Week in Review: Lewis Awakens, Deadline Decisions Loom

The Weekly Nutshell:
The Twins once again had an interesting opportunity in front of them. They entered the ninth inning of their finale in Los Angeles with a one-run lead, on the verge of capturing an unlikely series victory against the formidable Dodgers. Finish the job there, sweep the lowly Nationals at home over the weekend, and the Twins would be back above the .500 mark as we speak, ruling out any notion of a sell-off as we head into deadline week.

Of course, that's not how it went. That's never really how it's gone when the opportunity for redemption has presented itself to this bunch. Instead, a familiar meltdown scenario played out in the bottom of the ninth against LA. Then the Twins managed to squeak by the Nats despite zero run-scoring hits on Friday, and were beaten soundly the next two days for a third consecutive series loss coming out of the break. 

This is the most disappointing Twins team I've followed in at least 10 years. Unlike so many others that have fallen short of expectations, this one can't point to an abundance of injuries or misfortune for its failure. Only a complete lack of heart and fight from a group of players that has fully earned whatever dismantling is about to come.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/21 through Sun, 7/27
***
Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 50-55)
Run Differential Last Week: -11 (Overall: -19)
Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (10 GB) 

Last Week's Game Results:

Game 100 | LAD 5, MIN 2: Twins Fall Behind Early, Can't Fight Back Against Ohtani and Co.

Festa: 5 IP, 4 ER

Game 101 | MIN 10, LAD 7: Seven RBIs from Bottom of Lineup Fuel Much-Needed Victory

Lewis, Vazquez: 6 RBI

Game 102 | LAD 4, MIN 3: Jax Blows One-Run Lead in 9th, Freeman Delivers Walk-Off

Jax: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 ER

Game 103 | MIN 1, WAS 0: Zebby Mows Down Nationals, Buxton's Sac Fly Carries Twins

Matthews: 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K

Game 104 | WAS 9, MIN 3: Big Hits Elude Twins and Mistakes Mount in Lethargic Loss

Twins offense: 1-12 RISP

Game 105 | WAS 7, MIN 2: Another Series Slips Away Behind Sloppy, Ugly Baseball

Adams: 3.1 IP, 5 ER

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NEWS & NOTES

On Friday night, Bailey Ober made his second rehab start with the Saints, and it once again went well in terms of results: 5 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K. Is he ready to return? He certainly looks out of place in Triple-A, and there are no signs of anything amiss physically, so Ober should be back in the Twins rotation very soon. 

The rotation suddenly needs him after losing David Festa to the injured list on Wednesday due to shoulder inflammation. Travis Adams was recalled to fill in on the pitching staff for the time being. Losing Festa is tough given his talent and ability, but the reality is that his performance has been quite spotty this year as he's been unable to settle into any kind of consistent groove. Hopefully a little time off enables him to come back fresh and more effective.

Joining Festa on the injured list two days later was reliever Anthony Misiewicz, who exited Wednesday's game with an injury and was later diagnosed with a shoulder impingement. Kody Funderburk is back to replace him as a lefty in the bullpen, and that could actually be an upgrade, although Fundy has struggled mightily in the past two seasons and had another rocky re-entry to the majors this time around, allowing three runs in two innings on Saturday.

The Twins made a catching depth swap on the 40-man roster. Jair Camargo was designated for assignment and subsequently released, following Diego Cartaya out the door. With that, the Twins have parted ways with both Triple-A backstops that entered this season as the top organizational depth behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez. Jhonny Pereda, a 29-year-old journeyman recently placed on waivers by the Athletics, was claimed and added to the 40-man roster to replenish the lost catching depth. The future of this position for the Twins is beyond murky with Vázquez headed for free agency this winter and Jeffers just one year behind.

For now, the Twins made it clear that Mickey Gasper is third on the MLB catching hierarchy; he was called up on Saturday for a temporary stint while Jeffers is on the paternity list. (Congrats!)

A final note of relief: Byron Buxton excited Saturday's game with what was described as soreness in his side, and sat out Sunday's series finale against Washington, but Rocco Baldelli shared postgame that an MRI revealed rib cartilage irritation rather than anything more serious, and Buck is considered day-to-day.

HIGHLIGHTS

For nearly a full calendar year, fans have been waiting for the real Royce Lewis to stand up. Hobbled by a series of lower-body injuries, which he recently admitted have taken a toll on him, Lewis was one of the least productive hitters in baseball over a stretch of several months in a stunning fall-off from his prodigious peak. As Royce himself grasped for answers and the numbers continued to flounder, it was only natural to wonder if the superstar capability was still in there.

The past week provided some resounding affirmation on that front. Lewis appears to have turned a corner in sharp and sudden fashion. Springboarding off a two-homer game in Colorado to close out the previous week, Lewis went 8-for-22 with another homer, four doubles and five RBIs. He walked twice with just one strikeout in 24 plate appearances. It's not just the numbers that offer encouragement; there's a visible confidence and lightness that have returned to Royce. He looks like a different guy in the box than he did at the depths of his unrelenting slump. This could be a game-changer for the Twins if they can find a way to stay in the fight.

The breakthrough performance from Zebby Matthews on Friday night also could portend favorably for the Twins going forward. Granted, he was going against a very bad last-place team with a sub-mediocre offense. But Matthews finally pulled it all together in his finest major-league start, striking out seven with only two hits allowed in six shutout innings. What really sticks out here is that Zebby finally put his famously masterful control on display at the big-league level, avoiding the lapses and misfires that have plagued him. He had issued at least one walk in 10 straight starts before keeping the BB column clean in this gem. 

The injury to Festa elevates Matthews's importance to this rotation. If he can answer the call like he did on Friday and Ober can come back looking stronger, they'll be in solid shape on the starting pitching front.

LOWLIGHTS

The Twins were on their way to what could have potentially been one of their biggest wins of the season on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Taking a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, they were on the verge of securing an unlikely series win on the road against the mighty Dodgers, and negating the bad vibes from a series loss in Colorado to open the second half.

With Jhoan Durán unavailable after throwing 29 pitches the previous night, it was Griffin Jax who got the call to come in and seal the deal. He did not.

This was a prototypical Jax disaster outing with all the recognizable ingredients — a combination of factors inside and outside of his control. He was bitten by some bad luck on batted balls as well as an extremely questionable umpiring call, but once again this disappointment was defined by his inability to show resilience and overcome adversity. Let's be clear: this was a terrible outing for Jax. He induced zero swings and misses on 20 pitches. He inexplicably tried to dance around, and walked, LA's worst hitter (Esteury Ruiz) to put the winning run in scoring position. Then he gave up a rocket to Freddie Freeman on a well-earned walk-off hit, even though Harrison Bader came oh-so close to catching it. 

There are plenty of metrics that continue to portray Jax as one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the league, and he's shown that form often enough. There's a reason he's known to be in high demand among buyers with the trade deadline hovering. But despite his prowess, Jax has had way too many of these games, where wins turn into losses under his watch. Aaron Gleeman noted that Wednesday marked the seventh time this year in which Jax lowered Minnesota's win probability by at least 25%, leading the major leagues. Assuming he's still here on Friday, the Twins are going to need much more from Jax than they've gotten in high-pressure situations.

Brooks Lee might be on the verge of a demotion back to Triple-A. He's been incapable of making any noise at the plate, with a low-power, low-discipline profile that doesn't offer much in the way of upside. He managed two singles in 12 at-bats last week and is 7-for-57 (.123) with one double, two runs scored and three walks in the month of July. On top of that, the quality of Lee's glovework has been deteriorating as his offensive struggles follow him into the field — his consequential dropped fly ball in Saturday's game enters the running for ugliest defensive moment in a season with all too many contenders.

Luke Keaschall continues to progress in his rehab at Triple-A, now moving beyond DH restriction and making starts at second base. As he advances, the clock could and should be ticking on Lee, although obviously the Twins' deadline dealings will have an effect on any such shakeup.

Shakeups are all but certainly coming in some fashion, and they've been earned by this lackluster ballclub. At a time where the Twins needed to give us (and the front office) any kind of reason to believe, they instead just gave us more of the opposite, putting forth another week of uninspired, sloppy, non-urgent play with everything on the line.

Defensive plays were missed constantly, and not just by Lee. Big hits were nowhere to be found — the Twins went 1-for-21 over the weekend with runners in scoring position. Carlos Correa had one extra-base hit (a double) in 23 plate appearances on the week. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach went a combined 4-for-27 with four RBIs.

Serial rally killer Willi Castro grounded into four double plays in a 4-for-25 week that included seven strikeouts, one walk and zero RBIs. Much like he did in the second half last year, Castro is disappearing when the offense needs him to step up. It'd no surprise if he actually disappears from the roster within the next few days, and you know what? Whatever. He's had a commendable run in here in Minnesota after being signed to a minor-league deal but I'm ready to move on. 

TRENDING STORYLINE

The trade deadline arrives this coming Thursday, July 31st, at 5:00 PM CT. As a team with slim contention hopes and plenty of useful contending pieces — including a handful on expiring contracts — the Twins will be open for business in the coming days. Their full mindset is unclear, but by now, at least some some level of light selling feels inevitable. If this season is ultimately destined to be a lemon, maybe the Twins can squeeze some lemonade out of it down the line.

Given Minnesota's position in the standings and underwhelming play, I would be surprised if the front office didn't flip multiple rental players in exchange for future assets. Bader and Danny Coulombe probably top the list of likelihood, with Castro up there as well. 

I would be equally surprised if the Twins traded Joe Ryan, given his importance to a 2026 team that still has plenty of promise depending on how the offense gets addressed. Jax and Jhoan Durán, or another controllable reliever like Brock Stewart, are in a similar boat as Ryan but less off-limits should the right offer come along. Whether or not they choose to cash in on one or more of their highly regarded relief arms might be the most intriguing narrative surrounding the Twins front office at this deadline. Only a few more days to go.

For additional reading, here's a rundown of some of our latest deadline-focused content. There will be plenty more to come in the week ahead, including Twins Daily's official deadline primer going live on Monday morning.

• How One Twins Reliever Is Under-the-Radar Before the MLB Trade Deadline
• These 4 Phenom Prospects Could Convince the Twins to Trade Joe Ryan
• Three Under-the-Radar NL Teams That Could Trade for Willi Castro
• Should Derek Falvey Be Trusted to Make Trade Decisions on Jax, Duran and Ryan?
• The Pressly Paradox: Why Selling Relievers Is a Precarious Path
• Twins Could Get Creative by Shopping 3 Former Top Prospects at the MLB Trade Deadline
• The Twins Could Be Sellers and Still Make the Playoffs. (They've Done It Before!) 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Red Sox come to town looking to reinforce their presence in the AL postseason race as the Twins watch their last wisps of hope fade away. With the trade deadline land on an off day in between series, Minnesota may show up in Cleveland on Friday with a differently constructed roster. 

MONDAY, JULY 28: RED SOX @ TWINS — RHP Richard Fitts v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
TUESDAY, JULY 29: RED SOX @ TWINS — RHP Lucas Giolito v. RHP Chris Paddack
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30: RED SOX @ TWINS — RHP Brayan Bello v. RHP Zebby Matthews
[MLB TRADE DEADLINE]
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1: TWINS @ GUARDIANS — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Gavin Williams
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2: TWINS @ GUARDIANS — TBD v. RHP Tanner Bibee
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3: TWINS @ GUARDIANS — RHP Simeon Woods Richardson v. RHP Joey Cantillo