Jhoan

Duran

Duran has three wins and seven saves in May after finishing April with no wins and two saves. His ERA is sitting at 1.07.

Duran loaded the bases with a single, a HBP and a walk before getting Drew Waters to ground out to end the inning. Duran then got the win after the Twins scored in the bottom of the ninth. Duran has three wins in his last five appearances, though one of those came after he blew a save.

The Twins were hoping Joe Ryan could finish the game against the Guardians after picking up when play resumed in the fourth, but he gave up a double and a walk to open the ninth. Duran took over in the 5-2 game and an allowed an RBI single and a two-run double before preserving the tie. The Twins then won the game in the bottom of the ninth. It’s the first blown save in nine chances for Duran this season. Since he ended up throwing 23 pitches, he shouldn’t be available for the regularly scheduled game. Griffin Jax might wind up with a save chance then.

Duran struck out one, and that punchout with no walks improved his K/BB ratio to 25/9 over 21 1/3 innings. It also gave him his eighth save and lowered his ERA to 0.89 over that timeframe. All those numbers are good. That’s pretty obvious, but it’s worth reporting. Jhoan Duran is good.

After missing out on a save chance Friday, Duran was available tonight to record his third save in four days. He and Griffin Jax will likely be back down tomorrow, so Cole Sands might wind up with a save chance then.

The Twins called on Coulombe for the save after Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax each had just worked two days in a row. He handled the heart of the Giants’ order with ease to earn his second save of the season.

Someday no one will remember that Rocco Baldelli seemed to want Griffin Jax to be the Twins’ primary closer this year. Duran has allowed two runs in 17 1/3 innings, and he’s collected four saves in the last week after finishing with just two in April.

Duran reached back and hit 100 mph on his fastball five times among his 14 pitches, and dominated the Baltimore lineup to pick up his fifth save. The scoreless outing lowers his ERA to a glistening 1.10, and he has only allowed one run over his 16 appearances. That’ll work.

Durán allowed a two-out infield single to Ceddanne Rafaela but struck out Jarren Duran to end the game. It’s now his fourth save of the season to go along with a 1.17 ERA. He’s doubled his save total on the season in the last two days with the Twins finally creating save situations for the 27-year-old who has allowed just nine hits in 15 1/3 innings this year.

Duran was summoned to close things out in the ninth inning with a one-run lead against the Red Sox. He worked around a single and intentionally walked Alex Bregman before recording the final out for his third save of the season.