Keaschall's first leadoff at-bat of the year couldn't have gone much better

MINNEAPOLIS – Luke Keaschall hadn’t batted leadoff in a game all season. But with Austin Martin heading to the IL on Monday, manager Derek Shelton thought it was time to see how Keaschall looked at the top of the order.

There’s a good chance Twins fans will see him there again soon.

Keaschall ignited a four-run rally in the first inning with a leadoff double and the Twins’ bullpen saved the day with 4 2/3 scoreless innings as the Twins defeated the Braves 4-2 at Target Field.

“It was good to get the bats going in the first,” Keaschall said. “Wish we could’ve tacked more on in the end there, but the pitching held it down nice for us.”

Keaschall also singled leading off the second and ended up 2-for-5 on the night, with both of his hits coming in at-bats leading off innings. But this isn’t exactly uncharted territory for Keaschall, who has extensive leadoff experience at other levels.

“I've probably hit leadoff the most in my entire career. I mean, not in the big leagues, obviously, but everywhere else,” Keaschall said. “I hit leadoff in college, leadoff all throughout the Minors. It's kind of like, just what I’ve done the most.”

Keaschall did lead off one game last September and had plenty of success that day. He went 4-for-5, drove in a run, scored two more and stole a base. And he’s got the profile of a classic leadoff hitter – he reaches base via the walk or hit-by-pitch often and runs the bases aggressively.

Since July 1, Keaschall has reached base at a .438 clip. So it could be a good fit for both him and the Twins going forward, at least as long as Martin is on the IL.

“Against left-handers, we may, just because A-Mart is down,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think as we talked about in the pregame, he’s had our most consistent at-bats. Depending on what we do with our lineup moving forward, I think there could be opportunities there.”

After a 51-minute weather delay, Braves starter Martín Pérez – who pitched one year in Minnesota, 2019, when he won 10 games despite a 5.12 ERA, thanks in large part to the Bomba Squad’s home run record-setting season – found himself in big trouble in the first inning.

Keaschall led off with a line drive double down the left-field line. Pérez then walked Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers to load the bases. Josh Bell followed with a broken-bat fly ball that landed inches inside the right-field line and bounced into the stands for a two-run, ground-rule double.

Royce Lewis and Kody Clemens hit back-to-back RBI singles to make it 4-0, still with nobody out. However, Pérez retired the next three hitters without incident.

Of course, the Twins led 4-0 after an inning on Sunday and couldn’t hold it. And the Braves did get a pair of runs back in the fifth inning on a two-run single by Ronald Acuña Jr.

But the Twins went to the bullpen for starter Bailey Ober after Acuña’s hit and they did a stellar job. Tyler Rogers got it started by retiring Matt Olson and Michael Harris II on fly balls to strand Acuña. Then Travis Adams pitched two perfect innings.

Jeff Hoffman got into some hot water in the eighth when he allowed Matt Olson’s double with one out. But Clemens made a remarkable diving stop of Harris’ grounder up the middle and recovered in time to get the out at first base, saving a run in the process. And after Mauricio Dubón walked, Ozzie Albies flew out to left to end the threat.

“That was sick. It was full extension,” Keaschall said of Clemens’ play. “That would change the mentality of the game, everything. That was awesome.”

Yoendrys Gómez worked around a leadoff walk to retire the side in the ninth as the Twins bounced back after being swept by the Phillies. Resiliency has been a recurring theme of the season. Keaschall attributes it to clubhouse cohesiveness.

“I know we got swept last series but everyone was in good spirits, happy to be around each other, and I think that's just a testament of the friendships that we have in here, and everybody kind of liking each other and getting along,” Keaschall said. “So it makes it easier to ride the highs and lows together all the way.”