On Monday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers upset the Minnesota Twins 9-8 with a bases-loaded walk from Chris Taylor and two home runs from Max Muncy.
Los Angeles won its third walk-off this season when Trayce Thompson walked on a full count with the bases loaded and two outs against Jorge López (1-1).
Despite the stakes, Thompson claimed he approached the at-bat like any other.
I won’t take a pitch right away. “If he throws a pitch right down the middle and I’m not aggressive, it’s hard to sleep,” Thompson said. “Take your two-strike approach and fight anything close. It’s not there.”
Will Smith also homered as the Dodgers led 6-3 after seven innings before three ties and three lead changes in the final five.
Trevor Larnach’s eighth-inning home run tied the game for Minnesota. Jorge Polanco had three hits, one solo. The AL Central-leading Twins lost 11 straight to the Dodgers despite three singles from Christian Vázquez.
Dodgers pitcher Phil Bickford (1-1) allowed one run in three innings to win. The right-hander walked the first three batters in the 10th, including Vázquez with the bases loaded. The right-hander retired nine of the last 11 batters, including four strikeouts.
“When I first went out there I didn’t have the pitches I wanted to make and found a spot to snap out of it and get in the moment. “I moved on,” Bickford said.
Bickford pitched 48 pitches for the first time in four major-league seasons.
“I think he realized he was the last man standing and it was his game. Bickford didn’t want out, manager Dave Roberts claimed.
Minnesota trailed 6-3 in the ninth when Larnach knotted it on a 2-2 fastball from Yency Almonte to right-center.
The Dodgers led 7-6 after David Peralta’s RBI in the eighth, but the Twins tied it in the ninth to force extra innings. Byron Buxton’s left-center gap double scored Correa after a leadoff walk.
Vázquez’s 10th-inning walk gave Minnesota its first lead, 8-7. J.D. Martinez’s one-out RBI hit ended it.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli criticized his team’s inability to extend their lead with no outs in the 10th.
“We were exactly where we want to be,” he remarked. “His strike-throwing was on the ropes. We need another run.”
Baldelli unhappy
Baldelli thought Peralta’s eighth-inning double was foul. It was unchallengeable.
“They were awarded a double on a ball that was not close to fair,” Baldelli remarked.
MUNCY RETURNS
After his fourth multi-homer game this season and 13th of his career, Muncy, who entered the game in a 2-for-28 slump after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning against Philadelphia on May 3, has 14 homers.
Dodgers third baseman had three hits and three RBIs.
I’ve been grinding for weeks. “Just getting a couple results felt good,” Muncy added.
Muncy hit a solo blast into the right-field stands off Twins starter Pablo López for the first time in nine games. After Smith’s two-run homer to center, the first-pitch drive followed.
On his second at-bat, Muncy smashed a two-run drive on a López changeup that just cleared the center field wall to make it 5-1 Dodgers.
For starters
Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard allowed two runs and four hits in four innings with five strikeouts.
On May 9, Syndergaard’s index finger cut expanded up, limiting him to one inning. Eight starts, 1-3, 5.94 ERA. December brought a $13 million contract.
TRAINING ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery) will throw a bullpen at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. He reached 89 mph during a 10-pitch bullpen in Arizona last week. Aug. 23 surgery for Buehler.
Up next
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (2-0, 1.85) is 1-0 in four interleague starts.
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.36 ERA) struck out 13 in seven innings against Minnesota on April 13, 2022.
