Cooper Carlson

The Twins will look to win their sixth straight game just a week after losing six straight games. Baseball is super weird and that's why we love it! 40 year old Rich Hill will take on rookie Casey Mize in game four of the series.Saturday’s game recap: MIN 4, DET 3: Fashionably Late TODAY Tigers @ Twins, 1:10 pm CDT Twins Starter: Rich Hill, LHP 3.94 ERA Download attachment: hill.png Rich Hill will take the mound for the Twins in what will be a very big game for him. Hill will obviously want to be a starter in the playoffs and for that to happen he consistently needs to go at least five innings.In two of his last three starts he was unable to even get out of the fourth inning and he was noticeably frustrated his last time out, dropping a few bad words and kicking everything in sight. Hill has not faced the Tigers this season and this will be the easiest lineup he has faced all season. In four games Rich Hill has pitched against the White Sox, Indians, Cardinals, and Brewers. Not the easiest schedule. One week ago today, Matthew Trueblood of TwinsDaily wrote about how Rich Hill’s new cutter could be a game changer. Perhaps today we will see that new improvement from him on the mound. Tigers Starter: Casey Mize, RHP 7.04 ERA Download attachment: mize.png Remember Mize? He pitched against the Twins *checks notes* like a week ago. Mize will face the Twins in consecutive starts and the Twins will need to do a much better job this time around if they want the win. Last time out Mize didn’t do anything special, going just three innings and giving up two, but the Twins were shut down all game. Mize has not been great to open his major league career as he has failed to go five innings in each of his three starts so far. The ERA is up and hitters are crushing the ball. It’s time for the Twins to join in. Twins Lineup News & Notes: - -The AL Central division is the only one with at least two teams with a .600 win% of better. What makes it even weird is that the division has three teams over that win%. -Last night Gerrit Cole lost his third straight start, the Yankees lost for the 12th time in their last 17 games, they have the second worst record in the American League since August 18, and they dropped to 14-18 when they don’t play the last place Red Sox. -Speaking of teams no one likes, the Astros managed to get swept by the Angels in a double header yesterday. The Angels are not a good baseball team and the Astros certainly are. You love to see it. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL -Indians 4, Brewers 3 -White Sox 5, Royals 3 1. CWS 25-15 (-) 2. CLE 24-15 (0.5 GB) 3. MIN 25-16 (0.5 GB 4. DET 17-20 (6.5 GB) 5. KCR 14-26 (11.0 GB) See Also: Brent Rooker Makes MLB Debut Third Time’s a Harm??? The September Jolt We Forgot We Needed The Twins’ 5 Most Effective Pitches MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

September is upon us and for baseball fans that means the pennant race is on. The Twins are right in the middle of it all this season, fighting for both a playoff spot and division crown. How will this month go? I have 4 predictions for you.The Twins started out on a good note this month, ending their six game losing streak by beating the White Sox. Will the rest of the month be like yesterday? I certainly hope so. Let’s get into the first prediction… 1 The AL Central finished in a tie (possibly three way). There isn’t a division in baseball right now that is as competitive as the AL Central. Three teams have a legit shot at the title, and the one in third place is last year's winner. Things are going to be super close and exciting as the season winds down and I don’t think it stops there. At the end of the season at least two teams, maybe three, will be tied and have to play a game 61. 2 Michael Pineda is the best Twins starter this month A lot of us wanted the Twins to go get someone like Trevor Bauer or Lance Lynn to boost the rotation another level this season. I think Pineda will make us forget all about that. He was the Twins best starter for a while in 2019 before he was suspended and last night he jumped right back into his groove. I think his only competition will be Kenta Maeda, who is having a spectacular season. 3 Brent Rooker eventually joins the Twins Rooker has been in the Twins organization since he was drafted in 2016. He is approaching age 26 and is yet to join the big league club. His career line in the minors is .267/.357/.505 (.862) and last season his OPS was .928 in 67 games. Giving him a shot makes more sense now more than ever. The Twins can’t hit lefties and Jake Cave (a left handed hitter) is the fourth outfielder. Give Rooker a chance and if not now, when? 4 The rain will finally be brought to Minnesota The Twins huge offseason acquisition, Josh Donaldson has only played seven games in 2020. He struggled in those games and ended up getting hurt. He looks to be making his return soon and I expect him to show up and perform like The Bringer of Rain we all know. I have been talking about the Twins needing a spark for many weeks now. Perhaps Donaldson will be the spark that will light the fire and bring the White Sox and Indians down (Star Wars reference). The Twins absolutely need JD to bring the rain this September. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Tigers beat the Twins 3-2 Sunday in Detroit, giving Minnesota five straight losses. Kenta Maeda delivered another quality start, but former Twin Jonathan Schoop hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning to put the Tigers up for good.Box Score Maeda: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Home Runs: Polanco (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Kepler -.162, Arráez -.133, Sanó -.094 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png The Twins entered today after being swept in a double header just a day ago. They needed Kenta Maeda to provide a spark with a solid outing. He did that and it somehow was still not enough. The Twins jumped out to an early lead and at the end of the third inning they were up 2-1. A wild pitch scoring Marwin Gonzalez and a solo home run from Jorge Polanco allowed the Twins to jump out early. You probably aren't surprised by this, but the Twins didn't score after the third inning! Kenta Maeda had yet another solid start, going six innings and giving up three runs with eight strikeouts. He did what was needed, but it didn't matter because this offense just cannot seem to do anything right now. The Twins were shut down by a collection of five pitchers and only one of them had an ERA under 4.00 so not exactly ideal. After falling out of first place a day ago the Twins look to be dropping even further. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Click here to view the article

Nope, fixed it

The Minnesota Twins were just swept by the Tigers in a double header, have lost four games in a row, and fallen to third place. All within like a day. Things aren't going well! Luckily, it's Kenta day!Saturday’s double header recap: Twins sink to third place TODAY Twins @ Tigers, 12:10 pm CDT Twins Starter: Kenta Maeda, RHP 2.21 ERA Kenta Maeda will take the mound for today’s series finale in a game that is suddenly important. After being swept in yesterday’s double header, the Twins fell to third place in the division. The offense is struggling so they will need a great pitching performance. Luckily, Maeda is the perfect guy for they. He has been the Twins most reliable starter this season and he is yet to record a loss. The Twins are in desperate need of a jolt so hopefully Maeda can provide it. His last time out he faced Cleveland and went five innings, giving up just one run with seven strikeouts. Maybe today the Twins will stretch his pitch count a bit more. Tigers Starter: Casey Mize, RHP 7.04 ERA Mize is the guy Detroit fans have been waiting for. He ranked #1 in the Detroit system and #8 overall among prospects before the season. Back in 2018 the Tigers selected him with the first overall pick and he is already here hoping to stay. Mize has made two starts this year but he has not yet reached five innings. The Twins need to get to him. Mize is interesting because he doesn’t just rely on one or two pitches, he throws four at least 20% of the time. The splitter (26.2%), sided (23.5%), fastball (22.1%), and sinker (21.5%). So far the fastball has been his best pitch but that could easily change. Twins Lineup 1. Kepler RF 2. Polanco SS 3. Cruz DH 4. Sano 1B 5. Cave CF 6. Arraez 2B 7. Gonzalez 3B 8. Wade LF 9. Avila C News & Notes: -The Twins are currently 20-14. That would be a 95 win pace if this were a 162 game season. They have only reached that win total twice since 1992. -After the second game, Baldelli said Eddie Rosario has a sore ankle and it would be assessed today. -The MLB trade deadline is tomorrow and the Twins and the Twins may still make a trade. This team desperately needs a jolt so perhaps we see one. -The Braves made a huge trade today, acquiring Tommy Milone from Baltimore. Okay, not huge but he’s an old friend and he was good enough to be dealt to a contender so good for him. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL -Indians 2, Cardinals 1 -Royalas 9, White Sox 6 1. Cle 21-12 (-) 2. CWS 20-13 (1.0 GB) 3. MIN 20-14 (1.5 GB 4. DET 15-16 (5.0 GB) 5. DET 13-20 (8.0 GB) See Also: Twins Up the Middle Players Lead Offensive Struggles Predicting the Twins' Final 28 Games 4 Right-Handed Relievers the Twins Should Target Before the Trade Deadline 4 Left-Handed Relievers the Twins Could Target This Week MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and there are a good amount of former Twins on the list. Reunions are always fun, but would any fit on the team? Let’s take a look at 3 that just might!Jonathan Schoop 2B, spent 2019 with MIN This was first brought up by fellow Twins Daily writer, Matthew Taylor, on Twitter. Schoop is hitting .286/.319/.514 (.833) with 7 homers this year. He gave a few solid reasons that this move could make sense. First, Schoop would cost barely anything. He is on a one year, $6 million contract with a team going nowhere. I’m sure they would be happy to send him off if they got a couple lower prospects. Next, he has a .916 OPS vs right handed pitching since the start of 2019. The Twins don’t have that in the middle infield at the moment. Does he fit? Sure, why not? He could take the roll that Adrianza/Vargas are currently holding as neither have an OPS above .520 so there’s that. He could be a bench bat that fills in when Arraez or Polanco need a day off. He’s also still has a great arm at second base. Brandon Kintzler RP, spent 2016/17 with MIN Remember Kintzler, the former Twins All Star closer in 2017? He was traded to Washington later that year but perhaps this year he returns to Minnesota. It never hurts to add another late inning guy to the core and he wouldn’t have too much pressure with Rogers, Duffey, and May handling the highest leverage spots. Kintzler has thrown in 12 ⅓ innings this season with a 2.92 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He still isn’t striking guys out but he would certainly be a useful reliever. Does he fit? Of course! He would slot in right with Segio Romo and Tyler Clippard. The Twins bullpen would have at least six super reliable arms and we still haven’t mentioned Wisler, Alcala, or Stashak. Kintzler would make this team better and would likely cost very little. Now the key question would just be, are the Marlins going to sell? Lance Lynn SP, spent half of 2018 in MIN Ah yes, everyone’s favorite former Twin. Things did not go well the last time Lynn pitched for the Twins. It never seemed like he wanted to be in Minnesota as he begrudgingly accepted a late one year deal as Spring Training was approaching. Twins Daily writer Ted Schwerzler wrote a piece on why the Twins should avoid Lance Lynn. He provides great reasons and most probably agree, but he fits this post perfectly. He is an elite starting pitcher this year that would likely push everyone down a spot in the rotation. His ERA is at just 1.59 with a WHIP of 0.86 and a K/9 jus over a strikeout per inning. He’s really good, but would it work. I’m not sure. Does he fit? If we’re just looking at the numbers, then yes absolutely he fits. It’s what comes with him that scares me away. There is likely still some bad blood between Lynn and the Twins and he also wasn’t exactly the most pleasant guy in the clubhouse. He’s a great pitcher, but just go get Trevor Bauer instead. Honorable mention that I didn't dare put in here: MARTIN PEREZ Just kidding, although his 3.45 ERA and 1.1 WAR are intriguing ... MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins and Indians will play the rubber match of their three game series tonight. Minnesota hopes to build the division lead with Berrios against Mike Clevinger.Tuesday’s series finale recap: Cleveland Counterpunch TODAY Twins @ Indians, 6:10 pm CDT Twins Starter: Jose Berrios, RHP 4.75 ERA Jose Berrios will be taking the mound for the series finale tonight. The series is tied at one game apiece heading into tonight’s game and both teams have a great pitcher on the mound. Berrios has easily his best outing of the year his last time out, going six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. The Twins will need that Berrios again today. One of the most notable improvements for Berrios this season is his fastball velocity. Last year it averaged 93.1 MPH and this year it is up to 94.5 MPH. The increased velocity has not been fooling hitters so far, as they have a crazy .871 SLG% against it so far. If he is able to command that fastball with the velocity bump then he should be fine soon. Indians Starter: Mike Clevinger, RHP 3.24 ERA Clevinger has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. About ten days ago he was sent to the Indians minor league camp as punishment for violating the social distancing rules set by MLB. It was a bold move by Cleveland to send him down but it is no coincidence that he will be returning in this very important game. Another (speculated) reason the Indians called Clevinger back up is to showcase him to other teams. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching the Indians may be shopping Clevinger to a team like the Yankees. Cleveland owners desperately want their team to be bad again I love it. Twins Lineup 1 Kepler RF 2 Polanco SS 3 Cruz DH 4 Rosario LF 5 Gonzalez 3B 6 Arraez 2B 7 Sano 1B 8 Wade Jr CF 9 Avila C News & Notes: -If Cleveland wins this game they will move within half a game of the Twins for first place. The AL Central is dangerous, and it is the only division with three teams having a win% over .600. -Tyler Clippard is progressing much faster than anticipated. After taking a line drive to his elbow it was expected he would be out for a long time, but he could be back very soon. -Michael Pineda is set to return to the team on the 31st. It will be interesting to see how the rotation shakes out. -Lucas Giolito three the first no-hitter of 2020 yesterday night! He was absolutely dominant and is set to face the Twins in their upcoming series. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL -Tigers 7, Cubs 1 -White Sox 4, Pirates 0 -Royals 5, Cardinals 4 1. MIN 20-11 (-) 2. CLE 18-12 (1.5 GB) 3. CWS 18-12 (1.5 GB 4. DET 12-16 (6.5 GB) 5. DET 12-18 (7.5 GB) See Also: Precious Child Thanks Rich Hill for New, Fun Words Jeffers Shines in Big League Debut The One PLayer Minnesota Shouldn’t Trade for MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins and Royals will meet up for their final series of 2020 beginning tonight. The Twins are 3-4 against KC this season with a -1 run differential so hopefully they can turn it around tonight.Thursday’s series finale recap: It’s a Blessed Jose Berrios Day! TODAY Twins @ Royals, 7:05 pm CDT Betting Lines: MIN -180, KC +155, O/U: 9.5 Twins Starter: Jake Odorizzi, RHP 5.14 ERA Jake Odorizzi will be taking the mound for his third start of the season tonight. His first start didn’t go well, but there was good reason for that as he was coming off the injured list. His last start went better, but still not great as he went just four innings giving up two runs on three hits with six strikeouts. Today the Twins will be looking for at least five innings from Odorizzi. It’s early, but the 2019 All Star has dropped his fastball usage by 20% so far since last season. That was his best pitch a year ago so maybe this is just a case of a small sample size not proving anything, but it is certainly odd that he would drop by that much. He is throwing his split finger, changeup, and curveball all at an increased rate so far. Royals Starter: Danny Duffy, LHP 4.44 ERA Danny Duffy, the Royals 2020 Opening Day starter, will be making his sixth start of the season. He has had a pretty solid start to his campaign with a 4.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 24.0 innings. This is already his tenth season in the majors and all of them have been in Kansas City. The Twins have seen him a lot, and maybe today they can get him early. Duffy started in game two of the recent double header between these two teams and did very well. He threw five innings of one run ball while allowing just two hits and striking out eight. The lone run came on a sacrifice fly from Marwin Gonzalez to drive in Jorge Polanco. The Twins will have a few new faces since that series so maybe things will go differently. Twins Lineup: Interesting lineup for the Twins today: News & Notes: - Ryan Jeffers made his MLB debut last nightand looked great. He went two for three and drove in a run in his first MLB at bat. He was also behind the plate for Berrios’ best start of 2020. -It was great to see Jose Berrios on his game yesterday. It was the best we have seen him all season and the Twins will need him to continue to look like that all year. -The Padres are the most fun team in baseball. Last night they had a grand slam for the fourth night in a row and they all came against the Texas Rangers who are known for hating fun. - The AL Central is going to be tight. The Royals and Tigers are at the bottom as expected but the White Sox and Indians are right behind the Twins. Cleveland has won six in a row and Chicago has won five, keeping both teams near the top. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL: -White Sox 9, Tigers 0 -Indians 2, Pirates 0 1. MIN 17-9 (-) 2. CLE 16-9 (0.5 GB) 3. CWS 15-11 (2.0 GB 4. KCR 10-15 (6.5 GB) 5. DET 9-14 (6.5 GB) See Also: Precious Child Thanks Rich Hill for New, Fun Words Jeffers Shines in Big League Debut The One PLayer Minnesota Shouldn’t Trade for MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

José Berríos had his best start of 2020 and Nelson Cruz hit another bomba in a 7-1 Twins victory Thursday evening at Target Field. Come check out the full recap, including details on the memorable major league debut of Ryan Jeffers.Box Score Berrios: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Home Runs: Cruz (9) Top 3 WPA: Berríos .383, Vargas .069, Jeffers .063 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Wchart.png He’s back, baby! (and Eric Sogard does it again) We all missed Jose Berrios throwing some elite innings on the mound, but he showed up today. He was as dominant as we have seen him in a long time and the Twins needed it. After a rough start to the season Berrios went out and shoved six elite innings with a bunch of strikeouts. He also did not allow a single hard hit throughout his entire start. He gave the Twins a great shot in a game where the offense took a while to get going. He had a no hitter into the fifth but Eric Sogard ended it yet again. Offense starts slow, but does enough. The Twins certainly didn’t struggle to get a lot going tonight, but scoring runs was not easy. In the third inning Iledarmo Vargas hit a triple and top catching prospect Ryan Jeffers got his first base hit of his career, driving in Vargas. He will hopefully be the catcher of the future in Minnesota. Later in the game, the Twins loaded the bases twice but only scratched one run across on a sacrifice fly from Vargas. In the bottom of the 8th inning the Twins loaded the bases once again with two walks and an infield hit from Adrianza, Jeffers, and Vargas. Kepler came to plate and...also walked. Anticlimactic. Luckily, Polanco drove in two with a double to make the score 7-1. The bullpen gets it done. After Berrios came out we saw Tyler Duffey, Sergio Romo, and Zack Littell. There’s not much any team is going to do against that group. Duffey gave up a solo homer, but he got through the inning easily after that. Both Romo and Littell were able to get out of their inning without allowing a run, allowing the Twins to win 7-1! Twins win the series! Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: BP.png Click here to view the article

The Twins have an emerging bullpen flamethrower in Jorge Alcala. His 2020 season has been very impressive so let’s take a look at what he has done so far.About two years ago on July 27, 2018, the Minnesota Twins sent Ryan Pressly to Houston in exchange for OF Gilberto Celestino and RHP Jorge Alcala. The Astros felt the impact of that trade immediately with Pressly becoming an elite bullpen arm. Through a third of the 2020 season, the Twins are starting to see the talent they acquired in that trade. Since moving to the bullpen full time (minors and majors), Alcala has thrown 29.0 innings while giving up just 19 hits and 4 runs. He has also struck out 28 hitters and walked 8. He has been really good out there and we are now seeing it at the major league level. When Brusdar Graterol was traded, the door opened much wider for Alcala to become the bullpen flamethrower for the Twins. This season he is averaging the 18th fastest four seamer in baseball at 97 MPH. Alcala and Trevor May are the only two on the Twins averaging at least 95 MPH on the Twins. He brings the elite velocity tool that the Twins just don’t otherwise have in the pen. The best part is that he may have an even better pitch with his slider. He throws it 41.6% of the time at 88.6 MPH (16th fastest in MLB) and has a higher whiff% than his fastball. Hitters are slugging just .250 against it so far meaning he is yet to allow an extra base hit when he throws it. Last night (August 18, 2020) was definitely his most impressive outing in a Twins uniform. Alcala was asked to pitch both the 11th and 12th inning without giving up a run despite a runner starting on second base. In the 11th he had to face the middle of the Milwaukee order but still retired Garcia, Hiura, and Gyorko with the help of some excellent defense. The 12th inning started out with a Ryan Braun single, resulting in 1st and 3rd with no outs. Alcala then got a pop out, a line out, and a cold blooded strike out to finish the inning and record his first career win. It was the highest leverage situation he had ever been in and he came through. Just for fun, here is how Jorge Alcala compares to Brusdar Graterol so far in 2020. That three columns are their 2020 stats, their 2020 projections, and their all time stats. Download attachment: Annotation 2020-08-19 100308.png Download attachment: Annotation 2020-08-19 100243.png What do you think about Jorge Alcala so far? Do you hope to see him in more high leverage situations as the season continues? Leave a comment and start the discussion! Click here to view the article

The Twins and Royals will face off today in game three of a four game series. Two rookies will take the mound today to face each other for the first time. Randy Dobnak vs Brady Singer, who will win?Saturday’s Double Header Recap: Twins Split with Royals TODAY Twins vs. Royals, 1:10 pm CDT Betting Lines: MIN -180, KC +155, O/U: 9.5 Twins Starter: Randy Dobnak, RHP 0.90 ERA He’s back, folks. Randy Dobnak returns to the mound for Minnesota today in a game the Twins should really want to win. The Royals have won four of the first five in this season series and that is not exactly what we expected. Hopefully Randy can put the Twins back on the winning path. If today’s start is anything like his first few, everything should be alright. Dobnak has pitched just one game against Kansas City in his young career, but it was a good one. He went 5 ⅓ innings and gave up just two runs on three hits with five strikeouts. If he can have another outing like that today then the Twins should be just fine. The Royals are the only remaining team in the division that Dobnak has not faced twice. The chart below suggests Dobnak should not be pitching as well as he is. As a rebuttal I would say any time we have doubted Dobnak he has proved us wrong. Download attachment: dobnak.png Royals Starter: Brady Singer, RHP 4.50 ERA The former 18th overall pick back in 2018 is making just his fifth career start today. He had a very quick rise to the majors after playing just one full season down there in 2019. The Royals have very high hopes for him as the attempt to build their rotation for their next playoff run. He has performed fine this season, averaging five innings and more than a strikeout per inning. Last weekend when he faced the Twins, Singer went five strong innings and gave up just two runs while racking up four strikeouts. It was a game where Twins fans were confident only to see the lineup struggle all game, ultimately resulting in another loss. Hopefully they can get him this time around. Download attachment: singer.png Twins Lineup 1. Max Kepler RF 2. Jorge Polanco SS 3. Nelson Cruz DH 4. Eddie Rosario LF 5. Marwin Gonzalez 3B 6. Luis Arraez 2B 7. Miguel Sano 1B 8. Byron Buxton CF 9. Alex Avila C News & Notes - Zack Littell returned from the IL yesterday and looked great, He averaged just under 90 MPH with his slider and around 95 MPH with his fastball. -After all the action around the division yesterday, the Twins remain in first place by a game over Cleveland. -Mike Trout took a week off for the birth of his son and he somehow still leads the league in home runs. He hit another one last night against the Dodgers. We are all witnessing something we will never see again. - The Oakland Athletics kept their electric start to the season going with a huge home run last night. Down two in the 9th with two out and two on, Mark Canha blasted a three run homer and the Athletics moved to 15-6, 4.0 games ahead in the division. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL -Cardinals 5, White Sox 1 (Game 1) -Cardinals 6, White Sox 3 (Game 2) -Indians 3, Tigers 1 1. MIN 13-8 (-) 2. CLE 12-9 (1.0 GB) 3. DET 9-9 (2.5 GB) 4. CWS 10-11 (3.0 GB) 5. KCR 9-12 (4.0 GB) See Also: A glimmer of 2019 the Twins lineup needed Is Dobnak lucking out with easy competition? The 5 best bets to win Twins MVP MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

After Randy Dobnak’s most recent start there was a lot of rookie of the year conversation. Could he do it? Who is he competing against? Come read to find out all you need to know about the AL Rookie of the Year race.Despite making a few starts last season, Randy Dobnak still qualifies as a rookie. He is right in the thick of the rookie of the year race as we begin the season, but who will he need to beat out? Here are the AL rookie fWAR leaders through ⅓ of the season… Kyle Lewis, SEA (1.1)Luis Robert, CWS (0.8)Randy Dobnak, MIN (0.6)Justus Sheffield, SEA (0.5)James Karinchak, CLE (0.4)So those are the five players we will likely be hearing the most about as the season winds down. The WAR category is hard to get a real judgement from this early, so let’s take a look at the individual statistics for each player…Lewis: 79 PA, .357/.430/.544 (.974), 179 wRC+Robert: 74 PA, .279/.338/.426 (.754), 118 wRC+Dobnak: 20.0 IP, 0.90 ERA, 4.95 K/9, 2.25 BB/9, 0.90 WHIPSheffield: 13.2 IP, 5.27 ERA, 9.22 K/9, 3.95 BB/9, 1.32 WHIPKarinchak: 7.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 15.95 K/9, 3.95 BB/9, 0.00 WHIPStarting with Kyle Lewis he was the 11th overall pick in 2016 and he’s showing why. He was consistently a top 10 prospect in the Seattle organization but he never quite lived up to the hype until he reached the majors. If he can continue to put up numbers around what he’s doing right now then he will likely win the award. The only problem is he has never shown he can do that. Still a very fun player to watch. I think we all know about Luis Robert by now. The White Sox center field prospect with as much promise as anyone we have seen lately. He has insane speed, excellent power and contact, and his fielding is elite. He will be a problem for years to come. He has been slumping lately and his OPS is dropping, but he will get a lot of votes even if he has just an average season. He has been compared to Mike freaking Trout. The next player on the list is everyone’s favorite player, Randy Dobnak. He doesn’t have nearly the same promise or hype around him because no one had heard of him until he reached the majors. Everyone knows the Uber story, but what I find most impressive is his 2019 climb. He started the season at the High A level and finished as the starter for game two of the playoffs. Now in 2020 he is showing he’s more than just an interesting story. If he keeps up what he has been doing, watch out. The other starting pitcher on this list is Justus Sheffield out of Seattle. He is another first round pick (31st in 2014) like the first two. His minor league career is very impressive with his ERA rarely being above 3.20 and it looks like he is beginning to click in the majors. His 5.27 ERA is deceiving because his FIP is 2.30 so he is better than his early numbers show. Too bad he's stuck in Seattle. Finally, the only reliever on this list, James Karinchak. He is also the third player on here from the AL Central. Karinchak started 2019 at AA and ended the season in the majors. That is due to his 22.0 K/9 in AA and AAA before being called up. You never see numbers like that, it just doesn’t make sense. In just over 12.0 career MLB innings his K/9 is at 15.0 so he is already super dangerous. He may be the next top closer in major league baseball. Those are the main players that will be competing for the Rookie of the Year Award. Who will come out on top? Will it be someone not on this list? Leave a comment below and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The Twins have lost three in a row and are on the verge of being swept by the Royals. They will need their ace, Jose Berrios, to step up big time today. Let's hope the team can pick it up quickly for a win today.YESTERDAY’S GAME RECAP KCR 9, MIN 6: Brief 2020 Debut for Odorizzi; Royals Bust It Open Against Bullpen QUESTION OF THE DAY Are you worried about the Twins? If so, what are you most worried about. If not, why? TODAY Twins at Royals | 1:05 pm CT Twins starter: Jose Berrios 1-1, 15.0 IP, 4.80 ERA, 1.33 WHIP Download attachment: Annotation 2020-08-08 221340.png Jose Berrios has had one bad start, one okay start, and one good start to begin the season. His last outing was in Pittsburgh where he went six innings and gave up just one run. He also had six strikeouts and three walks. The Twins are going to need him to have another game like the one in Pittsburgh with the way this offense and bullpen are struggling a bit. Berrios and the Royals have faced off thirteen times in his career. In 77 ⅔ innings Berrios has a 4.29 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Last year was right on par with those results but hopefully today he can turn the tide a bit. He is throwing his fastball 8% more than he did last year with increased velocity but it has been his worst pitch. Hopefully he can locate and get some better results. Royals starter: Brady Singer 0-1, 15.0 IP, 4.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP Download attachment: Annotation 2020-08-08 223147.png Brady Singer is largely a two pitch pitcher with an occasional changeup. He throws the fastball (56.5%), slider (35.7%) and changeup (7.8%). The fastball is his best pitch as hitters are batting just .185 against it but the slider has not been effective early on. Hitters are batting .348 with a 91.2 MPH exit velocity. Singer is a rookie in 2020 and did not even have a cup of tea in the majors last season. He never even saw AAA. Straight to the majors from AA. The Royals are rebuilding and can afford to have pitchers like him get a shot. A rebuilding team that the Twins could get swept by. Twins lineup: Max Kepler RFJorge Polanco SSNelson Cruz DHEddie Rosario LFMarwin Gonzalez 3BMiguel Sano 1BLuis Arraez 2BByron Buxton CFAlex AvilaThis lineup gives off a lot of 2019 vibes with the top four hitters. Mitch Garver will have an off day today and Berrios will be partnered with Avila once again. Buxton will try four his fourth straight game with a home run. News and notes: Byron Buxton has hit a bomba in three straight games! Can he make it four?The Twins have lost three in a row. Last year it took 94 games for that to happen.The TIGERS are in second place at 7-5. WHAT?!Sean Poppen was optioned to the practice squad and the Twins purchased the contract of RHP Cory Gearrin. Gearrin pitched 55 1/3 innings for the Yankees last season with a 4.07 ERA.Around the AL Central DET 11, PIT 5 CLE 7, CHI 1 MIN 10-5 (+25 run differential)DET 7-5 (-1)CLE 9-7 (+21)CWS 8-7 (-2)KC 6-10 (-7)Tomorrow’s gameMinnesota @ Milwaukee, 7:10 pm CT Randy Dobnak vs TBD See also In appreciation of Marwin What will a 2020 championship look like? Twins bats have struggled early Click here to view the article