Sherry Cerny

Changes are among the most challenging things about sports, mainly the sport we love so much. Not minor changes that make things run more smoothly, but the more extensive, swooping, chaotic changes bring about fear, frustration, and concern for the "state of the game." There was nothing worse for baseball than the pandemic until…it wasn't. "It's evolve or die, really, you have to evolve, you have to move on otherwise it just becomes stagnant" ~ Craig Charles. In 2020, the world stopped. It simply stopped. A global virus was spreading like wildfire, stopping jobs, schools, and sports. Stuck inside for months and a shortened baseball season brought on the phenomenon of a social media app called "TikTok." TikTok was full of funny dances, lip syncs, and good feelings to keep the world "together." Videos spread quicker than the virus, and eventually, we saw people's lives in 60 seconds. Baseball fans were no different. Sharing funny stories about their teams and making skits, all while awaiting the decision on when baseball would start again. In a shortened season, there was not much content to be made, but that didn't slow down any creators. Baseball fans found new and inventive ways to share their passion for the game without being let into the stadiums. In 2021, baseball let fans back into the stadiums, and along with the fans went their phones, and more content was being made daily by thousands of fans. TikTok was a way to show people the other side of baseball that some fans have forgotten about, and that's what keeps the game going—reaching out to the masses and creating a new generation of fans and people interested in the game. Those who can't go to games have a fun way to interact with their teams and see highlights and inside information. In late summer 2021, they created the "Content Creator Class." MLB paid these creators to make content specific to baseball. MLB's Marketing Department was looking to add innovative content creators to the ballparks around the league. Candidates needed a strong understanding of baseball and how to best show off the experience at a game from behind a lens for display on league and club social media channels. One of those fans was Caitlin Hendricks, a Chicago native, and raging Cubs fan. Her hilarious content and trolling of other teams made her a great creator to be followed on TikTok. She is one of the original content creators for MLB. The only girl with four brothers, Caitlin's family lived and breathed Cubs baseball. Initially, when the pandemic started, she was making "relatable content" before making baseball content. Some of her funniest stuff was dating advice and what it was like living in a Covid dating world. "I was making content about dating and relatable stuff to what we were going through in the pandemic." Caitlin stated, "I wanted to change my niche.' I have always loved baseball and started by just making funny little videos, and it blew up." Her personality radiates through her 30-second stints. Pretty soon, she was making content about MLB dating advice for dating people from other fan bases and where MLB teams would take you on your first date based on their brand personality. One of the best things about Caitlin as a content creator is her quirkiness and relatability. She isn't afraid to be herself and invites followers into her frustration, humor, and sadness as a baseball fan. Caitlin has always dreamed of working in sports and often jokes with her brothers about being the one who works in sports. She has goals, and being a content creator for MLB has opened those for her. But what it's done for her more than anything is sharing her passion for baseball and the Cubs. She is still humbled when people get excited to get a response from her, she doesn't feel famous, but she loves that people relate her to baseball and that she engages with them. I asked Caitlin how one becomes a content creator for MLB. "The process was straightforward," says Caitlin, "I submitted a video, they messaged me, and then I had a legit interview." From there, her entire world got bigger. She was invited to Wrigley to hang out with other content creators to make videos, where she met some players, ate some excellent food, and hung out with Clark. She also has made tons of brand deals and has met Zach Brown from the Zach Brown band. Her newest venture, a personal favorite of mine, is her baseball filters. Caitlin continues to grow in her content. She is terrific at making filters and has created filters for mascots, Which MLB Team are you?, and a fan favorite Backyard baseball character from the computer game created in 1997. She has made a filter for every team, and people will scroll through the teams by tapping on their screen during recording and try and guess the teams. The best ones are the ones who are not baseball fans guessing the teams, and in social media terms, they "blow up," and MLB teams around the league will comment on their videos. Many people who aren't baseball fans are engaging with baseball more frequently and becoming more interested in the games, the outcomes, the drama, the comedy, and the beauty of what baseball is. MLB has been trying for years to engage fans but hasn't been successful at retaining them. Many of the older fans have gotten frustrated with the rules, time, and base size changes, but to continue baseball and grow the fan base, MLB needed to get creative. Since 2020, the MLB TikTok account following (5.3 million) is now comparable to NBA and NFL, all major-league teams are using it, and even minor league and independent teams are using the video platform to engage with their fans. Now when fans go to games, they feel connected to the game, the players, and the culture because of creators like Caitlin. Caitlin went to the Field of Dreams game in Iowa with fellow creator Trevor Fahnstrom to watch the Cubs play the Reds, all because of TikTok. TikTok is for everyone, for all fans, and even those who aren't MLB content creators have a vast presence in team loyalty and are showing that hard work, networking, and manifestation can make dreams come true. Stay tuned to hear about Jule's journey with social media and how it helped her accomplish her biggest dream with the Cincinnati Reds. Go follow Caitlin: Twitter: CaitlinHendrix TikTok and Instagram: Caitlin_Hendricks View full article

The Twins lack of insurance runs ended up being their demise. The Angels picked at the pitching until it fell apart and what was a shutout into the eighth inning for the Twins, ended in disaster. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (65 pitches, 4 strikes (70%)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (13) Top 3 WPA: Dylan Bundy (.293), Emilio Pagan (.115), Caleb Thielbar (.110) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins continue to lag early games, unable to manufacture more than a few runs, and struggled when players are on base. Luis Arraez and Gary Sanchez got things going in the top of the second and the third innings, only to be left stranded when batters couldn’t drive them home, which caught up with the Twins in the latter part of the game. Carlos Correa, who has not been hot through July and August certainly made up for a slow month driving in two of the three runs, against the Angels. After Reid Detmers had struck out lead-off Byron Buxton, Correa came up to bat and hit a home run to center field to get the Twins their first run of the game. In the fifth inning, Max Kepler, who didn’t get a hit in the game, was walked in the fifth, but thanks to a sac-fly from Correa, Kepler was the second run of the game. The Twins managed to get one more run on the board in the eighth, when Jorge Polanco, Luis Arraez and Gio Urshela joined forces to manufacture three singles, each one moving Polanco closer to home for the third run. Dylan Bundy faced his former team tonight and had a beautiful game. Remaining scoreless through five innings, he threw one of the best games we have seen from him all season. No drama, no mess, just a very well-pitched game before handing the game over to Caleb Thielbar only for the purpose of the lefty-lefty matchup with Shohei Ohtani. Thielbar and the bullpen did a great job keeping Ohtani and the Angels off the board, until the end of the eighth inning when Ohtani homered off of Jhoan Duran to give the Angels their first run. Buxton started in center field. It was his first back-to-back games in center field since June 8th and 9th. The management, much to the annoyance of Twins fans, have structured his game appearances to allow him to recover, a tactic that clearly is working and his defense is a prime example of why those days off are working. In the blink of an eye, the Angels came alive and rallied back in the ninth inning. Jorge Lopez had the Angels on the ropes as the inning came to a close with a 2-1 count on Magneuris Sierra. With two on base, Sierra swung at the 94 mph sinker and hit a triple, just out of the dive of Nick Gordon, scoring Jo Adell and Andrew Valesquez to tie the game. Sierra was waved around towards home as Gordon threw the ball to cut-off man Correa who got it home to Gary Sanchez just in time for the out, moving the game to the tenth inning. The Twins lacked the ability to get any runs in the tenth inning, leaving the game wide open to the Angels. With runners on first and third, Luis Rengifo hit a sinking line drive into center field. Byron Buxton charged hard, dove and made the fantastic catch. He got up and threw out Ohtani at first base to end the inning. The Angels continued to chip away at the Twins pitching before getting a walk-off homerun from Taylor Ward in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the game. A tough loss for the Twins who looked to complete a second straight shutout as late as the eighth inning. What’s Next? The Twins finish out their west coast series with the Angels tomorrow and heading back home to face the Kansas City Royals and hope to see former teammate Brent Rooker. Pitching matchup tomorrow: Sunday 1:07 pm CST: Chris Archer (2-5, 4.02 ERA) vs RHP Davidson (1-3, 7.91 ERA) Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Strong pitching, lots of hits, and big runs. This is what summer nights are supposed to be and what the Twins have continued to bring us over the past three games. The Twins held off the Blue Jays and took game three giving them a 2-1 lead in a big series. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (65 pitches, 45 strikes (69%)) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (11) Top 3 WPA: Jorge Polanco (.204), Luis Arraez (.177), Jose Miranda (.163) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Dylan Bundy started the game for the Twins on Saturday. He was able to hold off the Blue Jays through the first three innings, but the second time through the lineup, the Jays had seen enough of Bundy to capitalize on his pitches. Teoscar Hernandez doubled on a sharp line drive earlier and was brought home on a two-run homer from Bo Bichette tying up the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning. Bundy let two runs in but got out of the inning with no further issues. He had six strikeouts in his four innings, his best game since the Fourth of July against the White Sox. On the Blue Jays side, Mitch White started out and did a decent job of trying to keep the Twins off the board. In the third inning Sandy Leon was walked, which got the momentum started. Luis Arraez ripped a ball down the first base line for a double. Both Leon and Arraez were brought home on sacrifice flies from Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco to get the Twins on the board first. The Twins were seeing doubles. Throughout the game, the team accumulated five doubles. In the fifth inning, Luis Arraez doubled and later scored on a Jorge Polanco double. The Twins led 3-2 through five innings. The momentum of the hits was exciting, giving it almost a playoff feel. Jose Miranda got his 11th home run, Nick Gordon stole a base and scored on a squeeze bunt from Sandy Leon, and Arraez had three hits and stole a base. Jake Cave, who has been on a tear since coming up from Triple-A St. Paul hit a stand up triple giving the Twins a 7-3 lead. The Twins lineups and bullpen in this series have been fun to watch. There is no longer a doom and gloom hanging over the team. The hitters are putting balls into play, the bullpen is controlling the momentum of the other team. The bullpen came in and owned one of the better teams in the league for the second night in a row. Between solid arms and great game management by Rocco Baldelli, the bullpen moved quickly and swiftly through each inning. Trevor Megill was first out of the 'pen and the only reliever to struggle was Griffin Jax, who let two on base with no outs. Baldelli called Jhoan Duran to the mound. The Twins bullpen gave up just one run. Jorge Lopez came in to end the game with the Twins taking game three of the four-game series. What’s Next? The Twins finish out their four game series with the Blue Jays tomorrow, hoping to get a series win against one of the hardest teams in the league. Pitching matchup tomorrow: Sunday 12:10 pm CST: Chris Archer (2-5, 4.05 ERA) vs RHP Kevin Gausmann (8-8, 3.06 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

As the trade deadline expired, game time for the Twins approached. The Twins had several roster changes including welcoming back outfielder Jake Cave. The Twins were still on a walk-off high coming into the game and ready to continue the momentum. Box Score SP: Chris Archer 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K (49 pitches, 77 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Mark Contreras (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Gio Urshela (-.180), Jose Miranda (-.086), Luis Arraez (-.068) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The game started out slow. Both pitchers went scoreless through the first two innings and in just his eighth MLB start, Mark Contreras came up to bat in the third and ripped his first MLB home run 407 feet to center field, putting the Twins ahead for the first time of the night. The bases quickly loaded the bases. With Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda on base and one out, Nick Gordon came to the plate. He hit what the fans, Twins and Gordon himself thought was a grand slam, but alas, after review, the call of Foul Ball was upheld. Gordon did hit a sacrifice fly that brought Arraez home, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead. Akil Baddoo ended the inning with a diving catch off of Gio Urshela’s high fly ball. Carlos Correa scored another run for the club on another Gordon sacrifice fly, but the Tigers pitching staff managed to keep the Twins from scoring a fourth run. Chris Archer started in his third game tonight since returning from the IL. He threw 77 pitches, had a season-high, eight strikeouts. He gave up two earned runs in the top of the fifth before being relieved by Jovani Moran. Archer has not been able to get past the fifth inning, or over 80 pitches (minus one game) throughout the season. Baldelli has spoken previously about Archer and his confidence in the pitcher, noting that he just needs to continue working on stretching out and he sees him improving. Emilio Pagan showed well, striking out two and moving swiftly through the sixth inning with no damage. The trouble came for the Twins in the seventh inning when Griffin Jax gave up three more earned runs which gave the Tigers the lead for the first time in the game and the series. Trevor Megill, Tyler Duffey and Joe Smith all had outstanding outings, allowing no runs. Minus the three runs from Jax, the bullpen did a phenomenal job, a welcome sight for sure. The Twins 40-man roster has experienced a lot of change and injury lately. Most recently, Miguel Sano returned to the 60-day IL with right knee inflammation and Alex Kirilloff was played on the Injured List with right-wrist inflammation. Jake Cave was finally recalled from St. Paul for the first time this season. Cave has been working hard and playing great with the Saints, logging a triple-slash line of .273/.370/.509 with 14 home runs this season. The last time he broke double digits in home runs was in 2018 before his back problems started. He went 2-for-3 for the club with an impressive double. Do you see the Twins pushing forward to be competitive and hanging onto first place in the division? What’s Next? The Twins have a day game to finish out the series with Detroit before a four-game set with Toronto when the Blue Jays come to town. Pitching matchup tomorrow: Wednesday 12:10 pm CST: Joe Ryan (7-4, 3.78 ERA) vs RHP Tyler Alexander (2-4, 4-10 ERA) Postgame Interview View full article

Okay. But I didn’t know that and I was going based on a timeline I have to follow.

The trade deadline really heated up for the Twins, and it was exciting to say the least. The front office did not hold back getting pitching that the team so desperately needed. All season fans have been clamoring and hoping that Tyler Mahle would be available and on Tuesday that’s exactly what he was, giving the Twins an opportunity to make a trade. Jon Heyman was the first to report that the Twins had acquired RHP Tyler Mahle from Cincinnati for three top prospects, infielders Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and starting pitching prospect Steve Hajjar. The 6’3 210 pound right-handed pitcher has been a solid starter with the Cincinnati Reds. In his most-recent game, three days ago, he recorded his fifth win of the season. He pitched six innings and had seven strikeouts, just two days after coming off the IL. While he had to go on the IL due to shoulder issues right before the All-Star break. He made two starts before the deadline and his medicals must have been to the Twins' liking. Mahle is 27 years old and is under team control through the 2023 season. In 2022, he's 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.25 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. He was 13-6 with a 3.75 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 180 innings last season and has resembled a mid-rotation workhorse for the last three seasons or so. Mahle was the lone starting pitcher added by the Twins at the deadline. They also added two, late-inning relievers at the deadline. What did the Twins give up? The Twins gave up three top-20 prospects to make the trade happen. Spencer Steer, a St. Paul favorite, will be a great asset to the Reds and is likely to be called up sooner than he would if he stayed with the Twins. He hit .269/.361/.528 with 20 home runs and just a 17.0 K% in 388 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. He is a very nice prospect, but as a third baseman. he is currently blocked by the likes of Jose Miranda, Gio Urshela and others. Steer has seen time at third base, second base, and even shortstop this season. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is a huge bat on the Wichita team. He was named the Midwest League's Hitter of the Month in two of the three months he was with Cedar Rapids. Overall, he hit .302/.374/.612 with 25 home runs and a 33.1 percent hard-hit rate in 390 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A. He is only 22-years-old and has seen time at third base, first base and designated hitter this season. The 2021 fifth-round draft pick's best position defensively is DH. Steven Hajjar is the only pitcher sent in the package to Cincinnati. Hajjar is a young left-handed pitcher. He was the Twins second-round draft pick in 2021 out of Michigan. He has spent this season with the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels where he has posted some outstanding numbers. Through 12 starts, he has logged a 2.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 71:22 K:BB in 43 2/3 innings. He has been limited by a couple of stints in the Injured List this year. His potential to move up in the Reds system looks good and could potentially start at High-A. The Twins front office has been making stealthy deadline-day moves and keeping fans on their toes. Do you think the Twins have made the right moves? What do you think of giving up three top-25 prospects for Mahle? View full article

The Twins' pitching struggled on the mound in July. The Twins lost 12 of 22 games, closing the lead between the Twins and the rest of the central division. But today we try to find the positives, if any, for Twins pitchers in July. Let's just say... it wasn't pretty... at all! In an attempt to be transparent, Twins Daily writers did have a discussion and decided that we could not just leave this article empty. So, while it was a bad month for Twins pitchers, we are going to find the best of that group. Honorable Mention #3: Joe Ryan Ryan struck out 27 over 26 2/3 innings in July, the most on the club for the month. Even after missing time due to Covid and the loss of Wes Johnson, Ryan appeared to be composed, and his ERA was in a downward trending motion (well, until that start in San Diego). Overall, Ryan contributed to three wins for the team, recording one win and one loss for his decisions. He continues to break franchise records and his pitches are some of the nastiest I've seen from the Twins pitching staff. Ryan, is dominant on the mound and in his first 20 starts he had 3.18 ERA over 108 innings with a 103/28 K/BB ration and opponents hit just .198 off of him. Ryan's only downfall came in an uncharacteristic game against San Diego last weekend. The rookie struggled with his slider and change-up (which he has been working on), leaving meatballs for the hitters. He gave up five home runs and ten total runs in 4 2/3 innings and his ERA jumped to 3.89. Honorable Mention #2: Dylan Bundy Deciding between Dylan Bundy and Sonny Gray was not easy, but overall, Bundy was able to produce lower numbers and a better decision outcome for the team. Bundy came out of the month with two wins and no losses. He also had a lower WHIP (1.40) even if his ERA was grossly high at 6.05. Over his 19 1/3 innings, he managed to record 18 strikeouts. In three of the games Bundy started, the Twins won, and Bundy recorded two wins and one loss. There is no real downfall for Bundy, except he leaves balls hanging in the zone, giving other teams a chance to capitalize on hits and runs. Honorable Mention #1: Emilio Pagan I realize this name draws a lot of angst and controversy, but numbers don’t lie. Pagan, in 9 1/3 innings, struck out 18 batters and only allowed four runs and two walks. He registered a 1.07 WHIP and saw more innings than any of the other relievers. Pagan can be a good pitcher. He handled the strike zone well in July. He has the most strikeouts of the relievers and recorded two wins, one loss, and two holds out of ten games, four of which he finished. As much as people say Pagan loses games, technically, he only had one blown save, during which he contributed three earned runs. While his mound appearances can be frustrating, Pagan somehow still leads the Twins in saves (9). Twins Pitcher of the Month: Jharel Cotton I have been waiting for this moment since seeing Cotton in spring training. Cotton pitched 12 innings over eight games and had 12 strikeouts. He only allowed three runs in July. On July 14th against Chicago and July 27th against Milwaukee, Cotton came into some hideous situations with massive deficits on the board. Cotton has been working mostly when the games are already out of hand, but he occasionally gets an opportunity when the game is still in limbo. Of the eight July games, he only gave up three runs, none of which were a factor for a win or loss for the Twins. Cotton himself has yet to garner a decision with the Twins. Cotton has one of the nastiest sliders and change-ups in the league, when he is on. At times, he can look really good, miss some bats and get quick outs. When he's struggled with control is when he has given up runs (like any pitcher, of course). Overall, Cotton's ERA continued to trend down in July, and his control was improved. With all the struggles the Twins pitching saw in July, I know that this month's Pitcher of the Month article may ruffle feathers, but that's okay. The numbers tell the truth and the eyes tell the story. Where would you have put these pitchers? (if you can't say "on waivers.") Would you have included any of them? Do you think there is hope for the pitching in the next month after the trade deadline? View full article

The Twins and the Padres started a three-game series Friday night, just the 21st time the two teams have met over their history. With the Twins line-up poised to battle a left-handed pitcher, Joe Ryan took the mound in search of his eighth win of the season. Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 4.2 IP, 8 H, 10 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (81 pitches, 57 strikes (70%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (25) Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.350), Gilberto Celestino (-.101), Miguel Sano (-.081) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) More Pitching Woes The Twins gave up the lead early in the game when Luke Voit hit a home run to center field after a lead off walk to Jurickson Profar, scoring both players in the bottom of the first. What looked like a fluke early on, spiraled quickly into pitching misery for Joe Ryan. In an uncharacteristic game, Ryan gave up five home runs and had ten earned runs overall. This writer noticed early on that Ryan struggled with command, some of his pitches lacking movement and speed making him extremely hittable for the Padres. Ryan has not given up more than four runs a game this season and was the first Twins since 2003 to give up 10+ runs in a game. Manager Rocco Baldelli finally pulled Ryan after being shelled and going through the order three times by the fifth inning. The fifth inning was the worst for the rookie pitcher. He saw all nine hitters, gave up six runs pushing the lead to ten for the Padres. Needless to say, it was a rough game, one of the hardest we’ve seen for him this season. Jovani Moran came in to relieve Ryan and quickly closed out the inning with four pitches allowing the game to move to the next inning. Moran and Jharel Cotton did a great job keeping their pitch counts low and moving swiftly through the innings. In a complete change of pace, the bullpen managed to move quickly through the game and manage any further damage incurred by the starter. The offense was as dismal as the pitching tonight. Unable to produce any runs, The Twins bats stayed quiet until Byron Buxton hit his 25th home run of the season at the top of the fourth inning, finally getting them on the board, trailing only by two with plenty of game left. Blake Snell, who has had a rough season for the Padres, held the Twins to just one run before being relieved by Dinelson Lamet, a RHP who was recalled from Triple-A El Paso for Mackenzie Gore. Lamet handled business for the Padres keeping the Twins off the board. Twins fans have been seeing Miguel Sano in the line-up since the Milwaukee series. Sano came in as the Designated Hitter again and completed his first full game today, and while he was doing well in Triple-A Saint Paul, the Twins have been easing him back into the game, he’s yet to get a hit, and Twins fans took to Twitter to express their frustration with Sano on top of the already mounting frustration with the pitching. The game overall was dismal, but the eighth inning was entertaining. While the Padres were pitching, the crowd came to a roar and Dick Bremer and Roy Smalley continued to talk about the game, while security wrestled a streaker. To add to the excitement, the Twins brought in Nick Gordon as a relief pitcher. Gordon started the mound appearance with the umpire staff giving him a hard time about his glove. The glove Gordon had evidently looked similar to the color of a baseball masking the pitch. While the staff found Gordon a new glove, the Padres staff loudly blasted “what’s going on” by 4Non Blondes in the background. Gordon went with the flow: smiling during ‘glove gate’, took calls from Sanchez and had a scoreless eighth inning. The Twins were quickly shut down in the ninth inning by Tim Hill, ending the game and the frustration for the evening. After a couple tough losses in Milwaukee, this was not a great way to start a comeback. With the trade deadline looming, the Twins need to make some moves that will benefit the team. Even if the play-offs aren't in the future this season, the pitching core needs help. What’s Next? Pitching matchup for the rest of the series: Saturday 6:15 pm CST: Sonny Gray (5-3, 3.52ERA) vs RHP Joe Musgrove (8-3, 2.63 ERA) Sunday 1:10 pm CST: TBD vs RHP Sean Manaea (5-5, 4.33 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

It was the first game following the Twins extended, All-Star break. The fans are ready for the second half of the season, and so were the Twins. Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (86 pitches, 57 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (12) Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (.190), Carlos Correa (.140), Luis Arraez (.116) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came back with a good line-up to start the second half of the baseball season. Notably missing, however, was Byron Buxton who is coming off of his game-winning home run at the All-Star game on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The outfielder did an interview with The Athletic's Dan Hayes and spoke about not being comfortable with the Home-Run Derby and being willing to continue the rest and day-to-day work to stay healthy and in the lineup most nights. Buxton will miss this series against the Detroit Tigers but will be ready to return to action when they travel to Milwaukee early in the week. The Twins started out the series against former teammate Michael Pineda who allowed first-inning singles to Luis Arraez and Carlos Correa. With no outs, Jorge Polanco slapped a ball into center field to load the bases for Max Kepler. Kepler hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Arraez, giving the Twins an early lead. Pineda avoided any further disaster but needed 29 pitches to finish the first inning. Pineda was a lot more composed in the second and third innings before getting pulled after Carlos Correa hit a solo home run to give the Twins a two-run lead. The Twins started the seventh as they had in the first inning, with singles, this time from Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda. With a left-hander now pitching, Kyle Garlick pinch hit for Nick Gordon. Garlick is fantastic against the lefties and was again tonight. He drove a ball into the hole between third base and shortstop. The ball went under the glove of Jeimer Candelario for an error to load the bases with no outs. Gio Urshela came up to bat and hit a sac-fly that scored Kirilloff. Arraez thought the inning was over when he hit a high foul ball to the third base side and Candelario slid to make the play but missed the ball, giving Arraez another chance to finish his at-bat. Arraez took advantage of the new life and hit a two-run single, scoring Miranda and Garlick, making it a three-hit game for the All-Star and a 5-1 lead for the Twins. The Twins stayed focused in the eighth inning and loaded the bases again. The lineup took turns hitting singles and scored three insurance runs. Gary Sanchez, who was hitless at to this point, hit a ball into the gap in right field which scored Kirilloff and opened up the Twins' lead to 8-1. Joe Ryan made his 15th start for the Twins. He had struggled in his two previous outings. He came out with the confidence we had seen so many times before he got sick with Covid. In the first two innings, he had quick 1-2-3 inning to keep the Twins ahead and his pitch count down. In the third inning, he faced six batters. He had a prolonged at-bat with Javier Baez which really drove up his pitch count. With two on and two out, Ryan faced another former Twins player, Robbie Grossman. With the Detroit fans cheering for what they hoped would be a chance to get on the board, the defense neutralized the threat when Grossman ground out to end the inning, the shutout still intact. It's Challenging! The sixth inning started out with Ryan giving up a triple to rookie sensation Riley Greene with the first at-bat. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged, arguing that Greene did not touch second base. The call stood on the field after review, much to the Twins' chagrin. Baldelli has been generous with his challenges this season. As of today, he has challenged 29 calls this season and only 14 of them have been overturned. After allowing his first and only run in the sixth inning, Ryan got a fly out and then struck out Miguel Cabrera swinging before he was relieved from the mound with only one out left. An interesting move...two-game writer’s opinion. Do you think the Twins can get a sweep on their first albeit small series tomorrow? What’s Next? The Twins finish up game two of the two game series Sunday with the Tigers before heading to Milwaukee for the early part of the week. Pitching matchup for Sunday: ● Sunday 1:10 pm CST: Sonny Gray (4-3, 3.71ERA) vs RHP Rony Garcia (3-2, 4.28ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Moran 0 0 0 0 28 28 Duran 0 0 0 0 11 11 Duffey 0 0 0 0 11 11 Megill 0 0 0 0 7 7 Pagan 0 0 0 0 2 2 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 0 0 Smith 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jax 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cotton 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins came into Saturday's game looking to get their first win of the series as they battled the White Sox in Game 3 of a four-game series. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy (5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (88 pitches, 65 strikes (74%)) Home Runs: Luis Arraez (4), Carlos Correa (10), Jorge Polanco (13) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.148), Jorge Polanco (.113), Dylan Bundy (.082) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It was a good day at Target Field on Saturday. Before the game, Twins legend Jim Kaat saw his #36 retired by the Twins in front of family, friends, and former teammates. Many spoke about his leadership, work ethic and status in Twins Territory. The Twins retired number 36 today just a few weeks before Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. There to help him reveal his number were the two other players who also wore number 36, former pitchers Joe Nathan and Terry Steinbach. Jim Kaat’s grandkids reveal his officially retired number on the wall as he held his wife’s hand as the black drape fell revealing a number that will now live in Twins infamy. The most memorable moment was watching his former catcher, George Mitterwald catch Kaat’s ceremonial first pitch. Congrats to Jim Kaat! And now, onto the game… Dylan Bundy came out in the first inning and meant business. Through the first three innings, Bundy kept the White Sox off the board. In the fourth inning, a few singles added up to one run scoring. Bundy kept a low pitch count and was able to stay in the game into six innings. He surrendered two more runs in the sixth inning before Trevor Megill came on to end the threat with some help from Max Kepler who made a terrific sliding catch to end the inning. The Twins offense came out swinging (pun intended). The lineup has really struggled to manufacture runs the last two games, simply owned by the White Sox pitching. However, Luis Arraez said ‘not today’ as he stepped into the batter's box and got the Twins on the board with a solo home run in the first inning and the lead for the first time in the series. Gary Sanchez led off the third inning with a single deep down the third baseline. He wasn’t there long before Carlos Correa crushed a two-run home run to widen the Twins lead to three. The fun kept coming as Byron Buxton and Max Kepler singled and scored on a three-run home run from Jorge Polanco who hit a ball deep to right field, his 20th homer off of White Sox pitching (in his career) and his sixth home run of the month of July. The Twins tried to add some insurance in the sixth inning as the bases loaded up with a single from Alex Kirilloff, a double from Gio Urshela and a walk from Gary Sanchez to load the bases. However, all were stranded as Luis Arraez grounded out to the shortstop. The White Sox continued to threaten at least a tie game throughout the eighth, but the Twins defense backed up the bullpen pitcher Jhoan Duran who faced the heart of the Sox lineup in a scoreless eighth. Tyler Duffey got loose in the bullpen as Duran came back out in the ninth. However, Duran fought through the ninth in the heat and humidity as his pitch count rose. With two outs on the board, he battled against Tim Anderson through ten pitches. With a runner on third base, Anderson continued to foul off everything that was thrown at him until he hit a chopper to Urshela who threw to first to end the inning and Game 3 of the series. It felt great to get one in the win column. Do you see the Twins splitting the series with the White Sox? What’s Next? Sunday is the last game of the Twins and White Sox Series and the last game before the All-Star Break. Pitching matchup for Sunday: Sunday 1:10 pm CST: RHP Chris Archer (2-3, 3.08 ERA) vs RHP Dylan Cease (7-4, 2.45 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Friday night's game started just like Thursday night's game, struggling pitchers, hot bats from the White Sox, and a two-run lead before the end of the first inning. The White Sox maintained the lead in both the game and the series. Box Score SP: Devin Smeltzer 3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (67 pitches, 40 strikes (59.7%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (-.143), Max Kepler (-.133), Carlos Correa (-.105) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Devin Smeltzer struggled with command in the first inning mirroring Sonny Gray's start last night, giving up two runs. The southpaw needed 26 pitches in the first inning but settled in, throwing 15 pitches in a scoreless second frame. The third inning wasn’t as quick as the second and Smeltzer struggled to get through the inning. He threw another 26 pitches to the five hitters. Overall, he threw 67 pitches in just three innings. Rocco Baldelli understandably pulled him after the third inning. Emilio Pagan came in for the fourth inning. Pagan, who has struggled to get out of innings, needed just 11 pitches to complete the inning. One of his pitches was in the center of the strike zone, and Tim Anderson hit the ball deep into centerfield. An eager Nick Gordon scaled the wall and just missed the catch. The home run gave the White Sox the 3-2 lead. As the Twins pitching staff took turns in the game, Tyler Duffey replaced Pagan after one inning, and he got four outs. He was replaced by Caleb Thielbar to face switch hitter Leury Garcia. Theilbar finished out the sixth inning with no runs and only three pitches. After starting the sixth inning, Theilbar left the mound after facing left-handed batter Reese Maguire and retired for the evening after no runs scored and only seven pitches thrown. The White Sox opened up the lead in the seventh inning with a three-run home run by Adam Engel, scoring Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada off of Griffin Jax, giving the White Sox a 6-2 lead. The White Sox have had the lead throughout the series and the Twins just couldn’t get the bats going after the first inning. The Twins looked like they were going to start out hot. In the bottom of the first, they wasted no time answering the White Sox with bases loaded against pitcher Michael Kopech. For the fifth straight game against the White Sox, the Twins loaded the bases in the first frame. When Alex Kirilloff came up to bat, he hit a sharp drive to right field for a double that scored Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton to tie up the game at two. The Twins bats cooled off and even though the White Sox pitching wasn’t immaculate and Kopech struggled, the Twins bats struggled more as they once again failed to manufacture runs. Joe Kelly came in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth. The last time the lineup faced Joe Kelly (7/5), the Twins took advantage of his lack of command. Kelly allowed two hits, four runs (three earned), and two walks while striking out one batter in 2/3 innings in the loss to the Twins. This time, Kelly returned to the mound not allowing a single run and had a 1-2-3 inning claiming redemption over his implosion earlier in the month. The Twins had no base runners between a Luis Arraez single in the fourth inning until the bottom of the eighth when Buxton got on base with a single. Jorge Polanco then ripped a ball into right field for another single. With one out and runners on first and second, it looked hopeful. Alex Kirilloff stepped into the box and ripped a grounder to second for a double play. The Twins are getting close to battling for their spot at the top of the division, what do you think of the series so far? Do you think Duffey or Theilbar should have been left in? What’s Next? The Twins have two day games left in the series with the White Sox and a chance to split the series. Tune in tomorrow! Pitching matchup for the rest of the series: Saturday 1:10 pm CST: Dylan Bundy (5-4, 4.68 ERA) vs RHP Lance Lynn (1-2, 6.97 ERA) Sunday 1:10 pm CST: TBD (X, X ERA) vs RHP Dylan Cease (7-4, 2.45 ERA) Note - The assumption is that Chris Archer will return on Sunday to make that start. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The White Sox and Twins are fighting for their place in the division. The Twins left too many men on base early in the game, and then the White Sox bats came alive and added on as they crushed the Twins in Game 1 of the final series before the All-Star break. Box Score SP: Sonny Gray 3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (79 pitches, 48 strikes (60.7%) Home Runs: Kyle Garlick (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Sonny Gray (-.369), Luis Arraez (-.197), Alex Kirilloff (-.125) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Sonny Gray started out the game giving up a hit to Tim Anderson on the first pitch. He ultimately scored off a rip to right field from Jose Abreu. Gray battled his command and went to a full count with Gavin Sheets. After several pitches were fouled off, Sheets hit a ball into right field putting runners at the corners for a potentially big first inning. The White Sox had some luck too when the Andrew Vaughn bounced a single off of second base scoring another run and giving the Sox a two-run lead in the first. Sonny Gray has been lacking some command and control over his past few starts. We saw a small glimmer of hope in the second inning, the grunting, the focus, the swagger, and the command appeared to be there, but the pitch count continued to creep up until the fourth inning when it all collapsed under Gray when Luis Robert hit a grand slam. A couple of batters earlier, Gray was hit in the back by a line drive. How much that impacted his performance, we can only guess. Trevor Megill came in for Gray in the fourth inning and managed to keep any more runs from scoring. He returned for the fifth inning and had a beautiful 1-2-3 inning. Three up, three down with only ten pitches thrown and six strikes thrown. Joe Smith made his return to the game after being reactivated from the 15-day Injured List on Wednesday. The Twins now have a nine-man bullpen, after Josh Winder was optioned down to St. Paul to make room for Smith. Smith, who was out with upper-trap tightness, gave up two runs in his 16 pitches, pushing the White Sox lead to 8-1. However, out of the 16 pitches that were thrown, 13 of them were strikes. Smith was only in for one inning and was relieved by Jharel Cotton who has been a bright spot in the Twins bullpen. Cotton worked two innings and threw 34 pitches and only gave up one run. Three of the four pitchers for the Twins gave up at least one run. Cotton, like Smith even though he gave up a run, in his 34 pitches threw 22 strikes. Nick Gordon came in to pitch for the Twins at the top of the ninth. Gordon, who loves having a chance to pitch got through the inning. In his mound appearance, Gordon wasn't throwing strikes, but he was still able to get the hitters to swing, and three hits ended up in the sweet spot giving up a three-run homerun to Seby Zavala, pushing the lead to 12-1. Johnny Cueto went deep into the game only allowing the Twins one run, but early in the game Cueto gave the Twins a chance to answer the White Sox. Many times, they loaded the bases. Jose Miranda drove in Gio Urshela with the Twins lone run of the game. The rookie continues to get hits and get the Twins on the board in clutch situations. There were so many opportunities for the Twins to manufacture runs, they just could not get them home. Each inning was like the one before, the line-up would get hits, get on base and never produce. By the end of the game, the players were tired and frustrated, but gave their all. They never quit swinging. The saddest stranding of the game came in the third inning after Buxton ripped a ball deep to centerfield, dug deep and got a triple only to be stranded by the end of the inning. The All-Star who came under Twitter scrutiny the past few games for his ‘lack of hitting’ silenced the haters and keyed up the crowd after landing on third base cuing the “Buck Truck” horn. Buxton stayed on third base through three hitters and never got a chance to come home. One of the most fun moments of the game was being able to witness the “Buck Truck”, something that Buxton does in honor of his father who was a truck driver and his teammates have joined him in the dugout. To watch it happen as he got a standing triple was something really neat. The Twins, who are usually good for late-game rallies, and in true Twins fashion, that's what happened. Kyle Garlick who came in to pinch hit for Correa took a ball deep to homer. While there were two outs and no one was expecting a miracle, it was fun to watch and gave the fans watching something to cheer about. The game ended with a frustrated Celestino, who was in the game as a replacement for Buxton made a comment to the pitcher and both benches started to clear. The umpires and coaches managed to keep it quick and civil, but tensions certainly are at their boiling point with these two teams. The White Sox have only beat the Twins twice this season, and there are still three games to go this weekend. Do you think the Twins can take this series or are they teetering on giving up their place in the division? What’s Next? The Twins have three games left with the White Sox and I will be covering Friday and Saturday's games! Come hang out with me on Twitter and Twins Daily Forums! The pitching match ups are sure to make the rest of the weekend intense! Pitching matchup for the rest of the series: Friday 7:10 pm CST: Devin Smeltzer (4-2, 3.92 ERA) vs RHP Michael Kopech (2-6, 3.35 ERA) Saturday 1:10 pm CST: Dylan Bundy (5-4, 4.68 ERA) vs RHP Lance Lynn (1-2, 6.97 ERA) Sunday 2:10 pm CST: TBD (X, X ERA) vs RHP Dylan Cease (7-4, 2.45 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Twins continue to stay in front. The bats are on fire and the players are giving their all every game. The top hitters of the month are fluid, but in June three hitters stood out. The Twins won 13 of 28 games, barely under .500. The team maintained first place, even with some ugly losses at the end of June to the Guardians in a five-game series. The bullpen consistently imploded late in games where the offense has controlled most of the game. Even with all the injuries, roster moves, and roster changes, the Twins lineups have 134 runs, and 40 home runs. If it were not for quantifiable numbers and context, Hitter of the Month would not have been easy. While there are three front runners, the rest of the club contributed to the wins and offensive exhibition. Every game felt like a party. The hitters kept the games alive even if it ended in a loss. Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order) Nick Gordon - 20 G, .268/.339/.448 (.785), 7 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 SB Alex Kirilloff - 12 G, .296/.313/.477 (.790), 5 R, 12 RBI, 5 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 SB Jose Miranda - 23 G, .306/.342/.514 (.856), 6 R, 13 RBI, 6 2B, 3 HR, 4 BB, 0 SB Jorge Polanco - 13 G, .306/.393/.531 (9.24), 8 R, 10 RBI, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 0 SB Gio Urshela - 27 G, .247/.284/.423 (.707), 10 R, 12 RBI, 9 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 0 SB Hitter of the Month Number 3: Luis Arraez 26 G, .347/.407/.505 (.912), 18 R, 15 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, 9 BB, 0 SB It was hard to place Luis Arraez at third, but it truly feels like three first-place hitters this past month. Arraez, however, has been the talk of not only the town but also has been finding national attention. In June, around Twitter, people started likening him to Rod Carew and ‘prime’ Ichiro Suzuki. Arraez is one of the most consistent hitters not only for the Twins but also in the league. By June’s end, he was number one in the league for batting average and carried an above .800 OPS all of June. The numbers speak for themselves, but more than the numbers is how Arraez continues to find himself getting on base. He says that it's hard work and that he works hard with his hitting coach and gives his all to his team. Even on his worst day, Arraez still left the game with the highest batting average on the team. On June 29 against the Cleveland Guardians, Arraez went 0-for-5 dropping his batting average .07 points and still carried a .337 batting average. Had it not been for that game, Arraez could have held the number one spot in June. Arraez found himself not only edging out teammates but other All-Stars as well. Even other players who are legends, like Rod Carew and Ichiro Suzuki, love Luis Arraez and are in Arraez’s “fan club,” and according to Dick Bremer, Ichiro is the president. All-Star voting started on June 8 and concluded on June 30. All-Star voting is a chance for fans to vote for their favorite baseball players for the All-Star game in July during the break. Arraez fell in voting for Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero, Jr and Seattle’s Ty France. Frustrating considering his capability and batting average. Even if he isn’t going to be on the All-Star team - he should - he is having an All-Star season and hopefully will get some awards at the end of the season. Hitter of the Month Number 2: Carlos Correa 21 G, .345/.405/.608 (1.012) 17 R, 12 RBI,3 2B, 6 HR, 9 BB, 0 SB Defensively, he is one the best shortstops in the American League and manufactures extraordinary plays to save games. It was almost enough to make up for his staggering low numbers In April and May. Correa started out the month of May with an injury from being hit-by-pitch during a game against the Orioles on May 5th. Fans and the front office were fearing a broken finger but found that the bone was bruised. Correa appeared ready to come back to the team, but the team held off and kept him out for two weeks. Due to all of his time out in May, Correa’s batting average was .229 and wasn't anything to get excited about. Correa is a champion, he knows how to win games, and he knows how to be productive, so to see him have a slow month was frustrating. Just as he started to get back into a rhythm from his injury, he ended up on the COVID- IL at the end of May. Correa was reinstated from the COVID-IL on June 8. Correa has never tried to be in the spotlight with this team. He has remained a team player, a hype man and in June he became the All-Star the Twins knew he was. Correa played 21 games in June and got a hit in every game except three. With six home runs and 12 RBI his bat contributed to some of the biggest Twins wins in the month of June. He has more than shown his worth and even with the rumors swirling of him leaving, he continues to show why he is dedicated to his craft and this team. His offense is now matching his defense, and they are creating a powerhouse. Correa's bat has been a large contributor to the Twins offensive success in June. Correa is a triple threat: at the plate, in the field, and the dugout. Hitter of the Month Number 1: Byron Buxton 23 G, .275/.356/.715 (1.068), 18 R, 15 RBI,4 2B, 9 HR, 8 BB, 0 SB Byron Buxton is the definition of “Won’t quit.” This season has not been easy for the centerfielder, from knee soreness to hip pain, but he persevered. April and May might not have been the best months of Buxton’s career, but by the end of June, he left with 52 home runs in his past 162 games. Buxton was hurt earlier in the season, almost immediately with a knee injury that sent him down on the IL and later a hip pain. Buxton played minimal games in April, and when he returned, he was restricted to DH on some games and days off for others. Rocco and the front office came under a lot of scrutiny. From May 18 - May 25, Buxton had a .000 batting average, four walks, one sac-fly, and no hits. The slump was noticeable. The frustration for the centerfielder and fans alike was palpable. May ended on a sour note, with a .169 batting average, and his contribution to wins was -0.016 WPA. The plan of the front office and Rocco paid off. Buxton came back ready to work and ready to win, a chip on his shoulder and his bat on fire. On June 17, against Madison Bumgarner, Buxton hit the third-longest home run of his season (446 feet) and had his highest exit velocity (113mph). As the month closed out, on June 29 against the Cleveland Guardians, he hit his career-high 20th home run as a solo hit in the ninth inning. The hit was part of a 6-0 victory over the Guardians. Almost an entire month after one of his own worst records in his career, Buxton was smashing balls and records, including a stand-up triple on June 26, showing off his speed, agility, and competitive nature. The ball didn’t even reach the wall. He never ceases to amaze. If the Twins bats stay hot after the All-Star break and the front office makes bold moves for bullpen pitching, this team is playoff-bound, no question. What do you think of the top three hitters? Would you have traded any of them out for the honorable mentions? What stats do you look for when looking at hitters? View full article