The Twins never trailed during their 10-7 victory over the host Athletics on Saturday, their highest run total in a game since mid-May, but that didn't make their roller coaster of a game any less exhausting.
Twins put up 10 runs but sweat out victory over Oakland
An early six-run lead with All-Star pitcher Pablo López on the mound wasn't enough even with the Twins playing the team with the worst record in the majors.
July 16, 2023 at 4:40AM
An early six-run lead with an All-Star pitcher on the mound wasn't enough to relax. Not even when they were playing the team with the worst record in the majors. Kyle Farmer broke a tie with a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning, but that was one of the few half-innings that didn't feature a zany play.
Reliever Oliver Ortega survived his first high-leverage appearance of the season in the eighth inning, stranding two runners. Willi Castro successfully stole home in the sixth inning on a flawed double steal. Michael A. Taylor robbed a potential homer with a leaping grab in front of the center field wall.
There were a lot of wild and wacky moments, but Farmer put the Twins ahead when he drilled a full-count slider, one that hung at the top of the strike zone, over the left field fence for his fifth home run of the season. It was Farmer's second go-ahead hit of the afternoon, which included his two-run double in the first inning.
"I was frustrated with myself," Farmer said of the at-bat he homered in a Bally Sports North postgame interview. "I swung at 3-1 and it was a ball, for sure."
The Twins have been the worst-hitting team in MLB against lefthanded pitching this year, but they had no issues with A's lefty Hogan Harris, who entered in the second inning. They loaded the bases with no outs against him through two walks and a bunt single from Taylor. Carlos Correa, who has reached base in all 11 games since he was moved to the leadoff spot, followed with a two-run single through the left side of the infield.
One inning after Taylor chose to bunt to reach base, he crushed a first-pitch curveball from Harris for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead.
"I was really pleased with the at-bats one through nine, and all nine innings," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters.
The Twins entered Saturday with a 36-11 record when they score four or more runs. Pablo López, who pitched an inning in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, surrendered a season-high seven runs and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings. He received a longer leash after the bullpen covered six innings Friday — he threw a season-high 106 pitches — but he watched the A's erase a six-run deficit.
López, making his first start since pitching his first career complete game, didn't give up a hit until the third inning when Zack Gelof hit a blooper to right field and it turned into a triple when Max Kepler came up short on a diving attempt. Gelof scored a groundout, a 20-foot dribbler in front of the plate.
After López's first time through the lineup, nothing came easy. Ryan Noda lifted a slider to center field for a solo homer to begin the fourth inning, and Seth Brown followed two batters later with a two-run homer on a curveball.
Two more runs scored in the fifth inning through three singles and a wild pitch. The tying run scored in the sixth inning after a key double steal put two runners in scoring position with one out. Four pitches after the double steal, Nick Allen tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
"It wasn't an easy game for us to get through for a lot of reasons," Baldelli said, "but we stayed in it."
The Twins manufactured runs without hits, too. With two outs in the fifth inning and a 1-2 count to Taylor, Ryan Jeffers took off for second base on a delayed steal, then purposefully remained in a rundown with Castro on third base. Castro was supposed to run to the plate when A's rookie catcher Tyler Soderstrom threw to second base.
Jeffers forced another throw during the rundown, which gave Castro enough time to steal home.
"Not exactly the way we draw it up," Baldelli said. "Ryan stayed in the play and showed some grit, some athleticism, to make them make a throw or two."
Byron Buxton drew a 10-pitch bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning, letting out a yell after he fouled six pitches in a plate appearance where he saw five fastballs and five sliders. In the ninth inning, Jeffers dropped a squeeze bunt to score Castro.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
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