Big moments, big plays: Miranda sparks Twins' rally

August 2nd, 2022

MINNEAPOLIS -- Even after the trade market finally roared to life in earnest on Monday, the Twins still don’t have the pitching help they need. They no longer have much outfield depth, either, thanks to a recent spate of injuries.

But they have Jose Miranda. And on Monday, that went a long way.

Twice in the late innings, the 24-year-old rookie delivered when his team needed him, knocking a two-run, game-tying single to right field in the eighth inning and another game-tying RBI knock in the 10th. That set up new father Gio Urshela for the first walk-off homer of his career, fueling a 5-3 win over the Tigers in 10 innings at Target Field that preserved the Twins’ one-game lead over the Guardians in the American League Central on the eve of the Trade Deadline.

“I’ve always liked, growing up, big moments,” Miranda said. “I just like them. It’s a big moment to prove yourself, but I don’t like to put a lot of pressure on myself. I just go up there in a big moment, especially those moments, just put the ball in play, get a knock, get a good pitch. That’s pretty much it.”

Following Miranda’s first knock, the Twins squandered a chance to walk things off in the ninth when Nick Gordon was caught leaning off third base after a two-out walk to Carlos Correa, ending the inning. Though the Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th, Miranda’s second clutch hit with one out in the bottom of the inning knotted things up again before Urshela crushed a first-pitch sinker a Statcast-projected 416 feet to the berm in center field.

“He's been a dad before, but this is a huge time for him,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He probably knew how to use it and take it and ball it up and bring it out when he needed the power at the most important moment. Great swing by him -- and having been at the hospital and at home and probably not in any sort of routine.”

Miranda is exactly the type of young player who might be asked about as part of higher-profile trades ahead of Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline. But as a rookie, he has also been one of the most important bats in the middle of the Minnesota lineup over the last two months -- especially as the Twins’ wishlist might have grown in the days leading into the Deadline.

That’s because, for as deep as the Twins’ outfield appeared even a month ago, that group has been decimated by injuries to Trevor Larnach (recovering from surgery to repair a core strain), Max Kepler (fractured right fifth toe) and Alex Kirilloff (recurrence of his right wrist soreness).

With rookie fourth outfielder Gilberto Celestino away on paternity leave, Byron Buxton unable to play on Monday and Kyle Garlick pulled from the game due to rib soreness from the lingering effects of his collision with the outfield wall at Petco Park on Friday, the Twins had to rely on Kirilloff -- currently unable to swing -- to eat innings in the outfield before putting career infielder Tim Beckham in left field to finish out the game.

It’s still unclear when Kepler and Larnach will return, and the persistent flare-ups of Kirilloff’s surgically-repaired wrist across the last year remain cause for concern, with an uncertain path forward that will be determined in the coming days. Garlick will undergo MRIs to ensure he doesn’t have any broken ribs after being “unable to function” upon his exit from Monday’s game, Baldelli said.

Meanwhile, the pitching-needy Twins saw a double-digit number of big league hurlers swap hands on Monday, including the top starter remaining on the market (Frankie Montas) and several relievers who could have helped the team. With less than 24 hours to go, the Twins still have not made any moves to upgrade their roster -- and at this point, a bat might not hurt, too, considering the state of this outfield.

Miranda has helped get them this far, as his big swings carried the Twins’ offense out of a slump against Tarik Skubal and a solid Detroit bullpen.

“To be able to take a young player and not feel like you’re putting too much on his plate by batting him fourth, fifth, sixth, right in the middle of the lineup, it feels like that’s exactly where he belongs right now,” Baldelli said.

How much help will be on the way?