Minnesota Twins Pitcher of the Month: July 2026

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

July looked nothing like June for the Twins' pitching staff.

After a brutal stretch in which Minnesota's pitchers struggled to consistently keep games under control, the script completely flipped over the last month. The Twins allowed more than five runs in just five of their 24 games in July, and nowhere was the turnaround more noticeable than in the bullpen. In June, Twins relievers combined for an ugly 6.94 ERA. Just one month later, that number plummeted all the way to 2.86.

Coincidence? Probably not. Behind that dominant pitching, the Twins went 15-9 in July, climbed back into the American League playoff picture, and ultimately convinced the front office to buy at the trade deadline instead of sell.

The pitching staff didn't just improve; they kept the Twins’ season alive. With that, here are your Pitchers of the Month for July.

4. Yoendrys Gómez
July Stats: 11 G, 10 1/3 IP, 1.74 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 10 K, 7 BB, 3.20 FIP
It almost feels disrespectful putting Yoendrys Gómez fourth on this list. After all, he was last month's Pitcher of the Month and has done nothing to lose the closer's job. But that's just a testament to how dominant Minnesota's pitching staff was throughout July.

Across 10 1/3 innings, Gómez allowed just two earned runs while striking out 10 hitters. He also walked seven and surrendered eight hits, so there was certainly no shortage of traffic on the bases. The difference was that Gómez consistently found a way out of trouble.

Whether it was inducing a weak ground ball, missing a bat in a big spot or simply making the next pitch when he needed to, the Twins' closer repeatedly escaped jams before they could snowball into anything bigger.

Even after Minnesota acquired A.J. Minter ahead of the trade deadline, Gómez has maintained a firm grip on the closer role. Yes, he was tagged with the loss on Sunday, but that came in a tie game during the ninth inning and was his first defeat of the entire season. It doesn't change the fact that Gómez continues to be one of the biggest reasons the Twins have been able to shorten games late.

3. Taj Bradley
July Stats: 6 G, 37 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 48 K, 14 BB, 3.40 FIP
Just like Gomez, Taj Bradley almost feels too low on this list. The right-hander was everything the Twins could have asked for throughout July, leading all of Major League Baseball with 37 innings pitched during the month. And they weren't empty innings, either.

Bradley posted a 2.92 ERA while piling up 48 strikeouts, good for a remarkable 33% strikeout rate. Time after time, he gave the Twins exactly what they needed—a workhorse capable of pitching deep into games while missing bats at an elite level.

Since arriving in Minnesota, Bradley has settled into the role of a reliable #2 starter behind Joe Ryan, and July may have been his best month yet in a Twins uniform. When his fastball is commanding the zone and his breaking stuff is generating swings and misses, Bradley has shown he can dominate just about any lineup in baseball.

For a Twins team hoping to make noise in the American League Central race, that's exactly the kind of pitcher they'll need down the stretch.

2. Kody Funderburk
July Stats: 10 G, 11 2/3 IP, 0.77 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 11 K, 3 BB, 1.98 FIP
After a slow start to the season, Kody Funderburk is beginning to look like himself again. The left-hander was outstanding throughout July, posting a microscopic 0.77 ERA across 11 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters and issuing just three walks. Perhaps even more encouraging than the ERA was how he got there.

Funderburk's strikeout rate jumped nearly 20 percentage points compared to June, showing that his swing-and-miss stuff has returned in a big way. At the same time, he continued generating ground balls at an elite rate, posting a 69% ground-ball rate for the second consecutive month.

Missing bats while keeping the ball on the ground is exactly what every bullpen wants out of a late-inning reliever, and that's exactly what Funderburk provided throughout July. The Twins have waited patiently for the left-hander to find his rhythm after his rough start to the year. It certainly looks like he's found it. And with the playoff race heating up, Minnesota would love to see this version of Funderburk stick around for another two months.

Twins Pitcher of the Month: Andrew Morris
July Stats: 12 G, 14 IP, 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 11 K, 3 BB, 3.31 FIP
Andrew Morris finished second in last month's rankings. Apparently, he wasn't satisfied with that.

The rookie right-hander claims the top spot this time around after another dominant month out of the Twins' bullpen. Across 14 innings in July, Morris surrendered just one earned run while striking out 11 hitters and walking only three. That lone run came on a solo home run. Every other baserunner Morris allowed to reach safely (which wasn’t many) ended up stranded.

That's incredibly difficult to do, but it has become something of a trademark for the rookie. Morris continues to rank among the best pitchers in baseball at generating soft contact, consistently forcing hitters to beat the ball into the ground or make weak contact rather than driving the baseball.

He doesn't overpower opponents with eye-popping strikeout totals, but he rarely gives hitters anything to square up. As a rookie, Morris has quickly transformed himself into one of the Twins' most dependable bullpen arms. If this is the pitcher Morris already is during his first taste of the major leagues, it's hard not to be excited about what he'll become over the next several years.

After an ugly June, the Twins' pitching staff answered with one of its best months of the season in July. For the time being, the group is also relatively healthy, with Mike Paredes' move to the 60-day injured list serving as the lone significant exception.

The front office has already rewarded that turnaround by adding a pair of arms before the trade deadline, and it wouldn't be surprising if another move is still on the way. Because if the Twins can get two more months of pitching like they received in July, they'll have a very real chance to play postseason baseball.

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[mikelink45]

Interesting list - only one starter and BP was our problem and SP was our strength.

Good column.

[wesnewy]

It’s been awesome seeing morris find his stride in the high leverage spot