Bailey Ober impresses, but Twins lose to Rockies in 11 innings to end regular season

DENVER – By having him start the final game of the regular season Sunday, the Twins signaled Bailey Ober won't be on their postseason roster for the wild-card round because he will need several days of rest between outings.

If the Twins advance to the American League Division Series, Ober will be in a good place to step into the rotation.

Ober delivered a 6⅔-inning gem in his 26th start of the season. The Twins eventually ran out of pitching, preparing for Tuesday's playoff opener against Toronto, and used outfielder Jordan Luplow to pitch in the 11th inning. Rockies rookie Brenton Doyle scored from second base on a wild pitch to give the Twins a 3-2 loss at Coors Field.

"You could make a pretty decent argument this might be the best game he's pitched all year," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Ober permitted only two baserunners in Coors Field's hitter-friendly haven, a solo homer in the fourth inning and an infield single in the sixth. He struck out nine without issuing a walk in his longest start since pitching seven innings July 1.

Rockies hitters offered 28 swings at Ober's fastball. They whiffed on half of them.

"They were trying to sit off-speed, and I'd sneak the heater by them," Ober said. "That's probably why they were a little behind on it."

Ober, who started the season at Class AAA and had a brief demotion to the minor leagues in August to manage his innings, completed his regular season with a 3.43 ERA.

"Just trying to let everything take care of itself," Ober said. "Just worry about going out and doing a good job when I'm out there, and everything will fall into place."

The Twins, who finished the regular season with an 87-75 record, scored both of their runs in the second inning with RBI singles from Edouard Julien and Alex Kirilloff. They left 14 runners on base and hit 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Dallas Keuchel was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of a right calf strain, which effectively ends his season.

Keuchel appeared unlikely to make the postseason roster, and he's scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday. His calf injury stemmed from pain he felt in his Achilles over the past week. His calf tightened up four batters into his 2⅔-inning outing Saturday, in which he allowed six hits and four runs.

"I just knew they wanted me to finish the game, get some guys in, do our work," said Keuchel, who won't be eligible to rejoin the Twins until Oct. 16. "If it did hurt throwing, I would've said something a little bit more. I just wasn't able to really run."

Keuchel, 35, joined the Twins midseason as a minor league signing. He yielded a 5.97 ERA in 37⅔ innings, making six starts and four relief appearances. The veteran pitcher, who recently reached 10 years of service time, hopes to continue pitching in 2024. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.

"There were probably a couple [of outings] that really inflated what I was doing, but I think for the most part, I was just wanting to win and have fun again," Keuchel said. "I think we accomplished that. I'd like to definitely pitch."

The Twins announced that Class AAA shortstop Brooks Lee was picked as the organization's minor league player of the year Sunday and Class High-A righthander Cory Lewis was chosen as the minor league pitcher of the year.

Lee, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 major league draft, played 87 games at Class AA Wichita before he was promoted to St. Paul in August. In 125 total games, the 22-year-old switch hitter produced a .275 batting average and .347 on-base percentage with 16 homers, 39 doubles and 84 RBI.

Lewis was a ninth-round pick in 2022. He made nine starts at Class A Fort Myers and 13 at Cedar Rapids. He posted a 9-4 record and a 2.49 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 33 walks across 101⅓ innings, finishing the season with a 10-inning scoreless streak.

• The Twins activated Jorge Alcala from the 60-day injured list. He pitched two innings in Sunday's loss. Gilberto Celestino was designated for release or assignment to make room for Alcala on the 40-man roster.

• Atlanta finished the season with 307 home runs, hitting two Sunday, including one in the ninth inning, to match the 2019 Twins for the most in a season in MLB history.