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Thursday’s off day provided the Minnesota Twins with some much-needed downtime, including their annual Summer Potluck. But the charcuterie turned to carnage when members of the Twins bullpen botched their dish, injuring dozens in the clubhouse. “We had a real nice spread laid out,” said a team source. “Buffalo chicken dip, sliders, Minnesota sushi, you name it. Then all of a sudden I just hear shouting and screaming and then the burning. The burning.” Sources say the bullpen was assigned chips and ice, but when reliever Emilio Pagan got lost on his way to Kowalski’s and drove to Fort Smith, Arkansas instead, they improvised a pasta salad. That’s when the trouble began. “First of all, they didn’t have any of the ingredients one would need to make a pasta salad,” said a clubhouse source. “They had plenty of enthusiasm, but noodles? No. Veggies? No. Dressing? No. A pot and water? Again, no.” “I can’t stress this enough: the clubhouse doesn’t have a stove,” said former Twin and current Bally Sports North analyst Glen Perkins. “They removed it after they found out (Carl) Pavano was living there for a couple years to in his words ‘let some things sort themselves out.’ You couldn’t even start a fire if you wanted to. And yet.” Multiple cell phone videos appear to show Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar and other unidentified relief pitchers pouring a Ziploc bag labeled “MAKE CAR GO WATER, DON’T DRINK” on a bucket of gum and sunflower seeds, then attempting to light the unconventional salad with a road flare. “If I heard them correctly, they said they were marinating the gum and seeds mixture and hoping to sear it to seal in the juices,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “Right before the flames engulfed us, I heard Thielbar call it a Goodhue County sous vide. I don’t think that’s right.” A team spokesperson said that no decision has been made about rescheduling Friday’s game at Texas. Although the injuries are minor, the spokesperson said the bullpen is entirely healthy and they must consider that before making the final call.

The year is 2006. I'm 20 years old, home from college for the summer, and my family is embarking on a road trip to see the Twins and Brewers in Milwaukee. This was planned partially because my parents enjoy baseball and love a good family vacation, but – in retrospect – maybe more due to their noticing my increasingly rabid interest in the Minnesota Twins. (About one year earlier, I'd started blogging about the team every other day.) Little could they have known how much this trip would fan the flames. We grab tickets for the Friday night game. It's my first trip to Miller Park. May 19th. On this date, a rookie named Francisco Liriano is making his first start of the '06 season. Given my now-ardent following of the team, I'm well aware of Liriano. He emerged as a top prospect after being scooped from San Francisco in the A.J. Pierzynski deal, and he's been dealing as a reliever for the first five weeks of the season. Much like the staff's current ace Johan Santana once did, Liriano is forcing the issue with his dominant performance in the bullpen. On this Friday evening in Milwaukee, the Twins finally let him loose as a starter. I'm sitting along the first base line with excellent seats (thanks Mom and Dad!) to take in the show. Not only does Liriano toss five innings of one-run ball, but he also hits a double at the plate – because, you know, those old National League rules. Liriano's win over the Brewers would set off an absolutely incredible run: he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA over his next 14 starts. His blazing fastball and wipeout slider blew everyone away. And the lefty's breakthrough coincided with one of the most spectacular stretches in Minnesota Twins history – a surge from 12 games out of first place in mid-July to 96 wins and a division title. Of course, Liriano's rookie season ended in heartbreak, as did the 2006 team's postseason flop. But I'll never forget being on hand for the game that sparked legendary runs for both. And that game isn't even my fondest Twins memory of that weekend. On Saturday, my family spends the afternoon in Milwaukee, and later that evening we're hanging out in the hotel. The news is playing on the TV, and my ears are perked by the mention of a Minnesota sports story. State legislature has approved a bill authorizing construction of a new Twins ballpark on the old Rapid Park site in Minneapolis' warehouse district. After years and years of starts, stops, and setbacks, it's finally gonna really happen. We're getting an actual ballpark. One week later, Governor Pawlenty would sign the official legislation before a big crowd at the Metrodome, ahead of a Twins game. (They won that game, by the way. Liriano threw five shutout innings in his second start.) Four years later, we were taking in baseball at Target Field, one of the finest baseball stadiums in the nation and a triumph in structural engineering. In the 12 years since, that yard has developed into one of my favorite places on Earth. During this time I've also had the privilege of taking part in the launch and growth of Twins Daily, a website dreamed up around the passion of fans and writers who also revel in the kinds of experiences I'm discussing here. Which brings us to the present occasion. On Saturday afternoon, in Milwaukee, I am beyond excited to hang and celebrate with a few of the folks who built TD alongside me as we celebrate the building of something new: a neighboring fan-driven community at Brewer Fanatic, following the same model and spirit as Twins Daily. We'll be tailgating and partying with folks from this community outside of Miller Pa––er, American Family Field and then catching a Brewers/Pirates game the best way: together with other hardcore baseball diehards. Sites like Twins Geek, Seth Speaks, Over the Baggy, and BYTO – which all essentially merged to become Twins Daily as we currently know it – were as instrumental in growing my fandom as that unforgettable 2006 season. I sincerely hope that Brewer Fanatic can serve a similar purpose for many Wisconsin baseball fans, even though I may dislike Wisconsin as a general concept. If they like ball, they're okay with me. Maybe my tune will change next week. Because, fittingly, as soon as the Brewers finish up with the Pirates this weekend they'll be heading to Target Field for a two-game series between two first-place teams. I'll likely be in attendance on Tuesday night. And while I might not be getting to witness the arrival party for the rookie sensation known as Francisco Liriano ... Josh Winder ain't a bad substitute. Especially when it's at the best stadium in the Midwest. (Sorry Brewer fanatics. No contest.)

As we continue to profile players the Twins might select at number eight overall on July 17th, we look at a consistent staple in industry rankings, Gavin Cross. Who is He? Gavin Cross is a 6’3, 210-pound outfielder out of Virginia Tech University. Across five major industry sources, his ranking on big boards only ranges from the number eight overall player to the number ten overall player, speaking to the consensus around his tools and performance. Cross will be 21 years old on draft day. Why the Twins Will Draft Him Predicting the MLB draft is one of the most challenging and foolish things a person can do. However, if I was a betting man and I had to pick one player the Twins are ‘most likely’ to take at number eight overall, it would be Cross. Cross is a left-handed corner outfielder who does everything well. While Twins fans may be tired of this profile, high-floor college bats are certainly a type that this front office targets in early rounds. As a college junior in 2022, Cross clubbed 17 home runs, cut his strikeout rate by 6% and increased his walk rate by 4% while playing excellent defense in center field. Cross will likely eventually be a corner outfielder but will play strong defense with a good arm and good range. He projects for plus (60-grade power) and a plus hit tool if he can continue his improvements in controlling the strike zone. He consistently produced some of the most consistently high exit velocities in the country in 2022, a trend across recent Twins draft picks. Cross is virtually a lock to go in the first 12 picks on July 17th. If the Twins take him, they’ll be getting one of the most consistently evaluated players in the draft. Why the Twins Won't Draft Him Cross has exercised some of the concerns about his approach at the plate with a 10% positive swing in his combined BB% and K% in 2022, an impressive feat in a power five conference. The Twins selection of Cross in many mock drafts is predicated on all of the top seven consensus players being off the board by the time they pick. History tells us that there will be some surprises early in the first round. If one of the elite prep bats (Jones, Johnson etc.) fell to the Twins, or another college hitter such as Kevin Parada or Brooks Lee, they would undoubtedly warrant consideration. Make no mistake, if the Twins take Cross, you should be excited, he’s a terrific, well-rounded prospect. What are your thoughts on the Twins drafting Gavin Cross? Do you think he’s a good fit for Minnesota? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Transactions: Spencer Steer and Matt Wallner named to Futures Game roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Louisville 4 Box Score Star pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic got the start tonight for St. Paul. He went just two innings throwing 49 pitches. Balazovic gave up three runs on six hits while striking out three. This is now the fifth straight start in which Balazovic has been limited to less than 50 pitches. Tim Beckham, who has been red hot since joining the Saints, started the scoring with a solo blast in the top of the 1st inning. After giving up three runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, St. Paul had work to do. Caleb Hamilton doubled home Michael Helman in the 6th inning to bring the good guys back within one, and then Helman drove in Jake Cave on an 8th inning sacrifice fly to tie it. Standing on third, Braden Bishop raced home after a passed ball and the Saints had regained the lead. Providing a bit of breathing room, Bishop singled in the top of the 9th inning to score Elliot Soto and give St. Paul a two-run lead. That was necessary as a Louisville solo shot in the 9th inning brought the lead back down to one. Beckham and Helman had two-hit nights for the Saints while Ronny Henriquez was great in relief working four scoreless innings and striking out four. WIND SURGE WISDOM Amarillo 6, Wichita 3 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long took the ball tonight for Wichita and worked four innings. Amarillo hit him around a bit as the Turbo Tubs starter gave up five runs on nine hits. Gipson-Long did avoid free passes while fanning four. Former Twins backstop Juan Centeno started the damage when he hit a solo shot in the 2nd inning. From there it would be 5-0 before Wichita got on the board. Playing as the Turbo Tubs tonight, Chris Williams erased the zero with his 10th homer of the season. Leobaldo Cabrera then singled to drive in Andrew Bechtold and make it a three-run game. After giving up a 7th inning solo shot, the Turbo Tubs found themselves behind by four runs and the only comeback they could muster was a wild pitch allowing Wallner to scamper home after a leadoff double in the 9th inning. Seven of the nine Wichita batters recorded hits tonight, but Cole Sturgeon and Matt Wallner were the only batters to have two. KERNELS NUGGETS Postponed The Kernels game was postponed tonight due to wet field conditions. It will be played as part of a double header on Saturday. MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 3, Fort Myers 2 (F/6) Box Score Originally scheduled for a double header with two 7-inning games, the Mighty Mussels had another weather delay tonight that changed things to one 9-inning affair. Jaylen Nowlin drew the start for Fort Myers tonight and worked four innings of three-hit baseball. He did allow three runs but posted four strikeouts while walking two. The Mighty Mussels waited out a delay only to find themselves playing just six innings after all. Keoni Cavaco smacked his 5th dinger of the season, driving in Noah Cardenas, to make it 2-0 in the top of the 2nd inning. Unfortunately, that was the lone production for Fort Myers, and a three-run 5th inning for Tampa did them in. Five hits were scattered throughout the lineup tonight, but three of them went for extra bases with Kala’i Rosario recording a triple. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Orioles 6, FCL Twins 4 Box Score Miguel Sano played first base today for the FCL Twins and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. He also struck out once. Sano continues to progress through what’s expected to be a lengthy rehab assignment. Yonardy Soto, Ricardo Olivar, and Fredy Michel all had two-hit games. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 8, DSL Phillies Red 3 Box Score Yasser Mercedes had a three-hit game with a double while Isaac Pena was 4-for-5 in the contest. The Twins pounded out 16 hits and tagged each of the three different Phillies pitchers for multiple runs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP,, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-4, BB, 2 K #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-3 #13 - Ronny Hendriquez (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 2-4, 2B, R, BB, K #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-4, BB, 3K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Amarillo @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - LHP Blayne Enlow Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates and the two Complex Season affiliates back and playing.

Coming into the weekend, Byron Buxton has put up a tremendous season so far. He’s 36% above league average offensively according to wRC+ and has topped his career-high in home runs, well on his way to over 40 despite regular rest days. That being said, it's been a puzzling season for the Twins' star center fielder. While we can’t complain about his performance to date, it is worth wondering about Buxton moving forward. The goal has always been to keep Byron Buxton healthy. Since 2019, he has been a well above league-average hitter whenever he’s been on the field. The Twins have accomplished that to an extent this season, as he’s avoided any IL trips thus far despite a few small injuries here and there leading to short absences. It’s widely understood that Buxton has been and will likely continue working through a chronic knee injury suffered in Boston back in April. Just something to keep in mind when looking at Buxton’s season. As you can see, Buxton’s season consists of incredibly high highs and incredibly low lows. It’s possible that these brutal streaks coincide with flare-ups of his ailing knee, an issue that unfortunately doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. One thing is for certain, however, after a shortened 2021 season in which he would have paced out as one of the best in baseball, he’s completely changed his approach. After an unbelievably well-rounded line of .306/.358/.647 in 2021, Buxton has essentially failed to provide anything at all at the plate aside from power. His .218 batting average is his worst mark since 2018 and his .293 OBP is his worst since 2020, a season in which he walked only 1.5% of the time. While he’s having a career year in terms of walk rate (7.9%), his strikeout rate of 28.2% is his highest since 2018 as well. His batting average on balls in play of .210 is also a career-worst by a long shot. Why might that be? After a shortened 2021 season in which Buxton was one of the best hitters in baseball, his flyball rate has absolutely exploded from 38.4 to 50.3%. To put it simply, in more than half of his batted ball events he’s hitting the ball in the air. 26.5% of those fly balls have found the seats, but the other 73.5% are easy outs. This increase in fly balls has come at the expense of his line drives, a batted ball type that typically rewards hitters league-wide with a near .700 batting average. It’s worth noting that Buxton’s quality of contact remains intact and has afforded him a .262 xBA and .358 xWOBA to this point, but it seems flyball-oriented hitters league wide have underperformed so far in 2022. Regarding the short term, it’s worth considering how such a flawed plate approach could affect him moving forward. Since May 11, Buxton is slashing .192/.273/.479, still a 110 wRC+, but nowhere near the superstar levels we’ve seen him achieve in the past. The entirety of that measure comes strictly from slugging percentage, as the batting average and on-base ability are quite frankly terrible. Masking those numbers are several high-profile home runs in the clutch, a trait that many believe isn’t a predictive or repeatable skill. His overall batting line wouldn’t change if just a few of his homers hadn’t come in such clutch spots, but would the perception around him change at all? In the long term, you have to desperately hope this change in approach isn’t an active choice that he intends to continue. We’ve seen that Buxton is still a valuable player while he’s selling out for fly balls, but becoming so one-dimension offensively cuts off any chance of being the MVP level player he’s capable of being. Furthermore, he’s able to take the mistakes he’s given and drive them over the fence regularly enough to mask his other deficiencies in 2022. What happens a few years down the road when that ability decreases with age? There’s no action to take with Byron Buxton at this time, and it’s incredibly hard to be dissatisfied with his season thus far. Still, it’s worth pointing out that there has been a major change in his approach this season that has made him a decidedly worse offensive player. This “sell out for fly balls” approach has resulted in just three more big flies than he had in a near-identical amount of plate appearances in 2021, and every other offensive stat of his has suffered greatly as a result. Hitting home runs is fun, but he’s going to have to continue to do so in high-leverage spots to make any meaningful contributions on offense. Perhaps it’s his knee injury, or perhaps it was an active choice to get the ball in the air as much as possible coming into the season. Either way, after several brutal stretches already this season followed by glimpses of what Byron Buxton can be, hopefully another change in approach is on the horizon. Perhaps it’s not fair to judge the way somebody achieves success. In Buxton’s case, however, it’s so hard to imagine why we’re seeing such a dramatic shift in approach coming off an MVP-caliber performance. Does this change in approach concern you? Are you happy to enjoy the big flies while they last and worry about the future when we get there? Let us know below!

The Standings: Minnesota 47-38 Cleveland 40-40 (4.5 GB, 3.0 GB of 2nd Wild Card) Chicago 39-42 (6.0 GB) Detroit 35-47 (10.5 GB) Kansas City 30-51 (15.0 GB) After jumping a few games over .500, the Guardians have come cratering back to treading water. Similarly, the White Sox can’t quite get over their bugaboo of surpassing and maintaining the .500 mark. Detroit has gone on a nice little run, their 7-3 record over the last 10, including a four-game sweep over Cleveland and a Thursday win over the White Sox. The Stories: Although the Twins couldn’t do much against the Guardians and wound up playing eight games with no change in standings, they handled the White Sox in two of three games. A crazy game with five blown leads continues to highlight the problems for Minnesota’s bullpen and kept them from a sweep. Jorge Polanco enjoyed a birthday dinger, then followed it up the following day. There was also the fun father-son moment with a fan grabbing Byron Buxton’s walkoff homer against the Baltimore Orioles. Chicago got a boost to their lineup in the form of Eloy Jimenez returning from the injured list. He played a pivotal role in Chicago’s win against Minnesota when he launched his 2nd dinger of the season on Wednesday. Although Tony La Russa’s club was excited to get Jimenez back, they did lose Jake Burger to a bone bruise, and Vince Velasquez was placed on the injured list with a blister. Cleveland seemed to be riding high after holding serve against the Twins but then were swept in four games over three days by the Tigers. With so few games played in relation to their competition, a string of doubleheaders will make things difficult for the Guardians down the stretch. In the last week alone Terry Francona’s club had to play three separate twin bill’s. Star prospect George Valera is set to represent Cleveland in the Futures Game in Los Angeles. Although Javier Baez has been a massive flop in Detroit thus far, he did provide a solo shot to help sink Chicago on Thursday night. Beau Brieske was great allowing just two hits over 6 1/3 innings. Veteran pitcher Wily Peralta suffered a hamstring strain and A.J. Hinch doesn’t see him coming back until August. Outfielder Austin Meadows should be back sooner as he finished his first rehab game working his way into action from an Achilles injury. Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez continues to remain on the restricted list while the Tigers have had no contact with him. He went on the list for “personal matters” on June 13 and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since May. After giving him a five-year contract this offseason, things couldn’t be going more poorly. Andrew Benintendi has been a bright spot for the Royals and is almost certain to be a veteran name drawing trade interest later this month. Star rookie Bobby Witt Jr. was hit by a pitch on the hand this week and has been held out of action but looks like he’ll avoid a trip to the injured list. Kansas City has not been good this year, and already down clubhouse leader Salvador Perez, they need an infusion of as much talent as they have available to them. The Week Ahead: The Twins matched up with the Rangers this offseason when they sent Mitch Garver to Texas for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They’ll now see their former Silver Slugger for the first time with a three-game series on tap over the weekend. Milwaukee then comes to town before the White Sox invade Target Field a final time prior to the All-Star break. It’s a divisional week for the White Sox as they continue a series with Detroit at home before a trip to Cleveland. Chicago has four games in three days with the Guardians and then ends the first half in Minnesota. Cleveland begins a series with the Royals on Saturday and then has another doubleheader looming Tuesday. They finish their first half against the Tigers to close out a stretch of 11 games in 10 days. Finishing the first half entirely on the road, Detroit wraps up with Chicago before a doubleheader in Kansas City and a weekend series with Cleveland. After the AL Central opponents leave Kauffman, the Royals head north of the border to face the Blue Jays for a four-game set wrapping up their first half. What are you looking forward to this week? What are the storylines to watch over the final week in the first half?