Twins 5, Tigers 0: Swift dominance

Sure, there were some minor instances of Unexpected Baseball — Robbie Grossman was called out for bunting with his foot out of the box (it wasn’t) and Trevor Larnach hit an automatic double due to fan interference (it was) — but unlike the past two games, Unexpected Baseball was not the story of the game.

The story of the game was the Twins’ swift dominance of the Tigers in all phases.

At bat, the Twins managed nine hits, six for extra bases. In the second inning, Max Kepler chose to make like the protagonist of 2007 video game Red Ocean and Jack Hard; he followed with his second homer of the game two innings later. Larnach added two solidly-cracked doubles, while Ryan Jeffers drove in three with a homer and a double.

On defense, Minnesota’s gloves shined, Carlos Correa making two excellent plays to prevent Detroit hits and Gio Urshela adding one of his own.

And on the mound, Joe Ryan pitched masterfully, throwing seven innings (the first Twins starter to reach that particular inning in 2022, let alone finish it) of one-hit ball (a Miguel Cabrera single), walking one (Spencer Torkelson) and striking out nine (I’m not listing them). Joe Smith pitched a perfect eighth, while Danny Coulombe worked around an insignificant Grossman double to close out Detroit.

Add to that a game time of 2:23, and the night could not have been more ideal for Minnesota baseball.

STUDS:

SP Joe Ryan: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 90 pitches
RF Max Kepler: 2-3, 2 solo HR
C Ryan Jeffers: 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
DH Trevor Larnach: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 runs scored
1B Luis Arraez: 2-4, 2 1B

DUDS:

HP umpire Ryan Blakney: incorrect call on Grossman bunt, inconsistent strike zone

COMMENT OF THE GAME:

Brandon Brooks, after Jeffers’ home run:

CHOOSY MOMS CHOOSE JEFF

I love a good pun.