Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (73 pitches, 48 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Taylor Rogers (0.18), Bradley (0.17), Kendry Rojas (0.17) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins welcomed back their flamethrower phenom Taj Bradley to the mound at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. In a matinee that got pretty heated, Bradley and the Twins kept their cool and stayed hot in Boston. Starting Hot The Red Sox sent a familiar face out as an opener, with lefty Jovani Moran getting the first frame against his former squad. Moran got ahead of Byron Buxton 0-2 to lead things off, but Buck stroked a single to get the offense rolling. Trevor Larnach roped a single of his own to start off his four-hit day, and then Austin Martin took Moran to the gap to get the Twins on the board at 1-0. Bradley's Heater A Josh Bell sacrifice fly spotted Bradley another run to work with, and he worked with the lead quite well. After facing some rehab time for a pectoral muscle issue over the past two weeks, Bradley looked to return to his dominant ways. The first three innings saw little resistance from the Boston bats, with Taj alternating between low-90's movement and 99 mph heaters. The fourth inning saw the Red Sox get their first hit, and eventually their first run as a Ceddanne Rafaela double plated Mickey Gasper. Willson Contreras tried to follow Gasper home, but Martin threw a bead to Orlando Arcia, who in turn threw a pea to Victor Caratini for the tag at home. That play not only kept the Twins in the lead, but it also set a fire under the Twins offense as Caratini took exception to Contreras' bump at the plate, and Contreras took exception to any human interaction that ensued. With the bullpens and benches all lathered up, the top of the fifth inning began with the third of Larnach's four hits. Martin followed with an infield hit up the middle to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Bell stepped to the plate after having been the first man off the bench to skirmish in the previous inning, and he ironically exposed Contreras with a grounder to first that ate up the normally elite defender to load the bases against righty bulk man Brayan Bello. Kody Clemens failed to make them pay by flying out to shallow left, but Caratini hit a fly ball to right jussssssst far enough to score Larnach on a sweet slide to make it 3-1. Arcia then hit a grounder that was headed for out number three until Bello mindlessly reached behind his back and deflected the ball into no mans land. Martin scored, and the Twins bullpen got itself a three-run lead to work with. Rojas Holds the Fireline, and Morris Pours on Gas Bradley wasn't going to go very deep into the game in his first outing back, and Kendry Rojas was ready and waiting to keep the heaters coming. Rojas surrendered only one hit and struck out three over his three innings of work, and it looked like the Twins were on their way to an easy road victory. Then Andrew Morris took the hill for the bottom of the ninth, and Contreras laced a lead-off single into left. Morris followed by walking Rafaela on five pitches. Now the Twins were feeling the heat, and the tying run stepped into the box in the form of young Nick Sogard. Sogard took a 95 mph heater, and then popped up a changeup to ease some of the tension. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit, and Arcia made a slick play on a grounder up the middle to take out the runner at second to get the Twins within one out of a big win. Connor Wong was next man up, and he worked a walk on a full count to load em up. Derek Shelton stuck with the rookie Morris in this new-to-him crucial spot. The first two pitches to Isiah Kiner-Falefa were not close, and Morris was limited to heaters only to finish off the game. On a full count, Morris yanked a fastball into the ground to walk in the second run for the Red Sox. With the tying run on second, Shelton went to lefty Taylor Rogers to face the dangerous lefty Jarren Duran. Rogers got ahead 0-2, and for the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth times on the evening the Red Sox got down to their final strike. This time, Rogers caught Duran looking on a top shelf sweeper. Duran challenged, but the Twins victory got "confirmed." Thank you homeplate umpire Jen Pawol for doing your job well, as the Twins didn't have a challenge left in the tank had you botched that call. Twins Territory owes you a $2 beer next time you come to Target Field! What’s Next? The Twins look to get out the brooms at Fenway for the first time since 2015. The Bearded Nightmare (5-2, 3.63 ERA) looks to keep the good times rolling in Bean Town. Facing Bailey Ober will be former Twins ace Sonny Gray (5-1, 2.93 ERA) who is 1-2 with a non-stellar 7.20 ERA against his former team since leaving via free agency after the 2023 season. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Gómez 0 36 0 13 0 49 Adams 19 0 0 29 0 48 Rojas 0 0 0 0 45 45 Morris 0 10 0 0 32 42 Banda 16 0 0 14 0 30 Orze 0 0 0 14 0 14 Rogers 0 0 0 0 6 6 Woods Richardson 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (100 pitches, 66 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.20), Byron Buxton (-0.16), Trevor Larnach (-0.16) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins experienced a monumental Tuesday before the game even began. Royce Lewis got demoted to St. Paul, the Justin Topa era finally reached its overdue end, and Ryan Jeffers learned that his bat wasn't the only thing broken. Emmanuel Rodriguez discovered that surgery would keep him from rising up into the big leagues. The Astros' starter changed from Lance McCullers Jr. to Jason Alexander just a few hours before first pitch. Orlando Arcia and Alex Jackson were called up for the game, and Byron Buxton returned to the lineup as well. Would Zebby Matthews be able to keep his squad in the game with all of these distractions swirling? Or would the Astros be able to sneak away with the victory? Rough Start for Matthews The young starter didn't surrender a run in his first outing of the season, but two batters into tonight's contest, it was already 2-0 Astros. Jeremy Pena led off with a single with two strikes, and Isaac Paredes made Matthews pay by crushing a homer to left on a full-count, middle-middle cutter. The Astros didn't mount another threat the rest of the game, as Matthews and the Twins bullpen held serve the rest of the way. Could the Twins take advantage of the starting pitching chaos that Houston brought to the table tonight? Buxton Tries His Best Buxton finally got the Twins faithful on their feet again with another double in the bottom of the eighth inning. Josh Bell had a chance earlier in the game with Buxton on second base, but this time he got some help from the Astros infield as his ground ball bounced off of the second baseman into the outfield to pull the Twins to within one! Can the Twins Walk it Off? The Twins came into the night 0-22 this season when trailing after the eighth inning, and the Astros had yet to lose a lead after the eighth inning, at 18-0. On paper, things looked bleak. With two outs, it was up to Arcia, and he delivered with an opposite-field single. Derek Shelton pinch-hit Luke Keaschall, and Bryan Abreu came into the game to face him. Abreu then plunked him. A passed ball put runners on second and third for Buxton in a hero spot, but the Twins' superstar popped up on a full count to keep the Twins' late-inning futility and the Astros' low-grade clutchness intact. What’s Next? The Twins look to rebound and to secure a winning homestand on Wednesday afternoon. Hard-luck ace Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.20 ERA) will look to save the day. The Astros will send out young righty Mike Burrows (2-5, 5.72 ERA) in hopes of ruining the day. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Morris 24 0 12 16 0 52 Orze 0 26 0 19 0 45 Topa 0 0 11 31 0 42 Rogers 23 0 8 11 0 42 Banda 8 0 18 0 16 42 Gómez 7 11 0 11 0 29 Garcia 0 0 22 0 0 22 Adams 0 0 0 0 19 19 Woods-Richardson 0 0 0 18 0 18 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (86 pitches, 55 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.28), Brooks Lee (-0.15), Tristan Gray (-0.15) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins looked to re-establish their home field after a rowdy Brewer crowd watched Milwaukee take the first game of the series. Minnesota had the right starter on the mound in young lefty Connor Prielipp, but would they have the right bats in the lineup with Byron Buxton sitting yet again and Luke Keaschall taking the night off against the equally young righty Logan Henderson? Ducks Left on the Pond The Twins had a golden opportunity to make a statement in the bottom of the second. After Prielipp dominated his way through his first two frames with three strikeouts, Josh Bell found his way on with a leadoff excuse-me single. Kody Clemens ripped a Henderson changeup into the corner for a double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. What happened next was a dreadful reminder of how things have been going, and how the Twins bats would continue to function on Saturday. The only way the Twins would fail to score would be strikeouts. Royce Lewis, strikeout. James Outman, strikeout. Austin Martin...strikeout. Trevor Larnach was back in the lineup after missing the past three games. He solved the "runners left in scoring position" dilemma in the bottom of the third inning by skipping a few steps and hitting the ball over the overhang in right to put his team up 1-0. Whiffing in the Field and at the Plate The Twins' lead didn't last very long, as the Brewers scraped a single and a walk on the base paths to start the fourth. After a rough call on a good play last night, Lewis got the gift of a double play grounder from Luis Rengifo. Unfortunately Royce forgot to get the ball before he tried to turn two, and by the time the ball got collected in left field Brice Turang had scampered all the way home from second base to knot the game at one apiece. In the bottom of the fourth, more Twins in scoring position with nobody out, and more whiffs. The Twins eventually went 0-8 with RISP and the strikeouts proved to be the most frustrating component. On three separate occasions the Brewers were either playing to surrender the run, or any ground ball or flyball could have done the deed. Prielipp got the chance to pitch into the sixth, and he tried to sneak a changeup past young phenom Jackson Chourio. That pitch got accelerated by 17 mph and found the seats for a 2-1 Brewer lead. Comeback Special? The Twins came into the ninth inning having gone 0-18 when trailing after seven innings in 2026. Righty Chad Patrick had entered the game in the bottom of the sixth, and was still pitching into the bottom of the ninth. The Twins mounted no threat, and Patrick got his four-inning save. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. Twins righty Bailey Ober (4-2, 3.46 ERA) will look to match his shutout performance earlier this week, while the Brewers have yet to name their starter for the mid-day tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rojas 0 0 0 41 0 41 Topa 0 35 0 0 0 35 Adams 0 29 0 0 0 29 Orze 0 0 0 0 26 26 Morris 0 0 0 24 0 24 Rogers 0 0 0 23 0 23 Garcia 0 18 0 0 0 18 Gómez 0 0 0 7 11 18 Banda 0 0 0 8 0 8 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 64 strikes (72%)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (6 Top 3 WPA: Ober (0.45), Jeffers (0.10), Trevor Larnach (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Bailey Ober hasn't lost at Target Field yet in 2026, and he hoped to keep the surprising winning ways rolling on home from Cleveland. Standing in his way was 6-foot-6 righty fireballer Eury Pérez, who came into Tuesday night with an ERA over 7.00 on the road in 2026, but who dominated the Twins over six innings of one-hit ball in their July 2025 matchup. Would any of this history matter, or would a new trend emerge in this interleague bout between two teams fighting to stay relevant before summer even starts? Starting Pitchers Dominate Early The first three innings of the ballgame saw the Twins put a runner in scoring position at second base with only one out via a wild pitch on a strikeout and an errant throw to first, two walks and two stolen bases. Ober matched Pérez goose egg for goose egg through five innings, scattering two singles with no walks and five strikeouts. While the "Bark at the Park" crowd found reasons to cheer in Ober's performance, one couldn't help but wonder if those missed early opportunities would come back to bite the home team. Third Time's the Charm for the Twins Pérez looked to be heading toward a similarly masterful end to the bottom of the fifth, having surrendered no hits to that point and having retired Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis on only four pitches. As the lineup turned over for a third time, the mystery of Pérez's elevated ERA on the road was solved, as Byron Buxton worked a five-pitch walk, and Trevor Larnach went the other way for a single to put runners at the corners. The Twins stayed aggressive on the base paths against the lanky Pérez, this time with Larnach bolting toward second base on a 1-0 count to Ryan Jeffers. Rookie catcher Joe Mack threw down to second base, Larnach hit the brakes, and Buxton stole the first run of the game. Pérez looked visibly frustrated. After the next pitch that he threw to Jeffers landed in the second deck in left, that frustration was validated, and the dogs at Target Field had more to howl about. 3-0 Twins! Ober and Systemic Change The date was September 7, 2024. The date was also April 10, 2025. On both instances, Ober was pulled early from a shutout with a low pitch count by his former skipper, Rocco Baldelli, due to drops in velocity and general mistrust that Ober was actually that good. The Twins eventually lost both games to the Royals in gut-wrenching fashion. Tonight, Ober entered the eighth inning having only thrown 70 pitches, and new skipper Derek Shelton let the Bearded Nightmare feast. Ober struck out two in slamming shut the eighth, and needed only eight pitches to finish off the Marlins for his first career nine-inning complete game shutout! 89 pitches at 89 mph or under. Maddux mode activated. What’s Next? The Twins look to win their fourth in a row on Wednesday evening in another matchup with the Marlins. This time, the home team will face a hometown foe in the Woodbury native Max Meyer (2-0, 2.79 ERA). The Twins counter with their young righty Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 6.92 ERA). While Meyer is ascending toward greatness, Woods Richardson is desperately trying to stay in the rotation. Luckily for the Twins, they don't play these games on stats alone. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Rojas 0 0 60 0 0 60 Adams 0 0 43 0 0 43 Banda 22 0 19 0 0 41 Garcia 0 13 20 0 0 33 Orze 16 15 0 0 0 31 Rogers 0 17 0 0 0 17 Morris 0 11 6 0 0 17 Gómez 2 5 10 0 0 17 Topa 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (107 pitches, 66 strikes (62%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (13) Top 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Eric Orze (0,48), Ryan (0.22), Luis Garcia (0.20) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) On the day that Taj Bradley found his way onto the IL, the Twins hoped that Joe Ryan's return to the rotation and avoidance of the IL wasn't just a mirage. After losing three in a row and finding themselves once again in the basement of the AL Central, Minnesota could not afford to lose another winnable game to the Guardians on Saturday night against a winless Tanner Bibee. The chance of thunderstorms delayed the inevitable by two hours, but baseball was played, and a result that no Twins fans expected transpired in Rock and Roll City. Buxton Rocks Byron Buxton waited and waited to get his chance to lead off against Bibee, but it only took three pitches before Byron and the Twins were out in front 1-0. Lead off homerun number 22, and homerun number 13 on the season, for number 25! Ryan Also Rocks, Even on the Rocks With the Twins' offense silenced after Buxton's homer, the pressure fell on the ace shoulders of Ryan to keep Cleveland off the board. Joe delivered consistently and efficiently in the early innings, allowing just a walk over the first three frames on only 41 pitches. The fourth inning was less efficient and definitely not as clean, as Jose Ramirez golfed a one-out single into center, stole second base, and scampered home to tie the game on a Kyle Manzardo single. A walk and a beanball created a bases loaded situation, but Ryan was able to deliver two straight strike outs to escape the inning with minimal damage. The elevated pitch count of the fourth ended up limiting Ryan to six innings on a whopping 107 pitches, but he kept the score knotted at one, which was necessary due to the fact that the Twins didn't muster any more hits after Buxton's blast. The Twins bullepn held serve through the seventh and eighth innings, with a couple of mammoth fly balls causing small panic attacks, but without any actual injury. Rocking and Rolling Into the Ninth After eight innings, the two squads had combined for three hits, two runs, and 21 strikeouts. To say the action was limited would be an understatement. The Twins hoped that red-hot Brooks Lee would be their key to the top of the ninth, but Brooks watched a 3-2 fastball go down the heart of the plate, and pinch-hitting Austin Martin and Josh Bell couldn't do anything to break the tie. Kody Funderburk started off the bottom of the ninth with two walks, and almost disasterously missed a chance to get the first out on a bunt. The Twins successfully challenged the call, and found themselves facing runners at second and third with only one out. Derek Shelton pulled Funderburk for Eric Orze, brought in Martin as a fifth infielder, and intentionally walked David Fry to load the bases. Orze induced a grounder to Luke Keaschall, and he nabbed the lead runner at the plate. Steven Kwan was next man up, and Orze was miraculously up to the challenge! Kody Clemens secured yet another three unassisted on the night to send us to bonus baseball! Extra Innings, Twins In the top of the tenth, the Twins were still looking for their second hit of the ballgame. They headed to the bottom of the tenth without finding it. Orze stayed in, and got the first out on a liner to Clemens. After intentionally and wisely walking Ramirez, Orze unintentionally walked Rhys Hoskins to load the bases. Again, Shelton brought in the fifth infielder, and this time it was Lee's turn to save the game. Orze still had to get rookie phenom Travis Bazzana to keep the Twins alive, and he did just that by inducing a fly out to a left-field-playing-again Martin to send us to the eleventh. Buxton still had the only hit of the night for the visiting team. Matt Wallner started out the eleventh as the ghost runner, and advanced to third on a "get him over" grounder by Royce Lewis. This brought up the aforementioned Buxton in a big spot. By the end of the at-bat, Buxton was still the only Twin with a hit on the night...but now it was "two." 2-1 Twins on a booming Buxton double off the left-field wall! Buxton was stranded in scoring position, and Twins fans hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite them as the much-maligned Luis Garcia got "last man standing" duty in the bottom of the eleventh with the speedy Bazzana on second as the ghost runner. Garcia got the first man with a shallow fly ball, but Bazzana stole third anyways. Fry flew out to an even shallower left field for the second out, and Garcia got Rocchio to two strikes. But Rocchio hit the kind of back-breaking seeing-eye grounder up the middle that Twins fans have seen year, after year, after year, after...oh wait! Brooks Lee equals Ballgame now! What’s Next? The Twins look to steal the series in Cleveland in a Sunday afternoon tilt. Twins reliever Andrew Morris will open things up and an assortment of bullpen arms will aim to fill Bradley's shoes on Sunday. The Guardians will counter with righty Gavin Williams (5-2, 3.28 ERA) in hopes of reclaiming their home-field advantage versus Minnesota. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40pm CDT with no rain in sight for once! Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Banda 19 0 20 22 0 61 Funderburk 0 17 0 22 10 49 Orze 16 0 0 16 15 47 Rogers 0 0 26 0 17 43 Garcia 13 14 0 0 13 40 Topa 0 32 0 0 0 32 Morris 0 14 0 0 11 25 Gómez 0 0 0 2 5 2 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (96 pitches, 63 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (11) Top 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Brooks Lee (0.27), Bradley (0.12), Trevor Larnach (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) The Twins traveled to the nation's capital for a showdown with the team who lives in their old place. Minnesota received good news regarding Joe Ryan's injury, and hoped that this positive momentum could carry into a very winnable series. Fireballer Taj Bradley took the hill for the visiting Twins, while young righty Cade Cavalli looked to match Bradley's heat pitch for pitch. Catching Up to the Heat Both young hurlers lived in the upper 90s throughout the first few innings of the game, but both offenses found a way to break through when they went offspeed. The Nationals struck first in the bottom of the first inning, when Curtis Mead sent a Bradley splitter to the left field wall for a double that placed runners at second and third with only one out. CJ Abrams couldn't handle a Bradley fastball, but his weak dribbler towards Luke Keaschall was too slow to let the drawn-in infielder make a successful throw home to nab the speedy Daylen Lile to put the Nationals up 1-0. The Twins quickly handed Cavalli two outs in the top of the second, but Cavilli got wild and hit Kody Clemens, and Keaschall got his dribbler revenge on a soft roller to third to put runners at first and second. Brooks Lee came up next, and he turned around 97.6 mph in a lead-taking fashion. The Twins weren't done there, as Cavilli ran into trouble toward the bottom of the lineup once again in the top of the fourth. Austin Martin got the start instead of Matt Wallner, and he rewarded his manager's trust with a leadoff single. Clemens solicited a walk, and Keaschall legitimately worked a 10-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. Lee came up again in an RBI spot, and this time his contact only traveled 40 feet, but Cavilli booted the ball into foul territory to plate Martin and to keep the bases loaded with nobody out. Royce Lewis, number one pick but number nine in the order, hit one just short of the right field fence for a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 Twins. Byron Buxton popped straight up to home plate, leaving Trevor Larnach in a position to pile on more runs in preparation for the Twins' bullpen coming in. Trevor fell behind 0-2 on two straight knuckle curves. Cavalli tried one more, though, and Larnach un-knuckled it to the right field gap to up the lead to 6-1. Bradley Gets Back on Track The off day on which the team traveled from Minneapolis to Washington looked to be extremely important, as Bradley needed 51 pitches just to survive the first two innings. However, he managed to rediscover the strike zone, and coerced the Nationals into making outs early in the count. Bradley mowed down eight batters in a row until Lile laced a two-out double in the fifth. Then it was Mead striking again, surviving fastballs, splitters, and cutters until he finally could poke a splitter into left field to creep a run closer, at 6-2. Bradley's night was done after six innings, but he left his team in a great position for victory—as Twins starters have been doing for weeks. Bloops and Bullpens The Nationals turned to righty Andre Granillo to start the top of the seventh, and Ryan Jeffers hit a pop fly to the right-center gap. Both fielders converged, but the ball found grass and rolled away for a gift double. Josh Bell immediately made the Nationals pay by stroking a single into right to plate Jeffers and widen the lead to 7-2 Twins. Before Twins fans could get too excited, the Twins turned to their own bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, and Eric Orze immediately gave up a booming double to Jose Tena. Two batters later, James Wood missed a home run by inches, and his double instead plated Tena to close the gap to 7-3. As fears began to mount, Jeffers rightly challenged what would have been a walk to Mead to put two men on. Then Orze, the Twins bullpen's most consistent workhorse in thick or thin, took that second chance to induce a grounder to himself to end the threat. The Twins' bats also could feel the threat looming, and they took the game back, thanks to the fact that the Nationals bullpen hasn't been much better in this young season. Granillo stayed in for the top of the eighth, and he started the inning by giving up a single to a red-hot Lee, plunking Lewis in the shoulder, then getting hit by a speeding Buck Truck. As the sparse crowd tried to chant "Throw it Back!" while heading for the exits, Buxton rounded the bases for his 11th home run of the season. Anthony Banda is still in the Twins bullpen, and in the eigth inning, he showed why that is by retiring the Nats in order (albeit on 19 pitches). Lee got another RBI on a double in the ninth, thanks to some Orlando Ribalta walks. In the bottom of the ninth, Luis Garcia got the next turn of the May 2 Implosion Redemption Tour, and surrendered a walk but wiped it away with a double play to face the minimum and to end the evening with only smiles. What’s Next? The Twins look to continue their winning ways in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening. Twins righty Bailey Ober (3-1, 3.55 ERA) will attempt to continue to eat six innings of quality mound time in hopes the offense keeps on attacking. The Nationals will counter with the floundering righty Miles Mikolas (0-3, 8.23 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 5:45 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Orze 33 0 24 0 16 73 Morris 0 0 57 0 0 57 Rogers 8 0 32 0 0 40 Garcia 9 18 0 0 13 40 Banda 0 18 0 0 19 37 Topa 0 10 17 0 0 27 Funderburk 0 14 3 0 0 17 Klein 0 12 0 0 0 12 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 59 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (10) Bottom 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Luis Garcia (-0.58), Anthony Banda (-0.17), Ryan Jeffers (-0.09) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) The Twins took one in the chin Friday evening against the visiting Blue Jays, but Saturday afternoon was a beautiful day for baseball and for some revenge. Minnesota sent their young southpaw Connor Prielipp out to silence the Toronto bats, while Toronto relied on the "familiar to Target Field" mustache of Dylan Cease. Neither pitcher had allowed a homerun in 2026, but with the sun out and the launch pad open for summer business, finally, a pitchers' duel was not going to happen. Buck Truck First to Launch After Prielipp took care of the Blue Jays in order in the top of the first, Cease tried to sneak a 1-2 fastball up and over Byron Buxton's leadoff bat. Buxton instead sent the ball up and over the right field limestone for his 10th home run of the season! Rough Second for Prielipp...and Guerrero Jr. Prielipp found himself with an early advantage, but that wouldn't last long. Connor surrendered the first home run of his career on a changeup to Lenyn Sosa to knot the game at one apiece. Just a few batters later, Miles Straw launched a 3-2 fastball even higher and deeper to left to put the Blue Jays out in front by a run. Kody Clemens laced a single to right to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and he advanced to second on a walk to Luke Keaschall. With two on and nobody out, Matt Wallner stepped up to the plate for the first time since Wednesday in hopes of at a minimum advancing the runners. Wallner indeed accomplished the minimum, with a dribbling grounder to the right side of the diamond. Now with runners at second and third and one out, Brooks Lee found himself looking down the barrel of a 1-2 count. Contact of any kind would probably score a run, and Lee managed to make the minimal contact needed yet again with a slow grounder to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base. Guerrero couldn't catch Clemens at home, so he instead tried to feed Cease at first to nab Lee. Instead, the ball scooted by everyone and into foul territory far enough to allow Keaschall to score and to put the Twins back on top at 3-2! Prielipp took care of business through five innings, as he continues to navigate his restricted pitch count in his rookie season. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tristan Gray led things off with a single. After advancing to second, Trevor Larnach stayed hot and singled in some insurance to make it 4-2. No Lead is Safe for the Twinkies In previous seasons, an insurance run might have helped. With four innings of bullpen work ahead of them, Twins fans knew it wouldn't be enough. Boy were they correct. Today's implosion began immediately when the unstoppable force that is Kazuma Okamoto took Justin Topa deep, pulling within one. Kody Funderburk came in, and despite the inexcusable walk to a 0-28 Davis Schneider, he managed to get the Twins into the eighth inning still nursing a 4-3 lead. Luis Garcia got the call for the top of the eighth, and he didn't retire a batter. A walk and three singles later and Garcia and the lead were both gone. Anthony Banda came in next, and with runners on first and second, Banda misplayed a bad hop through his wickets for a single up the middle. With the bases loaded, a rattled Banda walked Straw on four pitches to make it 6-4. Schneider came up with the bases still loaded, and Banda did what pitchers haven't been able to do for weeks...get Schneider a hit. Schneider's double scored two more, and then Brandon Valenzuela took the first pitch he saw deep into the bullpen to make it 11-4 with still no outs in the eighth inning. What else can you say? This is the 2026 Minnesota Twins. The blown lead allowed John Klein to come in and throw a perfect ninth inning in his major league debut, leaving 30,000 of his hometown fans wondering why he didn't pitch the eighth. Congrats to Klein, and may he be a part of the solution before it's too late. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage a series split and a season one-up over Toronto on Sunday. Twins righty Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.76 ERA) aims to keep the Twins bullpen off of the field as long as possible in hopes of securing a victory. The Blue Jays will counter with young righty Trey Yesavage (1-0, 0.00 ERA) who will be making his fifth career start. George Springer had to leave Saturday's ballgame early when a Prielipp slider hit him directly on his previously broken left big toe, so he is likely to miss the finale. First pitch is scheduled for a somewhat odd home morning start at 11:45am CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUES WED THUR FRI SAT TOT Orze 0 28 0 33 0 61 Banda 0 22 14 0 18 54 Garcia 23 0 0 9 18 50 Funderburk 15 0 0 0 14 29 Topa 0 0 12 0 10 22 Rogers 0 13 0 8 0 21 Morris 0 0 19 0 0 19 Klein 0 0 0 0 12 12 View full article