Sherry Cerny

I am keeping this post in my back pocket. Festa never showed up for me because I didn't have as much knowledge of him. But, I do now. I am still learning the minor leagues - there are a lot of guys down there and information like this is super helpful!!!

I LOVE RAYA!!!! I absolutely enjoyed learning and writing about him!!

It SOUNDS weird, but When I went to pull Twins Spring Training, this is the picture it gave me. I have to use USA Today pictures and they didn't have ones I could find of Hammond This was from one of their spring training games tho!

These are three prospects that have the potential to be a part of the long-term solution for the Twins rotation very soon. Image courtesy of Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports The Twins pitching rotation struggled on and off this season from starters to the bullpen. Injuries early on created a lack of starting pitching for the Club, putting lots of pressure on the bullpen to perform; they also suffered a significant loss with Pitching Coach Wes Johnson leaving mid-way through the season. Because of the pitching woes, Twins fans got a glimpse of what the farm system has in store by bringing up players such as Louie Varland, Simeon Woods-Richardson, and Jordan Balazovic. The arms in the farm system give hope that the Twin's pitching could match the Guardian's deep farm pitching model. Brayan Medina He is focused and driven but has components that will need to improve if he wants to make his appearance in 2023. He was the top Venezuelan pitching prospect in the 2019-20 international class. Medina initially signed with the Padres for $700,000 on July 2, 2019. The Twins acquired him as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker to the Padres. The pandemic canceled the 2020 season, so Medina spent some time in San Diego's fall instructional camp. He had his professional debut in 2021 with the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona Fall League. He has three pitches: slider, fastball, and changeup. His pitches already have good velocity, and as he grows from his 6'1", 180-pound frame, he should be able to add a bit more velocity in the future. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and touches the upper-90s on occasion. He also throws an above-average slider, and his slider continues to improve. Medina has focused delivery and the ability to be aggressive with hitters. In seven starts, he struck out 24 in 23 2/3 innings in 2022 with the FCL Twins. Medina never saw over three innings a game in 2022. For every one strike out, he allowed two walks. He posted a 6.46 ERA, 17 earned runs, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 24-to-20. Medina is only 20 years old and has plenty of room to grow in size and craft. The concern with Medina is the high pitch count, working himself out of the game sooner putting more pressure on the bullpen. If Medina can garner control of these pitches and perfect them, he is equipped with the proper elements but needs to work heavily on his plate command to bring his ERA and walk down. Steven Cruz If Cruz can harness his control and improve on his strike zone, there is potential for him to make an appearance in 2023. The Twins signed Cruz back in March 2017 for just $30,000 as an international free agent. He spent his first two seasons playing with the Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League, Elizabethton Twins. In 2021 he started in Single-A Fort Myers and, late in the season, was promoted to High-A Kernels. After two starts with the Kernels, he struggled to harness his control, posting an 8.10 ERA in 3 1/3 innings; the Twins sent him back down to focus on improving. He finished the 2021 season with Fort Myers and, in 2022, was sent to AA Wichita Surge posting a 5.14 ERA and 72-to-35 Strikeout to Walk ratio. Finding the strike zone has been Cruz back; the right-hander walked more than six batters per nine innings early in his Minor League career. The 6-foot-7 Cruz has a ton of power and throws his fastball in the 95-101 mph range, and it's a pitch with some riding life. He also has a hard slider, thrown around 89 mph, a potential out pitch that can miss a lot of bats. His walk rate continues to trend down each year, and his strike count over nine innings continues to increase. How much he can refine his control and strike zone will determine whether he can handle a high-leverage role in the future. Marco Raya The 2022 season was the first time Raya pitched in affiliated games since the Twins selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 Draft due to a shoulder strain that sidelined him for most of the 2021 season. Raya returned more robust and better after his injury and didn't disappoint, throwing extremely well with Single-A Fort Myers with three wins, two losses. At 6-foot, 165-pound, what right-handed pitcher lacks in size; he makes up for with athleticism. He's got a few pitches in his arsenal that rely on a big four-seamer alongside three high-quality curveballs, a slider, and a changeup with great pitch profiles. The Twins feel like there's only a little work needed on those. His fastball continued to sit in the high 90's in the 2022 season, hitting 98. If Raya can stay healthy, he will be one of the system's best pitchers. At 19 years old, in his first season with Fort Myers in 2022, he posted a 3.05 ERA and had a 76-to-23 Strikeout-to-Walk ratio over 65 innings. With less than four walks per nine innings and over ten strikeouts, Raya doesn't hold back. Raya pitches with a chip on his shoulder. The chip on his shoulder may have helped him make significant strides in his mental development toward the close of 2021. Like many young pitchers, the Twins hope he'll simplify and attack the strike zone with his quality stuff, which he's done in the past. Moving to AA would be a big jump, and with a small sample size, inviting him to spring training would give the organization an opportunity to see if he has the tenacity to jump directly over the Kernels. Do you think these prospects could see action with the Twins in 2023, or are they more suited for High-A? View full article

MLB has been working to make changes to the culture of the game to entice a new generation of fans. In that same vein, they have also added a new sponsor: Charlotte's Web, a CBD company. Image courtesy of John Bonnes, Twins Daily Many things in MLB are changing, bigger bases, runners on second in extra innings, and now new sponsorships. In the ever-evolving world of the decriminalization of marijuana, more and more athletes and fans are using non-THC binding supplements. MLB is the first of the “League” sports organizations to use it in a sponsorship role, starting with advertising during the World Series. Charlotte's Web makes CBD products such as gummies and topical sprays. CBD is short for cannabidiol, a compound found in the cannabis plant and touted as a natural remedy for reducing inflammation and stress. MLB will have its logo on a "sport" version of CBD that would show that athletes use it, too. CBD products are easy to acquire in a fully legal state; one could eschew the dispensary in favor of a pharmacy and find products like Charlotte’s Web lining a wall behind the cashiers. Although their effects can vary according to the product (ointment, tincture, and even lip balm), they generally offer a soothing, relaxing feeling that can work perfectly with the post-game de-stressing that athletes (or people in other stressful professions) undergo. Each person will respond differently, however, the result is relief from pain, or to have the ability to relax or sleep. MLB has been entertaining the idea of Charlotte's Web as a sponsor but needed a little more assurance before signing on the dotted line. Aside from Nascar, MLB will be the first of Major League Sports to join CBD companies for sponsorships to sign a league-wide deal. Noah Garden, Chief Revenue Officer a representative from MLB stated in an article with Marijuana Moment, "We've been watching this category for a while and waiting for it to mature to the point where we can get comfortable with it. Our fans are the customers they are looking for, and we like being first. It's a good opportunity for us and the clubs." Baseball is constantly looking for ways to make improvements to the game so that younger fans are more likely to stay interested. From changing the pace of play with pitching clocks to adding CBD as a sponsor. It’s part of several changes in attitude around CBD products. On June 22, 2022, MLB announced that teams could solicit and acquire CBD sponsorships, though players could not individually be sponsored or hold a stake in such companies. In 2019, MLB decided to implement a change to take place in 2020: MLB would not punish players for using it on their off-time or having a positive test, a complete reversal of their previous banned substance, where marijuana would garner a $35,000 fine. There are boundaries for obtaining a sponsorship, with rules and guidelines to be followed. For example, a team could only sell a CBD sponsorship if a prospective company's products were certified by NSF International, a consumer safety and product-testing organization that sports leagues use. The club would also need authorization from the MLB commissioner's office. The CBD must not have any THC, meaning that marijuana products with THC will still fall under the scrutiny of MLB. This new relationship is not a pass for players to engage in activities outside the Major League Drug Policy rules. The rule created in 2020 still stands and states; players can be "subject to discipline" by their team or the MLB "for engaging in certain cannabinoid-related conduct, including violations of federal, state or local laws," such as distributing marijuana or driving under the influence. Cannabis is a large and profitable industry, and with its popularity growing, so has its profit. In 2021 alone, the cannabis industry topped $4.7 billion last year, and now MLB will start to see a cut of those profits. Charlotte's Web has started small with the MLB logo on the side of their "Sport CBD" bottle and is officially known as the "CBD of the MLB." There has been no formal statement from the Minnesota Twins, nor any statements on how it would affect minor league teams. Each state has rules and regulations based on its state's marijuana laws. Sports sponsorships have gotten away from things like cigarettes and alcohol because of the harm they can do when used in excess. Do you think that CBD as a sponsor is smart for the industry and something that will help get younger fans involved in the game? View full article

When it comes to the Twins, I have always been okay with moral victories. Maybe that’s because in my lifetime I have seen my team win two World Series Championships. Maybe it’s because the last time I remember the rush of a winning season I was 11. Sure, there have been postseason wins since 1991, but there have been losing seasons as well. Losing seasons that really don’t make a lot of sense because we had the team to achieve greatness, and the players that could make things happen. Image courtesy of Matthew Taylor, Twins Daily The Minnesota Twins front office rarely makes moves like they did this offseason with the players they brought into the clubhouse. The organization stacked the team with players like Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Tyler Mahle, Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack, to name some of the outstanding players on the roster. On paper, there was nothing that could stand in our way, until it did. The season started with a lockout, not only restricting players on playing time in spring training, but also starting the season later. Everything kind of shifted, and while the lockout could certainly be to blame for the onset of early injuries, the number of injuries that came throughout the season were just too much to handle. Players as individuals had outstanding seasons. Luis Arraez won the American League batting title. Carlos Correa had one of his best seasons. Gio Urshela found himself in a new environment that allowed him to flourish, and players like Joe Ryan and Jhoan Durán had breakout rookie seasons. “Individual players had good seasons, but nothing gelled into a full team unit because of all the injuries,” says Kristy T., a lifelong, avid Twins fan. She’s right on the silver lining positive side. Many players did have great seasons, but nothing stuck for the team to get somewhere together. So what does a “winning” season look like? For some people, a winning season for the Twins would have been beating the Yankees in the postseason. An impossible feat for the Twins to somehow manage every season. Being able to stay competitive is a huge part of making it to the postseason. And before all the injuries, the Twins certainly were trending in that direction. If the Twins were able to stay competitive, they would have been able to see the postseason. Then, yes, beating the Yankees to make it past round two to win the ALDS and losing in the playoffs potentially could have been enough. All year long, websites like Baseball Savant and Fangraphs show the probability of teams making the playoffs based on their records and game stats. The Twins were certainly trending in the direction that they were going to make the postseason, but that changed dramatically after the All-Star Break. Being a small-market team with a front office that typically doesn’t make big moves and spend big money, beating the big-market teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Mets can seem daunting or impossible. But the Cleveland Guardians, who have the third lowest payroll in MLB, continued to gain momentum as the season went on. They stayed healthy, and not only took the division, but the wild-card win as well. Is that enough? Or at this point, do they want it all? If the Guardians lose, will the youngest team in baseball be okay with just making it as far as they did? Baseball is a game of failure. Failure teaches a player how to be great after failing, how to make adjustments, and how to grow from that failure. Derek Jeter was not great, he had to put in a lot of hard work initially. Jeter won his first World Series his rookie season. After that he was disappointed with any season they didn’t win the World Series because he wanted to win, and he knew they could win. His early-set expectations were that because of the management and the roster, winning the World Series was not only possible, but attainable, almost on a yearly basis. Equally, the expectations of Yankees fans are only focused on the World Series. And when those expectations are not met, there is no “well, there is always next season.” They revel in their misery until the following season. Expectations play a huge part in the consensus of moral victories. If the expectation is that the team is going to win every season, then a fan isn’t going to see moral victories. On the flip side, if a fan’s expectation is simply that their team is going to be better than they were last season, then moral victories will play a higher role in their opinion about where the team ends the season. Of the Twins fans I talked to, words like “rationally” were used when describing the bigger picture of what expectations for the Club are. Looking forward to next season is easier when there is no expectation of making it to the postseason. Understandably, there are small victories for players: the ability to improve, lowering their ERA, improving their batting average, winning awards and reaching specific goals professionally and contractually. The Twins certainly have had small victories across the season. And looking forward to next season--depending on a few moves from the front office-- the Twins are truly set for success in 2023, but you can’t wish and hope for a season to successful. Based on the current roster, this writer's expectation for next season is making it to the World Series. I am beyond grateful for the players we have. A lot of them made it a lot of fun to watch this season, but I am ready to feel the rush of adrenaline that comes from competitive, contentious games in the postseason. Do you believe that moral victories are just as meaningful as winning it all? Do you believe in moral victories at all? Is it irrational to have consistent expectations of winning all the time? Let me know what you think in the comments. View full article

Tuesday night was the penultimate game of the 2022 season. The Twins and White Sox are two teams looking to finish out their seasons. The Twins pitching (and defense) gave up runs early on that made it hard for the offense to bounce back. Image courtesy of Jeff Biggerstaff, USA Today Box Score Starting Pitcher: Josh Winder 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (69 pitches, 38 strikes (55%)) Home Runs: Jermaine Palacios (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Josh Winder (-.319), Carlos Correa (-.100), Aaron Sanchez (-.088) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The White Sox offense overpowered the Twins pitching on Tuesday. By the time the fourth inning came around, the White Sox had an 8-1 lead. Josh Winder had his final outing of the season. He struggled with his command early on in the first and second inning and by the third inning and his second time through the lineup, he allowed four earned runs and posted 69 pitches. Not the ideal way to end his season, but with all the injuries, coaching changes and movement in the pitching rotation, the Twins pitching overall struggled throughout the season. Winder pitched 14 games for the Twins this season, missing all but one game in the month of June. He ends the season with a 4.70 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 17 walks over 67 innings. Aaron Sanchez came out to relieve Winder and struggled heavily in the fourth giving up four runs and 32 pitches. White Sox starter Lucas Giolito also had a rough start to his night on the mound. Early on he hit Nick Gordon, and he followed it by hitting Jose Miranda. The ball hit off his wrist and into his cheek and mouth. Miranda laid on the ground covering home plate until lead trainer Michael Salazar came out and looked him over. Salazar had Miranda do a series of tests verbally and physically to ensure Miranda was okay; however, either not convinced of his ‘feeling okay’ or out of caution, Salazar pulled Miranda from the game. It was later reported that he had a lip and cheek contusion and would be “day-to-day”. Manager Rocco Baldelli replaced him with Jermaine Palacios. The slip from Lucas Giolito, whose command also wasn't the greatest starting out, had him a bit flustered, but he held his composure and moved forward getting the second out of the inning and powered through seven innings to hold the Twins to just two runs before leaving the game. Jake Cave came up to bat, and drove in his 20th run of the season, scoring Gordon and getting the Twins on the board first. The offense remained stagnant through the next few innings, prompting Baldelli to make some changes by pulling out Correa and Urshela, with the exception of Luis Arraez, who is still leading the race for the American League Batting Title. Palacios moved over to short for Carlos Correa from first base where he was covering for Miranda. Caleb Hamilton took over at first base, Billy Hamilton took over at second base, and Nick Gordon moved to third base for Gio Urshela, leaving only two men on the bench: Mark Contreras and Gary Sanchez. The pace of the game certainly slowed down after the first run. In the sixth inning, Caleb Hamilton and Billy Hamilton both walked, Nick Gordon followed with a grounder to center, scoring Caleb Hamilton. The Twins bullpen, Jovani Moran, Emilio Pagan, and Jorge Lopez, brought the game to a close not allowing any more damage to be done. Palacios came to bat in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. He knocked a ball to dead center, 105mph for a home run. It was Palacios' first major-league homer. They may not have won but the home run was fun to see and they have one more chance tomorrow afternoon to go out with a win and for Arraez to add to his batting average before the close of the season. Tune in to see how the batting title finishes! Pitching for Season Finale: Wednesday 3:10 pm CST: RHP Louie Varland (0-2 4.71 ERA) v. RHP Davis Martin (3-5, 3.65 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Dylan Bundy stepped onto the mound for the final time this season against the Detroit Tigers and the Twins last Saturday night of the baseball season. Image courtesy of David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Dylan Bundy 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (77 pitches, 53 strikes (69%)) Home Runs: Mark Contreras (3) Top 3 WPA: Gio Urshela (0.132), Gilberto Celestino (0.98), Jake Cave (0.54) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Tigers took advantage of Dylan Bundy early and the Twins' defense scoring a run in the first. Matt Wallner was charged with an error when a bounding single from Riley Greene got past him and turned into a single two-base error. The Tigers struck first blood and got a run on the board in the first inning. The Twins shut out the Tigers on Friday night and Saturday's game continued to trend. The two teams battled back and forth through the first few innings. Detroit pitcher Drew Hutchison ran up 72 pitches by the time Gary Sanchez came to bat in the fourth. Jake Cave led the fourth inning off with a single, and as Hutchinson labored through the line-up, a grounder from Sanchez killed the inning with a double-play, and Matt Wallner struck out swinging. The Twins batting with Runners in Scoring Position this season has been frustrating. Leaving Nothing on the Field Both teams are out of the postseason chase. For Carlos Correa, it is the first time since 2016 that he hasn't played in the playoffs. Gio Urshela is another player missing the post-season but, has been a huge asset in the Twins' clubhouse and on the field throughout the season. The best thing about this club is that there is depth and options for next season. The Twins were plagued with injuries throughout the season, but many replacements who came up stepped up. Manager Rocco Baldelli stepped in when the Twins came up against rough games or bad calls. Baldelli spent a lot of time challenging plays this season and in this game, that was no exception. Gary Sanchez, who isn't fast, rocketed to first base on a fielder's choice. Detroit shortstop Ryan Kreidler flipped to second to get Cave out and the throw to first base appeared to get Sanchez out. Baldelli challenged the play, the call was overturned, and Sanchez was safe. Jose Miranda has been another player putting on quite the clinic during his time with the club. Miranda leads the club with 66 RBIs and has been one of the hottest rookies in MLB this season. Dick Bremer mentioned that Miranda will be spending with Correa in Houston in the off-season, which certainly will give Miranda an education. A Fight to the End (of the Night) Bundy gave up his 24th home run of the season when Eric Haase hit his eighth home run to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. That changed when Mark Contreas came up to bat in the top of the fifth frame and hit a bomb into the right field stands just inside the foul pole, Luis Arraez started the night 0-for-2 and ripped a ball into right field for a single. Arraez grabbed at his hamstring as he approached first base, but he remained in the game. During a Detroit pitching change, Arraez walked over to third base coach Tommy Watkins and was still out on second after the commercial break. Urshela came up to bat and hit a single to left, and Arraez took off; not without a grimace and a slight hobble, but he dug deep, found speed, and made it home to tie the game at two! The season may be over for the Twins, but Arraez is still contending for the American League batting title. Hitting .315, he is just edging out Aaron Judge, who is striving for the MVP and a Yankees home run record. The race for the batting title potentially could keep Judge from achieving the Triple Crown. During an earlier interview, Baldelli said, "There is a new calm with Arraez over the past few days." Arraez has stated that he's enjoying the race but wants to win. While everyone loves a good contention, no one deserves the AL batting title more than Luis Arraez (at least in the mind of Twins fans... right?). The Tigers changed their pitcher, and the Twins had bases loaded and two outs with Sanchez up to bat. Sanchez was due for a hit, and with a .323 average with RISP, it would have been beautiful to see a grand slam. Instead, Jose Cisnero saw an opportunity out of the corner of his eye and picked off Urshela at second base to end the inning. Finishing out the Night Ronny Henriquez came in to pitch in the sixth inning. Henriquez came to the Twins in the Mitch Garver trade in spring training and has had two appearances with the Twins. In his previous games, he has posted a 3.12 ERA with seven hits, three earned runs, and six strike-outs. He gave up an unearned run on an error by Arraez on a chopper from Harold Castro. The Tigers held the lead, but the Twins loaded the bases in the eighth inning. Instead of Wallner coming to the plate, the Twins pulled Ryan Jeffers off the bench as a pinch hitter. A smart decision by Baldelli when All-Star lefty Gregory Soto came in. Jeffers had an 0-2 count and hit a hard groundball that was destined for centerfield, but Soto deflected it with his glove and it went right to the shortstop who turned a double play to end the inning and another rally for the Twins. The Twins were only down a run going into the ninth and quickly got the tying run on a single from Arraez. Correa came up to bat and hit a fly-out (liner) to right field, but with two outs and the Twins history of late-inning rallies, the dream was still alive. The rally fell short when Nick Gordon, who had two hits earlier in the game, struck out swinging. Pitching for tomorrow’s game: Thursday 11:10 am CST: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (MLB Debut, as reported on Friday by Twins Daily) v. LHP Joey Wentz (2-2, 3.54 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Bailey Ober and the Twins took on the Kansas City Royals tonight in game two of the three-game series. The Royals hosted not only the Twins, but Bark in the Park night, and needless to say, the Twins had another “ruff” night in Kansas City. Image courtesy of Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (85 pitches, 55 strikes (66%) Home Runs: Bottom 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (-.220), Gio Urshela (-.098), Jermaine Palacios (-0.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pitching Coach Pete Maki had to come out early in the first inning after Ober had thrown 21 pitches and given up two runs. After the mound visit, Ober calmed down and got the next three hitters out, but not without running his pitch count up to 28. This was Ober’s second game back since coming off the 60-day IL with a groin injury that put him on the shelf on June 1st. Ober has been on restrictions since returning from the IL, but went five innings on September 16th and only allowed one hit and 70 pitches. This game was a little different for the starting pitcher. By the time he hit the third inning, he was up to 62 pitches and three runs allowed. Ober ended up with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. He retired the remaining seven batters he faced before handing the game over to the bullpen. Aaron Sanchez came for Ober and kept things tight until the wind picked up. The Royals took advantage of mother nature and got another two runs in the seventh inning. Sanchez stayed in through the eighth inning, meaning it was a day off for the remainder of the bullpen. The Twins' offense showed up just as soon as the Royals did, but fell flat as soon as they fired up. In the 2nd inning, Gilberto Celestino got on base on an error which advanced Gary Sanchez to third base. Matt Wallner singled to left, scoring Sanchez and putting the Twins on the board. Wallner was also credited with driving in Nick Gordon in the fourth inning. Wallner has had a hit in all but one of his six games since joining the team and was responsible for two RBI in this game. Wallner has had a lot of fans since coming up. When he got his single to score Sanchez, in the dugout, Carlos Correa and Luis Arraez cheered on the rookie with goofy hand signs and smiles. Correa has been on fire lately at the plate. He has continually boosted his teammates, been a part of mound visits, and ensured that his teammates knew that he was there to help them grow. There have been many endearing moments of him with teammates, but the best relationship has been with fellow 2012 draftee, Byron Buxton. The top two picks that year had time to talk during the Midwest League All-Star Game in Dayton, Ohio in 2013. They played on the same Western Division squad and had time to share the same experiences bonding them for what would be ten years later. It’s hard to imagine that he won’t stay here when he fits in so well, on the field and off. The Twins continued to try and rally every inning getting guys on base, but getting outs just as quickly. The club remained scoreless the remainder of the game unable to overcome mother nature and goofy defensive plays that weren’t errors. The Twins had an opportunity and the upper hand through the fourth with Wallner’s double, but the bats fell asleep after that. Pitching for tomorrow’s game: Thursday 1:10pm CST: RHP Josh Winder (4-4, 4.17 ERA) v. RHP Jonathan Heasley (3-8, 5.09 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sanchez 0 49 0 0 0 41 90 Henriquez 0 0 0 73 0 0 73 López 0 32 0 34 0 0 66 Moran 40 15 5 0 0 0 60 Pagán 0 31 0 15 0 0 46 Fulmer 0 17 0 0 23 0 40 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 23 0 23 Jax 0 13 0 0 4 0 17 Duran 0 0 17 0 0 0 17 Megill 0 0 0 0 17 0 17 View full article

The Twins have continued to battle themselves and the Guardians for the division. Saturday's second game proved the Twins refuse to go down without a fight. Image courtesy of Ken Blaze, USA Today Box Score Starting Pitcher: Josh Winder 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (82 pitches, 54 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Nick Gordon (8) Top 3 WPA: Nick Gordon (0.435), Dereck Rodriguez (0.355), Griffin Jax (0.307), Michael Fulmer (0.307) Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (-0.377), Jermaine Palacios (-0.304), Sandy Leon (-0.286) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Josh Winder and Gary Sanchez started out the first inning finding a rhythm to their game. Winder let a run in immediately in the top of the first but managed to stay in control, finding that stride, and retired the next ten batters through the fourth inning. Winder started his third game against Cleveland this season and his second appearance since coming off the IL for shoulder tightness. The Twins let Winder try and work into the fifth, which was good until a slider to Amed Rosario backed up and didn't break. The red-hot Rosario crushed a three-run home run. Baldelli relieved Winder after Jose Ramirez hit a single and replaced him with Jovani Moran to finish the inning. The bullpen managed to keep the Guardians scoreless after their initial five runs. Even when it got exciting in the ninth and the Guardians made a push with players in scoring position. Steven Kwan was on second when Jorge Lopez uncoiled a wild pitch. Kwan rounded third and slid into home, not realizing that the pitch bounced into a dugout suite. Given another chance, Lopez closed out the inning and sent the game to the tenth. The Twins offense didn't get a hit off of Guardian starter Konor Pilkington until the sixth inning when Jose Miranda recorded a single. That ended the night for the Cleveland lefty. In the seventh inning, they threatened with one out and the bases loaded (after a pitch struck Nick Gordon) but left all three stranded. The Twins haven't been hitting much lately, and when they do get baserunners, they struggle with runners in scoring position. Due to the countless injuries and Triple-A players occupying the roster and line-up, the Twins have the youngest team in MLB. The rookies have received playing time and opportunities. Each has experienced some success to build upon, and each has found plenty of struggles and lessons learned. One player who has really taken advantage of his opportunity in 2022 is Nick Gordon. He regularly played in left of center field most of the season, but with Jorge Polanco on the Injured List and Luis Arraez hobbled, he's been playing a lot of second base of late. Check out this play. Since Terry Francona took over the Guardians coaching position in 2012, the Twins and Guardians have had 194 meetings, with the Twins winning 95 of those and the Guardians winning 99. The Guardians are one of the teams that have consistently given the Twins trouble getting past. The Guardians have been in 25 last-at-bat this season, and seven have been against the Twins. They have also won half of their walk-offs of the season against the Twins (3). Jake Cave came into the game as a pinch hitter and started a five-run eighth inning. After getting to first on an error, the bases loaded up again after Jose Miranda singled and Carlos Correa was hit by a pitch. A Gio Urshela single scored Cave and Miranda and cut the deficit to 5-2. Gary Sanchez scored Correa with a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Nick Gordon crushed a two-run homer that tied the game at five. The Twins managed to stay solid, even bringing back veteran and former Twins farmhand Dereck Rodriguez who had one appearance with the big club back on April 13th against the Dodgers. "Son of Pudge" managed to keep the Guardians at bay, giving the Twins a chance. In the 13th inning, it was Gordon again who gave the Twins a short-lived lead at 6-5 with a sacrifice fly that scored Correa. In 89 2/3 innings this season with Saints this season, he had 88 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP to accompany a 7-4 record. Rodriguez wasn’t even at the stadium when the game started, He was on a plane from Minneapolis to Cleveland and suited up and took the field. Right-handed reliever Trevor Megill was placed on the COVID-IL between games with Rodriguez, who is not on the 40-man roster, taking his spot. The Twins management throughout today's games was fantastic and it showed through the remaining portion of the game, but after 24 innings of baseball, the game ended with a Guardians walk-off in the bottom of the 15th inning due to a Jermaine Palacios error on a hard-hit ball from Amed Rosario (of course) allowing Austin Hedges to score, ending the night. With two games left in the series, the Twins remain in an absolutely must-win situation to stay relevant in the division. Do you think they have it in them, or are they done for the season? Pitching Preview Match-Up Cleveland Series: Sunday 12:40pm CST: Joe Ryan (11-8,3.83 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Morris (0-1,2.79 ERA) Monday 12:10 pm CST: Sonny Gray (8-4, 2.91 ERA) vs. RHP Cal Quantrill (12-5, 3.51 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Twins and Guardians meet in Game 2 of their three-game series. A late-inning rally last night on Friday night was not enough to overcome the pitching woes early in the game. From the first pitch on Saturday night, it felt like Groundhogs day, as the Twins fell short despite another late-inning rally. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhorn, USA Today Box Score SP: Chris Archer 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (40 pitches, 24 strikes (60%)) Home Runs: no one Bottom 3 WPA: Max Kepler (-.160), Cole Sands (-.151), Chris Archer (-.130) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Groundhogs Day on the Mound Chris Archer started for the Twins. Two batters into the game, a walk, and a home run from Amed Rosario, the Guardians were ahead 2-0. Archer has rarely completed five innings in a start. Tonight was his shortest start of the year. He pitched just two innings in this game before leaving the game. He was replaced at the top of the third by Cole Sands. Sands just returned from the IL and appeared rushed, unsettled and uncomfortable trying to find the strike zone. In the third inning, his pitches continued to drift out of the strike zone. He walked three and hit two batters to give the Guardians two runs and push the score 4-0. Sands did pitch into the sixth inning and gave up just one more run in his 3 1/3 innings. Pagan and the Bullpen Keep Twins in Games The bullpen continues to step up and set the tone for damage control and give the offense a chance to catch up. Emilio Pagan, who has been known for blowing saves, but he has been absolutely on fire of late. In his past six games, Pagan has a 2.57 ERA, only five hits, and two runs. It is a massive improvement to his earlier season stats. When the starters have been giving up runs early, the bullpen has come in and kept the runs from accumulating. Pete Maki has taken over in the interim as the Pitching Coach, bringing Colby Suggs in as the bullpen coach. Suggs was the run-prevention coordinator, and it seems that his expertise in understanding run defense may be aiding the bullpen. Since Suggs has taken the helm of the bullpen on July 1, it's taken a bit to catch a rhythm, but his techniques seem to be doing the trick. Suggs, certainly understands and pays attention to mechanics and maybe his personality is just what the bullpen needed. New Rules, New…Kepler? MLB has implemented new rules to take place starting in the 2023 season. One of those rules will be not being able to utilize the shift. There must now be two players on either side of second base when the pitch is released, and all four infielders must be inside the infield dirt when the pitcher is on the rubber. No one is probably more relieved about the change to the rule than our own Max Kepler who is extremely well known for hitting into the shift. Tonight, two hits from Kepler were into the shift and the last drive was stopped by acrobatic magic from Andres Gimenez, who was posted far into right field. Kepler has had a great year defensively, but offensively, it’s been one of his worst seasons. Having to recover from Covid in 2021 and a broken toe this season seems to have compounded. Kepler has had a below-normal batting average (.230) than previous seasons. Kepler has been out recently with a hip injury as well. Later in the game, he was robbed of a home run by a leaping Will Benson in left field. Luis Arraez had two doubles tonight, and three hits. It was his 43rd game this season with more than one hit. Arraez and Carlos Correa have been absolutely dominant the past few games, the downfall has been others in the lineup. Twice on Saturday night, Arraez was stranded on base, along with Correa with the guys unable to string together any hits going scoreless until the bottom of the ninth. Just when the collective thought the game was over, veteran Bryan Shaw started handing out hits in the ninth inning, and the Twins came alive. Gio Urshela tagged in on a sacrifice fly from Gary Sanchez to put the Twins on the board, and Jake Cave drove a double into left-centerfield which scored Kyle Garlick with two outs. The Twins offense continued to work Shaw with a rip to right field from Arraez, which scored Cave to push the score 6-3. At that point, Terry Francona came in to make a pitching change. The Twins had forced Emmanuel Clase to come into the game. Clase is a strong closer, but he was not expecting to come in at all. He allowed a run right away when Correa grounded weakly to third base and a bad throw allowed Arraez to score all the way from first. Jose Miranda followed with a line drive single that sent Correa to third base. The intensity rose as Clase as Kepler came up to hit, and after hitting into the shift all night, he hit a hard ground ball to third base (the only defender on the left side of the infield) to end the game. The Twins have their final game of this series with Cleveland on Sunday afternoon. Can the Twins find a way to eek out a win? Do you think there is time to save the season and reach the postseason? Am I a hopeless romantic baseball fan? Let me know in the comments! Pitching Preview Match-Up Cleveland Series: Sunday 1:10pm CST: TBD vs. RHP Shane Bieber (9-8, 2.96 ERA) Post Game Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

After a late night arrival from the East Coast and a rain delay, the Twins and Guardians started their three game series; emotions were high, bats were on fire, coaches were heated and it’s only game one. Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, USA Today Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy 4.2 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (94 pitches, 64 strikes (68%)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (19) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.224), Jose Miranda (.35), Jovani Moran (.33) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Dylan Bundy started out facing off against Steven Kwan. Kwan hit a high fly ball towards left and Nick Gordon, tracking the ball, slid on his back as he crossed the third base line to catch the ball and get the energy rocking in Target Field to start the game. With such an electric start, the remainder of the first inning proved that the game was going to be contentious, as well as, most likely the rest of the series. As Bundy tried to work around a one-out start, Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez got on base and a rip from Josh Naylor to left field got Rosario waved around to home to get the Guardians on the board first. The Guardians quickly showed Bundy and the Twins that they were ready to play and did not care that the Twins were running on fumes from the four-game series and a long night traveling home from New York. The seriousness of the game set in immediately as the Guardians went up 4-0 with a three-run homerun Oscar Gonzalez before the end of the inning and again in the fifth, pushing the score 0-7. With the bar being set by the Guardians early in the game, pitcher Cal Quantrill matched his offense's energy and the Guardians managed to dominate the Twins in both offense and defense. Mishaps from the Guardians and an overturned call in the second almost sucked the wind out of the team's sails, but they fought back and rebounded. In the fifth inning, the Twins were on a roll starting with a great hit from Correa who has been relentless in his pursuit of getting on base all night. Correa hit his third homerun in three days and his 900th hit tonight keeping the team in contention. The entirety of the Twins line-up took turns making magic happen tonight. Sandy Leon had a phenomenal night. Leon ended up being a huge part in the Twins getting runs on the board tonight in both opportunities in both the fifth and the sixth innings. Leon started the game with a strikeout and ended up with a single and a walk, and got home both times thanks to Correa’s hits. The Twins did not make this win easy on the Guardians, even with all the murky start to the game. The Starting pitching has been struggling to keep the runs down in the last few series and tonight was no exception. Starting Pitching Woes Dylan Bundy gave up a career-high 12 hits and seven earned runs. This far into the season, the starting pitching can not afford situations like they have had. In the past 13 games the Twins have only averaged 3.1 runs a game and through the past eight games when Twins Starters have given up runs first, they were unable to fight back and get the win. Last time we had a seven-run comeback was against Cleveland in 2009. Bundy was pulled after only 4 ⅓ innings, replaced by Aaron Sanchez who stayed in through the eighth inning, and didn’t allow another Guardians run before turning the game over to Jovani Moran. The bullpen got a much-needed break to continue to the battle this weekend and the offense has the momentum to still claim the division, if they want it badly enough. Injuries cost on and off the field The series comes down to who really wants it more. There are of course injuries to take into account. The Twins have 17 players on the IL as of today, most of those being day one guys on the 40-man. The 17 players have an accumulative 1,411 days of missed games and the cost of those players not being played is $11, 745, 225. The Twins are tied with the Reds for the most players currently on the IL, but the salaries are a $2 mill difference. When looking at September baseball, those numbers not only cost a lot on the books, but also in the standings. The one asset the Twins have is that they have a deep farm system and the players that have been brought up from AAA have really held their own, but are they going to be able to be what we need to get into the postseason? Pitching Preview Match-Up Cleveland Series: Saturday 6:15pm CST: Chris Archer (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs. RHP Tristan McKenzie (9-11, 3.18 ERA) Sunday 1:10pm CST: TBD vs. RHP Shane Bieber (9-8, 2.96 ERA) Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Twins took a 30-minute break before getting back on the dirt with the Yankees, who they lost to in Game 1 of a two-game day. After battling for 12 innings, the Twins needed to dig deep to still keep the hopes alive of at least getting a split. Image courtesy of Gary Vasquez, USA Today Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K ( 89 pitches, 57 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (17) Bottom 3 WPA: Kyle Garlick (-0.77), Jose Miranda (-0.65), Gilberto Celestino (-0.50) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Yankees have been floundering for the past six weeks, but Aaron Judge and a gang of "Who's That" swept the Twins and have won all three games of this series. The Yankees had not seen Joe Ryan before, so maybe the advantage was in Ryan’s favor. Ryan started the game with a 13-pitch at-bat against Aaron Hicks before getting a ground out. He left the mound having issued 34 pitches in the first inning. He had two walks and faced six batters, but no runs scored. Ryan has been struggling with his off-speed pitches as of late, not breaking where they should or where he wants them to, leaving hanging sliders in prime territory for hitting. The Twins attempted to get something going in the fourth inning and just like the earlier game, they got on the board first thanks to a solo home run from Carlos Correa, but the score didn’t stay there for long. Ryan managed to gather himself, retiring six hitters in a row in the 2nd and 3rd innings. As he crept toward 70 pitches in the bottom of the fourth, with no outs, he loaded the bases. Isiah Kiner-Falefa stepped up to the plate and on pitch one, a slider, he hit the ball deep into left field for his first career grand slam to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The most painful part? According to Aaron Gleeman, with runners in scoring position, IFK has now hit more home runs against the Twins than Correa has hit for the Twins. Jovani Moran came in to relieve Ryan in the fifth inning. The lefty kept things copesetic for the club through the sixth inning. The only threat from the Yankees was Estevan Florial hitting a line drive to Jake Cave in left field and Marwin Gonzalez advanced from third to home, but Cave fired off a cannon to home plate, getting Gonzalez out to end the inning. Moran has been exceptional in the past few games that he has made appearances in. In this game, he didn’t allow a run in the two innings and has only allowed seven runs overall this season (in the big leagues, that is), and has a 2.05 ERA. He is effective and gets the job done despite his ERA of 6+ at St. Paul this year. Even Emilio Pagan had an effective outing, not allowing any runs. The Twins offense has been really bad. The Twins tried to manufacture runs throughout the evening, but couldn’t get past the Yankees pitching, led by Gerrit Cole. The seventh inning showed promise with runners on the corners and Correa back up at bat, but Lucas Luetge went hard on Correa and struck him out swinging. Even if the Twins wanted to try and come back into the game, the bottom of the eighth all but sealed the deal for the team when Austin Davis loaded the bases with three walks after two outs. Aaron Hicks hit a line drive to left field for a double to score Kiner-Falefa, Florial, and Oswald Peraza stretching the lead to 7-1. Five of the seven earned runs in this game came from walks. They are right, walks will haunt, especially five of them. As the Twins finish up the series with the Yankees and move into all divisional games coming up, the fight to stay in the race is going to be brutal. Do you think the Twins can pull out of this and still take the division? Final Pitching Match-Up for this Series: Monday 6:40 pm CST: Sonny Gray (7-4, 3.10 ERA) vs. RHP Nestor Cortes (9-4, 2.68 ERA) Postgame Interview Coming soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

After a contentious game on Friday night, the Twins and the White Sox met up for Game 2 of their three game series. Tyler Mahle returned to the Twins mound. Jermaine Palacios was added to the Twins roster too. And Dylan Cease was remarkable. Box Score SP: Tyler Mahle 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K ( 37 pitches, 22 strikes (60%)) Home Runs: absolutely no one Bottom 3 WPA: Tyler Mahle (-.288), Gary Sanchez (-.058), Carlos Correa (-.026) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) While the White Sox started the day three games back of the division lead, this series could certainly change that. The White Sox have had a rough season and now with manager Tony LaRussa out and interim coach Miguel Cairo in they look like they could be turning it around and making a run for the division. This is what the White Sox have been waiting for and under Cairo the Sox are 4-0. Even with the injuries they have had off and on this season, the team has been waiting to get hot, and unfortunately for the Twins, that time is now. After winning five out of seven games throughout the last week, the Twins looked like they were going to push for first place, but this series is proving to be difficult for the club. Tyler Mahle came back after being on the IL with shoulder fatigue when his last game his velocity dropped to 89-91. Mahle didn’t pitch in a rehab game, but completed a simulated game at Target Field on Thursday to prepare for this game. Mahle struggled in the first inning. He gave up four runs, three came on a home run by Eloy Jimenez. Mahle was on a pitch count, and while the Twins were hoping for some length, it was not to be. Mahle continued to lose velocity on his pitches. It dropped from 91-93 mph to 88-89 mph in the second inning. Manager Rocco Baldelli brought in Aaron Sanchez to start the third inning. In the fourth inning, Romy Gonzales hit his first career MLB homer, a three-run home run off of Aaron Sanchez. However, Sanchez was able to complete four innings. Resting the rest of the bullpen, Nick Gordon came in to pitch the eighth inning. Gordon has come in for the Twins four times this season as a relief pitcher and has recorded three earned runs in his previous three games. On Saturday night, Gordon gave up six runs including a grand-slam to Elvis Andrus to push the White Sox lead to 13-0. Jermaine Palacios came in from shortstop and had a three-pitch strikeout to end the inning. Luis Arraez is still leading the league in batting average at .318 and is fifth in the league in On Base Percentage. He works the pitchers and makes contact, but even with the league leader in the line-up, the Twins offense was kept on a tight leash by Dylan Cease, who is the White Sox best pitcher and in the race for the Cy Young. Cease went 8 1/3 innings with a no-hitter. The game was out of reach by the bottom of the sixth. Rocco Baldelli brought in Jermaine Palacios and Kyle Garlick to rest Carlos Correa and Max Kepler. The Twins remained scoreless and hitless off of Cease. The White Sox no-hitter through the eighth inning. The Twins made contact, but the White Sox defense made the plays, With two outs in the top of the ninth, Luis Arraez (who was 0-for-3 at that point) came up to the plate and drilled a ball into right field for a single. Kyle Garlick followed with a strikeout to end the game. The saving grace is that at least the Guardians have been on a downward slope as well. The Guardians haven’t won a game since August 30th, giving the Twins at least a chance to stay in the second place position though now the White Sox are just a game behind them. A highlight of the game was listening to and watching Twins radio play-by-play man Cory Provus working in the television booth covering the game for Fox along with former Twins catcher AJ Pierzynski, Even as the Twins lost, Provus continued to call an impartial, fun, and electric game. He never ceases to impress whether calling games for Twins Radio or calling college football and basketball on the Big 10 Network. Pitching matchup tomorrow: On Sunday at 1:10 pm CST, Dylan Bundy (7-6, 4.53 ERA) will hope to help the Twins avoid the sweep against White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (10-8, 75.27 ERA) Postgame Interview With the game on Fox, there is not postgame video. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Sanchez 0 0 0 0 70 70 Megill 23 14 0 0 0 37 Fulmer 13 0 0 17 0 30 Jax 8 0 0 20 0 28 Thielbar 13 0 0 13 0 26 Pagán 21 0 0 0 0 21 López 0 0 0 13 0 13 Duran 0 0 0 11 0 11 View full article