Thiéres Rabelo

Lovely story!

Lovely story!

Apparently, the Minnesota Twins clubhouse has a lasting impact on a lot of people. Is there anything special about it?
Image courtesy of Sportsnet (screenshot) The American League Wild Card series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays was the pinnacle of the Minnesota Twins season and perhaps the happiest moment in Minnesota sports in nearly two decades. The snapping of the losing streak in Game 1 lifted a huge burden off the backs of every Twins fan. The win in Game 2 put us in nirvana and gave us hope we thought impossible. There was nothing that could spoil that. Not even a little bit. Or was there?
Well, kind of.
While the players and all fans at Target Field celebrated the Twins’ first postseason series win since 2002, a heartbreaking image went somewhat viral on Twins Twitter. A screenshot taken of the Sportsnet broadcast showed former Twins starter José Berríos watching from Toronto’s dugout as his old Minnesota teammates celebrated:

After the game, Berríos was interviewed live from the clubhouse. Some said that he seemed to have been crying. That wouldn’t be surprising at all. He was Toronto’s starter for that game, and he was throwing a great game. He took care of the Twins lineup for three innings on only 39 pitches, allowing only one hit, but striking out five. No walks.
But the Blue Jays’ manager, John Schneider, had a plan. When Royce Lewis drew a leadoff walk against Berríos in the fourth, Yusei Kikuchi got the call, and “La Mákina” departed the game at only 47 pitches. The Twins took advantage and managed to score two runs against Kikuchi, which ended up being enough to win the game.
Perhaps that was the main reason Berríos looked devastated in the dugout as the Twins celebrated. Maybe he was just gazing at nothing, not actually paying too much attention to all the smiling,  jumping, and yelling. Unsurprisingly, his early departure from the game was the main topic of the questions asked to Berríos in the clubhouse. But that gaze from the dugout also came up – as great journalism would require.
During the interview, only two questions focused on that last part, but those answers really say something about how Berríos feels about the Twins and Minnesota. He first referenced his old home when he was asked how he felt watching the remainder of the game from the dugout. In listing the reasons why he didn't feel so bad, he mentioned how much he enjoyed being in Minnesota and the atmosphere at Target Field.
Then, after quickly answering another question about why he was removed from the game–"Honestly, I don't know," he said–those two aforementioned questions about his old teammates had him reminiscing.
Why did you stick around to watch the Twins celebrate afterward?
– Because I still have brothers over there. Like I've been saying, besides baseball, I respect people. I take care of people. I've got a few brothers over there. I wanted to say congratulations.
The next question made him smile awkwardly, and you could tell he was caught off guard. He didn't have a remotely prepared answer.
How hard was that moment to watch?
– It was a weird feeling because right now, I'm on this side of the dugout, playing for the Blue Jays. I'm very proud of that, and I give my hundred percent. But at the same time, I used to be in Minnesota. The city watched me grow and reach the big leagues, so it was a weird feeling.
Finally, the last question kind of went the other way in the sense that it mentioned something that happened after the game that could've been perceived as... not very nice. But Berríos still managed to pay compliments to his old brothers.
In talking to a member of the Minnesota Twins, they said they were pretty happy to see you leave the game. How does that make you feel?
– That guy was my first pitching coach in the minor leagues when I signed in 2012, Luis Ramírez. He came to me, said 'congratulations,' and gave me a hug. Then I saw [Jorge] Polanco, one of my teammates from 2012, too. They have good people over there. I have to respect that.
I’m not a beat reporter. I’m not at the clubhouse daily – Alanna Rizzo would probably hate me – but doesn’t it feel like the Twins clubhouse is, indeed, special? It’s a big sports cliché to say something like this, but it really feels like it’s true for the Twins. Of course, we’re not talking about something supernatural. It’s all about the people who are there every day. For God’s sake, even when Josh Donaldson was in Minnesota, this clubhouse didn’t seem to have any evident issues.
Granted, the Twins have been lucky when encountering legit nice guys to bless the clubhouse environment. Eduardo Escobar was perhaps the greatest. Willians Astudillo seemed to be loved by everyone around him. And talk about Brian Dozier, who seemed never to stop smiling. But maybe that’s just a great positive effect you get when you have so many homegrown players in a big league team. It’s very hard not to create a deep bond with people you’ve lived with since your teenage years and into your late twenties or early thirties. Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco shared a wholesome moment last week to prove that:
Luis Arráez is another excellent example. Remember how he used to have inside jokes with Twins beat reporter Dan Hayes? That was so cool. And maybe this is just a personal impression, but didn’t he look a bit gloomy in his first days/weeks with the Marlins? Similar to a kid who’s been forced by their parents to change schools and leave behind his crew? Well, seeing Arráez sad should make every Twins fan sad, too, so thank God he was up and smiling again with his new teammates later in the season.
Speaking of Arráez, team photographer Brace Hemmelgarn blessed us when the Twins visited the Marlins earlier this year by capturing this lovely interaction between Arráez and Byron Buxton. To me, that moment screamed, “I miss being with you guys so much!”
I have no idea if the Twins clubhouse is more special than any other clubhouse. But the fact is that a lot of people seem to feel really happy there. Some fans may dislike certain front office or coaching staff members for baseball reasons, but it seems unfair to dislike them for any other reason. They seem to have built a great clubhouse culture for the Twins.
 

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In an incredibly well-pitched game, the Twins had hopes until the very last pitch of the game, but they couldn’t spark a rally rally. The 2023 Minnesota Twins season is officially over.
Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (26 pitches, 18 strikes, 69.2%)
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (4), Edouard Julien (1)
Bottom 3 WPA: Jorge Polanco (-.240), Caleb Thielbar (-.202), Max Kepler (-.117)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Teams exchange solo shots, Ryan gets pulled early
The Twins were doomed on Tuesday afternoon after a poor first inning that saw Sonny Gray give up four runs, and Minnesota was unable to bounce back. This time, though, things looked completely different in the early going as Joe Ryan breezed through the top of the first on only ten pitches. Most fans and pundits wanted the Twins not to throw a pitch to Yordan Álvarez in this series anymore, but Ryan had no trouble getting him to fly out to end the inning.
The offense was also in business early. Édouard Julien led off the home first with a long double to center. It was of no use, though, as Jorge Polanco hit a very soft liner directly at Jeremy Peña, who was able to tag out Julien quickly for a double play. Despite such a deflating play, the Twins didn’t come out empty-handed.
In the following at-bat, Royce Lewis took José Urquidy deep for a line-drive home run to left to make it 1-0 Twins. That was Lewis’ fourth home run this postseason, and he’s now tied with Kirby Puckett for most home runs in a single postseason in franchise history (1991). At four home runs, Lewis is also tied with Greg Gagne for second-most homers all-time in franchise postseason history, behind only Puckett, with five.
Ryan looked sharp again in the top of the second, recording two quick outs on only seven pitches. He got a first-pitch strike against Michael Brantley next, but on the very next pitch, Brantley tied the game with a solo home run to deep center. Chas McCormick singled next, but Ryan took care of Peña to end the inning. That’s when things took an unexpected turn. In a surprising move, Rocco Baldelli pulled Ryan from the game after two innings and only 26 pitches.
Houston takes the lead with another home run
Brock Stewart came in relief of Ryan in the third and took care of business with a 1-2-3 inning on 12 pitches. With the offense going 0-for-7 with a walk after the Lewis home run, the Twins brought lefty Caleb Thielbar in the fourth to face the southpaw trio within the heart of the Astros lineup. He managed to limit Álvarez to a single and struck out Kyle Tucker next. But when righty José Abreu stepped up to the plate, he clobbered an opposite-field two-run shot for his third home run in two days, making it 3-1 Astros.
Chris Paddack took over to get the final out of the fourth, and he went on to toss a flawless 1-2-3 fifth with ease, with a pair of punch outs. While Urquidy continued to make Twins hitters look silly by retiring seven in a row, Paddack looked just as brilliant in the sixth with another 1-2-3 effort, this time against hitters three to five. That included a strikeout against Álvarez. Fans might allow themselves to feel very excited about Paddack’s presence in the Twins rotation next year.
Twins get one back, get Urquidy out of the game
Urquidy made it eight consecutive batters retired when he got Michael A. Taylor to ground out to open the sixth. But his night was about to be over. Julien got his second hit of the night, a solo home run to left, snapping a collective 0-for-14 for the Twins offense since the first inning and cutting Houston’s lead to only one run. Jorge Polanco flied out next, but not before fighting for seven pitches and hitting a bullet (100.7 mph) to deep center.
Dusty Baker brought in Hector Neris to try to get the inning’s final out, but Lewis worked a six-pitch walk to keep the Twins rally going. Max Kepler came to the plate representing the go-ahead run, and he got ahead of Neris in the count, 2-0. But the Astros reliever settled down and, with a big help from home plate umpire Jansen Visconti, got Kepler to “strike out”, ending the inning.
It’s all about the bullpens, and the Astros hold on
Griffin Jax came in to pitch the seventh, and he retired the side, making it ten consecutive Houston batters retired in a row. Had the offense been able to make some noise in the home half, the Twins could get some momentum going. But Neris did a tremendous job tossing a 1-2-3 inning. Then, Jhoan Durán was brought in for the eighth, and he also kept the Twins’ chances alive with a scoreless frame, making it 13 consecutive Astros retired.
Target Field got loud in the bottom of the eighth when Byron Buxton walked up to the on-deck circle. Donovan Solano struck out to open the inning, and Buxton had the chance to tie the game next. His at-bat, however, was short-lived. He took the first two pitches for an even count but swung on the third one to pop out to shallow right. Julien struck out next to end the inning, making it seven consecutive Twins batters retired.
With the Twins season on the line, Durán needed to put up another zero in the top of the ninth. He handed Álvarez his second strikeout of the night on three pitches, then got Tucker to ground out, taking it to the bag himself. After an Abreu single, Brantley jumped on the first pitch for an easy lineout to center.
It was up to Polanco, Lewis, and Kepler against former Twin Ryan Pressly to save Minnesota’s season in the bottom of the ninth. Each of them worked full counts against Pressly, but he didn’t crack, and all three ended up being struck out.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Maeda 43 0 0 25 0 68 Paddack 19 0 0 0 29 48 Ober 0 0 0 38 0 38 Thielbar 18 0 0 0 17 35 Stewart 0 22 0 0 12 34 Durán 0 7 0 0 23 30 Pagán 14 0 0 14 0 28 Jax 0 0 0 9 18 27 Varland 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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The 2023 Twins continue to make history. After snapping an 0-18 playoff losing streak on Tuesday, Minnesota prevailed again against the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the Wild Card series, securing their first playoff series win since 2002. They move on to face the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series starting this Saturday.
Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (85 pitches, 53 strikes, 64.7%)
Home Runs: none
Top 3 WPA: Sonny Gray (.274), Caleb Thielbar (.124), Donovan Solano (.091)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

A day after snapping the longest playoff losing streak in North American sports history, the Minnesota Twins were looking to make history once more. If they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field this afternoon, they would win their first postseason series since 2002, when they beat the Oakland Athletics in game five of the American League Division Series.
Standing in their way today was former Twin and fan favorite José Berríos. “La Makina” never got the chance to start for Minnesota in the postseason at Target Field with fans in the stands – his sole Target Field postseason start as a Twin was in 2020, and fans weren’t allowed to attend games then. In five starts against his former club since the trade, Berríos has had a 4.03 ERA and 1.172 WHIP, having given up five home runs.
Taking the mound for Minnesota today was Cy Young Award hopeful Sonny Gray, by far the Twins’ most prolific player this season after leading the club in Wins Above Replacement (5.4 per Baseball-Reference and 5.3 per FanGraphs) and posting a 2.79 ERA in the regular season, good for third best in the majors. Neither lineup, in theory, was expected to do a lot of damage as long as those two starters were on the mound today.
But Toronto did threaten a bit early on, with two runners reaching in both, the first and the second innings, but Gray was able to put out the fire in both opportunities. He settled in nicely after the second inning, culminating in a quick, 1-2-3 top of the fourth. Meanwhile, despite allowing three hits, Berríos was sharp through three, keeping the Twins off the board, while striking out five and allowing no walks. But things would change abruptly in the home fourth.
Twins take advantage of some poor managing
Berríos completed three innings on 39 pitches, throwing nearly 72% strikes. But when Royce Lewis drew an eight-pitch walk against him to lead off the fourth, Blue Jays manager John Schneider decided to pull him and bring lefty Yusei Kikuchi into the game. It didn’t take long for Toronto to pay the price for that decision.
Max Kepler swung on the second pitch he saw and beat the throw to first. Then, pinch-hitter Donovan Solano drew a walk against Kikuchi to load them up with no outs. Carlos Correa, who had snapped an 0-for-4 skid with an infield hit in the second, collected his second hit of the game with a grounder to center, scoring Lewis from third and keeping the bases loaded. Coming into the game to hit for Matt Wallner, Willi Castro grounded into a double play that allowed Kepler to score from third, making it 2-0 Twins.
Sonny escapes another jam with a great pick-off
Toronto threatened again in the fifth when George Springer hit a one-out single, his second hit of the ballgame, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fought hard for a seven-pitch walk. When Gray threw a wild pitch, both runners moved up, and the Blue Jays could take the lead with a swing of the bat.
But with Bichette batting, Gray made a fantastic throw to Correa at second to pick off Guerrero Jr. with a clean tag to the chest, ending the inning in style. Toronto challenged the play, but it was worthless. Sonny departed the game after the fifth, lowering his career postseason ERA to 2.39 in five starts.
Once again, the bullpen is brilliant, holding on to a slim lead
With a narrow lead, the Twins bullpen would have its work cut out for them. Again. Louie Varland took over in the sixth and struck out Bichette to lead off the inning. However, he lost the next two batters to back-to-back singles, and Rocco Baldelli decided to bring in Caleb Thielbar to get the final two outs of the inning. Thielbar got the job done, but it wasn’t easy.
Santiago Espinal hit a single on the first pitch he saw from Thielbar, and the bases were loaded with only one out. Matt Chapman stepped up to the plate, and he ripped a liner to left that pulled foul by mere inches. Then, on the next pitch, he grounded into an inning-ending double play.
After the offense came out empty-handed in the bottom of the sixth, the bullpen delivered again in the seventh. Brock Stewart took the mound to toss a 1-2-3 inning on 17 pitches, striking out two batters. Unfortunately, a cold offense couldn’t back him up in the home seventh. Going 1-for-9 with a walk since they scored in the fourth, Minnesota’s bats put together a threat by drawing two walks, but both runners were stranded.
Griffin Jax was flawless in the top of the seventh against the heart of the Blue Jays lineup, retiring Guerrero Jr., Bichette, and Cavan Biggio in order on 15 pitches. To retire Biggio, he was involved in a scary collision on the base paths, but he was okay. Correa (hit by pitch) and Castro (single) put together a threat in the bottom of the eighth, with both of them moving into scoring position, but that didn’t pan out. It was up to Jhoan Durán to close out the game in the ninth… or was it?
During some warm-up pitches, the Twins closer called the Twins training staff out to have an apparent problem on his right thumb or nail checked out. He stayed in the game, and after a pair of pitches way up, he settled in and struck out Alejandro Kirk. Espinal jumped on the first pitch for a single, but that went to waste, as Durán struck out the next two batters on six pitches. For the first time in franchise history, the Twins sweep a postseason series.
What’s Next?
The Twins move to the American League Division Series for the first time since 2019. They get ready for a rematch against the Houston Astros, who eliminated Minnesota in their most recent trip to the postseason, in the 2020 Wild Card Series. Game 1 of the series takes place this Saturday (October 7) at Minute Maid Park.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Jax 19 0 0 8 15 42 Paddack 39 0 0 0 0 39 Durán 11 0 0 14 13 38 Thielbar 9 0 0 10 4 23 Varland 0 0 0 2 17 19 Stewart 0 5 0 0 13 18 Funderburk 0 16 0 0 0 16 Pagán 15 0 0 0 0 15 Maeda 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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In his final start of the regular season, Pablo López couldn’t complete five – but he did make strikeout history. Down two runs after five, the offense provided four unanswered runs to complete a late rally, and the Twins secured the series win against the A’s.
Image courtesy of Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (77 pitches, 53 strikes, 68.8%)
Home Runs: Edouard Julien (15), Ryan Jeffers (13)
Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (.263), Ryan Jeffers (.228), Dallas Keuchel (.104)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)
With less than a week until the start of the postseason, Twins fans got a final look at Minnesota’s potential Wild Card game-one starter in Pablo López, even if it wasn’t for long. López didn’t look so sharp to start the game, giving up a leadoff walk and a single, but responded by retiring six consecutive, five of them by strikeout.
The offense was also in business very early, with Édouard Julien jumping on Oakland’s very first pitch of the game for his 15th home run of the season. Then, in the bottom of the second, Minnesota’s secret weapon, Willi Castro, was once again a difference-maker. He got hit by a pitch, stole second (his 33rd stolen base of the year), then scored on a Kyle Farmer double that diving right-fielder Seth Brown failed to glove, making it 2-0 Twins.
López had a rather shaky third inning, starting with a leadoff double to Lawrence Butler. Despite retiring the following two batters on eight pitches, Pablo gave up an RBI single to Brown, who swung on the first pitch of the at-bat to drive in Butler. Old friend Brent Rooker kept the inning alive with a ground ball "single" to short. But after a challenge by the Twins, the call was overturned, and the inning was over.
It was expected that López’s start wasn’t going to be a long one. After delivering a 1-2-3 fourth, Pablo came back for the fifth with his pitch count nearing 70 pitches. After a groundout to open the frame, he lost Butler to a double and Ryan Noda to a single, prompting Rocco Baldelli to call on the bullpen. Caleb Thielbar took over, and the A’s were able to push three runs across and take the lead on an Aledmys Díaz double and a Rooker single – both with two outs.
Despite the short start, López did throw six strikeouts, which got him to a total of 234 on the season, the most by a Twins pitcher since Johan Santana threw 235 in 2007. According to Do-Hyoung Park, those 234 strikeouts are tied with Dean Chance (1968) for the most by any Twins pitcher not named Johan Santana or Bert Blyleven.
Making the second big-league start of his career, rookie Joey Estes was never in big trouble while he was on the mound. But despite his low pitch count, he was pulled from the game in the sixth after giving up a one-out single to Max Kepler. Reliever Kyle Muller took over, and it didn’t take long for the Twins to take advantage of the pitching change. Jordan Luplow struck out for the second out of the inning, but before Muller could get out of it, Ryan Jeffers made him pay by crushing a game-tying two-run shot to left.
Emilio Pagán didn’t have trouble pitching through the sixth. He did give up a two-out triple, but he compensated that with three punch outs. Then, things got interesting. Baldelli made the unusual call to bring Jhoan Durán into the game to pitch the seventh. He did great, striking out the side for a 1-2-3 inning on 14 pitches. But this decision sure raises a lot of questions about how might Durán be used in the postseason. This has been the first time this season Durán has entered a game before the eighth inning, and the first time in his career since September 11, 2022.
The offense wasted a two-men-on and no-outs situation in the eighth, after Christian Vázquez and Julien hit back-to-back singles to open the inning, but got stranded. However, after Dallas Keuchel delivered a scoreless eighth on only nine pitches (seven strikes), the bats didn’t miss their opportunity in the bottom of the inning.
Kepler hit a leadoff single, and with Andrew Stevenson as a pinch-runner, Trevor Larnach hit a long double to right that outfielder Esteury Ruiz had a really hard time playing, allowing Stevenson to score from first and give the Twins the lead. Larnach moved to third on a wild pitch, then he scored on a Jeffers sacrifice fly to make it 6-4 Minnesota.
Keuchel remained in the game for the ninth. He got the first batter to ground out quickly, but then surrendered a single and hit a batter. He was given the opportunity to get the second out, and he did so by striking out Noda. It wasn’t a smooth at-bat, as he got ahead on the count 0-2, but allowed Noda to get back in it with a full count. Griffin Jax came in to try to get the final out, and after a hard-fought eight-pitch at-bat, he struck out Zack Gelof looking to end it.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
In their final home game of the regular season, Sonny Gray (8-8, 2.80 ERA) and the Twins take on the A’s to close out the series tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT, and Oakland will bring Luis Medina (3-10, 5.64 ERA) to the mound.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Paddack 0 0 0 40 0 40 Pagán 10 0 0 0 18 28 Keuchel 0 0 0 0 28 28 Funderburk 0 27 0 0 0 27 Jax 0 0 0 17 8 25 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 18 18 Stewart 0 0 0 16 0 16 Varland 0 15 0 0 0 15 Durán 0 0 0 0 14 14
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With a three-run ninth, the Twins completed a memorable comeback against the Reds at Great American Ball Park with great baserunning from Willi Castro and a pair of clutch hits. They take two out of three against Cincinnati and finish their road trip with five wins in seven games, reducing their magic number to two.
Image courtesy of David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (97 pitches, 60 strikes, 61.9%)
Home Runs: Willi Castro (9)
Top 3 WPA: Willi Castro (.353), Jorge Polanco (.207), Kyle Farmer (.172)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

In the first two games of this Cincinnati series, the Twins were dealt two significant blows on the injury front, with Carlos Correa departing Monday’s game after the first inning with an aggravated left foot plantar fasciitis and Royce Lewis limping out of Tuesday’s game in the eighth with an apparent hamstring injury. But news emerged earlier today that helped calm Twins fans down a bit.
Shortly before today’s game, the Twins placed Correa on the 10-day Injured List and recalled Trevor Larnach from Triple-A St. Paul. However, as reported by MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park, Correa has a full-thickness tear to the central cortex of the area, and that tear might facilitate the healing process. Also, Bally Sports North's Audra Martin reported during the broadcast that Royce Lewis was able to ride the stationary bike in the clubhouse this morning and that his condition is "much better than expected."
On to the game, and neither offense was able to bother their opposing starters much during the first two innings. Bailey Ober, the 346th pick in the 2017 Draft, and Hunter Greene, the 2nd overall pick the Twins passed on to select Royce Lewis, didn’t allow any hits in that span. But things changed in the third, as both of them pitched themselves into jams. Andrew Stevenson hit a leadoff double and was followed by a single from Christian Vázquez. Greene, however, managed to retire the next three batters and end the threat.
Ober was also ambushed in the bottom of the inning and he couldn’t keep the zero on the board. Will Benson worked a leadoff walk, and a couple of at-bats later, Ober hit Jonathan India on the shoulder to put two men on with only one out. TJ Friedl stepped up to the plate and slapped a base hit to left to score Benson. Spencer Steer then hit a long flyball to center that, fortunately, was caught by Michael A. Taylor for the second out, but both runners moved into scoring position. After an eight-pitch at-bat, Ober struck out Jake Fraley, to end a 35-pitch inning for him.
Greene dominated Minnesota’s offense throughout this game, including eight strikeouts through four innings. After a shaky third, Ober gave up a home run to former Twin Christian Encarnacion-Strand to lead off the bottom of the fourth, making it 2-0 Reds. This time, though, he was able to navigate through the inning without much risk. Ober settled in well and completed five innings on 96 pitches before Josh Winder took over in the sixth.
Castro brings the Twins back… Twice!
Greene struck out Max Kepler to lead off the top of the seventh, making it 13 punch outs for him in the afternoon – already a career-high for him. When it seemed like the Twins offense would get nothing against him, Willi Castro went yard for a second consecutive game, the first time he’s done so this season. That was all the damage the Twins could inflict, as Greene picked up his 14th strikeout on the day on his way to complete seven innings.
Winder had tossed a quick, easy sixth, before giving up a leadoff triple to Benson in the seventh. That’s when things got weird. Luke Maile made a bunt attempt, the ball went into play, and he was initially out. David Bell noticed the ball had hit Maile on the fingers and challenged the call, and a review showed the ball hit Maile in the box and was ruled dead, turning Maile’s failed bunt attempt into a strike, and allowing the at-bat to continue. On the very next pitch, Maile hit a bloop single to shallow left, driving in Benson from third and making it 3-1 Reds.
Minnesota didn’t give up, and they made this a one-run game again in the eighth, once Greene was no longer in the game. Vázquez doubled to deep right to lead off the inning, and after Larnach flied out, Édouard Julien got his first hit of the day, a bloop single to center, deep enough to score Vázquez. After Jhoan Durán pitched around a leadoff walk to deliver a scoreless eighth, the Twins were ready to rally in the ninth.
Castro was once again the headliner. Facing reliever Alexis Díaz, he hit a leadoff bunt single, then immediately tried stealing second. He succeeded, and more, as Maile made an awful throw to second, allowing Castro to advance to third. Kyle Farmer smacked a single to right to score Castro and tie the game. Vázquez drew a one-out walk, prompting a pitching change. But that was useless.
After striking out Larnach for the second out, Sam Moll intentionally walked Ryan Jeffers to face Jorge Polanco next and load the bases. Polo wasted no time, and jumped on the very first pitch for a base hit down the middle, scoring Farmer and Vázquez and giving the Twins their first lead of the afternoon, 5-3.
One week after giving up a game-winning home run to the Rays in the ninth, Griffin Jax was given another late high-leverage opportunity today. He came in to pitch the ninth, and despite giving up a leadoff walk, he was able to retire the side and record his third save of the season.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
The Twins head back to the Twin Cities, where they’ll have a day off on Thursday and kick off their final homestand of the season the next day. They host the Los Angeles Angels for a three-gamer over the weekend, with game one scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday. Pablo López (10-8, 3.58 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota, while the Angels’ starter is yet to be determined.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Keuchel 0 0 58 0 0 58 Winder 25 0 0 0 29 54 Pagán 0 22 0 8 0 30 Durán 9 0 0 0 21 30 Jax 0 13 0 0 17 30 Funderburk 0 0 0 20 0 20 Thielbar 0 0 0 16 0 16 Floro 0 0 0 16 0 16 Varland 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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With a three-run ninth, the Twins completed a memorable comeback against the Reds at Great American Ball Park with great baserunning from Willi Castro and a pair of clutch hits. They take two out of three against Cincinnati and finish their road trip with five wins in seven games, reducing their magic number to two.
Image courtesy of David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (97 pitches, 60 strikes, 61.9%)
Home Runs: Willi Castro (9)
Top 3 WPA: Willi Castro (.353), Jorge Polanco (.207), Kyle Farmer (.172)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

In the first two games of this Cincinnati series, the Twins were dealt two significant blows on the injury front, with Carlos Correa departing Monday’s game after the first inning with an aggravated left foot plantar fasciitis and Royce Lewis limping out of Tuesday’s game in the eighth with an apparent hamstring injury. But news emerged earlier today that helped calm Twins fans down a bit.
Shortly before today’s game, the Twins placed Correa on the 10-day Injured List and recalled Trevor Larnach from Triple-A St. Paul. However, as reported by MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park, Correa has a full-thickness tear to the central cortex of the area, and that tear might facilitate the healing process. Also, Bally Sports North's Audra Martin reported during the broadcast that Royce Lewis was able to ride the stationary bike in the clubhouse this morning and that his condition is "much better than expected."
On to the game, and neither offense was able to bother their opposing starters much during the first two innings. Bailey Ober, the 346th pick in the 2017 Draft, and Hunter Greene, the 2nd overall pick the Twins passed on to select Royce Lewis, didn’t allow any hits in that span. But things changed in the third, as both of them pitched themselves into jams. Andrew Stevenson hit a leadoff double and was followed by a single from Christian Vázquez. Greene, however, managed to retire the next three batters and end the threat.
Ober was also ambushed in the bottom of the inning and he couldn’t keep the zero on the board. Will Benson worked a leadoff walk, and a couple of at-bats later, Ober hit Jonathan India on the shoulder to put two men on with only one out. TJ Friedl stepped up to the plate and slapped a base hit to left to score Benson. Spencer Steer then hit a long flyball to center that, fortunately, was caught by Michael A. Taylor for the second out, but both runners moved into scoring position. After an eight-pitch at-bat, Ober struck out Jake Fraley, to end a 35-pitch inning for him.
Greene dominated Minnesota’s offense throughout this game, including eight strikeouts through four innings. After a shaky third, Ober gave up a home run to former Twin Christian Encarnacion-Strand to lead off the bottom of the fourth, making it 2-0 Reds. This time, though, he was able to navigate through the inning without much risk. Ober settled in well and completed five innings on 96 pitches before Josh Winder took over in the sixth.
Castro brings the Twins back… Twice!
Greene struck out Max Kepler to lead off the top of the seventh, making it 13 punch outs for him in the afternoon – already a career-high for him. When it seemed like the Twins offense would get nothing against him, Willi Castro went yard for a second consecutive game, the first time he’s done so this season. That was all the damage the Twins could inflict, as Greene picked up his 14th strikeout on the day on his way to complete seven innings.
Winder had tossed a quick, easy sixth, before giving up a leadoff triple to Benson in the seventh. That’s when things got weird. Luke Maile made a bunt attempt, the ball went into play, and he was initially out. David Bell noticed the ball had hit Maile on the fingers and challenged the call, and a review showed the ball hit Maile in the box and was ruled dead, turning Maile’s failed bunt attempt into a strike, and allowing the at-bat to continue. On the very next pitch, Maile hit a bloop single to shallow left, driving in Benson from third and making it 3-1 Reds.
Minnesota didn’t give up, and they made this a one-run game again in the eighth, once Greene was no longer in the game. Vázquez doubled to deep right to lead off the inning, and after Larnach flied out, Édouard Julien got his first hit of the day, a bloop single to center, deep enough to score Vázquez. After Jhoan Durán pitched around a leadoff walk to deliver a scoreless eighth, the Twins were ready to rally in the ninth.
Castro was once again the headliner. Facing reliever Alexis Díaz, he hit a leadoff bunt single, then immediately tried stealing second. He succeeded, and more, as Maile made an awful throw to second, allowing Castro to advance to third. Kyle Farmer smacked a single to right to score Castro and tie the game. Vázquez drew a one-out walk, prompting a pitching change. But that was useless.
After striking out Larnach for the second out, Sam Moll intentionally walked Ryan Jeffers to face Jorge Polanco next and load the bases. Polo wasted no time, and jumped on the very first pitch for a base hit down the middle, scoring Farmer and Vázquez and giving the Twins their first lead of the afternoon, 5-3.
One week after giving up a game-winning home run to the Rays in the ninth, Griffin Jax was given another late high-leverage opportunity today. He came in to pitch the ninth, and despite giving up a leadoff walk, he was able to retire the side and record his third save of the season.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
The Twins head back to the Twin Cities, where they’ll have a day off on Thursday and kick off their final homestand of the season the next day. They host the Los Angeles Angels for a three-gamer over the weekend, with game one scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday. Pablo López (10-8, 3.58 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota, while the Angels’ starter is yet to be determined.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Keuchel 0 0 58 0 0 58 Winder 25 0 0 0 29 54 Pagán 0 22 0 8 0 30 Durán 9 0 0 0 21 30 Jax 0 13 0 0 17 30 Funderburk 0 0 0 20 0 20 Thielbar 0 0 0 16 0 16 Floro 0 0 0 16 0 16 Varland 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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Despite an hour-long rain delay, Twins pitchers managed to limit the Guardians to only two runs. However, Minnesota’s offense never really showed up, and Cleveland avoided the sweep.
Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (89 pitches, 60 strikes, 67.4%)
Home Runs: none
Bottom 3 WPA: Max Kepler (-.177), Jorge Polanco (-.139), Carlos Correa  (-.139)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

A rain delay likely takes a toll on Ryan’s start
Looking to continue his return to form, Joe Ryan took the mound this afternoon after having posted a 1.64 ERA in his two starts since coming off the Injured List. However, things didn’t look promising for him to begin this game. Though he kept Cleveland off the scoreboard in the first, it took him 28 pitches to conclude the inning.
Ryan gave up a leadoff ground-rule double to Andrés Giménez, and the Guardians second baseman would wind up scoring after moving to third on a flyout and being driven in by a Will Brennan single. Fortunately, for the first portion of the game, that was all the damage Cleveland was able to do against Ryan.
Meanwhile, the offense was having a tough time finding its groove against rookie Gavin Williams. It was a tall order for the bats to maintain the same kind of productivity they’ve had in the first two games of the series – but you also wouldn’t expect them to look so uninspired.
Williams no-hit Minnesota’s offense through four, and all Twins hitters could muster were three walks in that span. Granted, the Guardians' defense made a pair of impressive defensive plays during the second inning that might’ve stolen a run from Minnesota.
The game went into an hour-long rain delay with two outs in the bottom of the third, but both starters remained in the game. Williams was all over the place when he returned to the mound, but home plate umpire Paul Clemons made a few really wild strike calls in the top of the fourth, allowing Williams to catch a big break.
The bottom of the fourth would be Ryan’s last frame, as his pitch count continued to rise. Giménez and Brennan teamed up to score another run for Cleveland, with the former hitting a one-out single and the latter pushing his teammate across with a two-out double.
Williams’ no-hit bid continued in the fifth, but Willi Castro’s leadoff walk would come back to haunt him. During Ryan Jeffers’ at-bat, Castro stole second for his 30th stolen base of the season, the most by any Twin since 2012 (Ben Revere, 40). He becomes the ninth Twin in history to steal at least 30 bases in a season. Andrew Stevenson hit a grounder to left to drive in Castro and put the Twins on the board.
Varland has a hot start, but bats can’t come alive
Making his first big-league relief appearance and first big-league appearance overall since mid-June, Louie Varland looked as solid as ever. He delivered three perfect innings on only 30 pitches, throwing 70% strikes and striking out two. But things changed in the bottom of the eighth, as he gave up a leadoff single, followed by a walk and his departure from the game.
Kody Funderburk came into the game, and he managed to retire the side, making it four innings of scoreless ball provided by the Twins bullpen. However, the great relief effort wasn’t enough for Minnesota. Since Stevenson’s RBI single in the fifth, the offense went 1-for-11 heading into the top of the ninth. Then, reliever Emmanuel Clase had no trouble against the cold Twins bats, retiring the side on only ten pitches.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
The Twins have a day off on Thursday (Sep 7), and they head back home to begin a weekend set against the New York Mets at Target Field. The series opener is scheduled for Friday (Sep 8) at 7:10 pm CDT, with Dallas Keuchel (1-1, 5.06 ERA) toeing the rubber for Minnesota and Kodai Senga (10-7, 3.08 ERA) making the start for New York.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Headrick 15 0 46 0 0 61 Varland 0 0 0 0 43 43 Pagán 24 0 0 12 0 36 Funderburk 9 14 0 0 11 34 Jax 7 0 0 17 0 24 Floro 8 0 14 0 0 22 Durán 21 0 0 0 0 21 Thielbar 6 0 0 10 0 16 Winder 6 5 0 0 0 11  
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Despite an hour-long rain delay, Twins pitchers managed to limit the Guardians to only two runs. However, Minnesota’s offense never really showed up, and Cleveland avoided the sweep.
Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (89 pitches, 60 strikes, 67.4%)
Home Runs: none
Bottom 3 WPA: Max Kepler (-.177), Jorge Polanco (-.139), Carlos Correa  (-.139)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

A rain delay likely takes a toll on Ryan’s start
Looking to continue his return to form, Joe Ryan took the mound this afternoon after having posted a 1.64 ERA in his two starts since coming off the Injured List. However, things didn’t look promising for him to begin this game. Though he kept Cleveland off the scoreboard in the first, it took him 28 pitches to conclude the inning.
Ryan gave up a leadoff ground-rule double to Andrés Giménez, and the Guardians second baseman would wind up scoring after moving to third on a flyout and being driven in by a Will Brennan single. Fortunately, for the first portion of the game, that was all the damage Cleveland was able to do against Ryan.
Meanwhile, the offense was having a tough time finding its groove against rookie Gavin Williams. It was a tall order for the bats to maintain the same kind of productivity they’ve had in the first two games of the series – but you also wouldn’t expect them to look so uninspired.
Williams no-hit Minnesota’s offense through four, and all Twins hitters could muster were three walks in that span. Granted, the Guardians' defense made a pair of impressive defensive plays during the second inning that might’ve stolen a run from Minnesota.
The game went into an hour-long rain delay with two outs in the bottom of the third, but both starters remained in the game. Williams was all over the place when he returned to the mound, but home plate umpire Paul Clemons made a few really wild strike calls in the top of the fourth, allowing Williams to catch a big break.
The bottom of the fourth would be Ryan’s last frame, as his pitch count continued to rise. Giménez and Brennan teamed up to score another run for Cleveland, with the former hitting a one-out single and the latter pushing his teammate across with a two-out double.
Williams’ no-hit bid continued in the fifth, but Willi Castro’s leadoff walk would come back to haunt him. During Ryan Jeffers’ at-bat, Castro stole second for his 30th stolen base of the season, the most by any Twin since 2012 (Ben Revere, 40). He becomes the ninth Twin in history to steal at least 30 bases in a season. Andrew Stevenson hit a grounder to left to drive in Castro and put the Twins on the board.
Varland has a hot start, but bats can’t come alive
Making his first big-league relief appearance and first big-league appearance overall since mid-June, Louie Varland looked as solid as ever. He delivered three perfect innings on only 30 pitches, throwing 70% strikes and striking out two. But things changed in the bottom of the eighth, as he gave up a leadoff single, followed by a walk and his departure from the game.
Kody Funderburk came into the game, and he managed to retire the side, making it four innings of scoreless ball provided by the Twins bullpen. However, the great relief effort wasn’t enough for Minnesota. Since Stevenson’s RBI single in the fifth, the offense went 1-for-11 heading into the top of the ninth. Then, reliever Emmanuel Clase had no trouble against the cold Twins bats, retiring the side on only ten pitches.
Postgame interview
What’s Next?
The Twins have a day off on Thursday (Sep 7), and they head back home to begin a weekend set against the New York Mets at Target Field. The series opener is scheduled for Friday (Sep 8) at 7:10 pm CDT, with Dallas Keuchel (1-1, 5.06 ERA) toeing the rubber for Minnesota and Kodai Senga (10-7, 3.08 ERA) making the start for New York.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Headrick 15 0 46 0 0 61 Varland 0 0 0 0 43 43 Pagán 24 0 0 12 0 36 Funderburk 9 14 0 0 11 34 Jax 7 0 0 17 0 24 Floro 8 0 14 0 0 22 Durán 21 0 0 0 0 21 Thielbar 6 0 0 10 0 16 Winder 6 5 0 0 0 11  
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Not buying it.    Pretty much every manager in the last decade would have made the same moves Rocco made today, especially Thielbar    Maybe they don't all put Funderburk in there, but maybe they do.   He got his feet wet a couple days ago and looked great.    Every manager does the righty/lefty thing.   I don't love it but they do.   Players lost this one.   If Pagan gave up a hit then there would be fans complaining about Rocco not playing odds and putting a left in.

Kenta Maeda delivers five solid innings, and the bats homer three times. However, the bullpen gives up five runs, allowing the Crew to complete the sweep, even the season series.
Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (92 pitches, 59 strikes, 64.1%)
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (5), Michael A. Taylor (17), Kyle Farmer (7)
Bottom 3 WPA: Jhoan Duran (-.660), Emilio Pagan (-.146), Jordan Luplow  (-.146)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Starters struggle against the heat early
With a temperature of 97ºF at first pitch and heat index readings ranging from 107ºF to 112ºF, both teams knew it would be a tough afternoon at American Family Field – especially the pitchers. Both starters, Kenta Maeda and Corbin Burnes, had long first innings, and neither seemed comfortable on the mound.
Burnes needed 22 pitches to go through the top of the first. He gave up back-to-back singles to open the game against Edouard Julien and Donovan Solano, allowing Carlos Correa to drive in the first run with a sac fly. Max Kepler also got a single before the inning ended, but both runners finished stranded.
When Maeda took the mound, it was evident how much the heat and humidity affected the game. One rosin bag didn’t seem enough for him, who was applying it to his elbows. He struggled with his command, and the Brewers had two men on quickly, on a leadoff single by Christian Yelich and a walk by William Contreras. He retired the next two but hit Mark Canha to load them up to Andruw Monasterio. The rookie infielder singled to bring in two runners but got tagged out at second to end the busy first inning.
Twins’ bats show up!
Both hurlers settled in command-wise as both tossed scoreless frames in the second. But it was inevitable for the bats to take advantage of the hot weather, and both lineups exchanged punches in the third. Burnes retired the first two batters in the inning, but before he could finish the business, Correa connected for a single, and Royce Lewis followed with a two-run shot that put the Twins back ahead.
That lead didn’t last long. After a lengthy at-bat, Contreras smashed a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the third, and suddenly, the game was tied at 3-3. But this wouldn’t last much, either! Minnesota’s offense was back in business in the fourth, with Ryan Jeffers hitting a leadoff double and Kyle Farmer drawing a walk. Jordan Luplow grounded into a double play next, but before Burnes could escape the jam, Michael A. Taylor crushed a two-run jack to put the Twins back on top, 5-3. That was Taylor’s 17th home run of the season, and he’s now two shy of matching his single-season career high – he hit 19 for the Nationals in 2017.
Maeda finishes off strong and gets more run support
Judging by how he started this game, one could’ve imagined that Maeda’s outing would soon be over and a high-scoring one. But he proved doubters wrong. After giving up the game-tying home run in the third, he retired the next eight batters he saw to complete five. Maeda continues to be incredibly solid for Minnesota lately, with his second-half ERA now sitting at 2.91 after today’s start.
Shortly after Maeda departed the game, the offense added on to try and secure his fourth win of the season. After Burnes quickly retired the first two batters he faced in the sixth, Farmer crushed a solo shot to center to score Minnesota’s sixth run of the game. This represented the first time Burnes has given up at least three home runs in a game since May 22, and only the second time that happened this season.
The bullpen can’t hold on to the lead… again
The theme of Tuesday night’s loss was how Minnesota’s middle relief blew up the game. Today, as soon as Maeda departed the game, the story seemed to be headed the same way. Emilio Pagán took over in the sixth, lost Carlos Santana to a leadoff single, and then Willy Adames hit a two-run shot to cut down the Twins’ lead to one. Then, with Caleb Thielbar pitching in the seventh, the Crew tied the game with a Tyrone Taylor solo home run.
Milwaukee’s bullpen mostly dominated Twins pitching for the final three innings of regulation, but All-Star reliever Devin Williams pitched himself into a jam in the ninth. Jorge Polanco drew a leadoff walk, then a pitch hit Matt Wallner on the hand, and the Twins suddenly had two runners on with no outs. 
However, they failed to capitalize, as Williams retired the next three. Jhoan Durán came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth, and he managed to prevent the Brewers from scoring – despite a Yelich walk and subsequent stolen base – taking the game into extra innings.
Twins tumble their way into the lead… Only to lose it shortly afterward
Joey Gallo began the 10th inning on second base and would wind up scoring in dramatic fashion. After Correa worked a leadoff walk, Lewis grounded into a double play, sending Gallo to third with two outs. Kepler drew a walk to put more pressure on Elvis Peguero, and it worked. Jeffers hit a soft grounder towards third that Monasterio bobbled. Jeffers tumbled and fell before reaching first, but he crawled to the bag while Gallo scored to give Minnesota the lead.
But as was the case during this game, that lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the 10th, with Durán still on the mound, Milwaukee tied the game on a leadoff single by Adames that drove in ghost runner Carlos Santana. Adames reached third on a Monasterio flyout, and Brice Turang completed the rally with an RBI grounder that Lewis didn’t manage to throw to first in time.
What’s Next?
The Twins come back home on Thursday, where they’ll kick off a four-game set against the visiting Texas Rangers at Target Field. Pablo López (9-6, 3.51 ERA) is set to throw the game’s first pitch at 6:10 pm CDT, and he’ll be opposed by Andrew Heaney (9-6, 4.27 ERA).
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Floro 27 0 0 31 0 58 Durán 0 17 0 0 33 50 Thielbar 0 18 0 0 22 40 Sands 8 0 0 18 0 26 Ortega 0 0 0 25 0 25 Jax 0 11 0 0 14 25 Pagán 0 0 0 0 21 21 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Things started out smoothly for Minnesota, who built a four-run lead early. But an off day by Kenta Maeda and a Griffin Jax meltdown proved too costly for the Twins, who dropped their eighth against Detroit for the year.
Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (87 pitches, 56 strikes, 64.4%)
Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (8), Max Kepler (20)
Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (-.586), Donovan Solano (-.313), Matt Wallner (-.178)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

 
Bats build a four-run lead in a hurry
No American League Central team has been a bigger thorn in the Twins' side this season than Detroit. The Tigers secured the season series win against Minnesota last week by taking three out of four at Comerica Park, making it seven out of 11 against the Twins for the year at that time. Today, Minnesota had the chance to complete their first and only sweep of the Tigers on the year while putting themselves in position to match their biggest lead atop the division.
Things started well for the Twins at the plate, and they built a four-run lead very quickly. When Édouard Julien jumped on the first pitch he saw for a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, you could tell the Twins bats were hungry. Julien got picked off, but Minnesota's offense didn't take it lying down. Max Kepler worked a two-out walk shortly before Royce Lewis stepped up to the plate and smacked an RBI double to the gap in right-center field to put the Twins on the board.
That was all the Twins could muster in the first, but they were back at it again in the second. Christian Vázquez, Joey Gallo, and Kyle Farmer collected three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out against Tigers' starter Reese Olson. To make up for his baserunning blunder from earlier, Julien punished Olson's curveball with a line drive to center, pushing two more runners across. Then, in the following at-bat, Jorge Polanco flied out to deep center, deep enough to score Farmer from third and make it 4-0 Minnesota. That was the 13th time this season the Twins' offense scored four runs or more in the first two innings of a game.
Maeda isn't sharp, exits the game early
The offense looked great to start this game, which is a relief, given how inconsistent it's been this season. And given how well Minnesota's pitchers have been this year, one could naturally expect a four-run lead to be enough to secure a win. Right? Well, Twins' starter Kenta Maeda had an off day. Not only did he fail to take advantage of that lead, but his start was also short-lived.
Maeda tossed two scoreless to open the game, but it wasn't simple. It took him 26 pitches to get through the first, and he gave up a single and a walk. The second inning was less eventful, but he still needed to pitch around a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera – who, by the way, tagged up and reached third on a flyout, the daredevil.
In the third, Detroit managed to ambush him with a pair of long balls. Akil Baddoo led off the inning with a single, followed by a Riley Greene two-run shot. Then, Spencer Torkleson hit a one-out solo shot to cut the Twins' lead down to one. Kenta would give up another single before closing the book on this inning. He came back to toss a 1-2-3 fourth, but with his pitch count reaching 82 after four, he faced only one batter in the fifth before Rocco Baldelli pulled him from the game. It was the first time Maeda had thrown four or fewer innings in a start since July 14.
Jax struggles, Tigers punish him
The Twins got some quality relief from Dylan Floro and Emilio Pagán, who combined for two scoreless frames on only 21 pitches after Maeda departed the game. Then, Griffin Jax took over in the seventh, and things turned disastrous. He got the leadoff man to ground out but relinquished the one-run lead after giving up a walk to Baddoo and a triple to Greene. Matt Vierling grounded out to short to send Greene home and give Detroit its first afternoon lead.
With two outs and only a one-run deficit, things were still salvageable for Minnesota, provided Jax could get the final out. But everything got a little more complicated as Jax gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Torkleson and Kerry Carpenter. It was the first time Jax had given up four runs in an outing since May 13, 2022. Josh Winder took over in the ninth and gave up a leadoff walk to Baddoo that returned to haunt him. 
Baddoo reached third after a throwing error by Vázquez, and Greene hit a long flyout that went deep enough to send him home for Detroit's eighth run. This run turned out to be the game-winning one.
Epic rally falls short
After scoring the four runs in the first two innings, the Twins' offense remained active for a couple more innings, producing five more baserunners (three singles and two walks). But they went ice-cold immediately after that, going 0-for-13 into the eighth, with only a walk to show.
When the ninth inning came, things went wild. Julien snapped the team's funk with a leadoff single representing his fourth hit of the day, a career-high for him. Then, Polanco and Kepler followed with back-to-back home runs, and suddenly the Twins were within one. Lewis made it four in a row with a single, bringing Matt Wallner to the plate with a chance to walk it off. He swung on the second pitch he saw, sending it to deep left field, but a foot shy of a home run, right into Baddoo's glove. Lewis couldn't move up, and the Tigers induced a game-ending double play next.
Postgame Interview
What's Next?
The Twins will enjoy a day off on Thursday but stay in town to continue their homestand on Friday (Aug 18). They'll host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game set over the weekend, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT on Friday. Pablo López (8-6, 3.66 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Minnesota, while the Pirates' starter has yet to be determined.
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Jax 15 12 0 0 33 60 Thielbar 15 14 0 9 0 38 Balazovic 18 0 0 0 18 36 Pagán 0 9 0 11 15 35 Winder 0 0 0 0 28 28 Durán 0 13 0 14 0 27 Floro 0 0 0 14 6 20 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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Bailey Ober and the Twins bullpen can't hold off the Tigers' lineup, and Minnesota drops their sixth out of ten against Detroit for the season.
Image courtesy of Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports  
Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober, 5.0 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (93 pitches, 64 strikes, 68.8%)
Home Runs: Carlos Correa (14), Joey Gallo (18)
Bottom 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (-.330), Jordan Balazovic (-.159), Kyle Farmer (-.144)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Ober is off to a slow start
With a 3.68 ERA (3rd best in baseball) and 13.2 fWAR (2nd best), the Twins rotation establish itself as one of the most dominant in baseball during the first half of the season. In the second half, however, the Twins’ rotation saw a significant decrease in productivity, with an ERA of 4.45 (ranked 15th in baseball). All but one of Minnesota’s starters have had at least one rough start since the All-Star break.
That includes Bailey Ober, roughed up by the Kansas City Royals in his final start of July when he gave up six earned runs in four innings of work, by far his worst start. Ober had been so effective before that only after that start had his ERA gone above three for the first time this season. After an excellent bounce-back start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he wanted to remain on track with tonight’s start.
But to begin this game, Ober could not prevent Detroit from scoring. Riley Greene drew a four-pitch walk against him in the first, then Matt Vierling singled to put two men on. After striking out Spencer Torkelson for the second out, Ober gave up a single to Kerry Carpenter, and a rare misplay by Max Kepler in right allowed both runners to score.
Correa and Gallo homer, but Ober lets the lead slip away
The Tigers’ early lead was short-lived, as the Twins rallied for three runs in the second. Carlos Correa jumped on the second pitch he saw for a solo home run to center, his 14th of the year. Coming into this game, C4 had a .969 OPS in his previous seven games, and he seems to be heating up at the plate. Tigers starter Alex Faedo managed to get two quick outs after that, but Minnesota did some two-out damage. Ryan Jeffers hit a long double to left, and Joey Gallo went yard for the first time since July 17 to give the Twins their first lead of the night.
But that lead wouldn’t last, either. Detroit scored two more runs after collecting four hits in the bottom of the second and regained a one-run lead. Zach McKinstry and Eric Haase doubled and singled, respectively, and Greene and Vierling hit back-to-back two-out singles to score both runners. It would be the fourth time Ober has allowed four runs or more in a start this season – though one of them was unearned.
Both pitchers settled in briefly, but Ober was in trouble again in the fifth. Torkelson blasted a leadoff home run to right. Now, Ober has given up at least a home run in his last five starts, which hadn’t happened since September 2021. Before the inning was over, Miguel Cabrera hit his second single of the night shortly before McKinstry hit a double to left to put two men in scoring position. Fortunately, Ober got the final out, stranding both runners and keeping this a two-run game.
Twins get within one… but not for long
Faedo departed the game in the fifth, and Minnesota’s offense became more productive. Matt Wallner got hit by a pitch against reliever Brendan White, and then he was waived around third to score a Willi Castro double to left center, putting the Twins again within a run. With great baserunning, the Twins were close to tying the game or even taking the lead: Castro stole third, and later on, after drawing a walk, Jordan Luplow stole second, putting two men in scoring position with two outs. Kyle Farmer fought hard during his at-bat but struck out after six pitches, ending the inning.
Emilio Pagán, who came into tonight’s game posting a brilliant 1.26 ERA over his previous 15 outings, continued his redemption tour by pitching a scoreless 1-2-3 sixth on 14 pitches. He’s prevented opposing teams from scoring in 15 of his last 18 outings. But came the seventh inning, and Jordan Balazovic couldn’t keep the Tiger lineup on a leash. Torkelson smacked a leadoff home run off him to score Detroit’s sixth run. Balazovic went on to give up three singles, allowing Haase to push Jake Rogers across and make it 7-4 Detroit.
Lefty reliever Tyler Holton dominated Minnesota’s lineup for two-plus innings: Twins batters went 0-for-7 with a walk against him. Still, the Twins had a slight chance of rallying back in the ninth if their deficit had remained three runs. However, Balazovic struggled again in the bottom of the eighth, and the game was out of reach. Vierling tripled and then scored on a wild pitch. Torkelson, who had drawn a walk right after Vierling’s triple, scored from second on a Carpenter single.
The Twins put on a fight in the ninth and loaded them up against reliever Trey Wingenter. A.J. Hinch was forced to bring José Cisnero to get the final out. He gave up an RBI single to Kepler that scored the Twins’ fifth run, but he struck out Correa to end the threat.
What’s Next?
Both teams retake the field on Thursday (Aug 10) for the series' final game. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT, with Kenta Maeda (3-6, 4.22 ERA) trying to keep his hot streak alive and Reese Olson (1-5, 4.94 ERA) taking the mound for the Tigers.
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Balazovic 26 0 0 0 39 65 Winder 0 0 0 42 0 42 Headrick 0 0 41 0 0 41 Pagán 0 18 0 0 14 32 Jax 0 27 0 0 0 27 Floro 0 20 0 0 0 20 Thielbar 0 17 0 0 0 17 Durán 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Joe Mauer is 90% of the reason why I started watching baseball and the reason I chose to support the Twins. When I lived in the US, I was able to buy my first Twins jersey and I made sure it was his jersey. He's my all-time favorite athlete, by far, in all of the sports I follow. I love you very much, Joe! ❤️

Joe Mauer is 90% of the reason why I started watching baseball and the reason I chose to support the Twins. When I lived in the US, I was able to buy my first Twins jersey and I made sure it was his jersey. He's my all-time favorite athlete, by far, in all of the sports I follow. I love you very much, Joe! ❤️

Joe Mauer is 90% of the reason why I started watching baseball and the reason I chose to support the Twins. When I lived in the US, I was able to buy my first Twins jersey and I made sure it was his jersey. He's my all-time favorite athlete, by far, in all of the sports I follow. I love you very much, Joe! ❤️

For a second consecutive start, Joe Ryan struggled to keep the ball in the ballpark, and the Cardinals scored seven runs on nine hits against him to put the game out of reach early.
Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (103 pitches, 66 strikes, 64%)
Home Runs: Matt Wallner (6)
Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.345), Edouard Julien (-.066), Kyle Farmer / Christian Vazquez (-.028)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Ryan gets punished by the long ball early
With two days off since his last time out, Joe Ryan had a full week to regroup after his rough outing against the Mariners, in which he gave up four runs and failed to complete four innings. Rocco Baldelli stood by him after that start. He spoke to Twins Radio before today’s game, saying how he believes Ryan is perfectly capable of relying less on his fastball and a bit more on his secondary offerings.
"I have complete faith in Joe Ryan and the way that he can go out there and miss bats and get outs," Baldelli said before tonight’s game. "He's going to swing upward from where he's at right now. That's the way I feel about it."
Having the support of your manager is essential, but it ultimately isn’t enough by itself. Ryan came to tonight’s game throwing his four-seamer 61% of the time through the first three innings, slightly above his season average of 57.5%. The Cardinals hitters clearly prepared for that, and the outcome couldn’t have been more disastrous for the Twins' talented young starter.
After a long -- but scoreless -- first inning, the St. Louis lineup feasted off Ryan in the following two innings. Joe gave up three home runs in the second, including a two-run rocket to deep center by Lars Nootbaar that gave the Cardinals a comfortable 4-0 lead. With St. Louis’ starter Dakota Hudson having a phenomenal start to this game and mercilessly dominating the Twins’ offense, Ryan was on his own, too.
The third inning wasn’t any easier for Ryan. He gave up a leadoff double to Nolan Arenado and a single to Wilson Contreras next. Then, it was Alec Burleson’s turn to punish his four-seamer, crushing it to the corner right for a three-run shot to make it 7-0 Cardinals. Ryan came back for the fourth and struck out three to end another tough start for him. He managed 12 outs on 103 pitches a week after needing 95 pitches for 11 outs. He has now allowed 37 earned runs in his last nine starts (6.89 ERA) and has thrown four or fewer innings in back-to-back starts for the first time in his big-league career.
The offense gets no-hit through five-plus
As much as Ryan’s outing was painful to watch, trust me, watching the offense tonight was excruciating. Twins hitters couldn’t get Hudson to break out a sweat for most of this game, putting up awful at-bats. The Cardinals starter took a no-hitter into the sixth, and his pitch count didn’t hit 70 until the seventh.
But it was precisely in the seventh that Hudson seemed to start running out of gas. After Édouard Julien struck out on five pitches to lead off the inning, Jorge Polanco had a crucial 11-pitch at-bat -- seemingly the first quality at-bat by a Minnesota hitter all night. Though Polanco struck out, Hudson started to struggle after that at-bat: Max Kepler drew a five-pitch walk, and Kyle Farmer got hit by a pitch next. Then, Matt Wallner stepped up to the plate and smacked a three-run shot to deep center to put Minnesota on the board.
Josh Winder came into the game to eat up innings after Ryan’s shortened inning, and he was brilliant for three innings -- his fifth multi-inning outing this season --, keeping alive Minnesota’s slight chances for a comeback. Following Wallner’s home run in the seventh, hopes went up again for the Twins when Joey Gallo led off the eighth with a single. But those hopes were short-lived, as Michael A. Taylor grounded into a force out and Julien grounded into an inning-ending double play later one, Minnesota’s third of the night.
Caleb Thielbar made his first big-league appearance since early June by tossing a scoreless eighth and lowering his season ERA now to 1.59. Then, Donovan Solano hit a one-out single in the ninth, with Farmer and Wallner set to hit after him. Hopes for a rally were reignited for a second, but both of them struck out to end it.
Postgame interview
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Winder 40 0 0 0 36 76 Jax 0 22 0 14 0 36 Balazovic 33 0 0 0 0 33 Pagán 0 6 0 16 0 22 Durán 0 0 0 14 0 14 Morán 11 0 0 0 0 11 Floro 0 11 0 0 0 11 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 11 11  
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In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Twins and the Mariners combined for 15 runs on 22 hits, with Minnesota cutting a five-run deficit down to one. But ultimately, Seattle’s bullpen held on tight, and the M’s take home the series win.
Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports  
Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (95 pitches, 63 strikes, 66.3%)
Home Runs: Christian Vázquez (3), Édouard Julien (10), Matt Wallner 2 (4)
Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.305), Max Kepler (-.207), Jordan Balazovic (-.190)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Ryan gives up two homers, three runs early
When Twins and Mariners met for the first time last week, All-Star centerfielder Julio Rodríguez didn’t cause Minnesota much trouble, going 1-for-10 with five strikeouts and only a walk to show for against Twins’ pitching. In this second encounter between the two teams, though, he has been a real thorn in the Twins’ side.
After picking up three hits in the first two games of the series, including two home runs that powered the M’s comeback on Tuesday, he was at it again right out of the gate this afternoon. He got ahead on the count against Joe Ryan in the game’s first at-bat and ended up hitting a leadoff double after six pitches. Teoscar Hernández pushed Rodríguez across on a one-out bloop single giving Seattle their first lead of the day.
The Twins’ offense struggled to get anything going against Mariners’ starter Bryce Miller to start this game, allowing Seattle to add on and increase their lead. Ryan quickly retired the first two batters he faced in the second, then was one strike away from retiring Dylan Moore, but the struggling shortstop took him deep for the second home run of the game. Back to the top of the Seattle order in the third, Rodríguez picked up where he left off and crushed a no-doubter to the second deck in left field, making it 3-0 Mariners.
Ryan is in trouble again, but the offense hits three homers
The bats finally got into the game during the third, and they also punished Miller with the long ball. Christian Vázquez jumped on the very first pitch of his at-bat to hit a one-out solo shot to center-left and put the Twins on the board. A couple of at-bats later, it was Édouard Julien’s turn to take Miller deep. Exactly like Vázquez, Eddy jumped on the first pitch he saw, hitting a line drive that cleared the left field track by a few feet. Suddenly, the Twins cut their deficit to only one run.
But it simply wasn’t Ryan’s day, as Seattle batters seem to have him absolutely figured out. The Mariners swung on only 34% of his pitches outside the zone in this game, while Ryan has been getting hitters to swing at his outside pitches almost 40% of the time this season. With that, it didn’t take long for Seattle to get him in trouble again. Ryan loaded the bases before recording an out in the fourth inning, then gave up a single to Kolten Wong that scored the Mariners’ fourth run.
Ryan managed to strike out the next two batters, but with his pitch count nearing a hundred, Rocco Baldelli decided to bring Jordan Balazovic into the game, making this Ryan’s second-shortest outing of the season. Balazovic got Hernández to fly out, avoiding any further damage. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Wallner hit his first home run of the afternoon, and once again, the Twins were within a run, trailing 4-3.
Mariners explode to build a five-run lead, but the Twins answer back
Balazovic remained in the game for the fifth, and with 14 pitches, he had retired two batters and allowed a walk. He failed to retire Cade Marlowe next, instead giving up an eight-pitch walk, which would cost him highly on the next at-bat. Moore, who before this game had homered only twice all year, hit his second home run of the day, a 429-feet bomb to left-center, making it 7-3 Mariners.
Rodríguez led off the sixth inning with another double, this time against Josh Winder, and he scored on the next at-bat after Eugenio Suárez smashed a long single off the right-center field wall. Seattle had its biggest lead of the afternoon, heading into the bottom of the sixth. For many teams, an 8-3 deficit this late would be too much to overcome. But this Twins team simply refuses to quit as of late.
Minnesota’s offense rallied for four runs in the sixth and cut the Mariners’ lead to only one run once again. Wallner kicked things off with his second solo home run of the game, a rare opposite-field monster shot by a lefty that landed in the second deck. Willi Castro flied out to put Miller within an out of finishing the inning, but Trevor Larnach doubled and scored next on a Kyle Farmer single to shallow center, making it 8-5 Mariners and immediately ending Miller’s day.
Reliever Matt Brash took over, but he wasn’t able to stop the two-out bleeding. Joey Gallo hit a long fly ball to deep right, and Rodríguez couldn’t make the play, allowing Farmer to score and Gallo to reach second. Then, Vázquez, Minnesota’s seventh player to bat in the inning, joined the party and grounded to right to bring Gallo home and close the gap even more, cutting Seattle’s lead to 8-7.
Winder preserves the one-run deficit, but the rally falls short
Winder gave up two hits and a run in the sixth, but he did a fantastic job the rest of the way. He retired all the remaining batters faced (11 in a row) without allowing a single hit or walk while striking out four and throwing 75% strikes. But the offense went down in order in the seventh and stranded its only runner in the eighth. Minnesota would need their offense to step up once more to complete their rally in the bottom of the ninth. Things started off well, with Vázquez finding a gap in the middle for a leadoff groundball single. But reliever Andrés Muñoz managed to induce three groundball outs next, and the Mariners prevailed in the end.
Postgame interview
  SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Balazovic 7 0 12 0 32 51 Jax 16 8 19 0 0 43 Durán 21 16 0 0 0 37 Winder 0 0 0 0 36 36 Pagán 0 11 0 19 0 30 J. López 0 9 12 0 0 21 Morán 0 0 5 14 0 19 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0  
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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  
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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
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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
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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  
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The fact that they pretty much turned JA Happ into Michael A. Taylor is pretty cool.

Fixed the table so it's much more readable, though far from perfect.