The #MNTwins started a 10-game road trip with 3 games in Chicago tonight to face the Chicago White Sox.
The Minnesota Twins have the 3rd best record on the road this season at 40-22 and they’d like to improve on that with a great road trip.
They begin it with RHP Michael Pineda on the mound pitching against RHP Lucas Giolito, who shut them out last time they faced him. He allowed only 3 hits and 0 walks while striking out 12 in a 4-0 win at Target Field last Wednesday.
You know the Twins want to get to him early & often after that.
They got a walk and a single in the top of the 1st but he got out of the jam with a popout & a strikeout. Pineda gave up a walk in the bottom of the first but struck out the other 3 batters.
Marwin Gonzalez led off the top of the 2nd with his 15th HR of the season, a 396-foot blast to right field that was followed 2 batters later (Cron & Cave struck out) with Jonathan Schoop’s 19th HR of the season.
It was still a pitcher’s duel with double-plays helping each pitcher erase baserunners a few times. Tim Anderson hit a leadoff HR (14) to right center field to cut the lead in half but that’s all Pineda and the Twins would give up tonight.
Pineda pitched just 5 innings but he only allowed 4 hits, the one run and 1 walk while striking out 8 and earning his 10th win of the season. The Twins bullpen (#MNBP) did the rest with RHPs Sam Dyson, Tyler Duffey & Sergio Romo pitching the 6th, 7th & 8th inning allowing just 2 hits and no walks while striking out 4 and LHP Tayler Rogers pitching a perfect 9th inning with 1 strikeout and his 21st Save of the season.
The Twins added on an insurance run in the top of the 8th on an Eddie Rosario soft liner to center field that scored Jorge Polanco from 2nd base.
Also, late in the game, Max Kepler pinch-hit for Marwin Gonzalez and it was reported that Marwin left the game due to an abdominal issue so hopefully he’s alright. We’ll send an update later if we hear/see anything.
So…not a ton of excitement but it’s nice to see the Twins win close low-scoring games because it’s something they’ll likely have to do more of as it comes closer to the end of the season and in the postseason.
In some pretty cool Twins-related news or, at least, related-twins news, Twins RHP Taylor Rogers twin-brother Tyler Rogers got The Call from the San Francisco Giants to come to The Show! They asked Taylor about it after the game and, of course, he was Tyler’s first call after getting the news so a HUGE Day for the Rogers’ family today!
CONGRATS, Tyler! Sling it!!!
Same teams, same time tomorrow night when RHP Jake Odorizzi (13-6, 3.57 ERA) pitches against White Sox LHP Ross Detwiler (2-3, 5.31 ERA) at 7:10pm on Fox Sports North.
We’ll be tuning in late tomorrow night because of one of those job thingies interrupting our baseball viewing & writing fun! Doesn’t The Man Like Baseball? Come on, now!!!
