Cooper Carlson

After a game 163 loss to the Indians, the Twins were entering a wild card game match up against the Yankees.I'll be taking you through this game in what could be the last installment of this series ...Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May, June, July, August, September/Game 163. Wild Card Game: Yankees (97-65) @ Twins (102-61) Twins: Jon Gray (13-7, 2.54 ERA)Yankees: Gerrit Cole (19-6, 2.79 ERA)I bet no one expected to see the Twins and Yankees in the playoffs … I think we all know how this is supposed to go, but could the Twins finally win a playoff game? Let’s find out. The matchup of Cole vs Gray was set up to be a great one, and they were both on their “A” game to start. Through four innings, the Twins were hitless and the Yankees had just two hits. Both teams were scoreless. The Yankees got a couple scoring threats, but nothing across the plate. The Twins still didn’t have a hit through 4 2/3 innings, but then Luis Arraez finally rolled a single up the middle. This was followed by a Donaldson double which brought Kepler up with two men in scoring position. On a 2-0 count, Cole hit Kepler right on the back and Max glared to the mound as he jogged to first. Tensions were rising as Miguel Sano stepped to the plate with the bases loaded… After working the count full, Gerrit Cole left a mistake pitch over the middle and Sano CRUSHED a grand slam to left field! He ran around the bases pumping his arms in the air as the crowd roared. He crossed the plate and celebrated with the dugout. The Twins had all the momentum. Cole walked Cruz and was pulled. Jonathan Holder came in and immediately gave up back-to-back homers to Rosario and Garver. This was followed by a Polanco walk and a Buxton RBI double to make it 8-0. Target Field was louder than ever before. The Yankees went quiet again in the sixth, then Josh Donaldson was hit close to his neck. He was clearly angry, but Kepler came from the on-deck circle to calm him down. Max must’ve said he’d get revenge because on the very next pitch he crushed a home run 437 feet to right field. As he rounded third he was pointing right at Donaldson as they both celebrated. The score was 10-0 Twins. The rest of the innings went by quickly and the Twins would eventually win the game 10-1. It was the Twins first playoff win since 2002 and they were moving on to the ALDS. The Twins will be facing their division rival, the Cleveland Indians, in the ALDS. The next installment of this series will be all of the playoff games no matter how far they go. I hope you have enjoyed the ride this series has taken us through and we are just getting to the most exciting part, so stay tuned for the playoffs! 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 a game 163 loss to the Indians, the Twins were entering a wild card game match up against the Yankees.I'll be taking you through this game in what could be the last installment of this series ...Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May, June, July, August, September/Game 163. Wild Card Game: Yankees (97-65) @ Twins (102-61) Twins: Jon Gray (13-7, 2.54 ERA)Yankees: Gerrit Cole (19-6, 2.79 ERA)I bet no one expected to see the Twins and Yankees in the playoffs … I think we all know how this is supposed to go, but could the Twins finally win a playoff game? Let’s find out. The matchup of Cole vs Gray was set up to be a great one, and they were both on their “A” game to start. Through four innings, the Twins were hitless and the Yankees had just two hits. Both teams were scoreless. The Yankees got a couple scoring threats, but nothing across the plate. The Twins still didn’t have a hit through 4 2/3 innings, but then Luis Arraez finally rolled a single up the middle. This was followed by a Donaldson double which brought Kepler up with two men in scoring position. On a 2-0 count, Cole hit Kepler right on the back and Max glared to the mound as he jogged to first. Tensions were rising as Miguel Sano stepped to the plate with the bases loaded… After working the count full, Gerrit Cole left a mistake pitch over the middle and Sano CRUSHED a grand slam to left field! He ran around the bases pumping his arms in the air as the crowd roared. He crossed the plate and celebrated with the dugout. The Twins had all the momentum. Cole walked Cruz and was pulled. Jonathan Holder came in and immediately gave up back-to-back homers to Rosario and Garver. This was followed by a Polanco walk and a Buxton RBI double to make it 8-0. Target Field was louder than ever before. The Yankees went quiet again in the sixth, then Josh Donaldson was hit close to his neck. He was clearly angry, but Kepler came from the on-deck circle to calm him down. Max must’ve said he’d get revenge because on the very next pitch he crushed a home run 437 feet to right field. As he rounded third he was pointing right at Donaldson as they both celebrated. The score was 10-0 Twins. The rest of the innings went by quickly and the Twins would eventually win the game 10-1. It was the Twins first playoff win since 2002 and they were moving on to the ALDS. The Twins will be facing their division rival, the Cleveland Indians, in the ALDS. The next installment of this series will be all of the playoff games no matter how far they go. I hope you have enjoyed the ride this series has taken us through and we are just getting to the most exciting part, so stay tuned for the playoffs! 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

Remember in 2015 when the Twins were mysteriously good despite having no business actually being a good team? Torii Hunter was dancing in the clubhouse, and the rotation had Hughes, Milone, Gibson, and Pelfrey leading the way. Let’s revisit that odd season.The 2015 season was a much needed year for Twins fans after we suffered through 2011-2014, also known as the “Chris Parmelee Era.” It was certainly nice to see winning baseball in 2015, although it definitely wasn’t supposed to be like that. Here are some quotes from before the 2015 season… Mike Axisa previewed the Twins for CBS Sports and said this: “There are now four years left on the over-hated Joe Mauer contract -- seriously, you wouldn't believe how many Twins fans dislike Mauer because of his injuries and perceived lack of clutchness… Minnesota looks like a lock for the AL Central cellar this year.” And this is something all of us would have agreed with. Well, all of us except for the TwinsDaily crew back in 2015. Nick Nelson actually talked about the Twins potentially surpassing a .500 record and he must have talked that into existence. Now onto the actual season, here is how the Twins lined up for opening day. SP: Phil Hughes Danny Santana, SSBrian Dozier, 2BJoe Mauer (bearded), 1BTorii Hunter, RFKennys Vargas, DHTrevor Plouffe, 3BOswaldo Arcia, RFKurt Suzuki, CJordan Schafer, CFNow you’re probably wondering how many of these players finished with an OPS+ over 100? Well, only Dozier and Plouffe. And only five of them played at least 100 games. This is also the lineup that set the Twins record for the most scoreless innings in a row to begin a season at 24 ⅓. A true accomplishment.Things didn't really start to go well for the team until May rolled around. The team went 10-12 in April, but in May the Twins had their best month since 1991 by going 20-7. How on Earth did this team do that? It all started with Twins prospect Eddie Rosario hitting the first pitch he ever saw for a home run. He has been a fan favorite ever since. May also saw Torii Hunter (159), Brian Dozier (163), and Trevor Plouffe (157) have a wRC+ over 150. Hunter was an excellent addition and he had a Nelson Cruz like impact off the field for the younger players. One of the most memorable things he did as a leader was introduce the dance parties after every Twins win. Again, what a strange but fun year this was. Moving onto just before the All Star break, Brian Dozier had one of the most memorable weeks in recent history. On July 7th after being snubbed from the All Star Game he blasted a walkoff home run against Baltimore in the 10th inning of a 2-2 game. He would once again prove he deserved to be an All Star when the Tigers came to town on July 10th. The 9th inning started with the Twins trailing 6-1 and the Tigers win probability was at 99%. Mauer started the inning with a single, then Sano doubled but Plouffe struck out. Luckily, Eddie Rosario singled and Soria came in to pitch for the Tigers. He walked Hicks and hit Suzuki with a pitch which led to an RBI single from Danny Santana making it 6-5 Tigers. Dozier came to the plate after finishing second in the final vote for the ASG and he once again proved he deserved that spot, blasting a walkoff homer to left. As Dick Bremer said, it was “the most electric moment at Target Field in years!” Just a day later, Brian Dozier was announced to the All Star Game where he would hit a home run to deep center field in his only at bat. That home run capped off an excellent week for the Twins second baseman. After the All Star game, the story for the rest of the season was the debut of Miguel Sano. He played in only 77 games that season, but he hit 18 home runs and finished with the best wRC+ (152) and best OPS (.928) on the team. He was on a pace for 37 homers in a full season. This was his best season prior to what we saw from him in 2019. The Twins kept pace in the wild card race all the way until the 161st game of the season when they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Royals. This 2015 season was just a fun one all around that had many exciting story lines and weird events like these: Joe Mauer had an excellent beard.Torii Hunter/Brian Dozier dance parties.Eddie Rosario hit 15 triples which set a Twins rookie record.Plouffe tied Killebrew for the Twins record for most double plays in a season at 28.Eduardo Nunez couldn’t keep his helmet on.Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Polanco, and Duffey all debut.We saw prime Shane Robinson on the pitching mound.A lot happened. It’s an oddly memorable year for me and probably for a lot of you. Did I forget something important that happened? Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite part of 2015 was! 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 fought so hard to reach this point after starting September 2.5 games behind Cleveland. Pineda was the only starter available so he got the nod. Could the Twins avoid the wild card game and win the final game of the regular season? Come find out!Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May, June, July, August. Game 163: Indians (102-60) @ Twins (102-60) Minnesota SP: Michael Pineda (4-0, 2.54 ERA)Cleveland SP: Aaron Civale (10-6, 4.16)Twins won 9 of last 10 games to get to game 163The first inning got off to a rough start with base hits from Mercado and Ramirez along with a walk to load the bases for Lindor. Pineda was able to get Lindor to strikeout swinging and then get Delino Deshields to strikeout to escape the inning. The Twins then came up to bat for the first time and also got an immediate threat. Singles from Arraez and Kepler led to a Nelson Cruz sacrifice fly to put the Twins up 1-0 after one. The second inning was quieter for Cleveland. After a leadoff double from Cleveland, Pineda retired the next three hitters including a diving stop from Miguel Sano. For Minnesota, Polanco led off with a single and stole second. Garver then drove him home with a double to make it 2-0. The Twins just kept going as Donaldson and Buxton both singled making it 3-0 after two innings. The third was scoreless for both sides, but the fourth went well for Cleveland. After the first two hitters got on base, Tyler Naquin drove them in with a double to make it 3-2. Pineda retired the next three hitters to finish the inning up by one run. Pineda was pulled in the fifth, leaving two on base and two outs for long reliever Homer Bailey (14-2, 2.77 ERA from the bullpen) to successfully get the final out to keep the score at 3-2 Twins. The fifth for the Twins started with a leadoff double from Kepler, a ground ball to move him over, and Cruz smashed one to right field but Reyes made a spectacular leaping catch. Kepler still scored on the deep fly ball making it 4-2 Twins. The sixth inning wasn’t very pretty for the Twins. A bloop single followed by an infield single led to Oscar Mercado doubling to tie the game and then Jose Ramirez singled to give Cleveland a 5-4 lead. Randy Dobnak (12-6, 3.05 ERA) took over and got the final out. Maton came in and struck out the side for Cleveland. Moving on to the seventh, neither team really got anything going and the Twins were down to just six outs remaining. Trevor May came in for the eight and struck out the first two batters but Franmil Reyes crushed a homer to left making the score 6-4 Cleveland. The Twins side of the eighth once again was quiet and ended with Rosario swinging at a pitch two feet above his head. After a scoreless top of the ninth, the Twins came to bat needing two runs to avoid the wild card game. Garver was up first against Minnesota native Brad Hand and he flew out to right field. Hand then hit Donaldson with a pitch and the tying run was at the plate in Byron Buxton. He grounded out and the game was up to Luis Arraez. On a 1-2 count, Arraez struck out swinging and game 163 would give Cleveland the division… The Twins will now be in the wild card game despite having the second best record in baseball. You’ll never guess who they are facing in the wild card game. The YANKEES! That game will be simulated and posted here on Wednesday night. Final score: Indians beat the Twins 6-4 Win: Aaron CivaleLoss: Homer BaileyEnd of season awards:MVP AL/NL: Xander Bogaerts, Freddie FreemanCy Young AL/NL: Gerrit Cole, Max ScherzerTwins awards: Josh Donaldson (Gold Glove)Twins MVP: Max KeplerTwins Cy Young: Jon GrayI decided to recap game 163 instead of the usual format I used for all the other months. If you want to know anything specific about the season, I can get it for you so just ask in the comments. This same format will be used on Wednesday night as I recap the wildcard game between the Twins and Yankees. Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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

Haha yeah I leave everything up to the CPU. I don’t make the lineups or mess with them so this is what they currently are.

The Twins began August 2.5 games behind Cleveland in the division. Hopefully the addition of Jon Gray and the full return of Max Kepler were enough to regain the top spot. Come find out how the Twins did in August!Today’s post will feature how the Twins did in July. Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May, June, July. Roster moves throughout the month: 8/21: Alex Kirilloff called up. Michael Pineda placed on 15-day IL.8/30: Lewis Thorpe called up. Randy Dobnak sent down.AL Central at the end of August: Indians: 87-50Twins: 85-53 (2.5 GB)White Sox: 66-71 (21.0 GB)Royals 59-78 (28.0 GB)Tigers 53-84 (34.0 GB)Lineup with end of August statistics:Buxton: .207/.277/.335 (.613), 8 HR, 40 RBI, 1.2 WARArraez: .305/.382/.425 (.807), 10 HR, 49 RBI, 1.9 WARKepler: .347/.434/.656 (1.090), 22 HR, 55 RBI, 5.4 WARSano: .272/.368/.608(.976), 37 HR, 94 RBI, 4.0 WARCruz: .302/.382/.555 (.938), 29 HR, 83 RBI, 3.4 WARGarver: .264/.340/.500 (.840), 24 HR, 61 RBI, 4.3 WARPolanco: .292/.369/.473 (.842), 15 HR, 55 RBI, 4.4 WARRosario: .267/.292/.493 (.785), 27 HR, 80 RBI, 1.0 WARDonaldson: .245/.343/.416 (.758), 17 HR, 56 RBI 3.4 WARBench Summary: The four players on the bench to finish the month were Alex Avila, Ehire Adrianza, Alex Kirilloff, and Marwin Gonzalez. Kirilloff replaced a struggling Astudillo but suffered a day-to-day injury and will see his first AB in September. All four produced as expected with averages around .250 to .280 at the end of August. August rotation with end of the month statistics: Jose Berrios: 11-9, 3.80 ERA, 8.46 K/9, 3.11 BB/9, 2.9 WARKenta Maeda: 10-5, 3.05 ERA, 8.25 K/9, 2.26 BB/9, 3.4 WARJake Odorizzi: 8-10, 5.02 ERA, 8.94 K/9, 3.61 BB/9, 0.7 WARJon Gray: 14-6, 2.69 ERA, 8.73 K/9, 2.79 BB/9, 4.2 WARRich Hill: 9-7, 3.72 ERA, 9.68 K/9, 3.38 BB/9, 2.0 WARBullpen Summary: The bullpen at the end of August consisted of Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Zack Littell, Homer Bailey, and Lewis Thorpe. Everyone is performing well, especially Rogers, Duffey, Romo, and Bailey. Hill was temporarily moved back into the rotation until Pineda is recovered from injury in about 4 days. Pineda currently holds a 2.93 ERA. August summary for the Twins: Finally another great month! After two months of mediocre play, the Twins went 19-8 in August to remain one of the best teams in baseball. Sadly the Indians are playing like the best team in baseball, so the Twins are stuck in the wild card. The Astros are leading the Twins in home runs 218-214 after August. This was a great month offensively for the team and it showed just how impactful the Kepler injury was. While he was hurt the Twins were about a .500 team, but with him around they have been the best team in baseball. He is 8th in AL WAR despite only playing in 87 of the 138 games so far. On the pitching side, the addition of Jon Gray is already showing how necessary it was. Berrios and Odorizzi both are struggling a bit, Pineda got hurt, and Maeda was the only other great starting pitcher. Around MLB: Division leaders ALC: Indians (87-50)ALW: Astros (82-55)ALE: Red Sox (88-50)ALWC: Twins (85-53), Yankees (82-55)NLC: Cubs (77-61)NLW: Dodgers (87-52)NLE: MARLINS (78-60)NLWC: Nationals (75-63), Brewers (74-63)League leaders: AVG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.356), Blackmon (.331)OBP AL/NL: Bogaerts (.435), Goldschmidt (.423)SLG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.712), Freeman (.590)HR AL/NL: F. Reyes (43), Freeman (43)ERA AL/NL: Morton (2.63), Hendricks (1.76)SO AL/NL: Cole (229), Scherzer (228)Twins September call-ups: SP Randy Dobnak: 3.21 ERA with the Twins in 2020.SS/2B Nick Gordon: .271 AVG with 17 HR and 58 RBIs in AAA.September preview: So the Twins will begin September 2.5 out of first place in the division while holding a 4.5 game lead on the first wild card spot. A playoff spot seems likely, but will it be in the division, or will it be in the wild card? Can the Twins avoid the Yankees who are 5.5 back in the east and also 2.0 ahead of the Rays in the wild card? The Twins play Cleveland six times in September (Sep 1-3 and Sep 8-10) and I plan to keep you updated. The full September post will go up on Sunday, but head over to my Twitter account @Carlson_MnTwins to see updates on those two series. Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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 first few months for the Twins went very well, but July was a test as the Indians were on a roll. This month we also saw the All Star Game and trade deadline. Did the Twins make a deal? Come find out!Today’s post will feature how the Twins did in July. Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May, June. Roster moves throughout the month: 7/5: Jake Cave called up. LaMonte Wade jr sent down7/8: Max Kepler reinstated. Jake Cave sent down.7/28: TRADE: Twins acquire SP Jon Gray for Devin Smeltzer, Cody Stashak, and Brent Rooker.Gray will not be included in any statistical categories for this month.AL Central at the end of July: Indians: 68-42Twins: 66-45 (2.5 GB)White Sox: 54-56 (14.0 GB)Royals 47-63 (21.0 GB)Tigers 43-68 (25.5 GB)Lineup with end of July statistics:Buxton: .214/.275/.351 (.625), 7 HR, 35 RBI, 1.1 WARArraez: .304/.375/.432 (.806), 9 HR, 40 RBI, 1.0 WARKepler: .347/.436/.613 (1.049), 12 HR, 30 RBI, 3.4 WARSano: .265/.359/.576 (1.014), 27 HR, 71 RBI, 2.9 WARCruz: .292/.373/.520 (.893), 22 HR, 59 RBI, 2.1 WARGarver: .265/.334/.506 (.841), 18 HR, 40 RBI, 2.9 WARPolanco: .292/.371/.471 (.798), 13 HR, 42 RBI, 3.5 WARRosario: .255/.273/.482 (.775), 22 HR, 60 RBI, 1.1 WARDonaldson: .258/.357/.431 (.788), 13 HR, 44 RBI 3.1 WARBench Summary: The four players on the bench to finish the month were Alex Avila, Ehire Adrianza, Willians Astudillo, and Marwin Gonzalez. All four produced as expected with averages around .250 to .280 at the end of July. July rotation with end of the month statistics: Jose Berrios: 10-7, 3.81 ERA, 8.70 K/9, 3.18 BB/9, 2.4 WARKenta Maeda: 7-4, 2.83 ERA, 8.08 K/9, 2.21 BB/9, 3.0 WARJake Odorizzi: 6-7, 4.78 ERA, 8.95 K/9, 3.70 BB/9, 0.7 WARMichael Pineda: 0-0, 2.23 ERA, 6.68 K/9, 1.39 BB/9, 1.0 WARRandy Dobnak: 10-6, 3.23 ERA, 5.77 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 1.2 WARBullpen Summary: The bullpen at the end of May consisted of Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Zack Littell, Homer Bailey, Rich Hill, and Cody Stashak. Everyone is performing well, especially Rogers, Duffey, Romo, and Bailey. The trade for Gray will become official on the 1st of August and will push Dobnak to the bullpen. July summary for the Twins: The month of July was a solid one for the Twins, going 14-11 but they did lose their hold on first place in the division for the first time. Getting Kepler back is huge for this team as he has been performing at an MVP level for the team. Every single hitter suffered at least a small dropoff over the month except for Garver. Garver is having a very nice season for the Twins along with Kepler, Polanco, Sano, Arraez, and Cruz. The Twins are tied for the league lead in home runs with the Cubs at 169. On the pitching side, things will look a lot better for the rest of the season now that Jon Gray is on the team. He wasn’t here for July but Berrios, Maeda, Odorizzi, and Pineda all had a solid month. Around MLB: Division leaders: ALC: Indians (68-42)ALW: Astros (64-45)ALE: Red Sox (71-39)ALWC: Twins (66-45), Yankees (65-44)NLC: Cubs (65-45)NLW: Dodgers (67-44)NLE: Nationals (64-47)NLWC: Marlins (62-49), Brewers (58-51)League leaders: AVG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.378), Ian Happ (.325)OBP AL/NL: Bogaerts (.458), Goldschmidt (.421)SLG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.759), Schwarber (.611)HR AL/NL: Bogaerts (35), Freeman (33)ERA AL/NL: Jon Gray (2.45), Hendricks (1.67)SO AL/NL: Cole (179), Scherzer (191)ALL STAR GAME & HR DERBY The Minnesota Twins were represented by Miguel Sano in the home run derby. Here is how he did round by round... Round 1: Sano beat Schwarber 15-14.Semi-finals: Sano beat Goldschmidt 10-9.Championship round: Sano beat Bogaerts 16-14.Miguel Sano is the 2020 Home Run Derby champion!All Star Game representatives for the Twins:Taylor Rogers: 1.0 IP, 2 K, 0 ER.Nelson Cruz: 1-2, BB.Mitch Garver: 1-2, RBI.NL beats AL 3-1.Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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 first two months for the Twins went very well, but June was a much more difficult month. Cleveland was right on their heels the whole month and players were inconsistent the whole time. Let’s see how everything shook out.Today’s post will feature how the Twins did in June. Check out the previous editions of this series: April, May Roster moves throughout the month: 6/25: LaMonte Wade jr. called up. Jimmy Kerrigan sent down.6/28: Michael Pineda called up. Tyler Clippard designated for assignment.AL Central at the end of June: Twins: 52-34Indians: 51-35 (1.0 GB)White Sox: 42-44 (10.0 GB)Royals 40-46 (12.0 GB)Tigers 31-54 (20.5 GB)Lineup with end of June statistics:Buxton: .230/.291/.353 (.644), 3 HR, 22 RBI, 1.1 WARPolanco: .314/.388/.531 (.919), 13 HR, 37 RBI, 3.3 WARArraez: .316/.386/.448 (.834), 8 HR, 32 RBI, 1.7 WARSano: .282/.378/.637 (1.014), 24 HR, 61 RBI, 2.9 WARCruz: .297/.375/.520 (.895), 18 HR, 51 RBI, 1.8 WARGarver: .246/.321/.496 (.817), 18 HR, 40 RBI, 2.9 WARDonaldson: .249/.350/.441 (.798), 12 HR, 36 RBI, 2.2 WARRosario: .262/.282/.493 (.775), 17 HR, 43 RBI, 1.0 WARGonzalez: .252/.325/.398 (.723), 5 HR, 13 RBI 1.3 WARKepler (injured): .327/.415/.574 (.989), 9 HR, 23 RBI, 2.0 WARBench Summary: The four players on the bench to finish the month were Alex Avila, Ehire Adrianza, Willians Astudillo, and LaMonte Wade jr to replace Kepler. All three of Adrianza, Avila, and Astudillo continue to produce like they should and Wade jr has not had an AB yet. May rotation with end of June statistics: Jose Berrios: 7-6, 3.73 ERA, 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9, 1.6 WARKenta Maeda: 6-3, 2.98 ERA, 8.06 K/9, 2.10 BB/9, 2.4 WARJake Odorizzi: 5-6, 5.08 ERA, 8.73 K/9, 3.55 BB/9, 0.6 WARRich Hill: 8-5, 4.18 ERA, 9.48 K/9, 3.46 BB/9, 1.0 WARRandy Dobnak: 8-3, 2.81 ERA, 6.12 K/9, 3.41 BB/9, 1.2 WARBullpen Summary: The bullpen at the end of May consisted of Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Cody Stashak, Zack Littell, Homer Bailey, and Michael Pineda was moved there after his suspension. Everyone is performing well, especially Rogers, Duffey, Romo, and Bailey. Clippard was cut from the team with an ERA over ten. Pineda is likely to replace Hill in the rotation. June summary for the Twins: This was not a good month at all for the Twins. After two straight excellent months to start the season, they struggled through a 9-16 June that saw Cleveland get back within one game. The team dropped from first in win% to fifth at the end of the mont behind Boston, New York, Washington and the Dodgers. Every single hitter suffered at least a small dropoff over the month except for Sano. Sano is having an MVP level season if he keeps this up. At the end of the month the Twins rank 3rd in AVG, 4th in OBP, 1st in SLG, and 1st in home runs. On the pitching side, Berrios and Hill suffered a drop off that I statistically saw coming last month but the Twins will need Berrios to lead this rotation. Hill is moving to the bullpen as Pineda slides into the rotation. Dobnak and Maeda are pitching great, but Dobnak has a 4.20 FIP and a bad K/9 so he could struggle soon. Around MLB: Division leaders ALC: Twins (52-34)ALW: Astros (49-35)ALE: Red Sox (56-30)ALWC: Yankees (53-33), Indians (51-35)NLC: Cubs (51-35)NLW: Dodgers (53-33)NLE: Nationals (53-33)NLWC: Marlins (49-37), Phillies (46-39)League leaders: AVG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.375), Ian Happ (.348)OBP AL/NL: Bogaerts (.451), Ian Happ (.438)SLG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.729), Ian Happ (.648)HR AL/NL: Olson (29), Freeman (28)ERA AL/NL: Nova (2.28), Hendricks (1.57)SO AL/NL: Cole (152), Scherzer (159)All Star voting has begun. Here is the AL/NL leader along with where Twins rank in the AL:SP: Morton, HendricksCP: Rogers, Iglesias (Rogers 1sr)C: Sanchez, Suzuki (Garver 2nd)1B: Olson, Freeman (Sano 5th)2B: LeMahieu, Albies (Arraez 6th)3B: Ramirez, E. Escobar (Donaldson 8th)SS: Bogaerts, Segura (Polanco 4th)LF: Martinez, Schwarber (Rosario 7th)CF: Trout, Acuna Jr. (Buxton 12th)RF: Reyes, Betts (Cruz 3rd)Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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 a successful April that saw the Twins go 23-8 to open the season, they hope to continue that success in May. Can they hold the division lead and can the offense keep rolling despite a key injury? Come find out!We have made it through two months of the Twins 2020 season. The Twins continued on their hot start in May with a 19-win month to try to stay at the top of the division. This month had a few injuries and roster moves than the first month so let's see how everything went for the Twins. Today’s post will feature how the Twins did in May. Roster moves throughout the month: 5/15: Cody Stashak called up. Cody Gearrin sent down.5/17: Zack Littell called up. Devin Smeltzer sent down.5/24: Max Kepler injured (torn calf, 1-2 months). Jimmy Kerrigan called up.AL Central at the end of May: Twins: 42-18Indians: 38-22 (4.0 GB)White Sox: 29-31 (13.0 GB)Royals: 27-33 (15.0 GB)Tigers: 20-39 (21.5 GB)Lineup with end of May statistics:Buxton: .233/.293/.348 (.640), 1 HR, 15 RBI, 0.7 WARPolanco: .326/.399/.552 (.952), 9 HR, 22 RBI, 2.4 WARArraez: .332/.397/.478 (.875), 8 HR, 23 RBI, 2.0 WARCruz: .295/.377/.530 (.907), 14 HR, 39 RBI, 1.6 WARDonaldson: .236/.336/.432 (.768), 9 HR, 23 RBI, 1.5 WARGarver: .259/.314/.523 (.837), 14 HR, 31 RBI, 2.1 WARRosario: .299/.322/.567 (.889), 13 HR, 33 RBI, 1.5 WARSano: .277/.357/.630 (.987), 17 HR, 42 RBI, 2.2 WARGonzalez: .268/.343/.417 (.760), 5 HR, 13 RBI 1.3 WARKepler (injured): .327/.415/.574 (.989), 9 HR, 23 RBI, 2.0 WARBench Summary: The four players on the bench to finish the month were Alex Avila, Ehire Adrianza, Willians Astudillo, and Jimmy Kerrigan to replace Kepler. Kerrigan is just 1-for-7 for far, but Avila, Adrianza, and La Tortuga are all hitting above .255 and doing their jobs well. May rotation with end of the month statistics: Jose Berrios: 6-3, 3.49 ERA, 8.84 K/9, 3.59 BB/9, 0.8 WARKenta Maeda: 5-1, 3.03 ERA, 8.11 K/9, 1.45 BB/9, 1.8 WARJake Odorizzi: 4-3, 5.19 ERA, 7.71 K/9, 3.56 BB/9, 0.0 WARRich Hill: 5-3, 3.09 ERA, 9.90 K/9, 2.96 BB/9, 1.3 WARRandy Dobnak: 5-2, 3.41 ERA, 6.52 K/9, 3.26 BB/9, 0.8 WARBullpen Summary: The bullpen at the end of May consisted of Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Tyler Clippard, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, and new additions Stashak, Littell, and Bailey was moved there from the rotation. Everyone is performing well, except for Clippard and his 9.82 ERA, so far this season. Littell was called up in the middle of May and has not allowed a run in 13 ⅔ innings. Rogers has 19 saves. May summary for the Twins: The Twins had their second straight excellent month, going 19-10 after a 23-8 April. Pretty much every team in the AL Central saw the same slight dip as the Twins maintained their lead in the division. At the end of May, the Twins have the best win% in baseball. The team also ranks 1st in AVG, home runs, and SLG%. Byron Buxton and Josh Donaldson have not put it together so far and the Twins will need those two to step it up if they want to make noise this year. Luckily Sano and Rosario have picked it up and are helping lead this team. The Kepler injury hurts, and Kerrigan wasn’t who I expected to be called up. Expect Max back in early July. On the pitching side, Berrios and Maeda have led the rotation but Berrios has a scary 4.38 FIP and isn’t striking many out. Maeda on the other hand is having an excellent season that should continue. Odorizzi had an awful first month but was able to start bringing his stats back down in May. Smeltzer was replaced by Dobnak and that is looking like a great move. Rich Hill came off the IL this month and is performing already. Around MLB: Division leaders ALC: Twins (23-8)ALW: Astros (34-26)ALE: Red Sox (39-22)ALWC: Indians (22-11), Yankees (37-23)NLC: Cubs (38-22)NLW: Dodgers (39-19)NLE: Nationals (34-24)NLWC: Brewers (36-23), Marlins (34-26)League leaders:AVG AL/NL: Trout (.404), Avisail Garcia (.347)OBP AL/NL: Trout (.488), Goldschmidt (.445)SLG AL/NL: Trout (.865), Schwarber (.728)HR AL/NL: J.D. Martinez (21), Schwarber (22)ERA AL/NL: H. Bailey (1.62 lol), Kershaw (1.55)SO AL/NL: Cole (112), Scherzer (110)All Star voting has begun. Here is the AL/NL leader along with where Twins rank in the AL:SP: Cole, KershawCP: Givens, Iglesias (Rogers 2nd)C: Sanchez, Suzuki (Garver 2nd)1B: Olson, Goldschmidt (Sano 4th)2B: LeMahieu, Albies (Arraez 3rd)3B: Ramirez, E. Escobar (Donaldson 9th)SS: Bogaerts, Segura (Polanco 5th)LF: Martinez, Schwarber (Rosario 4th)CF: Trout, Acuna Jr. (Buxton 9th)RF: Reyes, Betts (Cruz 2nd, Kepler 4th)Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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

Do you miss baseball? Of course you do. Are you wondering how the Twins would have done in a full season? Of course you are! Luckily for you I am putting together a simulation of the 2020 season to see how the Twins would have done. Come check it out!As you all know, we almost certainly will not be getting 162 games of baseball this season but I wanted to see what would happen if we did. Luckily we have a sort of effective way of doing this on MLB the Show! I will be simulating an entire season and giving the CPU complete control over everything to see how the season would have potentially played out. There will be around seven to eight parts to this depending on how far into the playoffs the Twins go. Today’s post will feature how the Twins did in March/April. AL Central at the end of April: Twins: 23-8Indians: 22-11 (2.0 GB)White Sox (7.0 GB)Royals 14-17 (9.0 GB)Tigers 9-22 (14.0 GB)Opening Day lineup with end of the month statistics:Arraez: .310/.376/.434 (.810), 2 HR, 15 RBI, 9.4 BB%, 0.7 WARPolanco: .344/.438/.656 (1.094), 7 HR, 15 RBI, 1.9 WARCruz: .341/.407/.589 (.996), 8 HR, 23 RBI, 1.4 WARSano: .220/.321/.462 (.782), 6 HR, 21 RBI, 0.5 WARDonaldson: .235/.350/.441 (.791), 4 HR, 11 RBI, 1.1 WARGarver: .253/.283/.547 (.830), 9 HR, 16 RBI, 1.0 WARRosario: .284/.296/.461 (.757), 3 HR, 12 RBI, 0.2 WARKepler: .283/.421/.457 (.878), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0.8 WARBuxton: .260/.313/.385 (.697), 0.7 WARBench Summary: The four players on the bench to start the season were Marwin Gonzalez, Alex Avila, Ehire Adrianza, and Willians Astudillo. They are all playing about exactly as expected with limited at-bats. La Tortuga is hitting .279 with a couple of bombs. Opening Day rotation with end of the month statistics: Jose Berrios: 5-1, 3.45 ERA, 9.00 K/9, 3.26 BB/9, 0.7 WARKenta Maeda: 1-1, 3.32 ERA, 8.53 K/9, 1.42 BB/9, 1.0 WARJake Odorizzi: 2-1, 7.20 ERA, 8.64 K/9, 3.96 BB/9, -0.7 WARHomer Bailey: 4-0, 1.93 ERA, 6.43 K/9, 2.57 BB/9, 0.3 WARDevin Smeltzer: 1-3, 7.96 ERA, 5.54 K/9, 2.77 BB/9, -0.5 WARBullpen Summary: The Opening Day bullpen was Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Sergio Romo, Randy Dobnak, Zack Littell, and Cody Gearrin. The productive pitchers were Rogers (0.86 WHIP), Trevor May (16.62 K/9), and Tyler Duffey (0.90 BB/9). The unproductive ones were Gearrin (2.00 WHIP), Dobnak (5,74 K/9), and Clippard (7.71 BB/9). April summary for the Twins: This was about as good of a month as anyone could have hoped for. They have the second best win% in baseball at .742 behind only the Cubs and Cleveland is in 3rd. The Twins were easily one of the best hitting teams in baseball, ranking 3rd in AVG, 4th in OBP, and 3rd in SLG. They are also 6th in home runs with 47. The leaders are Garver (9), Cruz (8), and Polanco (7). The pitching was around the middle with the Twins ranking 11th in ERA. Around MLB: Division leaders ALC: Twins (23-8)ALW: Angels (18-12)ALE: Yankees (20-12)ALWC: Indians (22-11)NLC: Cubs (25-7)NLW: Dodgers (18-12)NLE: MARLINS!! (18-13)NLWC: Brewers (19-12)League leaders: AVG AL/NL: LeMahieu (.381), Goldschmidt (.373)OBP AL/NL: J. Castro (.453), Hoskins (.476)SLG AL/NL: Bogaerts (.709), Schwarber (.791)HR AL/NL: F. Reyes (13), Schwarber (12)ERA AL/NL: K. Gibson (1.18 haha), Kershaw (0.99)SO AL/NL: Cole (71), Nola (54)Any questions about what’s going on in the league so far? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer whether it's about a certain player, team, or anything else! What are your thoughts on this series I am putting together? 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

If you frequently visit Twins Daily, which I assume you do, you probably saw Patrick’s post on the top-5 regression candidates for the Twins. Today I’ll be taking you through the top-5 players expected to improve for 2020 using the same statistic, xwOBA.If you don’t know what xwOBA is, that makes sense and it means you are a normal person. Essentially it comes from the base stat of wOBA and Fangraphs describes it like this: “Weighted On-Base Average combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value. While batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage fall short in accuracy and scope, wOBA measures and captures offensive value more accurately and comprehensively.” Now xwOBA uses batted-ball data (exit velocity, launch angle, etc.) which gives a better picture of what the results should have been based on how the ball was hit. Got it? If not, go read the beginning of Patrick’s post for more explanation. Before we get into it, I have one more note. Patrick only did the top 5 hitters expected to regress, but sadly there is only one hitter expected to get better via wOBA so I’m including pitchers in this. It’s the same concept except the pitchers hope to limit the hard contact. MLB average in 2019: .320 wOBA, .319 xwOBA Progression Candidates Lewis Thorpe - .384 wOBA vs. .328 xwOBA (.056 diff) Thorpe is someone who noticeably got unlucky a lot last season. Despite that, he still pitched well and may have been the early favorite for the fifth rotation spot. Instead, he will start the season in AAA and should be with the Twins soon. I know the Twins are extremely high on Thorpe, and it will be fun to watch him in 2020. LaMonte Wade jr. - .320 wOBA vs. .373 xwOBA (.053 diff) Wade Jr. is a dark horse to make the team out of spring training. If Buxton is not healthy enough to make the roster, then Wade jr. might have an opportunity because he can play center field better than Jake Cave and he could also keep Max Kepler in right field. Not to mention Wade Jr. is definitely capable with the bat. Fernando Romero - .390 wOBA vs. .351 xwOBA (.039 diff) Romero is probably the most interesting name on this list. When spring training began he was likely to be given a great opportunity to make the team, but visa issues have kept him away from camp. He was supposed to be a lights-out fireball reliever in 2019, but everything fell apart with his command and hitters getting the best of him. His 2020 performance may decide whether he stays with the Twins for another season. Willians Astudillo - .288 wOBA vs. .320 xwOBA (.032 diff) Everyone’s favorite turtle makes this list after what was a disappointing 2019. His expected wOBA would put him exactly at league average, so perhaps there is still some hope for Astudillo. He is in a roster battle with Cave, Wade jr, and himself among others to make the final roster cut. This is an important spring for La Tortuga. Jake Cave - .343 wOBA vs. .360 xwOBA (.017 diff) Of course all three of Astudillo, Wade jr, and Cave make the list of players expected to get better because they are the three main players fighting for the final roster spot. The bat from Cave is probably the best of the three, but his fielding hurts him and also hurts our eyes. For him to make the roster the Twins have to be at least somewhat confident that Cave will step up his fielding in 2020. Some other players slightly expected to get better via xwOBA are Marwin Gonzalez, Taylor Rogers, and Cody Stashak. Make sure to go read Patrick’s post to see who may regress in 2020 and leave a comment on one or both posts! 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

Matt and Cooper (and Andrew today) lament the fact that Spring Training is only about half over and we are bored. When Andrew joined we discussed discussed trade options, and some over/under questions. LINK: https://open.spotify...HSWvrZdegF3t6PBLINK: https://open.spotify...HSWvrZdegF3t6PB Topics discussed: Twins play baseballMartin Perez revenge gameMarwin/Polanco debutAndrew joinsNew rule changesJohnny Cueto...?Dealing top prospectsWeekly predictionsFan questionsGive it a listen and let us know what you think! 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

Last year the Twins extended both Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco to long-term deals that appeared to be very team friendly. These deals somehow became even more team friendly when both of them put up excellent seasons in 2019. Let’s look back at how they did.Last spring the Twins extended two core players, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco. Let's begin with the starting shortstop in the 2019 All -Star Game, Jorge Polanco. He was an elite hitter the first half of last season. He was hitting for average and power that we hadn’t seen before and he was doing it on a great team. Unfortunately, he saw a dip in production after the All-Star break that ended up hurting his overall numbers. This dip was likely caused by fatigue because he had played in over 80 MLB games only once before 2019. Last year he played in 153. Here are his numbers before and after the All-Star break: Before: .312/.368/.514 (.882), 14.7 K%, 40.9 hard hit%, 25.8 GB%After: .273/.341/.447 (.788), 18.8 K%, 37.6 hard hit%, 33.9 GB%League average full season: .252/.323/.435 (.758), 23.0 K%, 38.0 hard hit%, 42.9 GB%It’s a noticeable difference for sure. Batting average decreased by 40 points, OPS by nearly 100, and the percentages all got worse. Despite all of that, he was still at least an above average player for the entire season. Defensively, he was bad. Polanco tied Guererro jr. for the fewest outs above average at -16. The only player worse than him was Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario. Polanco also had 13 throwing errors and with Sano moving to first base, it could get interesting again in 2020. Overall, Polanco was great in his first year under the new contract. Now moving on to Max Kepler. 2019 was the breakout year we have all been waiting for and we now realize how underpaid Kepler will be. Kepler hit .252/.336/.519 (.855) with 36 home runs and a WAR of 4.4. Almost any stat you find will be a career high and the scary part is this likely isn’t his ceiling. His defense was excellent last season as he was in the 92nd percentile for outs above average. Having him in right field with the ability to fill in for Buxton in center field is a great place to be. Unlike Jorge Polanco, Kepler was pretty consistent through the entire year. He did slightly drop off in a number of stats, but it was only by around ten points. That being said, Kepler did suffer an injury that held him out for most of the final month of the season so the stats aren’t too reliable. So is there more in the tank for Kepler to unlock? I certainly think so. From 2016 until 2019 he steadily increased his launch angle and hard hit rate every year while decreasing his ground ball rate. If he continues to get better every year like this then we may be looking at the next Christian Yelich type breakout. Those are the two extension candidates from last offseason that the Twins' front office definitely nailed. Now moving on to this year, Miguel Sano is the only player the Twins have extended. Could another player like Byron Buxton or Jose Berrios be in line for an extension? Discuss in the comments! 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