Twins 4, Royals 3: Eighth-Inning Rally Snaps Twins' Four-Game Skid

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, mark allen said:

I think we half to keep Jackson to important for next year. He has done a lot for this team and looks like to good of future to waste

What has he done this year in his 66 AB's.  He will be 31 next year and has a career ave of .174 and OPS of .557.  He has contributed when called upon, but there are always journeyman catchers available in the offseason.  He is the easiest option to replace in the offseason.  Why do we play short this year just so we can have a backup catcher for next year.  This to me is one of many examples of why Zoll needs to go.

[JD-TWINS]

34 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Talking contract extension this offseason? Arbitration is not going to be kind to him with his overall stats.

Player is confident - Agent is probably more confident. ……. smart for Twins but I don’t think he’ll do it …… if they get to playoffs, may push Royce over the edge from an excitement standpoint……. bad news is that will wear off after a few weeks and a few conversations w/Agent.

[Jack207]

They can't have Caratini and Gray in the lineup together, too many automatic outs. I agree with everyone else that both Jenkins and Culpepper should be called up immediately. I'm sure this team would welcome 2 young talents to help.

[TL]

15 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

What has he done this year in his 66 AB's.  He will be 31 next year and has a career ave of .174 and OPS of .557.  He has contributed when called upon, but there are always journeyman catchers available in the offseason.  He is the easiest option to replace in the offseason.  Why do we play short this year just so we can have a backup catcher for next year.  This to me is one of many examples of why Zoll needs to go.

I understood keeping Jackson on through the deadline in case Jeffers got traded, but at this point 100% he can be replaced next year (that is, if someone claims him).

[Coach]

The final nail in the coffin for Gray?  Substituted for defensive purposes!

[wornsmooth]

46 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Lewis, since his return to Big Club on June 6th:

.270/.338/.505 …..10 HR & 25 RBI with 7 stolen bases…….while moving to 1B on the fly and playing 2B occasionally and even 3B once or twice.

His total WAR as of today is 1.3 and it was zero when he came back from St Paul on June 6.

This article justly praises Lee's clutch 2 run single. And Ober's superb outing.

I believe a couple other items need highlighting.

Bell, like Lee, is a clutch hitter.  Again, a base hit to score a run. He and Lee lead the team in RBI's, and it is largely due to timely quality at bats. The players I am most happy see come to the plate with runners in scoring position are Bell, Lee, and Larnach. 

The other item is to add to your comment on Lewis. While he was 1 for 4 with his homerun, in all 4 of his at bats he absolutely crushed the ball. All well over 100 mph exit velocities. Even his final ground out was something like 108 plus. He really seems to be in a grove right now. Just in time for Milwaukee.

I have said it before and people laugh. If he can stay healthy, give him a couple more years to mature as a hitter, and Lewis is a potential triple crown hitter.

If Twins keep Lewis, Jefferson, and Larnach with Buc extending his productivity a few more years, that potential hitting group could lead the way back to the Series.

The Twins need to start keeping the players they develop.

 

 

[JD-TWINS]

2 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

What has he done this year in his 66 AB's.  He will be 31 next year and has a career ave of .174 and OPS of .557.  He has contributed when called upon, but there are always journeyman catchers available in the offseason.  He is the easiest option to replace in the offseason.  Why do we play short this year just so we can have a backup catcher for next year.  This to me is one of many examples of why Zoll needs to go.

Well, a back-up Catcher plays/starts about 55 games/year.

His age is immaterial since with Diaw & 2 Top draft picks all being Catchers …….’28 & beyond are covered. He’s a “one more year” guy going forward.

His athleticism, which is surprising, and his results THIS year & LAST year trump his average output over a bunch of up & down seasons. His WAR of .4 in only 28 games this year is about as good as it gets. He’s hit .303 with a 108 OPS+. …….’25 output was solid, over 36 games he had a 111 OPS+ and a .7 WAR.

All that said, he may be THE odd man out when/if Buxton returns ………assuming Gray & Roden have already been sent down.

[Coach]

7 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Great win!  Such an important victory. Huge heart and fight from this team.  Love it. 

 

[JD-TWINS]

1 minute ago, wornsmooth said:

This article justly praises Lee's clutch 2 run single. And Ober's superb outing.

I believe a couple other items need highlighting.

Bell, like Lee, is a clutch hitter.  Again, a base hit to score a run. He and Lee lead the team in RBI's, and it is largely due to timely quality at bats. The players I am most happy see come to the plate with runners in scoring position are Bell, Lee, and Larnach. 

The other item is to add to your comment on Lewis. While he was 1 for 4 with his homerun, in all 4 of his at bats he absolutely crushed the ball. All well over 100 mph exit velocities. Even his final ground out was something like 108 plus. He really seems to be in a grove right now. Just in time for Milwaukee.

I have said it before and people laugh. If he can stay healthy, give him a couple more years to mature as a hitter, and Lewis is a potential triple crown hitter.

If Twins keep Lewis, Jefferson, and Larnach with Buc extending his productivity a few more years, that potential hitting group could lead the way back to the Series.

The Twins need to start keeping the players they develop.

 

 

Seems to make too much sense!! ……. the other stat I left out on Lewis is that his strikeout rate since his recall is around 15%.

[wornsmooth]

1 hour ago, TL said:

Lewis, wow. He’s on one and it could just carry the team. Also need Buck back to form soon and a few other moves (Jenkins) to get this offense going before it is too late. I think they can severely limit/eliminate the at bats for Jackson, Gray and Caratini at this point. 

Isn't Jackson the only player on the team hitting over 300?

[jmlease1]

Desperately needed this win. 

Still concerned about the offense; I would expect to see more runs with 7 hit and 7 walks. But it does seem like when the Twins are being patient at the plate and taking those walks it ends up turning into wins.

Love seeing Lewis blast one. The re-set in the minors really does seem to have gotten his confidence back at the plate and he's back to showing off his talent. I'm into the idea of him being the primary 1B going forward. Sure, he wobbled a bit in July, but that's going to happen. There will be streaks. But he's no longer looking lost up there.

Morris is certainly solidifying his place in the bullpen going forward. Team is in a much better position there now and for '27 as well. (if Sands recovers well from surgery, they bring back Banda and maybe Minter, and now you have a good bullpen from the jump next season)

[JD-TWINS]

Y. Gomez acquired May 6 & since May 7……… 38 games with a 1.84 ERA and 15 saves. This guy seems to be waaaay underrated relative to his contributions!!

[stringer bell]

9 hours ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

White Sox fall in the 13th to Boston tonight. Guardians also lost, so the Twins are 3.0 games out of first in the Central, tied with Cleveland and 1/2 game behind the Rangers for the last wild card. Win Twins. 

The Central Division championship is the path to the postseason IMHO. The Twins have six left with Chicago and three (at home) against the Guards. Win all three of those series and they are right there. Detroit hasn’t given up either. 

[JD-TWINS]

4 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Desperately needed this win. 

Still concerned about the offense; I would expect to see more runs with 7 hit and 7 walks. But it does seem like when the Twins are being patient at the plate and taking those walks it ends up turning into wins.

Love seeing Lewis blast one. The re-set in the minors really does seem to have gotten his confidence back at the plate and he's back to showing off his talent. I'm into the idea of him being the primary 1B going forward. Sure, he wobbled a bit in July, but that's going to happen. There will be streaks. But he's no longer looking lost up there.

Morris is certainly solidifying his place in the bullpen going forward. Team is in a much better position there now and for '27 as well. (if Sands recovers well from surgery, they bring back Banda and maybe Minter, and now you have a good bullpen from the jump next season)

Agree on the bullpen going forward…..there’s a half dozen decent options, or more, if Banda & Sands can get healthy.

I know you said “maybe” on Minter …….. I think the Pohlad’s would need to be gifted about $500M for that to happen.

(Sands - Banda?) Morris - Gomez - Funderburk - Matthews - Nance - Hoffman………

[mickster]

55 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

What has he done this year in his 66 AB's.  He will be 31 next year and has a career ave of .174 and OPS of .557.  He has contributed when called upon, but there are always journeyman catchers available in the offseason.  He is the easiest option to replace in the offseason.  Why do we play short this year just so we can have a backup catcher for next year.  This to me is one of many examples of why Zoll needs to go.

I  think we need to keep him as well, but could it be possible to attempt to slip him through waivers?

[HarmonK03]

11 minutes ago, mickster said:

I  think we need to keep him as well, but could it be possible to attempt to slip him through waivers?

I just don't understand the fascination with keeping him on the roster and fear for next year.  In some ways I would rather have Jackson than Caratini but because of contracts that's not going to happen.  He is not a young prospect, there will be plenty of similar players with his background available in the offseason if we can't slip him thru waivers.  Why are we willing to play one player short this season for this low amount of risk.  He pinch ran for Bell last night, is that really the best use you can do, using your third catcher.  And if we needed another pinch hitter we were out of options because we are playing with a short bench.

[mikelink45]

Love to see the fan excitement.  Let's hope we regain 500 (what other year would that be such a good thing).  

Once again WPA leaves me cold - Ober, Lewis, Lee are the top three for me no matter what that worthless stat says.  Give me the thumbs down, but give these three credit.

And once again I question shy the Royals ever go to their worthless BP.  Lets the starters go as long as possible. 

[laloesch]

6 hours ago, howeda7 said:

Nice win. Now PLEASE call up Culpepper and Jenkins. The offense is still brutal. 

Won't happen until at least August 15th, unfortunately.

[HarmonK03]

Per Gleeman, Jenkins slash line for the last 30 games since returning .303/.366/.521.  For those wanting to see a sustained run, I think we are seeing it.  There is no reason he shouldn't be in the lineup in Milwaukee tonight.

[laloesch]

1 minute ago, HarmonK03 said:

Per Gleeman, Jenkins slash line for the last 30 games since returning .303/.366/.521.  For those wanting to see a sustained run, I think we are seeing it.  There is no reason he shouldn't be in the lineup in Milwaukee tonight.

I agree and thanks for the down vote. 😒

[HarmonK03]

3 minutes ago, laloesch said:

Won't happen until at least August 15th, unfortunately.

If they are contenders which they are claiming they are, then they need to be up here.  There is no reason to wait, this b.s. about August 15th is not what a contending team would be doing.

[DJL44]

8 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

If they are contenders which they are claiming they are, then they need to be up here.  There is no reason to wait, this b.s. about August 15th is not what a contending team would be doing.

This team has a fondness for being 2 games under .500. They’re not a contending team in 2026. 
 

Buxton should be back in a few days.

[Major League Ready]

14 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

Per Gleeman, Jenkins slash line for the last 30 games since returning .303/.366/.521.  For those wanting to see a sustained run, I think we are seeing it.  There is no reason he shouldn't be in the lineup in Milwaukee tonight.

One reason is that he would lose Rookie status for next year.  Wait a week and he would maintain Rookie status for next year.  It makes no sense to forfeit Rookie status for next year for one week on the roster this year.

[terrydactyls]

Meanwhile, back to the game.  I wish I would have kept track of how many hard-hit balls the Twins hit to straight away center field that had a chance to go over Isbel's head, but ended up being caught.  It sure seemed like a lot of 400-foot outs.

[JD-TWINS]

41 minutes ago, mickster said:

I  think we need to keep him as well, but could it be possible to attempt to slip him through waivers?

With 2 more years of control - I would scoop him if it improved my situation for ‘28……..get to audition him for 6 weeks……….seriously doubt any contender would grab him!

[DJL44]

I like Alex Jackson as the 13th player more than Outman or Keirsey Jr. 

[HarmonK03]

12 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

This team has a fondness for being 2 games under .500. They’re not a contending team in 2026. 
 

Buxton should be back in a few days.

I don't necessarily disagree, but the team says they are contenders and have made moves that they think support that.  So why only go halfway, either act like a contender or don't.  Jenkins can play more than CF, Buxton's status should have no impact on this decision.

[HarmonK03]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I like Alex Jackson as the 13th player more than Outman or Keirsey Jr. 

How about we raise the floor and have a 13th player that can contribute something.  Like KC does with Tolbert.

[DJL44]

2 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

I don't necessarily disagree, but the team says they are contenders and have made moves that they think support that.  So why only go halfway, either act like a contender or don't.  Jenkins can play more than CF, Buxton's status should have no impact on this decision.

When Buxton returns in a few days, the starting outfield is Larnach, Buxton and Keaschall. No room to break in a rookie.

[HarmonK03]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

When Buxton returns in a few days, the starting outfield is Larnach, Buxton and Keaschall. No room to break in a rookie.

That is not true, you can get 4 outfielders regular AB's very easily, managers do it all the time.  And Bell doesn't need to play every day, there are AB's available at DH as well.  And when you have 4 quality outfielders, one may be available to pinch hit later in the game, an actual quality batter, rather than just a platoon move for the sake of it.