Week in Review: Demotions, Debuts and Pitching Dominance

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Weekly Nutshell:
The Twins have their problems, as we all know. But this past week was a good reminder that they are not alone in that boat. Matchups against the Astros and Red Sox, two of the most disappointing teams in the American League, offered some welcomed perspective. 

Despite their much higher payrolls and expectations, Houston and Boston have been no better than Minnesota and they were mostly outclassed by the Twins, who've now taken six of seven. The winning baseball was a much needed distraction from the flurry of bad news that opened the week: major injuries to Ryan Jeffers and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and another demotion of a core player to Triple-A.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/18 through Sun, 5/24
***
Record Last Week: 5-1 (Overall: 26-27)
Run Differential Last Week: +10 (Overall: +4)
Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (5.0 GB) 

Latest Game Results

Game 48 | MIN 6, HOU 3: Rojas Impresses, Twins Hang on After Long Rain Delay

• Rojas: 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Game 49 | HOU 2, MIN 1: Offense Strands Nine Runners in Another One-Run Loss

• Matthews: 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K

Game 50 | MIN 4, HOU 1: Ryan Deals, Kreidler Delivers Key Homer in Series Clincher

• Kreidler: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI

Game 51 | MIN 8, BOS 6: Twins Battle Back from Early Deficit Powered by Buxton, Martin

• Buxton: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI

Game 52 | MIN 4, BOS 2: Bradley Brings the Heat in Return, Bullpen Backs Him Up

• Bradley: 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Game 53 | MIN 6, BOS 5: Martin, Lee Deliver Key Hits in Sweep-Clinching Comeback Win

• Twins bullpen: 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K

NEWS & NOTES

Following the resumption of Monday's rain-disrupted game against Houston, Ryan Jeffers swung at the first offering from Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh in an eighth-inning plate appearance and shattered his bat on a foul ball. He strolled over to grab a new stick, stepped back into the box, and took the next two pitches. Nothing seemed amiss. But something was.

Once the count reached 2-1, Jeffers waved to the dugout for trainers and quickly came out of the game. He was initially diagnosed with left wrist sprain but on Tuesday were learned the news was much worse: a fractured hamate bone, requiring surgery with a recovery timeline in the two-month range. 

 

It's a crushing development for both the team and Jeffers, who's been exceptional in his final year under contract. He expressed some hope that he can come back sooner than is generally expected, but for the foreseeable future, the Twins will have to proceed without arguably their most valuable player.

Alex Jackson replaces Jeffers on the roster, and as Victor Caratini's timeshare partner behind the plate. The Twins are swapping out one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball for one of the worst, but Jackson at least brings MLB experience and strong defensive chops. He'll try and play his way into the team's post-Jeffers catching plans in 2027, but his lack of option is a complicating factor.

In addition to Jeffers, the Twins also lost another key component of what they hoped would be their lineup core, sending Royce Lewis down to Triple-A for a reset less than a week after taking the same action with Matt Wallner. As with Wallner, Lewis' continually spiraling performance left the front office with little choice but to make a bold change. Replaced by Orlando Arcia on the MLB roster for the time being, Lewis homered in his first at-bat back in Triple-A, and then went deep twice on Saturday. So far, so good.

 

The tough injury news didn't stop with Jeffers. Top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez was tabbed for surgery after a ligament tear was discovered upon further examination of his thumb. Any hope that this would be a short-term injury is dashed by this grim development. If not for getting hurt, Rodriguez probably would already be up in the majors, with both Lewis and Wallner sent down, but now we'll need to wait until the second half to see him back in action.

One chapter from the Jorge Polanco trade closed last week while another one opened up. Reliever Justin Topa was designated for assignment with an 8.05 ERA on Tuesday after being used as much as any reliever in the majors during the first two months, replaced by Travis Adams. Days later, outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez got the call to the big leagues with Tristan Gray taking a short paternity leave.

Like Anthony DeSclafani before him, Topa didn't amount to much in a Twins uniform but Gonzalez was always the player upon whom the Polanco package was likely to be judged. He started in left field and batted fifth on Friday night in his major-league debut, drawing walks in his first two plate appearances before notching his first MLB hit on a dribbler to third. He'll return to the minors within a day or two, but Gonzalez made a nice first impression and will be back before long.

Ahead of Saturday's game, the Twins activated Taj Bradley and designated Luis García for assignment. García's tenure in Minnesota is one we'd all like to forget: 8.2 IP, 10 ER, 12 H, 4 BB, 2 K. 

A final bullpen note: Saints relievers Matt Bowman and John Brebbia exercised opt-out clauses in their contracts and became free agents.

HIGHLIGHTS

As usual, the offense ran through Byron Buxton. He returned from missing several games due to hip soreness, and while clearly still not 100%, Buck got right back to business at the plate. He doubled twice in his return to action against Houston on Tuesday, and crushed a two-run homer over the Green Monster on Friday to fuel Minnesota's comeback win.

 

Still showing signs of discomfort, Buxton was eased back into action, starting at DH three times before returning to center field on Saturday and then getting the day off Sunday. 

Austin Martin had cooled off substantially after taking over the everyday right field job from Matt Wallner, entering the weekend series in Boston in an 0-for-14 slump. He broke out of the funk at Fenway, launching a key go-ahead two-run homer right to back up Buxton's. He then doubled in the first run on Saturday as part of a two-hit game, and delivered a game-tying double on Sunday. 

Trevor Larnach was batting .172 in his past 10 games before breaking through with four hits on Saturday and notched an RBI single on Sunday. He and Martin have been two of the team's best stories in the first third of the season, but had been lapsing into possible regression, so it's great to see them get back on track as surprising lineup cornerstones.

Josh Bell shook out of a much deeper slump against Houston, homering twice with four RBIs in the series opener and then adding three more knocks on Tuesday. He had a sub-.400 OPS in his past 20 games heading into the week, but shows signs of at least stabilizing. Fellow free-agent signing Caratini, who's also been mired in a lengthy drought, homered in the finale against Houston, his first extra-base hit in over a month. In both cases, these are hopefully sign of things to come, especially for Caratini who will be starting regularly behind the plate in Jeffers' absence and looking to keep the catcher position afloat offensively.

The pitching staff was nothing short of brilliant against the Astros and Red Sox, allowing 18 total earned runs on 40 hits (three home runs) over six games.  

Joe Ryan put up his third consecutive start with six innings of one-run ball, striking out a season-high nine. Zebby Matthews struck out six with no walks in holding Houston to two runs over six frames. Kendry Rojas impressed in his first major-league start, allowing two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings on Monday. Bradley was fully healthy in his return from the injured list, posting his best velocity of the season in a winning effort against Boston.

 

Meanwhile, the bullpen was on point yet again. Twins relievers are fourth in the majors in ERA and third in FIP over the past two weeks. Only five teams have a better bullpen WPA in May. Yoendrys Gómez is looking like a legitimate addition, delivering important scoreless outings in his first three appearances, all victories, before running into a bit of trouble in sloppy, wet conditions in Sunday's finale (but still making some big pitches). His performance against Houston on Wednesday, striking out five of the seven batters he faced in two shutout innings, felt like a statement.

Gómez combined with Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Adams, Rojas and Andrew Morris to allow two run on seven hits over 23 ⅓ innings. Morris walked in a run during an erratic save attempt on Saturday, but aside from that, the only Twins reliever to allow a run was Topa. He surrendered three while recording just two outs on Monday, and he was jettisoned soon after. Everyone remaining in the bullpen is trending in a pretty good direction.

LOWLIGHTS

Before they were sent to the minors, Wallner and Lewis found themselves being benched more frequently, and when they played, hitting lower in the order than ever before. I'm not saying he's necessarily close to being optioned, but it's notable that Luke Keaschall is now following a similar path.

After sitting the middle game in the previous Milwaukee series, Keaschall was again out of the lineup for the middle game of the Houston series. He then went 0-for-4 in the finale, and on Friday night in Boston found himself batting eighth in the lineup, the lowest he's hit since his MLB debut more than a year ago. He did come through with a pair of hits and an RBI in Friday's game, but also committed a pretty ugly error at second — number five, tied for the team lead with the now-demoted Lewis. 

Keaschall didn't play on Saturday or Sunday, although it seemed to have more to do with residual soreness from an HBP on Friday than anything performance-related. That aside, the Twins have been showing clear signs of eroding confidence in their Opening Day #3 hitter. 

The defense is a big factor in that. Even in a very brief glimpse, Arcia's superiority with the glove has been apparent. On the offensive side, Keaschall is taking good ABs and getting on base — he's hitting .268 with a .414 OBP this month, walking as much as he's striking out — but the quality of contact has been just abysmal. Keaschall hasn't homered since April 6th and has just one extra-base hit in his past 50 plate appearances. 

[keaschallsc524]

In terms of on-field performance, there weren't many nits to pick for the Twins in a pair of series wins that featured great pitching and productive showings from the offense. The big lowlights of the week really centered on the injury developments. Losing Jeffers is gut-punch that detracts from enthusiasm around Minnesota's current ascent toward the .500 mark. Same goes for Rodriguez, who was looking like a major X-factor as a potential rookie difference-maker this summer; now his name will be X'ed out for the foreseeable future. 

You enjoy the wins as they come, but it grows far more difficult to see the success sustaining through setbacks like these.

Lewis joining Wallner in Triple-A is a sad reflection of where things stand with the "post-hype prospect" group, but maybe it's the beginning of a turnaround toward better days and career rejuvenations. Something needed to change and it's good to at least see the Twins take action and enact a plan with these two floundering vets, even if it feels a little demoralizing.

If the Twins want to remain in the competitive mix into the second half of the season, they've got to get at least one of these guys going, not to mention Keaschall. Lewis' dominant start with the Saints bodes well, at least. 

TRENDING STORYLINE

On Friday night, we saw Brooks Lee start at a position other than shortstop for the first time all year, sliding over to third with Ryan Kreidler taking over at short. The rest of the series featured the same alignment. Derek Shelton and the Twins are expressing a preference, and it's one that makes sense to me. 

Lee is best suited for third base, and that's been evident in seeing his shortcomings exposed at shortstop this year. Kreidler, conversely, is very good at the position, which is a big part of his value proposition. The Twins need to get better defensively in the infield, and this is a meaningful step in that direction. 

The future implications of this shift are interesting to consider. Mainly: If Lee takes to third, what does that mean for Lewis if and when he is ready to return? Is there a place for him? And if Kreidler can excel defensively while sustaining some level of production at the plate, could he stick as the starting shortstop for a while? It's all on the table right now.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Twins are on the early end of their longest stretch of games all season without a break. They'll play seven in the coming week, wrapping up a 10-game road trip with expeditions to Chicago and Pittsburgh. Under normal circumstances, the White Sox and Pirates would represent soft matchups, but they've actually both been playing pretty well. This should be a good test against two franchises that are in a similar place to the Twins, looking ahead but trying to stay in the fight while they're at it.

MONDAY, MAY 25: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Zebby Matthews v. LHP Anthony Kay
TUESDAY, MAY 26: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Sean Burke
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — LHP Connor Prielipp v. RHP Davis Martin
THURSDAY, MAY 28: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Taj Bradley v. RHP Erick Fedde
FRIDAY, MAY 29: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Mitch Keller
SATURDAY, MAY 30: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski
SUNDAY, MAY 31: TWINS @ PIRATES — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Braxton Ashcraft

 

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[tony&rodney]

Couple of thoughts: Is it possible that the Twins are feeling stronger about playing better defensive players than they have in the recent past? Are those making decisions looking for more accountability from certain players than was a past practice?

Twins are playing baseball these days.

[IndianaTwin]

I don't anticipate any All-Star bids from the bullpen, but the seven guys currently in the bullpen not named Woods Richardson have a combined ERA of 3.75 on the year.

Banda had an eight-day stretch when he gave up nine earned runs. Take out those three appearances and the combined ERA is 3.15 for the non-SWR portion of the current bullpen.   

 

[Parfigliano]

A very good week to be a TC fan.

[palmspringstwinsfan]

If the team is finally serious about defense, then Lee probably needs to be at 2nd. Keaschall and Lewis would both fit better at 1B though they can’t both make the move. It’s great to see Kreidler at SS. 

[RpR]

12 minutes ago, palmspringstwinsfan said:

If the team is finally serious about defense, then Lee probably needs to be at 2nd. Keaschall and Lewis would both fit better at 1B though they can’t both make the move. It’s great to see Kreidler at SS. 

Lee is no better at Second Base than he is at Short Stop.

[D.C Twins]

The trade output from last year's deadline has been impressive. 

I know this is unpopular with at least 50% of TD, but we need to finish the job at this year's deadline to finish the youth movement. 

Ryan and Jeffers are not going to sign an extension, nor will the Twins outbid others during free agency. We need to get as much for them as possible. 

Also sell high on Larnach.

I'm excited to see how the new wave performs for better or worse. Let's get to it. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

IMO, Kriedler has earned the opportunity to be the starting everyday SS. He has the best glove on the team. Period.

Im glad Lee was FINALLY moved off SS, but 3B shouldn't be his home either. He is probably best suited for 2B. But the team will probably leave him at 3rd. 

Keaschall cant handle 2B and is most likely a 1B. But Clemens is much better defensively and currently hitting better, too. I'd be in favor of sending Keaschall down to St Paul to get work at 1B and get his bat going again. Its been a rough year for him. 

Martin has definitely cooled off a bit, but he wasnt going to sustain a 900+ OPS for an entire season. He may prove me wrong, but I see him as a .750-.800 OPS guy, with mostly equal .375-.400 OBP and Slugging %. With good but not elite defense. Solid all around player. 

Unfortunately, I dont know that there's a spot on the roster for Matt Wallner long term. Not unless he's able to get his bat going and be a DH only. 

With Lee at 3B now, I'm not sure where that leaves Lewis. Can he play 2B? Would they move Lee to 2nd and put Lewis back at 3rd? He's another one probably destined for 1B, but, again, Clemens is currently an all around better player there.