PHOENIX — For the second night in a row, the eighth hitter in the Minnesota Twins lineup produced a three-spot.
But whereas the Twins were unsuccessful a night earlier, Jose Miranda’s knock Wednesday night helped pave the way for an easy victory. Miranda’s bases-clearing double in the second inning provided the Twins with an early lead and they kept on adding, rolling past the host Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 in front of 16,396 at Chase Field.
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Miranda went 3-for-4 with a walk, Trevor Larnach doubled twice and drove in one, Willi Castro doubled and homered, and Carlos Correa reached base four times, finishing with three hits and an RBI in support of Simeon Woods Richardson, who recorded the victory with 5 1/3 solid innings pitched.
The Twins, who finished with 14 hits, improved to 44-36.
“It’s a deep lineup no matter which way we configure it, no matter who has the day off,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re always going to have some good players that are not out there in the starting lineup right now, which is great. It’s not a problem. It’s really a great thing that you’re hoping for.”
The Twins offense has simply been outstanding in June.
With four games remaining in the month, the Twins are averaging 5.43 runs per game, fourth in the majors for June and a full run per game better than what they averaged in their first 57 contests between March and May. Overall, the team is slashing .284/.350/.482, its .832 OPS ranking third among all 30 teams.
There’s little question the return of Royce Lewis is the catalyst behind the team’s offensive surge. But Lewis isn’t the only one hitting.
Ten hitters in the Twins lineup have an OPS of .780 or better in June and nine are .800 or better. Entering Wednesday, the league OPS was .722 in June.
Miranda has been a focal point despite losing everyday playing time to Lewis, who returned June 4. Miranda is having his best month, batting .329/.395/.589 with three homers and 16 RBIs, which is second only to Correa’s 18.
“(Miranda has) been a great hitter from the minor leagues to the big leagues,” Castro said. “Obviously, last year wasn’t his best year with his injuries and stuff, but he’s always been that guy. He’s always been that guy, a really good player, a really good third baseman. We’ve just got to keep it running.”
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A night after the hard hits seemed to find every glove in a one-run loss, the Twins were off and running early Wednesday.
Leading off the second, Correa and Carlos Santana, who went 3-for-5, singled and Arizona pitcher Ryne Nelson hit Byron Buxton to load the bases. Miranda then ripped a 2-1 cut-fastball to deep left to drive in all three.
Miranda clears the bases ‼#MLB pic.twitter.com/ZfkRu65twL
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 27, 2024
Buxton’s sacrifice fly in the third inning extended the lead to four, while RBI doubles by Larnach and Correa made it 6-0 in the fourth.
Castro homered in the fifth to give the Twins a seven-run lead.
“It feels awesome to see everyone have good at-bats, hitting the ball hard,” Miranda said. “It’s awesome to be part of this team, and when we go, we go. … If you see one through nine and even the guys on the bench, I feel like we have a really, really good team.”
Woods Richardson put forth another good effort despite not having his command early. Baldelli appreciated how the rookie worked out of trouble in the first inning with the help of catcher Christian Vázquez, who threw out Joc Pederson on the back end of a double-steal attempt.
Woods Richardson also did a good job limiting the damage in the fourth inning after a hit batter and a one-out RBI triple got Arizona on the board. The right-hander got Jake McCarthy to hit a soft liner to second base and struck out Eugenio Suárez to strand Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on third base.
David Festa to debut Thursday
Twins top pitching prospect David Festa will make his major-league debut Thursday afternoon at Chase Field, Baldelli said.
A 13th-round draft choice in 2021, Festa is rated the No. 100 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. Nicknamed the “Slim Reap,” Festa is 3-2 with 87 strikeouts and a 3.77 ERA in 59 2/3 innings at Triple-A St. Paul this season.
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Festa is taking the place in the starting rotation of Chris Paddack, who went on the injured list Tuesday with right shoulder fatigue.
“When I saw him, it was guaranteed 10 punchouts,” Twins outfielder Austin Martin said. “Haven’t really been able to be around him too much, but from the outings I’ve seen, he’s got the stuff. Every time he goes out he competes, he takes everything very serious. He’s very meticulous with his work. He’s got a good pitcher’s mentality when he’s on the mound. You can kind of feel his presence. He’s a good guy to play behind, as well, because he’s got good tempo, good pace, he attacks the zone.”
Injury updates
Brock Stewart still isn’t in the clear, but he’s on the mend. On the IL with right shoulder tendinitis retroactive to May 2, Stewart threw a bullpen session Wednesday, his second of the week.
Athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said Stewart is scheduled for another bullpen session Saturday and the team would re-evaluate him when it returns home Tuesday. Paparesta said the next step for Stewart, who has an 0.68 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings, could be an additional bullpen or a simulated game.
“He goes full out and he’s bouncing back well,” Paparesta said. “I think those are good signs.”
Fellow reliever Justin Topa is slated to throw a bullpen session next week, too. On the IL since Opening Day with patellar tendinitis in his left knee, this will be Topa’s first time on the mound since he had a stem cell injection in mid-May. Paparesta said the plan would be to see how Topa responds to the session with an intention to re-evaluate the righty around the time the team returns from the All-Star break.
(Photo of Jose Miranda’s three-run double against the Diamondbacks: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)