Twins' back-to-back walk-offs represent 'big strides' taken in 2nd half

MINNEAPOLIS -- How’s that for resilience?

For a second day in a row, the Twins had their backs to the wall in the ninth inning, and for the second day in a row, they walked it off in extra innings. On Monday, it was Carlos Correa’s turn to take the spotlight with a walk-off single in the 10th inning that snatched back a 4-3 Twins victory, even after they had given away the lead with one out to go in the ninth.

In Sunday’s 12th inning, Ryan Jeffers had been the hero in walking off the White Sox -- and with Correa’s second walk-off knock of the season, the Twins walked off in extra innings in consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 13-14, 2017.

“We’ve faced some good pitchers,” Correa said. “Yesterday, [Kendall] Graveman and today, [Andres] Muñoz. To be able to come back against them says a lot about this lineup and the big strides that we’re making in the second half. I think we’ve been playing really good baseball ever since the break.”

He’s right about that: The Twins’ 9-2 record since the All-Star break is best in the Majors, and their 54-48 overall record matches their high-water mark for the season at six games above .500. The Twins’ four-game lead in the American League Central also ties their season high.

And they’ve had to fight hard for those wins, with contributions from all over the roster.

A day after erasing a 3-0 deficit in the ninth inning against the White Sox, the Twins led, 2-1, with two outs in the top of the ninth inning before Griffin Jax allowed a pinch-hit single to Cal Raleigh and a pinch-hit, go-ahead, two-run homer to Kolten Wong that stunned the crowd of 22,969 at Target Field.

But facing the hard-throwing Muñoz in the bottom of the ninth, reigning AL Player of the Week winner Alex Kirilloff roped a double off the glove of left fielder Taylor Trammell before Max Kepler knocked his third hit of the night, a game-tying double to right. The normally stoic Kepler jumped to his feet, yelled and pumped his fist after capping his first three-hit game since April 24.

“I like seeing that from Kep, because I know it’s in there and we’ve seen it before from him,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s having fun. He’s just out there having a good time. And he’s a big reason why we’re playing well right now. He’s been a guy that’s picked this team up in a big way.”

The Twins opened the 10th inning with successful bunts from both Christian Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers -- one a sacrifice, one an attempted squeeze that became a single -- before Correa, the Majors’ leader in double-play grounders, simplified with two strikes and elevated the ball to right field, ending the game.

“Just trying to be short,” Correa said. “Just trying to put the ball in play, but not on the ground. I’ve hit for too many double plays already, so the last thing I wanted is to put the ball on the ground, and it worked out fine.”

And as the likes of Correa and Kepler try to distance themselves even further from a challenging first half, resilience is all around them.

Kenta Maeda, who initially struggled and re-injured himself in his return from Tommy John, allowed one run as he pitched into the seventh, outdueling Seattle ace Luis Castillo for the second time in a week to lower his ERA to 2.48 in six starts since his return from the IL.

Jordan Balazovic, the rookie whose season started with a jaw broken in an altercation, pitched a high-leverage eighth inning, the biggest situation of his career. Jorge López, who spent two weeks on the IL due to his mental health and has struggled all season with his consistency, buckled down for a flawless 10th inning to earn his fourth victory.

Reinforcements should soon be on the way by next Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, which could bring relief to an increasingly taxed bullpen and perhaps another big bat to an awakening lineup. The eventual returns of Jorge Polanco, Caleb Thielbar, Brock Stewart and Royce Lewis from injuries should bring boosts, too.

But for now, they’re still finding a way -- and things are coming together, all around the roster.

“Tough win,” Baldelli said. “It was a good win. It was gritty.”

They’ve had a lot of those of late.