MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins said goodbye to a productive and winning August with a tense 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Target Field.
The Twins arrived at Target Field Tuesday 8-3 in their last 11 games there and winners of four consecutive series, all against first- or second-place teams.
They also finished August (15-12 or 14-13), their first winning record in a month all season
Meanwhile, the Cubs finished the month (7-20 or 6-20) after they sold big at the trade deadline with a team that was 11 games over .500 in June and now is nearly 20 games under it.
The Twins went 9-15 in April, 13-16 in May, 11-14 in June and 11-16 in July.
"We're just looking to continue to build on the way we've been playing," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "The energy we've been playing with, the way we've pitched for a good amount of August. There's a lot that goes into having a good, winning month against a lot of good clubs. We could probably talk all day."The energy, the way we've been preparing it just what we want to carry on."
Designated hitter Frank Schwindel's first-pitch, one-out home run in the first inning gave the Cubs an early 1-0 lead.The Twins quickly tied it in the first's bottom half, after second baseman Luis Arraez doubled to lead the inning off and Byron Buxton's single drove him in and tied the score 1-1.
Cubs second baseman Matt Duffy singled to start the second inning and Twins starting pitcher John Gant's wild pitch advanced Duffy to second before shortstop Robinson Chirinos ' triple with a strange carom off the outfield wall drove him in.That was the last run scored until the Cubs loaded the bases in the seventh with none out and didn't score after Twins reliever Tyler Duffey enterered for Juan Minaya and struck out the side after the Cubs tried unsuccessfully to bunt in extra runs.
In between, Gant retired 10 consecutive batters before he left after five innings and Cubs starter Zach Davies retired nine consecutive batters before he left one out into the fifth inning.The Cubs turned double plays in consecutive innings – the 5th and 6th – to preserve that one-run lead.
Gant left after he allowed two runs, three hits, struck out five, walked none, allowed the one homer and had the wild pitch before Minaya came on in relief.He did so from a bullpen that had thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings in the last four games. In that time, Twins relievers allowed 11 hits, two walks, 16 strikeouts and had a .200 opponent batting average.
As the Milwaukee Brewers did over last weekend at Target Field, the Cubs brought their own fan club with the despite their team's trade-deadline fire sale and a 57-75 record they brought to town Tuesday night.Some gathered outside the stadium gates three hours before first pitcher – or earlier. More than one wore a vintage Ron Santo jersey on a night that drew an announced audience of 22, 224, many of them Cub fans.
Their team hadn't played at Target Field in 2,263 days, or six years year, two months and 10 days since a three-game series ended there on June 21, 2015.Before that, the Cubs had visited the Metrodome in 1998, 2000 and 2006 and 2012 at Target Field.
Twins right fielder Max Kepler reached base for the 14th time in 15 games with a broken-bat infield single that Cubs pitcher Zach Davies couldn't field in time to start the Twins' second inning.He reached third base after Miguel Sano singled right behind him and the Twins had runners on first and third with no one, but couldn't get either Kepler or Sano in after left fielder Brent Rooker and catcher Ben Rortvedt each struck out and Andrelton Simmons flew out to center field.
By then, the Twins trailed 2-1, a deficit that would have been 3-1 had a video review not reversed the first-base umpire's call.
Cubs catcher Andrew Romine had been ruled safe with a runner on third and headed home.Gant fielded Romine's come-back grounder to him, but his flip toward first base bounced short of Sano, who bobbled the ball.
Umpire Bruce Dreckman ruled Sano didn't possess the ball, but a review determined Sano had grabbed the ball with his bare hand while standing on the base before Romine crossed over the first-base bag.
.jpg?w=600)
