Thursday’s matinee desperate to avoid a sweep against the cellar-dwelling Oakland West Sacramento Athletics. Instead, they fell flat, undone by one disastrous inning and a sputtering offense in an 8–3 loss at Target Field.
Journeyman right-hander José Ureña got the start, hoping to make a case for sticking around into next season. That hope evaporated quickly in the second inning, when the ex-Oaklanders erupted for six runs on five hits (two of them doubles), two walks, and a hit batter. By the time Ureña escaped, the Athletics had a commanding 6–0 lead, and the Twins’ chances felt slim given their season-long offensive struggles. To his credit, Ureña contained the damage to that one frame and gutted his way through five innings, sparing an overworked bullpen from further exposure. But the deficit proved insurmountable.
The Twins finally broke through in the fourth inning when James Outman, collecting his first RBI as a Twin, and Austin Martin each pushed runs across with infield singles. That trimmed the deficit to 6–2, but any momentum was short-lived. The eventual Las Vegans extended their lead in the sixth when rookie sensation Nick Kurtz, the frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year, launched a solo homer to dead center field off Michael Tonkin. They tacked on another run in the seventh to push the margin back to six. Royce Lewis plated one more run with a ninth-inning knock, but by then, the outcome had long been decided.
The sweep at the hands of one of baseball’s worst teams marks another low point in a season already full of them. Minnesota now sits with the fifth-fewest wins in the majors, their post-trade deadline collapse accelerating a freefall toward the bottom of the standings.
What’s Next
The Twins will look to regroup as they head out onto the road to face the similarly terrible Chicago White Sox. The series begins on Friday night at 6:40 pm CT, with Zebby Matthews on the mound for the Twins facing off against Aaron Civale.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Chart
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
TOT
Hatch
81
0
0
0
0
81
Ohl
0
0
54
0
0
54
Topa
0
0
0
20
0
20
Kriske
0
0
0
16
10
26
Ramírez
16
0
25
0
25
66
Tonkin
16
0
0
0
32
48
Sands
14
0
0
17
0
31
Cabrera
9
0
0
20
0
29
Funderburk
0
0
0
7
0
7
Ureña
0
0
0
0
0
0