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Byron Buxton made his first appearance in center field as part of a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on August 30th. During his next game, he was removed from action because of inflammation and irritation in his right knee. This type of reaction can be expected when a player is dealing with knee issues and attempting to ramp up after extended time off. As a procedural move, the Twins pulled him off his rehab assignment on September 5th so that they could reset his 20-day rehab window. Last week, head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters that he still anticipates that Buxton will appear in games for the Twins this season. Buxton received a cortisone injection to deal with his right knee issue, and he began rotational work on Thursday. The Saints have fewer than ten games remaining on their schedule, making it tough to ramp him up for the playoffs, but the Twins believe Buxton can still be ready to help the team. "We will make it happen," Paparesta said. "We're going to make it happen in the context of us being able to get him at-bats and get him prepared to play, yes." Minnesota also believes Buxton has a chance to play in center field even though he has yet to make an outfield appearance for the Twins this season. "My impression is for him to be able to play wherever he needs to be able to play for this team," Paparesta said. Twins fans are likely trepidatious when considering Buxton's previous injury history and the idea of him returning to center field in a season that is quickly closing. Minnesota has other center field options like Michael A. Taylor, Willi Castro, and Andrew Stevenson, who each offer different skill sets. However, Buxton is one of the game's best overall players when he is performing at the top of his game, which has yet to be something fans have seen much in 2023. Playoff baseball is on the horizon for the Twins, and the front office might need to get creative regarding Buxton's postseason role. There is room on the playoff roster for extra bench options to fill specific roles such as pinch runner, defensive replacement, or platoon bat. The team will need to consider multiple options if Buxton's knee can't handle regular outfield duties and they still want to have him on the October roster. A right-handed bench bat has been one of the Twins' most significant needs throughout the regular season. The club didn't address this need during the winter because they hoped Buxton would be joined in the middle of the line-up with other right-handed power bats like Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda. Injuries have impacted all three players this season, and the team's struggles against left-handed pitching have been well-documented. The trade deadline offered a new opportunity to add a right-handed bat, but the Twins didn't make any offensive additions. Instead, Minnesota turned to the waiver wire and selected Jordan Luplow to add power against lefties. In 24 games with the Twins, he has hit .250/.357/.438 (.795) with five extra-base hits and a 117 OPS+. Against lefties, he has posted an .838 OPS for the season, which will be challenging for the front office to ignore. The Twins have an opportunity to move Buxton to a bench bat role for the postseason so they can spot him against left-handed relievers. The Twins have few other options in the organization with as much power potential versus lefties, and it would allow Buxton to limit his time on the field. Buxton's streakiness against left-handed pitching makes it hard to know what to expect from him in a small sample size. In previous years, Buxton has shown an ability to return quickly from injuries and immediately impact the line-up. Minnesota can hope he represents a threat off the bench, especially versus some potentially strong left-handed relievers in October. Buxton's return will likely be messy, especially with a team already facing a roster crunch on the offensive side. Will Buxton be able to prepare for the rigors of center field? Or is it time to consider a bench bat role for a potential playoff run? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs recently penned a piece in which he pondered a reality in which the Mets dealt their slugging 1st baseman. New York has been a mess in 2023. They already partook in a mass exodus of notable talent—with the future Hall-of-Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as the most prominent names. Even Mark Canha got the boot. Pete Alonso, however, stayed put. The team offered his name around—Steve Cohen had already bought some great prospects, why not get some more—but no deal materialized, and Alonso was forced to stay put, perhaps leading the "Get to Know Each Other" introductions the clubhouse soon held (this did not happen). With the Mets planning on not competing until 2025, finding a new team for a player soon to be a free agent appears inevitable. Let's see how the Twins could fit into this. Alonso is already a Twin in many ways; the righty appears to fit the slugging/OBP/who cares about batting average/why are we striking out so much mold the team has targeted in recent years. That isn't entirely fair. Alonso whiffs at a rate around league average and takes enough walks to buoy his on-base ability to be above your standard MLB first baseman. But who cares about all that? You're trading for Alonso because he hits dingers—a lot. Since debuting in 2019, he's first in all of MLB in long balls—19 above second-place Matt Olson. Part of that is his prodigious power. Alonso has also been remarkably healthy, only hitting the IL twice since breaking into the majors; his 656 games played since 2019 trail just three position players. Alonso plays first base and DHs—he has no positional flexibility. That could cause significant problems for the Twins if they need to run back the Byron Buxton Never Sees the Field show, but otherwise, the fit can work. They'll need to shuffle hitters, ensuring that Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis, Jorge Polanco, Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Alonso can't all be in the lineup, but, come on, when have the Twins ever been that healthy? If that's too much, the obvious answer is to deal Polanco, who should be attractive with a vested 2024 option and a cheap 2025 club option. As you may remember from a few paragraphs before, Alonso is a free agent after 2024. Signing recently-acquired players to an extension isn't impossible—just as the Cardinals with Paul Goldschmidt, the Dodgers with Mookie Betts, and the Braves with *gestures broadly*—but it would place pressure on the team to ensure they aren't hemorrhaging prospects for rentals. The future payroll isn't too dirty, as Carlos Correa and Pablo López are the only players set to earn more than $20 million. What would such a trade look like? Baseball Trade Values isn't perfect, but it's helpful to at least get close to finding somewhat even deals; no packaging Nick Gordon and Brent Rooker for stars. I've prepared three deals: The first is a package of two near-big-leaguers and Trevor Larnach. Trade deadline rumors pegged the Mets intrigued by Larnach, so let's give them what they want. Tanner Schobel and Marco Raya give them two quality prospects already at AA—in line with New York's plan to ammo up for a run after next season. I think the site has Raya and Schobel underrated, given that Raya is a 45+/50 FV guy, and Schobel is probably one step behind him, so only one of them may be needed in this deal. The second is a combo of buy-low guys. New York can give Josh Winder a shot in the rotation, something the Twins probably can't/won't do given their need to be competitive; they can't suffer his inevitable lumps if they want to win next year. Jose Miranda muddies the Mets' infielders-in-name-only situation, but as long as his bat rebounds, New York would not mind too much. The third is a precarious long-shot deal. Who knows, though? Steve Cohen may be a fan of lotto tickets. Yasser Mercedes gives them a chance at finding a future dynamic outfield star, while Connor Prielipp could recover on the East Coast, offering a cheap chance at ace upside. This deal could quickly turn into a "we dealt Alonso for two burnouts" trade, but if Cohen wants to roll the dice, this deal offers tremendous upside. It's unlikely that the Twins would acquire Alonso, but it was also twice as unlikely that Correa would sign with them. Minnesota has flipped the popular narrative several times over the last few years. If they want a big bat—and if the Mets are willing to play—bringing Alonso to the Midwest could be the play.

It's kind of wild now to go back and look at pictures from the unveiling of the new Twins branding back in November. The vision for the team's future was so different then from what it turned out to be, as illustrated by Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda bookending the five-player uniform showcase that also featured Jorge Polanco, Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton. Arraez and Miranda had established themselves as foundational to the Twins lineup, which might help explain why the team's offense was so foundationally dysfunctional in the first half, searching for an identity in their absence. Arraez is gone this year and that's largely true of Miranda as well, except not quite: he was worse than gone. Miranda produced a negative-0.6 fWAR in 40 games before going on the injured list, damaging the Twins with both his bat and glove. He was bad at third base and abysmal at the plate, producing a 56 OPS+ in 152 plate appearances. Going forward, Arraez obviously will not be a part of the franchise's plans, due to a strategic decision that so far looks pretty good. Will the same be true of Miranda, who is now very much at risk of getting lost in the shuffle? It's tricky to see a path forward for the 25-year-old, whose future here looked so promising so recently. Miranda was placed on the 60-day injured list last week, and with a lack of status updates, it seems all but understood his season is over. A spring shoulder injury that was deemed mild at the time has ended up derailing his season and casting a major cloud over Miranda's major-league future. While he's been sidelined, some major developments have taken place around him. Royce Lewis returned to the fold and has taken a star turn at third base, powering the offense as a rookie in a way that makes Miranda's 2022 campaign pale by comparison. Meanwhile, last year's first-round pick Brooks Lee is already on the doorstep of the majors. He's playing a mix of short and third in Triple-A, but with Carlos Correa entrenched as shortstop it appears Lee's future is at the hot corner, which always profiled as his best defensive position anyway. That means Lewis will eventually need to relocate – possibly to second base or the outfield. Needless to say, there's a good bit of a lot of competition at third base within the emerging core and Miranda has put himself squarely behind multiple players in that race. His days at the position might've already been numbered, given how bad he's looked defensively at third. Will the Twins even bother trying to bring him back there next year? Miranda's clearest path to returning to the picture, it seems, is first base or designated hitter. But these spots are also well staked in Minnesota's young nucleus, with Alex Kirilloff looking like the (hopeful) long-term fixture at first, and a multitude of quality bats vying for designated hitter time – Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach among them. Notably, those players are all left-handed hitters, which affords them an edge given the vastly higher number of righty pitchers in the league. Miranda faces a pretty high bar as a right-handed hitter with a spotty track record and unexceptional defensive chops. To understand how readily available this player type is, look no further than Donovan Solano, who was available on a $2 million deal in late February. To be clear, the version of Miranda we saw for a brilliant stretch of summer 2022 – seemingly backing up his monster 2021 campaign in the minors – is worth making room for. From May 20th to the end of July last year, a rookie Miranda slashed .335/.374/.571 in 50 games, launching 20 extra-base hits and driving in 37. He did so in pretty convincing fashion during that altogether brief period of time, too. Miranda would never be confused by anyone for a disciplined hitter, but he made consistently made hard contact while showing an ability to drive the ball oppo. His spray chart via Statcast illustrates an inclination for pull power with an ability to dump singles and doubles the other way on outside pitches. Usually, that's a pretty safe formula for success, so it's easy to see why Minnesota started looking at Miranda as a building block type. Unfortunately, the success evaporated this season, as he was overcome by the same limitation that kept him on the fringes of the prospect radar for years: too much soft, useless contact. Getting the bat on everything isn't helpful if you're producing easy outs, and that was the story of Miranda's 2023 season up until he was shut down in July. The combination of anemic offense and rough defense made him one of the least valuable players in the league. So that's what Miranda is working back from, at a time where the Twins are ushering a historic rookie class with numerous players solidifying their own places in the franchise's future. In short, it's hard to imagine how this season could've gone worse for José Miranda. And as a result, it's now hard to envision how he finds his way back into the team's plans going forward, barring some significant injury to another building block type. As Twins fans know, that's hardly a long-shot. Kirilloff specifically has struggled to stay off the injured list, and the system's depth at first base behind him is relatively sparse. That position seemingly holds the best chance to create another opening for Miranda, but again – even IN the depressing scenario where AK is continually sidetracked by injuries – Miranda still needs to turn around his own narrative as a poor fielder whose hitting prowess appears flatlined. It'll be very interesting to see how Miranda is viewed and handled heading into the 2024 season. For those who recall how impactful he was at his best, in the not-so-distant past, Miranda will be an intriguing wild-card factor in the franchise's bright overall outlook.

Like many teams, the Twins focused on improving base running this spring, including bringing in former manager Paul Molitor to provide instruction. It would be great if coaching and strategy could help a team improve on the base paths, but a team can't make giant strides without the appropriate personnel. Slow baserunners will continue to be slow baserunners, which has held true for Minnesota this season. Last week, FanGraphs ran through the players who get the least from their base running, and the Twins were featured prominently in the piece. The site uses a metric called Base Running (BsR) that includes stolen bases, caught stealing, and other base running plays (taking extra bases, being thrown out on the bases, etc.) into runs above and below average. The Twins have multiple players who rank poorly on the base paths, including some that may be surprising. Here are the team's five worst base runners. 5. Jose Miranda, 3B Base Running: -1.5 The Twins expected Miranda to play a pivotal role during the 2023 campaign, but a shoulder injury limited him to 40 games. Even in limited action, Miranda's poor base running was in full effect. Last season, he finished with a -4.5 BsR, ranking fourth worst on the Twins. He would rank significantly higher on this list if he played more games this season. Minnesota moved Miranda to the 60-day IL over the last week, so he won't get to improve his baserunning until the 2024 campaign. 4. Donovan Solano, UTL Base Running: -2.4 Solano has been integral to the Twins' line-up this season, hitting .294/.379/.411 (.790) with 24 doubles and five home runs. His 117 OPS+ is the second-highest total of his career. Despite a solid offensive season, Solano is among the team's worst base runners. Last season, he posted a -2.0 BsR in 80 games for the Reds, and his 2023 BsR total is the second lowest of his career. 3. Max Kepler, OF Base Running: -4.4 Kepler looks the part of a player who would be a strong base runner, including having a sprint speed in the 54th percentile. However, Baseball Savant ranks him in the 10th percentile for baserunning value, which is worth -2 runs. Kepler has yet to steal a base this season, and he's had limited opportunities to take an extra base. In previous seasons, Kepler has been an above-average runner, so his early season leg injuries might have hampered his overall numbers. 2. Christian Vazquez, C Base Running: -4.1 Catchers typically fill up the rankings of baseball's worst base runners, and Vazquez is no exception. Over the last two seasons, Vazquez has been baseball's least valuable baserunner by accumulating -14.0 BsR. According to Baseball Savant, he ranks in the second percentile for baserunning value and in the fifth percentile, which has cost the Twins three runs this season. His sprint speed is in the ninth percentile, so few runners are slower than Vazquez on the base paths. 1. Carlos Correa, SS Base Running: -7.7 Over the weekend, Carlos Correa set the team record by hitting into the most double plays in one season. He's been the team's worst base runner during the 2023 season, and only Vazquez has ranked worse than Correa over the last two seasons. Correa has dealt with plantar fasciitis throughout the season, which might have added to his poor baserunning. He has also been very aware of how slow he has been this season when talking to reporters. Correa has been undeniably slow, impacting the team throughout the season. How would you rank the Twins' worst baserunners? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

As reported by Do-Hyoung Park, the Twins have called up outfielder Andrew Stevenson as part of September’s roster expansion. In his first season with the Twins organization, Stevenson played in 106 games with the St. Paul Saints, slashing .317/.394/.522 (.916) with 16 homers, 91 runs, and 44 stolen bases. That last number may be the most pertinent; the Twins are stagnant on the bases outside of Willi Castro and Michael A. Taylor, so adding Stevenson deepens their pinch-running pockets, allowing the team to be a little more aggressive later in ballgames. Stevenson’s glove is also considered plus, according to Eric Longenhagen’s 2018 prospect report on him. Stevenson, 29, has 248 MLB games under his belt, all with the Washington Nationals. Most of his playing time came in 2021, when he hit .229/.294/.339 (.633) in 213 plate appearances. He was, though, on the 2019 roster when the Nationals won the World Series, giving the Twins yet another former player from that team (Taylor). Stevenson didn’t factor into the postseason much; his lone appearance came during the infamous Wild Card game vs the Brewers, when he pinch-ran and scored on Juan Soto’s single late in the game. The move leaves Austin Martin out in the cold. Martin crushed AAA pitching in August with a .329/.460/.544 (1.004) slash line and more walks than homers, leading to hushed murmurs on a potential promotion. That will likely have to wait. Although the team could add him if a relevant player is injured, the move signifies a preference for veteran assurance over seeing what the youngster Martin could do. To make room for Stevenson on the 40-man roster, the Twins placed infielder Jose Miranda on the 60-Day Injured List. The other September call-up is left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick.

The Twins have developed a solid young core carrying the team's offense throughout the 2023 season. Each player below is in their age-25 season or younger while playing in the upper level of the minors. Some players no longer qualify for the organization's top prospect list; others have yet to make their big-league debut. Players not eligible for the list include Ryan Jeffers, Trevor Larnach, and Willi Castro, who are all in their age-26 season. 10. Austin Martin, IF/OF Age: 24 Martin was considered the top prospect the Twins received as part of the Jose Berrios trade, but he's struggled since the trade. During the 2022 season, he posted a .683 OPS at Double-A. During spring training, Martin sustained a sprained ligament in his right elbow. Thankfully, he has been able to avoid surgery. In 26 Triple-A games, he has hit .261/.374/.364 (.737) with six doubles and one home run. It will be interesting to see if his performance improves with an entire off-season to recover from his elbow injury. 9. Jose Miranda, 3B/1B Age: 25 Miranda would have easily been in the top-5 of this list at the season's start, but his performance has struggled in 2023. He suffered a shoulder injury during spring training and tried to play through the injury. In 40 big-league games, he posted a 56 OPS+ with seven extra-base hits and 24 strikeouts. Miranda is currently on the IL because of his shoulder issue. When healthy, Miranda is an elite hitter, and the Twins hope this version of Miranda returns for the 2024 campaign. 8. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Age: 22 It's easy to forget that Woods Richardson is this young, especially after making his big-league debut during the 2022 campaign. He's pitched at Triple-A for nearly the entire 2023 season, where he is over five years younger than the average age of the competition. In 18 appearances, he has a 5.56 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP and 7.4 K/9. Luckily, he still has plenty of time to improve his performance and will be in the conversation for the Twins' 2024 starting rotation. 7. Louie Varland, RHP Age: 25 Varland might seem like the organization's forgotten starting pitching prospect, but he's won back-to-back Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He split time between the Triple-A and MLB levels in 2023 with results that don't match his previous performance. In 12 Triple-A starts, he has a 4.53 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP and 10.6 K/9. The Twins might still need Varland during the 2023 season, but his performance has yet to warrant the team promoting him. He is still part of the team's long-term plans and projects to be in the Twins' rotation for 2024 and beyond. 6. Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF Age: 25 Kirilloff would rank higher on this list for many teams, but he has struggled to stay healthy for multiple seasons. His wrist impacted his performance over the last two seasons, so the Twins ramped him up slowly to start the 2023 campaign. He looked like one of the team's best hitters for a stretch, including winning the AL Player of the Week. However, a shoulder injury has him back in the IL. An argument can be made for Kirilloff to be in the top-5, but he needs to prove he can stay healthy and productive at the big-league level. How would you rank these players? Which player will have the most significant long-term impact on the club? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

In 2019, the Twins mashed their way to the home run record by blitzing starting pitchers and compiling substantial offensive numbers. Obviously, there have been multiple changes to the Twins since that season, but one growing issue is the team's inability to hit left-handed pitching. Byron Buxton has been one of the team's most critical right-handed hitters over the last three seasons. Multiple factors have impacted his performance, including knee and back issues that have plagued him in 2023. Let's look back over the last three seasons to see how the team fared against lefties, what right-handed hitters should have been producing, and how Buxton's streakiness tied to the team's output. 2021 Season Only two AL teams had a lower OPS against left-handed pitchers than the Twins during the 2021 season. Minnesota's team OPS was nearly 20 points lower against lefties than righties. Besides Buxton, the Twins had multiple right-handed bats that should have done damage against lefties, including Miguel Sano, Josh Donaldson, Jorge Polanco, and Nelson Cruz. Sano struggled against lefties with an OPS over 100 points lower than his career mark. Donaldson and Cruz destroyed Southpaws as both posted an OPS above .900 in their final season with the Twins. Polanco is better at batting from the left side, but he posted an .803 OPS against lefties. Buxton was limited to 61 games during the 2021 season but still finished second on the team, according to rWAR. He played three total games between May 7th and August 26th. He ended the year with a .997 OPS against left-handed pitchers, but he was unavailable for a large chunk of the season while the team struggled to a last-place finish. Minnesota's overall numbers would look better if injuries hadn't sidelined Buxton for most of the season. 2022 Season Minnesota added Carlos Correa, a powerful right-handed bat, leading into the 2022 season, and the club saw some offensive improvement. Correa started slowly but continued to hit well against lefties and finished the season with a .945 OPS. Jose Miranda compiled substantial numbers during his rookie season and posted a .512 SLG against Southpaws. As a team, the Twins finished with the fifth-lowest OPS against left-handed pitchers while ranking 17th overall in wRC+. Buxton was one of baseball's best hitters in the first half on the way to being selected to his first All-Star Game. He posted an .824 OPS in the first half with 11 doubles, three triples, and 23 home runs. Buxton was also among the team's best hitters against lefties with a .917 OPS in 114 PA. Unfortunately, he was limited to 19 games in the second half while the Twins fell out of contention in the AL Central. 2023 Season Entering the season, the Twins hoped Correa, Buxton, and Miranda would build off their 2022 success to form a trio of lefty killers in the middle of the line-up. Miranda has been ineffective because of a shoulder injury that has bothered him since spring training. Correa and Buxton have also yet to live up to their high expectations. Evaluators expected Correa to be among the AL's leaders in WAR, but he finished a disappointing first half as a candidate for Least Valuable Player. Minnesota has reached a new low against lefties this season, with the non-contending Rockies being the only club with a lower wRC+ and OPS. The Twins shifted Buxton to DH this season in hopes of having him available more regularly. He is on pace to play over 100 games for the second time in his big-league career, but his performance has continued to struggle. He has hit .162/.244/.338 (.582) with seven extra-base hits and a 28-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 86 PA versus lefties. There have been long stretches where Buxton has looked lost at the plate, and the team's lefty struggles have increased while his bat has gone cold. Do you feel like Buxton's streakiness is to blame? Will the Twins be able to solve their offensive woes against lefties? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins started their post-break schedule with two wins over the struggling Oakland Athletics, bringing their record to 47-46 with 69 games left. As far as opponents go, this is about par for the course in the second half. According to Tankathon’s calculations, the teams left on Minnesota’s schedule have a combined .471 winning percentage. That’s the second easiest in MLB. Now could be a time to get some players right for fantasy purposes, particularly on offense. After wrapping up against Oakland, the Twins head to Seattle. The Mariners pitch pretty well, sitting fifth in team ERA, but Minnesota also faces the White Sox (25th in team ERA) and Royals (28th) this month. Then, the Twins will get St. Louis (24th) and Detroit (22nd) in early August. Minnesota hitters have been inconsistent all season, but these matchups could be just what the doctor ordered. The Twins have scored 15 runs in two games after finishing the first half with five total runs during a three-game sweep against Baltimore. Let’s now look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week and a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Jose Miranda Expected return: TBD Miranda was in the initial lineup Friday before getting scratched due to shoulder soreness and sent to the 10-day injured list. It remains to be seen how long he’ll be out, but his absence has opened up a spot for Matt Wallner (more on him below). Royce Lewis Expected return: Mid-August or later Lewis continues to recover from a Grade 2 oblique strain. He should return sometime next month and take over again at third base. Brock Stewart Expected return: Mid-July Stewart is dealing with right elbow tendinitis and was expected back soon after the break, so he should be able to rejoin the club in the next few days. Jorge Polanco Expected return: Late July Polanco will begin an extended rehab assignment on July 16 as he slowly returns from a hamstring strain. The Twins will surely be cautious here, but when Polanco can return, they’ll have an interesting dilemma with Edouard Julien at second base. Stock Rising: Carlos Correa ESPN Ownership: 74% Correa started batting leadoff on June 30 and has taken off in the new role. In 11 games since then, he’s batting .364 with a .871 OPS. He’s yet to hit a leadoff home run, but if the power comes and the batting average stays up, a big second half could be in order. I already mentioned the soft pitching Minnesota will face in the near term, which only further boosts Correa’s outlook. He’s available on the waiver wire in some shallower leagues, and in the leagues where he’s owned, his trade value remains decreased due to his subpar first half. I’ve been banging the drum for taking a flier on the shortstop, and I’ll bang the drum even louder now. Stock Falling: Jose Miranda ESPN Ownership: 35% Any thought of Miranda picking up steam with his latest opportunity in the majors likely ended when he hit the injured list. He’ll be out for at least ten days and possibly longer, and Lewis is expected back sometime next month. In the meantime, the Twins will rotate the likes of Willi Castro, Kyle Farmer, and Donovan Solano at the hot corner, with Wallner and Joey Gallo likely seeing the bulk of the playing time in left field. If Wallner performs well when called upon, Miranda may stay in the minors, even if he’s ready to go before Lewis. Prospect Spotlight: Matt Wallner (Current team: Minnesota) As noted above, Miranda’s absence has opened the door for Wallner. The 25-year-old has a .927 OPS across 67 games in Triple-A and 1.099 OPS over 11 games with the Twins earlier in the year, so he could be an offensive weapon if the playing time materializes. Wallner continues to strike out a fair amount, but the power is real. Consider taking a flier on the young outfielder if he gets hot, or at the very least look his way in daily formats when he’s in the lineup, as he should be pretty affordable. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 4 Games at Seattle (Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, George Kirby) 3 Games vs White Sox (Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito) I mentioned that Seattle is a tough pitching matchup, and the Twins are set to face All-Stars in Castillo and Kirby. The Mariners have been more middling on offense, as they sit 17th in the league in runs scored. The White Sox have some good starters on paper but own a 4.59 ERA as a team. On offense, they’re 23rd in runs scored. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Sonny Gray and Bailey Ober are both lined up to start twice. I like both Minnesota starters, with neither the Mariners nor the White Sox being particularly imposing offensively. Based on their performance so far, they should be locked into lineups. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch As noted above, I’m pushing my chips in on Correa, though a few of the matchups look tricky. He hasn’t faced the two Seattle aces and has struggled against each of the Chicago starters, batting .200 or lower versus all three. Still, I trust his recent form and think he can still have a good week. Gallo hit a big home run Friday, but I’ll watch how playing time shakes out in the next week or so. If Wallner starts to overtake the veteran in left, it will change the fantasy prospects of booths players. Third base is the other place to monitor in the near term. It seems like the Twins will rotate a few players, but if someone gets hot and grabs hold of a more significant role, they could be worth picking up in deeper leagues or using in a DFS stack. Speaking of stacks, Lynn looks like the pitcher to target this week with his 6.06 ERA. Woo is the least experienced starter the Twins will face, though the youngster has pitched well lately. Lynn, meanwhile, allowed four earned runs or more in two of his last three starts. He’s mostly done well against Minnesota hitters, though Castro has taken him deep twice in 10 career at-bats. Do you believe in Correa the leadoff hitter? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus post your thoughts on the matchups this week.

Entering the 2023 season, the Twins expected Jose Miranda to be part of the club's long-term plans. He was the team's minor league player of the year in 2021 and showed some solid offensive skills in his rookie season. Unfortunately, the season's start couldn't have gone much worse for Miranda. He struggled mightily on both sides of the ball before being demoted to Triple-A. In 35 games, he hit .220/.275/.318 (.593) with four doubles and three home runs. It was a disastrous start for a club lacking offensive production up and down the line-up. Miranda struggled initially following the demotion by going 8-for-54 (.148 BA) without an extra-base hit. It can be easy for players to struggle when demoted, especially with the expectations surrounding Miranda entering the season. However, he started making more consistent contact and drawing a few walks. In his next 26 games, he slashed .308/.378/.467 (.846) with a 17-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His power numbers were lower than what he produced in the past, but Royce Lewis' injury put him back in the big leagues. Miranda was the only infield option on the 40-man roster, so he gets the next couple of months to prove he can contribute to the Twins this season. Trading away prospects is a complicated endeavor. Some young players can never put it all together at the big-league level, while others obtain instant levels of success. Teams must trade away pieces of value to obtain other players with perceived value. Spencer Steer saw his prospect stock rose significantly last season, but now it's hard for fans not to imagine what he would mean to the Twins line-up. The Twins traded Steer to the Reds at last year's trade deadline as part of the package for Tyler Mahle. He got his feet wet in the big leagues at the end of last season (72 OPS+), but the team thought highly enough of him to hand him the starting third base job in 2023. His season didn't start ideally, but he's figured it out offensively after a slow start. In his first 37 games, he posted a respectable .758 OPS, but over his next 47 games, he combined for a .977 OPS. During that stretch, he is tied for 17th among MLB hitters in fWAR, with Willi Castro being the highest-ranked Twins hitter (54th). Steer has yet to carry the Reds' offense, but his value is impossible to ignore for a club sitting near the top of the NL Central. Miranda recently turned 25, which is when many players either make it or break it. He needs to produce strong offensive numbers to provide the team value because his defensive value is minimal. The Twins have Alex Kirilloff and Byron Buxton penciled in at first base and DH, so Miranda needs to produce enough to stick at the hot corner. Injuries can always change the line-up equation, but Miranda is beginning to have more limited opportunities. Miranda's outlook has changed significantly over the last 12 months, and things aren't going to get easier in the future. Looking to the future, it's hard to see where Miranda fits into the team's long-term plans. Royce Lewis already passed him on the organization's third base depth chart, and Brooks Lee is just a little behind. Miranda must find a way to consistently produce power numbers that make him impossible to keep out of the line-up. Otherwise, the Twins will need to go in a different direction. Steer was an unproven commodity at the time of the trade, and Miranda was thriving at the big-league level. The front office knew Steer had the potential to be a solid performer, but the Twins thought Miranda's production would match Steer's or be even better. The Twins made the decision that looked right at the time by trading from a position of depth for a position of need. Unfortunately, it looks like the team picked the wrong third baseman. What can Miranda do over the next two months to help his long-term value? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins took two of three against the Orioles last week in Baltimore, and only surrendered three runs total in the process. Had the offense shown up at all in the finale, the Twins could easily be looking to take their third series sweep in a row. For the Twins, Max Kepler comes into the series red hot, going 6-for-12 with three runs scored and five RBI in his last four games. Edouard Julien's power is returning, and he went 2-for-4 with two solo homeruns in the Kansas City series. The "platoon" method continues to restrict Julien's at-bats, and with a lefty starting Friday night's game Julien will have to probably wait for his opportunities. Jose Miranda might be running out of opportunities. His questionable defense at third, mixed with going 0-7 since his return to the lineup with no walks, makes Miranda tough to put in the lineup night in and night out. Can he find his swing again against this Orioles staff? Here is a refresher of the familiar faces that abound on the Orioles roster (Thanks to Seth Stohs @sethtweets for his Twins Almanac skills): RP Yennier Cano, SP Kyle Gibson, SP Tyler Wells, RP Danny Coulombe, and CF Aaron Hicks. Hicks in particular has regained some of his dynamic form since being released from the beard-care rules of the Yankees organization, although cooling down of late during this recent Orioles rough patch. Gibson leads a rotation in the way that the Twins always hoped he would, although he's struggled of late as well. Cano and Coulombe would look nice in our bullpen right now. And I didn't even remember Wells, but now I'm sad about how that all went down (see Game 2 below). Not to mention Minnesota area connections with Terrin Vavra (Currently on the IL, but son of coach Joe Vavra and a former Gopher has played 2B, 3B, LF and RF this year), RP Mike Baumann (From Mahtomedi), and backup catcher Anthony Bemboom (from Sauk Rapids). Bemboom, along with former Twins prospect Chris Vallimont (who was called up after the Twins series, pitched in one game), was DFAd a couple of days ago. The Orioles are led offensively by their outfielders, Austin Hays, Hicks, Anthony Santander, and Cedric Mullins, who are all posting an OPS over .800 with the O's this year. Catcher Adley Rutschman is living up the hype of a first pick, and as the Twins witnessed a week ago, the Orioles have their own lights-out closer in Felix Bautista (3-1, 1.13 ERA) who is averaging two strike outs per inning! The Orioles have lost six of their last eight games, however, and come into Target Field having just survived a four-game series at Yankee Stadium that didn't conclude until late Thursday evening. Hays still is suffering from the hip injury that he suffered after colliding with Donovan Solano at first base last week. Rookie prospect Colton Cowser got the call-up to be in left field, and should see action against the Twins this weekend. Weather Factor: Gorgeous. Beautiful. No excuse to not pack the stadium type of weather. low to mid-80's with sunny skies and a light breeze that only blows out when the Twins are batting. Seriously, you can't dream up better weather for baseball. Pitching Probables Game 1 – Friday, July 7th, 2023 – 7:10 pm CDT – Twins RHP Bailey Ober (5-4, 2.70 ERA) looks to make another dominant start against the Orioles in the series opener, after allowing only two hits and zero runs in seven innings against them last week. The Orioles counter with LHP Cole Irvin (1-3, 6.32 ERA) who also had success against the Twins in his start last week, allowing only one run over five innings in the game that the Orioles eventually won. Game 2 – Saturday, July 8th, 2023 – 1:10 pm CDT - RHP Sonny Gray (4-2, 2.50 ERA) will try to go deeper into the game than he did last Sunday versus the Orioles, when he was able to complete six innings of shutout work only to have Jhoan Duran and the bullpen run out of gas to lose the game. The Orioles send RHP Tyler Wells (6-4, 3.19 ERA) to the mound. Wells was taken in the 15th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Twins, only to be developed and lost in the Rule 5 draft before the 2021 season, where he made his debut with the Orioles. Wells got a no-decision in his last start against the Yankees. Game 3 - Sunday, July 9th, 2023 – 1:10 pm CDT - The series finale pits Twins RHP Joe Ryan (8-5, 3.43 ERA) and his 276 career innings pitched against Orioles RHP Kyle Gibson (8-6, 4.73) and his 1,606 career innings pitched. We all know that Gibson served in the Twins system and rotation for many seasons, and he appears to have re-gained some success with Baltimore after bouncing between the Rangers and Phillies in the past few seasons. The pitch clock and Gibson were never meant to co-exist, so it will be interesting to watch this version of his approach up close. Prediction Time! The wheels are back on the Twins bandwagon! Right? How do you think the Twins will handle the pitching matchups in this series? Can the Twins sweep their way into the break, or could they realistically get swept back into second place in the AL Central? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

The Twins made it clear before Friday’s game that they were ready for a reset. A whiteboard message that read, “Let the season begin…” greeted the team, and while reasonable minds can disagree about whether such motivational gimmicks actually work, there’s no arguing that the offense needed a restart. The key question now is whether they’ll be able to deliver. I remain a believer in Byron Buxton for fantasy purposes. I think there’s too much talent here, and when he gets on a hot streak, the results speak for themselves. I understand the desire to drop him in shallower formats given the so-so production to date (he’s under 57% owned in ESPN leagues, so many folks have already cut ties), but I have him on my team, and I plan to stand pat. I think Carlos Correa is in a similar boat. While we’re well past the point of being able to write off his underwhelming performance due to small sample size, the most important thing for fantasy players to think about is whether they believe he’s capable of a few good months. If you acquired the shortstop today, you wouldn’t really care about his struggles in April, May and June. Your only concern would be what you’ll get in July and onward. We’ve seen Correa put together big months toward the end of a season before, so it’s a reasonable roll of the dice. With his acquisition cost likely pretty low in most leagues, he remains an intriguing lottery ticket. The rest of Minnesota’s hitters are probably best seen as fantasy streamers. Alex Kirilloff has probably been the steadiest of the bunch, but his counting stats don’t jump off the page and he’s available in about 97% of leagues. Joey Gallo and Max Kepler have been much streakier, and again, they’re widely available. Every other regular falls into a similar category. The whiteboard rallying cry may get the Twins going as a team on offense, but fantasy managers don’t need to rush out and add anyone, beyond possibly Buxton and Correa if you believe in them turning things around. For other Minnesota hitters, feel free to add them here and there if they heat up, but don’t get too attached. Let’s now look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week as well as a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also take a look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Royce Lewis Expected return: TBD Lewis strained his left oblique running to first base in Saturday’s game, an injury that figures to take at least a month to recover from. It’s a big blow to the Twins as he was batting .326 as the team’s primary third baseman. Jose Miranda (more on him below) was recalled from St. Paul to fill the roster spot. Brock Stewart Expected return: Mid-July Stewart hit the injured list toward the end of June with some tendinitis in his right elbow. He should be able to return in a few weeks. Griffin Jax will continue to take on an elevated role in the meantime, and he’s pitched very well lately. I wrote about Jax last week as someone to have on your fantasy radar. Jorge Polanco Expected return: July or later Polanco remains on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He’s resumed some baseball activities and could return sometime this month, though a specific date hasn’t been announced. Stock Rising: Bailey Ober ESPN ownership: 41% Ober continues to be a revelation for the Twins and fantasy managers. After tossing seven scoreless innings in Saturday’s win, he now has a 2.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 76 2/3 innings this season. After recording a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP last year, it seems safe to say that the performance is real. The biggest positive for Ober is the fact that his rotation spot seems secure with Tyler Mahle out of the picture. Ober was on the outside looking in to begin the season, but with a clear path to regular starts, he should remain a strong fantasy contributor. Stock Falling: Alex Kirilloff ESPN ownership: 3% Kirilloff has cooled down some after a hot start. Since the beginning of June, he’s slashing .235/.293/.329. By comparison, he slashed .314/.448/.486 in May. Kirilloff doesn’t deliver enough power to be able to offset a lower batting average, and he sits frequently against southpaws, so it’s understandable for fantasy managers to look in a different direction. Prospect Spotlight Jose Miranda (Current team: MLB) Miranda was recalled Sunday to take over at third base, but he’s spent most of the season in the minors and his MLB roster spot isn’t guaranteed when Lewis is able to return. It will be up to Miranda to prove that he should stick around the rest of the year, possibly seeing time at first base and DH when Lewis is back in the lineup. He was starting to show signs of life with the Saints, posting a .287/.362/.436 slash line in June. Miranda also was good for the Twins as a rookie in 2022, so there is still plenty to like here from a fantasy perspective. If he gets hot in the next few weeks, he could be worth targeting. And if he doesn’t, he could be headed back to St. Paul. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 3 Games vs Kansas City (Austin Cox, Zack Greinke, Alec Marsh) 3 Games vs Orioles (Cole Irvin, Tyler Wells, Kyle Gibson) The Twins get a soft matchup (on paper, at least) against the struggling Royals, then a rematch against the Orioles at Target Field. Kansas City looks like the spot to target, as the Royals are 28th in team ERA and 29th in runs scored. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Joe Ryan is in line to start Monday and Sunday. He was hammered by Atlanta to the tune of five home runs his last time out, but he gets much easier matchups this week, with the added bonus of pitching at home. The righty looks like a great bounceback candidate. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch As noted above, Kansas City is not a good pitching team, so they present some intriguing options in daily formats. Cox and Marsh are both inexperienced at the MLB level, while the veteran Greinke has a 5.15 ERA this year. You could build Minnesota stacks any of these days. If you’re looking to bank on past success, Buxton is 7-for-18 all time against Greinke with a triple and a home run. When the Orioles come to town, I’m circling the matchups against Irvin and old friend Kyle Gibson. Irvin has a 7.18 ERA this season, though he did limit the Twins to just one run across five innings Sunday. I’m still feeling pretty good about firing up right-handed Minnesota hitters in this spot. Gibson meanwhile has a 4.66 ERA and has been getting hit around lately. Minnesota hitters don’t have a ton of experience against him, but pretty much anyone is in play if you think Gibson’s struggles will continue. Gallo is worth a quick mention as well with four home runs across his last eight games. The slugger is notoriously streaky, but when he’s on, he can pile up long balls in a hurry. He’s a bit harder to stomach in standard formats due to the drag on your batting average, but if you’re feeling like rolling the dice in daily leagues, Gallo can deliver a ton of value on days when he goes deep. I probably wouldn’t use him against the southpaws Cox or Irvin, but none of the other matchups look too bad. Do you believe in any Minnesota hitters for fantasy? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus post your thoughts on the matchups this week.

TRANSACTIONS 3B Jose Miranda recalled by Minnesota Twins SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Gwinnett 5 Box Score It was Simeon Woods Richardson's turn on the bump today for the Saints. He worked five innings allowing three runs on six hits and four walks. He did grab a strikeout on the day, but command was not something he showed a ton of. Needing to find power before rejoining the Twins, Trevor Larnach tapped in with his fifth home run to open the scoring in the first inning. His solo shot made it 1-0. After giving up a run in the second inning, Andrew Stevenson stepped in and clubbed a grand slam to make it 5-1. Jair Camargo, Anthony Prato, and Elliot Soto all scored on the big fly. Gwinnett added a pair in the third inning, but St. Paul kept tacking on as well. Camargo recorded his tenth double to drive home Chris Williams and make it a 6-3 game. In the fourth inning Larnach singled in Soto and the Saints now led 7-3. Larnach then singled in Soto to score in the sixth before Andrew Bechtold homered in the seventh making it 9-3. The Saints gave up a run during the eighth inning, but Chris Williams and Mark Contreras added runs on a sacrifice fly and a homer. Even allowing a ninth inning run, St. Paul held on for an 11-5 win. Larnach clubbed three hits on the day, with Jair Camargo, Bechtold, and Soto all grabbing two hits apiece. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 7, Wichita 4 Box Score Travis Adams got the start this afternoon for the Wind Surge and was strong over five innings. He allowed just a single run on two hits while striking out seven and allowing no walks. Kicking off the scoring in a big way, Wichita put up a four-spot during the second inning. Jake Rucker recorded his first triple of the season to score both Aaron Sabato and Yoyner Fajardo. With the bases loaded, Brooks Lee was hit by a pitch and drove in Rucker the hard way. Patrick Winkel then drew a walk scoring Ernie Yake, and it was a 4-0 lead for the Wind Surge. Despite giving up runs in fifth and the seventh, Wichita attempted to hang on. Taylor Floyd made it a bit dicey in the ninth inning after walking a pair, but he got a strikeout before Jordan Brink came on. NW Arkansas drew within one during the ninth inning, and they loaded the bases just before Tyler Tolbert blasted a grand slam to make it a 7-4 lead. Wichita had gone full-on meltdown and gave this one away. Rucker's triple was the lone extra-base hit for Wichita, and no player recorded more than one hit. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cory Lewis was the Kernels starter tonight and he continued his season of dominance. Working 5 2/3 innings allowing just a single run on four hits and a walk, Lewis also struck out three. He owns a 0.87 ERA through four starts at High-A. Tanner Schobel continued to wield an incredibly hot bat when he blasted his 12th home run of the season. The third inning homer brought in Kyle Fedko and made it a 2-0 game. Unfortunately Cedar Rapids gave up a run in the sixth, seventh, and ninth innings to sink them in the game. Both Schobel and Ben Ross recorded a pair of hits on the evening. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 9, Fort Myers 8 Box Score Fort Myers put Miguelangel Boadas on the bump to start today, but he lasted just two innings as a five run second did him in. Allowing four earned runs on five hits, he also walked four while striking out just one. After Boadas got knocked around in the second inning, the Mighty Mussels answered during the bottom half with three runs of their own. Ricardo Olivar doubled for the 12th time this season, and he cleared the bases bringing in Kyle Schmidt, Dylan Neuse, and Maddux Houghton. Lakeland added another run in the fifth inning, but Fort Myers did their best to draw close again. Olivar tripled for the first time this season driving in Luis Baez, and a Danny De Andrade brought Olivar in on a sacrifice fly. After giving up a sixth inning run, Carson McCusker homered for the first time since joining the organization. Neuse then scored after he stole second base on a throwing error, and the Mighty Mussels knotted things at seven in the eight inning. Luke Gold homered in the 10th inning to give Lakeland a two-run lead, and Neuse's single scoring Cespedes was not enough to draw even. Olivar recorded three hits on the evening as the lone Fort Myers batter to record more than two hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Travis Adams (Wichita) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar (Fort Myers) - 3-4, R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 2B, 3B PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-3, RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-1, K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-3, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ St. Paul (6:07PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:35PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Lakeland @ Fort Myers (5:30PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!

Box Score: Starting pitcher: Sonny Gray: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO ( 87 pitches, 55 for strikes, 63%) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPS: Jhoan Duran (-.584), Jose Miranda (-.113), Joey Gallo (-.096) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Twins were 2-0 since their meeting to reset the season Wednesday late afternoon. Sonny Gray entered the game to regain his early season length and results. This Sunday afternoon game wasn't even on TV, leading to scrambling for those seeking to view the potential sweep. Those who missed the action missed a nail-biter, but ultimately a game worth missing for Twins fans. Missed opportunities and bad luck on offense, mixed with dominant pitching and a terrible inning from one of our most trustworthy relievers on defense, equals a 2-1 loss. Sonny Skies in Baltimore, After All Gray started the game dealing, survived the middle innings by trusting in his best pitches despite the situation, and finished strong. The threats were few and far between through the first five innings for the Orioles' offense, as Gray kept the pitch count down to 66 while scattering two hits, two walks, and a plunked toe. Jose Miranda Returns, and Austin Hays Pays the Price Miranda's return from his AAA banishment started as it ended, flying out and grounding into a double play to squash the start of the threat in the fourth inning. His defense was just as offensive, helping the Twins potentially but not in the way anyone intends to. League batting leader Austin Hays led off the bottom of the second inning and hit a slow roller to Miranda at third. Miranda made the play, but the throw led Solano off the bag and into a collision with Hays. The impact eventually knocked Hays out of the game and could have also taken out Solano. Due to the lack of TV replays, feel free to recreate the horrible play with pen and paper. Willi Castro Continues to Make Himself Indespensible Castro plays all positions, hits righties and lefties, steals bases, scores runs, and shows up with a blast when you least expect him to. After Byron Buxton singled in the top of the sixth with one out, Castro found himself up with Buxton on second and two outs, and he hit a ball so far that only the revamped Camden Yards could contain it. Here's how it looked and sounded in Spanish! Skies Get Less Sonny in the Sixth The Twins had been hitting laser beams all game, with consistent 100+ mph exit velocities and very few hits, let alone runs, to show for it. Again, like Saturday's game, the early innings "felt" like the Twins had accomplished improvement and should have been ahead by many runs. They scored one run over five innings against LHP Cole Irvin, who brought a 6.32 ERA and 1.69 WHIP into the game. This lack of production became even more apparent in the bottom of the sixth when Cedric Mullins sat on a 3-2 fastball from Gray and parked it onto Eutaw Street. Luckily for Gray and my blood pressure, it was a few feet foul, and Ryan Jeffers convinced home plate umpire Mike Estabrook that the next pitch was not three inches outside for Gray's seventh and final strikeout of the night. The extra work in the fifth and sixth innings sealed his fate, and the game was officially left in the hands of the teams' bullpens to finish it out. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran are Beasts...but One was Human Today Jax stepped to the mound in the seventh inning, and 14 pitches later, the Twins were jogging back in from the field. Duran was given the nod in the eighth inning with the top of the Orioles lineup due up. The dominant Duran faced long at-bats. A swinging bunt from Adley Rutschman, and a single from Anthony Santander put runners on the corners with only one out. Aaron Hicks came to the plate, looking to play spoiler after replacing Hays earlier in the game. And spoil it he did, as the ex-Twin drove a game-tying single into center field. One Alex Kirilloff saved the game at first base as he dove towards the line and speared Mullin's attempt at a two-run double. The game was then lost when Duran lost Ryan O'Hearn to a four-pitch walk and plugged Jordan Westburg with a 101 mph fastball on an 0-1 count to send Anthony Santander home to put the O's up 2-1. Just like that, a sure thing turned into another reminder of how one run won't win you many baseball games, and a brilliant day by the Twins pitching staff went unrewarded. The Orioles 29th come-from-behind win of the season showed their resolve this season, exposing the Twins' approach as well. What Version of the Twins Returns to Target Field Monday? The Twins started the weekend with inspired play and joyful offense. After their live-by-the-homer, die-without-the-homer strategy emerged again, they finished it with more questions than answers. The Orioles scored three runs all weekend, and the Twins are lucky to leave town with two victories. That fact says all you need to know about the state of the Twins heading into their last homestand before the All-Star Break. What's Next: Twins RHP Joe Ryan (8-5, 3.44 ERA) tries to rebound from his home run disaster fest against the Braves last week. He will face the Royals, sporting a bottom-five offense across all major categories. As of Sunday afternoon, the Royals have yet to announce who their starting pitcher will be. First Pitch at Target Field is scheduled for 7:10pm. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morán 36 0 8 0 0 44 Durán 0 0 0 8 34 42 Balazovic 18 0 9 0 0 27 Pagán 0 0 19 0 6 25 Jax 0 0 0 11 14 25 Headrick 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ortega 0 0 0 0 0 0 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0

Welcome back to Twins Fantasy Fix! With the Twins nearing the halfway point of the season, it’s a good time to take a closer look at their depth. MLB seasons are marathons, not sprints, and successful teams routinely need to go to the well to find guys who can help them win. Fantasy squads are no different. Whether due to injuries or players struggling, fantasy rosters go through ups and downs, and savvy managers know how to find diamonds in the rough throughout the year. Here are a few Twins who might fit this bill. Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner: Anyone who spends any time on Twins Twitter knows that fans are clamoring for one or both of Max Kepler and Joey Gallo to get traded or designated for assignment. From a fantasy perspective, any move like that figures to open up a role for either of these two players, or possibly both of them. Larnach is likely first up as he’s seen more time at the MLB level this year, but they could each have a fantasy impact if they see regular playing time due to their power potential. Jose Miranda: Miranda started the year as Minnesota’s primary third baseman, but he struggled and eventually got demoted to Triple-A. Royce Lewis doesn’t figure to relinquish the hot corner, though Miranda could re-emerge, potentially as someone who sees time at third, first and DH. He’s batting .299 this month for the Saints with an .821 OPS, and he obviously had success for the Twins last year, so the offensive skills are there. Fantasy managers should take note if Miranda gets that second chance in the majors this year. Griffin Jax: It looks like Jax’s early-season struggles are behind him. The righty hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14 appearances, with a 0.44 WHIP and 13 strikeouts across 13 2/3 innings during that time. Jhoan Duran is the best Minnesota reliever for fantasy purposes, but he doesn’t always see save chances, with Rocco Baldelli unafraid to use him in the seventh or eighth inning depending on matchups. That could lead to more saves for Jax in the second half of the season if he keeps pitching well and proves to be trustworthy, just like he did last year. Brock Stewart is also in this mix, though if I had to guess, I’d say Jax sees more opportunities in the ninth inning, with Stewart used in high-leverage spots earlier in games. In deeper leagues, Jax has value if he maintains his current form and manages to record a few saves here and there. Let’s now look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week as well as a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also take a look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Byron Buxton Expected return: TBD Here we go again? Buxton left Saturday’s game with back spasms and was not included in Sunday’s lineup. It may be a minor concern, but with Buxton’s injury history, nothing should be taken for granted. He was just heating up at the plate, too, so the timing here is quite unfortunate. A number of players figure to rotate through at DH for however long Buxton is sidelined. UPDATE: Buxton appeared as a pinch hitter Sunday, so it looks like it is a minor concern. He figures to be in the lineup early this week. Jose De Leon Expected return: TBD De Leon left Saturday’s game due to elbow discomfort he felt while tossing warmup pitches. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI. De Leon was pitching decently for the Twins, though he’s not really on the fantasy radar at this point. Jorge Lopez Expected return: TBD Lopez is sidelined as he deals with mental health concerns. He could regain a prominent role if he returns later in the year, though it looks like Jax and Stewart have elevated themselves as key setup options in front of Duran. Jorge Polanco Expected return: July or later Polanco remains on the injured list with a hamstring strain and does not have a clear timetable for a return. He’s been taking swings and doing some work in the gym, but until a rehab assignment is announced, it’s safe to assume that the infielder will be out for a little while. Stock Rising: Kenta Maeda ESPN ownership: 5% I could have gone with Jax here as well, but Maeda deserves a little love. The righty returned from the injured list Friday and tossed five scoreless innings against Detroit with eight strikeouts. It’s hard to get too excited in fantasy given his struggles earlier this year in his first MLB action since 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. However, Maeda has upside in the right spots, such as matchups against the Tigers or Kansas City. And if the veteran starts to string together multiple good outings, he may be worth a longer look given his track record, including the 2.70 ERA he posted in his first season with the Twins back in 2020. Stock Falling: Joey Gallo ESPN ownership: 5% Gallo went deep on Saturday, but it’s still been a struggle for him lately. That was the first home run for the slugger since May 20, and in the time since then, he’s batting just .133 with an astronomical 48.6% strikeout rate. Gallo will always have a low batting average with plenty of strikeouts, but his recent form has been particularly egregious. If he’s not leaving the yard, he’s an offensive liability for the Twins and fantasy managers. Prospect Spotlight Chris Williams (Current team: Triple-A St. Paul) Williams has been mashing for the Saints this season with 15 home runs and a .996 OPS across 48 games. He’s a bit old for a prospect at 26, but he could simply be a late bloomer. Christian Vazquez isn’t a long-term option at catcher for the Twins, and it’s possible that Williams enters into the mix along with Ryan Jeffers in 2024. Williams may also get a look at some point this season if anything happens to Vazquez or Jeffers, though it would likely be in a reserve role. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 3 Games at Atlanta (Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver) 3 Games at Orioles (Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Cole Irvin) The Twins are in for a tricky week with road matchups against two teams playing better than .600 baseball. Atlanta is third in runs scored and seventh in team ERA, while Baltimore is 10th and 17th, respectively. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Sonny Gray lines up for starts Monday and Sunday. He’s been good this year but has had some ups and down lately, and both of these matchups look challenging. You’re likely still starting him in standard leagues, but I would look elsewhere in daily formats both days. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch Strider leads the majors in strikeouts while the rookie Elder has a 2.40 ERA, so I’m not expecting much from Minnesota bats these two days. It lightens up some from there with the inexperienced Smith-Shawver and Kremer, who has a 4.50 ERA. The best matchup looks like Irvin, who has a 7.71 ERA in limited action this year, though he did post a 3.98 ERA in 30 starts for Oakland last year. The Twins haven’t seen a ton of him, though Carlos Correa has gone 3-for-10 in his career with a home run. Vazquez is 6-for-10 all time against the righty. It’s hard to get too excited about Twins hitters in general given their inconsistency. However, Max Kepler is batting .375 over his last five games entering Sunday with three home runs, so he could be worth a dart throw in daily leagues. And if Buxton can return soon he could be ready to take off, as he also had three home runs in his last five games, including two in a game against the Red Sox on Thursday. Who are your deeper Minnesota fantasy options? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus post your thoughts on the matchups this week.

Royce Lewis has put on quite the display of clutch hitting in a Twins lineup that needs saving seemingly on a nightly basis. His handful of monumental moments have been impressive, and in some cases, have single-handedly won the Twins games. Those moments have likely covered up a number of red flags in his body of work thus far in many fans' eyes, and it’s fair to wonder whether those red flags should be addressed on the MLB roster rather than St. Paul. On the season, Lewis has slashed a respectable .281/.305/.404 (.709). His saving grace thus far on his total slash line was a stretch of what some would call batted ball luck, hitting safely in seven consecutive at-bats at one point. He’s walked just twice thus far, swinging at over half of the pitches he sees. Lewis has swung at 40% of pitches he’s seen outside of the zone. Alex Kirilloff has swung at just 27% of such pitches for reference. In addition, Lewis has struck out over one-third of the time and has a 36.4% whiff rate against fastballs. He’s being overly aggressive and has struggled to even make contact against heaters. A few weeks ago, it would have been easy to say “it is what it is” and allow him to continue trying to work through it. It was hard to expect him to be at the top of his game after missing so much time. Jose Miranda has heated up considerably recently, however. There are a few factors that come into play here. For starters, Jose Miranda has previously shown the ability to hit in the majors. Clearly, something was broken, as his poor production followed him into Triple-A after he was demoted. While it was always possible Lewis could simply play so well that Miranda’s production was a non-factor, Lewis hasn’t held up his side of the bargain with what is currently a below-league-average slash line. With Miranda appearing to be trending back up, it may be time to give him another shot at contributing. Just a few months ago, he was relied upon to be a middle-of-the-order contributor. More importantly, the long-term production of Royce Lewis has to be taken into account. This isn’t a Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner situation where it can be argued that their struggles can’t be solved in Triple-A. Lewis currently has a flawed approach and is getting overpowered by major-league fastballs. It’s also an issue he had during his rehab assignment in St. Paul where he posted a 1.099 OPS. It’s exactly what you’d expect to see from a player who has missed so much time recently, but it’s also one that may be better solved against less dominant pitching. Lewis was promoted out of necessity. Jose Miranda had fallen apart and the Twins lineup was in need of any spark it could get. Despite the impact Lewis has had on a handful of games, the goal should be to get him to that level more consistently, as he hasn’t been the consistent contributor the Twins had hoped for as a whole. Miranda’s difficult stretch to begin 2023 also doesn’t eliminate the possibility of him returning to form as a plus hitter in an MLB offense. In a straight-up swap, the Twins can get Miranda, who was once expected to be a major contributor another opportunity while setting Lewis up for success in the long term rather than risking him falling too far into bad habits as he tries to keep his head above water in the majors. Should the Twins consider it?

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jordan Balazovic promoted to Minnesota Minnesota Twins end OF Gilberto Celestino’s rehab assignment and option him to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 12, Louisville 5 Box Score Aaron Sanchez took the ball today for St. Paul and worked five innings. He gave up five runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks. Command was not at all to be found, but he did strike out three. Making it five, and benefitting from the bats, he did get his fourth win. The Saints jumped out to an early lead when Matt Wallner drove in Andrew Stevenson on a first inning sacrifice fly. Trevor Larnach then followed suit to score Jose Miranda and make it a 2-0 game. After St. Paul gave up the lead in the second inning, they put up a five-spot during the third inning to take the lead for good. Miranda’s second homer was a two-run blast making it 4-3, then Mark Contreras went yard to drive in Larnach on his seventh home run. Andrew Bechtold rounded out the scoring with a single to score Jair Camargo and make it a 7-3 game. In the fourth inning Wallner ripped his 17th double to drive in Stevenson. As Max Kepler continues to struggle for the Twins, Wallner stays putting on the pressure. A Contreras ground out made it a 9-3 lead. Adding again in the fifth inning, Stevenson singled in Bechtold and gave the Saints a ten-spot. Louisville did answer with two in the bottom half, but the sixth inning saw Anthony Prato drive in Wallner, and Bechtold drove in Larnach. The 12-5 score is where this ended. Stevenson grabbed three hits today with both Miranda and Bechtold having a pair each. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Midland 3 Box Score The Wind Surge went with Travis Adams today. He lasted three innings, giving up three runs on three hits, and a pair of walks. Adams did strike out one but also allowed a pair of home runs. Wichita’s bullpen saw five relievers combine for six scoreless innings allowing no hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Seth Gray kicked off the scoring when his fifth double brought home DaShawn Keirsey Jr. in the first inning. Getting behind 3-1, Wichita answered during the fifth inning. David Banuelos blasted his fourth homer before Gray singled in Keirsey to even things at 3-3. Aaron Sabato put the Wind Surge ahead when his seventh double scored Yunior Severino. A wild pitch put Wichita up 5-3 and that’s where the score held. Both Severino and Gray recorded a pair of hits today. Brooks Lee had the day off. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 14, South Bend 2 Box Score A slight rain delay kept these teams off the field, but this one eventually got underway. It was Kyle Jones on the bump for Cedar Rapids this afternoon and the lineup gave him breathing room with seven early runs. He went four innings of scoreless baseball allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out four. After a scoreless first inning, Jose Salas reached on a fielding error that allowed Noah Miller to score. ANother fielding error, this on an Andrew Cossetti batted ball, gave Salas the opportunity to score and make it a 2-0 game. In the fourth inning it was the same culprits with Salas recording his second homer of the season, and the three run shot brought home both Miller and Misael Urbina. Cossetti then launched his third High-A homer to make it 7-0. The fifth inning saw more corn cob action with the Kernels scoring five. A Noah Miller double brought in Kala’i Rosario before an Urbina single scored Noah Cardenas and Miller. Kyler Fedko then drove in Urbina with Tanner Schonel lifting a single of his own to plate Salas. South Bend did answer with two in the seventh inning, but Schobel and Emmanuel Rodriguez each drove in a run during the bottom half to make it a 14-2 game. Even with Cedar Rapids grabbing 14 runs on 13 hits, it was just Cardenas, Miller, Urbina, and Salas grabbing multiple hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 4, Fort Myers 3 Box Score Fort Myers had Develson Aria on the mound this afternoon. It was a short outing as he lasted just two innings while giving up three runs on three hits. He also walked three and struck out that same amount. The Mighty Mussels scored first when Yohander Martinez recorded his first home run during the second inning. Mikey Perez was on, making it a two-run blast. By the fourth inning Bradenton had added four of their own and doubled up the Fort Myers score. Jorel Ortega did single in Maddux Houghton in the fifth inning, but that was as close as they would get. With only six hits on the day, Martinez and Houghton were the only players to record a pair of hits today. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR(2) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-2, RBI, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR(2), K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 3 R, RBI, BB, 2B(5) #14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-3, R, BB TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05PM CST) - TBD Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!

It’s not that the Minnesota Twins would prefer to have less depth as opposed to more, and Jose Miranda has shown an exciting ability to be a difference maker. Unfortunately, that ability never showed up in 2023 at the Major League level, and it landed him a ticket across town. The biggest bugaboo for Miranda this season was that he could make contact with anything. That’s a great skill, but it’s only valuable if you know what you should want to make contact with. His swing rates were roughly in line with where he was a season ago, but the quality of his contact fell off a cliff. Posting a hard hit rate at just 29.4% and a paltry 4.6% barrel rate, the results were underwhelming to say the least. For a guy that doesn’t walk much, he needs to produce when the bat hits the ball. Sent down to St. Paul with a goal of refocusing his approach, things did not start well. Through his first 19 games he posted just a .518 OPS with a 15/6 K/BB. He had only a single extra-base hit, a homer, and that is not going to cut it for a guy playing a corner spot. On a bit of a hot streak over his last seven games, results have been much better. Miranda owns a 1.022 OPS with four doubles in his last 27 at bats. He’s honed in the discipline as well posting an impressive 3/3 K/BB. Obviously batting .407 isn’t sustainable for him, he’s not Luis Arraez. Finding a middle ground is what the Twins need to see from him. If and when he does that though, where does he play? At this point Carlos Correa is the current and future answer for the Twins at shortstop. Miranda doesn’t factor in there, but it does directly impact his opportunities. With Royce Lewis excelling in the big leagues, he has as long of a leash as anyone to stick. Not playing shortstop means he’s owning the hot corner, and given it’s the position he predominantly played in high school, there is no reason to think he can’t hold it down. With Lewis as a cornerstone player for the Twins franchise into the future, Rocco Baldelli dreaming on a left side featuring Correa and Lewis is something to be excited about. That does take away the position Miranda is better at defensively. Looking across the diamond at first base, there is an argument to be made that Donovan Solano is someone to be replaced by Miranda, but he’s not the fixture there. Joey Gallo is on just a one-year deal for Minnesota, but has manned the position plenty. The future at first though, is Alex Kirilloff, and all early indications suggest his wrist is feeling better than ever. He's been productive with the bat, and is a solid fielder at first base. The role could be even murkier if that’s where Edouard Julien ultimately is pushed to due to a lacking defensively ability. That is where parallels come in for Miranda. He’s not a good first baseman and that’s putting it lightly. Last year, in just shy of 600 innings, Miranda owned a -6 DRS (defensive runs saved) and -4 OAA (outs above average) at the position. He played there because Gio Urshela was at third, but it was ugly on a nightly basis. Minnesota addressed that by opening third base for him this offseason, but his bat took away the opportunity. In 12 games since Lewis made his Major League debut this season, the St. Paul Saints have played Miranda at third eight times. It’s still his best position, and Chris Williams has had a nice year at Triple-A being somewhat positionless while stuck at first. Sprinkling Miranda in across the diamond, it’s clear that Minnesota knows he may need a new home if he’s going to come back up. The Twins allowed Miranda to play just two innings at first while he was in the majors this year, indicating it’s not something they want to do. If Lewis is going to hold down the hot corner though, then Miranda could be the short side of a platoon with Kirilloff. Making either playing a rotational talent this early in their careers is suboptimal, but that could be the lone way to make his roster inclusion work. He’d be a massive downgrade defensively, but that is where opportunity lies. Minnesota’s front office is going to have some decisions to make at the trade deadline, and some of their young redundancies could be dangled to entice an engaging organization to swing something of substantial value back towards the Twins. At any rate, Miranda must show his approach at the plate is overhauled for much more than a week, and then he’ll need to keep finding a way to hide his glove. Although the door was open for him to make things stick, Miranda is now looking at an uphill battle for him to regain the same type of favor.

Over the offseason, a clear focus for Minnesota Twins decision-makers was improving on depth. With few exceptions, they retained everyone who was not an impending free agent. They brought in veteran depth pieces like Joey Gallo, Kyle Farmer, Michael A. Taylor, Donovan Solano, and several others on minor league contracts. Naturally, part of the rationale for this depth stockpile was to protect against injuries forcing the team to run out anemic lineups reminiscent of the atrocities seen in September 2022. Check out this analysis comparing the depth of this team against the worst-case scenarios of last fall. A second rationale for stockpiling depth was the number of question marks that the organization employed. They had eight potential corner outfielders, nine potential starting pitchers; you get the gist. In football, there’s a saying that “if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.” The same could be said about a baseball team. Even if you run a team that likes to mix it up positionally, if you have five first basemen, you don’t have one to put your trust in. Take the corner outfield situation as an example. Every candidate to occupy the corners had red flags coming into the year. Max Kepler had not hit in two years. Gallo was coming off a year in which he hit .169. Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach both had prospect pedigree, but both had also missed most of the last two years with injury and struggled to find consistency when on the field. Matt Wallner is unproven. Nick Gordon’s second half of 2022 was encouraging, but difficult to fully trust. Willi Castro was a 25-year-old castoff. Kyle Garlick doesn’t hit righties well. There’s not much to hang your hat on in that group. However, with that many candidates, there’s hope that a few will emerge as mainstays. The beginning of 2023 can be treated as a sorting period in which the team can determine which players are here to stay. We’ve passed Memorial Day. There are fewer than 100 games left. The trade deadline is a little over a month away. The true team has to manifest soon, right? To this point, the team has yet to make a truly active decision on the roster. Players like Wallner and Eduoard Julien have gotten some run, Royce Lewis has been added to the active roster, and Brock Stewart has gotten high-leverage work. Jorge Alcala and Jose Miranda are in St. Paul. But no decisions have been made. Instead, to date, except for Miranda and Alcala, injuries have dictated the roster. Even with Alcala, the demotion was related to his recovery from injury. Miranda lost his starting job, yes, but he was the worst hitter on the team and was the victim of a roster crunch when Farmer returned from injury, and he would likely have also been moved to make room for Lewis after his return from injury. You may be reading this and thinking of the fans’ flavor of the week, Wallner, and persona non grata of the week, Kepler. Sure, they qualify, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Kepler departure is the first domino to fall. However, Gallo will return from injury soon, at which point, even if Kepler is no longer around, the team will need to make a decision between Larnach and Wallner. Larnach has gotten the nod to date, seemingly out of seniority. Either way, it’s challenging to justify stowing MLB talent in AAA for an entire year. It goes deeper than the corner outfielders, though. Kenta Maeda will hopefully return from injury within the month, at which point a decision needs to be made about Louie Varland and perhaps Bailey Ober, who have both pitched like rotation mainstays in Maeda’s absence. Miranda has been heating up in St. Paul, and if the Twins still see him as part of the future, it’s reasonable to look for major league room for him. Julien has also been playing well but has only seen MLB action as a fill-in for Jorge Polanco. There are a plethora of live arms in St. Paul. There are fungible pieces on the MLB bench in Kyle Garlick, Solano, Farmer, and Castro, but Castro has been one of the top players on the team, and Solano and Farmer would need to be traded or released. The only bullpen arms that can be removed from the roster without being waived or traded are Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Cole Sands. Now that we’re 40% of the way through the season, it’s coming time to make difficult decisions to put the best players on the field. Even with abundant caution taken for injury depth, changes can be made. However, the changes will soon require moves that cannot be taken back. This front office has long shown a propensity for not cutting ways with any value to protect themselves from the injury bug. Sitting on this level of depth for an entire season seems somewhat unreasonable, with so many players at AAA performing well. If injuries don’t force decisions on who will be playing in August and September, eventually, the team will have to make those decisions. Feel free to disregard this if injuries do dictate who plays, though. Let’s hope the decisions are difficult.

SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Iowa 6 Box Score Toby Gardenhire had Aaron Sanchez on the mound and he was cruising until running into trouble during the fourth inning. He wound up working 3 2/3 innings giving up four runs on four hits and three walks. Sanchez also struck out five. After the Cubs put a run on the board in the first inning, St. Paul answered with two of their own. Edouard Julien clubbed his 12th double of the season and drove in Jose Miranda. Chris Williams then kept up with his hot hitting and singled to bring Julien across the plate. Homering for the second night in a row, Jair Camargo blasted his seventh of the season for a third inning, three-run shot that scored Matt Wallner and Williams. Iowa clawed back with three in the fourth inning, but St. Paul’s lead remained intact. After Iowa took a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth inning, St. Paul got right back to work. Miranda drew a bases loaded walk to bring home Tony Wolters, and Matt Wallner took a hit by pitch to plate Alex De Goti. The Saints had regained the lead without putting a ball in play. On a fly ball double-play from Julien, Stevenson raced home and made it an 8-6 lead. For the second time on the evening Camargo went deep, another solo shot, this one putting St. Paul up 9-6 in the seventh inning. Then Miranda continued his solid night with a two-run single that scored both Wolters and De Goti. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 10, Wichita 3 Box Score Aaron Rozek started tonight’s game for the Wind Surge but he was chased early after a tough outing lasting just 2 2/3 innings. Giving up eight hits led to seven runs (six earned). Command was a bit of an issue as well with three walks and just a single strikeout. San Antonio got on the board first with two runs in the second inning, and then they exploded for a five-spot in the third inning. Adding another in the fourth inning, Wichita was down eight before putting anything up for themselves. Finally in the eighth inning the Wind Surge broke through. Will Holland singled in Yoyner Fajardo, and although it was just one run, baby steps were taken. Quickly washed away in the bottom half, Wichita saw San Antonio add another pair to create a larger divide. They did answer with a ninth inning rally and it was nice to see them go down fighting. First Aaron Sabato singled to bring Brooks Lee home, then Fajardo plated Jake Rucker with a single of his own. Down to their final out, Alex Isola reached on a throwing error that gave Sabato a chance to come home and make it a 10-4 game. Holland popped out in the next at bat though, and that was all she wrote for the good guys. Holland did have a pair of hits on the night, and his two were almost half of the five total for Wichita. It was a tough showing going up against 10 runs on 14 hits for San Antonio. KERNELS NUGGETS Dayton 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Kernels went with Mike Paredes on the bump tonight. He worked four innings while allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. The Cedar Rapids pitcher did strike out three on the evening. Paredes saw Dayton jump out to a first inning lead when Edwin Arroyo clubbed a two-run shot. That’s where he’d strand Dayton during his outing however, and it was up to Cedar Rapids looking for an answer. Andrew Cossetti got the Kernels on the board with a ground out in the second inning. Misael Urbina came across the plate to halve the lead and bring Cedar Rapids back within one. Unfortunately the offense then stalled out and despite Jordan Carr keeping Dayton scoreless in relief, it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Carr was amazing however, allowing no baserunners and punching out seven. Noah Miller was the lone batter to record a pair of hits on the day. MUSSEL MATTERS Clearwater 7, Fort Myers 2 Box Score C.J. Culpepper was the starter tonight for Fort Myers, and he worked four solid innings. Dancing around six hits, Culpepper gave up two runs (only one earned), while striking out six and walking just one. Clearwater put a run on the board during the second inning before adding another in the third inning on a wild pitch. Then in the fifth inning they answered again, this time with a pair, and it was a 4-0 game. Before the Mighty Mussels could find a way to push anything across, Clearwater struck again. With two more runs coming home during the sixth inning, clawing back was getting more unlikely. The second wild pitch of the game made it a 7-0 deficit and it wasn’t until the seventh inning that Fort Myers got on the board. With Jorel Ortega on base, Danny De Andrade hit an inside-the-park homer for his third dinger of the season. Clearwater still led by five but the Mighty Mussels had finally shown signs of life. They couldn’t do anything to keep it rolling though and ultimately fell for the second night in a row. De Andrade put up a three-hit effort, but was the lone player with multiple in that category. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Carr (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR(8), K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-3, R, BB, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, RBI, K #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B(12), K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4 #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (5:37PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

In the preseason, fans can use multiple projection systems to analyze any team and its outlook for the upcoming campaign. The Twins used the offseason to build depth at multiple positions, which has helped the team stay near the top of the AL Central. Each player below was expected to fill a specific role for the 2023 squad, and they have yet to meet expectations. Here are five players whose performances have been disappointments so far in 2023. 5. Tyler Mahle Injuries are tough to predict, but Mahle has dealt with shoulder and elbow problems over the last two seasons. ZiPS projected Mahle to finish second on the team in WAR for pitchers, but he was limited to five starts with a 3.16 ERA. He had Tommy John surgery in May and will miss the remainder of the 2023 season. He will be a free agent at season's end, but the Twins can try and sign him to a contract that buys out some of his free agent seasons. Mahle ranks at this spot on the list because some injury concerns surrounded him entering the season. 4. Nick Gordon Gordon ended the 2023 season on a high note, so there was some hope that the former first-round pick was ready to take the next step. He was given a more prominent role to begin the 2023 season because of injuries to other left-handed hitters, but he failed to reproduce his numbers from last season. In his first 34 games, he hit .176/.185/.319 (.503) with eight extra-base hits and a 37 OPS+. ZiPS projected him to have a .309 wOBA, but he has been limited to a .214 wOBA. Gordon might have started to find his swing, but then he fouled a ball off his leg and broke his shin. The team moved him to the 60-day IL earlier this week, and now he will have to wait until the season's second half to get back on track. 3. Christian Vazquez The Twins signed Vazquez to a three-year, $30 million deal this winter to take over as the team's primary catcher. However, his first year in Minnesota could have started better. He has his lowest OPS+ since 2018 and is on pace for career lows in multiple other categories. ZiPS projected him to hit .250/.303/.351 (.654) with 16 extra-base hits. He has yet to hit his first home run for the season, and there have been little signs of offensive improvements. To be fair, he wasn't signed to be an offensive force, but Minnesota had to be expecting to get a better performance from him. There have been some positive impacts on the pitching staff, and the Twins hope he can start to provide more offensive value. 2. Jose Miranda Entering the season, ZiPS projected Jose Miranda to finish fourth on the team in WAR behind Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Jorge Polanco. The Twins handed the starting third base job to Miranda after a tremendous rookie campaign where he had a 114 OPS+ with 25 doubles and 15 home runs. Miranda has struggled this season while hitting .220/.275/.318 (.593) with seven extra-base hits in 35 games. Minnesota demoted him to Triple-A in the middle of May, and he has a .383 OPS in his first 14 games at that level. Miranda can still be a middle-of-the-order bat for the next decade, but no one expected this kind of start to the 2023 campaign. 1. Carlos Correa The Twins invested $200 million in Carlos Correa this winter to be a franchise-altering player. Two months into his new deal, it's hard to imagine things going much worse. He is off to a slow start for the second straight season, hitting .210/.304/.381 (.686) with 18 extra-base hits in his first 47 games. He is playing through a recently diagnosed plantar fasciitis injury, but that hasn't impacted him for the entire season. ZiPS projected him to lead the team in WAR and post a .355 wOBA. Baseball-Reference ranks him 19th on the team in WAR, behind players like Caleb Thielbar and Tyler Mahle. Correa's offensive performance improved throughout the 2022 season, so the Twins have to hope the veteran will start to figure it out at the plate. Do you agree with the rankings? Who else would you add to the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Last May, less than one year ago, Royce Lewis crashed into the centerfield wall at Target Field. He went down in a heap, and days later it was confirmed he had re-torn his ACL. After slipping on ice in Texas the year prior, it was another fluke that was going to cause him a significant amount of time on the shelf. As he has always done, Lewis attacked the circumstances with positivity and maturity, putting himself in position to play for Minnesota again at light speed. Talking to Lewis in March during spring training, he felt ready to go at that point. He appreciated the Twins being cautious knowing the future was more important than rushing back into things, but it also seems he couldn’t have been more right. Recently beginning a rehab assignment scheduled to end on May 31, Lewis has played in five games on the farm. He is 8-for-18 with four extra-base hits, of which three have been homers. He went yard twice in a game, played in back-to-back contests, and is pushing towards an activation that will have him in the Twins lineup. Where he would be inserted was unclear earlier this season, but it seems like opportunity will continue to present itself. For now Jose Miranda is at Triple-A and looks like a shell of the player he flashed last season. Carlos Correa is the starting shortstop, but Jorge Polanco just went on the injured list with a hamstring issue leaving second base to Edouard Julien. Byron Buxton is again a consistent question mark from a health perspective, and the entirety of the roster always has a potential to be in flux. Playing for Toby Gardenhire with St. Paul, Lewis has focused on shortstop and the hot corner. His big league role would appear to be third base, which could push Kyle Farmer back to second base or more into a utility role. Julien will need to show a bit more development to stick in the majors, but his lacking defensive abilities should continue to give Lewis a leg up. It’s not as though Lewis has a lengthy track record of health or production, but he has done nothing to slow the hype train while in action since 2022. Lewis put on a show during his 12-game cameo with Minnesota last year, and it will undoubtedly bring out his beaming smile when he emerges from the Target Field dugout again this year. Sometimes prospects need trips back to the minors in order to figure things out. Miranda is going through it, and Trevor Larnach was sent on that path as well. Nothing was straightforward about Byron Buxton’s development, and even Mike Trout wasn’t an all-time great from the start. That said, Lewis’ development even while shelved has been phenomenal. He has tweaked his approach, honed in his production, and succeeded through every opportunity. Considering where Miranda is from a development perspective, that Polanco is in the final guaranteed year of his contract (though the Twins have two option years), and that Buxton remains as unlikely to play centerfield as he ever has, Lewis should find ample runway to stick. The Twins offense has been anemic at times this season, and inserting Lewis on a daily basis could be the boost this club needs for the rest of the year. By 2024 there should be no reason why Lewis isn’t considered a regular, and how quickly he takes to that reality following his rehab assignment could go a long way for the 2023 team. It shouldn’t be counted as failure if Lewis goes through a dry spell at some point, but he’s now writing a story that may have him as among the best Twins development narratives in quite some time. Fans will continue to hope that the promotion comes sooner rather than later, even if it isn’t possible until June 1. Once he gets the call this year though, it could be his last trip across town for the duration of his professional career.

Jose Miranda looked like he was naturally progressing to becoming a regular in the Twins’ line-up. He posted a breakout season in the upper minors during the 2021 season on his way to being named the TD Minor League Hitter. Last season, he made his big-league debut and posted a 114 OPS+, even with a late-season slump. During the offseason, he worked to get himself in better shape, and plenty of buzz surrounded him at the season’s start. The Twins hoped he was ready to bat in the middle of their line-up for multiple years. Miranda struggled at the big-league level before the team demoted him last week. In 35 games, he hit .220/.275/.318 (.593) with four doubles, three home runs, and a 23-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Miranda has to hit very well to bring value to the club because his defense is below average, and he is slow on the bases. His struggles have been well documented, and now his future at third base is cloudy. Miranda would never stay at third base for the long term, so let’s reevaluate some of the team’s long-term options at third base. Carlos Correa As Correa ages, he will eventually need to move from shortstop to another defensive home. Many of baseball’s all-time best shortstops moved to third base later in their careers. Minnesota hopes Correa’s health (and ankle) can keep him at shortstop into his early 30s, but father time is undefeated regarding player performance. There is no immediate need to move Correa, but it’s certainly something the team has to consider when completing long-term outlooks. Royce Lewis Correa’s presence at shortstop means Lewis doesn’t have a defined defensive home as he returns from his second ACL surgery. The Twins have said he will primarily play shortstop and third base during rehab appearances. When back in the big leagues, he can serve as the Twins’ shortstop when Correa needs an off-day, but third base might be his best opportunity for regular playing time. During the 2019 Arizona Fall League, he played over 100 innings at third base but has fewer than 30 innings with a Twins affiliate. Brooks Lee Lee seems the ideal fit to be the Twins’ long-term third baseman. He’s played shortstop throughout his professional career, but many expect him to move off the position as he gets closer to the big leagues. Some have wondered whether Lee might solve the Twins’ offensive woes, but calling him up seems a little premature. If he continues to hit well, he can be promoted to Triple-A before midseason and make his big-league debut in the second half. Minnesota fans can envision a future infield that includes Correa at short, Lee at third, and Lewis at second base. Edouard Julien Julien might be a dark horse candidate for third base with the Twins. Nearly all of his professional career has been spent at second base, with just over 20 starts each at first and third base. In college, he was primarily used as a third baseman, so he’s had plenty of reps at the position in the past. It seemed likely for the Twins to give him reps at other defensive positions following his demotion to Triple-A, but he has only played second base this season. Minnesota’s front office might believe that he is best suited for that position, which means third base might not be in his future. Who is the correct answer at third base for the long term? Will Miranda get another look at third? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Welcome back to Twins Fantasy Fix! First things first: Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there. You are the real superstars and MVPs. Thanks for all that you do! We’re about a quarter of the way through the MLB season, so the sample is probably large enough to draw some conclusions about the Twins from a fantasy perspective. On the pitching side, the squad has been outstanding. Minnesota’s 3.30 team ERA is third in the majors. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray have both been fantasy aces, while Jhoan Duran and Jorge Lopez have been excellent in relief. They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and it appears that’s largely been true of the Twins, as these great individual performers all seem to motivate each other. There’s a lot to like here from a fantasy angle. Meanwhile, Minnesota bats have been more middle of the pack, as the team is currently 13th in runs scored. Fantasy performances have been all over the board as well: Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo lead the team with eight home runs each, but they’re batting just .215 and .209, respectively. Carlos Correa’s struggles have been well documented, though a .220 BABIP suggests he’s been pretty unlucky as well. Jose Miranda was demoted to Triple-A on Wednesday. Alex Kirilloff is batting a robust .438, though he’s only played in seven games so far. There’s upside for Minnesota hitters, but fantasy managers may need to be patient. Let’s look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week as well as a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also take a look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Tyler Mahle Expected return: 2024? Tommy John surgery is coming for Mahle, which is a huge blow to him and the Twins. Without getting into the bigger picture here in terms of real baseball (Matthew Taylor’s piece has you covered), the fantasy baseball impact is pretty clear: Mahle should be dropped and Bailey Ober should be locked into a rotation spot. The latter has been really good in four starts, so fantasy managers should definitely have him on the radar. Max Kepler Expected return: TBD Kepler hit the injured list Saturday with a hamstring strain. Hamstrings can be tricky, so for now, his return date is uncertain. Trevor Larnach was recalled from Triple-A to fill the roster spot. His earlier struggles led to a demotion and Kirilloff’s call-up, but maybe a second chance is what Larnach needs. He’ll likely play most days in right field with Kepler out, while Kirilloff should cover first. Fantasy managers definitely don’t need to scramble and pick up Larnach, though he should be monitored in case he gets hot. Kenta Maeda Expected return: TBD Maeda remains sidelined with a right triceps strain without a clear timetable for his return. As noted above, Mahle’s injury has opened the door for Ober, while Maeda’s absence is giving Louie Varland a chance. Varland hasn’t been quite as sharp as Ober, though his 10.8 K/9 is intriguing. Limiting home runs will be the key to Varland’s future success. Royce Lewis Expected return: Early June Lewis has started a rehab assignment with Double-A Wichita. He’s stolen two bases in two games so far, so the knee looks good in the early going. The Twins will undoubtedly be cautious with the talented 23-year-old as he ramps up, but his return is on the horizon. That could be further bad news for Miranda. More on him below. Twins Fantasy Player Trends Stock Rising: Alex Kirilloff ESPN ownership: 3% As mentioned previously, Kirilloff is batting .438 across seven games coming into Sunday. He’s also chipped in two home runs, three RBI, and four runs scored. It’s an impressive start for the first baseman, who will likely see his ownership tick upward. Of course, it’s a small sample size, so some regression will likely come. The team will also likely continue to give him frequent rest days to manage his wrist. All that said, he is the team’s primary option at first and should occupy a premium lineup spot most days. There’s fantasy upside here. Stock Falling: Jose Miranda ESPN ownership: 46% The impending return of Lewis looked like the end of the road for Miranda, but it actually came sooner, as the Twins demoted him with the return of Kyle Farmer. That the Twins kept Willi Castro on the active roster ahead of Miranda shows the full scale of the latter’s struggles. Lewis’ return will only make it harder for Miranda to return to the majors, as Royce could take over as the primary third baseman. With nowhere else to play on a regular basis, Miranda could stick with St. Paul through the end of the year unless the Twins suffer any injuries. In season-long leagues, he’s an easy drop candidate. In dynasty formats, Miranda’s sophomore season has been concerning, though he still has long-term value, which he put on display toward the end of 2022 with the Twins. Prospect Spotlight Ronny Henriquez (Current team: Triple-A) Henriquez started the year on the IL due to right elbow inflammation but recently completed a rehab assignment and will stick with the Saints for now. The young righty looked good in a small sample for the Twins last season, so he’s a candidate to return to the MLB bullpen at some point this summer. Henriquez has worked as a starter and reliever in the minors and could be a long-relief option for Minnesota. He likely won’t have a ton of fantasy impact in 2023, though he could vulture some wins and provide decent ratios. His outlook in 2024 and beyond is more promising, as Henriquez has good stuff and could carve out a larger role with the Twins. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 3 Games at Dodgers (Noad Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May) 3 Games at Angels (Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Shohei Ohtani) The Twins head out west for a Los Angeles road trip. Kershaw and Ohtani are the names that jump out among the probable starters, and it’s hard to feel good about Minnesota hitters in either of those two spots. A few other matchups look more promising, however. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Pablo Lopez is lined up to start Monday and Sunday. The Dodgers are fourth in the majors in runs while the Angels are sixth, so the matchups both look challenging. I’m probably rolling Lopez out for both given his success so far this season, though you can probably find better options in daily leagues those two days. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch As noted above, I’m probably avoiding the Kershaw and Ohtani games, for obvious reasons. Monday is more interesting, as Syndergaard is dealing with a finger issue and could miss the start, with 24-year-old Gavin Stone as the likely replacement. Even if Syndergaard goes, it’s still a spot I like, as he’s been underwhelming this year with a 6.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 5.85 K/9. Minnesota hasn’t seen a ton of him all time, though Twins hitters are 10-for-34 combined in their careers against the righty. Detmers looks like the most exploitable Angels pitcher with his 4.89 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Correa has seen him the most and has gone 2-for-7 with a home run. You could also consider a Twins stack against Sandoval as a somewhat contrarian play, as he’s been pretty solid with a 3.41 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He’s also a lefty who doesn’t miss a ton of bats, so Buxton and Correa could both line up nicely. One final note here on Ryan Jeffers. Christian Vazquez has been slumping lately, which has led to an uptick in playing time for Jeffers behind the plate. The latter has done well with a .292 batting average and .872 OPS across 48 at-bats. If Jeffers continues to see his playing time increase in the week ahead, he becomes an interesting option due to his power potential at a thin position. Who have been the best and worst Twins in fantasy a quarter of the way through the season? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus share your thoughts on the matchups this week.

In recent seasons, the Twins have seen some solid offensive seasons from players considered among the team's top prospects at the time. These four batters have been named the organization's minor league player of the year over the last five years. The Twins took all four players listed below in the second round or higher, and three of the four were considered top-100 prospects earlier in their careers. After some struggles at the big-league level, let's examine each player and their future with the Twins. Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF: 2018 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .253/.307/.396 (.703), 96 OPS+, 0.4 WAR, 109 G Entering the 2019 season, Kirilloff was considered among baseball's Top 15 prospects by MLB.com and Baseball America. His rise on prospect lists was tied to a dominant 2018 season when he hit .348/.392/.578 (.970) with 44 doubles, seven triples, and 20 home runs. Projections had Kirilloff developing into a middle-of-the-order hitter that could powerfully spray the ball to all fields. Obviously, wrist injuries have slowed down his ability to produce at the big-league level. The Twins hope his most recent wrist surgery will put him back on a path to being the player many expected him to be five years ago. Trevor Larnach, OF: 2019 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .225/.319/.368 (.687), 93 OPS+, 1.9 WAR, 161 G Larnach followed Kirilloff's footsteps during the 2019 season with a breakout minor league campaign. At High-A and Double-A, he hit .309/.384/.458 (.842) with 20 doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs. It was easy to imagine Kirilloff penciled into the number four spot with Larnach following him in the five-hole. Larnach has yet to find nearly as much offensive success while climbing the organizational ladder. He has posted a .769 OPS in 27 games at Triple-A, which has risen by over 100 points since his recent demotion. His biggest issue has been making consistent contact with offspeed and breaking pitches. Hopefully, he can rediscover his swing at Triple-A. Jose Miranda, 3B/1B: 2021 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .257/.314/.400 (.714), 102 OPS+, 1.1 WAR, 159 G Miranda entered the 2023 season with high expectations based on a rookie campaign where he posted a 114 OPS+. Also, his 2021 season was one of the best offensive campaigns in Twins' minor league history, with 32 doubles and 30 home runs. Unfortunately, his offensive performance has struggled to begin the season. In his first 34 games, he has hit .219/.275/.313 (.588) with three doubles, three home runs, and a 22-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. According to FanGraphs, he has been worth -0.5 WAR, and the Twins decided to send him to Triple-A to regain his previous form. Matt Wallner, OF: 2022 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .200/.316/.338 (.654), 88 OPS+, -0.2 WAR, 24 G Wallner has the smallest sample size with the Twins compared to the other three players because the Twins drafted him more recently. He is the only player yet to appear on a Top 100 prospect list, because of his age and player type. He's been one of St. Paul's best hitters this season with a .857 OPS and nine extra-base hits in 21 games. Kirilloff and Larnach have been ahead of Wallner on the organization's depth chart, but there is a scenario where he can surpass them during the 2023 season. All the other players on this list have been given significant time with the Twins to work through struggles, and Wallner should get that opportunity sooner rather than later. Which player has the highest ceiling? Who still has the best chance to impact the big-league roster long-term? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Box Score SP: Louie Varland 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (95 pitches, 66 strikes (69% strikes)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Louie Varland .204, Jose Miranda .110, Alex Kirilloff .081 Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax -.312, Carlos Correa -.149, Jorge Polanco -.123 Win Probability Chart Pitchers Hold Serve Through Three Louie Varland started his first home start of the season by scattering two hits over the first three innings. Three strikeouts and a key double-play in the second inning kept the Padres off of the scoreboard. Michael Wacha countered by only allowing one hit in the first three innings, as the Twins continued to fail to make solid contact. Padres Strike First Varland ran into trouble in the top of the fourth inning when Juan Soto laced a one-out double to right. Varland recovered to strike out Xander Bogaerts. But with two outs, the ageless Matt Carpenter played pinball off of Polanco's glove to send Soto home with the first run of the game. Walk this Way! In the bottom of the fourth, the Twins got things going by having solid professional at-bats. Byron Buxton led off and worked a six-pitch walk. Alex Kirilloff followed by getting a walk of his own, by laying off of several close pitches. The Twins' epic baserunning about bit them again, as Buxton failed to advance to third on a long fly out to Soto in left field. Luckily, Jose Miranda decided that it was time to break out of a slump, as he drove home Buxton with a double to knot the game at 1-1! Unfortunately, Joey Gallo and Christian Vasquez did not break out of their slumps, and the Twins stranded two more runners in scoring position to close the fourth. How Long Can They Go? The question as the game entered its middle innings, was how long could the starters hold on until the bullpens needed to be called upon. Varland entered the fifth with 67 pitches, while Wacha sat at 63 pitches. With both teams enjoying an off-day on Monday, both teams were prepared and ready. Wacha proved that throwing pitches at 92 mph over and over can actually work, as long as none of them are in the zone and the team he is facing is trying to hit a homerun every time they swing. Luckily for the Twins, Varland was mixing his pitches and locations equally well until his third time up against the fearsome duo of Manny Machado and Juan Soto. A single and a walk later, Varland was asked to face Bogaerts one more time with one out and two men on in the top of the sixth. Varland stayed in, and struck out the free agent again. Would he be left in to face Carpenter again? Of course he would! Never a doubt (said no one on Twitter). And once again, Miranda made his case for sticking around on the big league side of the river with an excellent fielding play against the ageless (but not fast) wonder. Bullpen Time Griffin Jax got the call to start the seventh inning, and Ha-Seong Kim reached on a throwing error by Kirilloff, and Trent Grisham followed with a walk to start low-grade panic across Twins Territory. Austin Nola tried and failed at bunting twice, but on the second attempt the Twins failed at keeping Kim from stealing third. Then, when Nola finally laid down his bunt, Kim scored and put the Padres in the lead 2-1. Slick fielding by Carlos Correa eliminated Grisham's spot at second base, but more errant throws allowed Fernando Tatis Jr. to take third after stealing second. Inexplicably, as Jake Cronenworth was taking his walk to first base, Vasquez tried to sneak attack Tatis Jr. at third base. He drilled Tatis Jr. in the back (for the third throwing error of the inning), and Tatis Jr. came home to score the second run of the inning, without any Padres getting a hit. Sigh. Emilio Pagan came into the seventh with one on, and two out, and got Machado to pop up to end the threat, but the damage to the game and fans' overall psyche was already done. Rally Time? In the bottom of the seventh, the Padres brough in Luis Garcia to keep the lead, and Gallo got things started with a smash single up the middle. Vasquez got pinch-hit for (curious how this plays out on the homestand) by Willi Castro, and Castro got rung up on a bad called strike. Nick Gordon was next up off of the bench, and he delivered by lacing a single to left. Steven Wilson came in to pitch next, and he promptly struck out Max Kepler swinging. This put Correa in the position of hero again, but it only took three pitches for Wilson to strike him out, and the rally was squashed. Miracle Time? Nope. Machado put hopes in that to rest with two on and two outs in the ninth. After a spinning cement-mixer from Jorge Alcala, it was suddenly 6-1 and the Padres will go to bed winners tonight. Other notes Michael A. Taylor got his sixth steal of the season, taking second base to set up a scoring opportunity with two outs in the bottom of the third. Gallo broke an 0-for-25 streak tonight. Kirilloff looks locked in early in his return to the line-up, and one can hope that Kyle Farmer's presence in the dugout tonight means that his return is soon to come. What’s Next? The Twins aim to take Game 2 of the series with Padres Wednesday night. Pablo Lopez will go for the Twins against Seth Lugo for the Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Pagán 0 0 12 0 24 36 Alcala 0 29 0 0 23 52 Pagán 0 0 12 0 24 36 Durán 18 0 0 0 0 18 Jax 0 0 0 0 18 18 Morán 0 12 0 0 0 12 Stewart 0 0 11 0 0 11 Lopez 10 0 0 0 0 10 Rodriguez 0 0 0 0 0 0