Bailey Ober allows 1 hit in 8 innings to lead the Tigers past the Twins 5-0
Bailey Ober delivered a masterful performance, allowing just one hit across eight scoreless innings as the Minnesota Twins secured a 5-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. This win not only clinched the weekend series but also gave the Twins the edge in the season series against Detroit.
Ober, who improved his record to 10-5, set a career-high with 11 strikeouts, marking his third double-digit strikeout game of the season. Remarkably, he achieved this despite feeling under the weather earlier in the day and being unsure if he could take the mound.
Offensively, the Twins were led by Willi Castro and Manuel Margot, each contributing three hits. Despite their 2-for-15 performance with runners in scoring position, the Twins managed to secure the win. They took two out of three games from the Tigers, finishing the season series at 7-6 in their favor.
Ober allowed a lone clean single to Matt Vierling in the fourth inning and issued two walks. He capped off his outing by striking out the side in the eighth inning. Against Detroit this season, Ober is now 3-0 with a remarkable 0.69 ERA in four starts.
Detroit, struggling with a depleted pitching staff, saw their bullpen work all nine innings for the third time in six games. Alex Faedo, the opener, surrendered one run in just over an inning of work.
The Twins took an early lead with Brook Lee’s sacrifice fly in the second inning, followed by Carlos Santana’s sac fly in the third to make it 2-0. Matt Wallner contributed an RBI double off Kenta Maeda in the seventh, pushing the lead to three runs, and the Twins added two more runs in the ninth. Maeda, who was removed from the rotation before the All-Star break, allowed one run on five hits over five innings.
Upcoming Games:
Twins: Head to New York to begin a three-game series with the Mets on Monday. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.27) is slated to start against LHP Jose Quintana (5-6, 4.02).
Tigers: Stay home to face the AL-leading Cleveland Guardians in a two-game series. RHP Jack Flaherty (7-5, 2.95), who has been mentioned in trade rumors, is scheduled to pitch against RHP Tanner Bibee (8-4, 3.50) on Monday.
(Photo courtesy of Twins/MLB)