Matt Braun

Max Kepler has stung the ball since the All-Star break, and it’s apparent that an altered approach is the key. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Kepler has always been an enigmatic player. He walks a lot, doesn’t strike out much, hits the ball hard… and consistently finishes with a wRC+ somewhere in the 90s. Outside of the Happy Rabbit Fun-Time ball of 2019, there isn’t much offensive success for Kepler to hang his hat on. I’ve argued that his defensive value still makes him a useful player on the Twins, but I get why people would be frustrated with him; a guy that athletic with his batting peripherals should not be so average. That’s why his 2023 looks fascinating. He sucked to start the year. He would probably admit that. But he made an adjustment to his profile this season, and it’s starting to pay off in a big way. Since the All-Star break, Kepler is slashing .299/.346/.581 for a 153 wRC+. That’s a very un-Keplerian batting line. His old approach—wait around, stare at some pitches, spit a few times in the dirt before tepidly hitting a ball somewhere—was swapped with a new, aggressive mindset. He’s swinging like mad—over 50%, to be specific. That halfway mark is usually saved for the Bo Bichettes and Eddie Rosarios of the world, players with tremendous bat-to-ball skills who can hit any pitch thrown anywhere near the plate. Again, that hasn’t been Kepler’s game. He’s never been above 50% in a full season since he started his MLB career. But, it’s working. The dividends are especially apparent on the first pitch. While the league has hit for a .399 xwOBA on the first pitch since the All-Star break, Kepler is at an astonishing .898 xwOBA, meaning he’s taking full advantage of unsuspecting pitchers perhaps getting a little lazy with their opening offering. Dating back to 2016, Kepler only owns a .354 xwOBA when the count is 0-0. Here’s him punishing Luis Castillo for placing a changeup higher than he would have liked: Admittedly, much of his production is buoyed by four homers—three of them alone from the Diamondbacks series. He’s not going to carry a .898 xwOBA on the first pitch the full season—no one can—but he’s at a .632 xwOBA overall in that count in 2023, perhaps revealing that this is a legitimate adjustment only now seeing its full riches come to fruition. Six of his 20 homers are off the first pitch. He’ll probably cool off a little once pitchers realize just laying it in there to start the at-bat is only going to cause them trouble. I think this trade-off, though, is a valuable addition for Kepler overall, given that his excellent discipline can help swing the count back in his favor if he starts waving at bad first pitches too often. The gaping hole in his profile used to be what happens to him when he gets a strike or two on the board against him. It’s not all his fault; most hitters stink when behind in the count. Making sure you never reach that count in the first place helps eliminate those 0-1 or 1-2 outs made while trying to protect the plate. Overall, I find this a fascinating example of how to interpret good hitting; I think the analytic dogma of favoring deep counts and walks swayed a bit too far for some hitters as it ignored the downsides of such an approach. Not everyone can be Juan Soto, after all. More pitches usually means more strikes. More strikes means swinging defensively, not aggressively. It’s the same sickness that plagues Daniel Vogelbach, who always seems to hit a little worse than the collective baseball community expects. Ultimately, the end goal of each at-bat is to get a good pitch and hit it. If that pitch is the first one you see, so be it. It may not result in aesthetically great baseball all the time, but that’s the deal a batter makes when having to handle the toughest pitching man can create. And, anyways, it sure seems to be working for Kepler right now. View full article

And a gold star to Laz Diaz for solidifying the inevitability of an electronic strike zone. Woof, that was bad.

Or: why the Twins have recently felt like a chore. Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports My favorite recent Twins team is the 2017 squad. They weren’t all that special. No one outside of Minnesota remembers them much. But, to me, they represented something whimsical and blithe. Heading into 2017, the Twins were on an extended streak of missing the playoffs, with their brief foray into October baseball in 2010 standing as their most recent trip to the postseason. They were swept by the Yankees that year. So it goes. This year (2017) didn’t look like it was going to go any better; the previous team lost over 100 games. Terry Ryan was relieved of his duties in July. But, somehow, the 2017 Twins played steady, winning baseball, and appeared to be a classic Wild Card team. There was the bizarre one-start stint of Jaime García—and Brandon Kintzler found himself a National before the year was over—but the team gritted through the movements, turning in a monstrous 20-10 August to help carry them to a playoff spot. I don’t have to talk about the playoff game. And I don’t want to talk about the playoff game. I think it’s best left at that. What made that team memorable wasn’t how great they were—the 2019 team absolutely blew them out of the water, and they were only four games above .500, after all—but, rather, their innocence was touching in an enlightened way. They shouldn’t have been there. The team was awful the previous year. They sold at the deadline. And yet, somehow, they relied on each other and rallied, churning out winning baseball through themselves. They won with Bartolo Colon and Alan Busenitz. With Buddy Boshers and Dillon Gee. They were plucky. The Twins made the playoffs again in 2019 and 2020. Those teams were good enough to claim division titles—which is where the problems start. Because no one expected the 2017 team to be much of anything, there was an authentic appreciation for their efforts, an understanding that this David may have a shot against the Goliaths they faced on their journey. Losses were understandable; they happen to even the best teams. But wins were magic, or as close as you can get. It was visceral and palpable when Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton blasted walk off homers on back-to-back nights. Once the team established themselves as good, things changed. Wins are expected; losses are shamed. Winning was simply what was supposed to happen, what the team needed to accomplish. And—when the wins dried up—toxicity boiled over. The last three years have been a drag. I suppose that could relate to more than just baseball, but it’s especially true for Minnesota. Since the Twins have failed to reach those division heights years ago, those unmet expectations soured and stunk, often reaching a terminal nuclear state when the most unacceptable events happen (the team sometimes doesn’t win). Losses to the Tigers require sacrifice. A sweep at the hands of the Royals requires blood. The team did nothing at the deadline, and people were ready to storm Target Field as if they were the mob looking for Frankenstein. It all changes the lens people look at the team through, and it probably won’t change soon. Correa and Buxton are locked up long term; with so much money attached to those two players, the team will do everything in their power—all their might can handle—to ensure the Twins play competitive, winning baseball. None of it will be very fun, unfortunately. Unless a repetition of 2019 comes, normal, cromulent baseball will stand as sin and the team won’t be able to show the common traits of a good, not great, ballclub without inciting a riot. The 2023 Twins are probably about as good as the 2017 Twins, but the two elicit much different emotions. While those old Twins—so young and pure—may coax wonderful memories, the Twins of this year are yelled at and beaten, treated like an obedient pet under a cruel owner. The quality isn’t much different, but the expectations are—and that’s where the trouble begins. View full article

One of his teammates took Hitter of the Day honors, though. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (Image is Anthony Prato) TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Indianapolis 5 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Yunior Severino (2) Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI), Gilberto Celestino (3-for-3, R, BB), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (2-for-4, R) The Saints made it close on Saturday. Simeon Woods Richardson continued to pitch effectively on Saturday; the 22-year-old held an ERA of 2.96 in July, and now he’s at a 2.79 mark in August. It took a while for the bats to get going, but when they did, they did so with gusto. Yunior Severino blasted a 461 foot moonshot to center, apparently clearing the batter's eye for the first time since St. Paul became an affiliate of the Twins. More runs soon followed for the Saints—they plated a trio in the 8th—but Indianapolis struck for three before they could, leaving St. Paul with a one run disadvantage. All three runs scored off a Hernán Pérez double. The heart of St. Paul’s lineup came up in the 9th, but they went down 1-2-3. Brooks Lee’s sharp lineup was the only non-strikeout. Indianapolis possesses a few notable players. The first, Quinn Priester, started for the first time since his brief, ineffective stint with the Pirates. He pitched four shutout innings. The other—Canaan Smith-Njigba—is brothers with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whom the Seahawks just selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft in May. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 11 Box Score Curtis Taylor: ⅓ IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (3-for-4, 2B, R), David Bañuelos (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) The Wind Surge were thoroughly blown out on Saturday. It’s never great when your starter can’t finish the first inning; it’s even worse when he can only find one out. The Cardinals lineup struck him for four earned runs, turning a leadoff double into a nightmare frame. The more astute amongst us may notice that Taylor earned three strikeouts but only one out. That means that—yes—twice a man reached first on a wild pitch strikeout. Sometimes, it may have been better to avoid the ballpark altogether. Wichita’s bats weren’t up to the herculean task of matching their opponents, but two batters—Alex Isola, and David Bañuelos—collected three hits in the game. For Isola, the game was simply a continuation of an outstanding August; he’s now slashing .295/.396/.659 in the month. Will Holland swiped his 24th base of the season. Cardinals leadoff man Victor Scott II is St. Louis’ 4th-best prospect; he went 3-for-5, with a walk, a stolen base, and a caught stealing. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 5 Box Score C.J. Culpepper: 5 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Ben Ross (17), Kyler Fedko (4) Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (2-for-5, HR, 3B, R, 3 RBI), Jorel Ortega (2-for-4, 3B, RBI), Kyler Fedko (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB) The Kernels won on a walk-off on Saturday. Cedar Rapids blew a lead late, coming close to sending their fans home disappointed, before they struck with a run in the 9th, overcoming the Timber Rattlers for an exciting win. Starter C.J. Culpepper was strong as usual, reaching the sixth inning while only allowing one run along the way. He struck out four and walked two. His bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, however, as Alejandro Hidaglo and Malik Barrington allowed runs to eventually knot the game at five. It stung for a Cedar Rapids offense that had been explosive up to that point. They collected a perfectly normal nine hits, but fully loaded them with extra-base hits, giving them two doubles, two triples, and two homers respectively in the game. With Emmanuel Rodriguez on first, Jorel Ortega blasted one out to left field, greeting the yellow home run line in left with a startling crack. The shot didn’t clear the fence, but it was enough to plate Rodriguez, who ran like lightning to score off the hit. Big leaguer Jesse Winker played 1st base for the Timber Rattlers, singling once in three at bats. Milwaukee’s 1st-round pick in 2023—3rd baseman Brock Wilken—singled twice in four trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 0 Box Score John Klein: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jay Harry (2-for-3, R, BB) Mighty Mussels pitching and defense allowed just one hit on Saturday. John Klein was dominant. The Brooklyn Park native diced up Palm Beach’s lineup, tossing six scoreless innings with eight punchouts and two baserunners allowed. The 21-year-old has been fairly nondescript outside of an incredible debut start for the FCL Twins on June 10th, but starts like this will certainly put him on the prospect map. The Fort Myers offense wasn’t overwhelming, but that did everything they needed to do to support their excellent pitching. Maddux Houghton scored on an error. Luke Keaschall—the man on base because of the mistake—scored on a single. Later efforts pushed Fort Myers’ scoring to four runs. That was enough. The Mighty Mussels swiped three bases on Saturday—one each from Maddux Houghton, Luke Keaschall, and Rubel Cespedes. The Cardinals’ 21st overall pick in 2023—and outfielder named Chase Davis—walked once in three plate appearances. Complex Chronicles Game One: FCL Twins 1, FCL Red Sox 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Spencer Bengard: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The FCL Twins lost the first game of their doubleheader against the FCL Red Sox on Saturday. The bats were cool all game; the Twins collected just two hits—singles from Brayan Acuna and Walker Jenkins. They did take three walks, though. It was a bullpen day on the mound with Devin Kirby pitching the bulk of the game’s innings. His relation to Seattle’s George and Nintendo’s pink blob is unclear. His pitching was excellent, though, as he punched out six over just three frames of work. The team committed four errors, three of which came from 3rd baseman Issac Pena. Game Two: FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 0 (7 Innings) Box Score Nolan Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: Jose Rodriguez (6), Jankel Ortiz (2) Multi-hit games: Walker Jenkins (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Brandon Winokur (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Jose Rodriguez (3-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI) The FCL Twins took game two, though. The bats were much more potent in their second look at FCL Red Sox pitching. It started early, as Brandon Winokur knocked in a pair in the 1st inning, setting the expectations for the game. Later extra-base hits by Jose Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, and Jankel Ortiz brought the team to five runs. 2023 draftee Nolan Santos started the game for the Twins. The 7th-round selection out of Bethune-Cookman University—the alma mater of a handful of former big leaguers—pitched one scoreless inning, striking out a batter in the process. Kyle Bischoff inhaled the plurality of innings, though, as he whiffed six over four scoreless frames. FCL Twins pitchers struck out 21 batters in the doubleheader. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 3, DSL Phillies White 5 Box Score De Jesus: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K HR: Junior Del Valle (1) Multi-hit games: None The DSL Twins reached halfway to Satan on Saturday. That is, each number in their “R,” “H,” and “E” column was 3. As you could probably predict, that didn’t go well for them; DSL Twins pitchers actually never allowed an earned run, as, instead, all five runs were unearned. DSL Twins hitters had a tough time at the plate, striking out 11 times while earning just three hits. Junior Del Valle’s homer served as the long extra-base knock. Big-name international signing, Hendry Chivilli, continued his abysmal start to affiliated ball, striking out three times while committing his 12th error of the season. The 17-year-old has plenty of time to turn it around, but his Twins introduction has not gone well so far. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Klein Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, BB #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 3-6, 2B, R, RBI, BB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3B, R, RBI, BB, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-5, 2 K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, R, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, R, K #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 2-7, 2B, R, RBI, 2 K #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 K #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 3-7, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - RHP Randy Dobnak Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Pierson Ohl Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (1:00 PM) - RHP Zebby Matthews Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (10:00 AM) - RHP Jose Olivares View full article

The 78 Yankees had Munson, Chambliss, Reggie, Guidry, Catfish, and Gossage. The 23 Tigers… do not have that.

And prepare for some fights. Image courtesy of Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports Everybody who's never worked for George (Steinbrenner) liked him. It's the people who work for him that can't stand him. Thirty-four years after his death, the life of Billy Martin remains fascinating. In a sea of baseball men—the kind of tactical red-asses who could only live in baseball circles—Martin stands above everyone. He was tough, fought his players, but ultimately won. Martin won with the Twins, the Tigers, the Rangers, the Yankees, and A's. He never managed a team more than five seasons in a row (technically speaking), but it didn't matter; he won. He was also an *******, the likes of which will go down in legend. Number 1, written in 1980 with the help of author Peter Golenbock, reveals plenty of stories about Martin and his time in baseball. He describes his youth, how his mother raised him not to take crap from anyone, all the way up until he accepted the Oakland managerial position. Along the way, he details his physical and verbal fights with everyone he felt disrespected him. The book is 366 pages long. The juiciest parts for the common fan come when Martin describes his battles with George Steinbrenner and Reggie Jackson. "I never should have agreed to manage the Yankees when I did in 1975," he starts the book with. Unlike his other battles, these were matches of temper and temperament, with the meddling Steinbrenner and the dramatic Jackson distracting Martin from his lone goal: winning. There's not much new here—Steinbrenner criticized every minute detail of the team; Jackson marched to his own unique rhythm—but the conflicts are fascinating, and reading Martin's side helps illuminate why they occurred so often. The part Twins fans will be most interested in starts in chapter 6. Martin's playing career had ended following the 1961 season, but owner Calvin Griffith liked Martin enough to bring him back as a scout. Martin accepted, beginning an eight-year stint in the organization. His scouting career didn't amount to much—he doesn't even spend a page talking about it—as his desire for Griffith to sign a Scottsdale phenom named Jim Palmer was the only story worth mentioning to him. Griffith balked, and Palmer signed with the Orioles—the team that would vex the Twins in years to come. 1965 is when his career took off. It was perfect timing; Martin was promoted to 3rd base coach, and the Twins won the pennant thanks in part to, in Martin's view, more aggressive baserunning. Here we see one of his baseball pillars: the bases. Martin was obsessed with baserunning. During spring training, he got his players "thrown out at home deliberately just so they'd be more aggressive," it appeared to pay off as the team doubled their stolen base total from the previous year from 46 to 92 with only eleven extra outs. That year was the team's zenith, though, and, following three years of missing the playoffs, Griffith selected a new man to manage his ballclub: Billy Martin. The team won 97 games, played the Orioles in the newly-formed ALCS, and Martin was fired immediately following the season. Typically, this would be shocking - but not in the life of Martin. A fight with pitcher Dave Boswell—which Martin defends as him staving off a "bigger guy"—resulted in the pitcher earning a bloody face. It was a he-said, she-said situation only Martin, Boswell, and maybe Bob Allison know the truth about, but the fight stained Martin's reputation and likely helped lead to his firing. If you asked Martin, the man behind his ousting was Howard Fox. Fox was the team's traveling secretary and one of Griffith's right-hand men. Following an entanglement in which Fox threw Martin's hotel key at his face, the two exchanged fists and walked away with a mutual disdain for each other*. One of his overarching character traits is that Martin believes everyone is out to get him; this is one of the running themes of the book. It's never his fault. Someone else started something, or someone is conspiring against him, and not once does Martin ask himself why his higher-ups often don't like him very much. A few times—like in Texas when an ownership change upset the balance of power—Martin's gripes are legitimate and fair. Still, everywhere else, he seems eager to stomp on the political process involved in his power structures, only to find the pushback dumbfounding. You'd think he would self-reflect, but that wasn't Martin's way. His beef continues with personnel decisions. Every player not acquired by his front offices was the difference between life and death; "We would have won the pennant," he said about missing out on Deron Johnson in 1973, who had a good—not great—season with the Oakland A's. "Jim Merritt should have started the third game" of the 1965 World Series, which cost them the championship. There are numerous examples of Martin's tumultuous relationships, and the reader must accept that Martin's world is simple, with villains and heroes, where right and wrong are crystal clear to him. He was a brilliant baseball mind, but his claims speak to supernatural baseball clairvoyance. He knew that Jim Palmer would be something when he scouted him for the Twins, and he knew that Jim Sundberg and Mike Hargrove would become phenomenal players before either hit the majors. There is an endless citation of players Martin knew would be good. Seldom does he mention being wrong. Admittedly a standard characteristic of an autobiography, but Martin's specific recollections appear extra self-serving, considering his exit from the Yankees and the constant need to rehabilitate his public image. Number 1 is a revealing peek behind the curtains into a character-full era of baseball. Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner are the primary targets, but Martin ensures that almost everyone he comes across earns a shot. At times, his strategic insights harken back to a nostalgic period where grit could make a good ballplayer, and hitters took pride in their bunting. Still, Martin's inability to accept blame for his actions becomes eye-rolling and dull. There could be a universe where Billy Martin becomes the next Casey Stengel or guides the Twins through their wandering, mediocre '70s seasons. He had the ability. But that would have required compromise. Martin would have needed to play the game and navigate the political waters of ownership and front officeship. That was not Martin's style. Maybe he missed out on glory, but he did things his way, unflinchingly his practice—and that's why we still remember him. *Fox and Martin also battled on a flight earlier in the day. The story is too long to add to this review, but Sam Gazdziak covers it a few paragraphs into his biography of Fox here. View full article

Jax escaping that inning without any extra earned runs was some of the finest relief pitching I've ever seen.

Well, not everything can be perfect. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Pablo López: 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K Home Run: Michael A. Taylor (16) Top 3 WPA: Pablo López (.331), Griffin Jax (.267), Michael A. Taylor (.251) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It was a great day to kick off a glorious weekend. The bonus off-days allowed the Twins to re-shuffle their starting rotation, moving Dallas Keuchel to Sunday, as Friday’s start went to Pablo López. López had been excellent in his last two starts, holding both Detroit and Philadelphia scoreless over 13 innings of work. Friday was more of the same. But it wasn’t easy. Pittsburgh was in no mood to go down easy. They jumped on López often, placing runners on base in every inning he pitched, but that One Big Hit never came; López slipped out of trouble every time. It was far from efficient, but the most important numbers—six innings; no earned runs—were all manager Rocco Baldelli was looking for. The start extended López’s scoreless innings streak to 19. Orel Hershiser will remain at peace, but the streak has been impressive, and for a starter who may have gotten unlucky earlier in the year, a new ERA of 3.51 is closer to his true talent. The Twins had trouble with Pittsburgh starter Andre Jackson. He wasn’t fully stretched out, but that didn’t appear to matter much to him. The Twins could gain baserunners, but they evidently suffered under a similar hex as their black and gold opponents, as they failed to knock in their brethren, forcing them to trudge through much of the game unable to support their starter. “Much of the game,” isn’t all of the game, however, as Minnesota did strike against Jackson eventually. Christian Vázquez softly served a changeup into center field. Perhaps believing in his cambio’s ability to earn weak contact, Jackson threw it again to Michael A. Taylor. He was wrong. Taylor took a mighty hack at a changeup low, but not low enough, and the ball finally landed 410 feet later as Taylor slowed down his effort to a celebratory jog. The Twins scored again in the 6th, when—following a Matt Wallner double—Donovan Solano cracked a single into center. Baseball has a sense of humor, though. López’s ability to escape danger did not translate to Caleb Thielbar. The lefty was shocked to learn that these Pittsburgh batters meant business, and they quickly plated their first run of the ballgame. Griffin Jax entered. Despite him imploding in catastrophic fashion on Wednesday, turning a potential win into a close loss against a team they really should have beat, Baldelli believed Jax to be the best bet to get out of the jam. It made sense, really. And he was perfect. Ke’Bryan Hayes popped out, Jack Suwinski struck out staring at a sweeper, and Henry Davis at least made it look pretty by swinging for his strikeout. Somehow, no runners scored. Such is the life of a reliever. The Twins scored a critical insurance run when Jorge Polanco tricked the Pirates into staring at his pop fly, bringing home the fourth run of the game. Kyle Farmer did basically the same thing the following at-bat, but he one-upped his teammate by taking second. The trade-off for such fortune was cruel: Wallner took a fastball off his hands and couldn’t even attempt to talk his way into staying into the game. The team later announced he suffered a right hand contusion. Not much happened after that. Well, Pirates pitcher Yohan Ramirez plunked a few batters, causing Baldelli to consternate and scour, but nothing came of it. Jhoan Duran entered to get back on the horse, and he struck out the side. That's quite the horse to get back on. Notes: Carlos Correa's hitting streak ended at nine. He walked twice and struck out twice. Michael A. Taylor's 16 homers on the year are three off his career-high of 19 set in 2017. Pablo López's seven strikeouts pushed his season total to 187, tying him with Toronto's Kevin Gausman for the second-highest total in MLB. Spencer Strider leads everyone with 227 strikeouts. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Pirates will play the second game of their series on Saturday. Sonny Gray will start for Minnesota. First pitch is at 6:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

John Shipley has far more information than I could find here: https://www.twincities.com/2023/08/11/john-shipley-darryl-strawberrys-st-paul-stay-was-short-but-it-definitely-left-a-mark/

Someone mentioned doing it maybe a year ago and I thought it was a wonderful idea. Thank whoever had that idea!

Coming back to win two against one of the hottest teams in baseball after getting sufficiently blasted in game one—that’s an impressive feat!

After holding still at the trade deadline, the Twins inspired the kind of Greek Chorus of consternation typically reserved for teams actively spiting their fans. People threw flaming trash into the streets as women and children lamented in their homes. The Twins Daily group chat exploded with stunned revile. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports And, surely, this isn’t an unexpected reaction; the team had been linked everywhere as they sought the few additions clearly needed to round out the team. A left fielder. A relief arm. A time machine to reverse last year’s deadline moves. A cannon to fire Joey Gallo out of. They needed at least two—preferably all four—before the clock struck 5 PM. Instead we got nothing, and all that was left was overthinking the Dylan Floro trade and rankled opinion pieces. I’m not here to argue that this was the correct choice for the team this season; the 2023 Twins are a muddled mess; striking out entirely too often; failing to crush lefties; running the bases like a Molina brother; turning Reese Olson into prime Pedro Martinez. These are the common characteristics of a mediocre ballclub—one ill-suited for a healthy shot at postseason glory—but fixing them would require time and a hard reboot to the system—two things that the trade deadline does not offer. At the moment, the Twins’ offense ranks 17th in runs scored, 14th in wRC+, and 14th in fWAR from position players. The strikeouts—aesthetically abhorrent and brutally hazardous—are exactly where you already know them to be: dead last. The end product is an ok offense. Deadly by itself, the issue strains itself further as Minnesota has failed to budge from acceptable since COVID hit; that’s two full seasons and plenty of change for no results to speak of. The 2019 season may as well have been an eon ago. That speaks, then, to a philosophical issue within the organization; the team has prioritized power at the expense of contact for years now, and even one of their younger bright spots, Matt Wallner, is built precisely in this image. We know the advantages of extra-base hits, but the league blew by the Twins in strategy, and their current whiff-heavy approach needs to be re-examined and corrected. It can only take them so far. And—critically—it’s not something that can change overnight. Telling developed major leaguers to just stop missing the ball is not a real plan of action; coaches needed to be fired and hired as the team looks to franchises like Atlanta and Texas to develop dynamic hitting in the era of robotic pitching. Could they have done more? Certainly. An extra bat didn’t cost much at the deadline, and the Twins absolutely have the minor-league depth to absorb losing their 26th-ranked or so player. But, taking a step back, how much more would that have accomplished? Is a solid hitter the difference between a forgettable, sufficient offense and one capable of playing deep into the postseason? Are we more annoyed at the lack of an addition, or at the lack of eyewash proving that the team is “doing something” to fix the problems? I believe they tried that last season. I forget how those trades worked out. The team trusted itself. They learned the painful lessons of 2022 and understood that ballplayers, while sometimes appearing to be static, can be manipulated and taught in unpredictable ways. Minnesota's talented bats and arms alike can breakout old—just ask the Giants and Orioles. “Complacent?” Perhaps, although I’m sure Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are well aware of what happens to MLB executives lacking in tangible results. I think the realities of the situation were this: Byron Buxton is evidently not healthy enough to man center field, and Carlos Correa suddenly lost any and all ability to hit the ball. Forget the ancillary details—the complimentary players and the fundamentals—and those two points create the foundation from which the rest of the team is supposed to work from. Without them, there’s nothing. It would be like building a house on sand. View full article

Did you know Darryl Strawberry slugged 1.000 for the Saints in 1996? Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Image is of Tanner Schobel) TRANSACTIONS RHP Carlos Luna transferred from AA Wichita to AAA St. Paul RHP Cole Sands recalled by Twins LHP Brent Headrick optioned to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Louisville 4 Box Score Patrick Murphy: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Hernán Pérez (5) Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI), Chris Williams (2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB) On the night they retired Darryl Strawberry’s jersey, the Saints bested the Bats, winning smoothly with a star-studded audience in the crowd. Strawberry was a Saint in 1996, where he slashed .435/.538/1.000—yes he slugged 1.000—over 29 games. He then won the World Series with the Yankees. It was a good year to be Darryl Strawberry. With Mike Veeck, Marv Goldklang, Van Schley, and, of course, Bill Murray on hand for the ceremony, the Saints felt a powerful, important presence looming over their game. And it fueled them. Patrick Murphy was excellent to start, working four frames with no earned runs while striking out five. After he blanked the Bats in the 4th, his Saints bats got rolling; Hernán Pérez smoked a three-run shot to right-center to start the scoring. The Bats struck for three of their own the following inning—very rude of them—but the Saints had an answer: if three runs weren’t enough, why not try four? Yunior Severino cracked a double and Chris Williams singled up the middle to plate three; the final run scored on a wild pitch. St. Paul scored one more time, but they didn’t need the run, and they were able to earn a victory to send Strawberry and the four men who brought baseball to St. Paul home with a win. Severino played first base for the second time since joining the Saints. Let the speculating commence. Noelvi Marte is the 24th-ranked prospect in MLB; he singled in two at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 13, NW Arkansas 3 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-6, 2 R, RBI), Tanner Schobel (2-for-6, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI), Patrick Winkel (2-for-6, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Seth Gray (2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, BB), Jake Rucker (3-for-4, 3B, R, 3 RBI) The Wind Surge obliterated their opponents on Saturday. It’s always a good sign when it takes me a few minutes to type out the multi-hit games. It was a true group event; every hitter reached base at least once—that’s every hitter that appeared in the game, all 10 of them—as the Wind Surge totaled seven walks on top of their 14 hits. Perhaps the most absurd stat from the game is that Wichita went 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position. 22! There were only two innings that didn’t see a baserunner. Not to be overshadowed, starter Jaylen Nowlin pitched very well, allowing a lone earned run over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. More importantly, perhaps, is that he only walked one batter. For a young hurler often at odds with his command, Saturday was a wonderful sight to see. Regi Grace dominated in relief as well; he tossed 3 2/3 shutout frames to bring the game to a quiet end. Yoyner Fajardo stole three bases to bring his season total to 39. NW Arkansas third baseman Cayden Wallace is Kansas City’s second-best prospect; he doubled in four at-bats. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 12 (10 Innings) Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: Carson McCusker (2) Multi-hit games: Noah Miller (2-for-6, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB) The Kernels were walked-off on Saturday. No one could blame Cedar Rapids’ offense for losing them the game; outbursts in the fifth, eighth, and ninth helped plate 10 runs for the Kernels. Again, this was a shared success, with every starter either scoring a run or earning an RBI. Noah Miller was perhaps the most successful batter, as he doubled twice and knocked in three out of the lead-off spot. He’s slashing .244/.326/.463 since the start of August. Despite exiting from Friday’s game after a nasty collision with the outfield wall, Emmanuel Rodriguez played in Saturday’s match, singling and walking in six plate appearances. Pitching was hard to come by—for either side, really—as every Kernels pitcher not named Mike Paredes exited with more earned runs than they entered with. The game mercifully ended in the 10th, when—after Cedar Rapids failed to plate their Manfred Man—the River Bandits ended the game with a homer in the bottom half of the inning. Kansas City’s catcher Carter Jensen is their eighth-best prospect, and he knocked in two with a single and a sacrifice fly. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 1 Box Score Miguelangel Boadas: 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jay Harry (2-for-3, R) The Mighty Mussels smothered Bradenton’s bats on Saturday. Miguelangel Boadas may have started the game, but it was an all-around effort to limit offensive damage; Danny Moreno, Juan Mendez, and Ricardo Velez were all exceptional as well, carrying Fort Myers to the finish line with just one earned run. The most impressive outing? Perhaps Mendez, who struck out five over two scoreless frames. And the bats did what they needed to do to help win. They only acquired five hits—typically not enough to win—but they also worked six walks, giving themselves plenty of extra chances to knock in runners. They did. Scoring in each of the first three innings, Fort Myers struck a 3-0 lead that never wavered. Danny De Andrade earned a pair of RBIs, doubling in a run in the 1st while scoring another off a 3rd inning sacrifice fly. 2023 draft pick Jay Harry singled twice; his brother in recent draftee status, Luke Keaschall, walked once in four plate appearances. The bases proved to be eventful on Saturday, with Fort Myers stealing three bases while being caught twice and picked off once. If my Washington math is correct, they broke even on steals. Pittsburgh’s 11th-ranked prospect—an infielder named Mitch Jebb—struck out once in four trips to the plate. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Carlos Gutierrez: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: Harold Grant (4) Multi-hit games: None The FCL Twins fell to the FCL Red Sox in a low-scoring affair on Saturday. The New Bash Brothers—Brandon Winokur and Walker Jenkins—disappointed fans looking for fireworks with a tepid one hit over six combined at-bats. That one hit was immediately wiped out when catcher Diego Viloria picked off Jenkins. Certainly, the two will have better games in the future. No hitter could really put anything together, though; a Harold Grant two-run homer served as the team’s only run-scoring knock. Both Carlos Gutierrez and Matt Gabbert pitched well, with the two arms combining for 12 strikeouts and just one walk—a rarity for the lower levels of the minors. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 2, DSL Mariners 1 Box Score Joel Garcia: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Junior Del Valle (2-for-2) The DSL Twins sneaked by the DSL Mariners on Saturday. Joel Garcia had another fine start, following up his four-frame one-earned run outing on the fifth with five shutout innings and five strikeouts. He allowed a few more baserunners than you’d like, but he eluded damage well, always finding a way to strand men on base. The entirety of the DSL Twins’ offense came in the fourth; Javier Roman doubled in Moises Lopez, and Jesus Peraza—with the help of a Junior Del Valle sacrifice bunt—singled in Roman. Star international signing Hendry Chivilli continued his poor start to pro ball, punching out three times in four trips to the plate. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Joel Garcia, DSL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker, Wichita Wind Surge PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 1-3, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 R, BB #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-6, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, BB #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 0-3, K #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, K #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - RHP Carlos Luna Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 PM) - RHP David Festa Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:00 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP John Klein View full article

The best part of that game was when it ended. Image courtesy of Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Dallas Keuchel: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (7), Max Kepler (19) Bottom 3 WPA: Dallas Keuchel (-.486), Ryan Jeffers (-.073), Joey Gallo (-.054) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) For a moment, it appeared to be 2019 again; the last time the Twins played at Citizens Bank Park, Jorge Polanco hit for the cycle and Max Kepler homered in all three games. Four years later, the two went back-to-back in the 2nd inning, giving Minnesota a quick 2-0 lead. That would be the apex of the game, though, as Dallas Keuchel imploded in the 2nd inning, allowing enough hits to get himself removed before the third out could be had. It was a bludgeoning dynamic and brutal; the Phillies cracked six hits, churning in just as many runs as everything Keuchel threw was walloped into empty grass. Even the two outs he earned brought in runs. Batted balls failed to find gloves, instead banging around the field, creating chaos and scoring runs as the visions of his double plays on Sunday become distant and unrecognizable. Across 10 balls in play, Keuchel allowed an average exit velocity of 95.5. To his credit, at least, the Phillies terrorized every pitcher the Twins threw out there; Josh Winder could only last two frames before giving way to Brent Headrick; neither man survived without allowing multiple earned runs. In the background—as Minnesota’s pitchers allowed contact loud and obtrusive—the Twins settled into their usual routine against left-handed starters, with flashes of scoring potential drowned in their monolith of muck. Cristopher Sánchez did as Keuchel was supposed to, coaxing nine groundouts over six frames to earn a workman-like win. If you looked closely, there were three generations of crafty lefties at the stadium: Keuchel—whose remaining playing days appear few—Sánchez, who looks well-suited to join the ranks of tricky southpaws of year’s past, and Jim Kaat, who likely watched Keuchel with the painful eye of a player who knows all too well how a start like his could occur. The rest of the game was the slow, inevitable march towards 27 outs. It’s baseball at its least compelling; runs scored by either side feel like vain roadblocks on the way to the inevitable conclusions. Relievers replace each other endlessly. Hits and walks? Pointless. A decent lawyer could argue they never happened. Sometimes time can appear to move backwards during these Twilight Zone frames creating infinite, inconsequential baseball. Jordan Luplow eventually pitched, placing the perfect bow on top of this awful game. Notes: Dallas Keuchel has not struck out a batter in 6 2/3 innings with the Twins. Max Kepler is one homer away from tying his second-highest single-season homer total. He is many home runs away from reaching the 36 he hit in 2019. Jordan Luplow has now been involved in three instances of a position player pitching since joining the Twins; Saturday was his first on the mound venture with his new club. Carlos Correa extended his hitting streak to seven games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Phillies will play the second game of their series at 5:05 PM on Saturday; Pablo López will start against Taijuan Walker. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Anthony Prato is such a strange case to me. I don't think I've ever seen a guy completely turn around his season after a promotion, and the numbers are so good they're actually a little scary in an Andrew Vasquez type of way. Still, the walk to strikeout numbers are great, so maybe some of this is real. He's worth a shot, at least,

Or, perhaps, maybe, this is an observation based on 2022 and his time at AAA.

One fortunate start should not convince anyone otherwise. Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports There was quite a stir made when Dallas Keuchel signed with the Twins. Although MLB hitters spent much of the prior two seasons spanking his offerings, the former Cy Young winner felt that his sinker had a few more outs in it, and worked hard to add a few elusive ticks of velo—perhaps hoping that the extra oomph would be the difference between disaster and a spot on a major league roster. He latched onto the Twins on a minor league deal and waited for fate to move in his favor. Fortunately, Joe Ryan had a debatably real groin problem and an undeniably real home run problem. Needing to decide on keeping Keuchel around, the Twins called him up—and with his Sunday start now in the books—he now needs to be talked about. Some may have viewed his five frames of one-run ball positively; our own Sherry Cerny argues that he should be the 6th man in the Twins rotation, extending his stay on the major-league roster. He did only allow one run, after all. Beyond the earned runs, though, there’s much to be concerned about. Namely, Keuchel didn’t strike anyone out. Yes, no one would confuse prime Keuchel with Randy Johnson—the sinking lefty earned his bread off groundballs, not whiffs—but at his best, Keuchel could still offer five to six punchouts a game, improving his absurd ground ball total by ensuring that the few batted balls hitters could find were headed straight for infielder’s gloves. This year's performance is not Keuchel at his best; his strikeout rate in 2023 against AAA hitters—inferior competition—was below average. He’s almost wholly unable to miss major league bats. That matters. Some days, those batted balls aren’t always going to find gloves and will instead bang around the field, creating chaos and scoring runs as the visions of his double plays on Sunday become distant and unrecognizable. It’s a simple math problem, with a few more batted ball chances allowing for shenanigans and unideal outcomes. The Pied Piper comes calling for his due eventually; relying on fortunate sequencing and unsustainable left-on-base rates won’t cut it. Those hits will fall. They have to. Now, yes, he does still have the groundballs. The almighty ability to get batters to drive the ball directly into the earth hasn’t evaporated with age. However, diminished in recent years, Keuchel has demonstrated a rejuvenated grounder rate with the Saints and in his lone Twins start. That’ll always help cap the damage he allows. It can even erase some of his mistakes, but it’s not enough to only have groundballs—especially if batters are smoking his sinker with an exit velocity of 96.2 MPH as they did on Sunday. Put it this way: strip away the name and the Cy Young award. Would you trust a pitcher with 14 walks and 28 strikeouts over 37 innings? Would you trust a pitcher who could only elicit five swings and misses against one of the coldest offenses in baseball? He’s solid depth—the kind of guy you may trust more than Simeon Woods Richardson—but making big plans to add him to Minnesota’s grand down-the-stretch scheme is foolish. He got lucky on Sunday and was fortunate in his time with the Saints. Once Joe Ryan is over his bout of balls-keep-leaving-the-yard-itis, the Twins should thank Keuchel for his troubles, and jettison him to the depths of Baseball Reference, only to be uncovered by intrepid dorks wondering why he made a handful of starts for the 2023 Minnesota Twins. They have better starters, and they will be far more critical to the Twins staving off Cleveland in the coming months. View full article