Jamie Cameron

The Twins lost 9-5 to the White Sox on Tuesday. Despite a solid offensive performance, the bullpen blew the lead late to fall 18 games behind the AL Central leaders. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Ober 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO Homeruns: Kepler (11), Donaldson (15), Polanco (13) Bottom 3 WPA: Alcala -.363, Robles -.315, Ober -.195 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Small problems often become big problems. This tenet quickly embodied the Twins latest waxing at the hands of the White Sox. Amid a hot streak, Tim Anderson led off the top of the first inning. He had a scorching line drive beautifully picked by Jorge Polanco, only for Miguel Sanó to fail to get in position quickly enough. Polanco’s throw bounced off the heel of Sanó’s glove. Three hits later, the Twins were down 2-0. Bailey Ober recovered to escape further damage. Tonight marked Ober’s fourth start against the White Sox in just his ninth MLB start. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end of the pool. Ober’s last outing against Chicago, on July 5th, was the best of his young career. He shoved, pitching five innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven. Tonight was more of a struggle. While Ober’s stuff was good, his early command lacked. In the top of the second inning, Max Kepler hit a long home run to right field off Dallas Keuchel to trim the lead to 2-1. Yoán Moncada launched a two-run home run to center field to extend the lead to 4-1 in the third inning, following a Jos Abreu triple. Worse still, Luis Arraez appeared to injure himself on the Abreu hit and was removed from the game in the fourth inning. Arraez’s injury is less a comment on an injury-riddled season and more on a team that has never been able to establish consistency in 2021. One player gets healthy, and another gets hurts. The team put together a strong series, and they follow it up by laying an egg. The sheer inevitability of this team stringing their woes and hardships together is as impressive as it is depressing. The Twins gained ground in the top of the fourth inning. Miguel Sanó hit a ground-rule double to lead off. Gilberto Celestino walked, and Andrelton Simmons singled to cut the lead to 4-2 with no outs. The Twins, as has so often been the case in 2021, could not capitalize, making three straight outs to end the inning. Ober completed a scoreless bottom of the fifth for the Twins. In each start, he has shown enough to keep Twins fans coming back. Tonight, he faced the White Sox for the fourth time in his nine career MLB starts. After a shaky start, he kept the Twins in the game. In the last month, he has pitched with more stuff, poise, and effectiveness than J.A. Happ or Matt Shoemaker did throughout the season for the Twins. The future is bright for Bailey Ober. The Twins cut the lead to one run in the top of the sixth inning. Josh Donaldson turned impressively on a fastball inside from 18th Century dispatch rider Michael Kopech, depositing it into the left-field seats for his 15th home run of the season. Caleb Thielbar relieved Ober in the sixth inning and promptly loaded the bases. Alexander Colomé made a strong fielding play on a weak infield dribbler to get Seby Zavala out at first base to end the threat. The Twins failed to cash in either of their two baserunners in the seventh inning, despite making Kopech work considerably throughout his outing. Alexander Colomé returned for the seventh inning. He quickly induced two ground balls, one of which was bobbled by Polanco, increasing the stress of the inning. Colomé escaped with a scoreless appearance, building on his 3.00 ERA in his previous six outings. In the top of the eighth inning, the Twins delivered the breakthrough their grind deserved. After a Josh Donaldson single, Jorge Polanco ripped a 95 mph fastball from Ryan Burr into the right-field seats for his 13th home run of the season, giving the Twins a 5-4 lead. Jorge Alcala entered for the Twins in the bottom of the eighth inning. He threw ten strikes in his first 22 pitches to put runners on first and second. Andrew Vaughn immediately singled to score Adam Engel, which tied the game at 5-5. Alcala left with one out in the bottom of the eighth, men on first and second, having already surrendered the tying run. Hansel Robles relieved Alcala and struck out Tim Anderson. Billy Hamilton then singled to give the White Sox a 6-5 lead. As is so often the case with the 2021 Twins, a least one phase of the team capitulated to catapult the team to a loss. After giving up the go-ahead single, Robles gave up a three-run home run to Jos Abreu, giving the Sox a 9-5 lead. The 2021 Minnesota Twins are a house of cards that falls almost every night; Tuesday was no exception. Liam Hendriks pitched the ninth for Chicago, putting the Twins 18 games back of the sure 2021 AL Central champions. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Alcala 0 0 0 23 24 47 Robles 0 18 0 19 7 44 Rogers 0 21 0 19 0 40 Colomé 0 0 0 0 26 26 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 17 17 Duffey 0 0 0 16 0 16 Minaya 0 0 13 0 0 13 Coulombe 0 0 0 0 5 5 Next Up The Twins send Michael Pineda to the mound on Wednesday to face Dylan Cease. First pitch is at 7:10 CT. View full article

With the 36th overall pick, the Minnesota Twins select SS Noah Miller, Ozaukee HS (WI). With the 36th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins Selected Noah Miller, SS, Ozaukee HS (WI). The Twins selected New Jersey RHP Chase Petty with the 26th overall pick. You can read more on the high risk, high reward, high school pitcher with the electric fastball from Andrew Thares here. With their compensatory first round pick, the Twins selected Wisconsin prep SS Noah Miller. HT: 6’0 WT: 180 B/T: B-R Commitment: Alabama Age: 18 Overall Grade: 50 Hit: 45 Power: 40 Run: 50 Field: 60 Arm: 55 The Twins significantly broke from their draft tendencies in the Falvey Levine era, drafting two high school prospects with their first two picks. It’s also notable that they addressed their two biggest deficits with their first two picks, drafting a starting pitcher and a middle infielder. In addition to adding Chase Petty with the 26th overall pick, the Twins elected WI prep SS Noah Miller with the 36th overall pick. Noah Miller is a switch hitting shortstop whose brother recently made his MLB debut in the Cleveland organization. The 18 year old is an impressive athlete and outstanding defensive SS with a strong sense of anticipation and reading of the game. Despite his defense being his most impressive tool, Miller also shows strong offensive skills. Miller is the top ranked prospect from Wisconsin and showcases a short, simple swing with effective bat to ball skills. Miller shows gap to gap line drive power from the left side but better pull power from the right hand side of the plate. Despite facing limited competition, Miller has dealt with opposing pitching successfully, consistently showcasing the ability to drive the ball the other way. While Miller doesn’t have any one truly stand out tool, he has a high offensive and defensive floor which should allow him to stick at SS and be an impactful hitter at the MLB level. View full article

The MLB draft kicks off on Sunday. Here are profiles of six players the Twins may target with the 26th overall pick in the first round. The 2021 MLB draft begins Sunday. Off the back of a strong 2020 season (those were fun times), the Twins first pick is at 26. The Twins also have the 36th pick as a competitive balance pick given to smaller market teams. Pick 26 slot value: $2,653, 400 Pick 36 slot value: $2,045,400 Since their first draft with the Twins, the Falvey/Levine regime has established a clear pattern in their drafting. The majority of the players they have targeted with early picks have been high floor, college bats. Royce Lewis, Landon Leach, Blayne Enlow, and Keoni Cavaco are the notable early round high school exceptions. With the late position of the Twins first round pick, it’s overwhelmingly likely they will target a college player again, probably a hitter. Drafting late in round one is a lottery, and it’s incredibly difficult to predict who the Twins might take. Here are brief profiles of six names to watch on Sunday that the Twins have been linked to through draft position, scouting, or mock drafts. Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS (NY) HT: 6’0 Weight: 200 B/T: L/R Age: 18 If the name Mack is familiar, it’s because Joe’s brother Charles is already in the Twins system. Joe is a better prospect than his brother and while he was linked with the Twins early in the process, he may come off the board sooner than 26. Mack is seen as a strong hitter who has a chance to hit for good power. Unsurprisingly, Mack isn’t a finished product defensively but made strong progress in 2020 giving him a good chance to stick behind the plate long term with a plus bat. Adrian Del Castillo, C, Miami HT: 5’11 Weight: 210 B/T: L/R Age: 21 Del Castillo was first drafted by the White Sox in the 2018 draft as a then top 200 prospect. He is now one of the better college bats in the entire draft class. Castillo hit .284/.388/.411 through 51 games this season with Miami with 3 HR, 24 walks, and 28 strikeouts. There are concerns Del Castillo will not stick long term at catcher, requiring more of his power tool. Del Castillo trained this spring with Royals catcher Salvador Perez. The Twins have a proven track record of significantly improving catcher defense (see Jeffers and Garver), so if Del Castillo can recover his power stroke from his first two seasons at Miami, he may move quickly through the organization. Ethan Wilson, OF, South Alabama HT: 6’1 Weight: 210 B/T: L/L Age: 21 Wilson catapulted himself into the spotlight when he .345/.453/.686 with 17 home runs in his 2019 season, although against mediocre competition. He was impeded by an ankle injury in the first half of 2021 and started slowly. In his second half, he recovered, hitting .319/.450/.530 with eight home runs. Wilson can drive the ball to all fields and has good control of the strike zone with strong raw power. Wilson has a lot of attributes the Twins look for in college bats, and could be a solid contender for the 26th pick. Jud Fabian OF, Florida HT: 6’2 Weight: 195 B/T: R/L Age: 20 Fabian is young draftee for a college hitter and played CF for Florida, showing outstanding defense. This spring, his bat came to life as he hit 20 home runs in 57 games which was tied for sixth in college baseball. Fabian strikes out a lot, particularly against breaking pitches, and will have to make adjustments to his swing to avoid an incredibly high K% as a professional hitter. He’s a mostly pull-side hitter with good power who will profile as a strong defensive outfielder. If he can develop his approach at the plate and control of the strike zone, Fabian could be a steal at 26. Gavin Williams, SP, East Carolina HT: 6’6 Weight: 255 B/T: L/R Age: 22 Williams is a unit at 6’6, 255lbs. The East Carolina SP is the lone college pitcher the Twins have been consistently linked to in the pre-draft process. Williams sits comfortably in the mid 90s with his fastball and can reach triple digits. He has struggled with injuries and control throughout his college career until the spring of 2021. In his first ten starts this season, he managed a 1.46 ERA and 108 Ks through 68 innings with just 18 walks (yes, you read that correctly). Williams also offers a strong curveball, a slider, and a changeup. Trey Sweeney, SS, Eastern Illinois HT: 6’4 Weight: 185 B/T: L/R Age: 21 Sweeney is a strong college bat who may end up as a corner infielder. This season he hit .382/.522/.712 with 14 home runs in 48 games. Sweeney has a big leg kick to his swing (similar to early Royce Lewis) that some feel he will need to adjust to have sustained success against professional pitching. Despite playing against mostly weaker competition, Sweeney performed well against the better pitchers he faced this spring. Sweeney has been one of the most steady and consistent options the Twins have been linked with throughout his college career. Honorable mentions: Connor Norby, East Carolina 2B, Tyler Black, Wright State, 2B Which of these prospects excites you the most? What are you interested in seeing the Twins do at 26? View full article

A sloppy fielding display and a lack of timely hitting spoiled a gem by José Berríos, who was dominant as the Twins fell 4-1 to the White Sox. Box Score Berríos: 7.0 IP 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Celestino -.172, Colomé -.169, Jeffers -.149 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Night two of Welcome Back Week was Pride Night at Target Field. A blustery, rainy Minneapolis day set the scene for a drab and dreary Twins performance Tuesday night, as the team dropped the second game of their three game series against the White Sox 4-1. Nelson Cruz returned to the Twins lineup Tuesday from a stiff neck and chest cold while Josh Donaldson was still absent with hamstring tightness. José Berríos started for the Twins Tuesday, in his penultimate start before the All-Star game in an outing sure to whet the appetite of pitching needy teams ahead of the trade deadline. Similarly to Bailey Ober on Monday, Berríos came out dealing on Tuesday night. Berríos struck out the side on three different pitches in the first, and looked like a pitcher with something to prove through the rest of his outing. His lone issue came in the second inning, where back to back walks to Leury Garcia and Brian Goodwin came around to score on a Zack Collins single to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead with notable assists to Ryan Jeffers and Miguel Sano, who both contributed errors. Collins’ single was the lone hit Berríos gave up in seven dominant innings. The Twins ace walked three and struck out ten in an impressive start which included ten swings and misses with contending teams looking on. Unfortunately for the Twins, White Sox ace Carlos Rodón was on the mound for Chicago. The former number 3 overall pick may be the most surprising factor in the White Sox dominance in 2021, with few predicting the monumental breakout he would have in a rotation which was strong with Lynn, Keuchel, and Giolito but has become formidable with the addition of the triple digit throwing lefty. Through five innings, the Twins scattered five hits but didn’t manage to cash in. In the sixth inning, with Rodón approaching 100 pitches, they finally broke through. Luis Arraez, Nelson Cruz, and Alex Kirilloff all singled to trim the lead to 2-1, before Rodón struck out Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler (who has previously hit a double) to end the threat and preserve the White Sox slim lead. Berríos was clearly in the mood Tuesday, as he emerged approaching 100 pitches to continue the game in the seventh. After two quick ground outs, Berrios struck out Andrew Vaughn on a breaking pitch for his 10th strikeout of the night, slamming his fist into his glove three times as he walked off the mound after a dominant outing. Michael Kopech came in to relieve Rodón in the seventh. After a Miguel Sano single and a Trevor Larnach groundout, Sano made a baserunning error to get caught in a rundown between second and third on an Andrelton Simmons groundout. A Luis Arraez flyout to center field ended the inning. Alexander Colomé entered in the top of the eighth for the Twins and immediately served up a center cut meatball which Zack Collins deposited for a double off the right center field wall. Collins scored on an Adam Eaton single, before Simmons botched a routine ground ball from Yoan Moncada. At the end of the eighth, the Twins had outhit the White Sox 8-3 but had three errors to their name, and trailed 4-1. Liam Hendriks came in and threw two scoreless innings to close the game for the White Sox, wasting an outstanding start from Berrios. Enjoy them while you can Twins fans. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Jax 0 88 0 0 0 88 Rogers 22 0 20 31 0 73 Coulombe 16 7 0 0 12 35 Law 0 34 0 0 0 34 Robles 0 0 19 12 0 31 Colomé 17 0 0 0 14 31 Duffey 13 0 0 17 0 30 Thielbar 0 0 0 29 0 29 Alcala 0 0 18 0 0 18 What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will conclude their three game set against the White Sox. Michael Pineda will return from the IL to take on Lance Lynn. First pitch is at 12:10 CST. View full article

The best start of Bailey Ober's young major league career paced the Minnesota Twins to a 8-5 win over the White Sox on Monday, just their second in ten tries against Chicago this season. Box Score Ober: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Kepler 2 (9) Top 3 WPA: Ober .252, Rogers .226, Kepler .185 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) A sweltering Minneapolis evening was the scene of the tenth matchup of the season between the Twins and White Sox. It was Lynx night at Target Field, the Twins rose to the occasion of being in the presence of a successful Minnesota sports team. Entering Monday’s contest, the Twins were a hapless 1-8 against the Sox in 2021. As has become custom in any 2021 Twins game, a review of the lineup was in order. The Twins entered Monday missing Josh Donaldson, who is still dealing with hamstring soreness and recently 41 year old Nelson Cruz, struggling with a bad chest cough which led to a stiff neck (insert old person jokes here). The only thing hotter than the oppressive Minneapolis temperatures Monday night was Bailey Ober, who came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. With the earlier start time leading to tougher conditions for hitters seeing the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, Ober struck out five White Sox hitters looking in his first two innings. Ober, resembling an enormous, austere bird of prey on the mound, continues to show the stuff, the temperament, and plenty of flashes of excellent upside which should give Twins fans reason for optimism on a pitching staff which has dramatically lacked it in the first half of the season. Meanwhile, White Sox starter Dylan Cease was less impressive: In the top of the second inning, Alex Kirilloff crushed a ground rule double to center field. Max Kepler immediately followed up with a 107 mph, 396 foot home run to right field, his eighth of the season, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead. The Twins added on in the third, a Trevor Larnach single scoring Andrelton Simmons. Minnesota will have been disappointed however, not to add to their lead, with runners on the corners, one run in and nobody out. They headed to the fourth inning with a 3-0 lead. Ober ran into trouble and began to run out of gas in the fifth. After two quick outs, a walk and a single gave the White Sox runners at the corners. Ober got Yoan Moncada to line out to right field to end the threat and put him in position for his first major league win. Caleb Thielbar relieved Ober in the top of the sixth and immediately surrendered a monstrous solo home run to Jose Abreu, cutting the Twins lead to 3-1. Thielbar, however, recovered to strike out the side and preserve the Twins lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the Twins led off with a hit batter (Kirilloff), a wild pitch, and a walk, leaving Kirilloff and Kepler on first and second with none out. Nick Gordon smoked a two run triple to the right center field gap, increasing the lead to 5-1 and knocking Cease out of the game. Gordon scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 6-1. Surely a safe lead, right? Wrong. Thielbar struggled in the bottom of the seventh, giving up two doubles and a single back to back to trim the Twins lead to 6-3. Thielbar was replaced by Tyler Duffey. Duffey surrendered a two run triple to Yoan Moncada, cutting the lead to 6-5. The Twins bullpen, handed a 6-1 lead, again capitulated, again allowed every inherited runner to score in what has become a tiresome, never ending game to game groundhog day. Taylor Rogers relieved Duffey and struck out the next two batters, preserving a razor thin Twins lead at 6-5. Rogers was back out for the eighth, and finished with four strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched, lowering his ERA to 2.52. How isn’t this man an All Star? The Twins added to their lead in the eighth, Kepler hit his second home run of the night and Sano scored, stretching the lead to 8-5. Hansel Robles came in to close the game in the 9th, ending the game on a Billy Hamilton double play, giving the Twins just their second victory of Chicago this season. Finally, a challenge for the creative readers and writers of Twins Daily! Drop your suggestions for nicknames for the Kirilloff/Larnach duo in the comments. Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Jax 0 0 88 0 0 88 Rogers 0 22 0 20 31 73 Law 32 0 34 0 0 66 Robles 34 0 0 19 12 65 Alcala 19 0 0 18 0 37 Duffey 0 13 0 0 17 30 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 29 29 Coulombe 0 16 7 0 0 23 Colomé 0 17 0 0 0 17 What’s Next? On Tuesday, the Twins will continue their three game set against the White Sox. José Berríos will take on Carlos Rodón. First pitch is at 7:10 CST. View full article

The Twins fell 10-7 to the Reds Tuesday afternoon. A thrilling five-run comeback saw the Twins light up Cincinnati's bullpen, before the Reds pulled away in the ninth inning to snap the Twins winning streak at five. Box Score Ober: 4.1 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 2 SO Home Runs: Jeffers (5), Kepler (6), Larnach (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Robles -.456, Ober -.273, Colome -.117 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Seeking a two-game sweep of Cincinnati and looking to extend their season-high winning streak to six, the Twins sent promising starter Bailey Ober to the mound Tuesday to face Reds lefty Wade Miley. Gilberto Celestino was recalled from St. Paul to take the place of Byron Buxton, now returning to the IL after fracturing his hand in Monday’s marathon game. Ober continued his strong start, working efficiently in the first inning. He worked around a one out walk to retire the Reds on 19 pitches, including an up-in-the-zone fastball strikeout which has been important in his early success. Tuesday also offered a look at Alex Kirilloff at first base, which quickly yielded impressive results. Despite surrendering the lead on a solo home run to Tucker Barnhart in the 3rd inning, Ober was again strong early with his combination of quick work, sharp breaking ball, strong command, and high fastball continuing to be effective. He was aided by some excellent defense from newly-recalled Gilberto Celestino. The Twins took the lead in the fourth inning. Iron man Ryan Jeffers, who caught 12 innings last night and returned to start today’s matinee, crushed a home run to left field, giving Minnesota a 2-1 lead. A Jesse Winker double allowed the Reds to retake the lead in the fifth inning after Ober loaded the bases with no outs. Tyler Duffey relieved Ober with men on 2nd and 3rd and one out. Duffey struck out Tyler Stephenson, before walking Tyler Naquin to load the bases and bring up Eugenio Suarez. Suarez singled to left, scoring a run before Winker was thrown out comfortably at home by Trevor Larnach. The Twins hit in the fifth inning trailing 4-2. The 4-2 score held until the eighth inning. Alexander Colomé entered in relief for the Twins. Bad things immediately happened. Colomé immediately gave up a single to Tyler Naquin and walked Eugenio Suarez. Kyle Farmer reached second base after an error by Miguel Sanó. A Tucker Barnhart single, which looked like it shouldn’t have made its way through the infield, scored two more runs, stretching the Reds lead to 7-2 and perhaps extinguishing any hopes of a Twins comeback. Colomé induced a double play to end the inning, leaving the Twins with a five-run deficit. Max Kepler trimmed the lead to 7-4 after a two run shot in the bottom of the eighth. Trevor Larnach followed up Kepler’s home run with a 112 mph, 434 foot blast of his own, his fifth of the season, cutting the lead to 7-5. After a Ryan Jeffers single, Miguel Sanó hit a 112.2 mph laser to left field which clipped the top of the padding on the outfield wall. It was ruled a double, and Kirilloff up with a chance to tie the game. Kirilloff came through, crushing the first pitch from Teejay Antone to right center field to score two runners and tie the game at seven. After crushing the Reds bullpen, the Twins brought in Hansel Robles in the ninth inning. He gave up a double, hit a batter then surrendered a three-run home run to Tyler Naquin to put the Reds up 10-7 and surely put the game beyond the Twins reach, for the second time. Amir Garrett closed out the game for the Reds, snapping the Twins win streak at five. Bullpen Usage Chart WED FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Thielbar 38 0 12 0 19 12 81 Colomé 20 0 15 0 7 30 72 Alcalá 10 18 0 18 20 0 66 Rogers 15 12 13 0 16 0 56 Robles 0 20 14 0 0 21 55 Duffey 0 20 0 21 0 11 52 Farrell 0 0 0 0 19 25 44 Shoemaker 0 0 0 0 32 0 32 Dobnak 0 0 start 0 0 0 0 What’s Next? After an off day Wednesday, the Twins will send José Berríos to the mound to face Cleveland. The Cleveland starter has not yet been announced. First pitch is at 7:10 CST. View full article

The Twins' exhausting season dragged on Tuesday, as they lost their second game of a six game road trip and dropped their sixth game in their last eight. Box Score Happ: 4 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Happ -.322, Kirilloff -.046, Polanco -.044 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) As the summer heatwave continued to blast Minneapolis, the Twins continued their frigid play in Seattle Tuesday night, dropping game two of their three game set to the Mariners 10-0. The Twins had mixed injury news Tuesday. Luis Arraez returned to the lineup from a shoulder injury which kept him out for several weeks. Meanwhile, the Twins continued to be without their talismanic center-fielder Byron Buxton, who, is still not 100% to return from a hip injury, leaving Nick Gordon to man center field as the Twins continue to MacGyver outfield solutions. The action on the field was stale and the game got late, early from a Twins perspective. J.A. Happ gave up a home run to J.P. Crawford on the first pitch of the game, a center cut fastball which was swatted into the right field seats. The pitch, the outcome, and the speed of its departure were all emblematic of the Twins 2021 season. Good planning and intentions, horrendous execution, horrible outcome. The game was ostensibly over by the second inning, which unfolded as follows; walk, single, single, 3 run triple, ground out, passed ball, strike out, hit by pitch, pop out. An increasingly disenfranchised looking and ineffective Happ left the mound after two innings with his team in a 5-0 hole. The Mariners added to a lead they never looked like they were going to surrender in the 4th, adding a run on three singles and generating the third mound visit of the night for Happ during what was to be his last inning. The Mariners added solo home runs in the 7th inning from Luis Torrens, and the 8th from Ty France. The France home run took the game to 10-0, in which Griffin Jax became the sacrificial lamb, throwing four innings on 93 pitches, albeit slightly more effectively than Happ. Offensively, the Twins offered little to nothing in what was one of their flattest performances in 2021. Singles from Cruz, Arraez, and two from Kirilloff were the lone offerings on an evening when Chris Flexen pitched eight innings of shutout baseball, striking out eight. What else is there to say? Mauer Charity Drive In happier Twins news, Joe Mauer’s home run derby raised $347,838 for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Any of the old boys want to come out of retirement to help the 2021 squad? Bleacher Tweets On my recap days, I’m going to throw in a crowd sourced statistic, joke, story, or complaint to get more voices into the recap. Tonight's Bleacher Tweet is courtesy of Andrew Luedtke. But what happens when everyone is terrible, Andrew? Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Jax 0 0 0 0 0 93 93 Shoemaker 0 35 0 43 0 0 78 Duffey 20 22 0 0 10 0 52 Farrell 23 0 0 0 24 0 47 Robles 11 0 15 0 17 0 43 Alcalá 7 15 0 0 19 0 41 Dobnak 0 0 0 40 0 0 40 Colomé 0 0 0 24 0 0 24 Rogers 0 3 9 0 0 0 12 What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send Bailey Ober to the hill against Justus Sheffield. First pitch is at 9:10 CT. View full article

I agree with most of your points. However, if this year has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t have enough depth (now that the Twins are on their 7th CF). I specifically targeted a INF because the Twins have very little depth in that department prospect wise.

I think I agree Mike! I wrote previously about whether to trade or extend him. I think there’s a really compelling case for a 2 year $24 million extension to help lengthen the rotation and retool next year. This article was more predicated on a more extensive rebuild if the organization came to the conclusion that they won’t be good in 2022. Thanks for reading and commenting as always.

With the Twins out of playoff contention, Michael Pineda is a candidate for a strong return at the trade deadline. Here are 3 destinations and 3 trade packages Pineda could net the Twins. I recently wrote about the Twins’ conundrum in dealing with Michael Pineda. The Twins rotation faces uncertainty beyond 2021. Kenta Maeda has regressed significantly since his Cy Young contention in a shortened 2020. José Berríos is only under team control through 2022. Randy Dobnak, recently, has looked like no sure thing to be a major league staple. This leaves Pineda. Opinion was fairly divided about exactly what to do with Pineda in the comments of my previous piece, less so now. Today, I’ll look at 3 possible destinations and packages for Pineda if the Twins decide to trade him. The Good Pineda has been a standout for the Twins since he joined them in 2017. In that time, he has accrued their highest ever winning percentage by a starting pitcher, ahead of Johan Santana. Pineda has been a model of consistency in a rotation which has not typically been a strength of the Twins. He has the stuff to start a playoff game for a team with a poorer rotation, heightening his value and worth. The Bad Pineda is a free agent after the 2021 season, diminishing his value. Additionally, he missed time due to a PED suspension in 2020 and has an extensive injury history. With all that in mind, what are some potential destinations and packages for Pineda? A note on trades: I made each of these hypothetical trades a 1:1 swap. As opposed to going into the minutiae of exact prospects and packages, I picked a prospect the Twins might be interested in who is part of each organization. Think of each trade as ‘Pineda plus’ and each return as ‘listed prospect plus’. Destination 1 - Toronto Blue Jays After an aggressive offseason, the Blue Jays sit tantalizingly at 31-29 in a tough AL East (albeit in 4th). The Blue Jays starting pitching has been rancid in 2021, ranking 26th in fWAR (one spot ahead of the Twins), with a combined output of 1.7 fWAR. After Hyun-Jin Ryu (1.1 fWAR) and Steven Matz (0.7 fWAR) their rotation has offered little. Pineda would slot in as their #3 starter after the return of Nate Pearson, who has been shelved all year due to injury. The Trade: Jays receive RHP Michael Pineda Twins receive: SS Orelvis Martinez With the injury to Royce Lewis, the Twins farm system is short on solid upside infield prospects. Martinez is the Jays #6 prospect and signed for $3.5 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. Martinez's primary tool is power, with a stocky frame and solid defensive skills which should allow him to stick at SS. Martinez has slugged .449 in 2021 at High A Dunedin but could take a leap forward in his first full season in pro ball. Destination 2 - Atlanta Atlanta has struggled in 2021. They currently sit 3rd in a weak AL East at 29-31. They worked aggressively and early to address their rotation in the offseason, to no avail. Atlanta currently has the 19th best rotation in MLB at 3.3 fWAR. Atlanta has a strong 1-2 punch between Ian Anderson and Charlie Morton, but little beyond that with Huascar Ynoa on the 60 day IL and Max Fried having an inconsistent year. Pineda would give Atlanta another solid starter to help them make a run at a highly winnable division. The Trade: Atlanta receive: RHP Michael Pineda Twins receive: LHP Jasseel De La Cruz This package would likely be De La Cruz plus for the Twins. Signed for just $55,000 in 2015. De La Cruz has the questionable distinction of two MLB call ups without making an appearance. De La Cruz may be headed for a relief role long term. His fastball sits 97-98 mph and tops out at 100 mph. His 55 grade slider may be enough for him to be a devastating weapon at the back of the bullpen if he can continue to reduce his BB%. The Twins bullpen needs a major retooling after a horrendous 2021. De La Cruz would give them a high upside bullpen arm for the next several years. Destination 3 - Chicago Cubs After being lambasted for doing literally nothing in the offseason, the Cubs find themselves in a strong position in a poor NL Central. The Cubs starting pitching has been worse than the Twins in 2021, wow. Chicago ranks 29th in MLB with a 0.9 fWAR contribution from their starting pitching group. Woof. Pineda would slot right into the 2nd or 3rd behind Kyle Hendricks. The Trade: Cubs receive: RHP Michael Pineda Twins receive: RHP Kohl Franklin Franklin is the nephew of former All-Star Ryan Franklin and was a 6th round pick out of Oklahoma in 2018. Franklin is developing quickly, adding velocity which will have him eventually sitting 93-96 mph with an excellent changeup. Franklin projects as a solid mid rotation starter for an organization which, like the Twins, has struggled to develop its own starting pitching. Honorable mention destinations: New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox. What do you think are the best team fits for a Pineda trade? What type of prospects and return would you be aiming for? View full article

The Twins faced a familiar foe in the Yankees Tuesday, with an even more familiar outcome, losing 8-4. Minnesota lost Rob Refsnyder to injury and capitulated after a promising start. Box Score Pineda: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Rogers -.333, Garlick -.118, Colome -.101, Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) On a sweltering day in Minneapolis the Twins received positive injury news on Tuesday. Rob Refsnyder was activated from the 7 day concussion IL with Gilberto Celestino optioned back to St. Paul. Additionally, Byron Buxton began a rehab assignment with the Saints Tuesday night. Kenta Maeda is scheduled to throw 50-60 pitches for St. Paul Wednesday night. Will the Twins get healthy in the nick of time, or is it too late? DJ Lemahieu led off for the Yankees, barely missing a home run with a long double to right field. Despite the first two Yankee batted balls ominously clocking in at over 100 mph, Pineda recovered for a strong, scoreless first inning. The Twins returned the threat with singles from Josh Donaldson and Miguel Sanó, the latter coming after an impressive at bat laying off close pitches on the outside corner. Ryan Jeffers then worked back from an 0-2 count to rip a double down the left field line, scoring both runners and giving the Twins the first lead of the night. Rob Refsnyder led off the top of the second as if he’d never left, with a single to left field. Andrelton Simmons singled up the middle before a brutal call from home plate umpire Nick Mahrley on a fastball well inside rung up Garlick. Josh Donaldson ripped a line drive right at Gleybar Torres but the Twins were looking comfortable against Jordan Montgomery through 2 innings. It was perhaps a sign that luck was on the Twins side when Miguel Andujar ripped a 109 mph screamer off Pineda, which Willians Astudillo snared on an incredible play at 3rd. Twins fans optimism however, was misplaced. Make no mistake, Pineda was cruising. After the first inning leadoff double, he retired 11 straight before Giancarlo Stanton hit a weak ground ball through the hole at short. Pineda had particularly strong command of the outside corner of the plate. In spite of an error which allowed Urshela to reach base on a dribbler to the mound, Pineda escaped the jam, getting Sanchez to line out to Andrelton Simmons to end the threat. Pineda found trouble in the 5th, a walk and two singles loading the bases with only one out. Pineda then walked in Aaron Judge to cut the lead to 2-1 before being removed by Rocco Baldelli. Pineda followed a pattern more typical of José Berríos, looking dominant before completely losing control in short order. Jorge Alcalá, being exposed to increasingly high leverage roles, entered for Pineda, bases loaded, one out. After back to back swinging strikes on nasty sliders, Alcalá spiked a 55 foot fastball to allow the tying run to score on a wild pitch. Sigh. Torres lined out to Simmons for the second out, before Stanton ground out to end the inning. All things considered, one out of three inherited runners scoring was a win. The game was knotted at 2-2 entering the bottom of the fifth. What felt like it might have been a strong day for the offense also fell into a predictable pattern. After an impressive start, the Twins capitulated against Jordan Montgomery. They have to go against Gerrit Cole and the spider stuff tomorrow, y’all. Alexander Colomé entered in the 6th inning, immediately giving up a searing, 111 mph double to Roughned Odor before a Willians Astudillo error on a chopper to third loaded the bases for the second straight inning. A Gardner sacrifice fly gave the Yankees their first lead. Astudillo made consecutive gaffs on consecutive plays, cutting off a strong Larnach throw which could have saved the Yankees go ahead run. The Twins bats finally awoke in the 6th, with Refsnyder doubling home Larnach. Refsnyder would immediately exit the game with hamstring tightness. The Twins were unable to score. In the 8th, the Yankees retook the lead. Clint Frazier singled, Andujar singled, and Gardner sacrifice bunted them over to 3rd and 2nd respectively. With the infield playing in, a smoked LeMahieu ground ball was thrown away by Polanco, the Twins 3rd error of the game. The Yankees scored again on a fielder’s choice which resulted in the Twins 4th error of the night as Simmons was off the base at 2nd. Rogers induced a double play to end the inning, but the damage was done. Griffin Jax entered for his MLB debut in the 9th. He hung a breaking ball to Gary Sanchez which was deposited for a 2 run HR, making it a 7-3 ballgame. Andujar added a solo shot two batters later. The Yankees closed out the game in the 9th despite a Twins win to take their record at Target Field to 24-11. Bleacher Tweets On my recap days, I’m going to throw in a crowd sourced statistic, joke, story, or complaint to get more voices into the recap. Tonight's Bleacher Tweet is courtesy of Matt Braun Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN TUE TOT Robles 20 0 10 15 0 45 Farrell 11 0 0 13 19 43 Alcala 0 7 0 10 21 38 Duffey 12 0 7 14 0 33 Rogers 0 0 12 0 20 32 Jax 0 0 0 0 23 23 Colomé 0 0 0 0 9 9 On Wednesday, the Twins will send Randy Dobnak to the hill against Gerrit Cole. First pitch is at 7:10 CT. If you want to whet your whistle for tomorrow’s encounter, check out this footage, courtesy of BSN of Donaldson and Cole addressing pitchers using sticky substances on the baseball. View full article

This is a good question. WPA is split between the 2 teams in the game. The winning team, cumulatively, will contribute .500 WPA, the losing team, -.500. Shoemaker’s -.433 is out of a possible -.500 for the Twins as the collective losing team.

It’s funny you say that, I always look at the pattern of the probability chart as a proxy for what the game was like. Worst of the season for sure.

The Twins fall to the Royals after a nine-run first inning and a four-run second inning. They are now 4-6 in their last ten games, all against the Orioles and Royals, and drop to 22-35 on the season. That and more in tonight's recap. Box Score Matt Shoemaker: 0.1 IP (10 batters faced), 6 H, 8 ER (9 R), 2 BB, 1 K Homeruns: Polanco (6), Sanó (10), Gordon (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Shoemaker -.433, Astudillo -.048, Larnach -.039 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Historic First Inning Fells Twins In a season of low lows for a Twins club entering 2021 with high expectations, Friday night was rock bottom. Matt Shoemaker gave up 9 first inning runs, making it through 0.1 innings and securing an infamous place in MLB history. Shoemaker gave up 9 runs on a single, walk, double, single, walk, strike out, catcher interference, single, single, and a 3 run home run. The game was ostensibly over before Nick Nelson had even made it to his seat with his first Boulevard of the night. What a disgraceful performance. Indeed, Shoemaker’s latest capitulation encapsulates the performance of the Twins offseason free agent pickups. Has the performance of the Twins free agents and trades this offseason soured you on the Twins front office? Shoemaker now owns a 7.28 ERA as Minnesota’s fifth starter. It’s time to move on, and give those innings to literally anyone else. Offense Generates Plenty of Hits, Few Runs In another constant sub-narrative of the Twins season, the offense mustered plenty of hits. By the end of the 7th inning, the Twins had 9 hits to the Royals 12. The difference? The Royals were 8-14 with RISP (.571), the Twins? 0-8. Jorge Polanco provided the lone spark, cranking his 6th home run of the year, a solo shot in the 5th inning. The Royals continued to add on in the second, generating 4 runs off recently recalled reliever Shaun Anderson, who the Twins rode for 3.2 innings and 62 pitches. The Twins were down 13-0 after two innings. Gordon Hits HR #1 in Front of His Dad The Twins offense continued to battle throughout the game and broke through in the 8th inning, hitting back to back home runs from Miguel Sanó and Nick Gordon. Gordon hit his first MLB home run in front of his father, Tom, in attendance for the first time watching his son play a MLB game, part of a strong 3-4 performance. Willians Astudillo continued his grumpy facade pitching the 8th inning for the Twins, offering back to back pitches of 43 mph and 82 mph to Kelvin Gutierrez. After a pop out and a walk, Sanó bobbled a routine ground ball to 3rd base for the Twins 4th error of the night. Astudillo induced a double play to end the inning, but there was no escaping the consistently amateurish defensive play which, whether hinging on injuries or not, is now characterizing the Twins nightly performances. The Twins ‘cleanup hitter’, Astudillo almost hit a home run but flew out to left field to end the game, capping a miserable night the the Twins which was ostensibly over after one half inning. Where do the Twins go from here? This team has a solid offense which never hits with runners in scoring position, poor pitching, struggling defense and a mountain of injuries. Surely a fire sale awaits? Bullpen Usage Chart MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Minaya 0 33 8 0 34 75 Anderson 0 0 0 0 62 62 Farrell 0 36 0 11 0 47 Colomé 0 17 21 0 0 38 Robles 16 0 0 20 0 36 Duffey 0 0 0 12 0 12 Alcala 0 0 3 0 7 10 Rogers 6 0 0 0 0 6 Next Up The Twins send José Berríos to the mound on Saturday to face Royals lefty Mike Minor. First pitch is at 3:10 CT. View full article