One would think that after Jose Miranda’s dramatic walk-off home run on Wednesday it might create some good mojo, or juju or vibrations that would be felt throughout the team in time for their series against the Chicago White Sox.
But apparently that did not happen because the Twins were blown out on Thursday 12-2 and lost again Friday 6-2, so the best they can do now is earn a split of the four-game series. If anything, the Twins appear to need a serious break because they’re not getting a lot from their starting rotation, the bullpen or their offense, which is struggling to score runs when it matters most, or when runners are in scoring position.
Over the two losses, the Twins were 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 17 men on base.
Struggling reliever Emilio Pagan allowed the go-ahead home run on Friday and took the loss, falling to 3-4 with a 5.12 ERA. I would be shocked if he finishes the season with the Twins.
Dylan Bundy gets the ball on Saturday.
Extra innings…
-The Twins are now only six games above .500 at 49-43. They lead the Cleveland Guardians by 2.5 games and the White Sox by three games.
-After striking out four times on Wednesday, Byron Buxton had two hits on Thursday and two more on Friday.
-On July 15, 1982, the Twins were absolutely shellacked by the Detroit Tigers, losing 18-2. And the game was over in a flash because they allowed 11 runs in the first inning, according to the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
“I’ve lost by two or three touchdowns; those things happen,” said Twins manager Billy Gardner, still able to smile over a beer in the clubhouse, the newspaper reported. “That doesn’t mean it will happen the next game.”
Three touchdowns? Was Gardner drunk?
Twins starter Jack O’Connor faced all of six hitters before his day was done. He allowed single, double, single, single, fly ball and a double and was removed from the game.
Sources: MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com. Newspapers.com