Steven Trefz

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

Went to most of the first two trips. Kc Miami, ny Yankees and Red Sox (not third game). Then dodgers for three and angels for one. Now….trying to plan Atlanta maybe and Oakland Seattle….my blog should get updated over the weekend

so good....so good. It's been a lot of really really sad game recaps in a row for me... Also at a point of "going to every away game costs a lot of money" reality check :) So, this should get the credit card pumpin again !

I just wanted to join the thread...after this game...and say I love you all, and I might even love baseball again...

The Twins entered Tuesday night's matchup with their rival Brewers limping a bit but feeling some offensive resolve after a month of silence. The Brewers came into Target Field hoping some planted Brewer fans in the seats could take the sting off of a terrible weekend. What transpired was the best Twins moment of the year, and the kind of game that can save a season! Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Pablo Lopez: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (97 Pitches, 64 Strikes, 66%) Home Runs: Kyle Farmer (4), Michael A. Taylor (10), Carlos Correa (9) Top 3 WPA: Donovan Solano (0.264), Julien (0.191), Correa (0.172) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Twins Fail to Cash in Early Pablo Lopez started the night by mowing down the Brewers 1, 2, 3 in both the top of the first and the second. The Twins offense responded by getting the leadoff man on in both innings, and finding creative ways to waste the opportunities to take the first lead of the game against Corbin Burnes. Edouard Julien led off for the Twins in the bottom of the first with a nine-iron into left field, just off of the green that you could still see etched in the outfield grass from the golf outing Target Field hosted recently. Julien achieved 28 stolen bases in 2021 between A and High-A ball, and 19 in Double-A last season. He stayed put at first base like his coaches told him to, and he stayed there all inning as the Twins failed to advance him. Royce Lewis led off for the Twins in the bottom of the second with an eight-iron into right field, shattering the club in the process. In an attempt to steal a base on his own, Lewis tried to stretch the single into a double and got caught easily. Ill-advised? Yes. Any worse than having the scheme leave you at first anyways? No. BREWER FANATIC PERSPECTIVE Be sure to read the game recap over at Brewer Fanatic to get a little different perspective on how the game played out. Be kind, but leave a comment. And Just Like That, It's 3-0 Brewers Lopez was on top of his game early for sure, and he started the third inning off by striking out Luis Urias. The only problem was that two of the pitches were inexplicably called balls instead of strikes, and just like that the Brewers were gifted with a lead-off runner. Open the floodgates. Whether it rattled the veteran pitcher or not, this mystery walk was followed by a Victor Caratini single, a two-run Christian Yelich double, a Rowdy Telliz RBI "single" off of the right field fence, and the score was 3-0 bad guys. Unfortunately, this has been a common theme for Lopez in 2023, as he's given up 23 of his 36 RBIs (roughly 2/3) in the first three innings of the game. The Golf Practice Finally Pays Off Michael A. Taylor led off for the Twins in the bottom of the third with what appeared to be a three-wood through the hole in center. Julien followed by taking his nine-iron to left field this time, and Brewers right-fielder Joey Wiemer had the ball disappear on him right beyond the fake golf green. As the ball rolled to the wall, Taylor advanced to third and Julien to second and the comeback was on. Donovan Solano followed with a single to right, scoring Taylor to make it 3-1. Carlos Correa followed with a high chopper that somehow stayed fair for a fielder's choice at second base, scoring Julien to cut the lead to 3-2. Strikeouts by Alex Kirilloff and Lewis ended the threat, but the Twins took the turn into the middle innings with some momentum. All's Quiet Until the Seventh Both Lopez and Burnes finished out the middle innings on cruise control. The bullpens got involved in the seventh, and the runs started flowing freely. Jose DeLeon found himself just about to get out of seventh unscathed until one too many changeups found Yelich's bat, and he launched an opposite-field home run to make the score 5-2. Burnes stayed in to face Kyle Farmer in the bottom of the seventh, and Farmer thanked him by parking a home run to left on a rope to make it 5-3. Farmer had exit velocities above 100 mph all night long, and finally found the launch angle to match it. Joey Gallo ripped a hustle double off the wall in right to keep the threat rolling with nobody out, but a Taylor strikeout failed to advance him, and he ended up stranded at third after a Solano strikeout. So Close, and Yet... The Twins mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth, with Kirilloff singling, the pinch-hitting Max Kepler walking, and Farmer getting a button on his jersey nicked by a pitch. With Trevor Larnach having just missed being the home run hero by a couple of feet foul, Gallo walked up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Five pitches later, the count was full and the near sell-out crowd was on its feet, with half of them screaming "NO!" and half of them screaming "YES!" Unfortunately for Twins fans, the Brewers faithful won this battle as Gallo watched a slow hanger land right down the middle for strike three. Do You Believe in Miracles? Maybe? Taylor stood up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth against the unhittable Devin Williams. And then he hit it a long ways. 425 feet to dead center field to be precise, to make the game 5-4. Possibly? Julien worked a walk on a full count, and Baldelli sent in Willi Castro to pinch run, and he wasted no time stealing second base. Next up was Donnie Barrels, and this time he didn't miss. Singling in Castro to tie the game against one of the toughest closers in the game. Williams had only given up one run in 21 appearances all season! Yes! Correa came up next with Solano on first and nobody out. On a 1-1 changeup, Correa released a whole lot of baseball angst into the baseball, sending it off of the home run porch in left for his first career walk-off home run! (The phrasing might be a little different in the opinion of Brewers fans.) What's Next The Twins send RHP Bailey Ober (3-3, 2.61 ERA), loser of three of his last four outings, to the mound. He will face Brewers RHP Colin Rea (3-3, 4.47 ERA) who is coming off of a five-game stretch of success, winning four of five. The Twins look to sweep Part 1 of this mini-series, while the Brewers look to even things up before they move on with their lives. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT De León 0 31 0 0 24 55 Durán 38 0 0 0 0 38 Winder 0 0 0 0 38 38 Jax 13 0 17 0 0 30 Morán 7 0 20 0 0 27 Stewart 24 1 0 0 0 25 Pagán 0 0 22 0 0 22 J. López 0 13 0 0 0 13 View full article

If I had to guess based on the time of year, and the situation...Buxton stays down and rehabs in center field at whatever minor league outpost they select until he's ready for that back in the majors. Levine mentioned that it would require a ramp up of some sort, Buxton wouldn't just one day play center field after DH'ing all season. This seems like the opportune moment for a "go or no go" attempt at CF. Thoughts?

I think their fans would say "nothing to see here." The trends in their lineup seem to mirror the Twins: 2 runs, 1 run, 2 runs, explode for a game, back to the mean. Interesting note, the Brewers haven't been able to come back from a multi-run deficit since mid-May...so let's hope that we don't help them break that streak! Interesting tie to Yelich and that "it" factor that resides in a clubhouse. When do you think spreadsheets will start to note this data point? Thanks for the ideas, will definitely try to incorporate that more into the previews.

The Brew Crew comes to town for a Tuesday night cap and some Wednesday day drinking. The Twins come home following a 2-4 road trip that exposed them to the core, yet also offered glimpses of hope. The Brewers come to Target Field reeling from being swept by the Oakland A's...at home. Who will be celebrating after this two game series? Image courtesy of Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports The Twins road trip to Tampa Bay and Toronto left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a complete waste of time. The Rays continued to rip through any opponent placed in front of them, and of the losses in Tampa, Pablo Lopez showed impressive signs for growing into the pitcher that the Twins traded a potential .400 hitter for. They salvaged two of three in Toronto, and could have easily left Canada with a sweep if not for a mess of a game on Sunday. Minnesota still comes into Tuesday's game with a game and a half lead over Cleveland, and holding steady at 33-33. Milwaukee sits a game behind Pittsburgh in the NL Central, after a nasty sweep at the hands of the A's, trending towards sub-.500 baseball now at 34-32. Can the Twins help them on that journey downward? Or will the Brewers be out to get some revenge on baseball in general after their embarrassment over the weekend? Interesting Fact: The Twins lost the season series in 2022, going 1-3 against the Brewers. They had won the rivalry series in 2021 and 2020 each by a 4-2 margin. The lone win last season came off the bat of rookie Jose Miranda, who launched a mammoth 9th inning walk-off home run against the previously immortal Josh Hader. Neither player will take part in any potential heroics this week since Miranda is at Triple-A, and Hader is now a Padre. Weather Factor: Target Field couldn't receive more beautiful summer weather for this series, with high 70's for Tuesday night, and upper 80's for Wednesday afternoon. Will it be Brewers or Twins fans packing the stands? Pitching Probables Game 1 - Tuesday, June 13, 2023 – 6:40pm CDT – It's Pablo Day yet again to open a series at Target Field! Seriously, this happens a lot. Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.25 ERA) will match up against Brewers ace RHP Corbin Burnes (5-4, 3.36 ERA). Both pitchers' records don't scream "number 1 starter" material, but Tuesday should be a low-scoring affair regardless. Michael A. Taylor is the only Twin to have a home run off of Burnes, and needless to say we could see another Twins strikeout record, even though Burnes' legendary strikeout rate per nine innings has decreased from 12.6 in 2021, to 10.8 in 2022, to 8.7 this season. Game 2 – Wednesday, June 14, 2023 – 12:10pm CDT – The Twins will send RHP Bailey Ober (3-3, 2.61) to the mound for the afternoon tilt, and the Brewers (as of Monday night) have yet to announce their intentions for a starter. RHP Colin Rea (3-3, 4.87 ERA) is next in line theoretically, and he has pitched well of late, winning three of his last four outings and giving up zero runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Orioles most recently. 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 during this border battle? Let us know in the comments! Go, Twins! AL Central Standings (through June 12) Minnesota 33-33 Cleveland 31-34 1.5 GB Chicago 29-38 4.5 GB Detroit 27-37 5.0 GB KC 18-47 14.5 GB View full article

I put the headline in like that due to the build-up and bullpen formation that has been brewing in plain sight. I'm open to new titles though...I did wonder if the two games cancelled each other out, but felt like the Twins went and got the game Saturday, as opposed to Toronto giving it away. Let's have some fun on this off-day...what title would you give the Sunday game recap TwinsDaily crew? Let's try to keep it PG-13 🤣

That’s where I was going with my title. Basically this game is a manifestation of the trade before the season last year, and an unwillingness to move on in the bullpen.

The Twins got things going early and often on Sunday afternoon in Toronto, and the brooms were getting dusted off and ready for use. An odd game, with an injury delays to both umpire and players, and momentous swings and errors turned what should have been a Sunday stroll into a tragic loss. Here's how it all went down: Image courtesy of © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Louie Varland: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (89 Pitches, 61 Strikes, 68%) Home Runs: Donovan Solano (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Emilio Pagan (-0.689), Max Kepler (-0.076), Christian Vasquez (-0.047) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Doubles Get the Twins Ahead Early After erupting for eight runs late in the game last night, the Twins didn't waste any time putting a crooked number on the board. In the top of the first inning, Eduoard Julien started his second game in Canada the same way he started his first, lacing a double to right field. After a Donovan Solano walk, Alex Kirilloff followed with a double of his own, scoring Julien for a 1-0 lead. Carlos Correa came up next and took a walk to load the bases. Larnach delivered immediately with a single to right field, scoring Solano and Kirilloff in a sign that perhaps Correa broke the seal on the bases-loaded curse. Royce Lewis followed with an infield single to score Correa, and the Twins were up 4-0 before the Jays recorded their first out. Double Plays Keep the Blue Jays in the Game Early After the Blue Jays scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning, the Twins had plenty of opportunity to add to their lead. Gausman, however, was able to use his sinker to induce three inning-ending double plays to erase the threats in the first, second, and fourth innings. He could not finish the fifth inning and allowed seven hits and six runs, including this dead-center blast that got Solano into the 10,000 rakes vest for the first time this season! Not Turning a Double Play Costs the Twins A 6-1 lead felt like a million as Varland continued to cruise into the fifth inning. He found himself with runners on the corners with one out but got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to bounce out into an inning-ending double play. Unfortunately, Julien's throw to Correa was not textbook, and Correa threw the relay to Kirilloff away to allow a run to score and keep the inning alive. Matt Chapman made the Twins and Varland pay for that sloppiness with a home run, and suddenly the score was 6-4. Keeping the Blue Jays in the Game Was a Bad Idea The eighth inning on Saturday was the stuff of storybooks for the Twins. The eighth inning on Sunday was the stuff of nightmares. Emilio Pagan entered the game, and before the first out was recorded, it was 7-6 Blue Jays. Two singles put runners on, and the struggling Cavan Biggio ended his struggles by launching a get-me-over fastball to the right-field bleachers to send Twins fans to therapy. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT De León 0 26 0 31 0 57 Durán 2 0 38 0 0 40 Jax 0 10 13 0 17 40 Stewart 13 0 24 1 0 38 Morán 0 0 7 0 20 27 Pagán 0 0 0 0 22 22 J. López 0 0 0 13 0 13 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins got to town a day early in order to rest and to prepare for playing the best team in baseball. They should have stayed another day on the beach. The Rays are who we feared they were, and here's how the game went down. Image courtesy of Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Box Score: SP: Louie Varland: 6 IP 7 H 7 ER 4 BB 5 SO (90 Pitches, 58 Strikes, 64%) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Varland (-0.223), Donovan Solano (-0.072), Willi Castro (-0.046) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Twins entered Tuesday's clash with the Rays with some lineup adjustments. Carlos Correa was back to batting third after sitting out the Guardians series with planter fasciitis. Byron Buxton headed to the injured list, and Trevor Larnach met the team in St. Petersburg to take his place in the lineup. They faced a stiff challenge, with Zach Eflin and his .99 WHIP and 7-1 record. Meanwhile, Louie Varland attempted to keep the good times rolling having won three of his last four starts. Sometimes the Pitchers are Just Really Good In the first three innings: Eflin - 0 H, 1 BB, 5 K - 45 pitches Varland - 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K - 34 pitches Those commentating on the game professionally spun the angle that Eflin and Varland were nearly unhittable and on top of their game. Those commenting on the game from the Twins fan-zone were convinced that the Twins offense will never score again for at least a decade, maybe more. Sometimes One of the Offenses is Just Really Good In the top of the fourth, Correa belted a one-out double, 108 mph+. A Donavan Solano warning track fly ball, and a Larnach strike out later, the threat goes unredeemed. In the bottom of the fourth, the Rays displayed how offense works. Former Twins prospect (aka the other guy traded for Kenta Maeda) Luke Raley led off with a foul ball that ended up being called a triple. Could the Rays cash in where the Twins failed? That answer took all of four pitches. Randy Arozarena singled to center, and it was 1-0 Rays. Harold Ramirez followed that up with a walk. And then Randy Arozarena took the extra base on a fly out, and the Rays had runners at the corners with one down. Would the Rays cash in again? That answer only took three pitches, and Christian Bethancourt singled to where Michael A. Taylor and Correa weren't, and Ramirez took the extra base. 2-0 Rays with runners at the corners and one down. Do the Rays cash in again? Of course they do. The Ballys booth called it, and the Twins were caught flat-footed, as newly called up Vidal Brujan used the safety squeeze bunt to make the score 3-0. Seven batters, three hits, one walk, and no home runs later and the Twins were in trouble. Pleading in the Fifth Remember in that last sentence how I pointed out that the Rays don't always need to hit home runs to score runs. Well they do that too, in fact they came into the game leading the majors with 103 home runs. Raley confirmed this statistical fact with a 108.6 mph, 450 foot cannon shot to center with Wander Franco trotting on home in front of him. One walk, one home run, 5-0 Rays after five. Live to Fight Another Day, or Fight to Win Today? Who needs former Twins that were traded as surplus from our stacked lineup, and are currently lighting up scoreboards? We have...ummmm... Nothing. The Twins had no answer. Eflin took his team into the seventh, the bullpen took care of the Twins in easy fashion. Meanwhile, Varland also took his team into the seventh, but Jose Siri greeted him there with a 110.8 mph, 457ft blast to make it a 6-0 score. Franco continued to rake, setting up another run with a double which a ground ball delivered upon. 7-0. Game, set, match to the superior team. Sometimes the Twins Offense is Just Really Bad In the last 11 games, the Twins offense has been held to two runs or less seven times, going 1-6 in those games. In the other four games, the offense feasted to the tune of seven or more runs in each game and went 4-0. The overall record says 5-6, but does that really tell the story of how the team did? Will an AL Central division title, with a barely above .500 record, where half of the games are unwatchable be enough for everyone? What’s Next: The Twins send RHP Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.54 ERA) and a well-rested bullpen out for the second game of the series in hopes that the Twins offense has another one of their seven run outings. The Rays annouced after tonight's game that righty reliever Shawn Armstrong (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2 innings in 2023) will be their opener. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart SAT SUN MON TUE TUE TOT J. López 31 0 0 0 0 31 Pagán 4 0 0 0 20 24 Morán 19 0 0 0 0 19 De León 0 12 0 0 0 12 Jax 0 11 0 0 0 11 Thielbar 0 10 0 0 0 10 Durán 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stewart 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

I believe that was supposed to be alcala’s inning…just didn’t work out

You know it! 😂

Yes to both unfortunately. also just an update, Varland getting named as starter Tuesday. Not sure what took so long for that to come out.

The Twins offense started the game with Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Alex Kirilloff on the bench due to injury and illness. The result was exactly what anyone who has watched the club this season might suspect. The Guardians salvaged the series split, and the Twins avoided real disaster, but left many roster question marks heading into a difficult road trip. Here's how it all went down. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score: SP: Joe Ryan: 6.2 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB 4 SO (88 Pitches, 65 Strikes, 74%) Home Runs: Willi Castro (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Jorge Polanco (-0.207), Royce Lewis (-0.204), Caleb Thielbar (-0.107) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Definition of a Pitching Dual Triston McKenzie made his debut for the Guardians Sunday, and he did not disappoint. Twins fans were hoping for rust, but instead they got straight nastiness. McKenzie scattered ten strikeouts over five innings, and all that the Twins could muster was a Michael A. Taylor single in the third inning. On the other side, Joe Ryan was in fine form. Through six innings, he gave up just one hit, and that runner was thrown out trying to steal second base by Ryan Jeffers. The Story Turns in the Seventh (You've Heard this One Before) Ryan started the seventh in innocent fasion, retiring the first two batters easily. Jose Ramirez worked a two out walk, Ryan's only of the game, and then the wheels fell off. After a mound visit, it was decided that Ryan would stay in to finish what he'd started. Turned out that Josh Naylor enjoyed that decision, taking Ryan deep for a run-scoring double to put the Guardians up 1-0. Thielbar returned to the bullpen after a lengthy injury absense, and Twins fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. Then Andres Gimenez came to the plate, and greeted Thielbar with a run-scoring triple off of the out-of-town scoreboard to stretch the score to 2-0. Can the Twins Come Back? That second run felt like the game-clincher, especially with the depleted lineup and the recent history of low-scoring losses. But someone forgot to tell Willi Castro. In the top of the eigth inning, Castro cleared the out-of-town scoreboard to cut the lead in half at 2-1. A Taylor double to left, and the Twins were back in business. Jorge Polanco made a quick out to second, moving Taylor over. Then the hero of the week (and the next decade) Royce Lewis stepped up to the plate with two outs. Then disaster struck, both for the game's chances and most importantly, for Lewis' chances to continue his hero run with the Twins. Royce flipped over the first baseman after being thrown out, and you can find the video on your own. For now, let's give thanks that he wasn't seriously injured. So Clase, and yet So Far The Twins were able to start a two-out rally in the ninth against Guardian closer Emmanuel Clase. Ryan Jeffers walked, and Kyle Farmer laced a single to right, setting the stage for Castro to make another memory in a Twins uniform. Unfortunately, Castro struck out, without ever actually seeing a strike thrown to him, and it was game, set, split. What’s Next: The Twins finally have an off-day on Monday, before heading out on an epic 3000+ mile road trip to Tampa and Toronto. The Twins were late in naming there Tuesday starter, but have settled on Louie Varland (3-1, 3.51 ERA) to face Tampa's surprise ace RHP Zach Eflin (7-1, 3.30 ERA) to kick-off the three game series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart SUN WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT J. López 0 16 0 0 31 0 47 Pagán 0 0 33 0 4 0 37 Morán 1 0 0 13 19 0 33 Jax 8 0 12 0 0 11 31 Stewart 0 13 0 15 0 0 28 De León 0 16 0 0 0 12 28 Durán 0 0 0 26 0 0 26 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 View full article

True, but the drive Wallner over after an afternoon game to play a night game becomes less feasible :)