Sam Caulder

Walker Jenkins is officially a Twin, and he’s joining a group that could define Minnesota’s next era. With Kaelen Culpepper, Connor Prielipp, and Andrew Morris already making their mark, the future is arriving sooner than expected. View full video

Travis Adams’ struggles have put his spot in the Twins’ bullpen in serious jeopardy, especially with Jack Anderson, Garrett Acton, and Kendry Rojas waiting in the wings. With September call-ups approaching, Minnesota may have no reason to keep waiting for Adams to figure things out. View full video

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn (photo of Culpepper) and Jesse Johnson (photo of Jenkins) - IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect We’re officially a month away from the 2026 MLB regular season coming to an end. For the Twins, the year as a whole hasn’t been exactly what they hoped for. There have been some highs, but ultimately, Minnesota is currently seven games below .500 and tied for seventh in the American League Wild Card race. Still, regardless of how they got here, the general consensus around the Twins this season was that this would be the result. And for what it’s worth, it’s still not over. Minnesota kicks off a big stretch of divisional games tonight, and they could turn their season around quickly with a strong stretch. More importantly, though, they’ll get to do so with a big piece of their long-term core now on the roster. Walker Jenkins was just called up yesterday and made his major league debut last night with a right-hander on the mound. While the Twins might not be contenders this season, they’ve reached an exciting point in the organization’s timeline. The future is now. With Jenkins and fellow top prospect, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, now in the majors and September callups right around the corner, this will be the first time we’re seeing some of the top young talents in the organization in the majors together. Jenkins and Culpepper entered the season as the top two prospects in Minnesota’s system, and now both are getting an opportunity to show what they can do at the highest level. Culpepper is already off to a blistering start, hitting .333 with a .907 OPS, and considering how Jenkins was swinging the bat in St. Paul recently, there’s reason to believe he could get off to a similar start himself. Obviously, nobody should expect either player to immediately become a superstar just because they’ve reached the majors. There will be adjustments, slumps and plenty of growing pains along the way, especially for Jenkins as he gets his first taste of big league pitching. But the important part is that both players are here, and the Twins are finally getting a look at what their future could look like. Additionally, we’ve already been able to see a lot of Connor Prielipp this year. Prielipp entered the season as the Twins’ top pitching prospect, and we’ve seen flashes of why throughout his time in the majors. His 5.55 ERA doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but his FIP and expected ERA would suggest that number should be closer to the high-3.00s or low-4.00s range. He’s also striking out more than a batter per inning, and health permitting, he should have an opportunity to become a major piece of the Twins’ rotation going forward. The organization has desperately needed young pitching to emerge, and Prielipp has shown enough to suggest he could eventually become one of the answers. Despite some recent struggles, Andrew Morris has been a really good story this year, too. Morris has turned into an anchor of the Twins’ bullpen, and because he’s only 24 years old, there’s still a lot of room left for him to grow. Every young pitcher is going to go through stretches where things don’t go their way, and I’m confident Morris will snap out of this rut and get back to being one of the best late-inning options Minnesota has. Culpepper, Prielipp and Morris have all made pretty notable impacts for the Twins this year, and hopefully, Jenkins is next in line. With September right around the corner, the Twins should also have an opportunity to bring up some other young, talented players and give them a chance to show what they can do. Beginning September 1, the Twins will have two additional roster spots, which means there will be opportunities for more names to make their way to Target Field. Someone like Emmanuel Rodriguez could be heading there in the very near future. Rodriguez is already on the 40-man roster and will be out of minor league options in 2027, and while he hasn’t been swinging the bat quite like Jenkins recently, he has been swinging a hot bat. If the Twins aren’t going to be playing meaningful postseason baseball in October, now would be a great opportunity to let Rodriguez get his feet wet and see how he handles the major leagues. Gabriel Gonzalez is another name worth watching. Gonzalez has already been up with the Twins this year, although he appeared in just one game before being sent back down. He could get another opportunity between now and the end of the season, especially if Minnesota wants to continue getting its younger players some major league experience. There’s also Kendry Rojas, who is currently dealing with an oblique injury. Rojas hasn’t made a huge impact in the majors so far, but he has flashed enough to show why the Twins are excited about his future. Once he’s healthy, there’s a chance he could return to the majors and get another opportunity to establish himself. It might not be where the Twins wanted to be at this point in the year, but this is an extremely important stretch of baseball for the organization. For the first time, Minnesota has a chance to see a large portion of its long-term core on a major league roster at the same time. Jenkins and Culpepper are finally here, Prielipp and Morris have already gotten their feet wet, and there are several other young players who could join them before the season is over. The individual performances over one month won’t tell us everything. Young players are going to have good games and bad games, and it would be unfair to make sweeping conclusions based on a few weeks of major league action. But it will still give the Twins a much better idea of where these players are in their development and what they could eventually become. After years of waiting on these prospects to climb through the organization, they’re finally getting their opportunity. One way or another, the future is now. View full article

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images It’s been a long time coming for Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez. He's been in the system since 2021 and has been a top-100 prospect across baseball since 2023. Had it not been for a litany of injuries throughout his professional career, there’s a good chance we would have already seen him make his major-league debut. Instead, he has appeared in just 339 games over his six years in the Twins organization, and because of that, there’s some prospect fatigue surrounding his name. But he’s currently healthy; he’s swinging an extremely hot bat; and, in my opinion, now is as good a time as any to give him his major-league promotion. Rodriguez got off to a slightly slow start after returning to the St. Paul Saints’ lineup, which was understandable, considering how much time he had missed. That slow start, however, has burned off like August dew, because he's looking like the hitter the Twins have been waiting to see for years. Of his last four games, Rodriguez has homered in three. He's drawn five walks compared to just four strikeouts during that stretch, while adding a stolen base for good measure. That recent production has pushed his season OPS in St. Paul to .910. As far as his individual performance is concerned, it certainly appears as though he’s ready for the next level. What makes that recent stretch particularly noteworthy is that Rodriguez has showcased everything that makes him such a high-profile prospect. His ability to work counts, draw walks and make an impact on the bases gives the Twins a more complete offensive profile than just another hitter who can run into a few home runs. If he can carry that approach into the majors, there’s a chance his bat could immediately give the Twins another dimension. There are a couple of other reasons why I think Rodriguez should be called up in the very near future. One of the biggest is his roster situation. Rodriguez is already on the Twins’ 40-man roster and will be out of minor-league options next spring. That means this isn’t a situation like that of Walker Jenkins, where the Twins can keep him in the minors to get playing time while things get sorted out. If the Twins plan on keeping him around beyond this season, he’s going to have to be a major leaguer. Given that reality, they might as well get him some major-league at-bats before the year comes to an end. Let him get his feet wet, give him a taste of what major-league pitching looks like, and allow him to spend the offseason adjusting to that level. That way, he isn’t being thrown directly into the fire when Opening Day 2027 rolls around. There’s also the roster construction side of this equation, especially with September call-ups right around the corner. Rodriguez could very easily be one of the two players the Twins add to their roster, and because he’s already on the 40-man, there wouldn’t be any additional roster maneuvering required to make it happen. That's assuming that Rodriguez isn't called up to replace Byron Buxton, who seems likely to land on the injured list Friday. The Twins may have already given themselves a little extra flexibility in the outfield, too. When Austin Martin was placed on the injured list, the Twins recalled Alex Jackson instead of replacing him with another outfielder. By doing so, they left themselves room to add another outfielder when rosters expand on September 1. Regardless of whether Martin is activated soon (he probably will be), his recent performance before the injury wasn’t exactly impressive. He shouldn't stand in Rodriguez's way. If I’m the Twins, calling up Rodriguez is a no-brainer. I know a lot of people want to see Walker Jenkins, but if Rodriguez is going to be part of the Twins’ plans beyond this season (a big "if", I grant you), getting his feet wet in the majors this year feels like a must. The Twins have spent years waiting to see what Rodriguez can do when he’s healthy, and right now, they are finally getting that opportunity. More importantly, Rodriguez is showing exactly why he has been so highly regarded for so long. He’s healthy, he’s producing, and he has plenty of experience in the minor leagues. At some point, there’s nothing left to prove in St. Paul, and with how Rodriguez is currently swinging the bat, the Twins might not just be calling up a long-awaited prospect. They could be adding an immediate difference-maker to their lineup. View full article

Image courtesy of Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K (78 pitches, 52 strikes (67% strikes)) Home Runs: Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach, Kaelen Culpepper Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.50), Luke Keaschall (-0.15), Kody Funderburk (-0.05) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Wednesday night's series finale against the A's looking to secure a series victory after taking Monday night's opener. For most of the night, Minnesota looked in position to do exactly that, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead behind a trio of solo home runs and a strong performance from Connor Prielipp on the mound. Unfortunately, things unraveled in the sixth inning. The A's scored four runs to turn a two-run deficit into a 6-4 lead, then added another run in the seventh to put the game out of reach. The Twins had one final chance to make things interesting in the ninth, but they couldn't deliver the big hit they needed. Instead, Minnesota dropped a frustrating 7-4 decision and lost the series to the A's. Kaelen Culpepper Stays Red-Hot, and His Power is Burgeoning After struggling to generate much offense in Tuesday night's loss, the Twins wasted no time getting the bats going Wednesday. Brooks Lee opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo homer, jumping on a fastball at the top of the zone and sending it 105 MPH off the bat for his 21st homer of the season. Minnesota added two more runs in the second, and both also came on solo shots. Trevor Larnach absolutely crushed a 3-1 sinker from J.T. Ginn, sending a 110-MPH line drive over the wall in right field for his 11th homer of the season. Kaelen Culpepper then followed with a homer of his own, launching a two-strike sinker 428 feet to left field to make it 3-0. Culpepper has been swinging a hot bat throughout this series, and indeed, he's been exactly what the team must have hoped he would be since they called him up early this month. The offense wouldn't do much after that early outburst, though. Minnesota managed just one hit over the next three innings before finally putting together another rally in the sixth. Josh Bell, Ryan Jeffers and Kody Clemens opened the inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out. Royce Lewis then lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Bell and extend the lead to 4-2. That would be the final run the Twins scored. A Much-Needed Strong Start for Connor Prielipp While the Twins' offense came out hot, Prielipp did his part to keep the A's lineup quiet early. The left-hander needed just eight pitches to get through the first inning, then worked around a pair of singles in the second without allowing a run. He settled in from there, retiring the side in order in the third. The A's finally got to him in the fourth, when an unfortunate bounce turned what looked like a potential double play into a two-run inning. Prielipp walked Lawrence Butler to start the frame, before Tommy White hit a hard ground ball that took a crazy hop in front of Clemens at second. It was a hard one-hopper, and when that one hop is unreliable, the play becomes almost impossible. Clemens couldn't keep it on the infield, and instead of an out (or two), the result was runners at the corners with one out. Michael Stefanic followed with an RBI double into the left-field corner, and the A's got another run on a groundout by Brian Serven; the Twins played their infield back and traded the run for an out. Prielipp stopped the bleeding there and got through the fifth unscathed, though. He came back out for the sixth and retired Butler to start the inning, but a single from Jonah Heim ended his night. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn't preserve that lead. The Same Sad Story: Andrew Morris Can't Miss Bats, Luke Keaschall Can't Catch Balls Andrew Morris entered to replace Prielipp and immediately allowed a fly-ball single to center by White, putting the tying run on base. Pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil then doubled down the left-field line, bringing White home and cutting the Twins' lead to one. Morris got a huge second out when Carlos Cortes swung through a sinker that would've been ball four, but the A's weren't finished. Alika Williams pounced on Morris's first pitch and hit a long fly ball to left-center field. Luke Keaschall neither read it well off the bat nor accelerated especially smoothly once he got moving. He came up just short, on a ball that absolutely has to be caught. Both runners scored, and suddenly, the A's had a 5-4 lead. Darell Hernaiz followed with another two-out RBI single to make it 6-4. Just like that, the Twins had gone from being in complete control to trailing by two. The bullpen collapse continued in the seventh. Kody Funderburk was brought in with one out to face Lawrence Butler, creating a left-on-left matchup. In a 1-2 count, though, Funderburk left a sweeper up and over the plate. Butler hammered it to left-center for a solo homer, extending the A's lead to 7-4. It was another frustrating sequence for a Twins team that has had far too many leads disappear late in games this season. Minnesota had one final opportunity to make things interesting in the ninth against Elvis Alvarado, who had recorded a save against the Twins the previous night. Lewis led off with a swinging bunt that was handled by Heim for an out—a frustrating result, considering he was ahead 2-0 in the count. Larnach followed with a single up the middle, and Culpepper then won an eight-pitch battle to draw a walk and bring the tying run to the plate. Alan Roden nearly delivered, but his fly ball to the warning track in center wasn't deep enough to score either runner. Both Larnach and Culpepper tagged and moved into scoring position, giving Keaschall a chance to extend the game. Instead, he couldn't hold up on a slider out of the zone, ending the game. Now, Minnesota will have to regroup after dropping two straight to the A's. And once again, the biggest question coming out of the game will be how the Twins can stop these late-inning collapses. What’s Next? The Twins are off tomorrow before returning home to kick off a 14-game stretch against divisional opponents. That stretch will start this weekend against the White Sox. Dean Kremer is lined up to throw for Minnesota, and he’ll face off against fellow trade deadline acquisition Luis Castillo. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM Friday. Postgame Interviews Coming soon! Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images It’s no secret that pitching wins games in the postseason. The Twins got two sharp performances from Pablo López and Sonny Gray during the 2023 Wild Card Series, helping them secure their first playoff series victory in more than two decades. While what a team gets from its starting rotation obviously matters, the late-game pitching can be just as important once October rolls around, and clearly, the Twins realize that, too. Minnesota added a trio of relievers at the trade deadline, bringing in a pair of former Blue Jays in Tommy Nance and Jeff Hoffman, as well as A.J. Minter from the Mets. Outside of a rough performance in San Diego this past weekend, the bullpen has been pretty sharp since those additions were made, but that can’t be said for everyone individually. Right-hander Travis Adams, in particular, has really struggled. Since making his major-league debut last season, Adams owns a 6.54 ERA across 75 2/3 innings, with 79 strikeouts and 37 walks. Those numbers paint a pretty clear picture of a pitcher who simply hasn’t been able to find consistent success at the major league level, and at this point, it’s starting to feel like do-or-die for Adams. Across his last 10 appearances, which have totaled 11 1/3 innings, Adams has allowed 10 earned runs. He’s also given up 15 hits and six walks while recording 12 strikeouts, making it difficult for the Twins to justify continuing to give him opportunities simply in the hopes that something eventually clicks. That’s especially true given where Minnesota is in the season. The Twins are still within striking distance of the American League Wild Card race, meaning every game carries significantly more weight than it did earlier in the year. If Minnesota is going to make a legitimate run at October baseball, they need to know which pitchers they can trust when games get tight, and right now, Adams hasn’t given them much reason to believe that he’s one of those pitchers. They’ve largely used him in lower-pressure spots, which makes sense considering his struggles. But even in those situations, the results haven’t been there. That creates a difficult situation for Minnesota, because there’s only so much patience a team can afford to have at this point in the season. It also just so happens that September callups are right around the corner. The Twins will soon have another opportunity to add an arm to their pitching staff, and there’s more than one name who could potentially emerge as an option down the stretch. There are already a pair of right-handed options at Triple-A in Jack Anderson and Garrett Acton, who have shown flashes of success with the Twins this season, albeit in relatively small samples. Acton brings a fastball-slider combination that can generate plenty of whiffs and keep hitters off balance, while Anderson uses his fastball to set up the rest of his pitch mix. Neither has established himself as a major-league staple yet, but both were significantly more effective during their brief stints with Minnesota than Adams has been recently. That’s the part that makes Adams’s situation particularly interesting. The Twins don’t need to find some mystery pitcher who doesn’t exist, as they already have options in the organization who have shown they can get major league hitters out. They just have to decide when it’s time to give one of them another opportunity. That doesn’t mean the Twins need to completely give up on Adams. He has shown enough at times to suggest there is a major-league pitcher in there somewhere, and his strikeout numbers indicate that his stuff isn’t completely inadequate at this level. His slider misses bats against righties; his changeup misses bats against lefties. But at some point, results matter more than a promising stuff profile, especially for a team that is trying to make a postseason push. Adams cannot continue struggling this badly at this point in the season and expect to maintain his spot on a team trying to fight its way into the postseason. The Twins have spent much of the year trying to piece together a reliable pitching staff, and they’ve now added reinforcements to make the bullpen deeper for the stretch run. That leaves less room for pitchers who aren’t getting outs. The margin for error is shrinking by the day, and Adams is running out of opportunities to prove he belongs in the Twins’ plans for October. With September around the corner and multiple potential replacements waiting in the wings, Minnesota has every reason to keep its options open. If Adams can turn things around, great. The Twins would certainly rather have another reliable arm than have to find one elsewhere, but if these struggles continue, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see how Adams remains in the majors for much longer. At this point, his leash is only getting shorter. View full article

Image courtesy of Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Taj Bradley - 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 11 K (99 pitches, 72 strikes (73% strikes)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (-0.12), Ryan Jeffers (-0.10), Byron Buxton (-0.09) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Tuesday night's matchup against the A's looking to win the series after taking Monday night's opener. For most of the night, it looked like Minnesota had a chance to do exactly that, with Taj Bradley putting together a dominant performance on the mound—despite the A's repeatedly coming through with two-out hits. The Twins' offense struggled to generate much against Gage Jump early, managing just two hits through the first six innings. Minnesota finally broke through with two runs in the seventh, but they couldn't complete the comeback. To make matters worse, Byron Buxton left the game in the seventh after appearing to suffer another injury. He came up grabbing his side after a defensive play, adding another layer of concern to a night that already ended in a frustrating 4-2 loss. Taj Bradley's Immaculate Inning, Near-Immaculate Outing Bradley didn't have the easiest first inning, needing 20 pitches to work around a two-out walk and strike out Lawrence Butler to escape the frame. From there, though, the right-hander was nearly untouchable. He needed just 10 pitches to get through the third, then worked another clean fourth before putting together the highlight of his night in the fifth. After striking out Carlos Cortes and Brian Serven, Bradley froze Henry Bolte with a 100-mph fastball to complete an immaculate inning. It was the first immaculate inning in team history, and Bradley wasn't finished. He struck out Cortes and Serven again in the seventh, giving him 11 strikeouts on the night. Through six-plus innings, Bradley had allowed just three runs while piling up strikeouts at an incredible rate, but the A's ability to string together two-out hits ultimately proved to be his downfall. Bradley left the game with a runner on third after allowing another two-out hit in the seventh. He finished with 11 strikeouts on 81 pitches, and despite the final line, this was one of his better outings of the season. Unfortunately, the Twins couldn't give him enough offensive support. The A's offense wasn't exactly overwhelming Tuesday night; they just seemed to come alive whenever the Twins were one out away from getting out of an inning. Their first two runs came in the second after Alika Williams doubled with two outs and Carlos Cortes followed with a two-run homer. Bradley had retired the first two batters of the inning, but one mistake was all the A's needed to take the lead. The same thing happened again in the sixth. After Bradley retired Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof, Butler singled to keep the inning alive. Tommy White then doubled off the wall in right-center, bringing Butler home and extending the A's lead to 3-0. Walton followed with another two-out single, and a throw home that missed the cutoff man allowed the A's to score another run and put a runner in scoring position. Just like that, the A's had turned three consecutive two-out hits into a three-run advantage. All four of their runs came with two outs. That's a brutal way to lose a game, especially when your starting pitcher is otherwise having such a strong night. Twins' 7th-Inning Rally Falls a Bit Short For most of the night, Minnesota's offense couldn't get anything going against Gage Jump. That changed in the seventh. Royce Lewis opened the inning with his second hit of the night, and after Kody Clemens reached on a fielder's choice, Kaelen Culpepper came through with a huge swing. He jumped on a first-pitch changeup, sat back on it and hammered it into right-center for an RBI double. After recording four hits Monday night, Culpepper followed it up with another big hit Tuesday, cutting the A's lead to 4-1. The Twins then got a fortunate break when Brooks Lee's pop-up down the first-base line bounced off Donovan Walton's glove and fell in for a double. That put two runners in scoring position with Victor Caratini at the plate representing the tying run. Caratini didn't get the hit, but he still brought Culpepper home after Zack Gelof made an excellent sliding stop at third. Suddenly, the Twins were within two. Kreidler then worked a walk to put the tying run on base, but Luke Keaschall went down looking to end the inning. Still, it was the first real sign of life from Minnesota's offense all night. After managing just two hits through the first six innings, the Twins had put together a four-hit inning and cut the A's lead in half. Unfortunately, it would be their final real threat of the night. Buxton Departs with Hip Trouble The seventh inning wasn't only significant because of Minnesota's attempted comeback. It also brought one of the most concerning moments of the night. Bolte lined a ball toward right-center field that got past Clemens, and Buxton attempted to make the play. The ball slipped underneath his glove, allowing Bolte to race all the way to third. More notably, Buxton immediately came up grabbing his side. The Twins' star center fielder has dealt with multiple IL stints because of hip issues over the last couple of months, so seeing him favor his side after the play was certainly unsettling. Trevor Larnach entered the game in his place, ending Buxton's night. There's no way to know the severity of the injury yet, and hopefully it's something minor. But considering Buxton's injury history and how late we are in the season, it's certainly something to keep an eye on. The play also ended Bradley's night, as Minter entered with Bolte standing on third. Minter got the final out of the inning when McNeil swung through a sinker that ran in on him, but somehow, an inning that didn't feature a run was still one of the most eventful frames of the game. Minnesota had one more chance to make things interesting in the eighth and ninth, but the A's bullpen shut the door. The Twins went down quietly in the eighth, with Larnach, Jeffers and Lewis all recording outs. That sent Minnesota to the ninth needing two runs to tie the game. Instead, Clemens struck out, Culpepper grounded out to third and Lee flew out to center to end the game. After struggling to produce anything offensively for the first six innings, the Twins finally put together a rally in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to overcome the A's early advantage. And once again, the biggest difference came down to two-out hitting. The A's scored all four of their runs with two outs, while Minnesota couldn't deliver the big hit when it needed one most. Bradley pitched well enough to win, striking out 11 and making history with the first immaculate inning in Twins history. Culpepper continued his strong stretch with another big offensive performance, and Minnesota briefly showed some life in the seventh. But the A's made their opportunities count. Now, the Twins will have to win Wednesday's series finale if they want to take the series. They'll also have to wait for more information on Buxton after a concerning exit that could potentially have much bigger implications for the remainder of the season. What’s Next? The Twins wrap up their series in Sacramento against the A’s tomorrow night. Left-hander Connor Prielipp will be on the mound for the Twins, and he’ll face off against righty J.T. Ginn. First pitch is set for 8:05 PM. Postgame Interviews Coming soon! Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images As a rookie, Andrew Morris has turned into an anchor of the Twins’ bullpen. After entering the season as a starter with the St. Paul Saints, he transitioned to a relief role in the majors and quickly established himself as a reliable option. In 60 1/3 innings this season, Morris has posted a 3.43 ERA while putting together some extremely impressive contact-quality numbers. His barrel rate and average exit velocity both rank in the 91st percentile or better among major-league pitchers, while his hard-hit rate sits in the 85th percentile. As a result of that hard-contact suppression, his expected ERA is even better at 3.10. The underlying data suggests Morris has pitched better than his surface-level numbers indicate, and lately, that has become especially important. Morris has allowed at least three runs in two of his last three outings, with both appearances coming at particularly unfortunate times for the Twins. On August 16, he surrendered three earned runs in the eighth inning against the Phillies. Philadelphia entered the inning trailing by just one run and ultimately completed a sweep of the Twins. Then, on Saturday in San Diego, Morris allowed four runs in one inning and absorbed the 7-5 loss. Once again, his outing allowed the opposing team to take the lead, and once again, the Twins wound up being swept. It would be easy to look at those two performances and place the blame on Morris. After all, he was the pitcher on the mound when the games started slipping away. But not so fast! The amount of bad luck Morris has run into in those two outings is almost unbelievable. For starters, three of the four runs he allowed against the Padres were unearned. There was a catcher interference call and a fielding error involved in the inning. Otherwise, the Twins could well have escaped with the lead intact. Morris actually looked pretty good. Only two of the seven balls put in play against him were hard-hit, and he generated five whiffs on just 19 pitches. San Diego was aggressive at the plate, putting a number of softly-hit balls into places where the Twins weren't able to make plays and capitalizing on the defensive mistakes that ensued. Morris, meanwhile, pounded the strike zone and continued attacking hitters. The three-run inning against Philadelphia followed a similar pattern. All three of those runs were earned, so there isn't the same defensive caveat to make. But only one of the seven balls put in play against Morris was hard-hit. He did what he was supposed to do, filling up the zone and mixing his pitches, while avoiding the authoritative contact that typically leads to big innings. Instead, a handful of bloopers and ground balls found their way through the infield. That doesn't make the results any less frustrating for the Twins. Runs count the same regardless of how hard the ball was hit, and Morris was still responsible for getting out of those innings. But there is a meaningful difference between a pitcher getting knocked around and a pitcher giving up a series of softly hit balls that happen to find holes. Morris is much closer to the latter. Since his promotion to the majors, it seems like Morris has consistently pitched better than his results would indicate. The underlying metrics back that up, the eye test backs that up (at least MY eye test), and these two recent outings are further examples of what's been happening throughout his rookie season. The kind of contact he’s inducing is extremely impressive for a young pitcher who wasn't even expected to be a major-league reliever when the season began. His ability to limit hard contact has been one of the biggest reasons he's carved out a role in the Twins' bullpen, and there isn't much reason to believe that skill is suddenly going to disappear because of a couple of ugly box scores. Sometimes, baseball is just going to baseball. Balls are going to find holes, defensive mistakes are going to extend innings, and aggressive hitters are going to poke soft contact into places where nobody is standing. Right now, Morris is dealing with more of that than he probably deserves. Sooner or later, that batted-ball luck should turn in his favor. When it does, the results should start looking a lot more like the pitcher Morris has actually been than the numbers from a couple of frustrating outings might suggest. However, there's one crucial caveat to any praise of Morris: he's allowing those batted balls to happen in the first place. This is why high-leverage relievers usually run high whiff and strikeout rates. If you can't miss bats, you become more susceptible to bad defense and bad luck. Morris induces weak contact, but it would be better if he simply allowed less of it. Two tough outings don't invalidate a strong rookie season. Morris has to find a way to rack up strikeouts, though, or he'll never graduate to relief ace status. View full article