Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Recommended Posts

Twins Daily Contributor
Posted
Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo

Thankfully, Minnesota’s pitching staff bounced back slightly in July after a brutal month of June. The club was more in the middle of the pack instead of ranking near the bottom of the league in multiple categories. Still, the results on the field were unchanged as the team came out flat after the All-Star Break and became sellers ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.

Here’s a look at the team’s top pitching performances for July, along with some surprises along the way. 

#4 Jhoan Duran
10 G, 3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 12 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 11 K

Duran was the team's first big trade of the deadline as he was dealt to Philadelphia for catching prospect Eduardo Tait and rookie pitcher Mick Abel. He is under team control for two additional seasons beyond 2025, and the Phillies hope he cures their bullpen woes. It wasn’t a clean month for Duran, but he finished fourth on the team in WPA. The Twins asked him to pitch multiple innings in two of his ten appearances for the month, perhaps in an attempt to showcase him for a potential trade. His numbers for the month looked even better before he allowed three earned runs over his last five frames with the Twins. Duran was electric with the Twins and provided a moment that won’t be soon forgotten in Twins Territory. 

#3 Simeon Woods Richardson
5 G, 3.22 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 22 1/3 IP, 19 H, 13 BB, 17 K

For the second consecutive season, the Twins have turned to Woods Richardson to fill a rotation spot when injuries struck the starting staff. Once again, he has answered the call. In July, he pitched into the fifth inning in four of his five starts, providing some needed stability. The Twins have managed his workload carefully, often avoiding the top of the opposing order a third time through. As a result, he threw fewer than 80 pitches in four of those outings. Still, he's approaching the 100-inning mark for the season, following a career-high 147 innings pitched in 2024. Minnesota will continue to monitor his usage down the stretch, and the remainder of the year could serve as an audition to determine whether he breaks camp in the 2026 starting rotation.

#2 Brock Stewart
12 G, 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 10 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Stewart was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline for outfielder James Outman. He is under team control through 2027 via arbitration and is making barely over the league minimum. His final month with the Twins showed why other teams desired him. He finished with the lowest ERA on the team for the month and was second in WPA. Stewart earned five holds and only allowed two earned runs for the entire month. Health has always been the question mark with Stewart. Now he heads to one of baseball’s most successful organizations with a chance to impact their postseason hopes.

#1 Joe Ryan – Twins Daily Pitcher of the Month
5 G, 2.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 30 IP, 27 H, 4 BB, 33 K

Realistically, this should likely be Ryan’s third straight month winning this honor. However, Varland had a nearly perfect June and took the top spot away from Ryan. He’s continuing his All-Star performance in the second half as he ranks in the AL’s top-10 in multiple categories, including rWAR, ERA, WHIP, H/9, BB/9, K/9, K/BB, Adjusted ERA+, FIP, and WPA. During June, he accumulated 11 walks across five starts, but he only allowed four total walks in July. 

In the All-Star Game, he pitched a perfect fourth inning on 10 pitches with two strikeouts. On July 20, Ryan earned his 10th victory of the season and struck out a season-high-tying 11 batters at Colorado. For the month, he pitched five innings or more in every appearance,  including two starts (7/1, 7/20) where he went seven innings and allowed one earned run. His 0.8 fWAR was more than double any Twins pitcher for the month. He’s pitching like an ace, and it’s too bad the Twins are wasting the best season of his young career.


Congrats to Ryan. How would your ballot look for the month? Leave a comment and start the discussion.  


View full article

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund

You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Twins community on the internet.

×
×
  • Create New...