Scott Feldman (3-3, 4.25) vs Kyle Gibson (4-5, 4.35)
Alright, so they're not always fun to watch. By the benefit of two Astros errors, seven walks, and a hit by pitch, the Twins scored seven runs on just three hits in the first four innings. It took until the 8th inning for Houston to get any runner as far as third base. It's not at all surprising (and not at all fun), then, that the Astros ended up 8-0 losers today. They drop back to 27-36 on the season.
On the Mound:
*The best thing that can be said about Scott Feldman's outing today is that he did not surrender an earned run. Certainly that's a nice change from his 9-run outing back on June 1, but certainly this was not the way that he wanted to bounce back, either. Two errors behind him clearly hurt, but Scott was just not good either, earning him a very early shower after a 1.2 IP / 1 H / 3 R / 0 ER / 2 BB / 2 K / 1 HBP line. This start is his shortest since he also went 1.2 back on June 4, 2012 for Texas @ Oakland.
*Paul (Not Roger) Clemens did just fine for 1.1 perfect innings, but then he had his own disaster in the 4th. Five walks and two hits plated four more Minnesota runs - all earned - to make sure the Astros were good and buried today.
*Jerome Williams was next in line, and himself did just fine for 2.1 scoreless frames, allowing only a lone single. But then two singles and a walk gave the Twins an entirely unnecessary "insurance" run, and brought Bo Porter from the dugout again.
*Tony Sipp got the last call from the pen, and at least he redeemed himself from his 3-run appearance last night. A leadoff single in the 8th amounted to nothing, and he struck out one in 1.1 scoreless.
*Paul (Not Roger) Clemens did just fine for 1.1 perfect innings, but then he had his own disaster in the 4th. Five walks and two hits plated four more Minnesota runs - all earned - to make sure the Astros were good and buried today.
*Jerome Williams was next in line, and himself did just fine for 2.1 scoreless frames, allowing only a lone single. But then two singles and a walk gave the Twins an entirely unnecessary "insurance" run, and brought Bo Porter from the dugout again.
*Tony Sipp got the last call from the pen, and at least he redeemed himself from his 3-run appearance last night. A leadoff single in the 8th amounted to nothing, and he struck out one in 1.1 scoreless.
At the Plate:
*Five hits and three walks for Houston, and all eight runners were stranded. For most of the game, they equalled or exceeded Minnesota in hits, but the Twins were not so generous in gifting the Astros with runs.
*A Jose Altuve double in the 8th was the height of Houston's offense. He made it to third with one out, and that was it. Jose finished 1x4.
*Dexter Fowler is still ridiculous, reaching base all three times to the plate today (2x2, BB) before Bo Porter pulled him from the lost cause.
*George Springer had the single that moved Altuve to third base, and he finished 1x4 with a K.
*Jonathan Singleton had the other Houston hit and went 1x4.
*Alex Presley (0x2) and Jesus Guzman (0x3) had the other walks. And that was it.
*A Jose Altuve double in the 8th was the height of Houston's offense. He made it to third with one out, and that was it. Jose finished 1x4.
*Dexter Fowler is still ridiculous, reaching base all three times to the plate today (2x2, BB) before Bo Porter pulled him from the lost cause.
*George Springer had the single that moved Altuve to third base, and he finished 1x4 with a K.
*Jonathan Singleton had the other Houston hit and went 1x4.
*Alex Presley (0x2) and Jesus Guzman (0x3) had the other walks. And that was it.
Turning Point:
It all started so well. After a 1-2-3 1st inning, Scott Feldman began the 2nd hitting Josh Willingham with a pitch. Trevor Plouffe hit the ball to Matt Dominguez, but Matt botched the play and everyone was safe. A fly out and a strikeout on either side of a walk had the bases loaded, but Feldman almost out of the mess. But then Marwin Gonzalez couldn't handle Aaron Hicks' grounder, then Feldman finally gave up a hit - a single to Danny Santana - and Minnesota was up 3-0 with no earned runs. After Santana stole second and Brian Dozier walked, Feldman's day was done.
Man of the Match:
Dexter Fowler. .460 OBP since May 5.
Goat of the Game:
Matt Dominguez and Marwin Gonzalez and Scott Feldman and Paul Clemens and Every Astro with a Bat (But Fowler). So forget this game and read the rest of MM's draft capsules.
