NC State captures needed series win over Miami
NC State secures vital series win over Miami, boosting NCAA hopes
The Minnesota Twins secured a crucial win against the Toronto Blue Jays after struggling recently, having lost 12 of their last 15 games. Kody Funderburk shared his thoughts on the team's much-needed victory.
Kody Funderburk Reacts to Minnesota Twins' Much-Needed Win Over Blue Jays
The Minnesota Twins needed a win badly.
They had dropped 12 of their last 15 heading into Sunday, sitting at 14-20 before the series finale against Toronto.
Then Joe Ryan left with right elbow soreness after recording one out in the first, and it felt like the afternoon was about to go off the rails.
It didn't. Minnesota held on for a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, with the bullpen carrying the entire game.
Kody Funderburk, who came in during the eighth and got a ground-out with two runners on, had a good way of putting it.
"Literally every single hand on deck goes in there, executes and keeps a really good team at bay. I think it was a really huge game for us," Funderburk said. "Just a positive with how things have been going lately."
Ryan got one out and was done.
That meant a full bullpen day against the defending American League champion Blue Jays, which is about as tough a draw as it gets.
Andrew Morris came in cold and threw 3.2 scoreless innings.
Taylor Rogers, Funderburk, and Justin Topa all pitched after that, and Topa ended it in the ninth with a double play after Toronto closed to within a run.
That performance means even more after what happened earlier in the series.
Before their win, the Minnesota Twins had a record of 14-20.
Joe Ryan left the game with right elbow soreness after recording one out in the first inning.
The Minnesota Twins had lost 12 of their last 15 games prior to their win against the Blue Jays.
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Toronto won the two previous games 7-3 and 11-4, and Minnesota's bullpen fell apart Saturday with an eight-run eighth inning.
Through April and into May, Funderburk has been one of the few arms Derek Shelton can trust out of a Twins bullpen that ranks near the bottom of baseball.
The 29-year-old lefty owns a 2.31 ERA across 14 appearances and 11.2 innings with a 1-1 record, three holds, and a save.
The walks are ugly, nine against eight strikeouts, but he has kept runs off the board.
That goes back to late last season.
Funderburk posted a 0.75 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 24 innings from August through September and turned into one of Minnesota's most reliable relievers.
He has also talked about a mechanical adjustment he worked on with Cole Sands and Michael Tonkin during a road trip that changed things for him.
The Twins moved to 15-20 with the win and still sit fourth in the AL Central.
Nobody is pretending this fixes the last three weeks, but getting a win with the bullpen having to carry the whole load against a good team at least gives the clubhouse something to feel decent about.