Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (98 pitches, 66 strikes (67%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (22), Royce Lewis (6), Luke Keaschall (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Justin Lawrence (-0.32), Travis Adams (-0.14), Prielipp (-0.12) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came into Saturday's matinee at Target Field riding the waves of an exciting comeback victory. Young lefty Connor Prielipp hoped to right his ship after a series of sub-par performances, especially as his 2026 inning count approaches max capacity. Not-so-young lefty Matthew LIberatore took the ball for the Cardinals in hopes of sparking another St. Louis winning streak. Prielipp Ambushed Early and Often This game got off on the wrong foot for the home team, as Prielipp couldn't control his fastball in the opening at-bat, losing Masyn Winn to a five pitch walk with mostly non-competitive efforts. As designated hitter Ivan Herrara stepped into the box, Prielipp was determined to get a fastball over the plate. By the time that center-cut fastball landed in the bullpen for a 2-0 Cardinals lead, the momentum of Friday night had morphed into a typical Saturday afternoon funk. The top of the second inning didn't start out any better for the home team. Prielipp again served up a center-cut first pitch fastball, this time to Blaze Jordan who promptly put it over the super-short arms of Austin Martin and off of the right-field wall. By the time Ryan Kreidler could catch up to the ball, Jordan was standing on third with a lead-off triple. Pedro Pages doubled in Jordan, and eventually came around to score himself to make it 4-0 Cardinals. Royce Lewis is On a Tear, and that Buxton Guy Liberatore tore through the Twins lineup in the early innings like they were wet toilet paper. When he faced Lewis in the bottom of the second inning, Lewis ripped a double but got stranded at third. That was the only hit the Twins could muster in the first three frames, so things were starting to get desperate as the bats came back around in the bottom of the fourth. This time it was Liberatore's turn to see what happened when a first pitch fastball catches the power zone for a major league hitter. That hitter was Byron Buxton, and the Twins were finally on the board. Two batters later, Lewis decided to not rely on his teammates to get him home. He took of that part himself with his third homer in the last four days to pull the Twins within two at 4-2. Afternoon Rallies and Homer Hankies The Twins came into Saturday's contest a measly 14-20 during day/afternoon games in 2026. If they want to get back into the Wild Card race, finding a way to get awake in time for matinee outings will have to be a part of the equation. Liberatore did his best to wake-up the Twins offense again in the bottom of the fifth. After losing Kriedler on a full count walk to start the inning, the Cardinals lefty thought he might get away with a first pitch fastball to Luke Keaschall. Wake up Twins fans! Its a 4-4 ballgame! Falvey's Sins Remain As unlikely as it seemed in the second inning, Prielipp managed to cover six full innings before giving way to his minor league bullpen. For all the excitement of last night's victory, the effort left the Twins bullpen pretty exhausted. With few quality options available, first man up was Justin Lawrence. The seventh inning started off innocently enough with two strike outs, but then Herrera and Jordan Walker went back-to-back. Derek Shelton stuck with the steaming hand of Lawrence not once, but twice more, as Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson both got to tee off for singles. Finally, Travis Adams came in to stop the bleeding. Instead, he started a gusher. This time the center-cut fastball gave Blaze Jordan his first career homerun, and the Cardinals a sudden and depressing 9-4 lead. Adams remained in the game as the sacrificial bullpen lamb, and he managed to get his team into Sunday. The Twins briefly got their rally mojo going again in the bottom of the eighth, but after a Kody Clemens RBI single, Lewis aggressively tried to pull a first pitch changeup on the outside corner. That leads to a rolled-over 6-4-3 rally killer in most Major League ballparks, and it did here today as well. Things got slightly interesting again in the bottom of the ninth, as reliever Riley O'Brien tried his best to keep the home crowd in it by walking the bases loaded to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Keaschall got the first crack at the hero moment, but went down looking for the first out. Josh Bell got the next attempt, and he could only muster an RBI fielder's choice grounder to second. Shelton thought that Victor Caratini stood a better chance of keeping the rally alive than today's lead off man Austin Martin, but he was wrong. A harmless pop fly generated a 9-6 Cardinals victory, with Buxton left on-deck. What’s Next? Tomorrow is another day, but unfortunately for the afternoon-challenged Twins its another day game. Twins righty Taj Bradley (5-3, 4.02 ERA) looks to get his season back, while the Cardinals will turn to former 1st rounder, righty Michael McGreevy (3-5, 2.99 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Twins bullpen implosion is scheduled for approximately 3:15pm CDT. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Adams 0 31 0 0 37 68 Paredes 0 58 0 0 0 58 Rogers 17 14 0 22 0 53 Lawrence 26 0 0 0 24 50 Morris 0 39 0 9 0 48 Laweryson 12 0 32 0 0 44 Gómez 0 27 0 15 0 42 Orze 23 0 0 16 0 39 Banda 0 30 0 9 0 39 View full article

Image courtesy of © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (89 pitches, 52 strikes (58%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (19), Josh Bell (7), Brooks Lee (10), Kody Clemens (9) Bottom 3 WPA: Bradley (-0.42), Tristan Gray (-0.19), Victor Caratini (-0.16) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins limped out of their 17-game string between off days by dropping three out of four to the hapless Royals. Nothing says "day off" like traveling to Detroit, only to experience a tornado warning and a two-hour rain delay. With a couple of 25-year-old righties on the mound in Taj Bradley and Troy Melton on Tuesday night in the Motor City, who would come out victorious in the battle of American League Central disappointments? Free Solos Against the Youngsters When the game finally got started, Byron Buxton wasted no time celebrating his return to center field and into the leadoff spot. One pitch, one 428-foot bomb. 1-0 Twins. The Twins' good vibes were short-lived and often stifled throughout tonight's contest, though, as the Tigers responded with solo homers of their own in the first (Dillon Dingler) and second (Riley Greene) to reestablish the lead at 2-1. Greene's home run to start the bottom of the second inning was especially frustrating, given that the Twins had loaded the bases in the top of the frame with only one out, only to see Tristan Gray and Buxton strike out to leave them that way. Josh Bell hit a solo shot of his own in the top of the third to knot things back up, and this one had some historical significance. It was No. 200 for Bell, and put the Twins right back into the game. Bradley's Control Didn't Make the Trip Bradley struggled early and often to find the strike zone, walking the leadoff man in the third and fourth innings to put the pressure immediately back on himself and the Twins' defense. He somehow escaped with only surrendering one run after those walks, but as his pitch count climbed, it became apparent that the Twins bullpen was immediately going to need to use their rested arms in order to find victory. Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens went back-to-back in the top of the fifth to put the Twins back on top, 4-3. Normally, this awesome occurrence would warrant video highlights. In this case, before I could enter them into the recap, Bradley had surrendered a double to start the bottom of the fifth, and then surrendered the lead immediately back by serving up Kerry Carpenter for a two-run jack. In each of those at-bats, Bradley started with a non-competitive pitch for ball one. In each of those at-bats, Bradley served up a center-cut off-speed pitch in hopes of not walking more humans. That was the end of Bradley's night, and the start of this evening's bullpen implosion. No Relief in Sight The bullpen rest didn't do a darn thing. Eric Orze got the Twins out of the bottom of the fifth still within a run, but after Gray and Buxton repeated their "striking out with a chance to knock a run in" vibe in the top of the sixth, Orze got chased with runners on the corners and only one out in the bottom of the sixth. Twins hero Taylor Rogers came in, and unfortunately, memories are all that appear to be left of Rogers's game. After getting Kevin McGonigle to strike out on a high sweeper, Rogers went one-too-many sweepers into the well on Dingler, and by the time the Tiger catcher trotted around the bases, it was 8-4 Detroit. The Twins loaded the bases yet again in the top of the seventh with only one out. Again, the clutch hits with runners on did not pack their bags for Detroit. Victor Caratini struck out, and Royce Lewis got Twins Territory to its feet—only to see his Grand Slam moment drop into Greene's glove on the warning track. Like we've seen so often this season, a Twins failed rally was immediately followed by an opponent's padding of the lead. This time, it was the Justin Lawrence experience who drew the sacrificial lamb role after Rogers stayed in the game and walked the leadoff man. Lawrence followed the night's theme and walked the first man he faced. It looked like the newest Twins would escape the jam after he got the next two outs, but he walked the bases loaded with two outs and then Gray booted a "single" to allow two more runs to score. What’s Next? That's a tough question to answer after a night like this. In theory, the Twins look to rebound and even up the series on Wednesday evening, but they have yet to name their starting pitcher. While the Twins faithful pray for a Marco Raya sighting, the threat of a bullpen game looms larger. The Tigers will send lefty Framber Valdez (3-4, 4.21 ERA) out to win the series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Laweryson 0 0 36 0 12 48 Morris 0 0 41 0 0 41 Orze 0 17 0 0 23 40 Lawrence 0 0 12 0 26 38 Rogers 0 15 0 0 17 32 Adams 16 0 0 0 0 16 Gómez 0 14 0 0 0 14 Banda 14 0 0 0 0 14 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (94 pitches, 62 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Luke Keaschall (0.23), Tristan Gray (0.23), Alex Jackson (0.14) & Yoendrys Gómez (0.14) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins took advantage of the White Sox's road woes on Monday night, and they looked to keep regaining ground against their division rival on Lou Gehrig Day. Two young starters got a second crack at their foes. Chicago's rising star Davis Martin looked to pick up his second win in less than a week against the Twins, while Minnesota's young lefty Connor Prielipp looked for revenge after giving up six runs in less than five innings earlier in the week to the South-Siders. White Sox Hit the Third Running Prielipp coasted through the first two frames, but ran into some classic 2026 Twins moments in the top of the third inning. The speedster Luisangel Acuña worked a leadoff walk on a full count, and then proceeded to steal second base. Then he stole third base, and Alex Jackson's throw soared into left field, allowing Acuña to trot home for the game's first run without the batter, Jacob Gonzalez, having to do a thing. After Gonzalez struck out, Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk struck with a single and a double, which set up Miguel Vargas for a two-run single to put the Pale Hose out to a 3-0 advantage with some uncharacteristic Chicago small ball. Twins Run it Right Back Martin was pitching well, but the Twins batters took advantage of their recent muscle memory in the batter's box and finally broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Tristan Gray led off with a single, and then was gifted second on a Martin balk. Jackson attempted to sacrifice bunt. Instead, Gonzalez decided to cover the ground two feet in front of the base instead of the actual base—and he chose not to try to tag Jackson, either. Runners were at the corners with nobody out, but Byron Buxton struck out looking. Luckily, Brooks Lee kept his RBIs rolling with a sac fly to make it 3-1. Prielipp took care of the Sox in short order in the top of the fourth, and kept the pressure on his opponent. Martin crumbled under that pressure, surrendering six straight hits to plate four runs. Luke Keaschall got the scoring rolling with an RBI single in the fourth, and he ultimately ended the Twins' scoring with an RBI single in the fifth. By the time the Keaschall bookend was finished, it was 6-3 Twins. Honorable RBI mentions go to Gray (2) and Jackson (1) as well, but the highlight is all Luke's. Nothing's Ever Easy at Target Field The fans began to show up mid-game, and by the time the adult beverages had impacted the tarps-off section, the atmosphere lent itself to some on-field excitement. Prielipp attempted to pitch into the seventh inning, but he got chased by two singles, and it was going to be up to the bullpen to hold the home turf. Andrew Morris got the call with runners on the corners and nobody out, and he quickly uncorked a wild bender to make that two Sox in scoring position with nobody out. Meidroth then buried a sinker toward Lee at third, and Lee couldn't quite complete an amazing play. With the lead now cut to 6-4, and still nobody out, Morris hunkered down and took down Grichuk and Vargas on strikeouts while, hitting 100 MPH for the first time. With the situation still on edge, Morris then plunked Colson Montgomery to load the bases. It was Anthony Banda's turn to save the day. Sam Antonacci stood at the plate, and four pitches later, he followed his "sword" back to the dugout, and the Twins fans could breathe again. Banda decided that the eighth inning should also be exciting, as he struck out the first two batters but then got stung by Acuña's speed and a Gonzalez walk. Yoendrys Gómez came in to put out the smoldering fire, and he immediately struck out Meidroth swinging before a flame could flicker. Manager Derek Shelton stuck with Gómez for the ninth, and Gómez repaid his skipper with a 1-2-3, stressless endgame. Time to prep the brooms at Target Field! What’s Next? The Twins look to sweep their way back into the AL Central picture on Wednesday afternoon. It will be a matchup of less familiar faces on the mound, as neither starter took part in the four-game series last week. The Twins will send out righty Taj Bradley (5-1, 3.21 ERA), who last got a no-decision after being chased early in Pittsburgh. The White Sox will send veteran righty Erick Fedde (0-5, 5.40 ERA) out to salvage the finale. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Paredes 0 0 60 0 0 60 Gómez 14 0 0 15 15 44 Banda 18 0 0 0 20 38 Orze 23 0 0 0 0 23 Adams 0 0 0 19 0 19 Morris 0 0 0 0 18 18 Laweryson 16 0 0 0 0 16 Rogers 12 0 0 0 0 12 Lawrence 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 4.2 IP, 12 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (97 pitches, 72 strikes (74%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Ober (-0.51), Austin Martin (-0.17), Orlando Arcia (-0.16) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins watched a victory turn into defeat in the bottom of the ninth on Friday night on the shores of the Allegheny River. On Saturday, Minnesota played the midpoint game of a brutal 17 games in 17 days stretch of this 2026 season. Bailey Ober took the mound in hopes of providing many innings of quality work for a pitching staff in the midst of injury and roster maneuvering. Ober's hopes, and the hopes of Twins fans everywhere got dashed, and resurrected, and dashed again. Ober and the Anti-Maddux On May 12th, Ober threw a "Maddux," meaning that he got a complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches. On Saturday, Ober threw an "Anti-Maddux," meaning he couldn't clear five innings and gave up eight runs in the first two innings, functionally taking his team out of the game from the start. The misplays started right from the first Pirates batter, as Spencer Horwitz pulled a first pitch 89.9 mph fastball foul. With the entire world shouting "Changeup!," Victor Caratini typed in the heater instead, and Ober grooved a 88.7 mph fastball in the same location that would fit Horwitz's swing perfectly for a booming homer into the river. Things only got worse from there for the Twins' battery. After Kody Clemens doubled to start the second, he came around to tie the game at one on a Caratini blooper into the sun in left (remember that sunshine please). In the bottom of the second inning, Ober tried another high-80's fastball down the heart of the plate after four straight off-speed pitches to the light-hitting Jake Mangum. Mangum now can say he hit a homerun in 2026, and the floodgates began to crack open. With two outs, Horwitz struck again, this time with a lazy fly ball to left field. Trevor Larnach never saw it. Not once. He was wearing his sunglasses. He properly used his glove in an attempt to find it. The ball plopped in front of him, and then the next four batters reached. By the time Oneil Cruz sent his three-run homer into the seats, Ober's day was ruined and things looked bleak with the Pirates leading 7-1 after only two innings. For Everyone Who Turned Off the Game at This Point... With the game effectively over before it could barely begin, Byron Buxton led off the top of the third inning with the kind of single that happens when you are a fast human. He found his way to third base after a wild pitch and a groundout. Turns out he could have stayed at first, because Clemens was cycle-hunting and drove a triple over Cruz's head to close the gap to 7-2. At the time, any excitement generated by this moment was sarcastic. In the top of the fourth, the excitement turned ecstatic. Mitch Keller got Caratini to line out to start the inning, but he gave up singles to Orlando Arcia and Luke Keaschall. Tristan Gray took his second chance at RBI's and delivered with a double that made it 7-4! Buxton walked, but Larnach flied out to put the rally on ice again. That is, until Josh Bell cleared the third baseman's glove with a liner that rolled all the way to the wall to clear the bases and make it 7-6! Remember Clemens? Cycle-hunter? This time it was just a single, but it tied us up at seven apiece! No Relief in Sight for Twins With a brand-new ballgame in the fourth inning, but with both starting pitchers laboring early, it was clear that the bullpens would determine the victor yet again on Saturday. Ober and Caratini started the bullpen action off for the Twins in the fifth by allowing a single, committing a catcher interference, and again grooving a center-cut fastball after success on off-speed pitches to Mangum. That single put the Pirates back up 8-7 and sent Ober to the dugout for another early exit. Kody Funderburk came in and escaped the jam that remained in the fifth, and he survived walks and stolen bases and pressure in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Derek Shelton rode the newly returned lefty two batters too many, as a walk and a single put runners at the corners with nobody out. John Klein got his Day 1 assignment after taking Simeon Woods Richardson's place on the roster, and he eventually allowed Funderburk's runs to score via walks, more stolen bases, hits and a sac fly. Just like that, another winnable game was lost by the Twins' bullpen. For Everyone Who Turned Off the Game at That Point... The bipolar nature of Saturday's ballgame kept on swinging through the top of the eighth, as Keaschall, Ryan Kreidler, and Buxton loaded the bases with one out against lefty reliever Mason Montgomery. Brooks Lee got the pinch-hit call to do what Brooks Lee does, and he walked. With the score now 10-8, and the bases still loaded, Bell came up with a hero moment in his former stomping grounds. He didn't "fail," but he didn't become a hero. Bell's slow ground-out to first plated Kreidler to pull the Twins to within a run, but now the pressure fell to Cycle-Hunter Clemens. The Pirates brough in lefty fireballer Gregory Soto to wreck the comeback plans. Soto threw a 1-1 sinker ball that left Kody's bat at 100.1 mph, but Tyler Callihan snared the grounder with a sweet backhand to break the Twins faithful's hearts once again. Soto stayed on for the ninth, but after two rallies the Twins had nothing left in the tank. 10-9 Pirates. You should have just kept the game turned off after all. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the final game of the series, and a .500 road trip by beating the Pirates on Sunday. Twins righty Zebby Matthews (1-2, 2.37 ERA) looks to deliver what Ober could not, while the Pirates will send righty Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.75 ERA) out in hopes of proving they were right to fire their old manager. First pitch on Sunday afternoon is scheduled for 12:35pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Gómez 18 0 17 14 0 71 Orze 0 29 0 23 0 52 Banda 10 0 14 18 0 49 Rogers 16 0 7 12 0 48 Klein 0 0 0 0 39 39 Morris 8 0 29 0 0 37 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 27 27 Laweryson 0 0 0 16 0 16 View full article

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (98 pitches, 77 strikes (79%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.29), Luke Keaschall (0.24), Kody Clemens & Taylor Rogers (0.14) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) On Memorial Day afternoon, the Twins discovered that the White Sox are a solid baseball team. Joe Ryan got the call to face the South Side Mashers on Tuesday, in hopes of inching his squad back toward the .500 mark, while Chicago sent young righty Sean Burke out to keep the Twinkies in their third place. PItchers Dominate, but Twins Break Through The first three innings started where Monday night's game left off, with pitchers dominating the game and no hits to be found. Burke had failed to finish five full innings in each of his last three starts, so his success appeared to be fool's gold. In the top of the fourth, the Twins mined two runs on three straight hits. First, Trevor Larnach put a ball in play to right, and Rikuu Nishida couldn't come up with the diving catch in his second career start in right field. Larnach took the double on his stat sheet, and he quickly scampered home when Kody Clemens laced a slump-breaker off the right-field line for a rolling triple to put the Twins up 1-0. With Clemens at third and nobody out, Austin Martin looked to keep Burke and the White Sox on the ropes. He laced a single up the middle to make it 2-0. What happened next didn't appear to be a game-wrecker at the time, but it would loom large as the pitching duel continued. Martin attempted to steal second base with offensive wet blanket Victor Caratini at the plate. Drew Romo threw a perfect strike to second to nab Martin, and the Twins didn't taste the bases again against Burke. The Experience Dominates Early and Often Joe Ryan took this early lead and immediately faced a test in the bottom of the fourth. Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth hit a couple of two-out singles to put Ryan on the ropes. Ryan swept out perennial Twins pest and phonics experiment Andrew Benintendi by inducing a harmless grounder to get his squad back into the dugout. Burke found his groove again, and took care of the Twins in order in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. When the White Sox took on Ryan in the bottom of the seventh, they again made some noise with two outs. A single off second base by Benintendi and a questionable hit by pitch to the light-hitting Tristan Peters got Ryan ranting and raving and throwing his glove around. Caratini went to the mound, settled down his ace, and the duo struck out Romo to again keep the zeros coming. But the Murakami Experience is Inevitable Derek Shelton let Ryan take the hill in the eighth with 88 pitches already thrown, with the top of the order (and power) looming. Nishida immediately put Twins Territory on edge with a leadoff single. While he danced the night away off first, Ryan managed to come back to strike out Sam Antonacci for his ninth of the night. American League-leading home run phenom Munetaka Murakami stepped to the plate, and this time, Ryan's attempt to sweep away the threat landed far out in the right field seats for Murakami's 19th of the year. Ryan pitched at a remarkable 76% strike rate, but it was just one too many. Once the sadness settled in, Ryan managed to get one more out before Shelton brought in Anthony Banda to face the lefty Montgomery. Banda immediately gave up a blast to the wall... but not over it. With the go-ahead run now at second base, Banda faced Meidroth with everything on the line. Meidroth beat out a grounder to Luke Keaschall, but luckily, the umpires took the initiative to examine the play more closely because the Twins were all out of challenges. The call was overturned, and we headed to the ninth all square at 2-2. Who Will Enjoy How This Experience Ends? Brooks Lee got himself on first base to start the ninth by hustling out an infield hit. Josh Bell came in to replace Larnach against the lefty Sean Newcomb. That was a poor decision, as Bell grounded into a double play via the usual 5-4-1-Slide Rule review route, as Lee slid wildly past second base, wiping out the fact that Bell beat out the relay. Banda stayed in to start the ninth, and Will Venable took charge by pinch-hitting Randal Grichuk for Benintendi. Banda made that move look foolish with a strikeout. Venable came out yet again to pinch-hit Derek Hill for Peters, and Shelton countered by bringing in the roller coaster that is the Andrew Morris save experience. Morris got the final two outs on quality plays from Keaschall, and bonus baseball would decide tonight's experience. Clemens started out the 10th as the Twins' placed runner, and Martin struck out on a highly questionable check swing to leave him right there. This placed the pressure on the previously mentioned Caratini, who kept the offensive offense narrative going with a strikeout of his own. Shelton went to the Orlando Arcia experience for a pinch-hit in this crucial moment, with the White Sox's big guns waiting at the bottom of the inning. Arcia delivered with a hit, but Nishida made Ramon Borrego look foolish, as he threw out Clemens by a mile at the plate. Unlike Shelton, Venable switched out his zombie runner for a faster option in Luisangel Acuña. Taylor Rogers had no margin for error with Nishida at the plate. While his throw home might have saved the top of the inning, Nishida foul bunted himself on out of the bottom of the 10th. Antonacci bounced a ball off of Rogers' leg, but Arcia held it in the infield to put runners at the corners for Murakami. This had to be how the experience ends right? Wrong! Rogers swept away Murakami on a grounder to Bell, who tagged Antonacci somewhere near Lake Michigan for a double play! Or, if you believe the actual call, he lined out to Bell who then doubled up Antonacci. Either way, the Taylor Rogers Experience sends us to the 11th! Every Experience Needs to End The game's goofy vibe rolled right on into the top of the 11th and off of third baseman Miguel Vargas's leg for a Keaschall leadoff single. This advanced new Manfred Man Ryan Kreidler to third base, and brought up the much-maligned James Outman for a potential hero moment. Outman, predictably, struck out instead, and it was left up to Byron Buxton to break the seal that had paralyzed the Twins' side of the scoreboard since the fourth inning. On a 3-1 pitch, home plate umpire Adam Beck called strike two, but Buxton challenged—and won a walk to load the bases. The newest man of the hour was Lee. New pitcher Tyler Davis got Lee to foul off two straight fastballs. Davis then slowed things down a bit, and Lee sped them back up with a bases-clearing double!!! The Twins left Lee on the bases, and Yoendrys Gómez allowed the Sox's automatic runner to score in the bottom half of the frame to add some angst to the evening once again. But once a Grichuk grounder found its way from Kreidler's arm to Bell's glove, Twins Territory could exhale and soak in the experience in victorious style. What’s Next? The Twins look to keep the momentum rolling against Chicago in the third game of the four-game series. Twins rookie Connor Prielipp (1-2, 4.03 ERA) will make his first start on the South Side, and will face rising ace righty Davis Martin (7-1, 2.04 ERA). On paper, this looks like another big blast-or-bust kind of evening, First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Gómez 13 0 22 0 18 53 Rojas 0 45 0 0 0 45 Morris 0 32 0 0 8 40 Rogers 0 6 13 0 16 35 Woods Richardson 0 0 0 35 0 35 Banda 14 0 10 0 10 34 Adams 29 0 1 0 0 30 Orze 14 0 10 0 0 24 View full article

Image courtesy of Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (73 pitches, 48 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Taylor Rogers (0.18), Bradley (0.17), Kendry Rojas (0.17) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins welcomed back their flamethrower phenom Taj Bradley to the mound at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. In a matinee that got pretty heated, Bradley and the Twins kept their cool and stayed hot in Boston. Starting Hot The Red Sox sent a familiar face out as an opener, with lefty Jovani Moran getting the first frame against his former squad. Moran got ahead of Byron Buxton 0-2 to lead things off, but Buck stroked a single to get the offense rolling. Trevor Larnach roped a single of his own to start off his four-hit day, and then Austin Martin took Moran to the gap to get the Twins on the board at 1-0. Bradley's Heater A Josh Bell sacrifice fly spotted Bradley another run to work with, and he worked with the lead quite well. After facing some rehab time for a pectoral muscle issue over the past two weeks, Bradley looked to return to his dominant ways. The first three innings saw little resistance from the Boston bats, with Taj alternating between low-90's movement and 99 mph heaters. The fourth inning saw the Red Sox get their first hit, and eventually their first run as a Ceddanne Rafaela double plated Mickey Gasper. Willson Contreras tried to follow Gasper home, but Martin threw a bead to Orlando Arcia, who in turn threw a pea to Victor Caratini for the tag at home. That play not only kept the Twins in the lead, but it also set a fire under the Twins offense as Caratini took exception to Contreras' bump at the plate, and Contreras took exception to any human interaction that ensued. With the bullpens and benches all lathered up, the top of the fifth inning began with the third of Larnach's four hits. Martin followed with an infield hit up the middle to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Bell stepped to the plate after having been the first man off the bench to skirmish in the previous inning, and he ironically exposed Contreras with a grounder to first that ate up the normally elite defender to load the bases against righty bulk man Brayan Bello. Kody Clemens failed to make them pay by flying out to shallow left, but Caratini hit a fly ball to right jussssssst far enough to score Larnach on a sweet slide to make it 3-1. Arcia then hit a grounder that was headed for out number three until Bello mindlessly reached behind his back and deflected the ball into no mans land. Martin scored, and the Twins bullpen got itself a three-run lead to work with. Rojas Holds the Fireline, and Morris Pours on Gas Bradley wasn't going to go very deep into the game in his first outing back, and Kendry Rojas was ready and waiting to keep the heaters coming. Rojas surrendered only one hit and struck out three over his three innings of work, and it looked like the Twins were on their way to an easy road victory. Then Andrew Morris took the hill for the bottom of the ninth, and Contreras laced a lead-off single into left. Morris followed by walking Rafaela on five pitches. Now the Twins were feeling the heat, and the tying run stepped into the box in the form of young Nick Sogard. Sogard took a 95 mph heater, and then popped up a changeup to ease some of the tension. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit, and Arcia made a slick play on a grounder up the middle to take out the runner at second to get the Twins within one out of a big win. Connor Wong was next man up, and he worked a walk on a full count to load em up. Derek Shelton stuck with the rookie Morris in this new-to-him crucial spot. The first two pitches to Isiah Kiner-Falefa were not close, and Morris was limited to heaters only to finish off the game. On a full count, Morris yanked a fastball into the ground to walk in the second run for the Red Sox. With the tying run on second, Shelton went to lefty Taylor Rogers to face the dangerous lefty Jarren Duran. Rogers got ahead 0-2, and for the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth times on the evening the Red Sox got down to their final strike. This time, Rogers caught Duran looking on a top shelf sweeper. Duran challenged, but the Twins victory got "confirmed." Thank you homeplate umpire Jen Pawol for doing your job well, as the Twins didn't have a challenge left in the tank had you botched that call. Twins Territory owes you a $2 beer next time you come to Target Field! What’s Next? The Twins look to get out the brooms at Fenway for the first time since 2015. The Bearded Nightmare (5-2, 3.63 ERA) looks to keep the good times rolling in Bean Town. Facing Bailey Ober will be former Twins ace Sonny Gray (5-1, 2.93 ERA) who is 1-2 with a non-stellar 7.20 ERA against his former team since leaving via free agency after the 2023 season. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Gómez 0 36 0 13 0 49 Adams 19 0 0 29 0 48 Rojas 0 0 0 0 45 45 Morris 0 10 0 0 32 42 Banda 16 0 0 14 0 30 Orze 0 0 0 14 0 14 Rogers 0 0 0 0 6 6 Woods Richardson 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (100 pitches, 66 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.20), Byron Buxton (-0.16), Trevor Larnach (-0.16) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins experienced a monumental Tuesday before the game even began. Royce Lewis got demoted to St. Paul, the Justin Topa era finally reached its overdue end, and Ryan Jeffers learned that his bat wasn't the only thing broken. Emmanuel Rodriguez discovered that surgery would keep him from rising up into the big leagues. The Astros' starter changed from Lance McCullers Jr. to Jason Alexander just a few hours before first pitch. Orlando Arcia and Alex Jackson were called up for the game, and Byron Buxton returned to the lineup as well. Would Zebby Matthews be able to keep his squad in the game with all of these distractions swirling? Or would the Astros be able to sneak away with the victory? Rough Start for Matthews The young starter didn't surrender a run in his first outing of the season, but two batters into tonight's contest, it was already 2-0 Astros. Jeremy Pena led off with a single with two strikes, and Isaac Paredes made Matthews pay by crushing a homer to left on a full-count, middle-middle cutter. The Astros didn't mount another threat the rest of the game, as Matthews and the Twins bullpen held serve the rest of the way. Could the Twins take advantage of the starting pitching chaos that Houston brought to the table tonight? Buxton Tries His Best Buxton finally got the Twins faithful on their feet again with another double in the bottom of the eighth inning. Josh Bell had a chance earlier in the game with Buxton on second base, but this time he got some help from the Astros infield as his ground ball bounced off of the second baseman into the outfield to pull the Twins to within one! Can the Twins Walk it Off? The Twins came into the night 0-22 this season when trailing after the eighth inning, and the Astros had yet to lose a lead after the eighth inning, at 18-0. On paper, things looked bleak. With two outs, it was up to Arcia, and he delivered with an opposite-field single. Derek Shelton pinch-hit Luke Keaschall, and Bryan Abreu came into the game to face him. Abreu then plunked him. A passed ball put runners on second and third for Buxton in a hero spot, but the Twins' superstar popped up on a full count to keep the Twins' late-inning futility and the Astros' low-grade clutchness intact. What’s Next? The Twins look to rebound and to secure a winning homestand on Wednesday afternoon. Hard-luck ace Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.20 ERA) will look to save the day. The Astros will send out young righty Mike Burrows (2-5, 5.72 ERA) in hopes of ruining the day. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Morris 24 0 12 16 0 52 Orze 0 26 0 19 0 45 Topa 0 0 11 31 0 42 Rogers 23 0 8 11 0 42 Banda 8 0 18 0 16 42 Gómez 7 11 0 11 0 29 Garcia 0 0 22 0 0 22 Adams 0 0 0 0 19 19 Woods-Richardson 0 0 0 18 0 18 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (86 pitches, 55 strikes (64%)) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Austin Martin (-0.28), Brooks Lee (-0.15), Tristan Gray (-0.15) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins looked to re-establish their home field after a rowdy Brewer crowd watched Milwaukee take the first game of the series. Minnesota had the right starter on the mound in young lefty Connor Prielipp, but would they have the right bats in the lineup with Byron Buxton sitting yet again and Luke Keaschall taking the night off against the equally young righty Logan Henderson? Ducks Left on the Pond The Twins had a golden opportunity to make a statement in the bottom of the second. After Prielipp dominated his way through his first two frames with three strikeouts, Josh Bell found his way on with a leadoff excuse-me single. Kody Clemens ripped a Henderson changeup into the corner for a double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. What happened next was a dreadful reminder of how things have been going, and how the Twins bats would continue to function on Saturday. The only way the Twins would fail to score would be strikeouts. Royce Lewis, strikeout. James Outman, strikeout. Austin Martin...strikeout. Trevor Larnach was back in the lineup after missing the past three games. He solved the "runners left in scoring position" dilemma in the bottom of the third inning by skipping a few steps and hitting the ball over the overhang in right to put his team up 1-0. Whiffing in the Field and at the Plate The Twins' lead didn't last very long, as the Brewers scraped a single and a walk on the base paths to start the fourth. After a rough call on a good play last night, Lewis got the gift of a double play grounder from Luis Rengifo. Unfortunately Royce forgot to get the ball before he tried to turn two, and by the time the ball got collected in left field Brice Turang had scampered all the way home from second base to knot the game at one apiece. In the bottom of the fourth, more Twins in scoring position with nobody out, and more whiffs. The Twins eventually went 0-8 with RISP and the strikeouts proved to be the most frustrating component. On three separate occasions the Brewers were either playing to surrender the run, or any ground ball or flyball could have done the deed. Prielipp got the chance to pitch into the sixth, and he tried to sneak a changeup past young phenom Jackson Chourio. That pitch got accelerated by 17 mph and found the seats for a 2-1 Brewer lead. Comeback Special? The Twins came into the ninth inning having gone 0-18 when trailing after seven innings in 2026. Righty Chad Patrick had entered the game in the bottom of the sixth, and was still pitching into the bottom of the ninth. The Twins mounted no threat, and Patrick got his four-inning save. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. Twins righty Bailey Ober (4-2, 3.46 ERA) will look to match his shutout performance earlier this week, while the Brewers have yet to name their starter for the mid-day tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rojas 0 0 0 41 0 41 Topa 0 35 0 0 0 35 Adams 0 29 0 0 0 29 Orze 0 0 0 0 26 26 Morris 0 0 0 24 0 24 Rogers 0 0 0 23 0 23 Garcia 0 18 0 0 0 18 Gómez 0 0 0 7 11 18 Banda 0 0 0 8 0 8 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 64 strikes (72%)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (6 Top 3 WPA: Ober (0.45), Jeffers (0.10), Trevor Larnach (0.10) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Bailey Ober hasn't lost at Target Field yet in 2026, and he hoped to keep the surprising winning ways rolling on home from Cleveland. Standing in his way was 6-foot-6 righty fireballer Eury Pérez, who came into Tuesday night with an ERA over 7.00 on the road in 2026, but who dominated the Twins over six innings of one-hit ball in their July 2025 matchup. Would any of this history matter, or would a new trend emerge in this interleague bout between two teams fighting to stay relevant before summer even starts? Starting Pitchers Dominate Early The first three innings of the ballgame saw the Twins put a runner in scoring position at second base with only one out via a wild pitch on a strikeout and an errant throw to first, two walks and two stolen bases. Ober matched Pérez goose egg for goose egg through five innings, scattering two singles with no walks and five strikeouts. While the "Bark at the Park" crowd found reasons to cheer in Ober's performance, one couldn't help but wonder if those missed early opportunities would come back to bite the home team. Third Time's the Charm for the Twins Pérez looked to be heading toward a similarly masterful end to the bottom of the fifth, having surrendered no hits to that point and having retired Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis on only four pitches. As the lineup turned over for a third time, the mystery of Pérez's elevated ERA on the road was solved, as Byron Buxton worked a five-pitch walk, and Trevor Larnach went the other way for a single to put runners at the corners. The Twins stayed aggressive on the base paths against the lanky Pérez, this time with Larnach bolting toward second base on a 1-0 count to Ryan Jeffers. Rookie catcher Joe Mack threw down to second base, Larnach hit the brakes, and Buxton stole the first run of the game. Pérez looked visibly frustrated. After the next pitch that he threw to Jeffers landed in the second deck in left, that frustration was validated, and the dogs at Target Field had more to howl about. 3-0 Twins! Ober and Systemic Change The date was September 7, 2024. The date was also April 10, 2025. On both instances, Ober was pulled early from a shutout with a low pitch count by his former skipper, Rocco Baldelli, due to drops in velocity and general mistrust that Ober was actually that good. The Twins eventually lost both games to the Royals in gut-wrenching fashion. Tonight, Ober entered the eighth inning having only thrown 70 pitches, and new skipper Derek Shelton let the Bearded Nightmare feast. Ober struck out two in slamming shut the eighth, and needed only eight pitches to finish off the Marlins for his first career nine-inning complete game shutout! 89 pitches at 89 mph or under. Maddux mode activated. What’s Next? The Twins look to win their fourth in a row on Wednesday evening in another matchup with the Marlins. This time, the home team will face a hometown foe in the Woodbury native Max Meyer (2-0, 2.79 ERA). The Twins counter with their young righty Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 6.92 ERA). While Meyer is ascending toward greatness, Woods Richardson is desperately trying to stay in the rotation. Luckily for the Twins, they don't play these games on stats alone. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Rojas 0 0 60 0 0 60 Adams 0 0 43 0 0 43 Banda 22 0 19 0 0 41 Garcia 0 13 20 0 0 33 Orze 16 15 0 0 0 31 Rogers 0 17 0 0 0 17 Morris 0 11 6 0 0 17 Gómez 2 5 10 0 0 17 Topa 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (107 pitches, 66 strikes (62%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (13) Top 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Eric Orze (0,48), Ryan (0.22), Luis Garcia (0.20) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) On the day that Taj Bradley found his way onto the IL, the Twins hoped that Joe Ryan's return to the rotation and avoidance of the IL wasn't just a mirage. After losing three in a row and finding themselves once again in the basement of the AL Central, Minnesota could not afford to lose another winnable game to the Guardians on Saturday night against a winless Tanner Bibee. The chance of thunderstorms delayed the inevitable by two hours, but baseball was played, and a result that no Twins fans expected transpired in Rock and Roll City. Buxton Rocks Byron Buxton waited and waited to get his chance to lead off against Bibee, but it only took three pitches before Byron and the Twins were out in front 1-0. Lead off homerun number 22, and homerun number 13 on the season, for number 25! Ryan Also Rocks, Even on the Rocks With the Twins' offense silenced after Buxton's homer, the pressure fell on the ace shoulders of Ryan to keep Cleveland off the board. Joe delivered consistently and efficiently in the early innings, allowing just a walk over the first three frames on only 41 pitches. The fourth inning was less efficient and definitely not as clean, as Jose Ramirez golfed a one-out single into center, stole second base, and scampered home to tie the game on a Kyle Manzardo single. A walk and a beanball created a bases loaded situation, but Ryan was able to deliver two straight strike outs to escape the inning with minimal damage. The elevated pitch count of the fourth ended up limiting Ryan to six innings on a whopping 107 pitches, but he kept the score knotted at one, which was necessary due to the fact that the Twins didn't muster any more hits after Buxton's blast. The Twins bullepn held serve through the seventh and eighth innings, with a couple of mammoth fly balls causing small panic attacks, but without any actual injury. Rocking and Rolling Into the Ninth After eight innings, the two squads had combined for three hits, two runs, and 21 strikeouts. To say the action was limited would be an understatement. The Twins hoped that red-hot Brooks Lee would be their key to the top of the ninth, but Brooks watched a 3-2 fastball go down the heart of the plate, and pinch-hitting Austin Martin and Josh Bell couldn't do anything to break the tie. Kody Funderburk started off the bottom of the ninth with two walks, and almost disasterously missed a chance to get the first out on a bunt. The Twins successfully challenged the call, and found themselves facing runners at second and third with only one out. Derek Shelton pulled Funderburk for Eric Orze, brought in Martin as a fifth infielder, and intentionally walked David Fry to load the bases. Orze induced a grounder to Luke Keaschall, and he nabbed the lead runner at the plate. Steven Kwan was next man up, and Orze was miraculously up to the challenge! Kody Clemens secured yet another three unassisted on the night to send us to bonus baseball! Extra Innings, Twins In the top of the tenth, the Twins were still looking for their second hit of the ballgame. They headed to the bottom of the tenth without finding it. Orze stayed in, and got the first out on a liner to Clemens. After intentionally and wisely walking Ramirez, Orze unintentionally walked Rhys Hoskins to load the bases. Again, Shelton brought in the fifth infielder, and this time it was Lee's turn to save the game. Orze still had to get rookie phenom Travis Bazzana to keep the Twins alive, and he did just that by inducing a fly out to a left-field-playing-again Martin to send us to the eleventh. Buxton still had the only hit of the night for the visiting team. Matt Wallner started out the eleventh as the ghost runner, and advanced to third on a "get him over" grounder by Royce Lewis. This brought up the aforementioned Buxton in a big spot. By the end of the at-bat, Buxton was still the only Twin with a hit on the night...but now it was "two." 2-1 Twins on a booming Buxton double off the left-field wall! Buxton was stranded in scoring position, and Twins fans hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite them as the much-maligned Luis Garcia got "last man standing" duty in the bottom of the eleventh with the speedy Bazzana on second as the ghost runner. Garcia got the first man with a shallow fly ball, but Bazzana stole third anyways. Fry flew out to an even shallower left field for the second out, and Garcia got Rocchio to two strikes. But Rocchio hit the kind of back-breaking seeing-eye grounder up the middle that Twins fans have seen year, after year, after year, after...oh wait! Brooks Lee equals Ballgame now! What’s Next? The Twins look to steal the series in Cleveland in a Sunday afternoon tilt. Twins reliever Andrew Morris will open things up and an assortment of bullpen arms will aim to fill Bradley's shoes on Sunday. The Guardians will counter with righty Gavin Williams (5-2, 3.28 ERA) in hopes of reclaiming their home-field advantage versus Minnesota. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40pm CDT with no rain in sight for once! Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Banda 19 0 20 22 0 61 Funderburk 0 17 0 22 10 49 Orze 16 0 0 16 15 47 Rogers 0 0 26 0 17 43 Garcia 13 14 0 0 13 40 Topa 0 32 0 0 0 32 Morris 0 14 0 0 11 25 Gómez 0 0 0 2 5 2 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (96 pitches, 63 strikes (66%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (11) Top 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Brooks Lee (0.27), Bradley (0.12), Trevor Larnach (0.11) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) The Twins traveled to the nation's capital for a showdown with the team who lives in their old place. Minnesota received good news regarding Joe Ryan's injury, and hoped that this positive momentum could carry into a very winnable series. Fireballer Taj Bradley took the hill for the visiting Twins, while young righty Cade Cavalli looked to match Bradley's heat pitch for pitch. Catching Up to the Heat Both young hurlers lived in the upper 90s throughout the first few innings of the game, but both offenses found a way to break through when they went offspeed. The Nationals struck first in the bottom of the first inning, when Curtis Mead sent a Bradley splitter to the left field wall for a double that placed runners at second and third with only one out. CJ Abrams couldn't handle a Bradley fastball, but his weak dribbler towards Luke Keaschall was too slow to let the drawn-in infielder make a successful throw home to nab the speedy Daylen Lile to put the Nationals up 1-0. The Twins quickly handed Cavalli two outs in the top of the second, but Cavilli got wild and hit Kody Clemens, and Keaschall got his dribbler revenge on a soft roller to third to put runners at first and second. Brooks Lee came up next, and he turned around 97.6 mph in a lead-taking fashion. The Twins weren't done there, as Cavilli ran into trouble toward the bottom of the lineup once again in the top of the fourth. Austin Martin got the start instead of Matt Wallner, and he rewarded his manager's trust with a leadoff single. Clemens solicited a walk, and Keaschall legitimately worked a 10-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. Lee came up again in an RBI spot, and this time his contact only traveled 40 feet, but Cavilli booted the ball into foul territory to plate Martin and to keep the bases loaded with nobody out. Royce Lewis, number one pick but number nine in the order, hit one just short of the right field fence for a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 Twins. Byron Buxton popped straight up to home plate, leaving Trevor Larnach in a position to pile on more runs in preparation for the Twins' bullpen coming in. Trevor fell behind 0-2 on two straight knuckle curves. Cavalli tried one more, though, and Larnach un-knuckled it to the right field gap to up the lead to 6-1. Bradley Gets Back on Track The off day on which the team traveled from Minneapolis to Washington looked to be extremely important, as Bradley needed 51 pitches just to survive the first two innings. However, he managed to rediscover the strike zone, and coerced the Nationals into making outs early in the count. Bradley mowed down eight batters in a row until Lile laced a two-out double in the fifth. Then it was Mead striking again, surviving fastballs, splitters, and cutters until he finally could poke a splitter into left field to creep a run closer, at 6-2. Bradley's night was done after six innings, but he left his team in a great position for victory—as Twins starters have been doing for weeks. Bloops and Bullpens The Nationals turned to righty Andre Granillo to start the top of the seventh, and Ryan Jeffers hit a pop fly to the right-center gap. Both fielders converged, but the ball found grass and rolled away for a gift double. Josh Bell immediately made the Nationals pay by stroking a single into right to plate Jeffers and widen the lead to 7-2 Twins. Before Twins fans could get too excited, the Twins turned to their own bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, and Eric Orze immediately gave up a booming double to Jose Tena. Two batters later, James Wood missed a home run by inches, and his double instead plated Tena to close the gap to 7-3. As fears began to mount, Jeffers rightly challenged what would have been a walk to Mead to put two men on. Then Orze, the Twins bullpen's most consistent workhorse in thick or thin, took that second chance to induce a grounder to himself to end the threat. The Twins' bats also could feel the threat looming, and they took the game back, thanks to the fact that the Nationals bullpen hasn't been much better in this young season. Granillo stayed in for the top of the eighth, and he started the inning by giving up a single to a red-hot Lee, plunking Lewis in the shoulder, then getting hit by a speeding Buck Truck. As the sparse crowd tried to chant "Throw it Back!" while heading for the exits, Buxton rounded the bases for his 11th home run of the season. Anthony Banda is still in the Twins bullpen, and in the eigth inning, he showed why that is by retiring the Nats in order (albeit on 19 pitches). Lee got another RBI on a double in the ninth, thanks to some Orlando Ribalta walks. In the bottom of the ninth, Luis Garcia got the next turn of the May 2 Implosion Redemption Tour, and surrendered a walk but wiped it away with a double play to face the minimum and to end the evening with only smiles. What’s Next? The Twins look to continue their winning ways in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening. Twins righty Bailey Ober (3-1, 3.55 ERA) will attempt to continue to eat six innings of quality mound time in hopes the offense keeps on attacking. The Nationals will counter with the floundering righty Miles Mikolas (0-3, 8.23 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 5:45 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Orze 33 0 24 0 16 73 Morris 0 0 57 0 0 57 Rogers 8 0 32 0 0 40 Garcia 9 18 0 0 13 40 Banda 0 18 0 0 19 37 Topa 0 10 17 0 0 27 Funderburk 0 14 3 0 0 17 Klein 0 12 0 0 0 12 View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 59 strikes (65%)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (10) Bottom 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Luis Garcia (-0.58), Anthony Banda (-0.17), Ryan Jeffers (-0.09) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) The Twins took one in the chin Friday evening against the visiting Blue Jays, but Saturday afternoon was a beautiful day for baseball and for some revenge. Minnesota sent their young southpaw Connor Prielipp out to silence the Toronto bats, while Toronto relied on the "familiar to Target Field" mustache of Dylan Cease. Neither pitcher had allowed a homerun in 2026, but with the sun out and the launch pad open for summer business, finally, a pitchers' duel was not going to happen. Buck Truck First to Launch After Prielipp took care of the Blue Jays in order in the top of the first, Cease tried to sneak a 1-2 fastball up and over Byron Buxton's leadoff bat. Buxton instead sent the ball up and over the right field limestone for his 10th home run of the season! Rough Second for Prielipp...and Guerrero Jr. Prielipp found himself with an early advantage, but that wouldn't last long. Connor surrendered the first home run of his career on a changeup to Lenyn Sosa to knot the game at one apiece. Just a few batters later, Miles Straw launched a 3-2 fastball even higher and deeper to left to put the Blue Jays out in front by a run. Kody Clemens laced a single to right to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and he advanced to second on a walk to Luke Keaschall. With two on and nobody out, Matt Wallner stepped up to the plate for the first time since Wednesday in hopes of at a minimum advancing the runners. Wallner indeed accomplished the minimum, with a dribbling grounder to the right side of the diamond. Now with runners at second and third and one out, Brooks Lee found himself looking down the barrel of a 1-2 count. Contact of any kind would probably score a run, and Lee managed to make the minimal contact needed yet again with a slow grounder to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base. Guerrero couldn't catch Clemens at home, so he instead tried to feed Cease at first to nab Lee. Instead, the ball scooted by everyone and into foul territory far enough to allow Keaschall to score and to put the Twins back on top at 3-2! Prielipp took care of business through five innings, as he continues to navigate his restricted pitch count in his rookie season. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tristan Gray led things off with a single. After advancing to second, Trevor Larnach stayed hot and singled in some insurance to make it 4-2. No Lead is Safe for the Twinkies In previous seasons, an insurance run might have helped. With four innings of bullpen work ahead of them, Twins fans knew it wouldn't be enough. Boy were they correct. Today's implosion began immediately when the unstoppable force that is Kazuma Okamoto took Justin Topa deep, pulling within one. Kody Funderburk came in, and despite the inexcusable walk to a 0-28 Davis Schneider, he managed to get the Twins into the eighth inning still nursing a 4-3 lead. Luis Garcia got the call for the top of the eighth, and he didn't retire a batter. A walk and three singles later and Garcia and the lead were both gone. Anthony Banda came in next, and with runners on first and second, Banda misplayed a bad hop through his wickets for a single up the middle. With the bases loaded, a rattled Banda walked Straw on four pitches to make it 6-4. Schneider came up with the bases still loaded, and Banda did what pitchers haven't been able to do for weeks...get Schneider a hit. Schneider's double scored two more, and then Brandon Valenzuela took the first pitch he saw deep into the bullpen to make it 11-4 with still no outs in the eighth inning. What else can you say? This is the 2026 Minnesota Twins. The blown lead allowed John Klein to come in and throw a perfect ninth inning in his major league debut, leaving 30,000 of his hometown fans wondering why he didn't pitch the eighth. Congrats to Klein, and may he be a part of the solution before it's too late. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage a series split and a season one-up over Toronto on Sunday. Twins righty Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.76 ERA) aims to keep the Twins bullpen off of the field as long as possible in hopes of securing a victory. The Blue Jays will counter with young righty Trey Yesavage (1-0, 0.00 ERA) who will be making his fifth career start. George Springer had to leave Saturday's ballgame early when a Prielipp slider hit him directly on his previously broken left big toe, so he is likely to miss the finale. First pitch is scheduled for a somewhat odd home morning start at 11:45am CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUES WED THUR FRI SAT TOT Orze 0 28 0 33 0 61 Banda 0 22 14 0 18 54 Garcia 23 0 0 9 18 50 Funderburk 15 0 0 0 14 29 Topa 0 0 12 0 10 22 Rogers 0 13 0 8 0 21 Morris 0 0 19 0 0 19 Klein 0 0 0 0 12 12 View full article