A chance at a seventh straight series win is still intact after the Twins held on for a 4-2 win Saturday after losing to the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
What a difference a little more clutch hitting will do for a team.
In Saturday’s win, the Twins banged out 10 hits and edged the Giants by two runs. They also had 10 hits on Friday, but were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base, which means the Twins lost 7-1.
Not only did they win on Saturday, they also won in shorthanded fashion as Byron Buxton, Jose Miranda and Carlos Correa, three of the team’s hottest hitters, were not in the lineup. It appears Buck got the day off, but Miranda, according to MLB.com, is headed to the injured list and Correa is also day-to-day with an injury.
The result is that catcher Christian Vazquez played third base, Willi Castro filled in at shortstop and rookie sensation Brooks Lee anchored second base by making a nice diving play and throw to first base.
On the mound, Simeon Woods Richardson did just enough for the Twins but nothing for himself as he again missed out on a decision. SWR gave the team four-plus innings with two runs allowed with a walk and seven strikeouts. Despite the lack of decisions, he still has a very respectable 3.51 ERA.
The win went to reliever Cole Sands and the save to Jhoan Duran, his 15th.
Extra innings…
-The Twins are now 54-41. They are 4.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians and 2.5 games up on the Kansas City Royals.
-The Twins’ 28-game home run streak came to end Friday after the team failed to homer in their 7-1 loss to the Giants.
-Saturday’s win made a loser out of Giants reliever and old friend Taylor Rogers who spent six seasons with the Twins before he was traded by the team in 2022.
-Twins starter Joe Ryan got the nod on Friday in his hometown. He struggled — listening to the game, I don’t think he agreed with the umpire’s strike zone — allowing rive runs across five-plus innings with three walks and six strikeouts on 98 pitches.
-I’ve enjoyed listening to play-by-play man Sean Aronson this week, who is filling in for the vacationing Kris Atteberry. Aronson is the longtime voice of the St. Paul Saints — 18 seasons to be exact — and is finally getting a shot to call major league games alongside ex-Twin Dan Gladden. Congrats to him.