Steven Trefz

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Samuel Perez) The Twins' major league bullpen came out of the All-Star Break looking to right the ship, and instead ended up shipwrecked and scattered across other teams. The 2025 trade deadline saw a direct reduction of 26-man roster arms and an infusion of minor league pitching prospects. The majority of the new prospects came into the Twins' affiliates with a “starter” label, so it will take some time before any of them make the relievers list. Several of June's prospects took a step back as the summer heated up, while others took leaps forward. Welcome to a post-deadline version of “What Twins minor league relievers now in the organization had the best July 2025?” Honorable Mentions - John Stankiewicz (Wichita/St.Paul): 3.38 ERA, 9 G, 13.1 IP, 13 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 1.2 WHIP, .260 BA - Rey Pecheco (DSL Twins): 2.57 ERA, 7 G, 14.0 IP, 14 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 15 K, 1.07 WHIP, .259 BA - Brennen Oxford (Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids): 1.64 ERA, 8 G, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 9 K, 1.18 WHIP, .216 BA #5 – RHP Xander Hamilton – FCL Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels 1.46 ERA, 8 G (7 FCL/1 Cedar Rapids), 12.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 12 K, 0.65 WHIP, .125 BA Xander Hamilton started July with a rehab stint in the FCL, and his performance there was utterly dominant. 10.1 innings of two-hit, no-run baseball for this 14th-round pick from the 2023 draft catapulted him up to Cedar Rapids for his last July outing. While that was a debut to forget, his trajectory is still aiming high. At 6’3”, 223 lbs, this big right-hander looks to keep climbing the ladder. His strikeout numbers jump off the page, so hopefully, further development will help him bring the whiffs up with him as the competition stiffens. #4 - RHP Anderson Ramos, FCL Twins 0.00 ERA, 6 G, 9.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 K, 0.41 WHIP, .034 BA This month’s edition of gold panning for prospects takes us to Anderson Ramos . His one-hit July at the FCL complex mirrored Hamilton’s success, but at 6’1”, 182 lbs, and only 19 years old, Ramos is starting his success five years earlier and with an encouraging ceiling. Look for Ramos to begin making waves in Fort Myers come 2026. #3 - RHP Michael Tonkin, St. Paul Saints 1.97 ERA, 7 G, 9.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 12 K, 0.40 WHIP, .067 BA Michael Tonkin might not seem like a prospect, but when your entire bullpen gets traded, you have to go searching for rays of positivity. Drafted in the 30th round of the 2008 by the Twins, Tonkin thought his last Twins memory was going to be how he successfully stayed Jason Kubel’s brother-in-law, until he found his way back to the club at the end of 2024. Shoulder issues thwarted the start of his 2025 campaign, but July saw minor-league rehab assignments and the Twins were ecstatic with what they saw. Tonkin will be featured in high-leverage situations for the Twins the rest of this season, and as he focuses in on his new role at the ripe old age of 35 it is right to acknowledge that he had a great July at St. Paul. It’s not his fault that there was a crater that formed in the development of the franchise; he was just willing to come try to fill a portion of it before he retires. So, thank you, Michael, for putting up with all of us as we weep that you aren’t Jhoan Duran. #2 – RHP Hunter Hoopes – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 3.48 ERA, 8 G, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 14 K, 0.48 WHIP, .139 BA Hunter Hoopes fits the more prototypical bill for high-leverage reliever. The 25-year-old Alabama product signed with the Twins on a minor league deal in July of 2024. Since then, he has climbed three levels to the Wichita club, thanks to his 6’1”, 200 lb frame and his rocket arm. The Twins literally signed Hoopes after seeing him clock 100+ in a YouTube video. Let that sink in a bit as a commentary on our current organizational issues but then give thanks that someone in the organization didn’t hesitate to sign him up! Hoopes would have snagged the number one spot in July, if his Wichita debut hadn’t been so rocky (3 runs over 1.2 innings). He struck out 13 while walking nobody at Cedar Rapids this month, and if the Twins can develop him into a “pitcher” without losing the heat, there is no reason to think that St. Paul or even Target Field might not welcome him in 2026. Twins Minor League Reliever of the Month – LHP Samuel Perez – Cedar Rapids Kernels 1.00 ERA, 6 G, 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 0.89 WHIP, .194 BA June’s #2 is now the Reliever of the Month! At 5’11”, 205 lb., Samuel Perez continued to dominate the competition at High-A. Perez has been climbing the organizational ladder since 2021. His reverse splits bode well for the future, and it appears he’s getting honed in for a high-leverage future despite a fastball that doesn’t crack the 90’s. The speed at which the 25-year-old prospect from Venezuela can climb, however, is now expedited given the trade deadline’s aftermath. July has come and gone, but several relief pitchers in the Twins organization stood out above the crowd, and they hope to continue that success as summer leagues head into playoff time. How would your ballot look for the Twins Minor League Relievers of the Month? Who are you most excited to see enter the organization from these trades? Let us know in the comments. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 62 strikes (68%)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (14) Bottom 3 WPA: Ober (-.251), DaShawn Kiersey Jr. (-.211), Brooks Lee (-.179) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins undertook a complete reshuffling of the deck chairs at the trade deadline, and the remaining and new passengers suffered yet another heart-wrenching walk-off loss to the Guardians in Cleveland on Friday night. Saturday brought a new chance to navigate towards destination "championship-caliber baseball" and Bailey Ober returned from his rehab assignment just in time to captain the ship. Standing in the way was iceberg extraordinaire Tanner Bibee and the curse of Progressive Field. New Look Opportunities, Same Old Results New Twins outfielder Alan Roden went hitless on Friday night so, of course, he got penciled in as the lead-off man on Saturday. He struck out on four pitches to start the offense for the visiting Twinkies. After the Guardians wasted an opportunity to score in the bottom of the first, Kody Clemens led off the second inning with a ringing double, and he pirated an extra base on an errant throw back to the infield. With Clemens on third and nobody out, Matt Wallner walked and suddenly the Twins were in business. Then Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee and Edouard Julien popped up, struck out, and weakly bounced out to leave Clemens right where they found him, and the score still 0-0. As has usually been the case, the opposing team immediately makes the Twins pay for this woeful offensive routine. In the bottom of the second, the Guardians started off with two singles, and then plated the first run of the game on a double play ball. The second run of the came came much faster in the bottom of the third inning, as Daniel Schneemann launched his 10th homer of the year on the third pitch of the inning to make it 2-0 Guardians. Same Old Opportunities, New Look Results After a slick catch by Lewis up against the tarp to help keep the damage to a minimum in the third, the Twins' new leader Clemens indeed got on base again to start the fourth, this time with a walk after working a full count. Wallner came up again, and again he started walking. Luckily for Twins fans, it was after he hit a 419-foot majestic blast to tie the game at two apiece! Ober took care of the Guardians in order to finish the fourth, and the aforementioned Roden decided to get me off his back with a double to start the fifth. Trevor Larnach also knows a thing about criticism, and he singled in Roden to put the Twins up 3-2. Ryan Jeffers singled, and suddenly the offensive ship was beginning to pick up steam again. When Clemens and Wallner failed to advance the runners, the good vibes were starting to fade yet again until the vibe-master himself, Royce "the new man" Lewis doubled down the left field line to plate Larnach and to double up the score on the home team at 4-2. Lee was unable to add to the lead, however, and the tension between coming through and failing miserably was palpable as the Guardians got their turn in the bottom of the fifth. Wouldn't you know it, Schneemann singled for his third hit of the afternoon, and our old friend Jose Ramirez showed why we should always intentionally walk him by crushing a two-out, game-tying home run to immediately remind the Twins fans yet again of how wasted scoring opportunities got us to this point in the season. Bulk Pitchers and Deja Vu Pierson Ohl got the call to take over for Ober in the bottom of the sixth with the score knotted at four apiece. Ohl spent July attempting to perfect the "one time through the order" bulk role in St. Paul, and today he successfully navigated the sixth and seventh innings. Unfortunately the Twins bats couldn't muster a base runner in the sixth, seventh, or eighth innings against the Cleveland bullpen. When Ohl started the eighth he matched upon against Twin-killer Ramirez, and he flipped a ball off off the dirt and into the outfield for a lead-off single. Ohl struck out Kyle Manzardo, but surrendered a bloop single to Carlos Santana to put Ramirez in scoring position with only one out. What happened next was a mound visit that failed miserably, as a first pitch fastball got sent to the corner by Bo Naylor to score Ramirez and to put the Guardians in position to win yet another one-run game against their divisional foe. After walking Gabriel Arias, Ohl struck out C.J. Kayfus with the bases loaded. Then the rookie bulked up and popped up Brayan Rocchio to keep the deficit at 5-4. The top of the ninth was too much like the rest of 2025 to be funny. Julien crushed what he thought was a game-tying homer to dead center, but it hit the wall, and because Julien was watching it a bit too long, he could only get two bases out of the blast. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. tried to pick up his teammate by bunting him to third. He couldn't. After the third attempt bounced foul for a strikeout, Roden struck out while swinging hard. Larnach was the last man standing between a tie game and another wasted opportunity with runners in scoring position. Hunter Gaddis took care of Larnach just like he did the others, and the Guardians celebrated the 14th straight one-run win against the Twins and left the team to ponder their next deck chair move. What’s Next? The Twins look to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon in their thankfully final game at Cleveland on this fateful voyage called 2025. The Twins announced that Simeon Woods Richardson's next start will be pushed back and "new-to-us" righty Jose Urena (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his first Twins start. The Guardians will counter with lefty Joey Cantillo (2-1, 4.14 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 12:40pm CDT. Notes The Twins struck out 15 times. That ties their second-highest game total of the year. They also struck out 14 times last night. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Ohl 0 0 0 0 52 52 Funderburk 38 0 0 11 0 49 Tonkin 36 0 0 11 0 47 Sands 8 13 0 20 0 41 Topa 0 22 0 13 0 35 Davis 0 31 0 0 0 31 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ramírez 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ureña 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Pierson Ohl 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (72 pitches, 45 strikes (63%)) Home Runs: Brooks Lee 2 (9, 10) Bottom 3 WPA: Ohl (-.246), Willi Castro (-.136), Royce Lewis (-.074) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After a late-night walk-off winner against the Boston Red Sox, the Twins turned to a rookie to keep the momentum rolling. With Chris Paddack now a Tiger, a spot in the rotation was open, and young Pierson Ohl completed his meteoric rise from Single-A all the way to Target Field with his first MLB start. The young righty matched up against the wily veteran Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.94 ERA), who was marking his 196th career MLB game. Who would get the upper hand in the battle of these two right-handers: The rookie or the veteran? First Start, Great Start Ohl started out with equal parts brilliance and stress. He registered strikeouts of his first two batters, before surrendering a double to Jarren Duran. With his first runner in scoring position, Ohl then collected a huge strikeout of Trevor Story to retire the side. After the Twins couldn't cash in on a two-on, none-out scenario yet again, Ohl returned to face Wilyer Abreu to start the second inning. Abreu sent one deep to center field in an attempt to put the Sox up 1-0, but Harrison Bader said no. Twins Miss Opporunities, While Boston Cashes In The news of Byron Buxton going on the IL before tonight's game was frustrating. The news that Carlos Correa had to exit the game after feeling light-headed following his first-inning single added angst to injury. As the rookie continued to deal, his revolving defense (and offense) continued to flail. Ty France and Christian Vázquez stranded Matt Wallner at second base in the second inning. After yet another scoring opportunity got thwarted by the Red Sox, Boston speedster Ceddanne Rafaela crushed a triple off of the left field wall to start off the action in the top of the third. As Ohl now journeyed through the second turn through the lineup, the Boston batters were able to lay off the breaking balls and crush strikes in the zone. Roman Anthony quickly delivered a single to officially notch the first earned run against Ohl. Alex Bregman's double scored Anthony, and it was 2-0 Red Sox; Ohl was in trouble. The rookie thought he had fixed the glitch when he struck out Duran for the second out, but a center-cut changeup on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to Story ended up in the bullpen to make it a 4-0 Boston advantage. Ohl's night ended after three innings, and Michael Tonkin took over to start the fourth. He celebrated his return to Target Field by plunking the first batter he faced in Abraham Toro, Tonkin settled down and took care of business in the fourth, but in the top of the fifth, Duran took Tonkin deep to increase the lead to 5-0. In the bottom of the fifth, the Twins once again got a runner in scoring position with only one out, only to see Trevor Larnach strike out. Luckily for the Twins, last night's hero, Brooks Lee, was now in the game, and he was more than willing to deliver the first run of the day for the home team with a two-out, two-strike single to plate Bader. Vázquez and Lee advanced to third and second base, respectively, giving Willi Castro a chance to make this a ballgame again. Castro almost found the hole on the left side, but Bregman lunged and threw on a dime to keep the game at 5-1. No Relief in Sight Kody Funderburk came on to face the bottom of the Boston lineup in the bottom of the sixth inning. It hasn't been going well for Funderburk since his call-up (10.57 ERA over his last seven outings), and tonight was no different. A lead-off single to Carlos Narvaez was followed by a ground-rule double to Toro. The good news is that Funderburk's ERA actually went down, while the bad news is that he did surrender a run back to the Red Sox on a sac fly to make it a five-run deficit at 6-1 again. Giolito, meanwhile, escaped another clogged bases situation in the bottom of the sixth to leave the game having scattered only four hits and allowing only one run, keeping the Twins to just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Brooks Lee Continues to Be Him In the bottom of the seventh inning, the new proud poppa Ryan Jeffers pinch-hit for Larnach with a lefty reliver on the mound. Jeffers laced a single into center field easily enough to make you wish he had started the game, and this put Lee in position to bat from the right side of the box. A Wilson fastball came in, and it went out even faster—104.7 mph and 415 feet to be precise—to close the deficit to 6-3. Cole Sands held serve in the eighth, and Louis Varland got the ninth inning. A Royce Lewis error, however, gave the Red Sox an extra out, and Story and Abreu hit back-to-back doubles to plate two unearned runs to make it 8-3 Boston. This extension in the lead put Aroldis Chapman back on the bullpen bench and gave the Red Sox enough breathing room to bring Jorge Alcala in instead. Those unearned runs immediately began to sting, because even though Lee started the night on the bench, he was going to end the night in the Twins record books by hitting a home run from both sides of the plate and knocking in all five runs on the night. After a Lewis single, the Red Sox ended the fun and brought in Chapman. The Twins countered with Mickey Gasper instead of Kody Clemens. Three pitches later, no contest. Strike out, ball game. 8-5 Boston. What’s Next? The Twins look to rebound to take the series against the Red Sox in a Wednesday matinee. The Twins have yet to name their starting pitcher, while it was assumed that Bailey Ober (4-6, 5.28 ERA) would be called up from his rehab stint at St. Paul to take the hill, Zebby Matthews (2-2, 4.97 ERA) will instead get the task. The Red Sox send righty Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA) out to play the role of spoiler of all Twins Territory trade deadline hope. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Funderburk 0 39 0 0 38 77 Durán 6 0 17 27 0 50 Topa 0 27 0 16 0 43 Jax 25 0 0 13 0 38 Tonkin 0 0 0 0 36 36 Sands 0 0 27 0 8 35 Varland 0 0 11 0 22 33 Coulombe 11 0 20 0 0 31 Stewart 0 0 9 16 0 25 View full article

I'm stealing that possum line for next winter's road trip series... absolutely stealing it. Like other teams steal bases I've been told.

oof...that is a copy and paste masterpiece on my part...nice catch

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