Chicago – Bailey Ober didn’t look like he was going to have the start he wanted in the first two innings of the second half. The Chicago Cubs battery went 3-for-7 with two walks and a run scored, while Ober only struck out Alex Bregman.
But the second time through, Ober was as sharp as he’s been all year. He only allowed one hit and struck out five Cubs batters, all while his fastball topped out at 88.4 MPH, leading the Twins to a 5-2 win in Chicago.
“It just looked like he was working a little fast and I think he slowed himself down,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton. “I mean, it’s very natural. I think we saw it a little bit with [Colin] Rea on their side, too. Any time you come off a break that’s that long, it’s a little bit rusty. Once he got into his delivery, once he broke a little bit of a sweat, and then the changeup came back.”
“[I] Just felt like I was just a little off with my sights the first couple innings,” said Ober, “and then after that, I was kind of able to lock that back in and was able to execute and mix pitches.”
Ober had two double plays turned behind him to get him out of his first and second inning jams. Then from there, he retired five straight batters on the strikeout and kept the Cubs lineup guessing.
Part of the struggles Ober experienced in the first two innings stemmed from making his first career start at Wrigley Field. Few ballparks have their bullpens completely closed off from the field, as Wrigley has had in the past 10 seasons. So, going from a climate-controlled environment to 39,000-plus Cubs fans proved to be a challenging adjustment.
“The fans feel like they’re right there, right behind home plate,” Ober said. “So just being able to adjust that, and once I was able to make that adjustment, it felt normal to be able to locate and mix, and I didn’t have to worry about where my pitches were going for the most part.”
“It’s the Bailey Ober we’ve seen the whole year when he settles in,” said Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. “He just keeps mixing, moves the baseball around, changes speeds, and he’s the epitome that you don’t have to pitch in this game with a lot of velo. He’s working really hard to find the velo. But when his mechanics are out of whack, he can still move, mix, change shapes, and control the baseball like a real professional.”
Jeffers had a hamate bone surgery, and they typically result in some loss of power in a batter’s swing. However, that hasn’t been the case for Jeffers coming off the injury. In just his third game back from the injured list, he delivered the big hit the Twins needed to take the first game of the series against the Cubs, with a 3-run home run in the top of the 3rd.
“It’s good aim, for sure,” said Jeffers. “I hit it 94. It’s good. I’m excited with how I feel. I know there are going to be good days, and there are going to be bad days. It’s just the process of coming back.”
Jeffers may have had the big swing in the game, but his teammates supplemented his big moment. Luke Keaschall was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He also had a stellar defensive catch in left-center to start the bottom of the eighth behind Andrew Morris.
Keaschall owned a .393/.500/.679 slash line since July 1, going into Friday night’s game, which was only bolstered by his performance in the 5-2 win. Keaschall’s success has come from feeding off his teammates’ success, passing the baton to the next guy, and building back up after a slow start that has kept his numbers down for most of the year.
“I think it’s just a steady incline from the beginning,” Keaschall said. “Like I said numerous times, it wasn’t the start I wanted to have. But I’m trying to be more athletic in the box. See ball, hit ball, and do my thing. Trying to be myself again.”
The Twins’ victory puts them at .500 for the first time since April 22 and tied for the third American League Wild Card spot with the Boston Red Sox, one game out of the break. They remain three games back of the White Sox for the AL Central Division and 2.5 back of second-place Cleveland.
