Hans Birkeland

Image courtesy of Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (87 Pitches, 54 Strikes, 62%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (20) Bottom 3 WPA: Jeff Hoffman (-0.32), Josh Bell (-0.09), Victor Caratini (-0.07) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Last week, I described Sunday's loss to the Phillies, in which the team biffed a 5-0 lead to get swept at home, as the nail in the coffin of the season. What I did not take into account was that the American League is truly garbage, and that the Atlanta Braves would play like garbage. The Twins vaulted into the last Wild Card slot with the sweep of Atlanta—then proceeded to drop the first two against San Diego. The Padres are a good, serious team with talent throughout their roster. They are also opportunistic, as they showed in rallying from three runs down late in Saturday's game. To salvage a game from the series, the Twins turned to Bailey Ober on the mound, with San Diego countering with Walker Buehler. This wasn't vintage Buehler, but he has been healthy enough to make all his starts for the Padres. His ERA remains high and his under-the-hood numbers aren't great. He allowed a leadoff single to Luke Keaschall to start his afternoon. But a hobbled Byron Buxton grounded into a double play, and Buehler went on to face the minimum through three innings while consistently staying underneath the Twins' bats. Ober looked good early, generating some whiffs on his changeup and slider while staying out of the middle of the zone. The only hard contact was off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr., who looks unconscious right now. He lined out to lead off the bottom of the first at 115 MPH. Ober worked around a couple of walks to cruise into the third, when Tatis got him for a solo home run that was 10 MPH less firm off the bat than his earlier lineout. It was a hanging slider, and Tatis is not missing that pitch right now. Buxton managed a bloop hit in the top of the fourth, but did not entertain the thought of stretching it into a double, something even a healthy-ish Buxton could have managed easily. He then chose not to run on a 3-2 pitch to Josh Bell, causing an inning-ending double play with Buehler clearly chasing grounders. With Buehler cruising, it looked like it might be another slow death for the Twins lineup. He got the first two outs of the fifth inning, but Brooks Lee worked a 10-pitch at-bat that culminated with a laser to right field: a home run that tied the game and rattled the previously unshakeable Buehler. You saw Ober take a deep breath after retiring Luis Rengifo in the bottom of the fifth. Tatis fell behind in the count, but worked back to 3-2 before lining a single at 109 MPH. At that point, I thought to myself, nice. Getting past Tatis without putting him immediately into scoring position or letting him leave the yard felt like a win. But Jake Cronenworth popped a ball up to no-man's land. Lee should have had it, but got turned around, and it fell between him and Alan Roden, putting two on for Manny Machado. Ober bore down and struck him out on a 74-MPH sweeper and got Ty France to fly out to end the threat. The escape didn't come as easily as it should have, but Ober still finagled it. Kody Funderburk came on for the sixth, hwoever, and didn't have good control. He did induce a weak grounder off the bat of Jackson Merrill, but Kaelen Culpepper booted it. The Twins seemed to get a reprieve when Merrill was picked off leaving early, but Funderburk then walked Luis Campusano and Austin Hays before giving way to Jeff Hoffman. Hoffman, in turn, walked Xander Bogaerts, which brought the infield in. Rengifo then rifled a ball down the first-base line, just past a diving Royce Lewis, scoring two runs. That brought up Tatis, and if ever there was a time to walk a guy with a base open, this was the time. But Hoffman is probably considered a good matchup against Tatis, given his elite slider. Tatis laced a slider into center field, scoring two more and putting the Padres squarely in the driver's seat. Anybody who has ever watched Tatis during a hot streak (or Barry Bonds, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge etc.) knows that it's one thing to be a good matchup for a guy, and another to be a good matchup for that guy when he's this hot. Basketball teams know that when Steph Curry has hit five straight threes, you need to double him or get the ball out of his hands somehow, but in baseball we just have to watch our teams get bludgeoned and say, hey, it was the right call analytically. The Padres added on against Travis Adams in the seventh, with Merrill homering to deep right and Bogaerts doubling past the glove of Culpepper to bring in Hays, who had drawn the seventh walk of the game for San Diego. Furthering my point from earlier, Tatis homered off Taylor Rogers in the eighth. The hottest player in baseball with the platoon advantage against a veteran lefty playing out the string of his career? I would have been more surprised if he hadn't homered. He went 9-14 in this series, with more homers than strikeouts. Stuff I'm Tracking: I wonder if Buxton is consciously avoiding going full speed, with the thought that his swing is getting closer. That is quite a gamble, since a) he remains in a prolonged slump results-wise b) the Twins need his speed and defense and c) Walker Jenkins is homering every other at-bat for the Saints, or so it seems. Ober looked good and probably could have gone six or seven innings, if not for Tatis's heroics. He nibbled, but his control was so good he could afford to, and the Padres made tons of weak contact against him as a result. Hoffman looks out of whack and seems to be emphasizing his slider more. It's a great pitch, but even a great pitch isn't great when it's predictable. Culpepper made two rough misplays at shortstop. After his error in the sixth, he allowed a ball to skip by him in the seventh, leading to the seventh run for San Diego. What’s Next: The Twins head to Sacramento to take on the floundering A's. Zebby Matthews (7-8, 5.12 ERA) opposes Gage Jump (5-8, 4.83 ERA). Jump is a lefty, which tends to spell doom for the Twins' run-scoring prospects, but they are playing in Sacramento, one of the more lopsided parks in terms of favorability to hitters. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TOT Adams 0 0 17 0 34 51 Nance 16 0 0 27 0 43 Hoffman 20 0 0 0 17 37 Funderburk 17 0 0 0 17 34 Rogers 0 0 11 0 15 26 Morris 0 0 0 19 0 19 Minter 10 0 0 8 0 18 Gomez 13 0 0 0 0 13 View full article

Image courtesy of Nick Wosika- Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Dean Kremer 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K (89 Pitches, 52 Strikes, 58.4%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (18), Kody Clemens (21) Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.58), Byron Buxton (-0.19), Ryan Jeffers (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): For the eighth or ninth time, the Twins' season is on life support. After creeping above .500 with a win in Seattle, the team has gone 4-9, which hasn't impacted their place in the standings as much as it should, but has made winning 82-84 games a lot trickier. Perhaps no team out of the Twins, Detroit, Texas, Cleveland or Toronto ends up with a .500 record, but betting on that seems a risky proposition as non-contending teams start to phone in the rest of the season. The Phillies dominated the first two games of the series, despite not starting Zack Wheeler or Cristopher Sánchez. The weakness of the team is their reliance on the struggling Aaron Nola (who shoved in the Field of Dreams game) and Sunday's starter, Andrew Painter, both with ERAs well north of 5.00. It appeared that Painter might wriggle out of trouble in the first inning. He walked Trevor Larnach on four pitches, then fell behind Byron Buxton, but he induced a double-play grounder from the highly compromised Buxton. Fortunately, Josh Bell and Kody Clemens singled and Royce Lewis walked, bringing up Brooks Lee with the bases juiced. He nearly homered on a sweeper but was a hair out front. He then got a harder slider on 1-2 and smashed it into the right-field overhang for a grand slam. Dean Kremer started for the Twins, and his afternoon started with Kyle Schwarber launching a 3-1 fastball off the wall in right-center field for a double. But Kremer settled in (despite falling behind a lot of hitters early), retiring Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper on weak flyouts before Luis Arraez lined out to Clemens at second base for the third out. Kremer mixed his pitches well, giving roughly equal time to each of his five pitches while staying out of the middle of the zone. He got through the first four innings with 56 pitches, four strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Perhaps jealous of Lee (they tend to homer in the same games for some reason), Clemens homered in the third, a no-doubter to the pavilion in right field off a fat fastball from Painter. He has hit .106 since his historic game-winning grand slam against Kansas City, so it was good to see him square up the ball and get rewarded. The Phillies staged a rally in the sixth. Schwarber led off with a walk. Stott singled, and Harper drew another walk. Arraez dribbled a ball to second to score the Phillies' first run, but Clemens did convert the first out of the inning. Alas, Alec Bohm then tomahawked a splitter at the top of the zone for a three-run homer to trim the Twins' lead to one. That spelled the end of the day for Kremer, with Kody Funderburk coming on to record the final two outs of the inning. The teams traded zeroes for a spell, but with Andrew Morris on the bump in the eighth, the Phillies got to work. With one out, Harper singled. Arraez laced a ball to deep left that bounced off of Austin Martin's glove. A fan touched the ball, so it was ruled a ground-rule double, but Martin appeared to hurt himself on the play and had to leave the game with what the team called a left hamstring strain. Bohm then blooped a ball to shallow right field. It landed between Lewis and Keaschall, allowing Harper to tie the game. The Twins elected to walk Brandon Marsh to bring up the struggling J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded; the game (and perhaps the season) on the line. Morris got him to pop up on a 3-2 pitch, but Bryan De La Cruz slapped a single the opposite way to score two runs. The Twins had the tying run on in their half of the eighth, and Brooks Lee served a ball up the middle that Stott made a diving stop on. He flipped to second, where Lewis was possibly safe, but he overran the bag and was tagged out trying to scamper back, a crucial baserunning blunder with the hot-hitting Keaschall due up next. Facing dear old friend Jhoan Duran in the ninth, Caratini drew a one-out walk, and Kaelen Culpepper worked a great at-bat before singling on the ninth pitch to bring up Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers struck out after being ahead 3-0, and Buxton predictably struck out to end the game. He's just not himself right now. Stuff I'm Tracking: Buxton looks rough, grounding into a rare (for him) double play despite being ahead in the count in the first; striking out on a ball at his eyes in the third; and swinging through a slider with runners on the corners in the fourth. He would later ground out weakly before his game-ending K in the ninth. The Twins couldn't get Painter included in the Jhoan Duran trade last year, opting for Mick Abel instead. Of course, Abel is hurt, but Painter looks more like a bullpen weapon at this point of his career, as he has allowed an .835 OPS against in his big-league career thus far. Victor Caratini has become a problem. His at-bats are non-competitive and he wasted both ABS challenges in the sixth in this one. Alex Jackson is now on the waiver wire, and I feel like he would be more productive as the backup catcher at this point. But Jackson has less of a track record, and the Twins owe Caratini $7 million next year with Jeffers (presumably) signing elsewhere. I sure hope Vahn Lackey develops quickly. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Atlanta Braves to Target Field for a three-game set. Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.64 ERA) opposes Martín Pérez (8-6, 2.96 ERA) in a must-win series against a formidable National League opponent. Pérez hasn't allowed a run since July, as he continues to oscillate between being a borderline All-Star and being out of the league. Ober has animorphed into Chris Young, and we'll just have to continue seeing how that goes. Postgame Interviews: Coming soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 18 0 0 23 28 69 Adams 0 42 0 0 0 42 Hoffman 24 0 0 17 0 41 Minter 9 0 0 12 14 35 Rogers 0 10 0 0 16 26 Funderburk 0 0 0 16 4 20 Nance 0 16 0 0 0 16 Gomez 11 0 0 0 0 11 View full article

Image courtesy of Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp: 5+ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (96 Pitches, 61 Strikes, 63.5%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (17), Kody Clemens (20) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.23), Royce Lewis (-0.22), Ryan Kreidler (-0.20) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): The Twins wasted a chance to take the series against the best-in-baseball Brewers on Saturday, as Milwaukee rallied to make today's game a rubber match. Unfortunately, the Twins would be tasked with beating the best pitcher in baseball, Jacob Misiorowski, who was as advertised. "The Miz" threw almost entirely fastballs the first time through the lineup, and the Twins couldn't catch up, as Misiorowski was able to locate at the top of the zone with 104 MPH cheese. The only Twins hitter to reach was Brooks Lee, who singled off Misiorowski's leg in the second. Meanwhile the Twins turned to Connor Prielipp for the unenviable task of beating the best team and the best pitcher. It started rough, as he fell behind Jackson Chourio 3-1 before throwing a fastball right where Chourio wanted it, as he took Prielipp opposite field for a leadoff home run, 387 feet. To Prielipp's credit, he really settled down after that. dotting his slider and fastball where Brewers hitters couldn't do damage, striking out seven through his first four innings, allowing just the one run. After looking helpless through the first four innings against Misiorowski, Lee got his (and the team's) second hit in the fifth, a solo home run 401 feet out to right field. Victor Caratini somehow ended his long 0-fer with a single but the Twins were unable to score him from second base. His pitch count in the mid 70's, Prielipp was not as crisp in the fifth, allowing an opposite field home run to Jake Bauers to lead off the inning. It was a sinker that caught too much of the plate, and Prielipp knew it immediately. He also allowed a fat sinker to Gary Sanchez for a double, and then with two outs, threw a middle-middle slider to the light -hitting David Hamilton on an 0-2 pitch, which Hamilton rocketed to the gap in right center field, scoring Sanchez to extend the lead to two. Misiorowski emphasized his breaking stuff much more the third time through the lineup, notably dotting two sliders on the black to start Royce Lewis 0-2 in the sixth. Lewis fought but ended up waving at a fastball at his eyes for his third strikeout of the game. It certainly looked like a shutdown inning for Misiorowski at that point, but Josh Bell drew a walk, and Kody Clemens got a mistake fastball low in the zone and smacked it out to the bullpen in right to tie the game. Somehow. Lee almost took Misiorowski deep a second time in the next at-bat, but Luis Lara made an incredible catch at the wall in right field to steal an extra-base hit and keep the game tied at three. Prielipp was allowed to start the sixth inning at 93 Pitches, which seemed a bit curious but he was facing a lefty in Turang. With the count 3-2 after Turang laid off some nasty sliders. The final pitch Prielipp threw was a slider called a ball that hit the zone with Caratini deciding not to challenge for some reason. Tommy Nance then came on and allowed a single to pinch hitter Garrett Mitchell. William Contreras then chopped to third and with Turang caught in no-man's land, Lee inexplicably decided to throw to first, allowing Turang and Mitchell to advance. Nance then got a pop-up from Bauers, and managed to strike out Lara to end the threat. The seventh began with Aaron Ashby relieving Misiorowski. The relief was palpable, as Luke Keaschall hit a ball to the hole at shortstop, where Turang was playing out of position after third baseman Andrew Vaughn was pinch-hit for in the sixth, prompting Hamilton to move to third and Turang to short. Turang skipped his throw and Bauers couldn't corral it, allowing Keaschall to reach second. Caratini then lined a ball down the line with some weird spin that caused Hamilton to boot it, putting runners on first and second with no one out. Austin Martin then pinch-hit and failed to get the bunt down, striking out on three pitches. Ryan Kreidler then struck out, as well, leaving the inning to Ryan Jeffers, hitting for Larnach. He drew a walk but Lewis struck out for the fourth time to leave the bases loaded. After A.J. Minter threw a scoreless seventh, the Twins went to work against righty Abner Uribe and his 99 MPH turbo sinker. With one out, Uribe walked Clemens, and then with Lee at the plate and Clemens running on a 3-2 pitch, Uribe got a comebacker and tried to get the force at second. The throw was late, and bad, and everyone was safe. Keaschall then chopped to short and somehow beat the double play relay, and Caratini walked to load the bases. Martin then bounced out to end the inning and potentially squander the Twins' chance to win the game. Minter stayed on to retire Mitchell to start the bottom of the eighth, then gave way to Andrew Morris, who walked Bauers but otherwise got the job done. After going down quickly against Trevor Megill in the ninth, Morris stayed on to face Sanchez, walking him on four pitches. That prompted Derek Shelton to turn to Kody Funderburk to face Jihwan Bae and Hamilton. Bae bunted pinch-runner Christian Yelich to second, Funderburk struck out Hamilton and intentionally walked Chourio to face Turang, a gambit that paid off in the seventh with Minter pitching. It worked again, as Funderburk got Turang swinging at a fastball on the outside corner to send the game to extras. The Twins looked like they would score the cherished two runs in the top of the tenth. With Lewis on second, Clemens seemed to get a hold of another one, launching a ball deep to right field. Lara lept and made perhaps a better catch than his grab in the fifth, preserving the tie for the second time. Lee then struck out to end the inning. Yoendrys Gomez got the first out by striking out William Contreras, but ahead 1-2 on Bauers, he threw a changeup on the outside corner, and Bauers served it into left field for a walk-off single. Stuff I'm Tracking: - Caratini threw out two runners, despite his well below average arm. He nabbed Turang in the fourth, and got Bauers trying to sneak into third in the second. The goal was definitely to run on Caratini, so credit goes to Prielipp for controlling the running game enough for Caratini's lobs to be in time. - Kaelen Culpepper had about as rough of a debut as one could have considering he homered on Friday. But having him as a right-handed bat is nice to have off the bench, with him, Martin and Jeffers available to pinch hit against a lefty in today's game. - Martin needs to practice his bunting if he's going to slug .310. Not sure about his place on this team- he's a low heartbeat guy playing a role that demands great situational awareness and grit. I could see the Twins cutting bait with him and he latches on with the Yankees and finally plays to his potential, similar to Aaron Hicks once upon a time. - It's crazy how Trevor Megill is closing games for the best team in baseball. I still remember the surly righty put into a long relief role with the Twins and trying to develop command of his breaking ball at the big league level. You can't argue with the results, as Megill has posted a 2.82 ERA and a 30.6% strikeout rate since joining Milwaukee. -Sal Frelick is hurt, and has a reputation as one of the best right fielders in baseball. They back him up with Lara, which must be nice. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Baltimore Orioles to town for a three game set starting Monday. Dean Kremer (1-4, 5.93 ERA) throws against his former team and lefty Trevor Rogers (7-7, 4.20 ERA). Baltimore sold at the deadline despite having roughly the same playoff odds as the Twins, sending franchise catcher Adley Rustchman to the rival Red Sox and leadoff hitter Taylor Ward to the Mariners. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Funderburk 0 20 0 21 15 56 Hoffman 11 0 25 15 0 51 Nance 7 0 24 0 11 42 Morris 0 13 13 0 14 40 Gomez 0 18 12 0 9 39 Minter 12 0 3 0 16 31 Adams 0 0 0 15 0 15 Rogers 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Taj Bradley: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (94 Pitches, 57 Strikes, 60.6%) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (10), Royce Lewis (12), Luke Keaschall (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Yoendrys Gomez (-0.38), Kody Clemens (-0.17), Brooks Lee (-0.14) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): A lot has been happening in Twins world lately. The front office signaled they would be buyers at the trade deadline; the team got above .500 for the first time since April; and they acquired two veteran pitchers to back up the talk from ownership. They split the first two games against the scuffling Mariners in Seattle and looked to keep winning series, with Taj Bradley on the mound opposing George Kirby. Bradley was a little wobbly with his command, and for the third straight game, the Mariners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Cole Young singled, Randy Arozarena walked, and Josh Naylor doubled them both home with two outs. Bradley did settle down from there, relying more on his cutter as the outing progressed. Kirby was pounding the strike zone (as usual), and outside of a few deep fly balls, he was able to keep the Twins in check. They managed three singles in the second, but Brooks Lee lined into a double play with Royce Lewis getting doubled off of first. The teams traded zeroes from there, with Kirby throwing the kitchen sink at the Twins (getting outs on six separate pitches), and Bradley pitching around traffic but navigating the Mariners lineup to great effect. That would end in the sixth. With two outs, Colt Emerson singled, followed by a walk to the .130-hitting Leo Rivas. Cole Young then delivered his third hit of the game, a grounder up the middle that scored Rivas and gave the M's a crucial insurance run. With four walks and only two strikeouts, it ended up being one of his poorer outings in recent memory. Kendry Rojas took over for the seventh, and it didn't go great. He allowed a swinging bunt to Dominic Canzone, followed by a walk to Julio Rodríguez. After retiring Naylor (and looking pretty good in doing so), Rojas got ahead of Cal Raleigh 0-2. He then hung a slider above the zone, which Raleigh walloped for a three-run, game-breaking home run. Larnach homered off of Eduard Bazardo following Ryan Kreidler reaching on an error in the eighth. Josh Bell then doubled, prompting the Mariners to insert lefty Jose A. Ferrer. Kody Clemens singled off Ferrer's glove, and Lewis then crushed a sinker 402 feet to bring the game to within one. A.J. Minter was called upon for the eighth, and quickly allowed a line out, a squib single from Young and a sharper single from Arozarena. He was hitting 95 MPH on his fastball and didn't allow too many hittable pitches, however. He ended up striking out Rodríguez on a cutter to end the frame. Andres Muñoz was called upon to close out the game, and he brought in a career 4.91 ERA against the Twins. it didn't take long for that figure to rise. Keaschall jumped on the second pitch of the at-bat and launched a fastball the other way for a game-tying home run. Larnach then singled with one out, and Ryan Jeffers walked. Bell and Clemens were unable to cash in, though. Yonedrys Gómez got the ninth and allowed singles to Naylor and Victor Robles around a strikeout to Raleigh. Emerson then got a far-too-hittable pitch behind in the count and roped the game-winning single down the right field line. Stuff I'm Tracking: Lewis has a hit in eight straight games and has looked less hopeless than a few weeks ago. His eighth-inning homer was key, of course, but he also nearly homered off of Kirby in the fourth after singling in the first. Trevor Larnach got carved up by Kirby three times, striking out feebly in the fifth to end the frame. He showed some frustration at that point, perhaps indicating some angst over being reportedly traded to the Astros on Friday. However, if you told Aaron Gleeman a few months ago that the Twins could acquire Bryan Abreu for just Larnach, his entire worldview would have fallen apart—confidence shattered—and he would have stayed with The Athletic, writing about baseball nationally. I don't love the Mariners' offensive approach, with a lot of chase and a lot of focus on getting off their "A" swings. You see how they got to the ALCS with Cal Raleigh hitting like Aaron Judge, but now that he's human and Julio Rodríguez more often looks like Harrison Bader than Mickey Mantle, it's hard to see the vision here. What’s Next: The Twins have an off day to (ahem) enjoy the trade deadline. They will travel to Kansas City to start a three-game set with the Royals starting Tuesday. Joe Ryan will have a rematch with Randy Dobnak in the series opener. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Rojas 52 0 0 0 24 76 Gomez 0 21 25 0 19 65 Rogers 0 27 0 14 0 41 Morris 0 12 6 12 0 30 Nance 0 0 11 16 0 27 Funderburk 0 0 19 3 0 22 Minter 0 0 0 1 19 20 Adams 0 0 0 11 0 11 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp: 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (72 Pitches, 44 Strikes, 61.1%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (0.19), Prielipp (0.14), Ryan Jeffers (0.11) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): The Twins needed a series victory over the battered Athletics in the worst way. After losing the opener at Target Field on Friday, the home team took game two behind a nice outing from Kendry Rojas and the bullpen. The Athletics lost their All-Star catcher, Shea Langeliers, in the process, and then had to turn to the struggling Jeffrey Springs in the rubber game. Springs is a lefty, and we all know how the Twins offense tends to shut down against that type of pitcher. Not today, although some of the production against Springs could certainly be ascribed to dumb luck. It started with Austin Martin doubling off the glove of left fielder Tyler Soderstrom. Ryan Jeffers lofted a bloop single to get Martin to third, and after a Royce Lewis RBI groundout, Kody Clemens tripled to the gap in right-center field and scored after the throw to third base went out of play. It was 3-0 Twins in a blink, thanks partially to the A's. Another bloop single by Alex Jackson started the second inning, and Brooks Lee followed with a walk. Ryan Kreidler then hit the hardest ball against Springs of all (107 MPH), but that ball was caught. Springs left with a hip injury, capping a brutal day at the ballpark for a pitcher who used to be legitimately All-Star caliber, just a few years ago. Martin drew a walk, bringing up Byron Buxton with the bases loaded. Springs was probably psyched for a minute, as Buxton lined into a double play, but the out call on Lee at second base was overturned. Then reliever Luis Morales balked Jackson home for the fourth Twins run, a call that got A's manager Mark Kotsay ejected. Ryan Jeffers then continued to crush the hearts of anyone who is still a fan of the Athletics, lining a single to right to score two more. Meanwhile, Connor Prielipp was on the mound after a brief stay on the IL with a blister issue. The time off seemed to have done him some good, as Prielipp was painting the corners of the zone with all of his pitches, striking out three in his first three innings (all perfect frames) while hitting 98 MPH on his fastball. He wavered a bit in the fourth, walking Nick Kurtz with one out and falling behind the next hitter, Jonah Heim, 3-0. He fought back into the count and eventually got Heim to tap to Lee at third, who started an around-the-horn double play with Jackson, who was making his first start at first base, sprawling out to collect the relay throw from Lewis. The A's got their first hit in the fifth inning off the bat of Soderstrom, but he, too, was erased on an inning-ending double play. Prielipp began the sixth with only 62 pitches thrown, which surely made Derek Shelton a little uncomfortable. Prielipp's workload has been intensely managed, but all of the Twins' top relievers were used in Saturday's victory, and the A's had not eclipsed 100 MPH on any ball they had put in play to that point. Prielipp got the first two outs on 10 more pitches before giving way to Cole Sands with the top of the lineup coming up for the third time. That may have been too cute a move, as Sands—making his first appearance in nearly three months—hit Jacob Wilson with a pitch on an 0-2 count and served up a splitter to Kurtz, who smashed it out into the bullpen in left-center field, 412 feet. Their lead reduced from seven to four, Ryan Kreidler doubled with one out in the bottom of the frame and then, for the third time in two games, stole third base. Martin lofted a ball deep enough to score him, but Soderstrom took his eye off the ball and it skittered away, allowing Kreidler to score and Martin to reach third. Sands stayed on for the seventh and appeared to get the first out off the bat of Soderstrom, but this time it was Martin in left field who couldn't track down a fly ball in the direct sun, allowing Soderstrom to reach second. Tommy White then singled, followed by a walk to pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler. That spelled the end for Sands, who was relieved by Tommy Nance. Nance promptly walked another pinch-hitter, Donovan Walton, to force in the A's' fourth run and bring the tying run to the plate. An RBI groundout and sacrifice fly later, the lead was down to two. Clemens made a diving catch on a liner from Wilson to finally end the inning, one of the biggest defensive plays of the Twins' season to date. The Twins answered right away, too, with Clemens hitting his second triple of the game, this one to the base of the wall in right-center. He would then score on a sacrifice fly by Keaschall for a key insurance run. The Twins would add another in the eighth, with Kreidler delivering his third double of the day to score Lee. He would score when Jeffers hit a tapper to third base that White made a poor throw on, pushing the cushion to five runs. Travis Adams made it interesting in the ninth, allowing three hits, but kept it together enough to secure the 11-8 victory. Stuff I'm Tracking: Luke Keaschall entered play with a .493 OBP in July and an OPS over 1.000. Martin has an OBP over .400 in July after looking like a good candidate for a return to Triple-A for a while, adding a double and a walk today. Buxton looks rough at the plate right now, missing the pitches he normally crushes, and chasing the pitches he usually spits on. Sands didn't look great before he got hurt, and looked awful today in this return. Relievers sometimes have a short shelf life, but hopefully that is not the case with Sands, who was nails as a high-leverage guy in 2024. What’s Next: Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.69 ERA) takes on Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.36 ERA) as the Twins welcome the Royals to Target Field for a three-game set starting Tuesday. The Royals look like clear sellers for this year's trade deadline, with their formerly prized pitching staff failing them, as they have allowed even more runs than the Twins this year. A series victory would get the Twins back to .500 before their final pre-deadline series in Seattle. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 28 16 0 26 0 70 Adams 27 0 14 0 15 56 Rojas 0 0 0 56 0 56 Funderburk 22 0 12 0 17 51 Rogers 0 13 0 30 0 43 Nance 0 13 0 13 15 41 Anderson 0 18 17 0 0 35 Gomez 0 22 0 8 0 30 Sands 0 0 0 0 28 28 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Taj Bradley: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (99 Pitches, 66 Strikes, 66.6%) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Bradley (0.19), Andrew Morris (0.20), Larnach (0.17) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Thanks to a victory Saturday against the Angels, the Twins entered Sunday's rubber game with a chance to win their eighth series in their past nine. That's pretty good any way you slice it, and the offense is for real, at least in a regular season context. Another ascending piece has been Taj Bradley, who has been great since a rough stretch following his activation from the IL in May. Bradley took the ball against Jose Soriano, who looked like a world beater in the first month and a half of the season, but has fallen back into what he is: a live arm with trouble throwing strikes. Soriano did look good early, locating his breaking ball and sinker to great effect. Royce Lewis did work an 0-2 count into a one out walk in the second, but was picked off by Soriano shortly after. Meanwhile, Bradley's stuff looked good, hitting 100 MPH on his fastball and throwing some nice cutters to keep the Angel's hitters off balance. He did hang a splitter to Josh Lowe in the second, resulting in the right fielder crushing the pitch 405 feet for a 1-0 lead. The Twins showed their typical scrappiness in the third. Luke Keaschall, Ryan Kreidler and Trevor Larnach hit sharp singles to tie the game, and Ryan Jeffers followed by golfing a breaking ball down the left field line to score two more. Jeffers was subsequently thrown out trying to advance to third on a wild pitch in which the ball caromed off the limestone and right to catcher Logan O'Hoppe's glove, who relayed to third for the out. Bradley moved off his splitter a bit, and featured mainly the four-seam fastball and cutter. The Angels had no answers, as he continually dotted the corners, and may have thrown even more strikes if Jeffers had challenged a few more calls behind the plate. The Angels made some noise in the sixth, with Mike Trout leading off with a single followed by a sharp single by Nolan Schanuel (on an 0-2 count) to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Bradley bore down to induce a pop up to Jorge Soler, and got Jo Adell to bounce into a double play, featuring a great turn at second by Kody Clemens. Bradley looked good striking out Oswald Peraza in the seventh, but he hung a cutter to Denzer Guzman, and the LA third baseman launched it just over Larnach's glove in left for a home run. Bradley then walked O'Hoppe on four pitches to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in Neto. Bradley got Neto chasing 98 MPH up and away to end the inning, and finished his first half in style (and with what would be a career best 3.59 ERA). Andrew Morris took over in the eighth, and retired the 2-3-4 hitters in order, including a dominant sword inducing cutter against Soler to end the frame, his 16th straight scoreless inning. Larnach led off the bottom of the eighth with a moonshot home run off of tough righty Ryan Zeferjahn. It was only Larnach's seventh homer of the year, but that .830 OPS is working pretty well at the top of the lineup. Morris stayed on for the ninth and retired the first two hitters rather easily before Wade Meckler worked a long at-bat that ended in a walk. Guzman then lined the first pitch from Morris back up the shoot for a single before Morris settled down to get O'Hoppe on a fly out to left. Stuff I'm Tracking: -Ryan Kreidler made three great plays at shortstop in the fourth and fifth innings, including a diving catch on a screaming liner from Neto to end the fifth. -Don't look now, but Keaschall is within shouting distance of a .700 OPS. An explanation as to why this Twins lineup has produced so well would be that almost everyone they put in the lineup is at least at .690 plus in the OPS department. A .690 OPS is pretty light on its own, but the Twins hitters at around that level (Keaschall, Austin Martin, Alen Roden) happen to be some of the strongest OBP guys on the team. The flaw in OPS is that it overrates slugging, so that is my theory as to why this offense is currently so effective. -The Angels are so sad, and they remind me of the Twins over the past few years (the teams with expectations). They are too reliant on players with injury histories and hitters they hope will break out. Sometimes they do see breakouts from guys like Neto and Adell, but they are never sustaining, and eventually everyone ends up hurt. You can't accuse them of being cheap, unlike the Twins, so it is understandable why they fired their GM right before the draft. -Speaking of the draft, I am definitely buying Vahn Lackey's breakout, especially since he was a high caliber hitter the year before, he just happened to add the power that made him a can't miss prospect. As someone who used to put Charles Johnson on all my teams in Triple Play 99 for Playstation growing up, it's cool to see the next African-American catcher come to my team. -Brooks Lee stole his sixth base in the seventh. He is molasses slow, but so is Josh Naylor. If Lee can read pitchers and pick spots at a high level, that will be a fun wrinkle in his game that could be hugely beneficial to the Twins. What’s Next: The MLB All-Star Game is this Tuesday, featuring Joe Ryan representing the Twins. Minnesota will begin the second half of the year in Chicago to face the Cubs, who finished the first half strong and hold the first wild card spot in the NL. They can hit, with their run output exceeding the AL-leading Twins, but their pitching is suspect, at least until they address it at the trade deadline. Postgame Interviews: Coming soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 0 0 25 0 37 62 Rojas 0 47 0 0 0 47 Go 0 18 0 21 0 39 Gómez 19 0 0 18 0 37 Adams 20 0 12 0 0 32 Funderburk 20 10 0 0 0 30 Nance 0 0 0 27 0 27 Rogers 15 0 0 0 0 15 View full article

Image courtesy of © John Jones-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (106 Pitches, 73 Strikes, 68.8%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Ryan (0.29), Royce Lewis (0.16), Brooks Lee (0.13) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Following a couple of series wins against less intimidating opponents, the top offense in the American League (yeah, it's still the Twins) looked for another series win against the struggling Yankees in the Bronx. The Yankees happen to have the league's best run-prevention and turned to lefty Ryan Weathers in the rubber match. Weathers struggled early, falling behind in counts and allowing a double to Austin Martin followed by an infield single to Byron Buxton. Things were looking dicey for Weathers, but he got a strikeout on Kody Clemens with Buxton taking off for second. The throw was wide, but shortstop Anthony Volpe tagged Buxton on the foot to complete the strike-em-out-throw-em-out. Worse still, Buxton exited the game after his caught stealing, slamming his helmet in the dugout in frustration. It would later be revealed that Buxton aggravated his sore hip. Josh Bell picked up his team with a laser to right field that tipped over Max Schuemann's glove for a long run-scoring single. Weathers would hold the Twins there, but Joe Ryan was on the mound for the Twins looking for redemption after his clunker against the Astros to begin the week. Ryan was sharp early, using his off-speed and breaking pitches effectively while striking out Trent Grisham and Ben Rice in dominating fashion. As the outing went along, he did leave a few sweepers in the middle of the zone that he knew he got away with (and loudly emoted about), but he stayed near the edges of the zone for the most part. After a few more baserunners were stranded in the second, Weathers seemed to settle in, focusing more on his non-fastballs to get ahead and keep Twins hitters off balance. However, after going down 1-2-3 in the third, Royce Lewis led off the fourth with a walk and stole second on a ball in the dirt. Brooks Lee then worked a long at-bat that ended in a line-drive single to left that scored Lewis to extend the lead to two runs. The first two hitters reached in the fifth against Weathers, prompting the Yankees to turn to their long man, Paul Blackburn. He retired Kyler Fedko and Kody Clemens before walking Josh Bell. That brought up Lewis, who shot a single right up the middle (off quite the fat pitch) to double the lead—key against a Yankees team that has struggled to score of late. Perhaps channeling some Guardians-ball in anticipation of their upcoming series, the Twins began the sixth with a hustle double from Lee off Camilo Doval, followed by a chopper by Kreidler that Volpe couldn't handle. Keaschall then bunted over Doval's head for a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Martin then worked a walk, prompting boos from the Yankee faithful. After Fedko struck out, Clemens lined a ball to deep right field for a sacrifice fly, pushing the lead to 6-0. Meanwhile, Ryan seemed to get stronger with so many long innings put together by the offense, at least for a while. He seemed to run out of gas in the seventh, however, as Cody Bellinger reached on a grounder between Kreidler and Clemens up the middle on which Clemens dove, despite Kreidler having a better shot at converting the out. Ryan then walked Volpe after a successful challenge of strike three by the shortstop, but recovered to strike out Amed Rosario on a devastating sweeper to finish his outing. Andrew Morris pitched a dominant eighth, but Yoendrys Gómez ran into trouble in the ninth. Grisham doubled over Keaschall's head in right, and Rice singled sharply to put runners on the corners with no outs. Jasson Dominguez then grounded to Kreidler, who completed an unassisted double play that allowed the Yankees' first run to score. Stuff I'm Tracking: It's amazing how many Yankees hitters are in extended slumps right now. It's almost like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton's absence has an effect on the rest of the lineup beyond just their individual contributions. Oh wait, lineup protection isn't a real phenomenon. I forgot. Luke Keaschall played two balls off the right field wall well enough to hold Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm to singles, showing good footwork and anticipation for someone so new to the position. Fedko really doesn't look terrible, but is clearly pressing for his first hit. My boy needs a bloop double or infield single like a desert wanderer needs water. (Then the Twins can actually evaluate whether he can contribute or not.) Ryan was good, but facing a lineup that wasn't slumping throughout and pressing in front of their home crowd, I imagine he would have allowed a home run or two. He also may have been saved a bit by a breeze blowing in from right field. Martin looks a little better lately, after bottoming out in June. He's just frequently non-competitive in his at-bats against righties, so he is overexposed as an everyday player. But spotted against lefties or as a pinch-hitter, his patience and contact ability can help this team. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Cleveland Guardians to Target Field as Taj Bradley (7-3, 3.86 ERA) opposes Joey Cantillo (7-3, 3.86 ERA—yes, the exact same pitching line). The matchup affords the Twins the possibility of making up some ground on Cleveland, who currently hold second place in the AL Central. The Guardians can't score, especially without José Ramírez, so the series will be a test for the Twins' defense and emotional fortitude. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 17 0 0 5 17 39 Raya 0 0 0 35 0 35 Gómez 18 0 0 0 14 32 Orze 0 0 28 0 0 28 Rogers 15 0 0 12 0 27 Laweryson 23 0 0 0 0 23 Funderburk 0 0 21 0 0 21 Adams 0 0 0 19 0 19 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (93 Pitches, 65 Strikes, 69.9%) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (13), Ryan Kreidler (5) Top 3 WPA: Yoendrys Gomez (0.28), Kreidler (0.16), Andrew Morris (0.14) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): This week the Twins learned that despite an overperforming offense, they can't really compete with the likes of the Dodgers. Minus Hunter Goodman, they are pretty good against the Rockies. After splitting the first two games of the series, the rubber match would feature Connor Prielipp against Ryan Feltner of Colorado. Feltner is sneakily not that bad of a pitcher, despite middling numbers. His ERA+, which accounts for his home ballpark, has Feltner over 100 each of the past three seasons, indicating he is an above-average pitcher. The induced vertical break on his four-seamer is within shouting distance of Joe Ryan's, and you could see it in the swings of Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens early, with all three getting fastballs in their nitro zone that just swung underneath, resulting in 300-foot flyouts rather than extra-base damage. Prielipp was a little wild, but his breaking stuff was sharp, and all the Rockies could hope to do was dink and dunk the lefty to death, with mixed results. A ground-ball single from Willi Castro, a hit batsman, and a grounder that kicked off Brooks Lee's glove resulted in a run in the first inning, but Prielipp recovered to strike out lefty-masher Kyle Karros to end the frame. The next two innings were uneventful, with Prielipp generating whiff after whiff, his curveball and slider looking particularly dominant. The Twins would answer in the second, with Royce Lewis doubling down the left field line and Lee legging out a swinging bunt that third baseman Karros threw wildly on, allowing Lewis to score. Lee even managed to steal second afterward, but the Twins were unable to add on. The fourth inning was frustrating for Prielipp, as he allowed a bleeder through the infield, a bloop single, and another hit batter to load the bases with one out. But despite falling behind Braxton Fulford, Prielipp struck him out with a slider, then got Ezequiel Tovar to tap out to end the threat. He had generated 12 whiffs already by that point. Clemens finally got on top of a Feltner offering in the bottom of the fourth, launching a fastball 399 feet for a no-doubt home run to give the Twins the lead. The Rockies tried some more Guardians-ball in the sixth. Drew Rumfield legged out an infield single, and Cole Carigg tried to bunt for a hit, but hit it right to Lewis at first, who probably had a chance to get the lead runner but opted for the easy out at first. Prielipp then struck out Karros on a nasty curveball and got ahead of Troy Johnston, but served up a flat slider that Johnston served into right field for a run-scoring single. Prielipp then struck out Fulford for his 10th ponche. Meanwhile, the Twins had no answers for Feltner, who cruised through six innings, consistently keeping his fastball above the Twins' bats. A leadoff double by Larnach in the sixth was squandered, and the seventh was started by Rockies' relief ace Seth Halvorsen, so things were looking grim. Tell that to Ryan Kreidler, who took Halvorsen to straightaway center for a go-ahead home run. Austin Martin singled sharply up the middle, and Alex Jackson laid down a perfect bunt to put two men on for Josh Bell, pinch-hitting for Larnach against lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino. Bell hit him hard, but the liner was speared by Bernardino to end the frame. Andrew Morris and Anthony Banda got through scoreless seventh and eighth innings with four strikeouts. Banda was sent back out to start the ninth and immediately plunked Fulford, appearing to hurt himself in the process. Yoendrys Gómez was then inserted and allowed a screaming liner off the bat of Jake McCarthy that Martin made a great sliding play on. Three pitches later, Gómez had another save and the Twins a series victory. Stuff I'm Tracking: Byron Buxton DH'd today, and has looked physically uncomfortable the past few games, particularly after sliding or swinging and missing. He's still hitting, though. Kreidler has been getting some more run these past few weeks and is even starting against righties like Feltner today. I feel bad for Tristan Gray, but he's being outhit by Kreidler and was never the preferred option defensively. It sure seems like Gray would be the odd man out if/when Kaelen Culpepper gets his chance. Prielipp looked great. He did hit two batters but didn't walk anyone, and was rarely close. He induced 20 whiffs and the Rockies didn't sniff an extra-base hit. They were lucky to generate two runs. Crazy how the Yankees have been searching for answers at first base for over a decade now. Now they have Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt finding the fountain of youth, so Rumfield became expendable and has an .860 OPS, looking locked-in against the Twins all series. Postgame Interviews: What's Next: The Twins travel to Houston for a three-game set against the Astros. Zebby Matthews (3-5, 4.56 ERA) faces Peter Lambert (6-4, 3.28 ERA). The 'Stros sit one game ahead of the Twins in the AL Wild Card race and have played better since a brutal start. Matthews has been hit or miss, as usual, and I do shudder to think what Yordan Alvarez will do to him. Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN P Raya 0 0 0 40 0 40 Banda 25 0 11 0 14 35 Morris 7 0 6 0 12 25 Funderburk 0 0 20 25 0 20 Orze 0 0 14 0 0 14 Gómez 10 0 0 0 4 14 Rogers 0 0 0 9 0 9 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Mike Paredes: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (75 Pitches, 47 Strikes, 62.6%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Alex Jackson (0.42), Yoendrys Gómez (0.14), Josh Bell (0.12) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): , The Twins are cooking offensively, and as a result, they have a 7-3 record in their past 10 games. Their 384 runs scored are second to the Yankees in the American League, and they are 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Royce Lewis posting a .900 OPS since his return from a demotion has certainly helped, but Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach, Luke Keaschall and Kody Clemens have also played out of their minds to support a pitching staff that has been neither healthy nor effective. On that note, Mike Paredes made his third career start today, against the Diamondbacks, and was in trouble from the jump, pitching behind in counts and unable to control his sweeper. He emerged from the first inning unscathed after walking Corbin Carroll and allowing a single to Geraldo Perdomo, but wasn't so lucky in the second. He walked Nolan Arenado to start the frame, then walked Ildemaro Vargas. After a sacrifice bunt (a charitable gesture from Arizona manager Torey Luvullo), Paredes struck out rookie Tommy Troy on a backup sweeper. One out away from escaping yet again, however, the unheralded rookie made one mistake too many. Ketel Marte struck a hanging sweeper pure out to the right-center field gap to score the game's first two runs. Meanwhile, the Twins were having all sorts of issues with Jose Cabrera, a right-handed starter making his major-league debut. He stayed in the zone and commanded a nice changeup and sweeper, spiced with a plethora of different fastball shapes. The first six Twins hitters went down easily, and it didn't get much better from there. A hit-by-pitch to Alex Jackson and a bloop double from Larnach put two on for Byron Buxton, but he flailed away at sweepers to keep the Twins scoreless. Paredes scuttled along, taking advantage of a weak back half to the Diamondbacks order. Facing Marte for the third time in the fifth, he allowed a laser single to lead off the inning. Perdomo then grounded sharply to Lewis at first, and Lewis made a great relay to second to start a key double play—especially key because Carroll and Gabriel Moreno both singled thereafter. Fortunately, Pavin Smith lined out to left field to end the threat. Somehow, Paredes ended up just giving up the two runs while completing five innings, something all of us would have signed up for. Cabrera was done after allowing a leadoff bunt single by Twins catcher Alex Jackson in the sixth. Facing lefty Brandyn Garcia, Larnach also attempted a bunt, a curious decision but one he almost beat out. After Buxton grounded out on the first pitch, Clemens struck out, and the Twins had nine outs to figure out something against the D-Backs bullpen, the strength of their team. These Twins aren't super talented, but they are gritty. Facing 100 MPH heat from reliever Juan Morillo, the Twins followed a Lewis single with two quick outs, with Lee striking out on a fastball at his eyes. Ryan Kreidler singled, though. Then Josh Bell pinch-hit for Kyler Fedko and singled to the gap, scoring Lewis. Jackson reached base for the third straight plate appearance, singling through the right side to score Kreidler. Bell tried for third base for some reason, and the throw from Carroll hit Bell's hand, kicking the ball out of play and allowing Bell to score the go-ahead run. Andrew Morris got the seventh against the top of the Arizona lineup. He allowed a rocket off the bat of Marte that Clemens made a leaping catch on in center, then walked Perdomo. But Perdomo was caught stealing on a great throw from Jackson, and Carroll struck out to end the inning. The Twins got Buxton and Lewis in scoring position in the eighth, but Keaschall was unable to capitalize with two outs, grounding out weakly to keep the lead at one run. This was, of course, no issue for Yoendrys Gómez, who pitched around a leadoff walk to retire the middle of the D-Backs order. He's beginning to look like a revelation. Kreidler led off the ninth with a single, followed by a failed Austin Martin pinch-hit bunt attempt in which Kreidler was cut down at second. No matter, as with two outs, Larnach roped a hanging slider into the right-center field gap to score Martin for a much-needed insurance run. Anthony Banda was given the save chance, sat 96-97 MPH, and threw strikes for the most part. He's looked a lot better since early May. Stuff I'm Tracking: Larnach made such a good diving play to end the second inning, I wanted to mention that his defense isn't great but is serviceable, and he isn't a total butcher out there. Then he misplayed a liner in the sixth that almost led to a crucial third run. In any case, his OBP is .377, and his move to the leadoff spot has paid dividends. Jackson is hitting .317 and contributed the biggest hit of the game. He also caught Perdomo stealing in the eighth, which may have been an even bigger play. Maybe he was worth the half-lavish contract he got, because he's turning out to be more than the emergency backup warm body that contract seemed to buy. Keaschall made a number of diving stops at second base and converted most of them into outs. Hard to say whether he gets better as he gets more reps, or if he will lose range as he gets older. He has posted an OBP-heavy .790 OPS in both May and June, though, and that plays. Kreidler had three more hits, lifting his OPS back above .900. You kinda have to start him every game at this point. If Paredes' game plan was to not touch the zone with anything, he succeeded, and the Diamondbacks had no counter-punch. The only ball that really said "hit me" was the sweeper to Marte. Maybe Paredes has some guile to his game; he'll need it. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the World Series champion Dodgers to Target Field, as Zebby Matthews (3-4, 4.78 ERA) faces lefty Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.37 ERA). Lauer has been pretty good since being acquired by L.A. in May, after burning bridges on his way out of Toronto. Matthews has had some encouraging starts and some clunkers, typical of his career thus far, and he will have his work cut out for him facing the Dodgers, who have scored the second-most runs in all of baseball (The Nationals are first??). Postgame Interviews: Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Paredes 0 0 0 0 75 75 Lawrence 0 18 0 40 0 58 Laweryson 20 17 5 0 14 56 Adams 13 0 42 0 0 55 Orze 0 12 0 24 0 36 Gómez 0 0 0 7 20 27 Morris 0 8 0 0 17 25 Banda 0 0 0 12 10 22 Rogers 0 15 0 0 0 15 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Taj Bradley: 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (101 Pitches, 66 Strikes, 65.3%) Home Runs: Victor Caratini (4) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan Kreidler (0.38), Yoendrys Gómez (0.16), Caratini (0.13) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): The Twins are on life support, slipping further away from a .500 record as the trade deadline looms a month and a half away. Royce Lewis, Kody Clemens and Byron Buxton are raking, and if you're an optimist, there is lineup help in Triple-A St. Paul. But the pitching is still a liability, so a June surge to keep the veterans in tow feels unlikely. A wild card in that equation is Taj Bradley, who started today against St. Louis. Bradley was a revelation early, but since hitting the IL with a pectoral injury in May, the right-hander has seen his command evaporate, with 12 walks and little success over his four starts since returning. Bradley came out dealing, throwing much more competitive pitches around the zone while hitting 99 MPH with his fastball. He struck out two in the first and didn't allow a hit until a single in the third inning—to 9-hole hitter Nathan Church on a splitter. The Twins lineup was tasked with facing right-hander Michael McGreevy, a young pitcher who succeeds in the Sonny Gray mold, featuring six pitches he can throw for strikes and despite a lack of premium velocity. The Twins made him work in the first, with Buxton rifling a double to the left field corner and Lewis drawing a hard-fought walk. McGreevy then fell behind 3-0 to Josh Bell, before inducing a tapout to end the inning. Bradley allowed a home run on a hanging curveball in the fourth to the red-hot Alec Burleson, who recently homered in four straight games (make that five out of six). But Bradley didn't get scared out of the zone, striking out Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar convincingly to end the frame. The Twins' two struggling free-agent pickups flipped the score in their half of the fourth. Bell singled, and Victor Caratini launched a massive home run 411 feet to give the Twins a one-run lead. Looking for the shutdown inning, Bradley worked a quick 1-2-3 frame, overpowering Jose Fermin on a fastball down in the zone for the finishing strikeout. At that point, he had thrown 57 pitches. Perhaps he should have been taken out at that point. His command again abandoned him in the sixth, as he walked Church and fell behind 3-1 to impressive rookie JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt got a fastball to his liking, knowing Bradley did not want to walk two in front of the meat of the Cardinals' lineup, and rocked it 380 feet to flip the score once again. The Twins tried to rally in their half of the sixth. Bell singled once more, and Caratini drew a walk with one out. Alas, Brooks Lee hit a sharp liner to Blaze Jordan at first, who speared the ball and tagged out Caratini retreating to first. Bradley nearly made it through the seventh unscathed, but allowed two bloop singles with two outs before giving way to Anthony Banda to face Wetherholt. Wetherholt scoffed at his platoon disadvantage and flipped another single to left to score the Cardinals' fourth run. These Twins aren't great, but they do have some fight in them. They began the seventh against lefty Jojo Romero by pinch-hitting Austin Martin, who struck out while wasting the Twins' last challenge. However, Luke Keaschall drew a walk, Ryan Kreidler singled, and Buxton singled as well, bringing in Keaschall. Clemens then singled, loading the bases for Lewis. A fourth straight single brought home Kreidler, and the game was tied. Buxton waited to see the ball drop and was unable to score, a rare occurrence. Andrew Morris struck out the side in the eighth—impressive, considering two of the hitters he faced were Walker and Nootbar. The bottom of the eighth began with two quick outs before Keaschall got hold of a George Soriano fastball for a line drive double. Kreidler then worked a seven-pitch at-bat, resulting in a double off the wall in left-center field that gave the Twins the lead. Yoendrys Gómez got the ball for the ninth, and the first ball in play was an impressive diving stop and throw from Kreidler, combined with a great scoop at first from Lewis. Fermin was initially called safe, but the play was overturned on replay review. Gómez struck out Church and got Wetherholt to fly out to cement the victory. Stuff I'm Tracking: Buxton's trade value may never be higher than it is right now. You start to wonder if a package similar to what the Padres gave up for Juan Soto in 2022 is in play. Both players had/have two and a half years of team control remaining. While Buxton is maybe a shade or two less proficient as a hitter than Soto was, he offers still elite-ish defense at a premium position, excellent baserunning and a cheaper contract. The Soto trade netted the Nationals James Wood Jr., Robert Hassell III, C.J. Abrams and Mackenzie Gore. Hassell has been a bust, but was considered an elite prospect at the time. The other three players have all become All-Stars. Gore was then flipped this past offseason for five more prospects who are all performing well in the Nats' minor league system. I love Byron Buxton, but if his legacy ends up being that he brought in a boatload of talent to supplement a Walker Jenkins-led team that has a (potential) salary floor in place, I'll be happy to see him win in another market. Tristan Gray made an error at shortstop that could have led to a big inning with Bradley struggling in the sixth. He looks like he is constantly looking to homer at the plate, which is cute but perhaps misplaced for a hitter with a .385 slugging percentage and middling exit velocities. He's fine as a pinch-hitter and flexible defensive replacement, but there is no real upside here- Ryan Kreidler would be my choice to start at shortstop. Not to say Kreidler does have upside, but he looks like the most capable shortstop on the Twins' roster currently (he also went 2-2 with two clutch hits). What’s Next: The Twins head to Texas for a three-game set against the Rangers. The Twins have not announced a starter, while they will face prized trade acquisition Gore (4-5, 4.18 ERA). Gore has been up and down with his new club, and the Twins will need to be patient as the righty has been somewhat wild, yielding 4.2 walks per nine innings. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Adams 31 0 0 37 0 68 Morris 39 0 9 0 17 65 Paredes 58 0 0 0 0 58 Gómez 27 0 15 0 10 52 Banda 30 0 9 0 11 50 Rogers 14 0 22 0 0 36 Laweryson 0 32 0 0 0 32 Lawrence 0 0 0 24 0 24 Orze 0 0 16 0 0 16 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Connor Prielipp: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB 7 K (77 Pitches, 51 Strikes, 66%) Home Runs: Josh Bell (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.36), Brooks Lee (-0.21), Luke Keaschall (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): The Royals came into the year with fairly high expectations, and with today's rubber match, they had a chance to take a series against the Twins—which would, uh, not do that much for their prospects this year, really. Their pitching has been hurt, and their perennially light-hitting offense hasn't done enough to make up for it. However, they did start lefty Noah Cameron, who is a solid young pitcher who has feasted on Minnesota's lineup in the past, including earlier this year. Connor Prielipp took the mound for the Twins, hoping to bounce back after a series of rough starts. He did manage to pitch into the seventh inning his last time out, and looked good to start his outing today, showing good command of his slider-fastball combination. Through three innings, Prielipp had five strikeouts, one hit allowed, and finished the third by making Bobby Witt Jr. look foolish on a curveball below the zone for a weak-swing strike three. By then, the Twins had taken the lead. Kody Clemens, now the Twins' best hitter when Byron Buxton sits, led off with a sharp single to right. He stole second during the at-bat of starting first baseman Royce Lewis, who would eventually dribble a grounder to Witt—who inexplicably booted the ball, allowing Lewis to reach and Clemens to get to third base. Ryan Kreidler battled Cameron and eventually grounded a ball to the 5.5-hole that Witt could only record one out on. Twins 1, Royals 0. Prielipp's command wavered a bit in the fourth, perhaps due to the Twins lineup going down 1-2-3 in about 15 seconds in the bottom of the third. Maikel García rifled a liner right to Clemens in left field for a fortunate out, but Vinnie Pasquantino doubled on a fastball, and Nick Loftin doubled the opposite way on another heater to tie the game. Prielipp allowed another hit to lefty Carter Jensen to begin the fifth, and after striking out pinch-runner extraordinaire Tyler Tolbert trying to bunt with two strikes, he was relieved in favor of Andrew Morris with the top of the order coming up. Although Morris was able to strike out Witt, that was sandwiched by singles to Lane Thomas and García, the latter bringing in Jensen for the go-ahead run. He then faced the shriveled husk of Starling Marte, who had struck out feebly against Prielipp twice, but this time, he got a sinker to his liking on the inner half and crushed it 441 feet, breaking the game wide open. Cameron looked done after the fifth inning, but the Royals coaching staff coaxed another inning out of him while the Twins lineup offered no resistance—literally, since all three hitters struck out. The seventh and eighth innings were more of the same. Fourteen Twins hitters were retired in a row between the fourth and eighth innings. That would end in the ninth, when Orlando Arcia led off with a walk, Clemens flipped a single to left, and Josh Bell yanked a three-run home run to offer a glimmer of hope against Royals rookie Beck Way. Trevor Larnach then blooped a double to left, which prompted the Royals to turn to their closer, Lucas Erceg. It wouldn't end there. Victor Caratini pinch-hit for Jackson and singled to score Larnach, and Tristan Gray followed with a bloop single to bring up Brooks Lee. Leemade good contact, but flied out to the warning track in left field to end the game. Stuff I'm Tracking: Lewis showed a little more fight in his at-bats. He was able to make contact on his first plate appearance, leading to Witt's error. In his second trip to the plate, Lewis fell behind 0-2, and although his takes looked pretty flinchy, he worked the count to 3-2 before lining a ball to left field for a sharp single (112 MPH). He lined out in the seventh, albeit with a .560 expected batting average. Morris just hasn't been able to string good outings together. You get the sense that if he threw just a little harder and had just a little more depth on his breaking stuff, he could carve out a career as an impact reliever, but as he is, there isn't enough swing-and-miss. Maybe he could carve out a career as a bulk pitcher for a team with a big ballpark, or a better defense. Teams are not afraid to throw Austin Martin strikes as his offensive numbers continue to plummet. With Matt Wallner heating up at Triple-A St. Paul (.896 OPS), you wonder if a switch could be coming. Witt struck out three times and made the error that led to the Twins' first run. Opponents should win when that happens, considering the dearth of talent surrounding the star shortstop. He was removed in the seventh with right knee soreness, which might explain the off day. What’s Next: The Twins head to Detroit to face the struggling Tigers. Taj Bradley (5-2, 3.56 ERA) faces Troy Melton (2-0, 1.74 ERA) in the opener, as Bradley looks to prove his health and the Tigers try to escape the cellar of the AL Central. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 0 48 0 0 41 89 Laweryson 26 0 0 0 36 62 Orze 26 16 0 17 0 59 Lawrence 19 24 0 0 12 55 Paredes 0 50 0 0 0 50 Rogers 12 11 0 15 0 38 Gómez 0 18 0 14 0 32 Banda 0 8 14 0 0 22 Adams 0 0 16 0 0 16 View full article

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Zebby Matthews: 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (100 Pitches, 63 Strikes, 63%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee 2 (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Matthews (-0.25), Orlando Arcia (-0.07), Austin Martin (-0.06) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): After playing quite well against some traditionally strong franchises in the Astros and Red Sox, the Twins have struggled mightily against two perennial laughstocks, the White Sox and the Pirates. Granted, these teams are much better this year and feature plethoras of young, intriguing talent. Speaking of which, the Twins were tasked with facing Braxton Ashcraft, starting for Pittsburgh. Ashcraft is a former second-round pick and features a 98-MPH fastball and 93-MPH slider. Over 138 innings in his career, he carries a sub-3.00 ERA and a 25% strikeout rate—not a bad complement to Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller in their rotation. Ashcraft encountered very little resistance from the Byron Buxton-less Twins lineup. Brooks Lee struck out on three fastballs, while Trevor Larnach struck out on three straight sliders. Josh Bell began the second inning with a sharp single, but was erased on the next pitch on a double play tapper from (first baseman?) Orlando Arcia. Zebby Matthews made the start for the Twins and had a solid first inning, locating his array of pitches and striking out Bryan Reynolds on a nasty changeup to end the inning. He would start to unravel in the second, however. Ryan O'Hearn got Matthews on a cement-mixer slider that resulted in a home run to the right field corner, Oneil Cruz walked, and Jake Mangum and Jared Triolo slapped opposite-field singles to bring in a second run. The third inning featured a hit-by-pitch to Reynolds, and then, with two outs (perhaps not wanting to face Cruz with two men on), Matthews hung another slider, this one to Nick Gonzales, who launched for his first home run of the year, doubling the deficit and sullying Matthews's line. Matthews had good command of his fastball, which sat 93-96 MPH and only allowed a single hit on the pitch until the fifth, when perhaps he began to rely too much on it. Spencer Horwitz laced a double to the gap, and Brandon Lowe brought him in with a long single to the right field corner. After striking out O'Hearn on a nice breaking ball, Matthews gave way to newly added Mike Paredes, who began his Twins career with eight straight balls, walking in a run before allowing a sacrifice fly to Jake Mangum for the seventh run on Matthew's line. Nine-hole hitter Henry Davis then looped a single to drive in the eighth and ninth runs. On the second-hand embarrassment scale, Paredes's debut was between an episode of The Office and watching Chet Holmgren try to score on Victor Wembanyama. The long layoff while his team scored four runs perhaps rattled Ashcraft, as he walked Alex Jackson before leaving a fastball in Brooks Lee's nitro zone. Lee smacked a home run down the right field line, a two-run shot. Ashcraft then remembered he was dealing, and struck out Kody Clemens and Bell easily. Paredes looked a lot better in his second inning, giving up a bloop single to O'Hearn but striking out Gonzales for his first strikeout. He pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, as well. Meanwhile, the Twins could muster almost nothing against the Pirates bullpen. Stuff I'm Tracking: -Luke Keaschall had an infield hit, and will finish May with an .800 OPS, including an OBP over .400 in the month. His defense isn't great, but that stat line will play. -Simeon Woods Richardson was designated for assignment a day before Bailey Ober was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation. That's not great. If Woods Richardson clears waivers, that would be nice in terms of maintaining depth, but if his splitter continues to be terrible (.352 BA against), I can't see him having any viability in any team's rotation or bullpen. -Did James Outman make some deal with Danhausen? Combining Matt Wallner's demotion, the injuries to Buxton, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez and the front office's hatred of Kyler Fedko, Outman's runway (despite terrible play) certainly seems supernatural. -These Pirates seem legit. Their offense is top-10 in the league with the additions of O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe standing out, their starting pitching is solid and features three buzzsaws in Skenes, Ashcraft and Jared Jones. If they can fortify their bullpen at the deadline, maybe by acquiring a closer who can push Gregory Soto to an eighth-inning role, I see no reason why they can't compete in the National League. What’s Next: The Twins return home to face the White Sox, who took three of four from the Twins in Chicago this past week. Joe Ryan (3-3, 2.94 ERA) faces David Sandlin (1-0, 1.50 ERA). Ryan was brilliant against the Sox last week, up until Munetaka Murakami touched him for an eighth-inning two-run homer. Fortunately for Ryan, Murikami is on the IL, but the Sox are still feisty. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Paredes 0 0 0 0 60 60 Orze 29 0 23 0 0 52 Klein 0 0 0 39 0 39 Banda 0 14 18 0 0 32 Gómez 0 17 14 0 0 31 Morris 0 29 0 0 0 29 Funderburk 0 0 0 27 0 27 Rogers 0 7 12 0 0 19 Laweryson 0 0 16 0 0 16 View full article