PHILADELPHIA 10, MINNESOTA 4 IN PHILADELPHIA
Date: Friday, April 5.
Batting stars: Jorge Polanco was 5-for-5 with a home run, a triple, and a double. Jonathan Schoop was 2-for-4. Max Kepler was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer.
Pitching stars: Ryne Harper struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit. Trevor Hildenberger struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits. Trevor May pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Rhys Hoskins was 3-for-4 with a walk. Odubel Herrera was 3-for-5. Jean Segura was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.
The game: The Twins got a one-out triple from Polanco in the first but wasted it. The Phillies then took control early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first. Andrew McCutchen walked and scored on Segura's double-plus-error. With one out, Hoskins singled in the second run, J. T. Realmuto walked, and Cesar Hernandez drew a two-out walk to load the bases. That brought a quick end to Jake Odorizzi's night, as Harper came in and gave up a bloop double-plus-error to Maikel Franco that cleared the bases.
The Twins tried to get back into it. In the third Ehire Adrianza had a pinch-hit single and Kepler hit a two-run homer to cut the margin to 5-2. Philadelphia got one of the runs back in the bottom of the third on a walk, an error, a single, and a sacrifice fly. But the Twins kept fighting. Polanco led off the fifth with a home run. Eddie Rosario singled. Martin Perez bunted into a force out, but an error put Perez on second base. A ground out and Jake Cave's infield single cut the margin to 6-4.
That was as good as it would get. The Phillies scored once in the bottom of the fifth, as Hernandez and Franco drew two-out walks and Aaron Altherr followed with a double. They put it out of reach in the seventh with another two-out rally. McCutchen walked, Segura singled, and Harper walked, loading the bases. Hoskins then hit a three-run single, with Harper scoring all the way from first when Rosario took his time getting the ball back into the infield. The score went to 10-4, and that was how it ended.
WP: Nick Pivetta (0-1). LP: Jake Odorizzi (0-1). S: None.
Notes: Byron Buxton was again out of the lineup. He said he could have played; perhaps Baldelli was just being cautious, especially on a wet field. We hope he'll be back today.
Cory Provus mentioned that Odorizzi was upset when he was taken out. I don't know if he was upset with the manager or with himself. I hope it was the latter. Yes, he had given up just two runs, and you could argue that it was somewhat of a quick hook. But he wasn't getting much accomplished out there. I'm not holding it against him--it's one game, and most pitchers will have a stink bomb or two over the course of a season. It's only when it becomes a trend that it's worrisome.
The Twins just had an overall sloppy game. I wonder if they expected the game to get rained out and just weren't mentally ready to play. That's pure speculation, but they issued nine walks, made three errors, and had other mistakes as well. Again, it happens to everybody once in a while. It just better not happen very often.
The Twins had brought Harper in to pitch in the first and pulled him for a pinch-hitter in the top of the third, meaning he pitched just 1.1 innings. I said at the time that I would not have done it that way, and the fact that pinch-hitter Adrianza got a hit and Kepler followed with a two-run homer doesn't change my mind. I understand why you do it. He was leading off the inning, and you're trying to score some runs and get back into the game. The downside of it, though, is what ultimately happened--the Twins went through five relief pitchers in a game they wouldn't win anyway. Baldelli didn't know that they wouldn't win it, of course, and you don't want to give up on a game in the third inning. But when you're down 5-0 you know the odds are against you, and I'd argue that letting Harper bat would not have been giving up on the game. It would just have been giving up one out in the third inning. Don't get me wrong--I'm not arguing that pinch-hitting was a blatantly stupid move. I just wouldn't have done it that way.
As it happens, the Twins don't have a long reliever to use today if Michael Pineda falters early. It's true that, other than Perez, nobody pitched more than 1.1 innings, and so (again other than Perez) they could probably all pitch again today. But you're not going to use any of them for three or four innings, so if you do get a short start you're going to have to run through them all again. That would really put the pressure on Jose Berrios to go seven or so on Sunday. Not that he can't do it, but it's still not an ideal situation.
Record: The Twins are 4-2, in first place in the American League Central, leading Detroit by percentage points.
Projected record: We'll just have to settle for 160-2!