Nationals 7, Twins 2: Nats thrive in MN humidity

MLB: Washington Nationals at Minnesota Twins — Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

If you are an outdoor walker like me, there is a decent chance you have slapped a lot of gnats (and other various insects) this past hot-and-humid week. Today at Target Field, the Nats slapped back—taking the series from the Minnesota Twins.

It would statistically be impossible for Cole Sands to have started this bullpen-game off worse—giving up a massive home run to Washington Nationals leadoff batter C.J. Abrams. 1-0 WAS. How did the Twins respond? A four-pitch inning—featuring a double play from

Willi Castro—against Nats SP Jake Irvin.

Washington Nationals v. Minnesota Twins — One pitch—and 1-0

MIN got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd when Forest Lake-native Matt Wallner launched a hole-in-one onto the RF mini-golf concourse off Bloomington-native Irvin. 1-1 tie.

The Abrams Show continued in T3 however when CJ singled off Danny Coulombe, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, and scored on a Luis Garcia Jr sacrifice fly. 2-1 WAS.

A nifty piece of first-to-third baserunning from Harrison Bader on a ground ball out to shortstop in B3 allowed him to score on Trevor Larnach sac fly. 2-2 tie.

The see-saw continued in T4 when Daylen Lile lined a ball into the RCF gap off bulk-guy Travis Adams and motored around the base paths for a triple—quickly driven in by a Paul DeJong sac fly. 3-2 WAS.

Alas, the teeter-totter crashed down in favor of the East-Coasters in T5. I won’t go blow-by-blow because it’s hot as you-know-what and you’re probably doing something else by now anyway, but when the dust had settled it was 7-2 Nationals and the only thing “bulk” about Adams was the amount of total bases he had given up.

Other things happened in this baseball game, I’m sure (I will admit to being in-and-out of a sleepy stupor after an exhausting morning walk). But none of them budged the scoreboard.

Your Final: Washington Nationals 7, Minnesota Twins 2.

After all the positivity surrounding Byron Buxton’s All-Star appearance a week-and-a-half ago, the Twins have dropped the first three series (@ Colorado, @ LA Dodgers, vs. WAS) out of the break as their playoff chances have become as swampy as the MN air.

Up next: Three at home with the Boston Red Sox (M night, T night, W afternoon).

Studs

CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, & Billy Wagner (plus Dick Allen & Dave Parker) entering the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this afternoon!

2025 National Baseball Hall Of Fame Inductee Press Conference — Quite a trio!

Duds

Adams: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
The soul-sapping, all-encompassing humidity currently parked over Minnesota. Makes me miss 40 dew point Denver last weekend.

A look at high school cross country runners training in this summer’s high heat and humidity. The Blake cross country team met at Lake Harriet to head out on a training run, with an emphasis on captain Clare Flanagan. Flanagan drank at a water pump to sta — Please do a lot of this to stay alive

Comment of the Game

JustAnotherMinnesotan tells it like it is.

Nationals 7, Twins 2: Nats thrive in MN humidity

WHAT'S THE STORY?

Studs

Duds

Comment of the Game

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