Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 10.11.23

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Oct 11

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Good to see regular season NHL back on my TV.

Dolla Bill Kirill will wear an “A” for the Wild this season. Best player who’s also the hardest worker? Good by me. opA!!!!

Twins on the Brink, Host Astros in Game 4 Today

If I’d told you in June that a Twins elimination game relied on Joe Ryan, you’d have booked a trip to Houston for Game 5. But the last three months of Joe Ryan? Game 4 is an iffy proposition.

The Twins offense was a no show for the third time in five post-season games, and their second best pitcher Sonny Gray gave up four runs in the twilight before many Twins’ fans had even gotten their tickets scanned. It all resulted in a 9-1 taken-to-the-woodshed, home loss in front of 42,000 fans.

And so there’s tonight’s 6:07 p.m. Game 4 - gametime originally was in the afternoon, but the Rangers’ sweep moved Ryan vs. Jose Urquidy into primetime.

Game 3 was ugly from the very start. The national broadcast would like us to have thought - and we did - the shadows creeping through the infield was supposed to help Gray, the Twins’ second best pitcher all season who had just eight wins because of the paltry offense that reared its ugly head again. Instead, Gray gave up four runs in the first, including a mammoth homer by Yordan Alvarez. The free swinging lefty also had two doubles.

While the Twins scored just once, they had so many opportunities while the game was still in reach. Cristian Javier struck out Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa with two men on in the first. Two men on and no out in the third, Javier got the next three outs including Lewis on a flyout.

Through five innings, the Twins had just one hit but had walked five times and had gone 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. For the game, they wound up 1-for-9. Lewis and Correa combined to leave five runners in scoring position. With a run home and the Twins threatening in the sixth albeit down 6-1, Ryan Jeffers (in the lineup for his offense but hitting .125 this series), hit the ball hard but grounded into a double play. The Astros had six extra base hits - the Astros had four hits combined.

Alex Kirilloff made a costly error in the first - tough error to give him, but a lazy play stabbing at a lined grounder instead of diving in front of it - but he’s been non competitive offensively. Same for Matt Wallner.

What will we get from Ryan, who was skipped over for a Game 1 start and hasn’t thrown a pitch in the post-season? He was 5-0 in April with a 2.81 ERA. Even better at 2.73 in May. But his July - 6.39; August - injured and 8.00; September - 5.28. He’s allowed 26 home runs in 18 games since May 1. But the Twins’ two best bullpen pitchers - Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran - are well rested. I’d have to imagine we’d see North St. Paul’s Louie Varland too. If the Twins can get Ryan into the fifth in a tie game, it’d be a win for them.

Win Game 4, and head to Houston for a Friday night gunslinger showdown between Pablo Lopez and Justin Verlander. Some were a little surprised Verlander didn’t get the Game 4 start on short rest. You’ve got to wonder if it’s a tight game late, if Dusty Baker would go to him for an inning.

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