Series Recap: Minnesota takes 2 of 3 in Toronto

(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

The Twins brought a 4-game win streak north of the border to take on the defending American League champions. Minnesota took 2 of 3 from the Blue Jays including 2 consecutive victories. Let’s take a look at what made the Twins tick in Toronto and what could have gone better on Friday.

Game One: Blue Jays Win 10-4

W: Joe Mantiply | L: S. Woods-Richardson 

Game one saw Simeon Woods-Richardson start his 3rd game of the season, this time against 2022 All-Star Joe Mantiply. Minnesota showed up offensively early- with two runners on and two outs, Ryan Jeffers homered opening the scoring for the Twins (3-0). Neither team scored in the following 2 ½ innings. Then, to lead off the 4th inning, Brooks Lee sent the ball down the line to deep left for a solo shot (4-0). This time, Toronto had an immediate response to the Twins scoring. In the bottom of the 4th, the Blue Jays scored on RBI doubles from Jesús Sánchez and Davis Schneider, an RBI single from Andrés Giménez, and a 2-run home run from catcher Brandon Valenzuela (4-5). It was all Toronto from then on. The Blue Jays added 5 more runs in their final 4 offensive innings. The Twins utilized 3 pitchers from the bullpen, each allowing at least one earned run. Minnesota dropped this game for their first loss after 4 wins in a row. 

Game Two: Twins Win 7-4

W: Joe Ryan | L: Eric Lauer

Player of the Game: Trevor Larnach 

Twins ace Joe Ryan made his way to the mound for game 2, facing off with Eric Lauer. The Blue Jays owned the 1st inning on Saturday after Dalton Varsho’s 2-run shot that scored George Springer (0-2). It took until the top of the 3rd for the Twins to get on the board and they did it with a home run of their own, this one coming from Brooks Lee for the 2nd day in a row (1-2). Eric Lauer lost control of the zone after that, loading the bases for the Twins and walking home a run (2-2). Josh Bell then stepped in and popped a ball up to shallow center field that fell in front of Varsho, 2 runs came across and Minnesota had their first lead of the day (4-2). After Victor Caratini struck out, Trevor Larnach made his way to the batters box. With 2 runners on, the Oregon State alum crushed a ball over the wall in right field (7-4). Ryan would go on to pitch an even 7.0 innings before being replaced by Kody Funderburk. Neither team would score again and Minnesota picked up their first victory of the series.

Trevor Larnach is awarded the first player of the game award of the series. His 3-run blast gave Joe Ryan and the Twins the run buffer they needed to play stress-free the rest of the way.

Game Three: Twins Win 8-2

W: Taj Bradley | L: Max Scherzer

Player of the Game: Tristan Gray 

With the series knotted up at one a piece, the Twins rotation turned to one of their most outstanding players of the early season in Taj Bradley against one of the most established pitchers in MLB history, Max Scherzer. Dalton Varsho again recorded the first RBI on the ballgame, this time with a single to right field that scored Ernie Clement (0-1). After Josh Bell and Matt Wallner reached base in the 2nd inning, first-year Twin Tristan Gray stepped up to the dish. Gray, who has knocked in 11 runs in just 22 at-bats, took advantage of Scherzer, homering to right field (3-1). Minnesota scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning, their final 5 of the trip to Canada. It started with Kody Clemens’ 2nd long-ball of the season (4-1) before the final 4 runs came on a Wallner RBI single (5-1), Caratini sacrifice fly (6-1), and Brooks Lee staying hot with a RBI double (8-1). Jesús Sánchez added one Toronto run in the 7th with a sacrifice fly, but the Blue Jays were never able to get a rally going. 

Tristan Gray gets player of the game for this Minnesota win. His home run to open the scoring for the Twins started everything, including shifting the momentum towards the road group. 

Wrapping up the Series

Minnesota gets the series win in the land of maple. Pitching victories go to Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley with the lone loss tagged to Simeon Woods-Richardson. The offense combined for 15 runs between Saturday and Sunday, while the pitching units only allowed 6 to come across. The Twins have won 6 of their last 7 outings and are tied with Cleveland for the best record in the American League. Minnesota will return to action Monday for a 3-game series with Boston. The squad will play 2 sets at home, with the Reds coming to town on Friday.

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