*Photo from the Eagle Tribune*
Everyone in Minneapolis knew the rain was coming, so the Los Angeles Dodgers took matters into their hands. Gavin Lux drove in two runs, Will Smith drove in two runs of his own, and the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins with a 7-2 win on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Both teams were racing to at least make this game official, with the threat of thunderstorms in the twin cities, with the thunder and lightning getting increasingly closer as the game progressed. The Dodgers rattled off a big inning at the right time, seizing the lead right before a delay, and then finishing it off after the fact.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the weather that "I can only say so much because I was in the dugout with a heated vest on, but it was brutal. Cold, wet, wind swirling. Just to get out of it knowing you have a game in less than 12 hours, to come away with a win I think was a huge boost for us."
The scoring didn't start until the 5th inning, when the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on a Gavin Lux sac fly, scoring Cody Bellinger from 3rd base. In the bottom half of the inning, the Twins were able to tie the game 1-1, when Max Kepler scored on a fielders choice plus error, coming from the bat of Luis Arraez, with Trea Turner committing the error.
It remained a 1-1 game until the 8th, when the Dodgers pulled ahead for good. Trea and Justin Turner started it off, each hitting RBI singles to put Los Angeles ahead by a 3-1 score. Will Smith then rocketed a two run double to right center field, making it 5-1 Dodgers. One more run scored on a Twins error, and then Smith scored on a Lux RBI single to make it a 7-1 ballgame. Kepler singled in a run for the Twins in the bottom of the 8th, but by then, the damage was done.
Making his Dodgers debut after a forgettable 2021 was Andrew Heaney, who flashed looks of improvement already. Despite only going 4 1/3 innings, Heaney allowed 3 hits and one run, with no walks and 5 strikeouts. Garrett Cleavinger allowed one run, while scoreless appearances came from Brusdar Graterol, David Price, Evan Phillips, and Daniel Hudson, who got the win.
Roberts said of Heaney's stuff that "I thought today, that’s as much swing and miss as I recall him having with his breaking ball. That’s a very good hitting ballclub over there, so I think today, the proof’s in the pudding. I thought that he saw a lot of swing and miss."
Emilio Pagan got the loss for the Twins, allowing one run in one inning of work. Chris Archer went 4 innings and looked rejuvenated in his Twins debut, allowing just two hits while striking out 3. Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe, Joe Smith, Caleb Thielbar, Jhon Romero, and Jharel Cotton also pitched for the Twins.
Archer said of his Twins debut that "I haven't felt healthy in some time. I had a lot of friends and family here. The team has done a good job of helping me understand what makes me great. Wes has instilled the utmost confidence in me. And it was just a moment where I was just, like, really excited."
Up next, the Twins and Dodgers wrap up the quick two game series on Wednesday afternoon, with Chris Paddack taking the mound for his Twins debut, and Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers.
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