The Moment: The Twins decided to put a pin in this one fairly quickly. The Angels aren’t very good this year, so they figured they should just jump out to a quick lead and then take it easy. Joe Mauer hit a two run homer in the first inning, one of his 4 hits, which gave the Twins a 2-0 lead before Kyle Gibson even had to pitch. The Twins would never trail.
The Hero: While Mauer would have 4 hits and 3 RBI, Robbie Grossman had 2 hits, a walk, 2 RBI and 3 runs. He would double the lead on the 3rd inning with his own 2 run homer and scored on Mauer’s. Nose to tail, it was a great game for Robbie F’in Grossman.
The Goat: JC Ramirez has been a spot starter all season, and last night’s game was not a good spot. He allowed 3 home runs and 7 of the Twins’ runs. Frankly the pitching matchup didn’t seem like it was slated in the Twins’ favor, but perhaps the issue is that the Angels aren’t fielding a Major League offense.
The Soundtrack: You’re the Inspiration – Chicago. I just feel like Peter Cetera is baseball music.
The Story: This was a good old fashionedbeat down. The Twins hit three home runs, including two in the 3rd inning from Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler to salt the game away early, and Kyle Gibson was, well, decent. He worked through 5 innings, getting pulled in the 6th after allowing his first two runs of the game. The Twins are best on the road, and it seems that Kyle Gibson is as well.
Old Friend Deolis Guerra came on in relief in the 7th and 8th inning, and in the 8th, he saw the game get away from him a bit. The Twins scored 4 more times in the 8th inning to make the game a real laugher. Byron Buxton had the big hit in the 8th, with a 2 run double.Ultimately, every starter would have a hit by the end of the game. Mauer had 4, while Grossman, Kepler and Miguel Sano had 2.
The bullpen usage was fun, and I actually mean that in a good way. Molitor used both of the guys that were most recently called up. Alex Wimmers got another chance and did very well for an inning and a third. Randy Rosario made his Major League debut, working 2 innings after working in AA ost recently. He did give up a few runs, all in the 9th, but before that point, he did quite well for a debutante. It’s not a stretch to say that Rosario is probably the top prospect that has debuted this season. Let’s see Palka!
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