The Minnesota Twins lost the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 in 10 innings. On the season, the Twins fell to 71-82. With the loss, the Twins clinched a record below .500 for the third straight season.
For Minnesota, this was a crushing loss with good signs for the future. Taj Bradley had one of his better outings of the season after a rough first inning; Walker Jenkins recorded three hits, including a homer in the ninth, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Taj Bradley. Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Taj Bradley had a rough first inning. He got a quick out of Zach Neto and, ahead of Mike Trout , was 0-2. Trout went on to walk, which opened up the floodgates for three straight hits, and a fourth later on in the inning to give the Angels a 3-0 advantage.
The good news for the Twins, given their bullpen status, was that Bradley went deep into the game. Bradley pitched seven innings, giving up just three runs, five hits, and one walk, and he struck out nine. His season ERA sits at 3.81.
Bradley has been solid for the Twins this season, providing length when the bullpen needs it and being effective. Because the offense was able to rally in the ninth inning, Bradley did not factor into the decision.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Walker Jenkins. Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Walker Jenkins has been on the struggle bus since coming up from AAA. Tonight, he recorded his first multi-hit game, including having the clutch hit for the Twins with a, game-tying two-run home run off Angels closer Ben Joyce with two outs in the ninth inning.
The Twins, too, had a chance to jump out to an early lead with back-to-back singles with two outs in the first inning against Urea, but they could not capitalize. That allowed Urea to settle in much like Bradley did on the other side.
The next time the Twins had a chance was against the Angels' bullpen, against which they scored their lone run in the eighth inning with second and third and no outs. Their lone run came on a Brooks Lee sacrifice fly. It would be cool to see the Twins capitalize in spots like that, but with the big hit from Jenkins, it ultimately did not matter.
Brooks Lee gave the Twins the lead in the top of the 10th inning, one they could not hold. The Twins had chances with runners in scoring position to score more than just the one run, but a poor at-bat by Josh Bell doomed them.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Yoendrys Gomez. Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yoendrys Gmez is an issue. This is the third of his last four outings that he's melted down and blown saves on back-to-back nights. We saw the Twins in the series against the Guardians use AJ Minter in a save situation, and that might need to become a common occurrence with a week left in the season.
For the second day in a row, Gmez struggled to put hitters away and gave up solid, loud contact, prompting the Twins to make a pitching change in the 10th inning with the game tied.
Another issue for the Twins with their bullpen is its usage lately. Back-to-back days of extra innings are taxing on a bullpen that was overused without an off-day coming into the series. It will be fascinating to see what the Twins do with the bullpen on Friday, with the core members having pitched on back-to-back days, and some in three of the last four.
The Twins will play the second game of the four-game set. For the Twins, it will be LHP Connor Prielipp. This season, Prielipp is 5-7, with a 5.24 ERA. For the Angels, it will be RHP Grason Rodriguez. On the season, Rodriguez is 4-7 with a 6.10 ERA. First pitch Friday will be at 8:38 P.M. CT on TwinsTV.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/twins/onsi as Twins Takeaways: Top Prospect Has Breakout Night in Crushing Loss to Angels .
