Minnesota Twins

It’s pretty difficult to win when your defense commits three errors, but the Twins nearly did just that this evening. Miguel Sano hit a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth, Max Kepler made a great catch as he crashed into the wall in the bottom of the ninth, but Francisco Lindor decided he’d just go ahead and hit one over the wall to walk it off.

Twins Daily Roundtable is a weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less (Some writers don’t like to stick to this limit). This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section.

There are plenty of reasons for Twins fans to continue to tune in to games the rest of the season. Mitch Garver continues to look like he is coming into his own (even if Paul Molitor continues to bat him in the bottom half of the line-up). Miguel Sano is in “prove it” mode after being recalled from the minor leagues. So what other players can fans keep an eye on?

This week’s roundtable discussion question is: ““Which prospect most deserves a look before the season is done?”

Monday night, Mitch Garver got the opportunity to pitch in a blowout. Tonight, he hit a three-run homer. Is 2018 baseball weird, or what? Garver’s three-run blast in the second set the tone for this game.

In many ways, the three are nothing alike.

Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar and Ryan Pressly – all sent packing in deadline deals as the Twins pulled off their most unequivocal midseason 'sell' in memory – have their own distinct profiles and personalities. Each came to Minnesota by different (modest) means: Dozier an eighth-round draft pick, Escobar a nondescript trade return for Francisco Liriano, Pressly a Rule 5 addition.

But the trio does have this much in the common: none were supposed to be this good.

Welp, everybody’s been saying Mitch Garver isn’t playing enough, be careful what you wish for. Garver made his first appearance on the mound tonight in the ninth inning of a 10-0 game. And you know what? He was the only Twins pitcher who didn’t surrender a run. Chris Gimenez, eat your heart out.

Where has summer gone? Here we are in the August heat with some playoff races heating up. Rochester is 19 games out of first place and nine games back in the wild card race. Chattanooga is in last place in the Southern League North Division but trail the leader by only 5.5 games.

Fort Myers is only percentage points behind Charlotte for first place in the Florida State League South Division. Cedar Rapids is in a virtual tie for first in the Midwest League Western Division. The top two teams in the division make the playoffs. Elizabethton is three games up in the Apply League West Division.

Let’s dive in and see how Sunday’s action played out.

The Twins roster looked very different by the time Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline arrived, with one-fifth of its occupants shipped out in a flurry of future-focused deals. The exodus included three of Minnesota's longest-tenured players. Now, the team forges ahead with a different look.

Jake Cave hit a grand slam in the second inning and the Twins’ bullpen managed to hold off a pesky Royals team to complete a three-game sweep. Things got very interesting late, but a big strikeout from Trevor May and some nice glove work from Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano helped secure the victory.

It was a highlight evening at Target Field Saturday night. Johan Santana was enshrined into the Twins Hall of Fame, Jose Berrios had a strong performance and the lineup flexed its muscles en route to victory.

Apparently, it was critical that this Twins-Royals matchup be played to a full nine innings. Despite this, Mother Nature did her best to disrupt things. But the umpiring crew and (I assume) both managers decided the show must go on. Two rain delays caused this game to be completed more than five hours and 40 minutes after it started.

Somebody needs to give the grounds crew an award.

The 2018 Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, with the Minnesota Twins jettisoning 20% of their active roster. Beloved figureheads Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar are both gone, while one-year fill ins Zach Duke and Lance Lynn followed. Of the moves made, only Ryan Pressly’s time with the organization was truly cut short. Having now moved on from the names above, it’s worth exploring why exactly nothing has changed regarding the outlook for the years ahead.

What a whirlwind of a week it’s been. Now that the dust has settled on the trade deadline, let’s take a look at which affiliate each of these new pieces is headed to, try to rank the new prospects and hand out individual grades for each of the five deals Derek Falvey & Co. made.