The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen imploded on Tuesday night, allowing six runs in the top of the eighth inning to help the Los Angeles Dodgers earn a rain-soaked 7-1 victory.
Tuesday’s game featured another debut for a Twins pitcher as Chris Archer took the mound. Much like Dylan Bundy on Monday night, Archer’s debut went well with four shutout innings.
The most encouraging sign was the right-hander’s velocity. According to Statcast, Archer’s four-seam fastball averaged 93.2 mph and his slider generated four swings and misses on 29 pitches.
But as good as Archer’s stuff was, Andrew Heaney’s was even better.
Heaney threw 67 pitches but generated 15 swings and misses including nine from his curveball. With the Twins lineup struggling, Heaney threw 4.2 innings with his lone blemish coming on a throwing error by Justin Turner in the fifth inning.
With Gavin Lux’s sacrifice fly, the Twins and Dodgers entered the eighth inning deadlocked at 1-1. But when manager Rocco Baldelli went deep into his bullpen, the floodgates opened.
Emilio Pagan opened the inning by walking Mookie Betts before Caleb Thielbar walked Freddie Freeman and allowed an RBI single to Trae Turner. After Thielbar walked Max Muncy to load the bases, Jhon Romero came into the game.
The Dodgers pounced using a Justin Turner RBI single and a two-RBI double from Will Smith to break the game open. A throwing error by Luis Arraez and an RBI single by Lux poured it on before a downpour descended on Target Field.
The game resumed at 11:31 a.m. after a rain delay that lasted 88 minutes pushed the game deep into the night. The Twins and Dodgers are scheduled to play another chilly game Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.
