Twins 6, Rangers 2
Twins 6, Rangers 2
- A bit of loss of offensive momentum, there.
- It was a frustrating game, one that you feel like the Rangers had a better chance of winning than the 6-2 final score would indicate.
- Jack Leiter wasn’t at his sharpest, as he struggled with his command, ultimately walking four batters, and needing 87 pitches to go four-plus innings. He surrendered a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, when a double and a walk to start the inning were followed by one of the longest home runs you’ll ever see hit, off the bat of Byron Buxton.
- Buxton had ended the top of the third with a diving catch on what looked like a sure hit by Marcus Semien, which would have given the Rangers a 3-0 lead. So with a couple of plays, Buxton stole at least one run from the Rangers and then drove in three more.
- When Buxton doubled to start the fifth, Leiter’s night was over, and Jacob Latz was asked to keep the game close. A pair of outs — including a fielder’s choice at home to get Buxton, on a play that was challenged on replay but stood — left a runner on first with Latz needing to retire just one more batter to get out of the inning with the game still 3-2.
- That didn’t happen, of course. Ty France hit a weak roller — how weak? Statcast gave it an .050 xBA — that made it past Josh Smith, who was holding Matt Wallner at first base.
- Would Jake Burger have made that play? I don’t know. Smith, who has very little experience at first base, has had some defensive adventures over there, but I’m not sure whether that was a play he should have been able to make or not.
- Willi Castro followed with a shot to center field that Evan Carter leapt for but missed, resulting in a triple that made it 5-2, and that was church even before a ground rule double brought Castro home.
- Snagging the line drive by Castro would have been a difficult catch — the catch probability was 25% — so I’m not knocking Carter for not making the play. But there were a couple of balls that were close, that could have ended the inning, where plays ended up not being made, which made a one run game a big lead for Minnesota.
- Combine that with the diving grab by Buxton, which erased at least one run from the board for Texas, as well as a one out pickoff of Evan Carter in the top of the fourth that was pretty clearly a balk (Mike Bascik was very agitated in the booth over the balk not being called, and Bruce Bochy was yelling from the dugout), and, well, its a 6-2 loss that you’d think maybe could have been something more positive.
- Speaking of positive, Carter was 2 for 3 with a walk and a double, and on the broadcast they said he looked more comfortable out there than he has in some time. Marcus Semien homered, continuing his recent stretch of potency at the plate. Those are positive signs.
- Its a frustrating loss, made all the more frustrating by the fact that the team has played poorly enough for much of the early going that they can’t afford to let too many of these get away going forward.
- Jack Leiter hit 99.2 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.9 mph. Jacob Latz topped out at 94.9 mph with his fastball. Luke Jackson’s fastball maxed out at 95.4 mph. Jacob Webb touched 94.1 mph with his fastball. Caleb Boushley’s sinker reached 93.5 mph.
- Evan Carter had a 106.6 mph single. Marcus Semien had a 104.5 mph home run. Wyatt Langford had a 104.4 mph ground out. Jake Burger had a 103.6 mph ground out. Adolis Garcia had a 100.5 mph line out.
- Matinee rubber game on Thursday. Let’s finish the road trip on a high note.