Jacob deGrom’s Clean Third Couldn’t Survive the Fourth-Inning Walk

Ryan Kreidler’s fourth-inning walk looked harmless for about as long as it took Luke Keaschall to turn it into a double. Kreidler scored, and Minnesota’s lead grew from 6-2 to 7-2. Texas lost 10-2 to the Twins at Target Field on Friday night, and that fourth-inning walk showed how briefly Jacob deGrom’s recovery had lasted.

DeGrom had just completed a clean third. Ryan Jeffers flew out, Walker Jenkins struck out and Royce Lewis struck out behind him. Three batters, three outs, no runner. After Minnesota’s six-run second, it was the sort of orderly inning Texas needed to make the game competitive again.

The first inning had been clean, too: Keaschall flew out, Brooks Lee struck out and Kody Clemens grounded out. The problem was everything that happened between those two quiet frames, and what returned immediately afterward. DeGrom’s four innings contained two scoreless innings, but the other two accounted for all 8 of his runs.

The fourth began with Emmanuel Rodríguez lining out, so the situation still appeared manageable. Then Kreidler walked. Keaschall followed with a sharp double, scoring Kreidler and restoring Minnesota’s momentum. Lee popped out in foul territory for the second out, yet the inning remained alive. Clemens singled home Keaschall, Josh Bell walked, and DeGrom finally ended the frame by striking out Jeffers.

Minnesota had scored two runs on two hits and drawn two walks after the first out. The inning did not require another Minnesota barrage like the second. It required one free baserunner to make the next hard contact more damaging, then another walk to keep the door open. DeGrom finished four innings and 89 pitches, but the Rangers’ starter was done for the night.

The second had been much louder and much more destructive. Josh Bell opened it with a walk, followed by singles from Jeffers, Jenkins and Lewis. Lewis’s single tied the game at 2-2 and brought home two runs.

After Rodríguez struck out, Kreidler’s bunt single scored Jenkins. Keaschall then tripled home Kreidler and Lewis, making it 5-2. During Lee’s plate appearance, a deGrom wild pitch brought Keaschall home before Lee lined out.

That inning sent 10 Minnesota batters to the plate. The fourth was smaller, but it carried the same basic shape: a runner aboard, Keaschall doing damage, an out that failed to end the threat, and Clemens delivering the next hit. DeGrom’s 5 strikeouts show that he could still finish at-bats.

His 3 walks and 8 hits show how often Minnesota made him deal with another one.

Keaschall was the night’s central problem. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, double, 3 RBI and 3 runs. The fourth-inning double was his second extra-base hit, and he added singles in the sixth and eighth.

Clemens finished 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, including the fourth-inning single and a two-run homer in the sixth. Minnesota’s 11 hits came in several forms, which made the attack harder to contain than a lineup waiting for one mistake over the fence.

There is a fair counterpoint for Texas: Joe Ryan also faced immediate trouble. Brandon Nimmo doubled to begin the game, Josh Jung was hit by a pitch, and Corey Seager singled home Nimmo before Wyatt Langford’s groundout brought Jung across. Ryan also hit Nicky Lopez before the inning ended on Jake Burger’s force play.

Starting in the second, he retired 10 consecutive Rangers before Jansen’s fifth-inning single. He finished with 6 innings, 4 hits allowed, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts and 1 walk.

Texas never found a comparable stretch of control at the plate. The Rangers collected 6 hits, with Nimmo’s double their only extra-base hit, and reached five other times through 2 walks and 3 hit batters. Those opportunities produced no runs after the first inning, while Minnesota stranded only 4 runners compared with Texas’ 7.

Trevor Williams later supplied 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts and 1 hit allowed, limiting the damage once the margin had grown. That was useful relief, but it could not alter the shape of deGrom’s outing. The third inning gave Texas a clean interruption; the fourth showed how quickly Minnesota could restart the pressure with nothing more dramatic than a walk.

Sources

Official game data

Official game box score