A one-out, broken-bat single by Edwin Encarnacion in the 11th inning off Ryan Pressly (1-3) led to the pivotal run as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-2 at Target Field for their 20th win of the season.
Incidentally, the Twins suffered their 30th loss of the season, and are now 10-30 overall and on the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Encarnacion moved to second base on the following pitch on a single by Justin Smoak, and was replaced by pinch runner Ezequiel Carrera, who streaked home on a Troy Tulowitzki single for the game-winning run one batter later.
Encarnacion was a thorn in the Twins’ side all night, as he went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs on the night. He got the Jays on the board with a two-run home run in the sixth after Josh Donaldson walked, and ultimately had a hand in all three of the Jays’ runs on the night.
The Twins got off to a quick start, pushing across a run in the first inning to take a lead. Brian Dozier — who returned to the leadoff spot after a 21-game reprieve — golfed a full-count pitch from Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada into left field to get the game underway. Dozier moved around to third as a groundball ate up Blue Jays second baseman Jimmy Paredes, bouncing through his legs a la Bill Buckner, and came home on a towering fly ball to center off the bat of Miguel Sano.
The Twins added a second run in the third inning, as Danny Santana opened up the inning with a bunt single. Santana stole second as Dozier struck out swinging, and scored on a Mauer single to center for a 2-0 lead.
After that, the offense fell silent.
Twins starter Ervin Santana kept the Blue Jays in check all night, with the home run to Encarnacion basically his only mistake as he matched Estrada frame for frame with eight strong innings. Santana finished with two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks; Estrada had nine strikeouts and just one walk, and allowed two runs (one earned) on just three hits. “Everything was working the way I wanted,” Santana said after the game, though he did acknowledge a mistake on one pitch. “I just tried to make a good pitch. It was middle-in; it was supposed to be inside. (Encarnacion) took advantage of that one. That was the only mistake.”
The Twins didn’t go down without a whimper in the 11th, even after being stymied by 21-year-old super reliever Roberto Osuna (2-0) in the ninth and 10th innings in relief of Estrada. Rookie righty Joe Biagini — a veteran of just 12 big-league appearances but boasting an ERA of 0.63 — came on to work the 11th and induced a groundout off the bat of Jorge Polanco, who was pinch hitting for Kurt Suzuki to lead things off. Santana followed with a single under the glove of Ryan Goins — in for defensive reasons to replace Paredes — and suddenly the Twins were in business with one out and Dozier up.
The comeback wasn’t to be, as Santana — who had stolen two bases in as many attempts earlier in the game and made a great leaping catch on a drive off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the ninth to keep the game tied — mis-timed Biagini’s pause on the mound, and broke for second before the 25-year-old hurler even released the ball. Biagini tossed to second, and for the second day in a row a Twins baserunner had taken an unnecessary chance on the bases — and this time it didn’t pay off. Dozier ultimately struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt, with the throw down to first allowing Biagini to pick up his first big league save.
The stolen base attempt had manager Paul Molitor’s blessing. “I’m not going to sit back and wait for a two-run homer,” Molitor said after the game, adding that once he felt the count was in their favor, he was going to turn Danny loose.
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Notes and Quotes
- The Twins have dropped five games in a row to the Blue Jays.
- Santana’s eight innings were the most from a Twins starter this season.
- At 10-30, the Twins are tied with the Atlanta Braves for MLB’s worst record.
- Reliever Fernando Abad finished the game for the Twins, making his 18th appearance of the season. This marked the 17th of 18 appearances in which he did not allow an earned run (0.59 ERA).
- Santana on his team’s effort: “I like the way we played today. Everybody was aggressive. I like it. Even though we lost, I like the way we played today.”
- Santana on the Blue Jays offense: “They’re very aggressive, especially early in the count. I just try to mix it up with offspeed on the first pitch. It was a good result.”
- Santana on if this is the best he’s felt all year in terms of pitches working: “Yeah. I can say that today was a big game for me, especially when I was working down in the zone.”
- Santana on his frustration level after seeing the game slip away: “It’s not frustrating, because even though we lost, I like the chemistry we had in today’s game. Everybody was excited to play, and you could tell everyone was playing hard.”
