Steven Trefz

The Minnesota Twins face the Baltimore Orioles this weekend with desperation in the clubhouse and the fanbase. The smoke from the Canadian wildfires threatens the series, but the Twins' performance on the field threatens the season. The Orioles haven't been lighting the league on fire lately, either. Can the Twins ride into the Charm City and recapture the AL Central lead over the weekend? Image courtesy of Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Like Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, I don't have words for the last stretch of Twins baseball. That makes it challenging to write an article, but I'll do it anyway so that everyone can vent or cheer as relevant. The Twins will enter Friday night's game in first place thanks to a Guardians team broiled in its own struggles and emotional drama. For the Twins, last week was as low as they've been all season, leading to a closed-door, players-only meeting. I will allow you to comment on what good a players-only meeting does. Here are Baldelli's thoughts on the week thus far: We love baseball because the season is only half over after Friday night, and the glass can still be half full! The Twins have had second-half turnarounds before, and there isn't a way to prove it can't happen again. Could this be the moment that wakes the team or seals their fate? The 48-31 Baltimore Orioles will have something to say about that answer as the Twins enter Camden Yards. Familiar faces abound on the Orioles roster (Thanks to Seth Stohs @sethtweets for his Twins Almanac skills): RP Yennier Cano, SP Kyle Gibson, SP Tyler Wells, RP Danny Coulombe, and CF Aaron Hicks. Hicks in particular has regained his dynamic form since being released from the beard-care rules of the Yankees organization. Gibson leads a rotation in the way that the Twins always hoped he would. Cano and Coulombe would look nice in our bullpen right now. And I didn't even remember Wells, but now I'm sad about it. Not to mention Minnesota area connections with Terrin Vavra (Currently on the IL, but son of coach Joe Vavra and a former Gopher has played 2B, 3B, LF and RF this year), RP Mike Baumann (From Mahtomedi), and backup catcher Anthony Bemboom (from Sauk Rapids). The Orioles are led offensively by their outfielders, Austin Hays, Hicks, Anthony Santander, and Cedric Mullins, who are all posting an OPS over .800 with the O's this year. Catcher Adley Rutschman is living up the hype of a first pick, and managing the pitching staff well. Weather Factor: Smoky! Hot, with temps in the high 80's to low 90's. Visibility and air quality could be huge issues for the teams and the fans. Rain enters the forecast for Sunday's game but would only delay at best. Pitching Probables Game 1 – Monday, June 26th, 2023 – 6:05 pm CDT – Twins RHP Pablo Lopez (3-5, 4.41 ERA) has experienced the brunt of the Twins offensive woes. The reality, unfortunately, is that Lopez is also doing exactly what he's done over the past few seasons. He's been a sub-.500 pitcher with an ERA of 4.01 over 110 games. Bad luck has been discussed, and advanced stats paint a prettier picture than the reality: Lopez isn't a game-changing arm. The Twins will need at least five runs to win this game, and they've only accomplished that three times in their last 15 games. Seriously. The Orioles send RHP Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.50 ERA) to the mound to face Lopez, and Kremer is trending in the opposite direction as the season progresses. Unlike Lopez, Kremer's ERA is sinking over his last seven starts, and he's winning games. Kremer's OPS allowed is higher, and he is giving up harder contact, but it's not leading to ballooned innings, and his offense scores runs. Statcast all you want, Kremer has been a superior pitcher this season for his team, and he's licking his chops to face the Twins lineup. Expect a heavy left-handed lineup for the Twins on Friday night. I don't see the drama of the past week changing the company line against right or left-handed starters and relievers any time soon. That strategy will go down with the ship. Game 2 – Saturday, July 1st, 2023 – 3:05 pm CDT - Twins RHP Bailey Ober (4-4, 2.97 ERA) takes the mid-afternoon stage against Orioles RHP Kyle Bradish (4-3, 3.75 ERA). The two pitchers look like clones with similar innings, strikeouts, and WHIP on paper. This looks like the rubber match that will determine the series on paper. The fallout from Friday night's game lingers into this game and will play a role in the potential for victory. Game 3 - Sunday, July 2nd, 2023 – 11:05 am CDT - This is the game in the series that the Twins need to win. Arguments can be made that taking one out of three in this series is just fine. But getting swept could be catastrophic. The Twins send RHP Sonny Gray (4-2, 2.67 ERA) out to bring home the victory. Win the series, and he's one of the main reasons the Twins still have hopes of claiming the division. Lose this game, and it might be one of Gray's last games to pitch with the squad as the trade deadline looms. Orioles LHP Cole Irvin (1-3, 7.18 ERA) attempts to play the role of spoiler on Sunday. As a left-handed pitcher, we can automatically toss his statistics against other teams. Prediction Time! The wheels are falling off the Twins bandwagon. Will any be left for the team to return to Target Field before the All-Star Break? Will MLB postpone the games, or will the players play in an empty stadium? Will the haze lift to find the Twins have emerged stronger and more together, having walked through the fire together, or has the window closed and the oxygen run out on the current roster and staff? Leave your thoughts in the comments. View full article

Good catch! That was Sean Murphy on the third homer of the inning. I mixed that up through my tears I believe.... :(

Joe Ryan entered this contest having just tossed the best complete game by a Twins starting pitcher in nearly a decade. He didn't make it to the fourth inning. The Braves are who we thought they were, and the Twins creeped under the .500 mark yet again. Here's how it all went down. Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Joe Ryan: 3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K ( 82 pitches, 57 for strikes, 82 %) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-.400), Carlos Correa (-.132), Max Kepler (-.115) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Joe Ryan came into tonight's game off of a complete game shutout versus the Tigers and 14 shutout innings overall. The Twins started off the top of the first inning with some base running and putting the ball in play. Byron Buxton ultimately collected the game's first RBI with a chopper to short, plating Carlos Correa for a 1-0 lead. Mathematically, Twins fans hoped that was all the offense needed tonight. The Braves quickly erased that thought on the first pitch. Ronald Acuna Jr. continued his red-hot tear towards an MVP award by taking Ryan's opening fastball deep for a game-tying lead-off home run. Then Ozzie Albies tripled deep to right, and Austin Riley hit a two-run home run. Just for good measure, Sean Murphy hit a home run. Four fastballs, four runs, and 4-1 Braves after the first inning. The Twins Threaten in the Second, but the Braves Deliver In the top of the second, Joey Gallo went opposite field for a single, and thanks to some keystone cops throwing action started by Eddie Rosario, Gallo ended up at third base. He might have attempted to score, but with only one out, there wasn't a need to run themselves out of the threat. Except for the fact that this is the Twins' offense, Christian Vazquez promptly struck out on a few sinkers out of the zone, and Michael A. Taylor hit a weak pop-up to leave a still-exhausted Gallo standing on third base. The Braves, however, found that they continued to enjoy Mr. Ryan's offerings on the evening. He tried breaking balls and change-ups this time, but the result was the same. Michael Harris II...gone. Ronald Acuna Jr...gone again. 6-1 Braves. The Twins Need Someone to Step Up and Be Drano The Twins clogged the bases in each of the first four innings. Bryce Elder issued four walks and handled several three-ball counts, while the Braves defense committed four errors in the opening frames. And yet, the Twins only managed to plate two runs. The strikeout continued to doom their offense, while, as Nick Nelson pointed out, their approach at the plate kept leaving the advantage to the pitcher. The sixth and seventh innings involved offensive action again for the Twins, but double plays by Christian Vazquez and Correa unclogged the bases the wrong way, and the score remained 6-2 as the game headed into the eighth inning. The Braves Appear to Be a Far Superior Team On the other hand, the Braves appear to have no holes in the lineup. Errors existed aplenty, but so did run-saving web gems for the Atlanta defense. The Braves bullpen scattered four hits and a walk over the final three frames. They currently are a well-oiled machine, and the Twins got steamrolled by it again. A fan who didn't watch either of the first two games might think that the Twins aren't that far away from the Braves, but these games weren't close. The players' mannerisms starkly contrasted, with the Braves appearing every bit the Alpha dog in the fight. Could the Twins steal a day game Wednesday? Perhaps, but this series exposes the gap between the elite and the division leaders with sub-.500 records. What’s Next Kenta Maeda (1-4, 6.86 ERA) looks to build off his last start, where he went five innings without giving up a run against the Tigers. As of 9pm CDT Tuesday, the Braves still need to reveal their starting pitcher plan for the series finale. The Twins "on the road" week marches on, .and the Twins are still searching for any redemptive reason for making the trip to Atlanta. First pitch is an early one, scheduled for 11:20pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON MON TOT Headrick 0 0 0 6 0 35 41 Pagán 0 0 30 0 8 0 38 Durán 0 19 0 15 0 0 34 Ortega 0 0 0 0 0 32 32 Jax 0 12 0 17 0 0 29 Balazovic 0 0 6 18 0 0 24 Winder 0 0 0 0 19 0 19 Morán 0 16 0 0 0 0 16 View full article

The Twins lulled their fans to sleep throughout most of today's game, but those who stayed awake until the end were rewarded to a throwback comeback with steals and singles and heart-pumping base running galore! Here's how the series victory went down. Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (89 pitches, 55 for strikes, 62%) Home Runs: Donovan Solano (3) Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (.505), Willi Castro (.348), Donovan Solano (.239) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Twins won't see another team with a losing record for a week, so today's match-up against the Tigers provided a much-needed opportunity to get back above the .500 mark. The impending monsoon headed towards the Detroit metro area caused the game to be moved up 90 minutes, adding to the sense of flux that started when Byron Buxton's back acted up and Jose DeLeon's arm fell apart Saturday night. That flux continued throughout the game, creating a roller coaster of mid-day emotions ranging from unexpected highs to all-too-familiar lows. Ultimately the roller coaster stopped at a Twins victory, and that's all that matters. The Third Inning's the Charm for Runs After failing to advance a couple of singles in the first two innings, the Twins finally made some noise in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez delivered a doink single to right to start the inning. He then tagged and advanced to second on a deep fly, surprising pretty much everyone on and off the field. Vasquez felt the spirit a movin', and he advanced to third on another fly ball with an impressive slide and a whole lot of luck. The reward for his base running efforts? He got to trot home because Donovan Solano crushed a two-run homerun to left to put the Twins up 2-0. Unfortunately for Ober and the Twins, the Tigers check raised in the bottom half of the third inning. They went single, double, double, single and just like that the lead was gone. Ober struck out Javier Baez to end the threat, but not before the Tigers were operating with a 3-2 advantage. This would be the only damage that the Tigers offense could cause today, and Ober navigated six innings for yet another quality start. The Twins' Offense is Still Offensive The Twins looked to even the game back up in the top of the fifth, when Edouard Julien got a double and Solano followed that up with a single to put runners at the corners with only one out. Carlos Correa stepped up to the plate looking to be the hero, but he ended up grounding out into his second double-play of the day. Twins Daily's "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know that's a promise we make good on. The Twins continue to strike out at an alarming rate against pitchers who aren't necessarily known for racking them up. Outside of Vazquez, no Twins runners were able to steal or advance beyond their station. Singles led to threats, and threats led to disappointments. The Tigers Defense is Also Offensive In the top of the eighth inning, the Twins tried desperately to fail to deliver yet again with runners in scoring position. Royce Lewis walked with two outs, which led Rocco Baldelli to pull the ol' rope-a-dope by pinch-hitting Max Kepler for Kyle Farmer and then pulling him immediately after a lefty was brought in to face Kepler. Ryan Jeffers then came out to be the new "Kepler/Farmer" and immediately laced a single to left to keep the inning going. Runners at first and second, two out, and Willi Castro strode to the plate with a chance to be the hero against his former team. Instead, he ground out lazily to third base. Luckily, Nick Maton also felt like being lazy, and he threw the ball toward the stands instead of the first baseman, and Lewis came all the way around to score the tying run. This led to even more drama, as Byron Buxton came off the bench with the chance to have a Kirk Gibson moment. Instead, he hit a ground ball to Baez, and Baez chose to throw it to the first baseman instead of the stands, and the Twins had to settle for a tie at 3-3. To the Ninth We Go Tigers closer Alex Lange came in to face the bottom of the Twins lineup, and Vasquez and Michael A. Taylor quickly found their way back to the dugout. With two outs, Julien and Solano both walked, setting the stage for Correa yet again. With the double-play taken out of play (with two outs already recorded), could Correa deliver in the clutch? Correa absolutely crushed the ball to left-center, but Vierling was there to record the out to end yet another Twins threat. The Twins countered with Griffin Jax and his magical sweeper show in the bottom of the ninth. Jax swept away Maton and Andy Ibanez quickly on a strike out and ground out, and he skipped off the mound thinking he swept away Matt Vierling only to get called back when the pitch was called a ball. Vierling eventually walked, but Jake Rogers weakly grounded out to send the game into extra innings. Bonus Baseball With the first nine innings being quite uneventful, it was only fitting that the Twins and Tigers tried to give the fans some extra chances for excitement. Correa started as the ghost runner in the tenth, as the Twins faced RHP Brendan White and his nearly two K's per inning. Lewis aimed a ground ball in the hole at short, and the ball glanced off of Maton's glove into right field. Correa glided into third base only to notice that in a horrendous decision, Tommy Watkins was wheeling him home. Correa went from first to fourth gear, and was about to be tagged out when Rogers dropped the throw and the Twins took the lead at 4-3. With blood in the water, the piranhas were back in action. Jeffers laid down a bunt, advancing Lewis to third base. Castro stepped up and missed on a safety squeeze play, only to lace a single to right to stretch the score to 5-3. The exciting base running continued as Castro swiped second on a close play. After an Alex Kirilloff flyout, the now first-baseman Vazquez came through with one last single to plate Castro and extend the lead to 6-3. Jhoan Duran took that three-run lead and proved that gas can actually keep potential fires away. The Tigers' ghost runner didn't even score, and the Twins escaped Detroit with a winning record. What’s Next Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.56 ERA) continues to search for that elusive fifth win Monday night in Atlanta, and he will face off against elite Braves RHP Spencer Strider (8-2, 3.93 ERA). The Twins "on the road" week marches on, and Gray is going to need to cover some innings with the Twins bullpen getting taxed in the last two days. First pitch is scheduled for 6:20pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Durán 32 0 19 0 15 66 Stewart 15 0 28 0 14 57 Jax 8 0 12 0 17 37 Morán 17 0 16 0 0 33 Pagán 0 0 0 30 0 30 Balazovic 0 0 0 6 18 24 Headrick 0 0 0 0 6 6 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins faced the Tigers last weekend with the hopes of expanding their lead in the AL Central, and asserting their dominance. Instead, the Twins were the ones heading home with their collective tail between their legs. Hope has just started creeping in again... can it be trusted this time in the rematch? Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Not much has happened in the last week for the Twins and Tigers, other than everything. The Twins' self-destruction against Detroit last weekend bled into the Red Sox series, and led to the infamous post-game "we will get better" speech by their skipper. Twins Territory collectively yearned for a different era, and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of their summer hours. Then the Twins got better, and managed a split with Boston and found their way back to the .500 mark. Byron Buxton mashed over 900 feet of home runs Thursday, and the Twins engaged in two-out hitting and actual emotion on the field. The Tigers took two of three from the Royals this week, and leapfrogged the White Sox in the standings. They continued their mix of red-hot hitting and getting shut out. The reality is that a sweep by the Tigers puts them right at the top of the abysmal AL Central again, and sends the Twins into murky territory ahead of the trade deadline. Be prepared for the usual broadcasting statements of "Cabrera still has it," "don't throw Baez a pitch in the zone," and "the Tigers are fighters." Interesting Fact: Kenta Maeda hasn't pitched for the Twins since the end of April when he surrendered 10 runs to the Yankees in only three innings of work. In his four starts this season, he's pitched a total of 16 innings. This factor becomes more interesting as we contemplate the weather factor. Weather Factor: Rain looks to play a role in Friday's game and into Saturday morning. We might have an extra day to wait for Maeda's return to the season. Double-header for the weekend perhaps? Would that help or hinder the Twins' chances in the series? (Update 6/23…threat of rain downgraded for Friday…upgraded for Sunday) Pitching Probables Game 1 – Friday, June 23, 2023 – 5:40pm CDT – Maeda (0-4, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his return, against Tigers LHP Joey Wentz (1-7, 6.82 ERA). Wentz was the hard-luck loser of the only game the Twins could muster against the Tigers last weekend, after going six innings and giving up only two hits and two runs. Game 2 - Saturday, June 24, 2023 - 6:15pm CDT - Twins RHP Pablo Lopez (3-4, 4.40 ERA) takes the mound in hopes of re-establishing both the strike zone and his ability to avoid the crooked number innings. Tigers RHP Reese Olson (0-2, 5.59 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season after taking a no-decision against Kansas City. Game 3 - Sunday, June 25, 2023 - 12:40pm CDT - RHP Bailey Ober (4-4, 2.83 ERA) gets the call for Sunday's finale, and he has continued his trend of five to six innings of work all season long. He hasn't made it seven innings since the beginning of May, and the Twins hope he can regain that side of longevity again as they go directly to Baltimore without an off day until Thursday. For the Tigers, RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-4, 4.00 ERA) will start his first game against the Twins this season. Lorenzen has been either lights out or batting practice so far in 2023, with five games of surrendering five runs or more, and seven games of surrendering two runs or less. Prediction Time! What's your prediction for this series? Can the Twins maintain their lead in the AL Central throughout this series? Who do you see being the biggest impact player in the series? Let us know in the comments! Go, Twins! AL Central Standings (through June 22) Minnesota 38-38 Cleveland 36-38 1.0 GB Detroit 32-41 4.5 GB Chicago 32-44 6.0 GB KC 21-54 16.5 GB View full article

The Twins needed a win against the red-hot Red Sox tonight to get back to the .500 mark and stay in first place. What they got instead were plenty of reminders as to how they got below the .500 mark again in the first place. Here are the main storylines from tonight's game. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K ( 95 pitches, 63 strikes (66%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (11), Royce Lewis (4), Max Kepler (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Edouard Julien (-0.130), Max Kepler (-0.113), Brent Headrick (-0.092) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins began the night with a losing record again, still nursing a two-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. The last time this happened, the Twins were able to win four of their next five against Toronto and Milwaukee to create some separation, only to come crashing back to earth against the Tigers and Red Sox. Many storylines surrounded the game tonight, and most of them contained some element of desperation and exasperation. Storyline #1 - Twins Starting Pitching Had a Rough Week After carrying the team for the bulk of the season, the Twins starting staff had taken their lumps this past week, with only Bailey Ober and the bullpen game bringing home victories. As the Twins sent down Louie Varland in anticipation of Kenta Maeda's return this week, stalwarts Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, and Pablo Lopez all got rocked and caused the bullpen to overexert themselves last week. Luckily, Ober was the man on the mound tonight, and he started the game on cruise control blanking the Red Sox through the first three innings with four strike outs. Then Adam Duvall happened in the top of the fourth, and he crushed a home run to dead center to put the Red Sox ahead 1-0. Then one out later, Christian Arroyo homered to left to make the score 2-0. After a redemptive fifth inning, Ober came back out for the sixth. The Red Sox did more of what the Red Sox have done lately, they hit the ball all over the place with two outs. Three singles equals one more run, and it was now 3-0. Ober's night ended, and when your teammates can't score a run to save their lives, giving up three runs usually is going to end in a loss. Storyline #2 - Byron Buxton Riding an 0-for-24 Streak Skipper Rocco Baldelli grows more and more impatient with the question, but its going to keep getting asked. When will Buxton be roaming the outfield again? The life of a DH that can't hit the ball isn't a sustainable one, especially for someone tabbed as the superstar of the organization. Buxton clearly is struggling in the role, and the pressure from all sides continues to build. In his first plate appearance of the evening, some of that pressure got released...albeit for a single. But the smile on Buxton's face said it all. It felt like a step towards something not quite so miserable. Buxton popped up to start the fourth inning. He walked in the sixth, and didn't try to steal yet again, eventually being stranded at first base while watching Joey Gallo strike out again. Still, Buxton on base is better than Buxton non-on-base. More on Buxton later... Storyline #3 - The Rest of the Twins Offense Feels Like They are Riding an 0-for-2023 The Twins found a way to string together a couple of singles in the second and in the third off of Kutter Crawford. Max Kepler took care of the first threat with a five foot dribbler towards the pitcher that the Red Sox turned into a slick double play. Alex Kirilloff, sitting in the third spot in the lineup between Carlos Correa and Buxton, grounded out weakly to the shortstop to end the threat in the third. With the Twins sonly down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Ryan Jeffers led off with a double. Willi Castro advanced him to third on a groundout, and here was a moment for the Twins to deliver a run to close the gap and to stay in the game. Edouard Julien struck out. Correa struck out. Sigh. Crawford thanked the Twins for helping his stat line immensely, and left the game as the eventual winner after five scoreless innings. I would like to add some more information from the sixth and seventh innings but nothing of consequence happened for the Twins besides weak contact and more strike outs. Storyline #4 - The Twins Bullpen Has Started a Bad Habit of Turning a Close Game Into a Laugher If you watched Monday nights game, tonight's seventh inning didn't surprise you. Brent Headrick came in to keep the game close, and instead he helped Boston become so confident in their winning probability that they put in Corey Kluber to finish the game. Five hits, one walk, and five runs later the Twins were down 8-0, and Twins Daily co-writers were sending me condolence texts. Oliver Ortega made his Twins debut in the eighth inning, and Masataka Yoshida hit a 447 foot homerun to the upper deck in left center, 108.8 mph, launch angle 24 degrees, to make Boston's win probability 100 percent in the eighth. The Twins still had two full innings of at bats left in the game, and mlb.com was already calling it! Good grief! Target Field tried to boo, but they just didn't care anymore really, and it didn't last as long as the wave in the sixth. (Truth in journalism act - I was sitting in my basement, but just assume the Red Sox fans were able to get a wave going in the sixth, because they can do anything they want to us right now.) Storyline #5 - Unwatchable Baseball and No Repercussions Twins fans know that a plan is in place, the same lineup will get trotted out tomorrow, and baseball is a long season with many ups and downs. At least that's the narrative that keeps on coming through the airwaves and interviews. Tonight was the first night that I remember Dick Bremer and Justin Morneau not even buying the narrative during the broadcast. They are tired of filling time like the booth had to do in the early 2010's, and so are those who are being asked to pay for tickets. Which game will be the game that stops the narrative, and changes the tide? Will that game be in 2023? Most of us will keep watching this series either way, because we love the Minnesota Twins and we love baseball. This brand of baseball is becoming almost impossible to follow. Storyline #6 - Neverending Hope and Why We Keep Watching I know it was Kluber pitching in a mercy rule type of role, but Buxton hit a home run to the upper deck in the eighth inning and it was awesome. The scoreboard showed 10-2, but watching Buxton trot around the bases felt like the correct end to a vibe that had grown throughout the game for him. In the bottom of the ninth, with mlb.com sticking strongly to its 100 percent winning probability prediction, Royce Lewis and Kepler started off the inning with back-to-back jacks. The score was 10-4, and those Red Sox runs in the seventh and Baldelli's decision to ride it out with Headrick for the entire inning began to sting again. Is the offense waking up? Or was that a mirage in the midst of the desert called "Twins baseball in June?" Baldelli promised in his post-game interview that "hope isn't a good plan in professional sports," but "it's going to get better" for the Twins. Here's to hoping that he's right. What’s Next? The first place Minnesota Twins will try to claw their way back towards .500 by sending RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.37 ERA) back out on the mound in his first start post-Baldelli meltdown. The Red Sox counter with RHP Garrett Whitlock (4-2, 4.38 ERA) and his 1.23 WHIP in seven appearances. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet (I refuse to do the work of adding Willi Castro to the chart, but he allowed zero runs on nine pitches.) FRI SAT SUN MON MON TOT Headrick 0 35 0 0 41 76 De León 0 24 0 25 0 49 Balazovic 0 0 40 0 0 40 Pagán 0 21 0 17 0 38 Morán 0 0 11 13 0 24 Jax 0 8 0 10 0 18 Ortega 0 0 0 0 16 16 Durán 0 15 0 0 0 15 Stewart 0 5 0 0 0 5 Steve Trefz, I write about the Twins because I love the Twins...even this year. Follow Steve Trefz on Twitter: @TwinsTrefz View full article

The Twins entered Sunday's matchup with the Tigers looking to salvage a series split. No ties this Father's Day, however, as the Tigers continued to frustrate Twins batters and mash Twins pitchers. Here's how it all went down. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Louie Varland: IP, H, ER, BB, K (99 Pitches, 67 Strikes, 67.7%) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Varland (-0.272), Joey Gallo (-0.168), Byron Buxton (-0.097) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Baez Continues to Rake Louie Varland started his outing by getting two quick outs. A Kerry Carpenter single broke up the no-hitter, and Javier Baez broke up the chance the Twins had at winning the game. On a 1-2 count, Christian Vasquez asked for a pitch two feet north of the strike zone, and Varland laid it right at the top of the zone, and Baez crushed it to right. Max Kepler misplayed the carom off of the wall, and Carpenter scored with Baez cruising into third base for a triple to make it 1-0 Tigers, The Twins fought back breifly in the bottom of the second inning, when Kyle Farmer and Vasquez unleashed a pair of doubles to knot the score at 1-1. Michael A. Taylor and Edouard Julien flailed away the scoring opportunity from there, and Vasquez was left at second to end the threat. Pleading in the Fifth The offenses took turns making the pitchers look like Cy Young Award winners until the top of the fifth inning, when the Tigers unloaded on Varland. Jake Marisnick laced a triple to center, as Taylor failed to read a second ball tailing away from him. Varland then got ahead of Spencer Torkelson 0-2, before Torkelson caught up in the count and then really caught up to this 89 mph cutter for a two-run home run that broke a chunk off of Joe Mauer's retired number sign. Ouch. Does Varland have a home run problem? Carpenter stepped up to the plate next and shouted "YES!" as he rounded the bases, making the score 4-1 Tigers. Welcome to the Show Jordan Balazovic!? After a controversial start to spring training, Balazovic worked his way back up the pitching pecking order until making his debut today. He got his chance today because Jorge Lopez was placed on the restricted list, and then the injured list for mental health reasons. This roster shake-up no doubt had the Twins shooken up, and more details will be forthcoming over the coming weeks on Lopez's future with the team. No one wants to see Lopez hurt, and hopefully this story has a redemptive ending. Back to the game itself, Balazovic inherited runners at first and second, with only one out. The first batter up was Andy Ibanez, and he rudely welcomed the rookie by lacing an RBI single to left. The timeless Miguel Cabrera followed that up with a sacrifice fly to deep center, and suddenly the Tigers were in control of the game and the series with a 6-1 lead in the sixth. Undeserved Hope in the Eighth... The Tiger's bullpen game approach continued to baffle the Twins lineup, with five relievers scattering five hits over the first seven innings. closer Alex Lange started the eighth for the Tigers, and he started it off by almost hitting Taylor in the gut. Unfortuneately for Taylor, Lange then succeeded by climbing the ladder, and striking Taylor in the back of the helmet. Taylor was able to walk off the field under his own power, but Ryan Jeffers took his place on the bases. The danger of the bullpen game is that a team runs the risk of having one of the multiple arms go off the rails, and that appeared to be Lange today. Julien walked. Then Willi Castro took two strikes, called timeout, and then laced a double to right to plate Jeffers to make the score 6-2. Donovan Solano followed by taking one for the team in a softer spot on his body, and suddenly Carlos Correa strode to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out, representing the tying run! Lange promptly sent a pitch to the backstop to take the grand slam out of play, plating Julien from third to make it 6-3. Correa couldn't even get a strike to swing at, walking on four pitches to load the bases yet again for Royce Lewis. Needless to say, Lange's night was done, and the Tigers turned to Jason Foley with the bases loaded and nobody out. Unredeemed Opportunities in the Eighth Royce didn't hit a grand slam, but he didn't get out either. Lewis lost his bat in the process, but he gained a single up the middle and an RBI to make the score 6-4. Farmer battled, but ultimately flied out weakly to left field, unable to advance any of the runners. This set the stage for Joey Gallo and his 11 home runs and 66 strike outs. Make that 67 strike outs for Gallo, and now the Twins miracle inning was down to its last out. Byron Buxton strode to the plate to pinch hit for Vasquez and the last hope for the game and series perhaps. Buxton still looked lost at the plate, watching a called strike three to end the threat. Bases loaded, nobody out, and the Twins can't cash in once again. Let's Put This Game Out of It's Misery Jovani Moran got the top of the ninth for the Twins, and he mowed them down in order to set up a potentially dramatic bottom of the ninth. Foley remained in the game to face Jeffers, Julien, and Solano with the Twins hopes hanging by a thread, but present nonetheless. Jeffers struck out looking. Julien struck out looking. Castro flew out weakly to left field. Fade to black. What's Next The Twins will send RHP Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.27 ERA) out on Monday night after some extra rest to face the Boston Red Sox to kick off their second four-game series in a row. The Red Sox will counter with LHP James Paxton (2-1, 3.09 ERA) who has pitched six games since returning from the injured list. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Pagán 0 24 0 21 0 45 Balazovic 0 0 0 0 40 40 Headrick 0 0 0 35 0 35 Morán 0 22 0 0 11 33 Durán 12 0 0 15 0 27 De León 0 0 0 24 0 24 Jax 11 0 0 8 0 19 Stewart 14 0 0 5 0 19 View full article

How come we can't score when the stands are full of Twins fans at Target Field? We score when they are full of Brewers fans....

Tigers will have three bullpen games in a row and win all three...

that fact has not escaped me either...Gray has to be fuming! Ryan's been throwing way more meatballs tonight than Gray was yesterday...

The only guys that have shown life in the last month are folks coming up from AAA. It's Toby time!!! Before he ruins our prospects too.

Anyone else think Rocco lost the team last night? Everybody's body language is not good...at all... I know I'm prone to over-reacting, but this is bad.

There’s a tongue in cheek pun somewhere…I thought trap series and a run to the bathroom when I wrote this with the two lefties going against us. The discipline just isn’t there night in and night out for our lineup.

The Tigers were trending towards "miserable," and the Twins were trending towards "playoffs." After Sonny Gray lost his way, and Matthew Boyd found his, the battle of the bullpens easily went the Tigers' way in one of the more deflating Twins efforts of the season. Here's how it all went down on T-Pain night at Target Field. Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Sonny Gray: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (79 Pitches, 45 Strikes, 57%) Home Runs: Donovan Solano (2), Bottom 3 WPA: Jovani Moran (-0.360), Carlos Correa (-0.122), Alex Kirilloff (-0.091) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Tigers Bite First, in the Second Sonny Gray has struggled over his past seven outings, going 0-1 with 3.65 ERA. The Twins haven't provided him much run support, but Gray has also struggled with high pitch counts which led to him exiting the games too soon to succeed. After a quick first inning, Gray was cruising along in the second until he wasn't. The hottest hitters in the Tigers lineup, all with an OPS over 1.0 in June, struck with two outs to cash in the games first run. Andy Ibanez staved off a strikeout, and worked a walk. The ageless Miguel Cabrera continued his hot streak of late, lacing a single up the middle. Then Matt Vierling, yes Matt Vierling, followed up with an RBI single to right and it was 1-0. Gray still had work to do, and managed to strike out Jake Rogers to end the threat. The Twins Bite Back, with a Vengeance Matthew Boyd allowed a one-out double to Carlos Correa in the first, but escaped without any damage. Boyd's second inning also started innocently enough, allowing a single to Royce Lewis and getting two outs. Then the Twins' new offensive game plan began to emerge yet again. Ryan Jeffers laced a single to left. Former Tiger, Willi Castro, choked up on the bat and shanked a run-scoring single to right with two strikes. Now with the score 1-1, and two on, Donovan Solano stepped to the plate and fell behind 0-2, worked the count to 2-2, and then did the opposite of flaring the ball to right to make the score 4-1. So Many Pitches...So Few Innings Gray worked through the top of the third on six pitches. The top of the fourth took him 35 pitches. Javier Baez singled on the sixth pitch, and stole second on a delayed attempt. Gray then walked Nick Maton and Ibanez on six pitches each, loading the bases with nobody out for Cabrera. Twins fans closed their eyes, and because of that they missed an impressive 5-6-3 double play started by the quick hands of Lewis. Baez scored on the play to make it 4-2, but that was way better than the feared 5-4 outcome. Gray responded to this great play behind him by...walking Vierling on six pitches. Rogers came up again with a chance to do some serious damage, and it took seven pitches but he did strike out to end yet another threat. Rocco Baldelli and Gray had a series of words in the dugout during the inning and following the inning, and Gray's night was done much to his dismay. The line closes at four innings, 79 pitches, and a 57% strike rate. There Are Tiger Tooth Marks All Over Moran Jovani Moran entered the game to put out the fire, and four batters later the game was tied. A single, an errant throw by Lewis on a brilliant diving stop, and then a Baez delivered his own version of T-Pain. Baez reached beyond the strike zone to triple to burn Michael A. Taylor in left-center, evening the game at 4-4 with only one out. The camera chose not to locate Gray in the dugout again. The Tigers made a move to the bench, placing right-hander Eric Haase in for Maton. Haase's cue ball gound out to second base brought in Baez to put the Tigers ahead 5-4. Do the Twins Bite Back, or Just Lick Their Wounds? In the fifth and sixth innings, they mostly whimped at the plate. A Solano walk was immediately erased by a Correa double play in the fifth. Byron Buxton looked lost, flailing wildly at 92 mph fastballs in the sixth. Boyd settled in, going six innings and handing the ball off to the bullpen with a one run lead. It only look Tigers RHP reliever Will Vest to take out pinch hitters Edouard Julien and Joey Gallo, along with Castro, 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh. Luckily for the Twins, while their bats might not have responded to the Tigers' challenge, the much maligned Emilio Pagan did. Pagan mowed through the sixth and seventh innings facing the minimum batters, continuing his trend of dominating when pitching without the lead. To the Eighth We Go Jorge Lopez took the mound to start the eighth inning, and proceeded to get three outs by inducing two ground balls. The Twins pinch hit Max Kepler for the only person to hit a home run today, Donnie Barrels, to start the bottom of the eighth. Kepler rewarded his manager by grounding out to first base. Correa struck out looking, and Kirilloff dribbled the ball to the pitcher to wrap up a horrible inning. Can We Get Another Ninth Inning Miracle this Week??? Nope. And the suspense didn't last long either. Lopez stayed in to face the bottom of the Tigers lineup, and he got hit around to the tune of three more runs. Spencer Torkelson and Zach Short each crushed doubles to left with two outs, driving the nails into the Twins bullpen's coffin. The Twins caught a break when Torkelson couldn't dig out the throw on Buxton's ground out, placing the lead off runner in the bottom of the ninth on base. A Kyle Farmer lazy fly ball, a Lewis swinging strike out, and a Christian Vasquez lazy fly ball later and the Twins were meat. What's Next The Twins will send RHP Joe Ryan (7-3, 2.90 ERA) to the mound on Friday night in hopes of righting the ship, to face a Tigers bullpen squad with the vaunted "TBD" scheduled to get the first inning. On paper it looks like the Tigers already conceded this one a week ago, but if tonight's game taught us anything its: "That's why you play the games!" First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Pagán 22 0 0 0 24 46 Morán 20 0 0 0 22 42 Winder 0 0 38 0 0 38 J. López 0 0 0 0 32 32 Jax 17 0 0 11 0 28 De León 0 0 24 0 0 24 Stewart 0 0 0 14 0 14 Durán 0 0 0 12 0 12 View full article

Ibanez, Vierling, and Cabrera have had +1.0 OPS in June

Gallo caught that throw...no?

I know right! If he and Ryan go 7 innings the next two games its two W's guaranteed. I'm still most interested in what roster manipulation they have planned for Saturday's start. Seems just plain odd to push Pablo back and Maeda isn't quite ready I don't think.

The 27-39 Detroit Tigers come to Target Field for a four game series beginning Thursday night. On paper this looks like a prime opporuntity for the 35-33 Twins to feast and to break away from the .500 mark. In reality, we know the Tigers won't go down without a fight. Here's how the series sets up. Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports Most midwestern socialites have been faced with a difficult choice at a local gathering. The bowl of "tiger meat" that sits on the table, consisting of raw hamburger, raw egg, onion, salt, and other unmentionable food products: Do I feast upon it or avoid it completely? This upcoming four game series with the Detroit Tigers carries a similar warning. At its best, it could be a four game sweep filled with stories to tell our friends about the whole week long. At its worst, it could have Twins fans running for the bathroom. Detroit started the season as the darling of MLB, hanging around the .500 mark until mid-May, and staying near the top of the AL Central. They've lost 13 of their last 15 games since their ace Eduardo Rodriguez went down with injury, however, and the season is imploding all around them. The Tigers also enter the series stretched across their bullpen, having had to play a make-up double header against the Braves Wednesday. The Detroit offense currently doesn't have any standouts. Spencer Torkelson paces the Tigers in RBI with 30. No one has double digit home runs yet, no one is batting over .300, and they are striking out at a near-Twins level so far this season. Riley Greene shows the most consistency across the advanced metrics, Cabrera and Andy Ibanez (3B) have sported an OPS over 1.0 in June, while traditional Twins antagonist Javier Baez has 19 strike outs in 50 at bats in June. Minnesota comes in after an emotional two game sweep of the Brewers. They spent a day below the .500 mark, and it appears to have woken up the bats as the Twins have averaged over five runs a game and have gone 4-1 over their last five outings. Byron Buxton (as of 6/15) will make his return this series. Will it be in CF, or will he continue as DH? Without him in the lineup the Twins have padded their lead on the AL Central to 3.5 games over Cleveland, and Detroit is sitting in fourth place at 7.0 games back. Carlos Correa is swinging a clutch bat this week, and the Twins have shown overall consistency at the plate over the past week. Two left-handed starters and a whole lot of bullpen usage by the Tigers in this series will bring different looks and angles to the mound, and the Twins will have to adapt and react to the inconsistency of the Tiger pitching staff over the weekend. Interesting Fact: Tiger's future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera finally hit his first home run of the season in Game 1 of the double header yesterday to put him at 508 for his career. Two months into the season is a long time to wait for your key slugger to come up with a home run. Let's hope that he didn't find the fountain of youth yesterday as he heads into Target Field. Weather Factor: Thursday and Friday night look to be beautiful unless the smoke haze returns on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday bring chances of a thunderstorm for the afternoon tilts. Should be a great time to pack Target Field! Pitching Probables Game 1 - Thursday, June 15, 2023 – 6:10pm CDT – The Twins start the series with RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.25 ERA) going against Tigers LHP and potential trade bait Matthew Boyd (3-5, 5.55 ERA). Gray is surprisingly 0-1 over his last seven games, with a 3.65 ERA over that span, while Boyd has struggled to a 2-3, 5.61 ERA line over his last seven outings. Game 2 – Friday, June 16, 2023 – 7:10pm CDT – Twins RHP Joe Ryan (7-3, 2.90 ERA) takes the hill in Friday night's game, and the Tigers have yet to name their starter for the evening. Ryan's last seven games has represented the Twins slide of late, going 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA after starting the season 5-0. The call-ups for the Tiger staff during this series will be a daily occurrence with the schedule and weather not playing them any favors earlier this week. Game 3 - Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 1:10pm CDT - The Twins have shuffled their normal pitching rotation for the final two games of the series, pushing Pablo Lopez back a game into the Red Sox series on Monday most likely. They haven't named Saturday's starter yet, with Kenta Maeda's rehab plan lining up with a potential re-entry into the rotation. Detroit will put another left-hander on the mound, with Joey Wentz (1-6, 7.23) aiming to find some consistency. He's either been lights out or light up the scoreboard in the early months of the season. Game 4 - Sunday, June 18, 2023 - 1:10pm CDT - The Twins give the ball to RHP Louie Varland (3-2, 4.70) who will be pitching on six days rest. The Tigers haven't named a starter yet. Varland continues to show consistency, and seeing what he accomplishes with an extra couple of days will be worth watching. Prediction Time! What's your prediction for this series? Can the Twins maintain their lead in the AL Central throughout this series? Who do you see being the biggest impact player in the series? Let us know in the comments! Go, Twins! AL Central Standings (through June 14) Minnesota 35-33 Cleveland 31-36 3.5 GB Chicago 30-39 5.5 GB Detroit 27-39 7.0 GB KC 18-50 17.0 GB View full article