It’s pretty simple, really: The Twins have a winning record with Byron Buxton in the lineup and a losing one without him, which explains why the club dropped its third straight series on Sunday, losing 4-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers and flame-throwing righty Jake Misiorowski, a pitcher who regularly throws at 100 miles per hour or better.
But the Miz wasn’t the pitcher of record on Sunday because the Twins battled back against him, getting a solo shot from Brooks Lee, his 17th, and a two-run dinger from Kody Clemens, his 20th, to tie the game at 3-3.
That ultimately forced extra innings, but in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Brewers’ Jake Bauers singled to left field and the throw home missed the runner by mere inches for the 4-3 Brew Crew walk-off win.
Now, the Twins head home where they really need to make hay against the Baltimore Orioles because following the O’s, the Twins get the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.
Dean Kremer, the former Oriole, gets the ball Monday.
Extra innings…
–The loss puts the Twins at 58-61, four games back in the division and 1.5 games out of the wild card race.
–Buxton landed on the injured list July 29 with a right hip strain, but there is still no timetable for his return. Hip problems, in any sport, are not good.
–Clemens’ 20th home run marked a new career high for the second baseman.
–As good as the Miz was, the Twins’ Connor Prielipp wasn’t too shabby either, just missing a quality start. Connor allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts across five innings. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: he throws hard and has a nice bite on his breaking pitches.
–Although the Twins managed to tie the game, they also struck out 15 times as a team and were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They stranded nine base runners.
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