The Minnesota Twins may be starting a Tortured Blow-It Department soon if this losing streak doesn’t end soon. They’ve lost 4 straight after losing the finale in Detroit then getting swept by Baltimore with the last game ending in a walkoff home run. We do know they will never stop battling and we think they’ve established a good clubhouse culture & they expect to have a great season in 2024.
They have responded to some adversity already this season. They lost 4 straight from April 4th through April 9th with 2 losses against Cleveland & 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They responded with a great 3-2 win to snap that 4-game losing streak and a 3-game losing streak against the Dodgers. They lost the next game 8-2 in Detroit but then swept a doubleheader before the current losing streak began.
2024 Minnesota Twins Schedule
6-11
MLB Standings
4th Place in AL Central
2024 Detroit Tigers Schedule
10-9
MLB Standings
3rd Place in AL Central
After starting the season by winning 5 straight, the Detroit Tigers have gone 5-9 since then so… let’s see if this Twins team can get something going to begin this 7-game homestand.
Here’s how both teams lined up:
Minnesota Twins Lineup:
Detroit Tigers Lineup:
Game Recap
Hey! Happy 41st Birthday to one of the Twins greats, Joe Mauer, who will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer!
Detroit Tigers DH led off the game & grounded out to 3rd. RF Wenceel Pérez struck out swinging for the 2nd out but LF Kerry Carpenter doubled (4) to the right field wall. 1B Spencer Torkelson singled on a softly hit ball to 2nd to Twins 2B Edouard Julien would probably make that play 9 out of 10 times but this must’ve been the time he wouldn’t make it but he quickly got to the ball & fired home to try to get Carpenter and the ball beat the runner but Twins C Christian Vázquez didn’t catch the ball after it bounced off the ground so Detroit took an early 1-0 lead. Torkelson tried for 2nd when he saw the ball get past Vázquez but the ball took a good bounce off the back wall to come back to Vázquez so he was able to get Torkelson at 2nd base to end the top of the 1st:
Detroit Tigers 1 | 0 Minnesota Twins
In the bottom of the 1st, Twins 2B Edouard Julien led off but grounded out to 2nd then DH Ryan Jeffers flew out to right field for the 2nd out but 1B Alex Kirilloff doubled (5) to center field. Recently recalled* OF Trevor Larnach then took a low slider that was called for a strike so that likely made him swing at the next pitch since the first one was called a strike but… t
they then tried to sneak a fastball past Mr. Larnach was ready for it:
*April 16th after OF Matt Wallner was optioned down to AAA-St. Paul.
Detroit Tigers 1 | 2 Minnesota Twins
That blast had an exit velocity of 106.9mph with a 27º launch angle and it traveled 415 feet! LARNACH!!! CF Byron Buxton struck out to end the 1st inning.
Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 2nd inning.
In the 3rd inning, Parker Meadows got a 1-out walk on very questionable ball 4:
Here’s the pitch:
The next batter struck out swinging which would’ve ended the inning but the bad call allowed the inning to continue. Meadows stole (3) 2nd base then RF Wenceel Pérez singled to left field to score Meadows from 2nd to tie the game at 2. Pérez then stole 2nd and scored on another weakly hit ball to left field by Kerry Carpenter.
Detroit Tigers 3 | 2 Minnesota Twins
The Twins went down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Detroit followed with the same in the 4th. The Twins had a 1-out single from Trevor Larnach but did nothing with it. Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 5th.
Detroit led off the top of the 6th with a triple from Wenceel Pérez & LF Kerry Carpenter hit a soft grounder to left field to score Pérez from 3rd & put Detroit up 4-2. Spencer Torkelson singled then Matt Vierling tried to put down a sacrifice bunt but he popped it up and Twins pitcher Joe Ryan caught it for the 1st out. Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli pulled Joe Ryan to go to LHP Kody Funderburke against left-handed hitter Colt Keith and he needed just 2 pitches to get a grounder to 2B Edouard Julien who started a 4-6-3 double play to end the 6th inning.
Detroit Tigers 4 | 2 Minnesota Twins
The Twins led off the bottom of the 6th with an Edouard Julien walk then Ryan Jeffers reached on an error when CF Parker Meadows & RF Wenceel Pérez had a miscommunication that allowed the ball to land instead of being caught advancing Julien to 3rd & Jeffers to 2nd. Kirilloff & Larnach both struck out swinging so it was up to Byron Buxton to make something out of having 2 runners in scoring position. With the count at 2-1, Buxton laid off a low knuckle curve & a low slider. Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty tried to raise that slider a little but he hung it a little & Byron Buxton hit it to deep left field where LF Kerry Carpenter leaped to catch the ball but he misjudged it and…
Buxton was about 5 feet from putting his team in front. He thought he got enough of it so he only ended up at 2nd base & he was angry at himself for it but 1B Carlos Santana flew out to right field to end the inning.
Detroit Tigers 4 | 4 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota RHP Brock Stewart replaced Kody Funderburke. He allowed a 1-out single but induced a flyout then struck out Mark Canha looking and Canha wasn’t too happy about the last too pitches that were called strikes. He was angrier about strike 2 than strike three:
Here’s the 2nd strike (or 5th pitch):
Detroit also went to their bullpen. They brought in RHP Will Vest to face Castro, Vázquez & Farmer. Castro singled to lead off then Vázquez sacrifice bunted Will Castro to 2nd base. Kyle Farmer struck out for the 2nd out. Detroit went to LHP Andrew Chafin to face Edouard Julien so Minnesota pinch-hit for Julien with Jose Miranda but he just flew out to center field to end 7th inning.
Miranda stayed in the game at 3rd base. Kyle Farmer moved to 2nd base and RHP Griffin Jax replaced Brock Stewart to pitch the 8th inning. Jax struck out Pérez but allowed a single to Kerry Carpenter then threw a wild pitch that advanced Carpenter to 2nd. Torkelson singled to left field which advanced Carpenter to 3rd. Detroit pinch-hit Riley Greene for Matt Vierling…
HUGE STRIKEOUT from Griffin Jax!
Jax then got 2B Colt Keith to ground out to 1st to end the top of the 8th.
Detroit SS Javier Baez replaced Riley Green, playing shortstop. Zach McKinstry moved from shortstop to 2nd base.
Twins DH Ryan Jeffers flew out to right field. Manuel Margot pinch-hit for Alex Kirilloff then flew out to 2nd. Trevor Larnach grounded out to 2nd to end the 8th inning.
Margot stayed in the game as the left fielder. Larnach moved from left field to right field & LHP Caleb Thielbar replaced Griffin Jax to pitch the 9th. Detroit 2B Zach McKinstry flew out to left field. C Carson Kelly struck out swinging for the 2nd out. Parker Meadows singled to right field. Theilbar tried a pickoff throw…
The Twins caught a break when the ball got stuck under the wall padding so Parker Meadows had to go back to 2nd base. They intentionally walked Mark Canha to face rookie Wenceel Pérez and he made them pay by hitting a line drive up the middle to center field to score Meadows from 2nd and put Detroit in the lead at 5-4. Mark Canha advanced to 2nd.
Detroit Tigers 5 | 4 Minnesota Twins
Thielbar then struck out Kerry Carpenter to end the top of the 9th.
RHP Jason Foley replaced Andrew Chafin to try to close out a win for Detroit.
Byron Buxton struck out swinging for the 1st out. Carlos Santana grounded out to 1st for the 2nd out. Willi Castro worked a walk in an 8-pitch at-bat then stole 2nd base but C Christian Vázquez flew out to left field to end the game.
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Final Score
Detroit Tigers 5 | 4 Minnesota Twins
W-Andrew Chafin (2-0) L-Caleb Thielbar (0-1) S-Jason Foley (6)
Pitching
Starters
MN:
RHP Joe Ryan:
5.1IP 7H 4R/4ER 1BB 6K – No Decision
DET:
RHP Jack Flaherty:
6IP 4H 4R/2ER 1BB 10K 1HR – No Decision
Bullpen
MN:
LHP Kody Funderburke:
0.2IP 0H 0R/0ER 0BB 0K
RHP Brock Stewart:
1IP 1H 0R/0ER 0BB 1K
RHP Griffin Jax:
1IP 2H 0R/0ER 0BB 2K
LHP Caleb Thielbar:
1IP 2H 1R/1ER 1BB 2K – Loss (0-1)
DET:
RHP Will Vest:
0.2IP 1H 0R/0ER 0BB 1K
LHP Andrew Chafin:
1.1IP 0H 0R/0ER 0BB 0K – Win (2-0)
RHP Jason Foley:
1IP 0H 0R/0ER 1BB 1K – Save (6)
Hitting
Home Runs
MN:
Trevor Larnach (1)
DET:
None
Doubles
MN:
Alex Kirilloff (5); Byron Buxton (5)
DET:
Kerry Carpenter (4)
2-Out RBI
MN (Inning):
Trevor Larnach 2; Byron Buxton 2
DET:
Spencer Torkelson; Wenceel Pérez 2, Kerry Carpenter
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Next Up
Game 2 at 1:10 pm on Bally Sports North Extra:
RHP Bailey Ober
(0-1, 6.57 ERA, 1.46 WHIP*)
vs
RHP Reese Olson
(0-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.47 WHIP)
*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched
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