Sherry Cerny

Like the emotions of the fans, this game was up and down for three hours, but Trevor Larnach and Byron Buxton's grind shone through. Their big hits solidified the win. Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score SP: David Festa 4.0 P, 4H, 2ER, 3BB, 5K (84 pitches, 52 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (3), Byron Buxton (5) Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (.389); Ryan Jeffers (.176); Ty France (.148) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) In David Festa's third start of the season, he worked a fairly uneventful first inning, allowing one baserunner but promptly picking him off to end the frame. Festa's bat-missing ability and sheer stuff at the back end of an injury-weakened Twins rotation has been a balm for the last two-plus weeks. The Twins faced pitcher Bryse Wilson, who had a few issues getting ahead in the count. Edouard Julien, Luke Keaschall and Trevor Larnach combined to load the bases with only one out. All three players were stranded, though, as another Correa line drive landed in a defender's glove for a double play to end the inning. It seems like even when Correa does something right, this year, it goes wrong. The White Sox threatened in the top of the second, with two outs, After a leadoff walk to Chicago rookie Edgar Quero, Miguel Vargas hit a two-out single to center field that sent Quero to third. On a pop-up near the Twins' dugout, though, Ty France made a fine catch to retire Brooks Baldwin and thwart the rally. The bottom of the second was a maddening remix of the bottom of the first: flyout, double, flyout, hit batter, walk, all to bring up Byron Buxton with the bases loaded again. Alas, Buxton was called out on strikes, and another chance went by the boards. The Twins would leave 13 runners on base for the game. Finally, in the third, the team managed to dent the scoreboard. Another Correa double play almost killed a promising rally, but an opposite-field single from Ty France brought home Luke Keaschall with the first run of the game. Meanwhile, Festa seemed to settle in, striking out three and allowing just two hits in the third and fourth, combined. Julien started the fourth with his fifth double of the season, battling lefty Brandon Eisert. Buxton struck out, but Keaschall advanced Julien to third and Larnach brought him home with a single to center. Both lefties came in and made magic happen against a left-handed pitcher. In the fifth, however, Festa hit a wall. He walked the eight-hitter and got entangled in a 10-pitch battle with pinch-hitter Bobby Dalbec, who eventually won that confrontation with a single. Suddenly, his pitch count was elevated, the Twins' lead was imperiled, and Rocco Baldelli went to his bullpen—only to find whatever the opposite of relief is. In the hands of Cole Sands, the inning absolutely unraveled for the Twins. Sands walked Joshua Palacios, then uncorked a wild pitch that scored Baldwin and moved Dalbec to third. A Texas Leaguer from frustrated would-be Tuesday hero Andrew Benintendi found the grass in front of Buxton, bringing home the tying run. One batter later, a Keaschall error allowed Palacios to score, and by the time the Twins stopped the bleeding, they were behind 3-2. Thankfully, Twins hitters don’t seem to give up easily. The bottom of the fifth was an instant answer, and the White Sox started to fall apart. France walked, Jeffers smacked a single to advance France, and a single by Brooks Lee scored France, with no outs and runners on first and second. The game was tied 3-3, The following inning, Larnach aimed a 9-iron well and gave the home team a 4-3 advantage. Griffin Jax came out to the seventh, looking more confident after his stellar outing Tuesday night. Jax cruised through the frame, with two punchouts. He seems to be back on track. The Twins got some much-needed insurance runs in the seventh. Harrison Bader walked, and with two outs, Buxton banged out a 414-foot, two-run homer for a 6-3 lead. Keaschall continued to terrorize the White Sox pitching staff on the bases. After a plunking put him on base, the Sox had the audacity to attempt back-to-back pickoffs against him. With their disengagements used up, Keaschall was off on the next pitch, for his fifth steal in as many tries—and as many big-league games. What’s Next? The Twins finish out the series at home with a day game. Chris Paddack (0-2; 7.27 ERA) will be taking the mound against Shane Smith (0-1; 2.82ERA) at 12:10 PM CST. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Mussels relied heavily on their pitching to dominate Bradenton this week, and it gave them a series win. The other affiliates added doubleheaders to their schedule due to rain. Image courtesy of © Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 7-13 St. Paul Saints: 7-10 Wichita Wind Surge: 8-7 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 9-5 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 8-7 TRANSACTIONS No transactions to note. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul x, Iowa x Box Score ****POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER**** Another double header to be scheduled at a later date WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita x, Box Score ****DAY OFF**** KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids x, Peoria x Box Score ****POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER**** Double header to be scheduled at a later date MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Bradenton 0 Box Score The Mussels are hoping they will get a series win to end this stretch going into a new week. They had two previous shutouts against Bradenton and were in a good position to take the series. Pitcher Jakob Hall got his second career start for the Mussels on the mound against the Bradenton Marauders. In his April 10th appearance, he lasted 2 ⅓ innings and came out with some lower back discomfort, but appears to be feeling better. He went three up; three down, all on the ground to get started. The first inning was just a glimpse at how the rest of the game would go. Byron Chourio is back in the lead up spot with Jay Thomasson in second for the second game in a row. Chourio is very patient at the plate and can usually see five to six pitches an at-bat and got a walk to start today’s game in lead-off, the 17th walk for the Mussels this season. Thomasson hit a line drive force out to first baseman Axiel Plaz gunning to shortstop Konnor Griffin to get out Chourio. Thomasson stole second during Yasser Mercedes at-bat. Bradenton’s pitcher had a very rough time with the zone, he continued to allow the Mussels hitters to stay ahead in the count walking Mercedes. With runners in scoring position, Jose Rodriguez was walked, loading the bases after Valdez was behind on the count 3-0, bringing up Daniel Pena, the Mussels power hitter. Pena was the first victim of Veldez’s successful mound visit, getting a fly-out leaving all three players on base and no hits or runs generated. The first hit of the game came from Bradenton’s Johnny Severino in the third inning but a series of bad defensive plays threatened to let Bradenton get on the board. Second baseman Yohander Martinez, bobbled the ball in an attempt to get out runner Severino to first. Hall attempted to pick off Severino stealing second, but Martinez bobbled. Martinez picked up an error for the missed play. After some drama from Brandenton’s head coach over an out called at first for his hitter Andrew Patrick grounded to Thomason; but was called out at first, the Mussels got out of the inning with no damage. The game was scoreless, but the Mussels continued to carry momentum into the bottom of the fourth attempting to create scoring opportunities, but a swift double play from Daniel Pena line drive to pitcher Mendez to second baseman Jeral Toledo. Jacob Kisting came in for Hall and struggled a little bit in the fifth after his first ground out, he hit Patrick in the shoulder to get Patrick on first base, followed by a stolen base and then a walk from Joel Mendez. The Mussels got their second out from a Soloman Maguire force out to Carr, with Mendez as the victim of the out. The Mussels got out of the inning with no damage on a final fly out from Konnor Griffin. Going into a scoreless fifth, two of the only three hits of the day were by the first two guys up Chuorio and Bricenio. Bricenio walked with his appearance, and Chuorio got a single with only one out and Thomason coming up to bat. Thomason was 1-2 when Chourio decided to take off from second and was picked off at third, and Thomason got out swinging. Only one player had made it to third base, but continued RISP issues throughout the season continued today. Keeping the game scoreless through six. Mussels pitcher Devin Kirby started the seventh inning, retiring all three hitters all on the ground. Finally in the seventh there was a productive plate appearance for the Mussels. Carr walked and was replaced by Angel Del Rosario and on a pick off throw advanced to second on an error from first baseman Jose Garces. Del Rosario scored on a ground out from Martinez, getting on the board after seven long innings, the Mussels were up 1-0. For a second time, a Bradenton player’s base running ended in an out and manager Jim Horner came out of the dugout to express his frustration (for the second time this game) and this time it ended in his ejection. The argument came after Braylon Bishop was picked off at second, and an earlier double play where their hitter made it to first base, but they didn’t challenge the out. The Mussels have given Bradenton a run this week, and tension was bubbling over with Bradenton trailing 1-0 deep into the game. Bradenton had one more attempt to catch up to the Mussels in the top of the ninth, but pitcher Kade Bragg shut them down and shut out another game 1-0 for the third time this week. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Yohander Martinez (0H, 0R, 1RBI, 0BB, 1K) is the man to credit with the RBI for the day. His soft ground out to first allowed Pinch Runner, Angel Del Rosario to score the only run for the Mussels Pitcher of the Day Devin Kirby (2H, 0R, 0BB, 1K; 2.57 ERA) Kirby came in to relieve Jacob Kisting. Kirby had a great command of the plate and the one hit he did give up to Bishop, he picked him off trying to advance to second. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Saturday. #3 - Luke Keaschall (St. Paul) - Postponed #15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0R, 0H, 0RBI, 1BB, 1K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS White Sox @ Minnesota (6:40 PM CST) - TBD Indianapolis @ Saints (11:07 PM CST) - TBD Springfield @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - TBD Fort Meyers @ ClearWater (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Sunday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

The Twins rookie made huge waves in his MLB debut, but relief pitching drowned the team late in another devastating loss to the Braves. Image courtesy of © Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Chris Paddack 5.0 P, 3 H,1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (88 pitches, 57 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (1) Top 3 WPA: Paddack (.174); Luke Keaschall (.085), Ryan Jeffers (.072) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The big headline in this game: Luke Keaschall joined the Twins tonight as the designated hitter, making his major-league debut as the team's No. 8 hitter. He was called up to replace Matt Wallner, the team's best hitter thus far who landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury. The pressure was on for Keaschall to help spark a struggling offense and he was ready to deliver. Coming off a series victory against the Mets that culminated with a walk-off on Wednesday, the Twins hoped they were building a little momentum as they headed into Atlanta to face a Braves that has struggled about as much as they have in the early going. Braves pitcher Bryce Elder appeared locked in the first inning, but back-to-back doubles from Carlos Correa and Ryan Jeffers soon brought the first run of the game. In his first at-bat, Keaschall got his first major league hit and his first RBI, scoring Jeffers to give the Twins a 2-0 lead and then stealing second for good measure. Keaschall would add a double down the left field line in his second at-bat, helping the Twins build a 4-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning. Things were moving along pretty smoothly up to this point. Chris Paddack allowed pitched well for a second straight outing, holding up the lead through his five innings of work. After a rough start, Paddack continues to bring down his ERA and look better each time out. His first game against the White Sox, he allowed nine earned runs. Since then he has a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings. Louis Varland came in to replace Paddack for the sixth inning. Paddack left with 88 pitches and just one run allowed. Varland stayed on the mound for mere moments getting the Braves out on defensive plays and striking out Sean Murphy to shut down the inning. Varland has been on fire this season, a testament to the work he's done with pitching coach Pete Maki to harness his potential as a reliever. Coming off an off day, the bullpen was fresh and fully stocked. Danny Coulombe came out for the seventh for Varland to keep the Braves from getting on the board. The Braves kept battling, but couldn't get around the defense from the Twins. Griffin Jax whose blown lead on Wednesday forced the Twins to win in extras, was Rocco Baldelli's choice tonight with a three-run lead in the eighth. Jax set down the first hitter with a strike out, but walked Marcel Ozuna and things snowballed from there. Matt Olson ripped a sharp line drive to right field advancing Ozuna, threatening with first and third and only one out. Ozzie Albies hit an infield single to Ty France, who dove for the ball, making a mistake by not letting Edouard Julien field it. Ozuna scored on the play. Jax followed with yet another walk, loading the bases, and got pulled in favor of Cole Sands. Back-to-back singles cemented the meltdown and put the Braves ahead 6-4. The Twins went quietly in the ninth, and another heartbreaking loss was in the books. Jax now has an 11.25 ERA on the season. What’s Next? The Twins are in Atlanta this weekend to hopefully pull off another series win. Simeon Woods Richardson (1-1; 4.30 ERA) will be taking the mound against veteran Chris Sale (0-2; 6.63 ERA) at 6:15PM CST. Post Game Interviews N/A Apple TV Bullpen Report View full article

Will someone, for the love of God, get Andie MacDowell and Bill Murray to fall in love with each other, so the Twins can stop starting 7-12 every year? Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images It’s like Groundhog Day (1993), only instead of waking up over and over to another day of bad weather, it’s another season of bad baseball. At the end of last season, all eyes were on the White Sox, but it’s the Twins who are battling a 19-39 record since last August. Some things have changed, but some things (and people) have stayed the same. Let’s dive in. By the Numbers Despite talking a big game about changing the core of the team in October, the Twins front office made minimal changes in that regard. The players they did bring in—Danny Coloumbe (again), Harrison Bader and Ty France—happen to be three of the better producers of this young season. Bader and France, on paper, are doing more for the team than players like Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. France has a stat line of .265/.324/.397, while Correa has batted .164/.227/.246. If we are looking at what has changed and what has stayed the same, the evidence suggests that change has been good. Maybe there should have been more of it. The fans were promised a solution to the problems that plagued the team last year; one was not provided. The Trio Last season, the Twins had no Buxton or Correa and a struggling Royce Lewis during that nightmarish final stretch. This season, there is no Lewis, and a struggling Correa and Buxton. This was supposed to be the trio that would carry the team each year, but they can’t even be on the same field for more than five games together. Do they all three have to be together to make something happen? Does this trio only work when they are together on the field and in the lineup? And doesn’t it feel, going even further back than 2024, like we’re going through the same cycles of losing them, in turns, over and over? Is there a problem with developing healthy cornerstone players here? Is it something the front office is doing wrong? Are they accepting too much injury risk when they evaluate potential draft picks, invest in players via extensions, or sign top-tier free agents? Realizing there are a lot of unanswered questions, we must then turn to the one thing that is a constant, the manager. Lost Faith in a Manager The team did hire a new hitting coach, but the lineup continues to struggle. Is it possible that the problem is with the manager? There have been louder-than-average whispers, the past three seasons, that manager Rocco Baldelli may be a portion of the problem. With all the same players being the cornerstone of the club, there is room to discuss the possibility that the players have lost faith in their manager, or that Baldelli's famously (and, generally, positively) consistent messaging has gone stale by having to be rehearsed to the same audience so often. This is a chicken-and-egg problem, which means it has no definitive answer, but throughout baseball history, when a group of players consistently underachieves, it usually winds up landing in the lap of the manager. There are believers in Baldelli, but there are also many who wonder why he's unable to get consistency from his players on the field. Last season, there were health issues, but there was also never a consistent “who’s playing” lineup, and the team could never get into a swing—pun intended. Keeping everyone involved has value, but so does assuring several players that they'll play every day, so they can prepare the same way for each game. The problem is, there's no one person to whom you can necessarily pin blame for errors, but as failures mount, someone will have to be held accountable. The collaboration between the front office and the manager and his staff is so seamless that they'll have a hard time pointing fingers at one another, but if the problems are things like playing too many matchups, pulling starting pitchers too soon, or doing too much roster churn, then little will change if the executive group fires Baldelli. Many of those things are their call, even more than his. Firing the players was an option, in a sense, last fall. Now, they've missed that shot, so a shakeup to leadership might be their only option. When players lose confidence in a manager's strategic choices—regardless of personal respect—it can lead to a breakdown in psychological cohesion and on-field execution. This disconnect may manifest subconsciously through decreased focus, hesitation in situational play, or reduced adaptability under pressure. Internalized stressors such as performance anxiety, role uncertainty, or dissatisfaction with team direction can compound these effects. The result is often a marginal decline in individual performance metrics and overall team efficiency, even if the effort level appears unchanged. Firing Baldelli isn't the answer, but it would be an answer. Not having the answers leaves the fans with more questions. Right now, it sure feels maddeningly, drive-off-a-cliff-in-a-stolen-van-with-your-favorite-celebrity-varmint possible that Groundhog Day will continue until the Pohlads finally sell the team and give everyone some relief. View full article

The Twins have their first home series win of the season, thanks to a bit of manager-encouraged aggressiveness and a whole lot of resilience. Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: David Festa 4.1 P, 5 H,0 ER, BB, 6 K (76 pitches, 51 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Cole Sands (.308), Danny Coulombe (.258), Jhoan Duran (.158) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) In his second start of 2025, David Festa got one fewer out than in the first one—but he might have pitched even better. Festa is up here for Pablo López, who is currently on the 15-day IL, with a hamstring injury. Like all young pitchers who come up to the Show, Festa had to go through some growing pains and adjustment periods last year, and he wasn't initially with the team this year. Only two games in St. Paul, he certainly didn’t have numbers as good as those of counterpart Zebby Matthews, but the team chose a second start in rotation for him over calling up Matthews Wednesday. He’s very well aware that this may not be a full-season engagement, but focused on making the most of each opportunity. The last time Festa saw Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso was July 30, 2024, and both went hitless against him. He continued to handle those two superstars (plus little old Juan Soto, sandwiched in between) very well, in the first frame. The Mets did give him a little commotion, top of two, with a line-drive double from Jesse Winker to right field. Brandon Nimmo’s single on pitch one was a fly ball to Harrison Bader, who quickly hurled the ball home from left to get Winker out at home, eliminating the opportunity of the Mets getting on the board. Festa continued to stay solid, but the Mets' bullpen game was equally effective early. The Twins remained hitless throughout two, getting their first hit in the third: a single from Bader, followed by a bloop ball in the gap in the outfield, by Edouard Julien. Both Bader and Julien saw the opportunities to exploit the Mets defense. Seeing no one at second base, Julien made it to second and Bader landed on third. Both Bader and Juien’s aggression at the bases is nice to see, but a hard-hit fielder’s choice from Byron Buxton to third baseman Brett Baty allowed the Mets to nail Bader at the plate for the second out. A strikeout by Ty France left Julien and Buxton stranded on first and third to end the inning. Another fruitless inning from the offense. The Twins' defense has been sharp this season, reining in a lot of the baserunning opportunities from the opposition and helping out the pitching staff. Festa, meanwhile, worked out of some trouble in the fourth inning, keeping the contest scoreless. Festa came out to pitch the fifth, and got two on the bases with no outs. He struck out Hayden Senger for the first out. That brought the top of the lineup around a third time, though, and when Festa plunked Lindor to load the bases, manager Rocco Baldelli came out to relieve him with lefty Danny Coulombe. A smart decision in this instance, with Soto coming up. Soto hit a chopper to second baseman Julien—who tagged out Lindor then scrambled to first in time to get Soto out to end the inning. The Twins offense insisted on continuing to be aggressive in the fifth, with a bloop double from Willi Castro to start the inning—which was challenged by the Mets, due to the close meeting of Castro’s hand and the defender's glove. The call was called safe by the office in New York, giving the Twins a huge advantage to start the inning. Well done, Castro. Big move. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. moved Castro to third, bringing up Bader and prompting a pitching change for the Mets with one on and one out. Jose Butto gave up a hard line drive to Bader with his second pitch, scoring Castro, getting the Twins on the board. Buxton then doubled, scoring Bader to put up another run on the board. Ty France was the last out of the inning. France has been 0-10 in his last appearances, after what was starting to look like a hot streak for a few games. The aggressive baserunning and the Mets' lost challenge earlier gave the Twins an advantage in the sixth inning. Catcher Ryan Jeffers doubled, and Castro then hit a grounder that resulted in a race to the bag between himself and the pitcher, Butto. It was abundantly clear he did not beat Butto there, but it didn’t matter with the lost challenge. As the Mets tried to get the out there, though, Jeffers raced all the way home from second and extended the Twins lead to 3-0. Alas, Griffin Jax had another tough outing in a close game. The top of the Mets order strung together four hits and scored three runs against him to tie the game. It was almost worse; Bader came in to snare a line drive to stop the bleeding. Twins closer Jhoan Duran came out for the ninth and took care of business. The Twins would now have to use their aggression at the plate and baserunning to finish this game off and take the series win. They couldn't score in the bottom of the ninth, but Cole Sands induced a crucial double play in the top of the 10th and they avoided allowing even the placed runner to score for the Mets. That set up a chance to walk things off in the bottom half. The Twins started out with Buxton on second base and France at the plate. France, who was 0-4, could have been defeated, and rolled over, but instead, he forgot his last 12 at-bats and hit a clean single. The Mets didn't handle the ball cleanly, anyway, but there was no chance anyone was throwing out Buxton on a play like that. Twins win. Notes Willi Castro left in the eighth inning, with what Rocco Baldelli termed minor right oblique tightness. Baldelli also announced after the game that Matt Wallner will land on the injured list with his strained hamstring. What’s Next? The Twins have played 12 straight but get a day off and then head to Atlanta to play the floundering Braves. Chris Paddack (0-2; 9.49 ERA) will be starting against a pitcher yet to be determined (0; 0.00 ERA) at 6:15PM CST. The game will be on Apple TV+. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The season of injuries is having impacts on the affiliates and while the bats are struggling on some teams, other teams are starting to figure it out. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Darren Bowen) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 5-11 St. Paul Saints: 5-7 Wichita Wind Surge: 6-3 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 6-3 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 4-5 TRANSACTIONS The whole organization is starting to feel the pressure of the losses and the injuries that continue to plague all levels of the game. The club made more roster changes in wake of Jose Miranda’s demotion and more injuries. The Mussels have eight players on the Injured List and are bringing guys up from the Complex across the parking lots starting with right-handed pitcher Xavier Kolhosser. On Sunday, he made his pro debut as the starting pitcher for the Mussels. First baseman Kevin Maitan has been transferred from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids. Maitan is 24 years old and has played in three games so far this season, going 3-for-10, but has a strong presence defensively at first base. The former Top 100 prospect played for the Kernels last year after the Twins signed him out of independent ball. Wichita pitcher Jarret Whorff with the Surge after one day up at St. Paul. He threw three innings, allowing two runs. The Twins optioned infielder Jose Miranda after Saturday’s game against Detroit. Infielder Brooks Lee was called up to the Twins after completing his rehab assignment. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Omaha 5 Box Score Darren McCaughan returned to St. Paul. The 29-year-old had a nice showing in the majors and continued that during his Sunday start on the mound. McCaughan gave up six hits on the day, and two walks, but only allowed an unearned run. The bats of the Saints fell silent after two runs in the bottom of the third when Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a double that drove in Luke Keaschall and Jeferson Morales, giving the Saints a temporary one-run lead over the Storm. The next four innings moved fast, remaining scoreless from both sides. The top of the eighth is when the Saints pitching lost momentum. Huascar Ynoa loaded the bases and gave up four runs that started with an errant throw on a sac-bunt. Ryan Jensen ended the inning with a swinging strikeout from Harold Castro. The Saints had a small rally in the ninth inning. Armando Alvarez drove in Mike Ford to keep things interesting at 5-3, but it wouldn’t be enough. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Midland 2 Box Score The first few innings both teams attempted to get on the board first. Both pitchers were locked in and their defensive assists helped create quick, effortless outs. The first run of the game was a two out, solo home run from Midland’s Brennan Malone off Darren Bowen to get Midland up 1-0. Bowen gave up just the one run on four hits and a walk. He had four strikeouts and threw just 66 pitches, 42 of those being strikes. Bowen was replaced after four innings by Mike Paredes. The Surge caught up to Midland in the fourth inning. Allan Cerda ripped a hard hit line drive to right field for a triple to start the inning. Tanner Schobel came to the plate and for lack of better terms “does what he does” and hit a sac-fly to score Cerda to even up the score 1-1. The Surge lineup continued to produce and got some insurance runs in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch scored Cerda to put the Kernels in a one run lead, 2-1. The Kernels got two more runs on a Jake Rucker single, pushing up the lead to 4-1 before Midland made a pitching change that finally resulted in the third out, but not before a double from Andrew Cossetti scored Rucker to give the Kernels the 5-1 lead. Midland tried to get runs going in the eighth inning, but the Surge pitching staff kept the inning to only one run. The Surge are missing some key players, including a number of impactful prospects including Walker Jenkins and several pitchers. Those injuries had a huge impact on the lineup, but clearly the Surge powered through and came away with a series win, only allowing one win to Midland. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Beloit 7 Box Score The Kernels started out this bookend game to the series hot. The Kernels completely obliterated the Sky Carp’s pitcher in the first inning. To put it plainly, the Kernels hung seven in the first inning. The lineup showed exactly how small ball should be played. The inning started with singles by Kyle DeBarge and Brandon Winokur. Billy Amick walked before Gabriel Gonzalez drove in two runs with a single. Following a balk, Khadim Diaw hit a single to score Amick. Kernels 3-0. The chaos continued for Sky Carp. Diaw stole second base, but on a throwing error Gonzalez scored. Diaw made it home on a double from Danny De Andrade The Kernels were up 5-0 and there were still no outs. Nate Baez grounded out, but Misael Urbina followed with an RBI single that made it 6-0. Caden Kendle was hit by a pitch. DeBarge knocked his second single of the inning to drive in the seventh run of the inning. Brandon Winokur reached on a walk before the final two outs were recorded. The Kernels added another run in the second inning. De Andrade doubled and three Cedar Rapids batters were hit by pitches in the inning. The Kernels took advantage of every single opportunity to steal, walk and put the ball into play. Sky Carp pushed three runs across in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Brandon Winokur stole second base, but more important, DeBarge was on third base and scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-3. By the time the fifth inning rolled around the Kernels were up 9-3, all but two in the line-up had a run scored in the game. Six players had at least one RBI during the game. The runs on the board make those left behind on base easier to stomach. Through six, the Kernels had left eleven on base, but were able to capitalize on the stolen bases and errors by Sky Carp. In the top of the eighth, Juan Mendez came in to relieve Juan Mercedes who gave up three more runs allowing Sky Carp to inch closer to closing the gap. Kyle Hess led of the bottom of the eighth with a double. He later scored the Kernels’ tenth run on a Brandon Winokour ground out to first base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Tampa 4 Box Score Both pitchers for the day were making their pro debut. Xavier Kolhosser had a rough first appearance with the Mussels. The Twins 13th round pick from 2024 out of St. John’s pitched three innings and gave up four runs, three hits (2 home runs), and three walks. Not ideal for a first start, but after the first inning, Kolhosser settled in and didn’t give up anymore damage and ended with six strikeouts in three innings. Pitcher Devin Kirby came in to relieve Kolhosser. The damage was done in the first inning, so the goal was to keep any further damage. Kirby has had three games this season, rocking a 0-0 record and a 9.00 ERA, doesn’t show the consistency that Kirby has but he got a chance to do that today. Kirby pitched two innings, with two hits, two walks and three strikeouts. He did not allow any runs, got out of a potential run situation and lowered his ERA to 3.00 at the end of his appearance. Kirby has been putting in the work and gave the Mussels the chance to bounce back. The lack of runs, do not account for the lack of hits, newly minted Tampa starter, Gage Ziehl, kept the Mussels from gaining any momentum to create runs. The Mussels were continually getting the bat on the ball. Jay Thomasson, Daniel Pena, Isaac Pena and Byron Chourio were the biggest producers of the game. Isaac Pena registered a single right at the top of the sixth followed by Chourio getting on base with a walk advancing Pena to scoring position. Pena continued to advance on a sac-fly from Thomasson. Tampa’s pitcher rattled at this point and let the rest unravel by hitting his second player Aaron Sabato and then walking in the run Isaac Pena getting the Mussels on the board 1-4. The Mussels tried to rally back, only securing one more run in the bottom of the ninth, losing the game 4-2. The team went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. While the reporting on these numbers may seem fruitless, it does speak a lot to the situational hitting of the team and the defense that they are up against. There are a lot of hits that continue to happen, across all levels of the club where there are lots of bats on balls, but they struggle to produce runs, fizzling out to ground outs, soft hits to the infield and sac-flies. The hope is that as the days go on, the consistency will help them find a way to convert to runs. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Gabriel Gonzalez (1H, 1R, 2RBI, 2BB, 0K) Gonzales was a playmaker Sunday. He was always on base to help with steals, scoring and a place holder to keep the score up. Gonzales continues to grow his stats and his impact on the team. Pitcher of the Day Mike Paredes (0H, 0R, 2BB, 3K; 0.00 ERA) came after four innings and only one run given up by Bowen. Parades had three scoreless innings getting his first win of the season. He has a total of eight innings pitched, seven strikeouts and a .60 Whip. His pitching more than likely kept the opposing team from adding more runs. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - Injured List (ankle) #2 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 0R, 1H, 2RBI, 0BB, 2K #3 - Luke Keaschall (St. Paul) - 1R, 0H, 0RBI, 1BB, 0K #4 - Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Didn’t Pitch #5 - Andrew Morris (St. Paul) - Didn’t Pitch #6 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Didn’t Pitch #7 - Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (wrist) #8 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1R, 2H, 1RBI, 2BB, 0K #9 - Cory Lewis (St. Paul) - Didn’t Pitch #10 - Connor Prielipp (Wichita) - Didn’t Pitch #11 - Dasan Hill (Fort Myers) - Didn’t Pitch #12 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - Injured List #13 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2R, 2H, 1RBI, 2BB, 0K #14 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) - No games yet. #15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - Didn’t Play #16 - Rayne Doncon (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (oblique) #17 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) -1R, 0H, 0RBI, 3BB, 2K #18 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - Didn’t Play #19 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 1R, 1H, 2RBI, 2BB, 2K #20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 0H, 0R, 0W, 2K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS NY Mets @ Minnesota (7:40 PM CST) - Joe Ryan (1-1; 2.65 ERA) Saints @ Iowa (6:38 PM CST) - Zebby Matthews (1-1; 1.80 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (6:05 PM CST) - Ricky Castro (0-1, 20.25 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:35 PM CST) - TBD Bradenton @ Fort Myers (7:05 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Sunday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

In the third game of their four-game series at Kauffman Stadium, the Twins finally gave Byron Buxton his first off day of the 2025 season. Necessary though that might be, it only made the question more pressing: where would this dismal lineup find some runs? Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 7.0 P, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (85 pitches, 63 strikes (74%)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (1), Ty France (1) Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (.464); Ty France (.105); Griffin Jax (.056) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Joe Ryan started the game by putting on a masterclass during the first 7 innings, retiring six in order over the first two frames and only using 23 pitches. The first hit for the Royals came in the third, on a one-out single for Maikel García. Both Edouard Julien and Willi Castro had run-saving plays thereafter, scuppering the potential for the Royals to get on the board first. The Twins offense continued its struggle, striking out five times in three innings, and playing into outs the others. Even with Byron Buxton out of the lineup, they continue to swing at everything and make tepid contact. There seems to be no real order at the plate; they hit more desperate than disciplined. The one thing that the lineup did do, however, was run the pitch count up on starter Seth Lugo. Lugo had 55 pitches with only one out in the third. Carlos Correa drew the first walk of the game for Lugo, followed by another walk from Trevor Larnach. Both Correa and Larnach showed a lot of patience at the plate with Lugo, running up the pitches to eight in each appearance. Julien had a 2-2 count with two outs on the board. He fought through the at-bat, fouling off three pitches before getting a single to right field, scoring Correa and leaving Larnach in a pickle that ended in the final out of the inning. The Royals finally threatened in the fourth inning. Ryan allowed a double from Bobby Witt Jr., who then tried to advance to third on a line drive to center fielder Harrison Bader. Bader, however, fired to Julien to get Witt out, getting the inning-ending double play and keeping the Twins ahead on the board. Ryan seemed more locked in than any of his other starts so far this season. Even with the balls the Royals were hitting, they were effortlessly played by the defense. His velocity was not dropping; his four-seamer was used consistently, without issue; and he even used his splitter to get around some of the hitters. The lead was only one going into the top of the sixth inning. Matt Wallner led off by striking out swinging. However, Correa got a two-seam fastball, ripping it down the left-field line for a single. Larnach took an errant ball inside, advancing Correa again to third base. Lugo then intentionally walked Larnach. Ty France ripped a base hit into the gap on the right side, scoring Correa to give the Twins a 2-0 lead and advancing Larnach to second, who stayed put this time. The Royals finally sent Lugo to the showers, after 110 pitches. Ryan got an opportunity to come out for the eighth inning, something that he very well earned. Ryan only got behind the count once, leaving the inning with only 83 pitches. He was superb. Wallner has only seen three lefties this season, but his patience at the plate showed when he hung his first solo home run of the season on Royals pitcher Sam Long to put up the score 3-0. Griffin Jax came in to cover the eighth inning. Jax had a disastrous game on Sunday, being part of the loss of the lead and the game to the Astros, but Wednesday night, Jax locked in and walked out with a scoreless inning. In the ninth, France launched a ball into the Twins bullpen for his first homer as a Minnesota Twin, pushing the score to 4-0. The Twins have not only been lacking in wins, but also in longballs, with only six on the season. Wednesday night, they got two. Jhoan Duran came out to close out the game, and Witt was the only one who would reach base. (He walked.) A short chop to first from Vinnie Pasquantino ended the Twins' six-game losing streak to the Royals. What’s Next? The Twins finish the series against the Royals on Thursday. Bailey Ober (0-1; 12.15 ERA) taking the bump against Michael Wacha (0-2; 4.66 ERA) at 1:10PM CST. The club then heads home after that game to face Detroit. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Almost every team has that one guy—the heart and the soul of the team. And it’s not usually the one that you think of. More often, it’s the guy who was brought in at the last minute, to raised eyebrows and no fanfare. But when the chips are down and fans are anxious, they're the ones who come up big. Image courtesy of © Tim Vizer-Imagn Images In 2023, it was Michael A. Taylor. In 2024, it was Carlos Santana. Now, it’s Harrison Bader. Each of these players joined the team as one-year stopgaps, to fill a pressing need. Taylor was the outfield insurance behind an injured Byron Buxton. Santana was a badly needed upgrade at first base. Each was projected merely as a role player, but ended up as an indispensable piece of the everyday lineup. Now, it’s Bader’s turn. Harrison Bader came to the Twins from the Mets, an out-of-left-field free-agent signing made more thrilling because it was so unexpected. The 30-year-old Bader was selected by the Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 2017 as a center fielder, and won a Gold Glove Award in 2021. Bader bounced from the Cardinals to the Yankees (and then the Reds) in 2023, then to the Mets in 2024. Last season with the Mets, Bader hit .236/.284/.373 in 402 at-bats, with 12 home runs, 51 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. The Twins signed him right before spring training, on a one-year, $6.25-million deal that includes a 2026 mutual option. Already in spring training, we saw glimmers of the potential Bader was bringing to the team. In the third game of Grapefruit League play, the Twins and Yankees traded off homers, but it was Bader who worked around the gusts of 20-mph wind to swat a home run and put the Twins up 2-1. He hasn’t quit since then. Bader is a smooth operator: Pretty hair, and an even prettier swing. In the regular season, he has 24 plate appearances. He already has 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. His .261 batting average says little about his ability to create situations to help dig the team out of the slumps. Twins manager, Rocco Baldelli talked about Bader, his professional routine, how much he likes to work, being on the field and his defensive play ahead of the team's home opener Thursday. “The way he talks about the game, he loves playing baseball. He loves it. He kind of lets his emotion seep out on a regular basis, and his excitement for just being out there,” Baldelli said. He has the most home runs on the team, the most RBIs, and the most (let’s call it) pizazz. Not only has he brought the work ethic, hard defense and hungry plate appearances, but also some color. Bader, who is somewhat famous for wearing his crop tops, and confidently wearing his bright and colorful accessories (Bruce Bolt sliding mitts, guards and headbands), is relatable to a lot of the kids watching the games. He has won over the fans with affectionate names such as, Crop Top Bader Tot, Bader Tot Hotdish, and honestly, just “favorite”. In an interview before the April 5th game, Bader was talking to Dustin Morse about why he wears those colors. He cares about the game. He cares about the way it’s trending, and how to keep the kids interested and grow the game. There is always one—one player who not only produces on the field, but also grows the hearts of the fans. Harrison Bader, this year, you are the one. View full article

It was an interesting day for the minor league teams. Sunday marked the first day that all four full-season affiliates played. Read below to see who came out swinging and who needs some more reps. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Gabriel Gonzalez) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 3-6 St. Paul Saints: 2-4 Wichita Wind Surge: 1-2 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 2-1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 1-2 TRANSACTIONS On Sunday, the Twins sent Brooks Lee on rehab assignment to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Columbus 2 Box Score Another pitching duel. Another blown save in the late innings. An extra-innings loss, and the Saints being shut out again in Columbus. For a guy who has been pulled up and down in the organization, pitcher Randy Dobnak continued to show this organization why he is an asset and why he deserves a chance to stay. Dobnak pitched five scoreless innings and gave up just tone hit. He had three strikeouts and certainly gave his team a chance. Veteran Vince Velasquez started for Columbus and only lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up the only two runs the Saints got. Austin Martin had a single and a walk. Ryan Fitzgerald went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. The Saints struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-10 and left 12 on base. Mike Ford, was walked three times and was responsible for one of the two RBI in combination with Minnesota Twins #2 prospect, Emmanuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez contribution, as small as it was, produced the most for the Saints. In the third inning his single to left field scored Ryan Fitzgerald to give the Saints the 1-0 lead. It also moved Luke Keaschall to scoring position and soon after, a walk by Ford scored Keaschall. The Saints led 2-1 going to the bottom of the ninth and brought in pitcher Anthony Misiewicz to close out the game. Angel Martinez doubled. The next two outs came on a fly out and a whiff. Misiewicz was one out away from closing the game, leaving Martinez on base, but Clippers hitter, Petey Halpin hit a cutter at the bottom of the zone, bringing in Martinez to tie the game 2-2. In the top of the tenth, the Saints got hitters on base, but a fly out from Ford stopped the Saints dead in their tracks. Ryan Jenson came in for the bottom of the 10th and gave up a sac bunt and a sac fly and there was another walk-off loss for the Saints. WIND SURGE WISDOM Game One: Wichita 0, Springfield 5 Box Score After falling to Springfield on opening night, 6-2, the Surge struggled to even get on base in game one of the double header on Sunday. Minnesota native Aaron Rozek was the starting pitcher. He went four innings before he was pulled. But it wasn’t the fourth inning that gave him trouble. It was the innings prior. In the second inning, Rozek gave up four singles and a double to Springfield putting them up 3-0. Rozek could not seem to stay ahead of the hitters, and while he gained a little more composure, and gave up only one run in the fourth, the damage was done. The Wind Surge could not catch back up. The Wind Surge had 22 plate appearances, one hit and walked six times, but went scoreless. Every single bat that found a ball, when it wasn’t a strike found the glove of a defender on Springfield. The Surge struck out seven times. Max Rajcic, the pitcher for Springfield, only allowed one hit, a single on a line drive from Rubel Cespedes. The Surge also walked five times but were never able to push a run across home plate. Game Two: Wichita 10, Springfield 2 Box Score The second game had a much larger margin of victory and this time, it went to the Wind Surge. In the second inning, Noah Cardenas got the scoring started with an RBI single that scored Rubel Cespedes. Tanner Schobel doubled to drive in Kyler Fedko and Cardenas. The line up continued to rake. Before the second inning ended, Kala'i Rosario hit a two-run homer to make it 6-0. Rosario is a solid player and a consistent contributor to the Surge’s runs. Trent Baker started for the Surge against his former teammates. Baker was one of the Twins minor-league Rule 5 draft picks in December. He worked the first three innings. He gave up no runs on no hits. He had three walks to go with three strikeouts. John Klein came on for his Double-A debut. He was charged with two runs on three hits over two innings. Joel Cesar and John Stankiewicz each worked a scoreless inning. In the fourth inning, Ben Ross hit his first home run of the year, a solo shot to centerfield to make it 9-0. Springfield tried to threaten with hits in the ninth but were unable to generate any runs, falling (finally) to the Wind Surge 10-2. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 7 Box Score The Kernels lost for the first time this season on Sunday. After a hard fought battle from the line up. the Kernels fell short in the ninth to reclaim the lead and the win. The Kernels and the Rattlers went head to head throughout the entirety of the game. The Kernels hitters came out hitting. Kaelen Culpepper smashed a triple to center field to lead off the game. Billy Amick who was the best on the field and at the plate all day, doubled on a line drive to left-center to drive in Brandon Winokur, who reached on a fielder's choice. Gabriel Gonzalez switched places with Amick to make it 2-0. The lead would not last long. The Rattlers bats were just as hot and ran up the count on Kernels starter Tanner Hall.. They scored three runs before he got his first out. The Kernels tied it up 3-3 in the second inning, but the work was far from over. The Kernels were forced into situational hitting for the remainder of the game. Every plate appearance hitters would get positioned for scoring with their first or second hitter. The team saw sac-flies, triples and doubles to put the pressure on Wisconsin. Billy Amick was a huge contributor to the Kernels staying ahead throughout the six innings. The third baseman went 3-for-4 with three runs and a walk. There was also a lot of production from left fielder Gabriel Gonzalez. He went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs. The two teams battled though the seventh inning, exchanging the lead eight times. The Rattlers took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh and never relented, securing another run in the eighth. The Kernels were treated to a solo home run from Gonzalez, but the Rattlers shut down any chance of the Kernels coming back with defensive outs, with astrike out from Kyle Hess to end the game. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Palm Beach 11 Box Score The game to close out the series against Palm Beach was intense. A lot of back and forth in the late innings of the game looked to give the Mussels an advantage before falling in the ninth to the Cardinals. The first few innings things looked contentious, but the Mussels and Cardinals started trading off home runs in the third and fourth innings. Both Daniel Peña and Dameury Peña’s solo home runs were tight line-drives down the left field line. The Mussels led 2-1 after the four innings. Jacob Kisting came out to replace Michael Ross who fought for five innings and only gave up one run. Kisting gave up a walk to Deniel Ortiz, and that was just the start of the chaos. The Cardinals kept a steady rotation on the bases after the steal from Ortiz, with a single, a fielders choice to advance Angel Del Rosario. It wasn’t for lack of defense, the defense was creating plays and getting outs, but Kisting seemed to keep the ball directly in the path of the Cardinals bats allowing them to run up the score 5-2 by the end of the inning and another two in the bottom of the seventh pushed them 7-2. The eighth inning was a return on the Cardinals runs. The entire line up took turns getting on base, staying ahead of pitcher Yordy Herrera, who was haunted by the walks he allowed, when Yasser Mercedes got a sac fly that scored Jay Thomasson and Isaac Peña scored to close the gap. A steal from Angel Del Rosario allowed Byron Chourio to score, then scored himself after a throwing error from Josh Kross, got the score up 6-7. The walks that the Mussels generated created a nice cushion to help them throughout the game. They had 12 walks in total, and two stolen bases, but it wasn’t enough to over come the bats of the Cardinals. The Mussels had a 10-7 lead on the Cardinals heading into the ninth after their heavy hitting eighth and ninth to give them the lead. But, errors and a wild pitch would seal the fate of the Mussels, even with pitcher Hunter Hoopes had only one out left. Every player saw a base, with the exception of rehabbing shortstop, Brooks Lee, so he will get a pass. Starting his rehab assignment, Lee struck out twice, but any news is good news for the shortstop who missed opening day for the Twins due to injuries he had from spring training (back). Lee will continue to rehab with the Mussels. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2-2B, HR, 3 RBI Pitcher of the Day - Randy Dobnak (St. Paul): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K, 75 pitches, 39 strikes (52.0%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) – Game 1 (0-for-4, K) #2 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, RBI, 2 K #3 - Luke Keaschall (St. Paul) – 0-for-2, BB, R #7 - Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 3B(1), R, K. #8 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, R, K #13 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, RBI, K, SB(2) #15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, RBI, 2 K #17 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, BB, 3 R, RBI, 2-2B(3), K #18 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - Game 1 (1-for-4, HR(1), R, 2 RBI), Game 2 (0-for-2, BB, K) #19 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(3), HR(1), R, 3 RBI. #20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - Game 1 (2-for-5, R, RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) – RHP Zebby Matthews (1-0; 0.00 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (6:35 PM CST) - TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - TBD Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Sunday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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Bailey Ober and the Twins were both seeking redemption in game two of the Astros series, and they did not disappoint. Signs of life in the lineup and pitching were a vast improvement over Thursday's home opener. Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 4 P, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (84 pitches, 54 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (1) Top 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (.242), Ty France (.099), Bailey Ober (.084) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The game started out with Jose Altuve wasting no time making up for his five-strikeout game on Thursday by hitting a home run off the first pitch, putting the Astros up 1-0 immediately. Altuve has seen Ober twice; both times, home runs. Ober had a drop in velocity over spring training, and it has yet to increase through these two starts. Through the the second inning he had already thrown 44 pitches, but ended up getting out of a jam after the first two batter reached base, and then he retired the side in order in the third. Astros pitcher, Spencer Arrighetti, put the Twins away six up, six down in the first two innings. The offense was able to find the ball with the barrel, but they also found gloves. The third inning showed a little promise when Edouard Julien and Christian Vazquez walked, but Carlos Correa’s at-bat ended with a pop-out to first baseman, Christian Walker, stranding them. Up to that point, Vasquez was 0-11 to the start this season. The fourth inning saw more Astros reach base, but Ober escaped giving up any runs, but also had 84 pitches. In the bottom half, the Twins got on base, at the expense of Byron Buxton taking a pitch to the hand. Buck was visibly uncomfortable but stayed in the game and stole second base. The momentum continued with a walk by Trevor Larnach , and a single line-drive to left field, combined with a bobble from Altuve, scored Buxton standing up, tying up the game 1-1. The bats continued to heat up. Jose Miranda , who has really struggled, waited patiently worked his way back from an 0-2 count before making contact and getting his first home run of the season (and since July 2024), scoring Larnach and Ty France. The Twins were up 4-1 and firing up the crowd and dugout as Vasquez, no longer hit-less, smacked a deep ball into left and dug in to get a stand-up double, prompting the Astros pitching change and bringing up Matt Wallner. Wallner hit a line drive to right, hugging the line, scoring Vasquez, with a stand-up (back-to-back) double. Twins 5-1. Everyone would have a chance to come to the plate this inning, with Correa hitting a chopper to pitcher Tyler Scott, who misthrew the ball to first base, allowing Wallner to score. Twins. 6-1. All it took was a smack on the hand to Buxton for this team to come alive, sending a message: don’t hit our guy. The inning ended the same way it started, with Buxton at the plate, this time a fly ball to center ended his plate appearance. Pitcher Louis Varland replaced Ober, and the Astros threatened to add to their run total with runners on each corner. But Varland struck out Christian Walker to move the game into the sixth. Varland now has eight strikeouts in five innings with his transition to middle relief, and his fastball reached 99.9 mph today. The Twins bullpen has certainly done its job to keep the score down and the game in line. Cole Sands came in to relieve Varland with a 1-2-3 inning. Jorge Alcala came in the seventh and looked strong, but quickly loaded up the bases. Pitching coach Pete Maki had to come out and calm his reliever down with Yordan Alvarez at the plate and bases loaded. Alcala responded with a strikeout looking versus Alvarez, and got Walker to fly out to Larnach. Justin Topa also had a scoreless inning, keeping the Twins locked in at 6-1 heading into the ninth inning, to give Jhoan Duran a chance to close out the game. Duran gave up one hit to Altuve, but shut the rest of the line up down for the first win at home of 2025! It was the longest game this season thus far for the Twins. They continued to show there are gaps in the starting pitching and long at-bat battles with hitters at some points, but it was a great opportunity to see what the club is capable of, especially after losing the home opener. What’s Next? The Twins finish out their home series against the Houston Astros. Chris Paddack (0-1; 24.30 ERA) taking the bump against Ronel Blanco (0-1; 5.40 ERA) at 1:10PM CST. The club then heads to Kansas City for its second round of divisional games. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage View full article

Rain threatened to cancel the rubber game of the Twins' series with the White Sox, but neither team relished their options for a rescheduled contest, so the game went on. On a cold, wet day, the Twins' bats continued to warm up. Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Pablo López 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (98 pitches, 67 strikes (68.3%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (1), Harrison Bader (3) Top 3 WPA: Pablo López .237, Harrison Bader .223, Byron Buxton .116 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins got off to a hot start, with a 446-foot bomb to left-center field by the driver of the Buck Truck. In his first at bat of the game, Buxton hit his first homer of the year to put the Twins up immediately, 1-0. The Twins have had a rough time with their plate appearances, followed by their deja vu issues with runners in scoring position, but there has now been a turning point. The past two games have shown that the offense just needed to get going and that’s exactly what they did. Fresh starts for everyone. Pablo López, who lost his first game of the season, wasted no time following Buxton’s vigor by striking out two hitters. He served up a hittable pitch and suffered hard contact from the Sox's Nick Maton, but a flying Buxton snared the ball to end the frame. López threw 12 pitches, two pitches shy of his 10-pitch goal per inning. No longer held hostage by a dead bat, Carlos Correa managed to get a ground ball into the hole between first and second to get him onto his first official base of the season. It was a moment to celebrate and bask in relief. First baseman Ty France hit a bloop into center field in the top of the fourth to get another rally started, followed by Willi Castro, who was (shocker!) hit by a pitch. Harrison Bader, the charismatic king of crop tops who has been the most consistent bat in the lineup thus far, came to the plate and did what he does, and got a three-run home run, his third of the season, to move the Twins up 4-0. After an 0-18 start, Correa got his second consecutive hit of the season and this game in the fifth, ripping a double that paved the way for an RBI double from Buxton. That put the Twins up 5-0 with only one out. The White Sox replaced Sean Burke with Cam Booser on the mound, but that didn’t slow down the Twins. France got his fourth hit in seven at-bats, an RBI double to score Buxton making it 6-0. The rain that delayed the start of the game by three hours and change once again appeared in the top of the seventh inning, but the game continued, with Lopez pitching right through it. He gave up his first run of the game, a solo home run to Baldwin off a high changeup; blame it on the rain. He still finished seven strong frames. The game made it all nine innings and ended with the Twins on top! Two games, two wins. Let's just forget what came before them. Can they continue the streak when they come home? What’s Next? The Twins come home to have their home series against the Houston Astros. Joe Ryan (0-0; 1.80 ERA) taking the bump against Hunter Brown (0-1; 3.oo ERA) at 3:10PM CST. Target Field has some great new eats, so if you are coming to the game, check them out! Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Report View full article

The Twins made a few moves near the end of the offseason. After Carlos Santana returned to the Guardians, first base wasn't a huge priority, though the signing of Ty France does create some questions. Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Did the Twins need to bring in Ty France when they already had someone like Jose Miranda who can play first base? On the heels of Carlos Santana leaving via free agency, it’s possible that the club wanted to create a little competition rather than just having Miranda completely take over at first base. First In, First Out? We don't know if Miranda was upset about the front office's decision to bring France in. If so, he hasn't acted like it. He hasn’t been the player he was in his outstanding rookie season of 2022. Unfortunately, Miranda was limited to just 40 big-league games in 2023, fighting a shoulder injury most of the season. He had surgery after that season. Last year was mixed with ups and downs. He had an MLB-record hits in 12 consecutive at-bats but then, like several others, really struggled down the stretch. Not even the sausage's magic helped them. Frankly, Miranda’s injuries, performance and lack of consistency makes the front office’s concern understandable. In 2024, he played three positions, most frequently first and third base. With Santana playing Gold Glove defense, Miranda wasn’t needed at first as much. However, manager Rocco Baldelli continued to get him time there to keep him fresh. Third base is called the hot corner for a reason; it’s one of the most-challenging positions to play. All six of Miranda's errors in 2024 came at the hot corner, which is certainly not surprising. Miranda often spelled Royce Lewis at third base. New Kid At First Base? It's not that France is better than Miranda. Comparatively, Miranda had much better appearances at the plate than France did last season. France isn't usually a "slumpy" player. In fact, he enjoyed strong seasons with the Mariners in 2021 and 2022, earning an All-Star nod in ’22 when he was a last-minute addition after Mike Trout opted out due to back problems. Like Miranda, France struggled last season. His struggle came during the season after being hit by a pitch during a Royals game in June, fracturing his foot. Even with the injury, France posted a combined slash line of .234/.305/.365 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 46 runs scored. Had he not been injured, it may have been a different story. Or, perhaps, the trade between the Reds and Mariners and the Injury took a toll on him physically and emotionally. France has always been considered a good clubhouse guy. When the news of the Mariners DFAd him, and France entered free agency, there was a lot of concern that he was washed up. However, France bet on himself. He spent more time in free agency than he would have liked, but he was determined to be the player that everyone, including himself, remembered, France spent the offseason getting “back to basics” and not focusing on analytics, which seems to be this season's theme for many players. He worked on his swing with Twins legend Denny Hocking (whose uniform number was retired by the Twins a few years ago), plating his back foot and stabilizing more, allowing him to make more barrel connections. Everyone Loves France France has been looked at off and on by the Twins front office for a few years. It's early in camp, but it seems his hard work is paying off, and everyone loves him. The Twins front office loves to take players who have a chip on their shoulders. Maybe they had injuries or been passed over by other teams. Mainly a first baseman, France has spent limited time at second and third base in past years. According to Baldelli, he can use the whole field and is a quality defender. But the accolades don’t stop there. During his introductory press conference earlier in the week, Baldelli mentioned that France would not be spending all his time at first base but that he is a strong stability player, a strong hitter who is not strictly in a platoon but will get plenty of at-bats. Baldelli and Tingler are familiar with France and sing his praises, leaving the base to believe that maybe Miranda is being left behind and has to fight for a roster spot. Room for Two? It’s not a rarity that players have to fight for a position in spring training, but the light seems dimmer and dimmer for Miranda to have a permanent place in the lineup with France at first and Royce Lewis at third. The Twins don't want a full-time DH, but Miranda and France are both likely to get at-bats in that role. So will Edouard Julien and any number of the team's veterans to keep them off of their feet for a day. It’s early in spring training, and there are many things to iron out, but at this point, the front-runner for first base seems to be Ty France according to the Twins manager. It will be interesting to see how the starting lineup for Opening Day shakes out. Over the course of a 162-game season, the Twins are likely to need contributions from both players. View full article

There's no time left for load management, or even cautious handling of long-term assets. The only hope for a Twins team in desperate need of an offensive spark is to have their best players give their all. If not now, when? Image courtesy of © Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Everything seemed to be moving toward another strong finish and a second consecutive playoff appearance. Then, it happened. Twins ownership decided not only not to increase the payroll from 2023 to 2024, but to drastically reduce it. As a result, there's about $40 million worth of talent missing from this roster, and its absence has been felt down the stretch, about the way you'd feel it if someone wantonly harvested a kidney from you. Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are star-caliber players, when they're available. Their previous numbers on the field, offensively and defensively, made them outstanding assets to the team. The best part of having such well-rounded, two-way contributors is that they are an integral part of the team's winning game plan, in a way more one-dimensional players can't match. The problem is that both of these irreplaceable talents require replacement too often. When Buxton signed a long-term contract with the Twins, his injuries were considered and priced into the deal. While his availability is limited, if you start from the premise that his deal reflected an understanding of that limitation on the part of the Twins, he's been worth his salary. But matching market value isn’t everything when the numbers are bleak. Buxton has appeared at the plate 329 times, striking out 96 times and only getting 59 runs and 53 RBIs. The team around him hasn't created enough chances, and his injury trouble has translated into inconsistent offense. Correa, of course, was passed on by two would-be teams interested in long-term deals with him, after the Twins picked him up for one season. In a last-minute pivot, he came back to the club as a third option. Correa is one of the highest-paid players on the team and in the league, and should play as such, but because of pre-existing conditions either overlooked, missed, or downplayed by all parties involved, he has joined teammate Buxton on the bench for a majority of the season. That's after a 2023 in which he played most days, but poorly, and after stints on the injured list in 2022 (brief) and each years from 2017-19 (longer). In his 80 appearances, Correa has 56 strikeouts, 52 runs, and 52 RBIs, his lowest numbers for any big-league season save the COVID-shortened 2020. In his last five games, Correa has one run, and that was in a loss against the Guardians on Sept. 16. He's looked good since returning to the lineup, but not good enough to carry an offense that looks helpless much of the time. Outside of their bats, both players are experts in their defensive positions. The value gap between Buxton and Correa and their replacements in center field and at shortstop, respectively, is enormous. Baseball Prospectus has a Range Out Score for defenders, which provides a rare insight for fielding metrics: a rate stat to use for comparison of uneven samples. It's indexed to 0, with positive numbers representing the percentage of plays charged to that fielder they made above the average and negative ones representing the percentage of charged plays they didn't make, that an average fielder would. Player Position Range Out Score Carlos Correa SS 2.5 Kyle Farmer SS 0.9 Brooks Lee SS -2.6 Willi Castro SS -3.6 Manuel Margot CF -2.2 Byron Buxton CF -4.1 Austin Martin CF -4.5 Willi Castro CF -6.7 The numbers say that not all of Buxton's brilliance in center came back after his gap year as a DH, but even so, he's better than the two most-used alternatives to him at that position. Correa, meanwhile, is far superior to the rest of the team's shortstop options, especially since his stint on the IL partially overlapped with that of Kyle Farmer, who rates as the next-best player to whom they can turn. Players like Austin Martin, Willi Castro, Manuel Margot, Farmer, and Brooks Lee are underqualified to replace the stars, not because every team must have multiple above-average players at every defensive spot, but because this team knew they would be without Buxton and Correa for long stretches, and they still didn't reinforce the roster accordingly. With both the players and management saying they are healthy enough to go, then, there is no reason to hold back. It is time to make up for lost time and put Correa and Buxton in on a daily basis during this absolutely crucial time. Even if the Twins miss the playoffs, the team and fans deserve to end this season with a fierce effort. It's clear that the only way this team can put up such a fight is to have their two highest-paid players in the lineup every day. Ownership signed off on two high-caliber, high-paid players who haven't been able to consistently anchor the lineup this year, leaving the continuity of the team lacking. While expecting the team to allow the “heavy lifting” to be done by two players, it is not acceptable to let those two players contribute to less than 60% of games throughout the season. The crime here is primarily in not having better supplemented the roster, but since that's where we are, the time has come to ride the stars hard and (if needed) put them away wet. Paying these two players, knowing that they have durability issues, knowing they would have to build a team around them to be successful, and then slicing payroll and not allowing them to make up for their absences was a failure on the ownership. While their contracts aren’t a detriment to the team, the ownership failed to allow leadership to build a deep, competitive roster, and it hurt the team by having them on the bench more consistently than on the field. Days off are more than acceptable; every player should have them. Buxton and Correa are indispensable to this team at this moment, though. The two players aren’t getting any younger, and there is little hope that the Pohlads will rediscover their checkbook and spend the missing $40 million on next year's team. Every team experiences injuries and setbacks, but at this point, the Twins have to play their two legitimate All-Stars as much as their luck and health will allow. View full article