The #MNTwins are going to see how far they can go with this bullpen start thing? They got 2 wins on Saturday and only gave up 5 runs, right? Well, how do you judge the 2nd game? Lewis Thorpe started and pitched into the 4th and he gave up all 5 runs so, if you can him a starter, 8 relievers gave up 0 runs in 14.1 innings, allowed 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 15.
If you want to count LHP Devin Smeltzer as a starter, those stats change to 11.1 scoreless innings, 5 hits and no walks while striking out 14! That’s impressive. The pitchers: RHP Zack Littell (2 innings), RHP Tyler Duffey (1.2 innings), RHP Sergio Romo (.2), LHP Taylor Rogers (1.2), RHP Cody Stashak (1.1), RHP Brusdar Graterol (2) and RHP Trevor May (2.) Every one of them struck out at least one. This coming from a bullpen that everyone thought was (and maybe were) trash. They are developing pitching and they have starters coming soon, too.
Alright, let’s see what happened on Sunday afternoon.
The Twins got 3 singles in the first inning but got nothing out of it.
RHP Randy Dobnak got the start and he ended up going 5 innings. He allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 unearned run (both in the 1st inning) and 1 walk while striking out 2. Cleveland SS Francisco Lindor singled to leadoff the game and an Eddie Rosario error allowed him to advance to 2nd. Oscar Mercado also singled, advancing Lindor to 3rd. Carlos Santana then grounded into a force out to score Lindor which goes down as the unearned run. 2B Jason Kipnis later grounded into a force out to score Carlos Santana for the Cleveland Indians 2-0 lead.
In the top of the 3rd, Twins 3B Miguel Sano hit his 29th of the season on a line drive to left field. Jake Cave followed with a double (10) but he was left stranded at 2nd.
Cleveland RHP Shane Bieber set down 8 of the next 9 Twins batters until Eddie Eddie Eddie Rosario came up in the top of the 6th inning with the score still 2-1 Indians. From August 10th through September 13th, Rosie hit just .234/.257/.364 (Average/On-Base %/Slugging %) in 26 games & 107 at-bats. He had 25 hits with 5 doubles & 3 HR along with 17 RBI and 15 runs scored with only 4 walks (1 intentional) and 21 strikeouts.
It does seem, though, that Eddie relishes the big moments and big games so with Eddie sitting on 29 Home Runs, he hit #30 out to right field and it was a no-doubter from the crack of the bat and the game was tied at 2! Then Willians Astudillo followed with a walk. Jonathan Schoop struck out and LaMonte Wade came to the plate and he swung at the first pitch and sent it deep to center field….Over The Fence for his 1st Career Major League Home Run and it put the Twins up 4-2!
RHP Fernando Romero came into the ballgame to pitch the 6th. He struck out Yasiel Puig to begin the inning then gave up a double (23) to Jason Kipnis, a walk to Franmil Reyes then Greg Allen reached on an error from Jonathan Schoop that allowed Kipnis to score to make it 4-3. A Mound Visit was followed by a Pitching Change to RHP Kyle Gibson and he proceeded to give up a 3-run HR on a 94 mph inside fastball that Roberto Perez planted into the season and a 4-3 lead changed to a 6-4 lead very quickly.
The Twins weren’t about to give up though. That’s for sure. Rosie came up again and this time he took the first pitch he saw out to right center field to get the Twins back within 1 run at 6-5.
They went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 8th then Luis Arraez led off the top of the 9th with a walk but Sano struck out, Cave struck out swinging & the Indians went to LHP Oliver Perez to get Rosario out and he ended up popping out to the catcher to end the game.
For what the Twins had for pitching this weekend, like Meatloaf says, “2 out of 3 ain’t bad!”
Tonight, they’ll start a 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox with RHP Jose Berrios on the mound against Chicago’s RHP Reynaldo Lopez at 6:40pm.
