Twins reinstate Farmer, demote Miranda to Triple-A - MLB

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins returned infielder Kyle Farmer from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the injured list four weeks after he was hit by a pitch in the face and needed oral surgery.

Third baseman Jose Miranda was sent to Triple-A St. Paul to make room for Farmer before Minnesota’s game against the San Diego Padres.

Farmer missed 24 games while recovering physically and mentally from the errant 92 mph fastball thrown by Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito that caused a laceration around his lower lip and knocked four teeth out of alignment. The 32-year-old Farmer, who is in his first season with the Twins, went 4 for 13 with two doubles and a home run in four games of his rehab assignment with St. Paul.

“I would say there are both physical and mental hurdles that he’s had to clear to get to this point already, and that he’ll still clear,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “And I think he’s in a good place to do all of that. I think he looks good, feels good. Nothing that we saw on the field, from anyone that watched him, no one said there was any tentative movements or anything they saw that was worth noting.”

Farmer played shortstop and second base before his injury, but the demotion of Miranda likely means he will fill in some at third base as well. The Twins also have Donovan Solano and Willi Castro on their bench to play the hot corner.

Miranda had a strong rookie year in 2022 with 25 doubles, 15 home runs and 66 RBIs with a .268 batting average in 125 games while playing primarily at first base. This season, the 24-year-old from Puerto Rico is hitting just .220 in 35 games with a .593 OPS. He is 3 for 25 with no walks in seven games in May.

“Certainly not the easiest of decisions,” Baldelli said of Miranda. “But Jose, right now, I think is in a place where he could use a good resetting, both offensively and defensively, to find the best version of himself. We’ve seen this guy really good before. We know what he’s capable of.”

WASHINGTON (AP) Lane Thomas singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals sent the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight loss, winning 8-7 after blowing a six-run lead.

The defending NL champion Phillies have just five victories in their last 18 games and are tied with the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East at 25-32.

“We’ve got to overcome it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to play better, get consistent in all phases and keep moving forward.”

Alex Call drew a two-out walk against Connor Brogdon (2-1) in the eighth, stole second on a low pitch that catcher JT Realmuto couldn’t make a throw on and scored on Thomas’ single to right center.

“The way Lane’s swinging the bat, if you can get on second base, we can win the game,” Call said. “I look over and the ball’s in the dirt, he doesn’t catch it. Now I’m saying: ‘All right, Lane. Come on!’”

Kyle Finnegan (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory, stranding the tying run on second in the ninth.

Nick Castellanos homered twice, singled, doubled and drove in five runs for Philadelphia, which had scored just three runs in its past three games.

“There’s definitely a lot of positives as a group,” Castellanos said. “Showing some fight. It would have been really, really easy to lay down and allow the way the game started to be the way that it finished.”

Down 7-1 after four innings, Philadelphia tied it at 7 in the eighth. Brandon Marsh worked a nine-pitch walk against Mason Thompson leading off, and Drew Ellis singled with one out. Finnegan came on to face Kyle Schwarber, who hit a ground ball up the middle. Shortstop CJ Abrams fielded it behind it behind second base, touched second for one out, but threw wildly to first and Marsh came home with the tying run.

Castellanos’s second homer, a two-run shot to center in the sixth, pulled the Phillies to 7-3 and Marsh added an RBI single in the inning.

In the seventh, Schwarber doubled with one out and Bryson Scott reached on an infield single. Hunter Harvey came on and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases. Castellanos singled to center scoring two runs to make it 7-6.

Luis Garcia homered and Jeimer Candelario doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who have won seven of 12.

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler, coming off eight shutout innings against Atlanta, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“This one’s on me really,” Wheeler said. “Guys battled back. Just couldn’t finish it out. We know who we have in this room and what we’ve got to do.”

Josiah Gray gave up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Washington.

Candelario doubled just beyond the reach of left fielder Schwarber to drive in the first of Washington’s two runs in the first.

In the second, Abrams hit a one-out drive to deep center that Marsh misplayed into a double. With two outs and two on, Candelario doubled off the wall in right center to make it 5-0.

Garcia ended Wheeler’s night with a solo homer in the fourth.

“When you come out the way we did, you’ve got to tack on,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but we got one more than the other guys.”

CANDY MAN

Candelario is 9 for 26 (.346) with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, five walks, and seven runs scored in his last seven games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Thomson said RHP Taijuan Walker played catch Friday and there are “no worries about his next start.” In a four-inning outing against the Mets on Thursday, Walker’s sinker velocity averaged 90.6 mph, down from 92.7 mph for the season. His fastball, splitter and curveball velocity also dropped.

Nationals: OF Victor Robles (back spasms) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the injured list. … LHP Sean Doolittle (elbow) gave up a run on two hits and struck out two batters in 2/3 of an inning working his second straight night for Class A Fredericksburg.

UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20) will start a bullpen game on Saturday.

Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his previous outing – a no decision against the Royals.

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