MINNEAPOLIS -- Nobody thought Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall would struggle all year, or even all month. But it was still quite a relief when they both broke out in the same game. And it was fun to see how much better the Twins' lineup looks when their two best hitters show what they can do.
In his first start this year in the leadoff spot, Buxton broke an 0-for-20 slide with a leadoff double that sparked a three-run third inning and also drew a walk. Keaschall hit his first homer of the year and reached base three times for the first time all season, and the two stars paced the Twins to a 7-3 win over the Tigers on Monday night at Target Field.
It’s been a strange season thus far for the Twins’ offense, which has had a few breakout games but was also held to a single run four times in the first nine contests. They’ve hit for decent power and drawn some walks, but still have been searching for consistent production. And while it’s not even a little bit fair to put that on the shoulders of Keaschall and Buxton, it’s abundantly clear the difference the two can make.
“They're just two super dynamic players,” said Joe Ryan, who got the win Monday. “Having Luke and Byron in there is always going to be a tough outing for anyone that's going against them.”
The difference was clear quickly. The Twins squandered a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the second. But in the third, Buxton got things going, and they capitalized. His double led off the inning, Trevor Larnach followed with an infield hit, and Keaschall walked to load the bases with nobody out. Victor Caratini broke the ice with a sacrifice fly, and Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis added RBI singles for a 3-0 lead.
“Buck is going to hit,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “And I told Buck this actually at some point before the game. I have a lot of worries in my life -- Byron Buxton hitting is not one of them. He’s going to.”
Detroit got all three runs back in the next half inning, but the game didn’t stay tied for long. Buxton smoked a line drive out to center, Larnach singled again, and Keaschall gave the Twins a lead they would not relinquish. He jumped a 2-1 fastball on the inner half from Casey Mize and drilled it 367 feet for his second extra-base hit of the year.
Keaschall, who hit seemingly nothing but line drives all spring, had been showing some encouraging signs in recent days, with a pair of multi-hit games late last week. But he nonetheless entered the game hitting .222 and slugging .250 after putting up marks of .302 and .445 last year. He’s a critical piece if the Twins are going to exceed expectations and make a postseason run, and Monday showed why.
“Baseball comes in waves,” he said. “I feel you’re going to have some really hot stretches and some really cold stretches, but the shorter you can keep the cold and the more even-keeled you can stay through it, the better, I think. You can’t hit 1.000 your whole life, so just try to be the same guy every day and keep fighting and find your best self.”