Derek Shelton Praises Top Of The Minnesota Twins' Order After Series Win

After what was a concerning loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins bounced back to win the rubber match and secure the series win on Wednesday afternoon, marking their sixth consecutive series win at home.

What worked most for the Twins in their 7-5 victory was their ability to keep the line moving and keep their poise at the plate. A combined 14 hits played a part in a comeback victory for Minnesota, who once trailed by three runs early on in the game.

“I think we just kept the line moving the entire day,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton, per TwinsTV. “Yesterday it was something we were looking for, we weren’t able to do it. Really proud that in less than 12 hours that we came back out and did a nice job with our approach.”

Minnesota dropped the middle game of the series in part to a hole they fell into when Bailey Ober’s struggles continued and had the Twins offense chasing from behind throughout. Wednesday’s game looked to be more of the same, but this time their bats backed starter Zebby Matthews.

Matthews fought his way through five innings of work, allowing four runs in the process and struggling with command early on. Although he put Minnesota down early on, he did just enough to put the Twins in a position to win, as the team’s newest relief arms held it down towards the end.

“He battled with his command a little bit early, but every time that they scored we answered. Our bullpen did a good job at the end, we talked about why we acquired Minter and (Hoffman), and you see it.”

Down 4-1 in the bottom of the third inning, the Twins saw themselves take the lead with a four-run frame, as a barrage of six hits ignited the offense.

Royce Lewis set the tone with a leadoff double that inning. His two doubles on the day added to his hot stretch, in which he is hitting .429 with nine RBI over his last 10 games.

“He’s taking really good swings. We’ve talked about the aggressiveness, we’ve talked about even the balls he’s swinging at and fouling off,” Shelton said. “He’s right on and that’s really good to see, he’s been a real catalyst for us.”

Lewis, who hit in the two hole, was backed up by Josh Bell, who has also been on a heater of his own. In fact, it has come at the exact right time for the Twins, who now own a 60-62 record after beating a fellow Wild Card contender. 

Shelton praised Bell’s game-changing abilities at the plate for Minnesota after his three-hit game on Wednesday.

“It changes the whole dynamic of it,” Shelton said. “You’ll see ugly at bats, and you’ll see him go on heaters where, it’s like he’s sitting at the poker table and getting pocket aces the entire time. When he gets hot, it’s basically stay out of the way and let him hit.”

Minnesota will look to keep that dynamic going when they open up a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Field of Dreams on Thursday, followed by an off-day on Friday.