Twins Video
Box Score
Maeda: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Home Runs: Garver (12), Polanco (17)
Top 3 WPA: Polanco .503, Garver .372, Gordon .119
Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs)
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For the fourth straight night, Josh Donaldson was not in the starting lineup, continuing to struggle with hamstring tightness. Here is how the Twins lined up for the opener of their two-game set in Cincinnati.
The Twins took the lead in the third inning. Back-to-back doubles from Max Kepler and Brent Rooker gave them a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Kenta Maeda continued a strong second half of the season with two scoreless frames, before running into trouble in the third. Maeda gave up back-to-back home runs to Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart, immediately erasing the Twins slender lead. Back to back Jonathan India and Jesse Winker doubles extended the Reds lead to 3-1 before Maeda recovered to end the inning.
After a scoreless fourth, the Twins fought back in the fifth inning. A Kenta Maeda single and Brent Rooker walk put men on first and second before Mitch Garver took Tyler Mahle deep for a three-run home run to give the Twins back the lead at 4-3.
The Twins lead didn’t last long, as rookie of the year candidate Jonathan India hit a two-run home run. Despite giving up some hard contact and three home runs, Maeda walked only one and struck out nine hitters in an up and down display. His performance will be one of many Twins to monitor in the coming weeks ahead of 2022. A competing Twins team will rely on Maeda heavily for consistency as a top-three starter. He will need to look like the second half iteration for the Twins rotation to even tread water next season. In spite of mixed results tonight, Maeda has back-to-back starts with 13 swings and misses in less than six innings.
Innings six through eight became a battle of the bullpens. Newly-acquired John Gant, pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, surrendering a hit, a walk, and striking out two. Danny Coulombe added 1 1/3 scoreless innings of his own. The Reds pen matched the Twins, whose offense sputtered in the late innings before things became interesting in the ninth.
Heath Hembree entered to close the game for the Reds in the ninth inning. Hembree immediately walked Jake Cave and Brent Rooker to put runners at first and second with no outs. Brent Rooker struck out swinging before Jorge had one of the at-bats of the year for the Twins. Polanco fouled off five pitches from Hembree before launching a three-run go-ahead home run to right field put the Twins up 7-5.
Alexander Colomé entered in the ninth to try and close the game for the Twins. A Naquin single and a Suarez walk gave the Reds a threat before Colomé recovered to record three straight outs to complete the comeback win for the Twins.
Bullpen Usage Chart
| THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | MON | TOT | |
| Coulombe | 0 | 23 | 0 | 21 | 13 | 57 |
| Burrows | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 |
| Gant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 22 | 38 |
| Colomé | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 36 |
| Duffey | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Alcala | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Minaya | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Thielbar | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Postgame Interviews
What’s Next?
On Wednesday, the Twins will finish their two-game series against the Reds. First pitch is at 11:35 CST.
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