Steven Trefz

Many things can be said about the Twins 2026 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season, but "Outstanding Pitching Performances" wasn't one of them. Granted, these youngsters were getting their first taste of professional ball in a new environment. Statistics need to be taken with a grain of salt at this level (ERA is inflated due to usage patterns), while progress throughout the season reigns supreme in our analysis. Also, the Twins invested heavily in offensive prospects, and for the most part went bargain hunting in the pitching department (stop me if you've heard that one before...). That being said, a few young hurlers separated themselves above the field and hope to inject some life into the rotations and bullpens of the Twins minor league system for years to come. Let's start with a couple of honorable mentions before getting to the top pitchers. Honorable Mention RHP Alam Soriano (19): 2-2, 7.39 ERA, 11 G, 1 GS, 28 IP, 30 H, 14 BB, 26 K RHP Miguel Martinez (19): 0-2, 6.92 ERA, 11 G, 3 GS, 26 IP, 26 H, 23 BB, 30 K RHP Enmanuel Mena (18): 1-3, 7.41 ERA, 10 G, 5 GS, 17 IP, 22 H, 12 BB, 21 K #2 (tie): RHP Yolcar Garcia (18): 1-1, 7.45 ERA, 11 G, 5 GS, 29 IP, 28 H, 13 BB, 26 K. The Twins look for improvement, and the young righty Garcia steadily lowered his WHIP throughout the season while also showing an ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. At 6'0" and 177 pounds, this Venezuelan prospect has a frame for continued growth and has already shown an ability to go at least four innings in a couple of outings. #2 (tie): RHP Adrian Martinez (17): 1-2, 6.67 ERA, 11 G, 10 GS, 29 2/3 IP, 27 H, 28 BB, 35 K. Martinez registered the highest signing figure ($100,000) from the 2026 pitching class of international prospects, and the young Venezuelan showed continued improvement as well. Command issues sent his ERA climbing throughout the season, but he lowered his opponents batting average from .302 in June to .167 in August. He led the DSL Twins in strikeouts and WHIP, and he shows potential as a either a starter or a high-leverage bullpen arm. At 6'0" and 195 pounds, he's already a grown man amongst his peers, but his next stage of growth in accuracy and durability will determine how high up the organizational system he climbs in the near future. 2026 Minnesota Twins Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year #1: RHP Fernando Hernandez (20): 0-1, 4.05 ERA, 7 G, 7 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 16 K A couple of things immediately strike you about this 5' 10", 169-pound hurler from Venezuela. First, he's 20 years old in a league of 17-year-olds. Second, he has the command that one would expect from more experience and maturity of frame and technique. In limited action, Hernandez struck out over a batter an inning, while only walking two...TWO batters for the entire season. In a league where that ratio is usually 50/50 at best, Hernandez is an albatross. Hernandez was forced to miss the middle of the season, but he didn't miss a beat until his final outing of the season in which he surrendered four runs over a couple of innings. If you take that game out of the mix, his statistics sing even more loudly with only two runs surrendered over the other six games. His ERA is almost three runs lower than the next tier of pitchers on the team, and his age might actually increase his ability to rise quickly through the Twins system in 2027. In a season where there was much that didn't go the DSL Twins' way, Hernandez served up some hope for an organization in desperate need of reinforcements. Congratulations to Hernandez and the rest of the international prospect pitchers mentioned here on a strong debut pro season, and best of luck and health to each of them! View full article

The 2026 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season didn't yield a lot of positives, with the club needing a late season surge to even reach a 19-35 record. They were outscored by 113 runs over their 54-game season, but most of that statistic sits on the backs of sub-par pitching. The teenagers experiencing their first taste of professional ball actually raked a .282 average as a team and struck out far less than many of their peers. Power numbers were down comparatively to other clubs, but a few diamonds began to emerge out of the rough season as team average and runs produced ranked towards the top of the league. Of the 20 main international signings for the Twins in 2026, 13 of them were batters. The Twins poured almost $7.5 million dollars into a hopeful pool of international teenage prospects, and most of their highest paid hitting prospects did deliver accordingly and bring some hope up the pipeline into 2027. Here are the top DSL Hitters in terms of 2026 on-field performances according to our Twins Daily writers! Honorable Mention Jhon Gonzalez - 46 games, .299/.364/.437 (.800), 11-2B, 5-3B, 1-HR, 10-SB, 17-BB, 42-K. Juan Holmann - 46 games, .310/.533/.535 (1.069), 7-2B, 0-3B, 3-HR, 14-SB, 31-BB, 31-K. #3: (Tie) 1B/INF Daiyer Barboza & SS Enmanuel Merlo Barboza and Merlo tied amongst the voters, with each delivering positive signs of growth towards the end of the season. The 6' 2", 176 pounds, 17-year-old Barboza signed for only $130,000, and managed to hit above his expectations. The native Venezuelan was mainly utilized at first base, this infield prospect slashed a .272/.487/.412 (.899) line over 45 games and 197 plate appearances, which ranked second on the team. Barboza bats left-handed, and as his average increased over the summer, his power decreased. If the three-homer June can be rediscovered as he grows into his frame, it would be a hopeful development for the young corner infielder. Merlo signed out of Venezuela for a whopping $1.5 million, which was the highest deal handed out by the Twins during that signing cycle. The 6' 2", 190 pounds 17-year-old was courted by the Dodgers but eventually decided to take his talents to Twins Territory when the Dodgers got distracted signing every Major League Free Agent possible. Merlo blew up in August, batting .432 in his final month and stacking some power into his stat line after a slow start to the season. Merlo aims to lock down the shortstop position during his climb up the organizational ladder, and his .311/.422/.429 (.850) season are successful enough to deserve some close looks in 2027 for early promotion. When you invest this much in a teenager, it's always a gamble. The Twins are definitely glad that Merlo finished his season trending in the right direction. #2: Jeferson Abreu (C) The Twins have poured prospect capital into their catching pipeline over the past year, and yet their biggest steal might be the 17-year-old, 5' 10", 165-pound Dominican Abreu. The young right-handed bat signed for only $45,000, but instantly made his presence felt with a .279/.406/.519 (.925) season. Abreu only worked 36 games, but he led the team in home runs with five, while also drilling eight doubles and balancing his walks and strike outs perfectly at 31 apiece. The power is tantalizing, and hopefully Abreu can learn the craft behind the plate as well in order to keep his presence moving up the ladder. #1: Jendy Martinez (2B/SS) Martinez signed for $500,000 and carried a shortstop moniker at first, while playing at second base throughout the season as well. The 17-year-old switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic struggled through his first few months (.214 avg), before ending with a sensational August (.419 avg). He played in 47 games and hit .276/.483/.428 (.911) when it was all said and done. He hit 13 doubles, three triples, and one home run. Most importantly, the young Martinez managed 58 walks while only striking out 18 times! At 5-9 and 165 pounds, he has a long way to grow in order to add power to his arsenal, but the contact skills can't be ignored. Martinez ranked second in runs scored (45), towards the top of the squad in RBI (33), and first in stolen bases (22)! For these all-around reasons and the trajectory of his season the Twins Daily writers are proud to select him as this year's Dominican Summer League Hitter of the Year! As these prospects make the move up the ladder and onto the American minor league ballpark soil in 2027, we can't wait to see how their unique skill sets continue to grow. Congratulations to these players on a successful first pro season! View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (101 pitches, 69 strikes (68%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Taylor Rogers (-0.20), Austin Martin (-0.10), Ober (-0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins only have pride to play for, and as they attempted to avoid another inevitable Yankees sweep at home, they sent the enigmatic Bailey Ober and his 89-MPH fastball to the mound Tueday night. As the writing on the wall begins to grow larger by the day about Ober's future with the team, the Minnesota faithful hoped the Bearded Nightmare could pull off another Maddux-like outing. He couldn't. Max Fried almost did, however. It was an ugly night for the hometown nine. Having Two Changeups Ain't Enough In reality, Ober doesn't have a fastball. He has two changeups, and Cody Bellinger tallywhacked a helpless specimen of the firmer variety in the top of the first inning to stake the Bronx Bombers to a 2-0 lead before most fans had a chance to sit down. Ober managed to maneuver his way around a two-on, one-out jam in the top of second, and the Twins actually made some noise in the bottom of the second against a tough lefty in Fried. Royce Lewis started things off with a single, eventually stole second base, and came around to score on an Emmanuel Rodriguez single up the middle to make it 2-1. That's literally the last hopeful Twins sentence that will be in this recap. Ober surrendered a walk and two singles in the top of the third to immediately give that run back, but he again found his way out of a bases-loaded jam to give a false sense of hope to Twins fans. In fact, that was the last run the starter would allow on the night, but the Yankees battered him enough that he could only last one out into the sixth inning. Then, another round of bullpen implosion took the stage. Tough End to a Great Era When Taylor Rogers rejoined the Twins at the start of the 2026 campaign, we knew that he wasn't the Rogers who fired up the scoreboard with walkout music and mid-90s heaters several years ago. We don't know how many more nights at Target Field Rogers will get, but Tuesday night was a rough one. He entered the sixth inning with one out and empty bases, and by the end of the inning, the score was 7-1 Yankees. Kaelen Culpepper booted a ball that made the last three runs unearned, but the gopher ball to Spencer Jones that put the game on ice wasn't Culpepper's fault. Meanwhile, Fried went seven strong in his playoff ramp-up; Andrew Morris coughed up yet another run in his attempt to right this season's ship; the Twins stranded Kody Clemens after a leadoff triple, with Lewis, Brooks Lee and Victor Caratini failing to manufacture a run; and the Twins fell lifeless down, down, down the AL Central division standings yet again. To everyone who stopped watching in the third inning, congratulations. Luke Keaschall's three hits, Rodriguez's early success left-on-left, and Derek Shelton going apoplectic late in the game when the umps robbed a home run notwithstanding, tonight was a terrible night for Twins baseball. What’s Next? Believe it or not, the Twins can still tie the season series against the Yankees with a win on Wednesday afternoon. They send Zebby Matthews (9-10, 4.98 ERA) out to achieve this normally exciting feat. Carlos Rodón (6-3, 2.94 ERA) looks to achieve his playoff practice run and sweep the Twins back out onto the road. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Nance 24 0 21 22 0 67 Rogers 0 0 22 0 38 60 Morris 0 17 0 11 30 58 Minter 17 16 0 18 0 51 Funderburk 15 22 0 3 0 40 Hoffman 10 16 0 13 0 39 Adams 0 0 36 0 0 36 Gomez 21 0 0 0 10 31 View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (77 pitches, 57 strikes (74%)) Home Runs: Emmanuel Rodriguez (1) Top 3 WPA: A.J. Minter (0.16), Jeff Hoffman (0.12), Rodriguez & Andrew Morris (0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins saw their playoff chances dwindle even further towards zero after suffering a ninth-inning debacle on Friday night to their Central Division foes. The Guardians looked to leap right past the wild card and into the division lead, and they used a series of bullpen openers in hopes of getting the game eventually into the lefty hand of Joey Cantillo. Meanwhile, the Twins continued to rely on rookies to save their season, and they rolled out Connor Prielipp without an opener this time. Would the long-awaited debut of Twins top-prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez spark the Twins to victory? Or would the Cleveland magic of the past month keep on steamrolling through Target Field? For Openers Prielipp and opener Daniel Espino made quick work of the first inning, but Prielipp ran into trouble in the top of the second with a pair of leadoff singles by Jo Adell and Angel Martinez to start the threat. Travis Bazzana cashed in the first run of the game with a single to center that plated Adell, but Rodriguez immediately made his presence felt by gunning out Martinez at third! Rodriguez is Him After Rodriguez cut down the Guardians momentum, the game cruised along until the bottom of the third with one out. That's when Rodriguez got his first crack at new pitcher Franco Aleman. His first crack was a 420 foot one, and suddenly we had an electric Target Field and a tie ballgame! What unfolded next might continue to have ramifications on Sunday, as three straight singles by the Twins put them in front 2-1. Aleman then put a 95 mph fastball off of Kaelen Culpepper's neck, and while the Twins were excited to have the bases loaded with still only one out, Culpepper had to leave the game and payback is inevitable. Victor Caratini also got hit to score the fourth run of the inning and to chase Aleman. To be continued...but the Twins took a 4-1 lead and that's as far as their offense could go today. Cleveland Does What Cleveland Does? Prielipp had his lead, but in the top of the fifth inning it was deja vu all over again, as the pesky Guardians chipped away at the lead. The inning started with a non-retributive hit by pitch to David Fry, and that became runners at second and third with one out on an Austin Hedges double. Brayan Rocchio did his job, and grounded out to second to score one run, and Steven Kwan flipped a single to center to pull the Guardians within one at 4-3. While Cantillo came in and silenced the Twins through his four innings of work, the Twins bullpen was finally up to the challenge themselves. Andrew Morris, Kody Funderburk, and Jeff Hoffman kept the game at a one-run Minnesota advantage, and A.J. Minter found some redemption in the ninth with two strikeouts and his first save as a Twin. With that win the the Twins moved back to 4.5 games back, and claimed the season series against their division rival as well. What’s Next? The Twins look to win yet another "last chance" game in this roller coaster season in their last game against Cleveland for the season. Minnesota has yet to name a starting pitcher, while the Guardians will toss out RHP Tanner Bibee (5-15, 4.22 ERA) in the final game of the series. Tune in to see who wears that retaliation! Tune in for Emma! Or follow along at TwinsDaily while you are watching football. Either way, first pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Funderburk 0 22 0 15 22 59 Minter 23 0 0 17 16 56 Nance 0 24 0 24 0 48 Hoffman 18 0 0 10 16 44 Adams 0 42 0 0 0 42 Gomez 13 0 0 21 0 34 Morris 8 0 0 0 17 25 Rogers 0 16 0 0 0 16 View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Marton, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (80 pitches, 52 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (14) Top 3 WPA: Jeffers (0.25), Jeff Hoffman (0.12), Kody Funderburk & Yeondrys Gomez (0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins hadn't won on a Saturday since July 25th, and they lost the season series and any hopes of the AL Central division to the White Sox on Friday night. They faced a tough left-handed starter in Anthony Kay, and needed a victory to keep any mirage of a chance in the Wild Card race. Taj Bradley was tasked with starting strong and keeping hope alive for one more day. Something had to give on Saturday night in the South Side of Chicago, who would it be? Bradley Bends First The Twins started the game off quietly in order against Kay in the top of the first, but the White Sox were loud in their half of the inning. Bradley gave up a leadoff walk to Sam Antonacci, and two batters later he gave up a fly ball to Munetaka Murakami that would have been an out in 25 ballparks across the league. Unfortunately at Rate Field, it scraped the back of the left field wall to put the Twins in a 2-0 hole for his 30th homer of the year. That might have been bad luck on a good pitch, but two batters later Bradley grooved an 0-2 cutter down the middle, and Colson Montgomery launched his 31st homer of the year. Just like that, the Twins were facing an uphill battle yet again. Kay Breaks Eventually The Twins failed to log a hit in the first three innings, but the newly minted number two hitter Kaelen Culpepper took care of that to lead off the fourth with a single. Ryan Jeffers went down looking, but Josh Bell went down and roped a double to the gap in left to put runners on second and third with one out. After failing yet again Friday night with runners in scoring position, the White Sox probably felt like they had the Twins right where they wanted them. Royce Lewis didn't get a hit, but he refused to swing outside the zone, and he took his walk, moving the responsibility/opportunity down the line. Kody Clemens delivered the first Twins run of the game with a fielder's choice grounder and some good hustle. Brooks Lee batted right-handed, and stayed on a low fastball with two strikes to golf a double down the left field line. Bell came home to make it a 3-2 game, but that's where the rally ended. Until the top of the fifth, that is. That's when Ryan Kreidler took one (barely) for the team off of his elbow guard, and Luke Keaschall laced a single to right. Culpepper exchanged places by getting Kreidler tagged out on a grounder to third. Miguel Vargas cried foul (and in pain) as he smacked Kreidler's helmet in a throw attempt to first. After a short delay, Ryan Jeffers almost dented a human in the left field bleachers. 5-3 Minnesota! Bell laced another single up the middle, and that chased Kay as the White Sox continue to operate their games as if they are actually still in a playoff race. Kay's night was over in the fifth, and the stingy Chicago bullpen took over. Bradley Gives Little, Then a Little After Montgomery's blast in the first, Bradley more than settled down. He put the White Sox on lockdown, retiring the next 10 batters that he faced. Now staked to a two-run lead, Taj immediately lost that streak when Chase Meidroth accelerated a 98-mph fastball back up the middle for a leadoff single. Bradley got the next two men, but Meidroth snuck his way to second base on a spiked offspeed pitch. Antonacci walked, and suddenly Vargas was up as the go-ahead run in a story that Twins fans had watched too many times to be funny anymore. Vargas delivered, but luckily for Bradley and the Twins it was only a run-scoring single. Taj struck out the dangerous Murakami on a heater, and the Twins escaped the fifth inning still ahead at 5-4. Apparently the Twins are acting like they are in a playoff race too, as Derek Shelton pulled Bradley after only 80 pitches after five innings. Taj got burned early, held the line in the middle, and escaped late but left in line for the win if the Twins bullpen could keep the Chicago bats silent. The Bullpen Battle Winner Is...? Kody Funderburk held the line in the bottom of the sixth thanks to some slick catches from Keaschall in right. Then Culpepper added some insurance in the next inning. After missing a booming home run off of an off-speed pitch by mere feet on the wrong side of the left field foul pole, Kaelen stayed with a 96 mph fastball and deposited it down the right field line for a 6-4 Twins lead. Jeff Hoffman got the next four outs. A.J. Minter struck out the dangerous Murakami but surrendered a two-out double to Randal Grichuk to put the tying run, named Montgomery Colson, in the batter's box in the bottom of the eighth. The Twins added Minter at the trade deadline to get quality left-handed batters out in close games, and 95-mph of high cheese later, that is what he did. The game migrated into the ninth inning with the Twins still nursing a 6-4 advantage. The Twins couldn't push across any more insurance, so it was up to Yoendrys Gomez to lock down the ninth and to win back what was lost yesterday in the playoff race. Lewis dug out a Lee throw for out number one, Gomez swept away Meidroth on three pitches, and Lewis let the third out peacefully fall down into his glove for a well-earned victory. What’s Next? The Twins look to take their first series on the road since July 5 at Yankee Stadium. Twins righty Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.37 ERA) looks to deliver his second quality start against the South Siders in a week, after taking a no-decision last Saturday on one run over five frames. The White Sox have yet to name their starter for the last game of the season series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:20pm CDT, and will require a Peacock/NBCSN to watch from the comforts of your devices. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Acton 39 0 0 18 0 57 Funderburk 0 29 0 0 11 40 Minter 0 17 0 0 18 35 Nance 0 33 0 0 0 33 Hoffman 0 12 0 0 17 29 Morris 29 0 0 0 0 29 Rogers 0 7 0 19 0 26 Gomez 0 15 0 0 7 22 Adams 9 3 0 0 0 12 View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (90 pitches, 58 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Josh Bell (17) Top 3 WPA: Bell (0.17), Matthews (0.15), A.J. Minter (0.12) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) An 11-game and seven-year winless drought against the Braves was broken Monday night, and Zebby Matthews hoped to shock the world again by pitching the Twins to a series win on Tuesday night. The foe was ex-Twin Tyler Mahle, who has been taking care of business for his new team in two starts since the trade deadline. If you had "pitchers duel" on your bingo card, you were the only one—and you went home happy. The question remained, though: would Twins fans go home happy yet again? Starting Well Again For a solid week, the Twins seemed to repeatedly surrender first-inning runs in heart-wrenching fashion. The past two games saw the Twins jumping on the board early, with mixed eventual results. Tonight's game saw Matthews cruise through the top of the first, and Mahle initially looked poised to do the same—that is, until Ryan Jeffers reached second base on some outfielder pinball with two outs, and Josh Bell decided to send an 87.4-MPH splitter back at 110 MPH (with a 30° launch angle). Just like that, it was 2-0 Twins. Good Pitching Defeats Good Hitting... Every Time The second through sixth innings featured both pitches commanding the zone and fielders making the plays in front of them. Mahle needed 26 pitches to escape the first inning, but he only needed 41 pitches to mow through the next five, without surrendering another run. The Twins' early starts and mid-game fizzle were on full display yet again. Matthews matched Mahle in results at twice the effort, as he reached the 90-pitch mark in the sixth after serving up Drake Baldwin's 21st homer of the year. With only a one-run lead, Matthews stayed in and got into more trouble with runners at first and second with two outs. Derek Shelton brought in the emergency relief, and Kody Funderburk came through to keep the game 2-1 in favor of the home team. Can the Twins Really Win a Game Like This, After a Week Like That? Andrew Morris wore Sunday's Phillies loss, but he took the Braves out in order in the seventh. A.J. Minter faced the dangerous Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Matt Olson trio in the eighth, but they all went back to the dugout disgruntled. Meanwhile, the Twins' bats had been dormant since the first, but Kaelen Culpepper ain't scared of relievers. He singled to start the bottom of the eighth. Luke Keaschall failed to advance him, but Shelton pinch-hit Byron Buxton for Trevor Larnach, which caused Walt Weiss to bring in the righty Didier Fuentes. Buxton singled on the first pitch he saw, and it took Ryan Jeffers only two pitches to make it a 4-1 Twins lead with a ringing double. With the game still a save situation, Yoendrys Gómez came in to shut the door. Michael Harris II instead slammed a leadoff double to put the anxiety back into the room. Harris never got past third base, however, and the unthinkable became reality at Target Field. Series victory in the books. It's time to see if Philly left any brooms in the building. What’s Next? The Twins look to sweep the Braves. I never thought I would get to type that, but here we are. Twins righty Taj Bradley (9-5, 3.98 ERA) looks to avenge his Field of Broken Dreams start, while the Braves will send recent call-up RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 4.15 ERA) out to attempt to salvage a game. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Morris 0 23 28 0 13 64 Hoffman 0 17 0 20 0 37 Gomez 0 0 0 19 16 35 Minter 0 12 14 0 6 32 Rogers 0 0 16 11 0 27 Funderburk 0 16 4 0 4 24 Adams 0 0 0 18 0 18 Nance 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 5.0 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (94 pitches, 58 strikes (62%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Prielipp (-0.26), Brooks Lee (-0.28), Six Twins batters were between (-0.03 and -0.05) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins had a full Friday off to contemplate what went wrong in Dyersville, and Saturday night was their chance to prove that they indeed belonged in playoff contention against a quality opponent on their actual home turf. Connor Prielipp looked to take some of the corn sweat steam off of the Phillies lefty bats, while fellow lefty Jesus Luzardo and his 1.14 WHIP hasn't had to sweat much this season and looked to continue that trend against Minnesota's full-righty lineup. Location, Location, Location The Twins starters have been surrendering two runs in the first inning for what seems like a month, but Prielipp put an end to that with a 1-2-3 top of the first. Austin Martin started off the bottom of the first with a ringing double to the wall in left, but Luzardo decided to stop providing center-cut fastballs and struck out Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers, and Royce Lewis in order. The Phillies quickly put Prielipp on the ropes in the top of the second. Twins immortality Luiz Arraez kept on raking for his latest team, lacing a single on a hanging slider. Alec Bohm drove a sinker that didn't sink for a double, and Edmundo Sosa drew a four pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. Even though Prielipp was home, his location was less than desirable for a Twins squad desperate to stay in the thick of the race. Ultimately, Connor was able to dial in and only allow one run on a sacrifice fly, keeping his team in the game early. Again in the bottom of the second, the Twins got a double. This time it came with one out, and Luke Keaschall was the man standing in prime scoring location at second base. There he stayed, as this time it was Brooks Lee and Ryan Kreidler who struck out thanks to Luzardo's superior sweeper location. Greedy Baserunning Leaves Both Teams Unsatisfied Bryce Harper tried to stretch a single into a double in the top of the third, and Martin gunned him down for the third out. In the top of the fourth, Bohm tried to race to third on a grounder to Kaelen Culpepper at short, and Culpeper gunned him down at third to erase a scoring threat. Then in the bottom of the fourth Keaschall found himself at first base this time, and he tried to make it all the way home on a slow gapper from Lee. Keaschall celebrated being called safe, Don Mattingly and the Phillies had the last laugh as the replay showed a bang-bang out instead. The game headed to the fifth inning with the Phillies still nursing a 1-0 lead. It All Falls Apart The momentum seemed to be in the Phillies favor heading into the top of the fifth, but it actually started off well for Prielipp, with a leadoff single looking like it was going to get stranded at first after Connor retired the next two batters. Then there were three straight walks, the last netting Arraez an RBI to make it 2-0. Then two straight singles made it 5-0. Then Prielipp hung a center-cut slider to Bryson Stott, and Stott dented the right field foul pole to make it 8-0. Seven runs with two outs. With the Twins facing an All-Star, it was time to move towards the exits in the fifth. Any Reason to Keep Paying Attention? Not really. Culpepper laced a double in the bottom of the fifth and got stranded. Jeffers hit a double in the bottom of the sixth and didn't get stranded! Lewis hit the toppiest top of the left field wall and the ball bounced back for the Twins' fifth double of the night. When Lewis got stranded at second with nobody out, it marked the last attempt with a runner in scoring position for the Twins, and 1-for-11 night in that situation at that point (eventually they went 1-for-13 with seven of those being via strikeout). Justin Morneau said during the telecast that hitting with runners in scoring position is a different animal and everything changes in those moments. Well those moments are a large animal, that is currently devouring the Twins' season. The team's power outage in August stands in stark contrast to the homerun barrage taking place in St. Paul this month. Will management make a move to bring new blood up into those moments, or just keep hoping that regression can regress both ways in the same season? The Twins bullpen looked solid yet again, a continual bright spot in an otherwise dismal August. Twins fans can only wonder what might have been if Derek Shelton had been ready to go to them a few batters earlier. Like maybe as your starter is actively walking three batters in a row in the fifth with the game still tight? Also, the usage of Minter and Hoffman in a blowout might snipe the club on Sunday should the game remain close. The oddity of the Field of Dreams game and off-day did leave them on the verge of too much rest, but now their availability in a winnable game Sunday is in question. Rogers, Nance, and even Adams were there and ready to be cannon fodder in this blowout. Time will tell if these systemic and managerial non-moves impact past Saturday's defeat. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage something from this unique and so far lopsided series on Sunday afternoon. The hottest and newest Twins starter, Dean Kremer (2-4, 5.25 ERA, but 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.58 WHIP across his two Twins outings) will take the hill to make a stand against the Philadelphia bullies. The Phillies' weakest link in the rotation, RHP Andrew Painter (2-8, 6.27 ERA) will look to bring the brooms to Target Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Adams 0 0 42 0 0 42 Hoffman 0 24 0 0 17 41 Morris 0 18 0 0 23 41 Funderburk 22 0 0 0 16 38 Nance 18 0 16 0 0 34 Rogers 18 0 10 0 0 28 Minter 0 9 0 0 12 21 Gomez 0 11 0 0 0 11 View full article

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