For the first time in three weeks, the Minnesota Twins have won multiple games in a row. They followed up a series-ending win over the Blue Jays on Sunday by demolishing the Nationals 11-3 on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C.
Taj Bradley continued his stellar start to the season with a sharp six-inning outing and the Twins’ bats supported him with several big run-producing swings off of Cade Cavalli and the Nationals’ bullpen, including another Byron Buxton blast. It’s the fourth time this season the Twins have scored at least ten runs, and the first time they’ve done so on the road all year.
Bradley labored a bit in the first inning, needing 27 pitches to get through the frame. He allowed a run but was able to limit the damage beyond that. He then allowed the first two batters to reach in the second before striking out a couple hitters to avoid allowing any runs to score. From there, Bradley settled in well. Three of his next four innings went 1-2-3, with only one more run crossing the plate in the fifth inning.
Bradley’s final line was 6 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, touched 99 with his fastball, and generated 16 swings and misses. Now eight starts into the season, Bradley continues to be outstanding. He has a 2.87 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 47 innings. He’s gone at least six innings in six of his last seven starts and has only allowed more than two runs once all season.
Meanwhile, the Twins had a big night at the plate. Brooks Lee put them in front with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the second inning. They then broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning that was capped by a two-out, two-run double from Trevor Larnach to make it 6-1. Josh Bell hit an RBI single in the seventh, and Buxton removed any doubt with a three-run blast that made it a 10-3 game in the top of the eighth.
Buxton’s homer off a hanging slider was his first hit with a runner in scoring position this season, snapping a bizarre 0-for-20 drought in those situations. It was also his 11th home run in his last 19 games, making him the first Twins player to do that since Nelson Cruz in 2019 and just the eighth in team history.
The Twins had ten hits as a team. Three of them came from Lee, who drove in a third run with a double in the ninth inning. Larnach also had multiple hits.
Eric Orze, Anthony Banda, and Luis Garcia combined to allow one run in three low-leverage innings out of the Twins’ bullpen after Bradley departed.
The Twins (16-20) haven’t won a series in three weeks, going 0-4-1 in their last five. They’ll look to change that on Wednesday night, with Bailey Ober on the mound against Miles Mikolas.
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