The Minnesota Twins won a close game last night where they scored 2 runs in the first inning off back-to-back home runs from 1B Luis Arraez(7) and DH Jose Miranda(13) and the pitching staff allowed just 1 run over 9 innings getting the final out of the game on a bad running play on a flyout to right field and an outfield assist from RF Max Kepler to SS Carlos Correa.
They’ll try to extend the winning streak to 5 tonight as they honor former Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire by inducting him into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.
They’ll induct OF Dan Gladden and OF/UTIL Cesar Tovar on Sunday afternoon
Twinsactions
(Minnesota Twins Transactions)
The Minnesota Twins placed RHP Tyler Mahle on the 15-Day Injured List (IL) with right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to August 18th. Mahle’s velocity was way down in his start on Wednesday night so he was pulled after just 2.1 innings with what was called right shoulder fatigue. It was announced on Thursday an MRI revealed no structural damage but he would likely miss his next start. Now, he’ll miss at least 2 starts and he would be available to come off the IL on the day of his scheduled start on September 3rd at the Chicago White Sox. We’ll see if that happens but for now, the question is who will start on Tuesday in Mahle’s spot in the rotation to start a 3-game series in Houston.
But…that is a question for later. Let’s get to the game…
Here’s how both teams lined up:
Minnesota Twins Lineup:
Texas Rangers Lineup:
Game Recap
The Texas Rangers led off the game with a double that bounced into then fell out of the left field wall off the bat of 2B Marcus Semien. Minnesota Twins starting pitcher RHP Chris Archer got the next 2 batters out on 2 groundouts but RF Adolis García hit an RBI-double to put the Rangers up 1-0 early. A flyout from Brad Miller ended the top of the 1st. The Twins got a 2-out, 4-pitch walk of Byron Buxton but they didn’t get anything out of it as 2B Jorge Polanco popped out to 3rd to end the 1st inning.
1-0 Rangers
Texas went down 1-2-3 in the 2nd while the Twins got a 2-out single from CF Nick Gordon but LF Jake Cave lined out to center to end the 2nd inning.
Same thing in the 3rd just replace Nick Gordon’s single with Carlos Correa and Jake Cave’s lineout with Byron Buxton.
Nathaniel Lowe singled to leadoff the 4th inning but Adolis García grounded out to 3rd to force out Lowe out at 2nd. Brad Miller walked but CF Leody Taveras struck out swinging and 3B Ezequiel Duran grounded out to short but it took a heckuva throw from Correa to get him at first to end the top of the inning. The Twins went down 1-2-3 to end the 4th.
Still 1-0 Rangers
In the 5th, Marcus Semien reached with 2 outs on a high throw from SS Carlos Correa but Chris Archer got SS Corey Seager to fly out to center to end the top of the 5th. For the Twins, LF Jake Cave reached on an error with 1 out then C Gary Sánchez walked which brought up Luis Arraez and he tied the game with an RBI-single on a line drive to left center field.
Carlos Correa grounded out back to the pitcher and Byron Buxton lined out to center field to end the 5th but it was now a…
1-1 Tie
Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli went to his bullpen to bring in recently called up LHP Devin Smeltzer.
Twins RHP Chris Archer’s Final Line:
5IP 3H 1R/ER 1BB 5K – No Decision
(77 Pitches – 45 Strikes)
Smeltzer allowed a leadoff single to Texas Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe but then got Adolis García to pop up to 2B but neither Polanco or Arraez could find the ball in the twilight so it dropped in the infield. Arraez got it off the first bounce and threw the ball to 2nd for the 1st out. Texas pinch-hit Mark Mathias for Brad Miller and he lined out to 2nd on the first pitch he saw. Before he threw a pitch to Leody Taveras, Smeltzer made a throw to first that appeared to have gotten there in time to nab García at 1st to end the inning but he was called safe. The Twins challenged that call and…
The call stood so it wasn’t confirmed. Really sad they can’t confirm these calls. He looks out on this replay.
Taveras then singled to center on the next pitch and Ezequiel Duran hit a wicked RBI-single to short that got past Carlos Correa and deflected to Jake Cave, who was charging the ball to make a throw home and it looks like the throw would’ve beat the runner but Jose Miranda cut it off and you can see C Gary Sánchez jumping as if he thought they’d have gotten the runner at home.
C Meibrys Viloria grounded out to 1st to end the top of the 6th but the Rangers got their 1-run lead right back.
2-1 Rangers
The Twins got a 2-out walk from Miranda but Gordon grounded out to 3rd to end the 6th after a pitching change to LHP Brett Martin.
Rangers RHP Glenn Otto’s Final Line
5.2IP 3H 1R 0ER 3BB 1K – In Line for the W
(86 Pitches – 48 Strikes)
Smeltzer allowed two 2-out singles to Corey Seager and Nathaniel Lowe but got García to line out to right field to send it to the 7th inning stretch.
The Rangers made another pitching change, bringing in LHP Brock Burke to face Jake Cave, Gary Sánchez and Luis Arraez. The Twins pinch-hit Gio Urshela for Cave for the righty matchup with the lefty pitcher and he doubled (19) on a line drive to left field and was pinch-run for with Gilberto Celestino. Sánchez struck out swinging. Arraez grounded out to 2nd. Celestino was able to advance to 3rd but Correa struck out swinging to end the 7th.
Celestino remained in the game as the left field to begin the 8th and Devin Smeltzer set the Rangers down 1-2-3 (strikeout, bunt back to the pitcher, popout). The Twins got a 2-out walk from Max Kepler and that brought rookie sensation 3B Jose Miranda to the plate. The at-bat started with 3 straight balls but somehow this high ball was called a strike…
Miranda fouled off the next pitch then took ball 3 (would’ve been ball 4) then fouled off 2 more pitches to keep the at-bat alive then hit a screaming liner to right-center field and with 2 outs and a full count, Kepler was off with the pitch and he rounded 3rd and was headed home and…
He’s safe because of a bad, hurried throw from center field that Marcus Semien couldn’t handle and
This… Game… Is… Tied AGAIN!!!
Aggressive send from 3rd but with 2 outs but it’s a chance to score and you force the Rangers to make a play and they couldn’t complete it.
Nick Gordon ended the inning by grounding out to 3rd.
With a save no longer possible, Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli brought in his closer RPH Jorge López to give his team a chance for a walkoff win in the bottom of the 9th.
López has been shaky since he was traded to the Twins at the deadline but he got the save last night so maybe he’s coming around now. He got pinch-hitting Jonah Heim to lineout to left field but then he hit Bubba Thompson with a pitch to put a man on base then he allowed a hard-hit ball up the middle but Jorge Polanco was there to field it, get to 2nd for the 2nd out then fire it to 1st for an inning-ending 4-3 double play!
The Rangers brought in RHP Jonathan Hernández and Jonah Heim remained in the game as the catcher. The Twins got a 1-out single from Gary Sánchez but Luis Arraez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to send it to Extra Innings.
The Twins brought in LHP Caleb Thielbar to replace López and Marcus Semien began the inning as the runner at 2nd base. Thielbar allowed back-to-back singles (Seager & Lowe) to allow Texas to take a 3-2 lead but he got Adolis García to strike out before Rocco went to RHP Griffin Jax and he allowed an RBI-single to Mark Mathias to double the lead to 4-2 but he got Taveras to strikeout looking and Duran to ground out to short to send it to the bottom of the 10th.
4-2 Rangers
Luis Arraez began the inning as the runner at 2nd base. Hernández came out to pitch the 10th for Texas and he walked Correa on 4 pitches that weren’t close but he came back to strike out Buxton looking for the 1st out. Bux wasn’t happy about the call but it was definitely in the zone. Polanco grounded out to 2nd for the 2nd out. Arraez advanced to 3rd. Max Kepler then reached on a weak grounder that the pitcher didn’t field and up to the plate came Jose Miranda once again and…
He flew out to left field to end the game. Aww… he can’t be the hero every time!
––––– TT –––––
Final Score
Texas Rangers 4 | 3 Minnesota Twins
W-Hernández(1-0) L-Thielbar(2-2)
––––– TT –––––
Next Up for the Minnesota Twins:
Game 3 of 4…
RHP Joe Ryan
(9-5, 3.92 ERA, 1.149 WHIP*)
vs
RHP Kohei Arihara
(0-1, 4.96 ERA, 1.941 WHIP)
*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched
––––– TT –––––
Thank You for reading our TwinsTakes! We’d love to hear your TwinsTakes!
So, hit us up on Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook!!!
That’s why it’s…
