Indians 9, Twins 3 – Game 1 – SP DFA’d again

Cleveland Indians v Minnesota Twins - Game One
Indians 9, Twins 3 - Game 1 - SP DFA'd again
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 17: Adam Wilk #39 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning in game one of a doubleheader on June 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Moment: It’s not a good situation when your team goes down 3-0 in the first inning, and it hurts all more when the guy who does it to you is Bradley Zimmer, who I am not even familiar with. He drove in 2 with a 1st inning single to put the game out of reach way earlier than anybody wanted, especially given that it was the first of 18 innings to be played today.

The Hero: This might be a surprise, but it actually is Bradley Zimmer, who had the two 1st inning RBI, and would add two more later. This is a surprise, because Jose Ramirez also had an amazing game, which we will discuss later.

The Goat: Adam Wilk keeps getting opportunities, but he hasn’t really done anything yet at the MLB level. Yesterday, he worked 3 1/3 and allowed 6 runs, and was immediately designated for assignment as the Twins added Alan Busenitz.

The Soundtrack: Could It Be I’m Falling In Love – The Spinners – Not with Jose Ramirez or Bradley Zimmer, I’ll tell you that much.

The Story: It is mind boggling that the Twins are in first place, or they were at the beginning of the day. Not only was their rotation balky to begin with, but they keep getting injured and needing to patch it up with players that make also-rans look good. Keep in mind that the first two games of this series were started by Nik Turley and Adam Wilk. The season to date might qualify Minnie or Paul for Sainthood, upon reaching the “miracle” criteria.

The Indians took advantage of Minnesota’s pitching shortcomings, and knocked him out early. Bradley Zimmer drove in 4 and Jose Ramirez was just as rough on the Twins, if not more so. He also drove in 4, but did so with a pair of solo homers and a 2 run double. Just to add insult to injury, he was also very good in the field, which kept the Twins from coming back, as if 9 runs wasn’t enough.

The Twins bullpen had to work quite a bit again, but they only allowed 2 earned runs, which is what counts for a turnaround for that outfit. The offensive star for Minnesota was Ehire Adrianza, which definitely qualifies as problematic. He did have a pair of hits and a pair of RBI. With so many big losses lately, it’s hard not to get a bit dispirited, but on the plus side, it seems as though, with the call up of Busenitz, the team is now willing to dig deeper into their prospect pool.

Arrow to top