Jose Miranda hits early 3-run double to power Twins past Diamondbacks 8-3

PHOENIX (AP) — Jose Miranda hit an early three-run double, Simeon Woods Richardson pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Miranda hit the first of two doubles in the second inning off Ryne Nelson (5-6) and the Twins piled on from there.

Willi Castro hit a two-run homer, Trevor Lamach doubled twice and one of baseball’s best offenses banged out 14 hits, including eight for extra bases to bounce back from a 5-4 loss in the series opener.

“It was a really good offensive day,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Every segment of the lineup was productive, had hard hit balls. We really brought some of the ideas that we talked about before the game into the game and it came together nicely."

It was more than enough for Woods Richardson (3-1), who allowed three runs on four hits and struck out four with two walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two RBIs for Arizona, which had four hits.

“We couldn't seem to get out of the gate today in many different ways,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It happens in baseball. Their pitcher was mixing speeds, had a good changeup, some secondary stuff and good life on his fastball, kept us in check.”

Woods Richardson kept the Diamondbacks off balance until giving up Gurriel's run-scoring triple in the fourth inning and Christian Walker chased him with a one-out double off the centerfield wall in the sixth. Ketel Marte then scored on a wild pitch by Josh Staumont — his first pitch of the game — and Gurriel pulled Arizona within 8-3 with a sacrifice fly.

“When the hitters doing their job, it kind of gives you peace of mind and ease on your job and just go out there and go pitch,” Woods Richardson said.

Nelson was sharp his previous two starts, winning both while allowing three earned runs in 13 innings.

Miranda drove in that many with one swing in the second inning, hitting a ball to the wall in left-center to put the Twins up 3-0. Nelson gave up a sacrifice fly to Byron Buxton in the third inning, then consecutive run-scoring doubles to Lamach and Carlos Correa in the fourth that put the Twins up 6-0.

Nelson allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two hit batters.

“Nelly just never got into a rhythm,” Lovullo said. “They jumped on him early with those three runs, he was making mistakes and they were ready to hit. This is a team where you've got to be spot on in a lot of ways and today we weren't.”

UP NEXT

RHP David Festa, Minnesota's top pitching prospect, will pitch Thursday's series finale after RHP Chris Paddack went on the injured list with right arm fatigue. LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 5.71 ERA) pitches for Arizona.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton (25) scores a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a double hit by Jose Miranda in the first inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Minnesota Twins' Willi Castro falls to the ground after avoiding a wild pitch in the first inning during a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson throws against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Minnesota Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Minnesota Twins' Jose Miranda hits a three run double against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning during a baseball game, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Shortly after Iga Swiatek completed the most lopsided French Open final in 17 years, ceding a grand total of three games against an overmatched opponent to claim a third consecutive title in Paris, she was asked whether that represented a perfect performance.

Swiatek's mind immediately went to what little went wrong in Court Philippe Chatrier that afternoon.

“Obviously, I mean, I got broken at the beginning,” she said, “so it wasn’t maybe perfect.”

A few minutes later, Swiatek used the word “perfectionist” to describe herself, perhaps offering some insight as to how she is approaching Wimbledon, the grass-court major that begins Monday — and the only Grand Slam tournament where she hasn't been past the quarterfinals.

“Overall, tennis is different on grass,” said Swiatek, who was a junior champion at the All England Club in 2018. “I’ll just see and I’ll work hard to play better there.”

The 23-year-old from Poland has won four of the past five trophies on the red clay at Roland Garros, capped by a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Jasmine Paolini for the championship on June 8.

How does a player beat Swiatek on clay?

“It’s hard. You have to err very little. Match her intensity. Play deep shots. Try to be aggressive whenever there’s an easier ball," said Paolini, who is now ranked in the top 10 but hardly looked that caliber in the final. "But it’s not easy. It wasn’t for me, and it’s a challenge that is the most difficult thing in women’s tennis at the moment. How to do it? I don’t know.”

Swiatek also was the 2022 champion at the hard-court U.S. Open and made it to the Australian Open semifinals on that surface earlier that season. But she is just 9-4 on the grass of the All England Club, by far her worst winning percentage at a Slam.

For someone who talks a lot about wanting to get “better and better,” not to mention someone who wants to do things perfectly on and off the court, it would make sense if she wanted to improve at Wimbledon.

Specifically, that might entail using her serve and her volleys to accumulate more easy points on the slick surface.

As it is, there isn’t much time spent on grass during the grind of the season, and Swiatek pulled out of a tuneup event on that surface after the French Open. She thinks — hopes? — that “competing every year at Wimbledon and practicing these couple of weeks makes you progress” on grass, and noted that while she at one point considered a training block on it during the offseason, her coach put a stop to that.

During the victory against Paolini for the championship at Roland Garros, Swiatek won 5 of 11 points when she went to the net.

“You saw my one volley today that I was supposed get in — and it went out,” Swiatek said. “So this will, for sure, stay in my head.”

That focus on what went wrong in order to make things go right in the future is simply part of who she is, with or without a racket in her hand.

“When I do anything, I want to do it 100%. I think when you’re a perfectionist, you are a perfectionist everywhere ... and sometimes not being able to let it go,” Swiatek explained. “I’m working on it, and this is a tricky thing, because, for sure, it helps you to be better, but sometimes it can be huge baggage, as well. So it’s good to manage it properly.”

When a reporter followed up by asking for an example or two of ways in which Swiatek finds herself wanting to be perfect away from tennis, she smiled and replied: “We're not (in) therapy, so, sorry.”

Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Poland's Iga Swiatek plays a volley on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on July 1st, in London, Friday June 28, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Poland's Iga Swiatek plays a volley on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on July 1st, in London, Friday June 28, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)