After stifling their own momentum on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins came out strong against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
The Twins scored five runs in the first inning before adding 12 more to win their first series in over a week. Everything went well for Minnesota, from Pablo Lopez’s strong start to Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis’ high-scoring performances.
Even struggling players, such as Christian Vazquez and Manuel Margot, found a way to get back on track at the plate. Minnesota pounded Colorado’s pitching for 17 runs, collected 24 hits, and had ten players record RBIs. It’s only the second time since 1961 when every single player had an RBI in a game, the other coming in 1997 against the Pirates.
Minnesota dominated the offensive game, but the most impressive aspect was how effectively their top three players performed.
Carlos Correa responded to his critics by destroying the Rockies.
It’s difficult not to feel sorry for the Rockies, who were only a conduit for Correa to retaliate against his critics who sought to mock him this week. Correa was named as one of the top three most overrated players in an anonymous player poll, and LaVelle E. Neal sparked controversy with a tweet that is still being discussed.
All of those detractors had to eat their words on Wednesday, as Correa reached base in five consecutive at-bats, striking out only once while scoring three runs and batting in another. He concluded the game with an anticipated batting average of.520 and by far the highest OPS+ of his career.
He had by far the greatest day at the plate, but the three-headed monster he created with Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda will have everyone in Twins Territory excited about what’s to come. Miranda finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, and Lewis was responsible for one of Correa’s runs after he hit another homer.
Lewis also reached base twice more, including a double that sent Correa to third and left Twins fans smiling. As Lewis drove into second, he and Correa pointed at each other, grinning with the intensity that everyone wants to see them maintain.
Pablo Lopez finally had a nice start and came back strong.
On Wednesday, offence reigned supreme, but Pablo Lopez’s strong start should not be overshadowed.
After a few tough starts, Lopez eventually recovered against the Rockies. He finished with five strikeouts and allowed only two runs on two hits, one of which was a homer.
Given the recent events, it was exactly the game he needed. Lopez has being lit up recently, with a 15.75 ERA over the last seven days, including another terrible game against the Yankees. His previous start was reminiscent of his ALDS performance against the Astros, when he struck out six batters and surrendered only one run on one hit.
He has a Brad Radke-ian problem with giving up home runs, which he did again on Wednesday, but his start against the Rockies was more akin to the ace he once was than the guy who has battled recently. With Joe Ryan and Simeon Woods Richardson bearing a lot of weight in the rotation, getting Lopez back to the level we know he can play at will be critical.
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