Given the Twins’ batting performance of late, the pitching will have to be nearly perfect if the Twins are going to win games. Bailey Ober did his best but faltered in the end when the Reds finally took the lead in the 7th inning. But let’s back up a bit.

Ober was as good as ever this season, allowing just a solo home run by TJ Friedl in the 2nd inning and a total of four baserunners in six innings. After just 69 pitches, Rocco sent his starter out for the 7th inning, where things quickly fell apart. Former Twins prospect Spencer Steer started the inning with a triple and Friedl followed with a beautiful bunt to score the runner and get himself safely to first base. Ty France followed with a run-scoring double and after four pitches in the inning, the Reds took a 3-1 lead.

Ober then walked the next batter, struck out two more, and was then tagged out for Jorge Alcala, who tried to end the inning without further damage. Unfortunately, damage is Alcala’s middle name these days. Alcala walked Jonathan India after five pitches to load the bases, none of which landed anywhere near the strike zone. On the very next pitch, Alcala threw a middle-middle slider to the only batter in that lineup who wasn’t going to miss. Elly De La Cruz’s grand slam completely blew the game open, and the Twins had no chance from there on out.

Offensively, the Twins’ hitters were stunned by Cincinnati’s rookie starter, unknown rookie Julian Aguiar. They managed to reach base just five times against Aguiar, which isn’t good when you’re going up against a rookie whose WHIP was nearly 1,500 before this start. The only bright spot came courtesy of Byron Buxton, who hit a home run in his second at-bat in his first game back from the injured list.

The Twins finally caught up in the 7th inning, but were already down by six runs at that point in the game. An RBI single by Willi Castro and a two-run bloop by Brooks Lee tied the score at 7-4, but that would be the last baserunner the Twins had all game. With some life in the crowd, Michael Tonkin paid tribute to his original teams, the Twins of the mid-2010s, by immediately dashing any hope and allowing a run himself.

Bolt

• Byron Buxton: 1-4, home run, 1 RBI, 2 R

Unexploded bombs

• Jorge Alcala: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER (4 came in, 2 were counted as Ober), Meatball Slider to CIN’s 1 good hitter
• Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis: 0-12, 4 K, nothing on the scoreboard while hitting 1-2-3

RESULTS CLOCK

• Rays 3, Guardian 1 (F)
• Royal 8, Pirates 3 (F)

• Washington 5, Red Sox 4 (F)

• tiger 1, Orioles 0 (F)
• Rangers 2, Sailors 0 (B4)

RANKINGS

AL Central

• Guardians: 84-64
• Royals: 81-67 (3GB)
• Gemini: 78-69 (5.5 GB)
• Tiger: 76-72 (8GB)

3. AL Wildcard

• Gemini: 78-69
• Tiger: 76-72 (2.5 GB)
• Mariners: 74-73 (4 GB, depending on tonight’s game)
• Red Sox: 74-74 (4.5GB)

The Tigers were one out away from no-hitting the Orioles, meaning they are now 2.5 runs behind the Twins. Friendly reminder: The Twins have tiebreakers over the Tigers and Mariners, meaning they need to outscore the Twins, not just tie them. The Red Sox, who are almost absent from my playoff updates, have tiebreakers pending due to the final series against Minnesota next week, but the Twins will win that game too if they can win at least one of those three games.