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Twins 13, Red Sox 0: Kyle Gibson has strong outing against b-squad lineup

Despite hitting no homers, the Twins hitters were able to rack up the runs with other extra-base hits this afternoon.

By Maija Varda
MLB: Spring Training-Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins
Let’s face split-squad lineups every day!
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, this is the actual starting lineup the Red Sox sent out for today’s game:

Okay, so Boston was actually playing with a split squad, but still. Look at that. Needless to say, it was a good day for Twins pitching. Starter Kyle Gibson had his longest outing of the year so-far, pitching five scoreless innings while surrendering only four hits and one walk. Matt Belisle, Ryan O’Rourke, Ryan Pressly, and Buddy Boshers each worked a scoreless inning too.

At the plate, the Twins wasted no time knocking around Boston’s pathetic excuse for a team, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Brian Dozier led off with a walk and reached third base when Joe Mauer hit a ground ball that bounced off pitcher Henry Owens’s glove (not a home run). Miguel Sano drove both of them in on a thunderous triple—one of only twenty in his entire professional career!—that ended with him doing a belly flop on third base.

But that’s not all! ByungHo Park narrowly missed his fourth Park Bang of the spring, instead hitting just a long RBI double (Park Bong?). He scored on yet another RBI double, this time from Jorge Polanco.

The Twins basically continuted to take advantage of the poor Red Sox the rest of the game. Park was able to score again in the third inning on a botched pick-off attempt by Red Sox Sam Travis. Jason Castro followed up with an RBI double. In the fifth inning, Polanco hit his second RBI double of the game, driving in Robbie Grossman. Edhire Adrianaza has a sac fly somewhere in there. Oh, and ever heard of RBI doubles? Because Daniel Palka and J.B. Schuck had those too.

Last but not least, the Twins scored their thirteenth run of the game on a throwing error by Red Sox shortstop Jose Rosario.

It’s fun when the Twins aren’t the ones sucking.

Notes

  • Zach Granite, the Twins’ 2016 Minor League Player of the Year, made a fantastic catch to rob Tzu-Wei Lin (where are the Red Sox getting these people?) of a home run in the top of the eighth inning.
  • Nick Gordon—whose brother, Dee Gordon, defended just yesterday, saying he “is a shortstop”—played second base.
  • With a hit, a walk, and a strikeout today, ByungHo Park is now batting .400 through 18 spring training at bats—the highest of any Twins regular.

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