Nick Nelson

The Minnesota Twins are playing their worst ball of the season, while the Cleveland Indians continue to steamroll inferior teams, and suddenly the AL Central race is very much alive. Brace yourselves, and let's take a look back at the season's toughest week, which saw Cleveland draw within three (and very nearly two) games of the division lead with the trade deadline bearing down. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/15 through Sun, 7/21 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 60-38) Run Differential Last Week: -10 (Overall: +111) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (3.0 GA) Willians Watch: Out Indefinitely There's been an exodus in the Twins bullpen. Adalberto Mejia, designated for assignment a week ago, was claimed on Saturday by the Angels. Mike Morin, designated a few days later, was traded to Philadelphia on the same day for cash considerations. And Matt Magill, the most recent cut after getting bombed by the Mets on Wednesday, found himself dealt to Seattle for cash on Sunday. That's the bottom three pieces of Minnesota's shaky bullpen, all cleared out in a matter of days. So, they're halfway to getting better. But meanwhile, everyone's wondering: When are they going to add some upgrades to replace these departed relievers? So far the only reinforcement called in to fill the void is Kohl Stewart, who has pitched one inning since being recalled on Thursday. The Twins curiously have four spots sitting open on their 40-man roster. With the trade deadline less than 10 days away, Minnesota is all but assured to make at least one deal, but in the meantime they are grinding out games and leaning hard on a stretched, shorthanded relief corps. On Sunday this meant leaving Trevor May on the hill for a grueling 49-pitch outing, and also sending Zack Littell (a full-time starter prior to this year) out to pitch for a third straight day. With an even more daunting offense coming to town, and no off days on the schedule in the coming week, the Twins are desperately in need of bullpen help. They announced on Sunday they've optioned Littell (who has a 1.50 ERA in 12 appearances since the start of June), and will have another arm coming up on Monday. Who will it be? Cody Allen is a possibility, though he's looked quite poor in Triple-A (5 BB and 3 K in 4 IP). Cody Stashak, who has a 1.61 ERA and 31-to-4 K/BB ratio in 22 1/3 innings at Rochester, would be the better option on merit. Either addition would require a 40-man move, but that's no problem. [uPDATE: Sounds like it'll be Stashak (per our own Jeremy Nygaard), pushing Minnesota's 40-man roster to 37.] Of course, neither of those two will do much to solve the team's need for credible late-inning support. And so the trade market will (rightfully) be an ongoing focal point of discussion in the days ahead. Urgency continues to build... HIGHLIGHTS The reemergence of Miguel Sano continues to be tremendously invigorating. He had a tough go in the Mets series, striking out five times in eight trips while collecting just one single, but rebounded in a big way over the weekend. Even with his 0-for-5 on Sunday, Sano reached eight times in 17 plate appearances against Oakland. Even more impressive to me than his mammoth third-deck homer, which put the Twins ahead (briefly) on Saturday, was the fact that he drew five walks with only three strikeouts in the four games. He is absolutely locked in at the plate, and the contrast from one month ago – when he was mired in a staggeringly hideous slump – is nothing short of mind-blowing. Since breaking out with a two-homer game in Chicago on June 28th, Sano is hitting .316/.426/.684 with five bombs, four doubles, and 11 walks in 18 games. During that span, he's struck out at just a 28% rate. The big third baseman has quietly reverted to All-Star form; unfortunately, it happens to be occurring at a time where most of the offense has fallen into a collective funk. Not everyone though. Despite his prodigious pop, Sano still isn't the most dangerous right-handed power bat on the Twins. That'd be Mitch Garver, who added three more home runs last week to go along with a pair of singles and three walks. Garver has now surpassed his rookie homer total by 10, in half the number of games. He continues to show incredible plate discipline combined with an ability to crush drives to all fields. Just an amazing transformation, and that's not even mentioning his enormous defensive advancements. His clutch three-run blast in the seventh put Minnesota ahead for good and snapped a three-game losing streak. Sadly, those moments of capitalization have been far and few between for this once-potent lineup, which has had to scratch and claw for everything lately. LOWLIGHTS The Twins offense, clicking pretty much nonstop over the first 10 weeks of the season, has fallen into a prolonged stretch of mediocrity. From the start of the year through June 15th, they were baseball's best offense by any measure, leading MLB in runs, homers, OPS, wOBA, wRC+, and WAR. Since June 16th, here are their rankings in those categories (entering Sunday) Runs: 22nd HR: 8th OPS: 17th wOBA: 16th wRC+: 17th WAR: 16th They've still been hitting the ball out of the yard at a decent clip, but in all other regards, the Twins have regressed hard into below-average territory offensively. Saturday's loss to Oakland perfectly encapsulates the frustrating trend plaguing this lineup: Three solo home runs, surrounded by inning after inning of lifeless out-making. When they would manage to mount a fledgling rally, it was always squandered – including the bottom of the ninth, where they loaded the bases with one out and came up empty. This freefalling regression starts at the top. Max Kepler was 4-for-19 on the week, and slashing .227/.257/.392 in the past month, before breaking out on Sunday with a 3-for-6 effort that included a double, a three-run homer, and a walk-off single. Jorge Polanco, who opened the scoring Sunday with an RBI double and added two walks, was 3-for-17 on the week and 13-for-59 (.220) in July coming into the game. These two hitters were the primary catalysts in Minnesota's offense for much of the first half, but of late, they've become much easier assignments for opposing pitchers. That's reflected by their K/BB ratios – Kepler has drawn three walks with 21 strikeouts over his past 25 games, while Polanco is at 10 BBs and 29 Ks since the start of June. Both players posted K/BB ratios that were close to even in the first two months. Other hitters continue to show pop, but are embodying the all-or-nothing (and more often the latter) nature of this offense right now. C.J. Cron chipped in a homer and two doubles last week, but otherwise went 1-for-16 with no walks. The RBI and run scored on his solo blast were the lone ones he tallied in five games. Nelson Cruz hit two solo homers, but finished with only those two RBIs in a week where he went 5-for-23 (.217). Yeah, the bullpen had a rough run, and is taking plenty of flack for it. But what we saw with May, Littell, Ryne Harper, and even Taylor Rogers blowing leads in eventual losses was a collection of pitchers who've been generally reliable, showing they're human against an extremely good and hot offense. It happens. That's not the problem. The problem is that the staff is undermanned (as we discussed earlier) and they are constantly pitching with razor-thin margins because the offense has been unable to build leads and breathing room. Relievers have also been asked to pitch more, with starters failing to last deep into games. Jose Berrios, who completed six-plus innings in all but one of his 17 starts through the end of June, has failed to do so in any of his three July outings. Jake Odorizzi hasn't gotten through six in any of his past five turns. Michael Pineda has pitched past the sixth only twice all year. The Twins need to add arms, and I'm certain they will. But let's not kid ourselves into thinking that even the addition of multiple high-caliber relievers is going to cure what's ailing this team, because it runs much deeper than a volatile bullpen – one which has, all things considered, actually performed reasonably well. In order to get back on track and rebuild some buffer in the AL Central, the Twins need their lineup to get rolling again, above all. Fortunately, there are numerous reasons to believe this will happen. Strong showings from Polanco and (especially) Kepler on Sunday were promising, as is the schedule, which eases up considerably following the impending Yankees series. But much will also hinge on the development we'll discuss next. TRENDING STORYLINE This team needs Byron Buxton back ASAP. The difference in their record with (48-23) and without (12-15) him in the lineup makes that abundantly clear. Not only is his defensive impact a regular game-changer, but Buxton also has the potential to get hot offensively and alter the dynamic for this lineup. At the same time, the Twins know all too well about the troublesome nature of concussions, especially when they begin to add up. (Buxton was knocked unconscious in a scary outfield collision in 2014, and has had plenty of scary run-ins with the wall and ground since.) This front office is conservative by nature when it comes to managing injuries, and in this case that approach is warranted more than ever. But... they need him back. When will he return? It could be as soon as Monday – which would be big, with a crucial series against the Yankees set to get underway – and seems to be trending that way, as he was able to participate in all baseball activities before Sunday's game. But all will depend on how he feels Monday morning. Any signs of trouble will surely prompt the Twins to back off. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in center field for Game 1 against New York, nor would I be surprised if he isn't activated in the coming week at all. DOWN ON THE FARM What Jaylin Davis is doing at Rochester cannot be ignored. In past years, Davis has never really been on the Twins prospect radar, at least beyond its fringes. A 24th-round draft pick out of college in 2015, he has risen steadily through the system – advancing about one level per season – while posting solid yet unspectacular numbers as mostly a right fielder. He opened the 2019 campaign at Pensacola, where he got off to an unusually strong start, slashing .274/.382/.458 with 10 home runs in 58 games. This earned him his first promotion to Triple-A, and since arriving in the International League, Davis has experienced a power surge of epic proportions. After launching three more home runs last week for the Red Wings, Davis is now up to 13 in just 33 games. That equates to a .729 slugging percentage to go along with his .331 average since moving up. The 25-year-old has already gone deep 23 times in 91 games this year between the top two levels of the minors; to put this in context, he homered 11 times in 120 games last year, and 15 times in 125 games the year before that. What to make of this? It's hard to say for sure. We might just be seeing a torrid and temporary hot streak, fueled partially by the hitter-friendly nature of Triple-A (which now uses MLB baseballs). But it's definitely a promising development, and one that puts Davis squarely on the radar as a potential late-bloomer. LOOKING AHEAD Just what the Twins need at a time where they've got fans bordering on panic mode: a date with their eternal tormenters. The Yankees are coming in red-hot, having won six of their last eight games and 23 of their last 30 to build a hulking 10-game lead in the AL East. These are two teams moving in very different directions. Can Minnesota shift the momentum while also vanquishing ghosts of the past? It's gonna be an interesting series. Unfortunately it coincides with Cleveland heading to Toronto for a three-game set against the 38-63 Blue Jays, before traveling to Kansas City to take on the 37-64 Royals. On the bright side, things ease up considerably at that point for the Twins, who get 10 games against the White Sox, Marlins and Royals starting next weekend. Let's just hope they still own sole possession of first place when that favorable stretch gets underway. MONDAY, 7/22: YANKEES @ TWINS – LHP CC Sabathia v. LHP Martin Perez TUESDAY, 7/23: YANKEES @ TWINS – RHP Domingo German v. RHP Kyle Gibson WEDNESDAY, 7/24: YANKEES @ TWINS – LHP J.A. Happ v. RHP Jake Odorizzi THURSDAY, 7/25: TWINS @ WHITE SOX – RHP Jose Berrios v. RHP Lucas Giolito FRIDAY, 7/26: TWINS @ WHITE SOX – RHP Michael Pineda v. RHP Dylan Cease SATURDAY, 7/27: TWINS @ WHITE SOX – LHP Martin Perez v. RHP Ivan Nova SUNDAY, 7/28: TWINS @ WHITE SOX – RHP Kyle Gibson v. RHP Dylan Covey Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 93 | NYM 3, MIN 2: Tough Luck Loss for the TwinsGame 94 | NYM 14, MIN 4: Mets Blow Out Twins, Complete Another Target Field SweepGame 95 | MIN 6, OAK 3: Rosario Ignites Late-Inning ComebackGame 96 | OAK 5, MIN 3: Twins Have No Answer To A’s pitchingGame 97 | OAK 5, MIN 4: Twins Offense and Bullpen Can’t Do Enough to Secure the WinGame 98 | MIN 7, OAK 6: Max Kepler Delivers Dramatic Walk-Off Win Click here to view the article

Giving up a run every fourth game (assuming 1IP appearances) equates to a 2.25 ERA so I might suggest your standards are a bit high. May is a legit setup man, esp if the control improvements we've seen of late are real. That doesn't mean the Twins shouldn't add another but I'm not sure you're getting a much higher-caliber arm out there.

May below Harper? And at the same level as Parker??

The Twins opened their season with an impressive series win against Cleveland at Target Field, setting the tone for a first half that saw Minnesota build up a sizable lead in the AL Central. That lead had dwindled somewhat by the time last week's All-Star break came around, but the Twins opened their second half by adding to it with another big statement – this one made all the more impressive by preceding trends and an away setting. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/8 through Sun, 7/14 *** Record Last Week: 2-1 (Overall: 58-34) Run Differential Last Week: +5 (Overall: +121) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (6.5 GA) Willians Watch: Out Indefinitely The big surprise coming out of the break was that the Twins did not activate Eddie Rosario, who by all indications was ready to go when his 10 days on the Injured List lapsed, and held back as a mere precaution. Rosario was not in the lineup for any of Minnesota's three games against Cleveland, and his absence was felt – especially on Sunday when the Twins simply could not find that big hit. It sounds like there's a good chance he'll be activated Tuesday against the Mets, but this front office has been really tough to read. They're cryptic in communicating about injury status, and we've seen them opt for the conservative route on almost every occasion. This approach has served them well, so I don't have a problem with it, but it's consequentially impossible to say with certainty when Rosario will be back. The same is true for Byron Buxton, who hit the ground hard on a fantastic diving catch Saturday and was out of the lineup on Sunday, and C.J. Cron, who's eligible to be activated from the IL on Tuesday. One big noteworthy roster move from the past week: Adalberto Mejia was designated for assignment to make room for Jake Odorizzi's return from the IL. The big lefty just hasn't shown enough and his latest meltdown was the last straw. I'm guessing he'll be claimed on waivers by some also-ran non-contender that views him as a cheap starting option with remnants of upside. HIGHLIGHTS Plenty of Twins hitters rose to the occasion in Cleveland. There were home runs from some of the usual fixtures – Max Kepler (x2), Nelson Cruz, Mitch Garver – and also big production from an unexpected source: Jake Cave delivered a home run and clutch two-run double in Saturday's series-clinching victory. He had just a .542 OPS with the Twins coming in, and the big breakout was very much welcomed with the continuing absence of Rosario. Jorge Polanco, fresh off delivering an RBI hit in Tuesday's All-Star Game, came through when it mattered on Friday, launching a two-run double over the center fielder's head to put Minnesota in front for good in the seventh. Polanco added three more hits on Saturday. Also on Saturday, fellow All-Star Odorizzi had a nice return to form, hurling 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball to pick up his 11th win of the season (first in nearly a month). A solo homer by Jose Ramirez represented the only damage against Odorizzi, who otherwise allowed just two singles and two walks. Still, despite the successful results, his lack of swing-and-miss prowess was conspicuous. Odorizzi struck out only two hitters, a number he's posted in three of his past four turns. He had struck out three or more in 12 of his first 14 starts. While the lineup and rotation had their moments, the biggest story in this series – in an extension of the encouraging trend we highlighted last week – was the excellent work from Minnesota's bullpen. The unit stepped up after a short start on Friday with 5 1/3 scoreless innings, facilitating the critical comeback win. Trevor May, Zack Littell and Ryne Harper paved the way for Taylor Rogers to close it out with a two-inning save; collectively, those four struck out seven, with two hits and one walk allowed. The Twins turned to Rogers again on Saturday, with a four-run lead in the ninth, and he was perfect. Since that late-May stretch where he allowed home runs in back-to-back games, Rogers has a 0.90 ERA and 25-to-1 K/BB ratio in 20 innings of work. During that span he has allowed seven hits – five of them singles. As Aaron Gleeman notes here, Rogers has been the biggest difference-maker among AL relievers this year, and no one else is close: May's costly mistake on an 0-2 pitch on Sunday, taken deep by Carlos Santana for a decisive home run, was an unfortunate blemish amidst a strong stretch (and, really, season) for the right-hander. He bridged the gap on Friday by getting four big outs, and blew away the three other hitters he faced on Sunday. Over his past six appearances he has piled up a whopping 14 strikeouts with one walk in 7 1/3 innings. Santana's bomb stands as the only extra-base hit allowed during that span, and one of just three homers May's surrendered all year. He's a viable setup man, in spite of this hiccup. Littell is emerging as a legitimate late-inning option himself. He tossed two more scoreless innings last week and hasn't allowed a run in eight appearances since the start of June. During that span he has a dazzling 16% swinging strike rate, although the five walks are a bit concerning. Cleveland's bullpen has the best ERA in the league but it was Minnesota's that shined in this showdown: Twins relievers allowed just two runs (on solo homers against May and Tyler Duffey) in 12 innings, with 14 strikeouts and one walk. Phenomenal stuff. LOWLIGHTS Kyle Gibson was cruising along on Friday, fanning four through three scoreless innings, before everything unraveled in the fourth. A home run, a walk, an error, a bloop two-run single, and a hit-by-pitch all contributed to a series of events that saw Gibson lifted before escaping the frame. It's been a weird run of usage lately for Gibson, whose past four outings have included one-inning appearances as a reliever (in the 17th) and an opener (in the first). Outside of those, in his more traditional starts, he hasn't looked very good of late, allowing three-plus runs in six of his past seven turns. Over the course of the year, Gibson's been plagued by the same issue that afflicted Odorizzi last year: hitters are seeing him way better on successive trips through the order. His first time through, the righty is holding opponents to a .197/.278/.275 line, and we saw this play out on Friday as he mowed through the first three innings. Then, the second time through the order, opponents improve to .246/.311/.442, and the third time that goes up to .340/.376/.553. Against Cleveland, Gibson didn't even make it to that third go-round. To be a reliable force for Minnesota down the stretch, Gibson's going to need to find a way to give hitters a different look in their second and third at-bats. Working deep into games hasn't generally been an issue for Jose Berrios, who has failed to reach the sixth only three times all season. But two of those have come in his past two starts, which have both seen Berrios ousted after five innings while allowing three runs and battling uncharacteristic command struggles. The right-hander's 1.6 BB/9 rate through the first three months ranked among the best in baseball, but he's now issued three walks in back-to-back starts. On offense, there were plenty of trials experienced against Cleveland's outstanding staff, but no one looked worse than Jonathan Schoop, who went 1-for-9 with five strikeouts in his two starts. One of those K's came in a huge spot with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh on Sunday, and it ran Schoop's futility with bases juiced this year to 0-for-8. He'd entered the game sporting a .167/.235/.449 line with runners in scoring position, and .158/.256/.184 in "Late & Close" situations. Schoop's overall production has been plenty respectable, but if it seems like he's been getting fat off lopsided blowouts, you're not mistaken. His most recent offensive explosion, before the break when he put up a homer, two doubles and four RBIs in a 15-6 laugher against Texas, was typical. He has a 1.119 OPS when hitting with a score margin of four-plus runs, and his numbers get progressively worse the closer the game is. The Twins are plainly a better team with Luis Arraez or Marwin Gonzalez at second base over Schoop, and you can make a pretty decent case for Ehire Adrianza as well. It'll be interesting to see how the veteran's playing time shapes up in the final months, especially considering the other three are clearly bigger factors in the team's future plans. TRENDING STORYLINE With Mejia out, the Twins have an immediate need for a second southpaw in the bullpen. They really don't have a single situational guy to face tough left-handed hitters at this point, since Rogers is more of a closer and all-around max-leverage stud. That's something they'll almost certainly want to address in short order. Internal options are waning. Like Mejia, Gabriel Moya and Andrew Vasquez have pretty much pushed themselves out of the picture this year, as both have been outrighted from the 40-man roster. Lewis Thorpe and Devin Smeltzer are certainly intriguing options, but both are still working as starters in Rochester. It seemed like Littell benefited from getting the chance to transition to a relief role in the minors; will the Twins take a similar approach with one of these two? Or will they strike quickly on the trade market to address their need? Or both? DOWN ON THE FARM Minnesota's representatives in the All-Star Futures Game, which took place ahead of last week's midsummer classic, performed accordingly in their returns to the field. Shortstop Royce Lewis and right-hander Jordan Balazovic – ranked No. 1 and No. 6, respectively, in our recently updated midseason prospect rankings – both participated in the talent showcase, then got back to work at Fort Myers. Lewis launched a pair of homers in six games for the Miracle and also drew three walks. The power outburst was nice to see but I'm more heartened by the patience; he has been undone by a lack of discipline this year, and entered last week with a 25-to-2 K/BB ratio in 28 games dating back to the start of June. His balky swing mechanics are among the reasons Keith Law dropped Lewis from No. 9 to No. 34 in his new midseason ranking updates at ESPN. Balazovic, on the other hand, was all the way up to No. 44 in Law's rankings, after appearing as a "Just Missed" guy on the fringe of the spring Top 100. Balazovic had his usage altered a bit coming off the Futures Game appearance, and worked in relief for Fort Myers on Friday night. His results were customary. Entering in the sixth and working the final four frames, Balazovic held the Bradenton Marauder scoreless on one hit while notching six strikeouts. Meanwhile, it's getting tougher and tougher to understand why Trevor Larnach is still on the same roster as these two. Minnesota's first-round pick from last year's draft has been tearing up Florida State League pitching and was tremendous last week, going 12-for-26 with a homer and six RBIs in six games. That home run was his first in five weeks, so there's certainly a noticeable dearth of power from the former star collegiate slugger, but he's batting .316 and the quality of at-bats has consistently been very good. I wonder if the Twins will let the 22-year-old start acclimating to Double-A before season's end. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins came just short of delivering a critical hit to Cleveland on the road, but should still be feeling good with an extra game in the standings as they return home for a fairly key juncture. They'll be lucky to avoid Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom in their two-gamer against the Mets, but will then have a tough challenge ahead of them with four games against an A's team that gave them plenty of trouble in Oakland at the beginning of the month. Meanwhile, Cleveland will get Detroit and Kansas City at home. If they can't close the gap some in the next seven days they'll be facing some cold realities as they look inward at the deadline. TUESDAY, 7/16: METS @ TWINS – RHP Zack Wheeler v. RHP Michael Pineda WEDNESDAY, 7/17: METS @ TWINS – LHP Steven Matz v. LHP Martin Perez THURSDAY, 7/18: ATHLETICS @ TWINS – RHP Mike Fiers v. RHP Kyle Gibson FRIDAY, 7/19: ATHLETICS @ TWINS – RHP Chris Bassitt v. RHP Jake Odorizzi SATURDAY, 7/20: ATHLETICS @ TWINS – LHP Brett Anderson v. RHP Jose Berrios SUNDAY, 7/21: ATHLETICS @ TWINS – RHP Daniel Mengden v. RHP Michael Pineda Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 90 | MIN 5, CLE 3: Late Rally, Bullpen Power Stunning Comeback WinGame 91 | MIN 6, CLE 2: Series Clinched Behind Big Performances From Kepler, CaveGame 92 | CLE 4, MIN 3: Cleveland Prevails, Avoids Sweep Click here to view the article

It's possible. But it'd require some pretty underwhelming competition. As one example, Wil Myers won ROTY with the Rays in 2013 when he played only 88 games and made only 373 PA. His numbers weren't even that amazing (.293/.354/.478, 13 HR).

Needless to say, the Twins have – in general – been a huge surprise this year. Even the most starry-eyed optimist could not have predicted in March that at the All-Star break, they'd be ahead in the division by 5 1/2 games, on pace to win 102 and shatter the MLB home run record. Within this shocking success, there have been several unexpected developments. Here are my picks for the five biggest (good) surprises so far in 2019.1. Twins catchers lead the American League in OPS... by a mile. Minnesota's backstop position, fueled primarily by the production of Mitch Garver and Jason Castro, has yielded a .913 OPS through 89 games. That's 41 points higher than second-place Seattle, and 111 higher than the third-place White Sox. Twins catchers lead all counterparts with 24 home runs. This, to me, is the runaway winner for most surprising twist of the 2019 campaign. Back in the spring we were viewing this unit as a relative question mark, with Garver trying to back up a solid (concussion-punctuated) rookie campaign, and Castro coming off major knee surgery at 31. It's almost unfortunate that Castro's remarkably resurgent season – his current .860 OPS exceeds his previous career-best of .835, set when he was a 26-year-old All-Star back in 2013 – has been overshadowed by the theatrics of Garver, who's already almost doubled his rookie home run total in just 44 games. Not only has Garver been an all-around beast, rocking a .984 OPS that ranks 10th among MLB hitters with 150+ PA, but he's been incredibly clutch, slashing .417/.475/.778 with RISP, and his defensive improvements have been staggering. 2. Jake Odorizzi has allowed only 10 home runs. He hasn't been the best in the rotation at limiting the long ball; Martin Perez has given up only seven. But that's always been a strength for the groundballing left-hander. Odorizzi has always been an extreme fly ball pitcher and, by the time Minnesota acquired him, it appeared his susceptibility to the home run might derail his career. In 2016, he gave up 29 homers in 188 2/3 innings (1.4 HR/9) and in 2017 he surrendered 30 in 143 1/3 innings (1.9 HR/9). This year, Odorizzi has given up just 10 home runs in 88 2/3 innings, good for a 1.0 HR/9 rate. And that's AFTER allowing six in his past four starts. That Odorizzi has managed an above-average HR rate while giving up the most fly balls of any starter in the league (50.9%), in an era where balls are flying out of the park like never before, is completely bonkers. Consider that Justin Verlander, who will start Tuesday night's All-Star Game for the AL, has already given up 26 bombs at the break. His previous career high is 30. (He's uh... none too happy about this.) Odorizzi's proclivity for keeping it in the yard seems plainly unsustainable from a statistical standpoint, and maybe it is. Perhaps his recent flare-up is a sign of what's to come in the second half. But I will point out two things: 1) He's been dealing with a blister lately, and 2) His stinginess extends back beyond this year, to the bulk of 2018. Odorizzi allowed only six homers in 20 starts after June 1st last year. Add those innings to this year's sample and he's surrendered just 16 bombs in his last 190 innings, all while yielding a constant stream of fly balls in the most homer-happy era in MLB history. Nuts. 3. Ryne. Freaking. Harper. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to him, but that just speaks to the ridiculous nature of the two accomplishments above. Harper has been nothing short of a godsend and, all things considered, one of the best Twins signings in memory. At a time where the team desperately needed right-handed relief help (especially because, unbeknownst to them, they'd be getting almost nothing collectively from Addison Reed, Trevor Hildenberger and Fernando Romero), the front office landed an absolute stud in the form of a 30-year-old minor-league signing, with zero major-league experience. Harper has been fantastic from any perspective. His 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are pristine, as is the 38-to-8 K/BB ratio in 37 innings. Major-league batters are slashing just .223/.267/.353 against him, and this is all with his numbers being negatively skewed by a June outing where he gave up three runs in the 18th inning because Rocco Baldelli was forced to call on him for a third straight day. This is an instance of self-scouting more than anything, as the Twins had Harper all last year in the minors. But they deserve plenty of credit for bringing him back, giving him a spring training invite, and believing in the validity of his stellar Grapefruit League results. His final appearance before the break, in which he notched a career-high four strikeouts with seven swings-and-misses on 15 pitches, looked to be an emphatic statement that his amazing first half was no flash in the pan. 4. Luis Arraez has all but locked up the second base job for 2020. Coming into this season, Arraez was more of a fun novelty than legitimate prospect. He didn't make our preseason Top 20 Prospects list, appearing instead as an honorable mention, because the general sentiment was that – despite his undeniably amazing contact skills and lovable scrappiness – he lacked the power and athleticism to be an impact guy at the next level. Arraez has spent his entire season proving us all wrong. In 54 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .344/.409/.401. And it's a little tough to envision him going back down, given his .393/.453/.524 line in 95 plate appearances with the Twins. Despite having turned 22 in April, he looks mature beyond his years at the plate, swinging at fewer pitches outside the zone than any Minnesota batter other than Garver, with a lower whiff rate than even Willians Astudillo. As a result, he's drawn more walks than strikeouts, and he sprays liners all over the field. In other words, there's been nothing artificial about Arraez's instant success, although obviously he's not gonna be a .400 hitter. And the sudden emergence of a hinting power – he has two home runs with the Twins, after totaling six in 367 minor-league games – suggests that further upside may be lurking. As a point of comparison, the previous tenant at second base, Brian Dozier, was hitting zero home runs in 58 games at rookie ball when he was the same age as Arraez is now. As we've seen time and time again, pop tends to come on late. It wouldn't take much to turn Arraez – who was on basically no one's radar four months ago – into a young MLB star. With Jonathan Schoop due for a free agency after the season, I'm thinking Minnesota's plans are all but set for next year at second. 5. Byron Buxton is striking out at lower rate than the MLB average. For years, we all dreamed about how fun it would be if Buxton – someway, somehow – could turn himself into a contact hitter, fully weaponizing that elite speed by putting the ball in play at a high clip. Sadly, the notion seemed to be just that: a dream, of the pipy variety. In parts of four previous MLB seasons, Buxton had posted the following strikeout percentages: 31.9%, 35.6%, 29.4%, 30.0%. From 2015 through 2018, his K-rate was seventh-highest out of 287 hitters to make 1,000+ PA in the majors. It seemed the best realistic hope was a modest decrease, into the solidly higher-than-average range. This still could've easily made Buxton a star (he gained MVP votes with a 29.4% K-rate in 2017). Instead, he has completely remade himself at the plate, cutting down on whiffs to a drastic degree with only 59 strikeouts in 260 plate appearances. That's a 22.7% rate – fractionally lower than the big-league average of 22.8%. As a guy who lifts the ball at a higher rate than anyone else on the team, and has otherworldly speed, I'd expect a higher BABIP for Buxton than his current .302. Which is to say I think there's more in the tank, even though he's been tremendous as is, with an .816 OPS and 24 doubles at the break. As long as he can stay healthy, I believe Buxton will be the team's top MVP contender without question by year's end. ~~~ I've obviously left plenty of other surprises on the table. Jorge Polanco is an All-Star. Max Kepler has already set a career high in home runs (this one wasn't THAT surprising to me). Ehire Adrianza has raked. Eddie Rosario is on pace for 36 homers and 109 RBIs. Eight different players are on pace for more than 3.4 fWAR, which was Rosario's final mark last year when we named him team MVP. What positive developments have caught you off-guard in the first half? Sound off in the comments. Click here to view the article

The craft beer stand by Gate 34 is a haven.

The high-flying Minnesota Twins have fallen back to Earth in recent weeks. Their first prolonged funk of the year carried into the final week before the All-Star break, and they've seen their once-massive lead in the AL Central cut in half by Cleveland. The midseason breather comes at a good time for the Twins, but their biggest challenges are yet to come. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/1 through Sun, 7/7 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 56-33) Run Differential Last Week: +3 (Overall: +116) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (5.5 GA) Willians Watch: Out Indefinitely Here's a rundown of roster moves from the past week to get you caught up: Lewis Thorpe was optioned to Triple-A on Monday following his exceptional start the previous day. Meanwhile, the Twins outrighted infielder Ronald Torreyes from the 40-man roster to make room for Adalberto Mejia's return from the 60-day Injured List.Andrew Vasquez was also outrighted from the 60-man three days later, but as of now it's unclear why. His spot remains vacant.Jake Odorizzi went on the IL after his Tuesday start in Oakland, having developed a blister on his right middle finger, and Zack Littell was recalled to replace him. Odorrizi's injury made room for Jose Berrios on the American League All-Star roster, his second consecutive nod.The Twins placed Blake Parker on paternity list Friday and called up Kohl Stewart, who tossed 1 1/3 spotless innings of relief that night and was sent back down on Sunday, replaced by Devin Smeltzer.LaMonte Wade Jr. had another very short stay with the Twins himself, called up to fill C.J. Cron's spot (right thumb inflammation) and then injuring his own thumb in the outfield on Saturday. Wade was replaced by Jake Cave, whose stay will also likely be very short, with Eddie Rosario due to return after the break.HIGHLIGHTS In a surprising twist, the Twins have completely flip-flopped their strengths over the past few weeks. While the offense and rotation have taken steps backward, the bullpen has emerged as a considerable positive. This development hasn't gained a ton of notice because of the team's generally pedestrian results of late – the value of a strong bullpen is negated to a degree when those other units aren't clicking – but Twins relievers deserve praise. Their impressive showings bode well for when the rest of the team hopefully gets back on track. Taylor Rogers, of course, continues to lead the way. He delivered his finest outing of the season on Saturday, striking out five in a spotless seven-out save, but the dominance was business-as-usual for Minnesota's bullpen ace. On the season Rogers now has a 1.82 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 51-to-7 K/BB ratio over 39 2/3 innings. He ranks fourth among all MLB relievers in Win Probability Added at 2.56 (trade target Will Smith of the Giants leads at 3.20). While he's been good all year long, Rogers has really kicked things up a notch in recent weeks. Since the start of June, he has a 1.23 ERA and is holding opponents to a .104/.140/.188 slash line. Although he won't be on the American League's roster for the All-Star Game on Tuesday, he easily could be and arguably should be. Rogers is one of the best in the game and continues to erase any shreds of doubt. Our guy Tom put together this awesome visual recapping his phenomenal outing against Texas: Several of Rogers' cohorts in the bullpen have been quietly putting together nice runs of their own, albeit not quite on the same level. Ryne Harper went through a rough patch in June but allowed only one run in three appearances to start July, and heads into the break on a high note after striking out four in 1 2/3 perfect innings Sunday. He holds a 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Trevor May chipped in three scoreless frames with six strikeouts last week, and owns a 1.88 ERA over his past 15 appearances. Much has been made of May's control struggles this year, which is fair (he has issued seven walks in 14 innings even during the aforementioned stretch of excellence), but we might not be talking enough about how well he's limiting damage otherwise. On the season, opponents are hitting .204 with a .602 OPS against him, and he's allowed only two home runs. His soft contact % is highest among all Twins relievers with 15+ IP. Conversely, proneness to homers remains the biggest flaw in Tyler Duffey's game, and bit him hard on Saturday when he gave up a two-run blast to Willie Calhoun, briefly bringing Texas within one run. But he too has generally been an underrated contributor in the pen. Prior to that outing Duffey had a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings dating back to the start of June. Overall, opponents are batting .239 with a .288 OBP against him, and his 35-to-6 K/BB ratio in 28 1/3 innings is outstanding. He's not going to be a reliable setup man but he's a damn solid middle reliever. The same can be said for Matt Magill. He was in a bad way a month ago, but has gotten himself back on track admirably. Magill did struggle in Oakland last week, walking two and giving up a homer on Tuesday, but he's got a 2.25 ERA and .171 BAA in his past nine appearances. Littell, who's been shuttling back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, continues to make a very good impression during his opportunities with the Twins. Last week he made three scoreless appearances, and in fact he hasn't allowed a run in any of his seven MLB appearances outside of the eight-run clunker against Tampa in May that continues to plague his ERA. Smeltzer, who technically appeared as a reliever on Sunday when following opener Kyle Gibson in the second, delivered another very fine effort, tossing 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. In contrast with Mejia, who later gave up the game-losing homer amidst another ugly and erratic relief outing, Smeltzer's making a pretty strong case to stick around in that second lefty role. On offense, the best story right now without question is Miguel Sano, whose complete turnaround at the plate has been nothing short of astounding. Last week he picked up eight knocks – including two doubles, a triple, and a homer – but the most impressive aspect of his game continues to be the dramatically improved plate discipline. Sano struck out seven times in 25 plate appearances while drawing three walks. Dating back to the start of the White Sox series at the end of June, he's got an 8-to-5 K/BB ratio in eight games with one multi-strikeout performances (coming in Sunday's extra-inning contest). In the four series prior, he had eight multi-strikeout games and a 52% K-rate. With Mitch Garver also on top of his game (6-for-15 with a homer and double in three starts last week) and Jonathan Schoop finding himself again after a poor month of June (8-for-21 with two doubles and a MONSTER bomb), the Twins are boasting some real potency from the right side at the moment. Meanwhile, Luis Arraez continues to provide plenty of juice from the left. He went 10-for-28 and found himself in the starting lineup for every game. LOWLIGHTS The Twins offense, so hot over the first 10 weeks, has gone into a serious cooldown period over the past three. It was nice to see them seemingly break out of it with powerful showings on Friday and Saturday against Texas, but they went right back into their slumber on Sunday, scoring just once in 11 innings against a smattering of Rangers relievers. In the five series preceding this last one, Minnesota slashed just .252/.306/.408 over 16 games and averaged only 4.3 runs – a number that's worse than it seems when you consider there were two 18-inning games and another 12-inning affair mixed in. The Twins ranked 24th among MLB teams in both OPS and wOBA during that span. Friday's offensive outburst, one of the biggest all season was very refreshing. Still, a number of hitters will carry slumps (and/or injuries) into the midseason hiatus. Cron's recent struggles was most conspicuous; he was 2-for-13 last week, and hitting .156/.191/.200 in his past 10 games, before going on the IL with right thumb inflammation on Saturday. Twins coaches said they noticed the ailment affecting his swing, so it might have something to do with the downturn. Leadoff man Max Kepler went 6-for-29 last week, and his decreased output has been kinda setting the tone for Minnesota's suppressed offense. Since the start of the Boston series in mid-June, he's batting just .212 with a .271 OBP over 18 games. Of course, in the 10 games prior to that sample, he was slugging 1.000, so we know what's lurking within him. Hopefully a few days off can get Kepler back into his zone at the plate. Another player who was key in driving the lineup's success over the first half, Jorge Polanco, has also been noticeably quieter of late. He's still finding plenty of ways to contribute – hitting two home runs last week and making a CRAZY tag on a stolen base Sunday – but he hasn't been piling up the hits like he was earlier and has fallen back several spots in the AL batting race. Polanco's last three-hit game came nearly a month ago, on June 11th, and since then his average has dropped from .341 to .312. Aside from his two jacks last week, he managed only four singles in 27 plate appearances, with no runs scored or RBIs. Hopefully his starting nod in Tuesday's All-Star Game will reinvigorate Polanco and get him rolling again, because he's a crucial cog. Speaking of the All-Star Game, we already knew Odorizzi probably wasn't going to pitch – he was due to pitch on Sunday, which would've made him unavailable – but now it's official because he was placed on the Injured List after his latest start, which ended in a grand slam that might've had something to do with the blister he was pitching through. It'd be nice if we could attribute the totality of Odorizzi's recent struggles – he has a 7.85 ERA with six home runs allowed in his past four turns – to the finger issue, but more likely we're seeing some simple regression to the mean. The right-hander's minuscule home run rate was never going to be sustainable with the number of fly balls he allows, and the increased comfort level of opposing hitters suggests scouting reports have caught up to him a bit. Odorizzi figures to return as soon as his 10-day IL requirement is satisfied, meaning he'll ultimately miss just one start. Here's hoping the midsummer respite does him some good. TRENDING STORYLINE Cleveland is poised to make its stand. Staring up from 11 games out of first place as recently as June 15th, they've taken advantage of Minnesota's lapses to gain 5 1/2 games in the standings. Next, they'll host the Twins for a three-game series coming out of the break, and they follow with easy assignments against Detroit, Kansas City (twice), and Toronto leading up the trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Twins face a much tougher slate over the same span. After leaving Cleveland, they'll get a string of nine games versus the Mets, Athletics and Yankees before things ease up again. Can they maintain a solid buffer in the AL Central over the latter half of July, or will the Indians thrust themselves right back into the thick of this race? With the deadline bearing down, this is an absolutely critical period. DOWN ON THE FARM His true offensive upside was in question after a brutal introduction to Triple-A last year, but Nick Gordon is reaffirming his top prospect status in the 2019 follow-up for Rochester. He collected at least one hit in all seven of his games last week, finishing 12-for-29 (.413) with five doubles, a triple, and eight RBIs. Overall, the 23-year-old is sporting a .792 OPS with 21 doubles and 12 steals on 15 attempts through 49 games. Interestingly, Gordon has been splitting time evenly between second and shortstop recently after playing predominantly at short in the early going. He's getting close to big-league ready, but it's hard to see how he'll figure into the club's plans with Arraez emerging to stake a strong claim on Minnesota's future at second base. Aside from Gordon's standout play, and a few other strong performances in the minors, the biggest news for the Twins system last week was a high-profile addition: outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic inked to a $2.5 million contract on Tuesday. Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com opines that the lefty swinger, who ranks eighth in the website's ranking of international prospects, could be "the next Eddie Rosario." LOOKING AHEAD On Tuesday, Polanco will start for the AL at shortstop in the All-Star Game and Berrios will probably make an appearance. The rest of the Twins will enjoy their four-day respite before heading to Cleveland for a critical series. Buckle up for a thrilling second half. TUESDAY 7/8 THROUGH THURSDAY 7/11: All-Star Break FRIDAY, 7/12: TWINS @ INDIANS SATURDAY, 7/13: TWINS @ INDIANS SUNDAY, 7/14: TWINS @ INDIANS Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 84 | OAK 8, MIN 6: Former Twins Have A Grand Night for OaklandGame 85 | MIN 4, OAK 3: Twins Refuse to Lose Three in a RowGame 86 | OAK 7, MIN 2: Twins Drop Independence Day Rubber Match in OaklandGame 87 | MIN 15, TEX 6: Offense Erupts and Perez Faces Former TeamGame 89 | MIN 7, TEX 4: Pineda, Rogers Lead Twins Over RangersGame 90 | TEX 4, MIN 1: Quiet Bats Can’t Back Up Great Pitching Click here to view the article

While the first half of the season has gone swimmingly for Minnesota's big-league club, things were less rosy in the minors. The highest end of the prospect pool has been plagued by injuries, stagnation, and regression. How much do you weigh these developments, spanning only a few months? And conversely, how much do you let impressive short-term showings from some players lower on the list bolster their rankings? There was significant dissent around these matters on the ol' Twins Daily prospect editorial board, which manifested in our midseason rankings over the past couple weeks. But the aggregated list you'll find below is, I think, a reasonable snapshot of where things stand heading into the second half.Twins Daily's Midseason 2019 Top 40 Prospects: 40. Sean Poppen, RHP 39. Zander Wiel, OF 38. Bailey Ober, RHP 37. Kohl Stewart, RHP 36. Gabriel Maciel, OF 35. Jaylin Davis, OF 34. Cole Sands, RHP 33. Tyler Wells, RHP 32. Griffin Jax, RHP 31. LaMonte Wade Jr., OF 30. Lewin Diaz, 1B 29. Devin Smeltzer, LHP 28. Matt Canterino, LHP 27. Luke Raley, OF 26. Gilberto Celestino, OF 25. Yunior Severino, IF 24. Edwar Colina, RHP 23. Jose Miranda, IF 22. Zack Littell, RHP 21. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 20. Travis Blankenhorn, IF 19. Misael Urbina, OF 18. Jorge Alcala, RHP 17. Akil Baddoo, OF 16. Ben Rortvedt, C 15. Matt Wallner, OF 14. Luis Arraez, IF 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Nick Gordon, SS 11. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 10. Blayne Enlow, RHP 9. Jhoan Duran, RHP 8. Brent Rooker, OF 7. Keoni Cavaco, IF 6. Jordan Balazovic, RHP 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Trevor Larnach, OF 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP 2. Alex Kirilloff, OF 1. Royce Lewis, SS TOP 3 LOCKED IN Let's be honest, it hasn't been an especially encouraging first half for any of Minnesota's vaunted top three prospects. Royce Lewis has struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm at the plate, plagued by long slumps and major lapses in plate discipline. Alex Kirilloff has been bothered by lingering wrist issues, and (perhaps not unrelated) his bat has been far less potent. Kirilloff has managed just two home runs through 41 games with a .749 OPS at Pensacola (though he has been heating up lately). Brusdar Graterol was off to a spectacular start in Double-A, but hasn't pitched in six weeks due to a shoulder impingement, and his return doesn't appear imminent. Having said all that, none of these three budged from our preseason rankings, for multiple reasons: 1: They had all built up enough equity through past performance that their positions are quite solid. 2: All three are VERY young for their respective levels, facing much older and more experienced competition. (As for Graterol, who dominated his elevated competition, there's no particular reason to panic about this one injury, although it's obviously concerning.) 3: No one behind them quite made a strong enough case to leapfrog into the top three, although – as we'll now cover – there are plenty of up-and-comers in the system. GOING UP Florida is more than just a steamy summer wedding destination. It's also where the mercury's rising in the Twins' system. The biggest upward movement in our rankings was Jordan Balazovic, who was unranked in our preseason top 20 and now lands in the No. 6 spot. I noted back then we might end up looking silly for not having the big Fort Myers righty on our list, and now we sure do. We've corrected our error by vaulting Balazovic to his rightful place as the organization's second-best pitching prospect. The former fifth-round draft pick has been divine at two levels of A-ball this year, posting an incredible 91-to-19 K/BB ratio in 66 innings as a 20-year-old. Travis Blankenhorn (No. 20) and Lewin Diaz (No. 30) also caught fire in southwest Florida before graduating to Pensacola, where both continue to rake. Blankenhorn and Diaz were former fixtures in the TD top prospect rankings before fading in recent years. Their resurgences are good reminders not to give up on young talent. Speaking of underrated young talent, Luis Arraez jumped into the Top 20 (at No. 14) after failing to make the preseason cut. He appeared as an honorable mention, labeled a "hit machine." GOING DOWN For the most part, our Top 20 remained intact with little movement, aside from a few guys bumped by new arrivals. One significant dropoff came from Akil Baddoo, who slid from No. 10 to No. 17. The athletic outfielder slashed .214/.290/.393 with a decline in his signature walk rate over 29 games at Fort Myers before succumbing to Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out into next year. We still have plenty of hope for the 20-year-old, but it's impossible to deny the toll this takes on his outlook and timeline. Yunior Severino is down 10 spots from No. 15 to No. 25, as a broken thumb has prevented him from being able to show anything. LaMonte Wade Jr. dropped from No. 18 to No. 31 while failing to show any pop at Triple-A. Stephen Gonsalves fell from No. 12 to No. 21, limited by arm problems to two total innings. Gilberto Celestino dropped 10 spots from his placement at No. 16 in our preseason rankings. The toolsy young center fielder hasn't adjusted well to competition in full-season ball, posting a .631 OPS thus far at Cedar Rapids. His lack of emergence hurts in combination with the languishing Jorge Alcala, who curiously moved up a spot to No. 18 despite posting a 5.81 ERA and 1.51 WHIP for Pensacola. Clearly, there's still belief in that big arm. The Twins would love to see some progress from him and/or Celestino in the second half, as they watch Ryan Pressly – whom they traded him for the duo last summer – tear it up in the Astros bullpen. Pressly was named to the All-Star team over the weekend. STRONG RETURNS The Pressly deal isn't looking great right now. No two ways about it. However, the Twins appear to have done well in their other sell moves at the 2018 deadline. Jhoan Duran, acquired in the Eduardo Escobar trade, finds himself at No. 9 and has been untouchable for Florida State League hitters in his last five starts (30 IP, 1.80 ERA, 45-12 K/BB). He's keeping opponents off the board like a goaltender in soccer. Gabriel Maciel, who came over alongside Duran, is at No. 36, having batted .305 with a .392 OBP between two levels of A-ball. Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer, who came over from the Dodgers in exchange for three crummy months of Brian Dozier, both made the Top 30, and Smeltzer of course had a very nice MLB debut in May. NEWCOMERS Minnesota's top three selections in last month's draft all made entry. Highest, of course, is first-rounder Keoni Cavaco, whose massive upside compelled us to slot him No. 7, above the excelling Brent Rooker and Duran. Outfielder (and local product) Matt Wallner slides in at No. 15, and right-hander Matt Canterino – the Rice University right-hander who became the team's first pitcher selected – claims a spot at No. 28. DAZZLING DEBUTS We saw two members of this Top 20 debut in the first half: Lewis Thorpe (No. 11) fired five innings of two-run ball on Sunday, and Arraez (No. 14) is batting .411 as a rookie in the big leagues. Smeltzer (No. 29) also had an excellent debut. Wade Jr. (No. 31) and Sean Poppen (No. 40) made brief Twins appearances as well. It's promising to see so many players from outside the Top 10 transitioning smoothly to the big leagues, and speaks well to the development system in place. The best is yet to come. On that note, who will be the next player from this Top 40 list to make his major-league debut? I welcome your guesses in the comments. Smart money right now is on Rooker, who is mashing to the tune of a .980 OPS at Triple-A (.350/.511/.641 since the start of June), and unleashed this ridiculous bomb the other night: He'll fit right in. Click here to view the article

Exactly one year ago, we were officially writing off the 2018 Twins in this very space: 'Following another week of tremendously uninspiring play,' I wrote, 'one need not look at postseason odds to reach an inescapable conclusion: This ship isn't sinking anymore; it's sunk.' Minnesota was 10 games below .500, eight games out of first place, and hopeless. This year's Twins team, on the other hand, eclipsed the season's halfway point over the weekend on a 104-win pace. So as we review a past week that wasn't exactly spotless, I think it's important to keep in mind how far we've come. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/24 through Sun, 6/30 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 53-30) Run Differential Last Week: +6 (Overall: +113) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (8.0 GA) Willians Watch: Back on the Injured List Willians Astudillo opened his week with a three-hit game that included this nifty catch in RF foul territory, but his hearty effort on that play proved costly. Astudillo went 0-for-4 the following night and was then placed on IL due to oblique soreness, apparently stemming from his run-in with the wall. The Twins also lost Eddie Rosario, who sprained his left ankle while turning first on Wednesday and will miss at least the next week. It's a shame because he was heating up again – 6-for-7 through his first two games last week – and his visible frustration upon sustaining the injury appeared to reflect this. It wasn't all bad news, though. Rosario is a big loss but it doesn't appear he'll be gone long (in fact, the team hesitated to even place him on the IL). The Twins crucially got back Byron Buxton and Marwin Gonzalez, who were both activated on Saturday, and Ehire Adrianza, activated a day earlier. Some other noteworthy roster moves from last week: LaMonte Wade Jr. was called up briefly in the middle of the week with the Twins needing extra bodies in the outfield, and started on Friday (he reached once in two PAs, on an HBP, before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the seventh), but he was optioned alongside Jake Cave in order to make room for Buxton and Gonzalez.Zack Littell was also optioned back to Triple-A, though not through any fault of his own (he threw four scoreless innings during his latest stint). The Twins simply needed more arms after burning through everyone in an 18-inning marathon loss to Tampa on Thursday. Prospect Lewis Thorpe was called up to replace Littell, and you can read about his sterling MLB debut in the Highlights below.The Twins signed 36-year-old free agent reliever Carlos Torres, who'd recently been designated for assignment by Detroit, to a minor-league deal. He reported to Class-AAA Rochester. They also returned infielder Ronald Torreyes from the restircted list, making room on the 40-man roster by DFA-ing lefty reliever Gabriel Moya, who cleared waivers and returned to Rochester.HIGHLIGHTS On Friday, fan-selected starters for the All-Star teams were officially revealed, and we learned the American League lineup will feature one Twin: Jorge Polanco at shortstop. He won't be alone in representing the Twins, but Polanco's a fitting frontman, leading the team in WAR thanks to his steady work at shortstop and tremendously consistent production atop the lineup. Polanco had a fairly pedestrian week at the plate (7-for-27) but he also drew three walks and scored seven runs. The fact this counts as a down week for him says it all. Joining him on the All-Star roster is Jake Odorizzi, who surrendered two bombs on Wednesday against Tampa and has generally looked shakier in recent starts, but is still pacing the American Leagues with 10 while holding down a shiny 2.73 ERA. That's it for Twins All-Stars, for now. It seems pretty outrageous for a team that leads baseball in scoring and OPS to have only one representative among the AL's starters or reserves, but here we are. The good news is that we'll certainly see a few more players added to the roster, as a result of injuries and withdrawals, and the Twins have plenty of players near the top of the queue: Rosario, Max Kepler, Jose Berrios, and Taylor Rogers, to name a few. Missed time prevented Nelson Cruz and Mitch Garver from getting legitimate consideration as All-Stars, but they've both made strong cases while on the field. Last week was no different; Cruz went 10-for-23 with three home runs and 10 RBIs games, while Garver delivered an impressive three-hit game against Tampa on Tuesday, launching his 12th home run. It was an interesting week for Miguel Sano. In three games at home against Tampa, he went 1-for-13 with six strikeouts, extending a brutal slump that dated back to mid-June. Then, once he arrived in Chicago, he snapped right back into the dominant form we saw initially upon his return, blasting three homers and plating six runs in two starts, then entering with a clutch pinch-hit RBI single on Sunday. He struck out only once in 10 plate appearances, with two walks. Certainly an encouraging rebound, and one that was evidently driven by some mechanical changes involving hand positioning. Parker had written about this very issue last week, at the height of Sano's struggles. Credit goes to Miguel and Minnesota's hitting coaches for actualizing these adjustments; we'll see if they stick. As a final note on the offense, hitting machine Luis Arraez continued to do his thing, collecting six hits in 17 at-bats. The rookie's average stands at .426. On Sunday, Thorpe was able to make his first major-league start, on account of Kyle Gibson throwing a relief inning during Thursday's 18-inning affair, and thus having his scheduled turn pushed back to Wednesday. The young left-hander was absolutely sensational. Over his five innings, he allowed only two runs (both coming on an Yoan Moncada home run) while notching seven strikeouts and 11 swinging strikes. He continually worked ahead in counts and showed a stunning ability to execute while undoubtedly battling some serious nerves. Like Devin Smeltzer before him, Thorpe solidified himself as a quality rookie depth piece for the rotation. Elsewhere in that unit, Michael Pineda took another nice step, hurling six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on Friday. The big righty struck out eight while walking one. He finishes June with a 25-to-4 K/BB ratio and 3.58 ERA. Most importantly: he quietly allowed just one home run, after coughing up 14 in his first 11 starts. Martin Perez provided his own promising flash from the back half of the starting corps, putting forth his best performance since early May against the Rays on Thursday. In seven innings he allowed just two runs with six strikeouts and one walk. Notably, per Brooks Baseball data, his improved outcome coincided with a return to leaning on the cutter, along with a reduction in sinker usage: Download attachment: perezpitchmovement.png In the bullpen, Taylor Rogers once again starred, appearing twice and retiring all seven batters faced. He wraps June with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio and only four hits allowed in 11 1/3 innings, continuing to reaffirm himself as one of the game's best relievers. And credit is also due to Matt Magill, who himself tossed five scoreless frames after a serious rough patch. LOWLIGHTS While Garver continues to be an offensive force, his catching counterpart Jason Castro has seen his early-season success dwindle. Last week he managed three singles in 12 at-bats, and for the month of June he slashed just .191/.240/.277 with one homer and one double. He saw his OPS plummet by 150 points as a result. Now, Castro's current mark (.782) remains plenty respectable for a catcher, but his regression has dashed the notion of two elite offensive players sharing time behind the plate for Minnesota. C.J. Cron's All-Star campaign at first base fell short, and meanwhile, his lengthy hot streak faded into a major cooldown. After putting up a .963 OPS with eight home runs in May, Cron followed with stellar production through the first three weeks of June. But last week, while starting every game, he went just 5-for-28 with seven strikeouts, zero walks, and zero extra-base hits. Also finding himself in a bit of a drought is Jonathan Schoop, who went 4-for-24 with eight strikeouts on the week. A few downspells here and there are to be expected. The Twins offense in general has come back to Earth in recent weeks, but remains a powerhouse to be reckoned with. As long as they continue to have multiple guys clicking simultaneously, as they have at all times, Minnesota's going to be okay in the run-scoring department. Blake Parker seems to have his swing-and-miss stuff back, which is a plus – after inducing just six whiffs through his first eight June appearances (4% SwStr), Parker has since induced 10 in his past four appearances (14% SwStr). Last week he tallied four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of work, but it still wasn't pretty as he yielded five hits, including his fifth home run of the month. Two years ago, when at his best, Parker allowed only seven home runs total. TRENDING STORYLINE We're still waiting to see how the Twins will address their needy bullpen through high-impact acquisitions (a task that will be harder than many wish to believe), but for now it's about closely tracking how the team's lower-scale additions and internal options are progressing. Torres coughed up a two-run homer in his debut for the Red Wings on Thursday. Cody Allen debuted at Single-A for the Miracle on Saturday, tossing a clean scoreless inning with a strikeout, but he reportedly topped out at 91 MPH. (Two years ago, when he was last an outstanding MLB reliever, Allen averaged 94.3 on his fastball.) Fernando Romero and Trevor Hildenberger are both on IL at Rochester. His may not have the same name recognition as those above, nor is he on the 40-man roster as of yet, but Cody Stashak is really emerging as a name to watch. After he posted a 40-to-5 K/BB ratio in Pensacola over the first two months, Minnesota looked past his 4.76 ERA and promoted the 25-year-old righty to Triple-A and he has responded by decimating the highest level of minor-league competition. After striking out six in 2 2/3 innings last week, he now has a 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and 2.25 ERA through 12 innings with Rochester. I suspect we'll get a look at him in the bigs before the summer's over. DOWN ON THE FARM Acquired from the Yankees during the offseason, Torreyes spent much of the first half away from the team for reasons that weren't made public. He was activated from the restricted list last week and after a brief stint at Fort Myers, returned to Rochester with a bang on Friday, launching two home runs against Pawtucket. Torreyes followed with a three-hit game on Saturday and delivered a two-run single in his AB on Sunday. He adds another piece of credible depth to Minnesota's infield picture, albeit one made less critical by the play of Adrianza and Arraez. LOOKING AHEAD Hate those late-night West Coast games that linger past midnight on weekdays? Then I've got good news for you: the Twins will be playing their last such set in Oakland during the first half of this week. You might find it easier to stay up and watch the second game on Wednesday, with a holiday and afternoon contest coming on Thursday. Afterwards, the Twins finish out the unofficial first half with three home tilts against Texas. TUESDAY, 7/2: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – RHP Jake Odorizzi v. RHP Daniel Mengden WEDNESDAY, 7/3: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – RHP Kyle Gibson v. RHP Tanner Anderson THURSDAY, 7/4: TWINS @ ATHLETICS – LHP Martin Perez v. RHP Mike Fiers FRIDAY, 7/5: RANGERS @ TWINS – RHP Jesse Chavez v. RHP Jose Berrios SATURDAY, 7/6: RANGERS @ TWINS – LHP Mike Minor v. RHP Michael Pineda SUNDAY, 7/7: RANGERS @ TWINS – RHP Ariel Jurado v. RHP Jake Odorizzi Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 78 | MIN 9, TB 4: Twins Shell Blake SnellGame 79 | MIN 6, TB 4: Cruz Bails Out Another Bunting BlunderGame 80 | TB 5, MIN 2: Twins Can’t Complete Sweep in 18-Inning DuelGame 81 | CHW 6, MIN 4: Sanó Homers Twice, Twins Fall Short in ChicagoGame 82 | MIN 10, CHW 3: Twins Hit 5 Homers, Kepler Reaches New Career HighGame 83 | CHW 4, MIN 3: Twins Lose Rubber Match to White Sox After Another Long Day of Baseball Click here to view the article

I'm about as critical of the Pressly trade as anyone -- I think it's easily the worst move this front office has made, period. But there's a part of me that wonders if they thought he was a really high injury risk, with the high velocity and extreme spin rates. Seems like that's been the logic in moving on from some other seemingly promising bullpen arms who have since been plagued by injury (Nick Burdi comes to mind). Anyway, if that was the motivation they've obviously been wrong about it so far. But I'd be a little more comfortable knowing that was part of their calculation, and they didn't just completely whiff on the player evaluation. As for Alcala, in light of the current discussion, I wonder if it's time to just move him to the bullpen and be done with the starting thing. Relief has always seemed like his eventual role anyway. He hasn't completed 6 innings in a start at AA this year and his results have been really underwhelming.

Yes, but as mentioned, it took Rogers 3 years to develop into what he would eventually become. It takes some guys even longer. The earlier you can get a jump-start on these things the better. I'm just saying, what if Duffey came up and was immediately placed in full-time relief, preparing as such in spring training, etc? (He and May both were sort of in that weird ambiguous middle ground for a while.) They're all throwing in the upper '90s out of the pen, with the ability to blow people away. I didn't mean to conflate with established all-around dominance. It's just a massive transformation from how they looked as starters (esp Littell and Duffey)

Are great relievers born? Made? Produced artificially in a laboratory somewhere deep in the Nevadan desert? We don't know the answer. If you think you do, you're probably wrong. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's just the nature of relief pitching. The Twins are living proof of its caprice and volatility. Which is why, as Minnesota embarks on a quest to improve its needy bullpen, they face a mighty challenge.Let's review the facts as they stand. The most intriguing pieces currently in the Twins' bullpen are: Taylor Rogers, formerly an 11th-round pick turned nondescript minor-league starter, who transitioned into relief duty immediately in the majors, and blossomed into a top-tier setup man over three short years.Ryne Harper, a former 37th-round pick who toiled in the minors for nine years before making the Twins out of camp this spring on a minor-league deal. He debuted as a 30-year-old rookie.Blake Parker, the team's biggest offseason bullpen splash. His smallish free agent contract as a castoff from the Angels was whittled down further after his physical. I hesitate to call him "intriguing" at this point, given his trendline, but overall he's gotten it done.Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Zack Littell: All former middling prospects as starters, finding new gears as MLB relievers. Before you write off any of the three as flashes in the pan, or overachieving mediocrities, go back and read Rogers' blurb again. As I watch Duffey, May and Littell develop into lethal flamethrowers, I do wonder how differently their careers might have gone if the organization had committed to their role changes as quickly and decisively as with Rogers.With all due respect to Matt Magill and Mike Morin, I don't quite put either at the same level of faith as those above, but each one fits the narrative: discarded minor-league pitchers finding surprising success in the majors. Meanwhile, here are the pitchers conspicuously NOT contributing to the current campaign: Addison Reed, who signed the largest free agent reliever deal in franchise history 18 months ago. The Twins ate a good portion of it when they released him last month.Trevor Hildenberger, who was the team's most reliable bullpen arm for about a year before falling apart at the seams midway through 2018. He's currently on the injured list at Triple-A.Fernando Romero, the former top pitching prospect who's flamed out in multiple stints with the Twins this year, and hasn't looked a whole lot better in Triple-A.I know the common refrain on Romero – especially with the benefit of hindsight: "Why mess with him? They shoulda left him as a starter." But that ignores two things: 1) he wasn't throwing or holding up all that well as a starter, and 2) I mean, look at the examples of Duffey/May/Littell. There are certainly downsides to waffling and delaying. With Romero, it's an unaffordable luxury because he'll be out of options next spring. The malfunctions with all three of these players are largely driving the urgency to make improvements. But each of them, and Reed especially, epitomizes the reason that's a much taller order than many clamoring fans would like to believe. Anyone expressing certainty that Craig Kimbrel would've been a decisive upgrade is kidding themselves. Reed, like Kimbrel, generated less free agent demand than expected, given his backend pedigree, but he still had all the makings of a bullpen stud. He was younger and less weathered than Kimbrel. And in the early portion of his contract, Reed looked the part. But his drop-off was both rapid and ruthless. And the thing is, he's not alone. Reed is a somewhat extreme version of an all-too-common outcome. I just checked in on the top RP options listed in the latest Offseason Handbook, and there are vastly more busts than even moderately decent values. Kimbrel still hasn't pitched in the majors. David Robertson's thrown only seven innings due to injury issues. Andrew Miller's been mediocre. Kelvin Herrera, Jeurys Familia and Joe Kelly have been terrible. Cody Allen was so bad he's already been cut by the Angels, and signed by Minnesota to a minors deal. Allen now feels like a long shot to make any kind of meaningful impact; but, as you go through the names above, doesn't that feel true for almost anyone? Granted, some of these guys had their red flags, but all had strong track records, and signed for many millions of dollars. To a man, they've all floundered. Meanwhile, the Twins are finding their most credible help in a 30-year-old journeyman and a bunch of failed minor-league starters. And most of these guys are hitting their own skids at times. What all of this suggests to me: First, it's really hard to be a relief pitcher in the major leagues right now, with stacked lineups of aggressive upper-cut swingers just waiting to feast on premium heat. This is borne out by the numbers: MLB relievers, as a whole, have a 4.50 ERA this year, up from 4.08 last year and higher than their starting counterparts (!). Second, and not unrelatedly: it's going to be very difficult for the Twins to solve this problem. Difficult, and stressful. They aren't short on resources by any means, but that's not the problem. Those onerous contracts plaguing other teams who splurged on the relief market last winter are one thing; when you start giving up valuable prospects, stakes are raised, especially for a team in Minnesota's position. There are a lot of seemingly tantalizing relief options out there on the trade market. We've been covering them in a series of profiles here on the site, so this might be a good time to get caught up: Liam Hendriks, RHP, AthleticsTy Buttrey, RHP, AngelsKen Giles, RHP, Blue JaysSam Dyson, RHP, GiantsBrad Hand, LHP, IndiansOliver Perez, LHP ClevelandRobert Stephenson, RHP, RedsJohn Gant, RHP, CardinalsAlex Colome, RHP, White SoxSeth Lugo, RHP, MetsGreg Holland, RHP, DiamondbacksSean Doolittle, LHP, NationalsKirby Yates, RHP, PadresThere are compelling cases to be made for several of the above, plus some others who haven't yet been covered. I myself am quite high on Raisel Iglesias. But no matter who I might favor, data shows there's an overwhelming chance I'll be wrong. The same is true for you. Again, I apologize for the bluntness. But of course, it doesn't matter if we're right – only the guys leading the front office. What's most important is that they buy into what's to come, rather than what's already gone. If only it were that easy. Click here to view the article

The photo for this post feels symbolic. Sano's star potential is floating from his grasp, like a helium balloon. Can he reach out and grab it before it escapes to the heavens?

Of course, the Tigers also made it to the World Series that year, so... not the most dire comparison

Another successful week in front of packed houses at Target Field. Who could complain? The Twins celebrated a franchise legend over the weekend, retiring Joe Mauer's No. 7, and won four out of six against lesser competition. Your full recap lies ahead. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/10 through Sun, 6/16 *** Record Last Week: 4-2 (Overall: 47-23) Run Differential Last Week: +4 (Overall: +116) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (10.0 GA) Willians Watch: 12-for-25 with 2 HR last week at Triple-A First of all, I must point out that the "Willians Watch" tracker, which has been a depressing sight for the past many editions, is firing up again. During his first full week back at Triple-A, Willians Astudillo made a pretty strong case that it's beneath him, putting up the absurd numbers you see above. In eight games since his demotion, Astudillo is now hitting .545 with three homers and nine RBIs. He's come right back out of his shell. There wasn't too much activity on the transaction front last week. On Thursday, the Twins sent down reliever Ryan Eades and recalled Fernando Romero, who was himself demoted a day later (for reasons you'll read about in the Lowlights section below). Zack Littell was recalled to replace him following a very successful run in the Rochester bullpen (2.35 ERA, 13/1 K/BB ratio in 7.2 IP). HIGHLIGHTS Like any other week, it'd be appropriate to start out by shoveling praise on the offense. The bats were tremendous once again, averaging nearly six runs while extending their games-with-a-homer streak to 14. We'll cover some top performers in a moment. But first, let's give a shout-out to this team's starting rotation, which continues to amaze. On Wednesday, Jose Berrios was on his game once again, holding a potent Seattle lineup to one run over 6 2/3 innings. It was his fourth straight turn pitching into the seventh inning, a feat he's accomplished in six of eight starts since the beginning of May. He's been a workhorse and a stud. After striking out six with two walks in this latest effort, Berrios is now rocking a 4.94 K/BB ratio, which ranks sixth in the American League. Closing in on Berrios in those rankings is Kyle Gibson, who's now seventh with a 4.53 K/BB after notching six strikeouts and zero walks on Friday night in one of the best outings of his career. Dueling head-to-head with Kansas City's top starter Brad Keller, Gibby fired eight shutout innings, matching Berrios' gem on Opening Day for the highest Game Score by a Twins pitcher this year (84). Slowed by an offseason illness, Gibson was running a little behind in his spring build-up, and it showed early on: In his first three starts, he allowed eight walks and 18 hits over 14 2/3 innings with a 7.36 ERA. In 10 starts since, the right-hander has posted a 2.82 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 65-to-9 K/BB ratio in 60 2/3 innings. He also has a 14.9% swinging strike rate during this span; that'd rank fifth in all of baseball between Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg. Gibson is every bit as good as he was last year, if not better. That's a huge development for this unit. Even Michael Pineda joined the fun this week with his finest start as a Twin. On Thursday, the big righty tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits. He left the game with a zero on the board, but reliever Ryne Harper quickly let an inherited run score, depriving Pineda of his first clean outing for Minnesota. Still, it was another positive step forward from the 30-year-old, who's shown a noticeable velocity bump after returning from a two-week stint on the Injured List: Download attachment: pinedavelo.png The reasonable expectation for Pineda was always that he'd improve over the course of the season as he ramped up in the wake of Tommy John surgery. That's exactly what we're seeing, and I really like how the Twins are managing his workload to keep him fresh for the second half. His IL stint was seemingly designed to give him a breather (with no real downside, as Devin Smeltzer pitched well in his stead) and Pineda has yet to throw 100 pitches in a start. Okay, on to that offense. Once again there were plenty of monster performers last week, so let's just run through them in bullet-point fashion: Max Kepler has been on an absolute tear. After collecting four hits in Sunday's series finale against Kansas City, he finished at 9-for-23 on the week with two homers and three doubles. He drew five walks, and is working a free pass in nearly 20% of his June plate appearances.Ehire Adrianza is earning himself regular playing time on merit. The utilityman started four of six games last week, as Rocco Baldelli found him opportunities at third, short, and first. Adrianza responded by continuing to rake, with five hits in 15 at-bats. He's hitting .404 in his last 22 games.Mitch Garver had a magical night on Friday, delivering a dramatic two-run homer that broke a scoreless tie and propelled Minnesota to victory over KC. He was 4-for-15 on the week and has mostly picked up where he left off since coming off the IL, with nine RBIs in 10 games.Marwin Gonzalez continues to be an incredibly value asset. Last week he played in all six games, starting five. He appeared at four different positions while tallying eight hits (including a pair of home runs) in 23 at-bats.Nelson Cruz provided further evidence his wrist is feeling okay as he collected six hits in 20 ABs, including a pair of big homers.Jonathan Schoop rebounded from a quiet week with a 7-for-19, sprinkling in a home run and a double.Jorge Polanco just kept on doing his thing, finishing 8-for-27 with as many walks (3) as strikeouts. It wasn't even really a highlight week by his standards, but that alone seems worthy of calling out.LOWLIGHTS Can anyone fix Romero? As he rose rapidly through the minor-league ranks, the hard-throwing righty gained repute as the system's best power arm in years. He looked decent last year as a rookie for Minnesota, but the decision to shift him into a bullpen role here in 2019 made all the sense in the world, from my view. Unfortunately, it's been pretty much a total disaster. His latest call-up wasn't exactly earned by his performance in the minors (he posted a 6.06 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over a month in Rochester following his early-May demotion), but the Twins evidently wanted to take another look and have their big-league coaches work with him more closely. It took only one appearance to reverse that plan. Romero was unbelievably brutal when called upon to pitch with a nine-run lead on Thursday, allowing all four batters faced to reach on two hits and two walks. He threw just six of 16 pitches for strikes and induced zero swings-and-misses. The good news, I guess, is that Romero's arm appears to be healthy; he was bringing upper-90s heat with movement. Yet he lacked any semblance of command, and hitters were feasting, as they have all year. Getting him on track seems like one of Minnesota's best bets for impactful late-inning bullpen help, but sadly, it now feels like more of a long shot than ever. His absence looms large in a bullpen that showed its problematic lack of depth last week, especially with Taylor Rogers unavailable for a few games due to back tightness. Harper continues to dazzle but the unit is lacking for other trustworthy options. Blake Parker looks so bad right now it's semi-shocking the Twins haven't found an excuse to put him on the shelf; he has coughed up nine earned runs, and five homers, in his last seven appearances. Tyler Duffey is filthy at times, but prone to clunkers like the ugly 10th inning that cost Minnesota Wednesday's game and spoiled Buxton's big moment. Trevor May navigated a precarious save conversion on Tuesday, then struggled through a shaky outing the following night. He's still having a really hard time getting opponents to chase, resulting in prolonged counts and plenty of stress. Matt Magill's been filling the bases with runners all month, including last week when he yielded two hits and three walks in four innings. None of three runs allowed by Mike Morin on Sunday were charged as earned, preserving his misleading 1.17 ERA, but he didn't look good. This bullpen is a problem. We already knew that, but it was resoundingly reaffirmed last week, even against substandard competition. Anxiety is going to run high if any tight late-inning situations develop against the imposing Red Sox lineup in the coming series. Minnesota generally had an ugly week defensively (which is, refreshingly, uncharacteristic). But no one's poor glovework stuck out more than Miguel Sano's. He had a fine week at the plate (4-for-14 with a home run) but Sano butchered a couple of plays at third base, and they were both costly. On Wednesday in extra innings, he mishandled a grounder and then airmailed it to first, allowing two critical runs to score. He was charged with two errors on the play, a rarity. Sano logged a third error for the week when he let a bad hop eat him up on Sunday, allowing yet another key run across. When Sano is able to secure the ball and whip it across the diamond, it's a beautiful thing. His arm strength is unassailable. But overall consistency has been amiss, and to my eye, Sano has missed quite a few plays he should've made. He already has five errors in just 21 games. With Cruz and C.J. Cron entrenched at DH and first, the Twins have little choice but to run Sano out at third base and hope he improves if they want his bat in the lineup. I did find it quite curious that Baldelli put Sano at third and Adrianza at first with Cron sitting on Sunday, though Adrianza did have his own ugly defensive gaffe at the hot corner one night earlier. TRENDING STORYLINE The first domino has fallen, so to speak. On Saturday, the Yankees traded for Seattle's Edwin Encarnacion, adding the American League's leading home run hitter to their lineup (which already features No. 2, Gary Sanchez). The Mariners, apparently, are completely open for business: There are some interesting candidates there from the Twins' perspective (albeit no game-changing bullpen additions). The bigger story is that Buying Season is officially underway. Minnesota isn't compelled to wait until late July to pull the trigger on improvements. Although the Twins don't really need to worry about their division lead – still in double-digits as we head into the second half of June – they do need to be thinking about building for primetime. The aforementioned bullpen issues make clear that there is some work to do. One tidbit to file away: Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press wrote over the weekend that Minnesota is pursuing a deal for San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner... DOWN ON THE FARM As the Twins evaluate internal relief options, Sean Poppen is a name we should probably be paying attention to. He's been fantastic since a promotion to Rochester in late May, working as a starter but showing traits of a guy who might level-up in the pen. On Thursday he struck out nine over six innings of one-run ball; through four starts with the Red Wings, he has a 1.13 ERA and 29-to-9 K/BB ratio over 24 innings. A former 19th-round draft pick out of Harvard, the 25-year-old righty owns a 3.17 career ERA in the minors, averaging a strikeout per inning. Of course, Poppen is likely behind a couple of fellow Rochester starters in line. Smeltzer and Lewis Thorpe are both already on the 40-man roster, and making their own strong cases for consideration. Smeltzer struck out 10 with zero walks over 5 2/3 frames on Sunday, while Thorpe had fired five shutout frames on Wednesday, allowing one hit and striking out nine. The Twins could really use another left-hander in the pen (they had none available when Rogers was sidelined in the early part of last week) so I'd expect to see one of these two get a look soon. Both have the potential to be legitimate difference-makers. LOOKING AHEAD Big test on deck. The Twins have taken care of business thus far in a home stand full of also-rans, winning series against Detroit, Seattle and Kansas City, but now they'll wrap it up with a tough challenge against the Red Sox. Don't be fooled by Boston's third-place standing in the East and pedestrian record. They started 6-13 but have been rolling since with a 33-21 record since, and they head into Minnesota on a five-game winning streak. Can Berrios, Pineda and Gibson back up their latest performances against a far better lineup? Next weekend, the Twins will head down to Kansas City. As will I, along with a large group of rowdy fellows on a big booze-filled bus for my bachelor party. Which is to say, when you read this column next week, it'll be authored by someone else. Hopefully that person will have plenty of happy things to write about. MONDAY, 6/17: RED SOX @ TWINS – RHP Rick Porcello v. RHP Jose Berrios TUESDAY, 6/18: RED SOX @ TWINS – LHP David Price v. RHP Michael Pineda WEDNESDAY, 6/19: RED SOX @ TWINS – LHP Eduardo Rodriguez v. RHP Kyle Gibson THURSDAY, 6/20: TWINS @ ROYALS – RHP Jake Odorizzi v. RHP Glenn Sparkman FRIDAY, 6/21: TWINS @ ROYALS – LHP Martin Perez v. RHP Jakob Junis SATURDAY, 6/22: TWINS @ ROYALS – RHP Jose Berrios v. LHP Danny Duffy SUNDAY, 6/23: TWINS @ ROYALS – RHP Michael Pineda v. RHP Homer Bailey Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 65 | MIN 6, SEA 5: Comeback Victory Capped By Trevor May SaveGame 66 | SEA 9, MIN 6: Bullpen, Errors Spoil Buxton’s Dramatic HomerGame 67 | MIN 10, SEA 5: Another Double-Digit Scoring Effort, Another Bullpen ScareGame 68 | MIN 2, KC 0: Gibson Shines on Night Honoring Mauer, PrinceGame 69 | MIN 5, KC 4: Bats Rally, Bullpen Protects 1-Run LeadGame 70 | KC 8, MIN 6: Struggles With Men on Base, Errors Prove Costly Click here to view the article

Every Sunday night, I publish these Week in Review columns. Each of the first 10 editions reported a winning record from the previous seven days, chronicling this club's incredible consistency. Today, that streak finally comes to an end, as the Twins went 3-3 last week on the road. But it still wasn't a losing stretch, and offered plenty of positives amid glimmers of legitimate concern. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/3 through Sun, 6/9 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 43-21) Run Differential Last Week: +3 (Overall: +112) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (10.5 GA) Willians Watch: So Long, Old Friend :-( We must begin this week's roster rundown on a somber note: Willians Astudillo has been optioned to Triple-A. This isn't necessarily sad from a competitive standpoint – Astudillo's been the weakest hitter on the team for some time now, and his demotion is well justified with an empty .190 average since the start of May – but if you're like me, you enjoy watching the guy play, interact with teammates, and generally go about his business on the field. He probably won't be gone for too long, as he's already raking down in Rochester (he's 6-for-8 through two games).Called up to replace Astudillo on the roster was right-handed reliever Ryan Eades, who made his major-league debut on Saturday and threw very well in two scoreless frames.The Twins also optioned Devin Smeltzer, who impressed during his two starts, and activated Michael Pineda to start Friday night's game in Detroit.HIGHLIGHTS In the wake of a scorching late-May hot streak, Max Kepler went cold as the calendar flipped, coming up hitless in five games. Then, with the Twins facing a sweep on Thursday in Cleveland, he exploded for three home runs, carrying Minnesota to a 5-4 victory while finishing 4-for-4 with a walk. It'll go down as one of the best offensive performances by a big-leaguer this season. This seems to be the M.O. for Minnesota's lineup: sleeping giants who don't stay asleep for long. Mitch Garver was mostly quiet in his first few games off the Injured List, and had a really tough series in Cleveland with seven strikeouts in 10 plate appearances, but he came alive in Detroit, going 4-for-9 with a homer and four RBIs in two games. Nelson Cruz, another recent reentry from IL, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his return on Tuesday, then homered in each of his next four games. Eddie Rosario was 2-for-16 on the week before going 3-for-6 with a mammoth homer on Sunday. This is all to say we probably shouldn't make much of mini-slumps from the likes of Jonathan Schoop (1-for-15 last week and batting .125 in June). He has the luxury of taking a little nap while the rest of the offense powers on, and will almost surely be awakening soon. One guy who doesn't seem to have much let-up in him is Byron Buxton. Every week, and every night, he manages to make a special impact. His past five games brought more of the same: production (6-for-17 with two homers and a double), spectacular defense made to look ordinary, and baserunning prowess that almost defies belief: The Twins leaned on Rogers for a 34-pitch, two-inning save on Thursday, and that's the type of thing they obviously need to avoid. So, the club needs some relief help. And as we've covered, Kimbrel is off the table. What to do? The trade market will become a central focus in the coming weeks, and I do believe there are going to be ample opportunities out there. Unlike with Kimbrel, here the Twins have real leverage: a system filled with intriguing prospects, and a bevy of non-contending teams looking to reload their farms. There's no need to wait until the July 31st deadline to make a move. But here's the thing: Minnesota does have the luxury of a double-digit lead in the standings. Granted, they'll want to win as many games as they can to best position themselves for October, but they aren't fending off anyone in the division. Four of their remaining six series this month are against the Mariners, Royals and White Sox. There's no REAL urgency. As they take a measured approach to the trade market, the Twins can test a few things out internally and work to optimize its existing pieces. The latest to audition is Eades, and he looked promising in his first action (although, to be fair, so did Austin Adams and Zack Littell). Speaking of Littell: After this demotion last week, I opined that he has "a much better chance than the [other Triple-A call-ups who've gotten shelled] of becoming a true bullpen asset. I wonder if the Twins will start letting him develop in that capacity at Rochester." Sure enough, his three appearances since heading down have all been in relief, and he's looked damn good, allowing just one hit (a solo homer) in 5 2/3 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. It wouldn't stun me if Eades or Littell eventually settles in as a worthy middle relief option. I like that the Twins are experimenting. But it's unfortunate their other internal options are still flailing. Trevor Hildenberger has an 8.44 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in Rochester. Fernando Romero has been woefully underwhelming as well (opponents hitting .310/.388/.500 in 15 innings since he was optioned). Jorge Alcala, the hard-throwing 23-year-old acquired in last year's Ryan Pressly trade, has been wholly unimpressive at Double-A where he sports a 5.25 ERA. If the Twins want to find a difference-maker for their pen from within, it's probably going to take some creativity. Maybe trying out Smeltzer in a relief role? Or how about fellow Triple-A southpaw Lewis Thorpe, who's tacked up a 25-to-3 K/BB ratio in his last four starts, while averaging fewer than five innings per turn? Looks perfectly suited for a shot at relieving. DOWN ON THE FARM The 2019 MLB Draft took place last week, and saw the Twins add a batch of new young talent heavy on college bats. Their three first-day selections: No. 13 Overall: Keoni Cavaco, INF – Fast-rising prep star out of California who was barely on anyone's radar six months ago. Premium athlete with a high-upside bat who's played shortstop but is likely to end up at third base. Ted posted a Q&A with the Cavaco if you'd like to learn more about him.No. 39 Overall: Matt Wallner, OF – Collegiate slugger out of Southern Mississippi. Wallner will be especially easy for locals to root for because he's a Forest Lake native who was named Minnesota's Mr. Baseball in 2016.No. 54 Overall: Matt Canterino, RHP – The 6-foot-3 righty posted gaudy strikeout numbers at Rice University, unleashing an overpowering fastball/curve combo. His delivery and lack of a changeup suggest some reliever risk, but he's poised to rise quickly.You can learn about the full breadth of Minnesota's latest draft class in Andrew's in-depth recap. Elsewhere in the Twins' system last week: Jhoan Duran turned in his third straight gem for Fort Myers, holding Jupiter to one run over seven innings. Acquired from Arizona in the Eduardo Escobar trade last summer, Duran pitched extremely well after coming over, and drew considerable buzz in camp this spring. His first seven starts at High-A weren't stellar but over his past three the numbers are astounding: 20 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 26 K. The 21-year-old right-hander is starring for the Miracle alongside fellow righty Jordan Balazovic, our Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May who continues to dazzle here in June. In his latest turn on Thursday, he fanned seven over 5 2/3 frames of one-run ball, lowering his ERA to 2.03 in six starts with Fort Myers. Despite Brusdar Graterol's continuing absence (no word on his ailing right shoulder), the Twins have some good things cookin' with arms in the minors. On the hitting side, we covered Trevor Larnach last week and he keeps mashing (10-for-27 last week), but one other guy we need to be paying attention to is Brent Rooker. The 24-year-old shook off his own slow start at Triple-A and has been on a tear since returning from the IL at the beginning of June, batting .433 with 11 RBIs through nine games. Perhaps most importantly, he has an 11-to-8 K/BB ratio during that span, after striking out 43 times with only six walks through his first 97 plate appearances. Rooker has a rep as a smart hitter who handles adversity and makes adjustments. We're seeing that once again, and now he has nowhere else to graduate to but the majors. LOOKING AHEAD Smooth sailing ahead. The Twins have gone a combined 5-1 against Seattle and Kansas City on the road, and now they'll welcome both last-place clubs to Target Field for three games apiece. It'd be disappointing (though hardly panic-inducing) to see Minnesota win fewer than four this next week. TUESDAY, 6/11: MARINERS @ TWINS – RHP Mike Leake v. LHP Martin Perez WEDNESDAY, 6/12: MARINERS @ TWINS – LHP Tommy Milone v. RHP Jose Berrios THURSDAY, 6/13: MARINERS @ TWINS – LHP Marco Gonzales v. RHP Michael Pineda FRIDAY, 6/14: ROYALS @ TWINS – RHP Brad Keller v. RHP Kyle Gibson SATURDAY, 6/15: ROYALS @ TWINS – RHP Glenn Sparkman v. RHP Jake Odorizzi SUNDAY, 6/16: ROYALS @ TWINS – RHP Jakob Junis v. LHP Martin Perez Catch Up On Twins Daily Game Recaps Game 59 | CLE 5, MIN 2: Twins Can’t Figure Out Bieber, Lindor Lifts ClevelandGame 60 | CLE 9, MIN 7: Bullpen Crumbles on Night Kimbrel Signs With CubsGame 61 | MIN 5, CLE 4: Max Power Against BauerGame 62 | MIN 6, DET 3: Offense, Bullpen Come Through Late as Twins Take OpenerGame 63 | DET 9, MIN 3: Third Out Eludes Gibson, Eades DebutsGame 64 | MIN 12, DET 2: No Motown Blues for the Minnesota Twins Click here to view the article