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The Twins came in hot, but Giolito and Jimenez were too much as they pitched and slugged the White Sox to a 11-1 victory at Target Field. Box Score Starter: Beau Burrows 2.0 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Sano (19) Bottom 3 WPA: Burrows (-.402), Kepler (-.027), Sano (-.019) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins were riding high as they came into Target Field after a good road trip. All we had to do is look at the pitching matchup for the first game to know that the hot streak had little chance to carry into the first game of the homestand. With the state of the Twins rotation being what it is, the home team went with an opener/bullpen game Monday night, with Beau Burrows getting the first nod. Coming into the night, Burrows had logged 9.0 innings in the majors and sported an ugly 11.00 ERA. Monday night did not help that situation one bit. Burrows wound up allowing two home runs in the first inning. One was a lead-off homer by Tim Anderson. Then after a walk to new White Sox second baseman Cesar Hernandez, Eloy Jimenez hit his own home run to put the White Sox up 3-0. What makes a rough pitching performance worse, you might ask? A fielding error behind him. Burrows should have gotten out of the first by popping Luis Robert up, but Miguel Sano, while back peddling, dropped the easy out, letting in the 4th run of the 1st inning. The second inning wasn’t any better for the Twins right-hander as the top of the White Sox lineup did damage again. This time with Tim Anderson and Cesar Hernandez on the basepaths, Jimenez again found the seats with a 3-run home run and his second in as many innings as Monday night's game. Just like that, Burrows 11.00 ERA was up to 13.91. With the game score at 7-0 after two innings, the game was all but over before it even started. There was a bright spot in another recent pick-up for the Twins off the waiver wire. Edgar Garcia Looks Sharp July 30th, the Twins acquired Garcia off waivers from the Phillies. After one waiver claim in Burrows that the Twins acquired didn’t do well, Garcia sent down seven batters in a row. His stuff looked good, and the results followed. Garcia was lifted after pitching 2.1 innings and giving up a single to Yoan Moncada. While Burrows ERA ballooned, Garcia's dropped from 16.62 to 12.15 with his strong performance. Giolito Tossed a Gem It wasn’t a perfect game, and a smash up the middle by Luis Arraez prevented it from being a no-hitter, but it was still a magnificent game by the White Sox starter. In the end, he would make one mistake (see below) and would strike out eight Twins batters. Monday night was a night whereas a Twins fan, we are reminded that Giolito is one of the really dominant arms that resides within the AL Central. While it seemed that Nelson Cruz always brought his best against Giolito, the Twins will now have to figure out how to compete when he is on the mound without Cruz. Sano Scores Lone Run Giolito did let one sinker sit too high in the zone. While there is plenty to criticize Sano about, one thing that is certain is that he can crush a pitcher’s mistake. He did just that to end the shutout and notch his150th career home run. Monday night ends by looking like just one more jab from the White Sox to the Twins. As the White Sox run away with a division the Twins were supposed to be competing with them in; the Sox continued their dominance by taking a page out of the BOMBA squad book. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Barnes 80 0 0 0 0 68 148 Burrows 13 0 0 0 0 64 77 Minaya 44 0 17 0 12 73 Duffey 0 21 20 0 15 56 Thielbar 22 8 0 20 0 50 Colomé 0 7 17 0 18 42 Coulombe 0 17 14 0 7 38 Garcia 0 0 0 0 0 32 32 Gant 0 0 17 13 0 30 View full article

Amidst a flurry of trade rumors, the Twins claimed RHP Edgar Garcia off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on the Friday afternoon of the trade deadline. García, who has had major league appearances with the Phillies, Rays, and Reds in the past three seasons, will report to Triple-A Saint Paul. García pitched in five games for the Reds earlier this season, going 0-1 with a 16.62 ERA. Originally signed as a free agent by the Phillies in 2014, García has an MLB career record of 2-1 with a 7.14 ERA (46.2 IP, 37 ER) in 46 major league appearances. Primarily a reliever, García found success at Triple-A Louisville before his rocky 2021 campaign in Cincinnati. The Dominican native boasted a 3.38 ERA with 17 holds and 29 strikeouts in 24 games for the Louisville Bats before being called up on July 19. García also saw success in 2019 with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley, posting a 2.48 ERA in 25 appearances. After being called up midway through the 2019 season, he posted admirable numbers for the ‘Phils, going 2-0 with a 5.77 ERA in 37 appearances. While his time in the majors has been brief, García primarily relies on four pitches; four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, and changeup. 53% of his pitches thrown in 2021 have been sinkers, averaging at 94.2 MPH. The other majority of his 2021 pitches have come courtesy of his slider averaging 86.6 MPH. It’s tough to judge García on his limited MLB experience, but there’s no doubt that the 24-year-old has shown moments of brilliance in the minors. He’s had five minor league seasons with an ERA under four, and his experience as a set-up man could indeed be valuable for an organization that is seeing quite a bit of movement on all levels of their pitching department. After a roller coasted 2021 season, García will have a chance to get back to the success he saw at Triple-A with the Saints. View full article