Steven Trefz

How have you experienced access to players at minor league parks? Any particular bright spots to the experience in general?

The Twins begin their 2025 campaign in enemy territory. The first road trip of the season begins in St. Louis and ends on the South Side of Chicago. What will a Twins fan find if they join their favorite team on the road? Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The last time Twins fans had a chance to watch them compete on the field, they were mostly choosing not to. September brought losses upon losses, and hastened the end of a disappointing season. The offseason has brought unique storylines, whether it be the team getting put up for sale; the TV situation finally getting remedied; or the departure of Thad Levine, Max Kepler, Carlos Santana, and a host of coaches throughout the organization. A page is turning, and to discover whether it was a forward or backward turn, fans will learn a lot from how the season-opening road trip goes. St. Louis Cardinals - March 27-30 Busch Stadium - Capacity 44,383 2024 Attendance: 2,869,783 (Averaged 35,872, ranked 6th out of 15 NL parks, 7th overall MLB) St. Louis’s baseball history can be traced back to 1882. Eleven World Series trophies later, the Cardinals remain elite among fan bases and maintain baseball cultural icon status. The current Busch Stadium is the third iteration, and provides a scenic view of the downtown skyline and this noble heritage. Built in 2006, it sports a Ballpark Village neighborhood attraction and its own Hall of Fame Museum. Brewery tours, trips up to the top of the Arch, BBQ and BBQ and more BBQ, and time spent feasting on baseball in the heartland. What could be better? The majestic views past the outfield concourse give the stadium its style points. The red seats and Clydesdales provide the ambiance, and the fans provide the support. The Cardinals have benefited from being the only game in town for a region that stretches from Oklahoma to Alabama, Indiana to Colorado. Their radio signal strength established a fan base, and their open wallet and excellent farm system have set them up to be contenders most seasons, so the last two seasons' strife is regarded as an anomaly and their fan base is hungry for redemption. The Twins lost two of three at Target Field last August, marking the start of a punchless season-dooming homestand. The Cards' most maddening win came on a blown save by Jhoan Duran via an Eduoard Julien toss into left field on a double-play ball. In 2023, the Twins took two of three in their last road trip to St. Louis, in the early August heat at Busch Stadium. In 2021 the Cardinals won a series in late July. So how will the Twins fare with the humidity not at 110 percent and the hope of a new season emerging from its winter thaw? There hasn't been a series sweep in the battle of the 1987 World Series opponents since 2018, so odds are that it'll be splits-ville to start the season. Overall, the Twins are 8-7 at this version of Busch Stadium. The main antagonist in this rivalry has been the weather, because the temps in August easily reach 100 degrees. A trip in March takes this element out of play, but maybe adds the risk of snow? On the other hand, Opening Day is special there—a true festival atmosphere. It will be cool for the Twins to be part of it. From the heart of St. Louis, the Twins continue on to their first divisional stop of the season. It’s on to Rate Field (yes, that's it's stupid, real name now) for a date with the rival White Sox. Chicago White Sox - March 31 - April 2 Rate Field - Capacity 40,615 2024 Attendance - 1,380,733 (Averaged 17,931, ranked 13th out of 15 AL teams, 27th overall MLB) The artist formerly known as New Comiskey Park, The “Cell,” and Guaranteed Rate has been around since 1991, but South Side Chicago American League baseball has been cooking since 1901. While the current stadium sits in a residential area, it carries a “big” stadium vibe compared to its North Side counterpart. Sharing an owner allows you to also buy Bulls gear at the ballpark, if you are into that sort of thing. The upper deck leans into the “upper” half of its name, while the bleachers get hot… but probably not in March and early April. In the 2000s, a person could shower on the outfield walkway. I’m not sure who thought that was a great idea, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try it out one blistering August afternoon. Lake Michigan, Soldier Field and the Museum campus, Sears Tower, and the Magnificent Mile. The smell of the L-Train platforms wafting in the Lake Shore breeze. The early-season angst of White Sox fans. With the Sox still in full rebuild mode, I’m guessing there should be quite a few good seats available for a cheap rate (pun intended). As frustrating as the Twins were in 2024, the White Sox were an unprecedented affront to the dignity of the game. The Twins took five of six from the South Siders on the road, and a whopping 12 of 13 from the Pale Hose over the course of the season! Since the White Sox started playing baseball at the new property in 1991, the Twins have played 274 games on the South Side of Chicago, and have come away victorious 130 times while leaving defeated 144 times. The Twins will need to keep up their recent success at Rate Field if they want to stay in the hunt in 2025. From there, the Twins journey back to Target Field for the home opener against the Houston Astros. What kind of record will the Twins take home with them? How do you think this opening road trip through the Midwest is going to go, Twins fans? Let's Road Trip is a series of stories exploring the Twins' 14 road trips during the 2025 season. I will focus on stadium highlights, attributes, Twins history, and community amenities. Potential pitfalls and roadblocks get considered, and travel considerations get mentioned. My handy-dandy Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm and Moon travel guides will be a go-to for this conversation. View full article

It’s winter in Twins Territory, that means the Hot Stove is simmering and its time to dream of warmer times. Nothing beats a summer road trip, and following your favorite baseball team on the road doubles the fun! Here is where the Twins can take you in 2025. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The 2025 season brings new elements to Major League Baseball fan travel. The Athletics now play their “home” games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, CA, with its 14,000 seats. The Rays will still play in Tampa, but at George M. Steinbrenner Field with its 11,000 seats. The Twins will make a trip to both locations in 2025 on the same road trip at the end of May into early June, and this provides fans an opportunity for some of the most intimate baseball experiences in the history of MLB. Granted, both journeys are to cities that leave a little to be desired from a tourist perspective, but the chance to catch baseball’s best in minor-league confines more than makes up for it. The balanced schedule that debuted in 2023 is still in effect, which means the Twins will play all 29 other teams during the regular season. Outside of the AL Central series (two home, two away) that occur every season, Twins fans can travel to any MLB ballpark to catch their favorite team every two years. This year, intrepid roadies can kick off the season with the Twins in St. Louis and close it down in Philadelphia. You can escape to Atlanta in April, and get a taste of the Rockies in July. Pack a passport for late August in Toronto, and catch some college football and the Rangers in mid-September. Besides the excitement and adventure that comes with traveling, joining with the team on the road brings some unique perks. When the gates open early before first pitch, it's your team taking batting practice and you can get as close as possible at a time when the team is looking for a friendly face. After each inning in the field, you are part of the few and proud in the stands that your team wants to throw the ball to as they head to the dugout. From restaurant and hotel encounters to pre- and post-game conversations, your odds of getting close to the team you love grow exponentially on the road. In the next several weeks leading up to Spring Training we will be going into detail trip by trip for the Twins' road journeys, complete with must-do activities and travel tips. Today we take a more 10,000-foot view so that you can begin to daydream about where the 2025 Twins season might take you. I’ve included the “Total Miles from Target Field and Back Again” that each road trip encompasses for a frame of reference. 14 different Twins road trips to choose from in 2025, let’s go! Trip 1 - March 27-April 2 - St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox (1266 miles) Trip 2 - April 7-10 - Kansas City Royals (872 miles) Trip 3 - April 18-20 - Atlanta Braves (2252 miles) Trip 4 - April 28-May4 - Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox (2788 miles) Trip 5 - May 13-18 - Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers (2239 miles) Trip 6 - May 26-June 5 - Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, and Athletics (7321 miles!) Trip 7 - June 13-19 - Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds (2933 miles) Trip 8 - June 27-July 3 - Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins (3867 miles) All-Star Week - July 14-17 - Atlanta! (2252 miles for somebody…or a few Twins?) Trip 9 - July 18-23 - Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers (3901 miles) Trip 10 - August 1-6 - Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers (1613 miles) Trip 11 - August 11-13 - New York Yankees (2404 miles) Trip 12 - August 22-27 - Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays (1865 miles) Trip 13 - September 5-10 - Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels (3982 miles) Trip 14 - September 23-28 - Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies (3649 miles) What road trips are you most excited about for the 2025 season? Planning to make any of the journeys? Let’s start daydreaming Twins Territory! Let's Road Trip is a series of stories exploring the Twins' 14 road trips during the 2025 season. I will focus on stadium highlights, attributes, Twins history, and community amenities. Potential pitfalls and roadblocks get considered, and travel considerations get mentioned. My handy-dandy Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm and Moon travel guides will be a go-to for this conversation. View full article

In our search for hope in the midst of a Twins-less playoff season, what better place to turn than towards the players that made the biggest strides forward in 2024. As we kick-off our Twins Daily post-season awards, here are the most-improved Twins this past season as voted upon by our writers. When a team experiences devastating injuries to its main superstars and still remains in the playoff hunt up to the end of the season, somebody must have exceeded expectations and delivered in the clutch. Here are the 2024 winners of the Twins Daily "Most Improved Twin" award. Before we begin, a word of caution to this year’s winners. Last year's winners didn't find much success with the Twins in 2024. Emilio Pagan received no interest from Minnesota and signed a hefty two-year, $16 Million salary with the Reds, only to get bit by the injury bug, Ryan Jeffers's collapse at the end of 2024 kept him effectively out of the lineup during the stretch run, and Max Kepler (last year's winner) again found some success but ended on the injured list for what will probably be his last season with the Twins. Usually you win an award such as “Most Improved” by struggling at some point, so regression might be inevitable I guess. For now, let’s enjoy this list as a celebration of improvement, and we’ll worry about next year…next year! 2024 Honorable Mention Griffin Jax: 71 IP, 2.03 ERA, 10 SV, 34.4% K rate, 5.4% BB rate, 2.8 WAR, 0.87 WHIP, 1.94 FIP Jax kept on improving after making this list last year, and don't be surprised to see his team MVP status later in the week. The bullpen savior of 2024 rose to become the only lock-down arm by the end of the season, by lowering his FIP (from 3.17 to 1.94) and raising his K% (from 24% to 34%) this past season. Will Jax be closer material in 2025? Or is a return to the rotation in his sights? Carlos Correa: .310/.388/.517, .905 OPS, 10.9% BB rate, 16.6% K rate, 3.7 WAR, 86 G, 14 HR The main star on the roster, the most expensive player on the team, the captain on the field and off. Unfortunately Correa was more off the field than on in 2024, but when he played he was the definition of a difference maker. He reached near his career highs across all offensive categories in his 86 games played, while reducing one important metric: groundball double plays. Dropping these rally killers from 30 to five in 2024b allowed Correa to almost match his hits and RBI totals from 2023, even though he played in 50 less games! Bailey Ober: 178 2/3 IP, 3.98 ERA, 26.9% K rate, 6.1% BB rate, 2.9 WAR, 1.00 WHIP, 3.82 FIP Ober's improvement in 2024 came at two levels that might not scream "excitement," but should give Twins fans for Bailey's continued presence in the rotation for years to come. He increased his innings pitched again by 34, and improved his opponents' slash lines across the board. Incremental growth is sustainable growth, and there is no reason another year of improvement isn't in Ober's future. Byron Buxton: .279/.335/.524, .859 OPS, 5.2% BB rate, 25.5% K rate, 3.6 WAR, 102 G, 18 HR Buxton increased his OPS (from .731), his games played (from 85), and his WAR (from 0.8) in 2024, through decreasing strike outs, and adding doubles back into the mix due to finding some health early in the season. Twins fans hope that 2024 was a sign of progress for the perennial MVP hopeful, and not the last glimpse of promise for the oft-injured Buxton. His defensive range might be the first tool to drop off in 2025. And now to our top three vote getters for Most Improved Twin in 2024! 3. Simeon Woods Richardson: 133 2/3 IP, 4.17 ERA, 20.6% K rate, 8.4% BB rate, 2.0 WAR, 1.29 WHIP, 4.12 FIP Woods Richardson finally found his way to the major league rotation on a full-time basis in 2024, just two years after coming to the organization from Toronto in the 2021 trade for cornerstone starter Jose Berrios (along with Austin Martin, who could make this list in 2025). For someone who never reached Triple-A with the Blue Jays, Woods Richardson had only known St. Paul Saints action with the Twins except for a forgettable start late in 2023. How did the rookie respond to the chance in 2024? For starters, he improved every metric from his Triple-A stat line in 2023, including maxing out at 133 2/3 innings (and clearly showing he was maxed out in his final start), along with an adjustment in arm slot and pitch mix (check out Cody Christie's awesome article on this growth), made Woods Richardson a weapon that the Twins desperately needed throughout the season. From where he was experience-wise, to his track record of results, Woods Richardson delivered beyond expectations and gives the rotation some depth for years to come. 2. Trevor Larnach: .259/.338/.434, .771 OPS, 10.0% BB rate, 22.3% K rate, 1.3 WAR, 112 G, 15 HR 2023 was a lost season for the former 2018 first round draft pick Larnach. Injuries derailed his season, and finding consistency at the plate when he was in the lineup provided the rest of the disappointment. No batter turned over a new page like Larnach did, however, once 2024 rolled around. Even though he was unable to start the season with his major league teammates, he made up for lost time once he did reach the field. Larnach's improvement stemmed from reducing his strikeout rate by 12%, and by recapturing his clutch hitting to the tune of a .341 rOBA (a climb of 30 points). Exit velocity increased, and Twins fans will remember how the last few weeks of the season seemed to contain a daily dose of Larnach blistering line drive outs. While Larnach's defensive metrics declined slightly, his OPS climbed to new heights as did his position in the batting order during the home stretch. Is right field Larnach's new permanent home? As Nick Nelson noted, Twins fans should be wondering if Larnach will still be holding down the middle of the order when 2025 rolls around. 2024 Most Improved Twin! 1. Cole Sands: 71 1/3 IP, 4 SV, 3.28 ERA, 29.1% K rate, 4.1% BB rate, 1.2 WAR, 1.00 WHIP, 2.63 FIP Sands went from bullpen afterthought to core weapon as the 2024 Twins season advanced. After notching only 30 2/3 and 21 2/3 innings of big-league work in 2022 and 2023 respectively, Sands displayed the kind of durability and resilience that could make him a bullpen lock for years to come. Not often does a middle reliever factor into the WAR conversation, but Sands consistently came into more and more high leverage opportunities, and he delivered more often than not. Most notable improvements include Sands reducing his opponents' OPS from .772 in 2023 to .590 in 2024. He also lowered his walk rate (from 13.3% to 4.1%) and increased his strike out rate (from 21.4% to 29.1%) with an improved curveball and increased velocity (96-97 mph) on his naturally sinking fastball. As a minor leaguer, Sands worked in the starter role, and his success declined as he climbed above Double-A level. As a major league reliever, Sands has put in the work and has found success with the max effort approach. As Eric Blonigen noted, the Twins had several problems in 2024, but Sands was not one of them. Congratulations Cole Sands on being named the Twins Daily 2024 Most Improved Player Award! Without his middle relief and emergency appearances, the Twins would have never made the season interesting until the final weeks of the season. Granted, a middle reliever in the top spot of this category points more to the lack of improvement across the rest of the young stars that the Twins were hoping to see the shine from in 2024. That's not Sands' fault though. He did the work, got the results, and deserves the honor. Right? What are your thoughts on selecting Cole Sands as the Twins Most Improved Player? How about the other candidates? Anybody that you would remove or add to the list? View full article

As I spent most of the year wondering "Where is our bullpen help?" this research reminded me of just how much we needed Topa and the free agent lottery tickets to pay off. I wonder how much the Jorge Lopez experience prevented our jumping into the trade scene again as well. This better be a draft mine for the coming seasons.

Today, we continue to hand out our proverbial Twins Daily hardware. Who were the top relief pitchers for the Twins minor-league ballclubs? Image courtesy of William Parmeter Yesterday, we named Zebby Matthews as the Twin Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Today, we will discuss the relief pitchers in the Twins minor leagues. Before getting into the 2024 crop of short-season pitchers, here are the previous recipients of this award: Past Winners of the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award 2023: Kody Funderburk 2022: Evan Sisk 2021: Jovani Moran 2020: No Season 2019: Anthony Vizcaya 2018: Andrew Vasquez 2017: John Curtiss 2016: Trevor Hildenberger 2015: Trevor Hildenberger The Twins saw their major-league bullpen collapse toward the end of the season, and the minor-league bullpen reinforcements struggled mightily in their attempts to stop the bleeding. That being said, the list of relief prospects on the rise through the minor league system is worth focusing on as Twins fans evaluate the whole organization in hopes of turning the ship around in 2025. The Twins Daily minor league writers and video providers were asked to vote on these awards. Before getting into the top four, some others received votes. Others Receiving Votes RHP Jarret Whorff, 26, CR/WICH/SP: 31 G, 5 GS, 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 68.2 IP, 53 H, 27 BB, 71 K RHP Mike Paredes, 24, FM/CR/WICH: 29 G, 3 GS, 3.06 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 61.2 IP, 56 H, 12 BB, 57 K Minor League Full-Season Relief Pitcher of the Year Here are the top four vote-getters for Twins Full-Season Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year 4. RHP Nolan Santos, 23, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 43 G, 0 GS, 2.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 67.2 IP, 51 H, 26 BB, 80 K With their seventh round pick in the 2023 draft, the Minnesota Twins selected RHP Nolan Santos out of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. The 201st overall pick began his career by climbing from rookie ball to Low-A. 2024 saw Santos continue his methodical climb. After 29 games with Fort Myers, he was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids where he pitched in another 14 games. Santos held his opponents' batting average to just a .200 clip while continuing to lower his WHIP and increase his strike out percentage. At Fort Myers, Santos picked up eight saves. He continued to be used late in games for the Kernels, adding another three saves. At 6'1", 205 pounds, the 23-year-old should continue his climb up the organization. 3. RHP Kyle Bischoff, 25, Cedar Rapids/Wichita 42 G, 0 GS, 3.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 43 H, 25 BB, 77 K Bischoff certainly has an interesting background and story. In 2018, he started at the University of Toledo where he pitched for four seasons. Given an extra season, he pitched for Michigan State in 2022. He went undrafted and headed to the United Shores Baseball League where he pitched for Westside in 2022. He made two USBL appearances in 2023 before he signed a minor-league free agent contract with the Twins. He spent that summer in the FCL. In 2024, Bischoff rose all the way from the corn fields of Iowa to one call away from the big leagues in St. Paul. He pitched in 28 games with the Kernels, 14 games at Double-A Wichita and ended the season with three games with the Saints. The 6'2", 210 pound righty put up stronger numbers in Wichita than Cedar Rapids and held his own in St. Paul. 2. LHP Samuel Perez, 24, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 38 G, 1 GS, 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 72.1 IP, 56 H, 24 BB, 82 K Perez originally signed with the Angels in 2017 out of Venezuela. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2018 and 2019. Like others, he didn't pitch in 2020, but he joined the Twins organization before the 2021 season after a brief stint in independent ball. He pitched 37 1/3 innings for the FCL Twins and went 4-2 with a 1.45 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He also had 39 strikeouts to go with just five walks. Twins Daily named him the short-season pitcher of the year. In 2022, he pitched in 24 games for the Mussels and six games in Cedar Rapids. He spent the full 2023 season in Fort Myers where he went 6-2 with two saves. He had 63 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings with just 15 walks. In 2024, he made 35 appearances with Fort Myers before ending the season with five innings over three games in Cedar Rapids. Despite working with a fastball/cutter that sits around 85-86 mph, he has to pitch creatively to keep hitters off balance. However, a look at his strikeout rate and you can tell that he keeps batters off balance. The 5'11", 205 southpaw will hope to spend most of the 2025 season in Cedar Rapids. 1. RHP Spencer Bengard, 22, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 19 G, 8 GS, 1.51 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 83.1 IP, 68 H, 14 BB, 72 K Bengard brings home the trophy for top minor-league reliever this season, even though he started nine games. We decided that the criteria for whether a pitcher was considered a starter or reliever was based on game usage. Bengard made nine starts and 10 relief appearances. Of his 19 total appearances, only twice did he not record at least nine outs. He had starts that went six innings, and he had relief outings that went five innings. His season didn't start until the end of April when he joined the Mighty Mussels. In his first 10 games, he went 6-1 with a 1.32 ERA. Three outings later, he was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids. When he didn't start, he was used as a bulk guy or in a piggyback situation. There isn't much not to like in Bengard's game, as he's proven that he can pitch with consistency whenever he's called upon during a game. His K/BB rate is really good, and it really needs to be. His fastball currently sits right around 89-91 mph range, but he's got good movement and terrific control. Bengard was the Twins 15th round pick in 2023 out of California-Baptist where he was teammates with Twins pitching prospect C.J. Culpepper . What can or should we hope for from Bengard in 2025? Will he jump into a more typical starter role, or will his ability to be adaptable be considered valuable to the Twins organization? Relief pitching performances across the Twins minor league system had plenty of ups and downs in 2024. Congratulations to the pitchers we discussed today on great showings. For 2024, Spencer Bengard earned and deserved our choice for Twins Daily Minor-League Relief Pitcher of the Year. View full article

Today, we continue to hand out our proverbial Twins Daily hardware. Who were the top pitchers for the Twins Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League? Yesterday, we named DSL Twins outfielder Eduardo Beltre the Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year. Today, we will discuss the pitchers in the two Twins Complex Leagues, the Florida Complex League (FCL) and the Dominican Summer League (DSL). Before getting into the 2024 crop of short-season pitchers, here are the previous recipients of this award: 2016: Huascar Ynoa 2017: Jovani Moran 2018: Andrew Cabezas 2019: Cody Lawyerson 2021: Samuel Perez 2022: Miguel Olivares 2023: Juan Cota The Twins saw their major-league bullpen collapse toward the end of the season, and utilized several rookies as starters in ways that sped up the pipeline. In this climate, finding young diamonds in the rough of short-season minor league pitching should peak everyone’s interest. The Twins Daily minor league writers and video providers were asked to vote on these awards. Before getting into the top four, some others received votes. Others Receiving Votes RHP Joel Garcia, 20, FCL Twins: 6 G, 5 GS, 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 18 IP, 13 H, 0 BB, 16 K LHP Wilker Reyes, 22, FCL Twins: 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 12 K LHP Cleiber Maldonado, 20, FCL Twins: 14 G, 1 GS, 2.04 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 18 K RHP Aiberson Ventura, 18, DSL Twins: 10 G, 1.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 13 K RHP Jose Vasquez, 19, DSL Twins: 11 G, 3 GS, 4.99 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 30 H, 15 BB, 45 K RHP Santiago Rojas, 17, DSL Twins: 11 G, 10 GS, 4.02 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 35 H, 27 BB, 41 K Short Season Relief Pitcher of the Year Here are the top four vote-getters for Twins Short Season Pitcher of the Year 4. RHP Devin Kirby, 25, FCL Twins 11 G, 0 GS, 2.55 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 25 H, 8 BB, 31 K Kirby signed with the Twins after the 2023 college season at the University of Connecticut, hence why he achieved his minor league work this season at the ripe old age of 25. As reported by Seth Stohs in his Arizona Fall League roster preview, Kirby not only made strides from short-season to Fort Myers in 2024, but he also will be making the journey to Arizona for an extended look. Kirby’s knuckleball works, and the Twins are encouraging its use as a potential bullpen weapon for the future. 3. RHP Yency De Jesus, 22, FCL Twins 11 G, 1 GS, 1.08 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 25 IP, 17 H, 16 BB, 21 K De Jesus signed as an international free agent in 2022 as a 20-year-old prospect from the Dominican Republic. While his K/BB numbers declined from 2023 to 2024, he managed to pitch the 2024 season without surrendering a home run. This attribute alone should put him in the crosshairs of Twins plans for minor-league ascension in 2025. At only 5’11’’ and 170 pounds, De Jesus will need to build some frame to endure in full-season work, but he has the tools to miss bats and to end rallies, if he can harness his control as he continues to build his pitch mix. 2. RHP Adrian Bohorquez, 19, FCL Twins 10 G, 7 GS, 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 36.2 IP, 23 H, 17 BB, 41 K Bohorquez consistently delivered in the short season for the FCL Twins, and while his 2-3 record as a starter doesn’t scream “future talent,” his steadily improving K/BB rate gives a fan hope and ability to continue to climb up the promotional ladder shows no signs of stopping for the Venezuelan. Bohorquez fills out his 6’1” frame at a reported 190 pounds, and developed more length in his starts for Fort Myers after the FCL season was completed. 1. RHP Melvin Rodriguez, 18, DSL Twins 11 G, 8 GS, 2.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 46.1 IP, 39 H, 12 BB, 48 K The other short-season starting pitcher on the radar shines even more brightly, as Rodriguez brought length, strike outs, and consistency of control to the table for the Dominican Summer League Twins in 2024. The Dominican Republic native finished his first season by finishing tops in ERA and right behind Bohorquez in WHIP for qualified starters. The teenage free agent signee looms large on the mound, boasting a 6’2” height and 195 pound frame, and he appears to be built to last as evidenced by his debut effort. With the Twins rushing their starting pitcher pipeline in 2024, prospects like Rodriguez look to continue to progress as they look to develop and to build off of successful starts in the minor leagues. Hope sprung up through the pitching performances in the complex leagues in 2024, with some left-handed relief, emerging young starter mentalities, and strike out princes en route to becoming kings some day for the big league club. For 2024, Melvin Rodriguez earned and deserved our choice for Twins Daily Short-Season Minor-League Pitcher of the Year. View full article

The Minnesota Twins began their Wednesday night game against the Miami Marlins in desperate need of a victory and a change in momentum, if they were to have any chance of continuing their playoff push. After a horrific start, the Twins re-wrote the narrative of the past month and accelerated to victory, keeping pace for at least one more night. Here is how the comeback win transpired. Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson - 1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K ( 36 pitches, 23 strikes (64% Strikes) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (18), Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach .238, Carlos Correa .151, Christian Vazquez .144 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Desperation Mode Turns Desperate Early The Twins entered Wednesday night's matchup versus the Miami Marlins with no margin for error. After dropping the opening game of the series to the 99 loss Miami squad, the Twins dropped to two games behind both Detroit and Kansas City for the final Wild Card slot. Any realistic chance at reclaiming the spot that was mostly theirs throughout the season required a win on Wednesday, and the man on the hill to do his part was Simeon Woods Richardson. Before the game, Simeon discussed the importance of throwing strikes, and getting his team off the field. What followed was another example of the absolute collapse that has made the Twins fanbase turn desperate. On a 2-1 count, lead-off man Xavier Edwards laced a single to right. Woods Richardson followed that with a four pitch walk to Connor Norby. Struggling slugger Jake Burger came up next, and then the ball went up...and out. 3-0 Marlins and still nobody out. Jesus Sanchez ripped another single, and Jonah Bride did him one better with a double to the gap in left center. Luckily Byron Buxton was able to cut off the ball before Sanchez could head for home, but the Marlins still had runners at second and third with no one out, and most watching the game doubted that Buxton's effort would matter. Cue the bullpen, as Louie Varland started to listen far earlier than anyone hoped for. With a velocity hovering around 93 mph all season, Woods Richardson hovered around 90 mph in the first inning. His offspeed work mixed in well over the next two batters, however, and two Marlins strike outs led to a chance to escape the jam. In a desperate situation, it was the Twins' righty who rose to the occasion to induce a flyout to leave the runners in place. 3-0 is bad, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Can the Twins Score? Edward Cabrera brought a "live" arm and a 5.12 ERA into tonights game. The Twins countered with Edouard Julien in the top spot, with Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach to follow. 10 pitches later, the Marlins were back in the dugout after two strike outs and a weak ground ball to first base. And that, my friends, is how a team gets a 78% expected win probability in only the first inning. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know that's a promise we make good on. Bullpen Game Begins in the Second Woods Richardson's velocity and location woes continued in the top of the second, surrendering a chopper up the middle to Jhonny Pereda that Brooks Lee couldn't make the throw to get the out at first. Edwards laced the first pitch to the outfield to once again put runners on second and first with nobody out. This was all that Rocco Baldelli could handle, and Varland came into the game to do what his Twins bullpen mates have struggled to do all summer: strand inherited runners. Varland and his 98 mph velocity was up to the challenge though, and he struck out the next three batters to give the Twins offense another chance to creep back into this game early. Cabrera took out Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Santana in 17 pitches this time around, and the expected Marlin win percentage ticked up to 80%. Varland kept dealing through traffic, and escaped the top of the third without surrendering more runs. Willi Castro, the last person to hit a home run in the September dinger drought, led off the bottom of the frame with a blast to the wall in deep left-center that bounced off a Marlin for a leadoff double. Lee was unable to advance Castro, and Christian Vazquez followed with an "oh no" dribbler to the pitcher which caught Castro off base. However, perhaps in the season-saving break that the club has been so desperate to find in the past month, Cabrera went to throw to his short stop and found Castro's inner thigh instead. (Seriously, you can't make this stuff up!) First and second, with nobody out. Julien advanced Castro on a fielder's choice, and suddenly Correa was up as the tying run with two outs. Correa took a close pitch for a full-count walk, and Larnach didn't waste any time cutting that predicted win percentage back down to size, and score into a one-run game. No Margin for Error With the Tigers and Royals solidly on their way towards wins on Wednesday night, the Twins had to find a way to keep the Marlins off the board, and to follow up with consistent at-bats of their own. Jorge Alcala returned to the team in the Matt Wallner injury shuffle, and he cleaned up Varland's inherited runner in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, Buxton decided a ride on the Buck Truck was far past due. Where do we Go from Here? With the game knotted at 3-3, the advantage switched to the home team at 55%, but could the bullpen continue to hold serve against a Marlins squad with nothing to lose other than potentially their 100th game? Through the fifth and sixth innings, the answer was a resounding "Yes!" Could the Twins bats do some damage against the Marlins bullpen. The answer was "sort of." The Marlins bungled themselves into a bases loaded situation with only one out in the bottom of the fifth, with two errors and a Larnach rope single that was hit to hard to score Austin Martin from second. Lewis came up to bat, and delivered what Correa thought was a two-run line drive single to left. Unfortunately for the Twins, and for Correa who was caught running full speed off of second base in an attempt to score, the ball was caught and Correa was doubled-off to prevent Austin's tag-up for the go-ahead run to count. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Buxton ripped a single, only to be doubled-off on a 108 mph line out by Santana to the second baseman. The Twins bullpen kept on rolling with light traffic, and the Twins kept invited the Marlins to play defense. Lee started the bottom of the seventh with a blast to deep right field that Jesus Sanchez couldn't come up with for a double. Vazquez tried valiantly to bunt, for a while, and eventually succeeded. Reliever Declan Cronin picked up the ball, and provided the Twins the 4th Marlin error of the game by chucking the ball towards the stands instead of the first baseman. Manuel Margot (pinch running for Lee) scored easily, and the Twins were finally in the lead against the Marlins at 4-3. Martin got caught looking, for good reason, at what should have been ball one after failing to lay down a bunt himself. This brought up the other All-Star, and Correa reminded Twins Territory what they've been missing! A curving double to the right field corner plated Vazquez, and suddenly it was 5-3. Add an intentional walk, and a normal walk, and Cronin found himself with the bases loaded, one out, and the Buck Truck at the plate. The Buck Truck stalled out, and it looked like another threat to put away a game would end on the bat of veteran slugger Santana. What happened next gives Twins fans hope for one...more...day. With the score now 8-3 Twins, and the squad reaching a 98.5% win probability, the Twins kept the urgency up and sent in the defensive replacements took the field. Griffin Jax even stayed in for his second inning of work and after he successfully retired the first batter, Jhoan Duran got the call to finish the eighth. Justin Topa made his Twins 2024 debut in the ninth, and he had no trouble ending the night 1-2-3 to close out the Twins' first major win of this desperation week. What’s Next? The Twins once again look to gain some ground in the playoff race with a win and some help from the Rays and the Nationals. The Twins send out rookie (and potential Game 1 starter if they do somehow miraculously make the playoffs) RHP David Festa (2-6, 4.80 ERA). Meanwhile the Marlins send out fellow rookie RHP Valente Bellozo (3-4, 3.82 ERA) in hopes of playing spoiler. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Sheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Tonkin 0 37 0 25 0 62 Varland 0 0 0 0 48 48 Sands 0 20 0 0 16 36 Blewett 0 7 0 20 0 27 Alcala 0 0 0 0 20 20 Thielbar 0 17 0 3 0 20 Jax 0 0 0 0 20 20 Durán 0 0 0 0 14 14 Topa 0 0 0 0 8 8 View full article

This game had all the makings of a momentum-builder, for a Minnesota team desperate to maintain their playoff hopes. Instead, Cleveland reminded Twins Territory why they will be hoisting a banner next season. Here's how the latest Twins heartbreak played out. Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 12 K ( 101 pitches, 70 strikes (69% Strikes) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Ronny Henriquez -.627, Carlos Santana -.281, Trevor Larnach -.206 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Baseball is a Game of Momentum After turning the tables on the Guardians with a late two-run homer last night, the Twins maintained their Wild Card status and evened the series with AL Central-leading Cleveland. In hopes of keeping the good times rolling, the Twins turned to Bailey Ober, who looked to shake off the hard-luck struggles of his past three starts and recapture his lights-out form from August. The Guardians countered with righty Tanner Bibee, who likewise has been looking to regain his earlier elite results, having gone 1-4 over his last six starts to the tune of a 4.40 ERA. Willi Castro led off the top of the first inning against Bibee, and he laced a double to the gap in left on the very first pitch. From there, the Twins offense discovered that simply putting the ball in play can reap rewards. Matt Wallner hit a swinging bunt toward third, advancing Castro. Carlos Correa followed the example with a high hopper to short that got booted by Brayan Rocchio, extending his pre-All-Star Game hitting streak to 16 games, and allowing Castro to score. With two outs, the Twins still had a chance to build momentum with runners on the corners, but runner Trevor Larnach got thrown out at second on an attempted delayed double-steal with José Miranda at the plate. Ober needed only seven pitches to take out the Guardians in the bottom of the first, but Bibee responded likewise with an eight-pitch top of the second to snuff out any potential momentum from the Twins' first inning of base traffic. When Ober returned to face Josh Naylor in the bottom of the second, Naylor used the Castro strategy and took the first pitch he saw halfway to the moon, and far enough into the right-field bleachers to tie the game back up at 1-1. This Game Has No Momentum The Twins picked up another scoring threat in the top of the third, with Wallner drawing a two-out walk and advancing to third on a single to left off the tip of José Ramírez's glove, by Correa. Once again, the Twins were unable to cash in, after a Carlos Santana grounder to Bibee. The game began to remind Twins fans of Monday night's missed opportunities, but Ober continued to keep the Guardians offense from gaining momentum of their own, allowing only a Ramirez single in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth inning, Manuel Margot (getting the outfield start with Byron Buxton sitting again) and Christian Vázquez continued to underwhelm in the bottom of the lineup and contributed the first two outs of the inning. Castro took another one for the team, his Twins single-season record-breaking 20th hit by pitch of 2024, and Wallner and Correa continued to put the ball in play, putting the Twins back on top 2-1 with a pair of singles. Bad Deja Vü Once again, Santana failed to bring more ducks home off the pond, as he struck out to end the inning. This continuing issue threatened to derail the squad almost immediately in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Andrés Giménez laced a single and stole second to put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Ober rose the occasion, however, by striking out the next three Guardians to send the Twins forward still nursing a one-run lead. Unfortunately, Josh Naylor also chose to spend Wednesday night rising to the occasion. Naylor took Ober's fifth straight changeup of the at-bat to the moon again to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning, and suddenly it was all tied up again, at 2-2. This woke Louie Varland up in the bullpen, and the September Groundhog Day vibe that Ober was hoping to avoid reared its ugly head yet again. Ober struck out the next two batters, but Jhonkensy Noel pummeled a ball toward the left-field corner. It looked like huge trouble, but Margot came up "Buxton" to save the day--for a bit. This is How It All Ends... Speaking of rising to the occasion, let's talk about Wallner. In a game of minor pendulum shifts, Wallner swung the bat like clockwork, lacing a double to the corner in right to get the Twins off to an exciting start in the top of the eighth. Correa almost repeated his ball in play heroics, but his sawed off bat couldn't get the ball past the second baseman. Santana once again couldn't deliver, and Larnach struck out to give the advantage and momentum back to Cleveland. Cue the Varland experience. Long fly ball by Bo Naylor to deep center field...caught by Castro. A strike out and a great defensive play by Correa followed, and to the ninth we journeyed. That meant the Emmanuel Clase experience for the Twins. Clase entered the ninth with a 0.65 WHIP and 63 strikeouts over 69 appearances. Miranda fell into an 0-2 hole, worked his way back into a full count, before popping up lazily to the shortstop. Brooks Lee got a turn, and went down swinging. Margot the hero came up next, but he walked back to the dugout after a groundout to put the ball in Jhoan Durán's court. The Twins' close had to face down the heart of the Guardians lineup. Lane Thomas, Ramírez, and the aforementioned bat-flipper Josh Naylor lined up to face the heaters and splinkers and curves of Durán. Thomas and Ramírez grounded out, but Naylor worked the count full to increase blood pressures across Twins Territory. Naylor couldn't resist a shot at being the hero once again, but there was no way he was going to touch the 97 mph splinker that never even got to the plate. On to extras! This is How it All Really Ends... Royce Lewis got the call to pinch-hit to start off the 10th inning off of Hunter Gaddis, and his likewise impressive 0.76 WHIP in 73 appearances. He followed the script of the earlier Twins offensive successes by getting the bat on the ball and chopping a high hopper to third. The ghost runner Margot crawled back safely to second, and the Twins had a threat brewing. Gaddis put Castro even further into the record books with his 21st hit by pitch of the season, and suddenly the bases were loaded with nobody out for none other than Matt Wallner. So of course Wallner worked a full count with laser shot foul balls, but eventually he fell to the high heat. This left Correa to be step into the hero zone once again. Could the All-Star deliver? Yes! He! Can! A single to center with two strikes sent Margot and Lewis home, to catapult Minnesota back into the lead at 4-2! Santana came up for the fifth time with runners in scoring position tonight, and a double play grounder once again ended the threat, and sent Santana's WPA for the night to places best not typed. Ronny Henriquez got the call for the bottom of the 10th, and with Josh Naylor playing ghost runner on second base, Monday night's hero Kyle Manzardo pinch-hit to immediately put the pressure on the youngster. The pressure immediately escalated, as Manzardo delivered once again, lining a single up the middle to plate Naylor and tighten the game to 4-3. A four-pitch walk to Giménez with a pitch clock violation included in the disaster followed, and now Henriquez was faced with the tying run at second, the winning run at first, and Will Brennan at the dish. No time for drama, as Brennan swiftly tied the game. A single to right plated pinch runner Miles Straw, and it was 4-4 with runners at the corners and nobody out. Bo Naylor struck out. Exit Henriquez, enter the Michael Tonkin experience. The Twins elected to play in, and Rocchio made them pay. Rocchio hit a routine ground ball to where Santana would have been, except this one bounced harmfully over the drawn-in first baseman and settled crushingly in the right field grass for a 5-4 loss. It would be unbelievable if the script hadn't been playing out exactly like this for the past month. What’s Next? The Twins play the Guardians for the last time this regular season on Thursday afternoon. The Twins turn to RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-5, 4.08 ERA), who has taken a no decision and a hard luck loss against Cleveland so far this season. The Guardians counter with LHP Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.99 ERA), who has only surrendered one earned run over his past three starts. The must-win train keeps on chugging. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10pm CT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Sheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sands 0 36 0 14 0 50 Henríquez 0 17 0 10 21 48 Blewett 41 0 0 0 0 41 Durán 0 0 0 30 11 41 Thielbar 27 0 13 0 0 40 Varland 29 0 0 0 10 39 Jax 0 0 21 8 0 29 Irvin 0 0 0 3 0 3 Tonkin 0 0 0 0 2 2 View full article

On a Wednesday night in the middle of September, the Minnesota Twins approached the series finale against an inferior ballclub as if it were a playoff game. This sense of urgency and strategy not only won the day, but it might have saved the season. Here's how the victory unfolded. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews - 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K ( 61 pitches, 40 strikes (66% Strikes) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (13) Top 3 WPA: Willi Castro .160, Griffin Jax .137, Trevor Larnach .118 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rookie Time! The Twins relied on Pablo López to end yet another losing streak on Tuesday night, and they turned to rookie Zebby Matthews to help lead toward a goal that hadn't been accomplished in 10 days: winning back-to-back games! Matthews didn't give Twins fans much confidence right from the get-go, surrendering a leadoff home run to Angels slugger Taylor Ward. Two singles and a walk by Matthews loaded the bases with two outs, and the Angels were one swing away from putting the Twins in a hopelessly familiar place in the top of the first inning. However, Eric Wagaman came to the plate in only his second major-league at-bat, and flew out to end the threat. Jack Kochanowicz took the mound opposite Matthews, and he, too, represented the rookie class of 2024, making his eighth career start. Kochanowicz survived an Edouard Julien rocket line out in his first at-bat of the game, but he didn't survive Matt Wallner in the second at-bat. Wallner evened the score at 1-1 with a 435-foot, 110.3-mph blast to center. Playoff Tactics for the Twins? Matthews and Kochanowicz both settled down through the second inning, but in the top of the third, Zebby was once again hurt by the long ball. This time, Nolan Schanuel took Matthews into the dock in right to put the Angels back up 2-1. This homer was the beginning of the end for Matthews, as his pitch count climbed into the 50s in the third inning, and Caleb Thielbar began to get ready in the bullpen. Rocco Baldelli appeared to approach this game before the off day almost like a playoff game. Short hooks for the pitchers, lineup configurations to stack the hottest (and coldest) batters, and other machinations often reserved for the season's most important contests. Matthews survived the third, but he didn't make it out of the fourth inning, with Cole Sands coming in to put out a small fire. The Twins offense took advantage of Kochanowicz remaining in the game in the bottom of the fourth, with a leadoff single by Carlos Santana, another by Trevor Larnach, and a game-tying knock by previously slumping Willi Castro to knot the score at two apiece, breaking his personal 0-15 streak. Brooks Lee followed Castro by breaking his own 0-19 streak with a double to left, plating Larnach and Castro and putting the Twins ahead 4-2. You Get to Pitch! YOU Get to Pitch! Nobody in the Twins bullpen could rest easy tonight, with Thielbar and Jorge Alcalá handling the fifth inning. Alcalá remained in for the top of the sixth, but found rookie Jordyn Adams to be an unkind guest in the batters box. Adams took Alcalá deep to bring the Angels within one run at 4-3, and marked the seventh time in the last 17 appearances that Alcalá has surrendered a home run after going the first 32 appearances without giving one up. This doesn't bode well for the playoff push, but the Twins still left the inning with the lead. Griffin Jax got the call for the seventh inning on an emotional night for he and his family. As the Twins honored those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, the evening featured a flyover by military aircraft--with Jax's brother and sister-in-law serving as two of the four pilots, and his other brother tossing the first pitch. Jax came in a bit too hyped and walked Zach Neto on four pitches. Four pitches later, a double-play and a strike out ended the threat. Christian Vázquez and a pitch-hitting Kyle Farmer gave the Twins an opportunity to extend the lead and to take some anxiety out of the closing frames with a single and double. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know that's a promise we make good on. Following an intentional walk to Santana, grand slam man himself, Royce Lewis looked to break even further out of his 0-22 slump with another big hit. He drove a ball off the top of the wall in left field, and initially, it was called another grand slam. However, upon further review, the ball bounced back without hitting anything behind the wall. It went as a two-run double, extending the lead to 6-3 but not adding to Lewis's historic totals. Can the Twins Close it Out? The relative tension left after the lead stretched only to three, rather than five, meant that Jax came back out in the bottom of the eighth. Jax delivered again, 1-2-3, to send the game toward lights-out time. Jhoan Durán indeed came out to his usual fanfare, and unfortunately, Durán also came out with his more recent effectiveness. Two Angels reached on singles to start the inning, and with two out, Schanuel singled to pull Los Angeles within two runs and to bring the lead run up to the plate. Durán took out pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic with a dynamic curveball, and indeed the home crowd could celebrate two wins in a row, and a chance to make a little move up the Wild Card standings yet again. What’s Next? The Twins get a day to rest and recuperate at home on Thursday, before engaging in a weekend home series against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. The Twins will send out RHP Bailey Ober (12-6, 3.77 ERA) in hopes that he can repeat his outing against the Royals last week albeit with better offensive support. Cincinnati has yet to announce their starter for their series finale in St. Louis on Thursday, let alone their starter for Friday. Either way, fans can count on a prepared and rallying Twins squad, and a Chris Young after-game concert to look forward to! First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm CT. Postgame Interview SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sands 0 30 0 0 16 46 Varland 0 0 0 35 0 35 Blewett 0 19 13 0 0 32 Tonkin 0 0 31 0 0 31 Durán 17 0 0 0 13 30 Henríquez 0 0 29 0 0 29 Jax 8 0 0 0 20 28 Alcalá 0 11 0 0 14 25 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 18 18 View full article

I went and double checked...the runner from first was stealing, and Lewis couldn't have made the out at second. https://www.mlb.com/gameday/twins-vs-rays/2024/09/04/745045/final/summary/all I think we can debate whether or not the Twins played the infield in too early (just down 1-0 on Lee's play)...but that speaks to the poor offense of late. Stopping that bleeding wound by getting the out at first and allowing the run to score is probably the right play given the data we have now...but a good throw gets the second out easily and the double play was never an option.

In a game wherein both teams attempted some creative pitching gambits in hopes of gaining an advantage in the series, the points for cleverness all go to Tampa Bay. Louie Varland got crushed, the Twins infield threw the ball around, and the bats couldn't overcome a superior Rays effort. Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Ronny Henriquez (opener) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K ( 12 pitches, 7 strikes (58% Strikes) Louie Varland (headliner) - 2.1 IP, 5 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K ( 59 pitches, 37 strikes (63% Strikes) Home Runs: Kyle Farmer (3), Carlos Santana (20) Bottom 3 WPA: Varland -0.330, Willi Castro -.099, Trevor Larnach -.071 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) For Openers... Wednesday night's contest between the Twins and the Rays provided fans of the "opener" strategy an evening to remember, as both teams trotted out an opener to start the game and both managers utilized their bullpens differently as they attempted to steal a game in the midst of the playoff push. The Rays began their pitching approach with righty reliever Cole Sulser and his 4.35 ERA over 10.1 innings of work. The Twins flipped the top 2/3 of their lineup right before the game, moving Carlos Santana up to leadoff from the fifth spot, and bumping Willi Castro down to the sixth spot from leadoff. Ryan Jeffers jumped up one spot from sixth to fifth, but would any of the managerial machinations matter? Not during Sulser's time, at least. Royce Lewis went opposite field for a single in the first, but the rest of the re-arranged lineup did not reach in Sulser's two innings. Righty Kevin Kelly surprisingly got the third inning for the Rays, pushing their expected "headliner," lefty Tyler Alexander, back to the fourth (and the presumed presence of left-handed bats). Kelly struck out two en route to an easy inning. The Twins turned to Ronny Henriquez, and for more on that, here's Rocco Baldelli! Henriquez did his best to make Lewis feel at home in his first start at second base by inducing two ground balls in the first inning. Henriquez only got one inning of work before giving way to recently recalled Louie Varland as their "headliner". Varland dominated early as well, facing the minimum Rays batters through the third inning. Making Headlines Against the Headliners? The Twins were ready for Alexander when he finally entered the game in the top of the fourth inning. Jose Miranda drove a double down the left field line with one out, and Jeffers delivered a beautiful two-strike swing, dumping a single to right field. The rally ended there, however, as Castro struck out swinging, and Trevor Larnach flied out harmlessly to end the threat. The Rays attempted to make headlines of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning against Varland. Brandon Lowe led off with a bloop to center field, and Junior Caminero worked a walk to clutter the bases with nobody out. Varland got Josh Lowe to fly out, advancing B. Lowe to third, and this put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of center fielder Jonny DeLuca. The headline will read: "Varland and Twins infield throw away the inning," as Varland threw wildly to first on a pick-off attempt, scoring Lowe and advancing Caminero all the way to third base. DeLuca bounced one to a drawn-in Brooks Lee at short, which Lee bobbled then threw high to Christian Vázquez, allowing Caminero to score as well to make it 2-0 Rays. A Dylan Carlson bunt single against the shift clutters the bases again, and a hanging Varland curveball on his 50th pitch to Jose Caballero scored DeLuca to make it 3-0. Then the real hot mess began for the Twins' opener/headliner/infield new ideas plan. Ben Rortvedt delivered a grounder to Lewis, again with the infield drawn in, and he made the pick but blew the throw home, allowing Carlson to score. Both runners advanced, and Taylor Walls wasted no time making the score 6-0 by blasting Varland's first pitch fastball to the outfield for a single. After starting Yandy Díaz out with two balls, Vázquez went out to calm down his headliner. Díaz then immediately drove Varland back into rage mode by blasting a two-run homer to dead center to make the fourth inning rout official at 8-0. Turning the Page to the Rest of the Story Scott Blewett replaced Varland and obtained the next two outs effortlessly, causing a casual Twins fans to ask, "Could that sweet medicine not have been applied four runs earlier?" The Twins offense had an impossible task in front of them, score nine or more runs in five innings after barely accumulating that many in the last five days combined. Lee started the fifth off with a single to right, and then Vazquez quickly erased him with a double-play grounder to third. In contrast to Varland's headlines, Alexander kept scattering hits and getting defensive support. That is, until his fourth inning of work. In the top of the seventh inning, Kyle Farmer rudely took Alexander deep to get the Twins on the board. Larnach followed with a ringing double, and Santana laced a 113.6 mph two-run shot with two out to get the Rays bullpen up and running again. A hustle double from Michael Helman on a pop-fly to right, and a Wallner single cut the lead in half at 8-4. Could they? Would they? Closing Thoughts No. They couldn't, and they wouldn't. The Rays would tack on one more run in the bottom of the eighth, and close out this opener drama game with a 9-4 victory. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the series split against the Rays Thursday afternoon. Once again, stopper Pablo López (13-8, 4.05 ERA) will be called upon to save the day (and the bullpen) after yet another rough week of sub-par baseball. The Twins are holding their own in the Wild Card, but squandering their chance at an AL Central crown and a first round bye. Opposing them in this final bay battle will be Rays RHP Taj Bradley (6-9, 4.35). First pitch for the next biggest game of the season is scheduled for 12:10pm CT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Sheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Blewett 54 0 0 0 43 97 Tonkin 37 0 0 21 17 75 Varland 0 0 0 0 59 59 Jax 0 27 18 0 0 45 Thielbar 19 0 0 19 0 38 Alcalá 0 0 32 0 0 32 Henríquez 0 0 20 0 12 32 Sands 0 13 17 0 0 30 Durán 0 13 14 0 0 27 View full article

The Twins went 14-14 in the month of August, and the blame for mediocrity deserves to be spread equally amongst the team. Without solid pitching from a few key Twins, however, the team's fate could have been much, much worse. Here are the top reasons the Twins broke even in August and stayed in the playoff race. Honorable Mention: Simeon Woods Richardson (2-1, 4.21 ERA, 25.2 IP, 24 K, 10 BB, 1.17 WHIP) The rookie starters definitely had their up and downs in August, as could be expected by any rational fan. In the dog days of summer, however, eating innings and keeping a slumping offense in competitive games is worth its weight in gold, and Woods Richardson delivered consistently all month long. He started off by getting spotted to a 8-0 lead against the White Sox on August 4th, and only going four innings after racking up 89 pitches. The Twins won, and went on to win two more of Woods Richardson's five starts. He took a hard-luck seven inning loss against the Guardians, only surrendering two runs. Atlanta roughed him up, but he was not alone in that department. In the race for playoff starting pitching, Woods Richardson currently stands to make any necessary game three start. #4 - Bailey Ober (2-1, 5.33 ERA, 27 IP, 26 K, 9 BB, 1.15 WHIP) Ober's August ended with a disaster against Atlanta, but his outing to kick off September was more in line with Ober's month than that outlier. In his first four August starts, Ober went at least six innings in each and gave the Twins a chance to win all four games. If not for his early implosion against the Braves, Ober could have easily topped this list, Maintaining his mid-season pace will be key to the Twins playoff chances. #3 - Cole Sands (2-0, 2.53 ERA, 9G, 10.2 IP, 11 K, 1 BB, 1.22 WHIP) When the team is losing games that should have been victories, it can be easy to overlook the middle relief that not only keep games close, but also delivers in the clutch to bring wins whenever they can be found. Sands filled both bills for the Twins in August, and continued to be invaluable to a bullpen in chaos. His blemishes against the Cubs and Guardians weren't the reasons the Twins lost those games, and his contributions in the other seven outings led to victories. #2 - Pablo Lopez (3-1, 1.71 ERA, 31.2 IP, 22 K, 5 BB, 1.07 WHIP) In any other month, Lopez's results would have garnered him top spot for sure. Pablo stumbled slightly to open August by only going five innings versus the Cubs in a loss. His next four starts each went six or seven innings, and should have resulted in four victories (if not for Alcala's implosion against the Rangers). More importantly, Lopez stopped losing streaks to close out the month, and kept the Twins from truly imploding themselves. When the Twins needed an ace, Lopez delivered. In a month where the Twins offense couldn't be depended upon, Lopez made them unnecessary. #1 - Griffin Jax (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 G, 12.1 IP, 17 K, 0 BB, 0.49 WHIP) The numbers say plenty, but the murmurs of closer controversy speak louder. Most of Jhoan Duran's struggles just happened to follow a lights out inning from his bullpen-mate Jax. 13 games, no runs. Jax has transformed himself into a dominant force in a bullpen lacking dominance, and his ability to miss bats give the Twins a person who can come in to put out a fire, and to take out the top bats in a lineup in any particular inning. Will Jax rise to the closer's role? More likely, Baldelli will continue to utilize Jax and Duran against the matchups and in the innings that most make sense. The Twins will need both relievers to rise to the occasion if the Twins are to finish September on top of the division. View full article

On paper, the Twins had no chance of winning Wednesday night's contest against the Braves. Dominant Chris Sale faced rookie David Festa and a slumping Minnesota squad that had lost seven straight games to the Braves. Luckily for the Twins, Festa matched Sale pitch for pitch, but unfortunately the Twins' bullpen and bats once again couldn't match the Braves. Here's how the game on paper came to life. Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: David Festa - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (88 pitches, 58 strikes (66% Strikes)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar -.275, Christian Vazquez -.174, Carlos Santana -.096 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins in Trouble? Or Right on Track? On Wednesday evening, the Twins came into the series finale having lost seven straight games to the Atlanta Braves, and seven of their last nine overall. Rocco Baldelli shared a pre-game interview that called the current moment a mixture of "right where we want to be" and "not at all where we want to be." Braves are Holding an Ace, the Twins Play a Wild Card The Twins faced a daunting challenge, with the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winne.r Chris Sale on the mound for the Braves, while the Twins were countering with unpredictible rookie David Festa. The top of the first inning Jorge Soler welcomed the rookie rather rudely, and took a Festa fastball 431 feet to the bullpen to stake the Braves and Sale a 1-0 early advantage. And then...all of a sudden there were a pair of aces on the mound. Sale mowed down the first nine Twins that he faced in order and it looked like one run was all he was going to need. Then the crafty veteran faced some traffic on the bases, when Manuel Margot led off the fourth inning with a single, and Ryan Jeffers followed with a bloop ground-rule double to right just out of the reach of Soler. Sale struck out Jose Miranda, walked Carlos Santana to load the bases, and then added a Willi Castro strikeout and a Christian Vazquez ground out to end the threat. Meanwhile, between the second and sixth innings, Festa matched Sale pitch for pitch...and then some! Festa only surrendered one hit while striking out six across those frames. While Festa was keeping his team in the game, Sale was continuing to wiggle in and out of danger. In the bottom of the sixth, Margot led off with a ringing double to right, but was inexplicably erased while "sort of" trying to score on Jeffers single in the next at bat. Not Folding Yet! Much like Monday night's rally that was always going to fall short, the Twins kept on fighting against Sale in the bottom of the sixth. The mis-play on the bases stung immediately when Miranda laced a single to left. With runners at first and second, Santana popped out, and it looked like the bad habits and luck of the past week were going to keep on haunting the Twins. Luckily, this time the Twins' All-Star Castro stepped up and delivered a single to tie the game at 1-1. The rally ended here, and Festa sprinted out to take the mound once again in the top of the seventh for the first time in his career. No Lucky Seven for Twins Pitching Festa's seventh inning lasted all of one batter, as he issued a leadoff walk to that aforementioned thorn in our side Soler. Baldelli played the averages, and brought in lefty Caleb Thielbar to face lefty Matt Olson. The odds weren't in the Twins' favor on that one, as Olson rocked a double to the wall in right, scoring Soler all the way from first to make it 2-1 Braves. Ramon Laureano was next up to the plate, and he is a right handed hitter. And hit it right handed he did, for a single to right that plated Olson to extend the lead to 3-1. Eventually, Jorge Alcala replaced Thielbar in hopes of securing the final two outs of the seventh, and those hopes were raised when Alcala made an amazing bare-handed fielding play to snag Laureano at the plate. The next defensive play managed to end all hope, however, as Margot twisted and turned his way into misplaying a deep fly ball to left off of the bat of Luke Williams. Fly out for out number three turned into a two-run "double," and all of a sudden it was 5-1 Braves. Do the Twins Have any More Comebacks Up Their Sleeves? The only silver lining to be found was in the fact that Atlanta's bullpen had been just as taxed as the Twins' bullpen of late. Luke Jackson and his 8.31 ERA greeted the Twins in the bottom of the seventh, Edouard Julien came in for Kyle Farmer, and he drew a walk. Big boppers Matt Wallner and pinch-hitting Trevor Larnach took called third strikes, and Margot grounded out to quickly lower Jackson's ERA. The Twins also folded in the eighth and ninth innings, and were left searching for something...anything to bring back the laughing and winning Twins of yester-week. What’s Next? The Twins look to rebound against an underperforming Toronto Blue Jays team. The Twins send out RHP Pablo Lopez for the last Pablo Day of August (12-8, 4.26 ERA) in hopes that he will continue to build off of his dominant start against the Cardinals. The Blue Jays send RHP Kevin Gausman (12-9, 4.10 ERA) out for revenge against a Twins squad that burned him for seven runs in three innings back on May 11th. Twins fans will remember that the Blue Jays eventually won that contest, and the Twins definitely remember it. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm CT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Sheet SAT SUN MON TUES WED TOT Durán 16 25 0 19 0 60 Henríquez 0 0 32 0 19 51 Jax 19 12 0 10 0 41 Blewett 0 0 39 0 0 39 Sands 0 26 0 6 0 32 Tonkin 0 0 0 0 25 25 Thielbar 0 0 0 8 16 24 Alcalá 0 0 0 8 8 16 View full article