Right-hander Kenta Maeda showcased his pitching prowess by striking out eight batters and yielding just one hit in five stellar innings, propelling the Minnesota Twins to a convincing 7-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Maeda’s dazzling performance was highlighted by his mastery of the splitter, leading him to secure his third consecutive victory. He allowed only a double by Spencer Steer in the fourth inning while issuing just one walk.
The Twins (80-72) continued their pursuit of the American League Central title, with their magic number to clinch the division reduced to three. This progress was aided by the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals later on Tuesday.
Minnesota’s offensive contributions were equally impressive, with Willi Castro launching a two-run homer and Ryan Jeffers adding a solo shot to extend their lead.
Castro, who patrolled center field for the Twins, also displayed his defensive prowess by robbing Tyler Stephenson of a potential two-run homer in the seventh inning. The Reds (79-74) struggled to find their rhythm at the plate, finishing with just four hits and suffering their 10th shutout loss of the season. The Twins’ pitching staff, consisting of five different hurlers, combined for an impressive 14 strikeouts.
Cincinnati currently sits 1 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-72) and one game behind the Chicago Cubs (79-72) in the National League wild-card race. Arizona secured an 8-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, while the Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 14-1 win.
The Reds also find themselves just half a game behind the Miami Marlins (79-73), who occupy the third and final National League wild-card position. Miami secured a 4-3 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday.
Facing a shortage of starting pitchers, Cincinnati opted for a bullpen game, utilizing four different pitchers to navigate through the first 3 1/3 innings. The first of these four pitchers, Fernando Cruz (1-2), absorbed the loss despite delivering an impressive performance, striking out four batters and not conceding a hit in 1 2/3 innings.
Ben Lively, typically a starter but recently returning from the COVID-19 injured list, took over in the fourth inning and worked four frames. However, he faced adversity, surrendering five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four.
The Twins continued to build their lead, with Jeffers’ 11th homer of the season extending their advantage to 2-0 in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Minnesota added two more runs courtesy of RBI singles by Edouard Julien and Jorge Polanco. Castro’s eighth homer of the season in the seventh inning sealed the convincing 7-0 victory.
Key contributors for the Twins included Castro, Julien, and Matt Wallner, each tallying two hits among the team’s 11. The Reds attempted to avoid a shutout by registering two hits in the ninth inning, but their hopes were dashed when Stephenson grounded into a game-ending double play.
