Week in Review: Momentum Killers

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/12 through Sun, 6/18
***
Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 36-36)
Run Differential Last Week: -6 (Overall: +34)
Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (3.0 GA)

Last Week's Game Results:

Game 67 | MIN 7, MIL 5: Twins Pull Off Thrilling Comeback in Ninth
Game 68 | MIN 4, MIL 2: Correa Keys Victory Behind Ober's Strong Start
Game 69 | DET 8, MIN 4: Gray, Bullpen Can't Hold Onto Early Lead
Game 70 | DET 7, MIN 1: Outclassed by Tigers in Embarrassing Blowout
Game 71 | MIN 2, DET 0: Bullpen Game Produces Shutout
Game 72 | DET 6, MIN 4: Varland Serves Up Bombs, Rallies Stall

NEWS & NOTES

Much like Max Kepler, Byron Buxton had been struggling before his latest trip to injured list. Like Kepler, Buxton returned directly to the Twins lineup once he was deemed ready, bypassing the standard minor-league rehab assignment. And like Kepler, Buxton went right back to struggling, coming out of the gates 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts.

As a result of Buxton's activation on Thursday, Trevor Larnach was once again optioned to Triple-A, which is unfortunate. In fairness, it's not like Larnach has been lighting the world on fire, but he's at a prove-it point in his career and can't seem to find a sustained run of MLB playing time. To be deprived of that opportunity at the expense of Kepler, or a plainly broken Buxton, is tough.

Even Joey Gallo, also activated last week, is becoming an awkward fit as he slumps and clogs the depth chart on a one-year deal, though his positional flexibility is handy. Kyle Garlick returned to the minors to make room for Gallo, who went 3-for-14 and struck out four times on Sunday.

In other Twins roster moves from the past week:

• Josh Winder, who made a strong impression by tossing four innings of one-run ball across two relief appearances, was optioned to Triple-A in exchange for Brent Headrick, who got the win as bulk guy in Saturday's bullpen game.
• Gilberto Celestino completed his rehab from a torn thumb ligament. He was activated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A; the Twins made room by moving Jorgé Alcala to the 60-day IL, ruling him out for another month.

Finally, Jorge López was moved to the Restricted List for what's being termed mental health issues. He'll be away from the team indefinitely. Sadly this development doesn't come as any big surprise – López has imploded on the mound in the past month, frequently showing no semblance of command or poise even in the lowest-leverage of mop-up spots. 

Since blowing his first save on April 29th, following a great first month, López posted an 8.80 ERA, 9.53 FIP, 12 strikeouts, 10 walks, 4 HBP, and six homers allowed in 15 ⅓ innings. 

There was no trusting him in any situation, and moreover, putting López into games was starting to feel legitimately dangerous. Nobody wants a guy out there throwing 98 with no idea where it's going. 

Something needed to be done, and this seems like a relatively favorable course of action, all things considered. Hopefully a little time off and the right support can help López get himself right. There's no doubt he can help this team a lot in the future if he returns to the form we know he's capable of capturing.

Meanwhile, the Twins have suffered a crushing blow to their late-inning depth – an issue they'll need to grapple with in the weeks ahead. For now, the López move made way for Jordan Balazovic to join the roster. He made his major-league debut on Sunday, tossing 3 ⅔ scoreless innings against Detroit.

HIGHLIGHTS

After teasing us a with a few fleeting glimpses in April and May, it appears that Carlos Correa has truly and fully awakened. He pronounced this with authority in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday night, capping an epic comeback against Milwaukee closer Devin Williams by annihilating a two-run walk-off shot to left. As Correa turned to his dugout and pointed to an imaginary watch, he expressed a sentiment we can all share: About. Damn. Time. 

For the week, Correa was just 5-for-17 (.217), illustrating an ongoing need for more consistency and sustained production, but at least he's starting to deliver some big hits and signature moments. On Wednesday against Milwaukee he came through with a two-run triple in the third inning that more or less decided the game.

Of course, Bailey Ober played a big role in deciding that game as well. He threw six innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts and one walk to pick up his fourth win of the season. Since joining the rotation, Ober has been arguably the Twins' best and most consistent starter, completing at least five innings in all 10 turns while posting a 2.65 ERA and 3.53 FIP. 

LOWLIGHTS

The vaunted Twins rotation laid a big fat egg in the Detroit series. There's really no other way to put it. This was the worst offensive team in baseball, entering the series ranked dead last in OPS, and yet the Tigers straight-up handled all three starters the Twins threw in this series. 

Sonny Gray, despite being handed a 4-1 lead early, could not throw strikes or escape trouble in the series opener, compelling Rocco Baldelli to (controversially) pull him after four innings at 72 pitches. The bullpen utterly bombed, including an ugly outing from Jorge López (2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER) that proved to be his last before going on the Restricted List.

Joe Ryan coughed up six earned runs on Friday in his worst start of the season, surrendering a pair of home runs in betraying what has generally been a strength for him this year. (He'd allowed only two homers in his previous nine starts.) It appears that regression is catching up a bit with Mr. Ryan, whose ERA has risen from 2.21 to 3.30 in his past four starts.

Louie Varland rounded out the series by getting knocked around on Sunday for six runs on nine hits in 4 ⅓ innings. Like Ryan, Varland was bitten by the long ball, but unlike Ryan, he wasn't bucking any kind of positive trend. Home runs have been a persistent problem for Varland, who's now allowed 18 in 82 major-league innings. Even with all of the other things he does well, it's simply going to be impossible for Varland to be successful MLB pitcher if he can't improve on this grave weakness.

Having said all that, the rotation has generally been good all year, and was always bound to have some lapses here and there. It's very unfortunate to see one coming against the crummiest-hitting team in the league, but nonetheless, you'd sure like to see the lineup answer the call and pick these guys up a little bit – especially considering the Tigers don't pitch real well either. 

They just can't do it. 

After posting four runs during a dramatic ninth-inning comeback on Tuesday, the Twins offense didn't manage to score more than four runs in a game the rest of the week. Fans at Target Field witnessed the usual parade of piss-poor at-bats, with hitters constantly guessing, falling behind, and whiffing their way back to the bench while games slipped away.

Buxton is sadly the biggest problem on the team right now, and it's hard to argue otherwise. Every time he's in the lineup, he's churning outs in the heart of the order, while also occupying the DH spot and forcing the Twins to use guys like Edouard Julien in the field. On Sunday, the Twins forfeit the designated hitter so they could pinch-hit Buxton in the eighth – he struck out looking at a pitch over the plate, of course.

It's been a long time since we've seen even a glimpse of upside to counterbalance the tremendous negatives Buxton is bringing to the table. 

If he were merely stuck in a bad-luck spell or mini-slump it'd be easier to abide the club's inclination toward endless patience and faith. But unfortunately, it is clear to anyone watching that Buxton has no clue and no chance at the plate right now. He's gone 23 consecutive plate appearances without a hit and the quality of at-bats its direly low. 

It's actually kind of hard to comprehend this sudden drop-off, reverting to the form of a 21-year-old rookie in 2015 who was completely baffled and overwhelmed by major-league pitching. The guy who stood there and watched three hittable pitches float over the plate uncontested in the eighth inning on Saturday, with a runner on second and one out, doesn't resemble in any way the aggressive, confident, dominant Byron Buxton I know. 

History tells us he'll snap out of and go on a tear at some point soon, but man, that seems like a massive stretch based on how lost he seems in every single at-bat right now. I can't remember ever seeing Buxton look this blatantly bad aside from short stretches where he was dealing with injuries, or all the way back in those early days of learning the ropes in the big leagues.

Buxton definitely looks like a guy who would have benefited from taking a few swings in the minors on a rehab stint. That ship has sailed. But at the very least, the Twins need to find some ways to take pressure off by moving him down in the order, or something. 

It doesn't help that almost none of Buxton's veteran counterparts on the team have shown any ability to lift up him or the rest of the offense. Kepler, Gallo, and Christian Vázquez have all been black holes at the plate for weeks, showing no real signs of turning it around.

We're closing in on the halfway point of the season. The Twins are in first place by three games, by grace of this god-awful division, but they are not in good shape. At this point, the organization should be giving real thought to shaking things up in significant ways. 

Whether that means making a change at hitting coach (what more could you need to see?), moving on from underperforming vets like Kepler and Gallo, facing some hard decisions with Buxton, or otherwise, the front office has got to show some active intervention. This is a stale, lackluster product that's somehow getting worse. The time for shrugging shoulders and stubbornly staying the course is passed.

TRENDING STORYLINE

Decision time is looming for Kenta Maeda. The veteran right-hander made another rehab start for St. Paul on Friday night, pushing to 81 pitches while working into the fifth in Louisville. He reportedly averaged 89.5 MPH with the fastball and maxed at 91.5, which is about what you'd expect at this stage.

Maeda cruised through the early innings before his control unraveled in the fourth and fifth, ultimately walking four and exiting with the bases loaded, which doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. At the same time, Maeda's rehab window is drawing to a close and Varland is not setting a terribly high bar in the fifth rotation spot with his 5.30 ERA. 

Notably, Baldelli hasn't ruled out the possibility of going to a six-man rotation, which would make some sense given the need to keep inning totals in check for guys like Gray (119.2 IP in 2022) and Ober (56).

If that happens, it means we can probably expect true back-of-rotation caliber performance from starters in one-third of the Twins' games, upping the stakes for a sputtering offense to find some life.

LOOKING AHEAD

The current 10-game homestand – off to a 3-3 start – marches on as the Twins welcome a so-so Boston club to town for four games. From there, it's on to Detroit for a three-game rematch on the road. 

The stage is set, theoretically, for Minnesota to start clicking and get on a roll. But it feels like we've been saying that every week.

MONDAY, 6/19: RED SOX @ TWINS – LHP James Paxton v. RHP Pablo Lopez
TUESDAY, 6/20: RED SOX @ TWINS – RHP Kutter Crawford v. RHP Bailey Ober
WEDNESDAY, 6/21: RED SOX @ TWINS – RHP Garrett Whitlock v. RHP Sonny Gray
THURSDAY, 6/22: RED SOX @ TWINS – RHP Tanner Houck v. RHP Joe Ryan
FRIDAY, 6/23: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Louie Varland v. LHP Joey Wentz
SATURDAY, 6/17: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Pablo Lopez v. TBD
SUNDAY, 6/18: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Reese Olson