It was a familiar sight, only this time the Minnesota Twins fans in the stands and countless others watching at home went home happy.
Trevor Plouffe hit into a double-play with the bases loaded with one out in the 9th inning, allowing Brandon Kintzler to escape with the save. He gave up two straight singles, walked a batter, and gave up another single to the six, seven, eight and nine hitters before getting Rajai Davis to ground out to Miguel Sano at third and Plouffe to hit into the 6-4-3 double-play.
“Well, a win’s a win,” said Twins manager Paul Molitor. “They’re not all pretty.”
It was a 7-4 win, powered by Kennys Vargas’ five RBI and Hector Santiago’s six innings, in which he allowed only four hits and three runs.
“We had to dance around Hector’s command issues a little bit, but somehow he got a little stronger that last inning, but we thought that was enough,” said Molitor. “And we did make it interesting at the end there. Kinz gave up only on sharply-hit ball, as the leadoff single, but they battled and they made them work and throwing pitches, but he finally got the double-play.”
On Vargas specifically, he said: “Well, first time he got a little bit lucky. He got jammed a little bit, but he hit it in a good spot. But he put the ball in play with two strikes and gave himself a chance.
“And then we’re trying to get him, in certain situations, be a little more aggressive, and he was ready to hit that first pitch. [A’s starter Kendall] Graveman wanted to go in with a front-door two-seamer, but he left it out over the plate, and he didn’t miss it. That was a good matchup for him with Graveman pitches down a lot, and Kenny can go down there and get them, so that was a really good night to see him step up for us and put five across.”
As for Santiago, he was pitching following a stint on the Bereavement List. His grandmother had passed and he was wearing shoes in her honor tonight.
Asked about the two or three clean innings Santiago had, Molitor asked: “That many?”
“It’s kinda who he is, though, you know? He pitches in and out of trouble, he’s gonna walk some people and have some longer at-bats where he doesn’t finish people. But a quality start.”
Santiago spoke about his outing after the game, as well as how he prepared for starting while he was away from the team:
Buxton bailed him out in the 4th inning with a highlight reel catch…and seemed to know it was coming. He told Santiago before the game he had one in store.
“Fearless, reckless and athletic. Those are the kind of plays that kinda get a little bit accustomed to seeing from him, but he can cover the ground,” said Molitor.
“You figure he’s always got a chance. Some balls are gonna get get beat, and he’s gonna lay out sometimes and come up a little bit short. My angle on that one told me he didn’t have much of a chance, and he was just able to close the gap.”
The Twins now stand at 14-11, first place in the AL Central. While it is way too early to make conclusions on the standings, they have bounced back from a 2-7 homestand that dampened the excitement of their 4-0 start.
“It’s been a good response, and I don’t want to minimize that. I just try to keep your temperament in proper perspective of where we’re at, and the work that we have in front of us,” said Molitor.
“The guys are feeling good about the game, some guys are starting to swing the bats, we’re getting a little more contribution throughout the lineup, and pitching continues to give us a chance. That’s a good combination.”
