Ted Schwerzler

The Minnesota Twins quite painfully sat out through much of the free-agent frenzy this offseason. Cutting payroll and hamstrung by ownership, Derek Falvey was forced to get creative. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be quite the add to Rocco Baldelli’s lineup, but finding a way to make it work seems cumbersome. Image courtesy of © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Through the first quarter of their season Rocco Baldelli’s club has been consistently inconsistent. That has been evident for multiple players, but veteran free agent addition Carlos Santana is chief among them. While he has been a solid defender at first base, the bat has left plenty to be desired. The addition of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the lineup could help provide some thump, but the hurdles to grab him are plenty. First, the Toronto Blue Jays would need to be willing to part with a player that has become synonymous with their organization. Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are staples for the Blue Jays, and Ross Atkins may not want to part with either of the franchise favorites even as they struggled to contend entering the summer. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand has heard they may be open to the idea though, and that could help jumpstart something of a retooling for their roster. Recently Bleacher Report put together a list of teams that could have interest in Guerrero Jr.’s services, and with where the Twins first base situation currently stands, it makes sense that they would be on it. Therein lies the second problem. Signed to a $19.9 million contract this season through arbitration, Minnesota would be adding a sizable chunk of the money they pocketed when cutting payroll. Despite grabbing the most lucrative television deal possible, they didn’t reinvest those funds this offseason, and doing so over the summer while underachieving to a certain extent seems curious. Guerrero Jr. isn’t a free agent until 2026, which means his final year of arbitration still is on the table, but that isn’t going to come with a significantly depressed price tag no matter what sort of production he puts up this year. Minnesota could use him next year as well, but with contracts kicking in for Carlos Correa, Pablo Lopez, and a handful of new arbitration eligible players, the payroll is going to be in an interesting spot regardless. Then there’s the suggestion of what it would cost. Despite Feinsand quoting an American League executive saying “the asks were ridiculous” the suggested trade has Minnesota parting with only Gabriel Gonzalez and cash. Falvey just acquired Gonzalez as the only usable piece in exchange for Jorge Polanco, and despite being a fringe Top 100 prospect, that doesn’t seem nearly enough to get it done. Minnesota also kicking in the dollars for the deal makes things less logical. It’s certainly possible that Minnesota finds themselves as buyers this summer if they can show a better and more consistent path towards contention. How they go about accomplishing that relies on creativity or more buy-in from ownership though, and it’s something we have been given no inclination that they are willing to do. The Twins can’t trot out the same problems months from now if they want to be taken seriously, but what commitment there is to a shuffle is definitely a wait and see game. What would you be willing to give up if Guerrero Jr. was on the table, and do you think the Twins would actually commit to adding that payroll? View full article

If you have been watching the Minnesota Twins for any extended period of time the past two seasons you know that their lineups have been built on platooning talent. Unfortunately a lineup that has remained inconsistent once again has created a platoon disadvantage. On a daily basis you can hear the bickering caused by the announcement of Rocco Baldelli’s lineup card. Regardless of how a guy may be going, the handedness of the opposing pitcher will dictate what players start. With the rise of pinch hitting in the era of a universal designated hitter, Minnesota is doing the most to pad the stats. The problem is their blueprint isn’t working. Over the course of the 2024 Major League Baseball season about the only thing that has remained constant for the Minnesota Twins is their inability to be consistent. Throwing up gaudy winning and losing streaks, they find themselves looking up at both the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals in the standings. As they continue to get healthier, returning Royce Lewis to the lineup in short order even, playing their best players could benefit them. As Twins Daily’s Gregg Masterson pointed out recently, there are few teams doing more to actively hurt themselves at the dish than Minnesota. Through 65 games, no team has more at bats coming from pinch hitters than Baldelli’s group. Of the 55 at bats taken, only four five have gone four extra-bases (four doubles and a Ryan Jeffers home run), while the .182 batting average ranks 20th. The OPS for these spots from Minnesota checks in 17th across baseball and they have produced a near-neutral fWAR. What’s most problematic, or maybe most telling as to why the numbers aren’t better, is because the Twins are using inferior hitters off the bench. Both Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot have been nothing short of hot garbage to this point in the season, and while they should have an ideal opportunity when facing southpaws, it doesn’t bear fruit while they are going as they have been. Beyond just inserting a pinch hitter into the lineup, Minnesota is actively tying itself down to inferior talent later in the game by allowing those types of players to grab multiple at bats. As mentioned previously, this is a strategy that has been going on for two years (and it worked last season for Baldelli) but none of those options were carrying an OPS+ below 50 with more than 100 plate appearances of a sample size. It could benefit Baldelli and the Twins to be a bit more selective in the spots where they work with a platoon. Should a left-handed starter be on the mound, someone like a Margot or Farmer opening the game in the lineup only to be removed following their first plate appearance without success may bear fruit. Getting more at bats for better hitters, regardless of their handedness, could help to spark a needed offensive explosion. The idea of a platoon, and pinch hitting for optimal hitting conditions, is to play on a batter’s tendency for enhanced sightlines. With pitches not able to work the same while being on the opposite side of the box, it’s a relatively straightforward thought process. However, the less we see Farmer or Margot, and the more routinely Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Ryan Jeffers remain in the lineup, the better. We are just one-third of the way through the season, and maybe some of the Twins struggling veterans find a way to get back towards their career norms. If that happens then they’ll rise the ranks if still employing this strategy. If they don’t though, it will continue to sink them and the platoon disadvantage will have been something the team played into all season long. View full article

The Twins got to Cole Ragans early Tuesday night, as Carlos Correa and José Miranda did some damage. Simeon Woods Richardson continued his solid work, and Jhoan Durán came in late to shut it down and make it two in a row against the Royals. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson 5.0 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 4 K (83 pitches 53 strikes 10 whiffs) Home Runs: N/A Top 3 WPA: Griffin Jax 0.120, Byron Buxton 0.105, Josh Staumont 0.095 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Carlos Correa Crushes Cole Again Cole Ragans was a nice get for the Kansas City Royals last season, and his performance earned him an Opening Day start against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched well in that tilt, but a third-inning double from the Twins' shortstop proved him human. Manuel Margot scored on the play, and Royce Lewis might have to, had he not come up lame rounding second. Lewis hasn’t played since. With the Royals scoring just a single run, that was the difference in the first contest of the year. On Tuesday night at Target Field, the Twins threatened early again. After Margot made a nice defensive play in the top of the first inning, he opened the bottom half with a single. Correa crushed a Ragans pitch for another double, putting a pair of runners in scoring position. Following a Ryan Jeffers strikeout, José Miranda hit a ball sharply back up the middle and brought both runners in, giving Rocco Baldelli’s club a 2-0 lead. Simeon Woods Richardson Settles In Going up against a fireballer in Ragans, Simeon Woods Richardson was ready to show the Royals his own new stuff. After being a low-velocity starter last year amid a mechanical maladjustment, he's found a whole new vivacity this spring. While strikeouts still haven’t added up in a big way, and there is some cause for concern based on the underlying metrics, he continues to get the job done. Through four innings against Kansas City Tuesday, facing them for the first time this season, Minnesota’s starter allowed just a single hit, while striking out four. The velocity uptick continues to play, as he struck out designated hitter Nelson Velázquez on his 65th pitch of the evening, and it registered 94.3 mph on the radar gun. Last season, across 97 total big-league pitches, Woods Richardson topped 92 mph just four times. After a Garrett Hampson misplay on a routine fly ball from Christian Vázquez gave the Twins two free bases and an extra out, Margot doubled him home and made it a 3-0 game. Insupportably, Vázquez’s hit was ruled a double, and while it did have a .480 xBA, Hampson literally had it clank off his glove on a play that required little extra effort. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know thats a promise we make good on. The fifth inning was tough for Woods Richardson, as he walked Nick Loftin and gave up a double to Renfroe. Despite giving up a pair of runs, and after getting some defensive help from Correa, he capped off the inning by earning some confidence from Baldelli, who let him face Bobby Witt Jr. for a third time with the tying run 90 feet away. A lazy fly out to right ended the threat. Bullpen Comes Out Blazing The first reliever to swing the gate for Baldelli was the oft-jettisoned Jorge Alcalá. He came on and punched out a pair while pumping upper-90s stuff. As he has done most of the season, he looked like one of the best relievers in Minnesota’s bullpen. Then Josh Staumont got a shot to see his former employer for the first time. In the seventh game of his season for the Twins, he continued to throw up zeroes in the run column and has allowed just three hits in 7 ⅓ innings. Griffin Jax got the eighth inning, despite recently added reliever Diego Castillo initially being up. Jax grabbed a pair of strikeouts, including the second of the night for Witt Jr., who was in major jeopardy of his ten-game hitting streak being snapped. Jhoan Duran warmed up to work the ninth inning, pitching in back-to-back days and for the fourth time in five days. Clearly Minnesota was intent on closing the gap with Kansas City. After a Buxton walk, and a stolen base, he was at third base with just one out for Edouard Julien. Looking to grab insurance for his closer, and with the infield drawn in, Julien took a pair of hacks without anything to show for it. On a 3-2 count the Minnesota second baseman singled back up the middle, scoring Buxton, and providing a huge insurance run. It got scary on an immediate stolen base attempt that had Julien running into Witt Jr.’s butt and spike, but he remained in the game. A ball by Royals reliever Sam Long advanced Julien and Carlos Santana to second and third base, but Christian Vazquez and his entirely worthless offensive profile wasn’t able to put a ball in play and struck out to waste the opportunity. Max Kepler grounded out and Minnesota was going with Duran in a two-run game. Duran gave up a double to Salvador Perez and then Adam Frazier singled to put a pair of runners on. Vazquez threw out Frazier trying to steal, and then Duran gassed up M.J. Melendez. Loftin grounded out on a 103.1 mph heater and Minnesota made it two straight against Kansas City. Notes Not surprisingly, the move to clear space for Diego Castillo was putting Justin Topa on the 60-day injured list. Having received a platelet-rich plasma injection, he’s another month from throwing. The only hope is that the injection works and saves him from going under the knife otherwise Minnesota will have gotten nothing at the big league level from the Jorge Polanco trade in 2024. Royce Lewis is continuing his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, batting second and playing third base. He was 0-for-3 in Game 1 of the doubleheader, but played all six innings in the field. Brooks Lee moved up to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels where he’ll play shortstop and bat second on Tuesday. Walker Jenkins was 1-for-3 with a run, two RBI, and a double in FCL action on Tuesday afternoon. Angel Hernandez retired yesterday, and while that’s great news for baseball fans, here’s a Yankees take that can draw Twins ire. Aaron Boone is wrong, just wrong. What’s Next? Rolling on in a four-game set, Bailey Ober starts on Wednesday for the Twins. Minnesota will see Kansas City’s Seth Lugo for the second time this season, and he brings an MLB-best 1.74 ERA along with an 8-1 record. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Minnesota Twins were in action for Memorial Day on Monday, but there was more important action than that of the farm system for an organization looking to supplement for the future. Check out how they fared. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS: RHP Diego Castillo contract selected by Minnesota. LHP Kody Funderburk optioned to St. Paul. RHP Josh Winder activated from 60-Day IL and optioned to St. Paul. RHP Joe Gunkel released by the Twins. INF Luke Keaschall is being promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita OF Kyle Hess promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids INF Brooks Lee rehab transferred to Fort Myers COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 2, FCL Twins 1 Box Score Eider Machuca drew the start for the Twins, and while he worked three innings of one-run ball, he worked around four hits and four walks. Brooks Lee was notably absent from the lineup, and that was due to his rehab being transferred across the complex. Walker Jenkins went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks before being lifted. The Pirates plated a run during the 2nd inning before Ricardo Pena homered to even things at one. The Pirates scored in the fifth inning, and that run was the distance. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 22-27 (3-3 last week) Ninth place in the IL West Overview: Royce Lewis was the highlight of St. Paul’s week, and he’ll remain with the team for at least a couple more games. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. posted 1.121 OPS in six games last week while hitting two homers and driving in 11. Austin Martin posted a ridiculous 1/9 K/BB this week while remaining an on-base master. David Festa punched out eight over five innings of work during his lone start while allowing a single hit. Josh Winder worked four scoreless innings in relief while striking out five. What’s Next: Staying out in New York, the Saints will square off against former Twins Triple-A affiliate Rochester. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 18-26 (2-4 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Despite San Antonio being below .500, Wichita couldn’t do enough to carry a winning week. Emmanuel Rodriguez continues to rake and hit two homers with a 1.364 OPS in five games. It’s time for a promotion. Kalai Rosario recorded 12 total bases, just behind Rodriguez’s 16 for the week. Jaylen Nowlin struck out seven across six scoreless innings while working around three hits and two walks. Zebby Matthews recorded eight strikeouts to lead the team and it came during a single outing in a six inning start. What’s Next: Returning home against Springfield, the Wind Surge square off against the Cardinals affiliate currently sitting second in the Texas League North. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 28-16 (4-2 last week) First place in the Midwest League West. Overview: Another winning week, albeit not a sweep, had the Kernels overtaking the top spot in the Midwest League West standings. Luke Keaschall was incredible again which would be expected when earning a promotion. He went 10-for-25 with 17 total bases and a pair of homers. Jose Salas stole two bases while picking up a pair of doubles and also grabbing a home run. C.J. Culpepper punched out eight hitters while working six perfect innings. The Kernels flirted with a perfect game during his outing. Darren Bowen and Miguelangel Boadas both recorded six strikeouts this week to check in second on the team. What’s Next: Welcoming Lake County to Cedar Rapids, the Kernels have a tough test as they face the second best team in the Midwest League East. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 19-26 (3-3 last week) Fifth place in Florida State League West Overview: Splitting a series with Daytona, the Mighty Mussels found themselves in the same position they entered this week at. Kyle Hess earned a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids by posting a 1.370 thanks to five doubles and a dinger. Payton Eeles may not be far behind Hess as he owned a 1.009 OPS with four doubles this week. Xander Hamilton struck out ten across three outings that spanned a total of six innings. The only walk he allowed was intentional. Ty Langenberg struck out nine during his start while Spencer Bengard struck out eight. What’s Next: Bradenton comes to town and the Marauders are a game ahead for Fort Myers in the Florida State League West standings. Complex League: FCL Twins Overall: 11-5 First place in Florida Complex League South Yasser Mercedes put up a ridiculous 1.196 OPS with a pair of three baggers this week for the FCL Twins. Brooks Lee played a team-high five games and is now set to move his rehab up a level, given multiple reports. Wilker Reyes struck out five while Adrian Bohorquez struck out six this week. Corey Lewis made his first appearance of the season after being behind this spring. PROSPECT SUMMARY #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 5-15, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, 2 SB #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 9-20, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 8-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K #4 – David Festa (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K #5 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #6 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #7 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 2.0 IP, 0 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K #8 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) – 7-21, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 9 BB, K #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) - 10-25, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, SB #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-24, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 K, SB #11 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) – 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #12 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 8-26, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, 8 K #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 4-18, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K #14 – Zebby Matthews (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 8 K #15 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 2.0 IP, H, R, ER, BB, 3 K #16 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (Ankle) #17 – Connor Prielipp (IL) – UCL Surgery #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 7-21, HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K #19 – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 7-23, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Week - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 8-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K Pitcher of the Week - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K View full article

When considering the Minnesota Twins prospects as a whole there is something of a big three and they are all at different stages of their development. For Emmanuel Rodriguez, the start of 2024 couldn’t be going any better, and that begs the question as to when a promotion will be on the table. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Walker Jenkins is considered the number one prospect in the Minnesota Twins system, and he is often followed by Brooks Lee. Recently though, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel opined that it’s actually Emmanuel Rodriguez who should be on the same plain as Jenkins, and a rung above Lee. Given the logic behind the thought process, it’s hard to blame him. While Lee may be the safest prospect to turn into a consistent regular Minnesota has had in years, both Jenkins and Rodriguez have star power potential due to their ability to hit for power and do it all. Rodriguez made his way to Double-A Wichita for the first time this season, and despite being more than three years younger than the league average, he’s making it look like child’s play. If there is something that Rodriguez has shown throughout the entirety of his professional career, it has been an exceptional amount of plate discipline. Across 217 professional games, the 21-year-old owns a ridiculous .422 on-base percentage. In 34 games with Wichita this season, he’s carrying a .468 on-base percentage and has struck out just three more times than he has walked. As a substantial power hitter, the ability to take walks is something not often seen in comparison. Given his relative youth and inexperience as a whole, this sort of outcome has him on a trajectory to be something special when ultimately making his way to the major leagues. After launching 16 home runs in 99 games last season at High-A Cedar Rapids, Rodriguez has already knocked seven longballs in limited Double-A action. It’s hard to fathom a Twins prospect being promoted aggressively, and Rodriguez has spent a year at each stop in the system. Injuries have sapped some of his time on the field, but each new challenge is something he has risen to. The .863 OPS last season for Cedar Rapids wasn’t jaw dropping, but considering his age and overall production, it was clear that a new challenge was needed. This soon into the Double-A season would be quite a shock to jump up to Triple-A, but Rocco Baldelli’s lack of consistency from his outfield may make it a worthy venture. Matt Wallner has already been demoted to Triple-A and remains an issue there. Trevor Larnach is doing alright, but not consistently showing the power Minnesota expects from him. Byron Buxton’s availability remains a constant uncertainty, and we have already seen that Willi Castro isn’t a center fielder. Getting Rodriguez to the big leagues from Double-A isn’t going to happen with 34 games as a 21-year-old under his belt. Aggressively promoting him to Triple-A could set up an opportunity to see how he fares while knocking on the doorstep though, and that may answer some of the final questions he has in front of him. Going into the year it seemed unlikely that the Twins would have a reason to consider Rodriguez in 2024. He’s on the 40-man roster though, and has done everything right when pushing for playing time beyond Double-A. If there’s many more things he’s expected to do in Wichita, the list can’t be long. View full article

They need to figure some consistency out....

Chris Paddack was on the bump for the Twins on Saturday. Coming off an eight-inning start last time out against the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota may have been unsure of what his arm would give. The Twins looked to take the series against the reigning World Series champions who had Michael Lorenzen on the mound. Image courtesy of Credit: © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Chris Paddack 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (73 pitches, 47 strikes, 2 whiffs) Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (5) Top 3 WPA: Alex Kirilloff (.489), Byron Buxton (.135), Carlos Santana (.090) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Walks Will Haunt Chris Paddack was pushed through a long at-bat by Marcus Semien in the first inning before grabbing quick outs to end the inning in order. Michael Lorenzen was on the bump for the reigning World Series champions, and if there’s something that stood out about his numbers, it was going to be the walk rate. After getting Edouard Julien to fly out, he walked Carlos Correa before Jose Miranda and Byron Buxton reached on base hits. With two outs, Ryan Jeffers stepped in, worked a full count, and trotted to first with a walk that scored Correa for the first run of the game. Walking Carlos Santana to start the second inning, Lorenzen allowed three free passes to the first eight batters he saw. Minnesota couldn’t advance their first baseman past second base though, and he was stranded to end the inning. Chris Paddack Showing Fatigue After throwing eight innings against the Guardians his last time out, it was notable for Rocco Baldelli’s starter that all of his stuff was down Saturday afternoon. Corey Seager crushed a single to start the fourth inning and then advanced to second on a ground out that Correa made a great play on. Adolis Garcia got Paddack for a ground rule double and the extra-base hit tied the game at one. Max Kepler made a nice catch up against the wall in right field against Leody Tavares to help Paddack out, but it was clear he didn’t have his best stuff. With just two whiffs through 60 pitches, he as making it work while dancing a fine line. Jeffers, looking to break out of a small slump, led off the fourth inning with his 13th double. Ripped off the wall, he just missed leaving the yard. It would’ve been out in all but 10 parks, including Target Field. Alex Kirilloff went down on strikes before Santana popped out and Willi Castro struck out to waste the leadoff double. Duran got Paddack for a solo shot in the fifth inning and the Rangers had their first lead of the game. Bullpen Gives Way Taking over for Paddack, and ending his day early, Kody Funderburk came on. The lefty came on and quickly recorded an out but then walked Josh Smith. He quickly stole second base and came home on a Leody Tavares double to make it a 3-1 game. Minnesota went down in the order during the bottom half and found themselves running out of opportunity. Cole Sands got the Rangers 8-9-1 hitters in the seventh inning, retiring them in order. Lorenzen warmed up for the seventh inning and before throwing a pitch, had to be replaced by Jesus Tinoco. A Kirilloff single and Santana walk put runners on with no outs. Tinoco got Castro swinging and then was lifted for David Robertson. With Julien up, Bruce Bochy got hot with umpire Laz Diaz and was given the heave-ho. Julien walked to load the bases before Correa lifted a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-2 game. Jose Miranda singled to left, but Santana was thrown out on a very close play at the plate. Minnesota had a bit more work to do heading to the eighth inning. We Have Kirilloff Still facing Robertson, Kepler started the inning with a single before Buxton walked and gave the Twins a pair of runners with no outs. Looking to do damage, for the second straight day Kirilloff crushed a baseball over the fence, into the Rangers bullpen. His three-run shot was a nice flash of the power, and put Minnesota back in the lead 5-3. Kirby Yates came on to finish the inning, and Jhoan Duran was going to get a save opportunity on his bobblehead day. Duran came in and got the Rangers in order despite having diminished velocity once again. Giving the Twins a series win, they are in a place to sweep the three-game set on Sunday. Minnesota finished the day with the same amount of walks (7) as strikeouts. Notes Royce Lewis begins his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints on Saturday. It will be his first game action since suffering a quad injury on Opening Day. There is no set timetable for his return (a rehab assignment can be up to 20 days), but he should be close to a promotion to the active roster soon. Max Kepler played his 1,000 career game for the Twins. He is the 18th player in Twins history to reach that milestone. What’s Next? It’s a Pablo Day at Target Field on Sunday as Pablo Lopez looks to best the Texas Rangers. A win would give Minnesota a series sweep over the defending champs. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The big news for the farm system on Friday was that Twins star Royce Lewis would be joining the St. Paul Saints on Saturday to kick off a rehab assignment, Wichita starter Marco Raya twirled a gem though, and recently signed prospect Kevin Maitan went yard for a big one with the Kernels. Check in to all of the action here. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS RHP Caleb Boushley optioned to St. Paul RHP Jorge Alcala recalled by Minnesota OF Carlos Aguiar activated by Fort Myers from IL RHP Cory Lewis began rehab assignment with FCL Twins SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Buffalo 4 Box Score The big news for the Saints today was Royce Lewis being on a plane to join the team and start his rehab assignment on Saturday. Looking to rejoin the Twins for the first time since Opening Day, the star third baseman will be looking to make quick work of Triple-A while the Twins brass will wisely be patient. Caleb Baragar got the start and it was an abbreviated one. He allowed four runs on five hits through three innings. He walked three and struck out two batters. Down 3-0 after the first inning, St. Paul got on the board in the third inning. Austin Martin drove in Anthony Prato with a sacrifice fly before DaShawn Keirsey Jr. used the same strategy to score Diego A. Castillo. The Saints gave up another run in the fourth inning and were down 4-2. St. Paul took their first lead in the sixth inning. Michael Helman singled home Martin before a Yunior Severino drove in Keirsey Jr. and Helman on a single which gave them a 5-4 lead. In the eighth inning, the Saints added two more runs on a Patrick Winkel single. St. Paul had breathing room with a 7-4 score. Hobie Harris had his best outing of the season striking out five in three flawless innings of relief. Diego Castillo recorded his fifth save of the season. Earlier in the game, Josh Winder worked two innings of scoreless relief allowing just one hit and striking out three batters. Severino had two hits in the game, and Winkel recorded a pair of RBI. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 1, Wichita 0 Box Score Marco Raya was the mound for the Wind Surge, and he was virtually untouchable. He walked two but struck out six batters over four innings of scoreless, hitless work. Travis Adams came in out of the bullpen. It is just the second time he has done that in 57 professional appearances. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in four innings. He had four strikeouts. Miguel Rodriguez had a walk and a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning. San Antonio scored a run in the seventh inning on a solo home run. The Missions had just three hits. Wichita had just four hits. Emmanuel Rodriguez had a single and a walk. Aaron Sabato and Kala'i Rosario each hit a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 4 Box Score Christian MacLeod made an abbreviated start. The lefty went three innings and allowed one run on two hits and three walks. He struck out four batters and kept the Kernels in the contest. Another lefty, Jordan Carr, came into the game. He tossed four innings and was charged with three runs on eight hits. He had four strikeouts and no walks. Rafael Marcano, another left-hander, gave up a hit and a walk but no runs in his inning. Jacob Wosinski struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season. Ricardo Olivar evened things at one with a fourth inning double that scored Luke Keaschall, and then the Kernels took a big lead in the sixth inning. Kevin Maitan blasted his second home run in a week since joining the Kernels, and this was one of the grand slam variety. Keaschall, Olivar, and Rayne Doncon all scored on the big fly to put Cedar Rapids up 5-1. Peoria drew within one during the bottom of the sixth inning, but Dalton Shuffield provided breathing room in the eighth inning with a double that scored Maitan and made it 6-4. Olivar, Maitan each had two hits. Jose Salas went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Keaschall’s hitting streak came to an end, but he was 0-for-2 with three walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Daytona 7, Fort Myers 4 Box Score Lefty Cesar Lares drew the start Friday night for the Mighty Mussels and went 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with five runs (3 earned) on six hits. He walked one but struck out six batters. Down 2-0 in the fourth inning, Maddux Houghton doubled home Poncho Ruiz to cut the deficit in half. Dayton pushed their lead to a 6-1 by the fifth inning, and it wasn’t until the eighth inning that Fort Myers answered. Payton Eeles scored on a wild pitch before Kyle Hess tripled home Brandon Winokur. Ruiz singled in Hess but 6-4 was as close as they could get. The Tortugas scored a seventh run in the bottom of the eighth inning and won by three. Ruiz and Houghton both finished with two hits. Aaron Holiday struck out four in relief. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Brooks Lee batted leadoff as the designated hitter on Friday. Walker Jenkins made his first rehab start in center field, batting second. Cory Lewis kicked off a rehab assignment, making his first appearance of the season. Jenkins singled in his first-inning at-bat. He was replaced on the base paths by Yasser Mercedes who hit into a force out. After a Dameury Pena single, Jayson Bass singled to score Mercedes with the game’s first run. They took a 2-0 lead when Ricardo Pena singled in Pena. Lewis worked the first two innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. He had three strikeouts. He will certainly build back up for a bit before moving to Wichita. The Red Sox added two more runs in the fourth inning to take a lead, but Lee scored on a passed ball. On that pitch, Mercedes walked. He stole second base and tried to score on a Jayson Bass single but was thrown out at home. After the Red Sox scored again in the sixth inning, the Twins responded right away. A Harold Grant ground out brought home Ricardo Pena before a Lee single scored Hendry Chivilli to give the Twins the 5-4 lead. Knuckleballer Devin Kirby stayed on to close it out, and the Twins improved to 10-4 on the year. Lee went 3-for-4, and Jenkins played five innings in the outfield. Bass and Ricardo Pena went 2-for-3. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Kevin Maitan (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR(2), K PROSPECT SUMMARY #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3 (played CF) #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 3-for-4, R, RBI (DH) #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 1-for-3, BB, 2 K, CS(3) #6 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 60 pitched, 39 strikes (65.0%) #8 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) – 1-4, R, RBI, K #9 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 R, K (DH) #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, R, K, SB(11) #12 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2B(13), K #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-4, K #15 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (Rehab FCL) #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 2-4, R, RBI, K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, BB, 2B(9), R, K (played LF) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (5:05 PM CST) – RHP David Festa (0-1, 3.18 ERA) Wichita vs San Antonio (6:05 PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Darren Bowen (2-2, 4.61 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM CST) – LHP Ross Dunn (0-0, 2.49 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! 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Last offseason, the Minnesota Twins just about fell sideways into a long-term reunion with shortstop Carlos Correa. With two previous deals falling apart, he returned to Minnesota. Plantar fasciitis derailed his 2023 campaign, clouding his future. Two months into the 2024 season, though, he couldn’t look more like the star Derek Falvey expected to get. Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports It was a surprise when he landed in Minnesota in 2022. That he came back in 2023, with nine more years of team control beyond that, seemed almost too good to be true. Then, when a foot injury slowed him virtually all season, the frustrations toward a guy twice passed over for health reasons mounted. Maybe "too good to be true" was right. Coming into spring training this year, Carlos Correa noted feeling entirely different. He was healthy and good to go. Turns out, he was right. Thirty-two games into his second season (he missed about three weeks with an intercostal strain in April), Correa owns an .817 OPS, good enough for a 134 OPS+. His on-base skills are back to an elite level, and he’s once again crushing the ball. All of this is taking place while he is back to playing incredible defense and leading a Minnesota team desperate for his presence. He isn’t quite tracking toward the 6.3 fWAR he posted during his last season with Houston, but at this rate, he should be well above his career averages. Looking under the hood, it’s hard to find a place where Correa hasn’t made strikes. His walk rate is a career best, and his strikeout rate is just off a career low. His barrel rate is above 10% for just the third time in his career, and the quality of contact has generated an xBA of .298, 30 points higher than his actual batting average. The expected slugging and wOBA are also heavily to his favor, and as a savant of the numbers, you best bet he knows it. When at his best, Correa is a line-drive hitter capable of over-the-fence power, but without depending on that to create positive value. His 32% ground ball rate is the lowest of his career, and the 32.6% line drive rate is the highest. That reverses a trend from last year, when part of the damage done by his injury seemed to be compromised drive off his back leg, leading to a lot of ground balls. Although the hard-hit rate has room to grow, he’s never generated less soft contact. He's locked in, making excellent swing decisions, chasing outside the zone at the lowest rate of his career and whiffing as rarely as ever. Pitchers have to come into the zone on him, and when they do, he's ready to punish them. Even with his feet healthy again, he's no speed demon. Conservatism and a certain picking of spots to turn on the jets have characterized his game for years. His sprint speed is up this year, though, and he's rangier on defense than he was throughout 2023. Although the metrics don’t speak of him as glowingly in the field, his arm talent remains elite, and it’s clear to see that he’s a different player in 2024. Outside of a brief stint on the injured list, his body has cooperated in the exact ways he’d hoped it would. For a guy tightly attuned to his own health and visibly frustrated each time his body betrayed him last year, it has to be a great mental relief to feel better and be able to do what he knows he's capable of doing. Correa will be an indispensable driver of the Twins' efforts to chase down the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals and regain their standing atop the AL Central. The pair of teams at the top of the division have been much hotter and luckier out of the gate, and they're not going to ease off the accelerator from here. Minnesota will need to do more to substantiate themselves as a competitor, but with a healthy Correa, they're capable of it. The Twins already have one fragile would-be superstar, in Byron Buxton. That’s going to be a constant and nagging issue for the duration of his career. It wasn’t expected to be a similar situation for Correa, and now, it seems that 2023 was more of an outlier than an indication of the future. That couldn’t be a better development, for all involved. View full article

The Minnesota Twins had a sizable hole to fill in the rotation this offseason. Deciding to let Sonny Gray walk, and looking for another top-of-the-rotation starter, they never acquired that player. Looking for someone to compete at a Cy Young level, the early returns have proven to show Joe Ryan is it. Paying big money for an aging Sonny Gray over multiple years was never something Minnesota would have considered. Had ownership opened up the purse strings a bit, Derek Falvey also wouldn’t have had to target Anthony DeSclafani off of the scrap heap. Still, the rotation needed Pablo Lopez to find another gear, Bailey Ober to step up, and Joe Ryan to be the best version of himself. Two-thirds of those things have happened, but it has been how good Ryan has been that might be the most surprising. The Twins acquiring Ryan from the Tampa Bay Rays for the ghost of Nelson Cruz always seemed like something of a coup. The way in which he has been developed, and how he has evolved as a pitcher, has only made it look like even more of a come up. A solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher last year, Ryan now is flirting with Cy Young candidacy. It isn’t as though the 3.15 ERA is otherworldly at this point, but Ryan owns a 2.78 xERA and a 3.02 FIP. His command has produced the lowest walk rate of his career, and that’s impressive for a guy that has never significantly handed out free passes. Bit by the home run previously, he is still allowing 1.1 per nine, but that’s the best mark of his career, and his H/9 is special. With a WHIP below 1.000, Ryan is putting it all together. Keeping batters off balance has been a constant this season for Ryan as well. His 28% hard hit rate is reflective of a career low, and he’s forcing batters to put the ball on the ground more than he ever has before. The results are also a byproduct of a new pitch mix. Known for being a guy who throws a high spin fastball up in the zone, the Twins have Ryan flipping that pitch just 46.5% of the time, a career-low. He’s incorporated a cutter in a very limited fashion, but substantially upped the usage of his changeup, and his slider is being featured more than ever. Opposing batters have been forced to attack Ryan differently this season, and with the way he has changed his repertoire, he has had the advantage. With just two starts in which he has allowed four runs, the rest of his outings have been almost identical in that you can count on the strikeouts and a quality outing each time he takes the ball. Rocco Baldelli will likely watch the overall effectiveness of his starters shift as the season goes on. It seems unlikely that Pablo Lopez will be stuck in this rut, and there is reason to believe Simeon Woods Richardson may see some regression. Chris Paddack has been great given what’s expected of him, and that means Ober and Ryan are key cogs to how this team flows. Should Ryan continue to substantiate this level of performance, both he and the Twins stand to benefit. At 1.5 fWAR he leads all Minnesota pitchers and is 14th across baseball as a whole. That’s not only good for a guy grabbed in exchange for a 40-year-old designated hitter, but it’s incredible for a starter looking to push towards the upper echelon in the sport. View full article

It was a busy day on the farm for the Minnesota Twins. With a near-perfect game taking place for the Kernels, and more than a handful of key prospects launching the ball, something was happening at each level. The Saints took a ridiculous number of walks and won in their resumed game. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Jaylen Nowlin) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 18, Buffalo 3 Box Score Finishing off the game that was suspended last night, the Saints exploded for an 18-run output. They took a franchise-record 15 walks and saw everyone in the lineup reach base. Spreading out 15 hits, both DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Yunior Severino had four-hit days. Leading 3-0 when the rain came on Wednesday, St. Paul gave up a run quickly as the game started again Thursday. They then put up a four-spot in the 4th inning thanks to a Keirsey Jr. single, Austin Martin walk, Chris Williams Walk, and a Will Holland hit by pitch. If you weren't sure baseball was being played, it almost had the look of a carnival carousel. Matt Wallner and Yunior Severino drove in two more runs during the 7th inning to push the score to 9-1, and a Keirsey double in the 8th inning made it 11-1. Buffalo got a two run homer to show a heartbeat in the bottom half of the inning, but St. Paul went back to work. Firmly in the lead, Diego Castilo, Keirsey Jr, and Wallner all singled in runs during the 9th inning. Severino hit a grand slam to truly make it a laugher. Buffalo 5, St. Paul 1 Box Score After scoring 18 runs in the resumed game, it appeared that St. Paul may have sputtered out to finish the afternoon. Adam Plutko made his Triple-A debut for the Saints and worked 2 1/3 innings allowing three runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out one. A three-run first inning for the Bisons was achieved with a single blast, and St. Paul found themselves down early. Patrick Winkel homered in the 2nd inning to make it a 3-1 game. Buffalo added another pair by the 5th inning, and the Saints couldn’t mount a 7th-inning comeback. Michael Helman recorded a pair of hits, but Winkel’s dinger was the only extra-base hit of the contest. Martin, by the time both games were done Thursday, had recorded seven walks, or 630 feet of free passes. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, San Antonio 0 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin started the game for Wichita and turned in a great performance. Earning his third win on six innings of shutout work, he gave up three hits while striking out seven and walking two. The Wind Surge quickly kicked things off when Emmanuel Rodriguez homered for the seventh time this season. His 1st inning blast brought home Tanner Schobel and made it a 2-0 game. Carson McCusker added a third run on a sacrifice fly to score Kalai Rosario. Ben Ross homered in the 2nd inning, driving in Kyler Fedko, and Wichita suddenly had a 5-0 lead. They added again in the 3rd inning when Schobel reached on a fielder’s choice that plated McCusker for the sixth run. A Schobel triple in the 6th inning scored Ross before Rodriguez drove in more with a single to score Schobel. Up 8-0, that’s where this one ended. Rodriguez recorded three hits on the night and continues to make a mockery of Double-A pitching. Jeferson Morales and Ross both had a pair of hits each. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 5 Box Score C.J. Culpepper was on the bump for Cedar Rapids and was nothing short of perfect. Throwing six flawless innings, he struck out eight and turned it over to the bullpen. Gabriel Yanez then recorded a pair of flawless innings, striking out two, and setting up a perfect game just three outs away. The wheels came off in the 9th inning, but the effort was to be applauded anyway. Luke Keaschall kicked off the scoring in the 5th inning with a single to score Jose Salas and Dalton Shuffield. Salas then homered in the 6th inning, and the three-run blast brought home Rubel Cespedes and Jay Harry. Not done adding, the recently-promoted Rayne Doncon singled to score Keaschall and Keoni Cavaco, giving the Kernels a 7-0 lead. Harry then followed his lead with a single of his own, and Ricardo Olivar scored on the play. Ricardo Velez walked the first batter he saw to lose the perfect game, then gave up a single to cast aside the no-hitter. Peoria pushed across five runs, but the all-around performance was still an impressive one. Doncon and Keaschall both recorded three-hit games while Salas, Harry, and Olivar grabbed a pair each. MUSSEL MATTERS Daytona 7, Fort Myers 6 Box Score Back from a rehab assignment, Jose Olivares drew the start for Fort Myers. He worked three scoreless innings while scattering four hits and striking out four. Payton Eeles kicked off the scoring with a single to bring home Gregory Duran in the 1st inning. After Daytona put up a five-spot in the 4th inning, it was time to get to work. Brandon Winokur hit his third homer of the season in the 6th inning, and the big fly scored Eeles and made it a 5-3 game. Down 6-3 in the 8th inning, it was Winokur coming through again. His double scored Eeles and Angel Del Rosario to draw within one, and Kyle Hess evened the score to drive in Winokur. Unfortunately, the Tortugas walked it off in the bottom of the 9th, but the comeback was impressive nonetheless. Winokur and Hess both had two-hit games, with the former driving in four runs as well. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates 2 Box Score The Twins got a boost again on Thursday with both Brooks Lee and Walker Jenkins in the lineup. They wasted no time making their impact felt as Lee led off with a double before Jenkins drove him in with a single of his own. Omari Daniel scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd inning before a Jenkins triple scored both Moises Lopez and Lee. The triple is a good sign as to how the hamstring is feeling in that the Twins prospect was able to cut loose and run. The Pirates put up a pair of runs, but that was as close as they could get. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B(11), HR(7) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1– Walker Jenkins (FCL - Fort Myers) – 2-3, 3 RBI, BB, 3B #2 – Brooks Lee (FCL - St. Paul) – 2-4, 2 R, 2B #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B(11), HR(7) #8 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) – 2-4, R, RBI, 7 BB #9 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 3-5, R, 2 RBI #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B(10), HR(3) #12 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3B(2) #19 – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, R, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (5:05 PM CST) – LHP Caleb Baragar (0-1, 2.45 ERA) Wichita vs San Antonio (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Marco Raya (0-0, 4.98 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 2.84 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM CST) – RHP Cesar Lares (1-0, 1.76 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

The Minnesota Twins ended their road trip with with a victory against the Washington Nationals that had them grabbing a series win. An off day on Thursday sets up a need for more winning when they return home. Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (77 pitches, 48 strikes, 4 whiffs) Home Runs: Max Kepler (4), Carlos Correa (4) Top 3 WPA: Woods Richardson 0.290, Caleb Thielbar 0.145, Griffin Jax 0.120 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Max Makes Liftoff Simeon Woods Richardson cruised through the bottom of the first inning with Jesse Winker as the only Nationals hitter to reach. Attempting to steal second base, Ryan Jeffers nabbed him with a perfect throw and Edouard Julien placed a quick tag, having him dead to rights. Stepping in for his first at bat against Washington starter Jake Irvin, Max Kepler found liftoff and blasted a solo shot to right field. His fourth home run of the season raised his OPS to .909, which now ranked first for Rocco Baldelli’s Twins. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know that's a promise we make good on Correa Covers for Short Start Woods Richardson’s start became of the abbreviated variety when he was lifted in favor of Steven Okert after working 4 2/3 innings. The lefty slider pitcher grabbed four key outs for Baldelli, and the 1-0 lead remained intact. Of course the best part of his appearance was a ride in on the bullpen cart, complete with a tip. Looking to add, Carlos Correa blasted his fourth home run of the season, joining Kepler, and making it a 2-0 game. After Kody Funderburk worked himself into trouble, it was Correa saving the day defensively too. Washington had a runner on third with two outs and his diving play with a cannon across the diamond kept the damage to just one run. Kepler kicked off the 9th inning with a double as his hot-hitting continued. Ryan Jeffers then plated him with a single and gave Minnesota some breathing room to the tune of a 3-1 lead. Despite being stranded on third, the Twins had to feel good about where they were positioned heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Jhoan Duran came on to close it out and was set to face the Nationals 4-5-6 hitters. The home run issues for Duran continued as Joey Meneses blasted a leadoff dinger to make it a 3-2 game and put the Nationals within striking distance. Luis Garcia Jr. stepped in and singled to bring up the winning run, and the Twins closer was squarely on the ropes. Former Twins infielder Ildemaro Vargas bunted Garcia to second, giving up an out, and Joey Gallo took a trip back to the dugout after getting gassed up on a fastball. Keibert Ruiz grounded to Edouard Julien and the game was over. A series win for Minnesota was locked in. Notes Brock Stewart started a throwing program yesterday. While that will still have him out for a while, and a possible rehab assignment could be needed, it’s a positive development for the Twins bullpen. Zack Weiss, who has yet to pitch for Minnesota and is on the 60-day injured list, is throwing up to 100 feet. The pitching rubber is only 60 feet and six inches from the plate, so that’s a good thing too. What’s Next? Minnesota gets a much-deserved off day before welcoming the Texas Rangers to Target Field for the weekend. Those pitching matchups are yet to be determined with Bruce Bochy not setting his group. Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Pablo Lopez will go for the Twins. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Nothing was more damaging to the way a Major League Baseball regular season was viewed than Covid. Not only did it impact the development and draft for organizations across the sport, but the 60-game sprint changed the way fans consumed the game. The journey is something to be embraced, but the Minnesota Twins must figure out their experience. Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports If you’ve never heard of the 60-60-42 concept before, it’s pretty simple. Coming into any given season, it’s almost a lock that each franchise will win at least 60 games and lose at least 60 games. How the remaining 42 shake out often makes the difference between a postseason club and complete ineptitude. Right now, Rocco Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins seem determined to play their pivotal 42 out in the most frustrating way possible. At 25-23 through their first 48 games, the Twins have completed the first 30 percent of their season. In Timberwolves terms, they aren’t seeking a 20-point comeback late in the game, but they definitely aren’t feeling comfortable, either. Despite being just above .500, the Twins have paired a 7-13 start and a 12-game winning streak to get here. That’s where things get maddening. Across the landscape of professional sports, recency bias rules. The National Football League draws more eyes than any other form of competition across the United States, and that schedule has just 17 games across an 18-week regular season. Every game carries a real chance of determining your fate for the season--perhaps 10 times the chance any given baseball game has. Baseball is a different animal, but it’s difficult to remember that when things are going really well or really poorly. The goal of any big-league team should be to win series on a weekly basis. Take two of three in a series and split a four-gamer, and you've had a week of 93-win baseball. For Minnesota, though, few weeks have been that tame. Here are their records for full weeks this year, starting Apr. 1: 1-3, 3-4, 1-5, 7-0, 5-1, 5-2, 0-6. The volatility isn't necessarily equivalent to incompetence or failure, but it reflects a lack of consistency that will catch up to the team if it persists. The coaches in the dugout need to figure out a way to beat the streak and find a sustained level of success. True or not, it certainly feels like some of the 42 pivotal games have snuck into weeks when the Twins were playing at a very high or very low level--like they will regret not having found even one win in a challenging week last week, come the end of the season. We have seen the approach from David Popkins and Rudy Hernandez work like gangbusters, but at other junctures, it has fallen flat. Pete Maki has overseen a pitching staff that refuses to outright crater, but that doesn't seem able to fully reprise last season's dominance, either. At its core, everything falls on Baldelli, who is the leader of the bunch. As the saying goes, you can't predict baseball. You can't program or schedule it, either. No one is expecting the Twins to steadily and metronomically play to a 90-win pace all season, and injuries and payroll constraints forced them into some unexpected circumstances early this year. Still, without a greater sense of consistency and identity, it will be hard for the team to catch the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central. The Twins have enough talent to do that. Now, they need a bit more stability from that talented corps. View full article

The Buck Truck was out in full force as Byron Buxton slugged a pair of dingers to lead the Minnesota Twins to victory on Tuesday night in the nation’s capitol. Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (95 pitches, 62 strikes) Home Runs: Byron Buxton 2(3), Willi Castro (4) Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan 0.209, Byron Buxton 0.168, José Miranda 0.096 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Sausage Speaker Stands Up Looking to get off the schneid, Minnesota needed to show up in a big way against Patrick Corbin on Tuesday night. Byron Buxton, the speaker for Sheboygan Sausage, smashed a dinger with the Cloverdale meat pastry in the dugout to make it a 1-0 game. Despite grounding into a double play, Carlos Santana brought Willi Castro home and Minnesota led 2-0. Jose Miranda, who has struggled to hit the baseball hard, blasted one against Corbin in the 3rd inning and doubled the score for Rocco Baldelli’s lineup. With Manuel Margot on the basepaths, the third baseman sent a ball into the left field bleachers and the Twins were up 4-0. Buck is Back There are few things that the Twins have needed more than Buxton getting going. He had struggled out of the gate, and deciding which pitches to unload on is something of a problem. Tuesday night he found a pair of them, and the Buck Truck rounded the bases a second time, scoring Carlos Correa, and making it a 6-0 game in the 5th inning. With the Nationals continuing to trot Corbin out to the mound, Minnesota continued to do damage. Santana doubled for the sixth time and scored Kyle Farmer in the process. Up 7-0 in the 6th inning, Santana came home on a wild pitch to make it 8-0. Dave Martinez left his starter in for 106 pitches in a blowout game, and Minnesota was set to end the streak. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know that's a promise we make good on. Castro Keeps It Going In the 7th inning Willi Castro stepped in with Max Kepler on base and crushed his fourth dinger of the season. Extending the lead to 10-0, Minnesota was comfortably ahead and ready to end the losing streak. While the Guardians won again Tuesday, the Twins were going to hold serve. Notes Brooks Lee led off as the designated hitter for the FCL Twins today. He went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Royce Lewis continues to make progress towards a return. He ran the bases for the first time on Monday and is nearing a point in which a rehab assignment becomes a reality. A return in two to three weeks may be a possibility. With the win tonight, Rocco Baldelli grabbed his 400th managerial win for Minnesota. What’s Next? Simeon Woods Richardson goes Wednesday afternoon for Minnesota as they wrap up the series with Washington before an off day. Jake Irvin starts for the Washington Nationals. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article