Chris Hove

Hello, fellow Twins fans. I know the weekend series didn't go as planned, but if you want to look ahead at what the Twins have coming up, go over to Chris's Twins Blog and check out a little recap from the weekend and what lies ahead. There is a little bit of positive news there, we do play the White Sox. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Despite the Atlanta Braves' struggling lineup, which ranks in the bottom half of every offensive category this season, the Minnesota Twins were unexpectedly swept in their series. Chris Paddack showed flashes of what the Twins were expecting out of him. He went 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB. He didn't factor into the win on Friday as the Twins lost 6-4. Despite his 2 clunker starts, Paddack has bounced back nicely with 10 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 11 K, 3 BB. Despite possessing a four-pitch arsenal, Paddack has primarily relied on his fastball and changeup over these two starts. His fastball and changeup usage were 81% in these two games against the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Paddack has had a good change of speeds with his fastball topping out around 95-96 MPH and his changeup at 84 MPH. These two pitches are his primary put-away pitches. Paddack has lowered his ERA to 7.27. He will look for another start Thursday against the White Sox at Target Field. Saturday's game was a bullpen game with Justin Topa starting. Topa would go one inning, giving up 3 H and 1 ER in one inning. Simeon Woods Richardson struggled to contain the Braves' offense, surrendering seven hits and three runs over 4.1 innings. The bright spot was that Byron Buxton had three hits and his team-leading fifth stolen base. Twins' bats would go silent after the sixth inning as the Braves' bullpen sent them down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Twins lose 4-3. Joe Ryan started Sunday, and the Braves continued where they left off on Saturday, putting together eight hits and 6 runs off Ryan. Those runs were more than enough to beat the Twins 6-2. Byron Buxton stayed hot, going 2-5 with a double and a solo homerun. He finished up the three-game trip vs Atlanta going 5-13 with 5 H, 3 XBH, 2 R, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base. The fresh call-up Luke Keaschall had a hit in every game while also collecting a double in all three games. The Twins are now 7-15 on the season and are coming close to falling into last place, where the White Sox are 1.5 games behind the Twins in the American League Central Division. They have already experienced four three-game losing streaks in 22 games. Coming into Sunday's game, the Twins were ranked 27th in BA (.214), 25th in runs (73), and 27th in OPS (.625). and tied for 24th in run differential (-20). The Twins' pitching, all in all, ranks in the middle of the pack for most standard categories. However, they're one save ranks 29th in the league, ahead of the Chicago White Sox, who have yet to record a save on the season. The six-game homestand will start on Tuesday with three games against the Chicago White Sox and three against the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins will look to get on a winning streak against the Chicago White Sox, who rank last in every statistical category in baseball. Tuesday vs Chicago White Sox MIN Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs CHI Davis Martin (1-2, 4.84) Wednesday vs Chicago White Sox MIN David Festa (0-0, 0.00) vs CHI Undecided Thursday vs Chicago White Sox MIN Chris Paddack (0-2, 7.27) vs CHI Shane Smith (0-1, 2.82) Friday vs Los Angeles Angels MIN Simeon Woods Richardson (1-2, 4.74) vs LAA Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 4.50) Saturday vs Los Angeles Angels Joe Ryan (1-2, 4.00) vs LAA Yusei Kikuchi (0-3, 3.38) Sunday vs Los Angeles Angels Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs LAA Jose Soriano (2-2, 3.16)

Hahaha I love this post. Easter Bunny for MVP.

Montero just throwing our hitters straight gas and then drops that sinker on them. Just a nasty mix.

Montero just throwing our hitters straight gas and then drops that sinker on them. Just a nasty mix.

With Sale on the bump, it's not likely, but the Twins have been a weird team.

Good Afternoon, everyone, Over on my TwinsDaily blog, I wrote about Brock Stewart's reinstatement from the IL. I would appreciate any comments or feedback you might have regarding this injury news and other related information.

The Twins reinstated Brock Stewart from the injured list on Saturday. Stewart has been on the injured list all season due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in spring training. He made two appearances in Single A, throwing 1.2 innings while striking out all five batters. He will replace left-hander Kody Funderburk, who was optioned to Triple-A. Funderburk appeared in two games this year, throwing 4.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA. Stewart only pitched in 16 games last year, mostly due to right shoulder tendinitis. The Twins are hopeful that, now fully healthy and ready, he can return to his 2023 performance, during which he struck out 39 batters in 27.2 innings and had a 0.65 WHIP. That season, Stewart also topped many statistical pitching categories. His fastball averaged around 97 MPH, Whiff% 41.5, K% 35.8, Barrel% 3.4, and Hard-Hit% 31.0. Those are all great stats when you compare relievers, but that was 2023 when he was healthy. Fast forward two years, and now completely healthy, it will be interesting to see how fast he can bounce back. With a hefty 11.25 ERA and having blown the Twins' last two leads, struggling reliever Griffin Jax will also benefit from his reinstatement. By taking on some high-leverage situations, Stewart could give struggling Jax a breather, with the ultimate goal of Jax returning to his 2024 level. Will Rocco throw him out there right away? That remains to be seen. Michael Tonkin, back for his third stint with the Twins, has been sidelined all year with a right shoulder strain. He will begin a rehab stint Friday with Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Assuming that goes well and there are no setbacks, I see him back sometime at the end of April. Who will be the odd man out in the bullpen is the bigger question? Pablo Lopez, who has been out since April 8 due to a strained right hamstring, will make a rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A St. Paul. Assuming no setbacks, Lopez will probably only need one start. Look for him to rejoin the Twins rotation around Wednesday, as that is when he is eligible to return from the IL. Royce Lewis is probably the farthest away, although reports say he is making some progress. He has been running and doing baseball activities, including hitting, for a while now, but he was scheduled to advance his running progression Thursday with some light baserunning work. Although his return to game action is still weeks away, rather than days, he continues to progress in his recovery from a strained left hamstring. With Matt Wallner recently hitting the IL due to a strained hamstring, there's no new information regarding him, Austin Martin, or Jose Miranda. This comes at a bad time for Wallner, as he was one of the Twins' most consistent hitters and an on-base threat. His slash lines look like this: .263 average, .373/.474/..847. Miranda will likely return in the middle of next week when his stint is over. Despite his struggles this year, Miranda would provide much-needed depth for the Twins. He was injured while shopping at Target when he dropped a pack of water and strained his left hand trying to re-grab it, yes, that's no joke, Twins fans. He could add some depth if Correa and Castro continue to nurse injuries. Willi Castro (oblique) and Christian Vazquez (hand) remain day-to-day due to injuries. The Twins will also continue to monitor Carlos Correa, who sustained a wrist injury earlier this week but has played in subsequent games.

Good Morning everyone, Over on my TwinsDaily blog I wrote about Danny Coulombe's dominant start. I would love any comments or feedback you have. Thanks

Danny Coulombe is in his second stint with the Twins. He pitched last year with the Baltimore Orioles. Coulumbe was very effective out of that Orioles bullpen, sporting a 2.12 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP over 29 2/3 innings last year. When the Twins re-signed him before this season, they were counting on him being the only lefty in the bullpen so they could use him in any matchup, especially against right-handed hitters. What the Twins have gotten out of Coulombe so far this year is one of the best starts to a season for him, and he also has a nice scoreless streak dating back to last year. Here are some of the incredible stats Coulumbe has put up this year and the latter part of 2024 with the Orioles He has pitched 17 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 18 appearances, stretching back to last season. Here are some more astonishing stats so far this year. 9 games 7 2/3 INN 27 batters faced 3 hits 0.00 ERA 0.52 WHIP 0.91 OPP BA .130 OPP OBP .136 OPP SLG .145 BAbip (Batting Avg. on Balls in Play) 2-14 VS RHB 1-13 VS LHB This may be a small sample size this year, but Coulombe has been exceptionally good at getting hitters out this season. He's not a big strikeout pitcher, but he mixes speeds well and has a lot of movement on his pitches. Considering Griffin Jax's shaky start, the Twins should explore using Coulombe in higher-leverage spots.

To add to this great article. Keaschall is the quickest Twin to reach the majors (20 months) from the draft since Matt Garza in 2006 (13 months), LFG

What's going on with Jax so far this season? He's posting a nice K/BB ratio. Is he tipping his pitches or just off to a slow start?

I hope we can get at least five innings out of Paddack against this struggling Braves team.

Yeah, it's tough when you see all of the errors and baserunning gaffes, that's on the players. The lack of talent, cutting of payroll, and players being put into the wrong situations, that's ownership and management issues. Unfortunately, with the Pohlads, these problems have been around for many years. Hopefully, the Twins can get something going and spark some positivity.

Byron Buxton is transforming back to the young Byron Buxton. Yeah, he's only hitting .215 with an OBP of .261 and two walks, but when on base, it's more than likely that he'll come around and score. He's been on base 20 times this season and has scored 15 runs, which is a (75%) clip. The Twins' offense has gained a dynamic edge with Byron Buxton's increased aggressiveness on the basepaths. His ability to pick up extra bases often feels like a guaranteed run, a dimension unseen by fans in recent memory. However, this exhilarating style has unfortunately led to knee injuries and soreness. The team currently faces a balancing act, needing Buck's presence on the bases for the high probability of scoring.

Yunior Severino has been in Triple-A for part of 2023, and all of 2024. He started 2025 in St. Paul. He was the Minor League Player of The Year in 2023 clubbing 35 homeruns in both Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul, and then followed that up with 21 homeruns last year strictly in Triple-A St. Paul. He does strike out a lot but has managed to maintain a career .266 batting average and has major power potential. He was once a top-30 prospect but has now completely dropped off. Anyone know what has happened to him? He can play corner infield, mostly first base. Seems like there's no trust.

Luke Keaschall has been called up tonight and will be in Atlanta for tomorrow's game. Where do we see him primarily playing? This call up has pumped some excitement into the team and added some much needed depth with the uncertainty of Willi Castro and Carlos Correa. Keaschall can handle the bat and provides some much needed speed for the Twins. What is everyone's thoughts on this move?

Finally some excitement for this team. Should see him a lot at second base. Hope his stay is a long one!!!!

I would personally like to see Emmanuel Rodriguez get a shot. He needs to improve his hitting against lefties, but we thought the same thing with Wallner, and he seems to be figuring it out. Rodriguez is a manageable fielder with plus speed. Also, Luke Keaschall should be called up. Move Lee to 2nd, Keaschall and Julien to 2nd, and another player worth watching temporarily would be Ryan Fitzgerald, who's with the Saints. He plays SS and is an average hitter. I think the Twins would have called him up already if they wanted him; he's also not on the 40-man roster.