Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (100 pitches, 60 strikes (60%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Ober (-0.23), Alan Roden (-0.18), Kaelen Culpepper and Trevor Larnach (-0.14) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins looked to continue their home cooked success against a dwindling Baltimore club. Bailey Ober hadn't lost since his return on July 9th, even though he mostly endured no decisions along the way with only one actual victory. Brandon Young stood on the mound for the Orioles, and his July and August efforts resulted in similar win/loss results. The wild card race somehow still involves these sub-.500 teams, so Tuesday night mattered whether anyone liked it or not. The Margin Between Meat and Crafty The Twins struggled last week when their starters continuously put their team behind 2-0 early. After two batters Tuesday the Orioles were ahead 2-0, as Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso ripped a double and homer respectively off of center-cut 88 mph "fastballs." The Twins couldn't muster anything in their half of the first, and Gunnar struck again in the top of the second, this time a two-run homer of his own to make it 4-0. The "crafty" Young meanwhile gave up a couple of singles and a hit batter to load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the second, but an Alan Roden dribbler for an out was the only RBI of the inning, as Brooks Lee was meat at home on a Kaelen Culpepper grounder to third, and Trevor Larnach also couldn't deliver with runners in scoring position. Before you could say "at least we are only down three now," Christian Encarnacion-Strand took an 82.8 mph changeup 460 feet. 5-1 Orioles, and Ober's meatball offerings were dampening the Target Field faithful's spirits on an already intolerably muggy night. Getting Into Gear, but Still Slipping in the Clutch The bottom of the third saw the Twins once again put two men on with nobody out on a Ryan Jeffers infield single and a catchers interference that allowed Josh Bell to reach. Kody Clemens and Royce Lewis couldn't move the runners, but Lee snuck a grounder past a diving Polar Bear for a run-scoring double. Luke Keaschall worked a walk to load the bases yet again, but Roden couldn't make contact and another bases loaded threat went unfulfilled. Ober survived the fourth, and Culpepper led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, and advanced to second on a Larnach ground-out. Jeffers struck out and Bell hit the one millionth ground ball to second base on the evening (sarcasm alert), and the home team was 1-for-9 with scoring opportunities through four innings. A Tale of Two Bullpens Once the air began to cool, so did the Orioles offense, and Ober survived six innings and 100 pitches. Kody Funderburk came in to tackle the top of the seventh and he set down the first two batters in quick order. The next three to drive the nail in the coffin, as a single and a walk put clutter on the bases and Tyler O'Neill ripped a single to left. Alonso tried to score on the play, but Larnach gunned him down at the plate to keep the game within striking distance. The problem was that the Twins couldn't strike against the Baltimore pen either. They got runners on against old friend Yennier Cano in the bottom of the eighth, but new friends Roden and Culpepper again failed to plate their teammates as Roden continues to underwhelm in clutch situations, and Culpepper's shine begins to wear off in the field (botched communication led to an extra run in the second) and at the plate (the strike zone continues to elude him). That was as close to scoring as Minnesota would come, and the game ended much like it began: disappointingly. What’s Next? The Twins look to win another home series in a Wednesday matinee. Twins righty Zebby Matthews (5-8, 5.23 ERA) hopes to survive his blistered foot and give his squad another quality start. The Orioles will march out the young righty Shane Baz (4-11, 3.76 ERA), whose record speaks more to the Orioles lack of offense this season than any weakness on his part. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Funderburk 0 21 15 0 22 58 Nance 24 0 11 0 18 53 Rogers 0 0 0 30 18 48 Hoffman 25 15 0 0 0 40 Adams 0 15 0 21 0 36 Morris 13 0 14 0 0 27 Gomez 12 0 9 0 0 21 Minter 3 0 16 0 0 19 View full article

"Technical difficulty" and no post-game video from Shelty...would love to have been a fly on that wall.

Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (97 pitches, 62 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Jeff Hoffman (-0.23), Brooks Lee (-0.15), Trevor Larnach (-0.12) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Kaelen Culpepper's debut on Friday night sparked the offense out of its duldrums and led to a surprise victory in the lair of the MLB-leading Brewers. Against a lefty no less! Saturday night's game involved facing another lefty starter in Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.48 ERA), while the Twins countered with their young ace, Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.69 ERA). With the Miz lying in wait for Sunday's matinee, Saturday night looked to be the clearest path to a series victory for Minnesota. Could Culpepper's lightning still be in that bottle for game two? Give and Take The Twins got runners onto the corners with two outs to start the game, but Kody Clemens, who was 3-for-25 since his ultimate slam on July 30th, made it 3-for-26 with a fielder's choice ground out to end the inning. Bradley got ahead of leadoff man Brice Turang 0-2 but surrendered a double to start the bottom of the first. Then a walk and a single loaded the bases with nobody out for William Contreras. Contreras took one for the team, and the Brewers took a 1-0 lead. With the bases still loaded, things looked bleak for Bradley, but Garrett Mitchell lined out, Andrew Vaughn struck out, and the immortal Christian Yelich bounced out to Culpepper to escape a dire situation. Luke Keaschall decided to follow the Brewer blueprint to start the second, as he laced a leadoff double. Culpepper wore one, and suddenly the Twins once again had a threat going. Brooks Lee laced a ball to left that Jackson Chourio robbed, and Ryan Kreidler popped out to the infield, and it looked like the Twins were once again going to let a golden opportunity slip. Then Gasser's unusual wildness came to bite the Brewers, as Austin Martin got plunked to load the bases. Ryan Jeffers worked the count full and drew a game-tying walk. This set up the red-hot Royce Lewis for his latest hero moment, and he delivered with a two-run double to make it 3-1. Give Again Bradley cruised through the second and third innings, striking out five in a row at one point. The Twins found baserunners in the third and fourth innings again, but in the third inning Keaschall got greedy in an attempt to steal third, and Martin grounded into a double play in the fourth. It felt like a two-run lead was going to be plenty for Bradley, but all of that unraveled in the bottom of the fourth. After 28 pitches in the inning, Bradley found the bases loaded with two outs, and Turang took the 29th pitch into the right field gap to plate two Brewers for a 3-3 tie. Bully Pens The tie game stayed that way thanks to bending-but-not-breaking bullpen members. The Twins had a depleted list of available arms, but Travis Adams and Kody Funderburk struck out three Brewers each in the sixth and seventh innings respectively. Unfortunately, the Brewers have one of the best pens in baseball, and they kept the Twins from threatening through the sixth, seventh, and eighth. New Twin righty reliever Jeff Hoffman came in to take care of things in the bottom of the eighth, and Contreras blooped one to shallow center. Keaschall elected not to dive, and the ball landed for a single. Brewer baseball took over with a pinch runner, a stolen base, and an opposite field single by Vaughn to retake the lead at 4-3. The only thing crushed the whole inning was the collective heart of Twins Territory, as the missed opportunities of the early innings loomed large as we headed to the ninth. Comeback Magic? If the Twins were going to reach .500 again tonight, it was going to have to come against former Twin Trevor Megill. If anyone got on base, Lewis would get a chance. Trevor Larnach got the first crack, and he lined a loud out to the right field warning track. Alan Roden pinch hit, and weakly popped up in foul territory on the first pitch he saw. Jeffers didn't want to wait either, and he popped up the first pitch he saw to take all potential excitement out of the picture. It was a game the Twins had in their grasp, but back to two games under the .500 mark they went. What’s Next? The Twins look to do what very few have done this season on Sunday afternoon, and that's beat Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.63 ERA). Minnesota will send out their young lefty Connor Prielipp (3-5, 4.75 ERA) in hopes of stealing a series victory in this iteration of the Border Battle. First pitch in Milwaukee is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Funderburk 14 0 20 0 21 55 Hoffman 0 11 0 25 15 51 Adams 20 0 0 0 15 35 Nance 0 7 0 24 0 31 Gomez 0 0 18 12 0 30 Morris 0 0 13 13 0 26 Minter 0 12 0 3 0 15 Rogers 14 0 0 0 0 14 View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Kyle Bischoff) As the summer heated up, so did the action across the Twins Minor League Affiliate complexes. Prospects found their way through promotions, demotions, and the awkward weeks of the trade deadline with various degrees of success. Last year at the deadline the Twins decided to fire sale the Major League bullpen in order to restock their starting pitching prospect pool. This year, the minor league pitching depth was the trade bait in order to restock that same Major League bullpen. After all the dust settled, here are the top Minor League arms in the Twins system to be excited about due to an awesome month of June. Honorable Mentions: RHP Chris Vallimont (Wind Surge): 6 G, 25 2/3 IP, 3.16 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 23 K, 8 BB RHP Mitch Mueller (Kernels (7)/ Wind Surge (1)): 8 G, 14 1/3 IP, 3.14 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 23 K, 3 BB RHP Ricky Castro (Saints): 4 G, 10 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6 K, 2 BB 4. RHP Merit Jones – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Cedar Rapids promotion 8/4) July Stats (6 G): 0.73 ERA, 24 2/3 IP, 30 K, 8 BB, 1.18 WHIP, .219 BA Nothing says "You've had a great month" better than a promotion, and that's just what Jones obtained after the trade deadline. The move to Cedar Rapids came after the 6'4", 200-pound righty continues to blossom during his first full season in the Twins organization. A 14th round pick out of Utah in the 2025 draft, Jones has been stretched into five innings of work per outing as the month came to a close. His fastball plays up to 96 mph, and his slider brings whiffs in its wake. There is much to be hopeful for as he continues his climb up the organizational ladder. 3. RHP Eduardo Salazar – St. Paul Saints July Stats (8 G): 0.73 ERA, 12 1/3 IP, 11 K, 3 BB, 0.89 WHIP, .190 BA On the other end of the development trajectory resides Salazar, a 28-year-old veteran of the minor league carousel. Since being signed as an international free agent by the Reds in 2023, Salazar has traveled from the Reds, to the Dodgers, to the Mariners, to the Nationals, and finally to the Twins organization in February of 2026. This 6'2", 177-pound right-handed reliever just got placed on the development list after the deadline shuffle but looks to keep his current success going before the season ends. Salazar's four-pitch mix actually plays to reverse splits, with lefties batting a meager .192 against him. He has the pitches to create swings and ground balls, key to any reliever who inevitably will be called upon to escape jams. Does he have a path to the majors? That appears less clear. Either way, keep an eye on how the Twins handle the remainder of Salazar's season for clues as to how they envision restocking their bullpen into 2027. 2. RHP Garrett Acton – St. Paul Saints July Stats (7 G): 3.72 ERA, 9 2/3 IP, 11 K, 4 BB, 0.62 WHIP, .065 BA This season has been a frustrating one for Acton, as his April right shoulder injury in Tampa derailed what was shaping up to be his first full major league season. Acton rode the rehab train from Fort Myers to St. Paul in July, and he rode it well. Other than a Florida Coast League hiccup in his second outing where he walked three and gave up three runs, Acton delivered nine innings of lights out relief, only surrendering a solo homer and striking out 10 along the way. Acton holds one of the most precious commodities in baseball: a 40-man roster spot. The bullpen trades made his path back up to the big-league club in 2026 a difficult one, but should someone go down Acton will be ready and waiting in St. Paul. So will his magic rising fastball and knee-buckling slider. 1. RHP Kyle Bischoff– Wichita Wind Surge July Stats (10 G): 0.00 ERA, 11 1/3 IP, 17 K, 7 BB, 1.15 WHIP, .154 BA It's hard to compete with zeros. Bischoff took what had been a somewhat disappointing 2026 campaign and turned things around with a stellar July. Signed as a free agent in 2023, the Michigan State alum took his 6'2", 210-pound frame and showed what being effectively wild can do. While his walk rate jumped up slightly from June to July, his strikeouts nearly doubled. And if you take out the first outing of the month, his last nine outings all ended in zeros. Bischoff is 27 years old and was pitching in St. Paul to finish 2024 before going back down the ladder in 2025. The time to climb is now, if ever, and Bischoff is doing his best to get his fastball/slider mix noticed again. Congrats to Kyle, your efforts did not go unnoticed here as you are the Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Month! --------- July featured a combined no-hitter for Vallimont and the Wichita crew, as well as several outstanding performances which were rewarded with promotions around the system. Obviously, those positioned at St. Paul have the clearest path up to the big-league club, but the newly acquired bullpen arms might create a logjam for these prospects that will push their debuts back into 2027...or even 2028 should labor strife ensue. Who do you think had the best month of July for our farm system hurlers? As you ponder that, here is one more moment of zen... View full article

Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (99 pitches, 65 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Josh Bell (14) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-0.23), Luke Keaschall (-0.11), Ryan Jeffers (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins spent the trade deadline adding to their bullpen, and failing to add to their lineup either via trade or call-up. They faced Randy Dobnak a week after getting shut-out over seven innings without any new bats up their sleeves. Joe Ryan took the loss against Dobnak last week, after giving up four runs over six frames. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Let's get nuts Twins Territory! Behind the Two-Ball Yet Again The most recent road trip began in Seattle and involved the Twins offense failing early and the Twins starters surrendering two-run leads in the first inning in all three ballgames. Tuesday night in Kansas City started with Dobnak inducing three easy groundouts with only 13 pitches, and Ryan surrendering three hits and two runs in the first inning. Any momentum gained by keeping the lineup intact and being a spender on the market fell flat in the face of Dobnak's sinker. Royce Lewis kept his wingspan of amazing pull radius alive and well with a one-out double down the line in the top of the second, but Brooks Lee looked overmatched and Alan Roden flew out harmlessly to end the threat. Twins Offense Continues to Be Offensive Post-Break The Twins have been struggling to push runs across before the late innings since the All-Star Break, and they continued to flounder with runners in scoring position tonight. Lewis was 3-for-3 in the first six innings, but even his hit with a runner at second didn't score the runner. With seven at-bats having a chance to score a Twin in the early frames, only a Roden sac fly plated a runner in the fourth inning. With the game now within a run, Ryan looked to keep his squad in the game. He couldn't. In the bottom of the fifth, a single and a walk put runners on ahead of Witt Jr., and again the superstar did what superstars do with a double past a diving Lee to plate two more royals. Ryan Kreidler chucked the relay throw thirty feet over Jeffers' head, allowing Witt Jr. to reach third base. A single plated him and suddenly the Twins were right back where they were on July 29. Down four runs to Dobnak with only a few innings left to play. Ryan's velocity continues to tick down game by game, and red flags are flying everywhere as he tries to battle through the start of the second half. The Royals Bullpen Compels You! If we learned anything from last week's action, its that Twins fans shouldn't turn off the game until its actually over. Add the fact that the Royals bullpen is involved. Daniel Lynch IV and John Schreiber kept Minnesota off the board, but Steven Cruz was in the giving mood to start the eighth. Josh Bell jumped all over a first pitch fastball for his 14th jack of the season to start the late inning surge. But that's where the rallies ended, and the night ended with yet another lost opportunity to jump back into the playoff picture. Travis Adams failed to finish the bottom of the eighth after some bobbled grounders and throws, and Taylor Rogers allowed both inherited runners plus one of his own to score to end things with an embarrassing 8-2 loss all to show for keeping the strong clubhouse vibe through the trade deadline. What’s Next? The Twins look to recover from this four day hangover and get even with the Royals in game two of the series on Wednesday night. The new and shiny RHP Dean Kremer (1-4, 6.50 ERA) will make his first start for his new squad. The Royals will counter with LHP Noah Cameron (5-8, 4.59 ERA) whose last outing involved almost no-hitting the Twins before Kody Clemens slammed the Royals bullpen ultimately. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Gomez 25 0 19 0 0 44 Funderburk 19 3 0 0 14 36 Adams 0 11 0 0 20 31 Rogers 0 14 0 0 14 28 Nance 11 16 0 0 0 27 Minter 0 1 19 0 0 20 Morris 6 12 0 0 0 18 Hoffman 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (88 pitches, 58 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Luke Keaschall (5), Trevor Larnach (9) Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.38), Prielipp (-0.14), Victor Caratini (-0.13) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) While trade rumors continued to swirl around the Twins organization, the team had a chance to keep above the .500 mark against a Seattle club suddenly on the "sellers" side of the ledger. Connor Prielipp hoped to build on a solid start last week, while veteran Logan Gilbert looked to turn the tide of his club towards "buyers" again. The Mariners came into the game 29th in the league against left-handed pitching, while the Twins looked to keep their recent homer surge rolling with the wind blowing out to left against a recently-stingy hurler. Something had to give on Saturday afternoon, but who would it be? Prielipp Gives First In Friday night's game, Zebby Matthews struggled out of the gate and loaded the bases before eventually surrendering two runs. Saturday afternoon looked like groundhog day for Prielipp, with lack of control again proving problematic early. Cole Young went first pitch hunting in the bottom of the first, and he ripped a leadoff double. Then Prielipp walked the bases loaded with nobody out, and Julio Rodriguez hit a grounder up the middle that Ryan Kreidler stopped but couldn't offload. With the Mariners up 1-0 and the bases still loaded, things looked dire for the young lefty, but he recovered to strike out Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor. Things looked positive as Mitch Garver fell behind 0-2 in the next at-bat, but Prielipp couldn't put him away with fastballs, and eventually lost him as well to make it 2-0 Seattle. After the 35-pitch first, Connor came back out for the second and mowed down the first two batters and got two strikes against Randy Arozarena but then the aforementioned wind turned a warning track fly ball into a second row homer to make it 3-0. Gilbert Gives Little Meanwhile, Gilbert took care of the Twins with relative ease in the early innings. Royce Lewis hit a hard grounder to third to lead off the second, and Weston Wilson swiped the ball up and out into left for a double. Brooks Lee hit a rope to deep right, but his launch angle this afternoon didn't match his homer arc from Friday and it was tracked down at the wall. Lewis advanced to third, but was stranded there as Luke Keaschall and Victor Caratini struck out swinging to end the scoring opporunity. Gilbert was dealing with the Twins' kryptonite: splitters. Powering Back Little by Little Gilbert remained in the game after Lewis tried to break his shin in the top of the fourth, and he got Lee to ground out to start the fifth. Covering first base on the play also made Gilbert test that leg, and when he returned to the mound Keaschall was waiting to ambush him. The Twins were finally on the board as Keaschall connects for fifth homer of the season. In the top of the sixth, it was Trevor Larnach's turn to turn the trade noise into a booming crack with a moon shot solo homer to right to make it 3-2. GIlbert was only at 71 pitches, but he was beginning to look less invincible by the at-bat. Kody "Missile" Clemens missed tying the game by mere inches as his rocket turned right past the foul pole, but he drew a two-out walk to bring up Lewis to the plate. With Gilbert still wearing the results of Lewis' last swing, a battle at the crux of the game ensued. A passed ball on a swinging strike sweeper put Clemens into scoring position, but a 3-2 high slider froze Lewis and kept Seattle in the lead. Prielipp and the Pen Hold the Line While the first two innings were rough, Prielipp cruised through the middle innings and kept the Twins in the game until the sixth. After taking care of Naylor to start the inning, Derek Shelton went to the pen and brought in Travis Adams to hold the line. Adams decided to hold the line by walking Garver on four pitches, and could have walked Wilson right after that but Caratini rescued a strike with a challenge and hung on to a foul tip strike three. Next came some umpire confusion and a bit of bad luck for the twins, as Cole Emerson hit a sinking liner to center that Keaschall appeared to catch. He also appeared to trap it. One umpire declared "out," while another declared "no out." The umpires gathered together, and the feeling from the reply was that whatever the call on the field would be would not have enough evidence to overturn the call either way. The umpire huddle stated "no out," but the call stood and now runners were at first and second with two out. This led to the Twins debut of A.J. Minter, who promptly induced a Young fly out on only one pitch. More Late Inning Magic? GIlbert stayed in the game to start the seventh, and Lee ambushed the first pitch he saw for a double down the right field line. Keaschall followed up his homer with a first pitch sac bunt to advance Lee to third, putting the onus on Caratini who hadn't connected from Gilbert all afternoon. Caratini still didn't hit anything solid, but his swinging bunt to third got the job done and tied the game. The Twins tried to get into the lead in the top of the eighth, but Andres Munoz came in to strike out Lewis with runners on second and third to end the threat. Taylor Rogers came in to work the bottom of the eighth, and Naylor led off with a single and stolen base to immediately put the pressure on Rogers and the Twins defense. Naylor advanced to third on a ground out to third, but Wilson went to ambush Rogers and hit it right to the mound for out number two. Twins legend Rob Refsnyder came in to pinch hit, and Shelton elected to walk him. Yes, that happened with Young on deck. The stage was set for an evening of teeth gnashing and rage-posting, but Shelton won that chess match as Young bounced out to Lewis to end the Seattle threat. Lee led off the ninth with a single against the nasty Munoz, but a strike-em-out, throw-em-out took care of that when Caratini froze after failing to challenge ball four, and Keaschall spun out on his way to second. Andrew Morris continued his quest to earn the moniker "nasty" with his third outing in a row, but an Arozarena was nastier and he laced a leadoff double off the wall in left. A fly out advanced Arozarena, and Shelton brought in Martin as a fifth infielder and walked Julio Rodriguez to put the double play into play. Morris induced a double play ball to Lewis... but Lewis then had a brain freeze and didn't know where to go with it once he touched first base. With the force at second no longer in play, Lewis needed to throw home but the hesitation allowed Rodriguez to slide across home plate for the kind of loss good teams don't have. The Twins rise above .500 lasted less than 24 hours. What’s Next? The Twins look to take the series and to once again taste that sweet nector of winning baseball on Sunday afternoon. Twins righty Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.65 ERA) will look to keep being the ace of the staff, while trade bait rumor RHP George Kirby (8-9, 3.98 ERA) is scheduled to start but stay tuned for deadline news. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rojas 0 52 0 0 0 52 Funderburk 27 0 0 19 3 49 Gomez 0 0 21 25 0 46 Rogers 0 0 27 0 14 41 Morris 0 0 12 6 12 30 Nance 0 0 0 11 16 27 Adams 11 0 0 0 11 22 Anderson 13 0 0 0 0 13 Minter 0 0 0 0 1 1 View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (102 pitches, 68 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (0.85), Josh Bell (0.16), Brooks Lee (0.15) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Taj Bradley's first win of 2026 came at the expense of the Royals, and he was hoping that his 10th win of the season would close a circle. Bradley's counterpart on the mound was veteran righty Seth Lugo, and his last start against the Twins wasn't as clean: he surrendered five runs over five innings. The Royals came in winners of seven of 10 since the All-Star break, while the Twins were one win away from reaching that elusive .500 mark again. T-minus six days until the trade deadline, it’s time to take care of business at home. Bradley Deals, but So Does Lugo I'm not sure you can compare the approaches of these two starters, other than by saying they both were effective. Bradley stayed in the high 90s through the first five innings, with seven strikeouts and a clean slate on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Lugo looked like a possessed Zack Greinke against the Twins lineup, inducing double play after double play while ranging between the mid-70s and the low 90s. Kody Clemens finally found some exit velocity in the bottom of the fourth, mashing a double off the wall in right. Josh Bell kept doing what Josh Bell does. His ground ball found the center field grass, plating Clemens for a 1-0 Twins lead. Byron Buxton Forced to Exit Early Again Before the ink had dried on that lead, Alan Roden was trotting out to right field and Luke Keaschall was moving to center field. Byron Buxton's hip flared up again, and the trade season ramifications all flared up, too. Buxton hasn't been able to run full speed since his return, and his ability to stay in the lineup will be key to the rest of this season. The silver lining? Would Roden get another hero moment at Target Field? Unfortunately, the Twins were going to need one. Weak Contact, butthe Royals Will Take It In the top of the sixth, Bradley came back to Earth the hard way. He walked No. 9 hitter Josh Rojas to start the inning, and then Lane Thomas check-swung a single to right to put runners on the corners with one out. The Twins knew that something was up, and they held a meeting to discuss everyone's role should the Royals attempt a double-steal. Thomas indeed headed for second, and Ryan Jeffers followed the plan by throwing to second. Unfortunately, Jeffers's throw bounced to Ryan Kreidler, and Kreidler's throw to the plate had no chance of catching Rojas. With the game tied and Thomas at second, Bradley induced Salvador Perez to hit a floater to right-center. In typical "the Twins need a win" fashion, though, the bloop fell in front of Roden to put the Royals ahead 2-1. Bradley's night ended with a whimper, and a desperate plea to his teammates to save this from being the best-pitched loss of the Twins' season. The Twins offense immediately tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth, but with runners on the corners and only one out, Victor Caratini hit into the fourth Twins double play of the first six innings. "Twin killing" has never felt more real. When All Hope Seems Lost... The Twins bullpen did what they've been doing, posting goose eggs on the scoreboard to keep the flailing bats in the ballgame. Brooks Lee got a one-out double in the seventh, but no one—not even Roden—could knock him in. Jeffers worked the count full and laced a lead-off single to left to start the eighth. Austin Martin pinch-ran, but Clemens promptly grounded into the fifth Twin-killer of the night. Seriously. Caratini got his second hit of the game to lead off the ninth, and it looked like Luke Keaschall had saved the day with a hooking double to left. Isaac Collins ran and dove and stole all hope from Twins Territory, however, and Caratini had to scamper back to first. Lee worked a walk on a full count to advance the tying run into scoring position with one out, but Kreidler tried to do too much and went down swinging. Royce Lewis had entered the game to pinch-hit for Trevor Larnach in the bottom of the seventh, which meant he now had to face righty Alex Lange. The writing was on the wall for another lackluster Twins loss. Then Lewis's oppo-blast hit that wall and bounced away into a game-winning two-run double! Walk-off winner! What did you think was gonna happen? What’s Next? The Twins look to keep the good vibes rolling against the no-longer-surging Royals. The Twins hope that the healthy, playoff-ace version of Joe Ryan (6-6, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound, while Kansas City will also send dear old friend Randy Dobnak to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Morris 0 26 0 0 0 26 Adams 14 0 15 0 11 40 Rojas 0 56 0 0 0 56 Funderburk 12 0 17 0 27 56 Rogers 0 30 0 0 0 30 Nance 0 13 15 0 0 28 Anderson 17 0 0 0 13 30 Gomez 0 8 0 0 0 8 View full article

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