Matt Wallner recorded his fourth outfield assist of the season in the seventh inning of Friday’s 2-0 victory over Toronto at Target Field, taking away a potential one-out double from Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
Matt Wallner’s laser throw from right field keeps Twins out of trouble
Matt Wallner’s fourth outfield assist of the season nabbed Toronto’s Spencer Horwitz as he attempted to stretch a single to a double Friday.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 1, 2024 at 1:54AM
“I was just hoping for a good bounce off the wall,” Wallner said. “It was in between, but I knew I had a chance if I could get the ball — barehand it — and get it in as fast as possible.”
The throw was special, a laser from right field, but Wallner’s teammates were just as impressed with how quickly he sent the ball back to the infield. Horwitz hit the ball in the right field corner, which two-hopped to the wall. Starting pitcher Pablo López admitted he was surprised to see a tag at second base after he went to back up third.
“I was kind of shocked to see there even be a play on it,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Watching it from our vantage point, I didn’t even know there’d be a play of any kind. I looked away for a second, looked up, and all of a sudden he’s out. Wally can do stuff like that. He’s got a great arm, and the way he played it was great.”
Wallner’s strongest throw this season was clocked at 100.5 mph, according to Statcast. Averaging 97 mph on what Statcast defines as competitive plays, there are only two players who have more velocity on their average throws: Colorado outfielders Nolan Jones (98.5 mph) and Brenton Doyle (97.7 mph).
“I love it,” Wallner said. “I always want to throw guys out. I always invite guys to go.”
The throw withstood a video review for the inning’s second out.
It also protected a 2-0 lead since the fifth inning. Baldelli used both relievers, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Jax came on for López with two outs and got the eighth inning’s third out, and Duran worked around a leadoff single in the ninth inning for his 19th save.
Wallner’s throw was game-changing. “It would have been a different ball game, one way or the other,” Baldelli said. “It would have made a lot of problems for us if he wasn’t able to put that off. Great play from a corner outfielder. He has a good arm. He can make some plays with his arm and make some things happen.”
Quick work
Jax entered with two runners on base and two outs in the eighth inning Friday, the first time he didn’t start with a clean inning since May 22.
Jax struck out Dalton Varsho, the lone batter he faced, on three pitches.
“I don’t know if it changes anything,” Jax said of entering in the middle of an inning. “I probably have to put a little bit more focus on each pitch. Not to say that I’m not focused with a clean inning, but you have to be a little bit more fine with it because the implications are much greater. To come in during probably the most important spot of the game and help your starter out who shoved the whole game, it means a lot.”
Kepler returns
Right fielder Max Kepler was back in the lineup Saturday after he had been out because of left knee soreness four of the previous five games. He did enter in the ninth inning Friday as a defensive replacement.
“He probably expected to be playing yesterday,” Baldelii said. “But I wasn’t putting him in the lineup until I knew he was good, until he said, `I’m good and I’m ready to play.’… He wasn’t good two days before, so I wanted to make sure. And he’s good.”
Searching for his swing
Third baseman Royce Lewis was 1-for-4 Saturday and is hitting .229 since he was activated from the 10-day injured list on July 26 because of a right adductor strain that sidelined him for 16 games. He has not homered in 16 games.
“He’s battling to re-find everything that he’s looking for,” Baldelli said. “Sometimes it only takes a swing or two to feel it again and remember everything that you are. That happens all the time in our game. We’re going to keep playing him. We’re going to let him go out there and find it on the field. He hasn’t played this late in a season, maybe this long at one time, at the major-league level ever. We’re going to need him. We’re going to need a productive Royce.”
Etc.
• The arrival of September means teams can add two players to their active roster, making for a roster of 28. The Twins are expected to activate injured rookie infielder Brooks Lee and add someone else before Sunday’s game.
• No. 9 hitter Cam Devanney went 4-for-4 with three doubles and six RBI as host Omaha routed the Saints 9-1.
The veteran shortstop has been out since the All-Star break because of plantar fasciitis.
