To start the week, I wrote about how the Twins could easily move up in the standings by sweeping the Las Vegas Athletics (or whatever you want to call them) this week, followed by three more wins versus the Chicago White Sox this weekend.
But so far none of that has gone to plan because the Twins are now trying to avoid being swept by the A’s.
They lost Tuesday, 6-3, and they did it all over again in 10 innings on Wednesday, 4-2. It was a lackluster affair in which the Twins stranded 12 men on base by going 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The clutch hitting has been non-existent.
Not that they didn’t try. The Twins banged out 11 hits, and Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach, Luke Keaschall and James Outman, were responsible for nine of the 11 hits, but not all of them came at the most opportune of times.
The pitching wasn’t too bad either, of course, when you’re only allowing four runs in the game.
Bailey Ober, who did not come away with a decision, served up two runs on three hits, including a home run, across five-plus innings with a walk and seven strikeouts. Although he missed making a quality start, it was still one of his better outings. Reliever Genesis Cabrera took the loss after he served up a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning.
Jose Urena gets the ball Thursday.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are now 10 games under .500 at 58-68. They also are 16.5 games back of first place, nine games out in the wild card race and 3-7 in their last 10 games. It is over, Twins fans.
–Ex-Twin Max Kepler had a good game in the Phillies’ 11-2 win over the M’s on Wednesday. Kepler singled, doubled, homered, scored two runs and drove in a run.
–Every dog has its day, including the 90-loss Colorado Rockies. They knocked off Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-3, at Coors Field on Wednesday. In fact, Ohtani was chased from the game after 66 pitches. He allowed five runs on nine hits across four innings.
–The Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds — two teams that can score a lot of runs (558 runs for the Halos, 581 runs for the Reds) — met on Wednesday and yet a pitchers’ duel broke out at Angel Stadium.
The Reds’ Nick Martinez allowed a run over six innings and the Halos’ Yusei Kikuchi served up just a run across seven innings. It came down to the bullpens and the Angels declared victory, 2-1.