Sherry Cerny

like everyone else in the bullpen is amazing? dude, I didn't write it saying he was Duran, I was telling his story, which at year 14 is pretty amazing.

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images After a major payroll and roster purge, the Twins have opened the door for players from the lower levels of the organization to make their mark. For some, this is a crucial chance to show they belong in the major leagues. One of those players will be veteran reliever Erasmo Ramirez. Ramirez was picked up by the Twins in the offseason, signing on February 15th. A veteran with 14 years of big league experience, he has pitched for six teams, most recently for the Tampa Bay Rays, which is no shock; the Twins share a lot of pitching philosophies with the Rays. Ramirez went 3-0 with a 4.35 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.2 WAR across 13 appearances early last season with the Rays. He was sent down to the Durham Bulls and made 37 appearances in posting a 3-4 record, 3.23 ERA, 1.226 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The 34-year-old joined the Twins for the big league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, but suffered an injury after only pitching one spring training game. On March 9th, it was announced that he had a severe shoulder strain and would undergo a rehab assignment in Florida. That rehab lasted all summer before finally getting a chance in June to test out his arm. Ramirez worked hard in Florida before getting to the team, and began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 20. After three appearances, Ramirez proved his health and was moved up to St. Paul on July 1st. Ramirez has pitched in seven games and has a 1-1 with a 6.55 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings and -0.6 WAR in those 11 innings, but those subpar numbers are a little deceiving. In his last outing, on Saturday against Toledo, his ERA soared from 2.55 to 6.55. Ramirez knows that those days are going to happen, but he also knows that means he has to lock in and do more work. Ramirez recently told Theo Tolefson of Zone Coverage: “Well, everything’s been amazing, almost like the body has come back to normal,” said Ramirez. “The recovery of my arm and like when I was the younger version of me, like I pitched today, tomorrow, almost feels like I didn’t pitch at all.” That’s a great start and surely a testament to the pitching staff and how they help the Twins pitchers work through injury and get ready to return to the big leagues. Ramirez also told Tollefson that he is aware of his presence as a veteran and knows that his hard work directly affects the others on the team who look up to him. A humble man off the field, he and his wife Rhea have created Tiktok accounts to help understand the baseball life from each one’s perspective. Ramirez's account shares his journey of healing and recovery. Open to criticism and praise, he takes the good with the bad, because his goal is to help people understand what goes on behind the scenes. That includes the support he gets from people behind the scenes. Twins Daily spoke with his wife Rhea Ramirez, who was elated that he was on the big league bus on his way over to Cleveland’s Progressive Field with six of his teammates on Thursday night. She knows the heavy burden that being a player can be and trades are hard on everyone, but also, they give other players a chance to shine. When asked whether there was anything that she wanted people to know, she said, “Just that he has worked so hard to make it this far. This is his 14th big league season and he’s almost reached 10 years [of service time] and he’s ready”. The Twins' shakeup left a lot of heartache and anger in its wake, but for players like Ramirez, it’s a chance to show that he is ready to return to the big leagues and to be a contributor to the team to finish out this season and hopefully be back for 2026. View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (74 pitches, 52 strikes (70%)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (13) Both 3 WPA: Zebby Matthews (-.243); Brooks Lee (-.115); Ryan Jeffers (-.077) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Zebby Matthews's return from the shoulder strain that sidelined him in early June has been a mixed bag, so far. He had a rough first start coming out of the All-Star break, but that was in the challenging pitching environment of Coors Field. He looked terrific against the Nationals over the weekend, so there was cause for some hope entering this start against the Red Sox. He did work a clean first inning, although Trevor Story led off the second with an absolutely scalded solo home run to put Boston ahead. The Twins offense did attempt to keep things close and had the chance to get on tbe board first in the bottom of the first inning after a two-out walk on Kody Clemens, followed by a sharp single from Ryan Jeffers. Clemens was rounding second, and slowing down to stop at third as the ball was fielded in a relay from left fielder Roman Anthony to Ceddane Raefela—only to be waved home by third base coach Tommy Watkins. He was unable to beat the final part of the relay from the cutoff to catcher Connor Wong. With Byron Buxton out, the offense does have to work a little harder, and one slugger who has really stepped forward is Matt Wallner, the Minnesota Moose. Wallner has had a good last five games, getting a hit in each game and two home runs that have been a great help to the team. The Twins initially tied up the game in the bottom of the second with a Wallner home run, making it 1-1. It was his 13th of the season, and his first oppo taco. We love seeing Matt Wallner back in action! Matthews, like Pierson Ohl, has not faced the Boston lineup before, but it didn’t take Sox long to figure out either pitcher. Matthews tried to work through the order for the second time in the third inning, but immediate traffic on the bases caught up to him. Wong was able to get a double to start the third inning, on a flare Wallner couldn't catch in right field. There was no relief throughout the game from this point on; the defense was unable to make plays, and the offense was unable to create runs. Matthews and Abraham Toro battled through 10 pitches, Toro patiently fouling off pitches. Toro finally caught up to Matthews and the 10th pitch ended in a sacrifice fly, scoring Wong to make it 2-1 Boston. A few of the Twins' defensive bobbles have been frustrating the past two days, especially with Boston’s players in scoring position, giving them the advantage. A dropped third strike kept the fourth inning alive with two outs, Jeffers dropped the ‘dropped’ third strike, letting Wong get to first base instead of a solid out. Matthews had thrown 66 pitches through four innings and came back out for the fifth, and Boston continued to shell him. Wong singled, followed by a double to Wallner, who threw to Willi Castro and Castro held on the relay. That held Wong at third, until the next play. It was a line drive to Harrison Bader, who bobbled two yesterday and dropped another. Two runs scored, giving Boston a 4-1 lead. The mistakes weren’t all recorded as errors, but for the team, they are simply egregious and are the things that lose games. The Twins simply needed a double play to end the inning, Justin Topa came out to relieve Matthews, but Boston kept the pressure on. Topa walked two, loading the bases. A ground ball from Masataka Yoshida snuck through the infield and two more runs scored, widening the gap 6-1. The fifth inning finally ended with a strikeout, but the damage had absolutely been done. The Twins offense couldn’t give any member of the pitching staff more than a five-minute break throughout the game. As quickly as they went out to hit, they came back to the dugout. Noah Davis came out for the Twins today. Who is Noah Davis? Good question. He came from the Dodgers on July 17. The 28-year-old is a career minor-leaguer, spending most of his time in Triple-A, but made appearances in the majors starting in 2022. The Twins had what looked like a small glimmer of hope in the 7th. Wallner and Bader got on to create a big chance, only for DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Trevor Larnach to strike out. A 1-2-3 inning ensued in the eighth. The ninth inning got interesting, with Willi Castro coming off the field and hugging everyone in the dugout, leading Twitter to believe in a trade—just like "hug-gate" with Johan Duran Tuesday night. It was just a hamfisted attempt to get him a final ovation from the crowd, though. The ninth inning was a complete disaster. Griffin Jax came out and threw 12 pitches, recording zero outs. It was 9-1 when Rocco Baldelli lifted Jax in favor of position player Clemens, who allowed another four runs, pushing the total for Boston to 13-1 on a home run by Romy Gonzalez. The Twins had absolutely no life by the end of the game, and had a 1-2-3 inning to end the game and series and (for sure, this time) the season. What’s Next? The Twins get a day off on Thursday, much-needed, before they head into six games of divisional competition, starting with the Guardians. Joe Ryan (10-5; 2.82 ERA) will be taking the mound against Gavin Williams (6-4; 3.51 ERA) at 6:10 PM CST, Friday... unless Ryan is dealt first. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Major League Baseball placed Emmanuel Clase on administrative leave until at least the end of August Monday, as they investigate Clase's connections to the same suspicious betting activity that previously led to the same steps being taken with fellow Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis L. Ortiz. It's impossible to know how this will end, but a world in which Clase is permanently banned from the sport for involvement in betting on baseball certainly exists. In a moment, rumors of trade interest in Clase fell shockingly silent. He's not gping anywhere. With Clase unavailable, the Twins now hold two of the most coveted late-inning arms potentially in play. Both Jhoan Duran (the established closer, with an elite ground-ball rate and overpowering raw stuff) and Griffin Jax (two of the game's nastiest individual pitches and an extraordinary differential between his strikeout and walk rates) could attract premium offers from contenders desperate to stabilize their bullpens. If the front office is open to a mini-retool or reallocation of resources, they could capitalize on this scarcity. It's rare that any reliever with control beyond the season in question hits the trade market at the level of performance Duran and Jax have established. Clase was a rare exception. Now, the Twins are the only team shopping a reliever of this caliber—and they have two of them available. That increases the chances not only of an offer coming in that the team likes enough to make a move, but of their being able to play suitors off one another—or even to force them to decide between two different asking prices for the two relief aces. The Twins could ask for top prospects or young MLB-ready talent, especially from teams who envision making multiple runs into October, of which Duran or Jax could be vital parts. The last time a seller had this kind of leverage in the reliever market was in 2016, when the Yankees had both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. They ultimately traded Chapman for Gleyber Torres, Adam Warren, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford, and Miller for J.P. Feyereisen, Clint Frazier, Ben Heller and Justus Sheffield. Of that group, only Torres went on to become an impact player, but those returns infused the Yankees system with so much depth that it benefited them for years—especially once Torres emerged as an All-Star-caliber infielder. That's what's possible for the Twins in the next two days. They might still believe in themselves enough to want to retain one or both of these pitchers to maintain their bullpen dominance for the next two-plus years. If they're listening on them, though—and we know they are, based on reports throughout the league—they're in a great negotiating position. View full article

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Paddack - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (78 pitches, 56 strikes (71%)) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax -.803; Willi Castro -.178; Louis Varland -.106 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Chris Paddack had struggled over his last six starts, with high pitch counts and a failure to string together zeroes, but today he had a chance to help the team end a bad road trip on a good note. A PitchCom issue started Paddack’s day with a violation, but he got out Mookie Betts. Paddack served up a hittable 0-2 pitch to Shohei Ohtani, though, and Ohtani swatted a solo home run, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Twins answered fairly quickly, with a homer from Royce Lewis tying the score—his third long ball in four short games. Lewis has been fighting back from injury and a very visible slump, but in the month of July, he has a batting average of .273 and has been making more contact as the month goes on. Paddack had a much better showdown against the Dodgers as the innings went on, even striking out Ohtani in his second and third at-bats. With the trade deadline looming, many fans want to see Paddack traded. The only problem with that is the continued pain of injuries that continue to plague the rotation. (To wit: David Festa landed on the injured list earlier Wednesday.) After his frustrating appearance after the All-Star break, this game was what the fans and the Sheriff needed, with his velocity trending up and a little more control from the release. Through six, Paddack only threw 78 pitches, with no walks and eight strikeouts. He managed the game much better after that first inning. Paddack gave the offense the much-needed chance to get ahead on the board. Tyler Glasnow was able to manage the game just as well from his side, though. Even though the Twins were able to run up the pitch count to 79 by the beginning of inning six, Glasnow kept everyone chasing. Lewis was the only one who seemed able to figure him out; a big strike zone did not help matters. Unfortunately, after Lewis's double, Byron Buxton struck out to extinguish the rally. Buxton has been chasing the ball a little more the past two games down and away, after taking Ohtani yard on Monday, definitely an adjustment from his first few games back. Danny Columbe came out to replace Paddack and struggled, starting with a double to Freddie Freeman and walking two with no outs, giving the Dodgers a golden opportunity to put more runs on the board. Twins pitching coach Pete Maki came out to give Coulombe a breather with Will Smith coming to the plate. Smith was out on a flyball to Buxton, but after just 16 pitches and one out, Rocco Baldelli pulled Coulumbe and replaced him with Louis Varland, who has been on the mound three days in a row. While many don’t like Paddack, there was an argument for him coming out to start the seventh inning. Alas. The Dodgers took the lead 2-1, on a Tommy Edman single, scoring Freddie Freeman, and still only had one out. But the Twins stopped the bleeding there. Only one run scored, leaving the Twins able to (hopefully) answer again. The eighth inning started a fun Twins rally. Pitcher Kirby Yates walked Lewis, who was replaced by DeShawn Keirsey Jr. The pinch-runner promptly stole second, and walks of Brooks Lee and Buxton loaded the bases. Willi Castro hit a chopper ending in a double play from Betts, to Miguel Rojas to Freeman, but it scored Keirsey, tying the game 2-2. Harrison Bader came in to replace Trevor Larnach and put the ball in play on the third pitch, bouncing over the head of the pitcher, to Rojas again—who missed the play, allowing Bader to reach and Lee to score and giving the Twins a 3-2 advantage. Brock Stewart relieved Varland, but the bottom of the eighth inning seemed to drag. With two on two out, Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases. It worked perfectly. Rojas hit a pop-out to first. Crisis averted. Ugh. Make that crisis delayed. Griffin Jax struggled in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jax got the first out, easy peasy, and it looked like it was going to be a good inning. But a missed check-swing strike call, an infield single from Betts, and two walks loaded the bases with two outs. Freeman hit a sinking liner to left field, and despite Bader's best efforts, the ball found grass. That gave the Dodgers a walk-off win and the series win against the Twins. It sucked. What’s Next? The Twins get a day off on Thursday, as they fly home to play the Nationals and the Red Sox. The Nationals continue to struggle, and the Red Sox are doing their best to continue the streak they are on in the month of July. Zebby Matthews (1-2; 6.26 ERA) will be taking the mound against MacKenzie Gore (4-9; 3.59 ERA) at 7:10 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: David Festa 5.1 IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K (72 pitches, 49 strikes (59%)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (9); Top 3 WPA: Wallner .113; Festa .100; Brock Stewart .70 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) David Festa took the mound Wednesday night. Festa has bounced back and forth in his appearances this season, between two runs on a good day and eight in a rough appearance. The team has been consistent in their praise of his progress, though, especially as he improves at filling up the zone and finds comfort with his third and fourth pitches, the changeup and sinker. Leadoff man Ian Happ hit the first pitch hard, for a threatening foul ball, but that was the most danger Festa faced in the first. He struck out Happ and (one batter later) Seiya Suzuki. Cade Horton took the mound for the Cubs and let his third pitch go high and inside, hitting Byron Buxton in the hand guard—and, unfortunately, the hand itself caught a partial blow. During a review (the play was initially called a foul ball, but Buxton got first after the replay), he talked at length with Rocco Baldelli and the training staff. He stayed in the game initially, though. He took a long lead during Trevor Larnach’s at-bat and stole his 17th base of the season. Ryan Jeffers added to the RBIs he’s been racking up lately, on a two-out single to left field to score Buxton to get the Twins on the board. Carlos Correa followed that with a scalded double to the wall in right-center, on which the Twins' burly catcher managed to come all the way around and score—albeit on a close play. Matt Wallner, back? It’s possible. Wallner is another one who has had trouble this season at the plate, but he has continued to make adjustments and moving him down in the lineup may have been a good choice. Wallner waffled a ball down the right-field line, utterly whomped but so close to the foul line (and so high) that everyone had to wait a moment to see which way the winds might send it. It stayed fair, and carried out. Brooks Lee was brought in at the bottom of the second to pinch-hit for Buxton, who reportedly has a contusion to his left hand. Twins Daily will keep an eye on the situation. For now, Buxton is day-to-day. Festa really lost command early on in the fourth inning, and took a while to get it back. The Cubs couldn't touch him with a scoreboard-flipping blow, but after Festa created traffic with some wildness, Dansby Swanson managed an RBI infield single and Nico Hoerner beat out an RBI fielder's choice. That narrowed the Twins' lead to one run, at 3-2. Festa’s fifth inning was much cleaner. He sat down each hitter, 1-2-3, quicker than he went through the first hitter in the fourth. His recovery and ability to give the Twins four more outs after his near-meltdown inning were hugely important. Royce Lewis got his sixth double this season in the bottom of the fourth. In a good sign of how far he’s come since his return, Lewis hustled for that double, then stole home in a double-steal maneuver with Wallner with the two at each corner base. The Twins manufactured three of their four runs Wednesday with aggressive baserunning. It was uncharacteristic, but welcome. Festa returned for the sixth, but only got in one pitch and an out on a drive to left field. He was replaced by Danny Coulombe, to pitch to left-handed sluggers Pete Crow Armstrong and Michael Busch. Without trouble, Coulombe finished out the inning. Brock Stewart and Louis Varland came in the seventh and eighth innings, eliminating any threat of the Cubs crawling back, with only 18 pitches between them. Couldn't ask for anything better. After a busy night of warmups and four innings pitched from five hurlers Tuesday night, the quick work from all three of those (plus closer Jhoan Duran) was great to see. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in an early game, before the Pittsburgh Pirates come to town before the All-Star break. Chris Paddack (3-7; 4.64 ERA) will be taking the mound against Colin Rea (6-3; 4.13 ERA) at 12:10 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Adams 68 0 0 0 0 68 Jax 12 13 0 22 0 47 Coulombe 14 0 0 17 13 44 Durán 34 0 0 0 8 42 Stewart 0 12 0 12 7 31 Sands 19 0 0 6 0 25 Varland 0 9 0 0 11 20 Misiewicz 0 0 0 0 0 0 Topa 0 15 0 0 0 15 View full article

Image courtesy of © Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (75 pitches, 50 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (.192); Griffin Jax (.144); Danny Coulombe (.131) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After a loss Tuesday against the Marlins, the Twins entered Wednesday 1-3 on their road trip and in need of a win. Byron Buxton started things the right way, with a single. Miami pitcher Janson Junk threw a wild pitch to Trevor Larnach and Buxton took advantage to advance to second. Willi Castro singled to advance Buxton to third—so hard that Buxton couldn't score, but extending the threat. Brooks Lee took the first pitch to right field for a sacrifice fly to cash in Buxton. Carlos Correa struck out swinging, but last night the Twins couldn’t even get one run on the board, and tonight, they started out ahead. Would that be a sign of things to come? Both offense and defense put in the work like their lives (or at least their futures in Minnesota, four weeks shy of the trade deadline) depended on it. The Twins' situational hitting was bleak in the month of June, but it’s a new month, a new day, a new chance to get things back above .500. Simeon Woods Richardson had a good start to the game. He continued to look more confident and attacked the plate with each hitter. His fastball and slider got hitters to chase throughout the at-bats, and retired the first four batters he saw. Alas, Kyle Stowers (him again) caught hold of a slider inside and yanked it out of the park down the right-field line, tying the game 1-1. The umpire seemed to have an interesting strike zone, but Woods Richardson recovered after the Stowers shot and sailed. Castro has been on fire since coming back from injury. An All-Star last season, he’s started coming back around to looking like one. In his second at-bat, he hit a line drive to right field to secure his 13th double of the season. With a lead on the bases, waiting to be cashed in, singles by Lee and Correa brought Castro around. The inning ended on a double play, but with the Twins back out in front 2-1. Brock Stewart relieved Woods Richardson in the sixth inning, and once again, the Marlins looked to get a run in with two outs, just like they have 34 times before since June 22nd, with a line drive from Stowers. However, in a fun turn of events, the ball hit the umpire in the infield, killing the ball and the play, and the run that made it in had to come back. With Stowers stationed at first and Jesús Sánchez recalled to third, Stewart got Eric Wagaman swinging, and there were no runs to end the inning; the Twins still led 2-1. That was a much-needed reprieve for the Twins, and their nine straight losses of one-run games. They needed a break, and finally caught one. Royce Lewis and Ty France came in to pinch-hit for Matt Wallner and Kody Clemens, but a Lewis walk was stifled when France hit into a double play. No insurance runs materialized, and in the seventh, they rolled with Louis Varland on the mound. The Marlins put a little pressure on Varland, whom Pete Maki decided to visit only 11 pitches in, but had a one-out, two-on situation and a chance to tie up the game. Harrison Bader had been all over the outfield tonight, making insanely aggressive plays keeping the Marlins from scoring. On a line-drive single by Xavier Edwards, Connor Norby tried to score from second, but Bader fired a strike to the plate to nab him. The Marlins challenged the play that would give the Marlins a tying run (again) for interference. They lost the call and their challenge, the Twins still led 2-1. The Marlins had bases loaded and tried one more time, but a fly ball to Bader (shocker) ended the inning. Griffin Jax came out to relieve Danny Coulombe, and got out of the inning with a very fresh arm in 14 pitches. This week is some of the best Twins pitching fans have seen in weeks, and the offense finally showed up just enough. Jhoan Duran shut the door handily in the ninth, giving the Twins a chance for a .500 road trip with a win Thursday. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series with the Marlins, with a getaway game before heading back home for their longest homestand this season, before the All-Star Break. David Festa (2-2; 5.40 ERA) will be taking the mound against Eury Pérez (0-2; 6.19ERA) at 11:10 AM CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (93 pitches, 61 strikes (59%)) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (9) Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (.350); Willi Castro (.125); Louis Varland (.094) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins pitching staff has been dismal throughout the month. It seems like in every game, there is a situation where a pitcher struggles and runs up their pitch count in some untenable way, or serves up meatballs and watches opponents feast, giving the offense a Herculean task trying to pull out a win. Joe Ryan started Wednesday night against Seattle, though, and although he needed 41 pitches to get through the first two innings, he seemed mostly in control. His appearance in the third was much quicker and better, getting out with only 10 pitches and no Mariners runs. This was the first time this series that the pitching staff has kept the Mariners from scoring in the first three innings. All things being equal, the Mariners also kept the Twins from making any progress at all. Seattle has been exceptional of late. Everything about the Mariners has been firing on all cylinders this season. Since 2022, they have continued to be a postseason threat, and until Houston’s most recent run, they were first in the American League West. They still look like a team who can hang around in that race The Twins, who climbed the standings in May and were able to stay above .500 for three weeks, are more of an enigma. All the parts are there, it seems, but if the pitching is great, they don’t get runs. If the pitching is off and giving up a lot of runs, they get runs, but not enough to win. Ryan has been the closest thing to a steady presence in the run prevention corps this month, and that continued Wednesday. The only issue was his high pitch count. He saw 93 pitches by the sixth inning, but he also struck out Cal Raleigh three times, which is half the battle against Seattle. Raleigh is a menace at the plate against the Twins. He’s had a home run against the Twins in the past five games the two teams have played, and entered Wednesday night on a torrid streak overall. Ryan gave up a hit to Randy Arozarena in the fourth, but Christian Vázquez cut down Arozarena on a steal attempt. That nipped the biggest threat the Mariners might have mounted all night in the bud. An error by Ty France put Luke Raley on first base, but Ryan shut down the inning by striking out Donovan Solano. Ryan was exactly what the Twins needed him to be Wednesday night: a stopper. The game remained scoreless, until Byron Buxton happened. Buxton got his first hit of the night in the bottom of the sixth, and continued to take large leads during Trevor Larnach’s at-bat, putting pressure on Mariners pitcher George Kirby. When Larnach hit a might-have-been double-play ball to the right side, Buxton was already in motion, landing safely at second despite the groundout. Buxton was feeling extra spicy tonight on the bases, and kept Kirby on his toes throughout Willi Castro’s at-bat. The mental games paid off. On the ninth pitch, Castro pulled a grounder between first and second that scored Buxton, giving the Twins the first run of the night, 1-0. The inning ended with a groundout from Carlos Correa, but the Twins had all the runs they'd need. Louis Varland stepped in to relieve Ryan in the seventh inning, and kept anxiety and stress to a minimum. He walked Arozarena, but struck out Raley, and the remaining batters fell victim to the Twins' defense to end the inning. The Twins would have another chance at the bottom of the seventh inning to get some insurance, in hopes of securing a win. Both Matt Wallner and Ty France struck out to start the bottom of the inning, but Kody Clemens stepped up to the plate and gave the team exactly what they needed. Clemens knocked a two-out, oppo-taco blast to left-center to give the Twins another run, for a 2-0 lead. Griffin Jax dispensed with the Mariners on nine pitches in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Jhoan Duran came back out for his first save opportunity since June 8. He locked it down as though it was still an everyday thing, including a strikeout of former teammate Jorge Polanco. What's Next The Twins finish out the long four-game series with Seattle Thursday, a getaway game before heading back into a divisional series with the red-hot Detroit Tigers. Simeon Woods-Richardson (2-4; 5.06 ERA) will be taking the mound against Emerson Hancock (3-3; 5.43 ERA) at 12:10PM CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: David Festa 6 IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 4K (86 pitches, 51 strikes (59%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (11) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.341); Willi Castro (.253); Brooks Lee (.090) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) David Festa took his second turn since being recalled to replace the injured Pablo López Wedneaday, facing the Rangers for the second time in his short MLB career. The first game was Aug. 17, 2024 in Texas, when he pitched five innings, allowing six hits, two runs, and zero walks. He also recorded six strikeouts. It was the last real peak in the Twins' up-and-down season; their freefall began the next day. Festa had a solid first inning, and a much better start than his appearance against the Athletics last week. He pitched five innings, only gave up two runs and struck out four. The first run came from Marcus Semien, who took him deep on a 1-1 a changeup leading off the second and got the Rangers on the board first, 1-0. Jonah Heim got ahead of Festa in the count and got his fourth double of the season the next inning, and another double from Josh Smith, scored Heim to push the score up 2-0. It could have gotten ugly, right then and there—but it didn't. What might have been a two-out, two-run double by Semien to break another game open in the top of the third instead became Byron Buxton's latest chance to prove his greatness. The Twins bats were a little slow to catch up tonight, but once Buxton got the party started with that catch, he knew how to keep it going. Bottom of the third, a double from Brooks Lee, and a walk from Christian Vázquez set the table. Buxton feasted, with a 479-foot home run to left-center to flip the scoreboard and utterly electrify the crowd. Especially after last night, being ahead on the scoreboard and being able to answer back gave the team the steam needed to move forward. And move forward they did. In the fifth, a Buxton double chased Rangers starter Jack Leiter. He'd be retired on a fielder's choice, but later in the frame, with two outs, Willi Castro lashed a line-drive triple, scoring both Ty France and Matt Wallner for a 5-2, lead. For good measure, Carlos Correa hit his 13th double of the season, scoring Castro and giving the team one more insurance run and Festa a little more room to come in for his final inning up 6-2. Festa finished the sixth inning starting with a strikeout, followed by two defensive outs. Festa pitched an absolute gem of a game after a shaky second inning, and got the well-deserved run support he needed. Festa was relieved by Brock Stewart for the seventh and Stweart only threw 13 pitches to get out of a very clean inning. Louis Varland replaced Stewart for the eighth and battled a little bit to get out of the inning. He allowed two singles, before finally striking out Wyatt Langford for the first out. With two on base and only one out a mound visit to discuss exit strategy took place, and like it was planned two defensive outs ended the inning, with no damage. The Twins ended the night with closer Johan Duran, who didn't earn a save thanks to the cushion he had to work with but shut things down nicely. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series with a rubber match, together with a getaway game before a series in Houston. Bailey Ober (4-2; 3.78ERA) will be taking the mound against Patrick Corbin (3-5; 3.52ERA) at 12:10PM CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo López 5 IP, 4H, 4ER, 2BB, 3K (95 pitches, 63 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Pablo López (-.184); Royce Lewis (.-127); Ryan Jeffers (-.075) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) There are few things less comfortable than touching rubber on a hot day, and the Twins never looked at ease during their rubber match with the Rays Wednesday. The game-time temperature was over 90°, with a heat index more in the range of a Jhoan Duran fastball. The Twins put together a tepid first-inning rally, but nothing came of it. That would turn out to be emblematic of the whole game. Pablo Lopez started out hot—literally and figuratively. Pablo gave up a single off his sweeper to Brandon Lowe, but got a force out at second. The temperature on the field was 119 degrees at the start of the game and the water in the dirt was maybe just a little too much. When Pablo went to recover the ball, he slipped and disturbed the sand. The crew came out to put in a little mud patch and the game resumed. López cruised through three frames, but he was visibly off, even then. The Twins ace labored heavily through the fourth inning, and the Rays were able to get on the board starting with a home run from Brandon Lowe. Jonathan Aranda made it on a single to right-center, and was brought home on another homer from Junior Caminero. The Rays were up 3-0 with no outs in the frame. A mound visit gave a very tired and sweaty Lopez a moment to breathe and catch up to himself. Chandler Simpson, who had reached on a single, stole second base and Lopez walked Kameron Misner, who stole second, in tandem with Simpson stealing third during a Danny Jensen plate appearance. Jensen’s hit was a pop fly to second baseman, Brooks Lee, which resulted in an out, and the two stolen bases were stifled. Cole Sands came out for the sixth inning and threw a quick 15 pitches to get out of the inning, a near-perfect inning. The Twins bullpen continues to be a menace to hitters, as Jorge Alcala proved in the seventh with another shutout, 11-pitch inning. Alas, after that quick clap of Tampa thunder, the game was never very much in doubt. There was a chance to tilt the balance in the seventh, with two runners aboard, but a Royce Lewis fly ball died at the wall in right-center field. That would be as close as the Twins came to scoring, let alone catching up. Carson McCusker, who joined the Twins last week, got his first hit of his career, but it wasn't enough. The Twins drop the series to the Rays, and now head to the West Coast to continue this 10-game road series. Unfortunately, they'll find an even better and more balanced opponent in Seattle. Maybe the change in weather will help. What’s Next? Minnesota is off Thursday, and their schedule will resume (hopefully, with one or two more healthy hitters at their disposal) Friday night. Zebby Matthews (0-1, 7.71ERA) will be taking the mound against a pitcher to be announced at a later time. The game will start at 9:10 pm CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K (82 pitches, 52 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (5) Top WPA: Joe Ryan (.232); Carlos Correa (.119); Brooks Lee (.114) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins dropped the first game of the series versus the Rays 7-2 on Monday, but Tuesday night, they wasted no time getting out in front with Joe Ryan on the mound. Ryan responded with three scoreless innings to open the contest, although he needed some help from his defense along the way—including multiple gems from Carlos Correa. Trevor Larnach led off today, and punched out his seventh double of the season to start the game, followed by a single from Correa (who has had a hit in nine games out of the 16 he has played in May and is hitting .375 since coming back from his concussion). A sac fly from Brooks Lee scored Larnach to put the Twins on the board 1-0, as good hustle and a great slide got Larnach past the tag in time. Kody Clemens continues to be a menace. He swatted his fifth home run of the season in the top of the second, to widen the lead to 2-0. Rays pitcher Taj Bradley tightened up after that, allowing just the two runs. The next time he allowed a hit was in the top of the fifth (Clemens again), but that was it. No more for the Twins lineup. Ryan didn't have a bad day, but he didn't have an easy day, either. By the time he reached the fourth inning, Ryan was laboring. The Rays got ahead of Ryan in the count a few times, and had a lot of movement on the bases. It was also the fourth time they had someone on third base, and while the defense did their job chasing down hard-hit balls (highlighted by a diving catch in right field from Clemens), the Rays kept the pressure on. The Rays' Brandon Lowe, hit a hard double out to the right-field wall. A single from Jonathan Aranda scored Lowe, to cut the lead to 2-1. A mound visit was the Twins' attempt to give Ryan some time to breathe, but with two outs in the inning, Ryan hit José Caballero to put more on base. He got out of the jam on a fly ball to left, but ran up his pitch count to 68. A small side note: The defense had a little different look tonight. With Byron Buxton still out, Harrison Bader’s finger ailing and Royce Lewis on the bench, Clemens took over right field, Willi Castro was in left and DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was in center. All of them acquitted themselves well, though Castro did lose the ball in the sky on a key single for Tampa. Ryan was back out in the fifth and took back command of his pitches, logging a 1-2-3 inning in efficient fashion. The heat and humidity wer certainly a factor in tonight's game: If a bat grabbed the ball, it traveled. In the top of the sixth, Bradley walked Ryan Jeffers, and Correa got on base with a single. Brooks Lee hit a grounder to Lowe at second. He tried to start a double play, but his throw was too high, off the upstretched glove of the shortstop and trickling into left field. The error scored Jeffers to get back the run the Twins had lost and restore a two-run lead, 3-1. Louis Varland came out to replace Ryan. Caballero hit a single against him, then stole both second and third. Jeffers attempted to pick him off at second and third, but was unsuccessful in each attempt, and the next ground out from Kameron Misner scored Caballero to close the gap again: 3-2. While the weather truly had a factor in tonight’s game to help move the ball along, Correa took every advantage that he could and squared up every chance. He went 3-for-4 and got his ninth double of the season. Correa’s aggressive hitting and baserunning gave the Twins a huge advantage, and a base hit from old reliable Ty France brought Correa back home again, getting back their run and stretching the advantage to 4-2. The one constant tonight was the striking out of Yandy Diaz. Every pitcher who came in dominated Diaz at the plate, and reliever Griffin Jax was no different. Jax’s relief appearances have been better and better, and against the Rays tonight, he shut them down to secure the lead heading into the ninth. Jhoan Duran came in to close out the game and keep things in the win column. The Rays brought the tying run to the plate in the person of Caballero, who hit a long fly ball to left, but it settled into the glove of Keirsey (who'd moved over in a defensive switch) for the final out. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series tomorrow with the Rays. Pablo Lopez (4-2; 2.31ERA) will be taking the mound against Drew Rasmussen (3-4; 2.60ERA) at 12:10PM CST. Postgame Interviews Rocco Baldelli - Postgame Interview 5/27/2025"> Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Oh THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Doncon is one of the only things keeping the Mussels going. I thought all the pitchers yesterday seemed to labor at some point. I think for me, the interesting thing between the Minors and the Majors is the length of innings and how many pitches they throw in such a short amount of time. And, I equally love how out of hand hitting CAN get in Minor Leagues. it's so exciting, but when it's against us, I hate it. ha ha

Yesterday was miserable, and I was out coaching baseabll in the morning/early lunch time and I was fried, so it was hard to finally positives ha ha. Walker Jenkins! yes, he is STILL on the IL. I have not heard anything about him either!

I absolutely will. I did NOT do well this article.