Tigers Throw It Away, Wild Toss In 9th Gives Twins Wild Win
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Detroit catcher Eric Haase made a throwing error on a botched rundown, capping a chaotic play that gave the Minnesota Twins two runs for a wild 5-4 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night.
Miguel Sanó had the final hit for the Twins — and his ill-advised baserunning wound up helping them win their fifth in a row.
The Twins trailed 4-3 when Detroit closer Gregory Soto (1-1) walked Trevor Larnach and Gio Urshela to start the inning. Soto came back to strike out Max Kepler, who homered earlier and drove in three runs.
Then came the craziness.
Sanó hit an 108 mph line drive that glanced off right fielder Robbie Grossman's glove and rolled to the wall for a rocket of a single.
Larnach was held up at third base as Grossman quickly relayed the ball in, but Sanó kept running toward second. That prompted Urshela to run from second to third, where Larnach was trapped as Haase ran up the base line with the ball in his hand to begin a rundown.
Except that never started, because Haase's lollipop throw soared over third baseman Jeimer Candelario's head and into the outfield to let Larnach score easily and Urshela race home for the winning run and a mob of giddy teammates waiting for him at the plate.
Haase entered the game in the seventh as a pinch-hitter for Tucker Barnhart.
Javier Báez gave the Tigers the lead with a three-run homer in the eighth against Emilio Pagán. Báez also hit a two-out RBI double in the sixth to chase Chris Paddack, the only run allowed by the Twins starter.
Griffin Jax (1-0) pitched the ninth for the victory.
CORREA'S COMMITMENT
Carlos Correa reiterated his interest before the game about making his stay in Minnesota more than one season. The All-Star shortstop, whose three-year, $105.3 million contract has an opt-out after this season and next, said he has expressed as much to team officials.
"It's about happiness, right? I show up every day, and we've got a great group of guys to work with," said Correa, who struck out all three times he faced Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez and is batting .179.
JOIN THE CLUB
Tigers left-hander Andrew Chafin was reinstated from the injured list before the game, further reinforcing a bullpen that entered the evening with the third-best relief ERA (2.29) in the majors. Chafin had sidelined by groin trouble, after signing a two-year, $13 million contract with the team.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Casey Mize (elbow sprain) has begun a throwing program at the team's minor league facility in Lakeland, Florida, in weather more conducive to rehab. The first overall pick in the 2018 draft landed on the injured list after making two starts. ... RHP Matt Manning (shoulder inflammation) is still experiencing tightness, manager A.J. Hinch said, and has not been cleared yet for activity. He was placed on the injured list last week.
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (hamstring strain) is on track to come off the injured list and rejoin the rotation later this week. Gray was hurt in his second start. ... C Gary Sánchez missed his fourth straight game with abdominal tightness. He'll ramp up his activity on Wednesday and ought to be able to avoid the injured list if the pregame session goes smoothly, manager Rocco Baldelli said.
UP NEXT
Tigers RHP Michael Pineda (1-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound on Wednesday night against the team he spent the previous four seasons with. RHP Joe Ryan (2-1, 1.69 ERA) pitches for the Twins in the middle game of the series.
Pineda threw five scoreless innings last week in his Tigers debut to beat another one of his former teams, the New York Yankees. Ryan beat Kansas City with six scoreless innings in his last turn.
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