Steven Trefz

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

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Kendry Rojas 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (50 pitches, 25 strikes (50%)) Home Runs: Victor Caratini (6), Brooks Lee (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Voth (-0.39), Byron Buxton (-0.08), Lee (-0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Dodgers did what the Dodgers do on Monday night, winning a close game thanks to their superstars. On Tuesday night, the rain delayed the inevitable, but ultimately, the Minnesota Have-Nots had to play the Los Angeles Haves. Justin Wrobleski and his 2.84 ERA stood in the way of the Twins getting the series back to even. Kendry Rojas looked to take the first couple of innings in his return to action, with newly promoted righty Austin Voth waiting in the wings. The Twins made a game of it early, but they were just the mouse that Los Angeles was playing with before they lost interest and finished the job. Effectively Wild and Wildly Ineffective Rojas walked the lead-off man in both of his innings, but he only got burned in the first. The rookie was all over the place, and occasionally in the strike zone, as well. After walking Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages to start things, Rojas then struck out Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Tommy Edman stayed red-hot and singled in Ohtani to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Rojas' 50% strike rate ensured that he would not get a second crack at the lineup, and that set the stage for Voth's debut in the third. In the bottom of the second, Victor Caratini had tied the game with a flower-destroying homer just over the left-field fence. Voth and the Twins' defense managed to immediately give the lead back to the visitors. Freeman hit a double, because that's what he does—more than any other active player. Just when Voth thought he had escaped the threat, Luke Keaschall took what was a guaranteed out number three and underhand chucked it into the dugout to allow Freeman to scamper home. The Twins fought right back in the bottom of the third, but they ran themselves out of an opportunity at home plate (yikes, Austin Martin) and then had a three-run Brooks Lee home run go just foul. Josh Bell did plate Byron Buxton in the middle of it all, but the Twins definitely had Wrobleski on the ropes and didn't get the job done. Dodgers Show How to Get the Job Done Immediately, the Dodgers made the Twins pay for their missed opportunities and miscues in the top of the fourth. Voth surrendered a couple of singles to put runners at the corners with one out and Ohtani up to bat. Shohei hit a shallow pop fly, but Martin's throw to the plate was cut off, and the Dodgers were back on top 3-2. Then three straight singles with two outs made it 5-2, and any glimpse of hope left the home team. Voth wore almost 100 pitches, but ultimately his 9.90 ERA wasn't going to get the job done. His fifth earned run of the game got bunted in in the top of the seventh under Travis Adams's watch to make it 7-2 Dodgers. The Twins' bats could only muster one hit over the final four frames of Wrobleski's night, as he scattered five hits over his seven innings of professional pitching. Pop fly after pop fly left little to cheer about for the hometown faithful, while those sporting Dodger blue yawned due to the redundancy with which they have witnessed this excellence year after year. Taylor Rogers continues to struggle for the Twins' bullpen, and he gave up a homer in the ninth to remind everyone of that fact. 8-2 Dodgers, please make it stop. A walk and a blast to the gap later, it was 9-2. Please make it stop. Pages singled to make it 10-2. Then the bases were somehow loaded up, and then Max Muncy doubled in two more to invoke the mercy rule at 12-2. I didn't know a bullpen could implode when you were already down five runs to start the ninth, but somehow Rogers and the Twins proved me wrong. Lee did get his home run off of old pal Brock Stewart in the bottom of the ninth. Way too little, and way too late to save this night. It's not because of their payrolls, really, but these are two very different calibers of baseball team. What’s Next? Target Field should enjoy its largest crowd of the season on Wednesday evening. Twins ace Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99 ERA) looks to avoid the sweep, while the Dodgers will put their trust in a bigger ace named Ohtani (7-2, 1.47 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Voth 0 0 0 0 96 96 Paredes 0 0 75 0 0 75 Adams 42 0 0 0 30 72 Rogers 0 0 0 17 38 55 Orze 0 24 0 11 0 35 Morris 0 0 17 15 0 32 Gómez 0 7 20 0 0 27 Banda 0 12 10 0 0 22 View full article

Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley IP, 5.0 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 59 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (24) Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.20), Bradley (0.18), Trevor Larnach (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Life in the desert isn't for the weak at heart. The Twins lost their winning streak in Phoenix late on Thursday night, and as a monsoon rolled into town with 100 degrees at its back the Twins hoped to storm back into the win column. The air inside of Chase Field was a balmy 80 degrees, and their former ace Zac Gallen looked to keep the Twins offense contained between the lines. Taj Bradley took the rock for the visiting Twins, and he hoped to match the outside temperature on the radar gun early and often. Both of those things happened on Friday night, and both worked in the Twins' favor. Breaking Containment One Single at a Time The Twins offense wasn't the reason they lost their winning streak, and the hits kept on coming at Chase Field against a less-than-sharp Gallen. Trevor Larnach started things off as he has been, with a quality at-bat and a looping single to the outfield grass. Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens couldn't move Trevor along, but Josh Bell got his wheels spinning and then some with a booming double down the right field line. Thanks to an odd mesh wall and a once-in-a-lifetime bad hop, the first Twins run couldn't transpire because Bell's double bounded off the ground and straight up and sideways over the wall to become the ground-rule variety. Just when it looked like Thursday night's bad luck would keep on rolling across the artificial desert turf, Royce Lewis didn't chase Gallen's off speed pitches and earned a walk to load the bases. Brooks Lee unloaded them. 2-0 Twins! Gallen then took down eight Twins batters in a row, and it looked like he was beginning to find his way. Then the top of the fourth occurred, Lewis started the inning off with a strikeout, and he ended the inning with a pop out. While Twins fans can't be excited about that aspect of the inning, anytime the same batter registers two outs in an inning it bodes pretty well for the team. Lee started off a string of five straight singles, most of them of the cue shot or seeing-eye variety. Ryan Kreidler had made his presence felt with a web gem against Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the first. This time it was Kreidler's single that pushed the lead to 3-0. Larnach's single made it 5-0, and Clemens finished things off with yet another single to post Bradley to a 6-0 lead before he could throw a pitch in the fourth. Bradley Heats Up the Desert After a red hot start to his season, Bradley hadn't completed five innings of work in three of his last four outings. Getting the lead early definately helped Taj navigate two walks and a bunt single in the opening frames, but he lit up the strike zone with upper-90's heaters and nasty cutters. On any other night, Bradley's dominance would have been the story of the game. The Hits Just Keep on Coming And coming...and coming...and coming. If you thought batting around in the fourth inning was fun, how about batting 14 men across 29 minutes in the fifth inning? Gallen stayed on to wear it some more with the Diamondbacks having to throw an unplanned bullpen game on Thursday and having to scratch their starter for Sunday earlier in the week. He wore it and then some. Lee started things off with a triple, Victor Caratini then blasted a double to the gap in right-center to plate Lee. Luke Keaschall kept the line moving with a single to end Gallen's evening, but Kreidler greeted Yilber Diaz rudely with a single to plate Caratini. Diaz then walked Larnach to load the bases with nobody out. By the time Buxton touched home plate and got his handshakes and hugs finished, the bases were all cleaned up and the Twins were now up 12-0! It looked like Diaz would finish off the inning at that point, getting two of the next three batters out. Lee kept his cycle alive with a ground-rule double, however, and then Caratini stole his RBI with a single that plated Bell and Lee to make it 14-0. Keaschall singled to keep the inning alive even longer, and then Kreidler showed why Derek Shelton should stop platooning him at shortstop and just give him the job already. 16-0 Twins on a Kreidler bomb triple off the center field wall. How Does a Game This Lopsided End? The Twins were in offensive record territory as they headed into the sixth inning, but both teams decided that enough was enough. After Bradley finally proved he was in fact a human being and surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, the whole-sale position changes became the name of the game. Kyler Fedko replaced Buxton in the lineup, and anyone with "All Star" next to their name in the Arizona lineup likewise took a seat. Bradley finished his five innings, but with the delay and the lack of need to extend his evening the Twins bullpen got the rest of the ballgame. So what was left to watch? Lewis was the only Twins starter to not get a hit in the game, and he launched a lead-off double to the gap in left to start the top of the seventh. Lee needed a homer to complete the cycle, but he flew out to keep his 50 at-bat without a strikeout streak alive without a cycle highlight...yet. Justin Lawrence is worth watching, because it takes a unique brand of courage to come into a 16-2 ballgame in the seventh inning and walk the first three men that you face. That actually happened. Certain things could not happen in the final innings of a ballgame where the Diamondbacks had all but surrendered. The first, second, and third things all are the same. Don't. Walk. People. Luckily for Lawrence, Tim Tawa was standing in the box instead of Marte with the bases loaded and nobody out and he went down swinging. Geraldo Perdomo was still in the game, however, and he took another walk. It was apparent that it was Lawrence's turn to wear it, Ildemaro Vargas then crushed a bases clearing double to make it 16-6 and force Shelton's hand in bringing in Eric Orze to save the day...after the inning started with a 14-run lead. Lawrence has glimpses of amazing "stuff," but glimpses simply haven't been getting three outs without surrendering game-changing amounts of runs. Tonight seemed like an unfortuneate breaking point, on what was otherwise a joyous evening for the Twins. With the game now 16-7, and most of Twins Territory already nestled soundly in their beds with visions of a blowout still firmly entrenched in their heads, those still up and watching this bullpen disaster unfolding couldn't get their final seven outs counted fast enough. The Diamondbacks took the unwatchable nature of the bottom of the seventh, and decided to one-up the Twins by bringing Vargas in with his 38 mph eephus pitches after Philip Abner couldn't get out of the inning. Of course, Vargas walked Austin Martin so that Bell could hit into a double play. Why not. Lee came up second in the top of the ninth to get a second crack at his cycle against Vargas' overhand slowpitch. The career ERA of 3.60 that Vargas brought into the outing actually got lower, and Lee popped up to end anything worth watching tonight. Great win, rough landing, let's take the series tomorrow. What’s Next? The Twins look to take another road series in the desert heat on Father's Day. Both the Twins and the Diamondbacks are waiting to recover from this game before naming their starter for Sunday's tilt. First pitch, by someone, is scheduled for 2:15pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE THU FRI SAT TOT Lawrence 0 0 18 0 40 58 Adams 0 13 0 42 0 55 Orze 15 0 12 0 24 51 Laweryson 0 20 17 5 0 42 Gómez 15 0 0 0 7 22 Rogers 6 0 15 0 0 21 Morris 9 0 8 0 0 17 Banda 0 0 0 0 12 12 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews - 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (93 pitches, 68 strikes (73%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (4), Kody Clemens (11) Top 3 WPA: Matthews (0.14), Larnach (0.12), Byron Buxton and Clemens (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came into Tuesday night's contest in Arlington, Texas with a couple of unique scenarios in play. First, they were aiming to win their third game in a row for the first time since mid-May's trip to Fenway Park. Second, both teams have an off day looming mid-series,setup with the World Cup coming to Arlington on Wednesday. With a sporadically tough young righty in Kumar Rocker on the hill for the Rangers, Zebby Matthews had an opportunity to vault Twins Territory into a happy off-day with a solid performance. All of the suspense and setup of this paragraph were happily erased by the fourth inning, though. Here's how a much neemuch-neededded laugher unfolded in Minnesota's favor for once. Twins Cash in Early and Often When Derek Shelton moved Byron Buxton into the second spot of the order last week, his goal was to get more runners on base for the slugging center fielder. Trevor Larnach torpedoed his manager's plan to start the game, but this time fa,ns still had something to cheer about. 1-0 Twins on the second pitch. Buxton didn't let Larnach's insubordination deter him, as he quickly reached first on an infield single. The next two batters got out, but managed to advance Buxton to third. Josh Bell then kept his RBI streak rolling with a single to deliver a 2-0 lead. Things moved along with little fanfare until the top of the third inning, when Rocker again faced a leadoff Larnach, who singled this time. Buxton walked to set the stage for tonight's right fielder, Kody Clemens. Clemens broke the game open with one Texas-sized swing. The Twins stacked a Brooks Lee double and a Luke Keaschall walk after that in the third, but they wouldn't strike again until the top of the fourth. This time i,,t was Alex Jackson in the nine spot who got the leadoff knock with a ringing double to left. Larnach couldn't keep the cycle train moving, but Buxton got a two-base gift from Brandon Nimmo and the Twins found themselves back in scoring position. That play ended Rocker's night, as Cal Quantrill got the call to put out the fire. Clemens got intentionally walked with one out, so that Royce Lewis got a bases lobases-loadedaded opportunity. The Rangers had heard that Lewis was prone to trying to yank outside off-speed pitches into double play grounders. They forgot that Lewis learned the power of station-to-station hitting on Sunday afternoon, and he laced an outside cutter into center for a casual, ho-hum, two-run single. 7-0, and the rout was on! What happens when the former number one pick keeps the line moving for his teammates? Bell just keeps raking, that's what. Bell sent a double into the right-field corner, and Nimmo struck again with a throw that bounced into the infield allo,wing Lewis to score as well to make it 9-0. A Keaschall single eventually plated Bell, and Matthews had a 10-0 lead before he ever got the rock for the bottom of the fourth. The Zebby Show Rolls Through the Seventh While the announcers went to B-roll material to try to maintain a level of interest in the blowout, Matthews kept on cruising through the Texas lineup. He surrendered single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but he escaped damage and completed seven solid frames for the fourth time in seven starts this season. The defense came to play, Matthews didn't walk anyone, and the business that needed to get taken care of when you get spotted such a large early lead got taken care of. No tense bullpen moments tonight. In fact, the Twins tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth just to be sure. Indeed, a fully rested and newly inspired team will take the field on Thursday in search of their first four-game winning streak since mid-April. What’s Next? The Twins will cheer for soccer and such on Wednesday, and then attempt to sweep their way out of Texas. Twins righty Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.17 ERA) looks to provide the knock-out start, while former number two overall pick Jack Leiter (3-6, 4.86 ERA) looks to salvage the finale for the home team. First pitch is scheduled for 1:351:35 pmpm CDT on Thursday. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Laweryson 32 0 0 0 20 52 Adams 0 0 37 0 13 50 Morris 0 9 0 17 0 26 Gómez 0 15 0 10 0 25 Lawrence 0 0 24 0 0 24 Rogers 0 22 0 0 0 22 Banda 0 9 0 11 0 20 Orze 0 16 0 0 0 16 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (98 pitches, 66 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (22), Royce Lewis (6), Luke Keaschall (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Justin Lawrence (-0.32), Travis Adams (-0.14), Prielipp (-0.12) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came into Saturday's matinee at Target Field riding the waves of an exciting comeback victory. Young lefty Connor Prielipp hoped to right his ship after a series of sub-par performances, especially as his 2026 inning count approaches max capacity. Not-so-young lefty Matthew LIberatore took the ball for the Cardinals in hopes of sparking another St. Louis winning streak. Prielipp Ambushed Early and Often This game got off on the wrong foot for the home team, as Prielipp couldn't control his fastball in the opening at-bat, losing Masyn Winn to a five pitch walk with mostly non-competitive efforts. As designated hitter Ivan Herrara stepped into the box, Prielipp was determined to get a fastball over the plate. By the time that center-cut fastball landed in the bullpen for a 2-0 Cardinals lead, the momentum of Friday night had morphed into a typical Saturday afternoon funk. The top of the second inning didn't start out any better for the home team. Prielipp again served up a center-cut first pitch fastball, this time to Blaze Jordan who promptly put it over the super-short arms of Austin Martin and off of the right-field wall. By the time Ryan Kreidler could catch up to the ball, Jordan was standing on third with a lead-off triple. Pedro Pages doubled in Jordan, and eventually came around to score himself to make it 4-0 Cardinals. Royce Lewis is On a Tear, and that Buxton Guy Liberatore tore through the Twins lineup in the early innings like they were wet toilet paper. When he faced Lewis in the bottom of the second inning, Lewis ripped a double but got stranded at third. That was the only hit the Twins could muster in the first three frames, so things were starting to get desperate as the bats came back around in the bottom of the fourth. This time it was Liberatore's turn to see what happened when a first pitch fastball catches the power zone for a major league hitter. That hitter was Byron Buxton, and the Twins were finally on the board. Two batters later, Lewis decided to not rely on his teammates to get him home. He took of that part himself with his third homer in the last four days to pull the Twins within two at 4-2. Afternoon Rallies and Homer Hankies The Twins came into Saturday's contest a measly 14-20 during day/afternoon games in 2026. If they want to get back into the Wild Card race, finding a way to get awake in time for matinee outings will have to be a part of the equation. Liberatore did his best to wake-up the Twins offense again in the bottom of the fifth. After losing Kriedler on a full count walk to start the inning, the Cardinals lefty thought he might get away with a first pitch fastball to Luke Keaschall. Wake up Twins fans! Its a 4-4 ballgame! Falvey's Sins Remain As unlikely as it seemed in the second inning, Prielipp managed to cover six full innings before giving way to his minor league bullpen. For all the excitement of last night's victory, the effort left the Twins bullpen pretty exhausted. With few quality options available, first man up was Justin Lawrence. The seventh inning started off innocently enough with two strike outs, but then Herrera and Jordan Walker went back-to-back. Derek Shelton stuck with the steaming hand of Lawrence not once, but twice more, as Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson both got to tee off for singles. Finally, Travis Adams came in to stop the bleeding. Instead, he started a gusher. This time the center-cut fastball gave Blaze Jordan his first career homerun, and the Cardinals a sudden and depressing 9-4 lead. Adams remained in the game as the sacrificial bullpen lamb, and he managed to get his team into Sunday. The Twins briefly got their rally mojo going again in the bottom of the eighth, but after a Kody Clemens RBI single, Lewis aggressively tried to pull a first pitch changeup on the outside corner. That leads to a rolled-over 6-4-3 rally killer in most Major League ballparks, and it did here today as well. Things got slightly interesting again in the bottom of the ninth, as reliever Riley O'Brien tried his best to keep the home crowd in it by walking the bases loaded to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Keaschall got the first crack at the hero moment, but went down looking for the first out. Josh Bell got the next attempt, and he could only muster an RBI fielder's choice grounder to second. Shelton thought that Victor Caratini stood a better chance of keeping the rally alive than today's lead off man Austin Martin, but he was wrong. A harmless pop fly generated a 9-6 Cardinals victory, with Buxton left on-deck. What’s Next? Tomorrow is another day, but unfortunately for the afternoon-challenged Twins its another day game. Twins righty Taj Bradley (5-3, 4.02 ERA) looks to get his season back, while the Cardinals will turn to former 1st rounder, righty Michael McGreevy (3-5, 2.99 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Twins bullpen implosion is scheduled for approximately 3:15pm CDT. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Adams 0 31 0 0 37 68 Paredes 0 58 0 0 0 58 Rogers 17 14 0 22 0 53 Lawrence 26 0 0 0 24 50 Morris 0 39 0 9 0 48 Laweryson 12 0 32 0 0 44 Gómez 0 27 0 15 0 42 Orze 23 0 0 16 0 39 Banda 0 30 0 9 0 39 View full article

Image courtesy of © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (89 pitches, 52 strikes (58%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (19), Josh Bell (7), Brooks Lee (10), Kody Clemens (9) Bottom 3 WPA: Bradley (-0.42), Tristan Gray (-0.19), Victor Caratini (-0.16) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins limped out of their 17-game string between off days by dropping three out of four to the hapless Royals. Nothing says "day off" like traveling to Detroit, only to experience a tornado warning and a two-hour rain delay. With a couple of 25-year-old righties on the mound in Taj Bradley and Troy Melton on Tuesday night in the Motor City, who would come out victorious in the battle of American League Central disappointments? Free Solos Against the Youngsters When the game finally got started, Byron Buxton wasted no time celebrating his return to center field and into the leadoff spot. One pitch, one 428-foot bomb. 1-0 Twins. The Twins' good vibes were short-lived and often stifled throughout tonight's contest, though, as the Tigers responded with solo homers of their own in the first (Dillon Dingler) and second (Riley Greene) to reestablish the lead at 2-1. Greene's home run to start the bottom of the second inning was especially frustrating, given that the Twins had loaded the bases in the top of the frame with only one out, only to see Tristan Gray and Buxton strike out to leave them that way. Josh Bell hit a solo shot of his own in the top of the third to knot things back up, and this one had some historical significance. It was No. 200 for Bell, and put the Twins right back into the game. Bradley's Control Didn't Make the Trip Bradley struggled early and often to find the strike zone, walking the leadoff man in the third and fourth innings to put the pressure immediately back on himself and the Twins' defense. He somehow escaped with only surrendering one run after those walks, but as his pitch count climbed, it became apparent that the Twins bullpen was immediately going to need to use their rested arms in order to find victory. Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens went back-to-back in the top of the fifth to put the Twins back on top, 4-3. Normally, this awesome occurrence would warrant video highlights. In this case, before I could enter them into the recap, Bradley had surrendered a double to start the bottom of the fifth, and then surrendered the lead immediately back by serving up Kerry Carpenter for a two-run jack. In each of those at-bats, Bradley started with a non-competitive pitch for ball one. In each of those at-bats, Bradley served up a center-cut off-speed pitch in hopes of not walking more humans. That was the end of Bradley's night, and the start of this evening's bullpen implosion. No Relief in Sight The bullpen rest didn't do a darn thing. Eric Orze got the Twins out of the bottom of the fifth still within a run, but after Gray and Buxton repeated their "striking out with a chance to knock a run in" vibe in the top of the sixth, Orze got chased with runners on the corners and only one out in the bottom of the sixth. Twins hero Taylor Rogers came in, and unfortunately, memories are all that appear to be left of Rogers's game. After getting Kevin McGonigle to strike out on a high sweeper, Rogers went one-too-many sweepers into the well on Dingler, and by the time the Tiger catcher trotted around the bases, it was 8-4 Detroit. The Twins loaded the bases yet again in the top of the seventh with only one out. Again, the clutch hits with runners on did not pack their bags for Detroit. Victor Caratini struck out, and Royce Lewis got Twins Territory to its feet—only to see his Grand Slam moment drop into Greene's glove on the warning track. Like we've seen so often this season, a Twins failed rally was immediately followed by an opponent's padding of the lead. This time, it was the Justin Lawrence experience who drew the sacrificial lamb role after Rogers stayed in the game and walked the leadoff man. Lawrence followed the night's theme and walked the first man he faced. It looked like the newest Twins would escape the jam after he got the next two outs, but he walked the bases loaded with two outs and then Gray booted a "single" to allow two more runs to score. What’s Next? That's a tough question to answer after a night like this. In theory, the Twins look to rebound and even up the series on Wednesday evening, but they have yet to name their starting pitcher. While the Twins faithful pray for a Marco Raya sighting, the threat of a bullpen game looms larger. The Tigers will send lefty Framber Valdez (3-4, 4.21 ERA) out to win the series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Laweryson 0 0 36 0 12 48 Morris 0 0 41 0 0 41 Orze 0 17 0 0 23 40 Lawrence 0 0 12 0 26 38 Rogers 0 15 0 0 17 32 Adams 16 0 0 0 0 16 Gómez 0 14 0 0 0 14 Banda 14 0 0 0 0 14 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article