Nate Palmer

The Minnesota Twins came into Seattle and was able to take advantage of a matchup that favored their bats against Mariners starter Chris Flexen. A Buxton bomb and solid pitching brought the Twins another victory. Box Score SP: Chris Archer: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (67 pitches, 39 strikes (58.2%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (18) Top 3 WPA: Emilio Pagan (.175), Jhoan Duran (.129) Byron Buxton (.111) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pregame: Reinforcements are Coming As the Twins flip from the East coast to the West coast, it was learned that some much-needed starting pitching help is on its way. Both Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray are expected to make their return to the Twins rotation during this Seattle series. Ryan has been recovering for Covid while Gray was recovering from an injury to his pectoral muscle. Buxton Stays Hot After winning player of the week honors, Byron Buxton came into Monday night’s game looking at a Seattle starter he has had success when facing. Buxton was 5-for-5 against right-hander Chris Flexen and in the first at-bat, promptly made that 6-for-6. All the while, Buxton added his second home run against Flexen. The home run put two runs on the board to start the game as an equally good-performing Luis Arraez was on base. Arraez finished the night 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. Buxton finished the game 2-for-5 with the home run and two RBIs. Miscues Haunt Twins in Third Inning With one out and Dylan Moore up to bat, catcher’s interference was called on Gary Sanchez after a review on what should have been ball one. That gave the Mariners a free runner on first base. Eventually, that free runner would come around to score on a grounder to Gio Urshela that he couldn’t quite get out of his glove. A double-play was possible, although hard to turn. Then there was almost more disaster as there was a miscommunication between Jose Miranda and Chris Archer on who would cover first base on a ground ball fielded by Miranda. On that play, the Twins still got one out, and the double play would have been difficult to turn. Thankfully, while it was another miscue, it turned out to be a harmless one. Archer and Bullpen limit Mariners to Two Runs. Chris Archer continues to do exactly what the Twins ask him to do. As we have seen time and time again, it is not flashy and it does not get style points, but it leaves the Twins in a position to win. Monday night was Archer’s tenth start, where he allowed two runs or fewer. While the short starts have proven to be very effective, that does leave the Twins bullpen to get through the game's final five innings. Caleb Thielbar and Griffin Jax were the first two, and each had quick innings. Jax continues to show why he should be considered one of the best bullpen arms the Twins currently have, as he even battled back from being down 3-0 to strike out Abraham Toro. It was not until the seventh when the Twins started to run into a bit of trouble. Jharel Cotton coughed up a home run to Taylor Trammell, which cut the Twins lead down to 3-2 after Max Kepler drove in a much-needed insurance run earlier in the inning. Cotton would get two outs but, after issuing a walk, would give way to Joe Smith, who on one pitch retired Ty France to get the Twins out of the inning. Jhoan Duran was called on to get the eighth inning and came up big for the Twins. The righty pumped his patented 100+ mph fastball across the plate and got two Mariners to strike out. The Twins then called on Emilio Pagan to complete the bridge from starter Archer to the end of the game. Pagan did just that, with the exclamation point being a strike out of Jesse Winker to win the game. What’s Next? The Twins will continue their series against the Mariners Tuesday. Joe Ryan is reportedly set to return to start for the Twins. Ryan will look to build on a solid season in which he has pitched 43 1/3 innings and owns a 2.28 ERA. The Mariners are scheduled to send right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert to the mound. Gilbert has had a solid season going into Tuesday with a 2.41 ERA. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Cotton 13 0 26 0 18 57 Pagán 0 15 21 0 18 54 Smith 26 24 0 0 1 51 Duran 15 0 16 0 13 44 Moran 36 0 0 0 0 36 Duffey 0 0 0 33 0 33 Thielbar 0 0 19 0 8 27 Thornburg 0 0 0 26 0 26 Jax 0 14 0 0 12 26 Megill 0 0 16 0 0 16 View full article

I would think, just like today, Polanco may temporarily be moved over there. Unless there is some other reports that I missed that would impact that happening.

The Minnesota Twins looked to be on their way to win on Memorial Day after hitting three home runs. In the end, defensive miscues brought the Twins to a loss against the Tigers to open the road trip. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy: 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (95 pitches, 64 strikes (67.4%)) Home Runs: Gary Sanchez (5), Jose Miranda (2), Gio Urshela (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Smith (-0.300), Dylan Bundy (-0.214), Kyle Garlick (-0.149) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pregame Notes Sunday was filled with the excitement of the return of Royce Lewis and his start in center field. Monday was kicked off with the news that he would be hitting the IL with a bruised knee after his collision with the outfield wall during Sunday’s game. Jose Miranda got the call back to the Twins after being the move to make room for Lewis initially. There is certainly room to wonder whether or not Alex Kirilloff was more deserving of the spot on the Twins 26-man. Miranda’s handedness has helped him hang on to his spot on the MLB roster. Sanchez gets Twins going early With plenty of Twins starters like Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Carlos Correa, and Royce Lewish not in the lineup for various reasons, Gary Sanchez got the Twins offense going early in the second inning. The home run was his fifth of the season and his hardest-hit ball of the 2022 season, with an exit velocity of 113.2 mph and traveling 415 feet. The Twins could have gotten more runs, but as has continued to be a trend, they struggled to get hits with runners on base. Trevor Larnach should have scored the second Twins run after a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Larnach was then thrown out at third base while trying to advance after Gio Urshela grounded to Tigers shortstop Javier Baez. The attempt to advance by Larnach was likely the wrong read, and that misjudgment removed him from the bases when he would have likely scored on Jose Miranda’s single to center on the very next at-bat. Miranda’s bat stays hot, glove goes cold While the past 24 hours have been a roller coaster for Miranda after being sent down and then immediately recalled based on the events surrounding Lewis. The right-hander has remained hot at the plate. Monday afternoon, he got started with a single in front of the Tigers centerfielder, Hill. The fireworks came in the fourth inning as Miranda hit his second major league home run to give the Twins a 3-1 lead. While Miranda's bat had fans forgetting about Kirilloff, his glovework raised questions. Two defensive miscues directly lead to Tiger runs. First was a throw behind Joe Smith. The second came on the back end of a fantastic Gio Urshela play where Miranda may have needed to step off of first to grab an offline throw. A decision a more experienced first baseman may have been able to make. Bundy manages hard hits but is undone by weak contact Dylan Bundy has been a relatively steady force for the Twins in their starting rotation. Monday afternoon wasn’t an outing Bundy will likely want to remember. While he managed a barrage of the hard-hit ball (12 to be exact), the weak grounders and bloops seemed to undo him. What may be the key to starts by Bundy is that he left the game with the Twins in a place to be able to win the game. He did manage that as he exited with the game tied at four runs a piece. Smith’s struggles continue After pitching near-perfect baseball to begin the season, Joe Smith continued to unravel Monday. Smith was only able to make it 2/3 of an inning before leaving the game after giving up three hits, one earned run, and another run scored after a throwing error by Miranda. Smith has now given up a run in three out of his last four appearances after giving up no earned runs in every other appearance of 2022 before those four. Former Twin Schoop with milestone hit While 2022 hasn’t exactly been kind to the current Tiger and former Twin infielder, Jonathan Schoop was able to pick up the 1,000th hit of his career Monday afternoon. Schoop spent the 2019 season with the Twins. A season in which he hit 23 home runs and especially punished left-handed pitching. What’s Next? The Twins will hope that the rest gained by some players on Monday will help with the doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday. In Game 1 the Twins will send Devin Smeltzer to the mound against right-hander Rony Garcia of the Tigers. Then in game 2, the Twins look to send Cole Sands to the mound against lefty Joey Wentz. Hopefully, the Twins lineup can succeed against two arms with limited major league experience and right the ship after Monday's loss. Postgame Interview No Interviews but we learned this news postgame. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SUN SUN MON TOT Megill 0 26 0 0 34 60 Duffey 31 0 20 0 0 51 Moran 0 0 34 0 0 34 Smith 0 18 0 0 16 34 Minaya 0 0 31 0 0 31 Thielbar 0 1 0 22 0 23 Jax 0 0 0 20 0 20 Duran 0 19 0 0 0 19 Pagán 0 3 0 12 0 15 View full article

Thank-you! I appreciate your kind words.

The Minnesota Twins took the lead early on a Max Kepler grand slam. After letting the Tigers back into the game, it took a 9th inning walk-off single from Gio Urshela to take game one of the series. Box Score SP: Chris Archer: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (72 pitches, 46 strikes (63.9%)) Home Runs: Max Kepler (6) Top 3 WPA: Max Kepler (0.275), Kyle Garlick (0.232), Emilio Pagan (0.230) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Archer four innings of bend don’t break In the offseason, Chris Archer was picked up to be the Twins 5th starter. That said, Archer has since become one of the most available arms for the Twins, even if it is for only four innings at a time. The short outings still often leave the Twins in a spot to win more often than not. The journey there can be bumpy. Monday night, that came in the way of three hits and two walks and scoring threats in three of the four innings Archer completed. If it weren’t for Daz Cameron’s speed beating out a double play, Archer likely would have put up a scoreless outing. The difficulty with the short outings is that it means the bullpen must be able to pick Archer up. More on that later. “Checked then Wrecked” You have probably heard the patented phrase “bloop and a blast.” The Twins put together a first inning that resulted in a check-swing single from Jorge Polanco to load the bases—followed by an absolute bomb from Max Kepler for a grand slam to give the Twins and Archer an early 4-0 lead. Monday night’s grand slam was Kepler’s sixth on the season. A season in which Kepler is reestablishing himself as a reliable offensive threat in the Twins lineup. Coming into Monday evening, he carried a career-best 136 WRC+. Chinks in the bullpen armor The bullpen has, time and time again in 2022, shut down opposing lineups. Monday night, the Tigers tested that ability was tested, and the results were not favorable. Griffin Jax came into the game to begin the 5th inning. In that inning, Jax let up a home run to Jonathan Schoop. Then in the 6th, Eric Haase was able to drive in a second run against Jax cutting the Twins lead down to one. Even the seemingly untouchable Joe Smith was scored on Monday night. This time Schoop was the one on base after his own one-out double and driven in by a Miguel Cabrera single. Smith was only to record one out in his appearance and was chased from the game after allowing three hits and striking out one. Pagan steadies the ship Emilio Pagan has created some interesting moments at the backend of games, but he came up big right on Monday night when the Twins needed it. Not only did Pagan shut down the Tigers in the eight. The Twins also called on to take on the ninth. While Pagan allowed one hit, he also struck out four batters. Including Schoop and Cabrera, who caused trouble for the Twins bullpen earlier in the game. Pagan likely won't be mentioned in headlines, but he came up big for the Twins. Urshela with heroics for the second straight game After allowing the Tigers back into the game and tying the score up at four, the Twins had to rally in the bottom of the ninth. Kepler, who already had the important grand slam in the first inning, took a vital walk to lead off the inning. With a lefty in Andrew Chafin on the mound, Rocco Baldelli turned to his bench and lefty masher Kyle Garlick. Garlick promptly hit a single to the outfield which advanced Kepler to third base. On night after Garlick homered off of a righty, he continues to show how elite he is when facing lefties. After a Sanchez pop-out, Gio Urshela came to the plate. Urshela has been one of many Twins that has been bit by the double-play grounder bug. With Garlick on first, that result had a strong chance as one of the Twins bottom of the ninth outcomes. Instead, Urshela was able to hit a grounder up the middle with enough speed that the Tigers couldn't handle it and allowed Kepler to score the game's winning run. Two incredible and exciting wins in the row take the Twins to five straight wins as they try to extend their AL Central lead. What’s Next? Tuesday, the Twins will send Sonny Gray to the mound for his sixth start of the season. He will look to get the Twins a win and improve upon his already solid 3.48 ERA. The Tigers will send rookie Beau Brieske to the mound. The righty sits mid-90s with his fastball and mixes in a changeup and slider, but has been hit pretty hard to this point in his young career. We will see if the Twins can exploit that Tuesday. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet - THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Jax 0 18 0 0 33 51 Pagán 0 19 0 0 28 47 Cano 0 0 0 38 0 38 Smith 0 0 21 0 17 38 Duran 0 16 0 17 0 33 Duffey 0 18 0 14 0 32 Megill 0 0 0 31 0 31 Thielbar 0 0 18 0 3 21 Stashak 0 0 18 0 IL 18 View full article

The Twins not using Pagan, Duran, Smith, even Thielbar seems to be the reset. That is the usual go to for late inning save situation games.

Royce Lewis was the spark to the Minnesota Twins offense early, scoring the Twins first two runs. Gary Sanchez added some power, and the Twins bullpen was lights out once again as the Twins won the first game of their west coast road trip. Box Score SP: Chris Archer: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (62 pitches, 37 strikes (59.7%)) Home Runs: Gary Sanchez (3) Top 3 WPA: Gary Sanchez (0.143), Griffin Jax (0.143), Jorge Polanco (0.138) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Garlick activated The Twins sent out their patented righty heavy lineup with lefty Zach Logue on the mound for the Athletics. It was a perfect opportunity for the healthy Kyle Garlick to return to the Twins after spending time on the IL with an injured calf. Coming into Monday night, Garlick has hit .357/.500/1.000 with a 1.500 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Archer gives the Twins four innings Chris Archer did exactly what 2022 Archer does. He gave the Twins four full innings of work and left the game with the Twins in a position to win the game. It was an uneasy beginning as it seemed Archer was trying to nibble around the edges of the plate. Once the right-hander could locate some pitches better, he went through a stretch of sending nine straight A's batters back to the dugout. Lewis makes his case As Carlos Correa draws closer to returning from his finger injury, Royce Lewis isn’t ready to go back to St. Paul just yet. The Twins shortstop is doing everything to make sure he stays in the majors. Lewis accounted for two Twins runs. He was first driven home by Jorge Polanco after his third-inning double and then Byron Buxton after a fifth-inning walk. While Lewis will need to find a new defensive home if he and Correa are to coexist in the same lineup, his bat may force just that to happen. Lewis is now hitting .286/.306/.457 since his call up. Gary brings the power While the Twins needed to employ small-ball tactics of what feels like an era forgotten for their second run, Gary Sanchez brought us right back to present-day baseball. Sanchez smashed a ball to center field in the sixth inning for the Twins third run. His home run measured at 433 feet and had an exit velocity of 109.9 mph. Cano, Jax, Duffey impress out of the bullpen Yennier Cano has seen the Twins bullpen roles be shuffled around, and now he is staking his claim to a role of his own. Cano once again was asked to pitch two innings as he came on in relief of Archer. As he sat mid-90s with his fastball, Cano only allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts. Cano is turning heads early on in his major league career. Griffin Jax was the next man up out of the bullpen and added his own two innings following Cano. Allowing only one hit, Jax has continued to be trusted by his manager and has become a real asset for the Twins. Tyler Duffey followed to get the save on a night in which Emilio Pagan was unavailable. It is also interesting that the choice was Duffey and not Jhoan Duran, but now Duran will be available for the rest of the series. What’s Next? The Twins will go to bed likely with the sounds of drums and horns bouncing in their heads. It was announced Dylan Bundy will return from the COVID IL to make the start on Tuesday. Bundy brings into the game a 5.76 ERA on the season in his five starts. The A’s will send James Kaprielian to the mound. The right-hander has made three starts in 2022 and currently owns a 4.97 ERA. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Jax 0 50 0 0 25 75 Cano 36 0 0 0 25 61 Stashak 46 0 0 13 0 59 Duffey 33 0 5 0 20 58 Pagán 0 22 9 10 0 41 Thielbar 23 0 15 2 0 40 Smith 0 4 15 9 0 28 Duran 0 10 12 0 0 22 Cotton 0 0 17 0 0 17 View full article

On a night when the Minnesota Twins offense only scored two runs. The Twins starter, Chris Paddack, and the bullpen carried the team to victory after combining to allow only one run. Box Score SP Chris Paddack: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (81 pitches, 53 strikes (65.4%)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Joe Smith (.208), Johan Duran (.191), Emilio Pagan (.137) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The storylines existed for this game before the teams even took the field for warm-ups. It all begins with the Baltimore starter and old friend, Tyler Wells, a Twins 15th-round draft pick from 2016. Wells was selected by the Orioles last offseason in the Rule V draft and has been starting for the Orioles this season, coming into the game with a 5.54 ERA over four starts, and 13.0 innings pitched. The other leading storyline for Monday night's game was that Twins prospect Jose Miranda got his call up to the majors. The Twins number three prospect in Twins Daily’s prospect rankings started at third base while batting sixth in the Twins lineup. While playing at AAA St. Paul Miranda hit .256/.295/.442 with a .737 OPS, two home runs, ten doubles, and twelve RBIs. Twins Bats Scuffle Early Against Former Twins Prospect Tyler Wells Early on, the game came easy for the former Twins farmhand. Wells worked quickly through the first two innings and put up a perfect first three innings. In those first three innings, Wells was able to create several harmless pop-ups and collect two strikeouts. Wells was spotting his pitches well for strikes, and it was apparent even from the television camera angle that he was getting good movement on his breaking pitches. Finally, Luis Arraez found good contact on a Wells’ pitch to break through for the Twins first hit of the night in the fourth inning. Paddack Up for the Challenge With Wells off to the perfect start, Chris Paddack gave the Twins 5.1 innings of a competitive start. There were plenty of long and loud outs throughout his start Monday night, but the key was most of them resulted in outs. Rougned Odor did get to Paddack for a triple which led to an Orioles run after Ramon Urias drove him home. Urias’ single led to the only earned run allowed by Paddack. The Twins right-hander did get into a bit of trouble in the fifth before Joe Smith came on to induce a ground ball double play and keep the Twins in front. Paddack collected eight swings and misses before leaving the game with the Twins leading the Orioles 2-1. Correa Continues to Deliver As Carlos Correa has been heating up over the past week, he continued to deliver for the Twins on Monday evening. This time it was in the form of an RBI single. Correa dropped the ball in the outfield grass with Byron Buxton standing on second base. This sixth inning scoring sequence feels like the situation envisioned when Correa was added to this lineup already featuring Buxton. Correa also flashed his glove again at a critical moment. Jorge Mateo drilled a line drive in the eighth inning with one on and no outs. Correa was there and able to snag the line drive out of the air for the first out and help Emilio Pagan complete the inning without allowing any runs. What’s Next? The Twins will look to pick up another win as they send Joe Ryan to the mound. Their hitters will hope to have better success against Bruce Zimmerman who is the scheduled starter for the Orioles. The Orioles lefty has been tough this year in 19 1/3 innings carrying a 0.93 ERA and 9.8 K/9 Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Jax 46 0 0 0 15 61 Coulombe 0 35 0 0 0 35 Stashak 18 0 14 0 0 32 Duran 0 0 20 0 10 30 Pagán 0 0 0 0 27 27 Duffey 8 0 0 17 0 25 Thielbar 0 0 15 0 0 15 Smith 0 0 9 0 2 11 Moran 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The third Monday in April every year is a day that is very pro-Boston. A Kyle Garlick two run home run and four RBIs from Polanco led the Twins as they stole some of the joy of Patriots Day away from the Red Sox. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (71 pitches, 51 strikes (71.8%)) Home Runs: Kyle Garlick (1), Jorge Polanco (2) Top 3 WPA: Dylan Bundy (.162), Kyle Garlick (.160), Jorge Polanco (.126) Game Score: Twins 8, Red Sox 3 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The city of Boston was buzzing with excitement on Monday, also known as Patriots Day. It was the first Patriots Day to feel normal since COVID-19 entered our vocabulary. Just outside of Fenway Park was the running of the Boston Marathon. While Bostonians were looking for a good day, it did not start that way for Red Sox fans as COVID would rear its ugly head. Before game time, Kevin Plawecki was spotted leaving the stadium in street clothes. Later it would be reported that he and two other Red Sox staffers had tested positive for COVID. It will certainly be a development we, as Twins fans, will want to keep an eye on as it could have a ripple effect if any Twins players or staff would also end up testing positive. A Cleanup Spot Garlick Tater Monday morning, as the starting lineup was posted on Twitter, there was plenty of angst surrounding the selection of Kyle Garlick to hit cleanup. Garlick proved his doubters wrong with Carlos Correa on base by placing a Rich Hill pitch right on top of the Green Monster in left field. At first look, there is reason to be initially frustrated that an offensively struggling Twins team would bat a player who wasn’t even on the Opening Day roster cleanup. Garlick also flexed one of the big reasons the Twins front office preferred him over the recently traded Brent Rooker. Garlick rakes against lefties. Entering the day, Garlick, over his career, had slashed .258/.298/.567 with a .865 OPS against southpaws. Bundy Finally Gives Up a Run Even though his velocity seemed to be down, Dylan Bundy pitched very well and was nearly flawless through four innings. That included a stretch in which Bundy sent down ten batters in a row. Bundy ran into trouble in the fifth inning, allowing his first run as a Twin. When the Twins tried to stretch Bundy into the sixth and save the bullpen another inning, everything really went south for Bundy. After getting Hernandez out to start the inning on a strikeout, the next two hits were struck hard and resulted in runners on second and third base with one out. If the Twins did not have a three-run lead, Baldelli might have gone to his bullpen right away to begin the inning. It seemed like a measured gamble worth taking with the lead and how efficient Bundy had been. While the results may have been very similar to Bundy’s first Twins start last Monday, there is one thing to keep an eye on. Last week Bundy kept hard-hit balls to a minimum. Monday morning, the hard-hit rate was up considerably. He gave up ten hard hits and boasted a hard hit % of 66.7%. Where Smith Big in Relief Joe Smith was tasked with cleaning up the mess that was left after Bundy was pulled from the game. He was able to get Martinez to hit an infield grounder that Sano fielded and froze Devers leading to an eventually tag placed on the Red Sox third baseman. Then after an intentional walk to Verdugo, Smith got Arroyo to hit a loud F8 to end the inning. The sixth inning could have turned into an ugly inning, but the veteran Smith was able to come in and save the Twins three-run lead. Polanco Comes Up Big While Garlick got things going on the offensive side of the ball, Jorge Polanco put a big exclamation point on the morning and afternoon. Polanco followed up Garlick’s two-run home run over the Green Monster with one of his own with Gilberto Celestino on base. Then in the eighth inning, with the bases loaded, Polanco came through with a two-RBI single. Polanco’s eight-inning single gave the Twins second baseman a 2-for-5 day and four RBIs, which helped give his team some much-appreciated breathing room. Polanco’s single was part of an excellent eighth inning for the Twins. An inning where they scored four runs on only one hit! Griffin Jax even pitched a scoreless eighth, helping the Twins get past an inning that has not been friendly to them this season. What’s Next? The Twins will move on to Kansas City for their first look at the fellow AL central Royals. Tuesday's game will feature Chris Archer's second start of the season. While the Royals look to send Carlos Hernandez to the mound. Because of the Wild and Wolves, the Twins game will be on the CW. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Winder 28 0 66 0 0 94 Jax 0 22 0 0 47 69 Duran 0 34 0 0 23 57 Romero 34 0 11 0 0 45 Thielbar 18 0 0 17 0 35 Pagán 20 11 0 0 0 31 Duffey 0 0 0 18 0 18 Stashak 0 0 0 17 0 17 Coulombe 14 0 0 0 0 14 Smith 3 0 0 0 6 9 View full article

This is an interesting read! I will join in with my fellow pastors on commenting in saying that appreciate Johnson's perspective after being intimately involved in both realms.

Dylan Bundy gave quiet to some of the skepticism surrounding his addition this offseason. The bats were not as explosive as they were over the weekend, but three straight RBI singles was enough to comfortably put the Mariners away Monday evening. Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (67 pitches, 47 strikes (70.1%)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Dylan Bundy (.288), Jorge Polanco (.223), Luis Arraez (.118) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Cy-Bundy? Ok, so no one is going Cy-Young award yet on Dylan Bundy. His outing Monday night was very encouraging and clean. Considering the question marks surrounding Bundy and how he might step into the Twins rotation. For at least one turn, the answer was very good. Bundy was very efficient as he made it through 5 innings while only throwing 67 pitches of one-hit ball. 5-6 innings each time out of anything close to Monday night would be an excellent outcome for the Twins' free-agent addition. Everyone gets an RBI-Single The Twins got their first run in the first inning on an RBI double. In the 5th inning, the offense got going with three straight RBI singles and put the Twins up 4-0. Byron Buxton provided the fireworks as he almost hit his 4th home run of the season. Instead, the ball hit the top of the wall, letting Buxton cruise into second with a double. Then, Luis Arraez into Jorge Polanco into Gio Urshela gave the Twins those three straight singles and three more runs on the board. After a weekend that provided a heavy diet of long home runs, the Twins went the route of stringing hits together to get runs on the board. Did Rocco Go to the Wrong Guys in the Pen? After the Twins went up 4 in the fifth inning, Rocco still chose to run out many of his key arms. Caleb Thielbar took the sixth, Tyler Duffey the seventh, and Joe Smith the eighth. It seemed like a game situation where the Twins could have worked some of their lower leverage arms into the game and saved the higher leverage arms for the Dodgers as they come to town tomorrow. If you refer to the bullpen chart at the bottom of the game recap, it seems there is a potential pattern Rocco is following, at least early on. The relievers have been bunched into groups that allow days rest between outings for each reliever. That is true for all the relievers outside of Josh Winder, who has yet to pitch through this opening series. Tonight’s game felt like an excellent opportunity for Winder to have gotten at least an inning or two. We did get to see Jhoan Duran in the ninth and Wow... Base Running Woes Twins fans are not immune from feeling the woes of bad base running. Monday night was a flashback of that. The home team saw two base runners thrown out at home plate. The first was Miguel Sano in the second inning, and the second Alex Kirilloff who was thrown out just ahead of the RBI single parade in the fifth. Those two missed runs may have been enough to add to leaving Winder in the bullpen and not on the mound. What’s Next? The Twins will welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town along with their powerhouse of a lineup. Chris Archer is set to make the start for the Twins in a game that is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. The Dodgers will look to send Andrew Heaney to the mound. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Coulombe 0 27 0 15 0 42 Duran 0 31 0 0 11 42 Alcalá 0 13 0 27 0 40 Smith 0 0 20 0 19 39 Thielbar 0 0 18 0 19 37 Duffey 0 0 18 0 14 32 Cotton 0 0 20 0 0 20 Romero 0 0 0 15 0 15 Pagán 0 0 0 10 0 10 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

February is Black History Month, and over the coming weeks, Twins Daily will have a series of articles on African Americans in Minnesota Twins history. There have been award winners, All Stars, and even a couple of Hall of Famers. Today we feature two players who gave the Twins a strong start up the middle, at catcher and in center field. In 1961, center fielder Lenny Green and catcher Earl Battey were part of the collection of players that made the trip from Washington D.C. to Minnesota, a transition that turned the Senators into the Twins. They did so as two of three African Americans with Ron Henry being the third who Seth Stohs wrote about earlier in our series. Lenny Green Green is certainly the lesser-known of the two players in Twins history. He came to the organization in 1959 after starting his career with Baltimore. In 1961, serving as the starting center fielder for the Twins, Green played in 156 games, hit nine home runs, and drove in 50 runs. He slashed .285/.374/.400. Green played for the Twins from that inaugural 1961 season until midseason of 1964. He was the starter in center field until Jimmie Hall supplanted him during the 1963 season. That led the Twins to trade Green in the middle of the 1964 season to the Los Angeles Angels. A trade that brought back Frank Costro and Jerry Kindall. Green went on to play for Baltimore (once again), Boston, and Detroit before his career ended in 1968. 1965 was his best season after leaving the Senators/Twins organization when he was the regular starting center fielder for the Red Sox. Earl Battey If it wasn’t for some guy known for having sideburns, Battey very well would be in consideration for the title of best catcher in Twins history. He was traded to the Senators from the White Sox in 1960. At the time, the backstop was labeled as a defensive catcher. He had always seemed to have success hitting in the minors, but had not been able to get his bat to translate to the big leagues. As a member of the Twins that all changed. In that inaugural season of 1961, Battey played in 133 games, hit 17 home runs, and hit for a .302 average. That batting average ranked sixth-best in the AL by season’s end. Battey also continued with his billing as a good defensive catcher by winning a gold glove in that 1961 season. Before retiring at the end of the 1967 season, Battey won three gold gloves, was a five-time All-Star, and figured into the MVP voting in three different seasons. He certainly was part of a solid core of hitters that had him often overshadowed by the likes of Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, and Bob Allison. What may have shined through even more in retirement from baseball, is that Battey was a really good person. Immediately after his career finished, he was part of a company where one of his main duties was getting free Yankees tickets in the hands of inner-city kids and then attending the game with them. He was the "answer man" for all of the children's questions. The former catcher also became a high school teacher and baseball coach in Florida. Battey passed away in 2003 from cancer. It was the following season, 2004, that Battey entered into the Twins Hall of Fame. Battey is remembered as a great teammate and storyteller. -- A Pennant for the Twins Cities: The 1965 Minnesota Twins was considered in writing this post View full article

A potential Minnesota Twins free agent target went off the board Monday as Eduardo Rodriguez agreed to sign with the Detroit Tigers. Here are three things we now know about the Twins and the division. Monday morning, one of the first free-agent dominoes fell. As reported, free-agent starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has found a new home with the division rival Detroit Tigers. The reports have the deal at 5 years and $77 million dollars. Rodriguez was certainly a pitcher that made sense for the Twins. At 28, the lefty represents a young free agent who is now controlled on a five-year contract with an opt-out after two years. Rodriguez is coming off a season in Boston that was likely better than his 4.74 ERA suggests. Instead, he finds a home with Detroit. A team the Twins were looking up at in the standings when the 2021 season came to a close. As the dust settles on the news of the Rodriguez signing, here are some things we know. The Twins were not in on Rodriguez. As referenced above, a Twins-Rodriguez union made all the sense in the world. The Twins, at best, need to fill three rotation spots, and Rodriguez has a good mix of experience and youth to be part of a competing rotation for the life of his five-year deal. The union made so much sense that two out of three MLBTR writers predicted that the Twins would be the team to sign Rodriguez in their look at the top-50 free agents this winter. Darren Wolfson reported quickly that the Twins and Rodriguez camp had not been talking about a deal. While this news will disappoint some, it will take time before we know exactly what happened behind the scenes when it came to the Twins view of Rodriguez. That something could have been a talent or makeup issue or a contract commitment. Whatever it was, it left the Twins not interested in the lefty. The Tigers aren’t bluffing One of the most significant talking points of the young offseason is that the Tigers are poised and ready to spend. Most of the attention ends up going the way of the Tigers signing a shortstop like Carlos Correa, but five years and $77 million to Rodriguez is another significant chunk of money that Detroit has now spent this offseason. The Tigers are no strangers to opening up the pocketbook to bring in high-priced free agents. It just has been a while since it made sense for them to do so. The signing also shows that not only are the Tigers willing to spend on free agents this offseason, but at least one free agent has shown he is willing to choose Detroit as his new home. That may be more important than anything for a team looking to build on a young core, and a third-place finish in the AL Central as the 2022 season ushers in. The Twins have work to do The Twins should see a better 2022 than 2021 simply because everything can’t go wrong again like it did in 2021. If the goal is to unseat the White Sox, the Tigers are at least going to make other AL Central teams think about them on their way to the division crown. If the Twins want to be the 2022 AL Central Division champs, this move by the Tigers only further confirms they will need to go and be active in acquiring major league-ready talent through some avenue soon. In past years, when it has been a two-team race, it is easier to sneak into that top spot. With the Tigers making their push, there are at least two other teams in the division ready to make something happen. Thankfully there are still free-agent starting pitchers on the board. With two (Rodriguez and Andrew Heaney) already off the board, the club may not want to wait too long if they have their eye on one of the free-agent starting pitchers that are available. Of course, there is always the route of trading for starting pitching talent as well. Something that Wolfson mentioned several times today as reactions were made on Twitter to the Twins lack of interest in Rodriguez. How are you feeling about the state of the division after Detroit has added Rodriguez to their already talented rotation? Should the Twins have been in on Rodriguez? Let us know below! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Bailey Ober and Michael Pineda shut the door on Cleveland, while Jorge Polanco busted through with a four extra-base hit night. Box Score Starter: Bailey Ober 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (27), Byron Buxton (11) Top 3 WPA: Polanco (.240), Pineda (.192), Buxton (.096) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) At this point in the season, it feels like a Bailey Ober start is appointment viewing to get a further glimpse at what the Twins may have in him for next season. Pineda almost stole the headlines as he was activated from the IL to piggy-back Ober. Still, it was truly Polanco who once again stole all the attention away from anyone else on the field Monday night in Cleveland. The Twins got their scoring going early. Buxton was able to get an infield single to lead off the game. Polanco lined his 30th double of the season to advance Buxton to 3rd base. Then one of the more unusual 3-hole hitters for the Twins, Rob Refsnyder, drove both Twins base runners home with an opposite-field single to put the Twins up 2-0 over Cleveland. As the 3rd inning came around, so did Polanco’s spot in the lineup again. In his second at-bat as a righty against the left-handed Logan Allen, Polanco hit his 27th home run of the season. Polanco wasn’t finished for the night either. He would end the night going 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run. Buxton is Back Buxton has looked good and healthy since returning from the injured list from the running and fielding standpoint. His bat has been quiet. Yesterday it began to awaken, and tonight that awakening continued. In addition to his 1st inning single, Buxton also hit his 11th home run of the season which gave the Twins a 4-2 lead in the 5th inning. Ober Continues His Growth One of the few storylines many fans are watching as the season winds down continues to be an impressive one. Ober continued his excellent stretch of pitching on a night he knew he would be limited and piggy-backed by Michael Pineda. Ober made a mistake with Franmil Reyes' at-bat, and he blasted a hanging slider for a 2-run home run. Besides that run-scoring opportunity, Ober continued to look strong as he challenged Cleveland batters inside, struck out four and walked none. Pineda Returns to the Mound With plenty of questions surrounding where Pineda will be for the 2022 season, Pineda made his return starting the 5th inning after Ober was finished for the evening. Big Mike put together a respectable line of 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 Ks, and 1 BB. The results were there, but questions still remain around the stuff and/or command being fully back. That is a question that will need to be answered as the Twins consider whether or not they will make Pineda a contract offer for 2022. It was a fun night in Cleveland for the Twins. They will go back at it tomorrow as John Gant takes the mound against Aaron Civale. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Gibaut 24 0 0 47 0 0 71 Colomé 0 0 0 11 23 9 43 Minaya 11 0 0 21 0 0 32 Garza Jr. 0 0 8 23 0 0 31 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 28 0 28 Duffey 0 0 0 0 10 8 18 Alcalá 0 0 0 0 15 0 15 Coulombe 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 View full article

I felt myself gag back some vomit as I had to type that out. Seems so strange that he will end up with a positive stat out of that performance. I understand why, but it shows that there are times we do need to look a bit further than just the number itself to get the full picture.