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

The former top prospect’s four-seamer wasn’t cutting it; how much can the new offering help? Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports About a month ago, the Twins were losing handily to the Tigers when Josh Winder took the mound. Minnesota wasn’t expecting greatness; they just needed someone to eat outs in order for the game to continue to its dreadful conclusion. Sitting 2-0 against Matt Vierling, Winder uncorked his offering: Vierling looks perplexed. He is perplexed. He got the 2-0 heater he was expecting, but the pitch ran way more than he predicted, causing a foul off his foot, and an extended stare into space as he thinks “huh.” There’s a reason he acted that way; Winder is a four-seam guy, with movement dead and true. Yet, his offering here bored like it was looking for diamonds. What’s going on here? It’s a sinker; he threw a sinker. Winder has been underwhelming since joining the Twins, perhaps making it easy for some to write off his entire profile. You shouldn’t! Winder is a master spinner, firing junk that flummoxes hitters. His slider? Batters slugged .320 off it in 2022 and are slugging .256 this year; the change is similarly effective. The problem has been the four-seam fastball: hitters transform into prime Barry Bonds against it. That’s actually incorrect—they’ve been better than Bonds, slugging .713 against it last season and .905 in 2023. .905! That would be an incredible OPS. Why was his fastball so tasty? I don’t know the exact reason—I watch from behind a screen, not in the batter’s box—but we do have some other numbers that can explain his problems. You’ve probably heard a little about vertical approach angle. It was a big deal when Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober first came up, as their strange, oddly effective heaters blew hitters away despite unimpressive velocity. The gist is this: throwing from a lower slot makes high fastballs look extra-jumpy. They get that bonus ride that tricks hitters and hitters’ bats, and it’s usually whiff-city when a batter attempts to hit it when it's up in the zone. Winder… doesn’t enjoy this advantage. His angle is much higher than those two, keeping those high fastballs “on plane” before inevitably getting smacked into Wisconsin. A high approach angle by itself isn’t a death sentence—Félix Bautista basically drops pitches from the clouds, and he’s pretty good—but an average one, when combined with average fastball movement—which Winder has—turns his ERA sour and musty. I wish I could tell you that the sinker has magically turned Winder into a great pitcher, but that isn’t true; he’s walked more batters than he’s struck out since debuting the pitch on August 16th. His ERA sparkles at 1.69. His peripherals belch. The sinker alone has done well, though, in a miniscule sample. It's been especially helpful against righties, which is good; Winder has demonstrated reversed splits in his MLB career, with righties slugging .495 against him while lefties have only been good for a .367 mark. Frankly, it’s incredible that Winder introduced a foreign pitch on the fly. The offseason is usually when hurlers head to the drawing board and design a fresh offering; just ask Pablo López. But, when batters are slugging, *cough,* .905 against a pitch, that does tend to expedite change, especially for a player still battling for a secure role. I don’t know if the pitch will lead to the success that was promised for Winder, but it is encouraging that he’s proactively looking for solutions. Sometimes, quality performance is just one pitch away. View full article

The Twins waited and waited to bring up Kody Funderburk from St. Paul. He’s looked capable in his brief debut so far, and it’s worth digging beyond his surface numbers to date. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily Through five outings and 5 1/3 innings, Kody Funderburk has a 1.69 ERA and has struck out one-third of the hitters he’s faced. The only blemish was a poorly-timed homer allowed against Cleveland. The Twins are surely hoping that they have an emerging piece of the current and future bullpen. So far so good. Funderburk was thrust into enough leverage in his MLB debut to pitch two innings en route to a win against Cleveland. Two days later, he entered in a huge spot and allowed a backbreaking three-run homer, though only one run was charged to him. On Wednesday, he came into a one-run game with two runners on and no outs and shut down Cleveland once more. Rocco Baldelli clearly trusts him, perhaps out of necessity. It’s an interesting development considering the front offices' refusal to call him up to the MLB roster until it was absolutely necessary, regardless of how well he pitched. At the deadline, the Twins declined to meaningfully upgrade the bullpen. Their lone acquisition Dylan Floro has been just as unreliable as the fringe MLB relievers they chose to roster all season such as Cole Sands and Josh Winder. Even Duran and Jax have struggled mightily in recent weeks. The front office waited until they had no choice but to call up Funderburk, who had been absolutely dominant in St. Paul all season. Based on Funderburk’s usage, it seems as though Baldelli had been waiting on those reinforcements for a long time. Can he continue with the success he’s shown in a small sample? The small sample of Funderburk’s pitch mix is interesting so far. His slider has been dominant, drawing whiffs nearly half of the time it’s thrown. It has a hilarious .008 xBA and .024 xSLG so far, a truly dominant pitch. On the polar opposite end, the four-seam has allowed a .345 xBA and .791 xSLG. It could be skewed by the one homer allowed in 31 pitches, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on. We’ve seen pitchers such as Josh Winder come up and have fastballs that get consistently crushed. Not being able to ever throw a fastball makes life hard as a pitcher. Unlike Winder, Funderburk has a backup plan. His sinker is oddly two ticks harder than the four-seam and has allowed a .131 xBA and .144 xSLG in addition to a 4-degree launch angle. Hopefully, the four-seam can come around to provide Funderburk with some whiffs, but if not, it appears he has the ability to make batters pound the ball into the ground and avoid major damage. Sinkers can sometimes be used to limit platoon splits as well. Funderburk looks like he could be more than a lefty specialist. His slider is effective regardless of the handedness of opposing hitters, and his two different fastballs give him the ability to adjust as he acclimates to the MLB level. At this point, the question is likely whether Funderburk has time to earn a postseason roster spot rather than whether he’ll stick around in the majors through the season. Kody Funderburk’s debut was long awaited, but it appears he’s ready to make an impact now that he’s up. With Caleb Thielbar as the only other lefty in the bullpen, Funderburk has the chance to help the Twins through September and hopefully even October. Not to mention being a potential piece in 2024. The wait was worth it. View full article

The Minnesota Twins had every opportunity to defeat the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon. They didn't, and by the end of this week Twins fans should know whether or not it mattered. Image courtesy of Jerome Miron - USA Today Box Score Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda - 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (80 Pitches, 50 Strikes, 62.5% Strikes) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (10) Bottom WPA: Josh Winder (-.361), Cole Sands (-.276), Christian Vazquez (-.258) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins looked to sweep the Rangers in their final preview for round one of the playoffs. Jon Gray took the hill for Texas, and Kenta Maeda countered for Minnesota. The Sunday matinee saw former Twins and new Twins star in the action, but ultimately the former Twins outlasted the current squad, and the twelve Twins left on base and six arms left in the bullpen tell the story of the game. Maeda Doesn't Like Garv-Sauce Texas attacked the scoreboard first again on Sunday, with former Twins catcher Mitch Garver delicately placing a Maeda slider that didn't slide just far enough into the left field bleachers. To make matters worse, Garver did this mean-spirited thing with two runners on, making the score 3-0 Rangers before Twins fans were even warmed up. With nine pitchers getting used on Saturday, a short start wasn't an option for Maeda. Maeda continued to give up contact and walks, seven hits and two walks in only three innings of work to be specific. And yet, Maeda was able to elicit ground outs and weak contact to escape these threats, keeping the Twins within striking distance as the game headed into the middle innings. Twins Offense Doesn't Like Gray-Sauce Edouard Julien led off the game with a double off of the wall in left field. The Twins didn't generate another hit against Gray until the top of the fourth when Carlos Correa smacked a single to center. Gray continually fooled the batters, with four of his early strikeouts being on called third strikes. Andrew Stevenson tried to bounce one off of Gray's pitching hand, and reached when Gray couldn't corral it in. He got Christian Vazquez to swing and miss, however, ending the threat in the fourth on his seventh strikeout for the day. Royce Lewis Needs a Sauce, and Twins Fans Would Buy All of It In the top of the fifth inning, Julien got his second hit of the game with one out. Jorge Polanco followed with a walk. Lewis followed by ripping a foul ball straight backward into the home plate umpire's face. After a short delay, everyone got back into their positions, and Lewis straightened it out this time to tie the game at 3-3. The Twins weren't done yet, Correa singled, Matt Wallner laced a 144 mph missile to right field (OK... 114 mph), and a jut-out in the foul territory fence saved a run by funneling the ball directly to the right fielder. After a Stevenson walk, the Twins were on the verge of breaking things wide open with the bases loaded and two outs. Christian Vazquez stepped up to the plate... and then sat back down after striking out as the Twins had to settle with the tie. Who's Left in the Bullpen? Not many relievers didn't see action Saturday night for both squads, so when Maeda and Gray exited after five innings each, the Twins and Rangers scrambled to find a way to complete the ballgame. The Rangers went to lefty Brock Burke in the top of the sixth, and struck out two more Twins for a quick inning. The Twins went to long-man Cole Sands, and he mowed through his first two opponents quickly as well. Then, Sands walked Marcus Semien, gave up a single to Corey Seager, walked Nathaniel Lowe, and chucked a baseball behind Adolis Garcia's back that allowed Semien to score to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. 31 pitches later, Garcia struck out and the Twins turned to the last third of the game needing a comeback. Burke stayed in for the top of the seventh, and Lewis and Max Kepler greeted him with singles to knock him out of the game. Chris Stratton came in next and Correa hit a Metrodome classic to left to tie the game 4-4. The Twins once again failed to knock in the go-ahead run, as Stevenson and Vazquez both bounced out to first base to end yet another threat. 10 runners left on base through seven innings usually comes back to bite at team, and it didn't take long for that big bite to take place. Again, it tasted like Garv-sauce. Royce-sauce! The Twins' hopes for a comeback again rested on Lewis, who came up with one down and two on in the top of the eighth inning after Jordan Luplow and Polanco worked excellent patience into consecutive walks off of Jose Leclerc. Once again, Royce-sauce delivered a delicious swing to plate Luplow and knot the game 5-5. Will Smith then entered the game to neutralize Kepler, only to walk him to load the bases after a successful double steal to put the go ahead run at third with less than two outs. Correa was next man up, and he neutralized Kepler himself by bouncing into his 29th double play and leaving another couple of Twins on the pond. The bottom of the eighth saw lefty Kody Funderburk take the mound for the Twins, and things looked bleak after Leody Taveras ripped a lead-off double. Kody brought the Funder though, and stranded Taveras at third (after getting Semien, Seager and Lowe) to send the game to the ninth still tied. Willi Castro made his reappearance in the lineup by pinch-hitting for Wallner in the top of the ninth, and Kyle Farmer pinch-hit for Stevenson as well, and neither found a way to hit in a pinch en route to a no-run inning. Josh Winder was called upon to get the Twins into extra innings again, but that hope didn't last long as Adolis Garcia wiped away his 0-4 day with one big swing to send Rangers fans home happy and Twins fans to their phones to check the Guardians score. Until We Meet Again... If the playoffs began today, the Rangers would travel to Target Field as a wild card participant. Between now and October 3rd will be much scoreboard watching and hand-wringing by both clubs. The Twins took five of seven from the Rangers during the regular season, and could have won them all. They also could have easily gone two and five, with many close games and bullpen issues all around. This potential matchup could be the best the Twins could hope for to beat their playoff curse, but the rest of this week will go a long ways towards determining if they get that chance at first place in the first place. Post-Game Interview What’s Next? The Twins open their last series against the Guardians on Tuesday, with RHP Pablo Lopez (9-7, 3.72 ERA) facing new Guardians waiver man RHP Lucas Giolito (7-11, 4.45 ERA). Giolito managed going 1-4 with a 7.24 ERA in August for the Angels, but when with the White Sox he faced the Twins three times and only surrendered two runs over 18 innings. Which version of Giolito will be standing on the mound Tuesday? First pitch at Cleveland is scheduled for 5:10pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Durán 20 0 9 21 0 50 Sands 0 0 0 0 50 50 Funderburk 8 0 0 9 14 31 Thielbar 16 0 8 6 0 30 Jax 8 0 11 7 0 26 Pagán 0 0 0 24 0 24 Headrick 0 0 0 15 0 15 Winder 0 0 0 6 5 11 Floro 0 0 0 8 0 8 View full article

The Minnesota Twins battled back multiple times Sunday in Texas but the bullpen could not hold. Josh Winder gave up a walk-off homer to Adolis Garcia after Cole Sands surrendered a pair of runs in his outing. Royce Lewis had another impressive game, tallying three hits including a three-run homer. Down in the minors, Alex Kirilloff hit another homer on his rehab assignment and Brooks Lee had a four-hit night that included a game-tying homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. All that and more in tonight's Twins System Recap. View full video

The Twins are in for a hot and heavy last week of summer where they start with the Texas Rangers tonight and then follow up with playing Cleveland, Texas and Cleveland. The dog days of summer are certainly here and the Twins are going to need to stay ahead of the count in the game and the standing. Image courtesy of USA Today Jesse Johnson Box Score SP: Pablo Lopez 5 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 58 strikes (66%) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (6), Kyle Farmer (8), Ryan Jeffers (10), Matthew A. Taylor (19) Top 3 WPA: Ryan Jeffers (.341), Carlos Correa (.256), Royce Lewis (.219) Bottom 3 WPA: Max Kepler (-.291), Pablo Lopez (-.325), Jordan Luplow (-.70) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pablo Lopez, who came into tonight's game with 19 straight scoreless innings, had the streak abruptly ended with Marcus Semien's home run off his first offering of the night. The Rangers kept the pressure on throughout the game, but the Twins countered with timely defense. In the second inning, Travis Jankowski bunted for a base hit and went first to third on a single from Ezequiel Duran to right. With the Rangers threatening, Lopez induced an inning-ending double play, proving that it will be vital for the Twins' defense to make key plays in this series. The heat and humidity Minnesota is experiencing likely aided in the baseball carrying at Target Field, and there was no lack of action. Kyle Farmer matched Semien's solo home run to tie up the game. But the Rangers weren't done. Lopez struggled heavily in the third inning. Corey Seager added another solo shot, and Texas followed with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Jankowski drove in two more, putting the Rangers up 4-1. The Twins battled back with a solo home run from Michael A. Taylor, bringing the score closer to 4-2, but Leody Taveras answered back with his solo home run -- the third home run of the night on Lopez -- and the Rangers a 5-2 lead. In the 5th, Michael A. Taylor added another solo home run to close the gap, 5-3. Lewis continued to help the Twins battle back with another solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, closing the gap to a one-run game and the Twins fourth home run. The Twins called on Josh Winder in the sixth inning. Winder hasn't seen action in eight days, but as a Virginia kid, he has played in this heat his whole life and seemed unphased as he gave the Twins their first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Winder did well and returned to have another scoreless seventh and eighth. It was the first time Winder had gone that long all season, and it provided a much-needed rest for a bullpen that was depleted in the Milwaukee series! In the eighth inning, Matt Wallner and Carlos Correa matched doubles to tie the game with no outs. With the bases loaded, the Rangers brought lefty Will Smith to face Max Kepler and Edouard Julien. The Twins called on Ryan Jeffers as a pinch hitter. Jeffers hit a go-ahead two-run home run to push the Twins ahead 7-5, complete with an epic bat flip! Jeffers is now a .571 hitter in pinch-hit situations. The Twins got a strong finish, and it was fun watching Griffin Jax come out in the ninth inning to close out the game, and he did so in fiery fashion. Griffin struck out Semien before walking Seager, and he was visibly frustrated as the officiating appeared questionable to both sides all night. Lowe grounded into a double play to Donovan Solano, Carlos Correa and ended with Joey Gallo on first base. The crowd erupted as the Twins won their first of the four-game series and handed the Rangers their seventh loss in a row. See you all tomorrow night! What’s Next? The Twins continue their homestand with three more games from Texas in this series before coming head to head with Cleveland. Friday 7:10 pm CDT: RHP Sonny Gray (6-6, 3.15 ERA) vs. RHP Dane Dunning (9-5, 3.19 ERA) Saturday 6:15 pm CDT: RHP XX (7-6, 3.77 ERA) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (7-6, 3.77 ERA) Sunday 12:35 pm CDT: RHP Bailey Ober (6-6, 3.41 ERA) vs. LHP Jordan Montgomery (8-10, 3.12 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Twins didn’t add to the bullpen in the offseason and barely did so at the deadline. Left with only in-house options at this point, it’s time for them to start pressing some buttons and making adjustments to try to make up for it. Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, USA TODAY Sports The Twins seem to find themselves backing into comfort zones when it comes to roster decisions on occasion. Sometimes it’s because of veteran status or it’s a player they personally like. Sometimes they’re just being overly protective of depth. Whatever the reason is currently, it simply isn’t justifiable to continue with how they’ve managed the bottom half of the bullpen. The middle of the Twins bullpen has picked up a lot of slack recently between Emilio Pagán and Caleb Thielbar. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran have been struggling, which is bound to happen to even the best relievers in baseball. It’s also expected that the bottom part of a bullpen shouldn’t exactly be rock solid. After all, that’s why they’re at the bottom. The way the Twins are using the low-leverage parts of their bullpen simply makes no sense as we approach September. The team has been adamant in regards to keeping a long reliever on the roster. So much so, in fact, that coming out of spring training, it cost them several high-leverage relievers such as Danny Coulombe (2.77 ERA in 39 IP) and Jeff Hoffman (2.86 ERA in 34 2/3 IP) who both looked great in the spring. If having a long reliever really is that important to them, that’s fine. Minor league relievers being cut loose and going on to success can be overlooked. The Twins are taking it to another level though, and completely wasting opportunities and at least one roster spot. By currently rostering Cole Sands and Josh Winder, the Twins are playing with a hand tied behind their back when it comes to the bullpen, and it’s completely self-inflicted. Let’s start with Cole Sands. He’s actually been electric in St. Paul with a 1.64 ERA and near 40% K rate. In his time bouncing up and down with the Twins, he’s barely pitched. In fact, despite being completely healthy, he’s made three appearances, all with the Saints, since July 20th. He’s thrown only 4 1/3 innings in just under a month. In Wednesday’s game when the Twins were down four runs, they needed an inning filled. Instead of going to Sands who hadn’t pitched in over a week and actually has promising numbers in St. Paul, they went to supposed long reliever Josh Winder, who allowed a run that put Detroit over the edge to eventually win 8-7. Sands’ lack of usage is puzzling. If they aren’t going to let him pitch, why is he here? The easier question to ask has more to do with Josh Winder. At this point, it’s becoming time to wonder why Winder is an option in the MLB bullpen at all. He had an ERA over 6.00 in Triple-A and an ERA over 5.00 in the big leagues. In 11 appearances with the Twins this season, he’s only held the opposing team scoreless three times. There’s a difference between rostering a long reliever/mop-up man and continuing to give opportunities to pitchers who should be working on things in the minors. Winder is a former top prospect who still has hopes of recapturing the pedigree. He should be focusing on making adjustments against lower competition. Whatever the reason behind the Twins continuing to give Winder these chances, it's time to try something else. Perhaps they see something in him long-term, but there’s zero reason to let him try to find it in the big leagues at this point. At the very least, when a one-inning opportunity comes up, they should be giving it to Sands who has at least been able to get minor-league hitters out this year. Another usable middle-reliever developing would be a big boost down the stretch, and that’s not going to happen by giving opportunities to arms who are struggling so mightily. At this point, the Twins should be looking for upside in the lowest leverage rungs of the bullpen ladder. At the very least they shouldn’t be allocating those spots to players they’re never going to let pitch. A recent hot stretch by Ronny Henriquez should make him an option to get some runway in the majors. It shouldn’t be a problem to add Kody Funderburk to the 40-man, who has dominated Triple-A all season since his promotion just two weeks into the season. The Twins seem intent on making things as difficult as possible when it comes to the bullpen. It almost seems like they’re trying to show the world just how unimportant the bullpen is. It’s time they try to make improvements for the first time all year and give some different names an opportunity. What they’re doing right now isn’t helping anybody. View full article

The Twins’ hole in their bullpen hasn’t gotten any smaller since the trade deadline. As they enter the stretch run and try to solidify their roster, do they have a potential bullpen piece emerging in St. Paul? Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Ronny Henriquez has had his fair share of ups and downs in his Twins career. Acquired as part of the Mitch Garver deal, he’s gone from a starting pitching prospect to a relief prospect before injuries wiped him off the map. Henriquez may finally be righting the ship, and the Twins may be smart to see if they can hop aboard. The Twins perhaps waited too long to transition Henriquez to a full-time reliever. His body has been a red flag for his future as a starting pitcher, as his listed 5’10 height is considered extremely generous. He was making starts well into the 2022 season despite suffering from crippling home run issues. The Twins clearly liked what they saw when he finally landed in the bullpen, as they called him up for three appearances at the end of the season as a reliever. Henriquez began this season on the shelf after experiencing some elbow problems this spring. He didn’t make his first appearance until May, and the results as a whole have been less than impressive. In just under 40 innings, Henriquez’s 5.50 ERA looked earned when looking at his 18.8% strikeout rate compared to his 14.8% walk rate. He’s likely been off the Twins' radar when it comes to being a call-up, but things may finally be clicking. It’s an incredibly small sample, but a dominant one. Henriquez has a fastball that plays up in the mid-to-high 90s with an impressive changeup and usable slider. As a reliever, he should have all the tools he needs to contribute to an MLB bullpen. The walk issues he’s shown have never been seen before in his career, contributing to the theory that he may have just needed time to get his feel back after a worrisome injury and subsequent time off. It’s also the first season of his career where he’s been able to fully focus on the routine of being a reliever. Henriquez is already on the 40-man roster at the age of 23. The Twins have also been rostering multiple bulk relievers for several weeks now. As a former prospect of at least some pedigree, it’s likely Henriquez doesn’t need to show a ton more in Triple-A to find his way into the MLB bullpen mix. Considering their willingness to call him up in 2022, they’ve likely been waiting around for any signs that something has clicked. The Twins have plenty of options to cycle out in order to take a shot on Henriquez. First and foremost, they don’t need Josh Winder and Cole Sands in the same bullpen, as historically they’ve gone weeks without needing to use a bulk reliever, let alone two. Especially if Dallas Keuchel is no longer in the rotation, the need just isn’t there often enough. Jordan Balazovic also has regressed in unfortunate fashion. After filling more of a bulk relief role in Triple-A, he was thrust into more of a traditional relief role upon his debut. It’s possible more seasoning in Triple-A would benefit him if the Twins insist on having multiple long relievers on their MLB roster. Ronny Henriquez is clearly a pitcher the Twins saw something in at the end of 2022, and if he looks like he’s found his groove, it costs them little to see how it translates to the big league bullpen which is in need of someone to step up. Should Henriquez have to show he’s flipped the switch a bit longer? Should they call him up as soon as possible? Let us know below! View full article

The best part of that game was when it ended. Image courtesy of Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Dallas Keuchel: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (7), Max Kepler (19) Bottom 3 WPA: Dallas Keuchel (-.486), Ryan Jeffers (-.073), Joey Gallo (-.054) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) For a moment, it appeared to be 2019 again; the last time the Twins played at Citizens Bank Park, Jorge Polanco hit for the cycle and Max Kepler homered in all three games. Four years later, the two went back-to-back in the 2nd inning, giving Minnesota a quick 2-0 lead. That would be the apex of the game, though, as Dallas Keuchel imploded in the 2nd inning, allowing enough hits to get himself removed before the third out could be had. It was a bludgeoning dynamic and brutal; the Phillies cracked six hits, churning in just as many runs as everything Keuchel threw was walloped into empty grass. Even the two outs he earned brought in runs. Batted balls failed to find gloves, instead banging around the field, creating chaos and scoring runs as the visions of his double plays on Sunday become distant and unrecognizable. Across 10 balls in play, Keuchel allowed an average exit velocity of 95.5. To his credit, at least, the Phillies terrorized every pitcher the Twins threw out there; Josh Winder could only last two frames before giving way to Brent Headrick; neither man survived without allowing multiple earned runs. In the background—as Minnesota’s pitchers allowed contact loud and obtrusive—the Twins settled into their usual routine against left-handed starters, with flashes of scoring potential drowned in their monolith of muck. Cristopher Sánchez did as Keuchel was supposed to, coaxing nine groundouts over six frames to earn a workman-like win. If you looked closely, there were three generations of crafty lefties at the stadium: Keuchel—whose remaining playing days appear few—Sánchez, who looks well-suited to join the ranks of tricky southpaws of year’s past, and Jim Kaat, who likely watched Keuchel with the painful eye of a player who knows all too well how a start like his could occur. The rest of the game was the slow, inevitable march towards 27 outs. It’s baseball at its least compelling; runs scored by either side feel like vain roadblocks on the way to the inevitable conclusions. Relievers replace each other endlessly. Hits and walks? Pointless. A decent lawyer could argue they never happened. Sometimes time can appear to move backwards during these Twilight Zone frames creating infinite, inconsequential baseball. Jordan Luplow eventually pitched, placing the perfect bow on top of this awful game. Notes: Dallas Keuchel has not struck out a batter in 6 2/3 innings with the Twins. Max Kepler is one homer away from tying his second-highest single-season homer total. He is many home runs away from reaching the 36 he hit in 2019. Jordan Luplow has now been involved in three instances of a position player pitching since joining the Twins; Saturday was his first on the mound venture with his new club. Carlos Correa extended his hitting streak to seven games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Phillies will play the second game of their series at 5:05 PM on Saturday; Pablo López will start against Taijuan Walker. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Eduardo Rodriguez is still a left-handed starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, and the Minnesota Twins wish that he was in Dodger blue. Rodriguez controlled the game from start to finish, and the Tigers pieced together hit after hit to end the Twins' winning streak at five games. Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski, USA Today Box Score SP: Sonny Gray, 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (90 pitches, 65 strikes (72% strikes)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Gray (-.097), Willi Castro (-.115), Jordan Luplow (-.074) Win Probability Chart That's Not How to Support Your Starter Miguel Cabrera ranks at the top of the list for "no need to rush your throw to get him out at first base." Unfortunately, Jorge Polanco did anyway in the bottom of the first inning. Cabrera hit a harmless chopper up the middle with two outs and Riley Greene at second base. Polanco slung it on the run, wide of Donovan Solano at first base, and Greene never stopped running until it was 1-0 Tigers. Eduardo Rodriguez is a Different Kind of Left-Handed Starter Fresh off of their seven-run outburst against left-handed starter Joey Wentz, the Twins experienced a reality check against Rodriguez and his 1.05 WHIP. They managed to clutter the bases with two outs in the first inning and again in the third inning, with Carlos Correa's singles accounting for both run-scoring opportunities. A Willi Castro groundout and a leaping catch by Javier Baez on a Jordan Luplow liner ended the threats. Tigers Go Station to Station Against Gray The Twins' failure to cash in on runners in scoring position became more troubling when Gray imploded in the bottom of the fourth. The inning started with a phantom pitch clock violation against Gray, and four straight hits later, the score was 3-1, with runners on the corners with nobody out. Christian Vazquez took care of the first out by throwing out Zach McKinstry at second on an attempted steal. Gray struck out Nick Maton and got Jake Rogers to ground out to second to end the threat. The Twins Outfield Keeps the Score Close Castro and Matt Wallner made sliding, diving, beautiful catches to end threats in the third and fifth innings, or else this game could have been a mirror image of last night's lopsided affair. Gray racked up ten strikeouts through the first six innings and provided a quality start, but the offense remained ice-cold against Rodriguez through the middle innings. The streaky Twins offense only accumulated four singles over the first seven innings against the dominant lefty. To the Bullpens We Go Josh Winder came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning since Gray had gone 90 pitches. All went well, except for the 2-2 fastball that Rogers parked into the left field bleachers to make the score 4-0. If the Twins were going to stage a late-inning rally, they picked an excellent team to be facing. The studs of the Tiger bullpen all have ERAs over 4.00, and they rank 18th overall in the MLB at giving up home runs. Polanco got a double in the eighth, but Correa and pinch-hitting Edouard Julien could not bring him home. The bottom of the eighth saw Winder begin to unwind as he filled the bases with only one out. He almost got out of the jam, but Zack Short delivered with two outs, plating two more runs with a single, making it 6-0 Tigers. The only drama left in the game was whether or not the Twins would get shut out. Polanco stroked a double to the gap in right in the bottom of the ninth, but he became the eighth Twins runner left on base, and Vazquez became the seventh batter to get out with runners in scoring position. The illusions of having success against left-handed pitching evaporated tonight, and it will be interesting to see how the Twins respond in their next opportunity to break the stigma. Other Notes Solano left the game after singling in the bottom of the third inning when he stumbled awkwardly back to first base after making a wide turn. He beat the throw back but had to be replaced by Joey Gallo. If Solano is to miss more time, Gallo becomes the primary first base option unless a call-up arises. Cabrera continues to collect milestones and standing ovations on his farewell tour, and with two more hits tonight, he reached 3142, passing Tony Gwynn and tying Robin Yount for 20th on the all-time hits list. What's Next? The Twins send RHP Bailey Ober (6-5, 3.21 ERA) to the mound to face Tigers RHP Alex Faedo (2-4, 5.80 ERA). While this looks like a signed, sealed, and delivered win, Faedo recently went six scoreless against the Padres on July 23. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm CDT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Winder 0 0 0 0 42 42 Headrick 0 0 0 41 0 41 Floro 19 0 20 0 0 39 Thielbar 12 0 17 0 0 29 Pagán 11 0 18 0 0 29 Jax 0 0 27 0 0 27 Balazovic 0 26 0 0 0 26 Durán 19 0 0 0 0 19 View full article

For a second consecutive start, Joe Ryan struggled to keep the ball in the ballpark, and the Cardinals scored seven runs on nine hits against him to put the game out of reach early. Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (103 pitches, 66 strikes, 64%) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.345), Edouard Julien (-.066), Kyle Farmer / Christian Vazquez (-.028) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ryan gets punished by the long ball early With two days off since his last time out, Joe Ryan had a full week to regroup after his rough outing against the Mariners, in which he gave up four runs and failed to complete four innings. Rocco Baldelli stood by him after that start. He spoke to Twins Radio before today’s game, saying how he believes Ryan is perfectly capable of relying less on his fastball and a bit more on his secondary offerings. "I have complete faith in Joe Ryan and the way that he can go out there and miss bats and get outs," Baldelli said before tonight’s game. "He's going to swing upward from where he's at right now. That's the way I feel about it." Having the support of your manager is essential, but it ultimately isn’t enough by itself. Ryan came to tonight’s game throwing his four-seamer 61% of the time through the first three innings, slightly above his season average of 57.5%. The Cardinals hitters clearly prepared for that, and the outcome couldn’t have been more disastrous for the Twins' talented young starter. After a long -- but scoreless -- first inning, the St. Louis lineup feasted off Ryan in the following two innings. Joe gave up three home runs in the second, including a two-run rocket to deep center by Lars Nootbaar that gave the Cardinals a comfortable 4-0 lead. With St. Louis’ starter Dakota Hudson having a phenomenal start to this game and mercilessly dominating the Twins’ offense, Ryan was on his own, too. The third inning wasn’t any easier for Ryan. He gave up a leadoff double to Nolan Arenado and a single to Wilson Contreras next. Then, it was Alec Burleson’s turn to punish his four-seamer, crushing it to the corner right for a three-run shot to make it 7-0 Cardinals. Ryan came back for the fourth and struck out three to end another tough start for him. He managed 12 outs on 103 pitches a week after needing 95 pitches for 11 outs. He has now allowed 37 earned runs in his last nine starts (6.89 ERA) and has thrown four or fewer innings in back-to-back starts for the first time in his big-league career. The offense gets no-hit through five-plus As much as Ryan’s outing was painful to watch, trust me, watching the offense tonight was excruciating. Twins hitters couldn’t get Hudson to break out a sweat for most of this game, putting up awful at-bats. The Cardinals starter took a no-hitter into the sixth, and his pitch count didn’t hit 70 until the seventh. But it was precisely in the seventh that Hudson seemed to start running out of gas. After Édouard Julien struck out on five pitches to lead off the inning, Jorge Polanco had a crucial 11-pitch at-bat -- seemingly the first quality at-bat by a Minnesota hitter all night. Though Polanco struck out, Hudson started to struggle after that at-bat: Max Kepler drew a five-pitch walk, and Kyle Farmer got hit by a pitch next. Then, Matt Wallner stepped up to the plate and smacked a three-run shot to deep center to put Minnesota on the board. Josh Winder came into the game to eat up innings after Ryan’s shortened inning, and he was brilliant for three innings -- his fifth multi-inning outing this season --, keeping alive Minnesota’s slight chances for a comeback. Following Wallner’s home run in the seventh, hopes went up again for the Twins when Joey Gallo led off the eighth with a single. But those hopes were short-lived, as Michael A. Taylor grounded into a force out and Julien grounded into an inning-ending double play later one, Minnesota’s third of the night. Caleb Thielbar made his first big-league appearance since early June by tossing a scoreless eighth and lowering his season ERA now to 1.59. Then, Donovan Solano hit a one-out single in the ninth, with Farmer and Wallner set to hit after him. Hopes for a rally were reignited for a second, but both of them struck out to end it. Postgame interview SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Winder 40 0 0 0 36 76 Jax 0 22 0 14 0 36 Balazovic 33 0 0 0 0 33 Pagán 0 6 0 16 0 22 Durán 0 0 0 14 0 14 Morán 11 0 0 0 0 11 Floro 0 11 0 0 0 11 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 11 11 View full article

The Twins did well in acquiring a reliable veteran reliever in Dylan Floro on Wednesday to slot into at least some leverage. Given the injury concerns in the bullpen and what we've seen in recent days, they should have their sights set on acquiring a second reliever. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports The Twins bullpen is currently a house of cards held up by Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Dylan Floro has a lot to like in the profile but has struggled this year and even at his best slots in behind the big two. With injuries and uncertainty across the board throughout the rest of the receiving corps, the Twins should be looking to acquire one more reliever for the stretch run. The Twins have reached a troubling level of uncertainty in their bullpen. On days when Jax and Duran aren’t available, they often have to use multiple fringe MLB-caliber arms, and even Jax has blown several leads over the last week or so. The fringes of the bullpen are filled out by rarely called-upon names such as Cole Sands, as well as waiver claims and relievers who struggle to even get Triple-A hitters out such as Oliver Ortega and Josh Winder. It’s no certainty that help is on the way internally. They find themselves in this spot despite surprisingly quality innings from Emilio Pagán, as well as getting a collection of great innings from José De León and Brock Stewart before both went down with injury. Caleb Thielbar just began a rehab assignment, though he’ll surely be brought along slowly. He’s no guarantee to return to form from his oblique issue, as we saw earlier this season when he returned for one appearance and immediately hit the IL again. It’s a fun idea to rely on the dominant Brock Stewart’s return, but after being shut down for what was considered maintenance, a month has passed and there is still no timeline for a rehab assignment. Relying on either to save the bullpen could prove costly. In addition, there are no immediate options within the system. After Oliver Ortega was optioned, the Twins called Josh Winder up for depth. The former intriguing starting prospect has struggled to get Triple-A hitters out as a reliever this season. Brent Headrick is stretched out to start and should probably stay that way. Ronny Henriquez, a once-promising prospect himself, has been a complete mess in Triple-A in between injuries. Outside of the 40-man roster, a few names such as Cody Laweryson and Kody Funderburk have flashed at times, but there are no standout options to potentially become bullpen staples. In short, the only real help that’s coming internally is from Thielbar and Stewart, neither of which should be relied on too heavily. Recently acquired Dylan Floro would likely slot in behind these two if all are healthy, making him more of a depth option rather than a legitimate go-to guy like this recovering duo can be. Adding another high-leverage arm as insurance in the event that Thielbar or Stewart can't come back has little downside. Worst case scenario the Twins wind up with too many reliable relievers. One more potential high-leverage arm would help the Twins tremendously given the health questions they're facing in the final months of the season. With the offense coming around a bit and the starting pitching starting to falter, they should be doing all they can to acquire one more bullpen piece and make the end of games as air-tight as possible. Do you agree? View full article

In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Twins and the Mariners combined for 15 runs on 22 hits, with Minnesota cutting a five-run deficit down to one. But ultimately, Seattle’s bullpen held on tight, and the M’s take home the series win. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan, 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (95 pitches, 63 strikes, 66.3%) Home Runs: Christian Vázquez (3), Édouard Julien (10), Matt Wallner 2 (4) Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.305), Max Kepler (-.207), Jordan Balazovic (-.190) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ryan gives up two homers, three runs early When Twins and Mariners met for the first time last week, All-Star centerfielder Julio Rodríguez didn’t cause Minnesota much trouble, going 1-for-10 with five strikeouts and only a walk to show for against Twins’ pitching. In this second encounter between the two teams, though, he has been a real thorn in the Twins’ side. After picking up three hits in the first two games of the series, including two home runs that powered the M’s comeback on Tuesday, he was at it again right out of the gate this afternoon. He got ahead on the count against Joe Ryan in the game’s first at-bat and ended up hitting a leadoff double after six pitches. Teoscar Hernández pushed Rodríguez across on a one-out bloop single giving Seattle their first lead of the day. The Twins’ offense struggled to get anything going against Mariners’ starter Bryce Miller to start this game, allowing Seattle to add on and increase their lead. Ryan quickly retired the first two batters he faced in the second, then was one strike away from retiring Dylan Moore, but the struggling shortstop took him deep for the second home run of the game. Back to the top of the Seattle order in the third, Rodríguez picked up where he left off and crushed a no-doubter to the second deck in left field, making it 3-0 Mariners. Ryan is in trouble again, but the offense hits three homers The bats finally got into the game during the third, and they also punished Miller with the long ball. Christian Vázquez jumped on the very first pitch of his at-bat to hit a one-out solo shot to center-left and put the Twins on the board. A couple of at-bats later, it was Édouard Julien’s turn to take Miller deep. Exactly like Vázquez, Eddy jumped on the first pitch he saw, hitting a line drive that cleared the left field track by a few feet. Suddenly, the Twins cut their deficit to only one run. But it simply wasn’t Ryan’s day, as Seattle batters seem to have him absolutely figured out. The Mariners swung on only 34% of his pitches outside the zone in this game, while Ryan has been getting hitters to swing at his outside pitches almost 40% of the time this season. With that, it didn’t take long for Seattle to get him in trouble again. Ryan loaded the bases before recording an out in the fourth inning, then gave up a single to Kolten Wong that scored the Mariners’ fourth run. Ryan managed to strike out the next two batters, but with his pitch count nearing a hundred, Rocco Baldelli decided to bring Jordan Balazovic into the game, making this Ryan’s second-shortest outing of the season. Balazovic got Hernández to fly out, avoiding any further damage. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Wallner hit his first home run of the afternoon, and once again, the Twins were within a run, trailing 4-3. Mariners explode to build a five-run lead, but the Twins answer back Balazovic remained in the game for the fifth, and with 14 pitches, he had retired two batters and allowed a walk. He failed to retire Cade Marlowe next, instead giving up an eight-pitch walk, which would cost him highly on the next at-bat. Moore, who before this game had homered only twice all year, hit his second home run of the day, a 429-feet bomb to left-center, making it 7-3 Mariners. Rodríguez led off the sixth inning with another double, this time against Josh Winder, and he scored on the next at-bat after Eugenio Suárez smashed a long single off the right-center field wall. Seattle had its biggest lead of the afternoon, heading into the bottom of the sixth. For many teams, an 8-3 deficit this late would be too much to overcome. But this Twins team simply refuses to quit as of late. Minnesota’s offense rallied for four runs in the sixth and cut the Mariners’ lead to only one run once again. Wallner kicked things off with his second solo home run of the game, a rare opposite-field monster shot by a lefty that landed in the second deck. Willi Castro flied out to put Miller within an out of finishing the inning, but Trevor Larnach doubled and scored next on a Kyle Farmer single to shallow center, making it 8-5 Mariners and immediately ending Miller’s day. Reliever Matt Brash took over, but he wasn’t able to stop the two-out bleeding. Joey Gallo hit a long fly ball to deep right, and Rodríguez couldn’t make the play, allowing Farmer to score and Gallo to reach second. Then, Vázquez, Minnesota’s seventh player to bat in the inning, joined the party and grounded to right to bring Gallo home and close the gap even more, cutting Seattle’s lead to 8-7. Winder preserves the one-run deficit, but the rally falls short Winder gave up two hits and a run in the sixth, but he did a fantastic job the rest of the way. He retired all the remaining batters faced (11 in a row) without allowing a single hit or walk while striking out four and throwing 75% strikes. But the offense went down in order in the seventh and stranded its only runner in the eighth. Minnesota would need their offense to step up once more to complete their rally in the bottom of the ninth. Things started off well, with Vázquez finding a gap in the middle for a leadoff groundball single. But reliever Andrés Muñoz managed to induce three groundball outs next, and the Mariners prevailed in the end. Postgame interview SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Balazovic 7 0 12 0 32 51 Jax 16 8 19 0 0 43 Durán 21 16 0 0 0 37 Winder 0 0 0 0 36 36 Pagán 0 11 0 19 0 30 J. López 0 9 12 0 0 21 Morán 0 0 5 14 0 19 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article