The Minnesota Twins will try again to win the rubber game. They didn’t get it done in San Diego so we’ll see if they can change that in this one. Of course, this isn’t the same team that lost in San Diego as the MLB Trade Deadline expired yesterday at 5pm CST and the Twins made four trades to help their team win the American League Central or make the playoffs via one of the 3 Wild Card spots.
They currently lead the American League Central by just 1 game over the Cleveland Guardians. The White Sox are 2 games back as well. If the Twins weren’t leading the division, they’d be tied for the final Wild Card spot with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Trade Deadline
There is just one trade deadline now in Major League Baseball. There used to be a second one at the end of August that teams could use to still help their teams improve. It was a waiver deadline so teams had to expose players to waivers and if a team claimed a player, they could negotiate a trade with that team for that player or if no team claimed a player, they could negotiate with any team. The team could also pull the player off waivers to keep him.
The Minnesota Twins acquired 4 players at the deadline on Tuesday, 3 pitchers and one catcher and they didn’t have to trade anyone on their Major League roster. They only sent prospects the other way. All of them were valuable prospects and assets within the organization but this is why you have to have a great farm system. You never know what you’ll need at the trade deadline. You don’t plan on needing anyone but injuries and players not performing the way you thought they would always happen and you need to have the ability to acquire pieces to help your team make the playoffs and win the World Series.
Twinsactions
(Twins Transactions)
The Twins made a couple of moves before the game, activating LHP Caleb Thielbar and selecting the contract of newly acquired C Sandy León. To make room for them, they optioned C Caleb Hamilton* and designated P Joe Smith for release or assignment.
*So… at least this means 3B/1B Jose Miranda got to see Hamilton.**
**Jose Miranda’s cousin is Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the hit musical, Hamilton and he hasn’t actually seen it, yet. Maybe when the Twins are in New York? Nope! He’ll be a little busy with that baseball thing and they don’t do Mondays.
Here’s how both teams lined up:
Minnesota Twins Lineup:
Detroit Tigers Lineup:
Game Recap
The majority of the time it’s a good thing for the Minnesota Twins to have RHP Joe Ryan start the game. Last time out, that wasn’t the case as he gave up 5 home runs in his start in San Diego. Let’s see if he made a rebound in this game.
He started out this game by striking out the 1st two batters, both swinging strikeouts, then got a ground ball to 1st to set the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the 1st inning. The Twins also were set down 1-2-3 in the 1st inning (flyout, popout & flyout.)
The no-hitter only lasted one inning for Twins pitcher Joe Ryan as 1B Harold Castro singled to CF to lead off the 2nd inning but Ryan sandwiched two more swinging strikeouts around a popout to get through the 2nd inning.
Minnesota Twins 1B Jose Miranda also singled to lead of the bottom of the 2nd inning. 3B Gio Urshela lined out to short. CF Nick Gordon walked. LF Jake Cave lined out to CF for the 2nd out. C Sandy León came to the plate for his 1st at-bat as a Minnesota Twin and he made it memorable as he doubled to the left field corner to score both Miranda and Gordon and put the Twins up 2. Welcome to Minnesota, Sandy! That was also his 1st double of the season!
RF Mark Contreras struck out to end the inning.
2-0 Twins
Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Harold Castro got another single but that was the only non-out in the 4th inning but 4 of the outs were via the strikeout, 2 for each team.
Joe Ryan began the 5th inning by hitting the batter with a pitch. He then got 2B Jonathan Schoop to strike out swinging and 3B Koby Clemens to line out to RF but he followed that by hitting C Tucker Barnhart with a pitch and, after a mound visit, Tigers rookie CF Riley Greene made him pay for it with a bloop single to center field that cut the lead in half. Ryan did strikeout LF Victor Reyes to end the inning.
2-1 Twins
The Twins responded by going down 1-2-3 on 2 strikeouts & a groundout.
Newly-acquired & former Detroit Tiger reliever RHP Michael Fulmer took over for Minnesota in the 6th.
Joe Ryan’s Final Pitching Line:
5IP 3H 1R/ER 0BB 9K
In line for the Win
78 Pitches (63 Strikes)
Fulmer allowed a 1-out single (Harold Castro again) but struck out one and caught Castro stealing to end the inning.
Detroit also replaced their starting pitcher, LHP Tyler Alexander, by bringing in RHP Jose Cisnero.
Tyler Alexander’s Final Pitching Line:
5IP 2H 2R/ER 1BB 5K
In line for the Loss
66 Pitches (47 Strikes)
Cisnero walked DH Byron Buxton on 4 pitches. He then threw a wild pitch that allowed Buxton to advance to 2nd. The next pitch was high and way inside forcing Carlos Correa to evade the pitch and go down. The next pitch was low and away but Correa still got a piece of it to send it to short left field to bring Byron Buxton in to make it 3-1.
2B Jorge Polanco grounded into a force out at 2nd and 1B Jose Miranda lined a ball to right field that looked like a hit for sure but the other Castro (Willi) made a fantastic catch for the 2nd out and Gio Urshela struck out to end the 6th inning.
Even Miranda’s outs are impressive!
3-1 Twins
Twins LHP Caleb Thielbar replaced Fulmer for the 7th and he needed just 12 pitches to set the Tigers down 1-2-3, the last two by way of the strikeout so…KKaleb! The Twins had to face a new pitcher, Tigers LHP Andrew Chafin, and got back-to-back 1-out singles from Jake Cave & Sandy León but left them there with an inning-ending double play ball from Mark Contreras.
Twins rookie phenom RHP Jhoan Duran replaced Thielbar and he walked the first batter but then set down the next 3 hitters after a mound visit via forceout, groundout and a strikeout.
Former Twins reliever RHP Derek Law replaced Chafin to face his former team and he allowed a leadoff hit to Byron Buxton and a 1-out hit to Jorge Polanco then walked Jose Miranda to load the bases and Gio Urshela hit a sacrifice fly to add another run for the home club. Nick Gordon struck out to end the 8th.
Newly-acquired closer RHP Jorge López came in to make his Twins Debut and he needed just 7 pitches to earn his 1st save as a Twin and help them win the series.
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Final Score
Detroit Tigers 1 | 4 Minnesota Twins
W-Ryan (8-4) L-Alexander(2-5) S-López(20)
H-Fulmer(19), Thielbar(10), Duran(11)
Pitching
Starters
MN:
RHP Joe Ryan:
5IP 3H 1R/ER 0BB 9K – 8th Win
DET:
LHP Tyler Alexander:
5IP 2H 2R/ER 1BB 5K – 5th Loss
Bullpen
MN:
RHP Michael Fulmer:
1IP 1H 1K – 19th Hold – Pickoff/Caught Stealing
LHP Caleb Thielbar:
1IP 2K – 10th Hold
RHP Jhoan Duran:
1IP 1BB 1K – 11th Hold
RHP Jorge López:
1IP 1K – 20th Save
DET:
RHP Jose Cisnero:
1IP 1H 1R/ER 1BB 1K
LHP Andrew Chafin:
1IP 2H 1K
RHP Derek Law:
1IP 2H R1/ER 1BB 1K
Hitting
Doubles
MN:
Sandy León(1)
2-Out RBI
MN (Inning):
Sandy León(2)
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Next Up
A 4-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays:
RHP Sonny Gray
(6-3, 3.41 ERA, 1.11 WHIP*)
vs
RHP Alek Manoah
(11-5, 2.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP)
*ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched
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