MIAMI _ Sergio Romo didn't want to consider the possibility of having to face the Marlins, his team as recently as Friday. He established relationships, did what he could to mentor the younger players and enjoyed his four months with them.
"I'd rather not think about it," he said before Tuesday's game. "I'm almost hoping they don't call my name, but I'm pretty sure the way baseball works, I'm going to get called in and called often. Go figure."
Yes, figure. The Twins needed Romo on Tuesday to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning. To Romo, the opponents on Tuesday were his brothers.
And 20 pitches later, yes that's on the high side, Romo was pounding his chest after stranding a runner on second. His Twins debut was a success. Moreover, his Twins debut was vital in their 2-1 win over the Marlins in the first game of a three-game series at Marlins Park.
After he got the Twins through the eighth, Taylor Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save.
Coupled with the Indians' 2-0 loss to Houston, the Twins moved to three games ahead of Cleveland in the American League central.
Romo was traded to the Twins on Saturday, flew from Miami to Chicago on Sunday to watch the Twins beat the White Sox, flew back to Miami with the team after the game and spent Monday packing things he'll take to the Twin Cities.
"What a ride," he said. "Quite the change, it's rather drastic, but here we are. I'm a Minnesota Twin now, although I don't see myself looking exactly like anybody else here. I'm going to Twin it up every day. We're going to see what it does for me. I just want to help out."
The average start in Major League Baseball is around 5 1/3 inning this season. The Twins are averaging 5 2/3 innings a start.
If you look at it that way, Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi was on the mark on Tuesday.
He got 17 outs.
The Twins certainly wouldn't mind of their starters can pitch into the sixth inning a little more frequently.
Miami, however managed just one run off Odorizzi, who was effective _ except for the times he wasn't. The Marlins fouled off a whopping 25 of Odorizzi's pitches, 19 of them coming off of that four-seamed fastball he likes to challenge hitters up in the strike zone with. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had to remove him with two outs in the sixth inning because he had thrown 103 pitches.
Odorizzi retired eight of the first nine batters he faced, with the sole hit a two-out double in the second to Curtis Granderson, who advance to third when Eddie Rosario missed picking up the ball for an error.
The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the third when Byron Buxton planted a Zac Gallen breaking ball into the seats in left for his 10th home run of the season. That gave the Twins 11 players with double-digit home runs.
The Twins made it 2-0 in the fourth when Miguel Sano smashed a 112.6 miles per hour line drive to the gap in left-center, scoring Eddie Rosario. It was Sano's first visit to Miami since the 2017 All-Star Game where he finished runner up in the Home Run Derby. So he's used to making solid contact in this building.
Odorizzi got the first two outs of the fourth and got two strikes on Starlin Castro before giving up a single. Odorizzi, on a 2-2 pitch to Granderson, gave up an RBI double as Miami pulled within 2-1.
But Odorizzi got out of the inning, pitched a 1-2-3 fifth and had two outs in the sixth when he walked Neil Walker bringing Baldelli out of the dugout. Tyler Duffey entered the game, struck out Castro to end the inning then pitched a scoreless seventh.
Then Romo, his high socks and filthy slider, entered the game.
