Thiéres Rabelo

With the chance of tying Cleveland for the AL Central first place, the Twins had the lead twice against the White Sox in Chicago, but they ended up giving up both those leads and ended up being walked off in the series opener. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 4 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 2K (59 pitches, 40 strikes, 67.8%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Jorge Lopez (-.367), Caleb Thielbar (-.205), Gary Sanchez (-.116) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Gordon, Offense Put Chicago on the Ropes Early Nick Gordon has been living what can perhaps be considered the hottest offensive streak of his major league career – and he simply doesn’t look like he wants to slow down. Coming into tonight’s game, he had been slashing .364/.391/.682 (1.073) for his previous seven games. The White Sox decided to have a bullpen game, bringing Joe Kelly to open the game. Gordon and the Twins took advantage of that. After the four first batters faced by Kelly, Minnesota had loaded the bases with one out, bringing red-hot Gordon to the plate. The Twins’ second baseman smacked his 22nd double to the right field corner, scoring Carlos Correa and Max Kepler. That was all the Twins could get, as Kelly stranded both remaining runners with a couple of strikeouts, but it was a great start for Minnesota nonetheless. Davis Martin, who was originally scheduled to start tonight’s game for Chicago, took over in relief of Kelly in the second inning. Still, Minnesota’s offense continued to push forward but failed to add on. Luis Arraez, who singled in the first, hit a two-out double, seemingly putting the August slump behind him. Correa drew a walk after him, and suddenly, the Twins were posing a threat once again, but Kepler lined out, and the inning was over. Gray Tosses Three Solid but Struggles with Command in the Fourth Sonny Gray gave up a two-out single in the bottom of the first, but that was pretty much all the White Sox could get off him for the first three innings, as he retired seven consecutive batters after that single. Then, in the fourth inning, things abruptly changed for him. Andrew Vaughn led off the inning with a double, but it didn’t look too serious after Gray induced back-to-back ground ball outs. But Yasmani Grandal hit a bloop single off the glove of Gio Urshela to score Vaughn. That was when things spiraled out of control for Gray, who started having command issues. Grandal moved to second on a wild pitch, then A.J. Pollock and Leury Garcia reached on a walk and a single, respectively, to load the bases. Facing Josh Harrison, all Gray needed was another out to end the threat. Instead, he (barely) brushed Harrison’s forearm with a fastball, and the game was tied. Gray got the final out to limit the damage, but, despite his pitch count not having reached 60, Rocco Baldelli decided he was done. At four innings pitched, this was Gray’s shortest start since July 14, tied for his third shortest start of the season. During the seventh inning, it was reported that Gray left the game due to some right hamstring tightness. The injury must have been caused by the last play of the third inning when Gray fielded a comebacker on the infield before throwing to Arráez at first. He clearly grabbed his hamstring after the play. Bullpen does a Good Job, Gordon Comes Through Again… After Gray’s injury, the bullpen had their work cut out for them, having to throw at least five innings. Michael Fulmer gave up back-to-back two-out singles in the fifth but eventually got the final out. Then, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran combined for a couple of quick, scoreless frames. Came the eighth inning, with the game tied, the offense showed up again. After the productive first two innings, the Twins’ lineup went quietly for most of the game, going 2-for-17 after Correa’s second-inning walk. But the bats came back to life in the eighth. Facing reliever Jimmy Lambert, Kepler got an infield leadoff single but ended up at second base on a throwing error from Harrison. Jose Miranda followed that with a single of his own, moving Kepler to third. Gordon stepped up to the plate and got his third run batted in on a ground out, putting the Twins back in front. …but the Sox Tied the Game, Walk it off After four consecutive scoreless appearances and nine out of the previous ten, Caleb Thielbar came in to try and keep the one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth. After retiring Eloy Jimenez to open the inning, he couldn’t get past Grandal, who crushed a game-tying solo shot to the left field corner. Gilberto Celestino got a single in the top of the ninth, but the Twins couldn’t capitalize. Then, with Jorge López pitching in the bottom of the inning, Chicago loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a hit batter that caused the benches to clear. Next, López seemingly hit Abreu, ending the game, but after a challenge, the call was overturned, as the ball actually hit Abreu’s bat. It was no use, though. As the Abreu at-bat continued, the former AL MVP hit into a groundout that could’ve led to an inning-ending double play, but Correa couldn’t fire the throw to first, allowing Romy Gonzalez to score the winning run. Postgame interview What’s Next? Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow, with the first pitch at 6:15 pm CDT. Tyler Mahle (4.17 ERA) toes the rubber for Minnesota, while Dylan Cease (2.27 ERA) gets the start for Chicago. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Moran 0 0 52 0 0 52 Jax 17 8 0 0 20 45 Thielbar 15 13 0 0 13 41 Megill 0 23 14 0 0 37 Fulmer 0 13 0 0 17 30 Duran 14 0 0 0 11 25 López 9 0 0 0 13 22 Pagán 0 21 0 0 0 21 View full article

An early grand slam helped put the Red Sox ahead by five runs. The Twins never gave up, though, and they managed to make this a one-run game and to put the winning run at first base, but they couldn’t capitalize. The winning streak ends at five. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5 IP, 8H, 5R, 5ER, 1BB, 8K (100 pitches, 69 strikes, 69.0%) Home Runs: Luis Arraez (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (-.335), Joe Ryan (-.263), Luis Arráez (-.137) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Boston burns Ryan early Things didn’t click for Joe Ryan on Wednesday night, and his start was stained pretty early in the game. After a couple of scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 second, the Twins’ starter was ambushed in the top of the third. Despite getting ahead on the count against all of them, Ryan failed to retire the first four batters he faced, and Boston took advantage of that. Kevin Plawecki and Tommy Pham got back-to-back singles to start the inning, the latter with a tough eight-pitch at-bat. When Alex Verdugo hit a grounder towards first, Jose Miranda decided to throw home to prevent Plawecki from scoring, allowing Verdugo to reach and load the bases with no outs. Xander Bogaerts wasted no time and destroyed a low-hanging slider down the middle for a grand slam. A flyout following the grand slam didn’t help much: despite getting ahead J.D. Martinez 0-2, Boston’s designated hitter took him deep for a second time in the evening, making it 5-0 Red Sox. With Michael Wacha having tossed two perfect innings to start the game, it was hard to imagine Minnesota would have the energy for a comeback. Their only chance would be to do some damage quickly. Twins get two runs back, can’t complete a rally By retiring Nick Gordon and Gilberto Celestino to open the bottom of the third, Wacha made it eight consecutive batters retired to start the game. Sandy Leon broke the streak with a bloop single to center and salvaged the inning, with Luis Arráez stepping up to the plate. He fought hard to turn a 1-2 count into a full count before hitting a liner to right for a two-run shot to put the Twins back in contention. Ryan remained in the game and pitched for two more innings. He got into a jam to begin the fourth, when he gave up a leadoff single and hit a batter, but pitched around those to end the inning. The offense started putting together another potential rally in the bottom of the inning when Kyle Garlick reached on a fielding error from second, and Gio Urshela singled, but Gordon struck out, ending the inning. Ryan also tossed a scoreless fifth to conclude his outing at exactly 100 pitches, his highest-scoring start in over three weeks. Moran has another good outing, maintains great season numbers Making his first big league appearance since August 2, Jovani Moran seemed to have picked up right where he left off when he last appeared in the majors. He couldn’t prevent Boston from scoring, with Plawecki hitting a leadoff double in the sixth and scoring later on a Bogaerts two-out double to right. Outside of those two extra-base hits allowed, Moran’s outing was brilliant. He struck out five batters through the sixth and seventh innings, then induced three groundball outs in a 1-2-3 eighth to complete three innings of one-run ball without any walks. He now has a 2.05 ERA through 21 appearances this season, making up for a fantastic second season in the majors. Too bad the offense couldn’t capitalize on several opportunities they’ve created. They had two men on in the sixth after a Correa walk and a Max Kepler double but came out empty-handed. Then, in the seventh, the Twins had men on the corners with one out after a Gordon leadoff double and a Gary Sanchez one-out walk. However, all they could get was a single run that came on an Arráez sac-fly. Gordon comes through again, but it’s not enough Gordon’s epic display last night was an indicator that this kid is ready for stardom, and he continued to swing the bat brilliantly tonight. His second hit of the night was a huge one in the eighth inning that made things very interesting. Kepler and Urshela both reached with a single each, making Gordon the tying run when he stepped up to the batter’s box. Gordon jumped on the first pitch for a long double that hit the right field wall, deep enough to push both runners across and make this a one-run game. Unfortunately, Gordon was caught at third trying to stretch a double into a triple, and the inning was over. Despite Gordon’s baserunning blunder, his two runs batted in in the eighth proved vital for Minnesota’s chances. After Trevor Megill delivered a scoreless top of the ninth (throwing 12 strikes in 14 pitches), Celestino led off the bottom of the inning with a chopper that Bogaerts couldn’t glove in time. Then, Sánchez drew a five-pitch walk, his second of the night, to put two men on with no outs for Arráez. Sadly, for Minnesota, Arráez flied out, and Correa grounded into a double play next, ending the game. The offense finished the night going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position after Correa's double play. What’s Next? On Thursday, the Twins have a day off that they’ll use to travel to South Side Chicago, where they’ll begin a three-game set against the White Sox. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday, with first pitch at 7:10 pm CDT. Sonny Gray (3.04 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins, with Davis Martin (4.62 ERA) starting for Chicago. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Megill 35 0 0 23 14 72 Moran 0 0 0 0 52 52 Thielbar 22 0 15 13 0 50 Pagán 0 22 0 21 0 43 Jax 8 0 17 8 0 33 Fulmer 0 15 0 13 0 28 Duran 13 0 14 0 0 27 López 0 0 9 0 0 9 View full article

Finally! The Twins demolished the Giants with eight early runs and snapped a six-game losing streak. Joe Ryan tossed six shutout innings, allowing only two hits, making up for a perfect Friday night at Target Field. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 6 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 8K (106 pitches, 68 strikes, 64.2%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (15), Gary Sánchez (12), Kyle Garlick (9) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.207), Joe Ryan (.156), Kyle Garlick (.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins get an early lead, nearly lose it The Twins entered tonight’s trying to prevent their losing streak from reaching seven games, which would represent their longest one since April 26, 2018. This current six-game losing streak is the longest one since the shortened 2020 season when they lost six in a row in the final week of August. Furthermore, tonight’s game marked the one-week anniversary since their last win, a week in which they were outscored 29-12. Could tonight finally be the one they would put an end to all of those narratives? Not only had it been a whole week since the last time the Twins won a game, but it had also been a week since they had a two-run lead in a game (seriously, how did we make it through this week without losing our minds?). That changed right from the get-go tonight. After a long but scoreless top of the first by Joe Ryan, the offense decided to show up early: leadoff man Kyle Garlick got hit by Giants’ starter Alex Wood, and, immediately after that, Carlos Correa hit a two-run bomb to deep left field. That was Correa’s first dinger since August 13. Seeing some runs on the board early on might’ve been a relief, but it felt like it would all melt away soon. After a 20-pitch first, Ryan struggled once again to put away batters quickly in the second. Despite facing the bottom half of the San Francisco lineup, he allowed Brandon Crawford (walk) and Austin Slater (double) to reach, and suddenly, the Giants had two men in scoring position with one out. Ryan managed to induce a pop out and a fly out to end the threat, but not before his pitch count had been driven to 45 pitches. Minnesota scores six runs on five hits in the third Ryan settled in nicely in the top of the third, finishing off the top of the Giants’ order on 15 pitches. In retribution, the offense decided to put the game away. They loaded the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles (Sandy León, Garlick, and Correa) for José Miranda. The rookie couldn’t make it four in a row, but he hit a line drive long enough to bring León home from third. When Wood struck out Gio Urshela for the second out, it felt like he would limit the damage to a minimum, but Minnesota’s bats had other plans. Jorge Polanco was hit on the foot, and once again, the bases were juiced. Gilberto Celestino stepped up to the plate and was a few feet away from hitting a grand slam, but he settled for a bases-clearing double off the center field wall to make it 6-0 Twins. And they weren’t done! As former Twin Zack Littell was warming up to replace Wood, Gary Sánchez also went yard for a two-run laser to right, his 12th home run of the season and the first one since August 10. This eight-run lead was the largest one the Twins had built since August 16, when they crushed the Royals at Target Field for a 9-0 win. Such a comfortable lead helped Ryan. He faced the minimum with only 24 pitches in the fourth and fifth innings; to start the sixth, he lost the first two batters he faced by giving up a leadoff walk to Tommy La Stella and hitting Wilmer Flores on the elbow. But after a mound visit, he retired the next three batters, including a couple of punch outs, for a total of eight in the game. Ryan completed six without allowing a run, making this the first time he’s tossed at least six shutout innings in a game since April 27. Also, for only the fifth time this season, he surpassed the 100-pitch mark with 106, his second-lengthiest start of the season. Bullpen is spotless, offense adds on Emilio Pagán took over for Ryan in the seventh, and he delivered two scoreless frames, allowing only one hit. This was his third multi-inning appearance in his last four outings, possibly confirming his new role as a long middle man. After his eighth inning, the offense added another run to this blowout: Garlick jumped on the first pitch of his at-bat for a solo home run. Michael Fulmer came in to pitch the ninth, and he sealed the deal on 12 pitches. Postgame interview What’s Next? Both teams take the field again tomorrow for game two, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:15 pm CDT. Sonny Gray (3.10 ERA) will toe the rubber for Minnesota, while Alex Cobb (3.99 ERA) will try to avoid a series loss for the Giants. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Fulmer 12 0 23 0 12 47 Pagán 0 14 0 0 28 42 Megill 0 8 0 23 0 31 Smeltzer 0 0 27 0 0 27 Duran 0 0 0 20 0 20 Jax 14 0 0 6 0 20 López 0 0 0 18 0 18 Thielbar 12 0 0 0 0 12 View full article

Facing the Astros’ juggernaut pitching staff, the Twins’ offense was once again dominated, despite a late rally bringing the tying run to the plate. Dylan Bundy was solid through five, but a rough sixth inning cost Minnesota the game. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Dylan Bundy, 5 IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 0K (66 pitches, 44 strikes, 66.6%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Max Kepler (-.301), Michael Fulmer (-.200), José Miranda (-.088) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Bundy tosses five solid innings, gives Twins a chance Right out of the gate, this game seemed doomed for the Twins. Houston starter Framber Valdez had a 1-2-3 first inning that took him only 14 pitches. Then, when Dylan Bundy took the mound for the bottom half, José Altuve took him deep on his very first pitch, putting the Astros on the board right away. Fortunately, Bundy settled in and retired six of the next seven batters faced, only giving up a walk. Meanwhile, the offense attempted to put something together and managed to get two men on base during the second inning after a walk by Luis Arráez followed by a Gilberto Celestino single. They kept pushing until they manufactured the tying run in the next inning. Sandy León led off the third with a walk, and, suddenly, Minnesota had two men in scoring position after a Jorge Polanco double. Former Astro Carlos Correa hit a liner to left, and León tagged and scored. Martín Maldonado broke Bundy’s hot streak with a leadoff double to start the bottom of the third. He was eventually brought home by an Altuve single and a Yuli Gurriel sac fly, regaining the lead for Houston. Once again, Bundy didn’t lose control: by retiring Alex Bregman on a lineout to conclude the third, he began a streak of seven consecutive batters retired, keeping this a one-run game into the sixth. With tonight’s start, Bundy has completed five consecutive starts in which he gives up three earned runs or less. Houston breaks it open against Fulmer Bundy departed the game after two trips through the order, despite having thrown only 66 total pitches. Should he have been kept in the game, given his pitch count? His 8.53 season ERA in the third time through the order sure isn’t very encouraging, so Rocco Baldelli decided to activate the bullpen, bringing Michael Fulmer to pitch the sixth. Houston added a run after Yordan Álvarez stretched a single into a double after a defensive miscue by the Twins’ outfield. He also moved up to third on a wild pitch, which allowed him to score on a Bregman sac fly. Fulmer couldn’t stop the bleeding, giving up another double, this time to Kyle Tucker with two outs. Then, Trey Mancini blasted a two-run shot to right field, making it 5-1 Astros. With Valdez completing seven innings, the Twins’ struggling offense was once again severely uninspired to spark a rally. Devin Smeltzer came in to eat up the final two innings and did a fine job at it, tossing two scoreless frames. After reliever Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless eighth, Rafael Montero came in to try to close out the game, Montero failed to retire the first four batters he faced, and the Twins scored a couple of runs: Arráez doubled Gio Urshela home after he had hit a leadoff single; then, Arráez himself was brought home from second on a Jake Cave fielder’s choice (a ball that was bobbled by Altuve). But when Max Kepler grounded into a double play, Montero had no trouble retiring Gary Sanchez for the game’s final out. Postgame interview What’s Next? On Thursday, these two teams play the final game of the series, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT. To try and avoid the sweep, the Twins turn to Chris Archer (4.02 ERA), who will be facing Luis Garcia (4.09 ERA). After the game, the Twins head back to Minnesota for a six-game homestand. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Smeltzer 45 0 0 0 27 72 Pagán 0 39 0 14 0 53 Fulmer 0 0 12 0 23 35 Jax 11 0 14 0 0 25 Megill 0 15 0 8 0 23 Thielbar 11 0 12 0 0 23 López 9 0 0 0 0 9 Duran 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins’ offense couldn’t get anything going against Rangers starter Kohei Arihara, their bullpen got ambushed for five runs, and a solid start by Joe Ryan went to waste. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 6 1/3 IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 6K (88 pitches, 56 strikes, 63.3%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Trevor Megill (-.174), Nick Gordon (-.111), Carlos Correa (-.065) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Gladden and Tovar are inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame Before first pitch, Twins legends Dan Gladden and César Tovar were honored by the organization with their induction into the club’s Hall of Fame. You can watch Gladden’s emotional speech by clicking here, courtesy of Bally Sports North. The late Tovar, who past away in 1994, was represented by his son César Tovar Jr. during the ceremony. What are your favorite memories of Gladden and Tovar in a Twins uniform? Starters overpower opposing offenses Both starting pitchers dominated their opposing lineups with somewhat ease. Joe Ryan no-hit the Rangers through three on only 29 pitches, with a fantastic 75.9% of strikes and five strikeouts in his first time through the order. During that same span, Rangers starter Kohei Arihara was almost just as brilliant, as he kept the Twins scoreless despite giving up a couple of singles. Ryan’s first mistake came in the fourth inning. He fell behind 3-1 on the count trying to get leadoff man Marcus Semien to chase down and away. On the next pitch, he went up and in, and Semien made him pay: a 418-feet bomb to left put the Rangers on the scoreboard first. Ryan didn’t let that affect him, as he retired the next three batters on nine pitches, including a punchout. Unfortunately for the Twins, their bats were a no-show for most of the game. After the Max Kepler leadoff single in the second, Minnesota’s lineup went 0-for-14 against Arihara, with the only runner produced by the Twins coming off a hit-by-pitch on Jorge Polanco. Fortunately, what was lacking on offense was compensated on defense, as a couple of nice defensive moves by Polanco and Kepler helped get Ryan out of a two-men on and no outs jam in the top of the sixth. Ryan himself made a fine catch on a comebacker to end the sixth inning, and he was allowed to get to the seventh. Then, for a fourth consecutive inning, he allowed the leadoff man to reach with an Adolis García single – only his second hit allowed on the day. He retired the next batter, and Rocco Baldelli decided to remove him from the game. Texas breaks the game open with good baserunning, home run After the single to lead off the seventh against Ryan, García stole second and was suddenly on third after a groundout. When Trevor Megill took over, he hit Leody Taveras, who also stole second. Megill managed to strike out Kole Calhoun for the inning’s second out, but he couldn’t finish things off. He gave up three consecutive singles, and Texas scored three more runs to make it 4-0. It would’ve been four if the Twins hadn’t challenged and overturned a tag play at home to end the inning. In the same inning, the Twins nearly put together a rally for themselves. Arihara came back with a healthy 65 pitch count, but he lost the first two batters of the seventh in Polanco and José Miranda, who hit back-to-back singles. This prompted manager Chris Woodward to pull him from the game. With Tim Beckham pinch-hitting for Nick Gordon, a fifth pitch of the at-bat was initially called a ball that was going to load the bases with one out. Instead, first base umpire Malachi Moore said he went around for a swinging strike. Beckham ended up striking out, and Gio Urshela flied out, ending the Twins' threat. With Emilio Pagán pitching in the eighth, Nathaniel Lowe obliterated a splitter deep into the right field for a 424-feet solo shot, making it 5-0 Rangers. This was basically the final nail in the coffin for the Twins in the afternoon, but the Rangers didn’t stop there. By opening the ninth inning with three consecutive singles, Texas pushed another run across on a Brad Miller RBI. With men on the corners, Semien flied out to right, deep enough to score Bubba Thompson from third. With the postponement of Sunday's Guardians game against the White Sox, the Twins (62-57) are still just a game and a half behind Cleveland (64-56) and one game ahead of Chicago (62-59). Postgame interviews What’s Next? The series continues on Monday, with both teams squaring off at Target Field starting at 6:10 pm CDT. The Twins will get Sonny Gray (3.11 ERA) to the mound for this final game, while Texas will turn to Cole Ragans (5.02 ERA) for the start. After wrapping up the Rangers series, Minnesota heads to Texas for a three-game set against the Houston Astros starting on Tuesday before coming back to the Twin Cities for a six-game homestand. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TOT Pagán 35 0 0 0 39 74 Megill 13 0 24 0 15 52 López 0 0 20 9 0 29 Duran 18 0 10 0 0 28 Thielbar 0 0 17 11 0 28 Fulmer 23 0 0 0 0 23 Jax 12 0 0 11 0 23 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Last night, the Twins secured their first series win in almost two weeks. Today, despite losing starter Tyler Mahle to an injury during the third inning, they closed out the series with another win, representing their first three-game sweep since May 22. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Tyler Mahle, 2 1/3 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K (42 pitches, 29 strikes, 69.0%) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (12) Top 3 WPA: José Miranda (.177), Tyler Mahle (.115), Max Kepler (.069) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins jump to an early three-run lead Coincidentally, the last time the Twins swept an opponent in a three-game set was against this same Royals team. Having won eight of the previous twelve matchups against Kansas City on the year, Minnesota would guarantee at least a season series tie with a win this afternoon. In order to do that, they quickly jumped to an early lead on a couple of swings in the first two innings of the game. After Twins starter Tyler Mahle pitched around a leadoff walk to conclude the top of the first inning, the offense was off to a slow start to the bottom half. Royals’ Daniel Lynch got two outs on two pitches to begin his start, and the opening inning seemed doomed for Minnesota right away. However, Luis Arráez worked a short single against Lynch to keep the inning alive, and cleanup hitter José Miranda followed him with a two-run home run to left center. Mahle threw a scoreless 1-2-3 top of the second, and the bats responded with more run support. Gilberto Celestino lined a leadoff single to center, and the Twins cashed in on a Royals fielding blunder. When Michael Massey made a throwing error to second on a Max Kepler hit, Celestino was able to move to third and be waved in by third base coach Tommy Watkins, scoring Minnesota’s third run of the matchup. Mahle leaves the game in the third inning Other than the leadoff walk in the first, Mahle navigated through the first two innings rather uneventfully, but something seemed off with his velocity. He struck out Nate Eaton on three pitches to start the third inning, but in the middle of his next at-bat, he departed the game with an apparent injury. Later on, the clubhouse announced that he left the game due to some right shoulder fatigue. Having tossed 42 total pitches, his overall velocity averaged 86.1 MPH, with his four-seamer averaging 89.3 MPH. Compared to his season averages, his overall average was down over a full mile per hour (87,2 MPH on the year), and the four-seamer specifically was down over four miles per hour (93,4 MPH on the year). Making his first appearance since Sunday’s nightmarish outing, Emilio Pagán bounced back nicely and delivered two scoreless frames in relief of Mahle. Bullpen, outstanding defense, hold on to the win Pagán allowed a couple of hits during the fourth inning, but he was bailed out by some fantastic defense behind him. First, Nick Gordon stole a deep single from Bobby Witt Jr. with a tremendous diving catch in the corner of the left field. Then, after Salvador Pérez and Vinnie Pasquantino hit back-to-back one-out singles, Pagán induced a groundball double play against Brent Rooker, beautifully turned in by Arráez and Miranda to end the inning. Fortunately for Pagán and whoever came in to pitch after him, the offense added one more run to the Twins’ lead. After flashing the leather at the top of the fourth, Gordon also made his offensive contribution. Gary Sánchez drew a one-out walk, and a couple of at-bats later, Gordon jumped on the first pitch he saw for a double that brought Sánchez home, making it 4-0 Minnesota. Pagán departed the game in the fifth, after getting the inning’s first out, with Griffin Jax taking over. With an inherited runner, he induced an inning-ending groundball double play on his first pitch. He also breezed through the sixth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning on eleven pitches and two strikeouts. Pagán and Jax nearly completed four innings of shutout ball, making for a brilliant afternoon by the bullpen. When Jhoan Duran took over to pitch the seventh, it seemed like things were about to change. Pérez and Pasquantino, once again, hit back-to-back singles to open the inning and suddenly had the chance to make this a one-run game with a swing of the bat. Duran struck out the next batter before Celestino made yet another brilliant defensive move for the Twins defense, taking a hit away from Massey with a diving catch. Michael Fulmer was made to work hard to get through the eighth, but eventually stranded two runners to give Trevor Megill a four-run lead in the ninth. Topping at 100.5 MPH, Megill had no trouble to toss a 1-2-3 inning and secure the win. With its first three-game winning streak since June 27, Minnesota now improves to 61-55 and have the chance to climb into a virtual tie at first place of the American League Central with the Cleveland Guardians later tonight, in case of a Cleveland loss. Postgame interviews What’s Next? Minnesota has the day off tomorrow, and they begin a four-game set against the Texas Rangers on Friday, also at Target Field. Game one is scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday, and neither team has named a starter just yet. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Pagán 9 10 0 0 35 54 Fulmer 0 20 0 7 23 50 Duran 19 0 10 0 18 47 Jax 13 0 14 0 12 39 Megill 0 26 0 0 13 39 Thielbar 13 0 8 17 0 38 López 19 0 13 0 0 32 Sands 0 0 0 19 0 19 View full article

This is an absolutely amazing story, @Theo Tollefson! Thank you for this!

After being up 5-0, the Twins failed to capitalize on offense, allowing Toronto to tie the game in the ninth. Thanks to the bullpen and some lousy defense by Toronto, the Twins were able to get a wild walk-off win in extras to even the series. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Tyler Mahle, 6 IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 5K (86 pitches, 61 strikes, 70.9%) Home Runs: Mark Contreras (2), Nick Gordon (5) Top 3 WPA: Michael Fulmer (.307), Carlos Correa (.205), Jhoan Duran (.118) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A good turnout showed up at Target Field on a lovely evening, and all eyes were on the Twins’ new starter Tyler Mahle, who was set to make his first start for Minnesota since being acquired at the trade deadline. Well, some hundreds of eyes might’ve also been on old friend and still beloved by all, José Berríos, especially those of Blue Jays fans all over the place. The first two innings of this game seemed to set the tone: it was going to be a pitchers’ duel. Both starters faced the minimum, with Berríos needing only 14 pitches to do so – 12 fewer pitches than Mahle. But things took a shift in a very different direction once the third inning started. After Mahle pitched around a leadoff walk in the top of the inning, Berríos suffered his first punch. Mark Contreras fell behind in the count 0-2, but he came back to crush a line drive to left-center for his second home run in the big leagues, putting the Twins on the board. Berríos limited the damage to the one run heading to the fourth, and while Mahle continued to dominate the Blue Jay lineup, the former Twins ace just lost it. After Mahle tossed a quick, 1-2-3 top of the fourth on seven pitches, Berríos’ nightmare against his old teammates was about to start. Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco opened up the home fourth with a long double and a walk, respectively. Next, José Miranda lined a single to center to push Correa across. Then, Nick Gordon didn’t waste any time and jumped on the first pitch he saw for a three-run bomb to right-center. A definite no-doubter to break the game wide open, making it 5-0 Twins before Berríos could even record an out. Minnesota’s offense continued to pound him, and after a Tim Beckham one-out single and a Sandy León two-out walk, Berríos was pulled from the game. Toronto rallies back with three home runs After four innings of sheer dominance over the Blue Jays lineup, Mahle started to lose his stuff. After retiring seven batters in a row and just as he was one out away from delivering a scoreless fifth, he gave up a two-out home run to Matt Chapman, putting Toronto on the board. He completed five innings of one-run ball on only sixty pitches, still in his second time through the order. But just as Berríos’ first home run given up gave Minnesota some momentum, Chapman’s dinger did exactly the same. After a lengthy at-bat by Raimel Tapia to start the sixth inning, Toronto’s number nine hitter, Santiago Espinal, hit a one-out solo homer to center to score the visitors’ second run. Newcomer Whit Merrifield, a career .297 hitter against the Twins, followed Espinal’s home run with a single that set Blue Jays fans on fire at Target Field. Then, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed a long two-run dong to cut Minnesota’s lead to 5-4. Mahle managed to get back on track and finish the inning, but only after he tossed 26 pitches, the most out of any inning in this game. By doing so, he became the first Twins starter to complete six innings in a game in almost two weeks. Bullpen withstands pressure, but missed opportunities prove costly On Thursday, the Twins bullpen had one of the worst outings of the season, giving up all nine Toronto runs in a devastating loss. Tonight, they had a great opportunity to rebound from such an awful display, and they did a fine job. Griffin Jax struck out the side facing the heart of the Blue Jays lineup for a quick, 11-pitch seventh inning. Then, Jhoan Duran got two quick outs in the eighth but gave up a single to Merrifield, having to face Guerrero Jr. with the game on the line next. Pete Maki made a mound visit and decided not to intentionally walk the All-Star first baseman. Duran couldn’t retire Guerrero Jr., but he managed to induce weak-enough contact to hold him to a groundball single. Facing Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Duran got the huge final out on a force out, setting Jorge López up for the save. After not capitalizing on leadoff doubles in the seventh and the eighth innings, the Twins had flame-throwing closer López in the ninth to try to hold on to a one-run lead. The All-Star closer lost Bo Bichette to a one-out single but retired Chapman next after a tough at-bat for the second out. However, Danny Jansen and Tapia hit back-to-back singles and scored Bichette. That was López’s third blown save all year. Offense loads the bases in the 9th, but comes out empty-handed Gio Urshela was briefly brought into the game in the ninth inning to pinch-hit for León, and for a third consecutive inning, Minnesota had the leadoff man on. He smacked a single off Yimi Garcia, then left the game for pinch-runner Gilberto Celestino. Luis Arráez moved him to second on a groundout, then he reached third on a fielding error by Cavan Biggio. With only one out, the Jays made the bold decision to intentionally walk Polanco and bring none other than Miranda to the plate with the bases loaded. He struck out swinging, and Garcia got Gordon to fly out on the next at-bat, taking the game to extra innings. The Twins finished regulation with an awful 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Twins walk off on a couple of defensive mistakes by Toronto Michael Fulmer, making his second appearance as a Twin, scared us all when he gave up a walk to Guerrero Jr. and a single to Gurriel Jr. to load the bases in the 10th inning. However, he bounced back incredibly by striking out Teoscar Hernández and Bichette. It was again up to the offense to salvage this game. Jake Cave had a great, six-pitch at-bat against Jordan Romano, which ended in a strikeout that Jansen couldn’t hold on to. When he made the throw to first, Guerrero Jr. couldn’t hold on to the ball, and ghost runner Gordon reached third. With two men on and no outs, Beckham grounded to short, and Gordon beat the throw by Chapman at home to win the game. Postgame interview What’s Next? Both teams are back on the field tomorrow for game three, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 pm CDT. The Twins turn to Dylan Bundy (5.04 ERA), while Mitch White (3.70 ERA) starts the game for Toronto. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Jax 20 24 0 0 11 55 Fulmer 23 0 13 0 15 51 Duran 10 0 19 0 17 46 Pagán 0 16 0 25 0 41 Megill 0 8 0 29 0 37 López 0 0 7 0 30 37 Thielbar 0 0 11 0 0 11 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Minnesota’s pitchers combined for a fantastic afternoon on the mound, and the offense came through when needed, despite some early struggles, helping the Twins to secure a series victory against the Tigers at Target Field. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 9K (78 pitches, 63 strikes, 80.8%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Sandy León (.200), Joe Ryan (.155), Michael Fulmer (.079) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Four new ballplayers joined the Twins at Tuesday’s trade deadline, three pitchers (Tyler Mahle, Jorge López, and Michael Fulmer) and a catcher (Sandy León). With Minnesota’s pitching going through an incredibly rough patch for weeks now, it was natural for the pitcher trades to be celebrated the most. But it was the lone bat acquired in those deals to make some noise first. After going down in order in the first inning, the offense set the wheels in motion in the second. TD’s hitter of the month of July, José Miranda kicked things off with a leadoff single shortly before Nick Gordon drew a one-out walk. Lefty Tyler Alexander managed to retire Jake Cave for the second out, but he couldn’t dodge the León bullet. Batting eighth in his very first at-bat as a Twin, León drove in both runners with a double to the left-field corner. Unfortunately for the Twins, the offense couldn’t do much outside that second inning. Alexander pitched three perfect innings around it, keeping the Twins bats on a leash. Fortunately for the Twins, though, Joe Ryan had a tremendous start to this game – perhaps another impact brought to the table by León. Ryan tossed four scoreless innings to open this game, allowing only two hits while striking out seven. During the fifth, he had some issues, causing him to hit two batters and allowing Riley Greene to push the leadoff runner across, scoring Detroit’s first run. Ryan limited the damage to the one run by striking out the next two batters for a total of nine through five. Also, TD’s Nick Nelson found this gem: Came the sixth inning, and Rocco Baldelli decided it was time to have another new Twin make his debut for Minnesota. Fulmer needed only 13 pitches, nine of which were strikes, to toss a scoreless frame with a punch out. He also caught former teammate Harold Castro trying to steal second to end the inning. In the home sixth, Byron Buxton led things off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was pushed across by a Carlos Correa single, making it 3-1 Minnesota. While Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran did a fine job keeping the lead intact through the seventh and eighth innings, the bats had a hard time adding on. Cave and León got back-to-back hits in the seventh (León’s first multi-hit game of the season), but both runners ended up being stranded. But they managed to get one more insurance run for Jorge Lopez to have an easier time trying to get his first save as a Twin in the ninth. Buxton led off the eighth with a single, shortly before Jorge Polanco got his first hit of the afternoon, a one-out single. Miranda drew a walk to load the bases with one out, and the Twins had the chance to break the game open. Gio Urshela hit a sac-fly to center to score Buxton from third, but that was all Minnesota got, as Gordon struck out next to end the inning. López stepped up for his first save opportunity with Minnesota and he breezed through the ninth, retiring the side on seven pitches, concluding a perfect debut for the new fellows. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins continue their homestand on Thursday when they start a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for tomorrow at 6:40 pm CDT, with Sonny Gray (3.41 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota and Alek Manoah (2.43 ERA) starting for Toronto. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Pagán 20 20 0 16 0 56 Jax 11 0 20 24 0 55 Duran 11 0 10 0 19 40 Megill 7 23 0 8 0 38 Fulmer 0 0 23 0 13 36 Duffey 28 0 0 7 0 35 Moran 0 16 0 10 0 26 Thielbar 0 7 0 0 11 18 López 0 0 0 0 7 7 View full article

The Twins snapped the three-game losing streak and evened the series against the Padres in San Diego behind a fantastic offensive display in the eighth inning, set in motion by a clutch two-run home run by Carlos Correa. Sonny Gray had a solid start, and the bullpen was mostly solid for four innings. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 5 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 5K (79 pitches, 52 strikes, 65.8%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (26), Carlos Correa (13) Top 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (.187), Byron Buxton (.173) Sonny Gray (.147) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Both starting pitchers displayed dominance for the first portion of this game, especially San Diego’s Joe Musgrove. The former Pirate retired the first eight batters he faced and ten of the first eleven. Sonny Gray wasn’t just as sharp and got some vital help from a beautiful 6-4-3 double play turned in by the Twin defense in the second, which prevented a run from scoring later that same inning. San Diego struck first when Manny Machado hit a two-out solo home run in the third on a gorgeous swing, his eighteenth of the season. But it wouldn’t take long for the Twins to respond. In the top of the fourth, they almost tied the game when Carlos Correa crushed a fastball for a long foul ball that was just foul. Musgrove needed to do something to avoid that kind of contact, and he was almost successful at it against Byron Buxton, who fell behind 0-2 on two swinging strikes. But came the third pitch of the at-bat, he returned to his four-seamer, and Buxton got all of it. He obliterated that pitch (111.1 MPH exit velocity) for a game-tying solo shot. Gray didn’t show any signs that the home run he gave up affected him, as he pitched a perfect fourth with two strikeouts. But Musgrove came back for the fifth and had his shakiest inning in the game, allowing Minnesota to take its first lead of the series. Jose Miranda was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and he would end up scoring the go-ahead run after a Nick Gordon single and a Gilberto Celestino line drive to right. This could’ve been an even more productive inning for Minnesota, with two men on and the top of the lineup coming up, but Luis Arraez and Correa both struck out to end the inning. Gray delivered another solid scoreless frame in the fifth, pitching around a leadoff single to He-Seong Kim, and he was pulled from the game at 79 pitches. With today’s outing, he has back-to-back starts in which he allows one earned run or less for the first time since June 15. It’s a relief to see him perform this well against such a strong opponent, especially after a few rocky starts this month. Before today’s game, he had allowed three or more earned runs in four of his previous six games, which drove his season ERA to near four. Minnesota caught a huge break during the seventh inning. After a C.J. Abrams one-out single against Trevor Megill that broke an 0-for-8 skid for the Padres offense, left-fielder Jurickson Profar hit a hard groundball that would much likely tie the game or at least send Abrams to third. However, the ball hit second base umpire Jerry Layne, and Abrams was forced to stay at second base. Megill departed the game right away, and Griffin Jax came in to brilliantly get the final two outs of the inning. Correa’s home run sparks a five-run inning Arráez got his first hit of the day in the eighth inning with a one-out single to right. Correa would bat after him, having struck out in each one of his previous three at-bats. Just as the Fox commentators were talking about his possible “Golden Sombrero,” he crushed a 2-2 four-seamer up the middle for a 414-feet home run, making it 4-1 Minnesota. The Twins blitz continued. After a pitching change that brought Dinelson Lamet to pitch for the Padres, Correa’s homer was followed by a Buxton single (and a stolen base by him) and a Jorge Polanco walk. With only one out, Kyle Garlick grounded into a force out which was going to be a double play, but Abrams made a throwing error to first, allowing Buxton to score. Lamet couldn’t stop the bleeding, and two more runs would score on two hits. First, Miranda hit a long single to drive in Garlick and allow him to stretch it into second. Then, Gordon hit a long line drive to left that bounced and reached the seats, scoring Miranda on a ground rule double, making it 7-1 Minnesota. After Emilio Pagan, Megill, and Jax combined for two scoreless, Jhoan Duran cruised through the bottom of the eighth on eleven pitches. Then, despite the six-run lead, Tyler Duffey scared us all. He retired the first batter he faced at the bottom of the ninth, but gave up a walk and hit a batter in the next two at-bats. Then, Profar hit a three-run home run, keeping San Diego's hopes alive. Fortunately, Duffey was able to strike out Machado and induce a game-ending groundout against Eric Hosmer. What’s Next? The rubber game of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:10 pm CDT. Dylan Bundy (5.02 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins, while Sean Manaea (4.33 ERA) gets the start for the Padres. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Duffey 25 0 0 0 28 53 Moran 0 21 0 25 0 46 Cano 0 46 0 0 0 46 Cotton 0 33 0 13 0 46 Duran 32 0 0 0 11 43 Pagán 20 0 0 0 20 40 Jax 12 0 0 0 11 23 Smith 17 0 0 0 0 17 Megill 0 10 0 0 7 17 View full article

First baseman Rowdy Tellez drove in six runs on two home runs and almost single-handedly catapulted the Brewers to another win and the series sweep. Chris Archer struggled with his command and had one of his worst starts of the year. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer, 3 IP, 3H, 6R, 6ER, 6BB, 2K (78 pitches, 36 strikes, 46.1%) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (9), Kyle Garlick (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Chris Archer (-.309), Jharel Cotton (-.191), Luis Arraez (-.067) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Things did not look good at all for Minnesota after the first inning of this game. Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes cruised through the top of the inning on 16 pitches, with the only Twins baserunner coming after a fielding error on the outfield. Then, Chris Archer struggled badly, allowing each of the first four batters he faced to reach. After a Christian Yelich leadoff walk and a single by Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez crushed the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run. The Twins provided a quick response, though. At the top of the second, José Miranda homered off Burnes in the very first pitch of the inning, putting Minnesota on the board, and starting Burnes’ nightmare inning. The Twins lineup made the All-Star starter work twice as hard to get through the second inning – it took him 32 pitches to complete the frame. After the Miranda home run and an Alex Kirilloff groundout, Minnesota’s bottom third of the lineup got three consecutive hits that scored two more runs and tied the game. Kyle Garlick doubled to right and scored after Nick Gordon did the same thing. Gordon himself scored too on a Gary Sanchez liner to center. The Twins were back at the top of the lineup with only one out and a man on, but they couldn’t capitalize. In fact, Burnes really settled down starting right there, in the second inning. He struck out Luis Arráez and Carlos Correa to get out of the jam, but that wasn’t all. Those two strikeouts began a hot streak for the Crew’s ace, as he went on to retire thirteen straight Minnesota batters. Archer, bullpen give up seven runs on two home runs Archer tossed a couple of scoreless innings, in the second and in the third, but the Brewers ambushed him again in the fourth, and he was done. Despite facing the bottom half of the Milwaukee lineup, he struggled to throw strikes and surrendered three consecutive walks. Jharel Cotton took over, trying to put out the fire, but he ultimately couldn’t do it. After a strikeout, he gave up a loaded bases walk to Yelich that gave the Brewers the lead. Then, Adames hit a sac-fly to left to score Luis Urias from third, making it 5-3 Milwaukee. He was one out away from keeping the game open. Then, Tellez happened. Again. After a hard-fought seven-pitch at-bat, the big man destroyed a changeup at the heart of the plate (111.8 MPH exit velocity) for a three-run dong that blew the game wide open. Making his first appearance since July 14, Yennier Cano took over in relief of Cotton in the fifth. Since being sent down to Triple-A Saint Paul, Cano improved very much, maintaining a 3.85 ERA through eleven appearances and allowing only one earned run in five appearances (six innings) in July for the Saints. He got called up last Friday and got his first look back at majors today. He retired Hunter Renfroe to start the fifth, but he was really shaky for the remainder of the inning. Kolten Wong hit a double off him, and Urías blasted a two-run shot to make it 10-3 Milwaukee, basically putting the game out of reach. Cano continued in the game for the sixth inning, and things looked much smoother for him. He tossed a scoreless frame on 16 pitches, pitching around a leadoff walk to Tellez. Twins get one back but can’t spark a rally Minnesota’s second home run of the afternoon was also leadoff fashion. Garlick took Jake McGee deep in the first pitch of the seventh inning, cutting the Brewers’ lead to six. Following that homer, Gordon drew a four-pitch walk off the same McGee, with the top of the lineup coming up. But the Milwaukee reliever managed to retire the next three batters faced to end the threat. Miranda got his third hit of the afternoon in the eighth inning, making it three-consecutive games with at least three hits. His season numbers are now up to .281 AVG and .799 OPS, but he’s even better in his recent games, slashing .377/.431/.642 (1.073) in his last 15 games. The YouTube broadcast fellows said he doesn’t stand a chance at winning rookie of the year. Could they be wrong? What’s Next? Tomorrow the Twins have their second off day this week as they head for South California, where they’ll start a three-game set against the Padres in San Diego. Game one is scheduled to start at 8:40 pm CDT on Friday, with Joe Ryan (2.89 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota and Blake Snell (4.75 ERA) toeing the rubber for the Padres. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Moran 28 0 0 0 21 49 Cano 0 0 0 0 46 46 Cotton 0 11 0 0 33 44 Duran 11 0 0 32 0 43 Duffey 11 0 0 25 0 36 Smith 0 16 0 17 0 33 Jax 0 13 0 12 0 25 Pagán 2 0 0 20 0 22 Megill 7 0 0 0 10 17 View full article

It was a fantastic afternoon for pitchers at Target Field, with both teams holding each other to one run each until the bottom of the ninth. But José Miranda came through against one of baseball’s best closers to walk off the Brewers and even the series. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5 1/3 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K (78 pitches, 50 strikes, 64.1%) Home Runs: Jose Miranda (8) Too 3 WPA: Max Kepler (.250), Joe Ryan (.190), Jhoan Duran (.133) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off one of his roughest starts of the season exactly one week ago, Joe Ryan was determined to turn the page. The last time he was on the mound, he allowed three runs to score (one unearned) while giving up five hits and two walks in just four innings. It was only the third time this season in which he didn’t pitch more than four frames, the first one since May 10. This time around, he looked much sharper and comfortable with his command. If against the White Sox last week, it took him 85 pitches to get through four today, he did it on only 56 pitches with nearly 70% strikes. He was mostly lights out during that span, throwing three 1-2-3 innings and doing so with the lead after two: after Ryan Jeffers and Alex Kirilloff reached on a two-out walk and a hit by pitch, respectively, Gilberto Celestino drove in Jeffers with a liner to center. But Milwaukee tied the game right at the beginning of the third inning with a leadoff home run by Jace Peterson. Celestino made his best effort to steal it at the track, but he fell short. Victor Caratini hit a single right after Peterson’s home run, threatening a Brewer rally, but Ryan didn’t let it get to him, as it appears to have happened a week ago. He followed that single by retiring seven in a row. He did give up back-to-back walks in the fifth but once again was able to pitch around those to end the inning. Minnesota can’t take advantage of runners in scoring position In last night’s game, the Twins lineup had trouble getting men on base, especially against the Milwaukee bullpen. This afternoon, however, Minnesota matched last night’s total hits (six) with only five innings. The problem? They couldn’t capitalize on those runners. Through five, the Twins went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and had a total of nine men left on base. During the fifth inning, Kyle Garlick and José Miranda hit back-to-back one-out singles, ending Aaron Ashby’s afternoon. Minnesota brought in Luis Arraez to pinch hit for Gio Urshela, but reliever Trevor Gott took care of things and stranded both runners. The Brewers defense didn’t make things any easier for Minnesota either. After Carlos Correa drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, Jorge Polanco blasted a long flyball to deep center that had a 66% expected batting average and would very likely turn into an RBI extra-base hit. But Jonathan Davis robbed him of the hit with an outstanding defensive play. But that didn’t stop the Twins' momentum. In that same inning, Max Kepler hit a long double to right, which also sent Correa to third. Miranda popped out next for the second out, then Milwaukee chose to intentionally walk Arráez to load the bases. Jeffers hit a grounder towards second that caused Kolten Wong some problems with its weird hop, but he ultimately was able to make a beautiful play to beat Arráez at second. After Ryan departed the game in the sixth inning, the Twins bullpen took over and did a fine job holding back Milwaukee’s offense. Caleb Thielbar (1 1/3), Griffin Jax (1 1/3), and Jhoan Duran (1.0) combined for 3 2/3 scoreless frames. They pretty much kept alive Minnesota’s chances of winning the game on a walk-off. The problem was that the Brewer bullpen was just as dominant. Gott, Brad Boxberger, and Devin Williams combined for 3 2/3 shutout innings, setting it up for baseball’s best closer in Josh Hader – who only had one blown save this entire season, over a month ago. A recipe for disaster, right? But the Twins offense fought against the odds and managed to overcome such a dominant opponent. Polanco worked a leadoff walk and was followed by a Kepler single. After a mound visit, it was up to Miranda, who was having a two-hit day. He smoked a three-run homer to the second deck of left field to end the game in amazing fashion. What’s Next? Minnesota continues their homestand tomorrow when they begin a four-game set against division foes Chicago White Sox. Game 1 will have Sonny Gray (3.03 ERA) looking for a bounceback start against Johnny Cueto (2.91 ERA). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Thielbar 0 23 0 0 29 52 Duffey 26 21 0 0 0 47 Megill 22 0 0 24 0 46 Duran 14 16 0 0 15 45 Jax 15 11 0 0 16 42 Moran 0 0 0 22 0 22 Pagan 0 0 0 13 0 13 Cotton 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins had a promising start to the series opener against the Rangers, especially on defense, but a Sonny Gray meltdown in the fifth inning was enough for Texas to secure a come-from-behind win. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 4 2/3 IP, 4H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 0K (82 pitches, 47 strikes, 57.3%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (10), Ryan Jeffers (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar (-.320), Sonny Gray (-.192), Gio Urshela (-.139) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Texas’ defensive miscues help Minnesota’s offense Some early offensive productivity led to two quick runs for Minnesota – but also to a few stranded runners. Luis Arráez reached on a fielding error to lead off the game, and exactly three pitches into Carlos Correa’s at-bat, he hit a two-run home run to give the Twins the lead. They also had a promising start to the second inning, with Nick Gordon hitting a leadoff double and Arráez drawing a two-out walk, but Correa couldn’t come through this time. As Sonny Gray faced the minimum through two thanks to some sharp defense behind him, the Twins took advantage of some more poor fielding from Texas to add on. Byron Buxton led off the third inning by reaching on a fielding error by Corey Seager, who couldn’t glove a routine ground ball. Then, catcher Jonah Heim made a throwing mistake trying to pick off Buxton, who ended up reaching third. Buxton dove head first into third and apparently had his hand spiked by third baseman Josh Smith, but he remained in the game. Max Kepler then hit a slow ground ball that found the gap, allowing Buxton to score easily from third. The Rangers weren’t done making errors, as Kepler advanced to second on a Jon Gray wild pitch, but the Rangers starter managed to retire the net three batters to end the inning. Twins defense put on a highlight reel topped by a Buxton gem The Rangers couldn’t figure things out on defense, allowing the Twins to build an important early lead. The Twins, on the other hand, played some superb defense in support of Sonny Gray. Jorge Polanco and Correa, with his cannon of an arm, turned in a vital double play to put on the breaks to a potential Ranger rally. Polanco made an outstanding off-balance throw to Arráez to avoid a leadoff single by Kole Calhoun in the third, helping keep Sonny Gray’s pitch count as low as 33 after three. But no play (maybe in history) was more impressive than Buxton’s diving catch against the center-field track, behind a leaping Gordon, stealing a sure extra-base hit from Marcus Semien. That might’ve been the most impressive defensive play of his career so far. Sonny Gray struggles badly in the 5th; Rangers score six runs Sonny Gray was incredibly solid for the first four innings of the game. He completed said innings on 50 pitches, throwing 72.0% strikes, and allowing only a hit and a walk. But things completely fell apart during the fifth inning, and the Rangers exploded for six total runs. Failing to throw strikes, Sonny Gray loaded the bases with no outs with back-to-back singles and a walk. Then, he hit former Twin Mitch Garver, putting Texas on the board. Texas would score two more runs on a Leody Taveras sacrifice fly and a Josh Smith, tying the game. Sonny Gray got the second out before he departed the game, leaving two runners on for Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar couldn’t prevent the Rangers from scoring: Corey Seager hit a three-run home run, giving the Rangers their first lead of the night, 6-3. Sonny Gray finished the night with five runs, all earned. He threw 32 pitches in the fifth with an awful 34.4% strikes. What might have happened with him? Garver will have surgery, but wanted to play against the Twins During the game, Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning Star posted on Twitter that he had confirmed that Mitch Garver will have season-ending surgery on his right flexor tendon. Mid-game, the Rangers broadcasters talked about Garver and said that the team had given him the option of going on the IL or playing this series against his old team, and Garver wanted to play. Garver DHd and batted eighth for the Rangers. He went 0-for-2, walked, and was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Garver was certainly a professional with the Twins, and earned his stripes from "Senior Sign" to "Silver Slugger" all while treating Twins Daily and the fans tremendously. Obviously, we at Twins Daily wish Garver well with the surgery and look forward to the Sauce returning healthy in 2023. Twins get within one on a Jeffers home run, but it's not enough If Minnesota had hopes to rally back they probably should strike back soon – and that’s precisely what they did. Gordon led off the sixth inning with his second double of the night and after Gio Urshela quickly flew out, Ryan Jeffers crushed a 412-feet bomb to the bullpen area, a home run that left his bat at 102.8 MPH. The offense produced some more baserunners in the following two innings, but couldn’t capitalize. The Twins bullpen kept Minnesota’s chances alive, but the rally fell short in the ninth. Things could’ve been different if a Buxton fair ball down the third-base line hadn’t been called a foul ball by Angel Hernandez. What’s Next? Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 3:05 pm CDT, and it’s likely to be a low-scoring one: the Twins bring Devin Smeltzer (3.04 ERA) to the mound, who’s coming off three consecutive quality starts, while Texas will have old friend Martín Pérez (2.34 ERA) start the game for them, having the best season of his career so far. Postgame interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Cotton 0 21 0 0 42 63 Pagán 18 0 23 0 10 51 Jax 26 0 17 0 0 43 Thielbar 0 11 8 0 13 32 Duffey 13 18 0 0 0 31 Duran 20 0 9 0 0 29 Megill 0 2 22 0 0 24 Moran 0 0 8 0 0 8 View full article

The Twins gave up the lead five times throughout this game and ended up being walked off in the 10th inning. They fail to complete the sweep and lose their first game against the White Sox of the year. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K (85 pitches, 56 strikes, 65.8%) Home Runs: Jorge Polanco, 2 (12), Gio Urshela (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Trevor Megill (-.350), Emilio Pagan (-.230), Jovani Moran (-.195) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) For the third consecutive game, the Twins managed to load the bases in the first inning and came up empty-handed. Well, at least we thought so at first. After a Luis Arraez leadoff single and a couple of walks, from Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff grounded in what was first ruled as an inning-ending double play. However, someone at the Twins dugout noticed that Tim Anderson didn’t have the ball in his glove when he tagged Kepler at second, so the call on the field was overturned and Arráez run scored. The lead didn’t last long, though, as Joe Ryan struggled with his command in the first inning. Despite getting first-pitch strikes against four of the five batters he faced, it took him 29 pitches to get through the first. He lost Anderson to a leadoff walk and he scored shortly after that on a Jose Abreu double. Fortunately, that was all Chicago got in that inning. Minnesota got back on top in the second inning on three consecutive one-out hits. Gio Urshela hit a single to center and scored at the next at-bat on a long Ryan Jeffers double to deep center. Then, Arráez got his second hit of the afternoon with an RBI single to shallow center, making it 3-1 Twins. Arraez even moved to second after a wild pitch from old friend Lance Lynn, but the former Twin struck out Polanco and Byron Buxton to end the threat. The game continued to go back and forth. Ryan settled down after the long first inning, pitching a couple of scoreless with almost the same number of pitches (31) it took him to complete the first. But he failed to remain sharp during the fourth, which would end up being his final inning in this game. After Lynn retired eight consecutive Twins, Ryan began the fourth giving up a leadoff single to Gavin Sheets. Facing Eloy Jimenez next, Ryan managed to get an 0-2 count but ended up allowing a game-tying two-run homer. The Twins provided quick response in the following inning. Seemingly unstoppable right now, Arráez got his third hit of the day on the second pitch he saw to lead off the fifth. Then Polanco also jumped on an early pitch and smashed it to right field for a two-run dong, putting the Twins back on top, 5-3. Ryan has now allowed three or more runs in four of his last starts. He didn’t come back to pitch in the bottom of the fifth, with Emilio Pagán taking over in his relief – and he soon blew the lead. Three of the first four hitters he faced reached safely, including Andrew Vaughn, who hit a leadoff single, and Luis Robert, who hit a rocket for a game-tying two-run shot. This went on for a couple more innings. In the seventh, Polanco hit his second home run of the night, a leadoff shot against reliever Kendall Graveman. This is Polo’s first multi-HR game of the season. But the White Sox would naturally tie the game again in the bottom of the inning. Griffin Jax allowed three hits, including an RBI single to Jiménez, making it 6-6. Minnesota regained the lead in the eighth – because of course they would. Jose Miranda hit his 12th double of the season to lead off the inning. Then, Urshela went yard for the Twins’ third home run of the afternoon. It was 8-6 Twins with six outs to go. Could the bullpen hold on to this lead? Not really. In the bottom of the inning, Vaughn crushed a two-run bomb off Trevor Megill and the game was tied for the fifth in the game, 8-8. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth, becoming only the second Twins pitcher not to allow a run to score in the whole game, alongside Caleb Thielbar's clean sixth. The game went to extra innings and Minnesota put some pressure when Miranda drew a leadoff walk, but they couldn’t capitalize. Jovani Moran pitched in the 10th and he allowed Josh Harrison to walk and ghost runner Adam Engel to move up to third on a passed ball. Then, Leury Garcia brought home the winning run on a single to end the game. What’s Next? Minnesota has a day off on Thursday when they will be traveling to Texas. On Friday, they start a weekend series against the Rangers in Arlington, with Sonny Gray (2.47 ERA) scheduled to start against Jon Gray (3.96 ERA). The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Cotton 38 0 0 21 0 59 Pagán 10 0 18 0 23 51 Jax 0 0 26 0 17 43 Duffey 0 0 13 18 0 31 Duran 0 0 20 0 9 29 Moran 0 18 0 0 8 26 Megill 0 0 0 2 22 24 Thielbar 0 0 0 11 8 19 View full article