Joe Ryan found himself in deep trouble on the mound Monday night, but the Minnesota Twins’ right-hander delivered a dramatic escape that set the tone for a much-needed 10-4 victory over the Athletics. The real headline, however, belonged to Byron Buxton, who powered the Twins’ offense with a career-high-tying five RBIs in just his third game back from a concussion.
Ryan started strong but ran into turbulence after the Twins built a six-run lead. He allowed four runs between the third and fourth innings, then loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth. Facing a 3-0 count against C.J. Alexander, Ryan regrouped with two crucial popouts and a groundout, escaping the jam without surrendering a run Manager Rocco Baldelli called it “one of the most impressive sequences of pitching you’ll witness,” highlighting Ryan’s resilience under pressure.
On the offensive side, Buxton wasted no time making his presence felt after missing two weeks on the injured list. He doubled in two runs in the second inning, singled home two more in the sixth, and capped his night with a sacrifice fly in the ninth Four of his five RBIs came with two outs, demonstrating his knack for clutch hitting since his return In three games back, Buxton has already tallied six hits and eight RBIs.
The Twins’ bats came alive, with Ty France and Brooks Lee also driving in multiple runs. Minnesota finished 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position and scored seven of their ten runs with two outs, a welcome sign for a team that has struggled in key moments this season.
With this win, the Twins improved to 32-27 and maintained their perfect record against California teams this year Joe Ryan’s ability to work out of trouble and Byron Buxton’s offensive explosion have given Minnesota a spark as they look to build momentum in the series.
