stringer bell

I didn't see today's game. Was Zebby's stuff that much better? He's had quite a few nice starts, but he's also been used for batting practice a few times. It would be nice to win a series this week. It hasn't happened much of late. Cleveland has made a monumental comeback. Again in the second half of the season, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Detroit was everybody's best story, but it certainly seems that celebrating them was premature.

Both Vázquez and Jeffers have been activated from the IL. Pereda and Keirsey Jr. optioned to the minors.

I'm trying really hard not to cherry-pick stats for Lewis, but 11 HRs and 12 SB since the All-Star break (60 games) is a 30-30 pace, something no Twin has ever done. Hitting is the main thing and his numbers for the entire season are poor, but he was obviously not right when he returned to the lineup. He has looked reasonably comfortable since he came back from his second IL stint and as the season has dwindled he's looked more and more comfortable and athletic on the field IMHO. I don't think 2 BWAR is his ceiling, but I don't think he is elite either. If he stays healthy, he should put up very good numbers and be an everyday asset. I do believe he has a high-maintenance swing with a lot of moving parts making him slump (and hot streak) prone.

Royce Lewis is certainly an interesting young baseball player. At the tender age of 26, he has looked the part of superstar, face of the franchise, scapegoat, great example of dealing with adversity and immature whiner all in the course of about three years. Honestly, I think he might be a bit of all of those things, but on balance he's enigmatic and a bit of a tease. Royce broke into MLB in 2022 with a buzzworthy cameo filling in for Carlos Correa and then famously re-injuring himself in his first and only game in center field. I would say the fan consensus was "he looks like a tremendous talent", but can he stay healthy?" Lewis had already endured one ACL surgery and the second knee injury was a redo--same injury, same knee. Royce returned in mid-2023 and in 58 games performed like a superstar--.921 OPS, 15 homers and 52 RBI with a penchant for grand slams. Despite a muscle pull, Lewis carried the Twins through their first postseason series victory in 20 years with two homers against the Blue Jays. Royce hit two more homers in the series against Houston, but was only 3-16 overall against the Astros. At this point the fan base had Lewis on a pedestal--Kirby Puckett with Killebrew power and the like. Projecting him as a perennial All-Star and face of the franchise didn't seem outlandish. Another injury on Opening Day of 2024 set Lewis back and certainly increased hand-wringing about his ability to stay on the field. Royce came back in June and continued to hit like a Hall of Famer--10 homers in 24 games and then yet another injury. This time the return didn't go quite so swimmingly. Lewis famously said "I don't do slumps" and proceeded to slump hard. Royce's second half was poor. In the 58 games after the All-Star break, he hit .207 with a .620 OPS and he was part of a second half slide that saw the Twins go from solid playoff contenders to also-rans. On to 2025. Yet another muscle pull put Lewis on the shelf in Spring Training and he didn't make his '25 debut until May and again he struggled mightily. He hit .130 in May (.403 OPS), but seemed to come out of it in June until he was injured yet again costing him the last two weeks of June. Lewis hasn't missed any time with injury since July 1, his longest stretch of good health since he broke in. He hasn't been a star in the second half of 2025, but he's been a capable player (.757 OPS, 11 homers and 12 steals with good defense at third). Besides the slumps quote, Lewis has said some things in interviews that make people ponder. He said that he has to be concerned about his hitting stats because he's in arbitration years. He's seemed to question his own ability and his future with the team. The once always sunny and optimistic persona seems to have changed into something else. According to the Star-Trib (behind a paywall) he admitted he returned too early this year and also questioned whether he might be traded in the offseason. I do regard most of what Lewis says as a youngish player who opens a vein quite easily, but I don't think it gives him the best look. On balance, I'm encouraged by Lewis' post-All Star break performance. The numbers aren't great, but he has seemed more and more healthy and athletic, not just slugging, but running the bases and playing defense. I think mechanically Royce will be prone to slumps because there are a lot of moving parts in his approach and swing and it seems like he can get out of whack pretty easy. Much like Byron Buxton a year ago, Royce can go into an offseason healthy for the first time where he isn't rehabbing one injury or another and maybe, just maybe he'll come back a much better player for that. I hope he can rein in some of his offputting quotes without losing his genuineness. I still believe he can be a big asset for the Twins going forward, but like almost everyone else, his struggles and quotes serve to knock him down off his pedestal.

Nope, today's game was the 60th after the break. Prorated for a 162 game schedule, it's 29.7 homers and 32 steals.

Here are the current stats for the eleven players traded in July with their new teams: Correa ..291 BA .348/.434/.782 triple slash 6 HR 19 RBI Bader .331 BA .389/.517/.906 triple slash 5 HR 16 RBI Castro .177 BA .255/.250/.505 triple slash 1 HR 6 RBI France .280 BA .324/.376/.700 triple slash 1 HR 8 RBI Paddack 2-2 W-L 6.12 ERA recently sent to the bullpen Stewart 0-1 W-L 4.91 ERA still on IL Varland 1-0 W-L 6.05 ERA 4.05 FIP Coulombe 1-1 W-L 6.52 ERA was on IL, activated 9/16 Jax 0-2 W-L 4.00 ERA 8 consecutive scoreless outings and counting Durán 1-2 W-L 1.53 ERA 15 saves The Phillies say "thank you". Mixed results for everybody else.

Since the All-Star break, Royce has hit 11 homers and stolen 12 bases. That is almost a 30/30 pace. He was brutal when he returned to the Twins and he’s had quite a few dry spells even in the second half, but there is progress IMHO.

24-year-old Brooks Lee hit a big homer, 26-year-old Royce Lewis also hit a big homer while 24-year-old SWR provided five more decent innings. These three guys will be important in the next year and beyond. Ending their seasons on an upward swing is nice and might help their confidence going forward. Funderburk has had a very good run after the relief pitcher purge. Depending on who is acquired, Fundy should have a leg up on being a lefty piece in ‘26.

I think his improvement on defense and regaining most of his speed are positives.

Three runners on, three runners off (2 DP, 1 CS). That is the way it’s going right now.

Is there rain falling in the Target Firld vicinity? We’re having a thundershower in SE MN.

I’d take that bet considering how bad a .324 OPS is.

Well, he'll get ten more games to maybe change the numbers positively.

The conclusion of a really disappointing season for Wallner.

Scott Blewett DFAd by Baltimore. He was with the Twins in parts of both 2024 and 2025. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/orioles-dfa-scott-blewett.html

I think Keaschall is establishing a pretty high floor for his career. It seems to me that he'll get his hits, make contact and be a positive on the bases. Developing plus power without diminishing OBP will be the challenge. No matter what happens in the last ten games, he's had a nice start with the hope of more and better in the future.

I really believe Pablo is worth the investment of his contract. I hope they keep him beyond this year. The Guardians are running hot in mid-September. It doesn't seem to matter who is the manager or who is on the team, it always seems to happen. The Twins on the active roster are playing for pride and many are auditioning for 2026. They seem to be winning about one of three games since the trade deadline. Getting a split in the series would be exceeding expectations.

I agree that the volume of injuries has been more than tolerable this year. I also agree that the López injury was key in what turned out to be a forgettable season. For two consecutive years a Teres Major has ended up dooming what looked like a positive season--Ryan in '24 and Pablo in '25--although it didn't appear to be the case either time. Top of the rotation starters really are important to a team's fortunes. The other injury that probably had more impact than the number of games lost was Lewis' injury (as well as the second soft tissue injury) in Spring Training. Lewis didn't recover his athleticism until well past mid-season and he's continued to have a difficult season throughout the year. It isn't all on injuries, but I think his gimpyness did contribute to his lack of production. The Twins got much better than expected health from Buxton and Correa's health was about what was expected before he was traded. Lee missed the start of the season and Wallner was injured in April. Both players have had disappointing seasons, maybe from getting going later than others, but again the injuries really can't be the whole reason for their struggles. The two ticking time bombs in the Twins bullpen exceeded expectations--Stewart made it past the trade deadline and was injured as a member of the Dodgers and Topa made it to mid-September before being shut down when the season was basically over.

I think it is too simple to say that the Twins "sought the 3 true outcome guys", but they have placed a premium on guys who hit the ball hard and can pull, generating home runs. Austin Martin is not gonna hit many homers, but he is showing he can get on base and has also seemed to improve his defense (at least in left field) and base running. He had another good series this week against the Yankees, making plays in the outfield, aggressively running the bases as well as reaching base five times in the series. I see that he threw a runner out and he very nearly had another assist at home plate in the first inning. Maybe he has enough to offer to be a factor next year.

I was wondering if maybe Matthews was tipping his pitches. It always looks like he has good stuff, but yet sometimes it is like batting practice.

Fitzgerald is going to get a couple innings tonight. I absolutely hate seeing position players pitch, but it seems like it is a certainty tonight.

First inning—bing, bing, bing. Second inning—boom, boom, boom.

Gasper? I don't think the Twins thought they were trading for an All-Star or even a regular when they acquired him. I think the thought was perhaps he could be a third catcher and pinch hitter with some ability to cover other positions. He obviously hasn't hit but it wasn't like the Twins were acquiring a star.

Lewis has not had a good season, but he's been a far better player than Lee by just about every measure. He's still only 26 and has been healthy for the last half of the season and his defense is more than satisfactory at third base. I'm not saying the club should be built around him, but I think he has showed enough to be the Twins' starting 3B in 2026. On the position player side, having Clemens and Lee as regulars to start 2026 wouldn't be optimal, but I think they are major league players with pedigree (lee) and some performance (Clemens). In Clemens' case, he has performed at roughly league average for 100 games with the Twins (1.1 WAR), not what you want for a starting first baseman, but pretty good for a bench player, particularly one who can cover both corners in the outfield as well as first and second base. Lee's been a better defender as a shortstop and he's displayed some pop. As a starter the Twins would need more, but this version of Lee wouldn't be a bad backup and there are reasons to expect improvement next year.

This aged well. Martin may have, in fact, played his way into the Twins plans. An .800 OPS including a .400 OBP plays in MLB. I’m not convinced about his defense or his base running, but the tools are there for him to be a good all around player.