Diamondbacks 8, Twins 9: The Kody Clemens Game

Loss Probability and Box Score

• Gerry Perdomo started off the game with a full count walk. He then advanced all the way to third with one out when he stole second and got a free 90’ on a terrible throw from the catcher that flew several yards to the right field side of second base. It was weird that the throw was so off because it almost looked like a planned pitchout from the Twins. The catcher began standing and moving way to the opposite batter’s box early in the pitch. Corbin then drove him in on an easy, opposite field line drive.
• Pfaadt gave up a 1-out walk in the first but was still able to get out of the inning with 14 pitches. Pablo López, on the other hand, took 23 pitches to get through his half of the first.
• Jordan Lawlar’s double in the second inning was of the hustle variety. He hit a line drive between the pitcher and shortstop that rolled nearly to the warning track in left-center before it was fielded and thrown in. Lawlar was heads up base running and slid in (feet first for those tracking) just ahead of the throw.
• Pfaadt only got 1 swing-and-miss (on a filthy changeup for a K) through the first 2 innings, but was very efficient. Only 10 pitches in the 2nd and all the contact through the first couple frames was directly at his defenders.
• Pfaadt gave up 3 straight hits to open up the 3rd in the form of a homer and 2 singles. As kilborn noted in the GDT, at least he had the good sense to give up the homer first! The first 4 balls in play in that inning had exit velocities of 106, 99, 106, and 103. The last one was hit directly at Domo to start a 6-4-3 double play.
• Brandon Pfaadt gave up 3 straight singles to start the fourth, but the last very reasonably could have been scored an error. Jake McCarthy charged in on a short fly into shallow left field and went into a knee-first slide. It appeared he had the ball tracked, but it came through and barely clipped the webbing of his glove before bouncing off his shoulder and rolling away. Fortunately no runs scored, but Jake once again doinked a ball that he very well could have made the play on.
• After Jake’s outfield misplay loaded the bases, Blaze Alexander made a heads up decision to make a double play in the 4th. The next hitter lofted a fly ball to medium depth left field, a chance for a sac fly. Jake made the catch and fired to the plate. Blaze was dropped deep toward home as the cutoff man and he decided to make the cut and threw back to second to double off the trail runner who had ventured a little too far off the bag. That play loomed large when the next hitter cranked a home run.
• The bottom of the 4th provided a second outfielder misplay, this time by Alek Thomas. On a deep fly to straight away center, Alek got a late jump which forced him to get to the spot where the ball was coming down right as the ball arrived. Alek was on the warning track and was appeared to be feeling for the wall. All of that combined to cause Alek to miss the catch.
• Gabi Moreno tried to sneak a base hit through Gabi Lane with a couple runners on in the 5th, but a stupendous play from the Twins second baseman robbed him of a clean hit. Fortunately, the second baseman rushed to his feet and airmailed the throw to first, allowing the runner from second to score.
• Our beloved Perdomo injected life back into the dugout in the 7th with a 2-run blast of a homer into the upper deck in right. 104mph and 403 feet later, the D-Backs had cut the Twins lead in half.
• Brandyn Garcia looked about as good as I’ve seen him so far. He struck out the first batter he faced on an inner-third sweeper after feeding him 97mph fastballs away. Then got to 0-2 on the next hitter before a short battle ensued with several foul balls until Garcia could finally retire him with a 98mph fastball on the black of the outside part of the plate. The last hitter also went 0-2 before fouling off several pitches and finally whiffing on a sweeper WAY inside. Great night’s work for the kid.
• Alek Thomas just looks completely defeated at the plate. Several poor ABs again tonight, and every single one he was shaking his head at a swing decision or missed pitch halfway through the at bat. He’s such a fun player when he’s at his best, but he has completely lost his mojo and looks dead up there.
• Gabi Moreno’s go-ahead home run in the 9th was right after he fouled off 2 96 mph fastballs that were on the black of the outside part of the plate before turning on an inside fastball and sending it into the Minnesota night for a D-Backs lead.
• Jake Woodford came on for the save, and thank goodness Kody Clemens was leading off because the Snakes’ pitchers had no ability to get him out tonight. Coming into the 9th, Kody was 3-3 with 2 HRs and a double off the wall. In the 9th, he worked through a 9 pitch AB that ended with an opposite field homer, his third of the night!