Week in Review: Reality Check

The Weekly Nutshell:
The past week represented an interesting opportunity for the Minnesota Twins to match up against a couple of franchises in similar positions. The White Sox and Pirates are also lower-budget teams that are focused on development and building toward the future while also trying to stay competitive in the present. During these two series, the Twins looked to be miles behind both opponents. 

They lost six of seven games, with the only win coming in a laborious 11-inning affair on Tuesday. An increasingly injury-ravaged and filler-packed pitching staff gave up nine-plus runs on three separate occasions as the team's biggest strength from the first third of the season lapsed into a liability. Now the Twins will limp back to Target Field on a five-game losing streak, hoping to capture any kind of positive energy with the season sinking back into darkness.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/25 through Sun, 5/31
***
Record Last Week: 1-6 (Overall: 27-33)
Run Differential Last Week: -25 (Overall: -21)
Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (6.5 GB) 

Latest Game Results

Game 54 | CWS 3, MIN 1: Twins Come Out on Losing End of Chi-Town Pitching Duel

• Martin, Bell, Clemens: 0-12

Game 55 | MIN 5, CWS 3 (11): Lee's Clutch Three-Run Double Secures Win in Extras

• Ryan: 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K

Game 56 | CWS 15, MIN 2: Regression Hits Like Load of Bricks in Massive Blowout 

• Orze, Adams: 2.2 IP, 8 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Game 57 | CWS 6, MIN 2: Walks, Mistakes Cost Twins Early in Disappointing Series Finale

• Woods Richardson: 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Game 58 | PIT 6, MIN 5: Reynolds Walks Off Rogers with Two-Run Homer in Ninth Inning

• Larnach: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI

Game 59 | PIT 10, MIN 9: Fierce Comeback Effort Fall Short After Ober Digs Big Early Hole

• Ober: 4.2 IP, 8 R (7 ER), 12 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Game 60 | PIT 9, MIN 3: Pirates Rough Up Tiwns Pitching Once Again to Seal Sweep at PNC

• Matthews: 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K

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NEWS & NOTES

The Twins already have Mick Abel and Alan Roden — two key pieces acquired at last year's trade deadline — on the injured list indefinitely, and they've seen Taj Bradley sidelined for a spell. On Friday, another hopeful future fixture from that deadline class landed on the shelf, with Kendry Rojas placed on the 15-day IL due to elbow soreness. 

The injury is being billed as inflammation, and Joe Ryan's recent example taught us not to overreact, but this is certainly ominous news for Rojas, whose health history was part of the reason behind Toronto's willingness to give up his promising arm in the Louis Varland trade.

Stepping back into the rotation on short notice for Rojas was Simeon Woods Richardson. Unfortunately, he picked up right where he left off, coughing up five earned runs on five hits and three walks in 2 ⅔ innings. At that point, the Twins had seen enough: they designated Woods Richardson for assignment on Saturday, exposing the 25-year-old to waivers and potentially losing him for nothing. A major downfall from the strong finish last year, and from my view a bit of a questionable decision.

One day after designating Woods Richardson for assignment, the Twins lost another former rotation anchor, with Bailey Ober also heading to the injured list due to elbow inflammation. After impressively giving up just five homers through 52 innings in his first nine starts, Ober had given up seven in his past three, and he got flat-out crushed by the Pirates on Saturday. 

We'll see how long he's out, and we'll see if Woods Richardson is able to get through waivers and stick around, because the depth would be even handier now.

The Twins selected the contract of right-hander Mike Paredes from St. Paul to replace Ober on the roster. Paredes is a fun story as a former 18th-round draft pick out of high school who has turned himself into, if not a prospect, at least an intriguing arm who has captured the Twins' attention. Working as a 4-5 inning starter with the Saints, the 25-year-old posted a 2.70 ERA and 25-to-5 K/BB ratio in May, and he also has plenty of experience pitching in relief. Paredes made his MLB debut on Sunday, shaking off early control issues to allow just one earned run in 3 ⅔ innings. 

In other pitching moves, Travis Adams was sent down and called back up, while John Klein was called up and sent back down. Kody Funderburk also returned to the fold from Triple-A. The Twins, who've already used 18 pitchers in relief this year (not counting Orlando Arcia) are in a constant churn to keep fresh arms at their disposal.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Joe Ryan experience continues to be a very enjoyable one. He turned in a fourth consecutive excellent outing in the wake of his early-May elbow scare, holding the White Sox to two runs over 7 ⅔ innings with zero walks and nine strikeouts. 

As so much goes amiss in the rotation around him, Ryan has been beyond steady, putting up quality starts in seven of his past nine turns while seemingly looking better each time out. He ranks fifth among MLB starters in fWAR and appears very much on track to make a second straight All-Star team. It's a little bittersweet that, as Ryan excels and the Twins unravel, the biggest implication of his success is what it means for his trade value rather than this team's outlook.

It was an interesting week for Kody Clemens. On Wednesday he made his first professional start in center field, and then he was back there three times in the next four days. To his credit, Clemens mostly held his own in the surprising assignment, and he also delivered a power-packed week at the plate with two homers, two triples and a double.

Finally, Brooks Lee deserves a shout out. He came through with the clutch three-run double in extras to lift the Twins in their lone victory of the week, and also homered three times, pushing his season total to eight. 

Lee's output this season has been highly sporadic, and that was the case again last week — he was 2-for-21 with one walk outside of those four extra-base hits — but the occasional power flurry is welcome and it's nice to see him at least holding his own at the plate with an OPS that's been hovering around average. If he's going to keep batting second and playing third base, he'll need to meet a higher bar for consistency. 

LOWLIGHTS

Rojas is hurt. Ober is hurt. Abel remains sidelined. Bradley is still fresh off the injured list, but had his shortest start of the season on Friday (4 IP, 5 ER) after being pushed back a day. And now Woods Richardson is out the door.

The rotation has been one of the biggest strengths and stabilizers for the Twins over the first two months, but has taken a quick and drastic turn for the worst. Even in the healthier contingent, things are not trending well aside from Ryan. 

Zebby Matthews got knocked around by the Pirates on Sunday, coughing up seven earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings. It was his second straight start allowing multiple homers, succumbing to what has largely been his kryptonite as an MLB pitcher. He's got to keep the ball in the yard.

Connor Prielipp is bogging down in his own introduction to the big leagues. After posting a shiny 2.88 ERA through his first five starts, Prielipp has turned in back-to-back rough outings, including his latest against the White Sox: 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 K. The erratic performance included a pair of wild pitches. 

Prielipp's ability and raw stuff have never been in doubt. The big question is how he will handle throwing 85-90 pitches every fifth day with an arm that hasn't been conditioned for such rigors. Hopefully what we're seeing now is a temporary stumble rather than a sign of Prielipp struggling to endure the taxing workload of an MLB starting pitcher.

As the pitching staff wears down, Minnesota's offense is not proving capable of keeping pace with the opposition. In these seven games, they were outscored by 25 and out-hit by by 23. The White Sox and Pirates went 12-for-13 on stolen bases (including 5-for-5 against Victor Caratini on Saturday) while the Twins went 1-for-3. Minnesota's hitters struck out 67 times against 13 walks. 

There are too many non-factors in the lineup on a day-to-day basis. The Twins are going out of their way to keep Austin Martin in right field even as his production falls off a cliff — he went 1-for-22 with a walk in the past week and his OPS dropped by 187 points in the month of May. Using Martin routinely in right field against right-handed pitchers, against whom he has a sub-.650 OPS, is a glaring sign of this offense's shortcomings and lack of optimization.

So too is Josh Bell batting third, as he did on Saturday despite an OPS that had nearly dropped below .600. He did deliver three RBIs in that game but Bell has been a major liability while hitting in the middle of the order. The Twins hoped he could bring both power and discipline as a veteran presence but in May, Bell managed just two home runs with 30-to-3 K-BB ratio in 102 plate appearances. He entered play on Sunday tied with Pittsburgh's Marcell Ozuna for the worst fWAR among qualified big-leaguers at negative-0.8. 

Trevor Larnach, another early-season success story, is slumping with a deteriorating plate approach: he went 3-for-24 with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Luke Keaschall is slugging .322. Caratini has four extra-base hits all aseason. 

Aside from Byron Buxton, who remains clearly hobbled and limited to DH, there is just no one in this lineup who inspires much faith at all. With the attrition and struggles on the pitching staff, unless several of these languishing hitters can step up and show something, things are prone to get pretty ugly here in June.

TRENDING STORYLINE

Royce Lewis is campaigning for a recall at Triple-A. He's been on a tear ever since his demotion, batting .324 with five homers and three doubles in nine games. It bears noting that he's still striking out a fair amount (eight times in 21 plate appearances over the past week) but the production is there and he's swinging with a visibly renewed confidence. 

I'm not under the illusion that Royce has suddenly been "fixed" by a couple good weeks against minor-league pitching, but at some point the Twins will need to bring him back and see if he can channel that against the real deal. Might they feel an extra sense of urgency to seek a spark as their offense spins its wheels a with lineup full of punchless bats.

The big question, of course, is where he will fit in, whenever the Twins deem him ready to return. Brooks Lee appears to be digging himself in at third base, which is where Lewis has played exclusively since being optioned. It seems notable that Arcia was the starter at first base on Sunday, which at least sets up the stylistic precedent for Lewis to play there.

Will he start getting some reps there with the Saints? Or maybe at second base, or even the outfield? Presumably the Twins will want to at least work him in at a few positions to establish some flexibility before bringing him back. I'm more interested to see how many positions he plays in the coming week than how many more homers he pops against Triple-A pitchers.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Twins return home to wrap up their longest stretch of the season without an off day. They've played 10 straight and they'll play seven more at Target Field, with the White Sox arriving for a quick-turnaround rematch followed by a matchup against the struggling Royals. The Twins would love to bounce back against the Sox and may find the going a little easier with Munetaka Murakami now on the injured list. It remains to be seen how Ober's spot in the rotation will be filled.

MONDAY, JUNE 1: WHITE SOX @ TWINS —RHP David Sandlin v. RHP Joe Ryan
TUESDAY, JUNE 2:  WHITE SOX @ TWINS — RHP Davis Martin v. LHP Connor Prielipp
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3: WHITE SOX @ TWINS — RHP Erick Fedde v. RHP Taj Bradley
THURSDAY, JUNE 4: ROYALS @ TWINS — RHP Seth Lugo v. TBD
FRIDAY, JUNE 5: ROYALS @ TWINS — RHP Michael Wacha v. RHP Zebby Matthews
SATURDAY, JUNE 6: ROYALS @ TWINS — TBD v. RHP Joe Ryan
SUNDAY, JUNE 7: ROYALS @ TWINS — LHP Noah Cameron v. LHP Connor Prielipp