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A deep bench has allowed Rocco Baldelli to be aggressive with in-game moves throughout the 2023 season. Have these moves helped the team, and will this trend continue into October? Image courtesy of Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports During the 2019 season, Rocco Baldelli was a rookie manager, and the Bomba Squad Twins set the MLB home run record. As a manager, there were few in-game moves he needed to make with the line-up because everyone was hitting so well. He could sit on his hands and have a front-row seat to a team hitting many home runs. Baldelli has been forced to be a more active manager in recent years because there was no way for the Twins to duplicate their offensive production from that record-breaking season. Entering the 2023 season, the Twins added multiple veterans to serve off the bench, but many have taken on even more critical roles. Willi Castro, Kyle Farmer, Michael A. Taylor, and Donovan Solano have over 330 plate appearances each, with Castro and Taylor ranking among the team's top 10 in rWAR. Bench options have changed throughout the season, and Baldelli has been fearless in pulling some strings even when the offense struggled in the first half. Minnesota ranked 11th out of 15 AL teams in the first half in runs scored, with three of the teams behind them being from the AL Central. Twins' pinch hitters also struggled in the first half with a .173 BA and a .512 OPS. Offensively, the team has seen a resurgence in the second half, with Houston being the lone AL team scoring more runs. The team's OPS from pinch hitters has risen nearly 500 points in the second half, and the team leads MLB in batting average, OBP, SLG, runs, and RBIs from bench players. There is also some question about who will be on Baldelli's bench for October. Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton are currently on the IL, and there is some question regarding whether or not they will be ready for the postseason. The player's health might force the team to make tough decisions about who is active for the Wild Card Round. Buxton has the potential to be a big bench bat when the team faces tough left-handed relievers, so can he have a Kirk Gibson-style moment for the Twins? Lewis is running out of days for his hamstring to heal, so he might be relegated to DH duties if he can play. After the Twins clinched, Seth outlined which Twins players he felt would make the team's Wild Card roster. The Twins will carry two catchers, leaving Ryan Jeffers or Christian Vazquez as a bench bat on games they aren't in the starting line-up. At first base, the Twins can platoon Alex Kirilloff and Donovan Solano. Baldelli had the opportunity to pinch-hit Kirilloff for Solano early in one of the games versus the Angels and made the move. Kyle Farmer is a backup infield option if Lewis and Correa aren't ready to go. In the outfield, it seems likely for the team to start different players depending on the opposing starting pitcher's handedness. Matt Wallner, Willi Castro, and Max Kepler are the likely starters versus a right-handed pitcher, while Michael A. Taylor will probably sub in against a left-handed pitcher. If Buxton is ready, Minnesota can utilize a platoon at DH with Edouard Julien facing right-handed pitchers and Buxton seeing action against lefties. It remains to be seen if the Twins want Buxton to serve in a part-time role for the postseason, but things should be more evident by the season's final series when more is known about the team's injured players. Baldelli will use pinch hitters no matter the inning to put his team into favorable offensive match-ups. The Twins have a deep bench, which can be critical to success in October. Do you believe Baldelli will continue to be aggressive with pinch-hitting in the playoffs? How will Minnesota's current injury concerns impact the team's bench options? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Rays have an impressive record, and have been considered World Series contenders at points during the year. Injuries (particularly to two frontline lefty starters) and a franchise-altering scandal have changed that calculus. They may now present the best matchup for the Twins come October. Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports The playoffs are around the corner, and the Twins will likely be a part of the field. Their options as far as opponents (the six-seeded wild card team) are pretty scary: The dynamic Blue Jays offense with Kevin Gausman fronting their rotation; The Julio Rodriguez-led Mariners with Luis Castillo and George Kirby leading theirs; and lastly, the defending champion Astros with newly acquired Justin Verlander. I'm not too fond of the Twins' chances in any of those matchups, even if all we're looking for is one win to break the horrible playoff futility streak. One matchup I like, which is more likely than you think, is the Rays. Early in the season, the Rays looked unstoppable. They had a powerful and multi-faceted offense led by Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz, with some highly effective platoon players putting up runs in droves, no matter the competition. They featured aggressive baserunning and elite defense around the diamond- typical Rays. Their rotation was dominant, and they waited on the return of Tyler Glasnow and later acquired Aaron Civale at the deadline amid his breakout year. The Rays always find a way to form incredibly effective, high-velocity bullpens; this year was no exception. They demolished the Twins in June, sweeping a series in St. Petersburg fairly easily. Why would the Twins want to face a team like that? Injuries. And the Wander Franco situation. The Rays have stunningly lost four frontline starting pitchers to Tommy John surgery this year (three if you omit the unestablished Shane Baz). Drew Rasmussen has posted a 135 ERA+ since the start of 2022 but succumbed to elbow surgery in May. Lefty Jeffrey Springs had a 165 ERA+ since 2022 but dropped in April. Most recently, the Rays lost ace Shane McClanahan, who had contributed a 135 ERA+ while striking out 28.4% of batters over the past two years. He's also a lefty. Glasnow is back and is dealing, but has never pitched more than 111 innings in a year due to injury (80 so far this year) and has a 5.75 postseason ERA. Civale is solid but is probably pitching above his talent level, with a 2.44 ERA and a 3.32 FIP buoyed by an unsustainably low home run rate (.5 HR allowed per nine innings). He also blew up in the ALDS last year against the Yankees, putting the Guardians in a deficit they could not overcome in the deciding game five. Zach Eflin has proven to be a shrewd pickup, having a career year with a 115 ERA+ while striking out 25% of batters. But he has battled knee injuries throughout his career and has missed time this year, exiting a start against Miami in late July. He didn't miss a start and has been solid since, but it is something Rays fans are watching closely. The Rays' starting rotation issues are so prevalent that they use former Twins reliever Zack Littell in that role. If you forgot, Littell was responsible for throwing eight pitches in the fifth inning of game one of the 2019 ALDS, with the game still in the balance, managing only one strike and taking the loss. He was cut loose after a brutal 2020 season and has bounced since. Admittedly, he has been decent for the Rays. As for the offense, well, it's still pretty good, but the Rays have lost some key pieces. Taylor Walls was a plus offensively (for a while) in addition to playing excellent defense at either short or third base, but he is down with an oblique strain, and his return is not imminent. Manuel Margot has been a staple of the Rays' attack for several years, playing great outfield defense with average or better offense. He's also a great base runner but will be out, possibly for the year, with elbow surgery. And then there is Wander Franco, the team's $182M man. He is on the restricted list due to what looks to be an alarming relationship with a minor, possibly multiple minors. We don't know all the details; frankly, I don't want to know. But his career may be over; at the least, he won't be playing for the team this year. Franco has been electric on the field when not benched for lack of effort. He has hit for a 126 OPS+ with 30 steals, 17 home runs, and elite shortstop defense, adding up to 5.5 bWAR in only 112 games. The Rays offense ran through him, and he was only getting better at age 22. Arozarena and Diaz are great players, but the former is streaky, and the latter isn't a significant power threat despite a career-high 16 home runs this year. The team was scuffling even before Franco's last game on August 12th. They have been 20-23 since the start of July but have recently taken advantage of a soft part of their schedule, winning series against the Angels, Rockies, Yankees, Tigers, and Guardians in August. They will face a sterner test in the coming weeks, going against the Red Sox and Mariners before arriving in Minnesota to meet the Twins in September. But, hold on, aren't the Rays 26 games over .500? Why would they fall to the sixth seed in the AL? The answer is no fault of their own - the Mariners are playing out of their minds right (two eight-game winning streaks so far in August) after having some World Series buzz pre-season. The Astros, currently the fifth seed, are a juggernaut, and the division-leading Rangers are too solid on both sides of the ball to take many more steps backward. The Blue Jays have picked up 5.5 games on the Rays since the start of July and look formidable, although they are more of a longshot. Only two teams must pass the Rays for Tampa to fall into the sixth seed. The wild card picture is seriously competitive now that the Mariners have arrived. It shines a light on how unfair it is that the Twins will likely get to play a 95-win team at home despite middling play all season that will give them 85 or so division-inflated wins. But that's baseball, baby. The matchup of the Rays and Twins is juicy beyond the roster attrition Tampa has experienced: Stuff-wise, no Twins pitcher can match up to Glasnow, but the pitching advantage will certainly swing toward the Twins against Civale and Eflin. The Rays have a better lineup on paper, but when you factor in that all three Rays starters are righties, the outlook looks murkier; the Twins are a playoff-caliber lineup against righties, especially if Alex Kirilloff is available. Defense and baserunning will favor the Rays, but in terms of matching up against any of the other potential playoff teams, you have to like the Twins' chances against this version of the Rays. It's not about the team you field in April, but the one you field come October. If only they had picked up a bullpen arm at the deadline. View full article

Edouard Julien is now more than 65 games into his MLB career. Despite Julien’s poor defense at second base, and the Twins’ continuously poor offense, the Twins inexplicably refuse to try the rookie at first base. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Edouard Julien has been better than anyone could have expected him to be at the plate in his rookie season with the Minnesota Twins. Through his first 67 games with the Twins, Julien is slashing .286/.377/.490 (.867) with 22 extra-base hits. Where Julien has not excelled, though, has been on the defensive side of the ball. Upon his call up to the majors, Julien was viewed as a poor defender at second base, and even those poor projections underestimated just how big of a struggle the position has been for the rookie. Julien currently ranks in the 15th percentile in Outs Above Average with -5 defensive runs saved at second base. The Canadian has unfortunately shown that he is extremely stretched at second and lacks the range and twitchiness to succeed there. Julien’s struggles at second base, especially now with Jorge Polanco back from injury, have put the Twins in a difficult spot. Polanco has not proven to be as solid at third base as he is at second base, but in order to keep Julien’s bat in the lineup, their choices are to use the designated hitter spot on Polanco or Julien, or play with a far-below average defensive alignment with Polanco at third and Julien at second. The pickle that the Twins have found themselves in will only prove more challenging once Royce Lewis returns to the lineup in the coming week. Once Lewis comes back and overtakes the third base position, the Twins will have no choice but to play one of Jorge Polanco or Edouard Julien at designated hitter every day. (And soon after, Byron Buxton will return and make the situation even more complex.) There is one easy way for the Twins to fix the issue that they’re having in their defensive alignment, however it’s a defensive move that the Twins have refused to try out all season — playing Julien at first base. First base is inherently an easier position to play than second base, as it is five steps below second base on the defensive spectrum. Additionally, Julien does have 181 innings of minor-league experience at the position. Maybe Julien won’t be great at first base, but he certainly hasn’t been good at second base. Additionally, moving Julien to first base makes a ton of sense because of the poor production that the Twins have been getting from the position, mainly from Joey Gallo. Since Matt Wallner has come on as the everyday starting left fielder for the Twins, Gallo has become the everyday first baseman for the Twins. A problem when he’s struggled so mightily on the season, batting .152 since June 1. Moving Julien to first base would improve their defense by moving Polanco back to everyday second base, improve their offense by replacing Gallo’s bat with Julien’s, and free up the designated hitter spot for a platoon rotation or Alex Kirilloff when he returns. Moving Edouard Julien to first base makes all the sense in the world, and it is puzzling that the Twins refuse to make the move, or at least try it. Do you think the Twins should move Edouard Julien to first base? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View full article

Joe Ryan took the mound in an attempt to deal the Twins back to the top of the AL Central. He left before the fifth inning was over, and by the time the dust settled on the sixth inning the game was going, going, long gone. Here's how the first half of the season ended. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan: 4.1 IP 5 H 5 ER 2 BB 10 SO (98 Pitches, 61 Strikes, 62%) Home Runs: Edouard Julien (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan (-.191), Jovani Moran (-.189), Byron Buxton (-.063) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Familiar Faces, Familiar Results The Twins faced off against one of their home-raised starters today, as Kyle Gibson took the mound looking to give the Orioles a sweep in his old stomping grounds. Gibson started the game by quickly walking the lead-off man Carlos Correa while trying to nibble the strike zone's edges. Then Gibson proved that he could throw a strike, and Edouard Julien proved he could hit the ball a long way by scorching a double to the right field gap to score Correa from first and put the Twins up 1-0. In typical 2023 Twins fashion, the Twins left Julien on base and failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position with nobody out. This lack of attack became an issue immediately in the top of the second inning when Austin Hays greeted a polite Joe Ryan fastball by crushing it to the home run porch in left field. No margin for mistakes when pitching for the Twins, and Hays looks to be healthy again as he heads into next week's All-Star Game. Ryan Tries to Pitch Like the Twins Offense, and That Ain't Good Having watched the strike out, walk, or home run outcome approach from the dugout all season long, he tried his version on Sunday against a potent Orioles lineup. While striking out the first eight and ten total batters in 4.1 innings was neat, he followed up the Hays homerun by serving up a long fly ball that didn't stop carrying to Ramon Urias, which put the Orioles up 3-1. Ryan followed that up with two straight walks, ending his outing. His ERA, however, wasn't done moving, as Jovani Moran came in to clean up Ryan's mess. Moran left after facing four batters, with the score now 8-1. After two RBI singles by Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays, a demoralizing (on several levels) Aaron Hicks' three-run home run to right followed. I refuse to place the highlight video here. I also advise that if you didn't see it, watch it when you are in a healthy and safe space...so November. At Least it's Draft Night Remember to follow along with the fantastic Twins Daily coverage of the 2023 MLB amateur draft starting Sunday night! The future is our hope! 2027 is right around the corner! Back to the Game...Because I'm Obligated To By the sixth inning, Dick Bremer and Glen Perkins were dissecting a town ball home run that Bremer gave up back in the day when the baseballs were hand-stitched. Cole Sands was attempting to return from the injured list, and the Orioles were enjoying it. Adley Rutschman...gone. Anthony Santander...gone. Cedric Mullins...almost gone. Sands got one out in the sixth and gave up four runs. Jordan Balazovic came in, and gave up two more hits and two more of Sand's runs. 14-1 Orioles. Knowing that it would take the Twins almost until August to score enough runs to come back when down 14-1, the Twins started packing their bags for vacation week. No vacation for Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray, however. Those guys have to go to Seattle and try to explain why your number-one-ranked pitching staff is still not over .500. They Finished the Game...Because They Get Paid To Julien keeps playing and hitting. Julien sent a 2-1 changeup to the opposite field bleachers to close the gap to 14-2. Julien has the only two Twins hits in the first six innings. Julien is the reason that Kyle Gibson isn't no-hitting the Twins today. Meanwhile, Buxton found a way to have a -.063 WPA in a 15-2 ballgame. That's how bad his at-bats were. While it's refreshing to think that at least one of the Twins didn't mail in today's game, it's even more distressing to think that Julien is likely the player they will send down once Jorge Polanco returns from the IL. Meanwhile, Buxton will still not be in center field and will take up Wallner's DH spot. Balazovic was the sacrificial lamb for eating up the pitches in the seventh inning. Santander took his first pitch slider deep to right, squashing the Twins' budding comeback and making it 15-2. Alex Kirilloff got a lead-off double in the bottom of the seventh! I'll give you three guesses on what happened next, and the first two don't count. Remember, Gibson is still on the mound in the seventh. Strike out, fly out, strike out. I can't make this stuff up. Kirilloff continued to play, even to the point of ripping his pants. Jorge Lopez appreciated that some of his teammates played defense into the ninth inning. I'm posting the video because it matters too. One more item to note, just because I watched until the very last out. Jose Miranda reached on an infield single with two out in the ninth. The play was initially called an out, but Miranda hustled the whole way and beat it out. As Max Kepler flailed weakly at the final pitch to finally end this misery, my thoughts returned to Miranda for some reason. And Kirilloff. And Julien. And Wallner. And Royce Lewis. And Brooks Lee. And whoever we pick 5th in tonight's draft. The Twins are invested in a different team than the one performing in the field and lineup this season. The second half will be necessary, but for what reason? System Failure or Just a Bad Day at the Office? Luckily for the Twins, the Guardians fell prey to the juggernaut Royals today, so the Twins are only 0.5 games out of the lead in the AL Central entering the All-Star Break. It's one loss. It's also the 45th game in which the Twins scored three or fewer runs. So tell me, faithful reader of Twins game recaps, no matter the result, what is your honest assessment of the club at the break? Can it get any worse? Can it get any better? Or is it where things are just about right and not ripe for change any time soon? What's Next: Lopez and Gray hopefully don't injure themselves in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Then the season begins again...again on Friday, July 14th, versus the Oakland Athletics in the echo chamber known as Oakland Coliseum. Starters for this game have yet to be named, but rest assured, the series will be more meaningful than needed. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40pm CDT. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SAT TOT Balazovic 0 0 0 0 42 42 Sands 0 0 0 0 38 38 Morán 0 0 16 0 14 30 J. López 0 0 0 13 14 27 Ortega 0 0 0 25 0 25 Durán 0 0 21 0 0 21 Jax 0 0 13 0 0 13 Pagán 0 0 4 0 2 6 View full article

Last week we posed the question as to whether or not the Twins would still have a season worth watching after their three-game series in Baltimore. This week the Twins still lead their division by two games, and are looking to expand upon that as they head into the All-Star Break and trade deadline parts of the season. Here's how this weekend's series sets up. Image courtesy of Tommy Gilligan, USA Today 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. View full article

The game got interesting late, but a big home run from Ed Julien in the eighth inning got the Twins bats going. Paired with a good Joe Ryan start, those runs brought the Twins back into the win column. Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Joe Ryan: 60 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (94 pitches, 62 strikes (65.9%) Home Runs: Edouard Julien (5) Top 3 WPA: Edouard Julien (0.269), Carlos Correa (0.189), Joe Ryan (0.126) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) To this point in the season, the Minnesota Twins, as their offense has struggled, haven't hit any left-handers well, and their pinch-hit attempts haven't gone well either. For one night, those details reversed course. Ultimately, an eighth inning, pinch-hit home run by Edouard Julien put the Twins up for good. Here is how it went. First Inning Deja Vu The game did not start on the right foot and felt like Joe Ryan's previous start in Atlanta. Only this time, Maikel Garcia, instead of Ronald Acuna Jr. took Ryan deep. One pitch into the game, and the Twins were down 1-0. Thankfully, the inning did not progress toward being a Home Run Derby preview. Instead, Ryan recovered, struck out the next two batters, and induced a harmless fly ball to center to prevent a crooked number from going up on the scoreboard. Speed Kills The Twins were able to get themselves on the board in their half of the first inning. It was all set up by Carlos Correa, from the leadoff spot for the fourth game, hustling and legging out a double. Donovan Solano then moved Correa over to third base so that he could score on Byron Buxton's sacrifice fly. Then in the second inning, Willi Castro again showed off his speed by stealing second base for his 16th steal of 2023. That extra base proved crucial as it put him in a position to score off a shallow bloop single off the bat of Michael A. Taylor. Castro ended the fourth inning thinking he could get another free base but was instead picked off first. The Royals used speed to their advantage as well. With the Twins now up 2-1, Bobby Witt Jr. took his turn at quickly stealing second base. That put him in a position to easily score off a Nick Pratto single to right field. That allowed the Royals to even the game up 2-2. Witt would also notch a second steal in the fifth inning. Buxton and Correa Producing The most significant offensive issues that the Twins faced over the first half of the season have been Buxton and Correa's missing bats. Monday night, the Twins saw production from each of their two leaders. Correa went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Buxton had two very well-hit balls to the outfield. Neither fell for a hit, and Buxton officially went down as 0-for-3, but he produced two runs on sacrifice flies. After Julien but the Twins up, it seemed the whole lineup decided to produce in the bottom of the eighth inning. While Julien's home run put the Twins ahead, the inning resulted in five total runs. As was mentioned on the television broadcast, those runs helped save Griffin Jax's arm for tomorrow or later in the week. Emilio Pagan allowed the game to become more interesting than it should have. Saving Jax is still very welcomed with a bullpen that has quickly found itself very thin. What’s Next? The Twins will face their AL Central foe in a 4th of July day game tomorrow. Kenta Maeda will take the mound to pick up his second win of the season. The Royals will send to the mound veteran Zach Greinke, who is not the same pitcher he once was but still can be tricky to figure out. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN SUN TOT Pagán 0 19 0 6 25 50 Durán 0 0 8 34 0 42 Morán 0 8 0 0 17 25 Jax 0 0 11 14 0 25 Balazovic 0 9 0 0 6 15 Headrick 0 0 0 0 12 12 Ortega 0 0 0 0 0 0 Winder 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

The Twins bats were stymied by another unproven callup, but Reese Olson looked like a solid prospect in holding the Twins to one run while striking out nine batters. Pablo López was done in by one big inning once again, while Byron Buxton and Jose De Leon both left with injuries. Image courtesy of David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Pablo López: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K (100 pitches, 73 for strikes, 73%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (11), Joey Gallo (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Edouard Julien (-.200) Royce Lewis (-.176), López (-.120) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Tigers find out that Ed Julien can’t play second With the game scoreless in the bottom of the second, the Tigers got to work exposing Ed Julien for his defensive shortcomings. Andy Ibanez grounded to Correa with Nick Maton on first, and Correa made the feed to Julien, who double-clutched before his throw to first, allowing Ibanez to reach. He came around to score on a grounder up the middle from Eric Haase (expected batting-average of .210) that Julien took an odd, stumbling route to (OK, he dove for it). The All-Star break can’t come soon enough for a number of reasons for this club, but potentially getting Jorge Polanco back around then may be the biggest. Pablo López pays for defensive miscues, own hubris López’s stuff looked decent on Saturday, but he threw too many hittable pitches while ahead in the count and got dinked and dunked on by an array of Tigers hitters fighting to stay in not only the at-bat, but the majors. His stuff got crisper as the game progressed, and started putting Tigers hitters away when ahead, finishing with 10 strikeouts over six innings. Reese Olson shows electric stuff Reese Olson started for the Tigers and hasn’t had a great start to his career, nor was he pitching well in the minors to begin the year. But he struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings last year at Triple-A and showed some of that potential against the Twins’ sell-out-for-power lineup, generating plenty of whiffs on his plus-slider while keeping hitters honest with a generally well-located 96 MPH fastball. He appeared to tire a bit in the sixth, allowing a long home run to Carlos Correa, and a single to Alex Kirilloff, which ended his night. The return for Daniel Norris, who himself was the main return for David Price, looks like he has some promise and may get some extended run for the Tigers this year given their multitude of pitching injuries. Byron Buxton doesn’t have a great night After starting 0-for-2 with a strikeout against Olson, Buxton delivered a rocket grounder (110 mph) off of reliever Jose Cisnero , right to shortstop Javier Baez, who turned an easy double play. Buxton wasn’t running hard on the play, and looked to be in immense pain as he ambled down the first base line. He ended up leaving the game at that point with back spasms. What’s Next Bailey Ober (4-4, 2.83 ERA) goes up against Michael Lorenzen (2-5, 4.00 ERA) for the series win. Ober has been the Twins most consistent pitcher in recent weeks and needs to be at his best (apparently) in order to win a road series against a team 10 games under .500. Postgame Interviews The game aired nationally on Fox, so there may not be any postgame interviews, but we'll look. Bullpen Usage Chart TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Durán 0 32 0 19 0 51 Stewart 0 15 0 28 0 43 Headrick 41 0 0 0 0 41 Morán 0 17 0 16 0 33 Pagán 0 0 0 0 30 30 Jax 0 8 0 12 0 20 Balazovic 0 0 0 0 6 6 De León 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Ed Julien had three extra-base hits, including an opposite field home run, Matt Wallner collected four hits including a home run, and Willi Castro hit two home runs to dead center field. That backed a decent effort from Pablo López in a much-needed victory for the Twins. Jorge Lopez continued his struggles and made it interesting in the ninth, but Brock Stewart was nails in getting the final three outs of the game against the top of the powerful Blue Jays lineup. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Pablo López: 5.2 IP 5 H 4 ER 3 BB 6 K 2 HR (88 Pitches, 54 Strikes, 61.4 %) Home Runs: Willi Castro 2 (4), Matt Wallner (1), Edouard Julien (4) Top 3 WPA: Wallner (0.272), Castro (0.231), Julien (0.182) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Bo Bichette is unconsciously good, beats Pablo López twice Coming off a solid start against the Angels in which his bullpen cost him a loss, Pablo López struggled a little with his command. He gave up a first inning home run to Bichette, who looked unstoppable in driving a pitch off his knuckles into the second deck in left field. Bichette got López again in the third, but the groundwork was laid by nine-hole hitter and catcher Tyler Heineman drawing a walk and George Springer lacing a fat changeup into center field to set up Bichette’s two-run triple. López got out of trouble, but not of his own merit, striking out a struggling Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a fastball down the middle, walking Brandon Belt and getting Matt Chapman to line out (106.3 MPH) to a leaping Matt Wallner, ending the threat. López was okay after that outside of a hanging breaking ball that Cavan Biggio deposited over the scoreboard in right center to tie the game in the fourth, exiting after allowing a walk with two outs in the sixth. Twins beat a hot pitcher Chris Bassitt was cruising coming into this start, pitching to a sub- 1.00 ERA so far in May and relying, somewhat like Sonny Gray, on throwing a multitude of quality pitches all around the strike zone despite lacking high-end velocity. It was the Twins’ most inexperienced hitters that got to him, with Alex Kirilloff, Wallner and Julien all collecting multiple hits off the righty, before Willi Castro gave the Twins the lead with his two-run home run in the sixth. Kirilloff breaks his slump A poor stretch from Kirilloff, including plenty of strikeouts and ground outs, prompted some speculation that his wrist was bothering him again, a beyond-ominous thought given the overall struggles of the Twins offense. He put those fears to rest (for now) by grounding out sharply for an RBI in the first and lining singles to left and then right in his next two at-bats. He scored in both those instances. Twins ruin Dalton Varsho’s day on back-to-back pitches After Kirilloff’s leadoff single in the fifth, Willi Castro rocked a low cutter off the top of Varsho’s glove for a go-ahead two-run home run. Not to be outdone, Matt Wallner contributed his third hit of the day, blasting a middle-middle fastball off of Varsho’s glove in left-center, giving López some much-needed breathing room and knocking Chris Bassitt from the game. Varsho was only in center because platinum glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier had exited early with a back issue. Wallner shows off bat, arm, and defensive deficiencies Wallner had a huge hit in the first inning, driving in two by waiting on a Bassitt off-speed pitch. He then reached first on a soft infield pop-up and homered in the fifth to the deepest part of the park. He later added a single in the seventh raising his batting average from .077 to .294 in the process. He mis-played Bichette’s triple to right center in the third as well as a potential double from Belt in the sixth, but recovered in the latter instance to gun down Belt from the warning track, an incredible throw that showed the ridiculous arm Wallner possesses. What’s Next: Bailey Ober (3-1, 2.55 ERA) goes against old friend José Berríos (4-4, 4.22 ERA) in the rubber game. Berríos has recovered some since looking like a payroll-busting albatross in the first year of his six year deal with the Jays, pitching to a 3.77 ERA in May, though he has allowed six home runs. Ober is coming off of his worst start of the season against the Giants where he allowed the first four hitters he faced to score before settling down and pitching four scoreless after that. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Morán 10 24 0 0 9 43 Stewart 10 20 0 0 13 43 De León 0 21 0 19 0 40 J. López 18 0 0 0 22 40 Pagán 9 0 0 21 0 30 Durán 0 13 0 0 12 25 Jax 18 0 0 0 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Baseball continues to evolve, and front offices view defensive value in various ways. Positional flexibility becomes essential as players get closer to the big leagues, and the Twins might prefer positionless prospects. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Prospect development isn't a linear path, and a player's long-term defensive future is far from decided the day he signs with an organization. Former Twins like Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier, and Trevor Plouffe originally signed as shortstops, but their long-term defensive position would differ. Teams value when a player can be a strong offensive asset and provide defensive value at multiple positions. Looking at the Twins' top prospects, most of the players don't have a permanent defensive position. Here is a rundown of Twins Daily's top position players with projections of their defensive futures. Brooks Lee TD Prospect Rank: 1 The Twins drafted Lee as a shortstop, and that's the only defensive position he has played in his brief professional career. Many expect him to add muscle as he climbs the organizational ladder, which means a likely shift to a different defensive position. He has a very strong arm, so third base is his projected defensive home. If third doesn't work, the Twins could move Lee to second base or a corner outfield spot. Royce Lewis TD Prospect Rank: 2 Lewis has played over 2600 defensive innings at shortstop in his professional career, but there have been questions about his long-term defensive position. Last season, the Twins used Lewis at shortstop when Carlos Correa was on the IL, but then the team had him start working at other positions. Lewis has been praised for his athleticism throughout his career, so he can fit at second base or in the outfield, even though that's where he was injured last season. Emmanuel Rodriguez TD Prospect Rank: 3 Rodriguez has played most of his professional career in center field, with five starts in the corner outfield. He turns 20 years old at the end of February, and expectations are for him to put on more muscle. His 2022 season was cut short by a knee injury, which might also cause him to lose a step. Rodriguez's powerful bat is one of the best in the Twins system, and he seems destined for a corner outfield spot. Edouard Julien TD Prospect Rank: 5 Julien has shot up prospect rankings after a breakout 2022 campaign, including moving up 14 spots on Twins Daily's offseason rankings. Second base has been his primary defensive position over the last two seasons, but he has made 18 appearances or more at first base, third base, and left field. He played a lot of second base in the Arizona Fall League, and there were mixed reports on his performance. His defensive versatility can help him reach the big leagues at some point in 2023. Jose Salas TD Prospect Rank: 8 Salas has yet to make his debut in the Twins system after joining the organization in the Luis Arraez and Pablo Lopez trade. Baseball Prospectus has him ranked as baseball's 93rd-best prospect. As a 19-year-old, he played shortstop, third base, and second base at two different levels last season. He made 16-of-18 starts at shortstop in the AFL, so it was a clear focus for him. Some scouts think he can stick at shortstop, but other options include second base, third base, or center field. Austin Martin TD Prospect Rank: 10 In college, Martin played all over the diamond before being selected by the Blue Jays with a top-five pick. Since turning pro, Martin has played shortstop and centerfield. He has suffered some growing pains since joining the Twins organization, including throwing issues at shortstop. His best long-term fit might be in the outfield because of his athleticism. It's also possible that he will shift to a super-utility role. What positions will these prospects play at the big-league level? Who will be the best defender? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

“Je vais être de retour!!” -- Edouard Julien in a since-deleted tweet sent on June 24, 2019. And with that - which translates to “I will be back!!” - Julien’s Twins career appeared to be over before it started as the draft-eligible sophomore announced his intentions to return to Auburn for his junior season. Oh, how things change in a hurry. At the time, it made perfect sense. Even Auburn couldn’t figure out exactly where to play Edouard Julien on the field. As a freshman, he started 59 games between designated hitter, first base, and second base. As a sophomore, he started 62 games at third base. There was no question about his bat, though. That belonged in the lineup. His final game as a Tiger saw these worlds collide. Against Mississippi State in the College World Series, Julien hit a massive two-run home run in the top of the second inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. It was a 429-foot blast to right field that, at the time, was tied for the longest in the history of TD Ameritrade Park. He later singled in another run to push the lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the final frame, the Tigers gave up two run, but still had the lead. One out away. Tying run 90 feet from home. And a routine ground ball to third base. Three batters later, Mississippi State was celebrating their walk-off victory. No one would have blamed Julien for going back to Auburn to try to help his team back to Omaha. But money - nearly a half million dollars - talks and the Twins now have one of the best guys at getting on base in all the minor leagues. Age: 23 (DOB: 4/30/1999)2022 Stats: (AA): 508 PA, .300/.441/.490, 17 HR, 67 RBI, 19 SB, 98 BB, 125K. (AFL) 96 PA, .400/.563/.686, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 6 SB, 23 BB, 22K.ETA: 20232022 Ranking: 19National Top 100 RankingsBA: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | BP: NR What's To Like The bat. The eye. The legs. Julien's entire offensive arsenal is loaded. In an offseason that saw the Twins offload Luis Arraez, the organization has a ready-made replacement. Julien has been able to get on base in almost 44% of his minor-league plate appearances. You could make a pretty good argument that no one is better suited to bat lead-off. He's stolen 53 bases over the last two seasons. He has slugged nearly .500, you could argue that his bat belongs right in the middle of the lineup. You could literally make any argument you wanted about getting Julien in the lineup because he is prolific with the bat in his hands and a lineup with him in it is better than one without. What's Left to Work OnIf you're talking about someone with an elite offensive package and he's only #5 on the team's prospect rankings, you've either got the best system in baseball (it's not that) or there is something significant that sticks out that needs to be talked about here. The Twins - like Auburn - have used Julien all over defensively. He's started double-digit games in his career at first base, second base, third base, and left field. And as you slide down the defensive totem pole as Julien has (and Arraez did), it makes the presence of elite offensive skills even more important. Because the last stop is as a designated hitter. Ideally, Julien either finds a comfortable home (second base? left field?), but the most likely scenario involves him being used all over the infield and in left field. There's a lot of work to do here yet, but the reality remains that Julien is a low-ceiling defender. What's Next After a successful full-season run at Wichita followed by an outstanding fall in Arizona, Julien will almost assuredly start his season in St. Paul. From there, what happens in 2023 is going to be dependent on a handful of things. Assuming the bat doesn't regress, Julien will get ample opportunities to hone his defensive skills in the infield and, likely, in the outfield. But the performance and health of those above him will be the biggest factor. Before all that, though, Julien will compete for Team Canada in the WBC. Julien figures to get plenty of plate appearances and will likely find himself playing second base. Will he use this opportunity as a springboard for his upcoming season? Luis Arraez got an opportunity and ran with it all the way to a batting title. Maybe that's all Julien needs too... and the defensive side will sort itself out in time. Previous InstallmentsHonorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 Prospect #10: Austin Martin, SS Prospect #9: Louie Varland, RHP Prospect #8: Jose Salas, INF Prospect #7: Connor Prielipp, LHP Prospect #6: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Prospect #5: Edouard Julien, 2B View full article