Sherry Cerny

Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 4 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (89 pitches, 57 strikes (64% strikes) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (8); Brooks Lee (15) Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.32); Trevor Larnach (0.12); Travis Adams (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins and Guardians met Wednesday night for Game 3 of 4, with Minnesota looking to keep alive their chance to split the series and to snap a four-game losing streak. The game started with promise as Trevor Larnach crushed a 404-foot leadoff home run to right-center, giving the Twins an early 1-0 lead. Making just his third start since returning from the injured list, Bailey Ober wasn't getting shelled, but Cleveland did what it does best. The Guardians sat on his 80-mph changeup, blooping soft singles into the outfield and manufacturing runs. Singles from José Ramírez and Brayan Rocchio tied the game, before Cleveland small-balled its way to a 3-1 lead in the second. The Twins, however, answered with big ball. Alex Jackson doubled, Larnach worked a walk, and Brooks Lee drove in a run with a single. Josh Bell tied the game with an RBI groundout. Ober battled through a messy third without allowing a run, despite his pitch count continuing to climb. Minnesota took control in the fourth, and stayed there the rest of the game. Three straight singles put the Twins back in front by one, before Lee launched his 18th home run of the season to extend the lead to 7-3. That cushion would prove to be significant later in the game. Cleveland answered with one run in the bottom half, but Ober limited the damage. The fifth inning brought a scare, when Victor Caratini fouled a pitch off his right knee and was helped off the field. Ryan Kreidler replaced him, while Luke Keaschall worked an 11-pitch walk, but the Twins stranded the runners. (Caratini was later diagnosed with a right knee contusion, needing further testing.) The bullpen took over from Ober in the fifth inning. Usually an early visit to the bullpen is a recipe for disaster for the Twins, but Kody Funderburk tossed a scoreless inning before Travis Adams retired the side on just six pitches in the sixth and put up another goose egg in the seventh. The yeoman's work from those middle relievers gave the offense a much-needed opportunity to keep the pressure on. Minnesota added insurance in the late innings. After Ramírez committed an error, Matt Festa hit Keaschall with a pitch, and Trevor Larnach delivered a two-run single to put the game further out of reach at 9-4. The Guardians made a pitching change, but that didn’t save them. The Twins got one more in from Bell for a 10-4 lead. Andrew Morris came out in the eighth inning and immediately broke his 18-inning scoreless streak with a solo home run from Kyle Manzardo. Not as sharp as he might have been if the game were a little tighter, Morris put two more runners on base, but avoided further damage. Yoendrys Gómez closed down the game for the Twins. He faced the meat of the hosts' lineup, and while he gave up one run, there was never any real worry that the Guardians would come back. It was a sloppy game for Cleveland, but an impressive win for the Twins. What’s Next? The Twins finish the series and the road trip with a getaway day game at 12:10 pm CST. The Twins will send Taj Bradley to the mound (9-4, 3.85 ERA), facing Gavin Williams, then head home to make the most of one last push before the trade deadline. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 5 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (94 pitches, 59 strikes (72% strikes) Home Runs: Kody Clemens 2 (17, 18) Bottom 3 WPA: Taj Bradley (-0.31); Brooks Lee (-0.10); Austin Martin (-0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Twins headed into game two of their post-game schedule with Taj Bradley on the bump to hopefully continue a positive trend. The Twins would go without Royce Lewis who sat out today with a tight hamstring. The team didn't express a ton of concern on Lewis and he's considered day to day, The Cubs got on the board first with a scripted solo home run to Michael Busch on a fly ball off Bradley, putting them up 1-0. Need a clutch swing? Kody Clemens answered with his 17th bomb of the season, off the lefty Boyd no less, and tied it up like it was just another day at the office, leveling the score 1-1. Clemens has spent much of the season in the No. 3 spot, where his power and contribution is the largest impact. His ability to contribute home runs and drive in runs has helped strengthen the middle of the lineup, giving opposing pitchers another dangerous left-handed bat to navigate. In the second, third and fourth innings, Bradley’s command was patchy against the Cubs. Bradley would get to the second out and then labor. A two-out, two-run double in the second followed by back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the third put the Twins in a 5-1 hole. Bradley was able to get through the fourth and fifth without much incident but by then the damage was done. While Bradley ran into trouble, Cubs starter Matt Boyd mostly cruised, holding the Twins to three hits and a walk through six innings. Minnesota's lineup could get nothing going outside of Clemens' lefty-on-lefty homer. Clemens added another homer, also against a lefty (old friend Caleb Thielbar) in the sixth, but that would be it for offensive output from the Twins. Mike Paredes and Kendry Rojas held things down in relief following Bradley's exit, combining to allow one run in three innings. This set up a potential comeback effort in the ninth, but the Twins botched their opportunity with some brutal base-running. Josh Bell led off with an infield single against Jordan Webb. Victor Caratini singled to put two on with nobody out. Brooks Lee then doubled into the gap, but an inexplicably horrible base-running decision from Bell led to two subsequent pickles, with Bell and Lee both getting tagged out on the bases. A possible bases-loaded, no-outs situation turned into one on, two outs, and that was that. The Twins are now back to one game back under .500 after spending a glorious 12 hours there. What’s Next? The Twins finish the series against the Cubs Sunday at 1:20 pm CST. The Twins will send Zebby Mathews to the mound (4-6, 4.57 ERA) facing Shota Imanaga (LHP)(5-8, 4.17 ERA). Postgame Interviews Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (83 pitches, 49 strikes (72% strikes) Home Runs: -0- Top 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (0.38), Alan Roden (0.32), Luke Keaschall (0.27) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins and Guardians got off to a slow start on Wednesday, with both pitchers looking locked-in early. It was a much-needed outing for rookie Connor Prielipp. Prielipp has been adjusting to the big leagues well, but he's taken his lumps, too. In June, he logged 28 1/3 innings and completed six frames in four of his five starts, but he still had a 4.76 ERA. Wednesday's outing was a huge test for the rookie. It would also prove to be an important night for Alan Roden, who appeared in the majors for the first time this year. Roden didn't make the team out of spring training and spent a significant chunk of the early season on the injured list for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Then, he had to wait for an opportunity in the majors for some time, even as he hit well in St. Paul. When Byron Buxton went down with a hip strain this weekend, the door was finally opened for Roden's return to the team with whom he played briefly before going down for the season last August. Prielipp ran into some trouble in the fourth inning, giving up a leadoff single to Chase DeLauter and two subsequent home runs by Brayan Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins. Thereby, the Guardians jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The rookie threw quite a few pitches in the inning, but after a mound visit, he settled down and retired the next three batters in order to limit the damage. The Twins offense responded aggressively in the bottom of the fourth. Singles from Brooks Lee, Kody Clemens, and Josh Bell loaded the bases with nobody out. Royce Lewis followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-1. A deep sacrifice fly to center by Luke Keaschall brought Clemens home, making it 3-2 with one out. Roden lined a single into center field to score Bell and tie the game at 3-3. The Twins still had a chance to take the lead, but Cleveland made a pitching change that shut the door on the rally. Prieplipp kept Cleveland off the board through the fifth. Travis Adams took over in the sixth and delivered a quick, scoreless inning in relief. Not bringing Adams back out was an interesting choice, but with limited options available, Eric Orze entered to pitch the seventh. Orze labored through 16 pitches, only recording one out and leaving two runners on base without finishing the inning. Taylor Rogers came in to get the final two outs. But instead, he surrendered two runs, allowing Cleveland to reclaim the lead, 5-3. Again, though, Minnesota responded, with lots of help from Guardians relievers. Cleveland walked five Twins batters (Keaschall, Ryan Kreidler, pinch-hitter Austin Martin, Lee and Clemens), forcing home the tying runs. It's been an incredibly sloppy series for the usually buttoned-up Guardians. The Twins couldn't blow the game open, but they'd re-tied the game again, thanks to their opponents. Kody Funderburk worked a scoreless eighth. He surrendered two singles, but stayed in the zone and struck out the other three batters he faced, avoiding giving back the favors the visitors had just done for the hosts. In what became an impromptu bullpen game for Cleveland, the Twins found lots of opposing hurlers easy to handle. Victor Caratini and Keaschall started the bottom of the eighth with a single and a double, respectively, and it looked like Minnesota would finally break through. But Cleveland turned to their relief ace, Cade Smith, who slammed the door on the rally: strikeout, strikeout, walk, flyout. The teams went to the final frame on level terms. Yoendrys Gómez worked a relatively stress-free top of the ninth. He did walk a batter, but things didn't get terribly hairy. In the bottom half of the frame, Clemens reached on (officially) a single that was hit right at Rocchio, who inexplicably went to the ground and then threw from the seat of his pants. The result was a throw on an in-between hop to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who let himself be handcuffed. Josh Bell struck out, though, and Royce Lewis hit what was nearly an inning-ending double play. Happily, he beat it out, setting the stage for Alex Jackson. The team's backup backstop hit a cue shot to the right side, but weird spin off the end of the bat led to a crazy hop that second baseman Travis Bazzana couldn't handle. Keaschall worked a tough at-bat and drew a key walk after that, loading the bases. Up stepped Roden, who'd missed his last chance to win the game in the bottom of the eighth. He worked a full count and fouled off multiple pitches, but then: BANG. He came through with a gapper to right-center, scoring the winning tally and setting off the celebration. How can you not be romantic about baseball? What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series against the Guardians Thursday at 12:40 pm CST. The Twins will send Mike Paredes to the mound (0-2, 4.60 ERA), facing Cleveland ace Gavin Williams (9-4, 3.89 ERA) during a day game. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 9 K (98 pitches, 64 strikes) Home Runs: -0- Bottom 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (-0.26); Ryan Kriedler (-0.19); Josh Bell (-0.12) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Interleague Showdown The Dodgers looked far better than the Twins in the first two games of the teams' showdown at Target Field this week, but for the finale, the home side sent their ace to the mound. Joe Ryan got another summertime spotlight, as he dueled with starting pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani. It was Minnesota's best hope of stealing a win from the reigning champs. Ryan’s first hitter was Ohtani, and his first out was Ohtani. Ryan expressed frustration in his last outing, which was cut short in the fifth at 96 pitches, so in the final game against the Dodgers, the goal was to keep the pitches low and the strikes high. In his first inning, he threw only 13 pitches. In the second, however, Ryan allowed his scheduled “oopsie” home run of the game, to Mookie Betts. In a way, it was an honor: Ryan gave Betts his 300th career homer. It continued a frustrating pattern, though, whereby Ryan will sometimes execute exceptionally badly in a deep count—seemingly because he's trying too hard to be perfect. Here, a high fastball flattened out badly on him and begged Betts to sock it. The Twins played small ball in the second inning, chipping away at Ohtani and his battery mate Dalton Rushing. They loaded the bases with only one out, and the trainer for the Dodgers came out to check on Ohtani, but the unicorn stayed in the game. A passed ball by Rushing allowed Victor Caratini to score, tying the game at 1-1. After a mound visit got Ohtani back on the plate and Rushing back to knowing what was coming, Ryan Kreidler delivered the big hit of the inning, lining a single into center field that brought home both Brooks Lee and Tristan Gray. Kreidler was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double, but not before driving in two runs and giving Minnesota the lead for the first time in the series, 3-1. Alas, in the top of the third, the Dodgers answered back right away on a double from Alex Freeland, followed by a single from Ohtani, bringing Freeland home to bring the score 3-2. With Betts on deck, Ryan issued a walk to Freddie Freeman. Freeman is a tough out, of course, but the free pass proved costly, as Betts singled to load the bases and Max Muncy and Alex Call each drove home a run, restoring the Dodgers to the high side at 4-3. Ryan and Ohtani had a true pitching battle for the next two innings, with neither allowing a run to come in. Minnesota nearly broke through in the fourth, though. Kreidler made a bid for a second two-run single on a grounder, but Betts made a truly marvelous play to retire him and pull Ohtani out of the fire. Ryan retired at the end of the sixth, relieved by Anthony Banda to start the seventh inning. Banda allowed a few runners, but shut down the inning on a nasty slider to Muncy. The Twins' next good chance came in the bottom of that same inning. Brooks Lee walked, then stole second during a long at-bat by Trevor Larnach. Eventually, Larnach walked, too, bringing Byron Buxton to the plate with the go-ahead run at first base and the tying tally in scoring position. Dodgers changeup specialist Kyle Hurt didn't have his best cambio, so he went with a slider to Buxton in a 2-2 count. Buxton, trying to force himself to stay back for the change, was late, and hit a foul pop-up behind first base to end the threat. Impressively, Minnesota mounted another spunky rally in the eighth. Caratini and Royce Lewis reached against southpaw Alex Vesia, with Lewis hanging in especially well after falling behind 0-2. Vesia threw him a fastball and he scalded a single to left field. On another fateful 2-2 pitch with the game on the line, however, Lee struck out. The Twins made offensive changes for the ninth inning, starting with Austin Martin coming in as pinch-hitter. Martin got on base, and after a flyout by Kriedler, Luke Keaschall came in as another pinch-hitter against lefty closer Tanner Scott, hoping to advance Martin to at least second with only one out. What Keaschall thought was a fourth ball was called a strike on a check swing (the right call; he failed to hold up), leaving the pressure of the game on Buxton’s shoulders. If he could click on a pitch from Scott, the team could walk off the winners. On another 3-2 slider, though, he took a full cut—and missed. Sweeeep. A full house witnessed a good game, but the bad guys won. What’s Next? The Twins have a day off before hosting the Rockies for the weekend. They're putting up Taj Bradley on the bump (6-3, 4.11 ERA), facing Tomoyuki Sugano (RHP, 8-4; 4.31 ERA) to start the series. Game one is Friday night, 7:10 CST. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Throughout the offseason, Trevor Larnach worked to refine his approach at the plate, focusing on making more consistent contact and becoming a more complete offensive contributor. While that adjustment has shown some positive results, it has also coincided with a noticeable shift in his power profile. Manager Derek Shelton pointed to several hard-hit balls during the Twins' recent road trip as evidence that better results could be on the horizon. However, Larnach's underlying metrics suggest a more significant change may be taking place. Since early May, he has increased his contact rate, but it appears to have come at the expense of the impact that made him one of Minnesota's most dangerous left-handed hitters. Beginning with the road series against Washington and Cleveland, Larnach posted a .225/.295/.352 slash line while averaging just 85.1 mph in exit velocity. His contact point has also moved significantly farther out in front of the plate compared to 2025, a potential indication that he is committing earlier to pitches and prioritizing contact over damage. That trend is particularly noteworthy considering the adjustments he has already made to his swing. Twins Daily reported in 2025 that Larnach had flattened his bat path, reducing his swing angle from 40 degrees to 36 degrees. This season, that figure has dipped again to 33 degrees and it's making a huge difference in his production. The tip of the bat is nearly scrapping the ground, but it's squaring up and has shoved his stats early in the season lookg better already then 2025. The clearest example came during his home run against Pittsburgh. Larnach turned on a 98 mph fastball and made contact approximately 40.5 inches in front of his body—an unusually aggressive contact point against that velocity. The result was a home run, but the swing also raised an important question: Is Larnach intentionally moving his contact point forward to reduce swing-and-miss and put more balls in play? The data suggests this may be less about timing and more about approach. Despite the decline in power production, there are encouraging signs. Larnach has become considerably more selective at the plate, increasing his walk rate by 48 percent compared to 2025. He is consistently finding the sweet spot of the bat, with a sweet-spot percentage approaching 66 percent, and much of his contact has been driven through the middle of the field. Rather than selling out for pull-side power, he appears focused on producing quality at-bats and creating opportunities for the offense. In many ways, Larnach's evolution reflects a hitter continuing to make adjustments. While the power numbers have suffered, the improved discipline and contact quality have helped make him a productive offensive piece in other ways and he's having one of the best seasons of his career. The transition also appears to be gaining traction. Since returning to Target Field at the start of June, Larnach has recorded hits in three of four games while helping manufacture three runs for Minnesota's offense. Whether this shift is the result of an organizational emphasis or simply a hitter searching for a more sustainable approach remains unclear. What is evident, however, is that the version of Larnach the Twins are seeing today looks different from the one who generated much of his power a season ago. Larnach has been open about hits struggles, as well as his growth. At the beginning of the season, it was obvious that he was confident in his process and that his commitment to the game was a priority. It leads to a thought about how he continues to improve when other hitters continue to struggle with finding a way to hit for power only, leaving out the adjustments that make players like Larnach continue to be successful. Looking at previous trends in his at-bats, intentional has appeared to be the name of the game for Larnach, but maybe his secret formula to his recent success is a mixture of both. The answer may reveal the true story behind how his struggles that started on the road came about. If the change is intentional, it points to a philosophical adjustment centered on contact and plate discipline. If it is not, it could suggest a hitter who has become sped up by velocity and is compensating by committing earlier, an explanation that would align with both the reduced slugging numbers and the decline in hard contact. Either way, Larnach continues to be one of the most productive hitters on the team, as well as a strong presence in the field. View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 5 K (104 pitches, 63 strikes (72% strikes) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Taj Bradley (-0.24); Austin Martin (-0.05); Byron Buxton (-0.05) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Taj Bradley had his third appearance since returning from the injured list on Wednesday, and the first inning was an utter disaster. Bradley gave up two walks and two singles, allowing four runs and giving the White Sox a 4-0 head start in the game. Bradley struggled through five innings in an exhausting pattern: loading the bases, walking players, but with the rest of his appearance scoreless, he was pulled as he just eclipsed the 100-pitch mark. The defense behind him was no help, from a key error by Tristan Gray at shortstop to a mistimed leap at the wall by Austin Martin. Eric Orze replaced Bradley, followed by Taylor Rogers. Both pitchers gave up no runs and provided chances for the offense to close the 5-0 gap, but Cody Laweryson gave up three runs, sucking the life right out of the game as the White Sox extended their lead to 8-0. The Twins offense struggled as much as the pitching. There was no type of movement until the bottom of the sixth for the Twins. The little bit of life came from Luke Keaschall, who delivered the Twins their first hit on a two-out single, followed by another single from Gray. But a groundout to short from Orlando Arcia forced an out, ending the small two-out rally. The Twins tried to get a bite of the White Sox bullpen in the seventh, with a single from Josh Bell, but the lineup behind Bell just couldn’t get any production, leaving him stranded. Every rally was short-lived. The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same The White Sox have exposed the Twins' new setup’s weaknesses on the field with their bats and their speed. The Twins have made a lot of adjustments, with Royce Lewis being sent down to Triple-A St. Paul, and everyone is slowly locking in. Gray committed three errors Wednesday. Plenty of other plays seemed to elude the team's gloves; they're no more rangy than they are sure-handed. A Valiant Effort The Twins did keep the game a bit more under control late than might have been the case. Though he wobbled, new arm Justin Lawrence showed the nastiness that made the team want to acquire him via trade in his late appearance. In a blowout, Derek Shelton put in better defenders (James Outman for the hampered Byron Buxton in center; Ryan Kreidler for Gray at short) and the team played respectably late. It was just too little to make the game feel remotely within reach. Lawrence struck out his first hitter, but plunked the next two. Suddenly, he had two men on base. He got out of the inning with no damage, except a few bruises on the opposition. One last valiant rally gave the Twins a chance to avoid their first shutout defeat of 2026, but they couldn't break through. No matter. There are no moral victories, they say. What’s Next? The Royals come to town for a four-game weekender beginning Thursday. The Twins will send Andrew Morris to the mound at the front end of what is essentially a bullpen game; the Royals counter with eight-figure veteran signee Seth Lugo. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (99 pitches, 71 strikes (72% strikes) Home Runs: Ryan Kriedler (3) 3 WPA: Ryan Kreidler (0.24); Joe Ryan (0.20); Victor Caratini (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The rubber match of a series against the Astros Wednesday afternoon was also getaway day, and the telling contest of a nine-game homestand. The Twins had won one series and lost the next, and entered Wednesday needing a win to go 5-4 before heading out on a 10-game road trip. Two Ryan Experiences for the Price of One Joe Ryan gave up three singles to the bottom of Houston’s lineup in the top of the 2nd, allowing the Astros to strike first on an RBI single from former Twin Christian Vázquez. Houston grabbed the early lead, but the Twins answered immediately with a (looong) solo home run from Victor Caratini to tie the game at 1-1. Both before and after that blip, however, Ryan looked much more like himself. While his pitch count continued to climb, he worked out of several jams and racked up nine strikeouts through six innings, looking more confident with every trip to the mound. The Twins took control in the fourth inning with a three-run homer from Ryan Kriedler, extending the lead to 4-1 heading into the fifth. Kreidler had an execrable offensive track record in the majors before this season, but he's thriving in his part-time role with the Twins this year. Ryan finished six innings and told Audra Martin afterward that one of the things he appreciates most is his defense, pointing specifically to James Outman’s diving catch for the final out of the fourth inning. Ryan also joked about former teammate Vázquez being the lone hitter to drive in a run against him. Since leaving his start on May 3 with elbow soreness after facing just two batters, he's not only managed to stay in the rotation, but been dazzling. It's a huge relief, in a year when every other player who reports some minor malady seems to land on the injured list for months. It's a Team Effort Kody Clemens has become an important piece of the lineup, filling multiple roles defensively. Against Houston, he started in right field and finished at first base. Derek Shelton commented before the game that Clemens has been “a net positive at every defensive position he’s played,” while also allowing other players to get needed rest without sacrificing defense. Clemens has also continued to improve offensively, hitting .240 with a .754 overall OPS—his best production to date. There were no more runs for either side after the fourth inning, and the bullpens set up to battle it out, both sides needing the win. Strong Bullpen Appearance Yoendrys Gómez relieved Ryan in the seventh and struck out three straight hitters, preserving the cushion and allowing the offense to avoid grinding through every at-bat. The Twins have played in 10 one-run games this season and won only three of them, making any lead larger than one especially valuable. The bullpen still brings some uncertainty, but lately the starters have been delivering longer, more effective outings, giving the relievers room to breathe instead of being overused on a nightly basis. Gómez returned for the eighth inning and looked a little less sharp than he did in the seventh, but still managed to post a zero and keep the Twins in control. Andrew Morris closed things out with a 10-pitch save, the first of his career. He's settling ever more into a standard, high-leverage relief role, and is one symbol of the rising promise of this roster. What’s Next? The Twins have a day off on Thursday in Boston, after which they'll begin a 10-day road trip. Their first contest at Fenway Park begins at 6:10 PM CT on Friday. The Twins will send Connor Prielipp to the mound (1-2, 2.88 ERA), facing Payton Tolle (2-2, .205 ERA), Postgame Interviews Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods-Richardson - 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (88 pitches, 48 strikes (49% strikes) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (15), Kody Clemens (4) 3 WPA: Simeon Woods-Richardson (-0.47), Luke Keaschall (-0.12), Matt Wallner (-0.07) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) We’re in Our ‘Fix the Starter’ Era After an absolute gem from Bailey Ober on Tuesday, the Twins handed the ball to Simeon Woods-Richardson heading into the night, still searching for his first win. Almost immediately, you could tell this would not be that night. He issued a walk to Xavier Edwards, and an error by Luke Keaschall on a ground ball by Liam Hicks doubled the trouble. Otto Lopez followed with an RBI single that should also have produced an out, and Kyle Stowers walked to load the bases. Connor Norby then hit into a double play that still brought in a run, giving Miami an early 2–0 lead. Victor Caratini threw out Jakob Marsee on an attempted steal to end the inning, but the defense had let Woods Richardson down—and he had done nothing to help himself. Minnesota answered right away. Byron Buxton led off the bottom of the first with a first-pitch solo home run, cutting the deficit to 2-1. It was a skyscraper, a high pitch Buxton hit very hard but clipped the bottom half of, but which still easily carried into the bleachers down the left-field line. But Miami kept applying pressure in the second inning, breaking through again with a two-run homer that stretched the lead to 4-1. Woods Richardson never really found a groove, and in fact, he hasn't found one all season. While the pitching struggled to settle in, Buxton kept the Twins alive. He struck again in the third inning, launching another first-pitch home run, giving the Twins their second run. After being burned on a high four-seamer, Max Meyer tried a low sinker. The result was different, in that Buxton hit a screaming liner this time. It was the same, in that he circled the bases with his 15th dinger of the year. Could he hit 40 before 2026 is over? It's absolutely in play. New Pitchers, Same Old Problems The first four batters of the top of the fourth inning reached against Woods Richardson, with two more scoring. Derek Shelton turned to his much-rested bullpen, but not the way he'd hoped he might be able to. Travis Adams entered in relief, but could do little damage control. A single through the drawn-in infield scored two more runs. Adams closed the barn door, but the horses were long gone. The Twins scored twice in the bottom of the fifth, on a well-placed double by Josh Bell, but Adams couldn't keep the game within slam range. Edwards tripled past the hopelessly immobile Matt Wallner in the sixth and came home on a fielder's choice, stretching the lead to 9-4 Miami. Justin Topa took over and minimized damage, though he hardly looked dominant in his first outing since having his own doors blown off a week ago. So It Goes… By the time the game reached the later innings, what had been a long, grinding contest finally began to settle into a quicker rhythm as both sides cycled through the bullpen. Luis García came out in the eighth inning and mopped up the mess. Tristan Gray made the second of two good catches on pop-ups behind third base; he looks more like the team's short-term regular third baseman every day. Kody Clemens offered one last jolt of life in the bottom of the eighth with a garbage-time home run. If he and Bell can get going again at the plate, the team will have a moral victory to take away from the loss. What’s Next? The Twins will close out against the interleague series with a rubber match tomorrow in an afternoon game at 12:40 PM CT, before the Brewers come over to continue the nine-game homestand. The Twins are expected to promote Triple-A starter Zebby Matthews for his first outing of the year. After rookie Robbie Snelling landed on the injured list, the Marlins will also reach into their farm system, for Braxton Garrett. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Badley - 7 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (114 pitches, 73 strikes (64% strikes)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Eric Orze (-0.70), Josh Bell (-0.18), Matt Wallner (-0.13) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Taj Bradley entered Wednesday's game looking to get back to his dominant ways. Bradley surrendered four monster home runs, his first of the season, last weekend against the Rays—two each to former teammates Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda. But this game was different, Bradley had control, and marched through seven innings in which he allowed two runs on just four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Derek Shelton trusted his newfound workhorse, letting him throw more pitches than any Twins pitcher had since Kenta Maeda was chasing a no-hitter during the 2020 pandemic season. Arguably, that trust tipped over from admirably old-school to inadvisable passivity in the seventh. With the Twins nursing a 2-1 lead, Bradley gave up back-to-back doubles to left-handed batters to tie the game with two outs in the inning, already having passed 100 pitches—even though lefty Anthony Banda was warming in the pen. Banda came out in the eighth to relieve Bradley and took care of business, setting the stage for the Twins to take the lead again. A Little Life The Twins offense was virtually non-existent Tuesday night, making their Monday outburst feel a bit like a mirage. Lately, they seem unable to muster the consistency of approach and production that characterized their hot streak earlier this month. They did get something going in the fourth inning, though. Ryan Jeffers singled with one out and advanced to second on a walk by Kody Clemens. Luke Keaschall blooped a single into center, and although Jeffers couldn't score after holding up to make sure the ball fell in, both he and Clemens scored when Brooks Lee followed with a flared single of his own. Jeffers (.409 OBP) and Clemens (who got on base three times Wednesday and is hitting his stride as the team starts seeing more righty hurlers) have become quietly vital to the team's offense, especially with some of the others in the group beginning to struggle. Those two runs didn't prove decisive, but briefly, it looked like their late tally could. Another Jeffers single set the wheels in motion, and James Outman (pinch-running for the catcher) stole second base. After two strikeout, Victor Caratini pinch-hit for Matt Wallner and came up huge: The Twins threatened to score some insurance runs, too, loading the bases for Byron Buxton, but the Twins' star slugger flied out to end the frame. And a Painful Death Those insurance runs, as it turned out, were much-needed, and because they didn't get them, the Twins lost. Eric Orze couldn't find the strike zone, walking Randy Arozarena to lead off the inning. He fell behind most of the hitters he saw, and though he came back to strike out one of them, he surrendered back-to-back singles and a walk to give Seattle the lead and left Taylor Rogers in a jam, to boot. Rogers minimized the damage reasonably well, but another run scored on a sacrifice fly. The Twins went down with barely a whimper in the bottom of the ninth. What’s Next? The Twins take on the Toronto Blue Jays at home for a four-game series. The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound (2-1, 3.94 ERA) in Thursday's series opener, facing Toronto ace Kevin Gausman (2-1, 2.57 ERA). Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Connor Priellep - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (82 pitches, 52 strikes (62% strikes)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (5) Top 3 WPA: Kendry Rojas (.12); Eric Orze (.09); Austin Martin (.05) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A New Set of Twins Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas gave Twins fans a little something extra to savor Wednesday night—a dual debut against the Mets, and a tantalizing taste of each player's upside. Prielipp, the 48th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Alabama, has long been a high-upside arm the Twins were willing to bet on, even through injuries. After Tommy John surgery in 2021 and a UCL procedure in 2023, his return in 2024 and strong 2025 campaign between Wichita and St. Paul proved the patience was worth it, ultimately earning him a spot on the 40-man roster and his big league call-up. His first inning was no gentle introduction. Bo Bichette wasted no time, sneaking in a double to get things going, and while Prielipp settled in to grab two quick outs, Francisco Lindor singled Bichette home to put the Mets on the board first. From there, Prielipp found his groove. He worked four innings, allowing just two runs, issuing no walks, and punching out six. His stuff was lively, and he gave the team a chance to win. For a starter making their debut on the road, that's all you can ask. Rojas took over in the fifth, and proved less impressive but more successful. The Cuban native, originally signed by the Blue Jays in 2020 and acquired by Minnesota in a trade alongside Alan Roden, has battled his own injury setbacks, but his fastball averaged 97 MPH and touched 98.4. After two quick outs, things got wobbly for Rojas. He walked Mark Vientos, and on a 3-2 count, he hung a pitch that Marcus Semien bashed into the left-field corner. With the full count and two outs, Vientos was running, but he didn't get a very good jump; he's very slow; and Trevor Larnach played the ball smoothly with the bare hand on a nice carom off the wall. Larnach's throw to Brooks Lee left plenty of time for an accurate peg by Lee to Victor Caratini, and Vientos was out by a mile. It was good to see the Twins defense execute the fundamentals, and the rookie escaped his first frame in the majors unscathed—but the play also laid bare some of what's wrong in New York right now. Be it hustle or sheer athleticism, there has to be more of something in Vientos there; that should at least have been a more difficult play for the visitors. Minnesota Keeps Swinging - And Leaving Guys on Base The Twins’ bats looked a little shaky through the first two innings as they worked to chase down the Mets’ early lead, but Trevor Larnach sparked some life by getting on base and moving station to station while Minnesota’s lineup began chipping away at New York’s pitching. That pressure paid off when Victor Caratini lifted a sacrifice fly to bring Larnach home and knot things up at 1-1. In the sixth, the Twins finally struck again. They'd fallen behind 2-1, but Byron Buxton hit a long, game-tying homer to left-center off Mets starter Clay Holmes. Buxton is heating up nicely after his ice-cold start, with five homers in the last week and a half. The Twins made a huge push in the eighth inning against Mets reliever Brooks Raley. Austin Martin came in for Larnach and walked; Josh Bell singled to push the go-ahead run into scoring position. While the Mets were forced into another relief pitcher change, the Twins also made another replacement. With two outs, Ryan Jeffers pinch-hit for Kody Clemens in an attempt to bring at least one of the guys home. Luke Weaver walked Jeffers, loading the bases for Luke Keaschall, but the Luke-on-Luke matchup favored the same-handed, same-named pitcher, who induced a foul popout that thwarted the rally. Twins Pitching Versus … Everyone Taylor Rogers came in to face a left-leaning pocket of the Mets lineup in the bottom of the eighth, but chaos took control of the inning, rather than Rogers or anyone else. Juan Soto led off with a single just past a diving Keaschall. With one out, however, the Twins picked him off, clearing the bases and seeming to pave the way to the end of the frame. Alas, Rogers walked young lefty batter Brett Baty, so Derek Shelton turned to Justin Topa to face Francisco Alvarez. Topa walked Alvarez, too, though, bringing Vientos to bat with the go-ahead run at second. Topa gave Vientos the revenge he probably wanted with a sinker that ran in on him and produced a weak fly ball to right. Unfortunately, Matt Wallner came nowhere near making a play on a ball that seemed catchable. With two outs, Baty had been going all the way; there was no play at the plate this time: 3-2 New York. The damage could have been much worse, though. Semien lined a ball to center that looked like it could get down to score another run, but Buxton made a tremendous, flying, diving catch on the run to take away the hit and RBI. The Twins offense had one more chance to come back and tie things up, but the Mets finally got their demons under control and Luke Weaver shut the door with ease. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series against the Mets Thursday evening, before taking off for Tampa. They'll send Joe Ryan to the mound (2-2, 3.29 ERA), facing Christian Scott, a former top prospect pitching in the majors for the first time since Tommy John surgery ended his 2024 season. First pitch is, once again, at 6:10 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sands 20 12 0 0 23 0 55 Morris 0 0 47 0 0 0 47 Acton 0 0 29 0 0 0 29 Banda 0 0 0 0 18 0 18 Orze 0 15 0 0 0 11 26 Rogers 0 0 8 0 0 12 20 Topa 11 10 0 0 17 17 55 Rojas 0 0 0 0 0 35 35 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitchers: Simeon Woods-Richardson - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (92 pitches, 57 strikes (62% strikes)) Home Runs: Austin Martin (1), Ryan Kreidler (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.39); Byron Buxton (-0.05); Matt Wallner (-0.04) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It Looked Promising The Twins rolled into this game having already secured the series—making it three in a row—but every game counts as a team builds towards the later part of the spring. Extending their home winning streak to seven games would have been a wonderful way to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. Instead, dead lumber and lousy leather derailed them in the early innings, putting them in a hole they couldn't escape. The Twins faced 24-year-old lefty Connelly Early, fresh off a late 2025 call-up and still very much in his rookie era. The hot-hitting home lineup welcomed him with a solo home run from Austin Martin, who dropped the barrel on a pitch down and in and pulled it out of the park. Connelly settled in after that, though, and kept the Twins to two hits and one run for the next five innings, before handing things off to the beleaguered Boston bullpen. New Bomba Squad? While today wasn't a great example of multiple home runs, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Twins lineup has shown a lot of consistency in their hitting. It hasn’t mattered who teams send out to the mound. In fact, lefties have posed the team no problems, despite preseason expectations to the contrary. Too early to say it? Maybe. But also… it’s starting to feel a little Bomba-ish. The Twins pull the ball in the air as much as almost anyone in baseball. They're unlikely to make history this time, but if they can keep slugging the way they did even on a down day Wednesday, everyone will have a more fun summer than was forecasted. It's Not Over Until It's Over... or Something Like That. Even in a game where the guys looked down and out, in the ninth inning, Derek Shelton's competitive bunch put up a fight. In the last of 15 straight games between off days, they could have mailed in what shaped up to be a blowout loss, but they didn't. The Twins started chipping away when Tristan Gray sparked momentum with a single, followed by Matt Wallner drawing a walk to put some real traffic on the basepaths. Brooks Lee delivered, too, ripping an RBI single to bring a run home and keep the inning alive. Ryan Kreidler stepped in, then, and made things interesting, right at the death. He hit his second home run of the week, another no-doubter. Suddenly, what felt like a comfortable 9-1 Boston lead had been cut in half, forcing a mound visit and a pitching change as the Red Sox tried to stop the surge. Minnesota didn’t just score—they made Boston sweat. Alas, the comeback fell far short. Simeon Woods-Richardson entered the game hoping to bounce back after a rough outing against the Blue Jays, wherein he was reportedly pitching through illness. If that’s the case, it offers some context—because otherwise, the performance raised concerns for the young starter. He looked sharp through the first two innings, but things unraveled quickly in the third. Three misplays by Luke Keaschall spread acorss two plays helped Boston score twice to flip the score. Trevor Story then delivered a three-run homer to blow the game open, extending the lead to 5-1. Woods-Richardson battled through the fourth inning. Despite walking two more and having poor defensive support again, he managed to escape without further damage. In the fifth, he wasn't so lucky, and the Red Sox extended their advantage to 7-1. The Sox were on Woods Richardson all day, but he got such lousy support from his infielders that it's hard to hang the loss on him. The bullpen gave up two more runs, neutering the eventual would-be rally before it could begin. Jackie Robinson Day Celebrated Today is a very special day across MLB: Jackie Robinson Day. It comes at a moment when the league feels like it has renewed momentum toward inclusion and diversity in the player ranks. Across the league, the percentage of Black players on Opening Day active and inactive lists increased from 6.0% in 2024 to 6.2% in 2025 to 6.8% in 2026. This marks the first time in at least two decades that MLB has had back-to-back years of increases in that percentage. The 0.6% increase from last year is the highest since a 0.7% increase from 2017 to 2018. Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley are proud to be members of the fraternity of Black starting pitchers. Byron Buxton and Josh Bell have two of the four corner lockers in the Twins clubhouse, offering leadership and mentorship to teammates of all races. This is arguably the most important holiday on the baseball calendar; the Twins have much to celebrate, despite the loss. What’s Next? After an off day, the Twins will welcome the Reds to town for the weekend. On Friday, the team sends ace Joe Ryan to the mound (2-1, 3.80 ERA), to face Brandon Williamson (1-1, 5.28 ERA). Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober - 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (99 pitches, 64 strikes (64.6% strikes)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (0.11), Luke Keaschall (0.08), Bailey Ober (0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming Out Swinging The Twins wasted no time setting the tone Wednesday night, coming out absolutely electric in the first inning against Framber Valdez. From the first pitch, it was everything fans had been craving—relentless pressure, smart baserunning, and clutch contact. Byron Buxton ignited the attack with a leadoff single, Austin Martin followed by wasting one of the team's ABS challenges on a first-pitch strike, but Valdez helped him out by hitting him in the foot with a second-pitch curveball. Luke Keaschall notched an infield single to load the bases, almost instantly. Valdez, the expensive ace southpaw with whom Detroit envisioned pairing Tarik Skubal for a deep run into October, melted under the home side's light application of heat. A wild pitch brought Buxton flying home, while Martin and Keaschall scooted up. Ryan Jeffers kept the momentum rolling with an RBI groundout, and Victor Caratini showed patience at the plate with a walk. Then Josh Bell delivered, flaring a single to left-center on which Keaschall got a poor read but made the right, aggressive play by racing home anyway. His flying slide beat the throw home, and it was 3-0 Minnesota. Perhaps the biggest jolt came from Matt Wallner—who entered the game ice cold, at 0-for-20. He heated up like a pan-seared steak with a sizzling double to right field, eerily close to where his previous attempt had just gone foul. That swing brought Caratini home (a ribeye!) and pushed Bell to third, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the team's three beefiest sluggers showed what passes for their speed. With the energy surging, Royce Lewis stepped in and delivered the dagger: a sharp single to center that plated two more runs and blew the game open, at 6-0. Lewis wasn’t done, swiping second and advancing to third, keeping the pressure alive until the inning finally came full circle—ending with Buxton, who started it all, grounding out to shortstop Javier Báez. Six runs, nonstop action, and a statement made loud and clear: the Twins haven't mentally made room for the Tigers atop the AL Central. The top of the order combined to tack on another run in the fourth, thanks to Buxton's speed. He singled, advanced to second on a Martin groundout, and hared around on a Keaschall single to make it a 7-0 cushion. After that, though, the hit parade ended abruptly. The Twins would score just once more, and the tone of the game changed significantly. Holding on Tight The Tigers would charge back to make a game of this (more on that in a moment), so Minnesota was lucky to have Ryan Jeffers catching again Wednesday. After Martin squandered one of their challenges early, they managed to retain the other into the late stages—at which point Jeffers flipped two crucial calls amid a Detroit rally, snatching two called third strikes initially not given by home plate umpire Steven Jaschinski. Ober Shows, and Bullpen Woes It was a great night for Bailey Ober, who continues to evolve into a kitchen-sink starter as he searches for mechanical efficiency and the velocity that he had two years ago. Turning more and more often to his trademark changeup and mixing in some new wrinkles (curveballs in the first two innings, instead of as late changes of pace; sweepers to lefties, acting like curves but looking more enticing out of the hand), he danced through five scoreless innings and appeared to have the team in cruise control. Ober returned through the top of the sixth, but things started to slowly unravel. Derek Shelton got him out of there after a two-out Dillon Dingler single plated the second Detroit run; Justin Topa cleaned up the mess. Anthony Banda was not able to keep things so calm. The Tigers bunched together four hits against him in the top of the seventh, and when he couldn't escape, Cole Sands came in to face Dingler—who, alas, again came through with a two-out knock, drawing the margin to 8-6. The improbable high-leverage duo of Cody Laweryson and Kody Funderburk took the team the rest of the way, with some help from Jeffers. Martin’s Defense continues to improve The younger players have been inconsistent when it comes to making plays, but one reassuring development has come in left field. In 2024, Martin stepped in frequently during Buxton’s absence, and that gap was noticeable. He struggled with routine plays, poor reads, and missed opportunities that ultimately cost runs. This season, however, something has clicked. Martin’s defense is starting to resemble that of his center-field mentor, Buxton. Even first base coach Grady Sizemore told Audra Martin in an interview before the game that during spring training, he saw a slight change in Martin (er, Austin, that is). So far, he’s been flawless, and he made three fine plays on Wednesday. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series against the Tigers in a day game, before leaving the chilly temps in Minnesota and heading to Toronto—where, even if the weather isn't nicer, the playing conditions will be, since the Rogers Centre has a roof. The Twins will send Mick Abel to the mound (0-2, 11,05 ERA) in the series finale on getaway day, to face Jack Flaherty (0-1 7.54 ERA). Postgame Interviews Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article