Twins offense explodes in win over Diamondbacks
· Yahoo Sports
Twins 16, Diamondbacks 8
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Starting pitcher performancePHOENIX — Taj Bradley spent much of his day watching his teammates tee off on opposing pitchers from the bench. When he finally got on the mound, the Twins starter built upon his previous start, throwing a strong five innings.
Bradley allowed just three hits in his outing, two of which came in the bottom of the fifth after he had sat and waited through a top half of the inning that lasted about a half an hour. The two runs he gave up came on Jorge Barrosa’s second home run of the season.
He also flashed some of his best velocity of the season, hitting 100.5 miles per hour on a pitch to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the first inning.
Player of the GameIn a game with an offensive explosion like Saturday’s, it’s tough to pick just one.
The bottom of the lineup was particularly good for the Twins in the blowout, with the final four hitters in the lineup — Brooks Lee, Victor Caratini, Luke Keaschall and Ryan Kreidler — finishing a combined 13 for 21 with nine RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Lee had a team-leading four hits in the win. He had a pair of singles as well as a triple and double, both of which came as part of the Twins’ 10-run fifth inning. He finished a home run shy of the cycle, popping up in his ninth-inning opportunity against position player Ildemaro Vargas.
Byron Buxton had just one hit in the game before he was removed early, but it was a big one: his opposite-field grand slam gave the Twins a 12-0 lead at the time.
Key momentThe 10-run fifth inning sticks out, though it was really the fourth inning when the Twins broke the game open against Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks.
The Twins had six hits in that inning and all six were singles. Five of them came consecutively.
The extra-base hits came later, with the fifth inning featuring two triples, two doubles and Buxton’s grand slam, to go along with five singles (and a walk).
All told, they ended up batting around in consecutive innings and finishing the day with 20 hits, including at least one from every hitter in the starting lineup.
Up nextThe Twins have not yet announced a starter for Sunday’s finale after Mick Abel, who was expected to return from the injured list, suffered a setback. The game will begin at 2:15 p.m. CT.
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