Box Score
SP: Taj Bradley 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (98 pitches, 57 strikes (58%))
Home Runs: James Outman (2); Byron Buxton (31)
Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Clemens -.230, Austin Martin -.207, Mickey Gasper -.130
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
After getting nothing going Tuesday night, the Twins tried to come out of the gate and create an early advantage Wednesday. Trevor Larnach hit a two-out single in the top of the first, and Luke Keaschall followed with a double to left. As is the Twins’ new plan, Larnach pushed the envelope by trying to score from first—but he was gunned down, and it wasn’t especially close.
Taj Bradley came out firing strikes, though, and the Twins would get that first lead, after all. In the third inning, against recent teammate José Ureña, James Outman tagged his second Twins homer. Ureña, seemingly flustered, then loaded the bases, but a Kody Clemens line drive found the glove of right fielder Jo Adell, forcing the Twins to settle for a lone run.
Bradley finally ran into trouble in the bottom half of the frame, though. With two outs, a Mike Trout single brought Sebastián Rivero home to tie the game. Then, a two-run home run from Zach Neto gave the Angels the lead, 3-1. It was a frustrating sequence, as the scoreboard seemed to flip in the blink of an eye.
The Angels made a pitching change heading into the fifth, and things looked like they might finally tilt the Twins’ way. Andrew Chafin came in and walked Larnach to lead off the inning, and a wild pitch to Luke Keaschall moved him to second. In the middle of it, Angels coach Ryan Goins was tossed by home plate umpire Junior Valentine, adding even more chaos to the proceedings. Keaschall then reached first when second baseman Luis Rengifo botched a play and dropped the ball. With two on and no outs, momentum was squarely in the Twins’ hands—until it wasn’t. Chafin got a pep talk from his infield, then promptly struck out the next two batters and induced a harmless fly ball from Mickey Gasper, leaving yet another rally wasted.Â
After his minor derailment in the third, Bradley locked back in for the next two innings and moved the game along with no issues. He has been working on his command and gaining confidence. Bradley has been coachable and dedicated, and on Wednesday, he kept his team in the game.
The Angels made another pitching change, and the Twins’ constant chance creation finally paid off. Another leadoff walk, this time for Ryan Fitzgerald, set the table for Byron Buxton, who hit a 396-foot homer to the opposite field to tie the game, 3-3.
Bradley worked into more trouble in the seventh, but getting that deep into the game was a nice change of pace for the Twins lately. With one out and two on, Rocco Baldelli went to Cole Sands, who got out of the jam and kept the score tied.
The eighth inning, however, didn’t go as well. Sands gave up a triple to Bryce Teodosio, on which Outman (playing center in this game) appeared to have a play but didn’t get there. A sacrifice fly from Trout scored Teodosio, giving the Angels a one-run lead, 4-3.
Kenley Jansen, the future Hall of Fame closer, pitched a 1-2-3 inning to end the game and secure the series win for the Angels.
What’s Next?Â
The Twins head home to play Arizona on Friday. Pablo López (5-4; 2.84 ERA) will be back on the mound, this time against Brandon Pfaadt (13-8; 5.18 ERA) at 7:40 PM CST, after the travel day. Â
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
