The Twins bounced back in a big way on Tuesday after one of the worst Twins losses I can remember, a loss that featured one run on three hits with two more pitcher throwing errors. There also was the throw to no one in particular that hit a Mets player in the back.
Instead, they came into Tuesday’s game and scored six runs on 13 hits, getting contributions from throughout the lineup. Byron Buxton had two hits, Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader had three hits apiece, and when the Mets closed the score to 5-3, Brooks Lee hit a solo shot that ultimately resulted in a 6-3 Twins win.
Starter Bailey Ober picked up the win by doing just enough. He served up two home runs to the power bats in the Mets lineup — Pete Alonzo and Juan Soto — but he clamped down on everyone else allowing just three runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
David Festa gets the ball Wednesday.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 6-12. The Tigers top the table at 10-7, followed by the Guardians, Royals, Twins and White Sox.
–Despite the win, there was bad news: both Matt Wallner and Carlos Correa exited the game with apparent injuries.
–If Ty France wants to be the comeback player of the year, he’s on the right track after he was named AL Player of the Week.
–Any win is bound to help manager Rocco Baldelli’s situation, especially after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic took note of managers on the hot seat in a column titled, “9 MLB managers whose job status could be in question by the end of the season.”
First on his list? Baldelli. However, pay close attention to the headline: Rosenthal writes from the perspective of wondering who might not be around at the end of the season. I’d be curious to know if he thinks Rocco will SURVIVE the season.
–Although the Twins looked terrible in Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Amazins, starter Joe Ryan was the exception as he struck out eight batters over five innings. The problem is that he had to come out of the game by then because he had thrown 101 pitches.
–Up next: The Twins have one more game against the Mets, then they hit the road to play, like the Twins, a struggling Braves team. They then come home to play the White Sox and what appears to be an improved Angels team — Mike Trout is back, after all. They end the month in Cleveland.
Can they right the ship by the end of the month?