Sam Caulder

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson - 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K (61 pitches, 34 strikes (56% strikes)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.36), Austin Martin (-0.19), Byron Buxton (-0.18) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Thursday’s rubber match against Washington with a chance to secure the series and build some momentum after a rocky start to the season. Instead, they let another winnable game slip away. Despite multiple offensive contributions and several chances to swing the game in their favor, the Twins couldn’t overcome another uneven pitching performance and a handful of costly mistakes in a 7-5 loss. Minnesota battled back more than once and briefly erased a late deficit, but every answer they had was quickly matched by Washington. In the end, the Nationals took the series, while the Twins fell to 16-22 on the year. BROOKS LEE BREAKS THROUGH EARLY The Twins wasted little time putting pressure on the Nationals’ starting pitcher, Bloomington, Minn. native Jake Irvin. After Irvin cruised through a quick first inning, Minnesota broke through in the second. Ryan Jeffers opened the frame with an eight-pitch walk, Luke Keaschall followed with an infield single, and Kody Clemens was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up Brooks Lee, who continued what’s becoming a trend this season in big spots. Behind in the count with two strikes, Lee ripped a ground ball through the left side to score Jeffers and Keaschall, giving the Twins an early 2-0 lead. Heads-up baserunning from Clemens allowed him to move to third on the play, though the inning eventually ended with him getting tagged out at the plate trying to score on a shallow fly ball. Lee wasn’t done. After Washington tied the game in the third, Lee delivered again in the fifth with a leadoff double, smoked 105 MPH off the bat. Moments later, Tristan Gray punched a single into shallow center, allowing Lee to score from second and briefly restore Minnesota’s lead. By the middle innings, Lee had accounted for all three Twins runs, continuing a hot stretch at the plate and once again coming through in clutch situations. WOODS RICHARDSON CAN’T ESCAPE THE FIFTH For four innings, Simeon Woods Richardson looked like he might finally be settling in. Despite some shaky command early, he worked efficiently throughout the afternoon. Through four innings, Woods Richardson had thrown just 46 pitches and allowed only two runs. Aided by a pair of double plays and some solid defensive moments behind him, including a diving catch from Austin Martin in left field that robbed James Wood of extra bases, it was looking like the outing he desperately needed. But the fifth inning unraveled quickly. José Tena drew a leadoff walk, Jacob Young was hit by a pitch, and Keibert Ruiz came through with a two-run double to put Washington ahead 4-3. After a sacrifice bunt moved Ruiz to third, Woods Richardson’s day came to an end after just 4 1/3 innings. It marked his sixth straight start allowing at least three earned runs, and once again, he failed to make it through five innings. Things only got worse after Anthony Banda entered the game. Banda walked James Wood and hit Daylen Lile to load the bases, and a miscommunication between Matt Wallner and Keaschall on a routine pop-up allowed another run to score. Washington pushed its lead to 5-3 before the inning finally came to an end. The ugly fifth inning erased what had been a relatively encouraging outing up to that point. THE TWINS KEEP FIGHTING BACK To their credit, the Twins didn’t go away quietly. Ryan Jeffers immediately answered in the sixth inning, hammering a leadoff homer 432 feet to left field off an elevated sinker from Irvin. It was his fifth homer of the season and trimmed the deficit to one. Minnesota had a golden opportunity to do even more damage after Wallner reached via hit-by-pitch and Keaschall worked a walk. Clemens moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt, putting the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out. But after the Nationals intentionally walked Lee, Tristan Gray struck out, and Byron Buxton came up empty in a huge spot, striking out on a full count to end the threat. An inning later, the Twins clawed back again. Jeffers picked up his third extra-base hit of the game with a cheap double down the right-field line, and Josh Bell, facing his former team, delivered off the bench with a game-tying RBI double off the wall in left field. Suddenly, the game was tied at 5-5, and the momentum had swung back toward Minnesota. Unfortunately for the Twins, it didn’t last long. WASHINGTON RESPONDS IMMEDIATELY The Nationals answered right away in the bottom of the seventh. Keibert Ruiz, who tormented Twins pitching all afternoon, launched a leadoff homer off John Klein to put Washington back in front. It was the first run allowed in Klein’s big-league career. Moments later, James Wood ripped a ground-rule double, Daylen Lile reached on a swinging bunt that appeared to beat, and Curtis Mead added an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-5. That proved to be enough. The Twins managed just one baserunner over the final two innings. Byron Buxton singled in the eighth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Trevor Larnach popped out to end the inning, and the top of the ninth went down quietly against Gus Varland (brother of Louie). It was another frustrating loss for a Twins team that had opportunities throughout the afternoon but couldn’t capitalize enough when it mattered most. They battled back multiple times, but defensive mistakes, missed chances, and another short outing from the starting rotation ultimately proved too much to overcome. What’s Next? The Twins will travel to Cleveland to start a three-game weekend series tomorrow against the AL Central-leading Guardians. We’ve got a battle of young, talented left-handers tomorrow with Connor Prielipp on the hill for the Twins and Parker Messick throwing for Cleveland. First pitch is set for 6:15 PM. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Orze 24 0 16 0 0 40 Morris 57 0 0 14 0 71 Rogers 32 0 0 0 26 58 Garcia 0 0 13 14 0 27 Banda 0 0 19 0 20 39 Topa 17 0 0 32 0 49 Funderburk 3 0 0 17 0 20 Klein 0 0 0 0 31 31 View full article

Royce Lewis once looked like a future superstar. Now, his future with the Twins feels far less certain. View full video

Fair point

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Andrew Morris was never the flashy, Top-100 name lighting up prospect rankings. He wasn’t the can’t-miss arm generating buzz across the league, and certainly not someone grabbing headlines with gaudy strikeout totals or triple-digit velocity. Even now, at the major-league level, he’s settled into one of the least glamorous roles on the pitching staff: the length reliever. But if you’ve been paying close attention, Morris has quietly been effective, reliable, and (arguably) under-appreciated. Through his first 15 2/3 major-league innings, the surface-level numbers don’t exactly jump off the page. A 5.17 ERA paired with a 1.53 WHIP isn’t going to turn heads, and in today’s game, a 20% strikeout rate falls short of the league average, which hovers around 22%. His fastball, sitting around 95 MPH, is solid but not overpowering. On paper, it’s the profile of a pitcher still trying to find his footing. But the paper doesn’t tell the full story. If you dig a layer deeper, Morris starts to look like a completely different pitcher. Despite the elevated WHIP, largely driven by the number of hits he’s allowed, Morris has been elite at limiting hard contact. Opposing hitters simply are not squaring him up. He has allowed just one barrel all season, and his average exit velocity against sits at 85.3 MPH, placing him in the 92nd percentile among major-league pitchers. So how does a pitcher allow a fair number of hits while still suppressing quality contact at that level? The answer often comes down to variance. Weak contact can still fall in for hits, and through a small sample size, a few seeing-eye singles or bloopers can quickly inflate traditional stats like ERA and WHIP. The Twins' subpar defense isn't helping matters. The underlying metrics reinforce that idea. Morris owns a 3.19 expected ERA and a 3.08 FIP, both of which paint the picture of a pitcher who’s performing far better than his surface-level numbers suggest. If he keeps pitching the way he has, the results should start to catch up. While he’s not missing bats at an elite rate, Morris has found another way to keep hitters uncomfortable, which is getting ahead early and expanding the zone. His 70% first-pitch strike rate is one of the most important indicators of his success so far. It’s a number that cannot be overstated. Getting ahead 0-1 immediately shifts the at-bat in the pitcher’s favor, opening the door for chase pitches and weak contact later in the count. The difference that makes is massive. Take former Twin Ildemaro Vargas, who is currently leading the league in batting average (as we all expected). When Vargas is getting ahead in the count 1-0, he’s hitting an absurd .535. When he falls behind 0-1, that number drops all the way down to .259. That’s the power of a first-pitch strike. Morris is living in the zone early, forcing hitters into defensive counts, and then using his secondary pitches to generate chases outside of it. It’s not flashy, but it’s effective, which is a theme that seems to follow him everywhere. If there’s one area where Morris could still take a step forward, it would be generating more ground balls. His current 34% ground ball rate is definitely on the low side, and increasing that number could help him limit baserunners even further by turning more contact into outs. With that said, addressing it may require adjustments to his pitch mix and/or selection, and when you’re already limiting hard contact this well, it is not necessarily an urgent fix. There is something to be said for sticking with what's working. What’s working right now is a pitcher who understands how to navigate big-league lineups without overpowering stuff. Morris may never be the guy who racks up double-digit strikeouts or headlines a rotation, but that doesn’t diminish his value. Every pitching staff needs someone who can bridge innings, stabilize games, and quietly keep things under control when the spotlight isn’t shining brightest. That’s exactly what he’s done so far. At just 24 years old, Morris is still in the early stages of his development. There’s room to grow, adjustments to make, and potentially another level to unlock. But even in his current form, he’s proving he belongs—and more than that, he’s proving he can be an asset. View full article

The Google machine says it was a "personal matter." I couldn't find more info than that.

Minnesota native Matt Wallner is off to a brutal start, and the same concerns keep resurfacing. It's fair to wonder if the Twins are running out of patience. View full video

While Hendry Mendez doesn't generate the same buzz as other Twins outfield prospects, his talent is undeniable, and it's gotten to a point where he feels criminally underrated. View full video

Simeon Woods Richardson has been abysmal, and given the state of the Twins' bullpen, a transition from starter to reliever may be best for all parties. View full video

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The last handful of starts for Simeon Woods Richardson have described a troubling trend. At this point, it’s fair to wonder not just how long he remains in the rotation, but whether that role still makes sense at all. Were it not for the injuries that continue to deplete the team's starting staff, Woods Richardson might be in the bullpen already. When the Twins acquired Woods Richardson alongside Austin Martin at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for José Berríos, the vision was clear. He was supposed to develop into a reliable starting pitcher—someone who could anchor the back end of a rotation, with upside. For a stretch, that looked plausible. He showed flashes of being a capable fourth or fifth starter, eating innings and keeping his team in games. Though 2024 ended in disappointment, Woods Richardson kept them afloat for a long stretch during which the team was badly diminished by injuries. Alas, 2026 has been a different story entirely. Through his first seven starts, Woods Richardson owns a 6.49 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. He’s allowed 47 hits and 14 walks, while striking out just 17 batters. He’s not pitching deep into games, and the innings he does provide have often come with significant damage. The underlying numbers don’t offer much encouragement, either. His strikeout rate sits at a highly concerning 10.6%, one of the lowest marks you’ll find for a starting pitcher. He’s generating very few whiffs, and when hitters do make contact, they’re squaring him up with authority. His arsenal, which already is limited for a starter, simply isn’t playing. The advanced metrics paint a bleak picture across the board. Put simply, what the Twins are doing right now with Woods Richardson is not working. At some point, acknowledging that opens the door to a different solution. A move to the bullpen stands out as the most logical next step. There are clear indicators that Woods Richardson could thrive in a shorter-burst role. Most notably, his effectiveness the first time through the order has been excellent. His ERA sits at 1.20 when hitters haven’t already seen him, and he’s recorded 11 of his 17 strikeouts in those matchups. That version of Woods Richardson looks like a completely different pitcher. The drop-off after that is dramatic. The second time through the order, his ERA balloons to 14.66. Over 11 2/3 innings in those situations, he’s struck out just two batters, while allowing a .375 batting average and six home runs. It’s not a subtle decline; it’s a cliff. That split tells a pretty clear story. For two to three innings, Woods Richardson can be effective. After that, hitters adjust, his stuff flattens out, and the results spiral. A profile like that is far more aligned with a reliever than a starter. He doesn't lose a ton of velocity or movement as the game progresses, but hitters quickly get familiar with the relatively limited set of sequences and shapes he can throw at them. There’s also a compelling velocity component to consider. Woods Richardson’s fastball typically sits in the 92 to 93 mph range, which isn’t overpowering in today’s game, especially for a starter expected to turn a lineup over multiple times. As he works deeper into outings, that velocity can dip, leaving him even more vulnerable. In shorter stints, though, there’s reason to believe that changes. We’ve seen him reach back for 96 to 97 mph at times, with flashes of a different gear that simply isn’t sustainable over five or six innings. In a bullpen role, that higher velocity could become more consistent. A tick or two of added velocity, paired with a simplified approach, could make his entire arsenal play up. The timing of a potential move is complicated, but not prohibitive. With Mick Abel currently on the injured list, the Twins don’t have an abundance of rotation options, which makes it harder to pull Woods Richardson out immediately. Joe Ryan is likely to land on the shelf, too, after leaving Sunday's start with elbow soreness. Still, Abel has already resumed throwing bullpens and may not be far off from a return. When that happens, the Twins will have a decision to make. Connor Prielipp’s emergence adds another layer to the conversation. He’s looked sharp over his first three starts and offers something the current rotation lacks: a left-handed presence. Slotting him into the rotation not only injects upside but also creates better balance within the staff. Moving Woods Richardson to a relief role wouldn’t just be about addressing his struggles; it would also allow the organization to reconfigure its pitching staff in a way that maximizes everyone’s strengths. The Twins’ bullpen has not exactly been sharp. We just saw that group completely unravel with an eight-run eighth inning collapse on Saturday, and while one inning doesn’t define an entire unit, it does highlight how volatile things have been. This isn’t a bullpen that’s been consistently locking games down, and adding another arm that’s been promising in shorter bursts could really help stabilize things. None of this is to suggest that the Twins should give up on him. He’s still relatively young, and there’s enough of a track record to believe he can contribute at the major-league level. But continuing to run him out as a starter, hoping for different results, isn’t a particularly convincing strategy. Without Ryan, the decision is put off for a while. None of the available alternatives to Woods Richardson have done enough to give the team any reasonable measure of confidence in them, so they still need Woods Richardson as a starter. At some point, though, adjustments to the role and expectations aren’t just helpful; they’re necessary. For Woods Richardson, that adjustment may very well be the key to getting his career back on track. View full article

After a brutal start to the year, Kody Clemens is starting to find his footing. While he's not a household name, his skill set is one that this Twins team could use in the lineup every day. View full video

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Bailey Ober - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (88 pitches, 56 strikes (64% strikes)) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (4), Byron Buxton (8) Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (0.19), Byron Buxton (0.16), Ryan Jeffers (0.16) Win Probability Chart The Twins came into the series opener against Toronto looking to stop the bleeding, after a pair of frustrating late losses to the Seattle Mariners. Behind a sharp start from Bailey Ober and a timely offensive breakout, they did exactly that. This wasn’t a game defined by chaos or a late collapse. Instead, the Twins steadily took control, turning a tight battle into a comfortable 7-1 win. They got contributions up and down the lineup, capitalized on mistakes, and rode strong pitching to get back in the win column. BAILEY OBER SETS THE TONE Ober didn’t overpower hitters, but he didn’t need to. From the start, he was in control. Despite allowing a leadoff single in the first, he worked efficiently, needing just 18 pitches to navigate five hitters. That became a theme. He pounded the zone early and often, throwing first-pitch strikes to 75% of the batters he faced, and kept Toronto off balance all night. Through three innings, he was sitting at just 42 pitches with seven whiffs, even with his fastball hovering below 88 MPH. It wasn’t about velocity; it was about command and sequencing. The only real damage came in the fourth, when Daulton Varsho turned on a fastball up and in and sent it over the right-field seats for a solo homer. Outside of that, Ober was in complete control. He cruised through six strong innings, marking his third straight quality start and his fourth consecutive outing of six or more innings. He exited in the seventh after allowing a leadoff bloop single, but by then, his job was more than done. MISSED CHANCES, THEN A BREAKTHROUGH Early on, it looked like it might be another frustrating night offensively. The Twins put immediate pressure on Kevin Gausman in the first, getting a leadoff double from Byron Buxton, but they couldn’t bring him home. It set the tone for the early innings, when opportunities were there, but the big hit was not. For three innings, Gausman largely kept them quiet despite some loud contact, including a deep flyout from Josh Bell that likely leaves the yard on a warmer night. The fourth inning changed everything. After Trevor Larnach worked a leadoff walk, Ryan Jeffers stepped in and worked an eight-pitch at-bat. It ended on a fastball over the heart of the plate, and Jeffers launched it into the bullpen in left-center for a two-run homer, flipping a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. It was the swing they had been missing early, and it shifted the momentum for good. ADDING ON AND PULLING AWAY Once the Twins grabbed the lead, they didn’t let up. In the sixth, Buxton provided another spark. Twins legend Justin Morneau noted on the TV broadcast how well Buxton was hitting when he saw the other team’s starting pitcher for a third time. About three seconds later, Buxton homered. He turned on an inside fastball and sent it out for his team-leading eighth homer of the season. From there, the lineup kept grinding. Larnach drew his second walk of the game and moved into scoring position, setting the stage for Austin Martin, who lined a ball into center to drive in another run and chase Gausman from the game. It marked the first time all season Gausman had allowed more than three runs in a start. But the biggest inning came late. In the eighth, the Twins took full advantage of defensive miscues from Toronto. After Buxton’s third hit of the night, a misplayed Jeffers pop-up and an errant throw allowed him to reach third, and Bell followed by ripping a ball off the wall to bring him home. Moments later, another throwing error allowed Jeffers to score, making it 6-1. Luke Keaschall drove in their seventh run on a sac fly, and the Twins pushed the game out of reach, turning a competitive matchup into a 7-1 advantage. BULLPEN SLAMS THE DOOR With Ober handing things off in the seventh, the bullpen took care of the rest. Anthony Banda navigated a quick matchup against lefties before turning things over to Andrew Morris, who continued to impress. Morris worked efficiently through the end of the seventh and the eighth, allowing minimal traffic and keeping Toronto from mounting any kind of response. In the ninth, Justin Topa came on to close it out. Nothing came of a leadoff walk; a game-ending double play capped off the night. Clean, efficient, and exactly what the Twins needed. After a couple of tough losses, this was a much-needed win. Strong starting pitching, timely hitting, and capitalizing on mistakes; it was a complete performance that got them back on track. What’s Next? The Twins and Blue Jays are back in action tomorrow night for game two of the series. Simeon Woods Richardson is on the hill for Minnesota, taking on his former team, and lefty Patrick Corbin will throw for Toronto. We saw this same pitching matchup in these teams’ first series in mid-April, with Toronto winning that one 10-4. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUES WED THUR TOT Rogers 0 14 0 13 0 27 Morris 0 40 0 0 19 59 Banda 9 0 0 22 14 45 Funderburk 20 0 15 0 0 35 Garcia 0 0 23 0 0 23 Sands 7 0 13 0 0 20 Topa 10 0 0 0 12 22 Orze 0 0 0 28 0 28 View full article

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins have a very solid catching situation for 2026, but that stability doesn’t extend beyond this season. While this might not be a universally popular stance, there’s a strong case to be made that the Twins should look to extend Ryan Jeffers. To be clear, this isn’t about handing out a massive long-term deal that could age poorly. A huge seven-year, $100 million type of contract would be quite excessive, and that’s not the type of commitment being suggested here. But Jeffers is set to hit free agency after the season, and he’s exactly the kind of player this organization should be looking to keep around on a shorter-term deal. Offensively, Jeffers has quietly been one of the more productive catchers in baseball, especially when viewed through the lens of positional expectations. He owns a career .747 OPS, which gives him an OPS+ comfortably above league average. That kind of production from behind the plate carries real value. It’s still early in the 2026 season, but Jeffers looks like a hitter who has taken another step forward. Through 92 plate appearances entering Thursday night, he’s hitting .293 with a .418 on-base percentage, along with three home runs. Just as importantly, he’s struck out 16 times while drawing 15 walks, a near one-to-one ratio that speaks to a much more disciplined approach. The underlying data supports what’s showing up in the box score. Jeffers’s average exit velocity has climbed above 91 miles per hour, second among all Twins hitters. He’s not expanding the strike zone, there’s very little swing-and-miss in his profile right now, and he’s consistently putting himself in favorable counts. This isn’t coming out of nowhere, either. Over the past couple of seasons, there’s been a noticeable shift in Jeffers’s approach at the plate. He’s become far more selective. His bat-to-ball improvements are real, and they’ve elevated his overall offensive floor while also raising the ceiling. Defensively, Jeffers isn’t going to stand out in the traditional ways. He’s not an elite blocker, and he doesn’t rank among the top catchers in terms of throwing out base stealers. But the modern game has introduced new ways for catchers to provide value, and this is where Jeffers separates himself. With the implementation of the ABS challenge system, Jeffers has been one of the most effective catchers in baseball. He leads the league in strikeouts gained via successful challenges, with 10, and among catchers with at least 20 challenges, he ranks inside the top 10 in both total successful challenges and overall success rate. That might seem like a niche skill, but it matters. In a league where every marginal edge can swing an at-bat or an inning, consistently winning challenges adds tangible value. Jeffers has shown an ability to read pitches, understand umpire tendencies within the system, and make the right call in high-leverage spots. That’s a modern defensive skill that isn’t going away, and it gives him an added layer of importance behind the plate. Then there’s the bigger picture. Jeffers’s contract expires after this season, while Victor Caratini is only under team control for one more year beyond that, with a mutual option for 2028 that (historically speaking) is unlikely to be exercised by both sides. Beyond those two, the organization’s long-term hope lies with Eduardo Tait, one of the top catching prospects in the game, along with intriguing depth pieces like Khadim Diaw and Enrique Jimenez. Tait, in particular, has the upside to become the catcher of the future. But he’s probably still at least two or three years away from making a real impact at the major-league level. That creates a clear gap between the present and the future, and Jeffers is the most logical bridge. If the Twins let him walk, what does that leave them with? Caratini for 2027, and then a likely trip to free agency to find another catcher, anyway. At that point, you’re probably paying a similar price for a player who wouldn’t be as productive, and certainly won’t have the same level of familiarity with the pitching staff or the organization. Jeffers offers stability in a spot where stability is hard to find. He’s a known commodity offensively; he’s developed into a reliable presence behind the plate in ways that align with the modern game; and he already has established relationships with the Twins’ pitchers. For a team that could be trending younger in the near future, that kind of presence carries weight beyond the stat sheet. That’s why a short-term extension makes so much sense. Something in the range of three years would allow the Twins to maintain continuity at catcher while giving Tait the time he needs to develop properly. It avoids a long-term commitment that could become problematic, while still addressing a clear organizational need. As long as the financial aspect stays reasonable, extending Ryan Jeffers feels like the kind of move that checks every box. It strengthens the present, protects against uncertainty in the near future, and buys time for the next wave of talent to arrive. For a team trying to balance competitiveness with sustainability, that’s a path worth taking. Of course, Jeffers hss agency here, too. He's unlikely to take a three-year deal right now, not only because he's a Scott Boras client (that can be overcome, in certain cases) but because he's playing so well in the last year before he could reach the market. This winter is likely to be marred by a lockout, but last time that happened, some players signed early deals that have gone well for them (if somewhat less so for the teams involved). A version of the deal signed by Sean Murphy after he was traded from the Athletics to Atlanta, though, might work. Murphy officially signed for $73 million over six years, but he was further from free agency at the time. If the Twins are willing to guarantee Jeffers $57 million over four years (a $14-million annual salary, plus a $1-million buyout) with a club option for 2031, they could keep him from entering free agency this fall. They should, at a minimum, consider it. View full article

It's been a long time coming for Minnesota Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp, but his first couple of major league starts have been promising. Here's how the lefty has been having success so far. View full video

Riley Quick came with his fair share of question marks when the Twins drafted him last summer, but his early performance has been otherworldly. It's too early to say definitely, but the Twins may have something special here. View full video