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.
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 Kody 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.
Yoendrys Gómez worked around a leadoff walk to retire the side in the ninth.