Ted Schwerzler

Alcala yes, but Varland has been pretty awful.

Wittgren was signed after the season had started and accelerated through the system. Think he's being prioritized a bit.

The Minnesota Twins spent no money on the bullpen this offseason because Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have made a career of identifying scrap-heap arms. As another one emerges, it’s worth wondering if he works or the organization is simply shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. This offseason the Twins made only one acquisition of consequence regarding the bullpen. In trading Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners, they targeted the pairing of Justin Topa and Gabriel Gonzalez. Anthony DeSclafani and his injury history were a byproduct of an ownership unwilling to spend, but a solid reliever and top-100 prospect had promise. Beyond that, it was waiver claims and reclamation projects, even if they were given major league contracts. Jay Jackson was paid handsomely in an effort to keep him around without options, and Steven Okert was prioritized when making the necessary move to flip Nick Gordon. Their repertoires both feature significant slider usage, and that has now become synonymous with what the Twins try to do in relief. While Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Brock Stewart blow hitters away with heaters, the rest of the group largely consists of slop-throwing arms that feature the pitch diving away from same-handed hitters. Jackson lasted just 17 games before earning a DFA that he was worthy of multiple games prior, and while Okert will get a longer leash, he too has been worthy of the same fate. Looking to bolster the bottom of the group as they faltered, the Twins front office went back to the well for more of the same. Falvey dipped into another former Guardians arm, albeit one that wasn’t there while he was, in Nick Wittgren. The eight-year veteran threw for the Kansas City Royals last season before going unsigned this winter. Sent to Double-A Wichita initially, he is now pitching for the St. Paul Saints and a promotion wouldn’t be shocking. Wittgren hasn’t struck anyone out at a respectable clip since 2021, and you’d have to go back to 2019 for the last time it would be fair to call him good. He has found a way to limit home runs each of the past two years, but the strikeouts have tanked and the path for him to be a reliable reliever is as thin as ever. Having previously never relied on a slider, Wittgren incorporated it over one-third of the time last season with the Royals. Minnesota has decided that’s a pitch they can speak into, and now his repertoire is something they feel intrigued to tinker with. Given the significantly low bar to clear at the bottom of the Twins current pen, it’s also probably something they’ll try at the big league level before moving on. As the season has produced uneven results throughout the entirety of its life thus far, among the most confusing decisions has been the way in which the franchise has treated Jorge Alcala. Finally healthy, they seem intent on both destroying his arm, and sending him packing whenever a body is needed. Someone with that upside appears infinitely more suited for a consistent big league role, but the transaction decisions have left him scratching his head. When Cole Sands, Okert, Caleb Boushley, Josh Staumont, or the suddenly cooked version of Caleb Thielbar need to be replaced, expect another slider-flipping flier to get the call. View full article

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The Minnesota Twins needed to supplement the top half of their starting rotation this winter. They didn't do so with an external addition, but Chris Paddack has stepped forward and been that guy so far in 2024. Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda was always part of the plan. The Twins would probably not have paid the going rate for the services of those aging arms, even in a normal offseason that included a more robust budget. Ideally, they might have replaced Gray with a similarly accomplished (but younger and/or cheaper) arm, but none of their efforts in that direction bore fruit. Entering spring training, the back end of the rotation looked shaky. Louie Varland is already back in St. Paul, but fourth starter Chris Paddack has been everything the Twins have needed and then some. Though he made a late-season cameo in the bullpen for the 2023 division champions, Paddack is only now getting a chance to truly pay off the investment the Twins made when they dealt Taylor Rogers for him in April 2022. Paddack's elbow blew out (for the second time in his career) early that season, denying him the chance to make good for his new team until now. Early on this season, it’s hard not to be encouraged by the results. Nine starts into the year, Paddack has a 4.47 ERA that includes some quality underlying statistics. His 47 strikeouts and 10 walks across 50 1/3 innings are impressive, even before adjusting for the fact that he's coming off a career-threatening surgery. On a game-by-game basis, it’s also hard not to be encouraged by what Paddack has done for the Twins. He was blown up by both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, but those are two of the fiercest offenses in baseball. Beyond that, he has multiple 10-strikeout performances, and went a career-high eight innings on Sunday against the Guardians. While Paddack isn’t sitting at the 95-mph velocity he brought out of the Twins bullpen last year, his 93.8 mph average velocity is faster than he sat in 2022, and he's shown the ability to reach back for a couple extra ticks in high-pressure situations. His whiff rate is solid, and he’s generating plenty of chases, too. What Minnesota is having Paddack do has been working. Expectations had to be high for Paddack coming into this season, given the way the team cleared space for him and denied itself a safety net. The question (one that remains unanswered, or only incompletely answered) is just how durable he can be. His rookie total of 140 innings pitched in 2019 still stands as a career high, and following elbow surgery, we can assume he'll be limited in certain ways as the team tries to keep him healthy beyond that number this year. The best way for Paddack to continue on his run is by being economical. Working against the Guardians on Sunday, he flew through innings while keeping his pitch count well within manageable thresholds. Limiting traffic on the bases and stressful situations in which he does try to throw 96 or 97 will be important. Pitching hasn’t been the problem it could have becomne this year, and a good reason for that is that Paddack has stepped up and done his job. The Twins have to score runs more consistently, or it won't matter, but they've cobbled together another good rotation, and Paddack remains an integral part of the plan. View full article

Monday brought great news for top prospects with both Brooks Lee and Walker Jenkins returning to action. There were more than a few impressive performances last week, but it was the team results for the Cedar Rapids Kernels that paced the Minnesota Twins farm system. A perfect 6-0 was the opposite of what the big league team was able to accomplish. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Michael Helman) TRANSACTIONS OF Walker Jenkins assigned to FCL Twins on MiLB rehab SS Brooks Lee assigned to FCL Twins on MiLB rehab RHP Andrew Huffman assigned to FCL Twins RHP Andrew Morris promoted to Double-A Wichita from Cedar Rapids IF Rayne Doncon promoted to Cedar Rapids RHP Jeremy Lee promoted to Cedar Rapids OF Willie Joe Garry Jr. released by Twins COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 5, FCL Braves 2 Box Score The big news for the FCL Twins today was both Brooks Lee and Walker Jenkins being in the lineup. The former batted leadoff while playing shortstop and the latter hit second as the designated hitter. Lee had yet to play this season after dealing with back spasms that turned out to be a herniated disc, and Jenkins left the first game after suffering a hamstring injury. Through their first three plate appearances, neither Lee or Jenkins had a base hit, though the latter drew a walk his third time up. After getting down 1-0, the Twins got to work. Ariel Castro doubled home Dameury Pena in the 3rd inning to tie things up. In the 5th inning it was Castro with another double, this time scoring Jenkins and Yasser Mercedes. Ricardo Pena then singled and scored Pena while loading the bases and making it a 4-1 game. Lee was lifted after four at bats and seven innings defensively. Castro singled in the 6th inning to score Mercedes and make it a 5-1 game. The Braves scored in the 8th inning, but the three run lead remained and the Twins improved to 8-3 on the season. Jenkins finished 0-for-4 with the walk. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 18-25 (2-4 last week) Ninth place in the IL West Overview: Facing a solid Omaha team, the Saints couldn’t find much success and continue to search for answers. Michael Helman was incredible, blasting four home runs and putting up a 1.313 OPS in six games this week. Jorge Alcala continues to be good for whatever team he pitches. A 4/1 K/BB across 2 2/3 this week came with a save. Ronny Henriquez, Ryan Jensen, Austin Schulfer, and Nick Wittgren all put up perfect weeks from an ERA perspective. Chris Williams had a pair of home runs as well, and despite a .214 batting average, put up a 1.067 OPS. Louie Varland and Joke Gunkel both struggled in their starts against Omaha. Yunior Severino had an 8/0 K/9 this week and continues to really struggle in 2024. What’s Next: Heading to Buffalo, it’s a two-week road trip out to New York with Rochester the following week. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 16-22 (3-3 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Starting the series strong with three straight wins, Wichita couldn’t sustain the run dropping the final three. Jake Rucker batted .500 going 8-for-16 in five games. He homered and also had an impressive 2/5 K/BB. Pierson Ohl made two starts this week and had an impressive 17/2 K/BB across 11 innings of work. Emmanuel Rodriguez was on fire and ripped a triple with a pair of homers. Carson McCusker had a much colder week after his big one last week. With just one hit in 15 at bats, he’ll turn the page. Marco Raya had one of his tougher starts this season allowing five runs in just three innings and posting a 3/4 K/BB. What’s Next: Home against San Antonio this upcoming week, the Wind Surge face the third place team in the Texas League South standings. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 24-14 (6-0 last week) Second place in the Midwest League West Overview: A sweep of the River Bandits pushed the Kernels up a spot in the standings, taking it from Quad Cities. Luke Keaschall was unconscious and batted .500 on the week with a 1.420 OPS. He crushed a pair of home runs and two doubles. Kevin Maitan made his Twins organization debut and homered while going 4-for-13 in his first three games. Rubel Cespedes hit .364 with a pair of stolen bases. Misael Urbina also stole a pair of bases. John Klein posted a one-hit start across six innings of work. He struck out six and walked just one. Andrew Morris had a seven-inning scoreless start in which he allowed only one hit and struck out six. What’s Next: Traveling to Peoria, Cedar Rapids faces the team with the worst record in the Midwest League. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 16-23 (3-3 last week) Fifth place in Florida State League West Overview: Splitting a series with Lakeland, the Mighty Mussels remained entrenched in the same spot of the standings. Kyle Hess was signed out of the Independent League and his first six games included a home run and team-leading .960 OPS. Payton Eeles was also recently added from the Atlantic League and his .828 OPS was second on the team last week. He picked up a home run in the process. Brandon Winokur swiped a trio of bases. Cesar Lares worked six innings in his start and allowed just a single unearned run on five hits. Ty Langenberg’s eight strikeouts during his five inning start were the most by any Mighty Mussels pitcher last week. What’s Next: Welcoming Daytona to Fort Myers, the Mighty Mussels get an opponent who is currently just one game under .500. Complex League: FCL Twins Overall: 7-3 (3-1 last week) First place in Florida Complex League South Another strong week of action had the Twins taking over the top spot in the standings. Yasser Mercedes was 8-for-16 with a pair of doubles and home runs. Ariel Castro had a strong week and his seven RBI led the team. Yilber Herrera got on base at a .500 clip thanks in part to his team-high five walks. Eider Machuca had three strikeouts in his three innings of work. Alejandro Crisostomo’s five strikeouts were a team high on the bump. PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 6-17, 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 9 BB, 4 K #4 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – #5 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 3.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K #6 – David Festa (St. Paul) – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #7 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) – #9 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-19, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 SB #11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-21, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 SB #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 11-22, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, K, 2 SB #13 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 3-18, 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K #14 – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 0-6 #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 2-21, HR, RBI, 8 K #17 – Matt Canterino (IL) – Shoulder injury #18 – Connor Prielipp (IL) – UCL Surgery #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 6-20, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K #20 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) – Hitter of the Week - Michael Helman (St. Paul) - 8-23, 5 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI Pitcher of the Week - Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 11.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 17 K View full article

The Minnesota Twins hoped to stop their losing streak at four behind Bailey Ober, but instead just kept on spiraling with one of their worst performances of the season. Image courtesy of David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 63 strikes, 14 whiffs) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (-.262), Jose Miranda (-.144), Carlos Santana (-.050) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Jose Ramirez, Again Already on a four-game losing streak, the Minnesota Twins lineup has struggled to find positive offensive production. Ryan Jeffers opened with a single before Carlos Correa walked, but Jose Miranda quickly grounded into an inning-ending double play. Bailey Ober took the bump and gave up a Tyler Freeman single before getting Andres Gimenez to fly out. Jose Ramirez fouled off seven pitches before launching a two-run homer and putting the Guardians up 2-0. Needing 38 pitches to get three outs, Rocco Baldelli already was forced to warm up Kody Funderburk in the 1st inning. Across their first trip through the order, Minnesota managed a single hit while striking out four times, walking once, and leaving a pair in scoring position. Ramirez wasted no time in his second at bat, rapping an RBI double during the 3rd inning to make it 3-0, before Josh Naylor brought home the Guardians fourth run on a sacrifice fly. Ober Exits, Hits Keep Coming It was certainly not Ober’s night against the Guardians as his start lasted just four innings while giving up five runs. Freeman’s 4th inning double to score Brayan Rocchio was enough to do him in. Funderburk came on to give up a pair of runs over two frames, and then it was Jay Jackson’s turn. The slider specialist has been awfully ineffective all season, and despite a Kyle Farmer error, four runs scored on three hits and a walk because he couldn’t fool anyone. Down 11-0 in the 8th inning, Willi Castro took the mound to record the final three outs. Twins Offensive Woes Continue While the strikeouts weren’t prominent on Saturday, the lineup failed to do anything productive. Finishing 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position, they stranded six. Manuel Margot finished with three of the ten total hits, and only Farmer grabbed an extra base tally. In what amounted to garbage time, Byron Buxton drove in Castro with a 9th inning single during his return to plate the first run. Carlos Santana singled home Jose Miranda and then a Kyle Farmer double brought both of the previous hitters in. The 11-4 final score never represented how far apart Minnesota was Saturday. Having scored just seven runs since game one of the New York Yankees series, Minnesota has gone a stretch of 45 innings while showing complete offensive ineptitude. They’ll see a fresh start Sunday in hopes of avoiding the sweep and ending a five game losing streak. Notes Austin Martin went back to Triple-A St. Paul with the activation of Byron Buxton. Josh Winder continues his major league rehab for the Saints. What’s Next? The Twins turn to Chris Paddack on Sunday as they look to beat Tanner Bibee and the Guardians, avoiding a series sweep. Trying to cut down on the AL Central Division deficit, they’ll need to grab a much-needed victory. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Omaha Storm Chasers brought bad weather to St. Paul and suspended action early against the Saints. Both the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and FCL Twins but up strong run totals in wins. TRANSACTIONS OF Byron Buxton traveled with Minnesota to Cleveland, expected is to be activated Saturday. INF Danny De Andrade placed on the IL by Cedar Rapids with a left ankle sprain. RHP Tanner Hall reinstated from IL by Fort Myers RHP Jose Olivares assigned to Fort Myers on rehab assignment SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Omaha 2 Box Score Pitching prospect David Festa was on the bump for St. Paul on Friday night but it was an abbreviated outing with storms coming through just four innings into his outing. Allowing a pair of runs on four hits, he walked two and struck out four. Omaha got ahead on a 2nd inning wild pitch, but the Saints took their first lead when veteran Tony Kemp hit a two-run shot to bring in Alex Isola. The Storm Chasers evened things in the 4th inning, but then sent their nickname to suspend the game. With storms in the area, the game was over. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 8, Wichita 6 Box Score Marco Raya was on the bump and he experienced a tough outing. Allowing five runs on four hits, command wasn’t there as he walked four while striking out three. The Twins pitching prospect also gave up a pair of homers. Carson McCusker kicked off the scoring during the 1st inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Emmanuel Rodriguez. Tanner Schobel doubled for the seventh time this season and scored Andrew Cossetti to make it 2-0. Cossetti ripped his fifth home run of the season in the 2nd inning, and his two-run shot brought home Rodriguez to make it a 4-0 lead. Giving three back in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Alerick Soularie drove home Schobel with a 3rd inning sacrifice fly. The Drillers responded with two in the bottom half though, and the game was tied at five. Noah Cardenas doubled home Cossetti in the 4th inning to put the Wind Surge back on top but Tulsa’s three-run 7th inning put them ahead 8-6. Wichita couldn’t climb back in after getting two on to start the 9th, and Schobel grounded into a triple play to end it. Cossetti finished 3-for-5 with a double and a home run in a very impressive showing. Cardenas and Schobel both contributed a pair of hits on their own. Aaron Rozek worked four innings of relief work striking out four, and the three runs he allowed were all unearned. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 4 Box Score Following a great start on Thursday from John Klein, the Kernels got another solid outing this time from C.J. Culpepper. His five innings of work consisted of just two runs on seven hits. He didn’t give up any walks and struck out four. After getting down in the 1st inning, Cedar Rapids tied things when a fielding error on a Luke Keaschall ball to left field scored Misael Urbina. THey then got back down by a run in the 3rd inning before recently signed infield Kevin Maitan announced his presence with a two-run homer scoring Agustin Ruiz and making it a 3-2 game. Cedar Rapids continued to stretch their lead and made it a 6-2 contest in the 6th inning thanks to a Jay Harry double that scored Keaschall and Ricardo Olivar. That was followed by a Ruiz single bringing home Harry as well. While Quad Cities responded with a pair, it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Rubel Cespedes picked up a trio of hits on the night, and Keaschall had two as well. Cespedes and Urbina both stole a pair of bases, and Urbina reached twice by the way of free passes. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Lakeland 6 Box Score Tanner Hall was activated from the injured list and started the game, but worked just two outs throwing 18 pitches before his night was over. Rehabbing Jose Olivares turned in three innings of work allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Down 6-0 through the first five innings, the Mighty Mussels then began to flex and worked towards a comeback. Rayne Doncon ripped his 12th double, scoring Matthew Clayton for their first run of the game. A bases loaded balk scored Payton Eeles before Brandon Winokur stole second base and allowed Doncon to come home. Over the course of the 6th inning, Fort Myers had cut away half of the deficit. Byron Chourio singled in Clayton during the 7th inning, and a four-run 8th inning put the Mighty Mussels in front. Kyle Hess singled home Winokur before Maddux Hougton drove in Angel Del Rosario with a single of his own. Clayton continued to litter the box score with his presence, and a single plated Hess before Eeles scored Houghton on a sacrifice fly. Jeremy Lee worked three really good innings of relief for Fort Myers and gave up no hits while walking one and striking out four. Fort Myers spread nine hits around with Hess and Doncon grabbing a pair each. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 10, FCL Red Sox 6 Box Score The Twins squad put up double-digits on 11 hits this afternoon against the Red Sox. Yasser Mercedes and Ariel Castro were both in the middle of the offensive explosion with both players grabbing a trio of hits. Castro drove in five runs and Ricardo Pena had a pair of hits on his own as well. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jeremy Lee (Fort Myers) - 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Ariel Castro (FCL Twins) - 3-3, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR(1) PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #5 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 3.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K #6 – David Festa (St. Paul) – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #7 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – Pinch ran - SB(4), R #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-4, R, BB, 2 K #11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 2-3, R, 2B(7) RBI, SB(6), BB, K #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, R #14 – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #17 – Matt Canterino (IL) – Shoulder injury #18 – Connor Prielipp (IL) – UCL Surgery #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, R, 2 BB #20 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) – 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs Omaha (2:077 PM CST) – LHP Caleb Baragar (0-0, -.--ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:00 PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! View full article

Sidelined since limping off the field with a sore right knee on May 2nd, Byron Buxton spent a little over two weeks on the injured list before being activated on Saturday. During his absence, the Twins and their fans got a stark reminder of how valuable Buxton's defense is in comparison to the alternatives. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Coming into this season the Minnesota Twins knew that playing Byron Buxton solely as their designated hitter wasn’t going to be an option. He struggled in that role offensively last season, and it didn’t ultimately help him to get healthy enough to play defense, which is where so much of his value is felt. This year we have seen him play 28 games, and the vast majority have come in center field. Up until the latest injury, a bout of knee inflammation that revealed no structural damage, Rocco Baldelli was able to deploy his center fielder in virtually all scenarios. Buxton had started games for the Twins, remained in during extra innings, and had even been used as a defensive replacement. All of those outcomes speak positively as to how his body has been feeling. In getting Buxton back from the injured list, that’s the exact kind of availability that Minnesota will continue to need. His offensive production has been muted, unable to catch up to fastballs or show a high level of plate discipline, but his defense hasn’t slumped. At a positive 3.4 defensive value per FanGraphs, Buxton ranks third among players with at least 50 innings in center field. It’s not surprising that he has posted a 0.7 fWAR in limited action, given his 4 defensive runs saved and 3 outs above average. It's not so much about what Buxton adds as what gets subtracted when he's in center field. Defensive values for Manuel Margot (-0.1), Austin Martin (-1.9) and Willi Castro (-2.3) are all poor. The latter two rank 53rd and 55th among a 56-player pool with 50 or more innings in center field. Margot has been anything but the expected similar replacement for Michael A. Taylor, and Castro has been an adventure in center dating back to last season. His latest inexcusable mishap had him forgetting the number of outs, costing the Twins a run, and launching a third out ball from the stadium in frustration. While Martin started out respectable on the offensive side of things, only Castro's bat warrants a regular place in the lineup among the trio filling in for Buxton. Even with his struggles at the dish, Buxton still owns a roughly average 98 OPS+ that he is returning to, and everyone is aware how quickly that number can rise if starts to click. Through their 12-game winning streak, the Twins saw exceptional starting pitching performances and they played strong defense. The lineup is unquestionably going to go through ebbs and flows that force the team to remain competitive in other facets. Defense is a relatively straightforward place to show up every night, but it’s clear that Minnesota has significant limitations from their alternative center field options. Buxton returning for the Twins in a key series with the Cleveland Guardians sets up a reality where Minnesota will look to establish divisional dominance. The recent rate of winning wasn’t going to sustain for the duration of the year, but it helped to bring Minnesota back in the race. Now they have three-quarters of the season to continue producing, and the more Buxton can be a part of that the better. Given his lack of availability was due to inflammation, it stands to reason that this sort of thing could be a circumstance that presents itself again throughout the year. Buxton quickly said his goal was to miss near a minimum amount of time while listening to his body and not trying to play through what was holding him back. On the wrong side of 30 years old, that level of thinking must be utilized more often than not the rest of his career, and all sides will be better for more availability at peak performance. There’s no denying the Twins are better with Byron Buxton available to them, and it is now beyond clear the overall effectiveness of their outfield relies on it. View full article

The Wichita Wind Surge watched the entirety of their lineup go off on Thursday night, and they were led by an outstanding performance from Jake Rucker. Cedar Rapids blanked the opposition after a strong start from John Klein. St. Paul played 11, and Fort Myers kept it close. Check out all of the action within. TRANSACTIONS INF Kevin Maitan signed by Minnesota and assigned to Cedar Rapids SAINTS SENTINEL Final: Omaha 9, St. Paul 8 (F/11) Box Score Randy Dobnak was on the bump for St. Paul on Thursday night and churned out five strikeouts through three innings of one-run baseball. He wound up going five innings while allowing three runs on six hits and a pair of walks. Dobnak’s strikeout total finished at five. Michael Helman opened the scoring with his second home run of the season. The two-run blast in the 2nd inning scored Matt Wallner and made it a 2-0 lead for St. Paul. Omaha added a run in the 3rd inning, then two more in the 4th inning to take the lead. The bottom of the 6th inning saw the Saints put up a big crooked number. The rehabbing Byron Buxton grounded out, but scored Anthony Prato in the process. Wallner doubled home Diego A. Castillo to retake the lead for St. Paul, then Helman singled home both DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Wallner making it a 6-3 game. Capping off the frame, Yoyner Fajardo singled and brought home Yunior Severino. After getting one back in the 8th inning, Omaha tied things in the 9th inning against Diego Castillo. Unable to scratch a run across, the sides were headed for extras. Omaha pushed their eighth run across in the top of the 10th inning, and St. Paul was down to their final three outs. Dalton Shuffield started at second base and advanced on a ground out. He then came home on a wild pitch and the score was again tied. Omaha plated their placed runner during the 11th inning while the Saints couldn't score theirs, and this one ended in defeat. Castillo, Helman, and Prato each had a pair of hits for the Saints. Castillo's tough outing wound up being enough to sink St. Paul in a game that they used seven different pitchers. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 11, Tulsa 8 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin took the ball for the Wind Surge on Thursday and he turned in three strong innings before an ugly 4th inning did him in. Finishing with four innings of work, Nowlin gave up six runs on three hits and four walks. He struck out three. Wichita opened the scoring during the 2nd inning when Jake Rucker doubled home Aaron Sabato and Kalai Rosario. Emmanuel Rodriguez followed with his 5th home run of the season and it was a 4-0 game early. In the 4th inning Tulsa responded with a six-spot to take over the lead. The Wind Surge came roaring back in the 6th inning. Jake Rucker doubled Tanner Schobel home before a Jorel Ortega fielder’s choice scored Sabato for the tie. Rucker then came in on a wild pitch and Wichita was back in the lead. Schobel grabbed his sixth double of the season in the 7th inning, and the base hit brought both Andrew Cossetti and Rosario home. Rucker singled again to give the Wind Surge a 10-6 lead. Schobel drew a bases loaded walk in the 8th inning to make it an 11-6 game, but the Drillers made things interesting with a two-run bottom half to make it 11-8. Jared Solomon stayed on to close things out and was able to slam the door. Wichita finished with 10 hits, and plenty of the damage came from the bottom of the lineup. Rucker had three of them while Schobel and Sabato each had a pair of their own. Though the Wind Surge did strike out ten times, they also drew ten walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0 Box Score The Kernels turned to John Klein and got nothing short of an exceptional performance from him. Working six innings allowing just a single hit and one walk, the Cedar Rapids starter struck out six. A Jay Harry single in the 1st inning started the scoring with Ricardo Olivar coming across the plate. That’s where things stood the rest of the way. Cedar Rapids managed just five hits. Two came from Harry with the other two coming from Luke Keaschall, who was picked off twice on the basepaths. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Fort Myers sent Ty Langenberg to the bump and he put up an eight strikeout performance allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. Jack Noble turned in three innings of relief work giving up just a single hit while striking out five and walking two. Lakeland took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning and it wasn’t until the 5th inning that Fort Myers found themselves ahead. Payton Eeles singled home Isaac Pena before Byron Chourio lifted a sacrifice fly to score Angel Del Rosario. The Flying Tigers tied things in the bottom of the 5th inning and walked off the Mighty Mussels when a passed ball got by Poncho Ruiz in the 9th inning. Fort Myers mustered just six hits in the game and had an ugly 16 strikeouts. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Scheduled to host the Tampa Bay Rays Complex League team, wet field conditions forced a postponement. The makeup date has been set for June 3. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – John Klein (Cedar Rapids) - 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker (Wichita) - 3-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, BB PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(5), 2 BB, K #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-4, 2 K #11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, K #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B #13 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 1-5, K #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, R, 2B FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs Omaha (6:37 PM CST) – RHP David Festa (0-1, 3. ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 PM CST) –RHP Marco Raya (0-0, 3.38 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:35 PM CST) – RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-0, 3.31 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

These Yankees starters aren't schlubs...There were opportunities tonight though.

To me, I think that throw was more about frustration at himself than anything else. He felt dumb, and deserved to.

The Minnesota Twins sent Pablo López to the mound looking for a win against the New York Yankees, but Aaron Judge quickly threatened that and things never got better against Marcus Stroman. Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Pablo Lopez 6.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (96 pitches, 69 strikes, 10 whiffs) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (-.103), Jose Miranda (-.099) Pablo Lopez (-.081) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pablo Day Starts With a Bang It was a Pablo Day for the Twins against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, and Minnesota was looking to start a new streak. After getting Anthony Volpe on a pop out, and Juan Soto swinging, Aaron Judge stepped in. He blasted a 467-foot home run that may rival only Giancarlo Stanton’s home run derby blast as Target Field, and the Yankees were on the board first. New York added another in the 2nd inning on a Volpe sacrifice fly that scored Gleyber Torres. There probably wouldn’t have been a play at the plate, but centerfielder Willi Castro had zero idea how many outs there were and looked lost after making the cast. He recorded the third out of the inning on the next play and launched the baseball up against the Pepsi sign at the top of centerfield, nearly out of the stadium. In the 3rd inning New York added again, this time on a Stanton single that scored Judge and made it a 3-0 game. It wasn’t until the 4th inning that Lopez was able to grab a three-up-three-down frame. Alex Kirilloff ended the 4th inning with a line out, following a walk earlier in the night, and his struggles continued. Stroman Stymies Twins Rocco Baldelli’s lineup couldn’t figure out Marcus Stroman. The ground ball artist held Minnesota to just two hits through six innings, and the lineup couldn’t mount any sort of a threat despite taking a trio of walks and striking out just twice. After Lopez grabbed the first out of the 7th inning, Soto found success in the form of a double against Kody Funderburk. Judge then lined a ball at Castro, who misjudged the play and watched it sail over his head for a double. New York scored their fourth run of the game, and the lead felt insurmountable given how the lineup had fared. Overstating how bad Castro has been in center fielder against the Yankees, but especially on Wednesday, is potentially impossible to do. After Ryan Jeffers’ leadoff home run on Tuesday, the Twins went through a 17 inning stretch that included just 10 hits and zero runs. Trying to beat a team like the Yankees, that was never going to be enough. Coming Up Short Minnesota forced Aaron Boone to put in both Luke Weaver and Caleb Ferguson, but despite not being Stroman, neither reliever found trouble with the Twins lineup. Minnesota failed to mount a comeback and the streak now became a losing one. Dropping the first two against the Yankees, Baldelli’s Twins need a win against Clarke Schmidt tomorrow if they are going to avoid a series sweep and have an outside chance at winning the season set. Notes Byron Buxton is starting a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday night. He has a few days to get his feet under him before Minnesota heads out to Cleveland. Royce Lewis is also ramping up his running, while Brock Stewart continues to make progress. What’s Next? Finishing up the series with New York, Joe Ryan takes the ball against Clarke Schmidt on Thursday afternoon. The Twins have a big series on the road this weekend against the Guardians in Cleveland. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Margot singled in his first AB

Facing former Chicago White Sox starter Carlos Rodón, the Minnesota Twins got a leg up early. Thereafter, though, couldn’t find a way to add on, and they dropped the first in a three-game set against the New York Yankees. Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Paddack 5.0 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (95 pitches, 66 strikes, 13 whiffs) Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (10) Bottom 3 WPA: Chris Paddack -0.293, Christian Vázquez -0.078, José Miranda -0.073 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Jeffers Jolts Early The Twins sent Chris Paddack to the mound, and he could’ve had a clean first inning, had Willi Castro not let up on a ball that went for a Juan Soto double. He escaped real damage, though, and sent his team to the batter’s box level. Ryan Jeffers wasted no time sending the second pitch he saw over the left-field fence. Carlos Rodón was down in a hurry. Carlos Correa entered the contest with the highest career slugging percentage against the Yankees among active players, and he quickly singled to get on base following Jeffers’ blast. He never got past second base following Manuel Margot’s single, however; the one run was all Minnesota could muster. After three straight hits in the top of the second inning, an Oswaldo Cabrera sacrifice fly scored New York’s first run. Anthony Volpe then lifted a liner to left fielder Austin Martin, bringing Gleyber Torres across the plate. Paddack bounced back to wiggle out of further trouble, again. Stanton Spanks One If you missed it, Major League Baseball put out new Statcast metrics that track bat speed. There’s lots of good stuff about how the Twins fare and Matt Trueblood recently wrote about that. There’s also plenty to talk about how much the Yankees Stanton punishes baseballs, and after getting out in his first at bat, he destroyed a Paddack pitch for a home run in his second. New York then led 3-1. In the top of the fourth, Paddack notched two quick outs before walking Soto. Aaron Judge singled, and Alex Verdugo then doubled to score a pair and make it a 5-1 game. While Paddack has been good this season, he has dealt with a ton of traffic and threading that needle is difficult. Bad defense didn't help, but he surrendered 12 hits in five innings of work; the Yankees were too much for him. A Limp to the Finish Despite pushing Rodón to an uncomfortable pitch count in the middle innings, Minnesota allowed him to come out for the sixth inning and couldn’t mount any real threat. Ian Hamilton took over, and although the Twins created some traffic, he stifled their attempts at a comeback, as well. The former Minnesota pitcher worked a pair of scoreless innings and kept the Twins at bay. Clay Holmes came in to close things down, despite New York holding a four-run lead, and he retired the Twins in order. No Twins hitter recorded a pair of hits, and with an 8/0 K/BB on the evening, no one reached base twice either. Notes The Twins haven’t won back-to-back season series against the Yankees since 1992. That’s what they’re attempting to replicate this season. Center fielder Byron Buxton was eligible to come off the injured list on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. That was never going to happen, with the team wrapping up a road trip. Despite suggesting he could miss only the minimum number of days, Buxton wasn't activated on Tuesday either. Despite not being a fan of rehab assignments, Buxton will play for the Saints this week in St. Paul. Justin Topa isn’t any closer to returning for the Twins as he has a 25% tear of his patellar tendon. He’s currently on crutches and received a PRP injection in hopes of returning this year. Outside of Gabriel Gonzalez, Minnesota’s Jorge Polanco trade looks like an absolute disaster. Royce Lewis continues to work back towards an activation onto the roster, and his baserunning is helping to determine when that date could be. Minnesota may have their Opening day third baseman back in the next two weeks An update on Matt Canterino was provided, and while he has been injured for the vast majority of his professional career, this season appeared to be one he could debut in. With a summer resumption of play on deck, he’ll need to get healthy and immediately find his way to the big leagues. What’s Next? Wednesday is a Pablo Day with Pablo Lopez making a home start against Marcus Stroman and the Yankees. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article