The Twins took an early lead, capitalized on several walks and then held on for a rare 10-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
It was only the third time in franchise history that the Twins have beaten the Dodgers on their home ground, radio play-by-play voice Kris Atteberry said during the game. Didn’t the Twins beat the Dodgers on the road in the 1965 World Series? They did not.
The Twins banged out nine hits in the game, including four extra-base hits, but it was their patience at the plate that really paid off as they walked seven times.
Catcher Christian Vazquez drove in three runs and so did infielder Royce Lewis who produced an interesting batting line. He also drove in three runs, despite not having a hit. Two of those RBIs came via a fielder’s choice and a bases-loaded walk.
The Twins will try to win the series on Wednesday. Chris Paddack gets the ball.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 49-52.
–The game was played in three hours and 13 minutes. Using 13 pitchers will slow the game in a hurry.
–The Twins turned three double plays.
-Former Astro and current Twin Carlos Correa has been booed mercilessly by Dodger fans for playing on the Houston team that beat Los Angeles in the World Series in 2017. After all the booing and cries of “cheater,” his night at the plate must have felt pretty good. Carlos had two hits, including a double, scored four runs and walked twice. Take that, Dodger fans.
–Back from the dead: After losing 10 straight, the Cleveland Guardians are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have clawed their way back to a .500 record at 50-50.
–So long, Kyle Gibson: Starting pitcher Gibson, who was drafted by the Twins in 2009 and later spent seven of his 13 seasons with the club, recently announced he is retiring from the game at 37.
Gibson was 112-111 over his career and pitched to a 4.60 ERA. Gibson had his moments with the Twins, but he also could be maddeningly uneven, pitching well in one start and then struggling in the next. Yet he gave the Twins a lot of innings and was rarely hurt.
MLB Trade Rumors had this to say about him:
Aside from this year’s extremely small sample, Gibson was a consistent and remarkably durable starter. While he never reached the 200-inning mark, he thrice got past 190 frames. Gibson topped 150 innings nine times and had a grand total of three injured list stints in his MLB career. A 2016 shoulder strain was the only injury that cost him more than a month after he reached the big leagues.
–Ex-Twin Max Kepler hit his 11th home run on Tuesday in a 4-1 Phillies win over the Red Sox. Although he homered, it has not been a good season. Kepler is hitting .207.