WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals were defeated 3-2 on Wednesday by the Minnesota Twins thanks to a solo home run and a diving play by Carlos Correa that halted a potential game-tying run.
Regarding Correa’s lunging stop and throw that kept the Twins ahead 2-1, manager Rocco Baldelli declared, “He makes the play of the day defensively, clearly.” If he doesn’t play as well defensively as he did today, we might not be in the game at all. That’s big-time stuff, really.
The Twins started the series with a seventh-straight loss, but Max Kepler also had a solo shot, doubled, and scored a run in the late innings to win the game and series.
After hopping on the Nationals’ bullpen cart and giving his driver a $5 bill, Steven Okert (1-0) retired four straight batters to record his first career Twins victory. Minnesota’s Simeon Woods gave up three hits and a walk over four and a third scoreless innings.
“I’ve been holding it the entire season, anticipating my turn to enter,” Okert remarked.
For Washington, which has lost seven straight games and is 0 for 8 when there are runners in scoring position, Joey Meneses hit a home run.
Keibert Ruiz grounded into a fielder’s choice off Jax Griffin in the seventh to cut the deficit for Washington and plate one runner.
Then Jacob Young hammered a ground ball up the middle. To retire Young by a step, Correa jumped to his feet, ranged to his left, and dove to glove the ball.
After Ryan Jeffers singled and Kepler scored, Jhoan Duran worked around Meneses’ home run to preserve his fourth save. Caleb Thielbar worked a clean eighth.
In his first career start against the Twins, who had previously drafted him in the late rounds out of high school, Jake Irvin (2-5) gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Jake did a great job pitching. Dave Martinez, the manager of the Nationals, said, “He kept us in the game.”
The Nationals right-hander gave up just five hits and six strikeouts, but he was hit by first pitches twice.
In the first inning of the second, Kepler drove a high pitch to right center after catching up to Irvin’s fastball. Correa hit a deep curveball from Irvin several rows deep into the left-field seats in the sixth inning with two outs.
“He went up there with a good plan,” remarked Baldelli, who had expressed frustration on Monday about his team’s inability to adapt when opponents focused on off-speed offerings. That’s changing something in a game. That is the only topic we are discussing.
Room for Trainers
DH/OF twins Although Trevor Larnach (turf toe) started in left field for the first time since May 8, he is still experiencing some soreness. “Putting him on the field and letting him play is really the only way to test it out,” Baldelli stated.
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