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Today’s lineups:
MIN: Max Kepler RF, Mitch Garver C, Jorge Polanco SS, Miguel Sano 1B, Eddie Rosario LF, Josh Donaldson 3B, Nelson Cruz DH, Ehire Adrianza 2B, Byron Buxton CF, Jose Berrios P
BAL: Cedric Mullens CF, Anthony Santander RF, Trey Mancini DH, Rio Ruiz 3B, Renato Nunez 1B, Hanser Alberto 2B, Dwight Smith Jr LF, Jose Iglesias SS, Bryan Holaday C, Kyle Lloyd P
Willians Astudillo is a got-dang national treasure. If you don’t agree with me, you should go silently sit in the corner.
Jose Berrios showed up to pitch today, but it was La Tortuga, pinch hitting, who stole the show. With this being a double header, and going to extras, it was a good thing that Berrios pitched seven full innings, and saved most of the pen from having to put in work.
The Twins struck first, in the home half of the first inning. Jorge Polanco came up with two outs, and hit a big ol bomba to right-center. The Twins added their second run of the game in the fourth, when Miguel Sano did the same thing—except he hit it to straightaway left field. Both traveled over 420 feet, Polanco’s was good for 426, and Sano’s went four feet further.
The only blemish on Berrios tonight was his fifth inning. Dwight Smith Jr fooled around on the basepaths for a bit, but what he did there didn’t really matter. For the record, he got to first on an E3, I think it was fried chicken grease on Sano’s fingers (cough, cough Souhan.) Smith stole second, and made it to third on a groundout. Like I said though, it doesn’t matter, because Bryan Holaday absolutely smote the first pitch Berrios offered him, for a home run that went 440 feet. That tied the score at two-all, and the score stayed that way into the tenth.
Fun vignette here: unlike in real life, where he retired, old friend Denard Span caught on with the Orioles in our simulation. He entered left field as a defensive replacement in the tenth.
Anyway, Mychal Givens got the first two outs of the tenth with five total pitches, but then took another five pitches to end up walking Byron Buxton. Willians Astudillo entered as a pinch hitter for Max Kepler. Personally, I’d have let Kep hit, but the simulation decided differently, and for the better. Our big, beautiful, large adult son watched the first pitch go by for a ball. Shocking, right? The second pitch was not so lucky. Astudillo hit a double that rolled to the fence in center, and was enough for the fleet-footed Buxton to fly home and get us the fabled WILLIANS WALKOFF!!!
Notes
- Tyler Duffey pitched 1.2 innings and only gave up a walk. Taylor Rogers pitched 1.1 and didn’t allow a baserunner. Duffey got the win in this one.
- Berrios’ line: 7.0 IP 2 H 2 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K 1 HR
- Due to a rain-out, we have an odd scheduling quirk. The game was played at Camden Yards, but the Twins are considered the home team, to make up for the game rained out a couple weeks ago. The rest of the series, they will be the visitors.
- Game two of the double header will be up in a few hours!
STUDS:
Jose Berrios: see above
Jorge Polanco: 1-4, HR
Miguel Sano: 1-3, HR, BB
Willians Astudillo: 1-1, RBI, glorious walk-off double
DUDS:
No Duds Twins win!
Tomorrow: Next Game:Off day. Starts in a few minutes, this is a double header. The recap will be up in a few hours. See you then.