May 9, 2021

For the Twins, a step forward and two steps back

The Twins won Game 1 of their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, only to lose on Saturday.

The Twins lost more than the game as well after the club announced that Byron Buxton has landed on the 10-day injured list. It also sounds as if rookie Alex Kirilloff’s wrist problem might be more serious than first thought, all of which means more bad news for a club that can’t seem to find a way forward.

The Twins certainly banged out enough hits on Saturday — 13 to be exact — but it only translated into three runs because the club was 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 16 men on base.

On the mound, Twins pitching issued nine walks. Starter Jose Berrios went six innings, but he also threw more than 100 pitches and walked five batters. He didn’t figure in the loss, however, because he allowed only two runs.

By the seventh inning, though, the Tigers jumped all over Twins reliever Tyler Duffey. Duffey didn’t last an inning, allowing four runs, all earned, on three hits. He was followed by reliever Derek Law, who walked three more batters and allowed run, to give Motown the 7-3 win.

Kenta Maeda gets the ball on Sunday.

Extra innings…

-The Twins won 7-3 on Friday. However, after Saturday’s loss, they are now 12-20.

-Josh Donaldson, Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco and Jake Cave had nine of the Twins’ 13 hits.

-With Buxton out of the lineup, the Twins have called up Oregon State University product and first-round 2018 draft pick, Trevor Larnach. Larnach, who slashed .348/.463/.652 during his last season for the Beavers, made his debut in Saturday’s loss. He went 0-for-4 at the plate, but he didn’t strike out and appeared to make decent contact with the ball. The Twins could sure use a little spark from Larnach.

-Old friend watch: Robbie Grossman had a 3-for-3 day at the top of the lineup for the Tigers on Saturday, including two extra-base hits. He also earned a free pass to first base. Although he’s hitting .225, his on-base percentage is .383.

-After Detroit, the Twins will make their first stop of the 2021 season on the south side to play the Chicago White Sox. During the offseason, the Twins and White Sox were the favorites to contend for the division title, but for the moment it has been all South Siders. On Saturday, they scored eight runs in the top of the first inning and cruised to a 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, making a winner out of Ex-Twin Lance Lynn. Who says Tony La Russa can’t manage?

-The White Sox lead the AL Central at 18-13.

COMMENTS

Hi, I’m Rolf Boone, Twins fan.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.