Twins outfielder Alan Roden came into Wednesday’s rubber match with the Baltimore Orioles hitting .192, and I was about to start calling for his head if he had another poor showing at the plate.
But those calls have been put on hold after Roden went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored, an RBI and a walk in the Twins’ 7-5 win over Birdland.
The win snapped the Twins’ series losing streak at three and now puts them in slightly better shape to face the Phillies in a cornfield on Thursday, followed by the continuation of that series at Target Field over the weekend. It doesn’t stop there: The Braves are next and then the Padres.
Want to show you belong, Minnesota? The time to win is now.
The Twins fell behind early on Wednesday, but then rallied for four runs in the third inning, added two more in the fifth, and then held on for the two-run victory.
Minnesota banged out 14 hits, getting three from Roden and three more from Josh Bell, Mr. 3-iron. The Twins have recently struggled with runners in scoring position, but not on Wednesday as they went 7-for-15, a .467 batting average.
Taj Bradley gets the ball Thursday at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 60-62, now 3.5 games back in the division and a half-game out of the wild card race. This thing isn’t over yet.
–Zebby Matthews picked up the win to improve to 6-8 with an ERA that is still sky high at 5.34. However, Zebby found a way to keep the Twins in the game. His line: Four runs allowed on six hits with two walks and four whiffs across five innings.
–Three relievers followed Zebby and held the Birds scoreless through eight innings. Closer Yoendrys Gomez got the ball in the ninth and earned his 17th save, despite allowing a solo home run.
–What will a good day at the plate do for your batting average? Roden is now hitting .236, up from .192.
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