Fansided
Puckett's Pond

Minnesota Twins postgame report: Twins complete sweep over Texas Rangers

By Chris Schad

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates a run with Luis Arraez #2 in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 18, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates a run with Luis Arraez #2 in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 18, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 07: Starting pitcher Lance Lynn #35 of the Texas Rangers reacts as he walks off the field after the third inning of game two of a double header against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 07: Starting pitcher Lance Lynn #35 of the Texas Rangers reacts as he walks off the field after the third inning of game two of a double header against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The Twins’ gameplan at the plate was brilliant

The Twins came into this game with a little history on the Rangers’ starting pitcher as Lance Lynn took the ball looking to stop the Twins hot offense. During his 2018 season with the Twins, Lynn was known as a nibbler and liked to take his time making the offense adapt to him.

On a day where the heat index soared toward 120 degrees, that was tough to do, but the Twins did this perfectly by simply waiting for Lynn to adapt to them. This worked well in the first inning when Marwin Gonzalez lined a double to drive in Kepler and Polanco to give the Twins an early 2-0 lead.

The Twins wouldn’t take advantage of all of their opportunities against Lynn, but with a sacrifice fly from Eddie Rosario, the Twins took a 3-0 lead and exhausted Lynn early. With his pitch count hitting the century mark in the fifth inning, it was an early departure for Lynn, who threw just five innings allowing three runs on four hits and five walks to go with three strikeouts.

The gameplan against Lynn helped set the stage for a great start by the Twins, who would enjoy the benefits of a 3-0 lead throughout the early stages of the game.

Home/Minnesota Twins News