The #MNTwins have won 2 games in a row and tried to win the series in Game 3 last night.
They had RHP Jose Berrios on the mound and he has struggled of late so it’s hard to know what to expect from him.
The @Rangers countered with RHP Ariel Jurado on the mound and the @Twins got to him early with a 6-run 1st inning that happened after Jurado failed to catch a high throw from 2B Roughned Odor that would’ve ended the inning on a double play.
Since he did not catch the ball, Miguel Sano scored on the Eddie Rosario fielder’s choice to make it 1-0. Luis Arraez followed with an RBI-single to center field then Marwin Gonzalez hit a 2-run double (17) and C.J. Cron homered (20) to right-center field.
With a 6-0 lead, you’d have thought Jose Berrios would cruise to a win but, like we said, he’s been struggling lately so, instead of starting well, he gave up a leadoff single to Shin-Soo Choo and former Twin Danny Santana homered (20) on the very next pitch. 6-2 Twins.
The Twins got those 2 runs back in the top of the 2nd when they loaded the bases on a Max Kepler walk, a Miguel Sano single and a Jorge Polanco single was followed by an Eddie Rosario sacrifice fly and Mitch Garver RBI-groundout. 8-2 Twins.
Berrios then allowed a leadoff walk to Odor in the bottom of the 2nd. Logan Forsythe & Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit back-to-back singles scored Odor. Forsythe then scored on a Choo groundout then Danny Santana homered for the 2nd time (21) and it was 8-6! Oh, boy! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE?
The Twins scored again after loading the bases again in the top of the 5th but they only got 1 run out of it on a Max Kepler single. 9-6 Twins.
Berrios had gotten 8 of the next 9 batters out then allowed back-to-back singles then back-to-back walks, walking in a run before being replaced by RHP Tyler Duffey who got a strikeout & a flyout to end the inning with no further damage after coming into a tough spot with the bases loaded and just 1 out.
RHP Ryne Harper took over in the 6th for the Twins and allowed a leadoff single followed by a double by Choo but they ran themselves into another out between 3rd and home when C Jose Trevino was thrown at home again in the series. Oops! Hint: Catchers aren’t full of speed! Send them at your own risk….if you still have a job. A flyout and a popout ended the inning.
RHP Trevor May pitched a perfect 7th AND a perfect 8th with one strikeout because….Trevor May Strike You Out!
The Twins then added a run in the top of the 8th on a Mitch Garver 1-out RBI-single that scored Jorge Polanco, who reached on his 32nd double of the season. That’s the old, Polanco & Garver Insurance-Run package.
Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to end the top of the 8th, swinging at the first pitch, and, for some reason, Rangers RHP Shawn Kelley took exception to something he did. Marwin has been on fire in this series. At the time he was 10-for-13 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI. The only thing that we can see that may have irritated Kelley was that Marwin seemed to admire the ball off his bat but it was a groundout to 2nd to end the inning but Kelley said something to Gonzo that he wasn’t happy about and the benches cleared, which, of course, is the stupidest thing in baseball because the pitchers all come running in from the bullpen. Sano & Odor were going at each other but nothing crazy happened and peace was restored. PHEW! Sano vs Odor would be interesting, huh?
Miguel Sano may have taken his anger out on the next pitch he saw as he hit his 23rd HR of the season to put the Twins up 12-7 in the top of the 9th and RHP Zack Littell finished the game allowing 1 hit while strike one out, too.
It’s huge if both C.J. Cron AND Jorge Polanco can start to get back on a roll again.
Can they complete the sweep today with LHP Martin Perez pitching against former Twin RHP Lance Lynn on the mound for the Rangers?
