Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Billy Amick) TRANSACTIONS 7/26 - Twins optioned RHP Jack Anderson to St. Paul Saints, recalled Cole Sands and Connor Prielipp from 15-day IL, and placed Mike Paredes on the 15-day IL. 7/25 - The Twins activated RHP Marco Raya from the 15-day injury list and optioned him to St. Paul. Cedar Rapids Kernels placed C Enrique Jimenez on the 7-day injured list. RHP Woo-Suk Go suspended 10 games (St. Paul Saints) for having an illegal substance on his glove on Friday night. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Columbus 3 Box Score The Saints got the scoring going right away in the top of the first, as Kaelen Culpepper took one for the team and Matt Wallner took a Trenton Denholm changeup deep for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, it was Wallner again. Will his pleas for a call-up go unheard? 3-0 Saints. Aaron Rozek performed well, scattering three hits over four innings, striking out four and allowing nothing on the scoreboard. Garrett Acton got into another rehab game, and he gave up a solo shot to Cooper Ingle to bring things to 3-1. John Klein came in for the top of the seventh, and he had been alternating stinker outings with lights out performances in July. He was due for a stinker, and the Clippers took him for two runs via two walks and two singles. The Saints immediately struck back in the bottom of the seventh, when Wallner went small ball and singled in Culpepper and Walker Jenkins to increase the lead back to three at 6-3. That was all of the scoring in St. Paul, and Eduardo Salazar and Eric Orze made sure that it stayed that way by hurling perfect eighth and ninth innings. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 16, Midland 2 Box Score How do you follow up a combined no hitter if you are Ty Langenberg? You can’t, really, but six strike outs across four frames of two hit, one run baseball is pretty good. Meanwhile the Wind Surge bats struck early and often on a hot July afternoon, and Billy Amick played a key role in the offensive onslaught. Amick drove in the first run of the game in the first inning with a single, and his 22nd homer of the season plated two more in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 6-1 ballgame. Also of note was Khadim Diaw crushing his first homer at Wichita, a solo shot in the third. After two scoreless frames from Sam Armstrong, the Wind Surge again unleashed against RockHound pitching. Jay Thomason started things off with a single, and Marek Houston mashed his fourth homer of the season to make it 8-1. Andrew Cossetti singled, but then Midland quickly got two outs. Brandon Winokur made them pay for thinking the threat was over by crushing his third home run to raise the lead up to nine runs. Midland changed pitchers, which suited Garrett Spain just fine as he launched his 15th homer to make it 11-1. Kyle DeBarge singled and Jake Rucker doubled to make it 12-1 in the blink of an eye. Houston and Amick teamed up again in the bottom of the seventh, and their bloop-and-a-blast made it 14-1. The seventh and eighth homers on the day came from Rucker and Thomason in the bottom of the eighth to make the rout complete at 16-1. It wasn’t a no-hitter, but Langenberg, Armstrong, Jaylen Nowlin and William Fleming only surrendered five hits and two runs. What a day! KERNELS CHRONICLES Cedar Rapids 10, Dayton 7 Box Score The Kernels finished up their series in Dayton, having borne the brunt of the Dragon’s six game winning streak. Justin Mitrovich took the hill, and hopes were high considering that Mitrovich hadn’t given up a run since July 5. Today proved to be a challenge, as the red hot Dragon’s cashed in four runs over Mitrovich’s five innings, thanks to five hits, two walks, and an error while fielding a bunt that led to two of the runs. Nolan Santos came in next, and he surrendered two runs of his own, to make it 6-1 Dayton. Offensively the Kernels, things began to catch momentum in the top of the seventh as Danny De Andrade and Henry Kusiak doubled and scored on a mix of ground outs and fielder’s choice events. The big hit never materialized, however, and they had to settle with closing the gap to 6-4. Santos remained in for the bottom of the seventh, and Tyson Lewis greeted his second pitch by slamming it out of the ballpark. A hit by pitch and a single chased Santos, and Xavier Kolhosser was brought in to put out the fire and keep the Kernels in the game with runners on the corners and only one out. The winning combination for Kolhosser was 5-6-3, and the fire was put out for now. An Eduardo Tait single and Quinn McDaniel double put runners at second and third with one out in the top of the eighth, but Kusiak popped up and Jose Salas struck out to end the last threat of the afternoon. In the top of the ninth, Andy Lugo laced his second hit of the game, and Jacob McCombs doubled him home to pull within two. Then it was time for a Yasser Mercedes hero moment, as he golfed a game-tying homer to left for his eighth of the year! The Kernels weren’t done yet. After a Tait strike out, De Andrade and McDaniel singled, and Kusiak called ball game with his third bomb of the year. Kudos to Kolhasser and Christian Becerra for holding the line out of the bullpen, but we end with the game winner highlight from Kusiak. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 11 Box Score After an offensive night on Saturday, the Mighty Mussels looked to continue the momentum into a Sunday afternoon rematch with St. Lucie. Fort Myers picked up right where they left off when Ramiro Dominguez doubled to open the action. Byron Chourio walked, and then they both swiped a base to put runners in scoring position with nobody out. Both runners eventually scored, and then Jhomnardo Reyes followed in their footsteps via a double steal home to put the Mussels up 3-0. Dominguez and Chourio each hit again in the top of the second, with Chourio’s second knock bringing home Ricardo Perez for a 4-0 lead. Once again, the Mussels tried to pull off a double steal, and in sort of worked in that Dominguez scored when Chourio was thrown out at second base. 5-0 Mussels and another rout was on…until it wasn’t. Callan Fang survived baserunners in the first inning without giving up a run, but he only achieved one more out in the game. Two walks and two singles by the Mets got them on the board, while another single and a hit by pitch ended Fang’s day early at four hits, three walks, and six runs in only 1 1/3 innings.. Jonathan Stevens came in and struck out Marco Vargas with the bases loaded, but then he gave up a walk and two more singles to lose the lead and then some. Suddenly it was 8-5 in St. Lucie’s favor as the third inning began. Steven’s woes continued in the bottom of the fourth, as two doubles, a single, and a sacrifice fly plated three more Mets runs for an 11-5 score and Steven’s day ended early as well after surrendering five runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk and one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings. The good news? It was still early, and Eric Hammond came in to toss four scoreless frames of one hit ball to keep the Mussels in the game. The bad news? The Mussels couldn’t muster any offense through the middle innings either.. Things began to turn around in the top of the seventh, however, and the usual suspects were responsible. Paez walked and scored on another Dominguez double. Chourio singled again and stole successfully this time to put runners at second and third again with nobody out. A groundout plated Dominguez, and a balk plated Chourio to pull the Mussels within three. That’s as close as they could come, however, as the early inning pitching woes undercut another strong offensive performance for the only loss of the day for the Twins' system. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins - No Game Today PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Quinn McDaniel (Cedar Rapids): 3-3, Double (3), 3 R, 2 BB, SB(5) Matt Wallner (St. Paul): 3-4, 2 HR(19), 2 R, 5 RBI, SB(5) Billy Amick (Wichita): 3-5, 2 HR(23), 2 R, 3 H, 5 RBI Pitcher(s) of the Day Aaron Rozek (St. Paul): 4 IP, 3H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Notice that the prospect rankings have been updated to include the 2026 draft picks. In addition, keep up with the Twins draft pick signings at our Twins 2026 Draft Board. As you’ll be able to see, all 21 players have signed. They have also signed four undrafted pitchers. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, R, BB, K (batted first, played CF). #2 - C Vahn Lackey (Signed 2026 Draft) - #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, double(12), 2 R (batted second, played DH) #4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Injured List (thumb) #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-6, home run(4), 2 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, (batted first, played SS) #6 - RHP Riley Quick (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch #7 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 K (batted third, played DH) #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #9 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, K (batted fifth, played LF) #11 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Did Not Play #12 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #13 - C Carson Tinney (Signed 2026 Draft) - #14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-3, home run(1), 2 R, 1 RBI (batted second, played C) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 3-for-4, home run(3), R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB(5) (batted fifth, played CF) #16 - RHP Brett Renfrow (Signed 2026 Draft) - #17 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 3 K (batted sixth, played SS) #18 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #19 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #20 - RHP Ethan Wachsmann (Signed 2026 Draft) - UPCOMING PROBABLES Monday, July 27 DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Black (10:00 am CT) - TBD Tuesday, July 28 St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05 pm CT) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 pm CT) - TBD Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - TBD Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:05 pm CT) - TBD FCL Twins - Season Complete. DSL Twins @ DSL Rangers Red (10:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 53-54 St. Paul Saints: 58-43 Wichita Wind Surge: 37-57 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 38-56 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 51-43 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 10-27 View full article

Image courtesy of Greta Riedl, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Stephen Ridings, Ruddy Gomez, Chris Vallimont, Andrew Cossetti, Darren Bowen, Jesus Sanchez) TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated RHP Marco Raya from the 15-day injury list and optioned him to St. Paul. Catcher Enrique Jimenez has been placed on the Cedar Rapids Injured List with a concussion. RHPs Santiago Rojas and Carter Holjes were released from the FCL Twins roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Columbus 1 Box Score Congratulations to Saints manager Brian Dinkelman on his 500th career win as a manager. After a couple of seasons as a hitting coach in the GCL and with Cedar Rapids, he became the manager of the Kernels. He won 367 games as manager of the Kernels, won a Midwest League championship and was once named Baseball America's minor league manager of the year. He spent one season in Wichita and won 76 games. This is his first game with the Saints, and his 57th win this season. The Saints got action started early with Walker Jenkins leading off the game with a double, and eventually advancing to third base on a balk. That’s where the threat ended, and the Saints bats remained silent until the bottom of the fourth when Gabriel Gonzalez raked a double to put runners on second and third again. Again, the Saints mirrored their major league affiliate and left the ducks on the pond. Meanwhile Trent Baker started off well for the Saints on the mound, but he surrendered Kody Huff’s 14th homer of the season to start the third inning. Baker only gave up two hits in his three innings of work, but that one kept Columbus ahead 1-0 late into the ballgame. Matt Bowman notched two scoreless frames, Alejandro Hidalgo picked up the victory with two scoreless frames of his own, and Julian Merryweather snagged a hold with a scoreless eighth after the Saints claimed the lead. Raul Brito locked things down for his fourth save with a 1-2-3 ninth. The long ball came back into play in the sixth and seventh innings, but this time it was the Saints that enjoyed the benefits. Matt Wallner mashed his 17th homer to dead center to tie the game at one apiece. In the seventh inning, Cody Morissette launched his eighth of the season to call “Ballgame” at 2-1! WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 11, Midland 0 Box Score What’s better than scoring 11 runs if you are Wichita? How about throwing a combined No-Hitter!!! Chris Vallimont got things started with five innings of no-hit ball. He had six strikeouts and only one walk. Darren Bowen took care of the next two innings without allowing a base runner and two K’s. Ruddy Gomez came in to try to accomplish the first no-hitter in the Texas League this season, and he got the Wind Surge within one out. Gomez walked Brennan Milone with two outs in the top of the ninth to add some excitement to the moment, but with the game well in hand and history on the horizon, Gomez struck out Devin Taylor swinging to complete the No-No! It was Christmas in July night in Wichita, and Vallimont, Bowen and Gomez delivered an amazing present! Marek Houston continued to rake, cracking three of Wichita’s 14 hits on the night. Kyle DeBarge hit a two-run shot for his 11th on the season, and Brandon Winokur hit his second home run on the year with two ducks on the pond. Eight of the nine starters got into the hit column, as the Wind Surge managed to score 11 while still leaving 10 runners on base! The game was out of reach by the fifth inning, but the Wind Surge arms kept things on lock down anyways to achieve a feat that they will never forget. KERNELS CHRONICLES Cedar Rapids 2, Dayton 8 Box Score The lone dud of the evening in the Twins organization came in Dayton, Ohio. The Kernels’ Danny De Andrade knocked in a tripling Eduardo Tait in the top of the first. However, the bats went silent until the top of the sixth when Jacob McCombs singled in Jose Salas. By that point, Dasan Hill’s return to the rotation had been touched up for two runs in 2 2/3 innings, and Cole Peschl and Mitch Mueller each gave up a run while the game was still within reach. Nick Tribucchi’s three-run seventh sealed the Kernel’s fate, as the offense couldn’t recover against a stingy Dragon bullpen. The Kernels created opportunities along the way but went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on throughout the night. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 15, St. Lucie 14 Box Score When the Mussels batted for 25 minutes in the top of the first inning and plated eight runs, it didn’t appear that a one-run game was on the horizon. Matt Barr’s debut in Fort Myers was almost ruined, however, when he also stumbled out of the much-delayed gate to cough up five runs of his own in the bottom of the first. Barr managed to complete 2 2/3 innings of work with only giving up the five runs, but the Mets were allowed to linger, and it almost cost them a victory. After expanding the lead to 11-5 in the top of the third, the Mussels’ arms Ramiro Villanueva and Adam Falinski gave up seven runs across the middle frames to keep the game within reach. As Fort Myers nursed a three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth, Brent Francisco gave up a run on a wild pitch/throwing error and then a homer to Marco Vargas to bring the game to within one run. Francisco struck out Chase Meggers to save the day and to save the game for the Mussels. Offensively the boys flexed their mighty muscles with each of the starters collecting a hit, and eight of them getting at least one RBI. Leadoff man Ramiro Dominguez set the tone for the bats by going 3-for-6 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBI. Byron Chourio also raked with his seventh homer of the year and two runs with three RBI of his own. The offense was opportunistic when they smelled blood in the water, scoring crooked numbers in three separate innings, and only leaving four men on base all game. Quentin Young’s three-run blast in the top of the sixth personified the night for the Mussels bats. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins 13, DSL Rangers 16 Box Score The DSL Twins started off the day of action across the Twins affiliate network, and they set the stage for expanded box score/recap capacity. Each team pushed runs across in seven of their innings, and four Twins pitchers bore the brunt of the damage. Adrian Martinez started things off by going 1 2/3 while walking four, which led to two earned runs and three total. Sebastian Echavarria took the loss on paper, as he started the third but could not finish it after allowing three runs with the last two on wild pitches. Aldwin Marillo surrendered three runs in his inning of work, and Jesus Moreno covered more ground in his 2 1/3 innings but also got charged with four earned runs. Nine of the Ranger runs came with two outs, which illustrates the Twins’ inability to escape jams all afternoon. The Rangers led from third inning on, and the game never really got as close as the score appears after that. Offensively you have to celebrate a 13-run effort, and eight different Twins notched an RBI. Jendy Martinez (2-5, 2 RBI) and Abel Sosa (3-6, 3 RBI) stood out for multi-RBI at-bats and consistent work across the game. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Bryon Chourio (Ft. Myers): 2-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB, HR(7), SB(20). Pitcher(s) of the Day Wichita Wind Surge Pitchers - Chris Vallimont, Darren Bowen, and Ruddy Gomez combined for 0 hits, 2 BB, and 14 K! PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Notice that the prospect rankings have been updated to include the 2026 draft picks. In addition, keep up with the Twins draft pick signings at our Twins 2026 Draft Board. As you’ll be able to see, all 21 players have signed. They have also signed four undrafted pitchers. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, double(13), K (batted first, played CF). #2 - C Vahn Lackey (Signed) - #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, (batted third, played SS until eighth inning) #4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Injured List (thumb) #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 3-for-4, double(6), R, BB, (batted first, played SS) #6 - RHP Riley Quick (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch #7 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, triple(1), R, K (batted third, played catcher) #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 56 pitches, 36 strikes (64%) #9 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 53 pitches, 31 strikes (58.5%) #10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, BB, 2 K (batted fifth, played DH) #11 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, double(18) (batted sixth, played 1B) #12 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Didn’t pitch #13 - C Carson Tinney (Signed) - #14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-4, double(5), 2 R, BB (batted second, played DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 2-for-5, home run(2), 2 R, 3 RBI, K (batted fifth, played 3B) #16 - RHP Brett Renfrow (Signed 2026 Pick) - #17 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, home run(12), R, 3 RBI, 2 K (batted fifth, played SS) #18 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Didn’t pitch #19 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #20 - RHP Ethan Wachsmann (Signed 2026 draft) - UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, July 25 Columbus @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (4-2, 2.99 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (3-8, 5.24 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (12:05 pm CT) - RHP Justin Mitrovich (2-3, 2.45 ERA) Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (11:10 pm CT) - RHP Callan Fang (4-1, 2.67 ERA) FCL Twins - Season Complete. DSL Rangers Red @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 52-54 St. Paul Saints: 57-43 Wichita Wind Surge: 36-57 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 37-56 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 51-42 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 10-27 View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn- IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Box Score SP: Kendry Rojas - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (56 pitches, 36 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Rojas (0.21), Alan Roden (0.19), Taylor Rogers (0.14) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins continued to stay offensively challenged after the All-Star Break in a demoralizing 2-0 loss to the Athletics on Friday night. Saturday brought three reasons more optimism for the Target Field faithful: The Ryan Baseball Classic (a planned collection of people named Ryan), Kirby Puckett jersey giveaway day (a planned attempt to get fans to pay to see the Twins), and Athletics league-worst bullpen day (which means something to everyone in the MLB except the Twins apparently). Could the Twins capitalize on yet another chance to start winning again before the trade deadline? Or would 1,000 Ryans and 10,000 light blue reminders of what winning used to look like go home disappointed yet again? Starter Switch-Up Before the game could even begin, the Twins had to make a switch to their own bullpen game plan. Mike Paredes was announced as the opener and took his warm-up pitches, but right at game time Derek Shelton had to come out and get Kendry Rojas ready instead. Unfortuneately it wasn't just some creative managing skullduggery, for Paredes left with oblique soreness and was unavailable for an already depleted bullpen. Rojas took advantage of the unexpected early entry and worked four innings of one hit baseball, with five strike outs and outstanding control of his fastball which stayed around 97 mph all evening. Twins Still Lifeless at the Plate The Athletics went with their own lefty opener in Brady Basso, who took care of the Twins bats without much effort until Ryan Kreidler led off the bottom of the third with a slicing double to right to set the Ryan faithful into a frenzy. When Mason Barnett came in to replace Basso with one out, Kreidler immediately stole third to incite more frenzy. Barnett faced Byron Buxton, and Buxton's struggles with runners in scoring position continued as he chased a high heater. Kody Clemens is not named Ryan, and therefore he flew out to end the threat in what felt like groundhog day for the Twins offense over the past two weeks. Signs of Life...? The ageless left arm of Taylor Rogers got the Twins through the fifth and sixth innings with the game still locked in a scoreless tie. Barnett was still dealing for the A's, but he lost Josh Bell to a one-out walk. Then he surrendered a laser beam into the left field corner from Royce Lewis to put runners at second and third with only one out. Like clockwork, Victor Caratini popped up too shallow to advance the runners and it looked like Mark Kotsay was going to bring in a lefty to neutralize Alan Roden. Kotsay decided to stay with the righty, and Roden decided to smash the Twins into a 2-0 lead with a blistering single to right! Morris Throws Fire, Who Will it Burn? The Twins looked to be in the driver's seat but the scoreboard still only read 2-0 as Andrew Morris took over in the top of the eighth. Lawrence Butler worked a leadoff walk on a full count, and Morris looked like he was going to erase it immediately as he snagged a hard comebacker from Jacob Wilson. As Morris went to turn the 1-6-3 double play he instead threw it 101 mph into center field. Buxton chucked the ball to third base for no good reason, which allowed a bad play to multiply into a runners at second and third situation with nobody out. Pete Maki slowly made his way to the mound, and tried to calm down the young fireballer. Nick Kurtz was back in the lineup tonight, and he stood in at this most crucial junction of the ballgame. Morris was up to the challenge, fooling Kurtz on a cutter for a sword strikeout. Tyler Soderstrom struck out swinging at a cutter above his head. With the Target Field faithful too afraid to watch, Morris escaped the inferno of his own creation by inducing a Jonah Heim groundout to get his team back into the dugout still ahead 2-0! Yoendrys Gomez kept the Twins in the lead, as the Twins bullpen out-dueled the Athletics bullpen to even the series. What’s Next? The Twins look to take their first series since the All-Star Break on Sunday afternoon. Twins lefty Connor Prielipp (2-5, 5.00 ERA) will return to the rotation after an extended break. Joe Ryan is getting extended rest with "arm fatigue" and hopes to pitch in the Royals series. The Athletics will send yet another lefty starter out in Jeffrey Springs (3-9, 5.96 ERA) who has a 9.37 ERA over his last seven outings.. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rojas 47 0 0 0 56 103 Rogers 28 0 13 0 30 71 Morris 0 28 16 0 26 70 Paredes 49 0 0 0 0 49 Anderson 8 0 18 17 0 43 Adams 0 27 0 14 0 41 Funderburk 0 22 0 12 0 34 Gomez 0 0 22 0 8 30 Nance 0 0 13 0 13 26 View full article

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (92 pitches, 52 strikes (57%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (-0.44), Victor Caratini (-0.15), Ryan Kreidler (-0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins rode into town with some pep in their step having pull out a series split in Cleveland, with the atrocious Athletics waiting for them at Target Field. Zebby Matthews might have been coming off of two of his worst starts of the season, but opposing him was Jacob Lopez who was coming off of even worse starts. In fact, Lopez hadn't won since May, and the Athletics rode a 10-game losing streak into the All-Star Break and have lost three of their last four. The Twins stacked an all-righty lineup against the crafty Lopez, while the A's assembled a lineup of all the uninjured humans on their roster. On paper, this game looked like a win for the desperate Twins. On the field, the loss slowly and wildly unfolded for the home team. Trading No-No's Through Four Matthews was on point to start the game, facing the minimum with only a walk to ruin his perfect vibes. Unfortunately, Lopez was erratically on point as well. Austin Martin walked twice in the first three innings, and the Twins had runners in scoring position early and often, but Lopez was so wild that the Twins couldn't lock in for solid contact and went hitless as well through four innings. A's Strike Limestone, Score First Zebby's cruise control went offline at the start of the fifth inning when he walked Donovan Walton on four pitches. Tommy White went first-pitch hunting and sent a fly ball deep into right, but as Luke Keaschall could make a leaping attempt at the wall the ball caught the limestone overhang and bounced back into play. Luckily, Byron Buxton was ready to back up his teammate, and he kept the runners at second and third. Another walk loaded the bases, and Lawrence Butler made Matthews pay for his wildness with a sac fly to make it 1-0. The Twins got a double from Martin to put yet another runner in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but Buxton and Ryan Jeffers both flew out to end yet another threat. Meanwhile, the Athletics smelled an opportunity to win a game for once, and they kept the pressure on Matthews in the sixth with seeing eye singles by Henry Bolte and Tyler Soderstrom to make it 2-0. City Connects Can't Connect The Twins got into the A's league-worst bullpen in the bottom of hte sixth, and Geoff Hartlieb didn't disappoint. He walked Josh Bell and Royce Lewis to start the inning, but then struck out the hobbled Victor Caratini on three pitches. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, but Keaschall never got a strike to swing at and Hartlieb walked the bases loaded. Jose Saurez got the call to end the threat, and Brooks Lee obliged by reaching for an 0-1 changeup for the elusive but effective 5-3 double play. The Twins offense grounded out in order in the seventh, and immediately erased their second hit of the game in the eighth with yet another double play grounder by Bell. The bottom of the ninth? Caratini again looked lost in striking out, but Keaschall took one for the team to put the tying run up to the plate in Lee. Lee continued a rough night at the plate, this time ending the threat 1-4-3. No Moral Victories in Trade Deadline Week Matthews pitched his way through a dismal 56% strike average towards a quality start. Martin dazzled in the field and at the plate, but saw the heart of the Twins lineup go 1-10 behind him. The A's found ways to get runners home from second, while the league-leading Twins went 0-8. That's how a team in search of the .500 mark continues to stay a few games under it. What’s Next? The Twins look to avenge this loss on Saturday night on Kirby Puckett jersey giveaway day. With a guaranteed 10,000 fans in the stadium, hopefully they aren't faced with another sad performance from an offense that has averaged "not enough runs to make the playoffs" since the All-Star Break. The Twins and A's have yet to announce their starters for the latest "must-win" game of Minnesota's season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Funderburk 16 0 22 0 12 50 Paredes 0 49 0 0 0 49 Nance 36 0 0 13 0 49 Rojas 0 47 0 0 0 47 Morris 0 0 28 16 0 44 Adams 0 0 27 0 14 41 Rogers 0 28 0 13 0 41 Anderson 0 8 0 18 17 43 Gómez 0 0 0 22 0 14 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (101 pitches, 67 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Bradley (0.36), Kody Clemens (0.14), Ryan Kreidler (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins lost their All-Star, Byron Buxton, to a hip strain on Tuesday, right as their division rivals rolled into Target Field. Minnesota's suddenly swinging merry band of Triple-A players would have to step up to keep the happy music playing against a tough young lefty in Joey Cantillo, who hadn't allowed more than two runs in an outing since early June. The Twins also had a young hurler on a bit of a hot streak in Taj Bradley. The stage was set for a classic low-scoring, one-run ballgame. Sharp Bradley + Sloppy Guardians = 2-1 Twins Lead Bradley was in complete command over the first four frames, save for one low fastball that Rhys Hoskins deposited into the bullpen just left of dead center field in the second. The righty racked up seven strikeouts on only 55 pitches through the fourth, setting himself up for a lengthy outing. In the bottom of the second inning, the Cleveland infield took turns trying to give the Twins back the lead. The frame started with Kody Clemens reaching on a boot by the All-Star Travis Bazzana, and he moved to second on a poor fielder's choice attempt by usually-elite shortstop Brayan Rocchio on a slow chopper by Ryan Kreidler. Next, Luke Keaschall hit a grounder to first baseman Kyle Manzardo, who promptly didn't throw to second, and then didn't get the out at first because Cantillo wasn't covering. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Kyler Fedko had his hero moment. Fedko continued his 0-for-career with a strikeout, threatening the whole situation in a must-win game. Luckily, Austin Martin connected with a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Brooks Lee delivered yet again with a seeing-eye single up the middle to snatch the lead back, 2-1. Rocchio couldn't snag a smash grounder to start the bottom of the third, and then third baseman Daniel Schneemann got into the mix of sloppiness by butchering a hot grounder from Kreidler for a double to put runners at second and third with only one out. Keaschall failed to connect, setting up Fedko for hero moment number two. Cue the 0-16 memes. It was still 2-1 Twins after multiple threats, and it would remain that way as the teams rolled into the middle innings. Bradley Continues to Deal, Clemens Delivers Insurance Bradley kept the Guardians off the scoreboard through the seventh inning. That included stranding a leadoff double in that final frame to complete his night with 10 strikeouts and 23 whiffs—and, most importantly, only one run allowed. Meanwhile, the Twins' bats couldn't muster anything of note without Guardians help, until Josh Bell started the bottom of the seventh with a ringing single up the middle. With two outs and a lefty on the mound, Clemens went the other way for a deep fly ball that Steven Kwan couldn't snowcone. As Kwan kicked the ball around for a bit, the young-at-heart Bell scampered home and Clemens celebrated the new 3-1 lead on third base. All-Star Kody Clemens? Andrew Morris, Taylor Rogers, and Yoendrys Gómez took care of business in the eighth and ninth innings, and a tense, close, important game against the Guardians was never really in doubt for the Twins. That was a sentence I've been waiting my whole life to type. Kudos to Rogers for passing Caleb Thielbar for the most appearances at Target Field by any Twins hurler. Also, kudos to Derek Shelton for pulling Rogers after a two-out walk put the tying run at the plate. This win needed to happen, and the Twins did what they needed to do to secure it. What’s Next? The Twins look to win the series on Wednesday night, sending lefty Connor Prielipp (2-5, 4.96 ERA) to the mound in search of some revenge for an earlier loss in Cleveland. The Guardians will counter with righty Slade Cecconi (4-6, 4.44 ERA), who hasn't faced the Twins yet this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Morris 0 5 17 0 13 35 Raya 0 35 0 0 0 35 Rogers 0 12 0 0 17 29 Orze 28 0 0 0 0 28 Funderburk 21 0 0 0 0 21 Adams 0 19 0 0 0 19 Gómez 0 0 14 0 3 17 Go 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 4.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (79 pitches, 45 strikes (57%)) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (16), Luke Keaschall (4), Alex Jackson (1), Trevor Larnach (6), Josh Bell 2 (12, 13) Top 3 WPA: Larnach (0.11), Taylor Rogers (0.11), Byron Buxton, Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins entered Saturday afternoon's game at Yankee Stadium in need of a quality start and some offensive fireworks. Friday's loss afforded them neither, and simultaneously woke up the stumbling giants in the Bronx. The Yankees called up young righty Brendan Beck to replace an injured Carlos Rodon for the Independence Day start, while Zebby Matthews took the hill for the Twins in hopes of evening up the series. The Twins started off with what they needed, but the script unraveled in the fifth. In the 104 degree heat, the Twins kept lighting up the scoreboard and managed to win an otherwise losable game. Early Explosions for the Twinkies The Twins sure enjoyed spending their holiday with Beck. Trevor Larnach worked a leadoff walk to start things off, and the newly returned and soon to be minted All-Star Byron Buxton smoked a non-sliding Beck slider off of the wall in left to plate Larnach for an early 1-0 lead. The Rocket's kid, Kody Clemens, came up next. His patriotic blast made it 3-0. Staked to a 3-0 lead before he even threw a pitch, Matthews started out on cruise control and took down the Yankees in order in the bottom of the first. In the top of the second, Minnesota continued to feast on Beck's efforts, this time with Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson launching back-to-back blasts to push the lead up to 5-0! Matthews continued to scatter a runner here and there, while continuing to keep the scoreboard clean until the Twins launched yet another bomb in the top of the fourth. Lefty Tim Hill had been brought into the game to face Larnach, and Trevor hit a rope missile into the second row to put his team up 6-0. The Perfect Script Unravels Zebby continued to roll in the fourth, but the Martian, Jasson Dominguez, hit a moon shot of his own to get the Yankees on the board. The Twins didn't respond in the top of the fifth, and the game completely fell apart for Matthews in the bottom of the fifth. After walking the light-hitting Ryan Matthews on four pitches with one out, Zebby left a center-cut sinker in Max Schuemann's red-zone, and it was suddenly a 6-3 ballgame. Ali Sanchez grounded out, but Matthew's lost Grisham to a walk and then lost himself to an injury during the Ben Rice at bat. Rice eventually walked, and that was enough to have Derek Shelton reach for his explosive bullpen. Zebby couldn't finish five innings in a game during which he was given a six run lead, and now his status for his next start is also at risk with a "right foot laceration" injury at play. Travis Adams was the first man up out of the powder keg that is Twins relief pitching, and he threw a changeup down the plate for his first pitch to Cody Bellinger. Thank the Founding Fathers that Bellinger's launch angle was only 22 degrees, because his three-run homer became a one-run double instead. Dominguez came up with a chance to tie the game, but Adams threw a cutter this time for his first pitch which induced the inning-ending ground out. The Twins headed into the sixth inning with a 6-4 lead, but the tide in the battle had significantly switched back to the Yankees. The Implosion Continues...Right? After the Twins failed to capitalize on a hit batter and a walk in the top of the sixth, New York went single, bunt single, walk to load the bases with one out. The Yankees went to their bench for Amed Rosario because they are the Yankees, you've gotta give it to Adams. He stood up there and gave it his best and managed to get Rosario to go fishing for a fastball out of the zone for the second out. With the bases still loaded and the Twins still ahead by two, Shelton then brought in Taylor Rogers to face Grisham. Because the Yankees are the Yankees, their bench move was All-Star Paul Goldschmidt. Twins' fans of all generations knew what would happen next, Rogers told those fans to just calm down, pour a drink, and watch Goldschmidt's pop-up land harmlessly in Larnach's glove for out number three! Implosion Yes...We Just Got the Team Wrong! After barely surviving the Yankees in the sixth, Josh Bell stepped into the box against Yankee reliever Ryan Yarbrough. Bell brought his top-shelf fireworks, and this rocket made it 7-4! What ensued was Yankee blasts with warning track payloads. The launches caused initial excitement around the stadium and angst within the hearts of Twins Territory, but ultimately Rogers and Andrew Morris did their job while the Twins exploited the New York gloves for an insurance run in the seventh, and four more runs in the eighth. Some highlights included a Jazz Chisholm boot at second, a Clemens RBI chopper that neither Chisholm nor Rice made any effort to catch, and another Bell top-shelf missile to make it 11-4. How much did this game change between the sixth and eighth innings? The Twins went from "on the ropes" to "utilizing Marco Raya" in just two innings. Turns out the Independence Day laugher was indeed still in order, and Twins fans everywhere could celebrate a day of fireworks worth celebrating for once. What’s Next? The Twins look to steal yet another series win on the road versus an annually frustrating opponent. Twins ace Joe Ryan (5-5, 3.61 ERA) looks to rebound from his poor outing against the Astros earlier in the week, while Yankees lefty Ryan Weathers (3-6, 4.08 ERA) looks to overcome the inertia of a 1-3 June. The weather should bring some light rain and cooler temps, but the Twins' need to keep climbing back towards the .500 mark remains red hot. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THUR FRI SAT P Raya 25 0 0 0 35 60 Orze 23 0 0 28 0 51 Rogers 0 15 0 0 12 27 Laweryson 0 23 0 0 0 23 Morris 0 17 0 0 5 22 Funderburk 0 0 0 21 0 21 Adams 0 0 0 0 19 19 Gómez 0 18 0 0 0 18 View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Mike Paredes 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (74 pitches, 51 strikes (69%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Funderburk (-0.24), Paredes (-0.15), Royce Lewis (-0.13) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After a ludicrous blown lead and extra inning comeback victory on Friday night, the Twins looked to take further advantage of a 50-loss Colorado Rockies club. Standing in their way was a familiar starter named Michael Lorenzen, who hadn't won a game since April with a 6.40 ERA in his last seven games. Standing on the mound for the Twins was the rookie Mike Paredes and his 4-6 innings of opener energy. On paper this game looked to be another offensive slugfest. In reality it was just plain offensive for the home team. Hunter Goodman is a Bad Man Goodman tried to ruin the night with a ninth inning blast on Friday night to give the Rockies the momentary lead. He tried to ruin the night from the start on Saturday night with a first inning moonshot against Paredes' non-sweeping sweeper. The Twins manufactured a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game back up as Trevor Larnach singled, Byron Buxton took one for the team, and then Kody Clemens notched his 33rd RBI with a single to plate Larnach with nobody out. Just when you thought Lorenzen's track record was going to keep on spinning, he fooled Josh Bell on a first pitch changeup and then got Victor Caratini and Royce Lewis to ground out to end the threat. Paredes escaped some base clutter in the top of the second, but he couldn't escape Goodwin in the top of the third. His 24th home run of the year was less majestic, but just as damaging as the Rockies retook the lead at 2-1. Bending But Not Breaking... The Twins couldn't muster anything in the early innings against Lorenzen, as he effectively mixed speeds and kept the Minnesota bats away from solid contact. Paredes held his own through the majority of his outing, but another big blast by Jake McCarthy in the top of the fifth led to the third Rockies run. With two runners on in the top of the sixth and only one out, Derek Shelton went to his trusty bullpen and veteran lefty Taylor Rogers. Rogers had been struggling of late, but he looked like the Rogers of old and got his team out of the jam tonight. With Lorenzen still throwing in the bottom of the sixth, Bell got the Twins back on the board with a booming triple! Caratini drove a ball deep into the left field corner for a sacrifice fly to immediately score Bell to cut the gap to 3-2. Brooks Lee tried to facilitate the completion of the rally with a ringing two-out double, but Tristan Gray kept his 30 percent strikeout percentage alive and well to end the threat. Bullpens Beyond Broken Goodman hit his third home run of the night, and it was a three-run shot. Rogers only needed nine pitches in the sixth, but Shelton inexplicably brought in the least-rested member of the bullpen to face a lead-off lefty in the top of the seventh. Kody Funderburk was that man, and he pitched poorly yet again tonight. The aforementioned lefty McCarthy ripped a single, and then Funderburk walked the pinch-hitting righty, Ezequiel Tovar. McCarthy and Tovar pulled off a double steal while Funderburk was focusing in on Goodman. With a full count staring him in the face, Funderburk decided that a center-cut 90 mph sinker was the best plan of action against the hottest hitter in the league. It left at 113 mph and the Rockies lead was jacked up to 6-2. The Twins continued to flounder at the plate as the game reached its disappointing conclusion, but there was a moment of hope for the Twins in the midst of their league-worst bullpen 5.30 ERA in the month of June. Marco Raya made his long-awaited major league debut in the top of the eighth. He fit right in, as he promptly walked the lead-off man and gave up a gopher ball to Kyle Karros after falling behind to him as well. 8-2 Rockies. Raya did notch his first career strikeout to end the frame, against Goodman no less! Raya pitched a scoreless ninth to end his debut outing. The Rockies sent the literal worst bullpen pitcher in the majors out on the mound for the bottom of the ninth, and his name is Zach Agnos. He promptly made Royce Lewis look foolish on an undisciplined swinging strike out. Lewis' lack of effort looked even worse given what came next. Lee refused to swing at balls out of the zone, and he was rewarded with a single. Even Gray got a single because he laid off the pitches Royce couldn't, and then Luke Keaschall worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Larnach refused to swing at non-strikes, cleared the bases with a double to creep the Twins within three at 8-5 and to chase Agnos from the game! The next man up for the Rockies was Friday night's losing pitcher Jimmy Herget and his sidearm craftiness. Buxton got ahead 2-0 but popped up a hanging sweeper to leave the rally to pinch-hitting Austin Martin who entered the game in the top of the ninth as a defensive replacement for Kody Clemens. Why did Shelton make that move down six runs while he left in Buxton and others? Your guess is as good as mine, but it meant the left-handed Clemens was watching from the bench as Martin flew out to end the rally. It's too bad FanGraphs hasn't figured out how to measure WPA for managers, because Shelton was on fire tonight. What’s Next? The Twins hope to salvage their 12th series win in 2026 against the hapless but pesky Rockies on Sunday afternoon. Lefty Connor Prielipp (2-5, 5.17 ERA) will look to get his season back on track before he reaches his Twins-mandated load limit. The Rockies will send young righty Ryan Feltner (2-2, 4.79 ERA) in hopes of winning only their ninth series in 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rogers 38 0 0 0 9 47 Raya 0 0 0 0 40 40 Banda 0 25 0 11 0 35 Adams 30 0 0 0 0 30 Funderburk 0 0 0 20 25 20 Orze 0 0 0 14 0 14 Morris 0 7 0 6 0 13 Gómez 0 10 0 0 0 10 View full article