The Twins Blew A Two-Run Lead In The 10th On Back-To-Back Two Out Infield Errors

After a hot start, the Minnesota Twins are really struggling, falling to 6-11 on the season on Wednesday with a brutal loss to the Athletics in Oakland. The Twins led by one, 10-9, going into the ninth inning, but gave up the game-tying run to force extras. In the 10th inning, the Twins leaned on Byron Buxton, who has been the bright spot for them all year as he is absolutely raking, to put them back in front as he hit a towering two-run home run (thanks to the new start extra innings with a runner on second rule) to left-center.

In the bottom of the 10th, holding a 12-10 lead, things got dicey as the A’s had loaded the bases with two outs. Minnesota got exactly what they needed with a soft grounder to second, but Travis Blankenhorn, who had come in to pinch run and stayed in the game to play second, couldn’t handle the grounder, allowing a run to score and the bases to stay loaded. No matter, the Twins still just needed one out. Once again, Alex Colomé got the A’s to roll over one, this time to third base where Luis Arráez had moved from second when Blankenhorn stayed in the game for Josh Donaldson. Arráez’s throw, well, arose all the way across the field and sailed well over the head of Willians Astudillo to allow two runs to score to hand the A’s a win.

It is, truly, one of the worst fielding sequences you will see from a Major League team, and that it happened with both guys involved in a little baserunning/defense ploy from the manager makes it even more painful. It’s a miserable way to lose a game and finish off getting swept in a series.

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