Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (83 pitches, 59 strikes (74%) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-.212), Byron Buxton (-.106), Harrison Bader (-.084) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Twins looked to keep the home stand rolling them back to the .500 mark with another evening game against the woeful Washington Nationals. It was Bailey Ober jersey night, but Joe Ryan was the man on the mound for Twins and the packed Target Field hoped that it wouldn't be for the last time in a Minnesota jersey. Ryan (10-4, 2.59 ERA) came into Saturday's game boasting the best pitch in baseball, as his 4-Seam Fastball checks in with a 21 run value on the season. Standing opposed to the Joe Ryan Experience was southpaw Mitchell Parker (6-10, 4.91 ERA) and he had given up an encouraging 18 runs over 14.2 innings in July thus far. This game was there for the taking as the Twins looked to avoid a Seller's Summer, could Ryan and the Twins capitalize on the opportunity? Ryan Gets Bit by Nats Ryan looked the part through the first two innings, mowing through the Nationals lineup without much ado thanks to his fellow All-Star Byron Buxton and his amazing glove. Parker unfortuneately also looked like an All-Star through the opening two frames, facing the minimum. The bottom of the Washington lineup came up in the top of the third, and Drew Millas scraped a single to left, and then the young catcher swiped second base. In an odd scene, Alex Call became the new ninth hitter when Jacob Young had to leave the game with an injury during a bunt attempt. Call took the change and punched another single through the left side of the infield to score Millas and make it 1-0 Nationals early. The Twins managed to string together a Ty France single and a Christian Vazquez walk to put runners at first and second with only one out in the bottom of the third, but a couple of hard hit balls by Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa both found Washington gloves and the opportunity went by the wayside. When Luis Garcia Jr. came up to start the fourth inning, Ryan got ahead 0-2 with his great fastball, only to never throw it again in the at-bat. What Ryan did throw was a 2-2, thigh-high sinker, and Garcia took him deep to make it 2-0 Nationals. Lewis Looks Alive Again, but He's About the Only One With the Twins offense continuing to pressure the front office towards a fire sale, Royce Lewis continues to offer hope. With one out in the bottom of the fourth Lewis laced a double into the left field corner to put the pressure on Paker. Harrison Bader flailed weakly for a strike out, and Matt Wallner popped up weakly to snuff out yet another opportunity. The bottom of the Nationals lineup bit Ryan and the Twins again, but the sleepwalking Twins played a vital role in their own demise as well. Ryan couldn't finish off Daylen Lile or Millas with two strikes, and both reached on singles by simply putting the ball in play. Ryan got Call to pop up to shallow right field, and that's when the Twins defense let their All-Star down. France and Willi Castro couldn't have wanted to get to the ball any less, leaving Brooks Lee in a position of lunging after travelling the furthest distance to the ball. Simply put, he missed it. Castro picked up the ball, and waited for Correa to get to second base for a force out opportunity. The ball sailed high, ripped off Correa's glove, and now the bases were loaded with nobody out. C.J. Abrams immediately cashed in on his opportunity in a big way, clearing the bases by rocketing a hanging slider into the right field corner to make it a 5-0 worst-case scenario midway through the game. It Ain't Over Until... Lately, it ain't over until the Twins get runners in scoring position. France and Lee led off the bottom of the fifth with singles to put runners in scoring position with less than two outs yet again. Vazquez (get used to him in the nine spot with Jeffers on the paternity list) failed to advance the runners, and then Buxton and Correa just missed their shots to once again leave the ducks on the pond. Finally the Twins broke through against Parker in the bottom of the sixth, with Castro doubling to start the inning. Lewis delivered yet again, singling home Castro to make it 5-1. Bader again continued to swing and miss, striking out with Lewis still at first. Wallner continued to make soft contact, popping out to keep Lewis still at first. Lucky France stayed locked in, and he doubled to the gap in left-center to score Lewis to sneak the Twins within three at 5-2. It Ain't Over Until...Part 2 France's double chased Parker and brought on the league-worst Nationals bullpen and their 5.93 ERA. Luis Garcia uncorked a wild pitch into the Twins dugout to advance France to third, but Lee's liner that seemed destined to pull the Twins within two was snagged on a leaping catch by second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to drive the latest stake into Twins fans' hearts. The Twins stuck with the Justin Topa experience for a second inning, and Alex Call immediately took advantage of that by belting his third homer of the year, a solo shot to make it a four-run lead at 6-2 yet again. That two run emotional swing exemplified the frustrations of the 2025 season in many ways. Topa took care of the rest of the seventh, but the momentum had successfully swung back Washington's way. About the only thing worth noting from the last few innings included more bad news for the home team. Buxton left the game for some reason in the seventh inning, surrendering his at-bat to Trevor Larnach due to soreness in the side of his body that collided with the wall during that earlier amazing catch. Bader replaced Buxton in center, and immediately misplayed a deep fly ball to surrender an opening "double" to Garcia Jr. to start the eighth, and Josh Bell immediately greeted Kody Funderburk with a rope of a single to score Garcia Jr. and to make it 7-2 Nationals. A wild pitch and walk later, and suddenly the Nationals were back in scoring position with nobody out. After a fly out advanced Garcia Jr. to third, another wild pitch plated him to make it 8-2. Another single, a Correa error, and the bases were loaded. Lee made a great stop on a grounder up the middle to get at least an out, while the ninth run crossed the plate to make it 9-2. The Twins scraped together a meaningless run in the eighth, and then went back to play dangerous baseball on the field. Triple-A hero Mickey Gasper came in to catch the ninth, and in his first catching action since his call up, Gasper whiffed on a Funderburk fastball and the ball almost shattered the home plate umpire's forearm. Gasper's face said all that needed to be said about the Twins' efforts on the field tonight. Embarrassment, even finely mustached, cannot be hidden. What’s Next? Luckily the Twins won't have long to stew about this one, as they look to avenge this loss and salvage a series win in game three on Sunday afternoon. The Twins will work an opener and piggyback situation, with Travis Adams (1-0, 6.00 ERA) getting the bulk of the work. The Nationals send out Bloomington's own, righty Jake Irvin (7-5, 4.81 ERA), in hopes of stealing a road series from the Twins. Hopefully many of his friends and family will be able to get to the ballgame. All hope isn't lost on the Twins' season just yet, but it's getting close. The trade deadline is only five days away, and the Twins are now four games under the .500 mark once again. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interview And in a reminder about what really matters in life...great job today after all Twins. Let's get the series tomorrow! Bullpen Usage TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Jax 20 20 0 25 0 65 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 39 39 Coulombe 10 16 0 11 0 37 Varland 16 15 0 0 0 31 Durán 24 0 0 6 0 30 Topa 0 0 0 0 27 27 Stewart 12 0 0 0 0 12 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K (58 pitches, 28 strikes (48%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (.320), Ty France (.235), Christian Vázquez (.204) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins entered their latest round of "must-win" baseball on Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine, their second chance at defeating the 2024 champs. After Carlos Correa's ninth-inning blast fell one foot short of tying the game last night, Twins fans hoped that the winds of change would blow one foot higher and push the team back into a buying frame of mind. Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 3.86 ERA) got the call to keep hope alive, and he faced Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-7, 2.62 ERA), who has been muddling through a boom-or-bust sophomore campaign. If They Catch the Homers... Correa might have gotten robbed of a hero moment last night, but in his first at-bat to lead off the second inning, he started an early rally for his team. Instead of being disappointed by a 398-foot blast into the center fielder's glove, this time Correa tried the two-foot, 80.7-mph variety and legged out an infield single. After a Ty France walk, Correa advanced to third base on a Matt Wallner fly out, setting up the suddenly red-hot Royce Lewis with one out. Lewis bounced a hard grounder to third to score Correa, and France advanced to second on an error by Miguel Rojas at third base. Harrison Bader kept his "striking out with runners on base" streak alive, but he has a teammate (for now) named Christian Vázquez, and Vázquez delivered a two-out double to deep left-center to plate France and Lewis and make it 3-0 Twins early. Woods Richardson Escapes, Until He Doesn't Meanwhile, the young Woods Richardson held the All-Star-stacked Dodgers lineup to one hit and no runs through the first three innings, thanks to a couple of nifty double plays turned by France. What Woods Richardson didn't escape was the fourth inning. After walking Will Smith and Freddie Freeman on nine pitches, he hung a curveball, and Andy Pages hung three runs on the board to tie the game and end Woods Richardson's evening after only 58 pitches. The emotions were running high and positive early, but the fastballs kept riding high and outside far too often to save his night. Yamamoto stayed in for the top of the fifth and completed his best inning of work, leaving the game tied after tossing his 100th pitch of the night. The bullpens took over in earnest after that, with Brock Stewart getting a crack at the top of his former team's lineup in the bottom of the fifth. Stewart looked stellar and set the Dodgers (including Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani) down. The Twins needed that, and thanks to Rocco Baldelli treating this like a mid-season playoff game, the game remained tied. Ben Casparius got the top of the sixth, and if the Twins indeed saved their season tonight, then Mr. Casparius deserves a gift basket. He walked Correa to open the inning, and then surrendered a rocket double to France to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Then the wheels fell completely off, as he walked Wallner and Lewis to give the Twins the lead at 4-3. After an injury timeout, Alexis Díaz entered to pitch with the bases still loaded and nobody out. Bader beat what looked like an infield hit into the ground, but Rojas made a brilliant play to nab him at first. France still scored, and it was 5-3. Vázquez came up next with ducks still on the pond, and once again, he hit the ball like the Twins had just acquired his potential replacement a few hours earlier. That made it 6-3 Twins. The Dodgers are Good, but Their Bullpen is... Rocco kept bringing in the big guns, but Louis Varland misfired tonight. Will Smith led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and Michael Conforto ripped a two-out ground-rule double to put runners at second and third. Varland kept firing heat, but Hyeseong Kim was up for it, as he stroked a two-run single into center to pull the Dodgers within one at 6-5. The Twins escaped the sixth still in the lead, and then Will Klein did his best Casparius impersonation by walking Correa, France, and Wallner to load the bases with one out. Seriously. Klein got pulled after only achieving one out, and Edgardo Henriquez got the call to face Lewis. Lewis thought he had good success with the infield chopper in the second inning, and hit another. By the time Henriquez's wild throw bounced off the right field wall (yes, you read that right), it was 9-5 Twins, and Lewis was laughing along with all of Twins Territory as he stood on third base with three RBIs and zero hits on the evening! Must Win, Just Win Even after regaining a commanding four-run lead, the Twins turned to Griffin Jax in the seventh. Unfortunately, Jax decided to hit James Outman on a 1-2 count to start the frame. With the momentum hanging on by a thread, Jax recovered to set down Betts, Ohtani, and Smith in order, to preserve the lead. With the score still at 9-5 in the eighth, Anthony Misiewicz got the call, with four of the next six scheduled batters being left-handed. Of course, it doesn't matter what batter's box you stand in if the pitcher doesn't throw strikes, and Misiewicz walked Freeman on a full count. The Twins thought they had Freeman picked off for the first out of the inning, but Freeman evaded the tag—and Misiewicz had to leave the game immediately thereafter, with a hand injury. Just like that, it was up to Jhoan Duran in the bottom of the eighth, with Pages up and a runner at first and a full count. Pages singled to left, and the game that would not end just kept rolling along. Two splinkers later, though, it was still 9-5, and the game actually did get to keep on going. It only cost Duran seven pitches. By the time Duran came back out to pitch the ninth, Correa and France had pumped the lead up to 10-5 with back-to-back doubles. Lucky that they did, because the supernova that is Ohtani took a 100-mph Duran offering oppo-taco for a 2-run shot with two outs. Will the Twins regret that they used up Duran for the next few days with a five-run lead? It's mid-season playoff time, and we shall worry about that tomorrow. The Twins needed a win, and they got one, 10-7. What’s Next? The Twins look to (improbably) take the series from the Dodgers on the road in a Wednesday matinee. Righty Chris Paddack (3-9, 5.14 ERA) hopes to avenge his loss against the Rockies earlier in the week, while the Dodgers send righty Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 3.10 ERA) in need of a lengthy start. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Sands 22 0 0 28 0 50 Durán 0 0 16 0 24 40 Topa 17 16 0 0 0 33 Misiewicz 0 21 0 0 11 32 Jax 0 0 8 0 20 28 Varland 0 0 0 7 16 23 Coulombe 0 12 0 0 10 22 Stewart 0 9 0 0 12 21 View full article

Adams looked wayyyyyy more comfortable this time around, as a six run lead will do for a person. Against Tampa he gave up five runs over four innings. Nine hits. Much harder contact.

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Box Score Opener: Cole Sands 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (19 pitches, 14 strikes (74%)) Bulk Pitcher: Travis Adams 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (67 pitches, 45 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (12), Matt Wallner (10), Byron Buxton (21), Willi Castro (9) Top 3 WPA: Clemens (.230), Sands (.098), Castro (.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Twins continued their quest to reach the .500 mark at the All-Star Break by continuing to take advantage of the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates. After earning a victory over ace Paul Skenes Friday night with one Trevor Larnach swing, the offense looked to make more noise with an opener and bulk pitching plan emerging on Saturday afternoon for the Twins. They needed to bring their A-Team today, and as the great Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith often said, "I love it when an opener plan and offensive approach come together." From Threat in the First, to Game Over in the Second The Twins knew they were using Cole Sands in an opener role, but the Pirates didn't realize that they would be doing the same. They sent rookie righty Mike Burrows (1-2, 4.83 ERA) to the mound and he struggled from the get go. After Sands took care of the Pirates in order on seven pitches in the top of the first, Burrows needed 25 pitches in the bottom of the first to escape a two-on, nobody out jam. In the bottom of the second inning Burrows thought he had found his groove again, after inducing a lazy fly ball to Matt Wallner to start the inning. But he then walked Royce Lewis and hit Ty France with no control of his off-speed pitches to be found. In this two-on, one out situation, Burrows finally found the strike zone with a first-pitch curveball, and 389 feet later it was 3-0 Twins and Clemens had built one more piece of his Target Field Plaza statue, featuring this epic bat flip. The unraveling of the rookie had just begun, as Buxton was next man up and he crushed a line drive over Cruz's head in dead center for a triple. Castro followed with the classic swinging bunt, and as Buxton scored easily Castro not only beat out the throw but induced a wild toss to advance to second. Last night's hero Larnach walked on five pitches, setting up Ryan Jeffers for the next Twins RBI. Jeffers delivered with a single through the hole into right to plate Castro, advance Larnach to second, and end Burrow's afternoon after giving up five runs and getting only four outs. Genesis Cabrera came in to face Brooks Lee, who had been in a bit of an extra-base drought. Three pitches later the drought was over, Larnach had scored to make it 6-0, and Lee was reeling in the good vibes of a beautiful Twins afternoon. Wallner came up with runners at second and third with still only one out, and he hit a missile at 102.5 mph right at first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who alertly threw home to nab Jeffers at the plate. After a Lewis groundout, the inning was finally over but the damage was done. From Bulk Time to the Buck Truck Adams came in for the top of the third inning to eat the middle innings for the Twins' staff, and he continued the "in order" momentum that Sands had started. In the bottom of the third, the Twins' bats also continued their momentum with a France walk and a Clemens rope single to put two on with nobody out. Buxton decided that today would not only be Buck Truck bobblehead day, but it would also be a cycle-watch, as he drilled a ground-rule double to left to score France and make it 7-0. A Castro bloop single to center scored Clemens, and a Larnach sac fly scored Buxton. After failing to score nine runs in an entire week, suddenly the Twins were making runs almost annoying and distracting as the game entered blow-out land at 9-0 in the third. Pirates Chip Away Adams walked the lead-off man Andrew McCutchen in the top of the fourth, and after a Bryan Reynolds single the Pirates finally got on the board when Lewis allowed a potential double-play ball by Nick Gonzales to scoot under his glove, scoring McCutchen and advancing the runners to second and third. Adams settled down and escaped only allowing the unearned run. The Twins offense took the bottom of the fourth inning off, and when Adams took the mound again in the top of the fifth his first pitch curveball was well received by Jack Suwinski for a 108 mph solo homer to make it 9-2. Wallner Injures the Upper Deck, and the Buck Truck Delivers The Pirates put left-handed starter Andrew Haney in the game for the bottom of the sixth inning to get some pre-All-Star Break work in. With the game firmly in hand, Wallner got a chance to face a lefty and boy did he enjoy the 91 mph center-cut first pitch fastball that he received. 113 mph off the bat, and 434 feet up into the right field upper deck to make it 10-2 Twins. Anthony Misiewicz entered in the top of the seventh for his second outing as a Twin and walked the lead-off man Cruz, who eventually scored on a Joey Bart single. The former Misiewicz, Joey Wentz, pitched for the Atlanta Braves today and pitched three scoreless against the Cardinals in a bulk role in case you were curious. But, in reality, no one cares...because Byron Buxton got one more chance at the cycle in the bottom of the seventh. And after only getting a single in the bottom of the fifth. Heaney thought he had him with an 0-2 curveball, but the Buck Truck delivered not only his first career cycle, but the first ever cycle at Target Field with a moonshot to the center field lawn to make history at 11-3. How hot were the Twins today? Byron tried to give a curtain call to the packed Target Field faithful, and they were left wanting because Castro went and drilled a first pitch homer to the bullpen of his own to make it 12-3. One of the most amazing Target Field moments ever, and it got shortened by a home run! Misiewicz walked the first man up Horwitz in the top of the eighth, and he came around to score as well. But even horrible relief pitching couldn't ruin this day for Twins fans. Everything that has been great about the first half of the season was on display Saturday afternoon, and there is hope again that it might continue into a buying stance at the deadline and a playoff push by the time the summer comes to an end. As we all know, in baseball hope floats like Carlos Correa's injury status: day-to-day. But oh what a day it was. What’s Next? The Twins look to sweep their way back to 48-48 as they head into the All-Star Break. They will rely on righty Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.08 ERA) to continue his recent hot streak. The Pirates send another hard-luck loser to the mound in righty Brad Keller (3-10, 3.58 ERA) and his 1.17 WHIP. Twins fans will hold their collective breath to see if Buxton will play or be bubble-wrapped to ensure All-Star participation, and if Correa will indeed return to the lineup as he hoped after tweaking his ankle Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews: TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Misiewicz 0 0 29 0 39 68 Adams 0 0 0 0 67 67 Topa 0 0 17 0 30 47 Coulombe 17 13 0 11 0 41 Jax 22 0 0 7 0 29 Sands 6 0 0 0 19 25 Durán 0 8 0 16 0 24 Varland 0 11 0 12 0 23 Stewart 12 7 0 2 0 21 View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (61 pitches, 40 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (7), Willi Castro (8), Harrison Bader (11) Top 3 WPA: Woods Richardson (.246), Jeffers (.139), Griffin Jax (.073) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins took a day off on Monday to contemplate the sweep of the Rays that could have been, and to turn the mental page forward to facing the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. Simeon Woods Richardson (4-4, 4.41 ERA) came into Tuesday night's contest having won his last two starts. Lefty Shota Imanaga (5-2, 2.27 ERA) took the hill for the Cubs, looking to win his third in a row since returning from the IL in late June. On paper, the Twins were underdogs, but could they become top dogs on the terra firma of Target Field? It's an Early Twins Ambush! After Woods Richardson struck out two in a scoreless top of the first, 2025 All-Star and Home Run Derby participant Byron Buxton got behind 0-2, before lacing a double to left to lead off the bottom half of the first. Ryan Jeffers played copycat, also falling behind 0-2 to Imanaga before he ripped a double down the left-field line to score Buxton and post an early 1-0 advantage for the home team. In a tumultuous June, the Twins left many a runner stranded in scoring position with less than two outs. After Willi Castro grounded out to the shortstop and left Jeffers standing at second, Twins fans no doubt began to rev up their "Here we go again" engine. Carlos Correa singled to advance Jeffers but not score him, and the engine kept on revving. Royce Lewis came up to the plate, and before Twins Territory could shout it, Lewis delivered the necessary baseball play: a deep fly ball that scored Jeffers and put a crooked number on the board in the first inning for the first time since June 22. Suddenly, Woods Richardson was trotting back out for the second inning with a 2-0 lead. Simeon Woods Richardson is a Good Pitcher Miracle or mirage? That was the question facing Woods Richardson as he entered tonight's contest. When he found himself in trouble, he kept things from imploding. Woods Richardson mixed his pitches well, kept a talented Cubs lineup off their toes, and bulldozed through the lineup two times. As has been the case, Rocco Baldelli lifted him before the lineup turned over for a third time and he left as the pitcher of record surrendering only two hits and no runs in five innings. Good Thing the Twins Ambushed Early The Twins offense could muster absolutely nothing off of Imanaga the rest of the way, as he cruised through innings two through six without surrendering another rally or run. Former Twins fan favorite Caleb Thielbar came in to pitch the seventh and gave up some warning track power to Lewis, but ultimately kept the Twins scoreless as well. Meanwhile, the Twins sent Danny Coulombe out to take care of business in the top of the sixth, and Cole Sands for a 1-2-3 seventh. Griffin Jax got the call for the top of the eighth, and immediately stepped into the danger zone yet again after a rough outing on Sunday afternoon. He gave up a leadoff single to Ian Happ and walked Kyle Tucker on a full count, to put two men on with nobody out. Jax settled down to strike out Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong to bring last week's Player of the Week, Michael Busch, to the plate with one last chance to ruin the Twins' night. Busch crushed a ball 102 mph to right, but the Twins had a guy there named Willi Castro. The right fielder easily put away Busch on the liner and thwarted the Cubs' threat. It's a Late Twins Ambush! Porter Hodge came in to face the Twins in the bottom of the eighth, and he had been cruising, only surrendering one run in six outings since mid-May. Hodge made the mistake of walking Buxton to start the inning, and while he was busy worrying about Buxton's speed at first, he forgot to worry about Jeffers at the plate. Jeffers thought three RBIs on the night sounded just swell. Not to be outdone, Castro pulled a sweeper into the right field porch to immediately make it 5-0 Twins. Correa added to Hodge's misery with a rope of a double to the wall in left, and he scored, too, when Lewis snuck a grounder through the left side to make it 6-0. As if that wasn't enough, Harrison Bader kept his good times rolling with a moonshot of his own to make it 8-0! The Twins celebrated their new-found blowout by getting to save Jhoan Duran for a later date, and sending Joey Wentz out for the ninth inning. With one out, the ageless Justin Turner took care of the shutout with a solo home run to left, but Wentz induced a double play to end the game and to send the Target Field crowd home happy with an 8-1 victory. What’s Next? The Twins look to take their second series in a row against a playoff-caliber opponent on Wednesday evening. Twins righty David Festa (2-3, 5.48 ERA) will look to not get ambushed like he did against the Marlins in his last outing, while the Cubs will send righty Cade Horton (3-2, 4.15 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Adams 0 68 0 0 0 68 Stewart 23 0 12 0 12 47 Jax 0 12 13 0 22 47 Coulombe 11 14 0 0 17 42 Durán 0 34 0 0 0 34 Sands 5 19 0 0 6 30 Varland 19 0 9 0 0 28 Wentz 0 0 0 0 20 20 Topa 0 0 15 0 0 15 View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Chris Paddack 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (87 pitches, 57 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Harrison Bader 2 (8, 9) Top 3 WPA: Bader (.411), Louis Varland (.242), Brooks Lee (.211) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins limped home from a 2-4 road trip five games under .500, and at risk of becoming "sellers" at this season's trade deadline. The good news? Today marks the start of a nine-game homestand and the Twins are 22-17 at home. The bad news? The Twins have only scored three runs across their last four games, and they were a measely 4-9 at home in June. The good news? It's the 4th of July, and the Twins haven't lost on Independence Day since 2019! The bad news? The Twins haven't caused any fireworks for a long, long time. Chris Paddack (3-7, 4.52 ERA) came into today's contest knowing that he had to throw a gem to keep his offensively struggling teammates in the game. Former Twin Zack Littell (7-7, 3.51 ERA) looked to notch his second win of the season off of his old club. The conditions were hot on the field, but could the urgency and importance of the moment light a fire under the Twins as well? Or would their spark continue to fizzle out when it mattered most? No Early Fireworks Paddack began the game looking like a man on fire, setting down the first nine Rays that he faced. Unfortunately for the Twins, their current struggles continued against Littell as well. Minnesota managed to get a player on base in each of the first three innings, but they failed to cash in a run in any of the opportunities. Willi Castro singled and stole second base in the bottom of the first inning, which marked his fourth consecutive game with a swiped base. Trevor Larnach struck out, and Carlos Correa lined out to end that threat. Royce Lewis got on with an infield dribbler in the bottom of the second with two outs, and Ty France left him right there. The Twins' best early chance for fireworks came with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Castro walked, and because he stayed put at first, Larnach was able to pull a soft grounder through the right side to put runners at the corners. With their big money man Correa up, the Twins felt so poorly about Correa's chances to deliver that they put on a double-steal with the slow-footed Larnach, and he was cut down at second base to provide yet another way to end a scoring threat for the Twins fans to witness in 2025. Paddack Doesn't Blow Up, but Bader Does! After that disappointing series of events on the bases, Paddack kept his no-hitter going until Brandon Lowe snuck a single through to right field with two outs in the top of the fourth. On the very next pitch, Junior Caminero roped a single to left, and suddenly the Twins were under attack and at risk of surrendering the first run of the game. The Sheriff faced off in a duel against the dangerous and All-Star Game bound Jonathan Aranda, and Aranda couldn't lay off the high heat on a full count and Paddack and the Twins breathed a collective sigh of relief. That sigh lasted until the bottom of the fifth inning, and then Harrison Bader lit the fuse that ignited the Target Field faithful. With one out, Bader took a 90 mph sinker that didn't sink, and sunk it into the second deck in left to put his team ahead 1-0. Fun While it Lasted, Which Wasn't Long Paddack entered the top of the sixth inning with 76 pitches, and he was slated to face the top of the Rays lineup. Josh Lowe jumped on a changeup for a single to start the inning. Yandy Diaz came up next and absolutely crushed a slider to the tune of 113 mph exit velocity. The liner scooted all the way to the fence, and since it happened on a 3-2 pitch in which Lowe was running, it plated Lowe, and knotted the game up at one apiece. With nobody out and Diaz in scoring position, Paddack departed and the hopes of Twins Territory fell on Danny Coulombe. The lefty reliever induced a line out from the other Lowe, Brandon, for the first out. Caminero was less hospitable, however, and he deposited a bloop single to right to score Diaz and to take the lead. Looking for a Spark...Some Fire...Anything? Unfortunately, the next round of noise came from the Rays' bats against Brock Stewart in the top of the seventh inning. Ha-Seong Kim singled to lead off the inning, and then stole second to immediately put pressure on Stewart. Chandler Simpson walked to add even more pressure, but luckily, Danny Jansen failed to lay down a bunt, and his infield fly left the runners stranded where they were. So, the Rays decided to move them on their own, sending Kim and Simpson on a double-steal, but Ryan Jeffers was up to the challenge and nailed Kim at third for the second out. The Lowe named Josh came up next, and he immediately ensured that Stewart would see an increased ERA by singling in Simpson with two outs to make it 3-1 Tampa. Cole Sands eventually got the Twins out of that half of the inning and back up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Wallner and France singled to put runners at first and second with one out, but Bader couldn't deliver more fireworks; he struck out to bring up Byron Buxton in a must-have situation. Buxton delivered, dumping a double down the left-field line to plate Wallner and to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Lefty Garrett Cleavinger came in to get the Rays out of the jam, but he drilled Castro to load the bases. Brooks Lee replaced Larnach for a righty/lefty matchup, and Cleavinger decided to end the drama himself by hitting Lee with a high and inside pitch to tie it up! Correa was next man up, and he hoped to exercise his bases-loaded demons and to send Target Field into a fireworks frenzy. He struck out, badly. Varland Deals, and Bader Blasts The Twins needed their well-rested bullpen to be clutch in this afternoon affair, and Louis Varland was up to the challenge and then some. Varland topped out above 100 mph on his fastballs, and set the Rays down in order in the eighth AND ninth innings to set up someone for a hero moment on Independence Day. Turns out we already saw that hero once today, and Harrison Bader is his name. Kevin Kelly stayed in the game to start the bottom of the ninth, and after escaping a few bad pitches in the eighth, Bader took his first pitch middle-middle sinker deep and over the flowers in left to end the game with one last homerun fireworks display! What’s Next? The Twins look to win the series and keep the good times rolling on Saturday with another afternoon contest. The Twins still need to fill Bailey Ober's shoes, and most likely the next man up for Saturday's contest will be righty prospect Travis Adams. Whether Adams is allowed to start, or will make his MLB debut after an opener is used remains to be seen. The Rays will send righty Taj Bradley (5-6, 4.79 ERA) in hopes of taming the Twins offense. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Varland 0 19 12 0 19 50 Stewart 0 0 15 0 23 38 Coulombe 0 0 9 0 11 20 Topa 0 0 0 16 0 16 Jax 0 0 14 0 0 14 Funderburk 0 0 0 13 0 13 Durán 0 0 9 0 0 9 Sands 0 0 0 0 5 5 Wentz 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge The Twins' major-league starting pitching suffered a rash of injuries in June, and Twins fans began searching the minor leagues for hope to keep the 2025 season alive. Last month’s minor-league starter of the month, David Festa, got called up to fill the void. Whose performance in June made him the “Next Man Up” in July? These are the arms worth watching after their June 2025 performances across the Twins affiliates. Honorable Mentions RHP Alejandro Hildalgo (Cedar Rapids): 1.93 ERA, 5 G, 18.2 IP, 12 H, 4 ER, 7 BB, 23 K, 1.02 WHIP, .176 BA RHP Joel Garcia (FCL Twins): 3.55 ERA, 3 G, 12.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 17 K, 0.87 WHIP, .205 BA RHP Santiago Castellanos (DSL Twins): 1.32 ERA, 4 G, 13.2 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 HB, 4 BB, 17 K, 0.95 WHIP, .191 BA #5 – RHP Adrian Bohorquez – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3.06 ERA, 5 G, 17.2 IP, 11 H, 6 ER, 10 BB, 23 K, 1.19 WHIP, .177 BA The Twins signed Bohorquez to a minor-league contract in 2023 out of his native Venezuela, and he's bounced between the FCL Twins and the Mighty Mussels ever since. Bohorquez makes the top five this month not because his numbers scream All-Star, but because of how far he’s come in such a short time. After four starts in May, he owned a 14.34 ERA and averaged less than three innings an outing. Through his five June starts, the ERA obviously plunged, but his duration per game also ticked up an inning and his opponents' batting average dropped a whopping 150 points. Bohorquez continues to climb up the prospect rankings, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the 6’1”, 190-pound 20-year-old pitches his way into some innings in Cedar Rapids before the year ends. #4 - LHP Aaron Rozek, Wichita Wind Surge 2.05 ERA, 5 G, 22.0 IP, 19 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 26 K, 1.23 WHIP, .238 BA Again, Rozek’s inclusion on this month’s list involves a heavy dose of improvement from earlier in the season, mixed with the attributes that he brings to an organization desperately in need of starting pitching reinforcements. Rozek managed to drop his ERA from 4.91 to 2.05 between May 1 and July 1. In his last two June outings, however, he served in more of a middle relief role of three innings each, after starting the month with three straight five-inning starts. Do the Twins see him as a long-relief specialist, or will they continue to build him up for a starting role? As a left-handed strikeout specialist, the future is bright either way for Rozek and the Twins. #3 - RHP Chase Chaney, Cedar Rapids Kernels 2.42 ERA, 4 G, 26.0 IP, 20 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 17 K, 0.96 WHIP, .208 BA Chaney stands 6’1”, weighs 199 pounds (very precise), and the Twins are excited that the former 16th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels is now starting games in the Minnesota farm system. Even though he had to overcome an April demotion from Wichita, Chaney has established himself as a core weapon for the Kernels staff, averaging over six innings per start in June. His first start of July reflected the “Pitcher of the Month” jinx, but his June performance warranted attention. Strikeouts and words such as “dominance” followed Chase’s outings, and after watching multiple short starts by Twins starters in June, one can hope that Chaney can continue to develop and bring his length to the major-league side of the equation by 2027. #2 – RHP John Klein – Wichita Wind Surge 3.26 ERA, 5 G, 19.1 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 6 BB 24 K, 0.83 WHIP, .143 BA Klein began his June with his worst start of the month, and what came next was a success story in opportunity and delivering on promise. As Klein got stretched out over the month, his stat line continued to impress. The 6’5”, 225-pound righty became not only a starting pitcher, but one of the organization’s best. Klein has the velocity (high 90s) to register strikeouts, and if he can continue to rein in his control as he has in recent starts, the sky is the limit for this 23-year-old talent. Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month – RHP Pierson Ohl – Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 1.35 ERA, 5 G, 20 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 21 K, 0.85 WHIP, .176 BA Defining starting pitching in the minor leagues is always a bit of a moving target, but our choice for Starting Pitcher of the Month in the Twins affiliate system registered 26.1 innings across seven games for Wichita and St. Paul in June. Right-handed prospect Pierson Ohl averaged just under four innings an outing and started both of his games with St. Paul after getting the call to his third minor-league team in 2025 on June 23. What immediately stands out about this 6’1”, 180-pound hurler is that he struck out nearly 11 batters for every one he walked. The contact that did take place, for the most part, was weak, and led to a paltry 1.37 ERA and 0.65 WHIP in June. The four runs that he surrendered in the month came via the long ball, which is something he will need to take to heart as he continues to develop. It will be interesting to see if his outings continue to get stretched throughout the rest of the season with the Saints, as he clearly is getting programmed intentionally and will not be making his debut at Target Field in 2025 most likely. Will he continue to be pushed into the starter’s role? Or will his strikeout rate lead him toward some shutdown relief role in the future? Time will tell, but for now, we salute his efforts and name him our Twins minor league starter of the month. June has come and gone, but several starting pitchers in the Twins organization made their mark and hope to continue that success into the dog days of summer. How would your ballot look for the Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month? Let us know in the comments. View full article

Image courtesy of © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images The Twins' major-league bullpen took a nosedive in the latter part of June, and Jonah Bride’s six innings of 15.00 ERA relief serves as an unfunny comedic snapshot of just how bad it got. As leads continued to get lost, and deficits continued to get expanded, Twins fans wondered if there was any relief coming from the farm system. There is hope, Twins Territory, and these are the arms worth watching after their June 2025 performances across the Twins affiliates. Honorable Mentions Mike Paredes (Wichita): 2.33 ERA, 5 G, 20 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 13 K, 0.78 WHIP, .194 BA Kade Bragg (Cedar Rapids): 1.80 ERA, 8 G, 15.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 11 BB, 18 K, 1.33 WHIP, .184 BA Tyler Stasiowski (Fort Myers): 0.84 ERA, 7 G, 10.2 IP, 11 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1.31 WHIP, .275 BA #5 – RHP Cody Laweryson - Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 1.32 ERA, 9 G (1 Wichita/8 St. Paul), 1 SV, 13.2 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 14 K, 7 BB, 1.39 WHIP, .231 BA The 2019 14th-round draft pick stayed on the charts even though his promotion to St. Paul at the start of June led to the inevitable bump in competition level. After an inning of work with Wichita on June 3, Laweryson pitched in eight games for the Saints. While his stat line showed a regression from May’s work against Double-A batters, the 27-year-old right-handed hurler held his own and held down a reeling Saints bullpen. The best pitcher, according to the metrics listed above, was actually lefty Richard Lovelady (0.32 WHIP, .100 BA, 3 saves for the Saints in June). Lovelady was released (opted-out) and signed a major-league deal with the Mets at the end of June, and followed that move up with two poor outings for the Mets. Being a current member of the team is a prerequisite to getting on the list, so Laweryson gets the nod from St. Paul for June. #4 - RHP Brent Francisco, FCL Twins 1.32 ERA, 6 G, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 0.71 WHIP, .185 BA If you are looking to go diamond hunting this June, Francisco is your man. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound righty signed a minor-league free-agent contract at the end of May, and he’s done nothing but put zeros on the board ever since. In a month wherein the major-league bullpen was riddled with walks, the 10 strikeouts and zero walks by Francisco in June show a level of control that is rare in rookie ball. Will Francisco be pitching at Target Field in July? Of course not. But one can daydream about how his pitch mix will play as he travels up the system. #3 - RHP Matt Gabbert, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 0.00 ERA, 4 G, 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.22 WHIP, .069 BA Gabbert continues the theme of spotless scoreboards in our June relief pitching awards. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, the 23-year-old hurler looks imposing, and his results prove that his pitching is also impressive. Gabbert signed out of Boise and the Pioneer League in 2023, and after a wasted season of injury in Cedar Rapids in 2024, he is trying to regain momentum one rung lower, at Fort Myers. Twitter might not be familiar with Gabbert, but by the end of the year, it’s a safe bet that Twins fans will know who the big man is. #2 – LHP Samuel Perez – Cedar Rapids Kernels 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB 4 K, 0.68 WHIP, .154 BA At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Perez looks to secure the left-handed reliever pipeline for years to come. He couldn’t have had a better June, blanking his opponents across eight outings and notching a save in the process. Perez has been climbing the organizational ladder since 2021, and this season, righties are actually hitting worse off of him (.202) than lefties (.375). His work has mostly been across the middle innings, so it will be interesting to see if the Twins continue to mold him to high-leverage situations as he advances. If so, Perez’s star will continue to shine brightly. Twins Minor League Reliever of the Month – RHP Ricky Castro – Wichita Wind Surge 1.35 ERA, 5 G, 20 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 21 K, 0.85 WHIP, .176 BA While Castro’s first few months at the Double-A level were forgettable (1.52 WHIP, .305 BA, 6.82 ERA across 31.2 innings), he adjusted brilliantly in June. Signed to a free-agent minor-league deal in May 2024, Castro has been filling a long-relief role going three or four innings at a time. Does this mean Castro is being thought of as a starting pitcher prospect? Is he being built up for a piggyback role in the future? While his future role is yet to be determined, he struck out 21 batters while only walking four in the month of June, and he is deserving of recognition as a key contributor to his team’s success, and his organization’s hopes. June has come and gone, but several relief pitchers in the Twins organization made their mark and hope to continue that success into the dog days of summer. How would your ballot look for the Twins Minor League Relievers of the Month? Let us know in the comments. View full article

Image courtesy of (C) Troy Taormina - Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (88 pitches, 57 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (-.118), Byron Buxton (-.116), Trevor Larnach (-.114) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins continued their last road trip before the All-Star Break by taking their talents to South Beach. Still dizzy from Tarik Skubal and a series loss to the Tigers, the Twins hoped to get healthy again both on the roster (Royce Lewis returned) and in the standings (the Marlins were 17-24 at home heading into Tuesday, but winners of seven in a row overall). Joe Ryan pitched six scoreless in a victory against Seattle in his last outing, but he faced another righty in Miami's Edward Cabrera—who did his best Skubal impression. Could the Twins support their potential All-Star pitcher in this must-win road contest? Or would the Twins offense make Cabrera look like a Cy Young candidate? Marlins Strike First, Royce Looks Good The Twins managed nothing off of Cabrera to start the game, and Ryan looked to be cruising right along as well. Ryan seemingly hit Kyle Stowers with an 0-2 fastball, but it was overturned and ruled a foul ball. Then, the Twins immediately wished they had kept their mouths shut. Stowers took a 1-2 splitter that didn't split deep to right, to stake Cabrera and the Marlins to an early 1-0 lead. The Twins thought that they were about to break even in the top of the third inning, when the newly reactivated Royce Lewis doubled off of the glove of third baseman Connor Norby with one out. The issues that plagued the Twins throughout June continued right on into July, however, and Lewis was left stranded at second after strike outs of Christian Vazquez and Byron Buxton. Pitching Dominance After Lewis's double in the top of the third, no Twins or Marlins batter reached base until Xavier Edwards singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ryan and Cabrera were dominant throughout the game, The previously red-hot Brooks Lee had a chance to drive in Willi Castro with two out in the seventh after Castro stole second to get into scoring position, but he struck out swinging and earned the team-low WPA for his efforts because of it. Cabrera fanned six, surrendering only two hits, and Ryan fanned four and surrendered four small hits and one big one, as both starters completed seven innings, sending the game into the eighth inning with the Marlins hanging onto their 1-0 lead. Anthony Bender replaced Cabrera in the top of the eighth, and with one out Lewis came up to the plate in hopes of tying the game. What he got was two straight hanging off-speed pitches. A comfortable Lewis has sent pitches as poor as those flying into the seats for hero shots in the past, but tonight, he popped them straight up and back two rows deep behind home plate. Baseball is a game of inches, but its also a game of confidence and momentum. The Twins have neither right now, and it shows. Buxton is an All-Star Center Fielder, but the Twins Offense is Minor League Louis Varland took over in the bottom of the eighth, and after turning a nifty double play on Edwards to get the first two outs of the inning Varland surrendered a moon shot to deep left center. Buxton drifted back, and back, and back, and couldn't jump high enought to catch the ball, but he did managed to "bring it back" into the field of play, turning a potential homerun into a triple. After an intentional walk to Otto Lopez, Varland took on the defensive replacement catcher Nick Fortes. Fortes took that slight, and punched an RBI single in front of Matt Wallner in right to make it 2-0 after all. In wicked irony, the Twins' last hope was against former "not good enough to be a Twin" Ronny Henriquez, who is sporting a 1.25 WHIP and 2.93 ERA across 40 innings for the Marlins this season. Henriquez struck out Buxton looking, Trevor Larnach on a foul tip strike out, and Castro on a fly ball to slam the door on the second shut-out loss in a row for the reeling Twins. What’s Next? The Twins look to rebound in Miami Wednesday night. Minnesota will send righty Simeon Woods Richardson (3-4, 4.63 ERA) out in search of win number four, while the Marlins will send righty Janson Junk (Yes, that's his name, and he's 2-0, with a 3.73 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Wentz 0 48 0 0 0 48 Varland 15 0 0 0 19 34 Topa 0 0 30 0 0 30 Jax 23 0 0 0 0 23 Stewart 0 0 14 0 0 14 Sands 0 12 0 0 0 12 Durán 9 0 0 0 0 9 Coulombe 6 0 1 0 0 7 View full article

Image courtesy of © Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 5.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (96 pitches, 69 strikes (72%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (19) Bottom 3 WPA: Ober (-.432), Willi Castro (-.074), Carlos Correa (-.064) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Bailey Ober 's June has been one of the worst months of his career. Ober (4-5, 4.84 ERA) came into Saturday's matchup with the division-leading Tigers having given up 23 runs in 23.1 innings across his four June 2025 starts. Add in death threats to his family, and public and private concern around his decreased velocity, and Ober and the Twins both needed something hopeful to come out of his last June start. Opposing Ober today was Tigers righty and all-star candidate Casey Mize (7-2, 2.82 ERA) who had yet to lose at home in 2025, and a host of Detroit offensive weapons looking to enact some revenge from Friday night's loss. Would the Twins be able to steal another game in the Tigers' home lair? Or would Detroit continue their dominance at the top of the AL Central? Early Robberies - Advantage Detroit Byron Buxton stayed red hot, taking the first pitch he saw to left field for a lead-off single. Buxton attempted to steal during Trevor Larnach's at-bat, but ultimately stayed put until he tried three more times in Willi Castro's lengthy 10-pitch at-bat. With Buxton successfully swiping his 15th base of the season, the Twins had two chances to deliver the game's first run in support of Ober. Castro and Carlos Correa both went down swinging, and the robbery failed to pay off. After Ober took care of the Tigers in the bottom of the first, the Twins once again thought they had cracked the scoreboard safe when Ryan Jeffers launched a deep drive to left field. Kerry Carpenter timed his leap perfectly, however, and robbed yet another Twins run from going up on the board. Detroit Cashes In Early, but Buck Breaks the Bank Spencer Torkelson crushed an Ober 90.9 mph fastball off the base of the wall in left for a lead-off double in the bottom of the second. Wenceel Perez delivered a swinging bunt to advance Torkelson, and Twins-killer Matt Vierling took Ober deep enough for a sacrifice fly to deposit the first run of the game. In the top of the third, the Twins immediately responded. Harrison Bader blooped a single to start the action with one out, and then Buxton took a Mize splitter 109.6 mph to the left field bleachers where even Carpenter couldn't steal it back. 2-1 Twins! Can Bailey and the Twins Avoid Another Third Inning Collapse? Yes...and no. The third inning has been especially troublesome for the Twins and Ober this season. The Twins have been outscored by 28 runs in the third inning this season, and Ober and Twins fans recall his recent issues in the same frame. After retiring the first two Tigers easily, Ober continued to show an increase in velocity in both his fastball and slider across the frame. Unfortunately, his slider location on a full count pitch to Carpenter left something to be desired, and Carpenter delivered a game-tying blast to deep right field to make it 2-2. Ober flirted with collapse, surrendering singles to Riley Greene and Torkelson to put runners at the corners with two out, but Bailey was able to strike out Perez on three pitches to stop the bleeding. The bottom of the fourth inning began with a Vierling walk and a bloop single to Zach McKinstry to immediately put the pressure back on Ober. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position, and Colt Keith immediately delivered a sacrifice fly to score Vierling to reestablish a Tigers advantage at 3-2. With two outs, Ober's fastball velocity dropped back down to 90 mph, and Gleybar Torres found a left-center jet stream and just like that, it was 5-2 Tigers. While Mize continued to handle the Twins offense with ease, Ober and his 75 pitches came back out to face the Tigers in the sixth. Four pitches later Greene golfed the third two-strike homer of the game off of Ober to make it 6-2 Detroit. Ober came back out for the sixth inning, and immediately teed up another gopher ball to McKinstry to continue on his 9.00+ ERA pace in June. Bailey was unable to complete six innings, and the disappointment for him and for Twins Territory was palpable in a game that threw the series momentum back into the Tigers' paws. Could the Twins Steal the Game and Momentum Back? Not really. Joey Wentz only allowed one run in the fifth through seventh innings, but the six-run deficit left no real chance for a comeback. However, Correa did continue to build some personal momentum as he took Tommy Kahnle deep for a two-run shot in the top of the eighth to tighten the margin to 8-4. That would be as close as the Twins could get to the division leaders in this battle. Walks continued to plague Wentz, and he couldn't finish the eighth inning, leaving the bases loaded with only one out for Cole Sands. Perez almost went grand salami, but settled for a two-run double off the base of the right field wall to extend their lead back to six yet again at 10-4. Brooks Lee kept his most recent hitting streak alive with a mop-up time double in the ninth, eventually scoring on a Matt Wallner sac fly for a 10-5 final score. The Tigers had lost their last eight Saturday games in a row, but they sent the Comerica Park fans home happy today with their MLB-leading 52nd victory of the season. What’s Next? The Twins look to take the series on Sunday evening in an ESPN game of the week. Twins righty Chris Paddack (3-6, 4.64 ERA) will take the hill in hopes of avenging his no-decision against Seattle on Tuesday and lowering his 6.11 ERA in June. Detroit sends guaranteed All-Star lefty Tarik Skubal (9-2, 2.29 ERA) in hopes of claiming the series for the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Wentz 0 0 0 0 48 48 Jax 13 9 0 23 0 45 Varland 11 17 0 15 0 43 Sands 0 0 31 0 12 43 Durán 17 9 0 9 0 35 Stewart 11 0 13 0 0 24 Coulombe 0 0 16 6 0 22 Topa 0 0 8 0 0 8 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Chris Paddack 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (80 pitches, 51 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Kody Clemens (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Jhoan Duran (-.306), Paddack (-.218), Willi Castro (-.183) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins entered Tuesday night's contest having lost 14 of their last 17 games. Let that sink in...or forget it ever happened. Your choice, but the Twins had no choice but to try to rally together to stop a four-game losing streak at home, where they've been outscored 46-16. Chris Paddack got the job of trying to bring that first number back to the mean, while the Minnesota lineup looked to do something they failed to do against Luis Castillo the first time they faced him on June 1—namely, to score a run. On paper, it looked like the Twins Territory depression era was going to keep on storming along, but that's why they play the games. More of the Same, and That Ain't Good Paddack kept the Mariners from scoring in the first two innings, surrendering a two-out double to Cal Raleigh in the first but leaving him stranded there. Castillo continued to make mincemeat of the Twins lineup, facing the minimum through two innings after a leadoff Byron Buxton single quickly got erased by a Trevor Larnach double-play ball. While the Twins continued to struggle station to station, the Mariners manufactured runs nonstop in the top of the third inning, with two singles and a sacrifice bunt that pressured Paddack into a throwing error. Seattle had the bases loaded, nobody out, and Julio Rodríguez at the plate. Twins fans breathed a sigh of relief when he was only able to muster a sacrifice fly for one run. Cole Young had also advanced on that flyout, however, and Raleigh quickly swatted him home with a single of his own. Randy Arozarena worked a walk on a full count (with a couple borderline balls along the way) to add insult to injury. In reality, the real insult and injury would involve watching Paddack plunk Luke Raley to plate another run and make it 3-0 Mariners. To add further insult, and some moral injury, Donovan Solano (yes, that Donovan Solano) came up next and barreled a two-run single to make it 5-0 Seattle. One couldn't help but wonder, was yet another game at home already over before the Twins could bat in the third inning? Mr. May Returns, and So Does the Twins' Mojo Down five runs before he even got his first at-bat, the hero of May, Kody Clemens, led off the bottom of the third inning with the weight of a season on his back and no time to spare. The Twins needed to punch back, and Clemens delivered yet another left hook to the right-field seats, to finally dent Castillo's ERA and give Target Field something to cheer about. Nothing more emerged for the Twins offense in the third, but after Paddack took care of the Mariners in order in the top of the fourth, the Twins mounted an actual mid-game rally for the first time in a long time. Larnach led the inning off with a double, and the still red-hot Brooks Lee kept his new streak alive by singling to left and knocking in Larnach to make it a 5-2 game. Carlos Correa singled, Matt Wallner walked, and suddenly, the Twins were in another bases-loaded situation with nobody out. Ty France "delivered" another run by hitting into a double play, and it felt like 5-3 was as close as it was going to get. Clemens, however, wouldn't bite on pitches outside of the zone, and he enabled his teammate Ryan Jeffers to step up to the plate and deliver a game-tying double off of the bottom of the wall. It's a brand new narrative tonight, and a brand new ballgame at 5-5! Turning Over the Keys to the Bullpen Both Paddack and Castillo both cruised through the fifth inning, but hit the dugouts afterward. The Twins turned to Louis Varland for the sixth, Griffin Jax for the seventh, and Brock Stewart for the eighth. Solano was the only Mariner to get on base, but his leadoff single in the top of the sixth off of Varland amounted to nothing. Unfortunately for the Twins, they also couldn't scratch a run off of the next three Mariners relievers. Their lack of scoring was a bit more egregious (a big word that means "made me want to chuck my computer across the room"). Wallner doubled down the line in right to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and France advanced him to third with a fly ball. But Willi Castro's shallow fly ball to right couldn't have scored even Buxton, and Wallner was left stranded at third—permanently so, after Jeffers flew out to end the threat. The ninth inning, therefore, was destined to be something special. Jhoan Duran got the call to face the bottom of the Mariners lineup, while Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz had already pitched in the bottom of the eighth. Duran got a great diving catch from Lee, who was shifted into the hole at short. Then, the Twins of the past two weeks reared their ugly heads. Former Twin Jorge Polanco came up as a pinch-hitter, and Duran bounced a curve ball off of his back foot on an 0-2 count to put eventual pinch-runner Dylan Moore on first. Cole Young bounced what looked like a double-play grounder up the middle to the second base side, but Castro got caught between a lunge and a dive and the ball rolled into the outfield to put runners at the corners with only one out. Duran then lost a curveball off of J.P Crawford's foot, and suddenly the bases were loaded for Rodríguez yet again. This time, getting Rodríguez to settle for a sacrifice fly didn't feel so good: 6-5 Mariners. Duran intentionally walked Raleigh to load the bases yet again, but got Arozarena to chase a knuckle curve for a strikeout to end the disaster before it could go completely nuclear. How would the Twins respond against wicked reliever Matt Brash? With silence. Deafening silence. Castro struck out, Jeffers weakly tapped out to Solano at first, and Bader couldn't get it past the pitcher's mound. In their ninth straight one-run loss, 15th loss in their last 18, and fifth loss in a row at home, the Twins found a new way to crush the fanbase. What’s Next? The Twins look to keep the chances of a split alive in game three of the series against Seattle on Wednesday evening. Twins righty Joe Ryan (7-3, 3.06 ERA) will look to pitch deeper into the game than he has been, after averaging only 5.4 innings per outing in June. Seattle will send fellow right-hander George Kirby (1-3, 6.16 ERA) out to face the Minnesota bats, hoping that his 2024 form might come back into focus. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Wentz 43 0 0 36 0 79 Stewart 0 11 18 0 11 40 Durán 3 0 18 0 17 38 Sands 0 31 0 0 0 31 Topa 22 0 5 0 0 27 Coulombe 3 0 21 0 0 24 Varland 0 4 0 0 11 15 Jax 0 0 1 0 13 14 View full article

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 95 pitches, 62 strikes (65%) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Woods Richardson (-.213), Ty France (-.087), Willi Castro (-.077) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After their latest "worst loss of the season," the Minnesota Twins looked to deliver some payback against the rival Milwaukee Brewers on a warm summer Saturday afternoon. The Twins started a man who was making his 39th career start in Simeon Woods Richardson, while the Brewers relied on a man making his 343rd career start in Jose Quintana. The X-factor in this ballgame was going to be baseball philosophy: the baserunning and small-ball pressure of the Brewers versus the power-driven core of the Twins offense. Which approach would carry the day on Saturday? Advantage, Pressure Sal Frelick led off the game with a hard-fought single, and the veteran slugger Christian Yelich advanced him to third base on a single. With runners on the corners and one out, the aging Yelich took off for second base, and Ryan Jeffers chucked the throw into center field to allow the first run of the game, and to Yelich to advance to third. A Brice Turang sacrifice fly added injury to insult, and it was 2-0 Brewers and Woods Richardson had already thrown 30 pitches before the Twins' big bats could take their first swings of the day. The Twins worked a couple of walks in the bottom of the first, but Byron Buxton never tried to steal and eventually Ty France was unable to cash in with a runner in scoring position. In the top of the second, the Brewers just kept manufacturing runners into scoring position and then cashing them in. Jonah Bride couldn't get to a ground ball to lead off the inning, and then he threw to the wrong base and failed to convert an out on his next opportunity, and suddenly the bases were loaded with nobody out. Another sac fly and a Yelich grounder to nowhere plated two more Milwaukee runs for a 4-0 lead, and it felt like the rout that started Friday night (or two weeks ago) was just gonna keep on rolling. Feeling the Heat In the bottom of the second inning, the difference in philosophies between the Twins and anything resembling exciting baseball in June became clear. Harrison Bader singled with one out, but instead of giving him some time to but his speed to use Matt Wallner took a rip at the first pitch and lined out to the second baseman. A lineout is bad luck, but one can't help but wonder if a moving Bader would have also moved the second baseman and opened some more space for Wallner. No pressure on the defense led to easy outs and double plays for the Twins as the game progressed. The last few weeks have exposed what happens when station-to-station and power baseball lacks the power component. Do the Twins have time to just keep waiting for homers to arrive? Woods Richardson Holds, Twins Bats Still Cold Woods Richardson held serve through the sixth inning, a mighty feat considering the heat he faced early and often in this game. The Twins continued to leave runners where they stood as both a lead-off single by Wallner in the fifth and a one-out double by Carlos Correa in the sixth found both runners still standing put on their respective bases by the time the third out was registered. Meanhile, the Brewers got a lead-off single by Joey Ortiz to start the seventh inning, and immediately moved him to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Jackson Chourio just missed driving him home, but Brock Stewart lost Yelich in the pressure of the situation to a walk. William Contreras ended up grounding out sharply to end the threat, but the moral of the story is that once again there was a threat. Exciting baseball, with pressure continuously being applied to the Twins pitching staff. Pressure Bursts Pipes... and Ballclubs Just when you thought the Brewers philosophy of baseball only impacted the opposing pitcher, the top of the eighth inning gave a stark reminder of what can happen to a fielder under pressure. In the outfield version of Bride's second inning miscue, the Brewers took a Brice Turang lead-off double and adanced him to third base with less than two outs. Cole Sands induced a short fly ball to Bader in left, just shallow enough to lead to a potential throw to nab the runner at the plate. Bader set-up to make the throw, but neglected to catch the ball. As it bounced off of his glove and rolled towards the wall, suddenly it was 5-0 Brewers with a different runner at third with less than two outs. A ground ball scored Isaac Collins. Just for good measure, the number nine hitter Ortiz singled again and Frelick doubled him home to make it 7-0. Buxton led of the bottom of the eighth with a single. He never advanced. Until the Twins can find a way to exert some pressure on their opponents, they won't advance either. Maple Grove native Collins doubled in two more runs after the defense couldn't come up with a Rhys Hoskins pop fly in the top of the ninth. His hometown supporters had something to cheer about again, but unfortuantely it came at the expense of a Twins team that couldn't look more broken. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the final game of a series for the third series in a row on Sunday. Twins righty David Festa (1-1, 4.78 ERA) looks to keep the Brewers from ending Twins' careers. The Brewers will counter with young righty Quinn Priester (5-2, 3.46 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Sands 16 0 13 0 31 60 Topa 17 0 17 22 0 56 Wentz 11 0 0 43 0 54 Stewart 33 0 0 0 11 44 Coulombe 4 0 15 3 0 22 Varland 0 0 13 0 4 17 Jax 0 0 15 0 0 15 Durán 0 0 0 3 0 3 View full article

Walker JenkinsLuke KeaschallEmmanuel RodriguezKaelen CulpepperCharlee SotoConnor PrielippDasan HillAndrew MorrisBrandon WinokurKyle DeBargeMarco RayaBilly AmickCJ CulpepperEduardo BeltreGabriel GonzalezCory LewisAaron SabatoRicardo OlivarCarson McCuskerPayton Eeles

Walker JenkinsLuke KeaschallEmmanuel RodriguezKaelen CulpepperCharlee SotoConnor PrielippDasan HillAndrew MorrisBrandon WinokurKyle DeBargeMarco RayaBilly AmickCJ CulpepperEduardo BeltreGabriel GonzalezCory LewisAaron SabatoRicardo OlivarCarson McCuskerPayton Eeles