Woods Richardson twirls gem as Twins outpitch Mariners in 3-1 win

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins frequently use pinch-hitters and empty their bench, but they opted to keep Christian Vázquez in the batter's box with the bases loaded and the score tied in the seventh inning Monday.

There were four other righthanded hitters on the Twins' bench, including hot-hitting Ryan Jeffers and Jose Miranda, when the Seattle Mariners intentionally walked switch-hitter Carlos Santana to load the bases with one out. Vázquez, however, rewarded the faith with a go-ahead sacrifice fly to center field.

Manuel Margot, the next batter, delivered an RBI ground ball single up the middle and the Twins squeaked past Seattle for a 3-1 victory at Target Field in a pitcher's duel where the two teams combined for seven hits. The Twins, who had their 12-game winning streak snapped Sunday, have won 13 of their last 14 games.

The seventh-inning rally savored a special start from Simeon Woods Richardson, who struck out a career-high eight batters in six shutout innings. Woods Richardson earned a spot in the Twins rotation after a couple of strong starts this season, but he never looked like he did Monday.

He struck out his first four batters and reached a career high in strikeouts by the third inning. He no longer carries a reputation for huge strikeout totals, particularly in the last two years, but he overwhelmed the Mariners in his sixth career start.

Woods Richardson, one of the youngest starters in the majors at 23, allowed one hit and one walk in six innings. His eight strikeouts were his highest total in a start since he struck out eight Iowa Cubs in a Class AAA game on Aug. 27, 2022.

His best swing-and-miss pitch this season has been his slider. He didn't begin throwing it until the third inning, recording his first five strikeouts with fastballs. He worked on lowering his arm slot in the offseason to gain a little more velocity, and it paid off.

Griffin Jax replaced Woods Richardson with a one-run lead in the seventh inning, and he immediately pitched himself into a bases-loaded jam after yielding two singles and a seven-pitch walk. It resulted in only one run during a 31-pitch inning. Mitch Garver drove in Jorge Polanco with a sacrifice fly to center, but Jax struck out two with the bases loaded.

The Twins didn't have a baserunner against Mariners ace Luis Castillo until Max Kepler reached on a two-base error to begin the fifth inning, a ground ball that bounced past first baseman Ty France along the first-base line. Carlos Correa, the next batter, hammered a belt-high 96-mph fastball off the center field wall for an RBI double.

One hit, one unearned run and the Twins knew it wouldn't be any easier to create offense.

Seattle's pitchers entered Monday with a 1.74 ERA over their last 22 games. After completing a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said seven straight games of "some of the best pitching you're going to see all year long."

The Twins started their seventh-inning rally when Kepler drew a five-pitch walk and Correa followed with a double to left field. After an out at the plate — Kepler was caught in a rundown when Willi Castro grounded to the first baseman — the bottom two hitters in the Twins lineup delivered key runs.

Castillo did everything he could to match Woods Richardson. He threw a first-pitch strike to his first 13 batters. He permitted two hits, both to Correa, and three walks in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts.

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