Outfielder Harrison Bader again impresses Twins teammates with his outfield defense
Harrison Bader made a diving catch in the seventh inning of the Twins’ 5-0 win over the Angels on Sunday.
Harrison Bader was subdued when he spoke to reporters about his seventh-inning catch Sunday, a diving grab in front of the center-field warning track to take away an extra-base hit from the Los Angeles Angels’ Taylor Ward.
“I just try to always make a good play, get to every ball you can that stays in the yard for the most part,” Bader said after the Twins’ 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. “Joe [Ryan] was doing a great job. Keeping that same energy on the other side, I’m just happy I made a catch for him.”
Everyone else was more than happy to talk about it for him.
Bader ranged to his right, his hat flying off when his body slammed onto the ground at the end of the catch. His teammates rewarded him with a standing ovation in the dugout.
“With the way our pitchers threw the ball today, when your defense comes up big like that, it’s tough for a team to handle that,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s pretty sweet when you give Byron Buxton the day off and you look up and the guy who goes out in center field plays center field like Harrison Bader.”
The Twins knew Bader’s defensive reputation when he signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract during the offseason. The 2021 Gold Glove Award winner has lived up to his billing — and it’s not only his catches making an impression.
“The way he can cut off on singles, too, prevent a runner from getting to second, he looks like an infielder out there,” Ryan said. “Like an All-Star shortstop in the outfield, so it’s pretty fun to watch.”
Correa heating up
Carlos Correa delivered three of the Twins’ five hits off Angels hard-throwing sinkerballer José Siriano on Sunday. He lined a double to left field in the first inning, pulled a single in a two-strike count to left in the third inning and reached on a hard-hit ground ball in the sixth.
“Soriano is tough,” Baldelli said. “He was really sharp. He has stuff that moves all over the place. It’s hard. It’s really difficult to get the ball up. Sometimes stuff that looks belt-high ends up in the dirt with this guy. Carlos, to have a day like that against a pitcher like that, who was dotting up on us most of the day, says a lot.”
During the weekend series against the Angels, Correa had six hits and three RBI in 11 at-bats.
“Everyone in this organization knew at some point he was going to click, and it was only a matter of time,” first baseman Ty France said. “He’s been grinding.”
• Right fielder Matt Wallner is dealing with a moderate left hamstring strain, team President Derek Falvey confirmed on the team’s flagship “Inside Twins” radio show. The severity of the injury could keep him sidelined for much of May. “You do need to make sure it heals in full and because it’s moderate, we’re looking at more of that longer-range timeline,” Falvey said.
• Royce Lewis hit two singles and recorded a sacrifice fly in the St. Paul Saints’ 5-3 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday at CHS Field, which notched manager Toby Gardenhire his 300th career victory with the team. Lewis, in his second game on a rehab assignment, played seven innings at third base. Saints righthander Zebby Matthews walked a career-high four while giving up two runs and two hits in 4⅔ innings.
• Twins communications staffer Mauricio Ortiz, who was the team’s Spanish interpreter for the past year and a half, worked his last game in the organization Sunday. Ortiz is joining the Washington Nationals’ media relations staff Tuesday.
