Week in Review: Another Backslide

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins came out of the All-Star break looking like a rejuvenated squad, winning nine of their first 11 games to seemingly make a statement: the second half as going to be DIFFERENT.

Turns out, nah.

As usual, that flickering spark of progress was quickly erased. A five-game losing streak, capped by an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the league's worst team, affirmed why it's very hard for anyone to have much confidence in the quality of these Twins.

Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/24 through Sun, 7/30
***
Record Last Week: 1-5 (Overall: 54-53)
Run Differential Last Week: -9 (Overall: +34)
Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (0.5 GA)

Last Week's Game Results:

Game 102 | MIN 4, SEA 3: Twins Come Through in Extra Innings
Game 103 | SEA 9, MIN 7: Bullpen Blows Up as Early Lead Disappears
Game 104 | SEA 8, MIN 7: Ryan Falls Flat, Late Rally Falls Short
Game 105 | KC 8, MIN 5: Walk-off Grand Slam Sinks Duran, Twins
Game 106 | KC 10, MIN 7: Royals Trample Twins Pitchers
Game 107 | KC 2, MIN 1: Offense Shrinks in Fifth Straight Loss

NEWS & NOTES

Faster than expected, the Twins activated Jorge Polanco from his minor-league rehab just ahead of the Royals series. Starting all three games in Kansas City (the first two at third base), Polanco notched two hits in 12 at-bats, including a huge game-tying two-run double with two outs in the ninth on Friday. 

Cole Sands was optioned to make room for Polanco, temporarily giving the Twins a 12-man pitching staff.

The Twins also got Byron Buxton back from the paternity list, leading to Trevor Larnach once again being optioned to the minors. Struggling to find any sustained opportunity in this organization, Larnach will be an interesting name to watch as the trade deadline bears down.

Ahead of Sunday's game, Alex Kirilloff was placed on the injured list due to a sore shoulder. Needless to say, the timing is far from ideal – Kirilloff was heating up in a big way as reigning AL Player of the Week, a driving force in the offense's resurgence. Now they'll need to make do without him at first base for a while.

On the bright side, a needy bullpen got back Caleb Thielbar in the corresponding roster move.

HIGHLIGHTS

Buxton looked great in his return to action on Saturday night, drilling three doubles (against three different pitchers). He added another two-bagger on Sunday. It's nice to not only see Byron hitting after another lengthy dry spell, but bringing some variety to his boom-or-bust offensive profile. Prior to the KC series he had only three doubles in his past 42 games – compared to nine homers and 57 strikeouts.

Other hitters stood out in a week that saw the Twins score 31 runs in six games. Max Kepler continued his awakening by going 8-for-23 (.348) with three doubles and a home run. Christian Vázquez homered and drove in five runs in four games. Matt Wallner launched four bombs, although they were his only hits and he otherwise struck out 11 times with one walk in 23 plate appearances.

While the offense has certainly been improved since the All-Star break, it's tough to feel much enthusiasm about this modest turnaround given that they closed out the week with a pitiful one-run showing, while things begin to completely unravel elsewhere.

LOWLIGHTS

Just as the offense has finally come to life, the pitching staff is spiraling. The team's post-break ERA rose to 5.15 on Saturday night when the lowly Royals offense tacked up 10 runs on Bailey Ober and the Twins bullpen. One night earlier, Jhoan Duran gave up a walk-off grand slam to Bobby Witt Jr. after Sonny Gray earlier failed to handle the Royals.

Friday's was a very typical Gray outing. He mostly cruised through five innings, entered the sixth with a lead, and couldn't finish the job, coughing up two runs to exit with a deficit. Gray hasn't earned a win since April and the Twins are 4-11 in his 15 starts over that span. It's not entirely his fault by any stretch, of course, but it's not a total coincidence either. 

Elsewhere in the rotation, Joe Ryan is free-falling with a 5.90 ERA and 17 home runs allowed in his past 11 starts. He coughed up two more long balls on Wednesday in Seattle – a laborious outing in which he required 95 pitches to get 11 outs. Ryan continues to miss bats and get strikeouts but whenever opponents are making contact they're crushing him. The right-hander needs to make some adjustments and fast.

Across the pitching staff, pitchers who the Twins have relied on all year are wobbling. Duran is showing clear signs of wear, with his command eroding as the team leans heavily on him in constantly close games. He has a 6.52 ERA in July and has given up multiple runs in three of 10 appearances – something he hadn't done in his previous 56 appearances. 

Griffin Jax has given up seven hits in his last six outings. (He'd given up four in his previous 18.) The early magic from Oliver Ortega and Jordan Balazovic seems to be wearing off. 

It's nice to have Thielbar back in the mix, and Dallas Keuchel looms in the minors as a potential rotation reinforcement to help relieve concerning workloads, and the deadline offers another chance to add depth, but the Twins need their horses to get back on track and fast or this is gonna get ugly.

TRENDING STORYLINE

The makeup of the Twins' roster will likely look different the next time they take the field on Tuesday night. They already got their deadline season activity underway early by trading Jorge López to Miami for Dylan Floro on Wednesday, and there are surely more moves to come.

The deadline is at 5:00 CT on Tuesday (August 1st). Definitely keep tuned to Twins Daily's trade deadline coverage to stay in the know as things develop in the next 48 hours. 

LOOKING AHEAD

Following a dismal showing against Kansas City, the Twins will make the brief jaunt over to St. Louis for another three-game series against a last-place team. Interestingly, the Cards are among the likely sellers who've been connected most to Minnesota in deadline rumblings. (Although their most intriguing reliever, Jordan Hicks, was dealt to Toronto on Sunday.)

From there it's back home to Target Field for a series against the Diamondbacks, who were one of the biggest surprises in MLB in the first half but have slid in the standings with a 7-16 July.

Good news for the Twins offense: all right-handed starters on the docket. But it's not going to matter much if the fumbling pitchers don't get it together in a hurry.

TUESDAY, 8/1: TWINS @ CARDINALS – RHP Pablo Lopez v. RHP Jack Flaherty
WEDNESDAY, 8/2: TWINS @ CARDINALS – RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Miles Mikolas
THURSDAY, 8/3: TWINS @ CARDINALS – RHP Sonny Gray v. LHP Jordan Montgomery
FRIDAY, 8/4: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS – RHP Merrill Kelly v. RHP Bailey Ober
SATURDAY, 8/5: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS – RHP Ryne Nelson v. RHP Kenta Maeda
SUNDAY, 8/6: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS – RHP Zac Gallen v. RHP Pablo Lopez

 

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[Peter]

Ugly past week to say the least🤮💩👎😡🤬1-5 definitely need to get things together and fast as it will get ugly. Need to win both series this coming week for sure. Who stays who goes at deadline? Gallo has to be gone-17 home runs ok but only 32 rbis👎sonny I think so too. Started off great but no decisions in 15 starts. Ryan needs to go to bullpen as teams figured him out and bring up kuechel. He can’t do any worse. Need to get Hernandez from Seattle or someone close to him with power/low strike out. And yes why not get padres closer. Something has to change. But we can’t sell need to be buyers. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Peter
Miss spelling

[Patzky]

I don't have much confidence that many new faces will show up via trade-- I hope I'm wrong-- but the FO historically doesn't like to admit it has miscalculated. And of course Jorge Lopez pitched a scoreless stint for the Fish today and got the W.. a W we are in desperate need of.

 

Gallo out maybe Larnach back.. is it worth pilfering the Cards via trade before the upcoming series or is that a breach of baseball etiquette lol..

[mikelink45]

You are accurate. But the trouble is, I don't know what to say anymore near the same issues over and over. We win and look like we're ready to take off and then we tank. We don't just lose. We lose to the worst teams and lose bad. 

 

What is the solution? It's just gotten to the point where the obvious is still there. Gallo, has been a comment source for months for nothing has been done. The bullpen has been overused and short on arms and now are spent. Starters is coming up short too. I sure hope something changes.

[BH67]

After the Twins' sweep of the White Sox, which included a 3-run 9th inning comeback, I said I was back on the bandwagon. I still am, as this team had one of the lowest ERA in the majors at the All-Star break despite having played 29 games against the AL East. The second-half schedule on paper is considerably easier.

But this week is a good reminder that this team's fragility is as bad as last year's, and that a collapse is always possible. It's also a reminder that the only Minnesota team worth watching this autumn is...

...Gopher volleyball.

[dxpavelka]

Seems like only a few weeks ago that fans were griping that all the Twins did was beat teams like the Royals.  Problem solved and STILL the same griping.  sheesh

[rv78]

I agree something needs to change but it has to start with the FO and include the Manager and coaches. The direction we have seen since they have taken over isn't going in the right direction. Weren't they suppose to build this team into a perrienial contender. So far all we've gotten is a perrenial pretender.

The FO only has themselves to blame for this mess. Extended part-timer Buxton for $15M. Signed an over-rated Correa for $33+M. Signed a worthless hitter in Gallo for $11M and kept another crappy hitter in Kepler for $8.5M. Let's see they are hitting a combined .213 for $68 MILLION. Gee, I wonder why this team can't win games when they need to. DUH!

 

[HokieRif]

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

How bad is the AL Central this year? 

Every other team in the American League--except for Oakland--every other team in the American League has a better record than the Twins. The Twins would be in 5th place in the AL West, and in 6th place in the AL East. 

[Vanimal46]

Any fleeting thoughts last week of trading for an impact bat/arm (choose your fighter of Goldschmidt or Hader) is gone. The performance during a crucial time before the deadline was lackluster at best. Falvey, like several GMs in the game, decided to wait until the final 48 hours to be buyers, sellers, or stand pat. The roster screams Sell! Sell! Sell! 

[insagt1]

for a short while we had that 4 game lead over cleveland and looked like finally we were going to pull away. Then in a flash, it was gone.

[HokieRif]

2 minutes ago, insagt1 said:

for a short while we had that 4 game lead over cleveland and looked like finally we were going to pull away. Then in a flash, it was gone.

[Loops]

Tired pitchers? Too many strikeouts? No consistency in hitting? On the one hand I am glad we did not trade away future prospects as we have done in the past to try and upgrade this team. The Twins have way too many holes for a one or two player fix. Even if we do win the weak Central, we are going nowhere. So "why"? The question is what to do for next year. I think we need to bring up a lot of the prospects this year to evaluate whether or not they will be an asset to the team moving forward. We need bullpen help. We need a better hitting philosophy. Do we need a front office change? Very possibly. Manager change? Also possible. Their evaluation of talent leaves something to be desired. While we do have a much improved pitching staff, they traded away any hope of a reliable offense. Sadly, it is not a quick fix. Our only saving grace is that we are in the Central.

Very disappointing to say the least.

[Kummel]

What in tarnation.  The occasional flicker of light goes out mighty fast.  This team is the most inconsistent I have ever seen.

[D.C Twins]

Julian needs to be in the line up  Every. Single. Day. 

He is young and he has been an offensive spark plug.

If they want to give him a break at 2B... Fine... He goes to DH and Buck grabs some bench. 

[Rosterman]

So Wallner is showing that HE CAN replace Gallo, in both the home run and strikeout department.

Is Gallo safe, though, becuase we need a first baseman?

What do you do if the pitcehrs wear out., Do you send Ober, Duran, even Ryan to the minors to just pitch some less stressful short outings? But who do you bring up in return and also where do you find the 40-man roster spot for the "Return of Dobnak."

 

[dxpavelka]

3 hours ago, rv78 said:

I agree something needs to change but it has to start with the FO and include the Manager and coaches. The direction we have seen since they have taken over isn't going in the right direction. Weren't they suppose to build this team into a perrienial contender. So far all we've gotten is a perrenial pretender.

The FO only has themselves to blame for this mess. Extended part-timer Buxton for $15M. Signed an over-rated Correa for $33+M. Signed a worthless hitter in Gallo for $11M and kept another crappy hitter in Kepler for $8.5M. Let's see they are hitting a combined .213 for $68 MILLION. Gee, I wonder why this team can't win games when they need to. DUH!

 

Perhaps YOU should be the GM & manager.

 

[dxpavelka]

3 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

How bad is the AL Central this year? 

Every other team in the American League--except for Oakland--every other team in the American League has a better record than the Twins. The Twins would be in 5th place in the AL West, and in 6th place in the AL East. 

so?

 

[VivaBomboRivera!]

Don't waste time looking back.

Bring on the Red Birds!

[Jeff D.]

Good article. Short, to the point, gives good and low stats about this team. This Geezer has been a fan since the team began playing in Minnesota, so, whether my opinion matters or not, here and there, I chime in. 

This is an incredibly consistently inconsistent team. They are NOT a good team. They do NOT have a good manager. They do NOT have plate discipline. They will NOT win the division this year. I could go on, but I will stop.

They have some fun players. They have speed, they have defense, they have pretty decent versatility in moving players around. They have loyal and forgiving fans. They have a good minor league system.

I love the Twins. It pains me to think this way. I'll see if I can be more consistent than the Twins.

Go Twins!

Twins Geezer, out!

 

[TwinsDr2021]

Remember when people were saying nothing to see here, the Twins have the easiest second half schedule?

[chinmusic]

11 hours ago, insagt1 said:

for a short while we had that 4 game lead over cleveland and looked like finally we were going to pull away. Then in a flash, it was gone.

With 9 weeks(!) left in the regular season, there should be many more "flashes" for the Twins. Look what just happened in only one week! (sigh). I'm going to sit back and enjoy it. Plus all the jockeying for position in the wild card races. Makes most games on the daily MLB schedule compelling. Players make in season adjustments; sometimes, so do fans.

[Doctor Wu]

10 hours ago, Kummel said:

What in tarnation.  The occasional flicker of light goes out mighty fast.  This team is the most inconsistent I have ever seen.

Well said. It's been a very, very inconsistent season. The team goes on a run, starts scoring some runs, or we shutout another team, and suddlenly we are looking like world beaters. And then comes the next week and just as suddenly we fall apart and can't even win a single game against one of the worst teams in the league. Hard to work up any enthusiasm for the team at this point. 

[Doctor Wu]

9 hours ago, Rosterman said:

So Wallner is showing that HE CAN replace Gallo, in both the home run and strikeout department.

Is Gallo safe, though, becuase we need a first baseman?

What do you do if the pitcehrs wear out., Do you send Ober, Duran, even Ryan to the minors to just pitch some less stressful short outings? But who do you bring up in return and also where do you find the 40-man roster spot for the "Return of Dobnak."

 

"Return of Dobnak."

If nothing else, that would be a fantastic title for a new horror movie!

[mickster]

13 hours ago, Patzky said:

I don't have much confidence that many new faces will show up via trade-- I hope I'm wrong-- but the FO historically doesn't like to admit it has miscalculated. And of course Jorge Lopez pitched a scoreless stint for the Fish today and got the W.. a W we are in desperate need of.

 

Gallo out maybe Larnach back.. is it worth pilfering the Cards via trade before the upcoming series or is that a breach of baseball etiquette lol..

Lopez will have good numbers as he is with his family.   I appreciate the Twins making this move for him.   Gallo out and Larnach up is an upgrade on offense.    Would like to see Larnach, Martin, Gordon, Maeda/Gray, Miranda, SWR used in some trade deal

[Patzky]

37 minutes ago, mickster said:

Lopez will have good numbers as he is with his family.   I appreciate the Twins making this move for him.   Gallo out and Larnach up is an upgrade on offense.    Would like to see Larnach, Martin, Gordon, Maeda/Gray, Miranda, SWR used in some trade deal

Losing Gray and Madea would be an admission of the year being a lost cause wouldn't it? I guess you could go with Pablo-Ryan-Ober-Keuchel- Dobnak.. (pray for rain)

[lukeduke1980]

Correa is 4 for 22 with 1 run scored,  0 RBI in the 5 game skid.  He had seemed to be providing a spark at the top of the order but obviously has cooled down.  

[mickster]

7 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Losing Gray and Madea would be an admission of the year being a lost cause wouldn't it? I guess you could go with Pablo-Ryan-Ober-Keuchel- Dobnak.. (pray for rain)

I would not trade both, but one of them could be flipped

[HawksNest]

I know people don't like to hear it, but nothing is going to change until they make a switch at manager. The tone-setter for the entire team is the manager/coach. The inconsistency, not maximizing the substantial talent on the team, and just general "bleh" nature of the team's performance and vibes/energy is 100% on the manager. It's a shame because Rocco is a great guy, but 3 years of underachieving baseball despite very clearly trying to "go for it" by the front office is simply unacceptable. It is what it is.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The Twins' 2023 season reminds me of several quotes from "Gone With The Wind". Scarlett says to Rhett: "Where shall I: go?" As he walks out, Rhett says: "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn."  And finally, the last line delivered by Scarlett: "After all, tomorrow is another day,"