Nate Palmer

Lightning delays games and walks still haunt as White Sox jump on Maeda early and proves to be enough for the win. Box Score Starter: Kenta Maeda 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Josh Donaldson (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Maeda (-.355), Jeffers (.076), Cruz (-.055), Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins were able to start the game off with a bang, but the game quickly went south from there. The quick start came as Luis Arraez singled to lead off the game. With Arraez standing on first, Josh Donaldson was able to deposit the ball in the left-field seats to put the visiting team up 2-0 to start the game. With Donaldson trash talking as he crossed home plate it seemed the Twins were headed in the right direction to keep the squad’s season on life support. That quickly changed. Maeda walks 5 2021 continues to be a completely different season for Maeda in comparison to 2020. Health has been an issue. Command has as a result also been an issue. That became extremely evident as Maeda walked three straight batters in the first inning and would end his outing with 5 walks in total. This is incredible considering that is half his walk total from all of last season! Maeda appeared to briefly regain his command in the 4th and into the 5th inning. Once Maeda regained his control it seemed everything else didn’t go right around him. Balls fell in, slow rollers found the right piece of grass, and that was all it took to get the White Sox to 7 runs on the scoreboard. Twins try to make it a game Just as the game seemed to be completely out of reach the Twins began to make it interesting in the 7th. Nelson Cruz doubled home Trevor Larnach after Larnach reached on a near homer to right field. Max Kepler then also doubled to bring Cruz around to score the second run of the inning. To bring the Twins within 2 runs at a score of 7-5, Alex Kirilloff grounded out but on the play, Kepler was able to make his way home as well. In the end, the Twins were two bad baserunning decisions away from potentially tying the game at 7 runs or even winning the game. Cruz getting thrown out at second somehow thinking he was Byron Buxton stretching a single into a double. Also, Jorge Polanco getting absolutely found out on his attempt to steal represents two big mistakes for outs on the basepaths. It is was encouraging to see the Twins battle back, but that margin of error is that much more minuscule through this stretch of division games. Tomorrow the Twins will lean on Bailey Ober as the White Sox send Dylan Cease to the mound. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SUN MON TUE TOT Jax 0 0 75 0 0 0 75 Coulombe 0 0 32 0 0 43 75 Duffey 0 0 0 23 0 15 38 Thielbar 0 4 0 30 0 0 34 Rogers 0 8 9 0 0 0 17 Shoemaker 0 11 0 0 0 0 11 Robles 0 0 10 0 0 0 10 Alcalá 0 10 0 0 0 0 10 Colomé 0 0 7 0 0 0 7 View full article

Just updated the recap. Sounds like a boxer’s fracture. Sounds like “weeks to months”

On an already emotional night, the Twins and Reds played a 12-inning game before Miguel Sano smashed a walk-off home run for the win Box Score Starter: J.A. Happ 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Nelson Cruz (16), Nelson Cruz Top 3 WPA: Matt Shoemaker (.969), Miguel Sano (.384), Caleb Thielbar (.232) Bottom 3 WPA: (if they lose)Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Before Monday night’s game even saw the first pitch tossed it was a big night. First, on Cancer Awareness Night the Twins remembered bench coach Mike Bell who passed away during Spring Training after his own fight with cancer. If you missed the tribute it is a must-watch. Also, Monday marked the day that MLB’s new foreign substance went into effect as well. As much as substances used by pitchers have been the storyline over the last month-plus of baseball, how these guidelines are enforced and affect the game will be the story the rest of the way for 2021. The Twins started off the game's offense with a big 2nd inning. It started with a Nelson Cruz bomb for 424 feet at a pace of 116.5 mph to put the Twins up 1-0. The table was then set by more of that core the Twins have relied on for years with Kepler walking and Polanco hitting a single to put runners on the corners. A Kirilloff RBI single added to the Twins lead and a later Arraez sacrifice fly would let the Twins end the inning up 3-0. Even though the Twins were in the lead, it was another case of the Twins missing a chance to bust a game open. They left the bases loaded with plenty of opportunities to practically put the game out of reach early. Only time would tell if that would come back to hurt them later in the evening. Happ Good Enough Early, Then… Happ had plenty of rocky stretches early on, but through 3 innings had held the Reds scoreless. The 4th inning took a turn for the worse. Happ issued a walk to Tyler Stephenson who would later advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. While Happ had worked around base runners in earlier innings, this time Eugenio Suarez got on a Happ fastball and sent it into the seats for a 2-run home run. Aristedes Aquino would then hit a solo shot into the left-field bleachers. A home run that many (including this writer) would bring an end to Happ’s evening. The Twins did bring him back in the 5th where he was able to get two more outs before being lifted for Luke Farrell. Another Scare from Buxton Once again it seems that Byron Buxton just cannot avoid the freak injuries. This time it was a stray pitch from Reds starter Mahle that hit Buxton on the hand. Buxton did his best to stay in the game initially. After catching a fly-ball to end the Twins defensive side of the 5th inning. Buxton was 1-for-2 with an infield hit when he was forced from the game. After the game the update was that Buxton has a boxer's fracture. The Twins seemingly played all their chips to try and secure a win in the 8th inning. One spot of the lineup saw many more players shuffle through it as Josh Donaldson pinch hit for Nick Gordon who earlier replaced Buxton. Donaldson was intentionally walked to load the bases to bring Larnach to bat. With Donaldson still not fit to run, Miguel Sano came on as a pinch-runner. Larnach couldn’t get the hit the Twins needed. That left the Twins with the 9th inning to try and get the job done before extra innings. They couldn’t leave another chance with the bases loaded pass them by, right? This time with Kepler, Polanco, and Kirilloff on with 1-out the Twins saw Jeffers take an incredibly painted pitch for a strike-out and Simmons ground out to send the game to extras. Extra-Inning Magic Extra-innings began with the Reds and Twins exchanging 2-run innings. And as the 11th inning began, former starter Matt Shoemaker took the mound for the Twins. Twins fans have become used to Shoemaker’s unfortunate results as a starter but that wasn’t the case Monday night as he pitched a great 11th and 12th inning. That got Miguel Sano to the plate in the Twins half of the 12th, after Arraez had helped move Simmons over from 2nd to 3rd. It didn’t matter where Simmons was standing in the end as Sano blasted a home run over the entire Reds defense for the walk-off win. It was a firework-worthy ending for the longest game in the MLB this season! Also 5 in a row for the Twins! Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Thielbar 0 38 0 12 0 19 69 Alcalá 0 10 18 0 18 20 66 Rogers 0 15 12 13 0 16 56 Colomé 0 20 0 15 0 7 42 Duffey 0 0 20 0 21 0 41 Robles 0 0 20 14 0 0 34 Shoemaker 0 0 0 0 0 32 32 Farrell 0 0 0 0 0 19 19 Dobnak 0 0 0 start 0 0 0 View full article

Maeda’s command played peek-a-boo as he made his return from the IL, the young outfielders provided the offense, but it wasn’t enough as the Twins lost to the Mariners. Box Score Starter: Kenta Maeda 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (5), Gilberto Celestiono (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Robles (-.241), Farrell (-.226), Donaldson (-.163) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It had been 20 games since we last saw Kenta Maeda take the mound for the Minnesota Twins. His return was made up of several shifts from moments of “Old Maeda” showing some great command and then “2021 Maeda” losing command and back again. While it wasn’t the most comfortable of rides, Maeda gave the Twins 4 good innings and held the Mariners to one run on 76 pitches. The flashes of command were very encouraging even if not as consistent as one would like. Thankfully, Maeda had Jeffers behind the plate who also did his thing in helping his starter get every strike that he could. Young Outfield Trio Provides Offensive Spark This weekend caused a lot of attention to shift to trade deadline deals and what Twins should make up the core of the next playoff team. Monday night, the outfield full of rookies gave us a potential glimpse into the future as Alex Kirilloff, Gilberto Celestino, and Trevor Larnach provided the offense for the Twins. The Twins first inning was full of weak singles that were capped off by Larnach’s RBI single to start off his 2-for-3 night. It was then Kirilloff’s turn as he did the opposite of hit a Gonzales pitch weakly, launching his 5th homer of the season. Celestino would quickly follow suit and hit his first career homer to put the Twins up 3-1 over the Mariners. While Maeda’s start was encouraging, it still left 5 innings for the Twins bullpen to be able to navigate. Luke Farrell got the 5th inning and immediately allowed the Mariners to tie the game up 3-3. Jorge Alcala and Tyler Duffey followed and were able to hold the game at a tie score as the Twins offense just couldn’t get another hit to come through. Hansel Robles’ name was called on for the 8th. His outing started out well as he struck out Dylan Moore, but in the next at-bat, Jake Bauers took Robles deep for his third home run of the season to put the Mariners up 4-3. The Twins had one more chance in the 9th as the top of the lineup came to the plate. While that is the exact situation any team would want to try and win the game, the Mariners Steckenrider was able to close the door on the Twins. For another time in this disappointing 2021, the Twins seemed just one more pitcher or one more good at-bat away from being able to claim a win. Tuesday night the Twins will send J.A. Happ to the mound to try and find a win in Seattle. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Shoemaker 0 0 35 0 43 0 78 Duffey 0 20 22 0 0 10 52 Jax 51 0 0 0 0 0 51 Colomé 25 0 0 0 24 0 49 Farrell 0 23 0 0 0 24 47 Robles 0 11 0 15 0 17 43 Alcalá 0 7 15 0 0 19 41 Rogers 0 0 3 9 0 0 12 Dobnak 87 0 0 0 40 0 View full article

Sorta took it as a compliment since you took my writing to be at robot competency! Also very much appreciate you reading!

I guess add emotionless to the ways you can describe me. ?

Berríos proved matchless on Memorial Day in an extra-inning win while the offense continued to misfire until late. Box Score Starter: José Berríos 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (5) Top 3 WPA: Rogers (.383), Berríos (.332), Robles (.199) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It was a nail-biter and likely produced hyper-ventilating and heart palpitations for those watching, but the Twins pulled out an extra-inning win on a day America remembers those who have fallen so we can enjoy the freedoms we do. Twins take advantage of Baltimore miscues in 2nd The Twins took advantage of some defensive miscues by the Orioles to push across their first run in the 3rd inning. Kyle Garlick led off the inning with a single and then stole 2nd base to put himself in scoring position with no one out. On an infield hit to the pitcher by Andrelton Simmons, the Orioles failed to cover third base to help hold Garlick and doubled down by also allowing Simmons to reach first safely. Garlick would then score on a Polanco grounder that resulted in a fielder's choice and a missed double play by the Orioles. The Twins, unfortunately, couldn’t capitalize any further from there as Donaldson allowed Baltimore to play make-up and complete the double play on the next play to end the inning. Berríos Tosses a Gem Just as the Twins need to put together another win streak, Berríos assembled a great start in what seemed like an attempt to single-handedly propel the Twins to a win. Showing a great economy of pitches, Berrios threw 96 pitches over 8 innings. He even earned an opportunity to enter into the 9th inning before surrendering a leadoff bloop single and being removed for Taylor Rogers. Berríos walked zero batters which is exactly what any team wants from one of their top starters. His one real mistake was a solo home run that he gave up to Ryan Mountcastle in the 5th inning that allowed the Orioles to tie the game up 1-1 and make the stretch of the game a nail-biter for Twins fans. (For the sake of positivity we will try to ignore how Refsnyder was absolutely destroyed by the outfield fence on Mountcastle’s bomb). Extra Innings! The Twins finally shook their extra-inning losing streak last time in this situation. That seems to have taken and started a new trend. With Refsnyder starting on second, Garlick moved him over to third on a ground-out. Then with Simmons at the plate, Refsyder scored on a wild pitch. From there the bats briefly seemed to wake up as Polanco added to the Twins lead with a solo home run to right field making it 3-1 Twins. Donaldson also added another threat with his second double of the afternoon, but the two runs were all the Twins could add. And they needed both of them. As Robles came in to close out the game and promptly gave up a double off the bat of DJ Stewart to bring the lead to one. With Stewart standing on third base for far too much of the 10th inning, Robles would seal the 3-2 victory for the Twins with a strikeout of Freddy Galvis. The Twins hopefully are on their way to another win streak and extend their streak against Baltimore as they have now won the last 16 games against the birds. The team also ends May with a 13-16 record as the season continues to feel as it is getting late fast and this road trip looms as a very important one. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Robles 0 0 21 0 16 37 Farrell 0 17 0 16 0 33 Minaya 15 0 0 13 0 28 Rogers 0 0 21 0 6 27 Thielbar 0 0 0 22 0 22 Duffey 0 0 13 0 0 13 Alcala 0 0 10 0 0 10 Colomé 0 0 0 10 0 10 View full article

Mother nature almost disturbed the Twins path to a win. It was a trip through the lineup in the 8th that helped the home team weather the storm for a series opening win. Box Score Starter: Matt Shoemaker 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (2), Kyle Garlick (3) Top 3 WPA: Garver (.279), Garlick (.278), Shoemaker (.247) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It wasn't the cleanest game ever, but the Twins with the help of some good performances and a strong 8th inning were able to get themselves another win. Shoemaker put together one of his better starts of the season. He made it to 96 pitches and 6 innings before Baldelli looked toward his bullpen to finish out the final 3 innings of the game. Shoemaker did allow the Orioles to get on the board in the 1st inning. After issuing a leadoff walk to Cedric Mullins, the outfielder made his way around to score. He made his way to second by way of his 6th steal on the season and placing himself in scoring position to score off of an Anthony Santander double. The Twins right-hander didn’t necessarily “cruise” from there on as there were some moments that were cause for one to hold his or her breath. The results were there though as Shoemaker did put together a very good start and put the Twins in a good position to try and win the game. Larnach Monster Shot Larnach tied up the game 1-1 with a monster first-pitch home run in the Twins half of the 3rd. It was the sort of swing and result that everyone has been waiting to see come to full fruition from a top-hitting prospect like Larnach. It was not just big in Monday’s night game, but the home run also goes down as the longest home run of the Twins season at 461 feet. And by landing in the Delta Sky360 Club in straight away center field he joins a limited group. Garlick also made sure to get in on the action with his own home run. Rain Delay Kills the Mood The Twins were likely already going to have a tough time closing out the final 3 innings Monday night with a taxed bullpen. Farrell was able to put up a scoreless frame thanks to a great relay play from Garlick-Gordon-Garver. Alcala came in and was one out away from hopefully stranding an Orioles runner on first. That was until the rain poured from the heavens. As the game resumed, maybe somewhat surprisingly Alcala returned to the mound. He was promptly met by DJ Stewart who put the Orioles up 3-2. Big Offensive 8th Inning Just as we may have uttered “here we go again,” the Twins exploded in the bottom of the 8th for 6 runs. It started with a Donaldson sac fly to bring in Simmons and tie the game at 3. Then with both Donaldson and Kirilloff on base, Garver would double in two runs to put the Twins ahead for good. Just about every Twin hitter got in on the fun in the 8th as the team batted around before finally former Twin minor leaguer Tyler Wells got Garlick to strike out swinging. For more on Wells go here. The Twins have a long way to go and a lot of luck may be needed to get back into any vicinity of sniffing the playoffs again. This sort of win is a positive sign for a club that couldn't find any runs in the late innings earlier in the season. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Robles 14 0 27 24 0 65 Farrell 0 38 0 0 16 54 Duffey 25 0 13 15 0 53 Rogers 22 0 9 14 0 45 Alcala 0 10 17 0 14 41 Stashak 19 0 0 0 0 19 Thielbar 0 0 0 18 0 18 Colomé 0 0 2 0 8 10 View full article

J.A. Happ’s beard was in postseason form tonight, but that was about all that was for the Twins as they lost 16-4 to open their series with the White Sox. Box Score Starter: J.A. Happ 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K Home Runs: Josh Donaldson (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Happ (-.314), Law (-.091), Garlick (-.039) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) May 17, 2021, White Sox vs. Twins was supposed to be a matchup of two AL Central foes battling it out to see who would take home the division crown. While one team is absolutely on that track, the home team tonight looked just as lifeless as it has for most of the 2021 season. To sum it up: After some very promising starts, Happ for the second turn in a row had a start he will try to forget. In some fairness, Happ was facing likely the toughest matchup for him in 2021 facing a White Sox team that hits lefties very well. The lefty did nothing to help himself as he may have nibbled himself to death as he tried to live around the edges of the zone. That approach resulted in Happ only being able to execute 48 of his 85 pitches for a strike before leaving the game with 2 outs in the 3rd inning and being charged with 6 earned runs. Mitch Garver Exits Early In the 1st inning, while catching, Garver took a foul ball right off of his knee. While his catcher gear stood between the ball and his knee it could only do so much in the way of preventing pain. Garver was initially barely able to stand and was clearly hampered as he doubled and scored a run in the 2nd inning. As the game turned to the 4th inning, Garver was lifted from the game in favor of Willians Astudillo who was bange up himself coming into the game. Official word on Garver was his injury was a knee contusion. Have a Day Nick Madrigal When picking which White Sox hitter was going to threaten to hit for the cycle Monday evening, Madrigal likely wasn’t going to be on anyone’s list. Especially since the second baseman hadn’t ever hit an MLB home run coming into Monday night’s action. That changed in the 3rd when Madrigal hit a home run to left center-field off of Happ after collecting a single in the 1st. He would then hit a double to knock Happ out of the game in the 4th and… The Few “Positives” Looking at the starting lineup Rob Refsnyder (similarly to our sentiments about Madrigal) was likely the last player anyone chose as the Twins offensive player of the game. He was just that as he went 4-for-4 with an RBI double. Just as there was chatter and even wishes for a rain shortened game. The Bringer of Rain brought it. Josh Donaldson may not have had the best all-around night at the plate but he provided the most fireworks from the Twins side. And after going 1-for-3 with that home run, Donaldson earned himself some time off as Larnach would come in to replace him after the homer. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Twins roster before tomorrow's game. With the bench already short before Garver was injured and the way pitchers have been used/performed. It would seem like some roster shuffling will be on its way. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Law 0 35 0 0 42 77 Thielbar 0 29 0 28 0 57 Anderson 0 0 0 11 39 50 Alcala 16 0 0 0 18 34 Rogers 20 0 0 12 0 32 Robles 12 0 17 0 0 29 Duffey 0 0 0 26 0 26 Colomé 0 0 7 0 0 7 View full article

Kirilloff brought his bat. Donaldson and Simmons brought their gloves. Bullpen gave up runs but the Twins still win.Box Score Starter: Kenta Maeda 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Maeda .303, Polanco .142, Kirilloff .090 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart-4.png Maeda had to Grind, Punches Out 8 As has been the theme for Maeda this season, he once again seemed to be fighting his control throughout the game. At least for tonight he was able to find a way to exit the game with a “0” next to the Rangers name on the scoreboard. It took some timely strikeouts to help the Twins starter get there. Maeda fought his way through a big at-bat in the second as he faced Joey Gallo. After falling behind 3-0, Maeda was able to work back to strike Gallo out. It took another big strikeout to get Maeda out of a third inning that left two runners in scoring position. What was especially encouraging about Maeda’s start was after a long bottom of the third offensively for the Twins, the righty seemed to come back with a different sense of control. He turned in a big 1-2-3 fourth inning and a good fifth inning as well. Maeda’s control still needs work, but it was valuable for Maeda to give the Twins a start in which he put the team in position to work towards a win. Kirilloff Drives the Offense It wasn’t only Kirilloff who had his bat going Monday night, but his bat did seem to be the catalyst on a night when the Twins scored five runs. The rookie paired a second inning double with aggressive base running on a Gallo errant throw to score the Twins first run of the game. Kirilloff also helped spark the three-run sixth inning with another double hit to left field off of left-handed reliever Kolby Allard. Arraez Goes 1st to Shin Guard In a pivotal but strange moment of the third inning, Donaldson lined a double down the left field line. Arraez got going hard from first to score and ended up having Rangers catcher Trevino catch the ball right above him as he began his slide into home. If you didn’t see it you simply need to watch it below. After initially being called out the call was overturned as Trevino never actually placed a tag on Arraez. Donaldson, Simmons flash their leather As Maeda struggled with his control, there were plenty of instances where a grounder through a hole or a defensive miscue could have seen the Rangers plate several runs. Instead of that, Donaldson and Simmons (outside of the ninth inning throw) showed us exactly why the Twins wanted to upgrade the infield defense the past two offseasons. Both turned in some excellent plays. Bullpen Makes it Interesting At this point it just doesn’t seem like a Twins game without some bullpen shenanigans. In fairness the Twins needed to try and see Waddell in a game and it unfortunately just did not go well for him as the Rangers scored three in the inning he started. Rogers needs to be able to get batters like Gallo out, but he is one of the more powerful bats in the league. In the end, Rogers got the final out and the Twins got the win. We as fans will continue to wonder how the Twins can avoid these sort of bullpen outings in the future. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

The Twins extra-inning record moves to 0-5 as Jordan Luplow hits a walk off homer off of Colome to open the series. Read more about the game in tonight's recap.Box Score Berríos: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Brent Rooker (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Jeffers -.394, Simmons -.251, Colome -.185 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart-3.png Another extra-inning game, a similar result for the Twins as they lose their fifth straight extra inning game to open the 2021 season. The Twins would strike first Monday evening, but in the end it would be the Indians and Luplow who would get the last laugh. After jumping out to a 2-0 lead the Twins were greeted to Cleveland by their former teammate Eddie Rosario. Berrios was able to work around a single by Rosario in the second inning, but the next time around Rosario got the better of his friend. Eddie dropped a double over Arraez's head in left field to score a run and then came around to tie it up on a Reyes single. Arraez would redeem himself by slapping a single to left field that would bring Jake Cave around after he reached on an infield single and then advanced on a contact play. The 3-2 lead wasn’t enough as the bullpen couldn’t hold it once again. Duffey came in to pitch the eighth and gave up a solo shot to Jose Ramirez to tie the game 3-3. Then stop me if you heard this before. Colome came in to try and force the 11th but instead gave up that two-run shot to Luplow that gave Cleveland the victory. Rooker Gets Revenge Rooker just hasn’t been able to get his bat going this season after fracturing his forearm in 2020. Monday night was the night that hopefully changes Rooker’s offensive trajectory. The second inning brought one of the positive moments of the night as Rooker sent a home run to the opposite field to collect his first home run of the 2021 season. If Rooker’s bat does get going with that home run it may become a bit of a full circle event. Since it was a Plesac pitch that ended the Twins outfielder’s season in 2020, and it would now be a Plesac pitch that gets him back on track. Baldelli with Another Puzzling Managerial Move For those who have been frustrated with Baldelli’s management of games, we witnessed another reason to be unhappy. With two outs in the sixth inning and following the aforementioned Rosario score, Baldelli came out to check on and have a conversation with his starter. The manager walked away with what appeared to be the intent to leave Jose in to finish out the inning. What Baldelli had seemingly forgotten is that pitching coach Wes Johnson had already used a mound visit earlier in the inning requiring Berrios to have to leave the game. We will never know what would have happened if Berrios would have remained in the game, but clearly the Twins manager thought he had something left in him. Thankfully, Hansel Robles entered the game to get the final out of the inning and made it through a scoreless seventh as well. No matter what, the course of events certainly invites more scrutiny for Baldelli. Kirilloff's First Hit Alex Kirilloff broke his 0-for-15 slump with a double in his second at-bat tonight. Here's a look at that hit, as well as a quick review of everything that preceded it. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins postponed Monday's series opener with the Boston Red Sox out of respect for the family of Daunte Wright and for the safety of fans.The Minnesota Twins were set to open their series against the Boston Red Sox Monday afternoon. While the weather wasn’t the best and a delay or postponement wasn’t out of the question, a postponement came for an entirely unrelated to weather reason. Approximately 10 minutes before game time, serious steam started to surround the idea of a postponement of Monday’s game due to a curfew and protests in response to the overnight shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center by a police officer. The Minnesota Twins released the following official statement: “Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today’s game. The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials. Information regarding the rescheduling of today’s game, and corresponding ticket details, will be released in the near future. The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.” It goes without saying that it has been a trying year for the greater Twin Cities area when it comes to police and community relations. It feels strange that the call to postpone would come so late, but in the end it is the right call when it comes to the gesture being made to remember Wright and to keep safety of fans and others connected with the teams in consideration as well. Here's more from Twins President Dave St. Peter, via Dan Hayes of The Athletic: It is another, in what feels like a series, of reminders that as much as we as fans love baseball it is still a game. Wednesday Looking Like Donaldson’s Day to Return While clearly on a different level of importance than the game postponement. Some comments were released about Josh Donaldson’s time table to return. As Donaldson continues to struggle with muscle issues in his leg it seems clear the Twins do not want to mess with rain (or snow) as they work the Bringer of Rain back into the lineup. If Wednesday is the day, his bat will be very welcomed. While there is no game or game recap today, there is plenty of more Twins chatter and analysis here at Twins Daily. I encourage you to go check it out! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY Week in Review: Bang for Your Buck Can Andrelton Simmons Earn More MVP Votes? Breaking Down the 2021 Twins Walk-Up Songs Trust the Process, Not Early Results for Miguel Sanó Click here to view the article

Nelson Cruz’s first start of 2021 was delayed due to the opening series being in an NL park, but the wait was worth it. Boomstick clobbered two home runs, one of them a grand slam, in the Twins 15-6 domination of Detroit Monday.Box Score Shoemaker: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Home Runs: Cruz 2 (2) Top 3 WPA: Cruz 184, Polanco .167, Shoemaker .135 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart (1).png The Minnesota Twins brought the lumber into Detroit Monday scoring 15 runs as they took on a number of Twins alumni in the first game of their second series of the season. Nelson Cruz led the way with his 37th career multi-home run game. The first a grand-slam and his second a solo rocket that measured in with an exit velocity of 116.6 mph. Another Twin Exits Early Until the offense exploded, it was another Twin player leaving a game early that stole the headlines. Already down Josh Donaldson and Byron Buxton, Luis Arraez was replaced by Willians Astudillo in the bottom of the second. Arraez had already been his usual spark plug self. He hit a single in the first inning and would come around to score. Then even after pulling up mid-at-bat with the issue that eventually forced Arraez from the game, he reached on a walk in the second. We later learned that Arraez’ reason for leaving was similar (but also unrelated) to Buxton’s, upper GI discomfort. Rough Defensive Day for Tigers’ Ramos Speaking of that Arraez run, it came largely in part to events that happened around one of those Twins alumni, catcher Wilson Ramos. Starter José Ureña struggled with his command and his sinker sent Ramos into the dirt time after time. Arraez reached second on a pitch that got past Ramos and eventually scored after a throw from right-field also kicked past the catcher. Shoemaker Dazzles All the while, Matt Shoemaker made his Twins debut and added another great start to the teams short 2021 resume. The righty took a no-hitter into the 5th inning when he gave up his only run to Ramos on a solo shot over the left-field wall. Shoemaker would end his day after completing six innings and giving up three hits, no walks while striking out five Tiger batters on 92 pitches. Bench Depth Flexed While Cruz is clearly the MVP of the Twins game, Astudillo was right behind him. Even though La Tortuga didn’t get into the game until late he still notched three hits and drove in two runs. Kyle Garlick also got himself an RBI double in his first regular-season hit as a Twin. Even after maybe being looked over coming out of spring because of his defense, Brent Rooker turned in a spectacular catch in left-field while collecting his own RBI. Postgame with Cruz Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Screenshot 2021-04-05 at 4.35.56 PM.png Click here to view the article

J.A. Happ is thankfully OK after recovering from COVID-19. His delay to join Spring Training could cause the Twins to have to test their starting pitching depth early in 2021.J.A. Happ has finally made it to Spring Training with the Minnesota Twins. After being delayed by 2 weeks due to testing positive for COVID-19. With Happ now in camp, it appears the team is ready to take a cautious approach to be sure not to rush him into Opening Day. Such an approach will certainly begin to test the Twins depth of starting pitchers early. Dan Hayes has written about pitching coach Wes Johnson's confidence in Happ’s ability to be ready for the start of the season because of his experience. There is no doubt that Happ knows how to prepare for a season and was able to work out on his own at home while he awaited the OK to step out of quarantine. On the other hand, we know that workouts at home are nothing like workouts at the team facilities. Not to mention workouts in front of the eyes of your new pitching coach. While Happ’s experience is a positive, that experience comes with the need to ready a 38-year-old body for a full season of baseball. Any of us who have felt our bodies age know that sometimes our muscles and joints should do one thing, but all of sudden one day they do the unimaginable. It seems the Twins leadership is already thinking through the reality that it may take Happ a bit longer than what remains of Spring Training to be at full strength for the 2021 regular season. To help Happ properly increase his workload into the regular season, some form of a 6-man rotation being used is at least on the table as an option. With Randy Dobnak as the 6th starter it would be very possible to run a traditional 6-man rotation with 6-days and 6 different starters. That would help add more rest and space out innings for all the Twins starters in the initial return to a full season. A season that has many wondering how pitcher’s arms will respond after 2020’s 60-game season. Piggybacking Dobnak with Happ may end up being a more effective option. It may ultimately give more rest to the bullpen as well. There is even an analytic advantage potentially to this set up as Happ is one of many pitchers who experiences a significant drop off in performance after his second time through the lineup. In 2019, Happ went from a OPS against of .781 the first two times through the order to .841 the third. Now the team has not seemed willing to use the piggybacking approach normally with other pitchers that had some similar time through the order tendencies such as Jake Odorizzi and Rich Hill. The last time they did use this method was in a similar sort of “health” related situation when Michael Pineda was making his way back from injury in 2019 and was paired with Martin Perez. Devin Smeltzer and Lewis Thorpe would both be able to handle a piggyback role. The only issue with the two of them is they are also left-handers. Usually in this approach you want to give a different look as the second pitcher enters the game making Dobnak much or likely, but it would seem foolish to fully overlook Smeltzer and Thorpe. Especially if Thorpe reaches any of the potential that we hope for. While Dobnak from a starting experience and handedness perspective is the most obvious piggyback option, there is still some reason for concern for the right-hander. The last we saw of Dobnak wasn’t great and if he is going to run into trouble it is early in his starts. Over his career he carries a .716 OPS the first time through the order compared to .549 the second. There is of course a chance that knowing this is his role it will change his approach and outcome. The positive is that (barring injury) a 6-man rotation will be a temporary reality. We will potentially get an answer to the question of whether or not the Twins did add enough (or the right) starting pitching depth this offseason. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article