Box Score
SP: Bailey Ober 5.0 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (96 pitches, 65 strikes (68%))
Home Runs: Luke Keaschall (3), Mickey Gasper (1), Matt Wallner (20)
Top 3 WPA: Gasper (.416), Wallner (.310), Austin Martin (.218)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
With the Twins plummeting down the standings and toward a top-five draft pick, Bailey Ober looked to keep some semblance of respectability in Twins Territory Tuesday night. Toronto countered with the moderately successful righty Chris Bassitt, in hopes of keeping their surprising place among division leaders in the American League. Would tonight be the night that the Twins captured their first international win of the season? Or would Louis Varland and Ty France‘s new mates prove to be too much for the free-falling Twinkies to handle?
Twins Threaten, but Blue Jays Score
The night started off promisingly for the visiting Twins, as Trevor Larnach led off the game with a walk and Brooks Lee immediately advanced him to third with a single. With runners on the corners and nobody out, however, the Twins of 2025 reared their ugly heads yet again. Three straight strikeouts of Luke Keaschall, Matt Wallner, and Edouard Julien left the ducks on the pond and got Bassitt and the Jays out of a huge early jam.
Ober’s night started off the same way, and then got worse. He gave up a single to George Springer to start the bottom of the first, and then Nathan Lukes doubled, putting runners at second and third with nobody out. A Valdimir Guerrero Jr. sac fly made it 1-0, Bo Bichette singled Lukes over to third, and with two outs, Alejandro Kirk singled in the second Blue Jays run. Where the Twins failed, the Jays succeeded. After Bassitt took care of the Twins in order in the top of the second, the Jays struck again in the form of a Springer home run to make it 3-0, and it looked like another rout was on.
Sloppy and Broken Play, but Twins Sneak Back Anyway
The middle innings left much to be desired for baseball fans, as sloppy play, injury delays, and missed opportunities for the Twins and even the Jays defined the action. In the bottom of the fifth, Springer once again abused an Ober middle-middle fastball for his second homer of the game to stake Toronto to a 4-0 lead.
The Twins responded in a big way in the top of the sixth, thanks to their young middle infielders. Lee singled again to start the inning, and this time, Keaschall didn’t miss a Bassitt sinker that didn’t sink. He slashed a 400-foot bomb to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
Louis Varland came in to finish off Royce Lewis to end the top of the sixth inning, and he took the ball to start the top of the seventh against Mickey Gasper and Austin Martin. Gasper singled, Martin walked, and Varland got the hook. Brendon Little came in, and Ryan Jeffers immediately singled to load the bases with nobody out. What happened next resulted in a run, but it also was a baserunning disaster that Martin keeps finding himself involved in. Lee ripped a ball to right-center, which Addison Barger dove to catch. Martin had been off to the races on contact and never got close to making it back to second base. The Twins went from bases loaded and nobody out to two down and a runner on first, just like that. It was 4-3 Blue Jays, but oh, what might have been.
Twins Bullpen Holds, but Baserunning Still Folds
Ober ended up handing the ball to the bullpen after five innings of 10-hit and four-run baseball. Cole Sands and Kody Funderburk held their ground in the sixth and seventh, but the Twins kept blundering away scoring opportunities. In the top of the eighth inning, Wallner took one for the team and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Julien then walked, and once again the Twins had runners on with nobody out. James Outman was the next man up, and he whiffed on a bunt attempt. How bad was it? Wallner got caught off and thrown out on the way to third base. Outman then struck out, as did Lewis, and the maddening offensive woes of 2025 kept marching on.
And Then Baseball Happened
What happened next is why we keep watching Twins baseball. Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman got the call for the top of the ninth, and the man at the plate was the much-maligned Gasper. Another sinker didn’t sink, and suddenly, the game was all tied up! First career home run? Check.
Next man up was (the also much-maligned) Martin, and he laced a single and then stole second base to put the go-ahead run at second base with nobody out. Jeffers couldn’t advance Martin, as he hit a grounder to third. Luckily, Martin stayed put this time. Lee got hit by a pitch to set up Keaschall for another heroic moment. No moment to be found for the Natural, as he flew out. Wallner stood at the plate, then, with two outs and a game’s worth of missed chances having transpired. Hoffman pounded the zone with a first-pitch fastball, and by the time Wallner’s three-run homer landed, the Twins dugout and all fans who stuck with the game through all of the tears and angst were jumping for joy!
Justin Topa suddenly became the Twins’ “closer” for the evening, and he struck out his old friend France to start the bottom of the ninth. After an Andrés Giménez groundout, Topa faced the hot-hitting Springer—and Springer stayed hot, with a single to start the “uh-oh” train. Next up was Daulton Varsho, who laced a double into right to make it 7-5 Twins and to bring the tying run to the plate in Guerrero. The unnecessary stress was ratcheted up, but Topa was up to the task. Guerrero tried to go deep, but the ball fell harmlessly in Wallner’s glove for the final out!
What’s Next?
The Twins look to build upon this unexpected success with a rare road series victory on Wednesday evening in Toronto. While Zebby Matthews is in line for the start, the Twins have yet to announce their starter. The Blue Jays are sending out nasty LHP Eric Lauer (8-2, 2.76 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 pm CDT.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
TOT
Topa
32
0
0
0
26
58
Hatch
0
54
0
0
0
54
Ohl
0
0
46
0
0
46
Cabrera
17
0
0
22
0
39
Kriske
0
0
0
37
0
37
Sands
14
0
0
0
23
37
Funderburk
21
0
0
0
15
36
Tonkin
0
0
0
0
9
9