The Twins ran all over the Boston Red Sox the other day to win 12-1 in exhibition play.
The club scored 12 runs on 18 hits, getting multiple-hit performances out of several players: Jake Cave had three hits, Ronald Torreyes had three hits, 35-year-old Adam Rosales went 4-for-4 and Luke Raley drove in four runs with a double and a triple.
On the mound, Kohl Stewart improved to 2-0. He gave up one earned run and struck out two batters in two innings. However, Stewart apparently didn’t do enough this spring because he, Lewis Thorpe, Andrew Vasquez, Brent Rooker, Raley, Alex Kirilloff, and catcher Ben Rortvedt will start the season in the minors, the Twins announced Friday, according to MLB.com.
The Twins also picked up a lopsided win on Saturday, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1. This time the team scored 10 runs on 15 hits, including five home runs. Rosales, once again playing third base, hit his third home run of the spring.
Now the Twins have ghosts homering for them. Joe Cronin belts a three-run blast to left. Twins lead 10-0 in the eighth.
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) March 9, 2019
(The Twins have a player named Joe Cronin).
Lefty Martin Perez pitched four innings of scoreless baseball with four strikeouts. His spring ERA now stands at 2.00.
Pérez told MLB.com that he’s working on his delivery every morning and working with (Johan) Santana, who won two American League Cy Young Awards during his time as the Twins’ ace. Pérez is trying to emphasize attacking hitters inside with his fastball and utilizing his changeup.
Extra innings…
-After it was announced that Miguel Sano was injured and would miss the first month of the season, I was one of the few (the only?) Twins blogger to call for him to be traded. I can’t find a similar opinion in Twins land; however, I can’t find many opinions on Sano’s future with the Twins at all, which tells me that a lot of Twins fans have given up on him. I’m feeling that way, too.
-Rosales is making a spring case for himself. The 35-year-old infielder is now hitting .450 with 9 hits in 20 at bats, including three doubles and three home runs.
-Byron Buxton, who got off to a sizzling start this spring, is still hitting .353 with six hits in 17 at bats. He also has three home runs and leads the team in runs batted in with 11.