Here’s a welcome change of pace: It wasn’t the Twins who lost late in the game, it was the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who coughed up three runs in the ninth inning to lose to the Twins, 5-4.
And once again, Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario was right in the thick of things after he hit two home runs, including a ninth inning blast. He now has nine home runs this season to lead the team.
The Twins and Halos have split the first two games of their four-game series, which continues Saturday and Sunday. Kyle Gibson gets the ball Saturday.
Extra innings…
-Friday’s win was nice, but the Twins have a problem: Pitchers Jose Berrios and free agent Lance Lynn were expected to anchor the Twins’ rotation; instead, they’ve become the two weakest starters on the team. Lynn again struggled with his command, throwing 99 pitches in four-plus innings, including two walks, one of which pushed a run across for the Halos because the bases were loaded. Reliever Matt Magill was ultimately credited with the win, while Fernando Rodney picked up his sixth save. Berrios, meanwhile, was terrible Thursday after he gave up five runs, all earned, in five-plus innings, including two home runs and two doubles. Berrios fell to 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA.
-The Twins and Halos turned six double plays in Thursday’s game.
-Byron Buxton is back from the disabled list and played center field in Friday’s game. He struck out twice.
-Robbie Grossman had two hits in Friday’s game and is now hitting .267 over the last seven games. That’s a huge improvement for Grossman after he struggled at the plate at the beginning of the season.