It was the kind of outing by Ervin Santana that showcased why the Twins have been hesitant to trade the 12-year veteran, as he recorded his second complete game of the year. But the Braves pitched out of several jams and did just enough offensively, led by a solo homer from Adonis Garcia, in a 2-0 win over Minnesota on Tuesday night at Target Field.
Braves right-hander Lucas Harrell, who like Santana has also found himself subject to trade rumors, limited the Twins to four hits and three walks over six scoreless frames to get his second win. Relievers Mauricio Cabrera, Hunter Cervenka, Chris Withrow and closer Jim Johnson combined to throw three scoreless innings to preserve Atlanta’s seventh shutout of the year.
Santana outlasted Harrell and only needed 97 pitches to throw his second complete game this month after throwing a shutout on July 6. But he gave up two runs on seven hits to take the hard-luck loss. Santana wasn’t helped by his offense, as the Twins went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.
Some of those teams that have inquired about acquiring Harrell before Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline may have gained more interest in the veteran right-hander, who had been in Triple-A until he was an emergency addition to the rotation in early July. His effort was aided in the third inning when Pierzynski caught Byron Buxton attempting to steal third base, ending a Twins rally that saw two runners on base with one out.
Santana was helped by a couple of solid defensive plays a in 1-2-3 fifth inning. Second baseman Brian Dozier moved to his right to make a nice stop and throw to rob Ender Inciarte of a hit. It was a nearly identical play to the one he made to take away a hit from Nick Markakis an inning earlier. Right fielder Max Kepler got in on the action with a diving catch in right to end the fifth.
Garcia seems to have regained that same unexpected power he produced last year, when he tallied 10 homers in 191 at-bats. His second-inning solo shot was his eighth homer of this season and seventh in a span of 139 at-bats dating back to June 10. .
Santana has been on a roll recently, and he kept it going against his former team. The right-hander has a 2.02 ERA over his last seven starts, lowering his season ERA from 5.10 to 3.78, but he is just 2-2 over that span because of a lack of run support. Twins interim general manager Rob Antony publicly stated again before the game that he believes Santana is the team’s best starting pitcher, and with two years remaining on his contract, plus a team option, he views the veteran right-hander as part of the franchise’s future.
Mike Foltynewicz will take the mound when Atlanta and Minnesota conclude this two-game series on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. cT. Foltynewicz has allowed runs in just two of the 21 innings he has completed over his past three starts. Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as we join the Atlanta Braves Radio Network at 6 PM for the pregame show.
