Thiéres Rabelo

After six consecutive good games from the Twins’ offense, the bats went back to sleep in the series finale against the Mariners. Pablo López was far from brilliant but kept Minnesota in the game – something the bullpen failed to do. Image courtesy of Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (98 pitches, 60 strikes, 61.2%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (-.105), Alex Kirilloff (-.093), Willi Castro (-.084) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) López escapes a couple of jams to complete five This has not been an easy season for Pablo López at all. After a hot start, he had a roller-coaster stint between late April and early June. Then, he had a fantastic ten starts leading to the All-Star break, which included a memorable complete-game shutout. It seemed like he was back on track… until he gave up seven runs to the last-placed Oakland Athletics last Saturday in his first start after the break. What version of him would be on the mound this afternoon in Seattle? At first, things didn’t look good. After Mariners’ starter George Kirby took care of the Twins’ offense on only 15 pitches, Seattle’s offense ambushed López in a hurry. They loaded the bases before López could record an out through some early swings. After a strikeout, Teoscar Hernández lined a single to short past a diving Kyle Farmer to push J.P. Crawford across. Despite two incredibly hard-fought at-bats, López managed to strike out the next two batters to end the threat, having given up only the one run, but not before his pitch count reached 36. López usually enjoys a considerable amount of run support, with the offense scoring an average of 4.31 runs per nine when he’s on the mound this season. The Twins’ offense looked fantastic since the break, having scored at least five runs in each of the six games since. Sadly, that wasn’t the case this afternoon. Minnesota’s bats couldn’t muster a single hit off Kirby until Matt Wallner singled in the third. And that was all the offense could produce for 4 2/3 innings when Farmer tripled to deep center. Kirby didn’t give up a single walk through six while also striking out nine. Things were rough for Pablo in the first, but he bounced back and tossed two quick, 1-2-3 innings in the second and third. But in the first at-bat of the fourth, Hernández got the best of him again and smacked a solo home run on an elevated four-seamer to make it 2-0 Seattle. López finished off the inning, but with his pitch count already reaching 82. He came back for the fifth and was once again in trouble against the top of the Mariner lineup. Crawford hit a leadoff single shortly before Eugenio Suárez hit a double, and suddenly Seattle had two men in scoring position with only one out. Pablo was able to retire the next two to end the inning – but also his start, as he was closing in on 100 pitches. The bullpen keeps the chances alive – but not for long Pablo was far from brilliant, but he kept the Twins’ chances alive. Oliver Ortega retired all five batters he faced, combining with Jorge López to deliver two scoreless frames of relief. But ultimately, it was up to an uninspired Minnesota offense to change the outcome of this game. For two consecutive innings, the Twins got leadoff singles against Kirby, with Édouard Julien in the sixth and Wallner in the seventh. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the brilliant M’s starter pitched around both of those hits to complete seven shutout innings with ten strikeouts and not a single walk. Jorge López had taken over in relief of Ortega to get the final out of the seventh on two pitches. Returning for the eighth, the Mariners’ bats successfully ambushed him and basically put the game out of reach – given how bad the Twins' offense had been throughout this game. Suárez jumped on the second pitch he saw for a leadoff single and was followed by a monster home run by Mike Ford, who crushed a slider hung by López at the heart of the plate. López looked completely lost throughout the entirety of the eighth inning: he hit three hitters to load the bases before he could close out the inning. Cole Sands inherited López’s jam, and with a wild pitch, he allowed Cal Raleigh to score Seattle’s fifth run from third. He did, however, get the final out next. It was up to the offense to try a miracle rally in the ninth, but they couldn’t get anything other than a bloop single by Donovan Solano. Byron Buxton struck out to represent the game’s final out, extending his horrifying slump to 0-for-26 with 16 strikeouts dating back to July 8. Postgame interview What’s Next? After a winning West Coast trip, the Twins head back to the Twin Cities for a six-game homestand. They’ll host the Chicago White Sox at Target Field for a three-game set starting on Friday (7/21). Game one is scheduled to start at 7:10 pm CDT, with Joe Ryan (8-6, 3.77 ERA) toeing the rubber for Minnesota and old friend Lance Lynn (6-8, 6.06 ERA) making the start for Chicago. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT J. López 18 10 0 0 28 56 Ortega 0 27 0 0 18 45 Durán 18 0 0 20 0 38 Pagán 12 0 8 11 0 31 Sands 0 0 17 0 3 20 Jax 0 0 0 15 0 15 Balazovic 0 0 15 0 0 15 Morán 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Pablo López tossed the first complete-game shutout of his career – the second from a Twin this season –, and helped the Twins to complete the second sweep of the Royals in the season. The offense produced only five hits, but they were enough to score five runs. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo Lopez, 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K (100 pitches, 76 strikes, 76.0%) Home Runs: Edouard Julien (6), Ryan Jeffers (4) Top 3 WPA: Pablo López (.357), Alex Kirilloff (.160), Édouard Julien (.056) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pablo López has been a significant source of controversy among Twins fans this season, as Minnesota traded away an absolute fan-favorite to get him during the offseason – and as said fan-favorite went on to evolve into perhaps the best hitter in the majors this season. But it wasn’t always like that: López had four absolutely solid starts to open the season before beginning to struggle and having more than a handful of rough outings since. The Royals are on both sides of those versions of López this season. On Opening Day, the Venezuelan ace pitched into the sixth, allowing no runs and only a pair of hits. However, roughly a month later, he faced that same Kansas City lineup and ended up allowing six runs on eight hits, causing his ERA to increase by a full run. June has been a tough month for López, one in which he finished with a 4.46 ERA, so facing a last-placed Royals team could be a good opportunity for López to get a fresh start going into the second half of the season – as it was on Opening Day. López tossed a scoreless first despite giving up a two-out double, and he got some immediate run support. Édouard Julien smacked a solo home run to right for his sixth of the year to put the Twins on the board. After a scoreless second, two more runs scored in the third: Ryan Jeffers hit a leadoff single, and Carlos Correa drew a walk next. Kansas City’s starter Alec Marsh struck out the next two batters, but then things got weird for the visitors. Alex Kirilloff lined a long single to left, and outfielder MJ Melendez made a throwing error trying to get Jeffers at home. The ball hit Jeffers on the neck and got away from Salvador Pérez, allowing Correa to score as well and Kirilloff to reach third. López gave up two-out hits in each of the first three innings of this game, but he settled down nicely after that by throwing three consecutive 1-2-3 innings, which included six consecutive strikeouts between the fifth and the sixth. Granted, his final strikeout of the sixth was a massive mistake by Phil Cuzzi, but that didn’t stain López’s brilliance. At the end of six, his pitch count hadn’t even reached 75 yet, and he had struck out opponents a season-high 11 times. He came back to the seventh and delivered yet another 1-2-3 inning, striking out Nick Pratto on a full count to end it and establish a new career-high of 12 punch outs in a game. This was the fifth time López has completed seven in a start, the first one since June 7, and the first time he did so in shutout fashion. With only 87 pitches thrown after seven, many wondered if López would be brought back to the eighth. If he were going to return to the mound, some more run support would go a long way for him. However, the offense went ice cold after that RBI single from Kirilloff in the third, going 0-for-10 with three walks afterward. Willi Castro and Joey Gallo got retired quickly in the bottom of the seventh, making it look like no more runs were coming. But Jeffers had other plans, and he crushed a 426-feet bomb to deep center to make it 4-0 Minnesota. López came back to pitch the eighth, and he got two quick outs on only two pitches, inducing two flyball outs. Kyle Isbel doubled off him to get the Royals’ first hit since the third. Matt Duffy hit the ball hard next, but Max Kepler made a fantastic diving catch to rob him of a hit and finish the inning. At only 94 pitches, López would have the chance to come back and try to complete the game. So the offense decided to give him even more run support in the bottom of the eighth. Byron Buxton drew a leadoff walk, and with two outs, Donovan Solano doubled to bring him home, making it 5-0 Minnesota. Even though he’s struggled several times this season, López has enjoyed a ton of run support overall. Back out for the ninth, López’s command was a little off in the first two pitches, but all it took next was four pitches for him to retire the side, shut down the Royals for the night, and secure his first career complete-game shutout. The Twins are back to two games above .500 (45-43), a game and a half ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins have a day off on Thursday before resuming their homestand on Friday (7/7). The Baltimore Orioles come to town, and the two teams face off in a three-game series over the weekend. Game one, scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday, features Bailey Ober (5-4, 2.70 ERA) on the mound for Minnesota, while Cole Irvin (1-3, 6.32 ERA) starts for Baltimore. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Durán 8 34 0 0 0 42 Sands 37 0 0 0 0 37 Pagán 0 6 25 0 0 31 Jax 11 14 0 0 0 25 Morán 0 0 17 0 0 17 Ortega 0 0 0 13 0 13 J. López 0 0 0 8 0 8 Balazovic 0 0 6 0 0 6 View full article

The same old story took place in Atlanta this afternoon. Kenta Maeda limited to Braves to only two runs through five, the bullpen was mostly solid, but the offense was unable to spark a rally against the strong Braves’ pitching. The Twins get swept for the second time this season and may lose first place for the first time since April 10 with a Cleveland win later today. Image courtesy of Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (82 pitches, 53 strikes, 64.6%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Kyle Farmer (-.109), Joey Gallo (-.103), Michael A. Taylor (-.098) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came into this game looking to avoid their second sweep of the season and perhaps gain some momentum ahead of the Baltimore series. But that would be no simple task: the Braves, who currently have the best record in the National League, have kept the Twins' offense on a leash in the first two games of the series. This afternoon, they brought lefty Kolby Allard to the mound, and with the Twins having the third-worst OPS against lefties in all of baseball (.666), the task seemed even harder. If the Twins were to have a chance in this game, they would need to rely heavily on their pitching to keep them alive, and based on their starter’s track record against today’s opponents, their chances looked good (in theory). Making his sixth start of the season, the second since returning from the Injured List, Kenta Maeda was looking to have another solid start, similar to the one he had last Friday when he tossed five scoreless with eight strikeouts against the Tigers. Maeda had a 2.00 ERA against the Braves in his previous three starts against the Braves, his lowest ERA against any single opponent in his career. After the offense fell down in order with three strikeouts in the top of the first, Maeda was off to a strong start, but a defensive miscue in right field allowed the Braves to get on the board first. Joey Gallo dropped an apparently easy foul ball near the railing, allowing Ronald Acuña Jr. to work out a walk and later score on a Matt Olson two-out double. Without any sign of life from the Twins lineup, the Braves scored another run in the third, taking advantage of back-to-back singles given up by Maeda to open the inning, followed by an RBI sac-fly. Allard looked fantastic through four, allowing no runs, just two hits, and striking out six, having tossed only 51 pitches. But in the fifth, the Twins' offense put together its first real threat of the game. Alex Kirilloff hit a leadoff single and was followed by a Christian Vázquez walk, and for the first time in the game, the Twins had two men on with no outs. Allard fought back and retired the next two batters but was removed from the game despite having thrown only 71 total pitches. Kirby Yates took over and struck out Donovan Solano to end the inning. With that out, the Twins were 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position in this series. After giving up back-to-back hits in the third, Maeda went on to limit Braves hitters to 2-for-10 with a walk, completing five once again. This was the second time this season in which he’s tossed at least five innings in two consecutive starts, but only the first time he does so while also allowing two or fewer runs in each start since July 9, 2021. He did his part by keeping the Twins' chances alive, but the offense would need to step up if Minnesota was going to steal this game. Jovani Morán took over in the seventh and, like Maeda, kept Minnesota alive by tossing two scoreless frames next. Yates retired the side with ease in the sixth, but hopes went up when Willi Castro hit a leadoff single in the seventh. But after a couple of short-lived at-bats, Vázquez grounded into an inning-ending double play, and all hope was gone. The offense was a no-show again in the eighth, but Jordan Balazovic got two quick outs in the bottom of the inning, seemingly keeping the Twins’ chances alive too. But that didn’t last long: in the very next at-bat, he gave up a solo home run to Olson, making it 3-0 Atlanta. A three-run deficit isn’t an impossible one to overcome… if you’re not the current Twins offense. The bats went down in order in the top of the ninth against closer Raisel Iglesias. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins travel to Baltimore, where they’ll enjoy a day off on Thursday and start a three-game series against the Orioles on Friday (6/30). Taking the mound for Minnesota is Pablo López (3-5, 4.41 ERA), while the O’s turn to Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.50 ERA). The series opener’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Balazovic 6 18 0 0 18 42 Headrick 0 6 0 35 0 41 Pagán 30 0 8 0 0 38 Morán 0 0 0 0 36 36 Ortega 0 0 0 32 0 32 Winder 0 0 19 0 0 19 Jax 0 17 0 0 0 17 Durán 0 15 0 0 0 15 View full article

Joe Ryan got hit hard early, and the offense had no answers to Detroit’s bullpen game. Still in first place in the AL Central, the Twins drop two in a row, fall back to .500 (35-35), and can only hope to even the series against their division foes. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 7.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (99 pitches, 74 strikes, 74.7%) Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (4) Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.382), Joey Gallo (-.073), Carlos Correa (-.052) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins strike first, but Detroit chooses violence Looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Thursday, the Twins turned to Joe Ryan tonight, and they were hoping the offense would remain hot. Minnesota came into this game having scored at least four runs in each of its last five games, something they’ve done only one other time this season. With Detroit going with a bullpen game, Minnesota was in business early. After a scoreless first inning, the Twins put the game’s first run on the board in the second. Facing reliever Mason Englert, Alex Kirilloff hit a leadoff home run, his first since May 21. And the bats weren’t done: Donovan Solano grounded down the middle next, and a couple of at-bats later, Joey Gallo smoked a double to the corner right for his 500th career hit. But instead of having two men in scoring position with only one out, Solano made a baserunning blunder in that Gallo double and was tagged for the second out. The inning was over moments later, and Gallo was stranded. Wasting those opportunities proved costly for Minnesota. Just like the Twins, the Tigers are also having a tremendous offensive outburst, as the team had scored at least five runs in six of their seven games prior to tonight. They opened the third with four consecutive singles, tying the game on an RBI groundball from former Twin Jonathan Schoop. Édouard Julien failed to make the play that originated the leadoff single, so not only the Tigers tied the game, but they also took the lead later on a Kerry Carpenter sac-fly that could’ve been out number three but instead brought Eric Haase home. To keep this a one-run game and give the offense another chance, Ryan needed to take care of Javier Báez next, with men on the corners. Ryan tried to get him with a splitter, but Báez obliterated it for a long three-run shot to deep left, making it 5-1 Detroit. In the fourth, the Tigers added on with a Matt Vierling solo shot, and for the first time this season, Ryan allowed six runs in a game. This was also the second time in the year in which he gave up two home runs in a game. Bats produce runners, but no more runs Similarly to last night’s game, the Twins lineup was dominated by the Tigers' bullpen, failing to produce any more runs. But they didn’t go down without at least a little fight. In the bottom of the fourth, Solano lined a single to center and was followed by a Royce Lewis walk. But the rally was over when Gallo grounded into an inning-ending double play. After the fourth inning, Ryan settled down and delivered three scoreless to close out his start. He allowed one hit (a double) but struck out four in that span. The bullpen took over, with Josh Winder tossing a scoreless eighth. He was brought back to pitch the ninth and gave up a solo home run to Vierling, his second of the night, scoring Detroit’s seventh run. A miraculous rally didn’t come even close to happening in the bottom of the ninth, as the offense went down in order to end the blowout. Postgame interview What’s Next? The series goes on this Saturday, with game three scheduled to start at 1:10 pm CDT. Minnesota's starting pitcher has yet to be determined, while lefty Joey Wentz (1-6, 7.23 ERA) is expected to toe the rubber for Detroit. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Winder 0 38 0 0 32 70 J. López 0 0 0 32 0 32 Pagán 0 0 0 24 0 24 De León 0 24 0 0 0 24 Morán 0 0 0 22 0 22 Stewart 0 0 14 0 0 14 Durán 0 0 12 0 0 12 Jax 0 0 11 0 0 11 View full article

Wrapping up the first chapter of this season’s Border Battle, the Twins completed the sweep of the two-game series against the Brewers on Wednesday afternoon. Bailey Ober gave up back-to-back homers early, but he settled down nicely, and the offense brought the Twins back right away. Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (93 pitches, 68 strikes, 73.1%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.199), Trevor Larnach (.160), Bailey Ober (.086) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Similarly to Tuesday night’s epic game, the Brewers jumped in front early. Bailey Ober had a hard time against the Brewers lineup from the get-go, having to pitch around two singles he gave up in the top of the first inning. After retiring the leadoff man in the second, Ober was stung by back-to-back home runs from Brian Anderson and Luis Urías. Before he could get out of that inning, Christian Yelich hit a two-out double. Only three other times before today’s game had Ober given up five or more hits in a game. Differently from last night’s game, though, Twins fans didn’t have to wait until the ninth inning to see them snatch the lead from the cheese-headed visitors. Minnesota ambushed Brewers starter Colin Rea, putting together a four-run third inning on four hits. Édouard Julien hit a double and was followed by a Donovan Solano walk. Julien moved to third on an Alex Kirilloff flyout , bringing Carlos Correa to the plate with two outs. C4 stepped up once again and tied the game with a triple. The Twins took the lead after a brilliant eight-pitch at-bat from Trevor Larnach which resulted in a rocket of a double hit off the right field wall to drive in Correa. Before the inning was over, Joey Gallo popped up to shallow right in what should’ve been a routine play, but Owen Miller lost it, and the ball dropped. Larnach scored easily, and Gallo was initially called safe at second, but the call got overturned after a Milwaukee challenge. Fortunately, the run scored before the tag was applied to Gallo, and the Twins took a 4-2 lead. Ober settles down nicely, and the bullpen holds on The 2023 Brewers are not known for their ability to rally. Very few times this year have they won games when trailing in the fourth inning. Ober gave up a leadoff walk in the fourth today, but he managed to pitch around that with the help of a groundball double play. He went on to retire five of the final six batters he faced to complete six innings in yet another solid start. In ten starts this season, Ober has delivered more than five innings in eight of them and has allowed two or fewer runs in seven total starts this year. His season ERA now sits at 2.65, the second-best of the team. The Twins currently have three starters with a sub-three ERA for the season. After pushing the four runs across in the third, the offense got freezing cold. They went 1-for-14 for the rest of the game, though they did draw five walks in that span. It was up to the bullpen to secure the win against an equally uninspired Brewers offense, and they managed to succeed. Brock Stewart struck out the side on 14 pitches to get through the seventh, while flame-throwing Jhoan Durán also threw a 1-2-3 eighth with ease. Neither of them had pitched since last Saturday. Then, Griffin Jax came in to close out, and he retired the side on 11 pitches, making it nine Milwaukee batters retired in a row. Minnesota delivers Milwaukee’s season-worst sixth consecutive loss while also securing its first series sweep since the opening series of the season against the Royals in Kansas City. The Twins are back to two games above .500 and hold a three-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians atop the American League Central. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins continue their ten-game homestand on Thursday (6/15) as they begin a four-game set against the Detroit Tigers, whom they’ll face for the first time this season. Joe Ryan (7-3, 2.90 ERA) is set to make the start for Minnesota in game one, with Detroit’s starter yet to be determined. The first pitch of Thursday’s game is scheduled for 6:10 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT De León 31 0 0 24 0 55 Winder 0 0 0 38 0 38 Jax 0 17 0 0 11 28 Pagán 0 22 0 0 0 22 Morán 0 20 0 0 0 20 Stewart 1 0 0 0 14 15 J. López 13 0 0 0 0 13 Durán 0 0 0 0 12 12 View full article

The Twins got a great start from Pablo López for the first time in weeks. But the offense had no answers to Tampa Bay’s bullpen game, which limited Minnesota to only three hits in the night. The Twins lose four consecutive games for the first time in the year and are now, also for the first time, at .500. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (92 pitches, 63 strikes, 68.5%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Jhoan Durán (-.376), Ryan Jeffers (-.316), Carlos Correa (-.139) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pablo is back! But… Coming into tonight’s game, Pablo López had given up 17 runs in his four previous starts, almost just as many as he’s given up (19) in his eight starts before that. Sporting a Johan Santana-esque goatee, the Twins’ opening-day starter desperately needed a good start to get out of this nearly month-long slump. The first of two big problems for him and the Twins: he needed to do it facing the best offense in the majors. Entering this game, the Rays led the league in OPS, wRC+, and ranked second in runs scored. The Twins got a (bitter) taste of the power of that offense last night. How can you stop such a powerful offense? After a quick eight-pitch first for López, the Rays struck first, with Isaac Paredes crushing a leadoff home run to deep center. Fortunately, López didn’t let it get to him and retired the following three batters to end the inning. The second big problem for López and the Twins this evening was the poor offense as of late. Minnesota’s bats couldn’t muster more than four hits in their shutout loss on Tuesday night. Tonight, however, Tampa Bay went with a bullpen day. Could the struggling Twins offense take advantage of that? At first, it didn’t look like it. Opener Shawn Armstrong took care of the first two innings in a hurry, facing only seven batters and allowing only a single. When reliever Cooper Criswell took over in the third, the Twins put together their first threat of the night. Ryan Jeffers (single) and Donovan Solano (walk) both reached to put two men on with only one out. Alex Kirilloff, though, flied out. Next, Carlos Correa struck out on four pitches. Are we witnessing the worst offensive version of Correa’s career right now? Luckily, the offensive struggles didn’t affect López, and he was able to navigate through Tampa Bay’s juggernaut lineup brilliantly. After giving up that home run in the second, López went on to toss four scoreless as sharply as humanly possible against such an offense. He completed six with only 85 pitches, giving up only one walk and striking out six. He came back to pitch the seventh and delivered another 1-2-3 inning, making it six consecutive batters retired to close his start. The Twins’ first big problem of the night was solved in a fantastic fashion. But the second big problem of the evening, the struggling offense, was far from being solved. After the second-inning threat, Minnesota’s offense was unable to produce a hit to spark a rally. Tampa Bay pitchers retired eight consecutive Twins hitters between the sixth and the eighth inning. Taylor, Lewis tie the game for the Twins… but it’s worthless Things could change with a swing of the bat in the ninth, and when Solano got hit by a pitch, Michael A. Taylor came into the game to run for Solano. He stole second with Max Kepler up to bat, and then Kepler walked. With Royce Lewis batting, Taylor stole third, and then Lewis lined an RBI single to left and tied the game. Reliever Jason Adam hit Willi Castro, loading the bases with only one out, but he managed to induce an inning-ending double play against Ryan Jeffers. But the hopes of an extra-inning win didn’t last long. With Jhoan Durán pitching in the bottom of the ninth, Randy Arozarena jumped on the second pitch of the at-bat for a walk-off home run to center. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins will try to avoid the sweep this Thursday (6/8) in game three, with the first pitch scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT. Bailey Ober (3-2, 2.33 ERA) toes the rubber for Minnesota, while Tampa Bay’s starter has yet to be determined. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT J. López 31 0 0 0 0 31 Pagán 4 0 0 20 0 24 Morán 19 0 0 0 0 19 Stewart 0 0 0 0 13 13 De León 0 12 0 0 0 12 Jax 0 11 0 0 0 11 Thielbar 0 10 0 0 0 10 Durán 0 0 0 0 2 2 View full article

In what might have been the Twins’ best, most dominant display of the season, the bats came back to life after a cold game on Tuesday. Louie Varland tossed a gem, and Minnesota crushed the Astros in Houston to secure the series win and the season series victory over the World Series champs. Image courtesy of Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Louie Varland, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (86 pitches, 66 strikes, 76.7%) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Louie Varland (.229), Donovan Solano (.184), Ryan Jeffers (.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Early offense (finally!) delivers with the bases loaded Rookie starter Hunter Brown took the mound for Houston, hoping to carry on his solid season thus far. Instead, the Twins’ offense drove his pitch count up early and did some bases-loaded damage to back up Louie Varland. Though the offense went down in order in the first two innings of the game, a 12-pitch at-bat from Alex Kirilloff in the first had Brown reaching 21 pitches to end the inning. Meanwhile, Varland needed only 17 pitches to cruise through two, and he got some run support right away. The bottom third of the Twins’ lineup ambushed Brown in the third, with the first three Minnesota batters reaching: after Max Kepler and Willi Castro hit back-to-back singles, Michael A. Taylor drew a four-pitch walk to load them up. Before tonight’s game, the Twins had gone 5-for-46 (.109) with the bases juiced this season – the worst batting average in said situations. Could they break the slump? Édouard Julien struck out next for the first out, but Donovan Solano didn’t waste his opportunity and snapped a team 0-for-14 skid with the bases loaded. He slapped a single to shallow right to score Kepler and Castro and send Taylor to third. Then, Kirilloff came through with a chopper to the gap at short to push Taylor across and make it 3-0 Minnesota. Bats cash in with the bases loaded again; Varland still cruising Despite closing in on 80 pitches, Brown remained in the game, and the Twins took advantage of that once again. After coming out of the fourth empty-handed, Minnesota’s offense added on in the fifth. Solano and Kyle Farmer reached on a one-out walk and a two-out single. But with Brown surpassing the 100-pitch mark, he was pulled from the game with two outs. Facing reliever Parker Mushinski, Joey Gallo got hit in the elbow on the very first pitch of the at-bat, and suddenly, the bases were loaded again. Red-hot Jeffers, who had been slashing .400/.500/.867 in the previous seven games, made Mushinski pay: he smacked a long double to center that would’ve been a bases-clearing hit had it not one-hopped into the bullpen and been ruled a ground-rule double. Solano and Farmer scored, making it 5-0 Twins. This was the first time in the season that the Twins got two bases-loaded hits in the same game. Varland continued to dominate the Astros lineup with ease, completing five scoreless on only 53 pitches. He also continued to be rewarded for his superb performance with more run support. Castro and Taylor opened the top of the sixth with a single and a walk against Mushinski, and the offense was at it again. Solano crushed a double to left to bring home both runners and make it 7-0 Minnesota. Varland completes seven, a career-high Heck, even when Varland wasn’t so sharp, he got some more run support. After recording the first two outs in the bottom of the sixth on only nine pitches, the Minnesota native lost the next two batters to a single and a walk, his first of the night. He got the force out in the following at-bat and kept the zero on the scoreboard, but not before throwing 20 pitches in the inning, his longest one of the night. The offense added on against reliever Seth Martinez in the top of the seventh. Castro drew a two-out walk, stole second, then was pushed across by a Taylor double to center, making it 8-0 Minnesota. Varland came back for the home half of the inning with only 73, and he delivered yet another scoreless frame to complete seven shutout innings. Before tonight’s game, Varland’s longest start of his young career had been the 6 1/3 he tossed against the Cubs earlier this month. Jorge López continues to struggle badly Having allowed earned runs in three of his previous four games, Jorge López came into the game in the eighth hoping to get back on track after an awful month of May. Unfortunately, he would end up having what was maybe his worst outing as a Twin. Jake Meyers hit a leadoff home run on the very first pitch of the inning, which was followed by another home run next, by Yainer Díaz, scoring Houston’s second run. He then lost Mauricio Dubón on a ten-pitch walk and hit Jeremy Peña on the fingers next, giving Houston the chance to cut the lead down to only three on a swing of the bat. Rocco Baldelli decided to bring Brock Stewart in before López could record an out. Stewart did a phenomenal job by striking out the side on 13 pitches to shut down the Astros’ rally. López, who didn’t allow a single run during his March and April outings, ends the month of May with a 9.00 ERA. José De León pitched around a hit batter in the bottom of the ninth, and with that, the Twins secured only their second road series win on the season, the first one since the Royals series that opened the season for the Twins. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins head back home, where they’ll start a four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field. The series opener is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT on Thursday (6/1), with Pablo López (3-3, 4.11 ERA) set to make the start for Minnesota and Tanner Bibee (1-1, 2.88 ERA) toeing the rubber for Cleveland. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sands 0 16 0 48 0 64 Stewart 13 0 18 0 13 44 J. López 22 0 6 0 16 44 De León 0 27 0 0 16 43 Durán 12 0 29 0 0 41 Jax 0 12 0 8 0 20 Morán 9 0 0 1 0 10 Pagán 0 7 0 0 0 7 View full article

Despite missing several big bats on their lineup, the Twins avoided the sweep by crushing the Giants at Target Field. Minnesota took advantage of a series of defensive miscues by San Francisco to put the game out of reach early. Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (107 pitches, 72 strikes, 67.3%) Home Runs: Édouard Julien (3), Ryan Jeffers (2) Top 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (.224), Édouard Julien (.147), Willi Castro (.127) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Offenses get busy early The bats were active early for both teams. Though the Giants didn’t score in the top of the first, they drove up Joe Ryan’s pitch count by making him throw 24 first-inning pitches. The Twins struck first, though, with Édouard Julien jumping on the second pitch of the inning for a leadoff home run to deep center. The lead didn’t last long. With back-to-back hits to open the second inning, including a leadoff double, the Giants tied the game on a Casey Schmitt RBI single. The Giants scored only one run, but they once again forced San Francisco native Ryan to throw more than twenty pitches to get through the inning. At 45 pitches after two innings, it was uncertain whether Ryan would be able to stay in for a long start. How long Ryan would stay in this game was uncertain, but at least he got some immediate run support. Three Twins batters reached against San Francisco starter Anthony DeSclafani in the bottom of the second. Willi Castro doubled to center and was brought home by a Matt Wallner double in the following at-bat that put the Twins ahead. Wallner reached third on a passed ball and scored on a Julien sacrifice fly next, making it 3-1 Minnesota. Ryan threw a scoreless third but couldn’t prevent his pitch count from reaching 62 by the end of the inning. It could’ve been a much shorter inning for him hadn’t he made a throwing error to second trying to rush an inning-ending double play. Twins take advantage of the Giants’ mistakes and add on Still, in the third inning, Minnesota’s offense didn’t start well, with DeSclafani striking out the first two batters quickly. But before he could record the inning’s final out, the Twins took advantage of a series of defensive miscues by the Giants' defense to score two more runs. Kyle Farmer reached on a fielding error by Brandon Crawford, and after Castro got hit by a pitch, Farmer himself scored after a Wallner ground ball went through the legs of Brett Wisely to reach right field. The error allowed Castro to reach third, and with Wallner at first, the Twins tried a double steal. Wisely made a faulty throw home to catcher Blake Sabol, who couldn’t glove, allowing Castro to steal home and make it 5-1 Minnesota. The Twins scored yet another run on a San Francisco mistake in the fourth inning. With Julien at third, DeSclafani threw a wild pitch, allowing the Twins' second baseman to score Minnesota’s sixth run. Ryan went on to complete five innings allowing just one run but having thrown almost 110 pitches. Could the struggling Twins bullpen hold on to a five-run lead? Twins bullpen escapes a huge jam; offense adds on Brock Stewart was the first relief pitcher out of the bullpen to replace Ryan in the sixth. He did not look sharp at all, and San Francisco loaded the bases before he could record an out. He was given an opportunity to try and get out of the jam, at least partially. He got two outs with a strikeout and a popout, then departed the game. Jovani Morán took the mound and got the final out on a single pitch. The bullpen got even more support in the bottom of the sixth when Ryan Jeffers hit a leadoff home run, making it 7-1 Minnesota and getting DeSclafani out of the game. Morán came back for the seventh and gave up a leadoff walk, but he managed to strike out the next three batters to end the threat. José De León pitched a quick, scoreless eighth, and former Twin Taylor Rogers pitched himself into a jam in the home half of the inning – runners on the corners with only one out – but Minnesota couldn't capitalize. De León came back to get the first out in the ninth, then Jhoan Durán finished it off without any problems. Postgame interview What’s Next? Minnesota has a day off on Thursday as they prepare for another home series over the weekend. On Friday (5/26), the Twins begin a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT. Louie Varland (2-0, 4.18 ERA) is set to make the start for Minnesota, while the Blue Jays starter has yet to be determined. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT De León 0 31 0 0 21 52 J. López 19 12 0 18 0 49 Sands 0 0 44 0 0 44 Morán 9 0 0 10 24 43 Jax 0 0 17 18 0 35 Stewart 5 0 0 10 20 35 Durán 20 0 0 0 13 33 Pagán 0 0 23 9 0 32 View full article

In a game that saw both starting pitchers leave the game early, the Twins came from behind twice and had the lead in the seventh, but the offense failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position, and 2022 Emilio Pagán came in and gave up the lead late. Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (84 pitches, 54 strikes, 64.3%) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (9), Joey Gallo (10) Bottom 3 WPA: Emilio Pagán (-.631), Donovan Solano (-.113), Jorge Polanco (-.071) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Both starters have to leave the game early Sonny Gray did a solid job keeping the Dodgers lineup on a leash early on, allowing just two runs through four innings. But that was no simple task. Right out of the gate, Los Angeles applied some serious pressure on the Twins’ early-season Cy Young hopeful, loading the bases with only one out in the bottom of the first. Though the home team came out of the inning empty-handed, they didn’t stop pushing. After a quick 1-2-3 second, Los Angeles was threatening again in the third. Mookie Betts hit a leadoff triple on a flyball off the wall that looked playable (but probably wasn't), but Nick Gordon couldn’t make the play in the right-center field gap. Betts was pushed across by a Freddie Freeman sac-fly that scored the game’s first run. Gray managed to finish the inning having allowed just the one run, but not before giving up a single and a walk and reaching 62 pitches. Dodgers starter Dustin May breezed through the top of the Twins lineup in the first with 16 pitches, but he immediately left the game after that first frame with elbow pain. Still, even with his departure, Minnesota’s offense couldn’t get rolling, collecting only a pair of singles through three. It was only in the fourth that the Twins got on the board after a Byron Buxton solo home run to deep center. Gray gave up a leadoff single in the fourth to James Outman, who stole second merely minutes later. The Twins’ starter retired the next two batters, but he couldn’t prevail against Betts, who slapped a single to center to bring Outman home and regain the lead for the Dodgers. Freeman singled next to put pressure on Gray, but Sonny got Will Smith to ground out and end the inning. With yet another inning with more than twenty pitches, Gray was pulled from the game. Twins tie it, take the lead, but waste huge opportunities The offense couldn’t get anything going against reliever Dylan Covey, who completed four after delivering a scoreless fifth. But that would change in the sixth: Joey Gallo jumped on the second pitch of the at-bat to crush a low sinker for a leadoff home run to center, tying the game at 2-2. Apparently, that home run was all the Twins needed to crack Covey. Following Gallo’s at-bat, Alex Kirilloff and Carlos Correa hit back-to-back singles, followed by a Buxton walk to load the bases with no outs. The Dodgers brought reliever Victor González into the game and retired the side against the middle of Minnesota’s lineup. The Twins are now 0-for-7 in the year with the bases loaded and no outs. After Jovani Morán and José De León combined to pitch two scoreless frames, the Twins were once again threatening on offense in the top of the seventh. Willi Castro and Christian Vázquez hit back-to-back singles to open the inning, immediately putting lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson in a jam. During a solid Kirilloff ten-pitch at-bat, Castro took off from second to steal third, causing Ferguson to make a throwing error. The ball got away, allowing Castro to score and give the Twins the lead and Vázquez to reach third. Despite the fight, Kirilloff ended up striking out, and Correa grounded out against former Twin Brusdar Graterol, stranding Vázquez at third. Pagán has one of his worst outings as a Twin Then came the seventh inning. De León remained in the game, trying to preserve the one-run lead. He did a fantastic job by striking out Betts and Freeman on only six pitches, but he couldn’t retire Smith and Max Muncy, who hit back-to-back singles. Rocco Baldelli decided to bring Emilio Pagán into the game to get the final out, and the rest is history. Failing to throw strikes, Pagán gave up a six-pitch walk to Jason Heyward that loaded the bases. His command issues continued, and Miguel Vargas drew another walk next to tie the game at 3-3 and keep the bases juiced. Then, on the very first pitch he threw in the following at-bat, James Outman crushed a grand slam to center, making it 7-3 Dodgers and putting the game out of reach. Injury update Three Twins players left the game due to injuries. Here's an update on their status by The Athletic's Dan Hayes: What’s Next? The Twins remain in Greater Los Angeles, where after a day off on Thursday, they’ll visit the Angels in Anaheim for a three-game weekend series. Game one of the series is scheduled for 8:38 pm CDT on Friday (5/19), with Joe Ryan (6-1, 2.16 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota. The Angels’ starting pitcher has yet to be determined. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Morán 24 0 0 25 15 64 Pagán 0 23 18 0 14 55 Sands 54 0 0 0 0 54 Stewart 0 0 28 17 0 45 López 0 9 26 0 0 35 De León 0 0 0 0 28 28 Jax 0 0 13 11 0 24 Durán 0 0 18 0 0 18 View full article

I finally had some time to fix the list I originally posted on Friday based on the ESPN information (they even missed the José Berríos trade...). This time, I used the Twins website. If I didn't miss anything, the number is currently at 81 total trades.

That's right. I even double-checked the ESPN list, and that's not the only 2018 trade they missed. They didn't include the Lance Lynn deal, either. I wonder how many more they missed... Anyway, I'll update the list. Thank you!

So far, the Twins have made 81 trades since Derek Falvey started his tenure as the club's POBO. What were, in your opinion, the five best ones and the five worst ones? You can see the list below or simply click here to read it on Google Sheets. December 8, 2016 Acquired RHP Justin Haley from the San Diego Padres for RHP Miguel Díaz. February 9, 2017 Traded RHP Pat Light to Pittsburgh Pirates for Player To Be Named Later. May 8, 2017 Traded LF Danny Santana to Atlanta Braves for cash and LHP Kevin Chapman. June 3, 2017 Traded LHP Jason Wheeler to the L.A. Dodgers for cash. July 23, 2017 Traded RHP Nick Tepesch to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. July 24, 2017 Acquired LHP Jaime García, C Anthony Recker and cash considerations from Atlanta for RHP Huascar Ynoa. July 27, 2017 Traded C John Ryan Murphy to Arizona for LHP Gabriel Moya. July 30, 2017 Traded LHP Jaime García and cash to the N.Y. Yankees for LHPs Dietrich Enns and Zack Littell. July 31, 2017 Traded RHP Brandon Kintzler to Washington for LHP Tyler Watson and international bonus pool allocation money. December 6, 2017 Acquired C David Banuelos from the Seattle Mariners for Future Considerations. December 6, 2017 Acquired OF Jacob Pearson from the Los Angeles Angels for $1,000,000 in international bonus pool cap space money. February 17, 2018 Acquired RHP Jake Odorizzi from the Tampa Bay Rays for SS Jermaine Palacios. March 16, 2018 Traded RHP Luis Gil to the New York Yankees for CF Jake Cave. March 20, 2018 Acquired 1B Robby Rinn from the Kansas City Royals. March 23, 2018 Traded C Rainis Silva to Seattle Mariners for Future Considerations March 23, 2018 Acquired RHP Adam Bray from the Los Angeles Dodgers. May 5, 2018 Traded RHP Max Cordy to Los Angeles Angels. May 9, 2018 Traded LHP Anthony McIver to Seattle Mariners for cash. May 22, 2018 Acquired 1B Chris Carter from the Los Angeles Angels for cash. May 27, 2018 Traded RHP Phil Hughes, cash and the 74th overall draft pick in 2018 to San Diego for C Janigson Villalobos. May 30, 2018 Traded RHP Myles Jaye to Cleveland for cash. July 6, 2018 Acquired RF Jon Kemmer from the Houston Astros. July 19, 2018 Acquired LF Jeremy Hazelbaker from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash. July 27, 2018 Traded SS Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RF Ernie De La Trinidad, RF Gabriel Maciel and RHP Jhoan Durán. July 27, 2018 Acquired RHP Jorge Alcalá and OF Gilberto Celestino from the Houston Astros for RHP Ryan Pressly. July 30, 2018 Traded RHP Lance Lynn and cash to New York Yankees for 1B Tyler Austin and RHP Luis Rijo. July 30, 2018 Traded LHP Zach Duke and cash to Seattle for RHP Chase De Jong and INF Ryan Costello. July 31, 2018 Traded 2B Brian Dozier to the L.A. Dodgers for INF Logan Forsythe, OF Luke Raley and LHP Devin Smeltzer. August 9, 2018 Traded RHP Fernando Rodney to Oakland Athletics for RHP Dakota Chalmers. August 30, 2018 Traded C Bobby Wilson to the Chicago Cubs for C Chris Gimenez and a player to be named or cash. November 21, 2018 Traded RHP Nick Anderson to Miami for 3B Brian Schales. January 15, 2019 Acquired INF Daniel Ozoria from the Los Angeles Angels for RHP John Curtiss. March 3, 2019 Traded OF Zack Granite to Texas for RHP Xavier Moore and cash and traded Moore to Baltimore for international signing bonus pool allocation. March 3, 2019 Traded RHP Xavier Moore to Baltimore Orioles for Future Considerations. March 23, 2019 Traded CF Michael Reed to the San Francisco Giants for OF John Andreoli and cash. April 8, 2019 Traded 1B Tyler Austin to San Francisco for OF Malique Ziegler. May 4, 2019 Traded 2B Adam Rosales to Cleveland Guardians for cash. June 2, 2019 Traded OF John Andreoli to Seattle. June 10, 2019 Traded LHP Tyler Jay to Cincinnati for cash. July 20, 2019 Traded RHP Mike Morin to Philadelphia for cash. July 21, 2019 Traded RHP Matt Magill to Seattle for cash. July 25, 2019 Traded cash to Boston Red Sox for LHP Jeremy Bleich. July 25, 2019 Traded C Brian Navarreto to New York Yankees. July 27, 2019 Acquired RHP Sergio Romo and RHP Chris Vallimont and a player to be named from the Miami Marlins in exchange for INF Lewin Díaz. July 31, 2019 Traded OF Jaylin Davis and RHPs Prelander Berroa and Kai-Wei Teng to San Francisco for RHP Sam Dyson. July 31, 2019 Acquired RHP Marcos Diplan from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash. August 2, 2019 Acquired OF Brandon Barnes from the Cleveland Guardians for cash. August 5, 2019 Traded RHP Drew Hutchison to Los Angeles Angels for cash. August 6, 2019 Traded RHP Drew Hutchison to the L.A. Angels for cash. August 10, 2019 Acquired CF Ian Miller from the Seattle Mariners for cash. September 8, 2019 Acquired OF Ryan LaMarre from the Atlanta Braves for cash. January 29, 2020 Traded RHP Ryne Harper to Washington Nationals for RHP Hunter McMahon. February 10, 2020 Acquired RHP Kenta Maeda and C Jair Camargo and cash considerations from Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Brusdar Graterol and OF Luke Raley and a Competitive Balance B Pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. August 11, 2020 Acquired INF Ildemaro Vargas from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. February 4, 2021 Traded LaMonte Wade Jr to San Francisco Giants for RHP Shaun Anderson. July 7, 2021 Acquired RHP Joe Kuzia from Texas in exchange for cash considerations. July 22, 2021 Acquired RHP Joe Ryan and RHP Drew Strotman from Tampa Bay in exchange for DH Nelson Cruz and RHP Calvin Faucher. July 30, 2021 Traded RHP Hansel Robles to Boston Red Sox for RHP Alex Scherff. July 30, 2021 Traded RHP José Berríos to Toronto Blue Jays for SS Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods Richardson. July 30, 2021 Traded LHP J.A. Happ and cash considerations to St. Louis in exchange for LHP Evan Sisk and RHP John Gant. August 31, 2021 Traded LHP Andrew Vasquez to Los Angeles Dodgers for C Stevie Berman. March 12, 2022 Traded C Mitch Garver to Texas Rangers for 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa and RHP Ronny Henríquez. March 13, 2022 Acquired RHPs Sonny Gray and Francis Peguero from Cincinnati in exchange for RHP Chase Petty. March 13, 2022 Traded 3B Josh Donaldson, INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa and C Ben Rortvedt to the New York Yankees for C Gary Sánchez and INF Gio Urshela. April 7, 2022 Traded LHP Taylor Rogers, OF Brent Rooker and cash to the San Diego Padres for RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Emilio Pagán and Player To Be Named Later. April 21, 2022 Acquired RHP Brayan Medina from the San Diego Padres. May 30, 2022 Traded RF John Andreoli to the Philadelphia Phillies. August 2, 2022 Acquired RHP Jorge López and cash considerations from Baltimore in exchange for RHP Yennier Cano, LHPs Cade Povich, Juan Rojas and RHP Juan Nunez. August 2, 2022 Acquired RHP Tyler Mahle from Cincinnati in exchange for SS Spencer Steer, INF Christian Encarnacion-Strand and LHP Steve Hajjar. August 2, 2022 Acquired RHP Michael Fulmer from Detroit in exchange for RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long. August 2, 2022 Acquired C Sandy León from the Cleveland Guardians for RHP Ian Hamilton. November 18, 2022 Acquired INF Kyle Farmer from Cincinnati in exchange for RHP Casey Legumina. November 18, 2022 Traded INF Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angels for RHP Alejandro Hidalgo. January 10, 2023 Acquired RHP A.J. Alexy from Washington in exchange for minor league RHP Cristian Jimenez. January 20, 2023 Acquired RHP Pablo López, INF José Salas and OF Byron Chourio from Miami in exchange for INF Luis Arráez. January 23, 2023 Acquired OF Michael A. Taylor from Kansas City Royals for LHP Evan Sisk and RHP Steven Cruz. March 27, 2023 Traded LHP Danny Coulombe to Baltimore Orioles for cash. March 27, 2023 Acquired LHP Gabriel Yanez from the Philadelphia Phillies. April 9, 2023 Traded LHP Sean Nolin to Miami Marlins. April 12, 2023 Acquired SS Alex De Goti from the Miami Marlins. April 30, 2023 Acquired a player to be named and cash from Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Trevor Megill.

Five of the eight walks were IBB (a club record). In the end, the bullpen tossed five innings with tons of high-leverage moments, giving up only one hit and three walks while striking out six times.

Pablo López and Lucas Giolito provided a memorable pitching duel in Chicago this afternoon. It wasn’t until the extra innings that the Twins offense busted the game wide open and avoided a sweep against the White Sox. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (101 pitches, 70 strikes, 69.3%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (4), Byron Buxton (8) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.378), José Miranda (.327), Jorge López/Emilio Pagán/Brock Stewart (tied with .135) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Despite coming into this game with a healthy three-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians atop the American League Central, you can say there was a lot at stake for the Twins in this game. Set to go to Cleveland for a three-gamer starting this Friday, Minnesota needed to avoid a sweep against a team currently tied for the third-fewest wins in the majors before facing their main competition for the AL Central crown. Not only was this game critical for shifting the Twins’ momentum, but it was also vital for their staff ace Pablo López. The Venezuelan star began the season with four stellar starts, culminating in him being offered a contract extension the day after his fourth start. However, since that fourth start, he had back-to-back rough outings, allowing at least five runs in each one of them. The worst part is that each of those starts came against last-place teams. López delivered two scoreless frames to begin this game, but the White Sox delivered the first punch of the game in the third inning. Seby Zavala drew a leadoff walk against him, and despite retiring the next two batters, López gave up a two-out, two-run home run to Eloy Jiménez, making it 2-0 White Sox. This was Jiménez’s second home run in this series. Bats struggle against Giolito, but Correa and Buxton tie the game The offense was mostly a no-show for the first half of this game. After putting two men on in the top of the first, Minnesota’s batters went 0-for-16, with Lucas Giolito retiring 13 consecutive Twins’ batters. (José Miranda reached on a fielding error in the second.) In the fifth inning the Twins got their second hit of the game and consequently got on the board. Carlos Correa swung on an 0-1 pitch for a solo home run to left field that cut the deficit in half. With that home run, the Twins matched a franchise record by homering in 16 consecutive games. Even though he didn’t get enough run support to be eligible for a win, López finished the start in a brilliant way. After giving up that home run to Jiménez, he went on to retire nine of the next ten batters, delivering four consecutive scoreless innings in dominant fashion. Reliever Reynaldo López replaced Giolito in the eighth, but things didn’t look much better for the Twins’ offense at first, as Max Kepler and Correa were taken care of on only four pitches. Then, it was time for Byron Buxton to show up. Minnesota’s superstar tied the game with his team-leading eighth home run of the year. He’s now on an eight-game hitting streak. Bullpen is lights-out, bats come to life in extras Johan Durán and Jorge López combined to pitch two scoreless after Pablo López departed the game, taking the game to extra innings. Both of them had to get out of jams, as both gave up leadoff walks that resulted in the runner reaching third. In the first extra frame, the Twins offense couldn’t produce the necessary runs, so in the 10th, the White Sox had a golden opportunity to close out the game against Brock Stewart. With two intentional walks, Chicago had the bases loaded with only one out, but Stewart came up with two huge strikeouts to end the threat, the first of which was on a hit-by-pitch. Emilio Pagán pitched a very solid bottom of the 11th and kept the Twins' chances alive. He now has four consecutive outings without giving up an earned run. With former Twin Alex Colomé taking the mound for the White Sox in the 12th, Minnesota took advantage of a Tim Anderson error, and Miranda pushed designated runner Trevor Larnach across to give the Twins their first lead of the day, 3-2. Colomé was pulled after getting the first out when Nick Gordon was called on to pinch hit. The offense feasted off his replacement, southpaw Sammy Peralta. With two men on, Gordon lined a deep double to center field, bringing Joey Gallo home for the Twins’ fourth run. Kepler worked a five-pitch walk to load the bases with only one out to Correa, who also drew a walk of his own to bring home another run. Peralta struck out Buxton for the second out, but Jorge Polanco hit a ground ball to center to drive in two more runs, making it 7-2 Minnesota. Jovani Morán gave up a single to Jiménez that drove in a run in the bottom of the 12th, but with a double play and a strikeout, he closed the door. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins head for Cleveland, where they start a three-game series against the Guardians on Friday (5/5). Game one is scheduled for 6:10 pm CDT tomorrow, with Bailey Ober (1-0, 1.59 ERA) set to make his third start of the season, while the Guardians turn to rookie righty Peyton Battenfield (0-2, 4.67 ERA). Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Pagán 23 0 0 18 20 61 Stewart 13 0 24 0 16 53 López 0 0 15 0 16 31 Jax 0 0 9 15 0 24 Morán 0 0 0 9 15 24 Winder 23 0 0 0 0 23 Durán 7 0 0 0 16 23 Thielbar 0 0 13 0 0 13 View full article

The bats came back to life after a cold night on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough. A short start by Louie Varland and a critical missed opportunity late with the bases loaded cost Minnesota the game and the series. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Louie Varland, 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (87 pitches, 59 strikes, 67.8%) Home Runs: Nick Gordon (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (-.234), Louie Varland (-.203), Griffin Jax (-.165) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Chicago jumps on Varland early Minnesota dropped the series opener on Tuesday night after the bats went painfully cold, and a terrific shutout start by Joe Ryan went to waste. The Twins’ offense produced only three hits all night, and the White Sox walked it off in the tenth. On Wednesday, despite facing Chicago’s staff ace in Dylan Cease, the bats needed to come back to life if Minnesota was going to avoid the White Sox’s first series win of the season. However, different from last night, Chicago’s bats made the first move and jumped to an early lead in the first inning. Emergency starter Louie Varland was called up earlier on Wednesday to replace Tyler Mahle, who was placed on the injured list with a right arm posterior impingement and flexor pronator strain. Making his second big league start of the season, Varland was ambushed right out of the gate. Varland walked Tim Anderson, and after he retired the following two batters, Chicago did some two-out damage. Eloy Jiménez collected a single to send Anderson to third, and he was followed by Luis Robert Jr., who crushed a three-run shot to center. Could the offense wake up and bale him out of his first big-league loss of the season? Correa, Buxton, Gordon bring the Twins back Yes, they did it. After a scoreless second inning, the Twins' offense produced more hits in the third inning than they did in the entire game on Tuesday. Willi Castro led off the inning with a single, and after Cease retired the next two batters, it was time the Twins did some two-out damage of their own. Jorge Polanco hit a liner to right, and with men on the corners, Carlos Correa hit a 108 mph groundball down the left field line to score both runners. Next, Byron Buxton wasted no time and jumped on the first pitch he saw for and RBI double off of the center field wall, scoring Correa and tying the game. And the bats weren’t done. After Varland delivered a scoreless third, Nick Gordon hit a solo home run in the fourth to give the Twins their first lead of the game, 4-3. The Twins infielder also hit a pinch-hit home run on Tuesday, with this becoming the first time in his big-league career that he homered in back-to-back games. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Varland was unable to hold on to that lead. In the bottom of the fourth, he loaded the bases after giving up a two-out walk to Chicago’s number nine hitter Elvis Andrus. Back to the top of the White Sox lineup, Anderson lined a single to right to score the tying run. Fortunately, Yasmani Grandal was easily thrown out by Max Kepler at home to end the threat. Twins load the bases with no outs, come away empty-handed During the seventh inning, the Twins had their best chance to bust the game open. Facing reliever Gregory Santos, Minnesota loaded the bases before he could record an out. Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler hit back-to-back singles, and Polanco laid down a bunt. Santos slipped as he neared the ball and suddenly the bases were loaded for Correa. Correa and Buxton, though, were a tad too impatient. Both of them jumped on early pitches but failed to get the ball out of the infield, allowing Chicago’s defense to make two fine plays to get the outs at home. Trevor Larnach had a considerably better at-bat next but ended up striking out swinging on eight pitches. The Twins were punished soon after that. In the bottom of the seventh, Anderson hit yet another leadoff single for his third hit of the night, facing Griffin Jax. Though Jax was able to pick Anderson off at first, he gave up a single and a walk next, allowing Jiménez to single to left and push Andrew Benintendi across, giving Chicago a 5-4 lead. An uninspired offense went down in order in the top of the eighth, and Chicago added on another run. Grandal hit a leadoff single against Jovani Morán and was replaced by former Twin Billy Hamilton as the pinch-runner. Hamilton moved up to second on a sac-bunt and later scored from second when Andrus grounded out. Jorge Polanco ranged across second base and threw to first base for the out. Donovan Solano bobbled the ball in his attempt to throw home, but Hamilton was going to be safe regardless. With two outs in the ninth, Polanco had a tremendous plate appearance, drawing a walk on 11 pitches and bringing Correa to the plate. The Twins superstar, however, struck out swinging, and the game was over. Postgame interview What’s Next? The two teams meet again on Thursday (5/4) afternoon for the final game of the series, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT. Twins ace Pablo López (2-2, 4.00 ERA) takes the mound looking to bounce back after a pair of rough outings that caused his ERA to more than double in the last ten days. Chicago will turn to Lucas Giolito (1-2, 4.15 ERA) for the start, with the righty trying to get back on track after a tough start to the season. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Pagán 0 23 0 0 18 41 Jax 15 0 0 9 15 39 Stewart 0 13 0 24 0 37 Thielbar 22 0 0 13 0 35 López 16 0 0 15 0 31 Winder 0 23 0 0 0 23 Durán 15 7 0 0 0 22 Morán 0 0 0 0 9 9 View full article