It was a crazy game on Tuesday night, to say the least. The Twins and Phillies both had 14 hits in a 14-10 Minnesota win over Philadelphia. Kurt Suzuki was a triple shy of the cycle, Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe both had triples and neither starter lasted more than 3.0 innings.
“Well, it’s good to back up Sunday’s game with a win,” said manager Paul Molitor. “It’s unfortunate that you still have to be a little bit uncomfortable after you score 14 runs, but we got out early, Trevor got a big hit early, and Kurt had a big hit early. But they kept answering.”
Twins starter Tyler Duffey only lasted 3.0 innings, giving up seven hits and six earned runs.
“Tyler had a little trouble with location, he was kinda fighting it,” said Molitor.
Duffey was calm after the game, but Molitor said his emotions may be getting the best of him in a game where he gave up four home runs.
“They are,” he said. “I think when your results haven’t been there for a few outings now, you go out there and you probably try to refocus and wipe the slate clean.
The Phillies managed to score a runner in the first inning, then Duffey gave up a home run to No. 9 hitter Peter Bourjos in the second and back-to-back homers to Tommy Joseph and Cameron Rupp in the third.
“In the first inning they scratched one across, and then he started making mistakes and they were jumping on them,” said Molitor.
“It happened really fast when they took the lead there with those back-to-back home runs, and I was just hoping … I couldn’t get somebody up quite quickly enough to finish off that third. But he got the last out, and then we decided to make a change.”
Asked why Duffey, who only gave up four home runs in 58.0 innings last season, Molitor was at a bit of a loss.
“It’s something that we’re obviously trying to figure out,” he said. “You watch their swings on his breaking balls, and obviously there were some mistakes tonight. But even when he throws good ones, they’re doing a lot better jobs of fouling them off and extending at-bats and waiting for a better pitch to hit.
“I’m not sure if they’re seeing it better. I don’t really think he’s tipping anything, it’s just their approach to him has been pretty good. I think guys made adjustments, and he hasn’t figured out how to counter — at least not yet.”
Suzuki, on the other hand, had an impressive night. He went 4-for-5 and fell a triple short of the cycle. It might, of course, be the Axe bats that our very own Brandon Warne wrote about.
“Well, if we would have had a little bit better baserunning to the one to center, and then he would have completed the cycle with the double instead of needing the triple,” said Molitor.
“I give him credit in that the right play with two outs is to be 100 percent sure if you try to go to third, so he put the situation above the possibility of a cycle.”
Suzuki, to his credit, didn’t seem too bothered that he didn’t get the cycle. In the video below he explained that wanted to be smart with two outs, as well as his theory as to why Duffey is giving up home runs.
All in all, it was an odd game between two teams that have struggled this year. Molitor did not commit to giving Duffey another start in his postgame comments, saying he hasn’t talked to GM Terry Ryan yet.
Suzuki, on the other hand, is on fire right now.
“He has been surging, and we’re seeing a little bit of power, getting some hits with runners in scoring position — something that we’ve been lacking as a unit,” said Molitor.
“You just hope that some of the guys watch these people who are taking good at-bats in those situations and started to get some results, and we can start having a little better approach in those situations. Taking the pressure off yourself and put it back on the pitcher a little bit and hopefully get a good pitch to hit. I think he’s been doing that really well.”
