Twins’ Emilio Pagán’s rough outing leads to grand slam, loss to Dodgers
Pagan #Pagan
LOS ANGELES — Kyle Farmer got his start at Dodger Stadium, so he knows what he’s talking about.
“When you play here, you can never count those guys out at any point in the game,” the Twins infielder warned during his homecoming. “Anything can happen. The crowd can get behind them, and then it’s loud and there’s a lot of anxiety out there.”
Emilio Pagán felt that anxiety on Wednesday, and by the time he was done, so did the Twins and their fans. Pagán walked the first hitter he faced in the seventh inning to load the bases, walked the next hitter to force in the tying run, then surrendered a 407-foot grand slam to straightaway center field, sending the Twins to a bitterly disappointing 7-3 loss to the Dodgers.
James Outman had the big hit off of Pagán, who had not blown a save or even allowed a home run this season. This one, however, prevented the Twins from winning a series in the National League’s second-oldest park for the first time in their history.
Minnesota had taken a 3-2 lead by using their usual strategy — Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo home runs — and an entirely new one. The Twins stole their sixth base in the three games here, the most in one series since Rocco Baldelli became manager, and nearly stole the game.
Willi Castro broke for third base in the seventh inning of a game that was tied 2-2, and though Dodger lefthander anticipated the play, he threw wildly past Max Muncy. Castro jumped up and scored the tie-breaking run, and the Twins’ dugout was alive with excitement.
It didn’t last long. José De León, a former Dodger making his Twins debut, struck out Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, but then allowed singles to Will Smith and Muncy. Baldelli turned to Pagán, who had allowed only two inherited runners to score in his 15 appearances this year. The righthander immediately made matters worse, walking Jason Hayward on six pitches to load the bases, then Miguel Vargas on five to score Smith, the last two pitches riding far inside.
Determined to throw a strike to Outman, Pagán left a knee-high fastball in the middle of the plate, and Outman drove it over the center field fence.
Sonny Gray lasted only four innings, needing 84 pitches to get through them. He allowed two runs and struck out four, but also walked three batters. Dodgers starter Dustin May pitched just one scoreless inning, departing with pain in his pitching elbow.
— Nick Gordon of the Twins suffered a fractured shin when he fouled a pitch off his leg. Gallo also left the game for a similar injury, but it was a just a contusion.
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