MIN 10, CHW 5: Kepler Blasts 2 Bombas, Twins Outlast White Sox

Box Score

Berríos: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Home Runs: Kepler 2

Top 3 WPA: Polanco .222, Cave .127, Kepler .089

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

There was some worry that it would take a while for hitters to gain their timing and catch up to pitchers this season after an abbreviated Summer Camp. The Minnesota Twins proved that wasn’t the case as the bats picked up right where they left off in 2019, to the tune of 10 runs on 11 hits under the lights of Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Getting the hit parade going was Max Kepler, who took Lucas Giolito deep in each of the first two innings. Kepler became the first player in Minnesota Twins history to hit a home run in each of his first two at-bats of the season (Stat courtesy of @morsecode).

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1286827782111211520?s=20

In addition to Max’s home runs, the Twins got RBIs courtesy of a Mitch Garver sacrifice fly and Jake Cave single to get out to an early 5-1 lead after 2 innings.

Minnesota’s lead didn’t last long, though, as Jose Berrios quickly found himself in trouble and allowed the White Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the second on a passed ball and a three-run home run by Yoan Moncada that made it 5-5.

After forcing his pitch count high early, the Twins knocked Lucas Giolito out of the game after just 3.2 innings. The Twins were then able to take advantage of the White Sox bullpen, pushing across 2 runs in the 4th inning and 3 runs in the 7th, to get the Twins to double digit runs, a feat they accomplished 22 times in 2019.

Aside from the two home runs from Kepler, the story for the Minnesota Twins bats in tonight’s opener was their timely hitting. On three separate occasions, the Twins produced a 2-out, 2-run hit. Jake Cave in the 1st, Jorge Polanco in the 4th and Luis Arraez in the 7th each came through in the clutch.

https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1286840876665311233?s=20

Some additional notes:

Jose Berrios Struggles

Hopes were extremely high for Jose Berrios heading into the 2020 season, entering the prime of his career. While he still has time to become the ace that Twins fans have been hoping for, his first impression in the new decade wasn’t the best one.

Berrios pitched just 4 innings, allowed five runs, and only struck out one batter. Berrios had his fastball velocity up early, hitting 96 and 97 MPH in the first two innings, but was unable to have much success with the pitch all night, allowing an average exit velocity of 92.8 MPH off of his curveball from Chicago’s hitters.

Berrios was able to get through clean innings in the 3rd and 4th before turning the game over to the bullpen, but was repeatedly unable to put away hitters, generating just one strikeout all night. In 2019, Berrios never had an appearance where he recorded less than two strikeouts.

Bullpen Looks Dominant

Fortunately for Berrios, the Minnesota Twins bullpen was exceptional on Friday night. After receiving the ball in the fifth inning, the Twins relievers combined to throw 5 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 7. Trevor May was the first reliever called into action, and he quickly showed just how dominating he can be, flashing a fastball that was consistently hitting the upper 90s. Following May, the Twins got their first look at Tyler Clippard who induced weak contact to quickly work his way through an inning of work. Shutting the door for the Twins were Tyler Duffey and Cody Stashak. Stashak in particular looked really impressive, generating 6 swinging strikes, 3 strikeouts, and improving his career K/BB ratio to 28.

Josh Donaldson Debuts

One of the cruelest parts of the baseball shut down for Minnesota Twins fans was that it delayed the debut of the biggest free-agent acquisition in club history, Josh Donaldson. Josh didn’t make any headlines tonight, but it was easy to see his impact nonetheless. In five plate appearances, Donaldson saw 20 pitches and drew 2 walks. He put together the kind of great at bats you look for in a number 2 hitter, and showed that he can impact the game even when he isn’t crushing the ball.

Luis Arraez: Still Good

Arguably the game MVP, Luis Arraez was extraordinarily impressive for the Minnesota Twins. Out of the number 9 spot in the lineup, Arraez was 2-for-4 with an absolutely massive 2-run, 2-out hit 7th inning. Facing the lefty Aaron Bummer, Arraez put together a classic Luis Arraez at bat, and smacked a 2-2 single into right field to bring in 2 runs and all but clinch a Twins victory. Additionally, Arraez looked really solid at second place, making a few different plays and taking away some would-be singles up the middle.

https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1286859214586032128?s=20

Game Presentation

As the first regular season game back after a 9-month hiatus, playing in front of a fan-less stadium, tonight’s game was going to be weird. The Fox Sports North crew, though, did an exceptional job putting together an extraordinary game presentation that made the game feel as normal as possible given the circumstances. It took the broadcast showing a visual of Dick Bremer and Justin Morenau announcing the game from Target Field to remember that the broadcasting duo wasn’t calling the game from Chicago.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Postgame Pint

After the game, Tom, Seth, John and Matthew Trueblood discussed the game and our most encouraging and discouraging developments. It's something we're trying after most games this season, so join us for our next one and check out last night's discussion below. You can also download a podcast of it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyBo1-mNe3M