Week in Review: Buxton vs. The World

The Weekly Nutshell:
It's becoming a weekly trend for the Minnesota Twins: they start and finish strong, with a whole lot of ugliness in between. This time around, they kicked off the week with an 11-3 win over Washington before dropping three in a row and then rebounding over the weekend with rare back-to-back one-run wins in Cleveland. 

The Twins are in last place but are hanging around in a closely grouped AL Central, currently led by Cleveland with a .500 record. Though they're far from out of the running, it's tough to feel much belief in this team's outlook as the bullpen continues to bleed and the hits keep coming from an injury standpoint. But Minnesota's star center fielder is doing all he can to single-handedly keep things interesting.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/4 through Sun, 5/10
***
Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 18-23)
Run Differential Last Week: -7 (Overall: -12)
Standing: 5th Place in AL Central (2.5 GB) 

Latest Game Results

Game 36 | MIN 11, WAS 3: Twins Beat Up on Brutal Nats Pitching Staff in Rout

• Lee: 3-5, 3 RBI

Game 37 | WAS 15, MIN 2: Ober Struggles, Bullpen Gets Nuked in Late Innings

• Topa, García: 1.1 IP, 8 ER, 3 HR allowed

Game 38 | WAS 7, MIN 5: Mental Mistakes, Missed Chances Cost Twins Series 

• Woods Richardson: 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Game 39 | CLE 6, MIN 4: Four-Run First Carries Guardians to Win in Opener

• Buxton: 3-5, HR, 2 RBI

Game 40 | MIN 2, CLE 1 (11): Buxton Provides All the Offense Epic Pitching Duel

• Buxton: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI

Game 41 | MIN 5, CLE 4: Twins Scrape Out Another Rare One-Run Win at Cleveland

• Clemens: 2-4, 2 R

NEWS & NOTES

The week opened with some much-needed good news: Joe Ryan's MRI showed no structural damage in his elbow, eliciting a collective sigh of relief after his early exit last week set off major alarm bells. Not only was Ryan able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but he didn't even miss a start, returning to the mound for his scheduled turn in Cleveland on Saturday. It went very well. More on that below.

But it wasn't all good news on the pitching health front. Mick Abel, who's trying to work his way back from elbow inflammation, experienced a setback and received a cortisone shot in his triceps. He's still probably multiple weeks away at least. This comes on the heels of David Festa being shut down on his own rehab journey due to renewed soreness in his shoulder, leaving his season somewhat in limbo. 

And on Saturday, the Twins placed Taj Bradley — who's been easily the biggest bright spot on the pitching staff — on the injured list with right pec muscle inflammation. Travis Adams was recalled to take his spot on the roster. Hopefully this is a minor issue for Bradley but it unfortunately should be noted that the same injury cost him two months in 2024. 

Word is that imaging came back clean, but Bradley was headed to see Dr. Keith Meister (famed pitching surgeon) for a second opinion, which suggests some level of concern. We'll see what comes next.

While Adams replaced him immediately on the roster, it looks like it'll be Kendry Rojas — recalled on Sunday with Kody Funderburk heading down — counted on to fill the bulk innings lost from Bradley, who's been a workhorse for this staff. Rojas threw 3 ⅓ innings in relief of opener Andrew Morris in the series finale against Cleveland.

Finally, Yoendrys Gómez was acquired from Tampa Bay for cash considerations. The Twins designated Christian Roa for assignment to make room on the 40-man and optioned John Klein to make room on the active roster.

HIGHLIGHTS

This was a fairly solid week for the offense, all in all, with some of the lineup's top performers contributing and building on their successful starts to the season. 

As usual, Byron Buxton was the driving force. At times it's felt like he IS the Twins offense, and that became literal on Saturday night when Buxton's leadoff homer in the first and RBI double in the 11th represented the entirety of Minnesota's production in a 2-1 victory. The home run was Buxton's third of the week, pushing his season total to 13. Entering play on Sunday he was tied for fourth in the majors behind Aaron Judge, Munetaka Murakami and Kyle Schwarber.

Ryan Jeffers went 6-for-17 with a home run, four doubles and four runs scored. Austin Martin was 7-for-20 with a double and a stolen base. Buxton, Jeffers and Martin rank first, second and fourth among Twins position players in fWAR this season, respectively. 

Brooks Lee has risen to fifth on that list, ascending steadily in recent weeks after pulling clear of a season-opening lull. He tallied four multi-hit games and six RBIs, and on Saturday played perhaps his best defensive game of the season at shortstop. In extra innings, Lee made a couple of stellar, high-stakes plays, including a game-ending putout on a diving play to his left in the 11th, following an almost miraculous stab of a hot liner with the infield in. 

Luke Keaschall is also rising on the WAR leaderboard following his own slow start. He had four hits including a double, but also drew eight walks with no strikeouts. In his past 14 games, Keaschall is 13-for-43 (.317) with five doubles and three stolen bases, lifting his OPS by over 100 points.

On the pitching side, Ryan looked to be in top form on Saturday, which was a huge relief. There were no signs of discomfort or hindrance from the elbow that forced him out of his previous start, and in fact Ryan's velocity was actually up a tick over his season norm. He held the Guardians to one over six innings and finished with 107 pitches, his highest total in an outing since June of 2023. 

Never a dull moment when it comes to the Joe Ryan Experience.

LOWLIGHTS

Another horrendous week for the bullpen. Wednesday's game was the clear low point, with four relievers combining to allow 10 earned runs in three innings after Bailey Ober's exit. That included six charged to Justin Topa, who now has a 7.88 ERA and has been one of the most-used relievers in baseball despite his lack of capability. Luis García followed Topa and gave up home runs to two of the four batters he faced; García has now surrendered eight earned runs in 4 ⅔ innings since being signed to a minor-league contract after the Mets jettisoned him. 

Anthony Banda continues to look erratic and unreliable. He issued two walks and hit two batters in his four appearances. His ERA sits at 7.64 on the season, making him one of four Twins pitchers seeing regular use despite an ERA over six. 

Joining Banda, Topa and García in that category is Simeon Woods Richardson, who is getting knocked around every fifth day with no end in sight. The Nationals jumped on him for five earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings on Thursday, marking the third straight start in which he's been unable to get through the fifth. The Twins are 1-7 in games started by Woods Richardson, whose 6.92 ERA is tied for the worst in baseball.

There haven't been many redeeming aspects in the right-hander's performance so far. He has the lowest strikeout rate in the majors at 10.7%. Opponents are slashing .323/.390/.544 against him, and they have a .440 wOBA against the splitter that's supposed to be a neutralizing weapon. Yet the Twins have little choice but to keep trotting him out there as a member of their rotation. Injuries to Festa, Abel and now Bradley have decimated Minnesota's starting depth, so even if they wanted to make a move with Woods Richardson — tricky in and of itself since he's out of options and doesn't seem to offer much potential as a reliever — their hands are essentially tied. 

Honestly, I can live with it. In an increasingly lost season, letting a 25-year-old starter work through his struggles is acceptable. He's not giving the Twins much chance to win when he's on the mound but that doesn't really matter a whole lot. In the bigger picture there is still a purpose in running him out there. The bullpen situation is far more difficult to tolerate.

Klein also wasn't pitching well either, allowing two earned runs over 2 ⅓ innings during his brief stint with the Twins, but at least he's a semi-legitimate prospect who could possibly be a factor for the bullpen going forward. Instead, he's back in Triple-A, while the Twins trot out veterans like Topa, García and now Gómez with no current or future value. This isn't a rebuilding bullpen, it's just a bad bullpen offering no compelling reason to tune in. 

Finally, we've got to talk about Royce Lewis. It's getting late early for the Twins third baseman. He sat consecutive games on Wednesday and Thursday as Derek Shelton sought to give Lewis — hitting .133 with a 15-to-1 K/BB ratio since coming off the injured list — a bit of a soft reset. The 26-year-old now routinely finds himself batting ninth in the order, with an OPS that has dropped well below .600. Despite efforts to reduce the pressure and get him right, Lewis just can't find his way out of a funk that essentially extends back to the middle of the 2024 season. 

Where to go from here? In some sense you can make a similar argument as the one above with Woods Richardson — as a hopeful building block, let him take the lumps and try to figure things out — but this slump has lasted far longer and unlike with SWR, Lewis has a minor-league option remaining, as well as credible options in the minors to replace him. 

TRENDING STORYLINE

If you're looking for a vibe lift, you might turn your attention to the super-slugging St. Paul Saints. Yes, there's cause for dismay on this roster too, with top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez both landing on the injured list last week, but there's still plenty of juice in this lineup.

The Saints tweeted last week that they lead all of professional baseball in home runs, outpacing even the New York Yankees who were leading the majors. Among the power bats fueling St. Paul's prolific long-ball prowess are Gabriel Gonzalez, Kyler Fedko, Orlando Arcia and Kaelen Culpepper with eight home runs apiece. The latter two stand out as potential promotion candidates, with the capability to displace Lewis at third base. 

Understandably, the Twins might want to keep playing it slow with Culpepper, prioritizing his development as he continues acclimating to the Triple-A level. But Arcia, who is slashing .316.372/.579 through 34 games with the Saints, sure looks like a candidate for a relatively imminent call-up. 

LOOKING AHEAD

Following a 2-3 road trip [thru sat], the Twins are coming back to Target Field for a pair of interleague showdowns. First they'll be welcoming the Marlins, with Woodbury native Max Meyer slated to make his Target Field debut on Wednesday. Over the weekend it'll be the cross-border rival Brewers, with plenty of Wisconsinite fans surely in tow. Should be some nice weather as long as it stays dry.

TUESDAY, MAY 12: MARLINS @ TWINS — RHP Eury Perez v. RHP Bailey Ober
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13: MARLINS @ TWINS — RHP Max Meyer v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
THURSDAY, MAY 14: MARLINS @ TWINS — LHP Robby Snelling v. LHP Connor Prielipp
FRIDAY, MAY 15: BREWERS @ TWINS  — LHP Kyle Harrison v. RHP Joe Ryan
SATURDAY, MAY 16: BREWERS @ TWINS  — RHP Logan Henderson v. TBD
SUNDAY, MAY 17: BREWERS @ TWINS  — RHO Chad Patrick v. RHP Bailey Ober